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January 13

Muslims in four major professional sports leagues

How many Muslims are playing in the CFL? How many Muslims are playing in the NBA? How many Muslims are playing in the MLB? How many Muslims are playing in the NHL? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.29.33.240 (talk) 02:34, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Historically, there used to be more muslims in American sports, back in the 1960's and 1970's, when many black American athletes joined the Nation of Islam-movement. Prominent examples include Muhammad Ali (born Casius Clay), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Lew Alcindor) and Ahmad Rashād (born Bobby Moore). I can't name anyone offhand that is active today, but that doesn't mean that their aren't any. --Jayron32 02:48, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

For NBA players, this forum thread may give you some leads. Some are obvious, like the Turkish player Hedo Türkoğlu. Others, like Shaquille O'Neal are surprising, but apparently confirmed, see [1]. --Jayron32 02:54, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The List of American Muslims has a sports section as well. --Jayron32 02:58, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The only one in the NHL, I think, is Nazem Kadri. (Apparently Justin Abdelkader is not Muslim.) Adam Bishop (talk) 03:46, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

According to Wikipedia, Sam Khalifa is currently the only Muslim to have played in the Major Leagues. Kingturtle = (talk) 01:15, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Ogg

Is there a way to get itunes to read ogg files? Money is tight (talk) 09:52, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sort of. There's a Quicktime plugin somewhere that will let you do it but if I remember correctly it's a huge pain. I had to download a few different versions of the plugin as well, since apparently each update invalidated the previous plugin. This was over a year ago, so it might not be possible now... Eldamorie (talk) 16:59, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

A Film somewhat connected to Fist of Fury

The story begins on a movie set in which the final scene of Fist of Fury takes place. Just like in the movie, the actor playing as Chen Zhen charges at a line of armed soldiers, makes a flying kick and is fired upon. But as soon as the scene is cut, the actor playing as Chen Zhen starts bleeding from a head wound. It turns out that at the same time the armed soldiers are shooting Chen Zhen (with blanks), another mysterious person on the set has fired on the actor with a real gun. Foul play is suspected and the Movie is about a search for the perpetrator who shot the actor. --Arima (talk) 09:57, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Character on Fibber McGee & Molly

When Molly was away from the program, there was a character named "Sill" or "Silly". That character is not mentioned in the Wikipedia article about Fibber McGee & Molly. Who was the character played by and did he do any other characters on the show? 69.21.242.170 (talk) 16:13, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I googled [fibber mcgee silly] and the first item that came up was a character called "Silly Watson", played by Bill Thompson (voice actor), better known as the voice of Wallace Wimple and later the cartoon character Droopy the Dog, whose voice the same as Wallace Wimple's. Don't know about the Silly character otherwise. I wouldn't be surprised if McGee called him "Sill" for short. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:20, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Name that film

Can anybody help me in finding the name for this film? I was only able to catch the last few minutes of this film but from what I caught was: two of the characters had this machine that they where able to attach a phone to, dial the phone and a call but to an earlier time, eg they where in a motel room and they called themselves some hours earlier at a gas station. Once they made that call to themselves I think they started to die when they changed that time between phone calls. Scotius (talk) 16:25, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It makes me think of Primer (film) because it has two time travelling characters and the movie is a narration through a phone call. -- kainaw ™ 18:57, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That what I thought it was, but when I bought it it turned out not to be that one.Scotius (talk) 12:09, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

80's US Television Program

I'm trying to remember the name of a children's program from the mid 1980's featuring an illustrator/artist that showed children how to draw. The artwork was generally black felt tip marker on white and usually featured space themes. Any ideas? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.34.104.12 (talk) 18:39, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If your memory is off by a decade, it could be Pappyland. -- kainaw ™ 18:54, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mister Dressup sometimes did segments on drawing, though I don't recall them usually being space themes. 142.179.81.220 (talk) 22:20, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Secret City? --Onorem ♠Dil 22:27, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Commander Mark was my first thought too; here he is in action. He's using a pencil in this one but I remember him often using a black marker. — jwillbur 10:11, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, here he is with the marker. — jwillbur 10:14, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Picture Pages doesn't fit the description as well as other suggestions but throwing it out there just in case. I vaguely remember a marker being prominent. I think it was named "Mortimer". AlexiusHoratius 22:50, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mortimer Ichabod Marker according to the article. AlexiusHoratius 22:53, 13 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Here in New Zealand we also had a guy like that, named Neville Logan, a dark haired, bespectacled, left handed Christian gentleman who had a slot on TVNZ's After School, based here in Christchurch - a friend of mine got on telly to see him. He would draw a picture for each kid who wanted one, time permitting. I met him at a famous local holiday and kids' school camp complex called Living Springs in Governors Bay back in 1983, where he drew me a cat driving a car - don't know if I still have it. Much fun Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 06:47, 2 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

January 14

a film like "Prime"

