175 Fun Facts About Early 2000s Pop Culture

Which pop superstar released her second studio album, 'Oops!... I Did It Again', in the year 2000?

It sold 1.319 million copies in its first week, a record for a female artist that stood until Adele's 25 in 2015.

In which city did "The Fellowship of the Ring" hold its world premiere?

It premiered in London at the Odeon Leicester Square on 10 December 2001, nine days before the film opened in the United States.

Which singing competition debuted in 2002 and launched Kelly Clarkson's career?

American Idol premiered on 11 June 2002, a US version of Britain's Pop Idol, and Clarkson's win that September made her the first of its stars.

On OutKast's 2003 double album, which solo disc belonged to which member?

André 3000 made The Love Below and Big Boi made Speakerboxxx; the 2003 double album won Album of the Year at the 2004 Grammys.

Which fashion brand became synonymous with velour tracksuits in the early 2000s?

Juicy Couture velour tracksuits were a staple of early 2000s fashion, famously worn by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, making them a highly recognizable trend of the era.

What was Sofia Coppola's acclaimed 1999 film about five sisters in suburban Michigan?

The Virgin Suicides (1999) adapted Jeffrey Eugenides's novel about the five Lisbon sisters; Kirsten Dunst played Lux, and the French duo Air composed the score.

Roughly how many U.S. viewers watched "The Last One", the series finale of Friends, when it first aired?

About 52.5 million U.S. viewers watched the Friends finale on May 6, 2004, the largest entertainment-telecast audience since the Seinfeld finale in 1998.

Which artist had a massive hit in 2002 with the song 'Dilemma', featuring Kelly Rowland?

Nelly's 'Dilemma' spent ten weeks at number one in 2002 and won him and Kelly Rowland a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Apple introduced its first portable digital music player, the iPod, in what year?

The original iPod was unveiled on October 23, 2001, revolutionizing how people listened to music and paving the way for Apple's dominance in the portable electronics market.

Which 2003 Pixar film features a clownfish named Marlin searching for his lost son?

'Finding Nemo', released in 2003, was a critical and commercial success for Pixar, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and becoming one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time.

NSYNC released 'No Strings Attached', featuring 'Bye Bye Bye', in what year?

'No Strings Attached' was released on March 21, 2000, and shattered sales records, selling 2.4 million copies in its first week in the U.S. and becoming one of the best-selling albums of the decade.

Avril Lavigne's debut album 'Let Go' came out in which year?

Let Go was released on June 4, 2002; its lead single 'Complicated' peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album topped 16 million copies worldwide.

Which social networking site, launched in 2003, was one of the first widespread platforms for sharing music?

MySpace launched in August 2003 and became the place bands lived online: My Chemical Romance, Lily Allen and Lady Gaga all found early audiences there.

Which 2002 Sam Raimi superhero film starred Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst?

Spider-Man (2002) cast Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, and became the first film to gross over $100 million in its opening weekend.

Beyoncé was lead singer of which hugely successful R&B girl group before going solo?

Destiny's Child, with Beyoncé as its lead vocalist, was one of the best-selling female groups of all time, releasing hit albums like 'Survivor' in 2001 before Beyoncé launched her solo career.

Which 2001 Disney Channel series starring Hilary Duff focused on the everyday life of a teenage girl?

'Lizzie McGuire' was a highly popular Disney Channel series that ran from 2001 to 2004, resonating with young audiences for its relatable portrayal of teenage experiences.

Which 2001 Nintendo handheld was succeeded by the Nintendo DS?

The Game Boy Advance launched in Japan in March 2001, its horizontal design breaking from the tall Game Boy shape; the DS replaced it in 2004.

Which film won Best Picture at the 2004 Oscars, sweeping all 11 of its nominations?

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King went 11 for 11, tying Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most Oscars ever won by a film.

Which Canadian rock band had early-2000s hits with 'How You Remind Me' and 'Photograph'?

Nickelback, formed in Hanna, Alberta, in 1995, topped the Billboard Hot 100 with 'How You Remind Me' in December 2001; 'Photograph' followed in 2005.

"The Osbournes" grew out of the family's appearance on which MTV series?

The Osbournes grew out of the family's episode of MTV Cribs; the spin-off premiered on March 5, 2002, and drew the largest audiences in MTV's history to that point.

Which social network did Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates found in February 2004, originally for Harvard only?

It was called TheFacebook at first and did not open to anyone over 13 until 2006.

What was the title of the first video ever uploaded to YouTube, in April 2005?

'Me at the zoo', filmed by co-founder Jawed Karim in front of the elephants at San Diego Zoo, was uploaded on 23 April 2005; Google bought YouTube 18 months later for $1.65 billion.

