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February 1

How do they get away with it ?

Back on January the First, someone, as far as I know, unsigned, asked why there were so many rip off movies. I think their specific peeve was in the realm of out and out copies, especially those with product placement. In the spirit then of copying , this has prompted me to ask a similar question as to how pardodies like Meet the Spartans, are allowed, when they obviously take a copyrighted idea and make fun of it - not that I mind. So what is protected by law, and do those who make fun of other movies have to ask permission or pay something ?

Also, what about those that take a similar idea? It has long been noted, after all, that Under Siege was a kind of ripoff of Diehard, and it could also be said that Mindhunters is a copy of movies like Ten Little Indians, as is any other movie such as The Cave, Alien franchise, House of Wax etc., where people are knocked off one after the other, until the White Anglo Saxon hero and the most attractive girl are left.

I get the idea that having a film where people are killed off one by one is not necessarily a copy if the basic premise differs, but it seems that Hollywood and every one else is kind of sometimes making the same sort of movies over again.

Another example of this is ones like The Nurse (Lisa Zane), The Stepdaughter (Andrea Roth),The Stepfather(Terry O'Quinn), The Perfect Tenant with Maxwell Caulfield - as well as another he did called Facing the Enemy, The Perfect Nanny (Tracy Nelson - also in the Perfect Tenant ), The Temp (Lara Flynn Boyle), and The Perfect Wife ( Shannon Sturges - who was born one day after I was ), among many others - all good, though, but the same idea of someone who is not who they seem to be. Once in a while this is fine, but it would be good to see something completely new.

One other thing I have noticed is that there will be a movie on I know to have been either a true story or at least to have some true to life people in it, yet at the end some of them say the story and all characters are completely fictitious. Now I know sometimes they do acknowledge a true story as such, either based on or inspired by, with composite characters and other dramatic licences sat, passed, and even faked, but if a story has some truth in it, surely even that should be acknowledged. An example might be the incredibly entertaining film Dick ( Dan Hedaya ), showing portrayals of people like Woodward and Bernstein, John Dean III, Bob Haldeman, among many others. Now I cannot be sure if they said at the end of this none of it was real, but what if they did ? Could they claim to say so, since although such people exist, the portrayals of them in this film are not all true ? Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 07:37, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

It's often been said that there are only X number of plots in Hollywood. See this book for example which says that there are only 7. I'm sure if you look back far enough, you'll see that Diehard wasn't the first "one-forgotten-man-saves-the-whole-group" type of story. As for Meet the Spartans, see parody. Oh, and finally, if the filmmakers say that a story is based on someone's life or that the story was inspired by them or whatever, then they would owe those people a part of the profits since they are profiting off of their lives. If the filmmaker says that it's all made up, they don't have to pay them anything. Also, they will avoid defamation lawsuits if the subject of the film doesn't like how they are portrayed. Dismas|^(talk) 07:55, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

See also our article on all persons fictitious disclaimer. the wub "?!" 13:30, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Thank You. I think someone told me about that idea - might have been my brother in law. And as I noted - it certainly seems that way. My brother in law also mentions the idea of tropes, which I assume are repeatable things that occur in movies, such as, in a thriller, someone is looking for the creepy secret in a dark house ( with accompanying scary music, which sounds like it is coming to a climax ), and a cat jumps out and scares him - or the usual Freddy Kruger type has been killed, but jumps up for one last scare, as noted in the Scream franchise. I have also been led to understand that there is a difference between the terms " inspired by true events " and " based on a true story ", although, when one thinks about it, there is probably always some element of truth in any movie, no matter how false it is.Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 08:09, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

In regards to tropes, see TV Tropes. Dismas|^(talk) 09:17, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Remember, no matter how much a story is "inspired by" or "based on" true events, the primary purpose of creators of fiction (be they books, movies, or TV shows) is to entertain. Insofar as historical events and real life have elements which provide entertainment, writers and directors will borrow from those real situations to add to their story. However, being that they are still writing fiction, and not historical analyses, the primary purpose is to present the maximally entertaining story in the format in question; and if that means that the writers make changes to reality to make it more entertaining, so be it. If a "inspired by true events" movie encourages you to learn about the real story, then that's great, but don't ever assume that any thing reported in a work of fiction as having any actual reliable connection to real events. Writers will borrow actual facts and use them as needed, but they aren't bound to be factual in everything, and they won't. My actual favorite trick was the one used in Fargo, where they put the based on a true story bit in the front; and in reality, other than a few minor events, like the wood-chipper bit, cobbled together from a few actual murders, the story is completely made up. They put the "based on a true story" tag to add to the dramatic tension in the movie, not because it actually was. As Ethan Coen said "If an audience believes that something's based on a real event, it gives you permission to do things they might otherwise not accept." In other words, even the claim that the story is true is itself part of the fictional narrative. --Jayron32 15:16, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Plan 9 from Outer Space was even bolder than the norm, as it was "based on sworn testimony." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:25, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Specifically regarding "Meet the Spartans": while some parody-makers have been successfully sued by original copyright holders, this kind of thing generally falls under "Fair use" provisions in (US) copyright law. See Fair use and parody. SemanticMantis (talk) 20:06, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

You'd probably be interested in mockbusters. Staecker (talk) 20:08, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Also see MacGuffin, which Alfred Hitchcock described as, "The 'thing' the characters in the movie are looking for," and that it doesn't matter specifically what that "thing" is, because "the audience don't care." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:23, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

I can understand all of that. Thank You all. One thing I would still like to see, is someone making movies that are as true to life as they can be, and may be exciting anyway without having to be changed. I see they make recreations of action for historical documentaries. Now when you're watching a doco, you do at least expect that to be true. And sure, if someone makes a movie based on real events which is not all true but at least gets you to find out what really happened, fine, but it would also be good once in a while to have a film that is as real to historical fact as it can get.

