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January 27

DVD sound: "5.1/2"

I'm trying to get the Mystery Train article to featured status, and have run aground on a detail about the sound on the DVD release. The Allmovie page lists the sound as "5.1/2". What does this mean in layman's terms? Thanks in advance,  Skomorokh  01:18, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Maybe a typo? 5.1 sound refers to the configuration of speakers in a surround sound system. Surround sound configurations are notated as X.Y, where the first number X is the number of discrete/directional channels and the .Y is the number of "non-directional" bass/low frequency channels, sometimes called Low Frequency Effects or Low Frequency Enhancement. So a 5.1 system would feature 5 speakers, usually three in front and two behind and one LFE speaker. A 5.2 system would have 2 such LFE speakers, since I don't know what 1/2 a channel would mean (either the channel is encoded in the sound info or its not), the notation 5.1/2 probably means that the sound is compatable either with 5.1 or 5.2 surround sound systems. --Jayron32 02:17, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

The Amazon page for the DVD lists the sound as "Dolby Digital 2.0", but I've known Amazon product information to be wildly inaccurate. That said, perhaps the DVD offers both Dolby 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 as options, which might mean that the Allmovie information is meant to read as 5.1 OR 2.0. I know that's lot of speculation and original research on my part, but that's all I've got for right now. --LarryMac | Talk 17:59, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Fewest number 1s in a year?/Most weeks at No.1 in a year for one performer?

Two linked questions-what's the fewest number 1 singles in a calendar year on a national chart?I'd got Billboard(2005)with 8 different ones,and German Top 100 from 1959 with 7,but then found there were only four here.Can there surely be less than that for a mainstream singles chart? Albums is easy-South Pacific only one for whole of 1959 in UK. And in List_of_French_number-one_hits_of_1957 Dalida has 40 weeks at number one in the year-any advances on that? Lemon martini (talk) 02:56, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Don't know, but there are good sources of international charts here and here if you'd like to spend some time browsing them. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:13, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Regarding list of films

Who so ever has the list of movies and their supporting details please conduct me . e.s.kesavanATgmail.com kesavan. —Preceding unsigned comment added by K7smart (talk • contribs) 07:04, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

All movies? That'd be a pretty long list. Narrow down your criteria so we can help you. TomorrowTime (talk) 09:18, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Try the Internet Movie Database. It's pretty comprehensive.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:31, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Another comprehensive source is the Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures, published by the Government Printing Office, which begins with the 1894-1912 volume. Pepso2 (talk) 12:16, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

SF short story featuring Pac-Man?

Hello, it may be 20 years or more since I read that story where the protagonist, on his 1st crack of the Pac-Man high score, is congratulated by The President and presented with a new, more complicated game. After winning that, protagonist is congratulated by an alien. It all is embedded in an espionage/love story frame. What's the author/title of that ingenious piece? --Ayacop (talk) 09:20, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

I do recall reading a similar story - the name and author of which I don't remember - which may or may not be what you're thinking of. If it is, my description might help someone identify it.

In this story a computer-game programmer and/or enthusiast receives a disk in the mail from an anonymous sender. The disk contains a new game, which the recipient sells as his own work. The game is a "fight the alien invaders" type that appears to reconfigure itself to get harder as the player gets better. (This story is probably quite old, predating any modern games, so this concept was quite radical in the story.) The game is very popular and lots of people play it and get quite good at it. Then one day all the games stop with a message to the effect that "phase 1 complete, prepare for phase 2". A few days later, real aliens - just like those in the game - invade the earth. (It's also possible that a distinct "phase 2" was in the game, and that "'phase 3" was the real invasion.) Mitch Ames (talk) 09:39, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

A vaguely similar thing happens in Ender's Game where Ender thinks he is training on a 3-D space battle simulator, but is actually controlling real ships in a real battle against real aliens with whom Earth is at war. Mitch Ames (talk) 09:48, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

While the answers are interesting, it's not what I'm looking for. The protagonist is a simple guy playing in a gaming hall. No personal computers. In fact, I just remember he has the maintenance job there. Any takers having read stories from the 80s? --Ayacop (talk) 10:38, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

A little Googling suggests that the story may be "Pac-Man" (1982) by Rudy Rucker. Does the description of part of it here (search the page for "Rucker") ring any bells? Deor (talk) 11:39, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

A couple of close hits from my memory. The Last Starfighter was a movie based on a very similar idea; there is a video game which is actually a training device for a starfighter. When some down-and-out kid beats the game, he is whisked away by Aliens to be one of their starfighter pilots. In the film Nightmares (1983 film), a "twilight zone" ripoff movie with 4 vignettes, Emilio Estevez plays a kid who becomes the first to beat a video game, and as a reward is sucked into the game and plays it "for real". I have no idea if either of these was based on earlier works; they may have been. The Last Starfighter had a novelization, according to our article, so the OP may have read that. --Jayron32 13:48, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Indeed, Rudy Rucker was it! Thanks all. --Ayacop (talk) 14:37, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

How did it occur ?

Last night on New Zealand television I once more watched the thriller The Perfect Tenant, then decided today to look up the movie on IMDB. To my surprise, although less so these days, I found that one of the actors - who ironically played one of the characters killed in the movie - had died later the very year the film was released, at the age of only 28. This was Christopher Burkott. I actually didn't think he looked that old. Another film he did was realeased after his death, but there is no information on how he died. I checked Google, and all the biographies of him on different sites say nothing, only that in 1996 he made a large political contribution. My only understanding was that it occured in Atlantic City. This happens often, since last night, after watching Die Hard Three, did I find that one of its cast, Anthony Peck, the son of Gregory Peck by his second marriage, had died back in 1996, and all this time I was not aware. One day you miss the news, and you never know who dies, assuming they are famous enough to be considered newsworthy. All of them are, but there you go. There have been many stars who had died, and for years I thought they were still alive - and shockingly, vice versa. I only found out Pernell Roberts passed away when my mother told me, but never saw it on the TV news. If anyone can find out, then thanks. The Russian Christopher Lilly 13:00, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, the vice-versa case is perhaps more common. "Joe Bloggs? Didn't he die years ago?" No, he's very much alive, and about to make his next movie, Terminator XVII.

If you're asking how it occurred that you missed the news of Christopher Burkott's death: we have no way of knowing.

