Wikipedia:Reference desk/Entertainment
of the Wikipedia reference desk.
Main page: Help searching Wikipedia
How can I get my question answered?
- Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
- Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
- Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
- Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
- Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
- Note:
- We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
- We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
- We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
- We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.
How do I answer a question?
Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines
- The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.
February 5
Why so much fuss about a footballer (UK) having an affair?
Why so much verbage and drama in the British media about a footballer having an affair? Surely that is normal footballer behaviour? Nothing remarkable at all. There must be countless other people in the public eye who have had affairs, and nobody bothers to report it. 78.146.193.0 (talk) 00:41, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Presumably, you are asking about reports of John Terry's supposed affair with Wayne Bridge's former girlfirend. It might be unremarkable, but there is a long "tradition" of the british media's obsession with the personal lives of celebrities and politicians; the more lurid the better. This is particularly true of the tabloids, though the bigger stories are sometimes mentioned in the broadsheet papers. Maybe they believe it will sell more papers or advertising, or that they are telling their readers something of Earth-shattering importance. Unfortunately, it can sometimes get so much out of hand that there are calls (usually started by journalists) for that person to resign. Astronaut (talk) 00:56, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- It wasn't just "an affair". It was with his teammate's former girlfriend, and as far as macho footy culture is concerned, Bridges is supposed to have some sort of proprietary rights over her continuing activities, particularly if they involve his friends or team mates. The principle seems to be that being someone's ex does not necessarily mean that they're a free agent. This attitude would be roundly condemned by most people, but the media are happy to pander to it if it can make some lurid headlines. This was reported in Australia as "another Wayne Carey episode", but the parallels are slightly tenuous. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 02:24, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- wasn't it his former-teammates girlfriend? My understanding was A) it happened whilst Bridge was seeing this lady and B) it was happening after Bridge had left Chelsea. The reason why it's a scandal is, well, it's not very becoming of the captain of the team (trust from your team-mates wise) to be violating the trust of one of the players you are supposed to 'lead' at a national level. (Think of it like this - if your manager slept with your wife would your level of trust and willingness to work hard for them be affected? I suspect yes, and I suspect it might concievably have an impact on that of your un-affected (directly) colleagues. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:00, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Our article says the lady in question, Vanessa Perroncel, was the former girlfriend of Wayne Bridge. Bridge had left Chelsea but was still playing under Terry in the current England team. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:06, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- wasn't it his former-teammates girlfriend? My understanding was A) it happened whilst Bridge was seeing this lady and B) it was happening after Bridge had left Chelsea. The reason why it's a scandal is, well, it's not very becoming of the captain of the team (trust from your team-mates wise) to be violating the trust of one of the players you are supposed to 'lead' at a national level. (Think of it like this - if your manager slept with your wife would your level of trust and willingness to work hard for them be affected? I suspect yes, and I suspect it might concievably have an impact on that of your un-affected (directly) colleagues. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:00, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- I don't think it would have been that big a deal (and it generally isn't usually in the UK) if he hadn't got a legal injunction out in the first place to stop newspapers reporting it. It would most probably have blown over very quickly. The same can also be said for Avram Grant's visit to a brothel and also the alleged images of Tiger Woods engrossed in a sexual activity. All have been barred from being commented on in the UK press over the past few months. And now the papers can finally reveal some of those, they're milking it for all they can. Nanonic (talk) 02:43, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Because it sells newspapers to millions of people who wish they were having affairs.--Shantavira|feed me 08:40, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- He is not just "a footballer" - he is the captain of the England football team which (ahem) "carries the hopes of the nation" in this year's World Cup. As such, he is seen by many as, symbolically, the leader of the country (England that is, not the UK) in a massively important international competition. Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:49, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Because it sells newspapers to millions of people who wish they were having affairs.--Shantavira|feed me 08:40, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
becos it happens always doesnt make it right. however the fuss over the incident was unwanted as is the case in most controversies, basically the media has become so content starved they resort to cheap sensationalism
Spiritual scale (music)?
Hi. In the C major scale, the "spiritual scale" descending could be C-A-G|A-G-E|G-E-D|E-D-C|C-A-G-A, though not neccesarily in that order. Are there any other scales with similar unique properties? I'm not looking for modal scales or the blues scale. Thanks. ~AH1(TCU) 02:54, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- I'm not quite sure what you're asking about. Do you mean things like <str>major sevenths</str>Dominant sevenths, which are typically included in music exams with other scales and arpeggios? Eg, one octave dominant seventh in the key of C: G B D F G F D B C. What unique properties are you specifically asking about? 86.179.145.61 (talk) 00:58, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Oh wait, are you just looking for pentatonic scales? 86.179.145.61 (talk) 01:09, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
steam
is steam (game) working right now for u guys? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.246.254.35 (talk) 03:09, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Could you possibly be referring to Steam (content delivery)? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 08:19, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
I presume so. There's a handy site called downforeveryoneorjustme.com - worth a visit if you're not sure whether other people are experiencing the site being down or, well, it's just you (hence the name!). Not sure it covers Steam, but a useful site nonetheless. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 09:56, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
Broadway lights song
I was shopping in my local chain drugstore. Over the loudspeaker, I heard a song. It had a chorus with a line sounding like 'Livin' It Up (On the Lights on Broadway)'. Could that be the song's title, or am I just out of my mind?24.90.204.234 (talk) 08:13, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Are you possibly thinking of "On Broadway"? It was covered fairly often, possibly most famously by George Benson. Dismas|(talk) 12:38, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Possibly Nights on Broadway by the Bee Gees. --LarryMac | Talk 13:49, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
I'd agree with LarryMacChief41074 (talk) 15:07, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Except the Bee Gees song is blaming it all on Broadway. Mis-heard, perhaps? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→
- There's also Billy Joel's "I've seen the lights go out on Broadway", but that doesn't quite match either. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:21, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
Lyrics to Schubert's Song "The Trout"
At school, in England, in the 1950s, we sang a version of "The Trout" which began: "As by a crystal brooklet I wandered on my way Amongst the gentle ripples I spyed a trout at play
And here and there he darted As swift as swift could be Was ever fish so lively Or frolicsome as he?"
I should be grateful for either, the completion of these lyrics or, how to find a source of them. Searching so far has yielded a quite different set of lyrics but they do not serve my purpose.Philsu (talk) 11:53, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Our article Die Forelle has links to text and translations. — Sebastian 02:19, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
Know any other heavy-on-the-bass songs that sound like this cover of Blueberry Hill?
Jah Wobble - Blueberry Hill (Computer version).
Follow up question: what would you describe this music as?
192.30.202.13 (talk) 15:00, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Unsurprisingly, Jah Wobble is known as a bass player, so wouldn't his interpretation of Blueberry Hill be "heavy on the bass". Astronaut (talk) 00:46, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
Know any songs with fast jazzy drums, groovy guitar, and at least 3 analog synths that really cook?
