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April 13

Hercules and the Augean stables in film

What are some depictions of Hercules (or Heracles) cleaning the Augean stables in film? I am particular interested in color, live action films from 1985 or earlier.

I checked that neither Hercules (1958 film) nor Hercules Unchained contains this labor.

I recall seeing such a thing, but I cannot recall if was swords and sandals or Ray Harryhausen. JackSchmidt (talk) 01:53, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

IGN Account

Hi, how can I delete my IGN account? There doesn't seem to be any FAQs or help on the site so I was thinking there's maybe been other users in the same situation. Can you even delete it or should I just leave it? Chevymontecarlo. 06:05, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

They have a contact page. Help from them might come just as fast as an answer from one of us. And it's likely to be more complete and accurate. Dismas|^(talk) 06:52, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

OK. Chevymontecarlo. 14:40, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Football player identification

Hi, I am trying to add a description to this photo. Can anyone help me with the year and the player's names? It looks like a World Cup because they have a familiar emblem on their arms, but I can't remember what World Cup it is. Can anyone help? Chevymontecarlo. 06:28, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Looks like Sotirios Kyrgiakos on the ground, playing for Greece. Don't recognize the other player.--Michig (talk) 06:34, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

The other player appears to be Etey Schechter (FIFA link). Compare with this image. From the game Greece - Israel on 1 April 2009? ---Sluzzelin talk 07:10, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

OK, I will add you information. Thanks. Chevymontecarlo. 14:40, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

US translation: This Q is about soccer. StuRat (talk) 20:17, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I would hope that the soccer ball in the image would have given that away, Stu. Dismas|^(talk) 23:13, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Not everyone looks at the photos. StuRat (talk) 20:58, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Absolutely. If the question had been about American football, would you have said "UK translation: this Q is about American football"? I think not, so why explain it for the benefit of Americans? --Richardrj ^{talk email} 07:53, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

If the title had just said "football", and was actually about American football, then, yes, I would have added a clarification. Just calling either game "football" is unclear. StuRat (talk) 20:58, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Federico Fellini

i heard Federico Fellini movies are whats bad is good good is bad ect i like movies like that. can someone suggest one of his movies for me to watch?

La Dolce Vita would be the one to start off with. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:00, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I'm particularly fond of I clowns. His segment of the anthology film Histoires extraordinaires (Spirits of the Dead) is also interesting, though you have to sit through the dreadful Roger Vadim/Jane Fonda segment to get to the Malle and Fellini segments. Deor (talk) 13:14, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

which one of his movies has the bad guy as the good guy?

I don't know how interested Fellini was in good v. evil, but he certainly had a heart for people on the fringe of society, as well as for the more humane of human "vices". Perhaps you mean the swindlers in Il bidone. His sympathy for the underdog can be felt in Le notti di Cabiria. Prostitutes get a non-judgmental treatment in Roma too. Then there are the lazy good-for-nothings in I vitelloni. Satyricon is a feast of vices. It is even difficult not to feel anything for the violent, brutal Zampanò in La strada. The cold Casanova is perhaps an unlikable exception in the warm world of Fellini. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:45, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire odd question

A few minutes ago on UK TV was this question: Which is nearest to the equator: Mount Rushmore, the Suez Canal, the Gobi Desert, or Ayers Rock? And the man said it was.....Ayers Rock. Is that correct? 89.240.34.241 (talk) 19:57, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes. - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 20:02, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Terse. 89.240.34.241 (talk) 20:03, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Geographic coordinates for these locations are (or should be) at the top of each article. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is about 25 degrees south of the equator, the Suez Canal is about 30 degrees north, the Gobi Desert is... (the article doesn't say, but about 45 degrees north), and Mount Rushmore about 43 degrees north - so Ayers Rock is closest to the equator by some distance. Ghmyrtle (talk) 20:08, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

I would have said the Suez Canal. 89.240.34.241 (talk) 20:05, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

It's complicated by the fact that two of the items, the Gobi Desert and the Suez Canal, are big enough to have a range of coords. But, in this case, I'd take it to mean "which of those places, at it's closest point, is closest to the equator". I'm not sure if using the farthest point would make a diff, though, but I bet it would if we had to choose between Mount Rushmore and the Gobi Desert only. StuRat (talk) 20:12, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

In any event, Uluru is way closer to the Equator than any point in either the Gobi or the Suez. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:24, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

It must be a factoid illusion, brought about by Captain Cook probing into the far south and still not finding Australia. It must be a lot further north than I had supposed. 89.240.34.241 (talk) 21:07, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Where did you read your history, mate? Cook did "find" Australia, in 1770, although he was far from the first. Australia is not as far south as New Zealand, Argentina or Chile, or parts thereof. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:24, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Indeed even NZ isn't that far south compared to a number of places in the Northern hemisphere. Invercargill is 46°25.5′S which is closer to the equator then Bern 46°57′N Nil Einne (talk) 03:03, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I think that Americans (I don't know about others) tend to mentally place the equator farther north than it really is. So, Australia appears to be further south than it really is. This first came to my attention after I did a deployment in Panama and I was asked by a rather intelligent person if it was my first trip south of the equator. Since then, I've heard people talking about being in the southern hemisphere while in Egypt and Israel. I'm not sure how widespread this is. It is one of those things where I noticed it and now it stands out when I hear others make similar comments. -- kainaw™ 04:00, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Nil Einne's Invercargill reference is very telling. It's the world's most southerly city. Yet it’s still closer to the equator than Berne, and there are many, many cities further north than Berne and thus even further away from the equator. This graphically illustrates how top heavy the world is, and why the old Mercator projection is still the one in most people’s heads, which makes the northern lands look bigger and more dominant than they are. For example, Russia appears to be larger than the entire continent of Africa, but in truth it's not that large. So, consequently the southern lands seem smaller and more distant than they really are. But there's a huge chunk of Australia that's above the Tropic of Capricorn. And the northen tip of Queensland is only a few miles south of the coast of New Guinea. Not that very far from the Equator. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 04:33, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Kainaw has an interesting point although the OP is British I believe (IP looks up to the UK and they're referring to the UK version of the show). I'm guessing quite a few people think the entirety of South America is in the southern hemisphere. (Of course this part of the confusion could be avoided if we stick with the Americas being one continent as I believe many of those living in 'South America' do.) And I mentioned this in another desk on an unrelated issue but enough people think Kuala Lumpur is in the southern hemisphere that so does a learning bot although that's perhaps just as much a lack of knowledge of where KL is as anything however it does mean they're not aware that most of Indonesia, parts of the Maldives and the entirety of East Timor are the only parts of Asia in the southern hemisphere.