But if you're asking how his death occurred: I have no idea, but somebody here might. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 13:25, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Since the first two actors you mention are redlinks, they are quite likely not to be sufficiently well known for their deaths to make the national news. You can keep up with actors' deaths to some extent by reading Variety. We also have a page dedicated to recent deaths.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 13:50, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

I searched a couple of on-line archives and couldn't find anything beyond a death date of Aug. 20, 2000 in Atlantic City. No wonder you missed the news; it seems there was no coverage of Christopher Burkott's death at the time. The cause of death is not addressed anywhere I could dig up either. --Xuxl (talk) 16:51, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/116037711/christopher-burkott?fbclid=IwY2xjawEuQxpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbaKCzi3104cKywk5vsozjylmWaeIi-9CtJiiTE4OdBaCb6UZD407-ELEA_aem_NJpTXzA2ivhwZGXjqfKEaA 104.62.110.153 (talk) 03:01, 18 August 2024 (UTC)

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/116037711/christopher-burkott?fbclid=IwY2xjawEuQxpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbaKCzi3104cKywk5vsozjylmWaeIi-9CtJiiTE4OdBaCb6UZD407-ELEA_aem_NJpTXzA2ivhwZGXjqfKEaA 104.62.110.153 (talk) 03:04, 18 August 2024 (UTC)

Sadly, this report states he took his own life.

https://me.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2000-05944 104.62.110.153 (talk) 03:17, 18 August 2024 (UTC)

i was a childhood friend of Chris Burkott, i just recently looked him up after 20 years and found out he died, that was a shocked for me, i used to go horseback riding with him a few times a month, and we hung out almost every day back in 6th or 7th grade

Google News Archive Search finds exactly one article (from the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina!) mentioning his death, but the only relevant portion that you can read for free just says "Christopher Burkott, 28, of Los Angeles died Sunday. The funeral will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday in Powell Funeral Home chapel in ...". Reading the rest costs $2.95, and given the way that bit is worded, it seems likely that there won't be any information about the cause of death. --Anonymous, 06:55 UTC, January 28, 2010.

Fancy that. Thank You. I guess he was not that well known, but it can always be a shame when anyone passes away, regardless of how famous they are or not. I apologise, Jack of Oz, if I worded the thing wrong, such that you might have had the impression I was asking how I missed the news. I should think you would not believe that that was what I was asking. But it appears the matter is as cleared up as it is going to be. I would rather not speculate on his manner of death - I have seen that done before, where one, making an assumption, gets the reason for a person's death wrong. The only reason I asked was my shock at assuming someone who should have outlived me was no more.

And yes, for years I thought a certain veteran of The Godfather had been dead, but I believe I got him confused with one of his co stars - I shudder to think I was disappointed to see him alive after all these years. No, I was, and remain, pleasantly surprised. It's like I have brought someone back from the dead - at least in my own mind. Others in that film and its sequels, I knew not that they had died some time ago. I guess you can only do your best to keep track of everyone. Imagine one was a Hollywood producer who demanded a long dead actor play a leading part in his next box office bomb. He in particular would look a bit stupid. It would be part of his job to keep in touch with things like that. But the rest of us, as has been noted, sometimes don't. The Russian Christopher Lilly 12:13, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Regarding Christopher Burkott, sadly, this report states he took his own life on August 20, 2000, while living in Los Angeles. https://me.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2000-05944 104.62.110.153 (talk) 03:20, 18 August 2024 (UTC)

2057

Does anybody know when will the show 2057 be on discovery channel again? Will this show be on sometime in 2010? BlueEarth (talk | contribs) 19:04, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

I can't find any evidence that they will broadcast it again, and of course we can't predict the future; there is a DVD available at the Discovery Channel store for about $10. --LarryMac | Talk 19:00, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

2001: A Star Trek Close Encounter of the Space Odyssey Kind, The Motion Picture.

Has anyone ever noticed a similarity between these movies? 2001: A Space Odyssey,Star Trek: the Motion Picture, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I'm wondering if they seem related because of where they were filmed or who filmed them.

They seem somewhat of a series to me having an overall theme of contact between different orders of intelligence. Their sequence would be starting with the the Dawn of Man, then Close Encounters, then the remainder of 2001, and then comes Star Trek: The Motion Picture (which I didn't like when it came out, but I so totally get it now. It's a great movie.)

On the Vejur platform, it's looks almost like the same stage as in the moon scene in 2001, where they are in the excavation area around the monolith. They even look like the same space suits between the two movies.

The central area of the Vejur cloud is the same as the inside of the monolith. When Spock enters Vejur, it is just like when Dave enters the monolith toward the end of 2001.

As far as Close Encounters and its relation to the other two films, consider all the lights (compared to the above two mentioned forays into the unknown) and as well, think about how the big 'upside-down jellyfish' spaceship at the end of Close Encounters speaks in the big deep tones having longer wavelengths than the human's keyboard. That's similar to Vejur's repeating message which has to be adjusted in it's speed in order to make sense to the humans (although it's a whole different magnitude of difference with Vejur, and reversed too from C.E., I believe).

I think what I see here is not a vast conspiracy by the film industry to keep reshowing us the same movie, although, is it really that far fetched? --Neptunerover (talk) 19:54, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

There have been countless movies about encounters with extraterrestrials. Richard Dreyfuss once said that E.T. was a sequel to CE3K. Visually, though, there is certainly a connection: Prior to 2001, most sci-fi movies looked like the classic Star Trek episodes - obvious models and studio-bound sets. Kubrick's production team set a new standard of realistic-looking visual effects that continues to this day. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:14, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

By the way, as far as I know the 2001 sets were demolished after production was completed. When they made 2010 they had to rebuild everything they needed. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:19, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Yep, they mention it in the DVD notes on the 2010 DVD. The director (or someone) says with a hint of pride in his voice something along the lines: "Well, Kubrick wrecked the original model of the ship, because he didn't want any sequels, but we made one from scratch, and it looks exactly the same." I remember being amazed at the lack of empathy by the guy - not only does he acknowledge Kubrick didn't want sequels, he's even proud of doing exactly what Kubrick didn't want. TomorrowTime (talk) 21:16, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Kubrick was a bit of an eccentric. If he didn't want any sequels, he should have told Arthur Clarke not to write any. Also, can you imagine what those sets would have been worth in a collectors' market? C'est la vie. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:21, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, he didn't exactly pull a Shakespeare (who, obviously, killed off everyone in all of his plays to prevent sequels), but he still made it plenty clear he didn't want sequels... TomorrowTime (talk) 22:27, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Disobeying authors' instructions has a proud history. Much of Kafka would be unknown to us if his literary executor Max Brod had obeyed Kafka's injunction to burn everything that hadn't been published. We wouldn't have Elgar's 3rd Symphony if his executors had obeyed his wishes to burn his sketches. And so on. --202.142.129.66 (talk) 01:50, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

True, true. The same goes for Lovecraft, come to think of it. TomorrowTime (talk) 14:52, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

