The PopWatch Confessional (Vol. 43: Your stupidest pop culture-related fight edition)

s Mon, Dec 31, 2007 at 07:01 PM EST

Back in the Old Skool HP days- before it was a cultural juggernaut, I believe around the release of CoS- my good friend and I got in an argument about whether professor Binns, the ghostly professor of History of Magic, was, in fact, also the Fat Friar.

Zof insisted that the Hufflepuff house ghost and Prof. Binns were one and the same; I disagreed.

We didn't speak for a week, it got so heated. (And considering we were both high school freshmen in a class of less than 200 people who shared almost every class... well, that was an accomplishment.)

The argument was finally resolved a few years later, when I pulled up MuggleNet and refused to let her move from my computer chair until she admitted that I had been right all those years ago.

RP Sat, Dec 8, 2007 at 08:11 PM EST

Betrayed, y'all are BOTH right about webbing. In the comics Peter Parker does have to create the webbing after he is first bitten by the spider. He doesn't get the ability to shoot webbing from his hands until later.

Alternate Disney Debate Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 04:04 PM EST

My friend and I got into a rough yelling match at a bar a couple of weeks ago over which Disney movie came out earlier - Aladdin or The Lion King. I knew it was Aladdin, because I saw both films in the theatre with my parents, and remember being ecstatic with 10-year old glee to go see Aladding with them, but the Lion King? OH NO NO, at 12 I was horrified to be accompanied by my weird annoying alien family who were singing along to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."
I told my friend this memory and he still didnt believe me. It was a race to see who could pull it up on their phones faster (I also texted another friend for support, who consulted IMDB) but of course I was right in the end. Aladdin in '92, and the Lion King in '94. He begrudgingly bought me a High Life.

Becca Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 03:50 PM EST

How could anyone think Sebastian was a lobster? He doesn't have a lobster tail!

Lori Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 12:17 PM EST

Many years ago (pre-IMDB) my entire extended family fought with my mother who insisted that Jodie Foster had been on the Brady Bunch in the early days. While we were all vacationing in London, we sent to some movie museum there just to look it up. As far as I can tell, Jodie Foster has NEVER been on the Brady Bunch.

clare-clare Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 11:28 AM EST

One of my friends and I had an ongoing argument for years (and I'm talking *at least* 3 here) about whether or not Ricardo Montalban's chest in WRATH OF KHAN was real or fake.

Neither of us trusted the other one to procure evidence. And so we just bickered for years w/out any resolution.

And despite finally settling the debate, even now it is not wise to bring up the subject.

Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 11:23 AM EST

Dude, I've had that same lobster/crab debate with my husband for the past year. Guess, he was right...this time.

Betrayed Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 11:10 AM EST

I once had a semi-heated debate with a co-worker concerning Dirty Dancing – I mentioned that Patrick Swayze sang “She’s Like the Wind” from the movie soundtrack, and he asserted that Patrick was also the male vocal on “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” A quick Google search later, I heard that wonderful silence that precedes an admission of guilt. “Oh, you’re right,” he said.

I also once got into a heated debate with my boyfriend about Peter Parker. He said the comics the webs were just like the movie (naturally shooting out of his wrists), while I argued that in the comics, Peter constructed the web-shooting-stuff. Right again.

RP Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 10:45 AM EST

The best pop culture fight I've ever seen/heard was the one on that episode of the Venture bros. where numbers 21 & 24 are arguing over whether Smurfs lay eggs or not.
http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=3111900a7a0b40a89f1bfdad13ba30e0

Sure I could talk about an argument I've actually had but it doesn't get any better than that. I will say that IMDB solves most arguments and I cannot figure out how we all survived before it's existence.

K Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 10:45 AM EST

the only fight my best friend and I have EVER had in our 15-year friendship was back during X-Files and was over the attractiveness of David Duchovny. At the time I was pro and she was con. It ended in a screaming match where we didn't speak for 2 days.

Katie Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 09:43 AM EST

I recently was involved in a disagreement over which Affleck brother was in the Voyage of the Mimi. It is Ben, not Casey (even though I was convinced). There was also a long conversation once about which Bryan Adams song was in Robin Hood. It is "Everything I Do (I Do It For You) not "Please Forgive Me". And I remember two of my friends getting into a screaming match on the bus in 5th grade over whether it was "I saw the sign" or "I saw the sun" in the Ace of Base song.

Chandler Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 09:39 AM EST

My best friend and I didn't speak for a few days after our argument over whether or not Anastasia was a Disney movie.