BTW, the most southern city is perhaps Puerto Williams in Chile 54°56′S or Ushuaia in Argentina 54°48′S or something in South America anyway (and not that different in latitude) depending on your definition, unless you need 1 million in which case it's Melbourne. Of course the fact that the southern most city with 1 million people is 37°48′49″S is a story in itself. Anyway see List of southernmost items and Southernmost settlements. Invercargill is the southernmost city in NZ. South America is significantly more south then NZ (not counting territories) although it't a small part.

Nil Einne (talk) 05:25, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I wonder where "quite a few people [who] think the entirety of South America is in the southern hemisphere" think Equador is, then? :) FiggyBee (talk) 09:39, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

I think the key reason people believe that the equator is north of where it really is is that as the people above have pointed out, populated Europe (for example) extends much further north than the Southern hemisphere does south. They'd rule a line that suggested land mass was vaguely equal north and south. - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 10:31, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

April 14

Why do child actors often play characters younger than their real age?

I've heard that some say that children look younger on the set? But why? What would skew our perceptions that way?

76.64.54.174 (talk) 04:27, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, they want actors who are mature enough and have enough experience to handle the role, and the older kids are usually thus better qualified. However, they want them to look younger, so tend to choose actors who are short and/or look young. This explains actors like Gary Coleman and Michael J Fox. They also sometimes go to extremes to make them look younger than they are, such as attempting to hide the breasts on a "budding actress", like Soleil Moon Frye on Punky Brewster. StuRat (talk) 05:21, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

They did the same with Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz, I believe ... the taping of her breasts, that is. Thanks. (64.252.65.146 (talk) 03:33, 15 April 2010 (UTC))

Yes. It wasn't fun, but it was part of the job. Still, she was about the tallest "little girl" that ever appeared on-screen. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:30, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

There have also been many adults playing little kids, usually for comic effect, like Lily Tomlin: [1]. StuRat (talk) 15:29, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

As for the the last question, it's not hard. There are many cultural stereotypes associated with what a kid should look like. For instance, if you give a young female actor pig tails, the audience is going to assume that the character is a few years younger than they might otherwise believe. This is because many people are used to seeing only children with pig tails. Dismas|^(talk) 10:03, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Another obvious method is that males old enough to have facial hair remain clean-shaven, to look younger. They may either avoid scenes where body hair is visible, or they may shave that, too. StuRat (talk) 13:29, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

For females, in addition to strapping down and hiding breasts behind loose clothes, there's also avoiding the use of make-up like eye shadow and lipstick, and choosing younger clothes styles, like overalls. StuRat (talk) 13:54, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

For scenes where the body can't be hidden (like a girl in a bathing suit), they may also employ a younger body double, and only use the older actress for face close-ups. CGI can also now be used to flatten the curves. StuRat (talk) 13:58, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Another reason to keep child actors in younger roles is to extend a TV series, sequence of movie sequels, or formulaic series of movies. For example, the Shirley Temple movies all featured a common formula with a girl "talented and wise beyond her years". This formula doesn't work once the girl becomes a woman. For a movie or TV series, they may choose to age the characters more slowly than the actors. The ultimate way to keep the characters young is to do cartoons, like The Simpsons, where they don't age at all (although the voice actors will eventually start to sound older). StuRat (talk) 14:06, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Actually, not necessarily, StuRat ... as to your last point. They often employ adult actors to voice child roles. A tried and true trick is using an adult female to voice a male child (e.g., Bart Simpson is voiced by female voice actress Nancy Cartwright). Thanks. (64.252.65.146 (talk) 03:37, 15 April 2010 (UTC))

But even then, after 50 years or so they will start to sound older. And, if they're in their 50s or 60s to start with, you may get a lot less out of them. StuRat (talk) 20:11, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Another factor that should be mentioned is that it can take a couple years between casting and filming the last shot, so kids will age in that period. They could cast kids younger than they want for filming, but there's obviously a limit on that. Would you cast 1 year olds to play 3 year olds ? They might not even be able to talk, yet. StuRat (talk) 13:50, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, StuRat ... all good points. Thanks. (64.252.65.146 (talk) 15:27, 18 April 2010 (UTC))

You're welcome. StuRat (talk) 17:48, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

Wear and tear of the shoes and other clothing of actresses/actors?

When a character wears the same wardrobe, say throughout a film or TV series, and the filming takes the span of maybe years, are multiples of the same item generally needed to be worn and disgarded? For instance, I'd imagine that a pair of shoes an actress wears would get pretty run down from walking during filming and unless the show purposely wants to show her with new shoes at the start of the series, and more scuffed ones by the end, wouldn't many pairs be needed?

76.64.54.174 (talk) 04:35, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Multiple copies of the same stuff are commonplace. There were several copies of Dorothy's ruby slippers, for example. I recall that when Superman (1978) was made, there were quite a few suits for Chris Reeve, and he would switch them out when they started to show perspiration. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:48, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Any respectable production (even a stage production) has an entire department just for maintaining the wardrobe. So, if something is getting worn out, it will be fixed or replaced quickly. -- kainaw™ 04:56, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Also note that many films are shot out of sequence, and having the same shoes be well worn in the first scene and brand new at the end would be bad. So, they would need multiple copies even if they did want to show increasing wear throughout the show. In this case, they would need to have different pairs which had different levels of wear, and choose the proper wear level for each scene. StuRat (talk) 05:16, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

"Costume continuity" or "wardrobe continuity" is the term used for the job. The person or persons responsible must provide and maintain the correct costumes, in the correct condition, for each scene as it is shot, and this includes the provision of duplicate items in various different states as required, just as StuRat says. Karenjc 17:39, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, professional wardrobe people have 2 or 3 copies of every piece of clothing used by the main actors. More than that if the actor is involved in, for example, a fight scene. Having just one is a problem waiting to happen: "one is none", as the saying goes. Actors of course cannot leave the set wearing their wardrobe, for the most part. —Kevin Myers 06:04, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Title of Random Song

Resolved

Since I can't figure out where it might lie, what is the title and artist of an Irish-esque song that utilizes the phrase "I get no doubt", or something like that, as well as something about mixing drinks, and probably most importantly "Danny Boy". Is the latter the song title? Does anyone know what I'm talking about?? 2D Backfire Master ^{sweet emotion} 12:46, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

That's the Chumbawamba Tubthumping lyrics: [2]. StuRat (talk) 12:53, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

