15 Interesting Facts About ‘Star Trek’

The U.S.S. Enterprise first took to the skies on September 8, 1966. The galaxy-spanning saga transformed science fiction stereotypes and brought it into the homes of the masses in a brand new way. Though people weren’t quick to love it at the time, it has since developed a loyal cult following that has only recently found its way into the mainstream.

Whether you’re a fan of the original series, the many movies, or are excited to check out the new offerings coming this fall, these 15 facts should be right up your alley!

15. Kirk has a dark past.

William Shatner appeared in a variety of dark projects, for both television and film, before taking on the role of Captain Kirk. They included The Intruder, Incubus, The Twilight Zone, and Thriller.

14. A lot of the original technology has become reality.

The communicators look like modern cell phones, their earpieces resemble Bluetooth devices, the Universal Translators might remind you of voice recognition software, and video screens and calls are obviously everywhere – the similarities go on and on!

13. Kirk and Spock are also bonded in real life.

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (who played Kirk and Spock, respectively) were great friends off-screen as well as on. Shatner said in a 2016 interview that he had never had a close friendship with another man until meeting Nimoy on the set.

“I had that with Leonard, and that was the only time I had it. I envied it for the longest time, achieved it, then the book continues on. It’s a very interesting aspect of life, developing a friendship. Not the ‘Let’s go get a beer’ friendship, but deep, deep down. ‘Here’s my problem, I need your help.’”

12. The show strove for ethnic and gender diversity, but it wasn’t perfect.

Creator Gene Roddenberry pushed the envelope whenever he could, but women still had to be sexy onscreen.

11. The episodes are not in chronological order.

The story was never intended to be told in order – the stardates for each episodes are all over the place. Roddenberry explained:

“I came up with the statement that ‘this time system adjusts for shifts in relative time which occur due to the vessel’s speed and space warp capability. It has little relationship to Earth’s time as we know it. One hour aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise at different times may equal as little as three Earth hours. The stardates specified in the log entry must be computed against the speed of the vessel, the space warp, ad its position within our galaxy, in order to give a meaningful reading.”

10. Captain Pike was the original head of the ship.

The pilot episode (the un-aired “The Cage”), featured an almost entirely different cast and crew (Spock being the lone crossover). The episode was eventually aired on video in 1986.

9. Spock was originally meant to have reddish skin.

The fact that most people viewed the show on black-and-white televisions in the 60s made a shift to a slight green tint more palatable.

8. It has spawned more than 125 video games.

Since 1971, more than 125 video games inspired by the show have hit the market – the first a text game in 1971, then arcade games, Atari, and finally PS3 and Xbox 360.

7. It paved the way for shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Like shows like Buffy and Angel, Star Trek didn’t top the ratings every week – but it did reach a key demographic with each airing, which still made it appealing to advertisers.

Star Trek was cancelled after only three seasons, but in today’s market, it would likely have lasted longer.

6. Actor Mark Leonard played three different alien races.

His dramatic flair lends itself to space opera, and on Star Trek, he played a Romulan, a Klingon, and a Vulcan.

5. The original number one was a woman.

In the pilot, Roddenberry’s future wife, Majel Barrett, played Kirk’s first officer. Test audiences didn’t care for her pushiness or her trying to act like a woman – complaints that most likely wouldn’t surface with today’s audiences.

4. Both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy got tinnitus on set.

An explosion on set caused both actors to develop a ringing or buzzing in their ears that can be permanent or debilitating. For a time, Shatner had to wear a hearing device that produced white noise to help him cope. He went on to be the official spokesperson for tinnitus and helped others struggling to live with the issue.

“I’ve talked people down from suicide. A famous musician got a hold of me cold. I didn’t know him. He knew I got it because I was the official spokesman for tinnitus at one period, and I talked him down and encouraged him to do habituation, you know, the white sound, because when I was asked when I first got it how it affected my life from 1 to 10, it was 9 1/2. Now I don’t hear it except when you and I are talking about it.”

3. The Vulcan salute is actually a Hebrew blessing.

The popular “Live Long and Prosper” salute was borrowed from something Leonard Nimoy witnessed as a child in synagogue.

