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== [[NFL playoffs]], and teams with 2 ties ==
==[[NFL playoffs]], and teams with 2 ties==


In the NFL playoffs article, I was trying to find out what happened if a team finished with 2 ties; specifically Philadelphia were to finish 9-5-2 this year, and Dallas 10-6. And, let's say they split their head to head matchups. According to the article, "won-lost-tie percentage" is considered. Is that implying that this is different than normal won-loss percentage?
In the NFL playoffs article, I was trying to find out what happened if a team finished with 2 ties; specifically Philadelphia were to finish 9-5-2 this year, and Dallas 10-6. And, let's say they split their head to head matchups. According to the article, "won-lost-tie percentage" is considered. Is that implying that this is different than normal won-loss percentage?

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December 4

Female duo

In a reference to two characters from The Flintstones (Betty and Wilma) which I used to see on televison years ago (this occured between programs), there preceding it was a small reference to two women. I'm not sure what they're called exactly but they're kinda referred to as "orlando ease" (can't tell if this is correct). When I try to check for that duo through search engines, I seem to be getting nowhere. 210.4.123.128 (talk) 13:09, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I don't understand your question. Can you rephrase? --Moni3 (talk) 13:35, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hm. Given the "orlando" reference, it should be noted that the duo of Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson went by the name of Dawn during the 1970s... Maybe that's it... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 13:45, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thelma and Louise? That sort of rhymes with what you think you heard. APL (talk) 13:49, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not computing the question. You say it involved Betty Rubble and Wilma Flintstone, but "between programs". The only thing that I'm aware of that happens "between programs" is advertising of one form or another. Was this in a promo for the cartoon series, but not in the cartoon itself? -- JackofOz (talk) 21:53, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Many programs in the US have additional material other than ads "between programs". This is particularly true of ad-free TV, when it runs programs made the proper length for regular TV. One common type of material inserted into these holes is a "making of the show" segment, but there are many other types of filler. StuRat (talk) 22:18, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
In response to JackofOz, I had trouble trying to put this in words because it's kinda complicated. Two things occur between programs: commercials and references about programs that air in that particular channel.
Those are called "promos" in TV-speak. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 06:15, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
What I saw years ago, an announcer quoted "You have seen [that duo I'm telling about here]. Now CN presents Betty and Wilma." This was one of the things that took place between shows. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.4.123.128 (talk) 03:16, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Time would certainly give us context here. How many years ago is years ago? Are we talking 1990's? 1980's? 1970's? Give us something more to work with! --Jayron32.talk.contribs 05:11, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Were they fictional women? Category:Fictional duos or Category:Duos is a good place to get started. There seems to be no category for female duos though. Jay (talk) 07:53, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I think I saw it back in 2001. Were they fictional women? Yes. What APL just added here does seem to ressemble that duo a bit after I looked at the picture in the article. Although I remember one of the women wearing sunglasses and a bandana when I saw it on televison. 210.4.123.128 (talk) 08:50, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If it was 2001, then Thelma and Louise is VERY likely. (and if 2001 is YEARS AGO then I have definately passed into "old fart" stage. 2001 seems like "just yesterday" to me!!!). --Jayron32.talk.contribs 15:30, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (cont.)

In a question that I asked about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, I asked when appeared for the first time Tommy as the White Ranger. In which episode of the series appeared for the first time Adam, Aisha and Rocky as the Black, Yellow and Red Ranger respectively? David Pro (talk) 15:20, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Have you even looked at the articles for Adam Park, Aisha Campbell, and Rocky DeSantos? Specifically the infoboxes in those articles where it says "first appearance"? David, often your questions can be answered either by reading the articles here or by doing a simple Google search. Dismas|(talk) 06:04, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The first appearance of Adam Park, Aisha Campbell and Rocky DeSantos according to their articles was in "The Ninja Encounter: Part I", but they didn't become into Rangers until "The Power Transfer: Part II". 200.112.30.112 (talk) 13:53, 25 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Naruto and Advent Children in metal videos

Why are Naruto and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children so over-represented in fan-made heavy metal videos? NeonMerlin 17:37, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Because of the fanatic fan base? --70.167.58.6 (talk) 18:09, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]


December 5

Gas crisis futuristic movie

Can someone else me name this movie? It was perhaps late 70s-early 80s. The world is entirely without gasoline. I just remember this scene of the lead actor manually pumping gas out of underground fuel tanks at an abandoned racetrack. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 01:36, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't seen them, but it's probably one of the Mad Max movies. Recury (talk) 03:56, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I have seen them and it does sound like something that would happen in them but I can't recall the scene. Dismas|(talk) 05:45, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I know it is definitely *not* a Mad Max movie. I'd remember Mel Gibson. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 06:06, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I also remember the hero drove a sporty red "furturistic" race car with white stripes. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 06:13, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The Last Chase? Lee Majors. Saw it. Unimpressed. --Moni3 (talk) 13:19, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I wouldn't dismiss Mad Max so quickly. Mel Gibson wasn't famous then, so those who saw him in it back then (myself included) just remembered him an as unknown actor. Tina Turner, on the other hand, was famous when the third Mad Max movie came out, so I did remember her. StuRat (talk) 13:32, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I second "The Last Chase". It was an MST3k episode if I recall correctly. Terrible movie. But it did contain a scene like the one described. 15:17, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

