Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 22:11, 22 August 2015

Welcome to the entertainment section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

Shortcut

WP:RD/E

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

How can I get my question answered?

Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
Note:
- We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
- We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
- We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
- We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.

August 15

Specific SMBC comic about crowding out

Resolved

I'm looking for one comic strip from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. It featured one of the aliens (Zorblaxians, but I don't think it was named as such) showing up on Earth, saying that it wants to take over a human's job. Or rather, the alien wants to do the human's job for free, as a charitable act, which leads the human to unemployment. I think it illustrated the economics concept of crowding out. I've tried using http://www.ohnorobot.com/ without success. Does anyone have a link to the specific comic? Gabbe (talk) 05:14, 15 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Here there is. I don't think the comic is about crwding out (but I don't actually undernstand the article well) but a satire on well-meaning but misguided people who go to third world countries to volunteer doing non-qualified works that can get done by the locals themselves (for a salary)--85.52.85.178 (talk) 17:23, 15 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that's precisely the one. Thank you! Gabbe (talk) 17:48, 15 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 16

Tennis

What is the longest ever Tennis game by time? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.65.2.54 (talk) 19:50, 16 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

That will probably be Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. MarnetteD|Talk 19:53, 16 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

"...will probably be" ? Is it still ongoing ? :-) StuRat (talk) 21:25, 16 August 2015 (UTC) [reply]

I think it is StuRat. At least in my memory :-) - I was hedging my bets in case the IP wanted info on a match that did not have breaks between play. I am not sure which one fits that criteria but the 1980 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles final will always be one of the most memorable matches for me. MarnetteD|Talk 21:33, 16 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Although, the questioner did not ask about the longest match, but rather the longest game. Records for such are probably incomplete, but many consider it to be a game in the 1975 Surrey Grass Court Championships. Anthony Fawcett and Keith Glass played a game in the second set that had 37 deuces.* Fawcett eventually won, 8-9, 6-3, 6-2.^† → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 02:03, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

* "26 May 1975: The longest-ever game of tennis" by Keith Glass

^† "A Deuce of an Effort" in Tennis's Strangest Games by Peter Seddon (1975)

I indeed needed information about the longest GAME and not MATCH. Thanks for that. Is it also the longest tennis game by duration or only by score? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.218.12.100 (talk) 13:02, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

As the sources listed above note, this match is believed to be the longest, but time of games within a match is a statistic that is not typically recorded. → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 23:58, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

26 May, 1975 Keith Glass-Tony Fawcett claims to be the longest ever game with 37 deuces. It was at the Surrey grass-court championships at Surbiton, and Wikipedia has no information on the tournament or either player. But there's at least a lead for you. --Jayron 32 12:06, 18 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 17

I just got laid

I remember hearing a part of a rock (metal?) song of a man saying ‘I just got laid.’ I don’t know much else about it, other than the song probably came out before 2007. Does anybody know what I’m talking about? --Romanophile (talk) 01:24, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Could be "AIDS & Armageddon" by David Baerwald, covered by Fishbone? --Canley (talk) 11:55, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly it's "Kiss Me Deadly" by Lita Ford, which contains the line "I went to a part last Saturday night/I didn't get laid, I got in a fight." It was definitely a rock (pop metal) song from the late 1980s, which would qualify as before 2007. --Jayron 32 19:17, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Singers and Actors

Many singers are also actors. Many actors are also singers. Why? Desklin (talk) 03:54, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Why not? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:02, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

In the olden days it was good to be able to sing, act, and dance, called a "triple threat" (and maybe we can toss comedian in there, too). Quite simply, the more skills a performer had, the more value they had to a movie studio, or before that, a Vaudeville act. And, for those who like the sound of applause, any means will do. These days, it's more common to make a living as one or the other, but some still do more than one. Also, there are many competent singers who you never hear, because they have no means of getting exposure, but if they were an actor they might get to sing as part of a movie/TV show. So, in that sense it just seems like more of them can sing than the general population. And, I suppose the reverse is true, where a singer is offered a chance to act they wouldn't get if not for their fame as a singer. This also applies to those famous for sports, etc. StuRat (talk) 04:05, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

