Daily Dirt: Those top two positions in Great Plate Debate? They are SPOKEN 4, pass the MILK DUD

Daily Dirt for Thursday, April 3, 2025

Great Plate Debate IV has a new look … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,247 of The Daily Dirt

1. Call it a clean sweep.

The Great Plate Debate IV has an entire new cast of medal-worthy finds this week, thanks to an avalanche of entries over the past few days from readers. 

Here’s what the new leaderboard looks like heading into April:

• Gold medal: SPOKEN 4
• Silver medal: MILK DUD
• Bronze medal: DMBLOND
• Special mention: ANAVRIN (It’s “Nirvana” spelled backward, and seems rather fitting since April 5 is the 31st anniversary of the death of former lead singer Kurt Cobain.)
• Dropped out: WHUT IF, OLDNSLO, BLAH

The rest o’ the best from the past week:

• ICHII                         
• XMS BBY 2
• WITCH 28               
• BTRSWT 8
• OH MAN 99             
• SAVED 24
• HWK2WA                 
• REAKS 1
• NJZGAL                   
• WOLF N 89
• TATTED                   
• RAMS 24
• PHON GUY             
• GGOG 1
• JBYRD 75               
• SHOOK 60

2. Did you know (Part 322) …

• Singer Michael Jackson and actress Farrah Fawcett both died on the same day in June 2009.
• Former Queen lead singer and front man Freddie Mercury and former KISS drummer Eric Carr both died on the same day in November 1991. 
• Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and Muppets creator Jim Henson both died on the same day in May 1990.
• Former MLB star Will Clark homered in his first at-bat in Class A, AA and AAA in the minor leagues — and his first at-bat in the major leagues with the San Francisco Giants.
• The Philly Phanatic — mascot of the Phillies — has an annual salary of $200,000.

3. Here’s what some celebrities took to the grave with them:

• Former St. Louis Cardinals slugger Stan Musial was buried with his favorite harmonica.
• Frank Sinatra was accompanied by a flask of his favorite drink.
• Bob Marley had his favorite guitar placed in his coffin.
• Humphrey Bogart was buried with a golden whistle he had given to Lauren Bacall. Engraved on the whistle was “If you want anything, just whistle.”
• Composer Leonard Bernstein had a copy of the book “Alice in Wonderland.”
• Actress Elizabeth Taylor took with her the last love letter actor Richard Burton wrote to her before he had died.
• Actor Bela Lugosi had a Dracula cape with him in his coffin.
• Actor Tony Curtis was buried with 19 items, including an iPhone and cash.

Steve Thought O’ The Day
People who are often late are happier than those who have to wait for them. (This is compliments of Confucius or Jeff Dorsey, I forget.)