A handy dandy, States to normal people guide to explain the pop culture references contained in The Immoral Compass for those in the dark.
This page is currently under construction and incomplete!
Keith Morrison - News correspondent from Dateline NBC with a unique broadcasting voice and delivery. His style of unveiling the mysterious news stories is folksy yet very soothing as he slowly draws viewers into the reports.
Bill Hader - Hilarious cast member from Saturday Night Live who has spoofed the above mentioned Keith Morrison in several Dateline NBC sketches on SNL. Turning his dead on impersonation of Morrison’s mannerisms and voice into creepy wonderment!
"I was born a poor black child." - Steve Martin recites this line about the beginning of his life story as Navin R. Johnson in the 1979 comedy movie "The Jerk."
Facebook - A social networking service and website launched in February 2004. As of February 2012 Facebook has 845 million active users.
Evil Knievel - An American daredevil and pop culture icon. In his career he attempted over 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980. He had many nationally televised jumps including his failed attempt to jump Snake River Canyon in a steam powered rocket. Knievel broke 433 bones during his career earning him a place in the Guiness Book of World Records.
Carson or Letterman - Revered American late night talk show hosts. Johnny Carson presided over "The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. David Letterman has been in late night since 1982 on NBC and now on CBS. Both shows would occasionally feature chefs preparing gourmet meals or food that the hosts would taste and sample after being prepared.
"The Battle of the Network Stars" – 1970’s television specials featuring competitions among teams of popular television performers representing the three major broadcast networks at that time: ABC, CBS and NBC. Competitions includes swimming, kayaking, golf, tennis, cycling, the baseball dunk, running, the obstacle course, and finally the top two scoring teams face off in the tug-of-war. The Showdown – After a tie, team captain, Gabe Kaplan (Welcome Back Kotter) out sprinted disgruntled NBC Captain Robert Conrad (Baa Baa Black Sheep) in a show down to determine the final winner. Kaplan passed Conrad with a strong sprint to the finish line giving the ABC television network the win.
"Welcome Back Kotter" – Mid 70’sitcom starring the above mentioned Gabe Kaplan and future star John Travolta.
"Baa Baa Black Sheep" – Mid 70’s series about WWII fighter pilots stationed in the Pacific starring the above mentioned Robert Conrad.
"The Cigarette Smoking Man" – Shadowy government figure from the X-Files television series who is the arch nemesis to FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. In the episode “Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man,” his character is shown in a flashback as a young military man telling Mulder’s father, a fellow soldier “I would rather read the worst book ever written than see the greatest movie ever made.”
"You think you’re better than me?" - Rocky Balboa’s (Sylvester Stallone) bum of a brother in law, Paulie (Burt Young) often utters different variants of this when worked up/and or drunk.
Dilly Bar - A delicious ice cream bar covered with a flavored coating (My personal favorite was the cherry coating) found at Dairy Queen. Introduced in 1955 and still popular today.
Charlie Brown – the sad sack but lovable character from the Peanuts comic strip and cartoons. His lovable and rambunctious pet beagle was Snoopy.
Freddy vs. Jason – Freddie Kruger, the villain from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie series was know to attack his victims with a razor sharp metal clawed glove. Jason is Jason Voorhees from the “Friday the 13th” movie series. They battled it out in 2003 movie Freddy vs. Jason.
Wolverine - Marvel super hero featured in the X-Men comics and movies. He sports razor sharp claws that extract from his fists and are made of the near-indestructible metal alloy adamantium.
KISS – You wanted the best, you got the best! The hottest band in the land…KISS! 1970’s rock band featuring Gene Simmons (The Demon), Paul Stanley (Starchild), Ace Frehley (Spaceman) and Peter Criss (The Cat) in full make up and costumes. Best live rock show of all time. The band has gone through many incarnations and is still rocking today.
Dennis Miller – Comic and actor who is best known for monologues and standup routines that often feature elaborate similes and metaphors involving allusions to extremely obscure people, places, and things.
"The Simpsons" – This animated television show on the Fox network first aired as shorts on the Tracey Ullman show, but started as its own series in 1989. In the fall of 2010 it was still airing in its 22nd season. It features husband and wife, Homer and Marge, and their three children, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The Simpsons. There is also a cast of hundreds of other colorful characters found in the town of Springfield.