In the recent era, a lot of actors and singers have also attended a form of Music school, Drama school or a centre for Performing arts (or Higher Education establishment that offers them all) to learn their trade such as the Juilliard School, Conservatoire for Dance and Drama and BRIT School. These all encourange students to learn both acting and singing as part of (e.g.) musical theatre and for other disciplines. Nanonic (talk) 06:44, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

IMO, good singing generally requires a bit of acting to connect with the audience. The reverse is not true: e.g. Clint Eastwood in Paint Your Wagon (not for the faint of heart, or ear). Clarityfiend (talk) 10:13, 18 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I was going to mention that example. I presume Clint was rather forced into that, not that he had a lifelong dream to sing in a movie. :-) StuRat (talk) 22:45, 18 August 2015 (UTC) [reply]

He occasionally sang on Rawhide, too.[1] Not a great singer, but I've heard worse. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:07, 20 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 18

Background sound and music too loud on some channels

I get TV from a cable company. On some channels and programs, the sound effects and music are so loud that it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to hear the dialog. Two examples are When We Left Earth on the Science Channel and Nova on PBS. I'm wondering if there could be some sort of technical goof-up causing this. For instance, perhaps the sound is in 5.1, the dialog is in the center channel, and it is left out of the mix. Or they are taking the back two channels only, or something. Could that be the case? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 18:19, 18 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Possible, but not likely, since other customers would probably have complained as well. How do you listen to your audio? Does 5.1 audio sound okay on other channels? Does it sound okay on the two cable channels you mentioned, but just not on these specific programs? It could be a bad setting on your receiver, decoder or another piece of audio gear.--Thomprod (talk) 21:57, 18 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I use an HDMI cable from the DVR to the TV, which has built-in stereo speakers. Sometimes we use them and sometimes a stereo soundbar (RCA cables from the TV sound output to the soundbar input). Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 03:47, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Since the programs you mentioned are distributed by a cable provider, recorded onto your DVR and then played back on your receiver's internal speakers, I suspect it may have been a one-time error in settings somewhere along that path. Have you successfully decoded 5.1 audio (with good dialog balance) on other programs? --Thomprod (talk) 12:38, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It isn't a one-time error - they are consistently that way. I have given up on watching some shows because the sound effects are so loud in comparison to the dialog that it is too much of a strain to hear it. I don't do anything with 5.1 sound, just two-channel stereo. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 14:07, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I've noticed similar problems, sometimes the dialog channel seems completely turned off, with only the background noises and/or music playing. I have two conclusions:

1) This seems to be a relatively recent problem, since digital TV, so I suspect that before that the individual stations got the programs delivered with only one audio track, and now they get multiple audio tracks, leaving them with the responsibility to mix them properly.

2) I've also come to the conclusion that they don't actually have anybody there who watches their own programs as they send them out, as such problems are entirely obvious to anyone paying attention. You'd think having somebody in "quality control" actually watch each program as it is sent out would be a requirement, but apparently not. They never seem to have a clue they are broadcasting garbage, until somebody tells them. StuRat (talk) 22:43, 18 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

StuRat, while what you suggest is possible, it is not likely the fault of your local station. I work in engineering at a television station and all of our syndicated programs are quality checked three times: Once after receiving them from the distributor while being segmented, again after they are loaded into a traffic schedule for playback 8-16 hours before they air, and once again by a live person while they are transmitted. Yes, this all changed since digital TV and HD broadcasting became the norm, since different types of audio channel configurations can now be distributed and transmitted more easily. --Thomprod (talk) 12:38, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