BTW, it's "I get knocked down", not "I get no doubt". StuRat (talk) 13:02, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

copyright debate

I removed the link to a copyvio lyrics site. --Richardrj talk email 12:55, 14 April 2010 (UTC) And I've restored it. Copyright status gives us a reason to remove it from an article, but not a talk page like this, AFAIK. Do you have any policy that says you can do that ? If not, then the policy on not editing the talk page posts of others rules here. StuRat (talk) 13:00, 14 April 2010 (UTC) here ---Sluzzelin talk 13:05, 14 April 2010 (UTC) The first sentence of that linked section talks about a "Wikipedia article", and there is no mention of talk pages in that section. StuRat (talk) 13:09, 14 April 2010 (UTC) (e/c) There is also WP:ELNEVER, which says much the same thing. StuRat's point, however, is that these policies only apply to article space, not to the reference desk. The point is moot, there is probably no guidance that explicitly refers to copyvio links on the RD, but the spirit of the thing is clear: no linking to copyvio sites. --Richardrj talk email 13:11, 14 April 2010 (UTC) (Please use small text to indicate comments which aren't answers to the original Q.) Policy regarding articles is moot. If there's a policy on talk page links, then that would apply to the Ref Desk. If not, then there is no policy on links here. Also note that we have no indication that the band objects to their lyrics being posted at that site, as it's difficult to imagine how they suffer financial harm from it. Indeed, it may be considered free advertising for their music. Do you have any indication that they object ? StuRat (talk) 13:21, 14 April 2010 (UTC) (e/c) You seem to think that "moot" is a synonym of "irrelevant", which it is not. Anyway, lack of a policy on this is neither here nor there. Just because there is no policy on copyvio links on the RD, doesn't mean you can just go ahead and link to copyvio sites here regardless. Ask yourself whether the spirit of the ban on copyvio links in article space ought to apply here. If your answer is "yes" – and I don't see how it can't be – then you should not link to them, regardless of whether there is a policy on the matter. --Richardrj talk email 13:29, 14 April 2010 (UTC) Wiktionary:moot does mean irrelevant, at least in North America. See def 2. When I ask myself if article rules should apply to talk pages like this, the answer is a resounding "no", since articles require a much higher standard. For comparison, first imagine if someone wrote "He's a retard" in an article about a person with limited mental abilities. It would be appropriate to change it to say "He's suffering from mental retardation". Now imagine that this was posted on the talk page for that article. Would it be appropriate to edit the post to change the wording ? No, although it would be fine to post a follow-up suggesting the proper term. The same thing applies here. If you want to post a follow-up saying that you believe that site violates copyright laws, that's fine, but don't change the posts of others, unless there's a policy specifically for talk pages that says you are allowed to do so. StuRat (talk) 13:37, 14 April 2010 (UTC) Can someone do that fancy show/hide thing on this subthread? I don't know how to do that. I disagree entirely – the same reasons for not copyvio-linking in article space should apply here, i.e. that directing others to copyvio material may be considered contributory copyright infringement and sheds a bad light on Wikipedia. On your last point – policy schmolicy, we always redact people's email addresses from here although there's no policy telling us to should do so. --Richardrj talk email 13:58, 14 April 2010 (UTC) If you really feel this needs debating, take it to the ref desk talk page so that everyone can get involved. Vimescarrot (talk) 14:03, 14 April 2010 (UTC) Done, see here. --Richardrj talk email 14:10, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

FC Scheiße 04

Is “FC Scheiße 04” a derogatory nickname for “FC Schalke 04”? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 14:06, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, though not a very clever one. ---Sluzzelin talk 14:10, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, considering "Scheisse" means "shit" in German, I don't see why not. TomorrowTime (talk) 14:15, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Futurama intro

Which episode of Futurama has the music video to Psyche Rock (dancing electrical components) as its 'screen gag'?--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 16:00, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Word Meaning & Origin

In the movie River of no Return starring Marilyn Monroe there is a song called River of no Return. In that song there is a word "wail-a-ree". What is the meaning and origin of that word? —Preceding unsigned comment added by MartinRob (talk • contribs) 23:12, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Here's a youtube of it.[3] I've found plenty of lyrics references but no explanation. My guess would be it's the songwriter's twist on "wail", a wail being a lamenting call, and she's hearing the river of no return calling "wail-a-ree". I'll see if I can find anything else about it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:25, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Don't the Rhine maidens sing " "Weilalala leia." ? Could this be what it is referring to?..hotclaws 21:58, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Maybe: Rhinemaidens#Rhine Maidens' music. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:20, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

I was thinking maybe a variation on "wait a wee", a Scottish phrase and Scottish song, also used in Robert Burns' poetry. At any rate, when you google "wail-a-ree", every result with one or two exceptions refers to "River of No Return", a strong indication that the origin was lyricist Ken Darby. Pepso2 (talk) 00:01, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

April 15

TV show air times... 10/9c

Resolved

 – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 00:52, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't get the time thing at all for TV shows. I know what 10/9c means because I can Google that, and everyone gives the same answer: 10 eastern time / 9 central time. But what does it mean for mountain and pacific times? How come TV commercials don't give the time for these zones? I'd love to think that 10/9c meant 8 (mountain)/7 (pacific), but it's not even remotely close. Why the confusing time "code"? – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 23:42, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

That was discussed here some months back. Generally shows in Pacific Time Zone are at the same local time as shows in the Eastern Time Zone. Of course, if it's 10 Pacific time, it's by then 1:00 a.m. Eastern, but that doesn't matter. In the Mountain Time Zone, though, some stations use the Eastern Zone approach (i.e. 10 local) while some use the Central Zone approach (i.e. 9 local). There's more to it than that, but hopefully that's a fair summary. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:59, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

So if I'm in the mountain zone, then I really should disregard those numbers and just look it up on the web/TV? It's always frustrating. Anyway, thanks for responding. I promise I did an archive search, but what keywords are there for this sort of question? I used my subject line and found everything but what I was looking for. : ) – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 00:52, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Here's some related discussions on Wikipedia Reference desks: Where did the mountains go?, Primetime, and an old Google Answers question: TV times in Mountain time zone. The consensus seems to be "10 / 9 Central" means 10 Eastern and Pacific, 9 Central, and Mountain varies. TV networks typically have two feeds, Eastern and Western, the Western feed rebroadcasts the same shows 4 hours later. Stations in the Eastern and Central time zones show the Eastern feed live, so the show would be seen at 10 Eastern and 9 Central, that is, at the same time, but in different time zones. Stations in the Pacific time zone show the Western feed live, so the show is seen at 10 Pacific. According to Mountain Time Zone (the last sentence before the Contents), Mountain stations typically record the Eastern feed and play it one hour later, so the show is seen at 9 Mountain. But in the Google Answers post I mentioned above, it's suggested each Mountain time zone station decides on its own which feed they use and how much they delay it. --Bavi H (talk) 01:21, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Given that the Mountain time zone is mostly rural (the only real urban areas are Denver and Phoenix) the networks don't see any financial purpose in specially feeding their shows to that small amount of people. There is around 19 million people in the time zone, about the same population as the New York metropolitan area, which is estimated to be 19.8 million. To back up what others have said, both KCNC and KSL-TV show their respective national newscasts at 17:30 local time, and primetime begins at 19:00 local time -- exactly the same local times as Central. It is safe to assume for the most part that when Central Time is mentioned the show will be on at the same local time in the Mountain zone; a show on at "10/9 Central" will generally be shown at 21:00 Mountain as well.