I've also gotten into one where we were arguing whether it was Marlo Thomas or Mary Tyler Moore who represented St. Jude's Children's Hospital in the commercials.

Verity Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 09:16 AM EST

So the song Les Poissons in "The Little Mermaid" where the chef notices Sebastian and sings, "How on earth could I miss/such a sweet little succulent crab" wasn't sufficient enough evidence of his identity? :) I always had an issue with Sebastian because he was red. I grew up on the Chesapeake and crabs were green when they were alive and didn’t turn red until you cooked them. So I remember arguing that Sebastian should actually be dead because of his coloring.

Rose Tyler Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 08:33 AM EST

A friend of mine once bet me a bunch of money that Julia Roberts was in "Patch Adams", of course it was actually Monica Potter. After hunting down a copy of the DVD I happily collected my reward. What does he know anyway, he's Canadian.
My husband and I are constantly using IMDB to identify minor characters in TV and Movies that we disagree about. Most recently, "Was is that the dad from Family Matters on Bones?". I was right, it was.

lance Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 02:57 AM EST

CHILDREN OF THE CORN! the little weirdo kid JOHN FRANKLIN is often wrongfully remembered as "Malachi" Mal is actually the tall red head COURTNEY GAINS. and FRANKLIN plays "ISAAC" I won a 10 dollar bet on this!
here's proof:
http://www.kindertrauma.com/?p=76#more-76

Fri, Dec 7, 2007 at 12:00 AM EST

WTF Sebastian isn't a losbster!!! Everything I believe in is wrong!!

socgradstudent Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 11:44 PM EST

When I was in junior high, I had to convince both of my college-aged brothers that the character from Scooby-Doo was Velma (which was our grandmother's name), not Thelma. Can't remember how I finally proved I was right, but it was a wonderful victory.

Eric Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 11:27 PM EST

I once argued with someone who told me that Leonardo from the Ninje Turtles only ha one sword when he obviously had two swords. I dug through hundreds of boxes of my old toys to find the Leonardo toy I had with two swords.

V.M.L. Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 10:08 PM EST

EDIT: Wow, I'm not the only one who thought Sebastian was a lobster. I always thought he looked like one more than a crab. His face isn't very crab-like.

Anyway, the stupidest pop culture argument I had (most recently) was with a friend. We argued over whether the prophet Muhammad was in the SOUTH PARK opening or not. I've seen him in the opening, but my friend doesn't believe me.

V.M.L. Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 10:06 PM EST

Wow, I'm the only one who thought Sebastion was a lobster. I always thought he looked like one more than a crab. His face isn't very crab-like.

Anyway, the stupidest pop culture argument I had (most recently) was with a friend. We argued over whether the prophet Muhammad was in the SOUTH PARK opening or not. I've seen him in the opening, but my friend doesn't believe me.

Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 09:28 PM EST

My boyfriend and I had a fight over if Sarah Jessica Parker was in the Disney movie Hocus Pocus. All we had to do was look it up online and prove me right that she was. Though if you ask him he will still deny she was the blond witch.

Taylor Hudson Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 07:05 PM EST

My stupidest pop culture argument was over "Family Guy." My friend and I were trying to figure out the name of the little child actress that Stewie sings and performs with. My friend was sure that it was Janet and I was sure that it was Olivia. To prove that I was right I looked up the information on wikipedia, found the clip on Youtube, and then tracked down someone with the "Family Guy" DVDs. Needless to say, I was a little obnoxious about this insignificant victory.

Michelle Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 07:05 PM EST

Do you remember the old episodes of Sesame Street, with a kid who goes to the store to pick up 3 items for her mom? I argued with a friend of whether it was bread, milk, butter or bread, butter, milk. And whether it was a boy or a girl. Thanks to YouTube, I discovered I was right...it was a little girl saying, "A Loaf of Bread, A Container of Milk and A Stick of Butter".

Jane Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 07:04 PM EST

Michael Rappaport didn't play Benvolio. That was Dash Mihok. he's the same guy who was in that awful Dennis Quaid movie about the world freezing over, "The Day After Tomorrow." I can see the confusion though- they're both pasty red heads.

Jane Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 06:57 PM EST

My best friend and I walloped each other in the parking lot after seeing "Fight Club." She had to let me fight her, because I wanted to hit somebody after the movie and the only other alternative was this guy in a duck suit reading books to kids in the Borders across the way. The movie is right, it does make you feel like you're alive. We did that a few times but had to stop after I broke one of her ribs.

