In the 1984 movie "Gremlins," Inventor Rand Peltzer sets out to find an unusual Christmas gift for his son Billy. He ends up purchasing a furry little creature called a "Mogwai" from the grandson of a mysteries shopkeeper. Little does Peltzer know, he's bringing home a bundle of chaos. Billy names his Mogwai "Gizmo," and sets about getting acquainted with his new pet. Unfortunately, Billy and his family fail to follow a set of care and feeding rules offered by the shopkeeper's grandson, and the result is that the cute furry Mogwais multiply into a horde of ill tempered green lizard men. So, according to the shopkeeper's son, what are the three rules that you must follow in order to prevent your Mogwai from mutating into a mob of Gremlins?

Bonus Question: Who is credited as providing the voice for little Gizmo?

St. Patrick's day is approaching and this week's trivia question is all about this popular Irish holiday. Ask anybody who grew up in the 80's to name a famous leprechaun, and they'll probably mention "Lucky," the mascot for Lucky Charms breakfast cereal.

The lovable cartoon character was originally created in 1964, and except for a brief period in the 70's when he was replaced by a wizard, he's been pitching the marshmallow encrusted cereal ever since.

So, if you were watching Saturday morning cartoons back in the 80's, and a Lucky Charms commercial came on, you'd see Lucky the Leprechaun trying to dodge a pack of hungry kids bent on taking his cereal. What was the famous catch phrase that Lucky would always say before he tried to escape?

Bonus Question: You can probably recite the four marshmallow shapes that were in the original Lucky Charms cereal ("yellow moons, orange stars, pink hearts, and green clovers!") Blue diamonds were added in 1975, but what were the two regularly occurring shapes that were added in the 80's?

The big story recently has got to be the guilty verdict for Vice President Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Now, i dont mention politics in these 80's trivia questions when I can avoid it, but I couldn't help noticing the parallels between the legal scandal that plagues the Bush Administration now, and the scandal during the Reagan Administration back in the 1980's.

The phrase "fall guy" was used in the news coverage of both of these affairs, suggesting that the individuals who end up facing a jury in these matters are taking the rap for the misdeeds of higher ranking officials. Back in the days of the Iran-Contra scandal, the most visible scapegoat was decorated the Marine Lieutenant Colonel who was serving as a National Security Council aide in the Reagan administration.
He was convicted and sentenced, later got his conviction overturned, and ultimately followed in the footsteps of guys like G. Gordon Liddy by becoming a commentator on radio and television. What was his name? (hint: he's the guy in the picture)

Bonus Question: Roughly a year after the Iran-Contra scandal broke, a movie came out with obvious parallels to the story. It starred Kevin Costner as a young Naval officer who struggles to avoid being blamed for a Washington D.C. scandal that involves sex, murder, and abuse of power. What was the name of the film?

Last week our Trivia Challenge concerned itself with the Grammys, so it's fitting that this week's puzzler is inspired by the recent Academy Awards ceremony. By all accounts, the predictions about who would win for many of the major awards were quite accurate. The best example is Martin Scorsese's win for "Best Director."

In the weeks leading up to the Oscars, every discussion about the awards mentioned the fact that the legendary director had never won an Oscar, despite numerous nominations. So it would have been a bigger surprise if he hadn't won, but it's great that he's getting the recognition this year.

Scorsese's important contributions to the world of film include such classics as "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," and "The Last Temptation of Christ." He's also made a few contributions to the world of music video. What was the name of the Michael Jackson video that Scorsese directed back in the 80's?

Bonus Question: Lots of well deserved wins in the acting categories, not the least of which was Forest Whitaker's win for "Best Actor." He originally went to college on a football scholarship, then earned two more scholarships in music, and then went to Berkley to study acting under a fourth scholarship. He's had a diverse career that's included both major films and independents, television, and even some directing (in fact, he directed a music video too, but that was in the 90's). And he's rubbed elbows with at least one of the other people who took home an Oscar last Sunday. What was the name of the Martin Scorsese film from the 1980's that included a small part played by Forest Whitaker?