Welcome to the entertainment section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

Select a section:

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.

February 21

Noticing two things when I watch the news

When I watch the news on TV or online, I notice two things. What are the purposes of a sign language interpreter doing sign language during press conferences? Does sign language interpretation hearing impaired people understand what the speaker is speaking about? When I view stories about a topic and the victim's family goes on the news and them seeking justice, I notice them showing the faces of some adults and blurring the faces of children at the same time. I also notice sometimes that they blur or pixelate the victim's or victim's children's faces. The news media also censors other adult's faces too. What are the rationale of blurring human faces in photo and video? Do they do this for protection, privacy, safety and security reasons? Is pixelation used to protect the subject's privacy, safety and security?

In this video on CBS Los Angeles for example, I saw some faces being pixelated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1B4hV_Yf1Q

47.145.113.238 (talk) 08:52, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Blurring faces can be done for any combination of these reasons. In the video about hate crime against Asian Americans, the parents may not have given permission to show their kids recognizably, which otherwise might have led to confrontations with their schoolmates. Avoiding drawing attention from child predators is another consideration. Not showing unconvicted suspects in an identifiable way is routine; identification might lead to innocent persons being evicted from their homes and fired from their jobs, or possibly worse forms of extrajudicial punishment. Of course a hearing-impaired person who understands a sign language would understand the sign-language interpreter (provided they use the same sign language and are proficient). That is the whole point of sign language, and I do not understand why one might question this. --Lambiam 12:35, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding the interpreter, I assume your question isn't "why do they help the hearing impaired?" but "why don't they "simply" use closed captions?". The latter is a good question.

Basically, live closed captioning isn't the best choice for a press conference (or any other live event) where important, timely information is being provided. For one thing, closed captioning isn't always available or accessible on the customer side; for another, closed captioning tends to be much less accurate than the average sign language interpreter. For other purposes (say, sports) that doesn't matter much; a hearing-impaired fan's enjoyment of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball won't be much affected if the stenotype operator types "Cleveland Idiots" instead of "Cleveland Indians" - which, by the way, actually happened once - but there could be real-world repercussions if a city under a deep freeze announces a warming station and the caption reads 7725 Market Street when the actual warming station is at 7735 Maldon Street. (It also might be easier to find an ASL interpreter than a stenotype operator and machine, especially on short notice. Certainly it's cheaper to hire one person than to hire one person and rent a machine as well.) 24.76.103.169 (talk) 20:07, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure about the US, but note that AFAIK, in modern times most commercial live captioning in Europe and elsewhere does not use a stenotype operator or machine. Instead it relies on a* listener repeating the spoken words (called a re-speaker) with some additions e.g. for punctuation into a speech recognition machine [1]/[2] [3] [4] [5]. The reason to use re-speakers is generally cost, it's far easier to develop the skills to become a re-speaker than to become a stenotype operator so it's cheaper to hire one. Even with trained professionals, speech recognition is hardly perfect which can lead to notable errors e.g. [6] (this one is particularly relevant as it's easier to see how it can arise from speech recognition but I think it's unlikely to happen from a stenotype error), [7], [8] (well I think the last one is a speech recognition error, I'm not sure what was meant though so I'm not sure). *=As I understand it, normally only one re-speaker is working at a time, but in a long broadcast it's possible multiple may work together in shifts. Remembering that they are generally re-speaking for everyone in the broadcast so are generally talking a lot more than the anchor or whatever. Nil Einne (talk) 13:24, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Silence of the Lambs

Not really a request for information to be looked up

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

I am watching S.O.T.L. at home on my smartphone. If I, say, close the drapes and turn off the lights, will I be able to enjoy the film more? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 182.66.147.53 (talk) 12:49, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

You don't enjoy Silence of the Lambs – you survive it. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.125.75.168 (talk) 17:05, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It would help in adding to your own immersive atmosphere, in much the same way as for playing a horror video game. The dimness of light is said to enhance your senses and reflexes. If you don't care about immersion though, I'd say the difference is minimal. --72.234.12.37 (talk) 17:48, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Wouldn't it have been far quicker to just close the drapes and turn off the lights and see whether you enjoy it more? Rather than asking strangers on the internet whether they think you'd enjoy it more? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 17:51, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

You'll enjoy it more if you have a friend over for a snack. Clarityfiend (talk) 19:34, 21 February 2021 (UTC) [reply]