I would link 2001 with A Clockwork Orange. I recall a quote (by Kubrick?) that A Clockwork Orange showed what was happening on Earth while 2001 was going on in space. Pepso2 (talk) 20:37, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Really? Did anyone tell Anthony Burgess and Arthur C. Clarke? --Jayron32 21:28, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

I can see that. I suppose, when Dr. Floyd talks to his daughter over the videophone, she might be sitting in one of those weird A Clockwork Orange chairs. Could it be something like Hitchcock putting himself in each of his films, where Kubrick puts some of each of his films in each of his films? --Neptunerover (talk) 14:56, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't know that Kubrick did that so much. He did have some recurring themes. One of his visual signatures that evolved over time was perspective lines. But he tried to make each film a unique work of art compared with his others. Compare that with George Lucas, who often manages to sneak in a reference to his first major film, TXH 1138. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:05, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

One of the real criticisms leveled, at the time, of Star Trek: The Motion Picture was that it was a blatant ripoff of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The entire sequence where they travel to visit the new Enterprise is pretty much a blatant ripoff of the "Blue Danube Music Video" section of 2001, where they travel to the space station. The V-ger sequence you note is another one. Star_Trek:_The_Motion_Picture#Critical_response actually notes some of these criticisms. The poor reception of ST:TMP is actually one of the sources of the "Rule of Odds" when it comes to the quality of Star Trek movies; you'll find lots of fansites that claim that only even numbered Star Trek movies are any good; see this google search for some info on that.

As to why this sort of thing goes on, consider this quote attributed to Oscar Wilde: "Talent borrows, genius steals". Its not a grand conspiracy, its just what happens. Lots of great movies (and many more not-so-great movies) borrow heavily from earlier films. The same is true of all forms of art. Did you like A Fistfull of Dollars? Perhaps you liked it the first time when it was Yojimbo. Like C-3PO and R2D2s witty reparte in the original Star Wars? Maybe you'd like it better in its original version, from the film The Hidden Fortress. Like the scene where Luke blows up the Death Star? Stolen shot-for shot, even with almost the exact same dialog, from a sequence in the film The Dam Busters. Disney Films basically recycle entire scenes from earlier Disney films, just retouching the old bits. This article from Cracked.com covers a lot of this ground as well. --Jayron32 20:45, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

ST:TMP also ripped itself off, as the V-ger idea was similar to one of the Trek TV episodes involving a semi-intelligent robotic called "Nomad". Meanwhile, the bare bones of the Star Wars saga was a lot like King Arthur - which was readily acknowledged by its creators, just as they acknowledged that the Indiana Jones series was inspired by serials. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:57, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

That would be 633 Squadron, not The Dam Busters, buster. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:37, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

While I suspect that some of the resemblances may have been unintentional and due to the zeitgeist, those that Jayron32 details and doubtless a number of others were deliberate homages, which are particularly popular both in the SF literary genre and with film directors. In both contexts, individual works are not created in intellectual isolation, but often form part of an ongoing 'multilogue' that debates ideas and attitudes. Admittedly, sometimes they also feature blatant ripoffs reflecting lack of originality or overcaution on the part of publishers or producers who want 'the same but different'.87.81.230.195 (talk) 01:50, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Oh, its not a bad thing, its just what happens. Sci-fi is filled with "concepts" that have become ubiquitous, but all started somewhere. The Laws of Robotics, even the idea of a Robot, the droid, laser guns, star fighters, the ubiqutous big-headed-alien with the buggy eyes, FTL travel workarounds, there's stuff that is so common to Sci Fi that you don't even think about it anymore, but you have to remember that at some point, someone had to be the first to think of it. Sometimes its a direct homage, sometimes its just such an integral part of the sci-fi lexicon we forget that it was once a novel idea. --Jayron32 04:26, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

It's funny someone mentioned Shakespeare, as Forbidden Planet was based on The Tempest. Meanwhile, Plan 9 from Outer Space was in some ways a reworking of The Day the Earth Stood Still, with a few things substituted: bad writing, bad direction, bad acting, bad effects, overall bad production values (due to the dollar-and-a-quarter budget). But they were both in black and white, and they were both about extraterrestrials wary of the earthlings' development of the nuclear bomb. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:01, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for letting me know that these are actually documented similarities and not my mind playing tricks.

Amazingly, I recently watched the two movies in sequence without having any idea in advance that Star Trek: TMP was 'similar' in any way to 2001. Yes, the interminable scene where they're driving around the new Enterprise is where I realized I was watching the same movie over again, and then there kept being more stuff that was the same. The guys flying in the space suits looked just like the guys flying in the space suits in 2001.

While the sequence of similar scenes is different between the two movies, the idea of mixed up sequences works perfectly in relation to the very end of 2001 when Dave switches around between himself during different sequences of his life.

My favorite part is the music that goes with the Klingon attack scene. I noticed the title in the credits but didn't write it down (some Hungarian Dance or? I don't remember). That scene is just like the hairy guys in the beginning of 2001, only this time they have warbirds from which to hurl their photon bone at the big mysterious and unknown thing. Vejur then zaps them into lightspeed, ready or not. --Neptunerover (talk) 05:37, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

That's a good piece of music. Jerry Goldsmith did the score, and it's simply called "Klingon Battle". There's a major difference in the reasoning between the very deliberate pace of 2001 and the very deliberate pace of the first Trek film. Kubrick was trying to give a sense of what it would be like to experience the various activities in the film. Essentially they're done in segments of "real time", which is why they can seem excrutiatingly tedious at times. In the case of Trek, there was huge anticipation by the fans, and the film spent a lot of time simply showing off the ship and the effects. Someone told me at the time, "I didn't care; I would have been happy just to see them fly around." The Klingon scene at the beginning was kind of gratuitous, as it was fun to see the fearsome Klingons fleeing in terror. So it was easy to please that 1979 audience. The second film, the Wrath of Khan, was a sequel to a TV episode, and was a great Trek film - action/adventure against a formidable but human opponent, rather than trying to mimic 2001 or whatever the first picture was doing. Stealing ideas is as old as dust. The early episodes of ST:TNG were reminiscent of episodes of the classic TV series, until the show found itself and produced some really excellent material. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:29, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Another thing worth mentioning is that the hotel room scene at the end of 2001 was designed in such a way as to finally pick up the pace and wrap things up. Bowman ages about 40 or 50 years in the space of a couple of screen minutes. When the Star-Child returns to earth, it just kind of sits there and stares at the planet. In the book, but left out of the film, was the Star-Child exercising his will and causing all the orbiting nuclear bombs to explode. It occurred to someone that that ending would be too much like the ending of Kubrick's previous film, Dr. Strangelove (one writer said, "We won't meet again!"), so the idea was scrapped and thus the viewer doesn't know (unless he's read the book) that the bone hurled into the air by the ape-man had seguéd to an orbiting nuke - it just looks like a benign satellite of some kind. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:39, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Some trivia in a similar vein: The script for the Flash Gordon movie was written before Star Wars, sat in development hell for a couple of years, and when it finally seemed like it'd get the green light, it was again postponed because Star Wars had just come out, and Flash Gordon seemed like a blatant rip-off, even if it was written before it. And if you watch the movie, you'll see that it really does feel like a complete rip-off :) TomorrowTime (talk) 15:02, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Pretty lame rip-off if I remember right, although every movie has it's time. I didn't think the first Star Trek movie was that great when I saw it in the theater, but now I like it. I think seeing the newest ST film made The Motion Picture cool to me, especially everything about Spock, who is by far my favorite character (even if he wouldn't care). The book is good, and a quick easy read. It's almost like they had the usual hour long Star Trek episode-length of a story that they needed to stretch out into a feature length presentation, and they did that using 2001's example. --Neptunerover (talk) 15:40, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