YES! The Last Chase is it! Thanks! It got MST3K'd? WOW, I have to find that episode! --70.167.58.6 (talk) 17:54, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It appears that it was on the season of MST3k before they were on cable. Episode K-20. These are tough to find, but internet bootlegs are out there if you look hard enough. APL (talk) 19:54, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
MST3k <-- For the convenience of all/85.194.44.18 (talk) 14:15, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yep. I made the same mistake of paying to watch this. I do like the IMDB comment: "Six-Million Dollar Man goes cross country hunted by the guy who broke his glasses in the Twilight Zone". --—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 14:54, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

70s sci-fi movie about deaf inventor

Okay here's another one I can't place. Must have been late 70s. A deaf (muscian?) invents an artificial intelligence home. The AI later gets jealous of its inventor's success. Not much to go on. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 06:11, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It doesn't quite fit your description, but Electric Dreams (1984) is one guess. Though the inventor is a hearing architect, not a deaf musician (if I recall correctly), there is music involved. The computer hears its "master"'s neighbour practicing her cello and spontaneously accompanies her on a synthesizer. Believing it is the architect serenading her, the cellist falls in love with him. The computer grows increasingly jealous and unwilling to compose love songs for its rival (unlike Cyrano de Bergerac and Christian), and it wants the cellist for itself. ---Sluzzelin talk 08:41, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, I know Electric Dreams. (LOVE Electric Dreams!) When is it ever coming to DVD? No, this was easily 5 years before that. I want to say Robbie Benson was in it, but nothing on IMDB rings a bell. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 17:53, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Demon Seed (1977) fits the period a bit better, but the protagonist doesn't seem to be a deaf musician either, though there's an A.I.-house feeling electronic jealousy ... I guess I didn't see your film, and wasn't able to find anything with deafness. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:28, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Demon Sees is a bit of a classic. My movie isn't a horror movie. Maybe it was made for TV? This is going to drive me nuts. I remember the AI was housed in an array of rainbow neon tubes inside a dimly lit rec room, or relaxtion room. So i think the general plot is the teen was deaf, he was a genius, invented some chip that could make him hear, he wrote or loved music, his natural genius led to the invention of the A.I., he met a girl, AI got jealous and took away his ability to hear by overloading the implant? Maybe? --69.149.213.144 (talk) 04:45, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Phantom of the Paradise? Julian Kaufman, 16-12-08

Watchmen Trailer Song

What is the song in the trailer for Watchmen. It sounds like smashing pumpkins. Neon6419 (talk) 12:40, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

If only there was some kind of internet searching machine, or "engine" or something - [1]. --LarryMac | Talk 13:11, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Or some sort of music identifications service. Like Shazam. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 14:50, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The name of the song is "The Beginning is The End is The Beginning" by The Smashing Pumpkins (yes "beginning" is in the title twice) 67.194.159.149 (talk) 16:23, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Karma Chameleon

Will they now have to change the lyrics of Karma Chameleon? I would hope not because it is such a classic song. DriedOut (talk) 16:23, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Why would they have to? --LarryMac | Talk 16:52, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I don't understand why the lyrics would be changed. In fact, name any pop song that has changed its lyrics. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 18:07, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I'm assuming this is supposed to be a joke about the line "Im a man without conviction" and the fact that Boy George was just convicted. Chances are good the lyrics will remain the same. --OnoremDil 18:12, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If they didn't change the lyrics over the "I'm the man" part of the line, the "without conviction" seems a moot point... (snicker snicker) --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:17, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
All that aside, we seem to be ignoring the fact that the line is "man without conviction" and not "man without a conviction" or "...convictions". Dismas|(talk) 19:07, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I just read that guitarist Joe Satriani has sued the British band Coldplay, claiming that the band has plagiarized his song "If I Could Fly" with their song "Viva La Vida".[2]I must admit, upon hearing them both there are some similarities. But my question is in regards to any case of this nature...how is a verdict determined? Is there a set hard rule or criteria whereby one song is compared to the other and chord structure, notes, etc are analyzed, and if so, is it based on a percentage of matching notes or chords, etc? I know many songs can sound similar, but what is the criteria or deciding factor in a case like this? cheers, 10draftsdeep (talk) 16:33, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There was a similar lawsuit against George Harrison regarding his song My Sweet Lord. From one of the references, it looks like the judge based his decision on the use of various "motifs" in the song, how they were used and repeated. --LarryMac | Talk 16:49, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The legal term is Cryptomnesia, which refers to the notion that you may THINK you have an original thought, but it turns out that you actually got the thought from someone else, and forgot that you did. Legally, one does not have to prove that the second artist intentionally copied the first, merely that it is likely that he had heard the first song, and may have unintentionally copied it. In the Harrison case, the song supposedly copied, He's So Fine, was a popular enough song that Harrison could not claim to have never heard it. Its a sketchy part of the law, as you will often see cases decided both ways seemingly arbitrarily... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:02, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There are many such lawsuits, not only in music, but also in movies and books. Some French guy who made a book about a clownfish sued the Finding Nemo producers because their clownfish looked strikingly similar to his clownfish. Some lady sued JK Rowling because she had a book with the word "muggle" in it. There are very trivial ones, such as John Fogerty being sued for sounding too much like Credence Clearwater Revival. -- kainaw 20:02, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You might enjoy the relevant articles Musical plagiarism, List of plagiarism controversies and Legal disputes over Harry Potter. Julia Rossi (talk) 22:07, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]