“Five or six guys get up on the bimah, the stage, facing the congregation. They get their tallits over their heads, and they start this chanting – I think it’s called duchening – and my father said to me, ‘Don’t look.’ So everyone’s got their eyes covered with their hands or they’ve got their tallit down over their faces … And I hear this strange sound coming from them. They’re not singers, they were shouters. And dissonant. It was all discordant … it was chilling. I thought, ‘Whoa, something major is happening here.’ So I peeked and I saw them with their hands stuck out from beneath the tallit like this [he does the salute with both hands] toward the congregation. Wow. Something really got hold of me. I had no idea what was going on, but the sound of it and the look of it was magical.”

The gesture represents the Hebrew letter Shin – Shaddai, a name for God.

2. One of the show’s signature lines was lifted.

Bones had a million variations of “I’m a doctor, not a bricklayer!” when asked to do something outside his training and medical expertise – so many, in fact, that the saying has become engrained in pop culture.

The writers of the show, however, did not invent it – it came from a 1933 film called The Kennel Murder Case.

1. Malcolm McDowell received death threats after killing Captain Kirk.

McDowell’s character, Dr. Tolian Soran, killed Kirk in Star Trek: Generations, a film that bridged two television stories. In 2010, he recalled being shocked at the vitriol being aimed his direction, but embarrassed by the studio’s reaction.

“I didn’t take it seriously. The studio took it seriously. I suppose they had to because they didn’t want a lawsuit. They assigned two detectives to come with me to New York to do the press. It was a complete waste of time and quite funny. I kept telling the guys to go home, and they were going to stay outside my room the whole night at the Carlyle Hotel. I went for a walk, and they came with me. I literally came out of the Carlyle at 10 o’clock at night. I looked this way and that way, and there wasn’t one person on the street. Not one. I went, ‘Wow, this is some death threat.’ I said, ‘I feel embarrassed that nobody’s tried to kill me, for Christ’s sake! I feel like I’m letting the detectives down.’”

 

I’m looking forward to exploring new frontiers with old friends!

Are you going to watch Picard or any of the other new shows coming up? Are you a new fan or old? Tell us in the comments!

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14 Funny Memes That Parents of Teenagers Will Probably Enjoy

Kids and adults and those who know either of those two groups of people… welcome to the post where you’ll laugh at ALL the memes.

So without further ado… here’s the comedy!

1. But you said I could go!!!

Photo Credit: Someecards

2. Oh no… you ain’t talking to me!

Photo Credit: Someecards

3. It’s how life keeps us humble…

Photo Credit: Someecards

4. Checks out. Smells right.

Photo Credit: Someecards

5. Well, times have changed indeed!

Photo Credit: Someecards

6. I literally hate you too…

Photo Credit: Someecards

7. Time to save up for that trade school!

Photo Credit: Someecards

8. Just hear me now!

Photo Credit: Someecards

9. Just let them do their thing…

Photo Credit: Someecards

10. Ahhhh yes…. Cecily knows EVERY DAMN THING…

Photo Credit: Someecards

11. Hahaha… rough life

Photo Credit: Someecards

12. I love this.

Photo Credit: Someecards

13. Yep!

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14. Life goals!

Photo Credit: Someecards

Alright kids and parents and everybody else… we want to know your faves? Let us know in the comments!

Or don’t. It’s up to you. No pressure.

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Celebrities Share Text Messages They Got from Their Parents

Parents are parents, it turns out, no matter whether their kids have starred on the big screen, small screen, perform on stage, or have never performed a day in their lives.

These 15 texts from the parents of celebrities prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt.

15. First can we talk about me?

14. Some lessons are hard to learn.

13. It doesn’t rhyme but it is universally applicable.

12. Who needs fans when you’ve got a mama like this?

11. Imma go ahead and let you write your own mental caption for this one.

10. There’s no arguing with her taste.

9. She is not my daughter but I, too, have concerns.

8. Grandmas are the best.

7. Just a little professional feedback, Mandy Moore.

6. Moms everywhere are nodding in solidarity.

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Texts from my Mom #thestruggleisreal

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5. Michelle Obama’s mom just keeping her grounded.

4. Moms are experts at keeping it real.

3. A battle over who is a real fan of pasta.

2. I love that her mom just assumes she could get real news on the internet.

1. You can never have too much encouragement. Or too many heart emojis.

I couldn’t love these more if I tried!

What texts do you love/hate to get from your parents? What texts do you love to send your kids? Share with us in the comments!

