Talk:John Barrowman

High school roles?

Do we really need a listing of Barrowman's high school theatre credits? Wouldn't it be better to replace it with a list of his West End shows, or (since that's adequately covered in the article itself) cut it entirely? —Josiah Rowe 03:50, 31 August 2005 (UTC)

Rather than erasing some of John's personal history, wouldn't it be better to just add to it?Gregory Y 12:32:14, 2005-09-01 (UTC)

He said on some show, that he lived in Scottland till he was 9. Hence the Scottish accent, that he normally uses. The show's up on YouTube, though I can't remember its name. Its presenters are four middle-aged/old women.82.156.100.120 13:58, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

I might add, he showed much talent at a very young age. When normally some roles went to juniors and seniors, he was winning them at a freshman!Gregory Y 12:34:11, 2005-09-01 (UTC)

Encyclopedic doesn't mean exhaustive - as much as I admire Barrowman, Wikipedia isn't his press office either. What, ultimately, is more significant and useful to the reader; a detailed high school resume, or his actual professional credits? The freshman thing is notable, yes, but we don't need the additional detail. --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 12:40, 1 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks. Good compromise.Gregory Y 12:48:57, 2005-09-01 (UTC)

Here's a thought, visit his official website, www.JohnBarrowman.com

Categories

I think I'm a bit confused about some categories. Category:Scottish television actors says that it's for television actors and actresses from Scotland, and it's a subcategory of Category:British television actors. So why isn't it redundant to have both in one article?

Category:Scottish television presenters is a bit more ambiguous, as the category description merely points towards Television in Scotland. If it's meant to be for "presenters of Scottish television" as opposed to "television presenters who are Scottish", then Barrowman probably shouldn't be in the category, as all his presenting work has been for national (British) television, hasn't it?

It just seems to be that having both "British such-and-such" and "Scottish such-and-such" is redundant. There may be an argument for one or the other (and it may be more appropriate to say "British" in one case and "Scottish" in another), but I don't understand why we need both. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 18:43, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

"Wossy" Revelations

On tonight's "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" John Barrowman said that he was a: an otaku B. did Shark Attack 3 for tax reasons (though he could have been kidding) and C. didn't realise they were going to leave the infamous "pussy" line in the film, and (again could have been joking) said he was horrified when he sat down to watch it with his nieces and nephews. Should this new info be included and if so where? --GracieLizzie 23:59, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't think that being an otaku is particularly noteworthy in and of itself. As for Shark Attack 3, I think that it might actually be more noteworthy on the film's page than here, but I am aware of the cult status of "the line". Not sure whether it needs more discussion on this page or not. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 06:15, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Brother?

At the very end of his appearance on Something for the Weekend this Sunday, John Barrowman said, "My brother actually was on the American Olympic soccer team." (It's at about 6:45 in this excerpt on YouTube.) I looked on the US Olympic Committee's website and on ussoccer.com, and couldn't find any Barrowmans — but I suppose it's possible that he was on the team before the records on the website start, or that he has a different surname for some reason. Anyway, does anyone know any more about this? If we can find his name and confirmation from somewhere, it seems like it would be worth mentioning. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 06:12, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Is "Shark Attack 3" really notable?

At the moment, the "notable roles" section in the infobox includes Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and Torchwood and Ben Carpenter in Shark Attack 3: Megalodon. Is the latter really worth mentioning there? I know that the film has a certain cult following, but Barrowman's success as Jack Harkness has really eclipsed the Shark Attack 3 business, hasn't it? Frankly, it's only brought up as a vaguely embarassing bit from his past, much like Martin Clunes' appearance in the 1983 Doctor Who story Snakedance, put up on the screen when a talk show host wants to embarass him a bit and get a cheap laugh. Shark Attack 3 is covered appropriately in the article; I suggest we remove it from the infobox. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 17:08, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I agree about the infobox - definitely worth keeping in the text if only due to his fabulous "pussy" line; the film may have been utterly awful but he looks great in it and gets his kit off for a shower scene so I'm sure that John would hardly be embarrassed by it.-- Ashley VH 14:23, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

I didn't mean to suggest that he was actually embarassed by it, but when he was on Jonathan Ross, Ross showed a clip from the film and his intention was clearly to embarass Barrowman. JB said then that he did Shark Attack 3 purely for the money. He's obviously not easily embarassed, but I doubt it's an item on his CV that he's particularly proud of either.

That said, I agree that it should remain in the article text. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 20:32, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Photograph of John Barrowman

The original image was deleted due to copyright violation. I have uploaded a CD cover as an alternative but perhaps someone has a photo they can release to the public domain?-- Ashley VH 19:19, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

sweet - hope he sings well; and i hope we are lucky :) ..luke 09:19, 4 January 2007 (UTC) - just checked and saw it gets good reviews at Amazon. Maybe add your own thoughts to the article on his Albums as I don't have copies and haven't heard them yet. Also, check out the discussion *here* ..luke

Thanks for the link - it does appear that in this case the album cover was slightly over zealously deleted. Sigh. -- Ashley VH 15:28, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Because of a recent intervention by Jimmy Wales Wikipedia fair use has become more contentious recently, and I regret that I raised the issue of Barrowman image which lead to the problems here.. you can read some more details @ Wikipedia talk:Fair use. If I hadn't done so I doubt there would have been any problem :( Take care. ..luke 16:46, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

