Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2014 June 14

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June 14

McDonalds FIFA ad

There's an ad on TV now I don't understand at all. A group of about 5 men are standing close together on a sidewalk adjacent to a puddle in the street, and they each have their hands covering their crotches, although they are fully clothed. They move as a group in a way that reminds me of a line of foosball players, then wait for a truck to drive through the puddle, which then splashes them all with water from the puddle. This appeared to be their goal. The narrator then says "Got FIFA fever ?". I have no clue what this is all about, but figure it has something to do with the FIFA World Cup. StuRat (talk) 03:47, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

It's making fun of one of the sillier images from soccer, when defenders protecting the goal from a free kick protect themselves as well. See here, and here. (I'm not sure where female players put their hands.) HiLo48 (talk) 03:58, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

That explains the hands over the crotch part, and moving in unison, but do you know why they seemed to want to be splashed by the puddle ? StuRat (talk) 04:24, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

Fairly obscure, a parody. But what about the covering up? Don't soccer players wear cups? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:03, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

No. Nor do Australian footballers, or players of the rugby codes, or Gaelic footballers. Do American footballers wear cups? HiLo48 (talk) 05:58, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

Apparently not.[1] Baseball players do, of course. They would be crazy or masochistic not to. But the nature of that sport is a bit different. Presumably footballers might wear a conventional athletic supporter, but either way it would be insufficient protection against a hard-kicked soccer ball. (And I thought I wasn't going to learn anything new today.) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:26, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

Some excellent research there Bugs. And it's good to see the New York Tomes covering such an important matter. And yes, as a baseball catcher for some seasons (in a very low level competition) several decades ago, I had some very well fitting protective equipment. Wouldn't have played without it. HiLo48 (talk) 10:27, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

The former pitcher Jim Bouton, in his famous book Ball Four, described a situation where he was in the bullpen and wasn't expecting to be called in, so he hadn't worn his cup. Guess what. So he took the mound without protection, and was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He got through it without incident. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:28, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

Protection for the family jewels is also worn in cricket but it's called a "box". Alansplodge (talk) 19:34, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

"Box" is the common name in Australia too, whether used by cricketers, baseballers, and (field) hockey goalkeepers, but "protector" is another broadly understood name for this piece of equipment as well. HiLo48 (talk) 22:47, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

In America "box" is something entirely different that some men like to put around their genitals from time to time. --Jayron32 00:36, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

So it is in Australia. The puns made around the ambiguity are usually appalling. HiLo48 (talk) 00:48, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Box? Bollocks.

I haven't seen the advert but I assume they'd jump to get splashed in the same way a defensive wall would jump to try to head the ball away as it passed over them, to attempt to clear it before it reaches the goalkeeper. As for what women protect at free kicks, it's womb and breasts, obviously. The idea that association footballers would wear a box is patently absurd. Next we'd be suggesting that tennis players do the same, although Nadal fiddles with his shorts so frequently..... The Rambling Man (talk) 19:44, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

As far as I can tell, the four guys are protecting the seated lady from getting splashed. El duderino ^(abides) 04:29, 20 June 2014 (UTC)

Where was this From ?

Greetings. At least 30 years ago we watched what I believe to have been an episode from one of those shows like Tales of the Unexpected or Twilight Zone, where one of the segments was a story about a pompous wine expert who wanted to marry a young woman, and he made a bet with her father, who was a drunk, that they could blind taste wine, and guess the exact vintage, and the father would give his blessing - regardless of what his daughter wanted. The wine taster resembled a middle aged man a bit like Vincent Price, while the drunk was played by someone like Peter Lorre or Burt Young, but I cannot be sure. The wine taster won, but it turns out he had been cheating, and the young lady breaks a bottle over his head, but he is more embarrassed than hurt. I checked, and Peter Lorre did do some shows like that in the sixties just before he died, as did Vincent Price, but I cannot isolate which one. To me it seemed more recent than that, like it had been made in the seventies, and we watched it, as early as about 1978, and as late as 1988, but I cannot narrow it down. Also, there was an American movie from about the sixties about two girls in a Catholic School, and they prank a girl they do not like by covering her face with plaster ( allowing her to breath thru straws in her nose ) while she was asleep, but cannot recall who was in it. Any help would be appreciated. Thank You. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 07:45, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

First one sounds like an adaptation of Taste (short story).--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:11, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

With that clue, I tracked down the 1980 Tales of the Unexpected episode "Taste".[2] Clarityfiend (talk) 10:08, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

The second film is The Trouble with Angels (1966), starring Hayley Mills, Rosalind Russell and June Harding. Tevildo (talk) 17:19, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