Hello, I remember there was a film where a woman seduced her best friend's son (or vice versa), and they were Jews too, but I can't for the life of me recall what the title was (or any other details). Does anyone perhaps know? Thanks in advance, 92.230.209.156 (talk) 01:01, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure about the Jewishness of the characters, but you aren't thinking of The Graduate, are you? What's Prime? Clarityfiend (talk) 01:44, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

umm, no... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387514/ 92.230.209.156 (talk) 12:23, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

oh, and I think I remember that the guy was on countryside vacation or something 92.230.209.156 (talk) 12:32, 14 January 2011 (UTC) or was it in a big city?... 92.230.209.156 (talk) 12:35, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

ok, got it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadpole_(film) Thanks for all your help. Also see Effects_of_alcohol_on_memory :)) 92.230.209.156 (talk) 13:14, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

How much did James Cromwell get paid to be in the movie Babe

Just one spoken line "That'll do, pig."76.27.175.80 (talk) 02:55, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

While that is his most famous line, that is absolutely not the only line he spoke in the film. Googlemeister (talk) 15:30, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Also, there is a great deal more to acting than merely speaking lines. Consider the careers of Charlie Chaplin or Jacques Tati. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 17:10, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, thanks for those pieces of information. But I'd still like to know what he got paid for that role if your fact finding skills are good enough to get that ( mine aren't).76.27.175.80 (talk) 22:45, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Asian Games

how come Asian games is the only pan games that doesn't have an international organization counterpart like OAS has pan-am and AU has pan-african? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.95.106.126 (talk) 03:08, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There's never been a "Pan-Asian" culture the way there is a "Pan-African" culture or a "Pan-American" culture. There are semi-continental Asian organizations, such as ASEAN and SAARC. There is also a recently created Asia Cooperation Dialogue, but it doesn't have the weight of other Pan-continental organizations. --Jayron32 04:47, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Other continents tend to be more homogenous: South and central America share catholicism, mostly share Spanish, and have and common experience of colonialism; Africa has experience of colonialism and poverty, and is mostly Christian aside from the north which has more of an Arab identity; Europe is historically almost all Christian with a closely-interrelated history; while Asia has no common history or religion, being split religiously between Muslim, Hindu, Chinese traditional (now officially atheist), Japanese traditional/Shinto, Buddhist, minority Christian (mainly in SE); and historically with very different experiences in Russian empire, Ottoman empire, British/French colonies, and independent China and Japan. This variation is probably related to the fact that Asia is far bigger than any other continent, with about half the world's population and the largest in area. --Colapeninsula (talk) 12:19, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Is Tom Lenahan still active in celtic music?

Is Tom Lenahan still active in celtic music? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.184.139.96 (talk) 11:03, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have that spelled right? I can't find any info on any musicians named Tom Lenahan. --Jayron32 15:40, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Probably refers to this group called "Lenahan", led by a Tom Lenahan.[2] The page is 3 years old, so who know. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:45, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like you can use the "contact" link on that page to ask Tom himself.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 16:11, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

He is still actively performing in Kansas City.

Which film is this?

I remember some film I saw, it was a USA-made comedy/action film about some criminals who made a robbery. One of the characters mentioned a clown whose name was "Chip... Skip". Then at the end of the film, when he was questioned by the police, he gave his name as "Chipowski... Skipowski". What is the name of this film? JIP | Talk 22:19, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That sounds like the Bill Murray comedy Quick Change. --Antiquary (talk) 22:34, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Great film. Supposedly based upon a true story. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 07:56, 1 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Doomsday Film

When is Neil Marshall going to write and make a Doomsday 2 film 86.133.54.188 (talk) 23:02, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

When he feels like it. --Jayron32 23:40, 14 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

January 15

How do i find a movie's rating?

I thought it would be listed in the info box, but no. Thank you, --72.221.69.161 (talk) 00:32, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Go right to the source. http://www.filmratings.com/

Hope this helps. APL (talk) 00:39, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

We generally don't list them here in the infobox of articles because there are so many ratings systems throughout the world. To list every one of them in the infobox would be overkill. Dismas|^(talk) 00:48, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks guys, very helpful, except my spelling seriously sucks so it took a while to find my movie, 45 seconds instead of 10....of the horrors :)....--72.221.69.161 (talk) 01:10, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

NBA all-star

Some people think that NBA is an anti-Canadian because it never awards the All-star hosting rights to Toronto whenever that city bid for the all-star game. Is this true? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.92.151.156 (talk) 02:32, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Is it true that Toronto has never hosted the game? Yes. It does not necessarily follow that the NBA is anti-Canadian. NBA All-Star Game might have more information for you. --Onorem ♠Dil 02:41, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There are 29 NBA home arenas (the two LA teams share an arena), and the Raptors have been in existence for 15 seasons. So, even if the NBA allstar game was chosen by a blind man and a dartboard, there's still no guarantee they wouldn have hosted one yet. You can't claim anti-Canadianism based on the fact that the only NBA team in Canada hasn't hosted a game they should only host every 29 years, when they haven't even existed that long yet. --Jayron32 15:59, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, don't forget the Vancouver Grizzlies. Clarityfiend (talk) 19:49, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm pretty sure people in Vancouver forget the Vancouver Grizzlies. If they hadn't forgotten them 10 years ago, they'd STILL be there...--Jayron32 20:05, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Morning Football Kickoffs