Granted, as I said, we may not have a record of all dialogue spoken at say Agincourt nearly six hundred years ago, but I understand that for the very attractive Milla Jovovich's Joan of Arc they did use actual verbatim court transcript for the trial scenes - I have yet to see this movie, but would love to. It can be said that the making of Frank Miller's 300 did push me to watch the documentary made on the battle of Thermopylae, as well as look up on Wiki what really did occur, accepting that he did write a graphic novel as opposed to a history text. I hope younger people would consider learning about history due to movies presented to them in this more popular format.

Or say a film is made and you at least have director's or writer's commentary on what they did make up. I do enjoy historical fiction. I like Sharpe's Company and Redcoats both by Bernard Cornwell, as well as RD Blackmore's Lorna Doone, introducing actual historical characters interacting with the ones those writers have made up. This gives those stories a kind of realistic feel, as long as it is ultimately clear what is fiction and what is fact.

This reminds me of an interesting incident from about thirty years ago. In New Zealand my mother and aunties used to watch a show called Close to Home, set in the Wellington/Hutt Valley area, which went from 1975 to 1983. At one stage there was a particularly evil character on this soap opera type show - like a JR Ewing or some such. His character ended up being murdered, but before that, some woman saw the actor portraying him walking down the street and attacked him, thinking it was all real. Sometimes this is where it goes too far - consider Orson Welles' little radio play that was taken too seriously that time.

But when all is said and done, as long as we do know the difference, we can all enjoy the creations of movie and TV makers, whether true, utter lies, or somewhere in between. The bit about Fargo ( a great movie ) being true I swallowed too, but was concerned as to why they would let a pregnant lady remain on duty, considering any possible danger to her baby if she had gotten shot. I guess indeed excitement and some degree of unreality do sell better than something rendered as a complete documentary, when what you may want at the time is pure entertainment. As I was even watching The King's Speech ( brilliant - my pick for Best Picture ), I was wondering which parts they had made up, and knew some of which they had not. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 06:14, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Well, sometimes historical accuracy is at least attempted to be preserved as best as possible in the two-hour format, but often times real characters are modified slightly because of the constraints of the format. The film Fat Man and Little Boy does a pretty good job of getting the Manhattan Project stuff right, but for various reasons certain liberties are taken with the ordering of events, and certain actual minor historical players are "composited" into a single, fictional character. For example, the John Cussack part is actually based on the real stories of two different scientists, being Louis Slotin and Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. Most of the other major roles in the film, such as General Leslie Groves and scientists Robert Oppenheimer and Leo Szilard and Edward Teller were based as closely as possible to the history and personality of their real-life counterparts. The plot also takes some liberties with the chronology of the development of the bomb, again because it had to fit into the standard Feature Length time window. --Jayron32 06:23, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Thank You for replying so quickly - I was just clicking on the links I had been given, and the one on Mockbusters gave me an idea to comment further on. Why do some people get upset at what could be considered free advertising ? Here in New Zealand someone painted Disney™ characters on a public loo. This was not meant as an insult, but to make it look nicer for the kids, and they got sued. The idea in painting the toilets was not to profit from Disney™ , but in the end they had to paint over it. There was another furore over a store in a small town here having a shop called Haralds, and of course Harrod's™ had a fit about it.

I do not believe someone should profit from someone's idea without at least some consideration - a small percentage or something - or my idea is that those parodied then parody the parodiers, and see how they like it. Say if the video for 300 is re realeased, they put on it " As made fun of in Meet the Spartans", or get together and work a deal so one makes a movie, another takes the mickey, and money is made twice over for the same film. Seems some studios don't have a sense of humour. What do they expect ? They should consider what we, the movie and TV goers want, and we want films, and parodies etc. of such films. Get over yourselves !

I recall the idea of composite characters, in a similar way that The Towering Inferno, and some other films, like Patton, were made from more than one source, and I guess if that is the way they wanted to portray the Nagasaki and Hiroshima stories, they can, but on the other hand, if there were two real historical characters, why should they not have been portrayed seperately, and just make the movie as long as it needs to be to do so. Imagine if you were someone who had done something to get yourself played in a film, but the producers and director decided you were too similar to some other schmuck, and yous were fused together like Brundle and Fly, how would you feel ? Especially if the other guy you were so alike to was a real egg, as we say here. ( And in NZ egg is an insult - watch Boy - my other pick for Best Picture had it got nominated ). Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 06:41, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Just to answer your first question before I head off to bed (getting late here) as to why Disney would raise a stink about the unlicenced use of its characters in a public bathroom, see Trademark dilution and Genericized trademark. If a company allows any unlicenced use of its trademarks, it eliminates any legal standing for that company to then legally defend its trademarks in other uses. In other words, if it allows one user to "get away" with using the trademark in an unlicenced manner, then it, by default, cannot then stop anyone else from using it. In otherwords, companies are not legally allowed to selectively pursue some trademark violations but not others. If they do, then the defense "yeah, but you let THEM do it" becomes a legally viable defense. So, if Disney wants to protect its right to control the use of its characters, it has to stop all unauthorized uses. If it lets a daycare or a public restroom use Mickey Mouse, it would have no legal standing to then stop, say, a pornographic film maker from creating unauthorized Mickey Porn... --Jayron32 06:59, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

