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Regular TV is so last decade. Now, it seems, reality TV has taken over our living room.

When the reality craze started, it seemed harmless at first. We were only rooting for the underdog to make it to super-stardom. Then, each season, there were more and more reality shows that got even more and more ridiculous.

They range from singing competitions, finding true love, surviving in the wilderness, losing weight, living with complete strangers, following celebs to watching a mother raise her 8 children.

Here’s a question: What WAS on TV before the reality-show era started? Back in the day, we watched movies, documentaries, and live or taped performances. MTV was still airing videos. Perhaps we’ll have a channel dedicated to reality shows just like news, music, and sports.

Even our community is curious about this trend asking why these shows keep taking over the networks. Apparently, there is even a reality show curse that causes relationships to break up. The Hogan family, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, and Britney Spears and Kevin Federline are just a few of its victims.

Why do you think reality shows are so popular?

Thanks for reading,

At this very moment, the best football players from all over the world are making their way to sunny South Africa to compete for the prize of all prizes. All eyes will turn to the Rainbow Nation to see if the numerous critics and doubters were right after all: They don’t believe the country is ready to host the greatest show on earth. Well, the time for words and debate is over, let the action begin and we’ll find out for ourselves!

Behind all the exciting games and magnificent stadia we will be seeing on our screens and the long hours we will be spending encouraging our team on to at least one more win, there is a fascinating country extending well beyond what will be shown.

Don’t worry, this is not a history class, nor a geography test about South Africa. It is just a quick introduction to some facts you may find interesting (like the fact that Kruger National Park is almost the same size as Holland). Hopefully what follows will help add context and flavour to a whole month of football and activities that will happen in Answers.

The Rainbow Nation

South Africans often describe themselves as the Rainbow Nation due to their wide ranging diversity in people and cultural groups. South Africa has a population of 45 million people speaking 11 official languages, with Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans being the most common home languages (English is the fifth most common home language, but is understood by most people as, primarily for economic and political reasons, it is the lingua franca).

The best known and biggest cultural group in South Africa is the Zulus. They proudly defend and practice their own traditions, and became a very important force against the British army in the late 19th Century.

Unusually, the country has three capital cities: Cape Town (Legislative), Pretoria (Administrative), and Bloemfontein (Judicial).

The South African flag as we know it today was adopted on Liberty Day, April 27th 1994 (during the first democratic elections after the abolishment of apartheid.

Sports

Sport in South Africa is almost a national religion! Children actively engage in all types of sport from a very young age and inevitably dream of emulating their heroes in football, rugby, cricket and just about every other sport you can think of.

Since the first democratic elections were celebrated in 1994, South Africa has hosted a variety of international sporting tournaments: The Rugby World cup in 1995 (which they won), Football’s African Cup of Nations in 1996 (which they won), and the Cricket World Cup in 2003. The country has also hosted auto racing’s A1 Grand Prix since 2006.

South Africa has always been a formidable competitor in Rugby Union. The national team, the Springboks, have won the Rugby World Cup on two occasions: 1995 and 2007.

Bafana Bafana (as the South African football team are known, meaning “The Boys”) have the hopes of a nation riding on their shoulders. The South African Football Association (SAFA) was banned from all international football events from 1974 till 1992, so winning the African Cup of Nations in 1996 was a significant triumph. Since then Bafana Bafana have proven somewhat inconsistent, slaying giants one moment and losing dismally to underdogs the next. So anything could happen in June/July 2010!

Famous South Africans

You may know of several other famous South Africans, but here we offer a small list of some of the names that have conquered the world, and you may be surprised by some of them:

J.R.R. Tolkien, writer and author of “Lord of the Rings”.

J.M. Coetzee, writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Nelson Mandela, revolutionary leader, first black president and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Charlize Theron, the first South African actress to win an Oscar.

Christian Barnard, the doctor who realised the first ever heart transplant.

Jody Sheckter, Formula 1 champion in 1979.

