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Pompatus
''Pompatus'' (or ''Pompitus'') () is a nonce word coined by Steve Miller in his hit single "The Joker" (1973). Etymology The word is probably a corruption of—or imagined variation on—the word "puppetutes", which was itself a coinage, originated by Vernon Green at the age of 14. Green included the word "puppetutes" in the lyrics of doo-wop song "The Letter" (1954), as performed by him and The Medallions. "The Letter" also included another original coinage, "pismotality". Presumably in homage to the Medallions' song, Steve Miller used the nonce words "epismetology" and "pompatus" in the lyrics of two of his other songs, "Enter Maurice" and "The Conversation", one of which is, like "The Letter", in spoken-word style. The appealing oddness of the phrase "the pompatus of love" garnered a lot of attention, and inspired its use by others. For example, as the title of a 1996 film starring Jon Cryer.Adams, Cecil'In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love"?' ''The Str ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Pompatus Of Love
''The Pompatus of Love'' is a 1996 American comedy film that tells the story of four guys discussing women and the meaning of the word "''pompatus''". This made-up word is found in two Steve Miller songs, "Enter Maurice" and "The Joker", the latter of which contains the line "''Some people call me Maurice / 'cause I speak of the pompatus of love''". Wolfman Jack can also be heard using the term in his spoken lines in The Guess Who's " Clap for the Wolfman." The low-budget, independent film received mostly negative reviews. Plot The film revolves around four friends and their relationships with women. Set to the background of upscale Manhattan bars, lofts and apartments, the guys engage in sharp banter and one-upsmanship. The men spend much of their time trying to decipher the word "pompatus," from the Steve Miller song, wondering whether they are mis-hearing the lyrics: "Prophetess"? "Impetus"? "Profitless"? "Impotence"? "Pompous Ass"? "Pom-pom tits"? "Poconos"? The character ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. Born into a show business family, he made his motion picture debut as a teenage photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy '' No Small Affair''; his breakout role came in 1986, in the John Hughes-written film '' Pretty in Pink''. In 1998, he wrote and produced the independent film '' Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five''. Although he gained fame with his early film roles, it took several years to find success on television as none of his star vehicles, including '' The Famous Teddy Z'', ''Partners'', and '' The Trouble with Normal'', lasted more than 22 episodes. In 2003, he was cast in a co-leading role as Alan Harper on the CBS sitcom '' Two and a Half Men'', a major hit for twelve seasons for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards (in 2009 and 2012). He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television in 2011. Cryer's other film appearances in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Miller (musician)
Steven Haworth Miller (born October 5, 1943)Justin Kern. "'Wizard of Waukesha' still casts a spell here: Les Paul has 'changed the world for the better'," ''Waukesha Freeman'' (WI), May 9, 2007: "... Paul's godson, Milwaukee-born Steve Miller ... ."Lynn Van Matre. "Steve Miller gets on with making music," ''Sun-Sentinel'' (reprinted from ''Chicago Tribune''), January 2, 1987, p. 36 is an American guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, known as leader of the Steve Miller Band. He began his career in blues and blues rock and evolved to a more pop-oriented arena rock sound during the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, releasing popular singles and albums. Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Early years Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Miller received his first exposure to music from his mother, Bertha, whom he described as a remarkable jazz-influenced singer, and his physician father, George, known as "Sonny" who, in addition to his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nonce Word
A nonce word (also called an occasionalism) is a lexeme created for a single occasion to solve an immediate problem of communication.''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language''. Ed. David Crystal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Some nonce words may acquire a fixed meaning inferred from context and use, possibly even becoming an established part of the language, at which point they stop being nonce words. Some nonce words may be essentially meaningless and disposable, but they are useful for exactly that reason—the words " wug" and "blicket" for instance were invented by researchers to be used in exercises in child language testing. Lexicology The term is used because such a word is created " for the nonce" (i.e., for the time being, or this once). All nonce words are also neologisms, that is, recent or relatively new words that have not been fully accepted into mainstream or common use. The term ''nonce word'' in this sense is due to James Murra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith (January 21, 1938July 1, 1995), known as Wolfman Jack, was an American disc jockey active from 1960 till his death in 1995. Famous for his gravelly voice, he credited it for his success, saying, "It's kept meat and potatoes on the table for years for Wolfman and Wolfwoman. A couple of shots of whiskey helps it. I've got that nice raspy sound." Early life Smith was born in Brooklyn on January 21, 1938, the younger of two children of Anson Weston Smith, an Episcopal Sunday school teacher, writer, editor, and executive vice president of ''Financial World'', and his wife Rosamond Small. He lived on 12th Street and 4th Avenue and went to Manual Training High School in the Park Slope section. His parents divorced while he was a child. To help keep him out of trouble, his father bought him a large Trans-Oceanic radio, and Smith became an avid fan of R&B music and the disc jockeys who played it, including Douglas "Jocko" Henderson of Philadelphia, New York's "Dr. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Over The Hedge
