WTF: Weekly Trivia File

•'I'm 23 per cent gay. I've worked it out, did the calculations. There are times I go to 17 — sometimes I'm 31. Depends on the situation.' Sacha Baron Cohen.

•Meanwhile, Bob Mortimer has his reservations about Baron Cohen's new film, Grimsby, tweeting: 'Might go see this Oxbridge lads take on northern working class, guessing #feckless #ignorant #lazy #nobjokes

•It's one of the longest-running in-jokes in comedy… where exactly do the Simpsons live? But now Matthew Patrick's geeky series The Film Theorist has done the impossible… and determined exactly which state Springfield is in, by looking at some pretty obscure clues in the series. The answer is… well, it's in this video:

•Straight white male comedians are to be charged more to take part in a comedy festival than anyone else. Organisers of the Cinderblock Comedy Festival in New York have opened the door for registrations at an early-bird price of $19.25 – but only women, non-white and LGBT comics can apply. After March 15 it will be open to straight white men, too, by which time the price will have risen to $25.  Festival director Coree Spencer said the discount reflected the statistic that women earn 77 cents for every dollar that men earn on average – and says she may apply the same differential to ticket sales. If she does, she may risk breaking New York anti-discrimination laws.

• A particular tribute has been paid to Mitch Hedburg, who would have been 48 on Wednesday. One fan paid tribute to the late comedian by placing a single doughnut – with receipt on his headstone:

View post on imgur.com

•Too Naked For The Nazis – the biography of comedy Egyptian sand dancers Wilson, Keppel & Betty – has been shortlisted for the oddest book title of the year. Author  Alan Stafford said: 'I'm totally thrilled that the first five words of my book have been singled out for literary praise.  Hopefully hordes of people will buy a copy simply to marvel at the title.' The winner of the Diagram Prize will be announced on March 18 following a public vote. Other titles in the running include Soviet Bus Stops, Reading from Behind: A Cultural History of the Anus and Transvestite Vampire Biker Nuns from Outer Space.

•Benidorm writer Derren Litten might have to do some tricks plotting if his revival of Are You Being Served? is to be strictly canon. Announced among the cast this week were comedy veteran Roy Barraclough as senior menswear assistant Ernest Granger. But the character was written out of the original sitcom after four series as actor Arthur Brough retired from acting in 1978 after being devastated by the death of his wife of 50 years, Elizabeth Addyman. The new episode will be set in 1988, three years after the original series ended.

•The unstoppable rise of Donald Trump might have caught America's political commentariat by surprise, but one person predicted his runaway success. A Washington insider? No, comedian Adam Corolla who said on his radio show in 2008: 'He's gonna be president in eight years, you understand that everybody?"  He'll be president one day. It'll be in our lifetime.'

•Eric Morecambe's favourite Jensen Interceptor sports car has been sold at auction for £150,000. The comic bought the car in 1968 for £4,500, and was famously driving it when he realised he was having a heart attack, persuading a passer-by to drive him  to hospital in it.

Tweets of the week

#UpdateAFairyTale
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"
'New phone who dis?'

— James A Cullen (@JCulWestside) February 24, 2016

[Comedy audition]

Agent: Name please?

Comic: Steve Caboodle

Agent: [to colleague] GET ME DAVE KIT ON THE PHONE NOW

— Robin Flavell (@RobinFlavell) February 26, 2016

Overweight and paranoid, It's hard making friends. I joined a Sci-fi role playing club, but I'm sure they called me obese wanker newbie.

— Puncroaker (@Puncroaker) February 26, 2016

Published: 26 Feb 2016