One difference in broadcast TV, at least in the US, is that while there was only one analog station before, now there are up to 6 digital substations, so it would take 6 times as many people to monitor all the broadcast channels at once. Then there are new distribution methods, like the Internet, too. Under analog TV, if the audio was out a "having technical difficulties" message would have gone out within a few minutes, now I hardly ever see such a notice. I assume this is because it's as simple to fix as turning a dial, once they notice the problem. StuRat (talk) 14:56, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I fear that if I call the cable company technical support and try to explain the problem, they won't understand. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 18:53, 20 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You're probably right in that the "customer support" person you get will have no idea that there are now different audio channels which must be properly mixed, by them, before the signal is sent out. Try getting them to write a report to send to the tech guys, and dictate it word for word. Have them read if back to you, too, or they are likely to just type "audio out", as that's less work for them, even though it won't get the problem fixed. Ask for a customer complaint number or whatever they call it, and tell them know you will call back to check on it, so they know they will get caught if they take short cuts. Then call back and check on it just to be sure, having the new "customer service" person read it back to you again. This way there will be no question about you being "properly serviced". StuRat (talk) 22:02, 21 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 19

Looking for title of an old film

Possibly in black and white, my memory of it is that it was quite melancholic. It featured a fisherman with an odd accent ("Leetl feesh" he would say to the little fish) and I think a boy. The fisherman sang a song, probably about said feesh. Is that possibly enough for a RD expert Sherlock? --Dweller (talk) 09:02, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The fisherman and boy remind me The Old Man and the Sea. Are you possibly thinking of a film version of that? Though I don't remember any songs in the book, some liberties for a film might have been taken. Dismas|^(talk) 10:00, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Sounded like it might have been spot on, but these images reveal it's definitely not the one I'm thinking of. --Dweller (talk) 10:19, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It may not have been TOMATS, but I think it's still a Spencer Tracy movie, one for which he won a Best Actor Oscar - Captains Courageous. Our article is Captains Courageous (1937 film). -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 11:21, 19 August 2015 (UTC

Spot on! That's mightily impressive, considering the few (and pretty rubbish) clues I provided. Thank you! --Dweller (talk) 11:30, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, but it wasn't hard. I just googled "leetle feesh" man boat boy, and it was the very first hit. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:03, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Looking For Alaska, film?

Is Looking For Alaska by John Green will be a film? And Who Are the screenplayers? Please answer ASAP. Thank you.Chandelia16 (talk) 11:07, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I assume you've read Looking_for_Alaska#Film_adaptation? (and I've fixed the link to the author for you) Rojomoke (talk) 12:02, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Thank You!!! But I wish theChandelia16 (talk) 02:28, 21 August 2015 (UTC) names of the screenplayers are showed.[reply]

If you mean "the writer of screenplay", the article says that the current draft was written by Sarah Polley. If you mean the actors, they have not been cast yet. Smurrayinchester 10:29, 21 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 20

Old Weird Werewolf Movie

I recall seeing a movie when I was a small boy in the 1980s, the movie itself probably from the 70s or even the 60s. The movie was about werewolves and the one thing I remember was that one of the characters had a huge bushy eyebrow that connected across the top of his forehead. There was something going on with him liking a young girl. There was another scene where a man goes crazy and is dragged into a dark dungeon and thrown inside. A brief moment shows people already in the dungeon locked up in chains. Does anyone know this film? -O.R.^Comms 14:42, 20 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Category:Werewolves in film may be a good place for you to start your research. --Jayron 32 18:43, 20 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Googling werewolf movie dungeon brought me to The Curse of the Werewolf. Some of the details seem to match. 99.235.223.170 (talk) 19:54, 22 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

HAmsterdance song

I didn't know if this would go under legal advice but I wanted to know if The HAmsterdance Song is copyrighted? If you can not answer could you point me to where I could find the answer?

Sincerely an internet user.24.247.0.19 (talk) 22:04, 20 August 2015 (UTC)a person 8/20/15[reply]

See Hampster Dance. The article states the original music is a sped up sample of the song Whistle Stop from Disney's Robin Hood and 'official' releases made the charts between 1999-2001. From this I would say that yes it is copyrighted. Nanonic (talk) 22:08, 20 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 21

Song in a YT video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atRZuaVWRYA

Hey, sorry for terrible quality but it was what I got. Can anyone help me find out what this remix of a 70s song is? All Í know is that it's from precisely 1990-2005. and seems to be a remix of a 70s/80s song. Can someone use SoundHound or Shazam? I can't use those on my phone. and no internet identifiers work. 157.157.177.42 (talk) 16:58, 21 August 2015 (UTC) Thank you and take care.[reply]