This thread reminds me of the quote from, was it Pablo Picasso?, "good artists borrow, great artists steal." Pfly (talk) 09:04, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

q:T. S. Eliot The Sacred Wood although maybe he stole it from Picasso. meltBanana 09:40, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Thank You all again. That clarifies that. So free advertising alone would not be enough to stop a lawsuit, even if some from Disney™ thought it might be useful to have Mickey and Donald - if even on a loo - makes them look more like Goofy though, or at least the Grinch, for taking such action. I guess if one owns a character, they have the right to protect it, and I am sure I would, although I would be interested in making a deal of some kind if someone wants to use what I came up with, and I considered it in my interests to let them, for some kind of quid pro quo - although I think I would want more than just one pound. What then is this idea that some works become public domain after so many years ? I certainly cannot see Shakespeare ( or Francis Bacon ) having a fit over reprints or performance of his plays after 400 years. In the end, as long as the law is clear and fair, I suspect we have nothing to complain about.Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 04:38, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

song from acura commercial

This new acura commercial features a beautiful, minimalistic pizzicato piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2v9AJuajoA

Any idea what it is? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.210.182.9 (talk) 16:25, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Seems to be simply called Human, or perhaps that is the artist, details here. meltBanana 03:30, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

musical instrument

Hello, I would like to know the name of the musical instrument used for the theme tune of Midsomer Murders. I know it is not touched when being played but would like to know more about it. thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Summerswallow (talk • contribs) 17:18, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

It's the eeeeeeerie theremin. ---Sluzzelin talk 17:21, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

In the key of eeeeee? Clarityfiend (talk) 04:12, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

February 2

What was of this movie?

Does anybody know of this movie? Link: [scene]. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.31.18.60 (talk) 00:28, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

I clicked on your link and got "Page not found". Want to check it? HiLo48 (talk) 00:31, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

The link is malformed and should go here. But that's some producer's page. Adam Bishop (talk) 01:20, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

That must be the one starring the Invisible Man and Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Film, directed by Alan Smithee, with songs performed by Milli Vanilli. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:00, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Don't forget the movie's theme song . 10draftsdeep (talk) 16:00, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Sorry about that. It is from Dailymotion.com. Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg8f85_loads-of-naked-girls_sexy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.92.155.213 (talk) 15:05, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Just to note for potential helpers/help-ees the video is NSFW (not safe for work). ny156uk (talk) 18:35, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Rivals

I have 2 questions in one, firstly there was a movie released at the same time as Paranormal Activity, it was also about the supernatural and was also made of home video clips. What was this movie called. Then I have another slightly related question, it would appear that very often 2 of the same thing are brought out at the same time, the example above is one. Remember Armegeddon and Deep Impact, both released at very much tghe same time and both about an asteroid hitting the earth. I could give example after example if needs be but I think this will suffice. What is this phenomenon called and why does it occur, it would appear it happens in music as well as movies, 2 of the same style of new music are released. Any information concerning this phenomenon would be great, and the name of that other horror movie please. Thanks wikis —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.89.16.154 (talk) 08:56, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Zeitgeist. (this is not the name of the movie but the answer to the question about the phenomenon!) --TammyMoet (talk) 09:46, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

I'm not certain about the movie, but it could have been the 2009 Paranormal Entity[1], 2008's Home Movie (one of a number of films of that title)[2], or less likely Diary of the Dead[3]. I did an IMDb search for "fake documentary" horror from 2005-2009[4]. --Colapeninsula (talk) 10:09, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Thank you, but it was none of these, I seem to remember from watching the first 30secs that it starts with a home video (of a TV set?) and on it is a talk show. With a woman telling about her experiences. Any other sugestions? found the IMDB rather lacking to be honest. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.89.16.154 (talk) 11:31, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

I don't know the specific film you're looking for; but with regard to the general question, oftentimes a producer or film company will learn about a film in production elsewhere and decide to produce a similar film, designed to forestall or compete with the other. One old example is the low-budget quickie Rocketship X-M, which was made to get to the audience ahead of the much more elaborate Destination Moon. And, of course, after a film has proved popular everyone rushes in with copycat films, often quite quickly, so that it seems as though a bunch of similar films are all coming out at the same time. Deor (talk) 13:11, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

In the internet age, such conventions stretching across multiple works are called tropes. In its original usage, the term "trope" refers to common linguistic constructs found in multiple works of literature (the classics "tropes" are "Once upon a time" and "Happily ever after"). By extension, the term has come to refer (metaphorically) to common plot elements, settings, and other cross-work connections between otherwise independent works; that's how the website TV Tropes uses the word. It has certain connections to the term meme, which covers a similar phenomenon. --Jayron32 13:22, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

The Fourth Kind.63.17.87.124 (talk) 00:01, 9 February 2011 (UTC)

Stan Lee's Uncanny X-Men

What were his ideas and inspirations behind the comic? GlennRichardAllison ^{Mr. 900 Jr.} bowling

The article Uncanny X-Men has some background information. It is the Flagship comic of the X-Men Universe, so anything canonical about the X-Men in general derives from The Uncanny X-Men comic first. The article History of the X-Men comics contains a lot of good background information on how Lee created the concepts for the story, and likely sources for his inspiration. --Jayron32 17:25, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

WWF to WWE

Why did they have to change it? I thought that the World Wrestling Federation had been around longer than the World Wildlife Foundation. GlennRichardAllison ^{Mr. 900 Jr.} bowling