McLovin Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 05:47 PM EST

My dad and I had a classic argument over whether Michael Rappaport played Benvolio in Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet. He just assumes if there's a big, dumb, white guy actor it has to be Michael Rappaport. It was just some other nobody. I was right!

Brie Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 05:46 PM EST

Along the Ferris Bueller and Alex Trebek lying lines:

I was watching Jeopardy with my mom and the had a question about "Principal Ed Rooney" to which I immediately got riled up because he's the Dean of Students. My mother didn't believe me (because why would Alex Trebec lie?) So I had to march to my bedroom, pull out my VHS copy and fast forward to the part where they show his nameplate on his desk to prove my point.

Stephanie Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 05:45 PM EST

Kathleen:
The origin of Gonzo was explained in "Muppets from Space". Gonzo was an alien. I think the real question is how come Porky Pig and Donald Duck don't wear pants. Also, speaking of The Little Mermaid, if a creature was really "under the sea", they'd be in the sand. At the bottom of the sea is a lot more accurate.

mscisluv Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 05:35 PM EST

I too have also gotten in a huge argument over whether the scenarios in the song "Ironic" are actually explames of irony. They are not. They are unfortunate, yes, but definitely not ironic, save for one or two arguably.

Beth Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 05:31 PM EST

My husband SWORE that Greg Kinnear was in Mystery Men, and I told him that no he wasn't, and stop being an idiot. I ended up owing him 5 bucks.

Stef Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 05:03 PM EST

My boyfriend is sure - sure! - that in the movie "House of D", David Duchovny is playing Robin Williams playing a retarded person and that Robin Williams is not really in the movie. He keeps trying to make me watch that horrid looking movie to resolve it, and has even gotten 2 of our friends to agree with him.

Stephanie T. Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 04:40 PM EST

Snarky,

Grimace was supposed to represent a milkshake that is so cold and thick, you'll "Grimace" everytime you sip I guess. He was really nothing but a purple glob that talked. Other glob characters:

Gloo-Herculoids

The Shmoo- Created in 1948 for the Lil' Abner Comic Strip by Al Capp. The Shmoo was more commonly identified as a character featured on the saturday morning cartoon "The Flinstone Funnies".

Vicki Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 04:37 PM EST

My best friend and I had a years-long bet about whether or not the kids on 90210 repeated their Junior year in order to keep the show in high school longer. I thought he was on crack, and there was no way they could repeat a grade without more people noticing. Turns out, in the pilot they state that they are Juniors, but then when the show got picked up they moved the gang back a grade. So I guess we were both right. Kinda.

Jane Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 04:35 PM EST

My dad and I actually got into an argument last night over whether there is such a thing as a "Sing-a-long Messiah." I told him that I'd seen posters for it when I lived in San Francisco. He asserted that since no one knew the words to any of it, and it was "in German," you couldn't sing along to it. Unable to let it go, I googled the damn thing after we hung up. Yup, there was a "Sing It Yourself Messiah" sponsored by the SF Music Conservatory for more than 20 years. Oh, and Handel is considered an "English" composer, and "Messiah" is in English. I of course had to send him an e-mail containing my findings. You can't just let these things go...

Jennifer Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 04:07 PM EST

I got into this huge arguement with my coworkers at my last job about Dave Matthews. I said he was born in Africa, and they jumped ALL over me that he was NOT born in Africa; we was from Virginia. Well, I've since looked it up, and he was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Grrrr. Two of them were major DMB fans, too, and they acted like I was the idiot?

Marcus Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 04:06 PM EST

My friends and I had a very long debate over who was considered TV's hottest mom.

I once won $20.00 from a guy when he insisted that there were two versions of "Stand By Me." One that was used for the movie "Stand By Me" and the other for "Lean On Me." I told him he meant there were two different versions of "Lean On Me" and that "Lean on Me" was never used in "Stand By Me." He insisted I was wrong. IMDB proved I was right and I then proceeded to crank up the Bill Withers CD I had in my collection and make fun of him in a very caustic manner for several minutes.

Rachel K Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 04:00 PM EST

I work at a University and once got into an argument with one of my students about who played Cotton in the movie Dodgeball. He insisted it was some random guy and I insisted it was the TPS Reports Office Space guy (I couldn't actually remember Gary Cole's name at the time). We argued back and forth for an hour while setting up for a school event until I finally bet 10 dollars that I was right. When we checked later and I was declared victorious, shooting my arms into the air in an exaggerated fist pump he sulked off to his dorm. I felt vindicated but also felt bad that I had just set such a terrible example of sportsmanship in front of my student. I never collected the 10 dollars out of guilt.