80s? disco song

All I know is that it's american and the last word in the lyrics was "dancefloor" It seemed like early-mid 80s disco to me. Very catchy.. :) 157.157.177.42 (talk) 17:02, 21 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This is the same as above, right? In the future you should keep all info in one question. That recording is hard to make any sense of, and I doubt any of the software algorithms will work on it. You might try listening to this [2] - included are 110 samples of famous 70s/80s disco hits, with title and artist info. SemanticMantis (talk) 17:32, 21 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This is not the same as the above one, else I would have put it there also. This is a seperate song I remembered after I posted the above one. but thank you — Preceding unsigned comment added by 157.157.177.42 (talk) 20:06, 21 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

(Ah, thanks for clarifying. The link I suggested might be helfpul for either, but that's about all I've got :) SemanticMantis (talk) 21:32, 21 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Look, we're going to need more than one word of the lyrics here. Male singer? Female? Group? Thumping bass? Guitar solo? Disco music isn't very well defined - it's sometimes just synonymous with music you can dance to - so having the term 'dance floor' in there is not going to narrow the search much. Googling lyrics song dance floor provides some options to try. How about Vogue? 99.235.223.170 (talk) 16:22, 22 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Is That True?

They say that Zayn Malik Is dating Cara Delevinge, Is that true Or just a rumor? Chandelia16 (talk) 10:29, 22 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

She is dating Annie Clark, according to citations in both their articles. Adam Bishop (talk) 11:43, 22 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (film)

Are the pale monster that got part of his arm cut off early in the film and his kind that ride around on big wolf creatures the same "species" or class of beings as the population that live in the mountain with the big fat king with the baggy chin? If so, what are they called in that world's fiction? If not, what are each called? 75.75.42.89 (talk) 20:54, 22 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

In Tolkein's works, these are called, alternately, goblins and orcs, Tolkein uses the words interchangeably, see Orc (Middle-earth) for more details. There are a wide number of races of orcs/goblins. --Jayron 32 21:03, 22 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. I noticed that in the scene where the big pale one was about to have one of his minions kill Thorin (when they were all on the precipice with the trees on fire) and when Bilbo jumped in to stop the one that was about to kill Thorin, his sword wasn't shining blue, which made me think there was a difference. 75.75.42.89 (talk) 22:03, 22 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@@ Line 153: / Line 153: @@
 Are the pale monster that got part of his arm cut off early in the film and his kind that ride around on big wolf creatures the same "species" or class of beings as the population that live in the mountain with the big fat king with the baggy chin? If so, what are they called in that world's fiction? If not, what are each called? [[Special:Contributions/75.75.42.89|75.75.42.89]] ([[User talk:75.75.42.89|talk]]) 20:54, 22 August 2015 (UTC)
 :In Tolkein's works, these are called, alternately, [[goblin]]s and [[orc]]s, Tolkein uses the words interchangeably, see [[Orc (Middle-earth)]] for more details.  There are a wide number of races of orcs/goblins.  --[[User:Jayron32|<span style="color:#009">Jayron</span>]][[User talk:Jayron32|<b style="color:#090">''32''</b>]] 21:03, 22 August 2015 (UTC)
-::Thanks. I noticed that in the scene where the big pale one was about to have one of his minions kill the Dwarf (when they were all on the precipice with the trees on fire) and when Bilbo jumped in to stop the one that was about to kill the Dwarf, his sword wasn't shining blue, which made me think there was a difference. [[Special:Contributions/75.75.42.89|75.75.42.89]] ([[User talk:75.75.42.89|talk]]) 22:03, 22 August 2015 (UTC)
+::Thanks. I noticed that in the scene where the big pale one was about to have one of his minions kill Thorin (when they were all on the precipice with the trees on fire) and when Bilbo jumped in to stop the one that was about to kill Thorin, his sword wasn't shining blue, which made me think there was a difference. [[Special:Contributions/75.75.42.89|75.75.42.89]] ([[User talk:75.75.42.89|talk]]) 22:03, 22 August 2015 (UTC)