Eddie Haskell - (Ken Osmond) – The weaselly, smart-mouthed, wise guy, best friend of Wally Cleaver on the TV series “Leave It To Beaver”. The character became a cultural reference, recognized as an archetype for insincere sycophants. The archetype became so well known that the term "Eddie Haskell" was adopted into everyday use. He was known for hiding his shallow and sneaky character. Typically, Eddie would greet his friends' parents with overdone good manners and often a compliment such as, "That's a lovely dress you're wearing, Mrs. Cleaver." However, when no parents were around, Eddie was always up to no good — either conniving with his friends, or picking on Wally's younger brother Beaver. Eddie's two-faced style was also typified by his efforts to curry favor by trying to talk to adults at the level he thought they would respect, such as referring to their children as Theodore (Beaver's much-disliked given name) and Wallace, even though the parents called them Beaver and Wally.
Woody Woodpecker - A classic animated cartoon character famous for his trademark laugh "Ha-ha-ha-HAA-ha!" Referenced on an episode of Seinfeld, Woody was deemed by Jerry as an instigator of hi-jinks.
George Carlin – One of the most popular and successful stand up comedians of all time. During the early 1970’s he perfected what is perhaps his best-known routine, "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television", recorded on the comedy album “Class Clown.”
Hit Girl - 10 year old highly trained killing machine from the 2010 movie "Kick-Ass." In the movie, Hit Girl (played brilliantly by young actress Chloe Grace Moretz) is a vigilante super hero trained and accompanied by her father and mentor Big Daddy. In addition to her wicked fighting skills, Hit Girl delivers well placed filthy foul mouthed barbs. Curse words often so foul they might make a sailor blush.
Otis - A lovable character, Otis Campbell, the town drunk from "The Andy Griffith Show" which was set in the pictureseqe fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina. Due to the success and notoriety of the television show, "Mayberry" has been used as a term for both idyllic small town life and for rural simplicity.
"Not that there is anything wrong with it" - A Seinfeld reference used to point out someone's sexual preference as gay, followed by the disclaimer "Not that there is anything wrong with it.
Farrah Fawcett - 1970's sex symbol and actress most well known for her role on Charlie's Angels. A poster of her sporting a red one piece bathing suit, flowing blond hair and a dazzling smile sold millions in 1976 and set many a young man's heart's racing during this period of time.
Kick the Can - A game similar to Tag or Hide and Seek played outdoors. The game is one of skill, strategy, and stealth as well as fleetness. One person is designated as "it" and a coffe can is placed in an open space: the middle of a backyard, a green, a cove or cul de sac, parking lot or street. The other players run off and hide while "it" covers his or her eyes and counts to a previously decided number. "It" then tries to find and tag each of the players. Any player who is tagged (caught and touched) is sent to the holding pen (jail) which is simply a designated area for all the captured players to congregate, generally in plain sight of the can. Any player who has not been caught can "kick the can". If they can do this without being caught, then all of the captured players are set free. If "it" catches all of the players he or she wins that round and generally a new "it" is designated for the next round.
GI Joe with the Kung Fu Grip - In 1974, named after the increasingly popular martial art, Hasbro introduced "Kung-Fu Grip" to the G.I. Joe line. The hands were molded in a softer plastic that allowed the fingers to grip objects like knives and guns in a more lifelike fashion.
World Famous Camelback Inn - The Camelback Inn has been welcoming guests to its award-winning desert hideaway for more than 60 years. The vision of a world-class retreat in the picturesque Sonoran Desert sprang from the mind of ambitious young hotel manager Jack Stewart. This landmark resort, set on 125 acres of lush desert landscape, gives guests an authentic Southwestern experience. Nestled at the base of Mummy Mountain and overlooking the famous Camelback Mountain, this is a place where luxury comes naturally. Annually voted as one of the worlds top 100 Spa's and resorts.
Diamond's and Sears - Classic department stores found in Phoenix, Arizona in the late 1970's. Sold men's swimwear and many other department store staples as well.
Mark Spitz - One of the most highly decorated American Olympic athletes of all time. He won nine gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics. His seven gold medals in one Olympic competition stood as a record until Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 games.