Thanks.192.30.202.13 (talk) 15:00, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Are you thinking about prog rock or synth rock? If prog rock, check out anything by Yes, Genesis or Pink Floyd. --TammyMoet (talk) 20:08, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Not quite--though I'm a fan of all you have mentioned. I'm thinking ELP's Lucky Man, but a bit faster. I remember hearing a song on the CBC. Heavy on the synths--they sounded like Moogs. It sounded like they were parodying the late 60's and 70's, but it sounded pretty good. Lots of drum rolls and cymbals, and a few synths. Kinda hinted at Frank Zappa too.192.30.202.11 (talk) 21:43, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Don't think I can help directly but if you go to www.uk70sprogrock.com you should be able to find some sort of track listing or artist listing which may give some ideas... --TammyMoet (talk) 10:16, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Not quite--though I'm a fan of all you have mentioned. I'm thinking ELP's Lucky Man, but a bit faster. I remember hearing a song on the CBC. Heavy on the synths--they sounded like Moogs. It sounded like they were parodying the late 60's and 70's, but it sounded pretty good. Lots of drum rolls and cymbals, and a few synths. Kinda hinted at Frank Zappa too.192.30.202.11 (talk) 21:43, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
How to correctly burn a PS2 disk?
So far I have heard many tale about burning PS2 disk, for example: the disk cannot be read, the screen blinks through the game, the loading time is awful long... and so on if you burn the disk at high speed. When I download a PS2 DVD image via torrent, the one who uploads it also leaves a comment that I should not burn it too fast -- 4x is maximum, use 2x or 1x if possible (see here).
To make sure correct burning, I even visit http://www.youtube.com/ and watch some guides before I actually do it. These guides revolve around DVD Decrypter and Alcohol 120% are the best programs to burn PS2 games, and using 4x or lower speed to burn the disk. I eventually choose Alcohol 120% because of its "PlayStation 2 datatype" option when ripping/burning.
Using Alcohol, I burnt my Final Fantasy X-2 disk at 2x speed, which is the lowest possible, with "PlayStation 2 datatype" option selected -- exactly what these guides said. I insert my careful work to my modded PS2. At first run, the TV displays the text "PlayStation 2", it means the disk can be read, but it prompt me to insert a PlayStation or a PlayStation 2 CD/DVD right after. Reset the console, I hope it will work. Thanks gods, the disk is played after... 30 seconds loading.
It seems that everything is ok. The opening cinematics is great with Yuna performing Real Emotion. But after this wonderful moment, I realize that everything is not perfect as I expected. The subtiles shows up, and then the character voice-over is played after 5 → 15s. During the delay, all characters stand in their places and do nothing. The characters start speaking immediately only when I press the square or triangle button, but it's not working all the time. Worst of all, when a Yuna is speaking and has not completed her sentence yet, she is immediately interupted by Rikku. There's the same problem with all other characters. I suppose it's time to throw my work away.
I'm at my wits' end. I need your help. My only desire is to have Final Fantasy X-2 in the 2 week lunar new year holiday. Those who have successfully burned PS2 disks please share some of your experience to me. -- Livy the pixie (talk) 17:29, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- This is a request for help with software piracy, and the mostly upright, mostly law-abiding Reference Desk community is unlikely to help you. Many of us here derive our livings from consumer software sales. How about going and buying a copy? It's like US$15. That's pretty inexpensive to satisfy your "only desire". Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:33, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
I myself is an IT student, and will become a software developer in the future, and of course will derive my living from consumer software sales. But you know, I can announce that there is NO copyright law in this cursed country. Not even software, but movie, music... all of these are posted throughout the net. They use pirate software publicly in schools, offices... The government knows full well but you think they will seft-sentence? Hah. The sky will fall if you find an original PS2 game DVD in Vietnam (only PS3 games are original blu-ray disk, but it is hard to say how long it lasts because of some news I've heard recently 'bout PS3 is getting hacked -- the PS3 owners say that's a very, very good news). In fact, pirate DVDs are sold in may store and cost only $1. I don't know how they can burn PS2 disk. I asked, but was met with silence. Final Fantasy X-2 is no longer available because it is too old. So I have to download and burn it by myself. So, please help! -- Livy the pixie (talk) 18:07, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- That doesn't make it okay. You're still asking people to give away their life's work for free. Not illegal doesn't make it not wrong. Aaronite (talk) 18:35, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- No one is giving away their life's work. The copyright is held by Sony, or EA or somesuch, and the people who worked on it, well their efforts do not belong to them anymore. Besides, isn't it legal to make a copy for "backup purposes"? Maybe that is not the intention of the OP, but why are we so quick to assume that he/she is trying to do something illegal? Googlemeister (talk) 21:34, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- That doesn't make it okay. You're still asking people to give away their life's work for free. Not illegal doesn't make it not wrong. Aaronite (talk) 18:35, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- Because the OP told us that he or she is pirating the disc. And you are jumping to a conclusion when you say that the employees' "efforts do not belong to them anymore", meaning you are assuming that employees don't get compensated based on sales. Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:21, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
My classmate just offers me his Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 disks. Pirate disks cost only $1, so we do not hesitate to offer the others once we already play the games to completions. But I still want to know how they make the disk run smoothly. Perhaps I should go back to some forums and seek out for the answer. I put my question here only because I can't judge who is believable. In this cursed country, the stupid is everywhere, and usually give others advices while they have no basic knowledge about it, and they also assume that they are always right (we DotA gamers' motto is "We cannot defend the stupid because they are too agressive and many in number" -- and that's the reason which I left Vietnamese Wikipedia). Some noobs (or maybe he want to fool me) even said that there's no differrent beetween burning PS2 DVD and burning the other types of disk. I don't want to put myself at risk and destroy dozens of my DVD-R just to burn a game. Very well, I'll looking for it anyway. -- Livy the pixie (talk) 01:48, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- That question is easier — some commercial pirates who manufacture and distribute thousands of discs use commercial stamping equipment to make bit-for-bit copies of the discs. It's more sophisticated than the consumer stuff we all own. Comet Tuttle (talk) 15:36, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
New York Times calling Meat Loaf "Mr. Loaf"
It is an oft-repeated rumor that the New York Times once called Meat Loaf "Mr. Loaf." Can anyone cite the piece in which this occurred? The Hero of This Nation (talk) 18:17, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- P.S. It would be neat to say to The Edge "Mr. Edge—or may I call you The?" The Hero of This Nation (talk) 18:24, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- "The notion that The Times referred to Meat Loaf as "Mr. Loaf" is more or less apocryphal." --LarryMac | Talk 18:30, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- (e/c) The Chicago Sun-Times did it in 1993. However, according to Deputy News Editor Philip B. Corbett, the NYT has never done so, only using it in a headline as a joke:
The notion that The Times referred to Meat Loaf as "Mr. Loaf" is more or less apocryphal. As my colleague Merrill Perlman explained when she took questions in this forum, our one use of "Mr. Loaf" was as a joke, in a headline for a review of a movie about him. The headline was, "Is He Called Just Plain Meat Or Should It Be Mr. Loaf?"