Hi, my question relates to the UK Premier League, and thus by football I mean Association Football. The standard kickoff time for matches is 3pm, and for TV purposes we normally have an early and/or late kickoff at about 12:30 and 5:30 or so. My question is, do Premier League matches ever start (or better yet, finish) before noon, and if so when did it last happen. Many thanks, 91.85.141.95 (talk) 16:01, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Pretty sure they used to kick off at 11.30am relatively regularly (here's a link to 1 game that definitely did (http://www.premierleague.com/staticFiles/f6/44/0,,12306~148726,00.pdf). I seem to recall there was a Liverpool Vs Man U game at some point that kicked off early (I think 11.15 was relatively normal at one point) so that the fans couldn't get tanked-up in the pub before the game and cause a load of trouble. ny156uk (talk) 18:20, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Ny156uk's link refers to the Premier Academy League, which involves under-18 youth teams, not senior teams. Morning kick-offs can happen, but are very, very rare. Early kick-offs are typically done on police advice, to prevent alcohol-related disorder as Ny156uk mentions. Occasionally they will be 11:45 or 11:30, but most of the time they are 12:00 or 12:30, so not quite in the morning. Two such matches have just started as I type: Birmingham-Aston Villa and Sunderland-Newcastle. Both of these are matches between local rivals, so the risk of crowd trouble is viewed as being greater. Another aspect determining kick-off time is travel for away fans. An average Premier League match might have 3,000 fans who have travelled to support the visiting team. It would be highly inconvenient for fans making a journey from say Newcastle to London if the match started in mid-morning, as they would have to set off in the middle of the night to get there in time.

To give a practical example of the rarity of morning kick-offs, I have been to nearly every Manchester City home game for the past 20 years, and in that time there has been just one morning kick-off - a match against Everton that started at 11:15. It was a strange experience, as the atmosphere was completely flat. One guy I saw came in his dressing gown! Oldelpaso (talk) 12:11, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I think that sums it up nicely, many thanks. Prokhorovka (talk) 21:10, 16 January 2011 (UTC) (OP logged in)[reply]

January 16

Identifying Music

I would like to put this on the Language Desk, as we may have more Russian speakers there, but this may also be appropriate here. Anyway, I would like to know if the music in this video is actually based on existing Russian music, or if it is an original composition made specifically for the game Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 (even though in this video I have used it with Men Of War Red Tide - ignore that tiny fact). Cheers. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 04:46, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently it's James Hannigan's very own "Soviet March" (google composer + title for comparison). In my opinion the composition emulates the feel of Soviet marches of the time in theme, harmony and particularly in orchestration. The rhythmic pattern of dum dumduh dumDUM is typical, though the composer took license with the final syncopated "DUM" (especially at the end of the verse, where it sounds atypical). I don't know who wrote the lyrics, but they're in Russian and can be found online too. (And I don't think there are any authentic Soviet songs going "everywhere they'll sing 'The capital, vodka, our Soviet bear!") ---Sluzzelin talk 08:09, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

My, but it is catchy, isn't it. Makes you wanna go out and kick some Capitalist pig butt :) Anyway, in case you wonder how the real thing sounds like, here's an actual Yugoslav WWII Partisan march, and there is some similarity, even if it is less orchestral. But you can forgive that - drudging along through forests dodging Germans was difficult enough without dragging the philharmonic orchestra in tow, I imagine. The lyrics are nothing revolutionary (no pun intended), "On brethren, fight on, the day of Freedom gleams afore us all!", that sorta thing. And another one. TomorrowTime (talk) 09:36, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Another famous and catchy one which also employs the (unsyncopated) dum dumduh dum pattern is the revolutionary "Warszawianka". Here is the Red Army Choir's famous version (taken at a deliberately slow and haunting tempo, but you can find more obviously martial sounding versions, more like Hannigan's march, online too) . Some of you might be more familiar with the theme in its Spanish adaptation "A las Barricadas" [3]. Yet another famous, perhaps the most famous dum dumduh dum song is the National Anthem of the Soviet Union. ---Sluzzelin talk 09:57, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Even after listening to the video I'm not quite clear on what the dum dumduh dum pattern is, but the general topic reminds me of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11, 4th movement, which slowly builds to a rather Darth Vaderian theme in time. I quite suspect John Williams used it as fodder for his Star Wars music. Quite impressive. Pfly (talk) 11:33, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The dum dumduh dumDUM can't be heard until the choir starts to sing. I can't post scores, but the first "dum" is a quarter note, "dumduh" are a dotted eighth note and a sixteenth note, and the final "dumDUM" in Hannigan's march are an eighth note and a (syncopated) quarter note (in the other original examples, it's just a "dum", just a quarter note). Compare the first-three-beat pattern in the scores of the Warszawianka, the Soviet Anthem, and Hannigan's "Soviet March" (the latter with the mentioned syncopation at the end of the musical phrase). ---Sluzzelin talk 11:44, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Aha - so, I can surmise from this that the song is a very well orchestrated fake (pardon the intended pun)? Cheers for the excellent answers! --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 14:28, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Fake? How do you get that? It doesn't claim to be something it's not - does it? (I'm assuming your pun was on the word "orchestrated" and did not extend to "fake".) -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 20:04, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Something does not need to claim to be anything for it to be labelled a fake. I once had what everyone I knew called a 'fake Rolex', despite the fact that Rolex wasn't written on it anywhere. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 22:18, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