Shrinkage - A phrase popularized from "Seinfeld." In the 1994 episode The Hamptons, George is horrified when Jerry's girlfriend Rachel catches him removing his swim attire after exiting the cold water from the pool. George is obsessed with the fact that Rachel did not get a real account of his true manhood on account of the scientific fact that cold water causes a man's private parts to shrink up into his body like a "frightened turtle."
"Kill Bill" - A set of two action movies released in 2003 and 2004 by writer director Quentin Tarantino starrring Uma Thurman as the bride. Hell bent on revenge, she used her martial arts skills to mow through those who had wronged her in an homage to earlier Hong Kong martial arts films. The bride was adept with a sword but also possessed the ability to snap a piece of wood in two with her bare hands.
Howard Cunningham - (Tom Bosley) Richie, Joanie and lest you forget Chuck Cunningham's father on the popular 1970's series Happy Days. In the episode "A Shot In The Dark," the wise and kind father puts his arm around Richie who has just missed a last second free throw costing Jefferson High a shot at the state basketball finals. He offers his dejected son a lifesaver. "Here this will make you feel better."
Green M&M's - An urban myth traced back to the 1970's that eating green M&M's will make you horny.
"I am not an animal" - Originally from the 1980 movie "The Elephant Man" based on the true story of Joseph Merrick, a 19th-century Englishman afflicted with a disfiguring congenital disease. He utters the phrase as a cry for dignity in the movie. Spoofed comedically in the 1992 "Seinfeld" episode The Pick as Jerry utters the line after his model girlfriend thinks she sees him picking his nose. Jerry claims it was just a scratch with no nostril penetration.
"Sling Blade" - A 1996 movie written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton. Thornton stars as mentally impaired Karl Childers who sports a very poor haircut, very similar to the one I received from my friend’s dad’s clippers.
"Truly" - After leaving the Commodores, Lionel Richie scored a number one hit on the Billboard charts with "Truly" off his debut solo album in 1992. A love song, it won Richie a Grammy that year for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. An absolute staple at every high school dance during this period of time.
"CHiPs"- TV show centered around two California Highway Patrolmen, Ponch and Jon patrolling the freeway system in and around Los Angeles on their motorcycles. The show aired from 1977 to 1983.
"The A-Team" - TV show centered around four Vietnam vets (Hannibal, Howling Mad Murdock, Faceman and B.A. Baracus), framed for a crime they didn't commit. They form a mercenary team to help the innocent while on the run from the military. Pop Culture icon Mr. T. starred on this show which aired from 1983 to 1987.
"The Dukes of Hazzard" - TV show set in the south featuring the antics of cousins Bo and Luke Duke as they drove around in the "General Lee," a souped up Dodge Charger trying to stay a step ahead of the local authorities, Boss Hogg, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and Deputy Enos.
"Pulp Fiction" - 1994 film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson play Vincent Vega and Jules the hit men. Jackson's portrayal of cool as ice Jules faces off with the two would be diner bandits (Yolanda and Ringo) with the following exchange.
Jules: Now Yolanda, we're not gonna do anything stupid, are we?
Yolanda: You don't hurt him.
Jules: Nobody's gonna hurt anybody. We're gonna be like three little Fonzies here. And what's Fonzie like? Come on Yolanda what's Fonzie like?
Yolanda: Cool?
Jules: What?
Yolanda: He's cool.
Jules: Correctamundo. And that's what we're gonna be. We're gonna be cool. Now Ringo, I'm gonna count to three, and when I count three, you let go of your gun, and sit your ass down. But when you do it, you do it cool. Ready? One... two... three.
Fat, Drunk and Stupid - Dean Wormer chewing out the members of Delta House in the 1978 classic movie "Animal House" staring John Belushi tells Flounder (Stephen Furst) "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son."
E.T. in the riverbed - In the 1982 Steven Spielberg classic "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial," the lovable E.T is trying despiratly to phone home so his people can can pick him up after getting stranded on Earth. Before rescue, E.T. becomes gravely ill and is found lying in one scene pale, gaunt and unmoving in the watery banks of an underground strorm drain.