''Over the Hedge'' is an American syndicated comic strip, written by Michael Fry, and drawn by T. Lewis. It tells the story of a raccoon, a turtle, a squirrel, and their friends, who come to terms with their woodlands being taken over, by suburbia, trying to survive the increasing flow of humanity and technology while becoming enticed by it at the same time. The strip debuted June 12, 1995. History Cartoonists Michael Fry and T. Lewis began collaborating through an agent who represented both of them. At the time, Lewis was a children’s book illustrator, and Fry was a freelance writer. They originally conceived another comic strip called ''The Secret Life of Pigs'', featuring two anthropomorphic pigs. This idea was rejected by editors, who thought that readers would not relate to the strip’s rural setting or the use of pigs as characters. In response, the two changed the lead characters to an ordinary raccoon and turtle, and in 1995, the strip was approved by United Featu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Dorsey
Tim Dorsey (born January 25, 1961) is an American novelist. He is known for a series starring Serge A. Storms, a mentally disturbed vigilante antihero who rampages across Florida enforcing his own moral code against a variety of low-life criminals. Biography Dorsey was born in Carmel, Indiana and was taken to Florida by his mother at the age of 1. He grew up in Riviera Beach, a small town in Palm Beach County just north of West Palm Beach. Dorsey graduated from Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua N.H, in 1979. He attended Auburn University, where he became the editor of ''The Auburn Plainsman'', the student newspaper; he wrote about racism while at Auburn. Dorsey graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor's degree in Transportation. After graduation, he moved to Montgomery, Alabama, and served as a police reporter for a local newspaper. In 1987, Dorsey relocated to Tampa, Florida, and became a reporter for ''The Tampa Tribune''. Until he resigned from the paper in 1999 to write full-t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lisey's Story
''Lisey's Story'' is a novel by American writer Stephen King that combines elements of psychological horror and romance. The novel was released on October 24, 2006. It won the 2006 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2007. An early excerpt from the novel, a short story titled "Lisey and the Madman", was published in '' McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories'' (2004), and was nominated for the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction. King has stated that this is his favorite of the novels he has written. The genesis for ''Lisey's Story'' was an incident in 2003, when King came down with double pneumonia; while he was in the hospital, his wife Tabitha decided to redesign his studio. Coming home from the hospital and seeing his books and belongings in boxes, King saw an image of what his studio would look like after his death. Plot ''Lisey's Story'' is the story of Lisey Landon, the widow of a famous and wildly s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high standing in pop culture, his books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. King has published 64 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections.Jackson, Dan (February 18, 2016)"A Beginner's Guide to Stephen King Books". Thrillist. Retrieved February 5, 2019. King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards. In 2003, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has also received awards for hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anil's Ghost
''Anil's Ghost'' is the critically acclaimed fourth novel by Michael Ondaatje. It was first published in 2000 by McClelland and Stewart. ''Anil's Ghost'' follows the life of Anil Tissera, a native Sri Lankan who left to study in Britain and then the United States on a scholarship, during which time she has become a forensic pathologist. She returns to Sri Lanka in the midst of its merciless civil war as part of a human rights investigation by the United Nations. Anil, along with archaeologist Sarath Diyasena, discovers the skeleton of a recently murdered man in an ancient burial ground which is also a government-protected zone. Believing the murder to be politically motivated, Anil and Sarath set out to identify the skeleton, nicknamed Sailor, and bring about justice for the nameless victims of the war. Plot The story opens up in early March as Anil arrives in Sri Lanka after a 15-year absence abroad. Her visit comes as a result of the increasing number of deaths in Sri Lanka fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Ondaatje
Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, essayist, novelist, editor, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of multiple literary awards such as the Governor General's Award, the Giller Prize, the Booker Prize, and the Prix Médicis étranger. Ondaatje is also an Officer of the Order of Canada, recognizing him as one of Canada's most renowned living authors. Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing ''The Dainty Monsters'', and then in 1970 the critically acclaimed '' The Collected Works of Billy the Kid.'' However, he is more recently recognized for his nationally and internationally successful novel ''The English Patient'' (1992), which was adapted into a film in 1996. In 2018, Ondaatje won the Golden Man Booker Prize for ''The English Patient''. In addition to his literary writing, Ondaatje has been an important force in "fostering new Canadian writing""Michael Ondaatje." In ''An Antholo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Barry's Book Of Bad Songs
''Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs'' is a 1997 humor book written by ''Miami Herald'' columnist Dave Barry, chronicling the results of his bad song survey. The survey started when he wrote a column about a song he thought was particularly bad (Neil Diamond's "I Am...I Said"), and he got such a response that in addition to a follow-up column, he decided to write an entire book about the results of the survey. The book opens with a warning that it will "put bad songs into your head", and suggests that it instead be given to your enemies as a potent Psychological warfare, psychological weapon. This kind of hyperbole is also found in the book's criticism of cheesy or overly sappy lyrics, and is a hallmark of Barry's writing style. In the book he acknowledges the results are biased because he had arbitrarily limited the survey to songs that were very popular and at least 10 years old, as well as excluding certain songs including ones that were intentionally terrible (despite this, tw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