For those who know Spanish, what is this song about? Is it pillow talk?

I heard it on CBC Radio radio a few times, and have taken quite a liking to it.

The song apparently is "Pa Que Vuelva" by a “Telmary”.

I’ve been doing a decent amount of searching on Google for a video of the song but to no avail.

"Here’s a video with the artist.":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHy1OK_6GqE

Here are some audio hints.

"Concerts On Demand: Telmary Diaz & Alberto Alberto at Lula Lounge":http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/concerts/20090130tdiaz (click: Pa Que Vuelva) The only thing is that it’s live.

"Here’s a bit of the recorded version:":http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/Telmary (click: Pa\' que vuelva)

What are the lyrics about. (Follow up question: Is there a video I can link to?)

Thanks. Civic Cat (talk) 20:54, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Can you find them in writing anywhere? I'm not sure about the "Pa" part. "que Vuelva" would literally translate as "that turns" or something, but I suspect it's an idiom. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:16, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm at work, so I can't check the YouTube link, but a Google search yielded that the "Pa" is actually "Pa'," a contraction of "para." "Vuelva," as was kind of mentioned above, is a subjunctive form of "volver," which from my experience is closer to "return" than "turn" (or at least, it means both). So, the meaning of the title probably means something like, "So that [he/she/it] returns." My two cents.... Kingsfold (talk) 13:27, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

I think you're onto it. Now all we need is the lyrics in print somewhere. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:59, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

The song is new, so I've yet to get lyrics. I'ved ask the same question in here in Answerbag and here in Fluther, with similar answers. Thanks.
:-D
Civic Cat (talk) 19:16, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

The line they repeat most of the time "No es pa'te vayas, es pa' que vuelvas", means "It is not so you go away, it so you come back" It's just that a lot of people from Cuba have a particular accent where they tend to cut the final sounds from words, so it sounds a little bit bunched up but that is what it says. The singer is saying that she believes her lover, or parter, is going to leave her, although it is implied that that person has not left yet. PabloClark (talk) 04:13, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

Usual suspects line

In the Usual Suspects, where we first meet Redfoot, Keaton says to him that he was responsible for "shipping" someone. The conversation is something like "I'm the one who shipped him. I wanted you to hear it from me." This occurs in front of the pagoda in California. My question is, what is meant by "shipping"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.137.136.153 (talk) 22:05, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

This script claims the line is "I shivved him", which means "I stabbed him with a shiv". Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:26, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

In prison, weapons for stabbing can be referred to as shivs or shanks. Shank being a slang term for shiv, according to the relevant Wikipedia definition. I believe in that scene they are discussing prison-related details. --Neptunerover (talk) 13:34, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

I've seen "shipped" used before in similar context, as in "Put'em in a box and ship'em home", so that's how I interpreted the scene here. I've seen closed captioning with both Shipped and Shivved, so it makes sense either way - at least, in my head it does. UltraExactZZ ^Said ~ Did 18:36, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Sports Allegiances by state

I was wondering if there were any comprehensive surveys of professional sports team allegiances in the United States by either state or metro area. The best I can find is Common Cnesus but that's kind of spotty in areas such as the Dakotas that would not be obvious whether they are more aligned toward Denver or Minneapolis teams for example. Thanks! Abeg92contribs 23:42, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Any survey extensive enough to make judgments about thinly populated areas such as the Dakotas would have to have an enormous amount of respondents. As you can see at Common Census, the NFL survey has nearly 30,000 responses and still doesn't provide enough information about rural areas to make it clear where their allegiance lies. One thing you could do is see what teams the local newspaper covers. Another choice would be to see whose games are broadcast to the area -- for example, does it have a member station of the Vikings or Broncos radio network? This site shows you what NFL games the local CBS and FOX station air each week, although you have to be aware that sometimes the NFL makes the decision for a local station, as explained on that website. Interestingly, the Broncos and Vikings never had a game at the same time on the same network this year, as each only plays two games a year on the other conference's network. If you look at CBS coverage from Week 1, you can see that all of the Dakotas carried the Broncos-Bengals game except eastern North Dakota, which went with Jacksonville-Indy (as did Tennessee -- I wonder why?) -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:03, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Out of curiosity, I found that while Vikings games are broadcast throughout North Dakota and in central and eastern South Dakota on radio, Broncos games are broadcast to affiliates in the western and central parts of each state. Pierre and Bismarck appear to be disputed territory. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:12, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Central Illinois is divided between Cubs and Cardinals, with I-74 being a little like the Korean DMZ, in that very far north of it it's mainly Cubs fans, and very far south of it it's mainly Cardinals fans. On the other hand, it is said that the most popular team in Minnesota is the Vikings, and the second most popular is the Packers, with the Twins third. So it's tough to generalize. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:35, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Vermont is split between the Yankees and the Red Sox with the lone exception of my wife who is a Mets fan (yeah, I don't get it either). As far as football goes, there are a lot of Patriots fans. And in the NHL, we have a lot of Bruins fans. Dismas|^(talk) 02:43, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

This Sports Illustrated feature might be interesting. The 401 respondents from North Dakota were most interested in Minnesota teams. [1] Zagalejo^^^ 07:30, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

This illustration seems interesting regarding baseball teams. — Michael J 23:16, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't have a link, but I know that ESPN's Sportsnation did some research on this topic a while ago, as well. FWIW, UltraExactZZ ^Said ~ Did 18:34, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

January 28

About the Prince of Persia 2008 games...