Which Nokia phone, launched in 2000 with Snake II, sold about 126 million units?

The Nokia 3310 launched in September 2000 with Snake II preloaded; it sold about 126 million units and its toughness later became an internet meme.

Which 2005 PlayStation 2 game came bundled with a plastic three-quarter-scale Gibson SG controller?

Guitar Hero (2005) shipped 30 cover songs credited on screen 'as made famous by' the original artists; the franchise went on to gross more than two billion dollars.

Which Will Wright life-simulation game of February 2000 became the best-selling PC game at the time?

The Sims had no way to win; Wright thought of it as a toy rather than a game, and by 2004 it and its expansions had sold 41 million copies.

Which file-sharing service by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker was shut down in 2001 after Metallica's lawsuit?

Napster peaked at about 80 million registered users, and its fatal weakness was that everything ran through one central database a judge could order switched off.

Which Canadian company made the BlackBerry?

Research In Motion of Waterloo, Ontario, launched the first BlackBerry in 1999; the name came from keyboard keys that resembled the fruit's drupelets, and the company renamed itself BlackBerry Limited in 2013.

Which 2001 fashion-doll line, with Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin, grabbed about 40 percent of the market from Barbie?

Bratz cost Mattel dearly: it sued, claiming the designer dreamed them up on its payroll, and after years in court MGA kept the dolls and Mattel was ordered to pay $310 million.

The yellow Livestrong wristband, launched in 2004 with Nike, came from which athlete's foundation?

Lance Armstrong's foundation sold the yellow band for a dollar, its colour echoing the Tour de France leader's jersey; the foundation dropped his name in November 2012 after the USADA doping report.

Crocs, which sold its first 200 pairs at a 2002 boat show, began in which state?

Crocs was founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 2002; its first 200 pairs sold at the Fort Lauderdale boat show, and its foam resin is called Croslite.

Heelys, a 2000s playground craze, concealed what in each shoe's heel?

Heelys hid a removable wheel in each heel; inventor Roger Adams launched them in 2000, and many schools banned them over injury fears.

Which virtual-pet website, launched in 1999 by two British students, did Viacom buy in 2005 for $160 million?

Neopets launched in November 1999; its world is Neopia and its currency is Neopoints, and Viacom paid $160 million for the site in 2005.

Webkinz, launched in 2005 by the Canadian company Ganz, were plush toys that came with what?

The secret code was the whole business model, and the site was still running, in a 2D and a 3D version, twenty years later.

Which browser-based online role-playing game did brothers Andrew and Paul Gower launch in January 2001?

RuneScape, written by brothers Andrew and Paul Gower, went live in January 2001 and ran inside a web browser via Java, drawing millions of free players.

Which Takara spinning-top toy, sold with the catchphrase 'Let it rip', topped British Christmas lists in 2003?

Beyblade tops come in Attack, Defence, Stamina and Balance types and battle in a bowl-shaped stadium; five million had sold in the US alone by 2003.

Who was performing with Janet Jackson at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime 'wardrobe malfunction'?

The FCC fined CBS 550,000 dollars, and a YouTube co-founder later said the impossibility of finding the clip online was one of the things that inspired the site.

What did The Simple Life (2003) dispatch Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to do?

The Simple Life sent Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to do manual jobs on a farm in Altus, Arkansas; 13 million watched the debut, and after the pair fell out E! aired the final two seasons.

'Bennifer', Hollywood's first celebrity-couple portmanteau, referred to Jennifer Lopez and which actor?

Ben Affleck met Jennifer Lopez on the set of Gigli in 2002; the pair split in January 2004 and finally married in Las Vegas in July 2022.

In May 2005 Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah's couch to declare his love for which actress?

Tom Cruise declared his love for Katie Holmes on Oprah in May 2005; tabloids dubbed them TomKat, and their daughter Suri was born the following April.

At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna kissed Britney Spears and which other singer?

Madonna kissed both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during the 'Like a Virgin'/'Hollywood' opening medley at the August 2003 VMAs at Radio City Music Hall.

Which ABC series that premiered in September 2004 followed the survivors of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815?

Lost premiered on ABC on September 22, 2004; its two-part pilot, shot on Oahu, cost between $10 and $14 million, the most expensive made to that point.

Seth Cohen called his 'eight days of presents, followed by one day of many presents' what?

Seth Cohen coined Chrismukkah on The O.C., the Fox drama set in Newport Beach from 2003, to blend his father's Judaism with his mother's Christmas.

Which rapper hosted MTV's Pimp My Ride from 2004 to 2007?

Xzibit fronted it, but several owners later admitted the makeovers were partly faked, and some gadgets had to be ripped out because they broke traffic laws.