In all fairness, John Fogerty was NOT sued for sounding like CCR. He was sued because his old record company believed that "Old Man Down the Road" sounded too much like "Run Through the Jungle". 216.239.234.196 (talk) 21:12, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

THE THREE STOOGES - Termites of 1938

During the luncheon scene of this comedy short, there is lovely piece of chamber music that plays in the background. What is the name of this muscial piece?208.242.14.179 (talk) 16:53, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Here;s the film for anyone who cares to view it: [3]. The scene is about 6:30 into the film. I can't place the music myself... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:11, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I doubt it's a piece that has a particular name or is attributable to anyone other than whoever wrote the sound track (there was no music credit). I don't think it's chamber music as such. We see a flute player, but the music we hear is not from a chamber ensemble in the movie, but from a string orchestra in the studio. It seems to be part of the background music to the whole movie, and for this scene the composer wrote suitably elegant, refined, genteel music appropriate for a formal dinner. It has shades of the sort of music played by salon trios for diners in posh restaurants in those days; it is slightly reminiscent of Elgar's lighter music, but that may be because he sometimes wrote in a "salon" style. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:21, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

... opening Christmas Day

I've seen advertisements for a number of movies recently (in the US) which announce that the movie will be opening Christmas day. This struck me as odd, as I never considered going to a movie on Christmas - it's always been a "stay at home with the family" type day. Why would theaters open a movie on Christmas? Is Christmas a big day for movies? Is there some factor I'm not considering? -- 128.104.112.113 (talk) 17:48, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Jewish friends told me that they always go to movies on December 25 because nothing else is open. --Moni3 (talk) 17:52, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Besides the Jews, there are also many other denominations that don't celebrate Christmas. And then there's the simple fact that, some people want to go out that night. Think of it, you have a bunch of teenagers who are "too cool" to be hanging out with their parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles, etc. and would rather go to a movie with their friends who are also "too cool". Dismas|(talk) 19:04, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
"Family" holidays are regularly the biggest box office days. My personal reasoning is that after a day (or two) with family, everyone wants to go somewhere where you can sit for a couple hours and not talk to each other. -- kainaw 19:58, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
And for that matter, you could always go to a movie with your family. --Anonymous, 05:52 UTC, December 6, 2008.
Films that play in January open around Christmas week to qualify for Academy Awards. People who have the week off have nothing to do, so they go to movie theaters. Also, types of films are calculated for certain times, based on studies. Thus, The Spirit and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button are targeted at 12/25 while Four Christmases has already opened. Pepso2 (talk) 23:24, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Also, many people buy their children tickets to the movies that they really want to see that come outon christmas, and then they go together.

Name of stop-motion animated short on Mojo?

I hope someone will be able to tell me the name of a stop-motion "animated short" (my description) that I've seen on, I believe, the MojoHD network. It seems that it was about 15 minutes long was played to fill the time between one program ending and another beginning at the top of the hour.

Here's what I can peice together from memory: The sequence included a "man" made of stone who lived in a world covered with water. He walked around on stilts through the water. He then encountered a larger group of other "people" who, I think, were antagonistic and also walked around on stilts through this water world. There was a musical score, but no dialog.

Does this ring a bell for anyone? If I remember any more details, I'll add to my post. My Google-fu is pretty good, but I haven't been able to pin it down. Thanks! --Zerozal (talk) 18:20, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]


December 6

Question

In this video, what are those words after the guy says "Shake what yo momma gave you" three times? 60.230.180.175 (talk) 01:58, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Axl Rose and Slash reunited?

Is this pic photoshoped, real, or am I hallucinating? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 06:33, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

They just released Chinese Democracy, are they touring in support of it? Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 08:20, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, they are, but Slash is no longer a member of that group and isn't listed as a performer on any of the tracks (if I'm reading the article correctly). I believe he's still with Velvet Revolver. The picture doesn't look photo-shopped to me (though it is pretty low quality). Matt Deres (talk) 13:42, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Clearly a fake with two pictures put together in the middle. But it may come true in the near future... --217.228.56.26 (talk) 18:35, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This photo is most definitely not real. It is completely photoshopped. Chinese Democracy did just come out, and it is rumored that there will be a tour in support of the album in 2009. Slash is currently in Velvet Revolver, and has not had communication with Axl in over 8 years.