Of course, there are exceptions. One that's on the top of my head: some viewers in Keloland (specifically viewers of KCLO in Rapid City, South Dakota) see programming one hour earlier than the rest of the Mountain zone, because KCLO, which is located in the Mountain Time part of South Dakota, shows programming simultaneously with KELO which is located in the Central Time part of South Dakota. In other words, the Eastern feed is shown live in this part of the Mountain Zone. For viewers of KCLO, the CBS Evening News comes on at 16:30 MT, and primetime begins at 18:00. I always wondered whether people complain about this, if they just got used to it, or if they don't know the program they watch every Monday at 19:30 is on at 20:30 or 21:30 local time elsewhere in the country. Xenon54 / talk / 01:58, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

These are fantastic answers, thank you so much. I checked out all the links above, and evidently Mountain time is at the whim of the stations. A lot of examples floating around; mine specifically was the new South Park episode, which shows at 10/9 central, but instead of being at 8 here (mountain time), it's on at 11. You guys have more than cleared up the confusion for me, and I've asked this question on several boards over the last few months. That the mountain region is 6% of 48-state population is pretty fascinating, and how that affects the delay in broadcasting is very interesting indeed. – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 02:59, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

FM radio in Japan

Why aren't there any FM radio stations with a frequency higher than 90 MHz in Japan? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 07:25, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Will there ever be any FM radio stations with a frequency higher than 90 MHz in Japan? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 07:48, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Is it allowed to import Western radios (which don't support frequencies below 87.5 MHz) into Japan? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 07:50, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Is it allowed to import Japanese radios (which don't support frequencies above 90 MHz) into the European Union? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 07:53, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Is it allowed to import Japanese radios (which don't support frequencies above 90 MHz) into the United States? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 07:53, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

see FM_band#Japanese_bandplan which answers some of these questions. Nanonic (talk) 08:09, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

By 'radios', do you mean receivers or transmitters? I can think of no reason why one would not be allowed to import any receiver of any capability, given that it can have no actively deleterious effects on others (like broadcasting on a reserved frequency), still less one not capable of receiving some available transmissions in an area, which your question seems to imply. One might not however want to commercially import into an area equipment not best suited to receiving the broadcasts there. Most countries seem to have discontinued the requirement for a licence to (just) receive radio (only) broadcasts, though our article Television licence suggests that a few may still retain it.

Although there might be some transmissions (e.g. Police), and therefore some frequency bands, that some in authority would prefer not be monitored, in practice it is impractical in the absence of a Police State to forbid equipment with this capability, since it is comparatively easy to construct/adapt. It might well, however, be an offense to disclose what you hear on some frequencies to a third party, as for Police transmissions in the UK, for example.

If you meant transmitters, then again ease of construction/adaptation would make such an equipment ban impractical. What would, and for some frequencies is, illicit is actual transmission on certain frequencies without a licence (since one might pre-empt a frequency licenced to someone else, block emergency transmissions, etc).

That said, in our current state of terrorist-induced official paranoia, it may be that various governments have recently snuck in new laws without my noticing, so further input is welcome! 87.81.230.195 (talk) 11:31, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Lady Gaga's companions

Who are the "mature" gentlemen with Lady Gaga in image number 5 here? http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/mVtemSUeTx2/Lady+Gaga+at+Buddah+Bar/KEBhrJiYIwN/Lady+Gaga They look rather old and scruffily dressed for bodyguards. I'm wondering if they are her managers or agents. One of them is also in the Lady Gaga Leaves Il Bottaccio set of photos. 92.29.104.157 (talk) 11:15, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I think they are in fact her bodyguards. See The Sun. ---Sluzzelin talk 11:23, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

The Riftwar Saga

Have any of Raymond E. Feist's books been made into movies or are there any plans to do so? Magician or A Darkness at Sethanon —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 15:26, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

(Bluelinks in above q fixed) The answer would appear to be no; none of Mr Feist's books have been filmed, although there have been comic book versions and at least two computer games based on his locations and characters. You can find more information on his official website here, and there's an onsite forum you can join where fans will probably have more information about any films and other derivative works if you ask them. Karenjc 17:49, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Futurama intro (re-asking)

I didn't recieve an answer last time, and I'm putting this down to the lateness at which I posted, so I'm asking again. Which episode of Futurama has on the screen before Leela crashes into it the music video to Psyche Rock?--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 16:14, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Well,you can find a list of screenshots of the bilboard in each episode here[4]. At a glance, I can't see any of them featuring the video. However, presumably you are aware that the theme tune is based heavily on Psyche Rock. 129.234.53.144 (talk) 17:08, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes...and I'm sure one episode shows it. Thank you anyway!--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 18:18, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Play him off, keyboard cat

In the YouTube meme from a year ago, "Play him off, keyboard cat" (search for it on YouTube if you need the clip; I won't link to any of the videos because they are probably mostly copyvios), what is the music ditty on the organ that the cat plays? Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:12, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

WHAAOE, Keyboard Cat, but it doesn't list the tune. I found several videos to use the keyboard cat theme, and it doesn't sound like anything except "nondescript upbeat keyboard tune". It could have been written on the spot by the inventor of the meme or the producer of the video. --Jayron32 20:22, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Shouldn't they have used Kitten on the keys ? --Sussexonian (talk) 20:33, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Or the Cat's Fugue? -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 04:49, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

In any event, an improvement to what I got when putting "cat" + "piano" in the search box. No lolcats involved. Ouch! ---Sluzzelin talk 05:02, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

I'm embarassed to not have found Keyboard Cat myself; I lamely attribute this to my impression that Internet memes are usually deleted at AFD here. Thanks for the article link, and ideas on the tune, if it's something beyond what Jayron32 suggested, are still welcome. Comet Tuttle (talk) 05:08, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Good interview with Charlie Schmidt, creator of the original 1984 cat footage. [5] In this interview, Schmidt says he is the composer of music. Also see Schmidt's website and Keyboard Cat Church. Pepso2 (talk) 18:24, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

That settles it, thank you! I was surprised that it's (allegedly) a live recording of a finger-synched performance. I had assumed the sound had been dubbed afterwards. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:02, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Also see iPad Keyboard Cat. Pepso2 (talk) 20:00, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

April 16

Occupations and musical preferences

Has any study ever found a significant correlation between occupations and musical preferences? -- Wavelength (talk) 00:36, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Does this answer your question? 24.189.90.68 (talk) 08:29, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, it does. Thank you for that interesting information which shows that one has. -- Wavelength (talk) 16:24, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Fatboy Slim's Ya Mama video - how was it made?