And don't forget the Chianti. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:55, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe some lotion. Maineartists (talk) 22:29, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

February 22

History in Games

Could someone help me find Lorber, Martin; Zimmermann, Felix (ed.): History in Games. 2020? Tyrone Madera (talk) 02:48, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

If no one here responds, you might also try WP:REX. They are especially good at locating and sharing sources. --Jayron 32 12:45, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

You can pay for a pdf at transcript-publishing.com. Alansplodge (talk) 13:04, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Alansplodge: Are there no library options? Tyrone Madera (talk) 02:38, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Try ISBN 978-3-8394-5420-6, section Libraries, and select your region. --Lambiam 10:08, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

art painting in a different location in a movie

I've seen Coming to America. In that film, a painting which is a spoof of A Bar at the Folies-Bergère is shown above the fireplace. In that spoof, a burger is also placed in front of the woman. Why can't those statements be mentioned in the article about the painting and/or the movie?2603:7000:8100:BD38:34D9:4635:394F:8EBC (talk) 21:47, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

How important is it to the plot? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:24, 22 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Well, in the article about the painting, someone mistakenly identified it being above a couch. But when I looked it up online, there were some images of it being above the fireplace. Plus, Mr. McDowell and his two daughters own and operate a burger joint.2603:7000:8100:BD38:B8AB:9532:FC94:14E1 (talk) 00:20, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe in the painting article, but not in the film. As far as I can recall, it has no bearing on the plot. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:40, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It does. You see, Prince Akeem and his servant Semmi get their first jobs at McDowell's. This was after they attended the Black Awareness rally, where Akeem seemed smitten by Lisa McDowell. In one portion, Akeem and Semmi disarm a hold-up man (played by Samuel L. Jackson). Lisa was impressed. Afterwards, her father told Akeem and Semmi he was real proud about the way they handled the situation. In addition, he invites the two to be servers at a party a few nights later. Inside Mr. McDowell's house, Akeem is shown around. That's when the painting is first shown, above the fireplace. As the party got underway, there was another shot of the painting, to give moviegoers a better view of it. I hope this information is more helpful.2603:7000:8100:BD38:B8AB:9532:FC94:14E1 (talk) 10:06, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

If, in these scenes, the painting had instead been a spoof on, say, Boldini's painting – or if there had been no painting hanging over the fireplace at all – would it have had any impact on the narrative? --Lambiam 10:15, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Another way to discuss this: Do you have any resources that mention this painting variation or is it something you personally noticed? If it is just you, it is personal research. You must either publish (in a noteworthy source) your findings or find someone else who has done so. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 11:19, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

As a matter of fact I have a resource. Here it is; [9]. I hope this helps.2603:7000:8100:BD38:B8AB:9532:FC94:14E1 (talk) 13:21, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

A resource is a news or journal article that expresses a thought or opinion about the subject, not a clip from the movie. What you are doing is showing the movie and expressing your opinion with the claim that because it is your opinion, it is notable and should be included in Wikipedia. You can add it. It may very well get removed. To make it stick, you look for resources (not clips of the movie) that express what it is you want to say. For example, you look for a newspaper article that expresses the meaning of the painting in the film. In other words, you search for other people who are saying what you want to say. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 13:48, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

So there's a painting with a hamburger in it. How is that vital to the story's plotline? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:09, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Didn't you read my answer to Clarityfiend?2603:7000:8100:BD38:B8AB:9532:FC94:14E1 (talk) 19:13, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

You did not answer Clarityfiend's question. You answered a question, but not the one asked. You are being asked why that specific painting is vital to the story. When is it discussed in the story? When does someone hold, move, sell, or buy the painting in the story? How is it used as anything other than something in the background that most people won't notice? 97.82.165.112 (talk) 19:22, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I did, as a matter of fact. There may be a possibility moviegoers who have seen Coming to America may be art enthusiasts.2603:7000:8100:BD38:50A4:44C1:F5AB:3BC (talk) 23:16, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

If they are, they probably already know the painting. As to the painting itself, it's a visual joke. If the article were to include every joke in the movie, it would be tantamount to a script. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:36, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It does get a mention (with reference) at A Bar at the Folies-Bergère#Cultural references, which is perhaps the better place for it. Alansplodge (talk) 22:18, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