Jelana Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 03:52 PM EST

A friend of mine tried to convince me that Edward Norton played Cameron in Ferris Bueller. To be fair, I warned him that I was completely 100% sure that it was not Norton, but "that guy from Spin City," before he took a bet. That purple sequined dress (a Halloween costume) with the spaghetti straps looked lovely on him.

Corinne Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 03:52 PM EST

On the day I graduated from college (in 1987), my sister and my best friend got into an argument at lunch over the name of Ferris Bueller's best friend. We went to a nearby video store and made the clerk put in the tape so we could solve the argument. My sister was wrong and spent the rest of the day (including a loooong evening of pub-crawling) accosting total strangers to say, "I was wrong, his name was Cameron." I still like to bust her chops about that one.

To snarky Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 03:45 PM EST

I think maybe he's a chicken nugget dipped in barbacue sauce gone bad? Seems right...

To snarky Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 03:44 PM EST

I think maybe he's a chicken nugget dipped in barbacue sauce gone bad? Seems right...

snarky Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 03:30 PM EST

I am not sure this counts as "pop culture" but my friends and I have a running debate on the topic of "What IS GRIMACE (from McDonalds)????" Comes up several times a year. What the hell is Grimace? A Shake? A mutant hamburger? Discuss.

Jackie Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 03:16 PM EST

This is pretty stupid, but I got into an argument with my older brother about the scene in the film version of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" where Sirius is standing with Harry in front of the tapestry showing the Black Family Tree.

From the books, we know that a good deal of the Black family was into the dark arts, including Sirius's grandfather, Phinneas Nigellus, and that Sirius's face was burned off the family tree because he wasn't into the dark arts. My brother claims that in the movie, Phinneas Nigellus's face is also burned off the tapestry, but I maintain that there is a "Phinneas" whose face is burned off and a "Phinneas Nigellus" whose face is still there. When the DVD comes out next week, I plan to pause the screen on the tapestry and hold my brother's face in front of the screen.

tia Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 03:02 PM EST

Okay- My biggest argument plays out in my head as my boss thinks that Pauley Perrette (From NCIS) played Laliari in Galaxy Quest. It hurts so, cause Missi Pyle is awesome in just about any role, and this is one of my favorites. He gave me a whole story about how that's the reason he started watching NCIS and got hooked, but I value my job over my need to spout accurate movie trivia (but just barely) so I just listen in quiet agony, biting my tongue.

Pamela Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 02:56 PM EST

Years ago I got into a little bit of an argument with a local newspaper who ran a weekly pop culture quiz with attendant prizes. The question that caused me so much concern: "Who is Jeff Goldblum married to?". The answer they gave - and which someone (grrr) got their prize for - was Geena Davis. I knew, just knew, that they had divorced some time before this and had to correct them. Did they thank me? No. Did they give me a consolation prize? No again. And, I had to find a reference in a magazine to support my case as this was in those long ago days before instant help was at hand with the like of Wikipedia.

Dixie Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 02:56 PM EST

My stepdad & I had an ongoing argument for YEARS regarding whether the actress who used to play Kristen on "Days of Our Lives" was a transsexual. He swore she was; I didn't believe it. I was finally vindicated when she gave birth a few years ago. However, he won't admit defeat because there's another soap actress with a striking resemblance who is a transsexual. I can't win.

maryw Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 02:51 PM EST

In the days before youtube, my friend Robin and I got into a heated argument about which New Kid sang which "step" in the song "Step by Step". I was certain that Joey sang the falsetto "step three", where as Robin declared it to be Jordan. Eventually, we had to breakdown and rent the NKotB video collection from Blockbuster (most. embarassing. rental. EVER.). Though I was wrong, I couldn't help but feel that I had, in some way, won.

Kathleen Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 02:39 PM EST

What species is Gonzo from the Muppets? He is a whatever, sometimes considered a weirdo which may or may not be a species in the whatever family. He is not a turkey, or a buzzard, or a chicken (pfft - chicken), or an anteater. He is a weirdo. Two former coworkers would get me so worked up over this that I would start to get genuinely angry at them. It continued for months, and then one day I realized they just kept hammering it because they enjoyed getting me all riled up over a Muppet.

Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 02:30 PM EST

Ashamed to admit it, but it happens anytime someone tries to quote their Survivor knowledge to me. The most heated debate ever was with an 80-something year old woman who kept insisting that they do start their fires from scratch without any tools (eyeglasses, flint, etc.). It got ugly.