Which 2005 Gwen Stefani single was the first song to sell one million digital downloads in the US?

'Hollaback Girl', produced by the Neptunes, spent four weeks at number one on the Hot 100 in 2005 and passed one million paid US downloads that October.

Stephenie Meyer's 2005 novel Twilight is set in which rainy small town in Washington state?

Forks, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, is one of the rainiest towns in the continental US; Meyer picked it for the cloud cover that lets the Cullens live there unnoticed.

Which 2001 Destiny's Child hit samples Stevie Nicks's 'Edge of Seventeen'?

'Bootylicious' samples Stevie Nicks's 'Edge of Seventeen' and topped the Hot 100 in August 2001; the Oxford English Dictionary added the word in 2004.

Which 2004 MTV reality show followed Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari through high school and spawned The Hills?

Laguna Beach turned on a love triangle over Stephen Colletti, and the show was later accused of scripting the whole thing; The Hills followed Lauren Conrad to Los Angeles.

Which brand's trucker hats were worn by Ashton Kutcher and Paris Hilton around 2003?

Von Dutch took its name from hot-rod pinstriper Kenny 'Von Dutch' Howard, who died in 1992; Christian Audigier, who later built Ed Hardy, drove its early-2000s hat boom.

Which Ashton Kutcher hidden-camera MTV show convinced a pop star federal agents were seizing his house?

Punk'd made Justin Timberlake believe agents were seizing his home for unpaid taxes; the word became slang for being pranked, and Time ranked the stunt among reality TV's top moments.

Which NBC stunt show, hosted by Joe Rogan from 2001, had contestants eat live insects?

Fear Factor was adapted from the Dutch show Now or Neverland; one viewer sued NBC for $2.5 million claiming a rat-eating episode made him sick.

Which MTV countdown show did Carson Daly host from a Times Square studio, with fans mobbing the street below?

Total Request Live counted down the ten most-requested videos each afternoon from 1998 until a three-hour farewell in November 2008.

Which NBC show adapted from a Ricky Gervais series is set at a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania?

Steve Carell's Michael Scott ran the Dunder Mifflin branch for seven of its nine seasons, and Rolling Stone later ranked it among the 100 greatest shows ever.

Which 2001 film won the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?

Shrek won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in March 2002, beating fellow nominees Monsters, Inc. and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Who voices the obsessive ruler Lord Farquaad in Shrek?

John Lithgow voiced Lord Farquaad, the diminutive ruler of Duloc who banishes fairy-tale creatures to Shrek's swamp.

Who directed the first Harry Potter film, released in 2001?

Chris Columbus was chosen from a shortlist that included Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner; Rowling insisted the cast be British, and Columbus also directed the 2002 sequel.

For roughly how much did Warner Bros. buy the Harry Potter film rights in 1999?

Rowling sold Warner Bros. the film rights to the first four books in 1999 for a reported £1 million, about $1.65 million at the time.

The 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was based on what?

The film was based on the Pirates of the Caribbean theme park ride that opened at Disneyland in 1967; Gore Verbinski directed and Jerry Bruckheimer produced.

Who plays the cursed Captain Hector Barbossa in The Curse of the Black Pearl?

Geoffrey Rush played Captain Hector Barbossa, the mutineer who stole the Black Pearl from Jack Sparrow, opposite Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.

Which self-help book by Rosalind Wiseman inspired Tina Fey to write Mean Girls?

Tina Fey adapted Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 parenting guide Queen Bees and Wannabes into Mean Girls, which Lorne Michaels produced for Paramount in 2004.

Which actress made her feature film debut in Mean Girls (2004)?

Amanda Seyfried, previously a soap-opera actress, made her film debut as Karen Smith, one of the Plastics led by Regina George.

Which date is celebrated online as 'Mean Girls Day', after a line spoken by Cady?

On October 3, Aaron Samuels asks Cady what day it is; fans began marking 'Mean Girls Day' on October 3 around 2012.

In which state was Napoleon Dynamite filmed, at Preston High School?

Napoleon Dynamite was shot in Preston, Idaho, director Jared Hess's hometown, where he loosely based the story on his own adolescence.

Napoleon Dynamite was partially adapted from which short film by Jared Hess?

Peluca, a 2003 black-and-white short starring Jon Heder, was expanded into Napoleon Dynamite, which Fox Searchlight bought at Sundance in January 2004.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was the directorial debut of whom?

Adam McKay, a former SNL head writer, made his directing debut with Anchorman (2004), co-writing it with Will Ferrell while Judd Apatow produced.

In which city is the TV station of Anchorman's Ron Burgundy located?

Ron Burgundy anchors KVWN Channel 4 News in 1970s San Diego; the film spoofs the era's Action News format.

