Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Mario's cheerful voice began with an actor rejecting the obvious choice.
Mario's cheerful voice began with an actor rejecting the obvious choice. Charles Martinet was asked to improvise an Italian plumber. Rather than choosing a…
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Mad Max: Fury Road began as 3,500 pictures on a wall.
Mad Max: Fury Road began as 3,500 pictures on a wall. George Miller's team first mapped the story in storyboard panels around a room, then developed an…
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Tom's Restaurant, the iconic exterior used for the fictional Monk's Diner in the legendary sitcom Seinfeld, is a real operating eatery in New York City, but absolutely none of the show was ever filmed inside it.
Tom's Restaurant, the iconic exterior used for the fictional Monk's Diner in the legendary sitcom Seinfeld, is a real operating eatery in New York City, but…
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Robin Williams wanted Hagrid, but the casting rule shut him out.
Robin Williams wanted Hagrid, but the casting rule shut him out. Casting director Janet Hirshenson said Williams contacted the production because he wanted…
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Nickelodeon's green slime had a surprisingly dessert-like recipe.
Nickelodeon's green slime had a surprisingly dessert-like recipe. Double Dare host Marc Summers described a mixture including vanilla pudding, applesauce,…
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Hitchcock imagined a thriller that would take its mystery to Disneyland.
Hitchcock imagined a thriller that would take its mystery to Disneyland. The unmade project The Blind Man concerned a pianist who gains sight through…
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Snoop Dogg put a professional blunt roller on the payroll.
Snoop Dogg put a professional blunt roller on the payroll. On Howard Stern's show in 2019, Snoop said the job paid $40,000–$50,000 a year and came with travel…
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Columbia Pictures almost completely ruined the iconic movie Ghostbusters because they aggressively pressured director Ivan Reitman to cast massive action stars instead of comedic actors.
Columbia Pictures almost completely ruined the iconic movie Ghostbusters because they aggressively pressured director Ivan Reitman to cast massive action…
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Spider-Man's unfinished trailer leaked before the polished one.
Spider-Man's unfinished trailer leaked before the polished one. An unfinished version of the No Way Home trailer circulated online in 2021, showing effects…
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Oprah Winfrey famously gave away exactly two hundred and seventy-six Pontiac G6 sedans to her screaming studio audience in 2004 during a legendary television broadcast that birthed a thousand internet memes.
Oprah Winfrey famously gave away exactly two hundred and seventy-six Pontiac G6 sedans to her screaming studio audience in 2004 during a legendary television…
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The Barbie Girl lawsuit ended with a court telling both sides to chill.
The Barbie Girl lawsuit ended with a court telling both sides to chill. Mattel challenged Aqua's song on trademark grounds; the record company's defamation…
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Bugs Bunny ended a superhero cartoon in a Marine uniform.
Bugs Bunny ended a superhero cartoon in a Marine uniform. In 1943's Super-Rabbit, the final transformation put him in dress blues rather than another…
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Academy Award statues handed out during World War II were made entirely of painted plaster because of severe metal shortages for the military effort.
Academy Award statues handed out during World War II were made entirely of painted plaster because of severe metal shortages for the military effort. After…
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Horror movie trailers often use infrasound frequencies that human ears cannot consciously detect but will absolutely cause physical feelings of anxiety.
Horror movie trailers often use infrasound frequencies that human ears cannot consciously detect but will absolutely cause physical feelings of anxiety. The…
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All four Golden Girls won Emmys for the show.
All four Golden Girls won Emmys for the show. Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty each received an acting Emmy for the sitcom. Its four…
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Super Bowl XLIX halftime show famously featured a backup dancer in a giant shark costume who completely forgot the choreography and just wildly flailed his fins on live television alongside Katy Perry.
Super Bowl XLIX halftime show famously featured a backup dancer in a giant shark costume who completely forgot the choreography and just wildly flailed his…
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Rockstar Games caused an international political scandal in 2005 when hackers discovered fully functional, hidden sexual mini-games buried deep within the source code of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Rockstar Games caused an international political scandal in 2005 when hackers discovered fully functional, hidden sexual mini-games buried deep within the…
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Bronies became an entirely unexpected demographic of adult male fans obsessed with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, completely derailing Hasbro's marketing strategy that was aimed strictly at young girls.
Bronies became an entirely unexpected demographic of adult male fans obsessed with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, completely derailing Hasbro's…
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Snoop Dogg recorded himself into Call of Duty.
Snoop Dogg recorded himself into Call of Duty. His 2022 operator appearance in Vanguard and Warzone included newly recorded voice lines, turning the musician…
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Twilight's effortless apple trick took thirteen tries.
Twilight's effortless apple trick took thirteen tries. Director Catherine Hardwicke recalls repeatedly attempting the shot in which Edward kicks up and…
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The Beatles considered their own Lord of the Rings movie.
The Beatles considered their own Lord of the Rings movie. Peter Jackson said Paul McCartney confirmed the plan to him: McCartney as Frodo, Lennon as Gollum,…
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Tom Cruise said he was not close to becoming Iron Man.
Tom Cruise said he was not close to becoming Iron Man. Asked about the long-running casting story in 2018, Cruise described the possibility as 'not close' and…
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Nicolas Cage's Superman movie vanished, but its giant spider survived.
Nicolas Cage's Superman movie vanished, but its giant spider survived. Tim Burton's Superman Lives was canceled before filming, leaving costume tests and…
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Fifty Shades began as a Twilight fan story.
Fifty Shades began as a Twilight fan story. E. L. James first published Master of the Universe using Twilight's characters, then reworked it into the novel…
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