- Any piece that I could find refers to him as "Meat Loaf" throughout. Xenon54 / talk / 18:39, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- In Newsnight,when interviewing Dizzee Rascal,Jeremy Paxman refered to him several times as Mr.Rascal Lemon martini (talk) 01:32, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Reminds me of a mailing list story from decades ago, where a computer program tried to personalize the contents by guessing the sex of the recipient. One of the recipients was "UNIV O WISCONSIN", and the personalized letter began, "Dear Mrs. Wisconsin..." ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 05:10, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- In Newsnight,when interviewing Dizzee Rascal,Jeremy Paxman refered to him several times as Mr.Rascal Lemon martini (talk) 01:32, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
Athletes who appeared in the playoffs without ever appearing in a regular season game
In the history of the big four American sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL), has there ever been a player whose only recorded appearance came in a playoff game (or in playoff games)? Zagalejo^^^ 22:56, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
- I believe Deion Sanders tried with the Oakland Raiders (but my memory is fuzzy). If I am correct, he was retired and the Raiders were doing great. So, he tried to get signed for the postseason, but couldn't. -- kainaw™ 04:33, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- He was a regular player, though, for several years (in addition to playing MLB, as with Bo Jackson and some others in ancient history). The OP is asking whether there's anyone who never played in the regular season, but only in the post-season. Seems very "unlikely", but I've got no factual basis for saying "not ever". For baseball, the rule for a long time is that you can't play in the post-season unless you were on the roster September 1 or earlier. Theoretically you could be on the roster September 1 and not get used at all during September, but that's also unlikely, unless you're injured. Obviously that rule is to keep teams from bringing "ringers" in. The exception is if someone on the regular roster gets injured in September and is unable to play in the post-season. Then they can add a player to their roster, but I think the particular player has to get approval through the Commissioner's Office, which runs the post-season. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 05:07, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Seems rather unlikely, as it takes a while to get a new player integrated into a team. I could see somebody like Bill Veeck doing it as a publicity stunt during World War II, when there was a shortage of white baseball players. Clarityfiend (talk) 23:50, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- I think it would be more likely in the early days of the various leagues, when teams didn't have significant financial resources and didn't carry as many substitutes on the roster as they would today. A team only has one goalie, say, and he gets injured before a game, and they need a warm body to fill the net; so they recruit someone from a local amateur league to fill in for one game. That sort of thing certainly did happen in the NHL in the early days and I see no reason why it might not happen in a playoff game. However, it might not leave much in the way of easily searched records. --Anonymous, 07:55 UTC, February 7, 2010.
- If we can extend the question to reach Canada, the 2007 CFL playoffs featured Ryan Dinwiddie, a quarterback starting his first game not just in the playoffs, but in the championship game! See 95th Grey Cup. 75.157.57.12 (talk) 03:36, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Yeah, but then he spoiled it by playing the next season. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:50, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- If we can extend the question to reach Canada, the 2007 CFL playoffs featured Ryan Dinwiddie, a quarterback starting his first game not just in the playoffs, but in the championship game! See 95th Grey Cup. 75.157.57.12 (talk) 03:36, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- I think it would be more likely in the early days of the various leagues, when teams didn't have significant financial resources and didn't carry as many substitutes on the roster as they would today. A team only has one goalie, say, and he gets injured before a game, and they need a warm body to fill the net; so they recruit someone from a local amateur league to fill in for one game. That sort of thing certainly did happen in the NHL in the early days and I see no reason why it might not happen in a playoff game. However, it might not leave much in the way of easily searched records. --Anonymous, 07:55 UTC, February 7, 2010.
- Though he would later go on to a good regular season career, Ken Dryden famously won the 1971 Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP the year BEFORE he won the 1972 Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Dryden had appeared in only 6 regular season games in 1970-71, but developed into a stallwort netminder during the 1971 Stanley Cup playoffs. Though technically not what the OP was looking for, the feat of winning the Playoffs MVP the year before winning Rookie of the Year is an impressive feat... --Jayron32 03:56, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Ouch. Don't remind me. He beat the Blackhawks in the best chance they'd had at the Cup since 1960, and since then to the present day. He was an outstanding goalie, though. Seeing little or no action prior to the playoffs is half of what the OP was asking for, and Dryden nearly fits the bill. If a guy does well in one season or playoff, almost certainly someone would want him the following season, unless his name is Joe Hardy or Roy Hobbs. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:18, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- And then there's Timmy Smith, who literally came out of no where to set the Super Bowl Rushing Record in Super Bowl XXII. He rushed for 204 yards in that game, and has a career rushing total of 602 yards. Again, not exactly "never played in the regular season". But as a one-hit-wonder in the playoffs, almost can't be beat.--Jayron32 03:59, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Here's one even closer. Percy Howard had one career reception: A 34-yard touchdown catch in Super Bowl X. A played a little during the regular season, returning two kicks on special teams. But to have your only career reception in your only NFL season be a 34-yard TD reception in the Super Bowl (albeit, in a losing effort) is pretty cool. --Jayron32 04:08, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- In baseball, Mark Kiger played two games in the 2006 American League Championship Series but never played in the regular season. George McAvoy did this in the National Hockey League in the 1955 playoffs; there may be one or two others. --Xuxl (talk) 21:15, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Ah, nice. That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! (And thanks to everyone else who chimed in!) Zagalejo^^^ 07:20, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- In baseball, Mark Kiger played two games in the 2006 American League Championship Series but never played in the regular season. George McAvoy did this in the National Hockey League in the 1955 playoffs; there may be one or two others. --Xuxl (talk) 21:15, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
February 6
Wii Memory Cards
My friend transferred some save data from his Wii to an SD memory card. We put it in my Wii, and under Data Management it showed that there was a card inserted and all the data he had saved on his card, but when we actually went to play the game, it didn't show his data. How can we play the game with his save data? Nick4404 yada yada yada What have I done? 00:44, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Well, first things first, "have you Googled it?" If not, do that.
- I've read that the Wii won't accept memory cards over 2gb, so. Moptopstyle1 ("I Feel Fine.") (talk) 06:52, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- That is obviously not the correct answer. He says right there that the Wii recognised the card.
- I belive that some games will not allow you to move saved games over. Other games' save data may also depend on the Mii that created the save.