Nope, the World Wildlife Fund has been using that name since 1961, the World Wrestling Federation only adopted that name in 1979. Prior to that, it was known as the WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation) an name it adopted in 1963. Prior to 1963 the WWE was known as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. So whether you count 1979 (as the WWF) or 1963 (As the WWWF), the World Wildlife Fund still came first and has the primacy claim. While you are correct that, technically, the WWE has been around longer (it started in 1952), the actual name hasn't been used that long. --Jayron32 17:54, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

And I think it's fair to say that the World Wildlife Fund has a lot more to do with both the real and the whole "world" than the World Wrestling Federation. HiLo48 (talk) 23:12, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

This reminds me of when I first heard that Mike Tyson had joined the WWF - I seriously had a hard time imagining him cuddling up to pandas and koalas. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 16:05, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Was it really based on a true story? How much of the story was actually true? --GlennRichardAllison ^{Mr. 900 Jr.} bowling

See The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. -- kainaw™ 19:47, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Yes, I know about the movie. I want to know about the "True" story behind it. --GlennRichardAllison ^{Mr. 900 Jr.} bowling

Read the article, the answer is in there and it is easy to find. --Daniel 19:56, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Actually it isn't. I didn't ask the question, but I am curious too. The article mentions Ed Gein but not exactly which points are inspired. Please don't point to an article and claim it's easy to find. The first guy read the article but didn't get the answer he was looking for, and I read it too and didn't find the answer either. 72.2.54.34 (talk) 20:41, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

The question is: "Was it really based on a true story?"

The answer is in the article's first paragraph: "Although The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was marketed as a true story to attract a wider audience, as well as to provide subtle commentary on the political climate at the time, the overall premise is entirely fictional. The main antagonist, Leatherface (Hansen), and minor plot details were inspired from real serial killer Ed Gein."

So, the next question: "How much of the story was actually true?"

The answer is in the same part: "the main antagonist" and "minor plot details". Neither are actually true. They are just "inspired."

So, a complete answer: The writers heard about Ed Gein and wrote a complete fictional movie. -- kainaw™ 20:46, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Having never seen the movie, I'm curious: which details? I'm pretty sure Gein never used a chainsaw. Aaronite (talk) 01:26, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Didn't we just answer this exact same question a few headers up, but for a different movie? You might want to read that discussion regarding the use of the "based on a true story" tag placed at the beginning of some movies. --Jayron32 21:34, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Having never seen the movie (and unlikely to ever watch it in the future), I nevertheless did find this on snopes.com:

"Although the Leatherface character and the events depicted in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre differ in many substantial ways from what is known about the life and activities of Ed Gein (most notably in that Gein was apparently far more a grave robber than a murderer, and he didn't go around slicing up live victims with a chainsaw), there are definite similarities between the film and the Ed Gein story as well (e.g., hanging a murder victim's corpse in the house, making functional use of the skin from dead bodies, elements of cannibalism). Whether these similiarities are sufficiently close to justify the statement that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was "based on a true story" is up to filmgoers to decide for themselves."

---Sluzzelin talk 01:46, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Elements derived from Ed Gein, as well as from three other real-life serial killers, were also used by author Thomas Harris in creating the serial killer character Jame Gumb in his (subsequently filmed) novel The Silence of the Lambs. Since there are (thankfully) many more crime novels about serial killers than there are actual serial killers, such multiple inspirations could probably be attributed to several of them. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 03:28, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Psycho and Silence of the Lambs also looked to Smilin' Ed for inspiration. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:51, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Yes, Ed Gein was the inspiration for "Buffalo Bill" ( Jame Gumb - played by the brilliant Ted Levine ( 1957 - )) - but can also be seen as a model for Hannibal the Cannibal himself. My understanding is that Texas Chainsaw may also have been inspired by the Texarkana Ax Murderer, as mentioned in one of Irving Wallace's Book of Lists from the late seventies to early eighties. An article therein documents a killer active in both states around the early part of the twentieth century, I cannot recall exactly when, maybe about the teens or twenties, whose career - that is, the murders - stopped abruptly, giving authorities and historians the theories that either he ( or she ) was arrested, committed, or simply died, and thankfully did not continue as they would have done. This last theory occurs in the Glitter Gulch Murders, a supposedly based on true story straight to video crapfest I made the mistake of renting nearly twenty years ago, along with La ragazza dal pigiama giallo ( as titled on IMDB - also known as The Pyjama Girl Case . This Italian made film was set in Australia, ( starring Ray Milland ( 1905 - 1986 ) in 1977 ). In the Glitter Gulch murders a middle aged man goes round Las Vegas strangling attractive women. He then is bumped into by a couple of two bit hoods robbing liquour stores, who shoot him dead for getting in their way. There is nothing inherently safe from life's normal twists and turns in being a serial killer. There was also the very evil Albert Fish, also mentioned by Irving Wallace. It is also interesting that just after Lambs was released, there was a case in Russia of a cannibalistic serial killer, like life imitating art, imitating life. It was Andrei Chikatilo, who at the time was compared to Hannibal Lecter, before being executed. The TV show Criminal Minds mentions real life killers, as well as using the lives of some as inspiration for the sick degenerates portrayed and hunted down on their very enthralling show. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 05:14, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

acquisition of defunct record label

I'd like to find out who acquired Tappan Zee Records. That way, I can write a letter, suggesting Wilbert Longmire's albums can be digitally remastered and re-released on CD. Any more information out there?24.193.90.61 (talk) 21:54, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

You could try here. Ghmyrtle (talk) 22:41, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Thank you so much. Plus, I'd like to find out where I can write to the CEO of Motown Records. That way, I can suggest Jakata's album "Light the Night" be digitally remastered and re-released on CD. I hope there's more information out there.24.193.90.61 (talk) 07:17, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

This way, I think. Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:30, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Thank you so much.24.193.90.61 (talk) 17:54, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

February 3

American Dad! music?

