User:28bytes/DYKs


 * ... that the producer of the Bad Lip Reading viral videos first encountered the technique of lip reading when his mother lost her hearing?
 * ... that former Mr. Belvedere actor Rob Stone later became a producer of documentaries, including a short film on homelessness that featured Mr. Belvedere himself?
 * ... that after Rick Wakeman left Yes without a full-time keyboardist in 1997, the band borrowed Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro for their final rock radio hit "Open Your Eyes"?
 * ... that with titles such as 1983's Kool-Aid Man, Mattel's M Network was an early developer of "promogames"?
 * ... that the Atari 2600 dental hygiene game Tooth Protectors was among the earliest examples of advergaming?
 * ... that the 1982 Apple II game Bolo was praised in 2010 for its "surprisingly nice AI enemies"?
 * ... that in his new book Ascent of the A-Word: Assholism, the First Sixty Years, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg traces the origin of the insult "asshole" to the soldiers of World War II?''
 * ... that over one hundred Atari 2600 homebrew games, including Duck Attack!, have been created since that console was withdrawn from the market in 1992?
 * ... that "Do the Bartman", written by Michael Jackson and Bryan Loren, was never released as a single in the US yet it peaked at number 11 on Billboard airplay chart?''
 * ... that Miami-based producer Ish Ledesma was the lead songwriter for two different one-hit wonder bands in the 1980s?
 * ... that billionaire businessman Mark Cuban funded the operations of the investigative reporting site Sharesleuth by short-selling the companies the site reported on?''
 * ... that "The Most Unwanted Song" includes bagpipes, a children's choir, and an opera singer who raps about cowboys?
 * ... that due to a copy-editing error, The Washington Post inadvertently suggested that Public Enemy's 1990 song "911 Is a Joke" referred to the September 11, 2001 attacks?
 * ... that three years prior to last month's massive plastics fire in Indiana, a court determined that the site was a fire hazard "unsafe to people and property"?
 * ... that ten years after releasing an entire album of 18- to 21-minute songs, progressive rock band Yes won their first Grammy for "Cinema", a two-minute instrumental?
 * ... that percussionist Ollie E. Brown has produced or performed on over 100 singles and albums, including Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters", Michael Jackson's Bad, and the theme from Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo?
 * ... that sound engineer and record producer Paul DeVilliers has worked with Yes, Marc Jordan, King Crimson and Mr. Mister, whose number-one hits "Kyrie" and "Broken Wings" he co-produced?
 * ... that in the extremely rare 1983 video game Mangia, the player controls a boy whose mother attempts to feed him so much pasta that his stomach will explode?
 * ... that for the 1999 reissue of The Cars' 1978 debut album, no usable demo of their single "Good Times Roll" could be found?
 * ... that "You Are the Girl" was The Cars' first – and last – Top 40 hit after they regrouped from a three-year hiatus in 1987?
 * ... that after battling over who could use the name "Yes", the musicians involved reconciled and released "Lift Me Up", a number-one mainstream rock song about homelessness?
 * ... that despite telling a reporter in 1997 that he would "never" reunite with The Cars, singer Ric Ocasek relented in 2010 to record Move Like This, the band's first studio album in 23 years?


 * ... that the 1976 play The Vietnamization of New Jersey has been noted for its parallels to the United States' involvement in Iraq?
 * ... that for the Game Boy Advance version of their Activision Anthology, Activision selected the Atari 2600 homebrew game Oystron, in which the player shoots "space oysters" to collect pearls?
 * ... that "Crumblin' Down" was John Cougar Mellencamp's first single released with his real last name?
 * ... that Heaven 17's 1981 song "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was banned by the BBC over fears it libeled Ronald Reagan?
 * ... that The Cars, The Primitives, The Lemonheads and Tarnation have all released recordings of The Nightcrawlers' "slightly bizarre nursery rhyme" "The Little Black Egg"?
 * ... that the Iggy Pop song "Funtime" has been covered by R.E.M., The Cars, Blondie, Boy George and Liv Tyler's mom?
 * ... that when the 1983 arcade game Up'n Down was ported to the Atari 2600, its "bluesy" background music was replaced with "a very unsettling version" due to limitations in the 2600's sound capabilities?
 * ... that although it gave the game a "C" rating, The Video Game Critic praised A-VCS-tec Challenge for "some of the best graphics and audio you'll experience on your 2600"?
 * ... that the upcoming new Yes album Fly from Here features Benoît David, a former Yes cover band vocalist?
 * ... that in the rare 1984 video game Gremlins, the player must either prevent the furry Mogwai from eating the hamburgers at the bottom of the screen, or shoot them after they transform into gremlins?
 * ... that the 2006 homebrew Medieval Mayhem and the 1984 Starpath Supercharger version of Frogger are the only two Atari 2600 games to receive an "A+" rating from The Video Game Critic?
 * ... that John Cougar Mellencamp's number-one rock song "Lonely Ol' Night" was inspired by the 1963 Paul Newman movie Hud?
 * ... that Billy Squier's number-one mainstream rock hit "Everybody Wants You" has been performed by Damone, The Unband, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, and players of Guitar Hero 5?
 * ... that the Yes song "Saving My Heart" was originally intended to be a collaboration with Supertramp vocalist Roger Hodgson, but Yes vocalist Jon Anderson wanted to sing it himself?
 * ... that the George W. Bush presidential campaign used John Cougar Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." at a campaign rally, despite Mellencamp's opposition to Bush's political positions?
 * ... that Steely Dan singer Donald Fagen's only Billboard Top 40 hit as a solo artist was "I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)", a song inspired by the International Geophysical Year of July 1957 – December 1958?
 * ... that the lyrics of Yes's last top-ten rock hit "The Calling" were inspired by singer Jon Anderson's concept of "local history"?
 * ... that Activision founder Larry Kaplan called Street Racer the one game he wished he had done differently?
 * ... that a new species of ant was named to honor artist Jeremy Ayers and the non-binary community?