February 23

Song, please

Help needed with identifying this relatively well-known song. That drum beat goes after the refrain which is similar to the "In the absence of security / I made my way into the night" part from George Michael's "Fastlove" (I don't remember any lyrics). Thanks. 212.180.235.46 (talk) 11:43, 23 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

February 24

Ava Max' "Torn" music video

Who is the guy starring in the video for Ava Max' 2019 song "Torn"?--Hildeoc (talk) 00:09, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Comments in the YouTube video credit a model named Martin Ferrari. Good luck. Maineartists (talk) 23:55, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Maineartists: Yes, that's him! Thank you so much! Best wishes--Hildeoc (talk) 12:53, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Isn't it ironic that a Ferrari features in a video that might be considered a Fiat ad? --Lambiam 13:11, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

How true!!! 😂🤣--Hildeoc (talk) 21:29, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

What is the average number of tattoos a person may have

What is the average number of tattoos a person may have? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Snowycake (talk • contribs) 23:35, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

If I'm reading your question correctly, "may have" does not mean "allowed" but simply "has": this article More Americans Have Tattoos Today than Seven Years Ago states 2. Maineartists (talk) 23:59, 24 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

"Might have" works better. And it could depend on how you count them. Also, which type of "average" are you intending? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:08, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

How would you count a sleeve tattoo? They are often comprised of many tattoos that merge into one. Your question is not easily quantifiable. 41.165.67.114 (talk) 05:55, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Here are some interesting statistics drawn from a sample of about 1000 Americans in 2019. Only 30% had any tattoos, so the mode is zero, but of those who have any tattoos the most common figure is 2. "The average number of tattoos that tattooed Americans report having is four", (my italics). As Bugs points out the word average is ambiguous, but I suppose they mean "arithmetic mean" here. In that case the arithmetic mean number of tattoos among all the people sampled must have been 1.2 if my maths is right. --Antiquary (talk) 13:41, 25 February 2021 (UTC) Damn! Just realized Maineartists provided the same link. --Antiquary (talk) 13:54, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Along with the previous clarifications... What does "a person" mean? Are you only including humans that are alive? Many dead and buried people have tattoos. Are you only including adults? It is extremely rare for babies to have tattoos. If you were to include all human bodies on Earth, I would expect the mean average to be between zero and one because I strongly suspect that significantly more than half the human bodies have zero tatoos. If you toss out anyone who is dead, toss out anyone under 18, toss out anyone who lives in a place where tattoos are illegal, toss out anyone who cannot have a tattoo for religious reasons, etc..., then you can ask "Of living people who have the option to have a tattoo, what is the likelihood that they have more than one tattoo?" and get a more reasonable answer to the general topic. A similar question, which I've seen answered in other places is, "Of people who have a tattoo, what percent have more than one tattoo?" It is a high number because once people have one, they are very likely to get another. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 14:01, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I'm a person, and I have an average of zero tattoos. --Jayron 32 14:15, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

When I was young, I was doing school work on the bus when a bump in the road jostled the bus causing my pen to jab into my lower leg. I have a blue dot in my right calf because of this. Does this count as a tattoo for the question at hand? --Khajidha (talk) 16:32, 26 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

That de-pen's. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:23, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I have little blue circles around my knee, shoulder, and under my hair on the right side of my head. About 50 years ago, when surgery had to be done in steps, military surgeons would mark spots with little blue dots. Over the years, they've become fuzzy blue circles. So, I could claim to have nine tattoos. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 13:13, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

February 25

Who

'Mr.Mr.' Dance Practice on YouTube

The girl dancing in the middle from 1:37 - 1:53 is Taeyeon, I guess.

Can any Wikipedian tell me who is the girl dancing in the middle from 1:16 - 1: 36? She is also gorgeous! >///<