I've wondered about this for awhile, I hope someone can help me! If you watch the video for Ya Mama, the actions of the people affected by the music often seem (at least to me) to be out of their control. For example, when the man is trying to paint his figurines in the beginning and his arm goes crazy - I have a hard time believing he could move it so erratically while keeping the rest of his body more or less still. Does anyone know how they filmed this video? The guy later on carrying eggs also seems to be a good example - it's like he's getting tossed around... 218.25.32.210 (talk) 01:59, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

My first speculation is that they have the actor in a wire-fu harness and are pulling his arm around with wires (and pulling all of him around, in the case of the egg guy); possibly in front of a greenscreen in some scenes and then possibly sped up a little and finally composited in front of the background. The greenscreen may not be necessary; I thought this would make it easier to speed up the egg guy so the extras in the background didn't have to walk around in slow motion during the shoot. I don't know if this video was shot by the same crew that did the famous Weapon of Choice video starring Christopher Walken, but in that video he had a harness and was swung all around with wires, so they're quite familiar with the technique. Comet Tuttle (talk) 05:04, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

I agree, looks like the use of wires. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:04, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Have a look at this video.91.109.213.226 (talk) 08:24, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Great link. It's at the 4 minute mark. Not even wires - more like a blue-wrapped pole, letting an offscreen grip shove the actor around mercilessly. Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:45, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

The Princess Bride - the quick sand special effect

Another thing I've always wondered - how did they manage the quicksand special effect in The Princess Bride? The best explanation I can come up with is there was a foot or so of sand held between two layers of rubber with a sliced opening, and the actor dives through them and emerges into an open area below. Adding lots of additional sand could conceal the details. Does anyone know for sure? 218.25.32.210 (talk) 02:02, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Or like this quicksand special effect, a staple of the Universal Studios theme park in Southern California. Comet Tuttle (talk) 03:01, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Music video I saw years ago...

Oh God...me again. Sorry, I'm trying to clear up all the mysteries of my life. Basically, years ago, when I was little, I was watching The Big Breakfast when a music video came on. It was the time period of this kind of avant-gardey music, the late 90's, so stuff like Moby was coming on. The music video I saw showed a grayscale image of a girl, possibly a child, but definitely female. As the music played, a tear rolled out of the girl's eye, but it was golden, as if it was honey. The liquid from her eye then dribbles down her face and into the corner of her mouth. Does this ring any bells for anyone who was older than me at the time? This has mystified me for a long time and it's about time I found out what it was!!--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 10:29, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

U2? Chevymontecarlo. 11:41, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Please specify.--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 11:44, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

It was just a guess, I thought it would be something from Boy War or October or something like that. I thought this because they were war/violence/sadness related and so a crying girl would be appropriate - that was the 80s so that might be a little old for a late 90's programme...it was just a guess too so that might not be accurate. Chevymontecarlo. 07:57, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Could it be Sinead O' Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U? A tear rolls down her face.--Frumpo (talk) 10:45, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Just a point. Do you mean that the rest of the face was grayscale but the tear was golden? That's what it sounds like you're saying. Bus stop (talk) 12:57, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Whatever it was, it was a reference to the scenes in Yellow Submarine after the Blue Meanies take over. Maybe Oasis? 63.17.94.91 (talk) 04:18, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

I'd say it's probably "Hidden Place" by Bjork. "It featured various fluids flowing in and out of Björk's facial orifices, such as her eyes, nose, and mouth." Recury (talk) 20:50, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

The Name Game -- is this a hoax?

"The record went to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 4 on the magazine's R&B charts in 1965."

You gotta be kidding me. This is a hoax right? Article doesn't contain any citations. 207.237.228.236 (talk) 16:08, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

According to billboard, it never charted. -- kainaw™ 16:20, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

The Billboard website isn't reliable - it states that a lot of records/artists have never charted when they have. Google Books has a hit for Hit singles: top 20 charts from 1954 to the present day when searching for this - the content isn't viewable but it must have been a top 20 hit. This book confirms that it reached #3. See also this (result 2 shows it at #14 in the Hot R&B Singles chart for that week). So no, not a hoax. And don't trust the Billboard website when it states that something has never charted.--Michig (talk) 16:55, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

According to the book The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, by Joel Whitburn, (c) 1996, p.204, "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis was on for 10 weeks starting January 9, 1965, and topped out at Number 3 - as the article says. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:51, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

I have no cite for this, so maybe it's just my perception or data-picking or something, but it seems like novelty songs were much more likely to hit the charts in the fifties and sixties. I wonder if there was a huge fad for novelty songs back then, or if they've changed the way the charts are calculated so that novelty songs don't show up as often. APL (talk) 04:22, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

It's certainly the case that novelty songs used to be much more popular in the 50s and 60s than now - and even earlier, the article I've linked to suggesting that they peaked in the 1920s through the 1940s. Times were simpler then! Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:48, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

PS:There is a good list of novelty songs, including "The Name Game" (#27), here. Ghmyrtle (talk) 10:19, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Over time, it seems that rock and roll became Serious Business, and novelty songs faded, although they pop up from time to time. There was "Disco Duck", for example. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:33, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

The range of entertainment has greatly widened and become more segmented over the decades. Sixty years ago, if people wanted to hear something funny, they'd either wait for their favourite radio programme, or buy and play a novelty record (or tell jokes to each other). Now, they go to YouTube, the DVD rack, one of the hundreds of TV channels, etc. etc. etc. - they're much less likely to buy (or download) a novelty 3 minute audio sample. Ghmyrtle (talk) 23:09, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

True, the entertainment industry has become fractured into smaller and smaller pieces, with resultant pigeonholing. That didn't used to be the case. For example, consider Brenda Lee's song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". Is that a rock song? A jazz song? A country song? It's actually a bit of all three. Lots of 1950s music is not easily pigeonholed. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:17, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

April 17

Private Screenings

Does anyone know what is the name of the song that plays at the beginning and closing credits of the Turner Classic Movies program Private Screenings? 24.189.90.68 (talk) 04:03, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

The Every Thought of You by Reid Hall and Chuck Moore, for that episode atleast. meltBanana 13:51, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, but is it possible to find out who recorded it for the program? This lady claims she recorded the theme song for the show in 2007, but YouTube turns up nothing helpful. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 07:28, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Random Song Title 2

Sorry to be asking for another song title, but what's the name of the song that has several unique phrases, notably "uno dos tres cuatro cinco cinco seis"? I think it's by The Offspring, correct me if I'm wrong. What's it called? 2D Backfire Master ^{sweet emotion} 04:08, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

If You put "uno dos tres cuatro cinco cinco seis" "the offspring" into google (The quote marks force google to search for that exact phrase, not just the words.) you get a whole bunch of web sites with lyrics for the song "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" APL (talk) 04:15, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

We have an article. Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:03, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Happy Birthday to You as a non-recorded performance