That's freaky, the CD cover scan I uploaded was deleted within 1 day with no notification (I thought my rationale for copyright was okay as this was the only page on wiki that includes this album and you are allowed to include album covers under certain restrictions). Does anyone know how I can track the history of a deleted page so I can see who deleted it and why?-- Ashley VH 10:30, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Added another, different image. This time under the "screen capture" copyright policy let's hope that the overzealous image deletors are happy with the justification. -- Ashley VH 12:25, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Please read the texts of the tags you put on fair use images. CD covers can be used "solely to illustrate the audio recording in question". Screenshots can only be used "for identification and critical commentary on the station ID or program and its contents", not to show what the person shown looks like. Per speedy-deletion criterion I7, "Any image or media with a clearly invalid fair-use tag may be deleted at any time." Also, please read Wikipedia's fair use guidelines and policy, in particular counterexample #8: fair use images can't be used to show what a living person looks like. Basically, only freely licensed images are allowed in biographical infoboxes about living people (unless they're recluses or in prison or something). So, until someone finds or makes a free image of John Barrowman, the article will have to do without a picture of him. —Angr 16:50, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Well, that wasn't hard. I found a freely licensed pic of him at Flickr right away. There you go. —Angr 16:58, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

<<gives User:Angr a lil hug>> - luke

Well thanks! I'd rather have one from John Barrowman, though... what a babe! —Angr 17:47, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Link Added

I've added a link to reference 1. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 172.143.221.7 (talk • contribs) 15:18, January 4, 2007 (UTC)

"gay" before everything else?

It seems a little odd to define him as "a gay Scottish-American actor", with his orientation before everything else. I've moved it down to the Stonewall award, and added "openly" not because anyone should hide, but because that's rare in US showbiz. --Hugh7 07:14, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Good call. Of course, Barrowman has had more success in UK showbiz than he did in the US, which may or may not be indicative of anything. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 07:39, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I agree. http://www.holymoly.co.uk/holy-moly-blog/latest/no-torch-but-impending-wood.html. 213.218.224.115 11:46, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

"Controversy"?

Is the whole "controversy" thing really relevant to Barrowman's article? --Silvestris 21:13, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Why does the text keep being removed? I think it is perfectly relevant to the article. He gave an interview in a magazine which is aimed, primarily, at children, yet made some comments that didn't really belong in a children's magazine. JediLofty 09:11, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

It didn't get printed in Doctor Who Adventures... DWM isn't aimed at children anymore, the production staff of said magazine consider it aimed at grown ups. --GracieLizzie 10:43, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

The BBC actively targets children as a Doctor Who audience. Two aspects of this are the Totally Doctor Who tv series and the games and coloring book pages on the official Doctor Who website. Quotes about Barrowman being overly endowed and being sexually aroused are Totally Out of Place in any Doctor Who publication. Controversial, yes, and very well-earned controversy. However, it has nothing to with Barrowman, who can shag whatever he wishes and say whatever he wants (though being boisterous about it could cost him his job if his employers feel he is having an unacceptable impact on the franchise.) The controversy rests with the magazine that published the quotes. If that was Doctor Who Magazine, then there should be a controversy section on that Wiki page.71.205.219.229 (talk) 08:13, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

Accent

Just above the cast and crew table it says Barrowman is bidialectal. He learned an American accent after school children picked on his Scottish accent when he moved to the USA. He speaks with a Scottish accent when at home with his parents, now i'm just wondering if this is true as when he was on the weakest link doctor who special, he was speaking with an american accent — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.137.90.3 (talk • contribs)

Well, it would only be untrue if he shot The Weakest Link while at home with his parents.Gwinva 11:18, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

On Any Dream Will Do on BBC TV 10 June 2007, he spoke with what I think is best described as his 'mid-Atlantic' accent, but at one point of real enthusiam he said of one contestant, "Brilliant! Brilliant!" - and that was broad Scots! Northfold 22:34, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

He slips into his Scottish accent when he is with family, and sometimes when he is with other Scottish people in a non-professional context. For example, according to an interview with Blue Peter "cameo role" competition winner John Bell in Doctor Who Adventures: "David Tennant and I are both Scottish and John Barrowman was born in Scotland, so it was a bit of a Scottish invasion! John kept slipping into a Scottish accent and would ask if I'd like a 'Wee cup of tea?'". If anyone has a copy of this issue (I found out about it on the Torchwood.TV blog) they can use it for a cite for the "with other Scottish people" thing. --GracieLizzie 22:43, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

The reason he went into Scots on Any Dream Will Do is because Keith, who is Scottish, had just impersonated Barrowman's "Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!" which he'd said in his American accent in previous weeks. So he slipped into Keith's (and his own) Scottish accent to reply to Keith. It's nothing to do with excitement.--Will2710|^Talk! 00:04, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

I removed the reference to "talking in a Scottish accent with his family other people" because the citation doesn't actually support this statement. All it suggests is that Barrowman put on a Scottish accent to amuse the kid. I'm not Scottish, but I'm sure I'd keep making references to a "wee cup of tea" in a faux Scottish accent if it made a 9 year-old kid laugh. Now, this may very well be his natural Scottish accent, but I don't think this incident supports the claim that Barrowman uses a Scottish accent whenever he's with his family or with other Scottish people. I also tagged the previous statement as uncited until someone actually provides a source for the means in which he adopted his American accent.--Sonance 17:09, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Advertising for Birmingham Hippodrome?

Not sure that the line about his panto appearance this year in Birmingham should have the Box Office number AND the theatre's online booking link just after it. Surely that's the kind of inter-article advertising Wiki frowns upon?

• seconds later* Ah. Someone's already deleted it. Never mind.Monsterzero uk 16:01, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Filmography v. Recordings

Is there a reason that filmography is listed in descending order (with 2006 at top, and going down in years) and the list of recordings is ascending (increasing increasing in years as you go down the list)? It just seems rather odd and a bit annoying when trying to see what all he's done to have these lists go in opposite directions. Aberwak 13:52, 2 September 2007 (UTC)