Gary Player, World Golf Hall of Famer and winner of 9 major tournaments

Desmond Tutu, Archbishop and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984

Hugh Masekela, Grammy Award nominated musician best known as a trumpeter

As we mentioned, this is just a small introduction to South Africa, and the beginning of a whole month of activities that we have prepared for the Answers Community around the FIFA World Cup. Stay tuned, and you will find yourself in the middle of a number of contests, activities and rewards that we’ve set up for you along the way.

“May the best team win!”

Photo by Loren Javier

Hosting “Saturday Night Live” might not be good enough for Betty White – everyone wants her on the big stage. Facebook fans have now launched a new page, “Getting Betty White to Host the Academy Awards.”

Just days after hosting “SNL” for the first time on Saturday night — thanks to a Facebook campaign called “Betty White to Host SNL…Please?” — fans want to see more of our favorite “Golden Girl.” On Sunday night, the new page already had over 6,000 fans, and today it has over 17,000. Might we see the 88-year-old handing out Oscars?

The Betty White “SNL” campaign proved very successful:  With musical guest Jay-Z, Saturday night’s episode saw its highest ratings in more than 18 months. After rave reviews, Betty White proved that she still has her comedy side. Did you watch “SNL”? What did you think? Where do you want to see Betty White next?

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Ahh, March. If you’re a college basketball fan, this time of the year means one thing to you: March Madness. For many, part of getting ready for the season means preparing your bracket, and getting your “picks” together. For some, this is all just fun and games, but for others, it’s a science. And, this science even has a name: “bracketology.”

It’s the science of picking winners and knowing who will be the last team standing in the end. Whether you believe in the science of it all, or, are just in it for the game, there are loads of resources popping up on the web this year making it easier for you to stay in touch with your fantasy picks and favorite teams, including Yahoo! Sports “Tourney Pick’em” fantasy sports bracket. (And, this year you can win up to a million dollars if you end up with a perfect bracket!)

Online selections open on Sunday, March 14^th and close Thursday, March 18^th, but you can start creating a pool of your favorite Answers friends, college buddies, or office mates now while you wait for the tournament field to be announced on the 14^th.

Or, if you’re looking to meet a few fellow Yahoo! Answers users who also love basketball, you’re welcome to join our bracket, found here.

Need some last minute tips and information on this year’s teams from Kansas and Kentucky? Don’t forget to check out the Basketball category on Answers in addition to the NCAA section on Rivals But remember– if you’re asking specifically about your fantasy picks, be sure to place your questions in the appropriate category: Fantasy Sports.

Good luck!

Some of the most commonly asked questions on Answers relate back to dreams, dream interpretations, and meaning.  Each day, tons of Answers users ask questions about their nightly visions, hoping to peek into their psyche. But where does this practice come from, and, how can you be sure to ask your dream interpretation questions in a way that is both knowledge seeking and, appropriate?

Here are a few tips about this practice, and, a bit of history.

History

It is believed that interpreting dreams dates back to the Ancient Egyptians and the Greeks, and that in some cultures, dreams are closely related to divinity. This means that through dreams you may have a closer tie to your religious affiliation, or, that through dreams, you may receive a message from the gods.

However, modern theorists, like Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and others had a more practical approach to dreams: they believed dreams represented symbols within life, and encouraged patients to keep dream journals.

A combination of the Egyptian, Grecian and modern approach has led to a modern amalgamation, which allows for dream interpreters to create “dream dictionaries,” which are often used to help decipher one’s dreams.

Deciphering your dreams on Answers

When asking about your dreams on Answers, it’s important to keep the Community Guidelines in mind, and, if you’re helping decipher someone’s dream, please be respectful.

To get the best results from the community, please  provide as much detail as possible, and be sure you post your question in the appropriate category: dream interpretation.

So, what are your dreams telling you? Tell us in the comments section below!