In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods enrolls at which law school to win back her ex?

Elle Woods follows Warner Huntington III to Harvard Law School; novelist Amanda Brown drew on her own time at Stanford Law.

In Bring It On (2000), Kirsten Dunst's Toros compete against which rival squad?

The Rancho Carne Toros discover their routines were stolen from the Clovers of East Compton, led by Gabrielle Union's Isis, and face them at nationals.

In the 2003 Freaky Friday, what causes Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan to swap bodies?

A pair of magic fortune cookies from a Chinese restaurant swap Tess and Anna; the 2003 film was the third screen adaptation of Mary Rodgers's 1972 novel.

The Notebook (2004) is based on a 1996 novel by which author?

Nicholas Sparks published The Notebook in 1996; Nick Cassavetes's 2004 film cast Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as the young lovers.

In Zoolander, Mugatu tricks Derek into assassinating the prime minister of which country?

Mugatu brainwashes Derek to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia, whose child-labour reforms threaten the fashion industry; the Zoolander character began in 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards shorts.

Roughly what was the domestic box-office gross of Wedding Crashers (2005)?

Wedding Crashers grossed roughly $200 million ($209 million) in North America in 2005, with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as divorce mediators who crash weddings for fun.

In Old School (2003), what nickname does Will Ferrell's Frank revert to after a keg stand?

Todd Phillips's Old School (2003) has Will Ferrell's newly married Frank revert to his college persona, Frank the Tank, streaking through town after a keg stand.

Who wrote and starred in the 2002 sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Nia Vardalos adapted her one-woman stage show into My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a $5 million film that grossed more than $360 million worldwide in 2002.

Who directed the 2003 Will Ferrell Christmas comedy Elf?

Jon Favreau directed Elf (2003), which sends Buddy from the North Pole to New York to meet his biological father, played by James Caan.

In School of Rock, Jack Black's Dewey Finn poses as what to pay his rent?

Dewey Finn poses as a substitute teacher under his roommate Ned Schneebly's name at Horace Green prep school; Richard Linklater directed the 2003 comedy.

Who plays the ageing rock star Billy Mack in Love Actually (2003)?

Bill Nighy won a BAFTA for playing Billy Mack, the washed-up rocker whose Christmas cover of 'Love Is All Around' frames Love Actually.

Which 2000 album, released May 23, features Dido on the single 'Stan'?

The Marshall Mathers LP came out on May 23, 2000 and sold 1.76 million US copies in its first week; 'Stan' is built on a sample of Dido's 'Thank You'.

'Lose Yourself' was the first hip-hop track to win which honor?

'Lose Yourself', from Eminem's 2002 film 8 Mile, won the Oscar for Best Original Song in March 2003 after twelve weeks atop the Hot 100.

Which producer was Usher's longtime collaborator on the 2004 album Confessions?

Dupri claimed the album's confessional themes reflected his own story, not Usher's.

Which two rappers served as executive producers on 50 Cent's debut Get Rich or Die Tryin'?

Eminem and Dr. Dre executive-produced Get Rich or Die Tryin' after signing 50 Cent to Shady/Aftermath in 2002; its lead single 'In da Club' became his first number one.

Green Day's 2004 concept album American Idiot follows which anti-hero character?

American Idiot follows Jesus of Suburbia, a disaffected teen who leaves for the city and meets St. Jimmy; the band called the record a 'punk rock opera'.

Linkin Park's debut album Hybrid Theory (2000) took its title from what?

It is also the only Linkin Park album on which bassist Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell does not play.

Which 2001 single was Shakira's first English-language hit?

'Whenever, Wherever', from Laundry Service (2001), was Shakira's first English-language single and peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2002.

'Crazy in Love' (2003) samples a 1970 song by which soul group?

The horn riff comes from the Chi-Lites' 1970 single 'Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)'; 'Crazy in Love' was the lead single from Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love and features Jay-Z.

OutKast's 'Hey Ya!' lost the 2004 Grammy for Record of the Year to which song?

Coldplay's 'Clocks' took Record of the Year at the February 2004 Grammys over 'Hey Ya!', which settled for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

'Toxic' (2003) samples strings from a 1981 song from which film industry?

The strings are sampled from 'Tere Mere Beech Mein', a 1981 Bollywood song by Laxmikant–Pyarelal from the film Ek Duuje Ke Liye, sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Which two singers turned down 'Since U Been Gone' before Kelly Clarkson recorded it?

Pink passed on 'Since U Been Gone', and Hilary Duff reportedly could not reach its high notes, before Max Martin and Dr. Luke gave it to Kelly Clarkson in 2004.

The second music video for The Killers' 'Mr. Brightside' was based on which 2001 film?