When I read the Elika abandoned the third Prince in Prince of Persia: Epilogue, a question came to my mind: is Elika still mad at the third Prince as she stayed with the Ahura, even when the third Prince had driven Ahriman out of the kingdom in Prince of Persia: the Fallen King? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sirdrink13309622 (talk • contribs) 00:49, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Wir hatten eine gute Zeit

What is the meaning behind the Wise Guys song "Wir hatten eine gute Zeit" (text)? I originally thought it was a break-up song, but then I realized it's second person plural: ihr and euch rather than du. Why? Thanks! Reywas92^Talk 01:33, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Is there any way to contact those who wrote the song ? It seems interesting that people can comment on another's writings, and make assumptions that are not what the original author or authors intended, but seem to be. Indeed, we have the word ihr, so that it appears the one telling the story in song is speaking to more than one person he knows well. Could it be a father or mother talking to their spouse and children ? Or a boyfriend to his girl and her child, whom he had come to know ? Or, as he says , if God will let him, is he an angel, or a priest ? Again, nothing definite. Imagine also, after all these years, when people said that Puff the Magic Dragon was about the weed, that it is revealed that it never was. The Russian Christopher Lilly 12:22, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

My German is a little rusty, but isn't ihr also the formal second person singular? DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:38, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

No, in German, the third person plural is the formal voice: Sie haben (the Sie is alway capitalized) and not ihr habt. --Xuxl (talk) 18:48, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Sounds like you're a German maven. To me, the song (as shown translated into English) is a typical, "We've fallen out of love and now I'm leaving" kind of song. Would you read it differently? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:56, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

That's what it seems like, but in German there are different words when speaking to one person or multiple people. In the song the you forms are plural. Christopher has good ideas, but the song just doesn't say. I guess you'd have to be familiar with the song/band to know, so there's not much use in interpreting. Reywas92^Talk 21:21, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

I asked on the German Wikipedia, and I think they said it was about the departure of the former lead singer Clemens Tewinkel. [2] Thanks, Reywas92^Talk 21:38, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

So the song is really putting words in the departed singer's mouth? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:41, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

That or it was his final song before leaving. Reywas92^Talk 23:04, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

at the gala

I could always be misunderstanding her expression here, but she looks to me like she might be a little unhappy, and I'm guessing it might be either because she got hit with a water balloon, or because she's wearing a dress that makes her look like she got hit with a water balloon. I'm not saying the dress doesn't look very very good on her, I'm just questioning her expression while trying not to make a statement concerning how good she looks in the dress. Maybe if I make fun of her picture, that could make myself feel better in some way, since looking at this picture of her gives me a sad feeling or something for some reason. --Neptunerover (talk) 05:00, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Um, since the picture is a single instant, there is no way to read her emotion with any reliability. She may have been caught pre-smile, or in the process of smiling, or snifling a sneeze, or anything else. We have no idea how she feels, and especially how she feels about her clothes. And opinions on fashion aren't realy the purview of these reference desks anyways. --Jayron32 05:04, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

She's part of the Entertainment industry. Maybe there's some weird facts about her somewhere that I could be missing. I mean, she's good in those movies she's in, but she's always different. Is she a reclusive star? I really know nothing about her. --Neptunerover (talk) 05:33, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Her article would be a good place to start to learn about her. What are you really after? If you want an explanation for her facial expression, you've been given one. Why pursue this? Do you have more reasons you've not told us about? Vimescarrot (talk) 09:34, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Very interesting article. My problem is I'm always wanting to know something about something without having to study it too hard. I just think it's incredible that her very first movie is a major film where she is the starring actress opposite Gary Oldman's bad guy of that film. I think she should've been the Fifth Element, although she might not have been the right age for that part at the time. Considering her character in Léon though, the scantily clad Leeloo might not have been too much of a reach for her. As it happened, Corbin Dallas calls her perfect, and I'm thinking to myself, "With that orange hair?" --Neptunerover (talk) 14:15, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Looks like you're just trying to discuss her in general. There are forums out there for that kind of thing, I'm sure. That's not what this is for. Vimescarrot (talk) 14:53, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Since I did mention it anyway, this is too strange to not be mentioned now: Upon reading the 'critical response' section of the Léon_(film) article, I realize the two movies I mentioned had the same director, to wit, "Director Luc Besson was pleased with the performance, leading to his hiring Oldman for 1997's The Fifth Element". I wonder if he offered Leeloo to Natalie Portman first, whereby she may have turned it down due to the some of the criticism pointed at her over her innocent sexiness as Mathilda in the first movie. Hey, I found some interview with her linked from her article, and I bet if I watch that I could learn even more. This encyclopedia thing idea here is pretty cool. --Neptunerover (talk) 17:09, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

How about if you tell me what this is for, since the top of the page doesn't specify what questions are allowed, as far as I can tell. Thanks. (incidentally, I'm not trying to start a debate, and if there is to be one concerning what is allowed here, my suggestion would be that such a debate take place elsewhere, since this reference desk is not the place for debates.) --Neptunerover (talk) 16:04, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

The reference desk here is like a real world library reference desk. We can help find answers to questions of a factual basis. We don't do opinions and this isn't a discussion forum. After reading your first post, I was confused as to what you were trying to find out. There isn't a single question in the rambling paragraph and only by mousing over the link did I have any idea of which "she" you were talking about. So, next time you might want to be a bit more clear about what it is that you'd like to know. As for what she was thinking or feeling when that photo was taken, we likely can't answer that. Dismas|^(talk) 16:24, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

"...always wanting to know something about something without having to study it too hard." Sounds like he's headed for a career in politics. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:29, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

No, that would be "always wanting to have an opinion on something without knowing anything about it" :-) DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:02, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

My error. I should have said, "...a career in management." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:20, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

No,no,no, you mistook me. I meant actually wanting to know about things, not just act like I know or care about things. It's a subtle difference. --Neptunerover (talk) 18:37, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Postings in small mean offtopic or joke. Joke in this case. DJ Clayworth (talk) 20:17, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Whoops, sorry if my joke wasn't good enough.--Neptunerover (talk) 20:46, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