"Cheers" - In the 1990 episode "Severe Crane Damage" Frasier's wife Lilith goes on a talk show to promote her new book about men who are bad for women and takes along her prime example-Sam. Fraiser upset at being compared to a comfortable old pair of slippers tries to be more like Sam and become a "Bad Boy" and runs through the bar with scissors.
"Grizzly Adams" - This series which ran for two seasons in the late seventies starred Dan Haggerty as mountain man Grizzy Adams who lives in the wilderness with his grizzly bear companion Ben. Haggerty sported a big bushy beard for the role and became his trademark.
Allen Iverson - A dynamic 11 time NBA all star guard played most notibly with the Philadelphia 76ers. Became a pop culture icon with the simple phrase "We're taking about practice...practice!" at a 2002 press conference attempting to defend himself after missing practice. Sported a cool corn row haircut throughout his career.
Pedro- Pedro Sanchez, good pal to Napoleon Dynamite from the 2004 breakout hit independent movie. Pedro is called in to the principal’s office and scolded for smashing a piñata with the likeness of his opponent for school president, Summer Wheatley. Apparently this type of behavior is not allowed during an election.
Chuck Norris - An American martial artist and actor. He held the Professional Middleweight Karate champion title for six consecutive years and retired with a career record of 183–10–2. Norris used this a springboard to an acting career starring in movies and television as a bad-ass action star.
Mr T - An American actor and pop culture icon mentioned above for his role on the "A-Team." Started as a club bouncer and later as a personal bodyguard to the stars. Mr. T is known for his mohawk haircut, his abundance of gold jewerly and his catch phrase "I pity the fool!". Also well known for playing Rocky Balboa's opponent Clubber Lang in the 1993 movie "Rocky III." Another bad-ass action star.
'Sticks' Downey - A character in the 1975 "Happy Days"episode "Fonzie's New Friend." On this very special episode, racial prejudice and stereotyping are explored when most of their friends refuse to attend the Cunningham family's Hawaiian luau after finding out that Richie's band's new drummer ('Sticks') is black. Richie, the Fonz and the Cunningham's become upset at the blatant racism shown toward Sticks and take a stand for their new friend. Outside of snapping his fingers to get chicks and starting that jukebox with the back of his hand, the coolest move Fonzie ever made.
Donald Trump, Doug Williams, Doug Flutie, Jim Kelly and Hershel Walker - Donald Trump is an American business magnate who primarily made his fortune in the real estate world. Trump was the owner of the New Jersey Generals of the U.S.F.L. The United States Football League was an upstart football league in the mid-eighties. Trump's team included former Heisman Trophy winners Doug Flutie and Hershel Walker. The Generals merged franchises with the Houston Gamblers and thus aquired future four time Buffalo Bills Super Bowl quarterback Jim Kelly. The Arizona Outlaws quarterback was future Washington Redskins Super Bowl winning quarterback Doug Williams.
The Church Lady - A recurring character played by Dana Carvey in a series of sketches on "Saturday Night Live." The Church Lady is an elderly woman named “Enid Strict”, who is the uptight, smug and pious host of her own talk show, "Church Chat."The Church Lady was always a judgmental, holier-than-thou Christian who admonished everyone else for her perceived interpretation of their sins. Among her popular catch phrases to belittle her less than devout targets were “Isn’t that special?” and “Now, who could that be…could it be Satan?”
Trivial Pursuit - A board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge questions. The game's popularity peaked in 1984, a year in which over 20 million games were sold.
"VH1's I Love the..." series - In 2002, VH1 broadcast a ten-part series entitled "I Love the 80's." Celebrities, entertainers and pop-culture figures offered their take on the trends, shows, movies, music, commercials, news, events, and personalities of each year of the 1980's. It's success spawned future instaments "I Love the 70's," "I Love the 80's Strikes Back," "I Love the 90's," "I Love the 90's:Part Duex," "I Love the 80's 3-D," "I Love the 70's: Volume 2." and "I Love the New Millennium." Standout commentators on these shows were Mo Rocca, Hal Sparks and Michael Ian Black.
"Fatal Attraction" - 1997 film starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close where a married man's one night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family. Cheater's beware! She will not be ignored!