Sophie Muller's second 'Mr. Brightside' video, shot in 2004, restaged a Moulin Rouge!-style Parisian cabaret with Eric Roberts as the rival; the song is from Hot Fuss.

Which 2003 single was the Black Eyed Peas' breakthrough hit, with Justin Timberlake on the hook?

'Where Is the Love?' (2003), with an uncredited Justin Timberlake on the chorus, was the Black Eyed Peas' breakthrough and topped the UK chart for six weeks.

Which 2002 Missy Elliott single has a chorus that plays its hook backwards?

'Work It' (2002), produced by Timbaland, reverses its own hook ('I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it') and spent ten weeks at number two on the Hot 100.

Which production duo produced the 2002 number one 'Hot in Herre'?

The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) produced 'Hot in Herre', the lead single from Nelly's second album Nellyville, which spent seven weeks at number one in 2002.

'Cry Me a River' (2002), produced by Timbaland, was the second single from which Justin Timberlake debut solo album?

Justified launched his solo career, and 'Cry Me a River' was widely read as a kiss-off to Britney Spears after their breakup.

Which production team wrote Avril Lavigne's 'Complicated' and 'Sk8er Boi' with her?

The Matrix (Lauren Christy, Scott Spock and Graham Edwards) co-wrote 'Complicated' and 'Sk8er Boi' with Lavigne; 'Complicated' peaked at number two on the Hot 100 in 2002.

Which singer's voice plays the cheating friend in Shaggy's 2000 hit 'It Wasn't Me'?

Rikrok (Ricardo Ducent) sings the cheating friend's part on 'It Wasn't Me', the Hot Shot single that became Shaggy's first US number one in February 2001.

'Fallin'' was the debut single from which 2001 Alicia Keys album?

Keys wrote and produced the song, which topped the Hot 100.

Which 2002 debut album won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2003?

Come Away with Me by Norah Jones, released on Blue Note in February 2002, won five Grammys in February 2003 including Album of the Year.

On which network did the American Survivor premiere on May 31, 2000, hosted by Jeff Probst?

CBS launched Survivor on May 31, 2000, adapting the Swedish series Expedition Robinson; Jeff Probst hosted from the first episode.

Which first-season Survivor winner was convicted in 2006 of failing to report his winnings?

Richard Hatch, who won the million-dollar prize on Survivor: Borneo in 2000, was convicted of tax evasion in January 2006 and served 51 months.

Who hosted the original network version of the American Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Regis Philbin hosted ABC's prime-time Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from August 1999; the format was created in Britain by David Briggs, Steven Knight and Mike Whitehill.

Which HBO drama became the first cable series to win the Drama Series Emmy, in 2004?

The Sopranos, with James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, became the first cable series to win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in September 2004.

How many episodes of Sex and the City aired before it concluded on February 22, 2004?

Sex and the City ran 94 episodes over six seasons on HBO, from June 6, 1998 to February 22, 2004.

Who created The O.C., which ran on Fox from 2003 to 2007?

Josh Schwartz created The O.C. for Fox in 2003; in the pilot, Ryan Atwood is taken in by public defender Sandy Cohen and his wife Kirsten.

One Tree Hill is set in a fictional town in which US state?

One Tree Hill is set in fictional Tree Hill, North Carolina, and was filmed in Wilmington; half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott vie for spots on the Ravens basketball team.

Gilmore Girls is set in which fictional Connecticut town?

Stars Hollow, Lorelai and Rory's small Connecticut town, was inspired by Washington Depot, Connecticut; Amy Sherman-Palladino's series premiered in October 2000.

Who played teenage Clark Kent on Smallville, which premiered in 2001?

Tom Welling played Clark for all ten seasons, with Kristin Kreuk as neighbour and love interest Lana Lang.

What storytelling device did 24 use so that each season covered a single day?

24 told each season in real time, with a ticking digital clock and split screens; every episode covered one hour of Jack Bauer's day.

On which street in the fictional town of Fairview is Desperate Housewives set?

Wisteria Lane was built on Colonial Street at the Universal Studios backlot; Marc Cherry's mystery-comedy ran on ABC from 2004 to 2012.

Grey's Anatomy's title mixes its protagonist's surname with the name of what?

The show premiered on ABC on March 27, 2005 as a mid-season replacement.

What was the prize on NBC's The Apprentice, billed as 'The Ultimate Job Interview'?

The winner received a one-year $250,000 contract to run one of Donald Trump's companies; Mark Burnett created the show, which premiered on NBC in January 2004.

On which network did the first six cycles of America's Next Top Model air?

America's Next Top Model aired on UPN from its May 2003 premiere through cycle six, moving to The CW when UPN and The WB merged in 2006.