I did not consider myself to be asking about anything other than that which would be considered verifiable. If I express a personal opinion about liking something, well I hope that's not considered debating. I find the Internet in general to be quite a maze and a zoo. I dislike being assaulted by advertising and idiots. My hope on the reference desks here is to avoid both. I do a lot of writing, and in conducting my research I find some ways are better than others. When posing a query on a reference desk, I never know what kind of obscure thing someone might tell me about something that I might never have known or been able to find without an arduous search of my own (or perhaps by asking somewhere else, but I consider it likely to be sane coming from here, is the thing). No matter how 'bitterly' I may fight against something being deleted as long as the reason behind the need for deletion is not made clear to me, I am completely willing to admit that some of my queries might be better than others. My previous question about the movies provided a goldmine of information for me. I deal in general ideas, and when people can point me to specifics, it is quite helpful to me. This whole idea of facial expression, I find intriguing. --Neptunerover (talk) 18:10, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Facial expressions and the subjective feeling they can 'cause' in others, I suppose might be more apt of a question for the psychology desk. --Neptunerover (talk) 18:17, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

The point was made earlier that you can't draw any conclusions from a single photograph. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:39, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

And so you are repeating it. Thank you. --Neptunerover (talk) 18:42, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

You're welcome. I recommend you watch A Hard Day's Night. There's a short segment in there somewhere that shows a bunch of different facial expressions for George. It turns out that he was simply changing his expression rapidly while the photographer was snapping rapidly. You might also want to take any film, and go frame-by-frame, and see how rapidly expressions change from one second to the next. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:46, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Thank you more. I've not seen A Hard Day's Night. Out of curiosity, the label British Comedy came up for it on a summary Google search, and I'm thinking the Monkeys, and it worries me a little. --Neptunerover (talk) 18:58, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

You mean The Monkees? They might have covered the song, or had a TV episode with that title, but I'm talking about the Beatles' film. Of which, by the way, the entire thing appears to be on youtube, broken into several segments. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:02, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

See Errol Morris's fascinating essays on interpreting photographs. Pepso2 (talk) 19:14, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Sorry about my poor spelling. I meant the Monkees (TV series). But now that I go to the link, I see that was an American Show, and they were originally a fictional band. Boy was I confused on that. I thought they were another British band. --Neptunerover (talk) 19:25, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

I think we're done with this question. DJ Clayworth (talk) 20:19, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

The Monkees TV series started out as kind of a satire of the Beatles, but the group, or at least some of them, were pretty good musicians and they had a number of hit songs that still get airplay on those American Top 40 nostalgia shows. A little bit like with the 1950s group, The Diamonds, whose song "Little Darlin'" was supposed to be a satire of the bop era with falsettos and overemoted lyrics, and turned out to be a huge hit. I guess we're straying a bit from your original question. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:57, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

"Little Darlin'" by the Diamonds! I had no idea that song was supposed to be a satire. I think that song is awesome. Thanks for letting me know. =) --Neptunerover (talk) 06:35, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

As my work colleagues have often told me, I am a veritable font of nearly-useless information. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:45, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

To be more accurate, according to the article on "Little Darlin'", it was originally written as a straight song (more or less), for another group and then The Diamonds recorded it in an exaggerated style. It reminds me a little bit, in a generic way, of Spike Jones recording of "You Always Hurt the One You Love", which has three distinct segments, the first of which is an almost perfect mimicry of The Ink Spots' style. Well, we're really getting off track here - we bounced from The Gala to The Hop, it seems. Which reminds me - do you say GAY-luh, or GAL-uh? If it's the latter, I've got an additional trivia note. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:51, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

I go both ways, depending on how I wish to use the term. When it's concerning an entertainment event as with M. Portman above, I say Gay-luh. Gal-luh I think more of as that which might be suitable for an event, with the occurrence of such event having no bearing upon its suitability for one. In that way I am thinking of it as a characteristic. There's an album by Lush named Gala, and I don't call it GAY-luh. (I use the 'Gomer Pyle pronunciation') --Neptunerover (talk) 09:00, 29 January 2010 (UTC)(meaning "Ga" as in "Gaaw-aawl-ly") --Neptunerover (talk) 13:18, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

Here's why I asked. From Duck Soup:

Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont): Notables from every country are gathered here in your honor. This is a gala day for you.

Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx): Well, a gal a day is enough for me. I don't think I could handle any more.

←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:40, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

And so you point out another pronunciation I hadn't considered previously while misinterpreting one of your pronunciations. What I meant rather than gal-luh was more like gahl-luh, like the 'ahl' sound in 'holiday.' --Neptunerover (talk) 13:58, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

Nice of you to point that out. --Neptunerover (talk) 20:46, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

You're just full of gratitude today. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:42, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Some people bring out the best in me. =) --Neptunerover (talk) 09:00, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

"Do you say GAY-luh, or GAL-uh" - you asked that, Bugs, as if those were the only 2 pronunciations. A very large number of people say GAH-la, to rhyme (non-rhotically) with Mahler, nothing like HOL-iday. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:28, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't know how to spell a pronunciation. When Madonna sings her song Holiday, I say she's got gala, and it rhymes for me (the 'ol' part equaling the 'al' part, then followed by an 'uh'. --Neptunerover (talk) 22:37, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

That pronunciation I would spell GAH-luh. But that gets into matters of the way Yanks and Brits say things in general. Brits are more inclined to say a short a the "Latin" way, like an "ah" sound. Yanks are more apt to say a short a... well, the Yank way. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:18, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

I prefer a natural expression rather than those idiotic fixed Mickey-Mouse grins that celebs usually have. Well done for giving herself some depth of feeling and character, and to suggesting to the great unwashed that even celebs have their off moments. 92.24.73.102 (talk) 21:51, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

I imagine her to be possibly overwhelmed by tedium, as events like that can be tedious for those involved. Wanting to be somewhere else than in the public spotlight evidences a quality star, I think. Remaining pleasant in the face of tedium is a sign of wisdom. --Neptunerover (talk) 00:57, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Why are the cast members from MTV's "The Real World" color-coded in their Wikipedia entries?

Why are the cast members from the MTV show "The Real World" color-coded in the cast charts on Wikipedia? What do the different colors stand for, if anything? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.37.219.57 (talk) 07:03, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Can you provide a link to a specific article where you're seeing that? I'm not seeing it in the main article. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:15, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

The individual season articles use color-coding; eg, The Real World: Washington D.C. But I don't know why; there's no legend. Zagalejo^^^ 07:43, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

The OP could ask Neutralis (talk · contribs), as that's who created the colorful list in that article last July. The user still shows as being active. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:57, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

They names of the cast members are color coded in the pages for individual seasons —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.37.219.57 (talk) 04:38, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I saw after Zag pointed it out. If no one has asked Neutralis yet, I reckon I will. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:44, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

Neutralis got back to me. In his case, at least, he just chose colors that he thought looked nice. He had seen the idea on other shows. But there's no particular reasoning behind it otherwise. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:31, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Aeon Flux: The Eyelashes and The Fly