Judy Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 02:15 PM EST

I brace myself everytime my husband channel-surfs past a "Rocky" movie because I know it only leads to a heated argument between us over the chronological order of Rocky's opponents. We also fight over which episode Mickey dies in.

Loose Seal 2 Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 02:04 PM EST

As the office Pop Culture know-it-all, I am constantly (exasperatedly)correcting my co-workers. But my sisters are just as bad as I am. 2 fights over music come to mind. "Don't you Want Me" by the Human League. Was she working as a waitress in a hotel or cocktail bar? Lots of yelling over this one. Also in the theme from Alice- did she have a "fresh freckled face" or something else? While the internet makes it possible to find the answers, it is more fun to argue these finer points. Especially since we are all on the same page about pretty much everything else.

michelle Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:59 PM EST

Years ago, when my brother and I were home both home sick with th flu, we got into a knock down drag out fight over the maximum number of points a couple could earn on " The Newlywed Game" It must have been the fever that made us both crazy. To this day it ranks as not only the stupidest pop culture arguement I've ever had, but the stupidest argument I've ever had period. To this day, I get riled up every time I see Bob Eubanks.

Lauren Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:50 PM EST

A favorite family movie is Baby Boom. This past Thanksgiving weekend, I recognized one of the yuppies in the Vermont general store as Chris Noth (who later became Mr. Big). My sister and my mom (both huge SATC fans themselves) were VERY vocal in their doubts until a visit to IMDb (where would we be without it?) cleared up the confusion: I was right.

Incidentally, my mom can recite Carrie Bradshaw's entire monologue at the end of the episode where Big has his heart operation. And it's loooong.

D Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:47 PM EST

I got into a heated email argument with two friends over whether the song that should be remembered from the airband episode of Scrubs is "More than a Feeling" or "Everybody's Working for the Weekend." Mind you, they're both in the episode, we were just arguing which song should be remembered MORE from the episode.

As it turns out, the only thing that "Everybody's Working for the Weekend" should forever be associated with the Chris Farley/Patrick Swayze "Chippendale's" sketch from SNL.

Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:39 PM EST

Apu- Simpsons
Abu-Aladdin's Monkey
Baboo- Jeanie's sidekick from Hanna Barbera. "Yapple Dapple".

Cara Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:38 PM EST

Oh, this happens all the time. As the "movie girl" of the apartment, I flatly refuse to be wrong about anything, even if I, er...am.
The worst it got that I can remember is when I became convinced that Susan Sarandon was the actress in "Holes", not Sigourney Weaver. Of course, I was wrong, but I was so freaking convinced I was in the right! In fact, I was so convinced that I IMDb'd it on the spot, and, finding that I was actually wrong, promptly lied about it and hoped nobody would ever double-check my story.

khrystyne Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:34 PM EST

Apu is the name of the Quickie-Mart owner on The Simpsons.

Shannon Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:34 PM EST

I'm not sure if this counts, but a group of friends got into a screaming fight on christmas night, 1999, because one of them accused another of "cheating" at Trivial Pursuit. This resulted in much slamming of doors, and susequently, the Trivial Pursuit game did not show it's pie covered face again for over a year...

annie Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:32 PM EST

My Dad is convinced that Nomar Garciapara is in the opening montage for The Tonight Show, and says it's plausible, because Leno is a Red Sox fan. I know that it is NOT Nomar sitting at the bar in the baseball hat, but Dad cannot be convinced otherwise.

el Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:32 PM EST

Ok, IMDB proves me wrong. It is Abu.

Katy Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:31 PM EST

I once won $50 on a bet about "Grease 2"...which I guess isn't that stupid after all.

el Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:28 PM EST

I think the monkey in Aladdin *is* named "Apu"...

Kristin Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:24 PM EST

An ex-boyfriend and I once got into an argument over the name of the monkey in Aladdin - clearly Abu, but for some reason he was convinced the name was "Apu." The argument didn't actually last that long because I was so positive the name is Abu that I just called him an idiot and that was that. He'd probably still argue about it now though, if I were to bring it up.

Rebekah Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:23 PM EST

My sister in law and I got into a screaming fight over what year the song "Baby, Baby" by Amy Grant came out. It probably lasted an hour. It stopped when we looked it up online and yes, I was right.

El Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:12 PM EST

When 'Live Free or Die Hard' came out, my friend made a comment about it being '25 years since the original'. I knew there was no way the movie came out in 1982, so we spent an hour debating how old we were when each subsequent movie came out, and how far apart they must have been. I finally conceeded that the EARLIEST the movie could have come out was 1986, and it turned out to be even later than that. A quick IMDB check when I got home proved me mostly right, though I was still to early on the year (misled by my friend's claims).

Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:09 PM EST

In college, friends and I got in the habit of watching Jeopardy together. One night they missed it. There was a neat question about the Australian possum. The next day, when I mentioned the Australian possum, one friend declared the American o'possum was the only possum there was. We argued for a week about it (because why would Alex Trebec lie) until I busted out an encyclopedia. Over a freaking animal.

joopiter Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:07 PM EST

I think my most ridiculous pop culture argument was when I sort of absently remarked once when "Ironic" came on the radio that most of the stuff in the song did not actually fit the definition of irony. My college roommate at the time (a huge Alanis Morrissette fan) took this as the highest form of insult I could hurl at her idol and proceeded to get into an argument with me that in fact EVERYTHING in the song was ironic and that I, the English major, did not know what I was talking about. I think the fight lasted at least a couple of days and was never resolved, mostly because I don't think she could comprehend the definition of irony enough to realize she was wrong.

Stephanie T. Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 01:04 PM EST

Ugh. When I was in college a huge mullet wearing Kiss fan and I got into a stupid argument over the song "Do Ya". He said that it was originally performed by Ace Frehely. I said that Frehely's version was cover of a song performed by Jeff Lynne and The Move, then redone when Lynne founded ELO.

Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 12:58 PM EST

i think she's alive...just like Behrooz is still alive somewhere, as on orphan!

Mary Quite Contrary Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 12:43 PM EST

A co-worker and I, both avid 24 fans, had weekly heated debates about whether or not Evelyn was alive or dead (Mrs. Logan's assistant from season 5). Last seen, she was in the hotel room with Christopher Henderson. Her actual death was not shown.

My friend insisted that she was still alive. Yet, she never appeared on any subsequent episodes. I kept insisting she was dead. The only way we could agree to resolve the argument was at the season finale. If she didn't appear by the season finale, my friend would agree she was dead.

He finally acknowledges that I won the bet, but still insists she is alive! I'm so glad he moved to Nashville.

Kristen Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 12:40 PM EST

I frequently argue with my co-workers over music. The last argument was about Kid Rock's song Picture and what album it was on. My co-worker was saying it was on the same album as "American Bad Ass" and I was sure it was on the one after that one. He checked cduniverse and proved me correct, and now refuses to discuss Kid Rock with me at all.. which I think means I won twice.

Sarah Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 12:31 PM EST

I once bet a friend that Haley Joel Osment DID NOT co star in The Patriot with Mel Gibson (it was future Everwood star Gregory Smith). I won a copy of Scooby Doo on DVD. But my friend refused to admit defeat, only doing so after checking every movie reference imaginable. (We're librarians, so I'm talking books, web sites, and databases). I think it took him 3 days to exhaust his research materials.

Kristi Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 12:27 PM EST

When "rules of engagement" began my husband and i fought because i was sure that the actress (Bianca Kajlich) who plays Jennifer (the fiance) was the same actress who played Lou's hooker girlfriend, Candy, in Rescue Me. So me being the pop culture wiz of the family, i went to IMDB to prove him wrong and in fact Candy was not listed on Bianca's page, but i still wouldn't accept defeat because for a while i couldn't find who played Candy, so you just prompted me to reopen my investigation and turns out, he was correct, dang! Milena Govich played Candy! gggaahhh, i can never tell ;)

Ambriel Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 12:27 PM EST

My friend and I once had a very *heated* discussion about whether the lead mouse in An American Tail was Fievel for Fifel. No blows were exchanged, just verbal snubs.

GeeMoney Thu, Dec 6, 2007 at 12:23 PM EST

I did have an argument with someone over whether or not Christopher Gorham (aka Henry) from Ugly Betty was the same guy from Jake 2.0 (I knew he was the same guy, she didn't agree). Nevertheless, we went back and forth for awhile, before I had to confirm what I already knew on Wikipedia.
I also got into an argument over whether or not Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh were married as I was watching that movie "Much Ado About Nothing" they did in 1995.

I won the argument, and then she refused to drive me back to my car after that (we were at a friend's house). Bee-yotch! I really had to get home!

All of my friends know not to question my movie or celebrity gossip knowledge, now. I remember everything!