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There aren’t many people in the world who can say they’re: an Olympic athlete, 6-time NBA champion, has their own line of shoes, oh, and is labeled one of the best basketball players (and some argue one of the best athletes) of all time. Some even say he revolutionized the game of basketball.

That’s because there’s only one Michael Jordan—who happens to be celebrating his 47th birthday today, and is rumored to buy the Charlotte Bobcats.

With so few athletes reaching this level of excellence in their career, it begs the question of, what does it take to become a champion? And, who is a champion in your book? Is it an Olympic athlete? Do you consider your parents champions? What about your teacher? Tell us by leaving a comment below!

For more information on Michael Jordan’s career highlights go here

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Ah. Awards season. It’s the only time of the year when we can get away with mercilessly critiquing celebrities judgment in fashion, dates, and decorum. With each award show comes the inevitable lists of the best and worst dressed in addition to the lists of stars that collected awards throughout the evening.

But here at Yahoo! Answers we think that a room full of celebrities shouldn’t decide whether or not another room full of celebrities deserves even more awards. Instead, we think YOU, the community should decide who the award goes to!

But that got us thinking- with the Academy Award nominations coming out tomorrow, how does one get nominated for an Oscar?

In short: according to “Rule Two” of the Academy  you must be nominated by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and, your film must have premiered between January 1^st and December 31^st of Los Angeles County, California to qualify.

While the Oscars has a long history,  it hasn’t always been as glamorous as it is today- the first Academy Awards drew just 270 people and cost just $5 to attend. Oh what a difference 81 years and a bit of celebrity glitz and glamour makes.

But before the nominees are announced at 5:30am on Tuesday, feel free to speculate on the nominees in the comments section below. Once the official nominees have been announced, we’ll update this post with a link to the list.

UPDATE: and the nominees have been announced! Stop by Yahoo! Movies for the full list.

Here are a few categories to get you started:

• Best supporting actor
• Best supporting actress
• Best actor
• Best actress
• Best director
• Best picture
• Best original score
• Best song
• Best visual effects

Photo by be OH be

Last weekend the movie “The Lovely Bones” opened nationwide in the United States. The movie, based on the novel by Alice Sebold is just one of many book-to-film adaptations to come for 2010.

Also on the docket for 2010 is Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland; The Twilight Saga: Eclipse; and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I.

With so many popular novels being converted into what will surely be popular films, we wondered: what are some of your favorite (and, conversely, least favorite) film adaptations of literary classics? And, is it true that the book is always better than the movie, or, are there any versions of the movie that are actually better than the book?

Be sure to tell us in the comments section below!

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Last week, the Vatican added rapper Tupac Shakur’s song “Changes” to its playlist on MySpace. The MySpace playlist contains eight tracks, including Mozart, Muse, and Fleet Foxes.

While the Vatican’s choice may resonate with some people, it may strike a different note with others, as the rapper was well known for his role in the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry.

Despite Tupac’s social ties, the Vatican’s choice of a playlist prompts this question: If you had to select eight tracks that represented you, what would they be? Enter your playlist below, and be sure to tell us why you selected the tracks you did!

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Recently, the rock band Aerosmith announced that it was “positively” seeking a new lead singer to replace Steven Tyler. Immediately following the news, sites like Yahoo! and Twitter saw a spike in searches for Steven Tyler, Aerosmith, and their hits. Joe Perry, lead guitarist for Aerosmith, vows to continue the band and is considering replacing Tyler with another lead vocalist. Then, a few days later, Tyler and Perry announced that Tyler was simply going on a two-year break.

Whatever Steven Tyler and Aerosmith’s future holds, for many bands, replacing the lead singer is the “kiss of death”—a sign that the end is near, because the lead singer often lends his soul to the band. Without him, the band often falters. But for some bands, changing the lead singer can signal the start of something new.

What do you think the future holds for Aerosmith? And can you think of a band that succeeded after the lead singer left? What about one that failed? Please be sure to tell us why you think they failed (or succeeded) when leaving your comment!