See fake. There are probably dozens of watches that have been designed deliberately to resemble Rolexes, but make no explicit claim about such a resemblance. They rely on people noticing the similarity (or in some cases believing gullibly they are actually are Rolexes), and desiring to own something that's relatively inexpensive but that will give them the appearance of wearing a Rolex (and in most cases they won't be subjected to a closer inspection, so the appearance will linger). That's vanity marketing for you, and there is an implicit fakery involved. But I wouldn't call a piece of music that just happens to remind me of, say, Shostakovich, as "fake Shostakovich", because that would suggest the composer deliberately set out to write something that would make listeners think they were actually listening to Shostakovich when they weren't. A lot of Mozart sounds like Haydn, but do we ever call it "fake Haydn" - hardly. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 20:04, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This is the beauty of language, Jack. We are completely at liberty to use words in whatever way we want to use them, and then it is up to the listener to either understand the words as they were intended, or not to understand them as they were intended, or, as is the case here, to simply refuse to allow a word to be used in a certain way. Certainly you understand exactly what I meant by the word 'fake', even though my use of the word runs contrary to your experience as a native English speaker. As for the analogy of the Rolex, your explanation confirms what I said. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 20:18, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I believe you differ on whether the element of intentional deception is prerequisite for somtehing to be "fake". Online definitions include "not what it seems to be" and "having a misleading appearance" which both don't necessarily require intent. Semantics aside, I actually think the composer is intentionally trying to deceive us, the same way a costume designer or an actor is trying to deceive us in a film. They all want our suspension of disbelief to remain free of disruption by reality. (Had Hannigan not succeeded, this question might not have been asked :-) ---Sluzzelin talk 20:26, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"Trying to deceive us" - but what about? What exactly is it that some people think is true about his music but really isn't true? Trying to create a particular mood and feel - yes, I willingly accept that. Composers wanting a martial feel will adopt martial (= march-like) rhythms, but that doesn't mean they're pretending, lying, deceiving or faking anything. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 20:38, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I guess I just have a more fuzzy hearing when it comes to words. Where would you draw the line? Is David Blaine trying to deceive us? What about mentalists? Maybe just some of us? ---Sluzzelin talk 20:46, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, I didn't even attempt to answer your question. I guess people aren't supposed to think too much one way or the other about the music's authenticity, but if I have to come up with something we're being deceived about, that's what it would be: The music's authenticity. Unlike with costumes and acting, a viewer cannot know in advance whether the music is original or borrowed, and he can't tell when it is made to sound like the real thing. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:02, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, I just noticed another thing Hannigan's march has in common with a lot of Soviet marches: The main theme is rooted in a grim minor tonality, while the middle part (or bridge, if you like) is held in the triumphant relative major tonality. ---Sluzzelin talk 20:39, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sluzzelin and User:JackofOz: you are both likely too young to recall Franchellie Cadwell's advertising years, and one of her most famous tag lines- "It's not fake anything. It's real Dynel." (And, even if you are old enough to recall 1963, you were not on the same continent.) Dynel was a synthetic (plastic) fur. Now we can ~~argue~~ ~~debate~~ ~~discuss~~ consider "real" music versus "synthetic" music. :>) Bielle (talk) 21:05, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

1963? I was well into puberty by then. I remember ... no, I'd better not go into those details here. :) -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 00:01, 18 January 2011 (UTC) [reply]

Stage and work times for entertainers

How much extra work time do experienced entertainers typically do in addition to the duration of the time they are on stage? Such time would include travelling to and from the venue, etc. I'm thinking of for example rock musicians giving a concert, or comedians appearing in cabaret. Thanks. 92.29.122.203 (talk) 15:07, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It would vary a lot depending on the nature of the tour, how hands-on the performer is, etc. A musician or comedian playing a different venue every night will have to travel to and from hotel and venue, and may have travelling time of anything from an hour to several hours (check tour schedules); other bands may allow free days for travelling, or play multiple nights in the same venue. Musicians typically do sound-checks before the venue opens, which may take a few minutes or an hour - longer if there are technical problems. Higher-level acts (who play big venues) will have roadies to pack and unpack equipment, but a band who is starting out may have to collect their gear, drive it, unload it, set it up, tune it, etc, and some more senior musicians like to be hands-on. A band may arrive at a venue 4 or 6 hours before they go on stage, although there will be a lot of time spent waiting rather than working. Some acts will spend a lot of time in makeup and getting dressed, while others will walk on stage in their day clothes. There are other uses of time: talking to managers or tour managers to plan future shows, publicity work (TV, radio, or press interviews). It can be long hours for the duration of a tour, from morning radio appearances or early travel, till the evening performance.