Thank you! Stringent Checker (talk) 16:43, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The performance group is called "Girls' Generation". Expand the description of the video and there are links to their many social media pages. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 17:47, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! I just checked but still could not certainly identify who is who among the group in the video. 😅 It seems to me that their makeup and hairstyles have varied from time to time and are often leading the trends in fashion! Stringent Checker (talk) 04:39, 26 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The video is dated March 2014. A line-up is shown in the first image in the article List of Gaon Album Chart number ones of 2014, also dated March 2014, unfortunately not identifying the group members individually. Might she be Yuri, second left-to-right standing in the image in the article Girls' Generation, dated September 2015? --Lambiam 09:45, 26 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I think she is the same group member as shown in close-up from 2:17 to 2:19 in this "Mr. Mr." video. --Lambiam 10:02, 26 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Lambiam Ahh, thank you so much, maybe you are right! My first intuition told me that the group member as shown in close-up from 2:17 to 2:19 is Taeyeon though. 🤣 And do you think this group member performing from 1:20 to 1:33 is the same as the one shown in the Dance Practice version from 2:00 to 2:10? I am not sure if they're the same because one of the two was wearing a surgical mask. Stringent Checker (talk) 07:35, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know. They all seem to have similar face types, neatly round, smooth and symmetric, without obvious distinctive features. Even so, I find it hard to believe that the image in our article on Taeyeon shows the same person as seen here – the difference appears, to my untrained eye, larger than that between Taeyeon and Yuri. And this looks – to me – as yet another person. --Lambiam 11:26, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I could not agree more with you!! It's pretty hard to believe that File:Kim_Tae-yeon_at_Incheon_Airport_on_August_29,_2019.png, a picture taken in late 2019 can differ that much from the one taken in January 2020. It feels like magic! I am curious if the picture was falsely named as Kim_Tae-yeon, or that cosmetics did the magic? (or if they have had plastic surgery?) Stringent Checker (talk) 13:22, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I asked a question at Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Computing § Can Facial recognition system identify a person before and after cosmetics? in the wake of the astonishement. Stringent Checker (talk) 13:39, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I take it that neither you nor Lambiam have much experience with makeup? Those all seem like the same person to me. I wonder what you would think about these two pictures of me: https://tfwiki.net/wiki/File:Khajidha.jpg --Khajidha (talk) 15:23, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, I find https://tfwiki.net/ fantastic! Thank you for being open-minded and sharing something about you with other Wikipedian. Also, thank you for letting me know this wiki! That makes my day! :D Stringent Checker ^[bargaining] 16:06, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

😲😲😳😳. Oh my god! It's surreal to me.😵😵👁👀 (I am a bit heartsick... ~~So maybe Taeyeon along with others are not that beautiful as I previously thought? Okay, perhaps~~ I should focus on the inner beautify such as a kind heart.) You are right. I am new to the area. 😆 Not sure if this is also the case of Lambiam. Stringent Checker ^[bargaining] 15:51, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Lambiam what do you think about this? How likely it is that cosmetics did the magic? Thank you. Stringent Checker ^[bargaining] 15:51, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Engravings

The article Fanny Simonsen has a portrait of the soprano in a style I find most attractive. It was lifted from a short-lived Australian magazine The Lorgnette, which ran a series of portraits of contemporary (1889—1890) artists. Some credit the original photographer, most don't. I've listed them in an embryonic article in userspace with links to the Trove copies. My query is, what technique/s were employed? Doug butler (talk) 18:36, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I think the reprographic technique may be leggotype, mentioned in Halftone § History. --Lambiam 23:16, 25 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, that's helpful. Doug butler (talk) 21:43, 26 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

February 26

how many tattoos does the average person have

Snowycake (talk) 23:55, 26 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

How is this different from your previous question? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:22, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

That one was about the average number of tattoos on a person. This is about the number of tattoos on the average person. This is much easier: (1) find the average person; (2) count their tattoos. --Lambiam 11:06, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Lambiam, surely you understand that "the average person" is a mathematical abstraction, and no actual individual can be identified as "average" in any particular characteristic without their measurement or count in that characteristic being already known and used to select them? I am struggling to assume good faith with this query. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.125.75.168 (talk) 20:02, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

February 27

A couple of old movies.

What is the animated movie with a bunch of rats/mice on board a ship where I think they were coming to America? For that matter what was the old movie with the little girl picking some flowers for her aunt or mother? And what was the movie with a bunch of rabbits in it that a lot of people rented thinking it was a kids' movie but it was all violent and gory? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.9.108.110 (talk) 01:46, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The first might be An American Tail. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:22, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Watership Down (film) might be the third one. MarnetteD|Talk 02:55, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Is #2 also animated? Is its flower-picking scene central to the movie, or incidental? Do you recall anything else either about that scene or the rest of the movie? Was this "old movie" color or black and white? -- ToE 14:49, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't Howl's Moving Castle start with some flower picking? It's been a long time since I've seen it. Alansplodge (talk) 17:12, 27 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]