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15 Times Elaine from ‘Seinfeld’ Spoke for a Lot of Us

It’s very difficult to pick the best character on Seinfeld because they’re all pretty great, even the supporting characters. Jerry, Kramer, George, Newman, Uncle Leo, they’re all hilarious.

But Elaine Benes might just take the cake. Because sometimes, she spoke for all of us.

Here are some perfect examples.

1. She knows how to talk trash.

Photo Credit: NBC

2. Fighting for equality.

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3. There’s nothing wrong with that.

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4. That’s how you end a conversation.

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5. We all should!

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6. As good a reason as any.

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7. Welcome to the club.

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8. She’s working on it.

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9. That’s why it’s called that.

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10. Zing! Sorry, Jerry.

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11. That is the perfect date.

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12. You’re either with me or against me.

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13. Brain doesn’t work sometimes.

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14. She can be ruthless.

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15. She’s worried about all animals.

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She’s also a great dancer! Remember?!?!

What are your favorite Elaine moments!

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These People Have All Had Their First Names Ruined by Pop Culture

I feel kind of sorry for these people, but my last name is Gilligan, so I don’t feel that sorry for them. Do you know how many times I’ve heard jokes about “The Skipper”?

Yeah, that many.

Let’s all say a little prayer for these folks…

1. She really needs to see the manager.

2. That’s not good.

3. Alexa, I have a question.

4. Ouch, that one hurts.

5. The Legend of…

6. No comment needed.

7. Yes, just like that.

8. A teenage witch?

9. I can hear Homer yelling.

10. You never had a chance.

11. Creepy Carrie! Creepy Carrie!

12. This one is a classic.

13. A double whammy.

14. Yeah, baby, yeah!

15. Could be worse.

Has this happened to you? If so, share your stories with us in the comments!

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Investigation Discovery’s ‘the Missing’ Is a Creepy Show That You Should Be Watching

The Investigation Discovery Channel has a lot of great programs, but one of the best is a newer show on the network called The Missing. The show profiles average, everyday people who disappeared without a trace under very mysterious circumstances.

For anyone who loves true crime, this is a really engrossing watch.

To give you a little taste, here are two of the chilling cases profiled in the show:

Tara Calico

Tara Calico disappeared on September 20, 1988, when she left her home in Belen, New Mexico, to take a bike ride and never returned. Calico was 19 years old at the time of her disappearance, and she remains missing more than 30 years later.

Investigators retraced the route of Calico’s regular bike ride and found evidence of a possible struggle and pieces of the young woman’s Walkman. Witnesses also came forward and told police that they saw a young woman riding a bike while a Ford pickup truck followed her on the shoulder, driving 10 mph in a 55 mph zone.

From there, he trail went cold; it seemed as if Tara Calico had just vanished into thin air. Then, in June 1989, a Polaroid photograph was found in a convenience store parking lot in Port St. Joe, Florida. The disturbing photo showed two people in the back of a van with their hands tied and duct tape over their mouths.

The young woman in the photo bore a striking resemblance to Tara Calico. A media firestorm erupted over the mysterious photo. The FBI eventually concluded they did not believe the woman in the photo was Tara Calico, though Scotland Yard reportedly disagreed and thought it was the missing woman.

Calico’s sister Michele Doel believes that people in the pickup that was reportedly following her along the road may have been harassing her and accidentally hit her with the truck and then covered the incident up by getting rid of Calico’s body.

Now, 31 years later, Doel is still searching for the truth about what happened to her sister Tara, and she has vowed never to stop until she finds out what really took place that day in 1988.

Michele has been searching for her sister Tara Calico for 30 years. Watch The Missing full episode ➡ https://crimefeed.id/2Sm07GS

Posted by Investigation Discovery on Saturday, July 27, 2019

Matthew Weaver

The strange case of Matthew Weaver has perplexed his family, friends, and investigators since the 21-year-old man was last seen on a hiking trail in Malibu, California, on August 10, 2018.

Early the next morning, around 1:30 am, several hikers made calls to 911 saying they heard people screaming. California Highway Patrol officers also heard screams and might have heard someone yell, “He’s got a gun!”

Matthew Weaver was reported missing, and his car was discovered abandoned near a hiking trail in Malibu, but police could find no trace of him.

Investigators used pings from Snapchat to figure out where Weaver was in the hours leading up to his disappearance. Weaver picked up a female friend the evening of August 9 and dropped her off at home in the early morning hours of August 10. Weaver then took a Snapchat photo at 5:45 am in a remote road in the Santa Monica Mountains before he apparently entered a hiking trail.