Thank You, yes, I recognise the Movie about the girls in the school, and this is correct, but as for the other one, this indeed may be the one, and perhaps my memory is off, as well as the fact I have not seen the episode in question in over thirty years. We did watch Tales of the Unexpected, and having looked over the episode list in the series, I recognise other episodes I do remember seeing, and this seems right. The only thing is I did think the drunk was played by Peter Lorre or Burt Young, and this 1980 episode could have been a remake of an original one, as Peter Lorre and Vincent Price did do similar shows in the fifties and sixties. I have seen other examples of Plot lines from one show reworked into episodes of a newer one, where Michael Mann even took an episode from Miami Vice and adapted it to a more modern Police show he did with I believe Tom Sizemore, and such. Perhaps instead with reference to the episode in Tales of the Unexpected we did watch it, and at the time, the man playing the drunk appeared to resemble Peter Lorre. Thanks Very Much. Speaking of resemblances, I recognised Mark de Carlo from an episode of Matlock shown here the other day - he is almost a spitting image of Paul Reiser, and I thought Mr. de Carlo had done a comedy show of his own, like Mad About You, so I looked him up and could not find anything. Does anyone recall him being in a show in which he was a regular character, even the main one, because otherwise I see he was a one off guest on Seinfeld, and the only regular thing I might have seen him in was a series on why the nineties rocked ( which I don't think it really did ), but when I saw him on that, I had the idea I already had seen him somewhere else, in a regular role, but ImdB does not seem to have it. Unless I have my wires crossed. Thanks. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 06:40, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

John Carter - Thern Medallion Teleportation

When Dejah Thoris is explaining Thern teleportation to John Carter, is that in any way similar to what quantum teleportation is ? Scotius (talk) 12:05, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

No. Quantum teleportation involves the transmission of information, not actual physical objects like John Carter. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:06, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Then what would the Thern teleportation be classed as, just transporter duplication ? 194.74.238.6 (talk) 14:17, 17 June 2014 (UTC)

It's been a long time since I read the series, but I'd venture to guess it's an "I-need-it-to-make-the-plot-work" device. The books were written during the infancy of the science fiction genre, when most such things were explained by elaborate hand waving. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:05, 20 June 2014 (UTC)

Salaries of actors and celebrities

Does anyone know of a web-site (or some other source) that collectively lists salaries for various actors and celebrities in various films, TV shows, theatre roles, etc.? I know that this information can be found piece-meal here and there. I am wondering if there is some sort of collective list of information, all found in one place. For example, it would state: Alan Alda was paid $3 million per episode on the TV show M*A*S*H; Sylvester Stallone was paid $28 million for his role in the film Rocky; Nathan Lane was paid $11 million for his role on Broadway in The Producers. Stuff like that. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:21, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

I think IMDB lists that info when they have it, but the actors are under no obligation to disclose their salaries, so any list will be incomplete. Also, it's likely to be far more complex than you think, with, say , Alan Alda getting different pay for different seasons, plus variable other perks and perhaps a share of the profits. Determining exactly how much he benefited financially from each episode would therefore be quite difficult. StuRat (talk) 00:15, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Alda would be particularly difficult because he did more than just acting on the show; he also had writing and directing credits to his name. Disclosed salaries are generally highly unreliable in any case; the studio may want, for whatever reason, to downplay or exaggerate a given person's wages. See Hollywood accounting, a particular form of creative accounting. Matt Deres (talk) 15:29, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, both. Yes, I was just using Alda as a generic example of a famous actor and a famous show. I understand that with big-name actors, the contract (salary and everything else) must be quite involved and complex. Nonetheless, I'd be looking for something like: "In Season 5, Jennifer Aniston earned $3 million per episode of Friends plus a percent of profits" (or something like that). IMDb lists random bits of information here and there. I was wondering if there was something somewhere (internet or wherever) that accumulated this type of info into one place. And, wow, that Hollywood accounting article was an eye-opener! Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 15:57, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Related question

After I typed my response above, I started thinking about professional athletes and their salaries. I had intended to include them in my original question above, but I did not specifically mention athletes per se. When compared to actors, why is it that athletes' salaries always seem to be in the news? They seem much less "secretive" than salaries for actors and other celebrities. Is there any reason for this? Why would the athletes' salaries and negotiations be so much more public, visible, and transparent? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 16:01, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

I assume you mean "athlete" in the broader sense of the word, one who plays any sport, rather than simply one who participates in athletics. The "salary" (that word in itself has multiple meanings too) is, in itself, part of what makes a sports-person famous. In Australia, most professional sports leagus have salary caps for teams, so it is important how much each individual gets paid. HiLo48 (talk) 17:25, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Yes, I mean professional athletes ... people who play professional football, baseball, basketball, etc. Players on professional teams: the New York Yankees, the New York Giants, the LA Lakers, stuff like that. I didn't specify above, but I am in the USA. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 19:36, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

