X-Men Unlimited

Shaggy 2 Dope

publication date: Saturday, October 31, 2020

category: Music

clue: Unlike this dopey rapper, the X-Men villain Magneto never wondered of magnets, "How do they work?"

explanation: Shaggy 2 Dope is half of the duo Insane Clown Posse. His line, "fucking magnets, how do they work?" from the 2009 song "Miracles" became a popular Internet meme. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

David Belasco

publication date: Friday, October 30, 2020

category: Theater

clue: This playwright and producer, the first to adapt Madame Butterfly to the stage, was among the foremost Americans devoted to the theater in the late 1800s. The Belasco Theatre is named in his memory.

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Nick Frost

publication date: Thursday, October 29, 2020

category: Movies

clue: With his frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, this British comic actor has made a number of well-regarded films, including the Cornetto trilogy, that have made him as famous as his namesakes Emma and previous goos David, Robert, and Honor.

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

David Berkowitz

publication date: Wednesday, October 28, 2020

category: Crime

clue: He terrorized New York in the mid-70s with a handgun, supposedly on orders from a dog named Sam, but he was also a Pyro believed to be behind numerous arsons.

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Chares of Lindos

publication date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020

category: Art

clue: One of ancient history's best-known sculptors didn't live to see his final creation, a Colossus of a statue, become finished.

explanation: Chares is believed to have died before the completion of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Angel Olsen

publication date: Monday, October 26, 2020

category: Music

clue: This indie rocker from St. Louis has become a critical darling for having the voice of an Angel.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Thomas Becket

publication date: Sunday, October 25, 2020

category: Religion

clue: He had only a brief career as a Bishop in England, but since his 1170 assassination, he has become among the most venerated saints in the Catholic Church and Anglican Church.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Marshawn Lynch

publication date: Saturday, October 24, 2020

category: Sports

clue: His career with the Seahawks can apparently be turned on and off again, just like the Beast mode that gave him his nickname.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Charlize Theron

publication date: Friday, October 23, 2020

category: Movies

clue: Sure, it was a Longshot for her to star in a romance with Seth Rogen. That's why they called it that.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Billie Joe Armstrong

publication date: Thursday, October 22, 2020

category: Music

clue: He and his colorful bandmates re-popularized punk rock in the 1990s, with hit albums like Nimrod.

explanation: Armstrong is the lead singer and guitarist of Green Day. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Patrick Doyle

publication date: Wednesday, October 21, 2020

category: Business

clue: Like turning over a new Domino, he oversaw a record-setting corporate turnaround in the fast-food industry that started when his company apologized for being terrible. He was hired a year later and named the best CEO of 2011 by CNBC.

explanation: Doyle was CEO of Domino's from 2010 to 2018, during which the company saw the largest same-store sales increases in industry history. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Jason Becker

publication date: Tuesday, October 20, 2020

category: Music

clue: ALS robbed this promising San Francisco musician of his ability to shred on the guitar, but he can still communicate and compose via software that watches him Blink.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Devin Booker

publication date: Monday, October 19, 2020

category: Sports

clue: This young athlete went pro for Phoenix in 2015 after just one year at the University of Kentucky.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Boy George

publication date: Sunday, October 18, 2020

category: Music

clue: This androgynous and colorful singer scored a hit with his band in the 1980s about a lizard experiencing Karma.

explanation: Culture Club's best-known hit is "Karma Chameleon." more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Antony Starr

publication date: Saturday, October 17, 2020

category: Television

clue: Before his starring role as a superhero in The Boys, he starred in Banshee.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Elizebeth Smith Friedman

publication date: Friday, October 16, 2020

category: Military

clue: During the Prohibition and WWII, there was practically no Cypher that couldn't be figured out by this celebrated cryptologist, who worked in partnership with her husband William.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Megan Fox

publication date: Thursday, October 15, 2020

category: Movies

clue: She's been in movies about Transformers and Ninja Turtles, but her latest movie is Rogue.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Jim Morrison

publication date: Wednesday, October 14, 2020

category: Music

clue: This poet-singer became a legend in the late-60s counter-culture, weaving the anagram Mr. Mojo Risin' into his lyrics.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Hikaru Nakamura

publication date: Tuesday, October 13, 2020

category: Competitions

clue: Trying to earn a living on Twitch during a pandemic must have been risky, but chess players are used to making a bold Gambit.

explanation: Chess grandmaster Nakamura has become a popular phenomenon on Twitch in 2020. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Shin Lim

publication date: Monday, October 12, 2020

category: Illusions

clue: This Singaporean illusionist rarely speaks in his up-close Magik act, where he manipulates cards with the manual dexterity he learned from his training as a pianist.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi

publication date: Sunday, October 11, 2020

category: Terrorism

clue: This Yemeni terrorist, who has been called the Mastermind of the bombing of the USS Cole, lived (barely) to see 2019.

explanation: Al-Badawi was assassinated on January 1, 2019 by an American drone strike. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Denis Leary

publication date: Saturday, October 10, 2020

category: Comedy

clue: This foul-mouthed, frequently angry Boston-Irish comic was a strange choice to cast in a children's movie, playing a Sabretooth tiger in a historical Ice Age.

explanation: Leary plays Diego in the Ice Age films. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Jake Gyllenhaal

publication date: Friday, October 9, 2020

category: Movies

clue: He's played a gay cowboy, a Spider-Man villain, and a prince of Persia, but none of that prepared him to star in Nightcrawler.

explanation: Gyllenhaal's films include Brokeback Mountain, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Bing Crosby

publication date: Thursday, October 8, 2020

category: Music

clue: Besides his successful careers in live comedy and film acting, he recorded a series of hit songs that included "White Christmas" and "Quicksilver."

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Francis Ford Coppola

publication date: Wednesday, October 7, 2020

category: Movies

clue: One of Hollywood's most celebrated filmmakers (and filmmaking family patriarchs) is responsible for films about an American general, a godfather, a conversation, a vampire, and an Apocalypse.

explanation: Coppola's films include Patton, The Godfather, The Conversation, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Apocalypse Now. His family includes Talia Shire, Sofia Coppola, Gia Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Nicolas Cage. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Steve Wynn

publication date: Tuesday, October 6, 2020

category: Business

clue: Is it amusing that this prolific casino developer, whose works include the Mirage, is named for what you want to do in one?

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Frank Richards

publication date: Monday, October 5, 2020

category: Stunts

clue: When jumping into a pool, a belly flop is more painful than a Cannonball. This iconic stunt performer did something even more painful with both.

explanation: Frank "Cannonball" Richards was a live stunt performer whose act involved a series of blows to his belly, culminating in a cannonball. more…

intended difficulty: hard

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Betty Friedan

publication date: Sunday, October 4, 2020

category: Activism

clue: She sparked a revolution in feminism with her 1960s book about women's Mystique.

explanation: Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Stephanie Abrams

publication date: Saturday, October 3, 2020

category: Journalism

clue: She has covered many a Storm in her nearly two decades with The Weather Channel, from which she broadcasts to America every morning from her TV studio headquarters.

explanation: Abrams co-hosts AMHQ: America's Morning Headquarters. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Charles Woodson

publication date: Friday, October 2, 2020

category: Sports

clue: As a Wolverine, he played both offense and defense to lead Michigan to a 1997 championship. Now he's considered one of the NFL's greatest-ever defensive players.

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates

Val Kilmer

publication date: Thursday, October 1, 2020

category: Movies

clue: He played the chilly Iceman in a mid-80s action movie about top fighter pilots, and he's expected to reprise the role soon in the long-delayed sequel.

explanation: Kilmer starred in Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Denise Sawicki, and Erik Bates