In contrast, a stand-up comedian doing a short set in their home town may turn up a short time before, walk out on stage, do their show, and leave, with no sound check or real preparation, so it might take 3 hours or less from leaving their home to arriving home. But even then, they will have to arrange their appearance with promotor or their agent, write material (especially if they do topical stuff), travel to and from the show, wait till it's time to go on, and may be expected to stay and watch the other acts, etc. --Colapeninsula (talk) 13:21, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

And then there is rehearsal time, practice time and often writing and/or composing time. Bielle (talk) 22:20, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Beattie Feathers

How do you pronounce his first name? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 17:54, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I must say that nobody seems to want to tell us. I googled for "Beattie Feathers" pronounced and got dozens of seemingly relevant hits, none of which actually bothered to spell out how it was pronounced. Honestly, the writers mention how "Kuhn" is pronounced, but assume everyone has heard of Beattie Feathers. I'm afraid I have nothing more useful to tell you other than that it is probably one of the pronunciations listed here. Sorry :( Maybe someone else will have more luck for you. Matt Deres (talk) 00:57, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

For what it's worth, the expected pronunciation for that spelling in standard British English would be "BEET-ee". Ghmyrtle (talk) 13:46, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What happened to the Tin Man costume from "The Wizard of Oz"?

I known what happened to the Cowardly Lion costume and the Scarecrow costume and the Dorothy dresses but I wanna know about the Tin Man costume. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.176.128.55 (talk) 19:21, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Assuming that you're talking about the 1939 film, and not any of the other stage and screen adaptations, the answer appears to be that it was destroyed. That's what the Daily Mirror says anyway. --Antiquary (talk) 19:55, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

So it was just "destroyed" HOW did this happen —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.176.128.55 (talk) 20:07, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Easy. The Wizard of Oz wasn't considered a classic right away. Even for more initially successful films, props were routinely reused or thrown away. The studios were making dozens of pictures a year and didn't have unlimited storage space. "A lot of stuff was literally thrown away and pulled out of dumpsters".[4] An "enterprising" costumer named Kent Warner claimed he found Humphrey Bogart's trenchcoat from Casablanca in a bin scheduled to be burned(!) and "rescued" it.[5] Warner also found the ruby slippers, which had been put in a box and misplaced for decades. The studios were just clueless about the value of film memorabilia until a landmark 1970 MGM auction. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:39, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That's right. I can also tell you that the news doesn't seem to be as bad as I first thought. This Wizard of Oz site only says that the costume was "largely" destroyed, which of course implies that it partially survived. (The site seems to be off-line at the moment, which is why I've linked to a cached version.) Another site (same problem, same solution) claims that the headpiece of the costume was saved, was bought by the film star Debbie Reynolds, and, unless I'm misinterpreting it, that it's now at the Motion Picture Museum at Belle Island Village in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. --Antiquary (talk) 20:48, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sadly, the museum and Belle Island Village both went bankrupt before opening. Reynolds' collection is to be auctioned off by Christie's by June. (See Debbie Reynolds#Film memorabilia for the freshly-added references.) Maybe you can pick up what's left of the costume, if you've got lots of $$$. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:59, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Storage is expensive. Why keep something around if you're never going to use it again? (As others have indicated, there wasn't necessarily any thought towards movie memorabilia at the time.) The other thing is that most movie props and costumes aren't necessarily made to last. They're made to look like their real (but aren't necessarily real), and made to last through shooting, but aren't really intended to be kept around longer. What looks like a metal tube on film might just be a piece of cardboard or paper mache tubing painted silver. I've heard of instances where they're literally duct taping props/costumes together near the end of shooting to keep them from falling apart. (They hide the duct tape with judicious use of camera angles.) Alternatively, there might not be one costume/prop, but multiple ones, using the new one when an old one wears out. (Depending on what they're doing, that could happen very rapidly.) Or you could have one costume for each day of shooting, where the actor gets glued into the costume each morning and the costume has to be destroyed to get the actor out of it at night. (All that said, I don't know what category the Tin Man costume falls under. I'm just making the point that props and costumes aren't viewed by the industry with the same "permanence" we look at the items and clothing we own.) -- 174.21.229.4 (talk) 00:20, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Chinese media

Why does it seems a lot of Chinese stars that make it big are from Taiwan or Hong Kong or either were born elsewhere but later move there? Why isn't there more mainland stars? Maybe there is actually alot more than I think but they are not as well known as Taiwanese or Cantonese stars? Does Communism have anything to do with this?--Queen Elizabeth II's Little Spy (talk) 21:26, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Until the 5th generation of Chinese cinema, mainland Chinese films were little known outside of China, while Taiwan and Hong Kong films had much more widespead distribution before that. For example, it was Raise the Red Lantern (winner of a BAFTA in 1992) which brought Chinese cinema to my attention, while I was already well aware of various "Chopsocky" films from Hong Kong while I was growing up in the UK in the 70s. I think it is quite likely that communism is in part responsible for lack of a mainland Chinese presence on the World Cinema circuit, with many films and film makers being subject to restrictions. See the rest of the Cinema of China article for more information. Astronaut (talk) 00:47, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just from the same director, Red Sorghum won a Golden Bear for Best Picture at the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival and Ju Dou was nominated for a foreign film Oscar in 1989. So mainland films weren't totally unknown in the late 1980s. Rmhermen (talk) 17:20, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Good mp3 blog for new dance/pop music