LOL, and that's why you again ignored the fact that "athlete" has distinctly different meanings around the world. But I'll forgive you. In my country, a professional runner is an athlete, so he is a professional athlete. A footballer isn't. HiLo48 (talk) 20:58, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Yes, I am talking about the USA. But, also, my above questions were referring – in general – to famous people, celebrities, and big-names. There are many professional athletes – in the USA and all around the world – but not all of them are well-known household names. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:17, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

The term "athlete" originally referred to an individual contending for victory.[3] However, the nominal ancestor of the ball club currently known as the Oakland Athletics was the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:28, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

I understand You were giving the figure of three million dollars per episode of M*A*S*H for Alan Alda as an example, since I think that would be a bit high. I remember that when Larry Hagman was negotiating his contract for Dallas he was getting about 4.1 million dollars per season, and was the highest paid on TV at the time, but I might be wrong. I know now, that before he blew a very good thing, Charlie Sheen was getting about four million an episode about three or four years ago four Two and Half Men - close to what Mr. Hagman got about thirty years earlier - there's inflation for you. In saying that, I would suspect Alan Alda might have gotten millions per year himself, just for M*A*S*H. I also recall Julia Roberts, at least ten years ago, commanding twenty million per picture, and I reckon that is where a lot of the budget goes. Perhaps these days Hollywood, who, sure, wants to show off the stars to suit themselves, is more cautious with their information, considering the events a few years ago of those young people internetting stars' addresses and itineraries to rip them off - that surprised me, since I thought they would afford security to guard their places while they are out - but I bet they do now. It would be interesting to know all this anyway, as we are the ones paying their massive salaries, if You think about it, so we want to see where it goes and who gets what. My understanding also is that some of them are not shy in spending it. Chris the Russian Christopher Lilly 06:24, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Yes, my salary of Alan Alda's three million dollars per episode was just a fictitious example. I remember the cast of Friends commanded one million dollars per episode (each); and that was a big deal at the time (2004). Alan Alda and M*A*SH were in the 1970's, a significantly earlier time period (30 years). There is no way he got three million at that time. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 22:18, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

The mention of Julia Roberts's salary produces an irresistible impulse to quote this bit of dialogue by Richard Curtis from Notting Hill. At a family party, Bernie (Hugh Bonneville) has just been introduced to Anna (Roberts) by her first name alone, and hasn't noticed that she's someone famous...

Bernie: So tell me, um, Anna, what do you do?

Anna: I'm an actress.

Bernie: Oh, splendid!

Anna: What do you do?

Bernie: I'm actually in the stock market myself, so, uh, not really similar fields. Though, um, um, I have done the odd bit of amateur stuff, um, uh, P.G. Wodehouse, uh, farce, all that, you know. "Careful there, vicar." Always imagined it's a pretty tough job, though, acting. I mean, the wages are a scandal, aren't they?

Anna: They can be.

Bernie: I see friends from university—clever chaps—been in the business longer than you—they're scraping by on 7–8,000 a year. And it's no life. What sort of acting do you do?

Anna: Films, mainly.

Bernie: Oh, splendid. Oh, well done! How's the pay in movies? Mm, I mean, last film you did, what did you get paid?

Anna: $15 million.

Bernie: Right. So that's... uh, fairly good.

The amount was, of course, exactly what Roberts got paid for the movie. She made still more on some later movies. --69.158.92.137 (talk) 08:43, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, all. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 20:57, 18 June 2014 (UTC)

Who made this song, and what year and album is it from?

1: Who made this song, Lera Kozlova or Ranetki? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_2L_vRWF2Q, and what year and album is it from? 2: Are there any places left where i can buy Lera Kozlovas debut album? I can't find it on Amazon, Itunes or Ebay and both her Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, official website and her Record companies official website are dead. When i say they are dead, i mean that they still are accessible, but they don't have the slightest information about Lera. --Gajolen (talk) 21:20, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

I used Shazam on it and it just returned the information you already see at the bottom of the YouTube screen: Лера Козлова - Последний Звонок, which Google translate tells me is Russian for Lera Kozlova - Last Call. Since everything involved here is in Russian, you may get a better answer from our friends on the Russian language reference desk (found here). Matt Deres (talk) 15:37, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Is this any good to you? There are two for sale here. Or did you mean a solo album by the singer? From reading the WP article, I don't know if this has been released yet. --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 01:14, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

I wanted to buy the solo album by Kozlova. The album were released in 2010. The video of Last Call are from 2009 so it must be by Ranetki. I can't find the song on any of their albums and they haven't really made any singles. But thanks for the advice. I will try to ask the Russians. --Gajolen (talk) 14:24, 16 June 2014 (UTC)