Longest Broadway musical

What is the longest musical ever to run on Broaeway? The longest I can find so far is Les Misérables, which runs at 2 hours and 50 minutes. Attempts to find the answer via Google have only returned pages on the longest-running musical on Broadway. Wiwaxia (talk) 06:47, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby was like 9 hours long and had to be seen in two sittings. Oh, you said musical. Sorry, I don't know that answer. Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 08:15, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The Winter Garden Theatre opened March 1911 with La Belle Paree, an overlong "extravaganza" that continued on well after midnight. Pepso2 (talk) 16:49, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
During the 1920s, King Features Syndicate staged annual shows at the Friars Club which were six-hour long revues starring the leading luminaries of Broadway. See Moses Koenigsberg. Pepso2 (talk) 03:41, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Net downloads

Do net downloaded video games have same quality and clarity as those which are brought over the counter?I want to know about the quality of smack down vs RAW 09 downloaded from net? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.243.134.111 (talk) 15:25, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

  • Depends. If the download is not corrupted, if you have a sufficiently fast modem and if you actually buy the real deal instead of a bootleg, there should be no difference between the games. - Mgm|(talk) 17:05, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If you're talking about torrents and rapidshares the quality will be the same. Most video games online come as ISO which is a direct copy of the source disk without any alteration or loss of quality / data. SN0WKITT3N 20:49, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That's not necessarily true. Some pirate ISOs are rips. They can remove or drastically reduce in quality the movies, audio, and sometimes even textures. They do this for a variety of reasons, but I would assume that a big one is that DVD-Rs don't hold as much as factory produced DVDs. I have no idea how common this is in this modern age of cable modems.
I would assume that any reputable purveyor of stolen software (Haha!) would make such things clear, but really, who the heck knows.APL (talk) 21:21, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Army vs Navy Games

How many army/navy games did the navy win —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.9.76.121 (talk) 16:19, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Not surprisingly, the answer can be found right in the infobox of Army-Navy Game. Deor (talk) 22:17, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

December 7

elder scrolls

can you make a bussiness on elder scrolles, and if yes, wat kind of bussiness? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.130.147.158 (talk) 00:36, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Could you be more specific? Scrolls are used in a lot of games and many of them likely refer to certain scrolls as "elder scrolls". If you're talking about ElderScrolls.com, they have forums where you may get a better response. Dismas|(talk) 06:20, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

[Elder scrolls] 70.130.147.158 (talk) 16:56, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There are a lot of mods that have been released for the ES series that allow players to start and run a business. The current Elder Scrolls game is Oblivion, but a lot of people still play Morrowind. The best way to find what you're looking for is to go to Planet Edler Scrolls and choose the link for the version you're playing. You can search that site for mods and download the ones you want for free. 152.16.59.190 (talk) 02:50, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Food Friendzy Facebook application

How do you win money on the Facebook Food Friendzy application? I've seen people who have hundreds of dollars in winnings? How do they do that? iS there some sort of strategy involved in playing this game? It seems its all predetermined. I never win anything!

67.194.159.149 (talk) 02:44, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Nintendo

Why isn't the Nintendo Entertainment System ever referred to as simply the Entertainment System? Why isn't the Super Nintendo Entertainment System ever referred to as simply the Super Entertainment System? 60.230.180.175 (talk) 05:58, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have any reason for why society would use a vague phrase such as "Entertainment System"? At the time, Atari and Sega also had game systems out, so by referring to the NES specifically as simply "Nintendo", it keeps any confusion out of the conversation. And Nintendo themselves probably had a large influence in that. They wanted their company name out there on people's lips and not some vague term such as "Entertainment System". To that end, their marketing/advertising always referred to the system as "Nintendo". Dismas|(talk) 06:17, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
"Entertainment system" is a very vague term used at least the 1980s to refer to audio or audio-video equipment with many functions. As a term in wide use it would probably not be trademarkable. Nintendo would want to insist on the trademarked name being used. As to why they chose the name in the first place, you'd have to ask them - it was of course the Famicom (family computer) in Japan, which is just as vague. It's possible they wanted a similar short abbreviated name for western markets; in Japan it's common to abbreviate by taking the first part of words but in English it's more usual to take initials and maybe FC or NFC don't sound sufficiently euphonious; maybe they were playing on the popularity of the term "entertainment system"; they probably didn't want to associate themselves with earlier video game consoles (a market which had crashed badly); also at that time they also may not have wanted anything too Japanese sounding, but I'm getting into wild speculation here. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 13:14, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps somewhat related, the Playstation 2 is technically called the "PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system." Would anyone consider calling it just the "Computer Entertainment System"? The Atari 2600 was also called the "Atari 2600 Video Computer System". Would anyone consider calling it just the "Video Computer System"? I don't think so. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 21:38, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Soundtracks: Australia, the movie