Does anyone have recommendations for an mp3 blog with good, danceable pop music? I like basically all danceable music, from stuff that's more latin/tropical (example) to dance-y hip hop (example) to straight-up pop music (example). I don't care for stuff that's too EDM. (David Guetta's latest stuff is fun, but something like this I don't like.) Indie-type stuff (example) is good occasionally but I don't want a blog that focuses on this type of music too much. Looking for a blog with a lot of new stuff, and potentially older things that are less well known. Thoughts about a blog that matches my taste in music?? I'd like to be able to keep up with new releases. Thanks!!! Calliopejen1 (talk) 21:52, 16 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

January 17

Miami Showband

Resolved

Did the 1975 lineup fronted by Fran O'Toole have any singles in the Irish charts? Thanks.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 14:33, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

They had a big hit Clap Your Hands and Stomp Your Feet which made it to #8 in the Irish charts in late 1974.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 08:44, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Chances of NFL hiring replacements in case of lockout?

My friend and I were talking abot the potential for a lockout in the NFL this year, and realized that one thing we haven't heard about is replacement players, as were done in the 1987 season. I remarked that - despite the negative publicity at the time - the lrague recovered rather fast and the average fan in the United States is not (from our perspective, anyway) as pro-labor union as they were 23 years ago (and then it was more in certain cities like Detroit). So it seemed like - in order to avoid cancelling the season - the owners could hire replacements.

Witht hat background, to make this a question that focuses on actual research, have there been talks about replacements? Do NFL analysts consider it possible? I know they probably wouldn't start looking for replacements till summer if it did happen, but has there been such talk?

While I'm as it, a followup question - has anyone brought up the possibility of the NBA using them if their labor problems are as bad as I've heard they could be? Even if the networks pay the NFL regardless of whether games are played, I doubt the NBA contract would say that. (And I don't totally understand the logic behind the NFL contract with the ntworks saying that, which I've heard it does.)

I know this is possibly going to be a moot point if both settle, but I tried to phrase it so at least it's not asking you to tell the future.

Thanks in advance.99.109.48.230 (talk) 18:37, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The purpose of using replacement players is usually more to break the players union than to fulfill a television contract. The question is thus, what is the lockout supposed to accomplish ? My sense is that the NFL players' union is the weakest of the four major sports, as a result of the owners successfully breaking it during the 1987 strike, so I don't see why the owners would want to go through a risky public relations exercise in staging games with replacement players, especially since the last NHL strike has shown that a sport can recover even from losing a full season, if it can get back to putting on a good product for the fans.

That said, in football, it's relatively simple to find replacement players: unemployed players of good caliber are easily available because there are tons of former college players around and very few employment opportunities for them besides the NFL. That is why the league managed to pull off playing a few games with replacement players in 1987, but it was not a generally popular move. It depends on how much pressure the television networks exercize to have football on tv in spite of a strike. In 1987, the pressure on NFL owners to put on games was very strong; I'm not convinced it would be the same today (but then, Wikipedia is not a crystal ball etc.) --Xuxl (talk) 20:51, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The use of replacement players in 1987 was such a hated move, I doubt it would happen again. Union members universally despised such players, and even if they were "good enough" to have continued to play in the NFL, many did not because of the hostile atmosphere towards them. Most commentators on the TV and in the written press have completely discounted the possibility. It bears noting that the source of the impending labor action next year is an owner lockout, not a player strike, as was the case in 1987. The current situation is instigated by the owners, and not the players, as the owners were the ones who "opted out" of the current contract and initiated the current attempts to renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement. Given that, it also seems unlikely that the owners would be motivated to use replacement players. --Jayron32 21:05, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

They maybe could have justified strikebreakers in 1987, but trying to use replacements while locking out the "real" players would likely be big trouble. I could imagine the season ticket holders bringing a class-action lawsuit for fraud, among other things. I think there was discussion of such suits even in 1987. Also, as I recall, the games were poorly attended. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:54, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"1979"

The credits of Gran Turismo 5 list 1979 by the Smashing Pumpkins as part of the soundtrack, but it's not part of the normal soundtrack. At what point does it appear? And while I'm at it, what does the title of the song have to do with anything (I know the Pumpkins are famous for odd titles)? 75.73.225.224 (talk) 20:48, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Can't answer any question about the use of the song in the Video game, but the song is pretty obvious when you listen to the lyrics ("Shakedown 1979/Cool kids never had the time"). Billy Corgan was a 12-year old in 1979, and was obviously recanting the sort of "alienation" he felt from not being part of the "in crowd" as a youth. --Jayron32 20:58, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I understand! And my theory for the song's appearance is that it might be in a hidden credits sequence, such as certain songs appeared in GT3. Can this be confirmed by anyone who has somehow beaten the game already? 75.73.225.224 (talk) 21:05, 17 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Canadian actor Guy Big and a short film credit missing from BIO.

