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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2009 November 15

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November 15[edit]

Origin of joke about flying/arms being tired[edit]

I've found the origin of a few good old jokes on here, including the one about the patent asking "Doc, it hurts when I do this," and the doctor saying "then don't do that." There is one I'm not fiding, though - which may be becuase I don't hav ethe right place. It's the one where someone quips "I just flew in from California (or wherever) - and boy, are my arms tired." Any ideas when/where it originated. A lot of these old gags are from Vaudeville, but the idea of flying from stop to stop on a tour or something seems a bit too recent for that, though i suppose some Vaudeville performers could have flown in the small planes of the 1920s and 1930s. Thanks in advance.4.68.248.130 (talk) 02:13, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The earlies that I can place it in my memory is in recording of Bob Hope during his USO tours. I also have a memory of seeing it on a wall in an airport and that memory is connecting with the Bob Hope Airport - so, another connection to Bob Hope. I will Google to see if my memory is valid (for once). -- kainaw 02:41, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
My fav variation is "I just flew in from the sperm bank...". StuRat (talk) 04:21, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I'm sorry, I don't have an answer for you, but I am quite interested in learning more about the origins of jokes. Have you considered making a website about it? If the jokes are famous enough and your sources are good enough, you may also have the makings of an article or two. Matt Deres (talk) 14:39, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Sadly, I have no web design ability, but it doesnd like an interesting endeavor for someone. And, thanks on bob Hope - it sure sounds like him.4.68.248.130 (talk) 00:40, 17 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I searched rather extensively and I found no instance in which it was stated that Bob Hope originated that particular joke. I did find many references to the joke being very common (to the point of annoyance) at the Bob Hope airport. -- kainaw 16:57, 17 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wheel of Fortune[edit]

Where does the money come from that the contestants win? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vboese (talkcontribs) 02:51, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The producers, Sony Pictures Television. -- kainaw 03:10, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
More indirectly, from the money that Sony Pictures Television gets from syndication fees, which are payed by individual TV stations from advertising revenues. --Jayron32 05:25, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Village People[edit]

Where is this picture from originally? Who is the person doing the "A"?174.3.111.148 (talk) 06:06, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm going to guess it came from someone's camera or camera-phone. Since it's just a couple of guys being blasphemous is an art gallery, is there any reason the guy doing the "A" should be anything other than... some guy? Matt Deres (talk) 03:29, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Casey Ford in Madrid according to this site. Perhaps this is Casey setting things straight on a more high-traffic site. It is certainly correct as to the location as the painting is Crucification by Goya. meltBanana 04:15, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

25th anniversaries of songs[edit]

Please note: I'm not using this site as a crystal ball or anything like that. I'm only interested in finding out if there might be 25th anniversary renditions of Do They Know It's Christmas?, We Are the World and Tears Are Not Enough.24.90.204.234 (talk) 07:48, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

HIGNFY Guests[edit]

I gather the TV Show Have I Got News for You pays it's guests to appear just like most other shows. But why? HIGNFY has now been running for 20 years, and has huge influence. Surely politicians at least would go on without being paid for the chance to appear nice and gain appeal. Isn't HIGNFY now successful enough to stop having to pay guests?

Cheers,130.88.171.213 (talk) 12:59, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It may well be union regulations that a guest must be paid..hotclaws 16:26, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you are asking someone to give up several hours of their time, and perhaps travel a long way, in order to help you make a commercial product that you will sell for a lot of money, why would you not recompense that person for their contribution? I doubt the regular panellists do the job for nothing, and HIGNFY can be a pretty high-risk proposition for the thin-skinned celeb or politician: there's no guarantee you will appear nice or more appealing as a result of being on it, and a distinct risk you may look like an utter twerp by the end. There are probably those who would do it for nothing, but would they necessarily be the ones the producers wanted? Karenjc 18:15, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It's a top comedy show, and politicians are only invited if they are funny and don't mind taking a few knocks. It would backfire on anyone who went on it just to "appear nice and gain appeal". Maybe you are thinking of the more sober Question Time.--Shantavira|feed me 09:46, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Hmmm, they do say that any publicity is good publicity. Are they paid real money, or just a reasonable amount to cover expenses? -Ehrenkater (talk) 16:25, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
On HIGNFY, they almost certainly get real money (how much probably depends on how high profile the person is). A show like Question Time, I would expect to just pay expenses. --Tango (talk) 07:19, 17 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
A little research shows that politicians typically get in the region of a few thousand pounds for a HIGNFY appearance. Not bad for maybe 2 or 3 hours work. --Tango (talk) 07:25, 17 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Segal or Van Damme Movie[edit]

In the mid-'90s when I was in high school my friends and I rented a video by one of the above. It was about a prison where if you went out of line, the killed you by detonating a device that was implanted in the belly. I can't figure out which one it was, even by the descriptions of the films in their respective articles. Aaronite (talk) 19:03, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Added: This had to be pre-1996, since I was in junior high school. Aaronite (talk) 19:08, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It stars Rutger Hauer, but could it be Deadlock? Matt Deres (talk) 00:07, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I was thinking it was certainly possible that I had the actor completely wrong. this movie sounds a little closer than anything I've seen, but it isn't quite there. Aaronite (talk) 02:29, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Try.... Fortress (1993 film) Popcorn II (talk) 14:39, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]


That's the one! thanks Aaronite (talk) 17:26, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Legend Of Spyro[edit]

Where can I find the Legend Of Spyro: The Eternal Night Soundtrack? Foxixcub (talk) 20:13, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This link (which I got from [http://www.spyroworld.net/home/5299 here) is supposedly the link to the soundtrack on iTunes. However, when I click on it, it tells me it is not available in the US store, so I don't know if the link works for any other countries. Other than that, I couldn't find anywhere else where you could buy it. —Akrabbimtalk 03:43, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

King throws dog[edit]

What is the name of the movie, the American colonist and of the English King in which there is a scene where the King throws a small dog at a colonist departing for America when he asks the king to provide them with an archbishop? 71.100.7.189 (talk) 23:24, 15 November 2009 (UTC) [reply]

I don't remember, but there's a list of films which feature King George III (the most likely king to be upsetting American colonists) here[1].Alansplodge (talk) 17:30, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]