- Sorry I don't have more concrete advice. You might try calling Nintendo's support line, I've found them to be reasonably helpful in the past, if you don't mind waiting a while to get a human. APL (talk) 03:44, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- Yes, some games (most wifi games for example) do not allow you to transfer data to SD cards because I believe the save files are tied to a specific Wii. Xenon54 / talk / 03:49, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
Panasonic DVD recorders
I've had 2 different Panasonic DVD recorders and both have had problems with the DVD recorder drive. Often discs (whether DVD-R or DVD+RW, old or new-out-of-the-cellophane) are not recognised, and it seems that often once one disc is said to be faulty, no others will work either. Are Panasonic DVD recorders particularly susceptible to disc quality problems, particularly fragile, or prone to random faults? It's not like Panasonic products are particularly cheap to buy. Astronaut (talk) 00:56, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- All I can say is that I also had exactly the same problems with two Panasonic DVD recorders. I've given up on them now. Which is a shame, as DVD-RAM is a great format. --Richardrj talk email 10:12, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- With my first DVD recorder, seeing the "U61" and "U88" errors were a prelude to a total failure. I had it repaired twice under warranty, but the third time it was out of warranty and I was fed up with its unreliability I replaced it. Now my new recorder has similar problems but at least this one seems to be able to recover somewhat. I'm now reluctant to return the new recorder for repair under warranty in case they simply provide a new replacement and I lose the stuff recorded on the hard disk that is also in the recorder and that I want to copy to DVD. Astronaut (talk) 16:56, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
Song in "Bill Nye the Science Guy's Stop the Rock"
There was a video game that came out in the '90s called "Bill Nye the Science Guy's Stop the Rock". I was an educational game where the player used science to solve riddles presented by a rouge supercomputer in order to get the supercomputer to stop a meteor from striking the Earth. In the game, there was elevator. The elevator had some very unique elevator music: it was a choir "singing" an upbeat tune. There were no (or very few) instruments and no real lyrics (just "ba ba ba ba ba ba..."). I have been unable to find name of the song or identify who sang it. The website for the game and the back cover of the CD offer no clues. I also heard the same song in a documentary about skyscrapers. Can anyone here at the RefDesk identify this song? - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 03:09, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Have you looked for it on youtube? If it's there, someone might be able to figure it out even if they never actually saw the show (like moi). ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:59, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Thank you for your suggestion. I have tried searching both YouTube and Google for varying combinations of "Bill Nye" "Stop the Rock" and "elevator music". I have been totally unable to find the song I'm looking for. As far as I can remember, this song never occurred in the TV show; just this game. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 20:30, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- I don't suppose you still have that game and could capture a sound bite? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:58, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Here's a YouTube link for the soundbite. — Jeremy 00:43, 30 October 2016 (UTC)
- Good find! The elevator music plays for about 15 seconds starting at 9:19 and then again for about 14 seconds starting at 11:25. There are fourteen more videos in that 2012 "Let's Play Bill Nye: Stop the Rock!" series, and the music plays continuously and uninterrupted by sound effects for over a minute and a half as the credits roll in the final video], starting at 2:26. Mike Green is credit for Music. -- ToE 04:53, 30 October 2016 (UTC)
- Here's a YouTube link for the soundbite. — Jeremy 00:43, 30 October 2016 (UTC)
- I don't suppose you still have that game and could capture a sound bite? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:58, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Thank you for your suggestion. I have tried searching both YouTube and Google for varying combinations of "Bill Nye" "Stop the Rock" and "elevator music". I have been totally unable to find the song I'm looking for. As far as I can remember, this song never occurred in the TV show; just this game. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 20:30, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
VH1 CLASSIC
For the past 4 days VH1 Classic has had all of it's programs titled as "VH1 Special." Why isn't it changing?
Moptopstyle1 ("I Feel Fine.") (talk) 05:57, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- It might be a problem with your pay-TV provider, because it looks fine for me. Xenon54 / talk / 03:53, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
Lost question
In the storyline, approximately how long are they supposed to have been on the island as of this point in the last season? If it's longer than a few months, do they ever explain how Hurley could not be losing any weight, living on coconut milk or whatever they found on the island? 71.168.0.41 (talk) 15:35, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- In the second season, Hurley was in charge of the food distribution. See "Everybody Hates Hugo". Pepso2 (talk) 16:07, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- They were on the island for 108 days before being rescued. They were off the island for 3 years and then they returned. With all the time travel, I'm not sure how long they've been there the second time. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 16:47, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Not very long - only a few days so far (the group that never left were there about three years, subjectivel) DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:51, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- They were on the island for 108 days before being rescued. They were off the island for 3 years and then they returned. With all the time travel, I'm not sure how long they've been there the second time. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 16:47, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- In the show itself, they showed that Hurley was eating a lot of food (not coconuts) and noted that he did lose weight. Since then, the "Why is Hurley still fat?" jokes sort of fall flat. -- kainaw™ 21:24, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
Cats
Hi, do you know the plasticine music video from the late 70's? There is a black cat singing and other is playing piano. Later a white cat comes and it falls in love with the singer. A bodyguard throws him away but the white cat doesn't want to stop. I think the artist's name is Simon. What is the title of this song? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Atacamadesert12 (talk • contribs) 16:55, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Nina Simone, My Baby Just Cares For Me [1] video created by Aardman Animations who make Wallace & Grommit meltBanana 17:14, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
Oh, thank you so much! :-) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Atacamadesert12 (talk • contribs) 18:13, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Wow, thanks, that was wonderful! --jpgordon::==( o ) 17:08, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
Cyanide and Happiness Comic Numbers
In the webcomic Cyanide and Happiness, the html for every comic is just the name of the site followed by a number. However, early on in it's run the numbers jump around a lot. It starts at 15, then moves to 39. It slips 44, then goes from 48 to 90. Any idea why it is like this? I didn't see anything mentioned on the site. 134.126.192.188 (talk) 18:17, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- I don't know about Cyanide and Happiness, but a number of web comics started out as hard-copy comics, and then were scanned and put on the web. If the author didn't have/want to scan and post some of the bad early ones, there might be holes from those missing comics. The other, frequent alternative is that before the comic became full-fledged, the author may have been using a blogging system to post both comics and standard blog fare, so the "missing" numbers were the personal blog posts of the author which are no longer available, as it is a comic site, and not a personal blog. The numbering might not have changed, though, so as not to break inward pointing links/redirects. Ultimately, you may need to contact the author in order to figure out why some early ones are missing. -- 174.21.224.109 (talk) 19:09, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
Getting a wiki listed on Wikia Entertainment
How do I get http://memorysorrowthorn.wikia.com/wiki/Memory_Sorrow_and_Thorn_Wiki listed on Wikia Entertainment. Thank you very much.
Fatidiot1234 (talk) 20:37, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
Library Seraph (talk) 00:55, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
Edward Gorey
I'd like to read Edward Gorey's books. What's the best place to start? Library Seraph (talk) 22:06, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
- Our article on Edward Gorey notes that several anthologies of his work have been published, each containing a number of his short illustrated books. Perhaps it would be useful to obtain one of these anthologies, which would let you sample a variety of works in one handy volume? Karenjc 23:56, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
Actually, just after I posted this question I looked at his bibliography and realized that most of his works were published in Amphigorey omnibus editions. Thank you for you speedy replie.
February 7
Why grammy split some awards into male and female is this some sort of handicap??
Why grammy awards (on some awards), academy awards (on actors awards), and others awards split into male and female is this some sort of handicap? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 187.89.155.111 (talk) 17:03, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- In crowded, popular fields like singing and acting, splitting the categories into male & female allows you to give out more awards, which makes everyone happy. —Kevin Myers 17:29, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- That's probably why they did it, but there's nothing intrinsically different about the acting that males do as compared with the acting that females do. The male/female split for the acting profession makes as much sense as having awards for left-handed and right-handed performers, or gay and straight ones, or married and single ones, or Jewish and gentile ones or .... In fact, it makes even less sense than some of these, as the PC police would have us refer to them all as "actors" anyway, regardless of their sex. Try splitting the costume design or direction or film score or make-up awards into males and females, and see how far you'd go, after the gales of uproarious laughter have subsided. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 02:35, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- It's a pretty logical break-point. Males and females sing differently, so it can be difficult to do a straight across comparison. It makes sense for acting too, as the roles available for females are dramatically different than the ones for females. It's a little more diverse now, but it would not be at all fair to compare an actor from the 1930s straight across to an actress from the 1930s. They had completely different expectations and available roles.