In an American Dad! episode, there is a scene where Stan asks his wife to listen to some music and asks her what she sees. After she responds 'I don't know, space?' he goes into a long, psychedelic description of what he sees when he hears the music. What is the name of the music in that scene?--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 20:40, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

I'm guessing this is the My Morning Straitjacket episode. If so, "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream (Part 2)" by My Morning Jacket appears to be the song you're looking for. --Onorem♠Dil 21:14, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Thank you. --Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 00:25, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Resolved

1,2 Freddy's Comin' for You

What was the inspiration behind the giant horror icon & pop culture hero, Freddy Krueger? --GlennRichardAllison ^{Mr. 900 Jr.} bowling

Did you read Freddy Krueger? This isn't the first time you have asked a question where the answer is blatantly and obviously in the article about the exact subject. The "Characterization" section, in the first sentance, describes how Wes Craven created the character. --Jayron32 21:16, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Why don't you go read my last question? You can tell that some people didn't answer it right and more people had to explain it correctlly. Don't give me your nonsense because your just wasting your time. Now, can somebody answer my question without being an imbecile about it? --GlennRichardAllison ^{Mr. 900 Jr.} bowling —Preceding undated comment added 21:23, 3 February 2011 (UTC).

The answer IS mentioned on the Freddy Krueger page. What do you think is wrong/missing???? Jarkeld (talk) 23:05, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

There is also a much nicer way of speaking to fellow editors than that GRA... All Jayron said was that the answer to your question is in the article, which it is... He wasn't being an "imbecile"... Please be a little more polite as personal attacks aren't particularly liked around here... gazhiley.co.uk 11:08, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

WP:DNFTT. Corvus cornix_talk 19:41, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Primates & Humans

How are we so gosh darn alike?! lol — Preceding unsigned comment added by GlennRichardAllison (talk • contribs) 21:30, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Because humans and primates share a recent common ancestor; see Most recent common ancestor for a description of the concept. There was just a radio program on a local NPR station here just the other day that the nearest common ancestor between humans and lemurs lived about 60 million years ago. Since Lemurs are about the most distantly related primates to humans, that gives you a rough estimate on how long we've been seperated from our primate cousins, genetically speaking. For comparison, the nearest common ancestor between humans and chimpanzees likely lived only 5 million years ago, and modern Homo Sapiens first appeared only 200,000 years ago. There's a lot of good reading on this, and links to follow, at Human evolution. --Jayron32 21:47, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Your answer seems a little confused, Jayron. Lemurs may be our most distant primate "cousins", but chimpanzees (or, arguably Neanderthals depending on your definition of "us") are our nearest primate relatives, and (as 86 below says) we ourselves are still primates. Perhaps even more interesting is the human resemblance to, and distance of separation from, trolls ;-). 87.81.230.195 (talk) 01:31, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

I used Lemurs as an example to show how closly related we are to are most distant cousins which are also primates like us; those being the Lemurs. I used the chimpanzee to show how closely related to our closest primate cousins, those being the chimpanzees. The examples were meant to be illustrative of the extreme ends of the "primate scale" for humans, that of how closely related we are to the entire set of other animals which are also primates like humans are also primates. In other words a) Yes we are all primates b) The closest primates we are related to have a closest ancestor 5 million years old c) The most distant primates we are related to have a closest ancestor of 60 million years old. Does that make sense? --Jayron32 04:52, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, I think we both grok the concepts, Jayron, but your sentence "Since Lemurs are about the most distantly related primates to humans, that gives you a rough estimate on how long we've been seperated from our primate cousins, genetically speaking." seemed to me to contradict the rest of your exposition. OK - defunct equine sufficiently flagellated :-) . 87.81.230.195 (talk) 10:58, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Because humans are primates. See primate. This article can also be found by typing primate in the search box, then clicking on the little button next to it. 86.164.58.119 (talk) 21:56, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Here is proof that humans - well, some humans, at least - are primates. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 01:02, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

That's our Jack. Always helpful. But surely we should be talking about current extant primates, not those from the past? HiLo48 (talk) 11:59, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Such as this one, who shares his taste in beards with Jack. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 12:29, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

While this discussion seems harmless enough it's worth remembering extant primates of the species Homo sapiens are covered by WP:BLP Nil Einne (talk) 18:58, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Sorry to butt in here, but this guy is obviously a troll or completely oblivious. I believe it's time we stop feeding him either way.--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 00:51, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

The Departed (2006 film)

1. After Sullivan killed Costello, did Sullivan decide to be a good cop? (JohnnyCage5000 (talk) 23:02, 3 February 2011 (UTC)).