ken martin--99.249.227.107 (talk) 23:13, 17 January 2011 (UTC)I got thinking of the short film "The Ugly Littlr Boy" where Guy Big made an outstanding acting performace as "BOY" from the past. The Ugly Little Boy was written by renound science fiction writer Issac A. (spelling?) It aired after his death on TVOntario'Bold text'[reply]

Presumably refering to the 1977 Canadian television adapation of Isaac Asimov's The Ugly Little Boy. Guy Big's short IMDB entry does include that role. The article is not protected and you could add that information yourself although the "outstanding" and "after death" parts would require additional specific references. Rmhermen (talk) 15:47, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

January 18

Just William, 1940s radio series

Does anyone know where, online, I can hear any of the 1940s radio series of Just William starring John Clark? Or even just the theme-tune? Thanks. ╟─Treasury Tag►high seas─╢ 10:41, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I can only chip-in an internet search that points to it being by Leighton Lucas - X201 (talk) 12:21, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

items worth?

I have a very old version of THE GAME OF AUTHORS an am curious of its worth.Can you help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.200.189.106 (talk) 14:57, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There is a short Wikipedia article about this game: Authors (card game). It has been through many editions with many variants; I just went to ebay and searched for authors game and found one edition listed for US$450, and another listed for US$3.99, so it all depends on which of the many editions you have, and then what condition it's in. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:19, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mihály Kormos

I wish to visually identify the actor Mihály Kormos. Imdb says he appears in Werckmeister Harmonies and The Man from London but I can't tell which characters. Google just throws up images from the films showing different people. Anyone here of sufficient Tarr-lore or Google-fu to know? Cheers, Skomorokh 16:14, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Does http://www.movies.kngine.com/person.ashx?id=IA:0466345&tab=Photos help? Corvus cornix_talk 19:43, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That looks like it could be a scrape of the Google results or at the very least bot generated as there are at least 5 different people in the gallery. The chap walking down the street and the fellow with the whale are both stills from Tarr films, but it's not clear whether either of them are Mr. Kormos. Appreciate the help nonetheless, Skomorokh 20:32, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

January 19

13

Why do many TV series have a number of episodes that is a multiple of 13? jc iindyysgvxc (my contributions) 04:32, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Because it's 1/4th of a year? Just a guess. --Jayron32 04:54, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Due to the Late-2000s recession and the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, many recent series from the US have had their episode count reduced from typically 26/24 episodes per season to sometimes as low as 20 or even 18 episodes per season. Category:Lists of television series episodes should provide suitable example. Astronaut (talk) 05:34, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I always thought what Jayron thought, but TV series says "it is typical for a show's season to comprise 13 or 20–26 consecutive episodes between September and December or January and May. This is done to take advantage of the Nielsen Ratings system which calculates viewer numbers during these times." This is not referenced in the article. Maybe both are true.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:24, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

See Nielsen_ratings#Sweeps. You'll find that there are 4 weeks in each of the four "sweeps" periods, resulting in 16 total weeks where the ratings "count"; advertisers set the rates they pay for commercials based mostly on the ratings during "sweeps" periods. The other 10 episodes in a standard season's run are usually run just prior to sweeps period to generate interest in a show. The weeks immediately after a sweeps period almost never feature first-run episodes. Additionally, the July sweeps is not as important as the other three months, as TV viewership as a whole sharply declines in the summer; some shows will forgo new episodes during the July sweeps for this reason. --Jayron32 16:35, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Recession = smaller audiences?