- "Costume design" could conceivably be split up into "costumes for females" and "costumes for males", I don't see what that would provoke "gales of laughter", but it would be awkward, because the costumes are usually judged as a complete set. A costume is no good if it doesn't match the costumes being worn by the other characters. Same with makeup. APL (talk) 02:47, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- 202 is incorrect. I don't have a reference, but I'd say over 80% of Hollywood movies (the main recipients of the Academy Awards) have a male protagonist and male villain, which is where the Best Actor awards are generally drawn from; uniting the "Actor" and "Actress" awards would lead to male dominance of the "Acting" category overall. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:29, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Unlikely. More than 20% of Hollywood movies are RomComs, and they rarely have the two main actors both male. DJ Clayworth (talk) 20:30, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- 202 is incorrect. I don't have a reference, but I'd say over 80% of Hollywood movies (the main recipients of the Academy Awards) have a male protagonist and male villain, which is where the Best Actor awards are generally drawn from; uniting the "Actor" and "Actress" awards would lead to male dominance of the "Acting" category overall. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:29, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Then the PC police should just shut up, and let us refer to male thespians as "actors" and female thespians as "actresses", exactly as the Academy does, and exactly as most normal people do anyway. It is ridiculous to see encyclopedia entries describing people like Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, and Meryl Streep as "actors", because of some misguided latter-day thing about avoidance of discrimination. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:35, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- I don't know about Meryl Streep for sure, but if the the other three were alive and someone called them an "actor", they would probably slap the questioner or at least tell them they need glasses. Regarding male/female roles, you do get some role-reversal occasionally (consider Xena, for example), but acting is typically going to follow traditional male/female assumptions. Costume design is awarded for an entire film, not for individual actors in a film. Likewise for an award like Best Song. The problem of apples-and-oranges mixing can be seen in the British talent show where Susan Boyle finished second to some hip-hop dancers. A little bit like having some sort of "ultimate Super World Series Bowl", with the New York Yankees playing against the New Orleans Saints. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 19:54, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Or comparing a reasonably faithful portrayal of "Shakespeare"'s play Romeo and Juliet in the 1968 film version, with West Side Story, which, whatever its other merits, was hardly that. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:39, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- That's more like apples and pears. My favorite part of West Side Story is where the hero gets stabbed once, by what looks like a pocket knife, and goes into death throes, meanwhile singing "There's a Place for Us" (not to be confused with, "A Time for Us"). Why am I getting this deja vu[2] all of a sudden? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:18, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
title of a YouTube video
hi. does somebody the title of this soundtrack? [3] --84.185.78.35 (talk) 20:04, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- The instructions for getting the title of the song and the song itself are right there in the video commentary (the text that shows up with the video)... wiki:AGF can be so frustratingly difficult sometimes... TomorrowTime (talk) 22:19, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- I saw that as well but my guess is that the OP doesn't want to go through all that rigmarole to get the title, which seems fair enough to me. --Richardrj talk email 23:40, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- Your guess seems like a logical one as it does seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but maybe the OP should have pointed that out, then. We're only human, after all. I don't think we have a mindreader here. Argh, AGF, AGF. TomorrowTime (talk) 23:57, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- I knew you were going to say that. Woogee (talk) 07:57, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- It's also possible the IP is subtly spamming for that original composition. Got us all to watch it, don'cha know. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 08:12, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- man.... of course i followed the instructions, but i didn't got an answer, like the other users too ;) so i decided to ask you..... xoxo--84.185.78.35 (talk) 12:29, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Aha, so you were being spammed just like the rest of us. :) ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:28, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Try Shazam. --Richardrj talk email 12:35, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- I knew you were going to say that. Woogee (talk) 07:57, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Your guess seems like a logical one as it does seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but maybe the OP should have pointed that out, then. We're only human, after all. I don't think we have a mindreader here. Argh, AGF, AGF. TomorrowTime (talk) 23:57, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
- I saw that as well but my guess is that the OP doesn't want to go through all that rigmarole to get the title, which seems fair enough to me. --Richardrj talk email 23:40, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
February 8
Name this music?
The soundtrack to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfdstkIEnKw , a YouTube video called "Guide: Download hulu videos to your PC for offline enjoyment". It may be classical, or just lift or elevator music. Or all three. Thanks. 92.29.142.75 (talk) 13:32, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- I hate it when this happens. It's from the soundtrack of a film (the film's main theme kicks in around 1:59), but the name of the film is eluding my memory. Now I'll be thinking about this until the name pops up in my mind or someone comes up with the answer. Deor (talk) 14:36, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- It's the romantic theme from this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet_(1968_film) by Nino Rota --Frumpo (talk) 15:13, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Thank you, Frumpo. You've freed my brain from trying to remember. Deor (talk) 15:21, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Without listening, let me guess: "A Time for Us". A major soft-pop hit in the wake of that film. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:20, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Yep.[4] If that's from the album, I would guess it's the "overture" or "opening credits music". I've never actually seen it, as it was already done up pretty well in West Side Story. The 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet was what we would call a "chick flick" nowadays. Tragic love, as with Titanic. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:27, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Without listening, let me guess: "A Time for Us". A major soft-pop hit in the wake of that film. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:20, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Thank you, Frumpo. You've freed my brain from trying to remember. Deor (talk) 15:21, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
NCIS
In what episode in season 3 or 4 does Tony meet Br. Benoit? I think I have watched all the episodes in that season, but that plot line still compeletly confuses me.
- According to List of NCIS characters#Jeanne Benoit, she first appeared in Season 4, Episode 7, titled "Sandblast". However, we don't see them meet; the story with Tony and Jeanne starts in the middle, in order to conceal the true nature of their relationship as revealed at the end of the season. --Anonymous, 23:44 UTC, February 8, 2010.
mark coleman
whong did he come out to yesterday? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.246.254.35 (talk) 22:31, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
- Hmmm. If you'd lke to:
- (a) use English - what, for example, is "whong"?