I somewhat wonder if you missed the end of the movie? I suppose it depends on your definition of "good cop," but not in my opinion. (My definition of "good cop" would include something about upholding the law.) Evidence: After killing Costello, he

a. Attempts to cover his criminal tracks by deleting Costigan out of the computerized police personnel system

b. Tries deceitfully to convince Madolyn that his recorded conversations with Costello were on the up-and-up

c. In the elevator, snivelingly begs Costigan to kill him so that he could avoid prosecution

d. Kills Barrigan after he had just killed Costigan and Brown

e. Later blames Barrigan for all mole activity in the department

f. Duplicitously recommends Costigan for the medal of honor (after earlier completely deleting his personnel record)

You decide.... Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 18:47, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

February 4

Jeff Pomerantz

Hi,

I have used Wikipedia on many occasions and I happen to take a look for a friend of mine Jeff Pomerantz. I remember seeing a page on him in the past; he seems to have been removed. I believe he was an actor and has been involved in some great humanitarian projects.

Is this an error? I don't know where to look. I do know that he had been acting some time back on a series for "The Young and the Restless".

Could you help me on this? Thanks.

My email address is [redacted] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.118.127.124 (talk) 03:48, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

There indeed was a page at Jeff_Pomerantz, but it was deleted because someone thought your friend wasn't notable enough for an article. See Wikipedia:Notability for our guidelines about this article. Staecker (talk) 04:17, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Does anyone recognize this?

The name of the piece played here. 85.250.159.149 (talk) 12:27, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

It's Schubert's Marche Militaire number 1. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 12:31, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

High number of musicians killed in plane crashes

Has anyone ever done a study on the extraordinarily high number of musicians who have been killed in plane crashes? Offhand I can name Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, Richie Valens, Otis Redding, Patsy Cline, three members of Lynard Skynard, Kyu Sakamoto, Ricky Nelson, Paul Jeffries (Cockney Rebel's bassist), John Denver. I wonder if there's an explanation for this phenomenon?--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 16:56, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

There are a lot of musicians...and it's likely that a lot of musicians travel by plane quite often. You've named several musicians, but haven't presented evidence that it's a 'high' number compared to others that fly on similar planes with similar frequency. --Onorem♠Dil 17:01, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

In the old days, because contractual obligations compelled them to travel long distances, as quickly as possible, when safety checks were perfunctory. Dion turned down the offer to join the flight being used to take Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper to their next tour date, because he decided that he could not afford the $36 flight cost; this was the same monthly rent his parents paid for his childhood apartment and he couldn't justify the indulgence - see "The Day the Music Died". Ghmyrtle (talk) 17:06, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

The weather was very bad when Buddy Holly's plane crashed, which could also be a factor seeing as musicians have to be at gigs on certain dates regardless of flying conditions. I only named the musicians that popped into my head; I'm sure there are others that I've overlooked.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 18:12, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

It's most likely confirmation bias. Again, you haven't provided any evidence that musicians die in plane crashes at a higher rate than anyone else, corrected for frequency of flights and type of planes involved. For all we know they may die exactly as often as the population at large in such crashes. Without any data, there's no need to believe anything except the Null hypothesis. --Jayron32 19:04, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

No question about it. The starting point should be an examination of the number of private plan crashes in America, and I bet the number is startling - and mostly non-notables. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:22, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Should Holly, Bopper, and Valens really count individually? Yes, three musicians died but it was only one accident. They happened to need to travel together for the same reasons. In the end, I'm with Jayron and the confirmation bias. You haven't shown that musicians die any more or less often than Fuller Brush men. No article? Dismas|^(talk) 19:58, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

It's not musicians that are the issue, it's small planes. Many famous (and not famous) people have died in small-plane crashes, especially when weather was bad. JFK Jr comes to mind immediately. Several sports figures: Knute Rockne, Tony Lema, Rocky Marciano, Thurmond Munson. Then entertainers, including Will Rogers. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:20, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Another problem is that the names of musicians who die get reported in the media, because the journalists have heard of them, and hope that it creates a hook for their readers/listeners/viewers too. Logically enough, the names of people you have never heard of are reported far less often. HiLo48 (talk) 22:32, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Don't forget Stevie Ray Vaughan. Oops, helicopter crash. Clarityfiend (talk) 23:33, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

I imagine Jeanne would include any crashable aircraft in the scope of her question. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 01:06, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

I am personally aware of a number of ordinary citizens who died in private plan crashes, most in bad weather, and reported only locally because they were not "notable" figures, and definitely not musicians. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:21, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

I now recall that following the Lynard Skynard crash in 1977, an American rock music periodical did a piece on the number of musicians who die in plane crashes; I believe the article was entitled The Buddy Holly Curse. The journalist was of the same opinion as GHmyrtle in that a grueling tour schedule often means that a band must find any available charter plane to get to the next gig, and these planes are sometimes in poor condition, with outdated components, and the pilot might not even be qualified. Jim Croce was another musician who was killed in a plane crash, and yes, I had overlooked Stevie Ray Vaughan.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 07:55, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

If you look at List of deaths in rock and roll (an increasingly redundant article in my view, now that R&R as a genre has been going for some 60 years), most of the plane crash deaths are in the earlier years. One who hasn't been mentioned is Randy Rhoads - another example of someone persuaded to take a flight against their better judgement. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:15, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps I'm the only man here old enough to think of Glenn Miller in this context. His case is susceptible to all of the explanations offered above, with the added one that his plane disappeared in a war zone. --Antiquary (talk) 11:03, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

No Antiquary, you're not alone in thinking of Glenn Miller. I wasn't around when he disappeared, but my mum reminded me often enough, and his music was big in my house as a young kid. I assume you're aware of the myriad conspiracy theories surrounding his death. (There's even a brothel story!) He is apparently officially still missing in action. HiLo48 (talk) 11:19, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

There was also Jim Reeves and Aaliyah; and in the classical field, we have pianist William Kapell, soprano Grace Moore, conductors Guido Cantelli and Eduardo Mata, and violinists Jacques Thibaud and Ginette Neveu. Probably others. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 12:24, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Let me summarize what's been said and add some thoughts of my own:

1) Yes, a higher percentage of musicians probably died in plane crashes than the general population.