"I'm a Sun Devil, man!" - Quote from character Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) from the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire. Arizona got some serious pub from this movie. Tidwell, a wide receiver played his college ball for the Arizona State University Sun Devils and is seeking a new deal from his professional team, the Arizona Cardinals.
"The Tell-Tale Heart" - A gothic/horror short story by famous author Edgar Allan Poe published in 1843. The narrator carries out a carefully calculated murder and hides the dismembered body under his floorboards. The man begins to hear a faint noise. As the noise grows louder, he comes to the conclusion that it is the heartbeat of his victim coming from under the floorboards. The sound increases steadily as the story progresses as the guilt manifests itself in the hallucination that the man is hearing the dead man's heart still beating under the floorboards. The guilt and imagined heartbeat eats away at him until he confesses to the killing.
"When Harry Met Sally" - 1989 romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Harry and Sally meet when she gives him a ride to New York after they both graduate from college. Through the years, both are searching unsuccessfully for love and they keep bumping into one another. A close friendship blooms between them but they are confronted with the problem: Can a man and a woman just be friends?
Harry: Men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. No man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her."
Sally: "So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry: "No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too."
1.21 gigawatts - In the 1985 classic movie "Back to the Future" starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, Lloyd's character Doc Brown declares this is the amount of electrical energy needed to create enough power to get his time machine (A plutonium-powered DeLorean rigged with "a flux capacitor") to jump through time.
Jedi Mind Trick- In the vast world of "Star Wars," among the many talents of the Jedi Knights is the Jedi Mind Trick. It is first seen performed in the original 1976 release of "Star Wars" by Obi Wan Kenobi on Imperial Stormtroopers. He confuses and convinces them with a wave of his hand and a gentle manipulating voice, to let Luke and himself pass into Mos Eisley with R2-D2 and C-3PO, the very droids they are in search of.
Ebony and Ivory– A moniker or nickname for the black and white keys on a piano, organ or keyboard. Also a 1982 number one hit song performed by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. The song is not only about the piano keys, but also the symbolism of integration and racial harmony between the races. Outside of my friend Steve and I, my favorite other example of an Ebony and Ivory duo is Shawn and Gus from the television show “Psych.”
Napoleon Dynamite's Dance Routine- In the before mentioned film, the main character Napoleon comes to Pedro's rescue. On the day of the class presidential election, Pedro is informed he must perform a skit at a school assembly. After an unimpressive speech by Pedro, and sensing his friend is in trouble, Napoleon instructs the sound engineer to play a tape he received from his brother Kip's visiting girlfriend Lafawnduh. Napoleon runs onstage, where he performs an elaborate dance routine to the song "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai. The routine receives a standing ovation from the student body and helps to get his buddy elected as President.
The Notebook - 2004 chick flick starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as star crossed lovers because of their different social stations in life. We see their lives from the 1940's to the present.
American Pie - 1999 hit raunchy sex comedy where four teenage friends make a pact to all lose their virginity by prom night.
The Hangover - 2009 breakout hit comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken and dirty misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to locate him.
Mulva - Mulva is taken from the 1993 "The Junior Mint" episode of "Seinfeld" (The all time best episode of this show in my opinion). The name of the woman Jerry is curently dating slips his mind but they are too far in to the relationship for him to ask what it is. Given the clue that her name rhymes with a part of the female anatomy, Jerry and George brainstorm possibilities: Aretha, Celeste, Bovary, Gipple, Loleola and of course the ever popular Mulva! The girl storms out after figuring out Jerry has no idea what her name is, and in a flash Jerry rememebers the name: Dolores!
Saddam Hussein - Dictator and leader of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. Known for raining terror on the world including numerous murderous acts upon his own countrymen.
Nelson - American hard rock band founded by twin singer/songwriters Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. The Nelson twins were the sons of Ricky Nelson, a singer/songwriter and actor popular in the 1960's. The band Nelson had several hits songs/videos from their 1990 album "After the Rain." It is still unclear whether or not Saddam Hussein was a fan of Nelson?
Chandler Bing - One of the six friends from the hit televison comedy "Friends" airing from 1994 to 2004. The character of Chandler (Matthew Perry) is noted for his constant sarcastic remarks and sardonic attitude. His most famous phrase is the rhetorical question "Could this be any more...?" and was used on the show as a source of humor many times.
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