- (b) identify whether it's this guy or some other Mark Coleman you're talking about, and
- (c) explain what your question is really about - "come out" could mean different things in different contexts
- then we'd be happy to try and help you. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 00:44, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- My guess is "What song..."--Frumpo (talk) 07:27, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- OK. But what does "What song did he come out to yesterday" mean? Did he acknowledge his homosexuality in song? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 07:35, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- A search of news via google indicates that Coleman was involved in a UFC wrestling bout on Sunday - "In the second round after a takedown Randy went for his own patented ground and pound that forced Coleman to give up his back and allowed for Couture to secure a rear naked choke.". I believe that means he lost. I think the OP is probably asking what music was playing when Coleman entered the ring.--Frumpo (talk) 08:10, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- OK. But what does "What song did he come out to yesterday" mean? Did he acknowledge his homosexuality in song? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 07:35, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Mark Coleman entered to Drop the World. I just googled the lyrics; I have no idea if that was the original Eminem/Lil Wayne version or some cover. Matt Deres (talk) 11:37, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
February 9
Need help finding a song that seems "voodoo/bayou blues/metal"
I'd heard a very heavy song i heard a while back, kinda sounded like it was bayou metal, if that makes sense...i dont remember much except it was low tempo and the voice of the vocalist was deep and low and the song was pretty heavy. I think it was under the blues genre, and the lyrics may have included talk of "bones". Anyhow, if anybody could help point me to the direction of possible names of the song I need to find, or even possible artists, I would appreciate it greatly.
Thank you.
96.232.199.12 (talk) 02:48, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Wild guess... "Voodoo" from Godsmack? 75.157.57.12 (talk) 03:02, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
I tried that one and it wasnt what i had encountered whenever that was. i think it was more bluesy than metal.
96.232.199.12 (talk) 03:17, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- The theme tune from the TV show True Blood? - "Bad Things" by Jace Everett... here's a video. Astronaut (talk) 04:27, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
That wasn't it...I think it was something older. This one is good for comparison though. The voice in what I'm looking for was much lower/deeper and the tempo may have been slower. Also the bass was much louder. Thank you though. 96.232.199.12 (talk) 01:41, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
Something by Dr.John the night tripper perhaps?hotclaws 14:23, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- I bet this is "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood. --Richardrj talk email 14:27, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Maybe "Swamp" by Talking Heads? Bones are mentioned. ReverendWayne (talk) 22:48, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- We have a List of swamp blues musicians, which might help. Ghmyrtle (talk) 10:10, 11 February 2010 (UTC)
Looking For A TV Show
I recall some tv show where people took pills that changed their skin color for a week to experience how other races lived, but I can't remember what it was called. Doc Quintana (talk) 03:44, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Well there was Watermelon Man (film), and I'm sure there have been many others with the same premise. (No pills in that though.)--Shantavira|feed me 10:10, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- A lengthier self-experiment of this kind was described in his 1961 book Black Like Me by journalist John Howard Griffin. It was filmed under the same title in 1964. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 11:23, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- German journalist Guenter Wallraff did the same in 2009, I saw a tv documentary about this. 195.35.160.133 (talk) 11:50, 9 February 2010 (UTC) Martin.
- You might also be interested in Lois Lane comics issue # 106, which has a very similar plot. Details here: [[5]]. 195.35.160.133 (talk) 11:37, 9 February 2010 (UTC) Martin.
Neighborhood hole
There is a line in the Switchfoot song "Free" (from Hello Hurricane, 2009) which goes "There’s a hole in the neighborhood/Where the shadows fall". When I heard it, it reminded me of the line in the Elbow song "Grounds for Divorce" (from The Seldom Seen Kid, 2008) that goes "There's a hole in my neighbourhood down which of late I cannot help but fall". Is the Switchfoot line an allusion to the Elbow song, or are they both drawing from a separate phrase that I am unfamiliar with? —Akrabbimtalk 03:54, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
Question regarding article Billy Garland( exblack panther)
Hello,Im a researcher and i read an article on the wikipedia website about ex black panther/ tupac's father Billy Garland.Im doing a research project on Tupac,now there is something interesting in the article about tupac's biological father Billy Garland that he is a decendant of the african tribe tuareg.Now I don't know the credibility of this information about billy garland's orgins which is stated on the wikipedia website.Please let me know where the information about tupac's father billy garlands heritage was obtained.I cannot find much information about billy garland, if the information about him being of tuareg heritage is credible. Then i can use it for the research paper im writing.
Thank you
Kops —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zolani7 (talk • contribs) 08:26, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- That information on Billy Garland (Ex-Black Panther) seems not to be reliably referenced at present. Charles Matthews (talk) 13:02, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Which means, Kops, while researching your paper, if you can find a reliable reference that confirms the claim, or confirms a different story, please be bold and correct that article yourself. Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:51, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
Australian radio show: Kyle & Jackie O
Hi guys.. Could anyone please tell me where I can download an audio clip of the infamous lie detector episode (where a teenage girl confessed being raped) from the australian radio show "Kyle And Jackie O Show"? I've looked everywhere but couldn't find it. Thanks in advance...Johnnyboi7 (talk) 09:09, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
Super Bowl XLIV
This question is about Super Bowl XLIV. I was surprised to see how many people — above and beyond the "normal" Super Bowl audience — watched this particular Super Bowl game on TV. Apparently, it was the highest rated Super Bowl ever. And, apparently, it was also the highest rated TV show ever ... even beating the 27-year-old record held by the final episode of M*A*S*H back in 1983. So, my question is ... what was the big draw to this particular Super Bowl game? How was this particular game different from any other ordinary, run-of-the-mill Super Bowl games? In all honesty, this year's match-up seemed relatively low-key, without an inordinate amount of pre-game hype. So, I was shocked to see the TV ratings records being broken. Any insights? Thank you. (64.252.68.102 (talk) 14:46, 9 February 2010 (UTC))
- Perhaps because the team from New Orleans was playing? It seems all of New Orleans was watching. And people love an 'underdog'. They certainly needed a bit of a morale boost after Cyclone Katrina (Just a bit of a guess from Australia). 220.101.28.25 (talk) 15:13, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- It is a New Orleans thing. For the next 30 years, the media will keep pushing for help for New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina (which happened in 2005). They gave up on Homestead, Florida after a month or so, even though it hadn't recovered from Hurricane Andrew yet. They never suggested anyone should help Charleston, SC after Hurricane Hugo. The whole Haiti thing will dissipate in a month or so, but we'll still hear that New Orleans needs help to recover from Hurricane Katrina. The New Orleans bias is very clear. I don't personally understand it. -- kainaw™ 15:21, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Even if all of New Orleans was indeed watching ... doesn't that one small city represent only a tiny miniscule percentage of the entire USA population as a whole? The New Orleans theory doesn't "add up" ... does it? Even if every single New Orleans citizen were watching, aren't they all collectively still a tiny drop in the bucket? (64.252.68.102 (talk) 15:31, 9 February 2010 (UTC))
- He was saying that because it is New Orleans, the media was pressuring everyone else to watch (not just New Orleans). -- kainaw™ 15:33, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Well, yes ... that "pressure" goes exactly to my point. Where was that pressure? I missed it completely. As my original post said ... "this year's match-up seemed relatively low-key, without an inordinate amount of pre-game hype". What did I miss? (64.252.68.102 (talk) 15:38, 9 February 2010 (UTC))
- The pre-game hype was, in my opinion, more about New Orleans than the game. This is the type of news that I saw (what you saw may have well been very different): Will New Orleans win? New Orleans needs a win. How will New Orleans handle a loss on top of Katrina? Imagine the party if New Orleans wins! ... on and on, it was a media blitz to guilt everyone into watching to see how New Orleans would do. -- kainaw™ 15:45, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Just now, on First Take on ESPN2, they just discussed this. They brought up two very good points:
- The American population is 31% higher today than it was in 1983, when the M*A*S*H last episode aired.