Several hours later, Weaver texted the friend he’d been with the night before and told her something “crazy” was happening and that he wanted to talk “while I have the chance.” After that final ominous text, all contact with Matthew Weaver ceased.

Weaver’s stepmother Brooke Tipton said that drone photos were used to find Weaver’s baseball hat and a white t-shirt believed to have been worn by Weaver. The shirt appeared to have blood on it. Tipton added that some of Weaver’s friends said that he had hurt his head in the days before his disappearance and that he was bleeding. Some speculate that this may have contributed to his disappearance, as he might have been suffering from a concussion and thus been confused.

But Weaver remains missing.


Dive into all 10 episodes of The Missing HERE and explore these fascinating, true, and incredibly disturbing cases.

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Meet 5 Teenagers Who Have Changed the World

Some people believe that you have to have a lifetime of knowledge and experience to change the world, or even to try – but these 5 teenagers don’t have any time to listen to that kind of crap because they’re too busy actually changing the world.

From gun rights to climate change to terrorism, there’s no problem too daunting…and honestly maybe their lack of experience gives them just the right amount of idealism needed to actually get sh*t done.

I just wish – I truly wish – that their passion and activism hadn’t so often been sparked by personal trauma.

But if you have to go through something terrible, using your experience and pain to stop other people from going through the same thing seems like the healthiest way to deal.

5. Emma Gonzalez

It was February, 2018 when a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and gunned down 17 people in cold blood.

Many of the teens who survived that day have gone on to support a campaign against gun violence, but 18-year-old Emma Gonzalez emerged a leader from the beginning. She co-founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again MSD and, shortly after her classmates were buried, gave a powerful speech at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington D.C.

Since then, her work and others’ have encouraged lawmakers in Florida to pass a Public Safety Act, which raised the age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21 and instituted a three-day waiting period for most weapons. She is still working to prevent gun violence, and Never Again is going strong.

4. Jack Andraka

When he was only 15, Jack Andraka invented what appeared to be a new, cheap way to detect pancreatic cancer. He won $75k at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for the test, which he created after reading free science papers on the internet.

The test is still undergoing official studies, but if it works like he imagines, it could save lives and millions of dollars.

3. Malala Yousafzai

At the tender age of 11, Malala Yousafzai wrote and published a diary about her life under Taliban rule in Pakistan. Though the diary was anonymous, she began to speak publicly at home about her passion for girls’ education.

Three years later, when she was 14, a Taliban gunman shot her in the face on a bus to put a stop to her activism.

Amazingly, Malala survived the attack, and though she can never return home, she works tirelessly on behalf of underprivileged girls around the world.

In 2014, she became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and her passionate acceptance speech is one for the ages.

“This award is not just for me. It is for those forgotten children who want education. It is for those frightened children who want peace. It is for those voiceless children who want change. I am here to stand up for their rights, to raise their voice. It is not time to pity them.”

2. Amika George

Amika read an article about girls in the U.K. who couldn’t afford menstrual products and was astounded that there were so many in her home country living in such poverty.

When she was 17 she founded #FreePeriods, organized a protest of over 2,000, and demanded the government take appropriate action.

In response, the U.K. government announced in March of 2019 they would be funding free sanitary products in all English schools and universities.

1. Greta Thunberg

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Here we go again… As you may have noticed, the haters are as active as ever – going after me, my looks, my clothes, my behaviour and my differences. They come up with every thinkable lie and conspiracy theory. It seems they will cross every possible line to avert the focus, since they are so desperate not to talk about the climate and ecological crisis. Being different is not an illness and the current, best available science is not opinions – it’s facts. I honestly don’t understand why adults would choose to spend their time mocking and threatening teenagers and children for promoting science, when they could do something good instead. I guess they must simply feel so threatened by us. But the world is waking up. See you in the streets this Friday! #fridaysforfuture #schoolstrike4climate #climatestrike #aspiepower

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This 16-year-old Swedish girl has dedicated her young life to being an activist for climate change activism across the world.

In 2018 she began striking – alone – on the steps of the Swedish parliament in Stockholm in an attempt to get them to take meaningful, immediate action.

Since her solitary striking began, more than 1 million teens have joined her by walking out of their classrooms around the world.