On Newlyweds, Jessica Simpson famously puzzled over a can of tuna from which brand?

Jessica Simpson asked whether Chicken of the Sea tuna was chicken or fish in a 2003 episode of Newlyweds, the MTV show following her marriage to Nick Lachey.

On which network did Chappelle's Show premiere on January 22, 2003?

Chappelle's Show ran on Comedy Central from January 2003; Dave Chappelle created it with Neal Brennan and walked away during production of season three in 2005.

On That's So Raven, what often happens when Raven intervenes to stop a vision?

Raven-Symoné starred as the psychic teen from January 2003 to November 2007.

Which future movie star played Louis Stevens on Disney Channel's Even Stevens?

Shia LaBeouf played Louis Stevens, winning a Daytime Emmy in 2003, on the Disney Channel series about a Sacramento family that ran from 2000 to 2003.

On Kim Possible, what kind of animal is Ron Stoppable's pet Rufus?

Rufus is a naked mole rat, voiced by Nancy Cartwright, who rides in Ron's pocket as Kim and Ron battle Dr. Drakken and Shego.

Who played Drake's devious younger sister Megan on Drake & Josh?

Miranda Cosgrove played Megan Parker, Drake's scheming sister, before headlining iCarly; Drake Bell sang the theme song 'I Found a Way'.

Zoey 101 was initially filmed at which California university?

Zoey 101's first two seasons were shot at Pepperdine University in Malibu, standing in for the fictional Pacific Coast Academy, with Jamie Lynn Spears as Zoey Brooks.

On which network did Queer Eye for the Straight Guy premiere in July 2003?

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy premiered on Bravo on July 15, 2003; its Fab Five called each transformation a 'make-better'.

Who was the first Bachelor when the ABC dating show premiered in March 2002?

Alex Michel, a Harvard-educated management consultant, was the first Bachelor when the ABC series premiered on March 25, 2002; he chose Amanda Marsh but the couple soon split.

Which filmmaker co-created MTV's Jackass with Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville?

Spike Jonze co-created Jackass with Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville; the stunt show premiered on MTV on October 1, 2000 and ran three seasons.

On what date was Microsoft's original Xbox released in North America?

The Xbox launched in North America on November 15, 2001 with Halo: Combat Evolved; it was the first major American-made console since Atari's Jaguar in 1993.

Apple launched the iTunes Store for Mac OS X in which month and year?

The iTunes Music Store opened on April 28, 2003 for Mac OS X, selling songs for 99 cents; a Windows version followed in October 2003.

How much free storage did Gmail launch with on April 1, 2004?

Gmail launched on April 1, 2004 with one gigabyte of free storage, hundreds of times what Hotmail or Yahoo offered, so many assumed it was an April Fools' joke.

Which two people founded Wikipedia in 2001?

The Wikimedia Foundation has hosted it since 2003.

Which company made the ultra-thin Razr V3 flip phone released in 2004?

Motorola's Razr V3, just 13.9 mm thick, launched in the US in November 2004 as the first RAZR-branded phone and sold more than 130 million units.

The flip-screen Danger Hiptop smartphone was sold by T-Mobile under what name?

T-Mobile sold the Danger Hiptop as the Sidekick from 2002; its screen swivelled 180 degrees to reveal a QWERTY keyboard for two-thumb typing.

Which game was the most popular on Xbox Live for nearly two years from 2004?

Halo 2 topped the Xbox Live activity charts from its November 2004 release until Gears of War on the Xbox 360 overtook it in late 2006.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is set in what year?

San Andreas takes place in 1992, amid Los Santos riots modelled on the real Los Angeles riots; CJ returns home after his mother's murder.

Which blogging service did Google acquire from Pyra Labs in February 2003?

Google bought Pyra Labs, maker of Blogger, in February 2003; the service had launched in 1999 and helped put the word 'blog' into everyday use.

Which company bought Skype in September 2005?

eBay paid about $2.6 billion for Skype in September 2005; the service had launched in August 2003, created by Niklas Zennström, Janus Friis and Estonian developers.

LimeWire, the file-sharing client created by Mark Gorton in 2000, used which network?

LimeWire ran on the decentralised Gnutella network, which had no central server to switch off; a federal judge finally shut the client down in October 2010.

Which social network, launched by Jonathan Abrams in 2002, is considered one of the originals?

Friendster, launched by Jonathan Abrams in 2002, reached millions of users before MySpace overtook it; it turned down a $30 million buyout offer from Google in 2003.

Which AOL feature did teens famously change throughout the day to update friends?

Teens rewrote their AIM away message with song lyrics and cryptic notes for friends; AOL Instant Messenger ran from 1997 to 2017 on the OSCAR protocol.