- The % of households tuned in to the game was 45% for this game. For Super Bowl XVI in 1982, a year before the M*A*S*H final episode, had a 49% rating. That M*A*S*H last episode? 60.2%.
- Given the rising American population, having the last M*A*S*H episode defeated in terms of overall number of viewers was inevitable. In terms of a % of the American TV owning public, which is the vital stat here, it wasn't even the best rated Super Bowl, let alone the best rated show. --Jayron32 15:50, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- "Figures don't lie, but liars do figure!" Still, the numbers are pretty good. I would like to think that it being about New Orleans gave it a boost (New Orleans has a special popularity in the U.S. as cities go), but another couple of considerations are that the Super Bowl typically draws well anyway, and a lot of folks were snowed in and had "nothing else to do." ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:40, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Also, see List_of_most-watched_television_broadcasts#Top_network_primetime_telecasts_since_2000. Notice the raw number of viewers for the Super Bowls since 2000. WIth a few minor inversions, it has generally been true that the trend is that the number of viewers for each Super Bowl since 2000 has gone up incrementally. No Super Bowl did worse than the one two years before it; only two Super Bowls did worse than the one immediately preceding it, and most Super Bowls simple marginally beat out the one right before it. Its been a trend for some time now. --Jayron32 16:57, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Also - the press made sure to tell everyone that President Obama was throwing a Super Bowl party. If you want to be cool like the President, you had to have a party yourself, right? -- kainaw™ 16:52, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- I believe how they calculate viewership numbers is different now (vs. MASH) and results in higher figures. I'll go and find a ref. -- Flyguy649 talk 16:59, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- It should be noted that back in 1983, television viewers were severely limited in programming choices compared to today.10draftsdeep (talk) 17:03, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- This goes to Jayron32's point above. On this table --> List_of_most-watched_television_broadcasts#Top 46 network primetime telecasts of all time (1964–2010) ... the M*A*S*H finale is ranked #1 and the 2010 Super Bowl is ranked #26, when ranked by percent of households watching the broadcast. Interesting. (64.252.68.102 (talk) 00:16, 10 February 2010 (UTC))
- Don't forget that much of the East Coast was home-bound because of a record snowfall. With no where to go, more "Nielsen families" watched the game on their home TV rather than at a friend's house or restaurant. The Super Bowl got a higher rating in the Washington area than anywhere else in the country save New Orleans. That shouldn't affect total viewership, but Nielsen does a better job of "capturing" home viewers than people at sports bars. The fact that the Super Bowl always airs in at least 40% of American households is even more amazing when you consider that so many people are watching at other people's houses. It is possibly the biggest shared national experience there is in America. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:11, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- I didn't notice any Presidential elections on there, but maybe news events coverage is a separate category somewhere. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:20, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Well more Americans watched at least some of the Super Bowl (153.4 million) than voted in the last presidential election (131.2 million), so who knows whether as many people were watching Obama vs. McCain as Brees vs. Manning. Plus the election coverage is split between all the different networks while the Super Bowl is only on one network. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:32, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Well, one might expect that there are a fair number of people under the age 18 watching the game who would obviously not be able to vote, not to mention those felons watching from their ultra plush prison cells. Googlemeister (talk) 21:12, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Well more Americans watched at least some of the Super Bowl (153.4 million) than voted in the last presidential election (131.2 million), so who knows whether as many people were watching Obama vs. McCain as Brees vs. Manning. Plus the election coverage is split between all the different networks while the Super Bowl is only on one network. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:32, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- I didn't notice any Presidential elections on there, but maybe news events coverage is a separate category somewhere. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:20, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Don't forget that much of the East Coast was home-bound because of a record snowfall. With no where to go, more "Nielsen families" watched the game on their home TV rather than at a friend's house or restaurant. The Super Bowl got a higher rating in the Washington area than anywhere else in the country save New Orleans. That shouldn't affect total viewership, but Nielsen does a better job of "capturing" home viewers than people at sports bars. The fact that the Super Bowl always airs in at least 40% of American households is even more amazing when you consider that so many people are watching at other people's houses. It is possibly the biggest shared national experience there is in America. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 01:11, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
As a Brit,I like to feel it was The Who on the half time show.hotclaws 14:27, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
M*A*S*H
My above Super Bowl question also brought to mind this question about the TV show M*A*S*H. Does anyone know why they use the three asterisks in the title? I could not seem to find out any information about this. I know that the M, A, S, and H stand for "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" (or some such) ... but that still does not explain the odd use of three — not four — asterisks. Any insights? Thanks. (64.252.68.102 (talk) 15:36, 9 February 2010 (UTC))
- It will be difficult to find a reference for this, but this is my memory... MASH, the movie, did not use asterisks. The movie poster did at the suggestion of producers/executive types who wanted people to understand that MASH was an acronym. This was a movie about mashed potatoes or something similar. The artist used asterisks instead of periods because it looked prettier. People seemed to like M*A*S*H as it was written on the poster as opposed to MASH as it was written on the film. So, the television series kept the asterisks. -- kainaw™ 15:41, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- OK ... that is as I thought. So, you're saying that the asterisks are replacing conventional periods ... and that they simply omitted the final (fourth) asterisk/period? That is more or less what I assumed had transpired. Even though, of course, most acronyms do not even use periods anyway (radar, sonar, NOW, ERA, etc.). Thanks. (64.252.68.102 (talk) 15:46, 9 February 2010 (UTC))
- That is just a memory from way back in the early 80's (possibly even late 70's). Since it was long before the Internet, I'm not finding much of anything to back that memory. -- kainaw™ 15:48, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- And yes, for you geeks, I mean "web" when I say "Internet". Heehee! -- kainaw™ 15:49, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Hate to sound like a broken record, but did you read the M*A*S*H* article? The "synopsis" section addresses the question. Kingsfold (talk) 16:26, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- That synopsis doesn't make much sense. The novel is spelled "MASH". The movie is spelled "MASH". The movie poster is spelled "M*A*S*H". How does the use of asterisks come from the novel? -- kainaw™ 16:51, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- You're right, the original novel was MASH, as is evident even just from google-imaging [mash novel]. I'm thinking that the re-issued novel had the movie poster as its cover, and maybe that compounds the confusion. I also saw that in the original illustration with the stars, they were much smaller, almost like dots, which is a convention sometimes used with acronyms. Later, the stars were made much larger. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:58, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
Accordion/Techno song in Italy, Help!