“Since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago. We have to understand what the older generation has dealt to us, what mess they have created that we have to clean up and live with. We have to make our voices heard.”

She recently spoke at the UN, and it’s really worth watching:

 

These teens are an inspiration, for sure – they make 18-year-old me look like a lazy loafing loser.

Do you believe young people can make a real difference? How can you not?!

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Get a Black Icee at AMC Theaters in Honor of the New ‘Addams Family’ Movie

I’ve been praying for a black Icee to come along for almost my entire life, and now here it is!

I guess you could say this is my personal peak. Is that sad? I’ll let you be the judge.

But I digress: in honor of the new animated version of The Addams Family that hits theaters on October 11, AMC will sell a black cherry Icee that is totally jet black. Boom!

It's creepy, cooky, altogether ooky, just like Addams Family Movie. Try the Spooky Black Cherry Icee at participating…

Posted by AMC Theatres on Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Spooky Black Cherry Icee will be available at the concession stand at AMC Theaters, and you know what the really good news is? It’s gonna turn your tongue black when you drink it so you can run around the lobby after the movie is over and creep out people waiting in line!

Going to the movies has never been so much fun.

If you’re a youngin’, let me fill you in with a brief history of The Addams Family. The characters are based on a comic strip by artist Charles Addams that ran in The New Yorker from 1938-1988. There was a live-action version of The Addams Family on TV in the 1960s (in glorious black and white) and then the early 1990s saw a revival of the characters with two feature films.

Posted by Ashley Slone on Saturday, September 7, 2019

AMC released a similar black Icee drink this summer for the release of Men in Black: International, and I’m sure there were a whole lot of black tongues at those showings as well.

Here’s the trailer for the new film that comes out on October 11.

See you at the theater with my black Icee in hand!

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Mark Hamill Granted a Teenage Boy His Dying Wish to Meet Luke Skywalker

This is a great story.

A teenage boy’s dying wish to meet Luke Skywalker came true, thanks to actor Mark Hamill.

Eight years ago, 17-year-old John Sikorra was terminally ill with Batten’s disease. A huge Star Wars fan, John desperately wanted to meet Luke Skywalker before he passed away. So his parents reached out to the only person they knew in the film industry for help, screenwriter Ed Solomon.

Ed shared the touching story of what happened next on Twitter.

Ed reached out to the agent of Mark Hamill, aka the real-life Luke Skywalker. Ed told the agent all about John’s dying wish.

“The agent begrudgingly said he’d call Mark, but also said not to get my hopes up. 90 seconds later I got a call from @HamillHimself, who immediately said yes and gave me his home address,” Ed wrote.

“He not only met with the boy, but spent hours answering question after question (sometimes the same ones repeatedly), AS ‘Luke.’”

Because of his state of mind, John’s short-term memory was faulty, and he couldn’t easily differentiate between “Hamill the person and Luke Skywalker the character.” But Mark was patient and kind with the young boy, according to John’s father Joe.

“It was one of those beautiful experiences,” Joe told The Hollywood Reporter. “It is very humbling, this disease. You have got to let go of your normal expectations for you and your kids and family. In the midst of struggle and tragedy, it was those points of connection that make you feel loved and less isolated. Mark was very kind, ‘No rush, my time is your time.’”

Photo Credit: Star Wars

John passed away at just 23 years old in 2015. Years later, this story is still making people tear up. Rest in peace, John! May the force be with you.

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15 Celebrities Who Got Insulted on ‘Between Two Ferns’

I love this guy…

Between Two Ferns: The Movie starring Zach Galifianakis is now on Netflix, and by all accounts it’s pretty hilarious.

If you’ve ever seen the Between Two Ferns show on Funny or Die, you probably already know what you’re in for: hilarious, uncomfortable interviews with big Hollywood stars.

I love it!

Here are 15 times celebrities got burned on the show.

1. Brad Pitt

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

2. Michael Cera

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3. Benedict Cumberbatch

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4. Justin Bieber

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5. Bruce Willis

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

6. Jerry Seinfeld

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

7. Hailee Steinfeld

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8. Conan O’Brien

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

9. Jon Hamm

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10. Chance the Rapper

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11. Steve Carell

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12. James Franco

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13. Matthew McConaughey

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

14. Keanu Reeves

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15. Lastly, don’t mess with Obama.

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

Genius! Now go watch Between Two Ferns: The Movie and report back with your review!

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