What is the name/composer of the classical music that is borrowed and used in the movie soundtrack in the last scenes of the movie —Preceding unsigned comment added by Babyitscoldoutside (talkcontribs) 18:44, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It's "Nimrod", Variation #9 from Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations. I have a theory about why this was used. Nimrod was a musical portrait of Elgar's friend Alfred Jaeger, and he chose the name Nimrod in reference to the Biblical figure Nimrod, who was "a mighty hunter", and "Jaeger" is the German word for hunter. But it gets more interesting. The Enigma Variations were based on a theme that has been the subject of endless speculation for over a hundred years. There are many theories, but the one that rings true with me is the "never, never, never" part of "Rule, Britannia!" - Rule, Britannia, Britannia rule the waves, Britons never, never, never shall be slaves. It's right there large as life in the opening two bars of the piece, but transposed to G minor. Elgar was asked to explain the theme, but would never do so; however he did say: "So the principal Theme never appears ... the chief character is never on stage". Years later, his friend Dora Penny took him aside and quizzed him about it, and all he would say was "You of all people should have guessed it by now". Why Dora Penny of all people? Well, because the character on the obverse of the British penny of the time was Britannia. So, what's the connection with Australia? The last scene shows the Aboriginal character King George, who was a hunter, and he lived in the Never Never. When I heard this music at the end of the movie, my immediate reaction was "that's a bit odd", but then I twigged to the connections and it all made sense. That's my theory, and I'm sticking with it. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:35, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hancock DVD

I am working on the article for the film Hancock, and I was wondering if either the DVD or Blu-ray had closed captioning or English subtitles for the featurettes they offered. It would help to know before I sought the disc. —Erik (talkcontrib) 21:24, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Reporting any such information about the DVD based upon having seen it is original research. You'll need to find a reliable sources to cite that information. Little Red Riding Hoodtalk 22:10, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Original research encompasses "unpublished facts, arguments, speculation, and ideas; and any unpublished analysis or synthesis of published material that serves to advance a position". How does reporting details of production as shared by the featurettes constitute original research? If you are talking about what happens in the film, WP:PSTS says, "For example, an article about a novel may cite passages from the novel to describe the plot, but any interpretation of those passages needs a secondary source." The film can be cited to provide a basic description of the film. Anything that is interpreted would not be permitted, obviously. Anyway, hope that there is still an editor out there who can help answer my question about the featurettes! —Erik (talkcontrib) 22:32, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, the DVD is itself a publication; so any material on its own content is assumed to be cited to itself. As long as the content of the DVD is not critically reviewed, but merely listed in a dispassionate and factual manner, there is no need to have an outside source report the content of the DVD before you do... ---Jayron32.talk.contribs 05:33, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Also, according to WP:V, sources are only needed for material that's "likely to be challenged". Zain Ebrahim (talk) 11:08, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Question

Are the events in Lego Batman: The Video Game based on any actual Batman publication? 60.230.180.175 (talk) 23:40, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Question 2

Out of Sierra's main series (Leisure Suit Larry, King's Quest, Police Quest, Space Quest, and Quest for Glory), what is the order of popularity? 60.230.180.175 (talk) 23:40, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

First, you must define "popular". Do you mean "most sales"? Do you mean "highest rated"? Do you mean "Most news articles written about it?" Since the word "popular" is a matter of opinion, it is impossible to answer what is most popular. -- kainaw 23:59, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I mean all three. I'd like to see the orders for all three. 60.230.180.175 (talk) 01:12, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ditto

<moved from misc desk>
In the article on the Pokemon Ditto it says "Ditto is able to rearrange its cellular structure into anything at will". Now, I was under the impression that a Ditto could only transform into another Pokemon of similar size or a mini-version of a large Pokemon. Which is it? Can a Ditto become anything, like water, a dog, fireworks etc or only another Pokemon? FireSkater (talk) 23:10, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There's a Pokemon manga in which the Ditto can apparently take on human form(if a small human form), but I don't know if that's considered canon. 69.224.113.5 (talk) 01:27, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, it can transform into anything except another Ditto. (Yep, that's what I get from playing Pokemon way too much when I was a kid) flaminglawyercneverforget 07:15, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Ironically (or perhaps not) our OP is a sock puppet of a previous indefinitely banned user who has used sock puppets in the past. Ditto...hahahaha. SteveBaker (talk) 17:09, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