What are the eyelashes and the fly supposed to mean? The symbolism just seems to mean something.--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 20:33, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Your guess may be as good as mine. A Venus Flytrap cannot see, yet a human eye cannot usually catch flies. It could represent extreme reflexes along the lines of the Karate Kid where catching a fly with a pair of chopsticks is the symbol used. --Neptunerover (talk) 13:28, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd always assumed it was po-mo, but I never really watched the show, so gave it little thought. this discussion mentions an interview where Peter Chung said it symbolized her triumph over death, but I can't find the interview to corroborate that. None of the interviews I did find seem to, but I didn't read them in-depth; I just let Firefox search for the words "fly," "eye," or "death," and came up bupkis. Some jerk on the Internet (talk) 23:53, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

January 29

Radio Bob and 9Live

Why can't Radio Bob continue the ADR signal after the shutdown of the analog satellite signal of the German TV channel 9Live? --84.61.165.65 (talk) 19:39, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

January 30

site

I'm looking for a torrent site or link to download 90's mainly new jack swing or early 90's rnb videos. i have all the audio tracks but videos are the hardest. Anyone with a good link i'd really appreciate. I have tried all sites pirate bay, iso hunt to no avail. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.201.218.216 (talk) 07:48, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Not that we approve of pirating, but if it isn't on Isohunt, I don't think you'll find it to torrent. 86.180.52.43 (talk) 00:53, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

Astra 1H blackout

Which consequences has a blackout of the satellite Astra 1H? --84.61.165.65 (talk) 12:12, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Astra 1H suggests that satellite will be replaced by Astra 1N in 2011. Until then, you can find out which TV (and radio) channels are broadcast from 1H using the listings available at Astra TV search. Unfortunately, you can't filter the search by specific satellite, but you can pick just those originating from 19.2°E; you will then need to visit each channel's page (there are ober 800 of them!) to see if it is on 1H - so, for example, german language channel 3Sat is on 1H while flemish language channel 2BE is on a different satellite at the same 19.2°E position. Astronaut (talk) 16:14, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Astra satellites have built-in redundancy, so a blackout of one should be of little consequence.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:13, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Wheel of Fortune (US game show)

I would like to know what information is in Sajak's hand (he looks at it) just before the contestant makes his/her final spin of the wheel in Wheel of Fortune. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.230.73.42 (talk) 19:34, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Doesn't he have a card before every puzzle? Presumably it has the answer, maybe the letter distribution too. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:57, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

And a reminder of whatever big prize is out on the wheel. Dismas|^(talk) 16:17, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

And a reminder of the contestant's name, no doubt.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:59, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

I used Google to search for Wheel of Fortune Pat Sajak card and found this Pat Sajak interview. In a question about how much preperation is involved, Sajak mentions "[T]here's really nothing for me to prep. Literally, before every round they hand me a card with the puzzle on it."

I also found this forum post, where a past contestant says Sajak's stack of cards contains contestant info, puzzle answers and categories. That contestant and another contestant lower down the page say new puzzles were assigned after Sajak accidentally exposed or dropped his cards. So that seems to confirm at least the puzzle solution is on the cards.

99.230.73.42, when you say "just before the contestant makes his/her final spin of the wheel", do you mean when the contestant spins the small bonus prize wheel in the bonus round? In the forum post, some people guess Sajak's card in the bonus round lists the location of the top prize, but others suspect he is is told this by someone backstage as needed. I'll have to pay attention the next time I watch Wheel of Fortune. If Sajak really does look at his card before the contestant spins the bonus prize wheel, that makes you wonder what's on the card that he needs at that time. --Bavi H (talk) 01:24, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

I found some videos of bonus rounds on YouTube: 1, 2, 3. After the contestant spins the bonus wheel, Sajak looks at (a card in) his hand while the bonus wheel is still spinning. --Bavi H (talk) 02:40, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

January 31

Duration vs running time

The Academy Award article lists some films by "Duration (not running time)". However, I haven't been able to figure out the difference between the two, and there is apparently a big difference. Anyone?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:32, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

The Awards themselves are listed like that sometimes too - maybe it means the length of the show, minus the commercials on TV (so a four-hour broadcast might actually be only three and a bit of ceremony time). For movies, maybe it means the length of the movie, minus the credits, which can go on for quite a long time? Adam Bishop (talk) 19:30, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

It's definitely about the movies. A few reviews I've checked, especially British ones, give the "duration" of the movie and it's identical to the "running time" given at IMDB. DJ Clayworth (talk) 19:37, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

It's definitely not about the movies. Shakespeare in Love was not 4 hours long! I think can only mean the length of the broadcast/ceremony including commercials. I haven't been able to confirm those numbers online, but I've watched a lot of those broadcasts and just over 4 hours is about as long as they get. --Anonymous, 21:50 UTC, January 31, 2010.

Anonymous is right, the table in the Academy Award article lists various stats of each Academy Awards ceremony, including the "Duration (not running time)". That is, the times in that table refer to the Academy Awards ceremonies. --70.254.86.38 (talk) 23:20, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, you are absolutely right. My mistake. DJ Clayworth (talk) 23:41, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

After digging through the revision history, the "(not running time)" disclaimer seems to have been added over the course of these three edits by the same editor: 1, 2, 3. In the first edit, it appears the editor mistook the times in the the table as the running times of movies and changed one of the times. In the next two edits, the editor noticed the mistake and reverted the time back to its original value, then added "(not running time)" in the column header, supposedly to clarify to future editors that the times are the duration of the ceremonies, not the running times of the movies. --Bavi H (talk) 00:23, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Well, since it evidently wasn't clear, I've changed it to "Length of broadcast". --Anonymous, 02:13 UTC, February 1, 2010.

Thanks everyone. Obvious when you know! I was evidently thrown by the fact that that column follows the title of the Best Picture for that year, so I assumed it somehow referred to the film.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:13, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

How to invent/write dialogue

I can imagine a film with the scenery, characters, and some of the plot. But what I find more difficult is what (and when) the characters will say. Are there any techniques etc that could help with this? Thanks 92.24.73.102 (talk) 21:46, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

Plagiarism comes to mind, although that is usually frowned upon :(
Much of the dialog in many films goes along what seem to be standard formats which apply no matter what the particular monster is for that particular blockbuster. Unless you aren't planning a blockbuster, I believe there are some standard script dialog templates circulating around. There must be. --Neptunerover (talk) 22:21, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

When I write, I write down the bare minimum of what must be said. Keep in mind any foreshadowing or plot points that must be brought up. I don't even write full sentences - just who says what. Then, when I'm falling asleep, I usually think of one or two things that someone could say in one of those places and jot it down. Over time, I end up with complete dialog. Unfortunately, this has only worked once. Everything else I've written has been utterly terrible. -- kainaw™ 23:24, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