Ugg boots, a mid-2000s worldwide fashion trend, originated in which country?

Ugg boots began as sheepskin footwear worn by Australian surfers in the 1960s; Brian Smith took them to California in 1978 and founded the brand Deckers later bought.

How many Razor scooters were sold in the six months after the product's 2000 launch?

Razor sold over 5 million scooters in the six months after its 2000 US launch, making the folding aluminium scooter the year's defining playground craze.

Which Egyptian artifact gives Yu-Gi-Oh! hero Yugi Mutou his pharaoh alter ego?

Yugi assembles the Millennium Puzzle, a golden pyramid that houses the spirit of an ancient pharaoh; Kazuki Takahashi's manga ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1996 to 2004.

Which of these was NOT one of the three original 2005 versions of Nintendogs?

The 2005 Nintendo DS launch trio was Chihuahua & Friends, Lab & Friends (Shiba & Friends in Japan) and Dachshund & Friends; Beagle & Friends was never released.

Who hosted the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, remembered for Madonna's onstage kisses?

Chris Rock hosted the 2003 VMAs at Radio City Music Hall on August 28, 2003; he had also hosted the show in 1997 and 1999.

Which 2004 book was Paris Hilton's first, a tongue-in-cheek guide to heiress life?

Confessions of an Heiress, written with Merle Ginsberg, came out in September 2004 and reached the New York Times bestseller list.

Which 2003 Disney Channel movie starred Raven-Symoné in an aspiring New York girl group?

The Cheetah Girls premiered on Disney Channel in August 2003, starring Raven-Symoné, Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan as an aspiring New York girl group.

Which 2001 Disney Channel cartoon followed Penny Proud and her family?

The Proud Family premiered on Disney Channel in September 2001, with Kyla Pratt voicing Penny and Tommy Davidson as her father Oscar.

Which two secret societies clash in Dan Brown's 2003 bestseller The Da Vinci Code?

The Priory of Sion, guardian of the Grail secret, is hunted by a killer tied to Opus Dei; Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu follow a Louvre murder into the mystery.

Which Harry Potter novel, published June 21, 2003, is the longest in the series?

Order of the Phoenix, at about 257,000 words, is the longest Potter novel; it covers Harry's fifth year, O.W.L. exams and an obstructive Ministry of Magic.

Which city hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 'Games of the New Millennium'?

Sydney hosted the 2000 Games from 15 September to 1 October, Australia's second Olympics after Melbourne in 1956.

In which city was Super Bowl XXXVIII, home of the 'Nipplegate' halftime show, played?

Super Bowl XXXVIII was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston on February 1, 2004, with MTV producing the halftime show for CBS.

How many stores did Blockbuster operate at its 2004 peak?

Blockbuster peaked in 2004 with about 9,000 stores and 84,300 employees worldwide, before Netflix and Redbox ate its business.

What was Windows XP's codename during development?

Windows XP was developed under the codename Whistler, after the British Columbia ski resort; it reached retail on October 25, 2001.

In the 2002 'Star Wars Kid' viral video, what does Ghyslain Raza swing like a lightsaber?

Ghyslain Raza swung a golf ball retriever in a school studio in November 2002; classmates uploaded the tape in 2003 and the Quebec teenager never intended it to be seen.

Whose late-night jokes about Walker, Texas Ranger helped inspire 'Chuck Norris facts'?

Conan O'Brien's 'Walker, Texas Ranger lever' bits on Late Night in 2004 and 2005 helped seed the absurd Chuck Norris facts that spread online as an early meme.

The meme 'All your base are belong to us' came from which mistranslated 1991 game?

The line comes from the European Mega Drive port of Toaplan's shooter Zero Wing (1991); a February 2001 Flash animation spread the mistranslation across the web.

Who voices the one-eyed Mike Wazowski in Pixar's Monsters, Inc. (2001)?

Billy Crystal voiced Mike Wazowski opposite John Goodman's Sulley; Pete Docter directed the film about a scare factory powered by children's screams.

The Incredibles (2004) is set in a retro-futuristic version of which decade?

Brad Bird set The Incredibles in a retro-futuristic 1960s, with mid-century modern design and a Michael Giacchino score evoking 1960s spy films.

Which Pixar short, screened before Monsters, Inc. in 2001, won the Oscar for Best Animated Short?

For the Birds, Ralph Eggleston's short about small birds on a telephone wire, played before Monsters, Inc. and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in March 2002.

Which studio made its feature debut with Ice Age in 2002?

Blue Sky Studios, the Fox-owned house behind the Oscar-winning short Bunny, made its feature debut with Ice Age, voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary.

Which filmmaker created the Spy Kids franchise, which began in 2001?

Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed Spy Kids (2001), describing it as James Bond meets a family film with Latin themes, and shot it largely in his native Texas.

Which Backstreet Boys album sold 1.6 million US copies in its first week in November 2000?

Black & Blue sold about 1.6 million US copies in its first week in November 2000, second only to NSYNC's No Strings Attached that year, led by the single 'Shape of My Heart'.

Who are Timmy Turner's wish-granting fairy godparents on The Fairly OddParents?

Cosmo and Wanda are Timmy's fairy godparents, voiced by Daran Norris and Susanne Blakeslee; Butch Hartman's show grew out of shorts on Nickelodeon's Oh Yeah! Cartoons.

What does Avatar: The Last Airbender call manipulating water, earth, fire or air?

Avatar calls the martial-arts manipulation of water, earth, fire and air 'bending'; the Nickelodeon series ran three seasons from February 2005 to July 2008.

SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg worked in what field before animation?

Stephen Hillenburg taught marine science at the Orange County Marine Institute, where he drew the educational comic The Intertidal Zone that seeded SpongeBob.

In which fictional Rhode Island city is Family Guy set?

Family Guy is set in Quahog, a fictional Rhode Island city near Providence; Seth MacFarlane's show premiered after Super Bowl XXXIII in January 1999.

Which spin-off did Dora the Explorer, launched in 2000, spawn?

Go, Diego, Go!, starring Dora's cousin Diego Márquez as an animal rescuer, premiered on Nickelodeon in September 2005; like Dora it breaks the fourth wall to ask viewers for help.

In Katamari Damacy (2004), what does the tiny prince roll to rebuild the stars?

The prince pushes a katamari, a magical highly adhesive ball that picks up anything smaller than itself, after his father the King of All Cosmos destroyed the stars.

Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) was released for which Nintendo console?

HAL Laboratory developed the crossover fighter, the second in the series.

Which studio developed the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for Activision?

Neversoft built the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for Activision in 1999, with a soundtrack of punk and ska punk including Goldfinger's 'Superman'.

On which network did Gilmore Girls premiere in the fall of 2000?

Gilmore Girls premiered on The WB on October 5, 2000 and ended on The CW, the WB-UPN merger network, in May 2007.

How many episodes of 24 aired across its nine seasons?

24 ran 204 episodes: eight 24-episode seasons from November 2001 to 2010 plus the 12-part Live Another Day in 2014.

The Crazy Frog ringtone sound began as Daniel Malmedahl imitating what?

Daniel Malmedahl recorded himself imitating a two-stroke moped engine in 1997; Erik Wernquist's CGI character, first called The Annoying Thing, made it Jamba!'s ringtone phenomenon.

Crazy Frog's worldwide hit single was a cover of the theme from which film?

'Axel F' is Harold Faltermeyer's synth theme from Beverly Hills Cop (1984); Crazy Frog's 2005 version topped the UK chart for four weeks, beating Coldplay's 'Speed of Sound'.

What did Ashlee Simpson blame for the vocal-cord trouble behind her 2004 SNL lip-sync fiasco?

Ashlee Simpson blamed acid reflux for the swollen vocal cords that led her to use a backing track; the 'Pieces of Me' vocal fired again when she began 'Autobiography' on October 23, 2004.

Lego's Bionicle line, launched in 2001, grew out of which earlier 'constraction' theme?

Slizer (sold as Throwbots in North America) introduced the 1999 ball-joint 'constraction' figures that evolved into Bionicle, whose success helped Lego out of its late-1990s financial crisis.

Which 2004 Usher single featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris spent twelve weeks at number one?

'Yeah!', produced by Lil Jon with a Ludacris verse, spent twelve weeks atop the Hot 100 in 2004 and was replaced at number one by Usher's own 'Burn'.

What kind of game media did Sony's PlayStation Portable use?

The PSP ran games from Universal Media Disc, a 60 mm optical disc format Sony introduced with the handheld in Japan in December 2004.

The Fast and the Furious (2001) was inspired by a 1998 article titled 'Racer X' in which magazine?

Ken Li's 'Racer X', published in Vibe in May 1998, described New York street racing and led to the script by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist and David Ayer.

Which 2002 Christina Aguilera album included 'Beautiful' and 'Dirrty'?

Stripped (October 2002) paired the raunchy 'Dirrty' with 'Beautiful', the Linda Perry ballad that won the 2004 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The Hampster Dance's looping song is a sped-up sample from which 1973 Disney film?

The loop is a sped-up clip of Roger Miller's 'Whistle-Stop' from Disney's Robin Hood (1973); Deidre LaCarte's 1998 GeoCities page became one of the web's first viral fads.