December 8

I usually buy second hand books and I always see his books in the stands (already read up to the third book). Though the article provides some information, I want to know some anecdotal data. Was his books some kind of hit on an age group like Harry Potter series on kids/adolescents today? Besides why does his books become weirder and weirder?--Lenticel (talk) 02:38, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, his books were a big hit—not quite as big as Harry Potter, but almost—among the Flower power generation (and I speak as one who was there). The focus on the use of drugs to expand consciousness didn't hurt. In those days, though, there wasn't quite the pervasiveness of media hype to make anything quite the equivalent of the Harry Potter phenomenon, thank God. Deor (talk) 03:40, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There's a hint that the concerns of the books changed to the occult – see here at the Straight Dope[4] (Cecil Adams is not a fan). I came across Castaneda in the 90s, reading an earlier one and one or two of the later ones. The protagonist Castaneda seemed to change from a teachable, obliging follower to a nasty kind of sorcerer. Maybe it was power, or the hallucinogenics, in and out of universe... whatever it was, the author didn't seem to benefit from today's appreciation of allegory and instead kept it all vague and mysterious so it's hard to find much about this aspect. Julia Rossi (talk) 05:16, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks guys for the Castaneda times info and the SD article. I knew that there's something becoming more fictional in these books even with the generous suspension of disbeleif that I gave it. Well at least I can try to read Tales of Power with a fiction POV without being guilty of not trusting its "facts" and enjoy more of his "imagination".--Lenticel (talk) 06:43, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
All cool. That's not to entirely dismiss the Toltec foundations before Castaneda's "spin". Others have (more soberly or earnestly?) run with the inspiration. See Toltec section "Contemporary Toltec" and some who published in the wake of Castaneda's daring. I'm a Donald Barthelme fan myself.  : ) Julia Rossi (talk) 07:24, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

S class

Does anyone know why a majority of video games with rankings have an S rank as the top rank? For example, in Umbrella Chronicles, you can get a C, B, A, or S rank. Evaunit♥666♥ 02:43, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

What do you mean by rankings? The ESRB offers a rating system that uses letters, but they aren't those. I don't understand the question... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:24, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
(note for Jayron: the ESRB only rates games for the US of A. This is an English Wikipedia, and a large portion of users are in nations other than the US) flaminglawyercneverforget 06:45, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
(note for flaminglawyer: I am not an idiot. I know that. But given the ambigousness of the question, I was trying to figure out what he was going for)-Jayron32.talk.contribs 15:01, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I think the OP is talking about the player's performance within the game which is similar to educational grading systems (poor performance gives you a C or D while and excellent performace will net you an A. Better grades also give you better rewards or unlocked features. Performance is based on factors such percentage of enemies killed, beaten time limits, secrets unlocked etc. My theory is that the S may mean Special or Super, making the player a member of that games fictional elite.--Lenticel (talk) 07:04, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hmmm... Good point. Anyway (answer), it's like asking why the word "Fred" has an "e" for its 3rd letter. You'll never know why, but it still happens. flaminglawyercneverforget 07:12, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
In my experience, this kind of system is found mostly in Japanese games. Perhaps they are basing on it on some real-world system there. Recury (talk) 14:16, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'm wondering how Queen/Brian May achieved the guitar effects used during solos in that song. It might be Deacy Amp, but the article's not very descriptive :( . Does anyone know what this effect is or how it can be achieved? flaminglawyercneverforget 07:05, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Here's is a tutorial on how to play the solo, shown on YouTube: [5]. Interestingly, the guy is playing it on a Red Special knock-off (how cool is that!) and is using a VOX amp. VOX is known for having some really awesome on-board effects, though I am not sure they were availible in 1975 when Queen recorded the song. He does go through his equipment at the end of the video, and in looks as if he is using a phaser pedal of some sort, which very well MAY have been availible in 1975. Our article on phasers (see the link) does note that May used them extensively to achieve his sound. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 14:58, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
May used a huge variety of methods to achieve desired effects. These included modifications to the guitar, the amps, pedals, tape effects, pretty much anything that he could get his hands on. Dunno the answer to the specific question though! DuncanHill (talk) 15:04, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Indeed. On the song Good Company from A Night at the Opera, he famously recorded the horn section by playing each note for each intrument seperately using different effects on his guitar, and spliced them together note by note to create the solo. It took like weeks of solid work to create a 40 second simulated dixieland band using nothing but his guitar. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:26, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Film music released before the film was released