2) Though, probably not more than that portion of the population which regularly travels in single engine planes, during bad weather, as often as musicians do.

3) The percentage of musicians dying in plane crashes has probably declined recently, due to improved airplane safety and reliance on other forms of transportation, like tour buses. StuRat (talk) 01:19, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Payne Stewart is another non-musician who died in a small plane crash, or technically died before it crashed. There's obvious skewing due to the fact that the average citizen does not have the kinds of resources that professional musicians and athletes do. There are also politicians. I can think of several who died in plane crashes, including Wellstone and Carnahan (sp?). Then there's the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating national team, all of whom perished in a plane crash on their way to the world championships. And there have been fatal bus accidents also. But at least you're closer to the ground. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:37, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

My point about tour buses isn't that they are necessarily safer, just that using them instead of planes reduces the number of airplane deaths. StuRat (talk) 15:18, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

The Rolling Stones solved the problem by using their own jet complete with logo.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 15:25, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

That didn't help Payne Stewart. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:26, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

I believe the Stones' plane was a Lear jet, anyroad, it wasn't a small plane, which is always dodgy even in the best flying conditions.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 15:37, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

February 5

Older StarCraft

I don't have corsairs, medics and valkyries-like stuff in my StarCraft version. Where it's possible to download the related addon? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.76.224.253 (talk) 01:47, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

You want the Brood War expansion. I'm not sure you can buy it by itself, but you can buy a download of Starcraft + Broodwar for $15 at Blizzard's store. Staecker (talk) 01:54, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Greg Giraldo, comedian

How many children did Greg have? The Wikipedia article says (near the bottom of the article) that he had 3 children "at the time of his death," but in the summary box (top right side) it says he had 4 children. Which is correct?66.25.55.97 (talk) 07:45, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

It sounds like one of his children predeceased him, so both statements can be correct. The article is well referenced. If you doubt the accuracy of these statements the best place to discuss it would be on the article's talk page where you are more likely to find people familiar with the topic.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 10:03, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

It's also possible that his youngest child was conceived less than nine months before he died, and so was still in utero when he died. Thus when he died he had three children (plus one on the way), then later the fourth was born. (I don't know if this the case, it's just a hypothetical...) Mitch Ames (talk) 02:13, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Anton Cosmo

Hi guys,

Is it possible for a contributor to add my article back on wikipedia. There are a large amount of resources from rollingstone magazine to famous vodka. I would appreciate the page and help. I know that we the artists are not allowed to create our own pages. Hopefully you can help.

Thanks Anton —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.249.187.177 (talk) 08:14, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

I don't see where Anton Cosmo ever had an article. Anton Cosmo redirects to Boston (band) and always has. There is no log entry for an article by that name being deleted either. If you have reliable sources that show that Cosmo is notable, then bringing it up on the talk page for Boston would be the best way to go about getting an article written. But you should not write it yourself, if you are in fact Cosmo, due to your conflict of interest. Oh, and also, Wikipedia is not here as an advertising medium to "help" artists. We have articles about notable people because they're notable. Not to help them become/remain notable. Dismas|^(talk) 11:10, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

The article in question is Anton Cosmo (musician). It was boldly redirected to Boston (band) after a deletion discussion (archived here). If you would like that action reviewed, go via Wikipedia:Deletion review. The redirection took place because there appeared to be insufficient substantial coverage of Anton Cosmo in reliable sources to show that he is independently notable either by Wikipedia's general criteria or criteria for musicians. If you can show such such coverage does exist, you can request the article be restored. Yes, you are correct: as the subject of the article you have a conflict of interest and should not restore it yourself, but you can still request the redirection is looked at again. Without further good-quality citations, though, the result of any review is unlikely to change. Karenjc 11:23, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Ah! Good find, Karenjc. Dismas|^(talk) 11:26, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Kyu Sakamoto

Resolved

I was watching the video clip on YouTube of Kyu Sakamoto singing his 1963 hit Sukiyaki. It said that the video was from his appearance on the television programme Meet You at Seven. Would anyone know anything about this tv programme and on which date Sakamoto appeared? Thank you.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 16:28, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

We have a not-very-elaborate article at Ushichi jini aimasho, which gives the date as 8 June 1963. It appears to have been a one-shot show rather than a series. Deor (talk) 20:11, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Thank you very much, my question has been answered.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 08:55, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

February 6

Submitting a pilot to PBS Create channel (US)

If one has a cooking show pilot created, and say has put it on YouTube, how would one go about submitting that to the Public Broadcasting Service for consideration for their Create channel ? Also, same Q for other networks. StuRat (talk) 01:08, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

PBS (like most channels) have an area of their website dealing with content submissions here (The BBC's is here). Note that many channels prefer to source from production companies which deal with the creative side (such as Talkback Thames in the UK or Endemol). Nanonic (talk) 01:34, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

The best bet would be to have your local PBS station pick up production of it. If you watch the credits of most PBS programs (and Create is basically recycled standard-PBS series), you'll see that they're uniformly produced by some local PBS station (or foreign producers like the BBC). Major culprits are WGBH, KQED, WHYY, primarily because they're the ones with the most production money, but depending on the show, you'll see other PBS stations from around the country - North Carolina, Washington state, Wisconsin, etc. PBS is more likely to pick up your program for national syndication if it's been successful in a local market. It's also much easier to get a program onto a local PBS market, as they are always looking for content to fill time (some even have dedicated "local" programming time and/or channels). -- 174.24.195.38 (talk) 08:12, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, how about at WTVS ? StuRat (talk) 15:12, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