According to the article, anyone singing "Happy Birthday" is singing it illegally. This isn't news, of course. But here's what I was wondering. Weird Al Yankovic never received permission to release (for example) "Snack All Night" (Black or White by Michael Jackson), and yet he performs it regularly at concerts. The recording and distribution of this song is illegal (mechanical rights haven't been paid), but him performing it is not (as far as I understand it). So as long as "Happy Birthday" isn't being recorded during a birthday party, how is singing it illegal? If it really were illegal, then singing along with a popular song in the car would rake in trillions for recording artists and their studios! Was not able to find this exact question in the archives/talk page – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 06:28, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

I didn't think the copyright lasted that long, WB must have renewed it...I think it's only illegal if no royalties are paid after a public performance of it - a car or a house would be a private performance and so no royalties need to be paid, although if it was played on national radio (For example Radio 1 here in the UK) royalties would have to be paid for it. Sorry if I'd already said something you've said already...I just realised my reply didn't get you anywhere! :) Chevymontecarlo. 07:53, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Public performance, even a live performance, is restricted by US Copyright law (See US Copyright law#Exclusive rights). However parody is an accepted category of fair use. I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice, but my understanding is that, as a purveyor of parody, Weird Al would have a legal right to record & distribute his songs, even if he does not receive permission from the original copyright holders. The reason he restricts recordings to where permission has been obtained is not due to legal restrictions, but is done simply as a courtesy to other recording artists. A verbatim rendition of "Happy Birthday" in your example would not fall under the parody class of fair use. Singing along in your car would likely be considered a "private performance", but singing to a group of 10 year olds might be considered "public" enough. (Note that there is a compulsory license/mechanical license of songs for the purposes of a cover version - you have to pay, but the copyright holders cannot normally restrict you from performing it.) As a final note, while "Happy Birthday to You" is still under copyright in the US, the song "Good Morning to All", which is equivalent musically, is under the public domain. -- 174.24.208.192 (talk) 08:07, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Oh, the parody fair use thing... I'd forgotten! Okay that makes perfect sense. So mechanical licenses aside, a public performance of a song, even non-recorded, requires monetary compensation then, it sounds like. I still don't get the reason why someone can slap new lyrics to "Good Morning to All" and suddenly copyright the piece as a whole, but perhaps that's beyond the scope of my original question. Thank you both for your responses! I'll keep it open another day or so in case anyone else wishes to chime in. – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 08:11, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

This would be called a derivative work and the new elements of such a work are newly copyrighted by the new elements' author. Any copyrighted older elements upon which the work is based remain copyrighted by the original author. Anyway, our article Happy Birthday to You mentions one law professor who cited various problems with the copyright and has claimed, "It is almost certainly no longer under copyright". Nobody has challenged WB in court on this point yet. Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:26, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

That song is so well-known and universally used that if its alleged copyright holder actually did try to sue someone, especially an ordinary family, the cost in negative publicity would far outweigh any gain they might expect from a "royalty". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:05, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

I wonder if Marilyn Monroe paid a royalty when she sang her famous sultry version of the song to JFK that time? That was certainly a much more "public" performance than kids singing it at a birthday party. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:22, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Bugs, again you have posted something that is flatly wrong, because you did not look for a reference. WB regularly threatens to sue collects royalties that are demanded by and paid to ASCAP and the Harry Fox Agency by film companies, for example, that include this song in their films. This litigiousness is why you rarely hear servers at restaurants singing "Happy Birthday" but some other awful made up jingle. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:26, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

I should start using an IP address, and you would start defending me instead. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:31, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

To be fair, neither of you provided any sort of reference. Vimescarrot (talk) 19:31, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

I would like to hear Comet's information on whether MM paid a royalty for her performance, and also whether any kids' private party has ever been threatened with a suit. Certainly WB might threaten a commercial production, that would be a different story, and that's not what I was talking about. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:57, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

The problem is what qualifies as "private". For example, Boy Scouts and similar orgs can't sing it: [6]. They are only allowed to sing public domain songs. In several nations, there's such a backlash against the absurdly strict copyright laws that they have a "Piracy Party", which actually wins some elections. StuRat (talk) 20:26, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

I can't imagine that WB would actually file suit against a kids' party. That would be an incredibly stupid thing to do. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Mr. Warmth to research whether MM had to pay a royalty for singing it to JFK. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:31, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

My response about you being flatly wrong was to your flatly wrong claim that the copyright holder wouldn't sue "someone" to collect royalties because of negative publicity. I don't know whether Marilyn Monroe paid up, and I don't know whether they have sued an ordinary family. Just start supplying references, please. Looking up a reference, such as the Happy Birthday to You article, not only helps the querent, but the process also helps us all stop posting untrue things. Comet Tuttle (talk) 02:44, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

You asked about sources; the Happy Birthday to You article that I linked to earlier in this thread notes that Warner claims "that unauthorized public performances of the song are technically illegal unless royalties are paid to it"; the article links to the Brauneis paper which notes that ASCAP, on behalf of the H.B.T.Y. authors, demands the public performance payments; that these payments were a little under US$2 million per year by 1996; that restaurant chains like "Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse, and Romano's Macaroni Grill, have developed birthday songs of their own in part to avoid having to purchase live music performance licenses from ASCAP"; and that the song "has featured in the current unavailability of the civil rights documentary Eyes On The Prize, which features footage of a group singing 'Happy Birthday To You' to Martin Luther King, Jr.". The paper mentions 4 lawsuits beginning in the 1930s regarding the song, including a lawsuit against the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company, alleging the company used the H.B.T.Y. song with lyrics as a singing telegram (!), without a license. I struck my claim above that WB "regularly sues" over this matter; sorry about that; it appears that there are no recent lawsuits, because after ASCAP or the Harry Fox Agency present their demands, people pay up. I do maintain that royalty payments are routinely demanded over the song, despite the negative publicity. The Brauneis paper argues that H.B.T.Y. is indeed probably not copyrighted, but, again, nobody has challenged the song's copyright status in court. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:52, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Wait, singing "Happy Birthday" to a group of 10-year-olds would count as a copyright violation? Well then, I guess teachers everywhere who acknowledge a student's birthday and have the whole class sing "Happy Birthday" have been breaking the law all these years, and with no consequence! 24.189.90.68 (talk) 02:40, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Correct, it's technically a copyright violation, but WB of course goes after TV shows and movies because the "damages" are higher. Comet Tuttle (talk) 02:44, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Side Question ... I just stumbled across this question today. It got me thinking ... aren't there tons of TV shows and movies where characters sing "Happy Birthday"? I probably can't think of a specific example ... but I am sure that I have seen it over the years ...no? Am I imagining this? Isn't it rather ordinary / common to see characters singing this in a TV show or movie? Thank you. (64.252.65.146 (talk) 15:36, 18 April 2010 (UTC))

No, there probably aren't as many as you think there are. And those that do almost certainly license it. --Mr.98 (talk) 15:55, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