I'm looking for any decent examples (if they exist) of music that was written specifically for a film, but released and played (live performance; radio broadcast of recordings, etc) well before the film itself was premiered. I've come across the case of the Warsaw Concerto which was definitely being played live in the UK in June-July 1940 by Eileen Joyce but the movie for which it was written, Dangerous Moonlight, was not released until 26 June 1941. There may have been a particular reason for that, and I'm guessing the Battle of Britain had something to do with delaying the film's cinema release. But for the music to be played at concerts a whole year before the film was released seems very, very unusual to me. I've done some research - see the Concerto's talk page @ Timing - but have not got to the nub of the issue yet. However, maybe I'm wrong and maybe there are other cases where the music took on a life of its own significantly earlier than the movie for which it was written was released. Does anyone know of any such cases? -- JackofOz (talk) 08:31, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Do the James Bond songs qualify? What about the Mission: Impossible movies? 143.117.157.60 (talk) 14:02, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Selznick in the 1940s introed the idea of making special promotional recordings for radio stations. By the 1960s, it was the practice to deliver soundtrack recordings to DJs and retailers four to six weeks prior to a film's release. See The Sounds of Commerce (Columbia University Press, 1998) by Jeffrey Paul Smith. Cheap Trick did two songs for the animated Heavy Metal (1981), and as I recall, they performed live in the Guggenheim Museum at a press party prior to the release of the film. Pepso2 (talk) 16:36, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The soundtrack for Phantom Menace came out a few days before the movie (and contained spoiler info). 216.239.234.196 (talk) 17:39, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Luke Haines's soundtrack to British movie Christie Malry's Own Double Entry was released in the UK on 11 Jun 2001[6] but the film didn't come out till over a year later on 16 August 2002[7]; I don't have a cite, but I believe the film was due to come out in autumn 2001 but was postponed due to the 9/11 attacks and the film's theme of terrorism. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 21:31, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The Australian release of Batman came about 6 months after the rest of the world but if you knew were to go (ie avoid the record label police), you could get the Prince soundtrack. I remember that there was a high profile prosecution of a Melbourne record shop for importing copies before the "official release date". --80.176.225.249 (talk) 22:45, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It was common at one time to promote new films via radio. For example: An audio movie kit of 50 to 100 LPs were sent to radio stations in 1983 to promote Risky Business (1984). It featured an audio trailer, interviews and music.[8] --—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 15:32, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
OK, thanks for those answers, people. None of them were quite in the same league as my Warsaw Concerto example, but it looks like my question was based on a false premise, namely, a literal reading of words written in a biography. How silly of me to take authors at their word! If you're interested in the details, they're at Talk:Warsaw Concerto. -- JackofOz (talk) 06:19, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Need a script for this Laurel and Hardy Skit

I've searched on every possible search engine and come up empty. The skit is called "The Wedding Night" and i am using it for a variety show i am putting on. I have a CD with the file on it, but i can't seem to find a script for this skit. Can someone help me?  Buffered Input Output 14:11, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This script is in John McCabe's book The Comedy World of Stan Laurel (1974). Pepso2 (talk) 17:12, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you SO much! Now i don't have to listen to the CD and transcribe it! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by BufferedIO (talkcontribs) 15:02, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

NCAA football 09 roster download for PS2

I have NCAA 09 for PS2 and an Action Replay Max device to download saves from the internet. However, I cannot locate a PS2 roster save for this game. I have found plenty for XBOX and PS3, but nothing for PS2. Is there one out there?? --209.183.190.77 (talk) 14:48, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There may not be... Given that PS2 is an older system (though new games are still released as you note) and that far fewer PS2s were ever connected than XBOX or PS3, and that the NCAA series was never quite as popular as Madden, it is quite likely that you may be the only Action Replay customer to play NCAA on PS2 and be looking to swap save files. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 14:51, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

A Friend of a Friend of Danny Ocean

Casey Affleck/Virgil Malloy in 'Ocean's Thirteen', he says something really funny in Espanol on one of the Mexico scenes. I forgot the line. It reminded me of Ang Lee's 'HULK' 'You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry' line. Anyone here remember what Casey said? Cheers, --i am the kwisatz haderach (talk) 18:06, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Seinfeld's

What is the name of the episode where George wear a wig? Gridge (talk) 21:06, 8 December 2008 (UTC).[reply]

George wears a toup�e for the first time in The Scofflaw and again in The Beard. SN0WKITT3N 22:08, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, man. Gridge (talk) 23:10, 8 December 2008 (UTC).[reply]

Titanic

Just finished watching the 1997 movie Titanic. As the ship is sinking the word TITANIC is followed below by LIVERPOOL. Yet the Wikipedia reference page indicates that the ship was built in BELFAST. What's the deal with that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rociante (talkcontribs) 22:18, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Exactly right. Titanic and Home Port have more. -- WORMMЯOW  10:21, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

December 9

Bela or Bella Gym Coach?

Either why i try and spell it nothing comes up? Has anyone heard of the gymnast coach? thank you if you someone could direct be to his page thanks. --Peacekeeper2009 (talk) 03:30, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I've added him to both the bela and bella disambiguation pages. --69.149.213.144 (talk) 14:36, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

