Friday, Jan. 28 News Quiz of the Week: Australia & Arts

WeChat is the Chinese platform for instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment – owned by Tencent.

Was Australia’s former Prime Minister’s WeChat account hijacked?

Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Jan. 24, 2022, that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had lost control of his WeChat account. His followers were notified the page had been renamed “Australian Chinese new life,” and his photograph was removed. WeChat had not immediately replied to an Australian government request that the prime minister’s account be restored.

You’re looking at the Aboriginal flag, which has been recognized as an official flag of Australia since 1995. The Australian government said on Jan. 25, 2022, it had acquired copyright to the Aboriginal flag from its creator, indigenous artist Harold Thomas for $20 million. The flag can now be freely used, resolving a commercial dispute that had restricted sporting teams and Aboriginal communities from reproducing the image.

1993’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” was singer and actor Meat Loaf’s major crossover hit. Otherwise known as Michael Lee Aday, Meat Loaf sold more than 100 million records worldwide and had prominent roles in “The Rocky Horror Show” and “Fight Club” films. He died on Jan. 20, 2022, aged 74. 

We Don’t Talk About Bruno is Encanto’s most popular song. With songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Encanto soundtrack was released on Nov. 19, 2021. On Jan. 18, 2022, the song became the highest-charting from a Disney animated film in more than 26 years, ranking higher than even “Let It Go.” It’s behind only Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle’s “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, which gained the No. 1 spot for one week in March 1993. The Encanto album is the sixth animated film soundtrack to hit No. 1 since the Billboard 200 began regularly publishing weekly in 1956.

The radio altimeter is a radar developed in the 1920s, helping pilots determine an aircraft’s altitude. In some planes, altimeter readings are fed directly into automated systems that can act without input from pilots.

Is 5G a danger to air travel?

In the US, the 5G system used by AT&T and Verizon works in similar frequencies to those used by altimeters. If an altimeter’s waves don’t bounce back because of 5G interference, the altimeter could give the wrong reading or not function. On Jan. 19, 2022, AT&T and Verizon agreed to restrict their new 5G cellular service near airports in the US to avoid mass flight cancellations. On June 17, The Federal Aviation Administration (FDA) said that the wireless companies agreed to delay some use of the radio spectrum until July 2023.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy from the Sun. According to NASA, flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of a mid-level solar flare on Jan. 20, 2022. Watch it here.

At age 19, Belgian-British aviator Zara Rutherford became the youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world and the first person to complete a circumnavigation in a microlight aircraft. On Jan. 20, 2022, Rutheford ended her five-month journey exactly where she started – in Belgium on Aug. 18, 2021.

Who was previously the youngest woman to fly solo around the globe in a single-engine plane?

The previous record-holder is American pilot Shaesta Waiz. Waiz escaped war as a child during the Afghan-Soviet conflict. In 2017, at the age of 30, she became the first Afghan woman to be a certified civilian pilot and the youngest woman in history to fly solo around the globe in a single-engine plane. Waiz said she is feeling euphoric about her record being broken.

Will Arnett is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series Arrested Development. Gob being short for George Oscar Bluth Jr., pronounced “Jobe” (rhyming with “robe”).

What’s Murderville?

Netflix’s Murderville is an improvisational crime comedy. Will Arnett plays detective Terry Seattle, who teams up with celebrity guest stars to investigate a series of murders. The six-episode series streams beginning Feb. 3, 2022, on Netflix.

Jeen-Yuhs is the title of Netflix’s 2022 three-part documentary depicting Ye’s career in music, fashion, and politics over more than 20 years.

Is Ye Happy with the Jeen-Yuhs docu?

Writing on Instagram, Ye said: “I’m going to say this kindly for the last time. I must get final edit and approval on this doc before it releases on Netflix. Open the edit room immediately so I can be in charge of my own image. Thank you in advance.” Jeen-Yuhs is available on Netflix from Feb. 16, 2022.

HBO’s The Gilded Age is set in New York in 1882. The series, created by Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes, premiered on Jan. 24, 2022.

Former Downton Abbey’s Lady Rose, English actress and model Lily James, transformed into Pamela Anderson in the new HULU eight-part biopic series, Pam & Tommy. The series also stars Sebastian Stan as Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and Seth Rogen and Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman as the men who stole their famous sex tape. The actual Pamela Anderson hasn’t been involved in Pam & Tommy, which streams on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK from Feb. 2, 2022.

The Phoenix Act extends the statute of limitations for survivors of domestic violence. In 2019, the bill passed in California with unanimous support. Evan Rachel Wood led the legislation.

What’s Phoenix Rising?

“Phoenix Rising” is a two-part documentary showcasing Evan Rachel Wood’s rise as an activist and her struggles to cope with the abuse she alleges at Marilyn Manson. The first part of the series premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. “Phoenix Rising” will premiere on HBO later in 2022.

Damien Hirst is considered the United Kingdom’s richest living artist, with a net worth of $700 million in 2021.

What is Damien Hirst’s The Currency?

The Currency is the first NFT collection by Damien Hirst of 10,000 NFTs, corresponding to 10,000 unique physical artworks stored in a secure vault in the UK. Hirst produced the project with HENI, an art services business. HENI sold each image in the series for the price of $2,000. They grossed about $18 million from the initial sale and, according to HENI, are collecting a further 5 percent of the proceeds from NFT resales.

The Blue Boy is English portrait and landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough’s most famous oil painting. Along with Joshua Reynolds, Gainsborough is considered one of the most influential British artists of the second half of the 18th century.

Where is The Blue Boy exhibited in 2022?

The Blue Boy has been on display at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, since 1922. One hundred years after it was bought and shipped to the US, the landmark English painting was loaned back to London’s National Gallery for an exhibition opened on Jan. 25, 2022. The work is now on display in London alongside two other Gainsborough paintings.

In a statement posted to its Instagram account on Jan. 24, 2022, McDonald’s UK said it had removed its breakfast bagels and breakfast wraps from the menu permanently. The move leaves the British McDonald’s menu with the McMuffin and the Breakfast roll as its main breakfast items, alongside pancakes and hashbrowns.