I'm currently in Italy, and just the other day in Palermo, on 5 separate occasions I heard a song that had a really catchy accordion tune. I don't know if it was Italian or not, and I don't think the song had lyrics, but it was sort of techno-y and really happy sounding. I wish I could describe it more, but I really only heard snippets of it. I would know it if I heard it. Someone help! Thanks!! Jared (t) 18:42, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
iPod Touch camera
Are there any plans/rumors for a future generation of the iPod Touch to have a built-in camera like the iPhone or iPod Nano? —C Teng(talk) 21:46, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
There are a number of Apple rumour sites out there, here's a link to just one of no doubt many articles suggesting the touch will be getting a camera (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/12/leaked-ipod-touch-with-camera-photos-were-real/). As with all rumours around Apple take them with a pinch of salt as they're so many of them. ny156uk (talk) 22:11, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
- Rumors suggest the iPod touch was going to get a camera on par with the camera in the iPhone 3GS, but it didn't fit in the iPod touch form factor so it was dropped until it could be miniaturized enough to fit. If that is true, it suggests that some future generation of the iPod touch will receive a camera, but speculation on when that might happen would be best found by watching the market on auto-focusing cell phone camera components. Caltsar (talk) 17:27, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
February 10
Bach's St. John's Passion recording
In your article on this Passion, you provide a link to a video performance of the opening piece -- Herr, unser Herrscher, dessen Ruhm -- but no info about conductor, choir, album number, etc., so one can purchase it. Anyone know the answer? Quinqua (talk) 00:22, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- The conductor seems to be György Vashegyi (no article on English or even Hungarian Wikipedia). See here for visual comparison. I guess it might well be "his" Purcell Choir ("Purcell Kórus") and Orfeo Orchestra ("Orfeo Zenekar"). To make it easier for other volunteers: Article is Johannes Passion, YouTube clip is here. 80.219.8.3 (talk) 01:06, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- "This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards." They're not kidding - I'm surprised such a major work has such a poorly-written article. Added to my watchlist to remind me to have a go at it. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 09:20, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Actually on looking again I see it's not that bad, but it could still do with some TLC. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 10:11, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- One of the older comments on the YouTube video is from a person who says he participated in this performance, as a bass in the chorus. He identifies Vashegyi, the Purcell Choir, and Orfeo Orchestra, the performance having taken place in 2004 at the Music Academy in Budapest. The logo seen in the video is that of the Hungarian television channel m2. I could not find any information about a CD or DVD release, so it may be that it has never been made available for purchase. ReverendWayne (talk) 01:30, 11 February 2010 (UTC)
- Actually on looking again I see it's not that bad, but it could still do with some TLC. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 10:11, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
ultra in sports rivalry
In the big 4 US sports (baseball, basketball, football, hockey), how many championships have been played where both teams are from the same city (or very close like Oakland-SanFran)? Googlemeister (talk) 21:14, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- It's never happened in the NHL, although the Stanley Cup was contested between two teams from Winnipeg in 1901. Montreal-Ottawa would be the next closest, also pre-NHL. In the NHL era the closest teams are New York-Philadelphia in 1980. Adam Bishop (talk) 21:32, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Well, the sport with the most crosstown rivalries will be baseball, since at one point, there were three teams inhabiting the greater New York area (Yankees, Dodgers and Giants) and have been two teams in New York since the 60s with the introduction of the Mets. So, you may want to look at Subway Series. Philly had two teams, the Phillies and the Athletics up until A's moved to Kansas City in 1955, and they had the City Series. Both Chicago teams, the Cubs and White Sox, have never played in a World Series together, but their interleague games are called the Crosstown Classic. The only teams in football that are fairly close to one another are the Giants/Jets and, like you mentioned, the Raiders/49ers. Both combinations of teams have never played each other in the Super Bowl. For NBA, the Rochester Royals played the New York Knicks in 1951. As for hockey, the closest two teams I can think of would be the Buffalo Sabres/Toronto Maple Leafs, who have never played against each other. Hope that helps! Livewireo (talk) 21:39, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Well NHL has closer teams but I guess putting the Islanders, the Devils and the Rangers all in the same division would preempt my scenario. Googlemeister (talk) 21:40, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Yeah, the Devils and Rangers are only 20 minutes apart, but they can't play against each other in the current setup. Adam Bishop (talk) 21:47, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Ahem. The Chicago Cubs and White Sox played each other in the 1906 World Series. The New York Giants and Yankees played in 1921, then again in 1922 and 1923, and again in 1936 and 1937. The Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers played in 1941, and again in 1947 and 1949. The Yankees and Giants played in 1951, the Yankees and Dodgers in 1952 and 1953, and again in 1955 and 1956. The Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants played each other in 1989 (the earthquake series). The New York Yankees and New York Mets played in 2000. Woogee (talk) 22:25, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- The New York Giants and Buffalo Bills played in Super Bowl XXV, that may be the two closest teams to play each other, the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers played each other, that's another intrastate Super Bowl, though not that close geographically. The Giants and New England Patriots, though not in the same state, are not that far apart. Woogee (talk) 22:28, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- As mentioned, the NY Giants and Jets are NFL's only pair in the same city. However, there was another pair from 82-94, the LA Raiders and LA Rams. They never played in the Super Bowl against each other. If you want to go into the AFL (pre NFL), Houston and Dallas played in the AFL's championship in 1962. -- kainaw™ 22:58, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- The Rams actually played in Anaheim the last 14 years of their time in Southern California. Woogee (talk) 23:28, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
- Giants-Yankees in 1921-22 (Polo Grounds), and Browns-Cardinals in 1944 (Sportsman's Park), shared home field. And Yankee Stadium (opened 1923) was just across the river from the Polo Grounds. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 02:59, 11 February 2010 (UTC)
- The Rams actually played in Anaheim the last 14 years of their time in Southern California. Woogee (talk) 23:28, 10 February 2010 (UTC)
Summary:
- MLB: 1906 (Cubs-Sox), 1921, 22, 23, 36, 37, 51 (Giants-Yankees), 1941, 47, 49, 52, 53, 55, 56 (Yankees-Dodgers), 1944 (Cardinals-Browns), 1989 (Giants-A's), 2000 (Yankees-Mets) -- The Giants and Dodgers played in an early "World Series" in 1889, when Brooklyn was in the American Association.
- NFL: None. Closest is probably the 1952-4 NFL championships between the Browns and Lions (96 miles)
- NBA: None, and unlikely due to the East-West set-up. Closest would probably be the 1948 BAA Finals between Baltimore and Philadelphia if we're counting the BAA years and the 1951 Finals between Rochester and New York if we're not.
- NHL: None, and unlikely due to the East-West set-up. Closest would be the 1980 Finals between the Islanders and Flyers.
- Honorable mentions: Ohio State and Cincinnati met in the finals of the 1961 and 1962 NCAA men's basketball tournament. #3 Florida played #1 Florida State in the 1997 Sugar Bowl (#2 Arizona State was obligated to play in the Rose Bowl). -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:03, 11 February 2010 (UTC)
- It also happened once in the 19th century National League/American Association World Series. See List of pre-World Series baseball champions. In 1886 the NL New York Giants defeated the AA Brooklyn Bridegrooms. If the series had been held in 1891, then it would have paired the Boston teams from both leagues. --Jayron32 03:55, 11 February 2010 (UTC)