TV shows or Movies about Social Workers

There are so many tv series and movies about police and doctors (and their roles in society) as the heroes, but I was wondering about tv series or movies that have social workers (and their roles) as the heroes. I read there was a show called "East Side, West Side"; and I have also watched the TV show Judging Amy - Are there any other's? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.165.254.155 (talk) 06:51, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This one is unnamed as yet but is, apparently, a drama in development by Michael Rapaport[9].
The only TV series perhaps featuring a social worker as protagonist which I can come up with and which hasn't already been mentioned is The Guardian (2001-2004). A couple of characters doing social work in older films, though not necessarily as main characters, include:
  • Mamie Rose in Raoul Walsh's Regeneration (1915) She's a positive though not a main character, in a time when official "wellfare officers" were often portrayed in a more cruel and less favorable light, one famous example being Chaplin's The Kid (1921). Come to think of it, they're still often presented as cold and bureaucratic these days.
  • Jerry Connelly in Michael Curtiz's classic Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
  • Kim Hunter in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956 teleplay /1962 movie)
  • Sandra Markowitz in A Thousand Clowns (1965)
  • Germaine Cazeneuve, probation officer and one of the two protagonists, played by Jean Gabin in Deux hommes dans la ville (1973)
  • Chandler Jarell in The Golden Child (1986). Main character portrayed by Eddie Murphy is a social worker but the movie is not about social work.
  • Julie Winters in The Maxx (1995). Ok, that's a TV series too, but animated and lasting only 13 episodes.
(with the help of IMDb's keyword feature) ---Sluzzelin talk 09:53, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Anthony Perkins as social worker in WUSA (1970), adapted by Robert Stone from his novel A Hall of Mirrors. The novel is much better than the movie. Pepso2 (talk) 10:15, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There is a social worker in True Blood, although at the rate even main characters get killed I suppose she won't be there for long. Crime- and lawyer-type shows usually have social workers, don't they? I guess not as the main hero though. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:58, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The Cleaner with Benjamin Bratt; in Judging Amy the show often focuses on social worker Maxine Gray (Tyne Daly). --—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 15:13, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The Norm Show was a sitcom focused on social workers. -- Mad031683 (talk) 17:41, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hajej, nynej, Ježíšku

Where (even YouTube is permissible) can I find a recording of this Czech carol? I would like to also find the lyrics, if possible. Vltava 68 09:07, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You can download an mp3 from here or here. The lyrics are in here Czech and English. SN0WKITT3N 10:33, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Open source game

Can anyone tell some web addresses from where I can download some good open source simulation games and point-and click detective games in my computer free of cost. Most of the games listed in List of open source games are not really enjoyable. Otolemur crassicaudatus (talk) 11:50, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Scorched 3D download is good, so is AssaultCube download, but it's better in multi-player. The Battle for Wesnoth is a free strategy game, apparently it's quite good though I've never tried it. ScummVM has some good point and click detective games but they need to be downloaded individually as ScummVM is just the game engine, so they might not be open source. Not really games but Celestia download and Orbiter download are fantastic sims. SN0WKITT3N 12:18, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The best open-source RPG-style game is probably NetHack. The graphics don't exist, but there are GUI add-ons you can get. For my money (well, there is none) I recommend NetHack. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:37, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]


December 10

NFL playoffs, and teams with 2 ties

In the NFL playoffs article, I was trying to find out what happened if a team finished with 2 ties; specifically Philadelphia were to finish 9-5-2 this year, and Dallas 10-6. And, let's say they split their head to head matchups. According to the article, "won-lost-tie percentage" is considered. Is that implying that this is different than normal won-loss percentage?

Since there hasn't been a tie in several years in the NFL, I wasn't sure how this worked, but I was under the impression that ties cancelled each other out, so under that scenario, Phiadelphia and Dallas would still be tied and they would have to go to the next tiebreaker. Is that right, or would Phiadelphia have an advatage because they tied two games instead of going 1-1 in them. (And thus would be "better," at 9-5, than Dallas at 10-6?)

Thanks in advance.Somebody or his brother (talk) 01:09, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Tie-breaking only applies to teams with identical records. 9-5-2 is not identical to 10-6-0. So, no tie-breaker is needed. 10 wins is more than 9 wins. -- kainaw 03:30, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Not so. Per the NFL, tiebreaking procedures are invoked for teams with identical "won-lost-tied percentages". Normally a tie is considered half a win and half a loss, so 9-5-2 would be identical to 10-6-0; 9-5-2 is not considered as if it were 9-5-0. Note that this is distinct from a league like the NHL, where ties are common but number of wins is an early tiebreaker. — Lomn 15:16, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Further references: our article on the NFL playoffs notes that in the league's early years, ties were omitted, leading to 6-1-6 and 6-1-4 being considered identical (and superior to 10-3-1). The Elias Sports Bureau uses 1971-1972 as the transition point; ties in or prior to 1971 are disregarded, while ties in 1972 and beyond are considered the half-win half-loss format. — Lomn 15:27, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

First slasher film

Which is the first slasher film ever made? The article slasher film does not give any particular name. Otolemur crassicaudatus (talk) 12:23, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I searched google and the results are more confusing. Some claim Psycho was the first slasher film [10], some claim In My Skin [11], some claim Dementia 13 [12] or Torso [13]. I am totally confused. Otolemur crassicaudatus (talk) 12:41, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
From the Torso link you gave, and from what is in the slasher film article, it sounds a bit like asking what the first democracy was, or what the first rock song was; it all depends on your criteria for what a true slasher film is. AlexiusHoratius 13:08, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]