I remember seeing an interview with Penny Marshall about her movie Big starring Tom Hanks. They shot two versions of the birthday scene: one with them singing the familiar Happy Birthday song, and the other with them singing a birthday song that the film's composer quickly invented. That allowed them to license the famous song for the theatrical release, but then save money by using the made-up song for TV and video. The film turned out to be a big hit, of course, so maybe they licensed the "real" song for one of the DVD releases. —Kevin Myers 07:54, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

It is almost certainly the case that Weird Al got permission to sing the song at concerts. While his work is parody and a form of fair use, the legal definition of "parody" is narrow enough that most don't want to fall back on it (the cost of litigating would be prohibitive). He has lawyers who no doubt worked something out. --Mr.98 (talk) 15:55, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

The "Weird Al" Yankovic article has a section going into detail about Weird Al and permission. Under US law, parody is a protected First Amendment right; but Weird Al makes it a point to ask for permission anyway. However, parody aside, under US law, any performer can perform any song written by anybody in history, and there is a standard royalty that is supposed to be paid to the authors; it's administered by ASCAP and BMI in the US. Permission is not needed. (That Weird Al article notes that although Coolio was upset about a Weird Al parody of a song of his, Coolio accepted the royalty checks.) Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:35, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

[In 1871, Lewis Carroll published Through the Looking-Glass, featuring "The Unbirthday Song", which was used later by Walt Disney. (lyrics) -- Wavelength (talk) 17:06, 18 April 2010 (UTC)]

["The Unbirthday Song" is in the Disney film, but it is not in Through the Looking-Glass (though the word un-birthday does occur in the latter). Deor (talk) 01:29, 19 April 2010 (UTC)]

This is fascinating stuff, I knew it was a complex issue! Thanks everyone for all the responses! I'm reading this every day, so any new comments would be very welcome. – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 02:42, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

There is a LOT of half-a$$ed misinformation in the above responses. Parody has nothing to do with "fair use." The question is whether one can write new lyrics to an old melody and publish them. If the new lyrics are parody, yes; if not, no. In the former case, if the publication includes the music (i.e., is not print and only print), royalties are owed (but not always paid) to the copyright holder, administered, e.g., by ASCAP; in the latter, the song cannot be published at all. ("Publish" is a catch-all which here also means "peform a song" or "release a recording.") The context is the right to "cover" copyrighted songs, which in the US is absolute (followed by payment of royalties). The parody issue is about re-writing the lyrics within this absolute right. Some copyright holders objected to the absolute right to "cover" songs being extended to those with re-written lyrics, and the right was restricted to re-written lyrics that were "parody." If I rewrite "Moon River" as "Chopped Liver" and describe Jewish dietary practices of the 1960s, I have the right to "cover" the melody of "Moon River"; if I rewrite the lyrics to describe how my heart was broken in my last love affair, or my patriotic love for my homeland, etc., it's not parody and I have no right to cover the melody. As for "Happy Birthday" and "illegality" -- it is NOT "illegal" to violate copyright in the USA (with exceptions such as "pirating" merchandise); rather, copyright violations give standing to the holder of the copyright to file a cause of action in court. You can do anything you want with copyrighted material; but some things you do will allow you to be sued, if the copyright holder chooses to do so. This basic point is misunderstood again and again and again by people inquiring about the "illegality" of copyright infringement. "Copyright" is utterly irrelevant unless and until the copyright holder threatens a cause of action, which he or she has no obligation to do (as opposed to a public prosecutor learning of a significant illegal act). 63.17.94.91 (talk) 04:37, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

But you can also murder anyone you want, although you will then be prosecuted for it. In common language, "illegal" means anything that will get you in trouble (including owing damages) with the courts (including civil). Yes, that's not the formal definition, but it is the one most people use, since there doesn't seem to be a single term for that ("engaging in behavior which causes legal liability" ?). StuRat (talk) 15:21, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

The word exists for the act, and it is only one syllable: tort. The behavior could be called "tortious behavior" or "committing a tortious act" or the like. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:56, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

To Comet Tuttle ... a copyright infringement is not a tort per se ... or is it? I am not sure. Aren't they two completely different/separate legal concepts? Thanks. (64.252.65.146 (talk) 01:42, 20 April 2010 (UTC))

Perhaps we should all stick with this parody version:

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
You look like a monkey,
And you smell like one, too. 

Or has anybody managed to copyright that ? StuRat (talk) 15:21, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Derivative work, you copied half of it, pay up, mister. Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:58, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

April 18

Gummo Marx

Are any video recordings of Gummo Marx known to exist? I know he was never in any movies, but did he ever get recorded doing comedy on video at all? If not, are there any known audio recordings of his voice? If there are no recordings of him at all, are there any sources available that can be used to get an idea of his comedic style?--99.251.239.89 (talk) 02:12, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't think so, because his involvement in show business as a performer went no further than the Broadway stage, and obviously there would be no video or audio recordings of Broadway performances in the 1920s. Well, not that many if there were any. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 02:48, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Gummo was on NBC's Monitor on October 5, 1963, and an audio of that survives. You can listen to it here. Gummo speaks briefly somewhere about 25 minutes in. On February 18, 1957, Gummo was interviewed, probably by Jack Lescoulie, on Tonight! America After Dark. However, I ran across nothing indicating any kinescope of that exists. Pepso2 (talk) 15:09, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Father of the Concert Overture

Who was the father of the concert overture? This was a question in a practice exam, but I can't seem to find it on the internet and there are no answers.

Thanks in advance, 110.174.151.109 (talk) 10:15, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

A practice exam without answers seems rather useless. StuRat (talk) 13:39, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

If you check concert overture, you'll read that Felix Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture is generally considered the first concert overture, even though Carl Maria von Weber had written a couple of them earlier than that. Go figure.

As for the "father of the concert overture", I've never heard of such a title and, as you say, Google knows it not either, so you can take your pick. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:47, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

If this is a practice exam, is it safe to assume that there is a text that the exam is based on? If so, I would consult the text to see who the author(s) feel is the father of concert overture. Dismas|^(talk) 23:58, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Joseph Haydn is known as the father of the symphony and father of the string quartet, well by the kind of people who say that kind of thing. Neither List of persons considered father or mother of a field, List of persons considered a founder in a Humanities field or Honorific nicknames in popular music mention the concert overture. A quick search names Giuseppe Torelli, Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi as fathers of the concerto. meltBanana 01:01, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

It was a question in Dulcie Holland's Practice your Theory book, and I asked it because I did think it was Mendelssohn but my theory teacher says it possibly was Beethoven (she didn't know the answer either) as he gave a few separate concerts of his overtures. 110.174.151.109 (talk) 09:30, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Beethoven did write some concert overtures before either Weber or Mendelssohn, and I'm not even sure he was the first. Even Bach wrote works he called "overtures" that weren't associated with any opera or play, but they weren't the same types of things we call 'concert overtures'. Still, I'm really wondering quite seriously now at the veracity of that statement about Mendelssohn and A Midsummer Night's Dream. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 12:17, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

It may be that there really is no definitive answer, and the exam setters know this, but want you to display your knowledge of the field by either presenting an informed argument for a candidate of your choice, or saying that there is no definitive answer and explaining why. The exam paper should make it clear if the answer is intended to be short (merely a name) or an essay. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 12:41, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Early Family Guy

Why are the first four episodes of Family Guy named after something death-related (eg, "Death Has a Shadow", "I Never Met the Dead Man") when they have absolutely nothing to do with death, or for that matter Death (the character)? 2D Backfire Master ^{ballroom blitz} 13:07, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Your answer is right in the third section of the article Family Guy:

"In interviews and on the DVD commentary of season one, MacFarlane explained that he is a fan of 1930s and 1940s radio programs, particularly the radio thriller anthology 'Suspense', which led him to give early episodes ominous titles pertaining to death and murder like 'Death Has a Shadow' and 'Mind Over Murder'. MacFarlane later explained that the team dropped the naming convention after individual episodes became hard to identify and the novelty wore off."