I don't know anything about Detroit Public Television, but their website list several locally produced programs, such as Am I Right or Am I Right?, American Black Journal, Detroit Economic Club Presents, Due Process, Get Up! Get Out!,Leaders On Leadership, and Making Music with the DSO. I'm not familiar with any of them, and it doesn't look like they're picked up anywhere outside of Michigan - I'm not sure if that's because the shows are all Michigan-specific, or if it's a more general reticence to expand. It looks like their productions are focused mainly on current events/politics/social issues, but they may or may not be interested in a cooking show. Your best bet would be to actually contact them and see if they'd be interested. -- 174.24.195.38 (talk) 18:10, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Title of a Steven Seagal Film

Hi Guys, can you help me yet again with a film title please?

Steven Seagal - once a super-honcho (SEAL or some such) and now a chef/cook on a ship. The ship gets hijacked and Seagal does his stuff, much to the amazement of everyone except his ex-boss.

I've seen it; I've enjoyed it - damned if I can recall the title though. Gurumaister (talk) 14:27, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Under Siege.--Michig (talk) 14:29, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Thanks Michig - but I just happen to be watching the beginning of that film right now. It starts with a sort of space theme and then cust to Seagal meeting his daughter and they have just boarded a train. Are you sure this turns into Seagal kicking arse on a ship? Gurumaister (talk) 14:33, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Sounds like you may be watching Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.--Michig (talk) 14:36, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Whoops!!! I just followed your link and you are absolutely right. I am watching the pot-boiler to the first one. Now I know what I am looking for - Thanks again. Gurumaister (talk) 14:40, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

As I recall, the first of the two films had Erika Eleniak popping up out of a cake at a designated time. And when she realized she had an audience of 0, she was frosted. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:58, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

superbowl on bbc

It says they're broadcasting live, so what do they do during the commercials? They don't broadcast the American commercials surely? The BBC aren't allowed to do that are they?--91.49.34.5 (talk) 16:31, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

They have Jake Humphrey and a couple of experts in the studio in London for filling time during commercials etc. Hopefully they might actually show the half time show for once this year.. Nanonic (talk) 16:38, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Presumably they are broadcasting the game live, not just repeating some American broadcast. There usually isn't one single American broadcast anyway, since some commercial time is reserved for local stuff (though I'm not sure if that's true for the superbowl) and varies between different regions inside the US. Staecker (talk) 16:53, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

On American TV, there are usually designated commercial slots where local stations are allowed to substitute their own commercials for the nationally designated one. There probably aren't many of these in the Superbowl, excepting short 5-second "Stay tuned for the local news from Fox 50 after the game) bits which are locally produced. But during normal national television broadcasts, there are certain ads which are "optional" and others that are "mandatory" for local stations to broadcast. --Jayron32 16:26, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

Was 'Sanford and Son' actor Whitman Mayo a smoker?

Did Whitman Mayo smoke? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.234.170.202 (talk) 23:51, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

Just a suggestion, but if you explain your overall reason for wanting to know why various people are/were smokers, rather than bringing them up one by one, someone might (no guarantees, of course) be able to point you to relevant information more easily. If you prefer not to say, however, that's your privilege. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 00:44, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

February 7

Scoring a single in Canadian football

Although I've read single (football), my American mind can't quite grasp the way in which it's scored. I understand that a single is scored if a field goal falls short, lands in the end zone, and bounces goes out the back, but that's the only bit that I'm confident about. What about a punt — if a punt is caught in the end zone and the receiver takes a knee, is that a touchback like in American football, or is that a single? Finally, would someone please try to provide a few simple examples (hopefully comparable to scenarios in American football) of other ways that singles could be scored? Nyttend (talk) 05:32, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

The touchback does not exist in Canadian football. Any kicking play (kickoff, punt, or FG attempt) where the receiver is tackled or kneels within his own end zone scores a single. The idea is that a kick that doesn't score a field goal should almost always be followed by a runback, which can be an exciting play because the players are spread out that the kick returner may be able to gain considerable yardage. (Note that Canadian football also doesn't have the fair catch rule, instead requiring the kicking team's players to stay back 5 yards from the player catching the kick.) Unfortunately, today the receiving team often prefers to kneel and concede the single point, so we don't see so many runbacks after failed FG attempts. In my opinion the line of scrimmage following a single should be changed to about the 5-yard line of the receiving team. --Anonymous, 07:54 UTC, February 7, 2011.

In effect, a single is recorded any time the ball is kicked into the opposite end zone and is not brought out by the receiving team. It can be on a punt or on a field goal attempt, but not on a kick-off. A missed field goal does not result in a single if the ball fails to reach the end zone. The receiving team can also kick the ball out of the end zone instead of running it out if it doesn't want to concede the single point; because such a kick usually results in great field position for the original kicking team, this option is only used when time is running out and the single point is crucial to the final score. Typically, most singles are recorded on missed field goals that end up in the stands or in the netting behind the end zone, however. --207.236.147.118 (talk) 15:35, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

Query about The Way Back movie

In the film The Way Back, the Ed Harris character appears to pour something he's freshly molten into his boot, or down a hole in its lining at least. It's never referred to again, so I'd like to know what he's doing and why? Thanks.