In researching my answer to the question immediately above, I noticed some shows have had a reduced episode count (said to be due to the need to save money) and some have been cancelled (again due to the need to save money, but equally due to lower audience figures). Are lower audience figures connected to the recession? I would have thought more people laid off would increase TV audiences - I know that when I was out of work, I saved money by staying in and watching a lot of TV. Astronaut (talk) 06:00, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Even if there is theoretically a bigger available audience, that doesn't mean they will watch anything that's aired. The audience still needs to watch the show, and networks are not giving series as much time as they have in the past. The last few TV seasons have seen a number of series canceled after only a handful of episodes. For example, this season's Lone Star and My Generation were canceled after two airings each. Both shows had poorly-viewed debut episodes, with their second episodes having even fewer viewers. Beyond the quality issue, there's also quantity. Even recession-squeezed viewers who have simple cable packages still have dozens of channels to watch, each one competing for their attention. That completely excludes the Internet and its various offerings (such as Netflix and Hulu), gaming consoles, etc. --McDoob AU 93 06:19, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) It's probably more a function of the fact that advertisers have less money to spend, regardless of how many people are watching TV. There's just less money in the pot for everyone, so everyone feels the pinch in some way. More eyes on a TV show doesn't necessarily translate into more cash instantly; if there's not as much cash being spent on commercials, the networks can't afford to pay for new episodes, especially of expensive episodic TV, rather than running reruns, or relatively cheap gameshows like Wipeout (2008 U.S. game show) and "celebreality" type stuff. --Jayron32 06:21, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Jayron raises a good point ... scripted television series can be expensive, so networks are looking for big ratings to offset the cost, hence the relatively short leashes they put these shows on. On the other hand, reality and game shows are generally much cheaper to produce, and thus don't need huge audiences to be considered successful. COPS is an example of a low-rated TV series that has stayed on the air for two decades, even though its ratings on a given night were only a few points higher than the debut of Lone Star earlier this season. --McDoob AU 93 06:34, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's quite telling to note that nearly all of the really good dramatic episodic television for the last decade has come from cable TV networks. The top three broadcasters of the most critically acclaimed hour-long dramas in the U.S. (usually the most expensive shows to produce) are HBO (The Sopranos, The Wire), AMC (Breaking Bad, Mad Men), and FX (Sons of Anarchy, Rescue Me). Economically, it makes sense that these networks, with MUCH lower overhead for the rest of their operation, can afford to air such shows that network TV will shy away from. Look at AMC, they basically show reruns of 70's and 80's era movies for like 22 hours per day, and show maybe 1-2 original dramas per day. Since it essentially costs nothing to show Smokey and the Bandit 2, that means that almost all of their costs is concentrated on those 1-2 expensive dramas. With broadcast networks, HUGE costs go into maintaining news departments, for example. Despite the proliferation of so-called "news channels", very little actual journalism goes on on CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC; they are basically political commentary mixed in with celebrity gossip. Broadcast network news on the original Big Three networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) is really the only place for real TV journalism, but that journalism is expensive, and tends to put a pinch on the budgets elsewhere. --Jayron32 16:07, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Please help track down a mix album from the 90s

I was given a mix tape in the 90s that I listened to constantly, but lost. About 5 years ago, I heard all the songs in a club in the same order as my old mix tape, so I know it must exist as an album somewhere. I wished i'd asked the dj what the album was, but I didn't. In the 90s, it might have been described as hip hop/swing/R&B. Definite song titles included in the album are: is it good to you; yo!, that's a lot of body; i like your style; rump shaker. Other songs I think might be in there, although i'm not sure of the titles are: milkshake; let's have a quickie; serious. Please help me track down this album. Many thanks to all ref deskers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.168.88.74 (talk) 10:29, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

One place to start is the highly popular Now That's What I Call Music! series of mixtapes. --Jayron32 16:37, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Jayron. It's not a NTWICM compilation album - the closest I could find was Mastercut's "New Jack Swing" volumes, but they only have some of the tracks i've listed above. I was hoping someone with better search skills than me could find it or recommend sites other than amazon to search on. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.168.88.74 (talk) 17:16, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What does "Yeti" means?

In the movie This is England Woody says "Brush him down. He looks like a Yeti!" What does he means when he says "Yeti"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.132.177.126 (talk) 11:09, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As always, try us first. We have articles on most things. Britmax (talk) 11:14, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I tried, of course, but I'm not sure if this is what he referred too. Are you sure? He says it to the girls after Shaun's haircut. 217.132.177.126 (talk) 11:19, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps he's referring to Shaun's snow-like dandruff. ---Sluzzelin talk 11:21, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly the speaker is treating Yeti as synonymous with Bigfoot, which is described as "hairy". Mitch Ames (talk) 12:40, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have not seen the film, but if someone said to me "He looks like a yeti" I would imagine someone with wild unmanagable hair that made him look like a hairy monster. APL (talk) 19:23, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What song did Joe Cocker sing in a cat food commercial?

The only words I remember are "all right".Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 20:16, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This would seem to suggest "Feelin' Alright" but I looked at a lyrics site earlier today when I felt safer not being at home, but I couldn't remember any of those lyrics being in the commercial. And nothing else came up in a web search.Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 20:20, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It could have been a "sound alike" singing a bastardized version of the song, and not Cocker himself. That happens all the time. --Jayron32 20:49, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If it was a sound alike he was really good. It's not a recent commercial. I heard the song in another context. It starts with a jazz piano.Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:28, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Feeling' Alright starts with jazz (well, more honky-tonk) piano, backed with congas. 213.122.0.197 (talk) 21:46, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure what honky-tonk is, but there are many styles of jazz. The commercial music is the type of jazz that would be connected with tough guys.Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:53, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Was it any of these lyrics? It's under "Joe Cocker – Captioned For The Clear Headed". Bus stop (talk) 21:59, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There are indeed many types of jazz, but I'm not sure what that one is. :) There are also many types of tough guys. 1930s gangsters? Cowboys? Cops from 70s TV shows? 213.122.0.197 (talk) 22:03, 19 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

How do you put a picture for something such as a band on wikipedia?