In the future, please Google or try to find the relevant article before asking a question. Xenon54 / talk / 13:26, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

This advice can apply to every question, and is posted at the top of the page. Let's give our OP the benefit of the doubt and assume they tried that unsuccessfully. Not everyone is good at using search engines effectively. Aaronite (talk) 17:22, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

April 19

Anime/Manga

Why is it that all anime pages have to be on the same page as the manga they're based on and yet movies and tv series based off of a comic book or a novel get separate pages? --76.237.206.200 (talk) 02:52, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

If this is a question about Wikipedia, then you should probably ask it at the talk page for WikiProject : Anime and Manga APL (talk) 16:23, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

UK TV prog about teachers causing/being blamed for problems in later life

This is a bit of a long shot, but I'm trying to find out anything I can (a link to a description or review would be great) about a documentary that was shown on British TV, I think Channel 4, between about 2 and 7 years ago (sorry I can't be more precise), in which adults who had 'issues' (such as persistent lack of self-esteem, or self-consciousness about something) attributed their problems to put-downs, disparaging remarks or other behaviour by teachers during their childhood. Something these teachers had said or done still stung years after the event, and in an attempt to find some resolution the people the programme followed attempted to track their teachers down to ask why they had said such things and to let them know about the effect it had had. The one bit I remember showed a retired teacher who'd been located by one of his pupils from many years ago and had received a letter from them about something he'd once said to the pupil and the effect they thought it had had. The teacher had no recollection of saying whatever it was he'd said and seemed slightly bewildered that his throwaway comment was causing distress years after he'd made it. Did anyone else see this? I'm finding it near impossible to Google for, so I thought I'd ask here. Thanks in advance! — Trilobite 05:23, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Animated movie from the 90s

I've looked at 199X in film articles and I can't for the life of me find it.

All I remember is:

it was violent; the protagonist was a woman; it was set in outer space; the villain had some kind of concoction that made him invincible for a short while; he used it to become the leader of some dinosaur humanoids; something about a cave/well of eternal life; there were rivers of lava on the dinosaur humanoid planet. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.36.166.73 (talk) 09:51, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Could it possibly have been Heavy Metal (film), from 1981? It was divided into segments; it featured dinosaur-ish humanoids, female protagonists, outer space, an invincible auto-healing character, and there was probably lava. Man, that movie has everything. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:13, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Analogue satellite television

Why is Germany the last European country with analogue satellite television? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 14:23, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Maybe digital just isn't cost effective enough for the telecoms companies there. Chevymontecarlo. 14:27, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

It isn't. Dismas|^(talk) 14:39, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

German analogue satellite television will be closed down in about 2 years. --84.61.146.104 (talk) 14:40, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

The problem is that, unlike with digital TV, amplifying the signal on an analog signal also amplifies the noise. Thus, rebroadcasting analog signals, repeatedly, results in degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio. StuRat (talk) 14:54, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Beach Boys Photo

To whom it may concern I am a grade 5 student in Victoria BC Canada. I am writing to ask permission to use Some of the pictures from your website I am doing a school project on the Beach Boys I will not be selling your pictures just sharing them with my class. Please write back soon to Sincerely Charlotte. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.31.68.133 (talk) 17:19, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

email removed, we might pit answers here for you but we will not be emailing you directly. As for the use of pictures, please see the next response, take it away regulars

Hello. What you are supposed to do is to look at the "Licensing" section after you click on the photo, so you can see whether you're allowed to use the photo. For example, if you click File:The Beach Boys concierto.jpg, you'll see that in the Licensing section, you are free to use it, if you "attribute the work", meaning that in your project you should mention somewhere that the photo was taken by "Wonker Wonker" (as shown in the Summary section). On the other hand, the photo File:The Beach Boys 1965.jpg shows that it's copyrighted by Capitol Records and it's being used here on Wikipedia under a "fair use" argument. Wikipedia doesn't own any of the rights to the photo; Capitol Records does. Technically we do not give legal advice here, even to a fifth-grader doing a school project, unfortunately; so all I can suggest is that you ask your teacher whether it is OK to use the "fair use" photos; or check out our section Fair dealing#Canada and decide for yourself whether your use of a "fair use" photo is going to be OK. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:08, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Phoebe Holcroft Watson yet again?

I've been looking for an obituary or a death date I can reference for some time now. Is there a site on the web where you can ask real stumper questions and get lots of people researching the answer? Williamb (talk) 19:06, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes for genealogy questions like this, may I suggest one of the Rootsweb boards? [7] I've just had a quick look at Ancestry.com and I'd need to know a lot more about her in order to come up with a meaningful result - have you had a look at it? --TammyMoet (talk) 19:26, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Snes game "secret of mana"factory sealed?

Hi,i have a rare copy of a snes game called "the secret of mana" released in 1993. The game i believe is factory sealed although it does not have the famous red nintendo seal. The game is cellophane wrapped with a seam running vertically around the box + a seal running horizontally on the rear of the box. It is not a shrink wrapped version + i believe it to be an origional game which is in almost perfect condition. Is there any nintendo fan who could shed some light on the oragin of this game + confirm whether it is an origional factory sealed game. Please help me !!Richard 95.148.240.10 (talk) 20:56, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

April 20

Resident Evil Gamecube Remakes

Why did Capcom re-release almost identical versions of Resident Evil 2 and 3 after redesigning large parts of Resi 1?

Cynical and Skeptical (talk) 00:18, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

old giant robots film

I remember a film where two human-piloted robots were fighting. One was white and the other was black. The black one looks more like a multi-armed spider while the white one looks more humanoid or tank like. Anyways, the white robot managed to cut one of the black robot's arms but got destroyed in the process. The white robot's pilot was able to modify the black robot's broken-off arm into a missile and kill the robot with it. Both pilots survived and I guess shook hands. --121.54.2.188 (talk) 02:24, 20 April 2010 (UTC)