I'll provide a reference: I recommend a trip to the physical library. There are thousands of books that speak directly to this problem. (Writers love writing about writing, apparently.) Here is one example, for screenwriting specifically. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:04, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

The best way to understand dialogue is to listen to real speech. Eavesdrop at cafes, on buses, stations, lifts, the street. Listen to your work colleagues, concentrate on what they say and how they say it. Consider how speech differs by setting or subject, by the speakers' age, class, relationship or role. Develop a good ear. Then watch films, read books and scripts to see how the author portrays speech (ie. adapts real speech for dramatic purposes). Then practice your own. Write, write, write. Read it aloud to see how it sounds. Ask friends' opinions. A quick google seacrch shows up these for starters: /www.associatedcontent.com/article/5301/how_to_write_dialogue.html; writingfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_write_dialogue; www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a4274-how-to-write-dialogue.html; www.ehow.com/how_4478980_write-good-dialogue.html. (spam blocked, so can't add links; you can find more by googling "how to write dialogue"). Gwinva (talk) 00:31, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

There is the Vladimir Nabokov system: Write words and sentences on index cards. Then go sit on a park bench with the stack of cards and write more words and sentences. Another method is called the "step outline": Summarize the entire film in a paragraph. Later, expand that paragraph to fill two pages. Finally, write a full outline that covers all the major scenes. As you write that, you can add any dialogue that occurs. The dialogue then becomes a natural outgrowth of the situations. Avoid cliches. If you find you are about to have someone say, "I have a bad feeling about this," write something else instead. Pepso2 (talk) 03:21, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

What I do when I translate literature is, I let the characters "live" inside me, i.e., I try as much as possible to let a character get under my skin, and eventually I know instinctively what a character would say and what they wouldn't. This works better with some characters than with others, and of course, since I'm talking about translating, I am bound by the original and cannot stray from it, but knowing what a character feels like helps nonetheless. You could try it - get the rough estimate of what you want your characters to talk about, then imagine what makes them tick, how they react to stuff, what they like and dislike etc. and from there, what they would talk like. Of course since writing is a creative labor that requires a personal approach there is a high probability my approach won't work for you, but some of the ones above mine could. Experiment a bit and see what works best for you. Good luck! TomorrowTime (talk) 16:05, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

February 1

Does anyone happen to know if the polarized glasses I got at Avatar will work for the Grammys' 3D tribute to Michael Jackson?

A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:29, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

There are two types of polarized lenses in use. Most are linear polarization. To work properly, the polarization has to match almost exactly. So, if left is 0 degrees and right is 90 degrees, that is what your glasses need to be. It is not possible to know if that will be the angles unless you go to the same theater (I see no reason for them to change the polarization on the projector). The other is radial polarization. One is clockwise and the other is counter-clockwise. You have a 50/50 chance of them working. -- kainaw™ 02:32, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the quick response, Kainaw. I'll find out in about 20-25 minutes. I'll DVR it, so if it doesn't work, I'll just run out to Target to get the glasses. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:38, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Nope. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:55, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

The Grammys are on TV, so the 3D will probably be the red-blue kind. --70.254.86.38 (talk) 03:00, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

It's red/green, and looks awful (without glasses, anyway). Comet Tuttle (talk) 05:56, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Correct. Red/Green and Red/Blue 3D has absolutely nothing to do with polarized 3D. That technology is old and will die out soon. Polarized-based 3D televisions are now ready for the consumer market so 3D movies (including broadcast 3D) will be available very soon. -- kainaw™ 15:07, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

I would like to bet that red/blue anaglyph stays around for a long time. In print if nowhere else. APL (talk) 19:49, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

For those interested, RealD Cinema gives info about the glasses & 3D system.--220.101.28.25 (talk) 01:44, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

Bronowski's computer

What computer is Jacob Bronowski shown using in The Ascent of Man? (He manipulates some very basic vector graphics on it using I think a trackball.) 81.131.17.113 (talk) 14:44, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

Is this the one? I don't know what it is but there's an interesting device on the left that appears to have indentations for putting your fingers in. --Frumpo (talk) 16:42, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

For those of you too young to remember this stuff, the keyboard/screen behind Bronowski is just the display for the computer. Some of the actual computer can be seen behind him, to our right. The display appears to be actual vector graphics, which probably means it is some kind of Tektronix terminal. They were once the leader in this kind of display. However vector graphics terminals were already rare in the 1980s. DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:58, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

There is a hint here that it might be at the National Research Council in Ottawa.--Frumpo (talk) 17:17, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

The picture in this article looks like the same device (and it's at the NRC). In which case the Q&A section indicates that it's a SEL 840A with the graphics controller built in-house. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Frumpo (talk • contribs) 17:51, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

darn it, that's a good article. Way to go, Frumpo. DJ Clayworth (talk) 02:21, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

Big 8 German TV stations

Which German TV stations fall under the Big 8? --84.61.165.65 (talk) 17:26, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

The Real Ghostbusters episode

There is a The Real Ghostbusters episode, where Peter dreams of Tahiti, seeing Tahitians. What is the episode's title? 85.132.99.117 (talk) 20:38, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

There's an episode guide here. You could try emailing the maintainer. They're probably closer to an expert than anyone here. Dismas|^(talk) 06:53, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

Unknown children's melody

Can anyone identify this melody? It has been recorded from a musical toy for children. --Fistanes (talk) 22:41, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

This may or may not help you out, but after about 21 seconds into the song, I'm hearing I Have a Little Dreidel in there. If it was a recording from a musical toy, it might not have a name, and the music may simply be a variation of I Have a Little Dreidel with some other parts added in. ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 02:20, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

What's the toy? Can you post a picture of it? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:31, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

You can find a picture here. It's an 'Electronic Book' with the shape of a Butterfly. It's in Spanish, but it must have been translated from French. The one I have is titled 'The adventures of the little bear Dadoo'. Other characters are the cat Barbilou (sometimes written as Barbilú, as if it was adapted to Spanish) and the frog Barbotina. The manufacturer is mbi-international. There's an additional code that reads 'registered/design/model/bravel MBI-2582-W435fr49629-M4068256-BXF44'.--Fistanes (talk) 09:11, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

February 2

Penelope, dog used in Lucky 13 movie

Please tell me the breed of the black little dog named Penelope used in the 2005 movie, "Lucky 13"?

It might help if you could direct us to a picture of the dog. Dismas|^(talk) 06:50, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

or at least a description. Have you looked through our list of dog breeds? You will probably find it there.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:27, 2 February 2010 (UTC)