Talk:Hal Sparks

Personal Information
Under the Wikipedia guidelines for biographies of living people, "Wikipedia's sourcing policy, Verifiability, says that all quotations and any material challenged or likely to be challenged must be attributed to a reliable, published source using an inline citation; material not meeting this standard may be removed. This policy extends that principle, adding that contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced should be removed immediately and without discussion. This applies whether the material is negative, positive, neutral, or just questionable, and whether it is in a biography or in some other article. Material should not be added to an article when the only sourcing is tabloid journalism. When material is both verifiable and noteworthy, it will have appeared in more reliable sources." In this case the information regarding the mother of Sparks' son qualifies as "poorly sourced" because it cannot be cited to a legitimate printed source aside from what was included in Wikipedia itself. This information was deleted as a result.

Geevie (talk) 17:05, 14 August 2012 (UTC)

Also noted that along with the above information being put in against Wiki policy, also being edited out is the name of Hal's current girlfriend, which is the only such information to have a published, credible source. If these edits continue, the users will be reported for bias.

Geevie (talk) 19:49, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

According to Hal Sparks' verified Twitter account, his name is NOT Harold. His legal name, as listed on IMDb.com, is Hal Harry Magee Sparks III. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Geevie (talk • contribs) 03:32, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

incorrect information and related links
Frog was sparks debut as it was in 1987 and Treasure Mall was in 1988 verifiable at imdb (5park5inc (talk) 06:07, 4 May 2011 (UTC))

Current members of ZERO 1 are incorrectly listed as Miles Loretta and Robert Hall Current band members are Brian Crow, Lance Tamanaha, and Bumper Renga verifiable at Official band booking page Verifiable at band's facebook fan page (5park5inc (talk) 06:07, 4 May 2011 (UTC))

reference to (previously called The Hal Sparks Band Experience II: Electric Boogaloo) is vandalism former name is The Hal Sparks Band verifiable at Official band booking page Verifiable at band's facebook fan page (5park5inc (talk) 06:07, 4 May 2011 (UTC))

Metal Skool changed their name to Steel Panther 2 years ago. Official Steel Panther website - bio info contains verification (5park5inc (talk) 06:07, 4 May 2011 (UTC))

Dead link: Anyone who clicks on the Zero1 Official Website link goes to a dead page. Official band site is http://www.reverbnation.com/zero1 (5park5inc (talk) 06:07, 4 May 2011 (UTC))

Misspelled name Dug Pinnick of King's X is spelled with no "o" (5park5inc (talk) 06:07, 4 May 2011 (UTC))

No Pic
No one has a pic to put up? Added Photo request tag.Snoopydance 00:24, 18 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Theres no Picture from the Logo of Zero1 - Please edited Theres a Logo of Zero1

--11:59, 28 January 2011 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Seatin (talk • contribs)

Name
Deleted: "*His mother named him Hal after the computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey. (If this is correct, however, it means that there is no basis for Hal's name to end in "III", which would imply that there were two Hal Sparks in the family before him.)"

IMDB.com lists his birth name as Hal Harry Magee Sparks III. It does seem to be conflicting information that his mom named him after HAL 9000 and that his name is "the third". Perhaps he is the third member of his family to have 'Harry Magee' in his name. I would suggest clearing up the confusion before putting the above fact back. Tygartl1 15:21, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

--

Sparks has been quoted on several radio shows stating that he was indeed named after the computer in 2001 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 5park5inc (talk • contribs) 18:50, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Article with Spark verifying he was named after the computer in 2001 - one could naturally assume the father's name was Harry Magee Sparks II and the Hal was added to differentiate.

Funniest teenager award...
I found it mentioned on imdb.com, on his resume. Resume and his page and his netglimse page netglimse page Ah! Just found it on tv.com, who says it was bestowed by the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper! tv.com (under summary). Removing fact tag, including note about tv.com and imdb.com.

[1] http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/about/performer_detail.cfm?id=2942 states: In 1987 he was named the "Funniest Teenager In Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times. [2] http://www.sho.com/site/queer/bio.do?bio=sparks states: At 17, he was named the "Funniest Teenager in Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times. [3] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005452/ gives his date of birth as September 25, 1969. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 5park5inc (talk • contribs) 18:52, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Hal Spark's Date of Birth
[1] http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/about/performer_detail.cfm?id=2942 states: In 1987 he was named the "Funniest Teenager In Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times.

[2] http://www.sho.com/site/queer/bio.do?bio=sparks states: At 17, he was named the "Funniest Teenager in Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times.

[3] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005452/ gives his date of birth as September 25, 1969.

The author of the Wikipedia article, who assumes that every person that graduated high school in June 1989 could not have been older than 17 at graduation, accepts the month and day of the birthday given in [3] but insists the year be 1971. But a birthday of September 25, 1971 would have made Hal 15 or 16 in 1987 when he was named the "Funniest Teenager in Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times, contradicting [1] and/or [2].

Based on [1] and [2], he must have been 17 in 1987 when he was named the "Funniest Teenager in Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times. This is consistent with the September 25, 1969 birthdate given by [3].

Stand up comedy
Sparks began performing as a stand up comedian at the age of 15 in Chicago. At 17 he won the "Funniest Teenager in Chicago contest" put on by WBEZ radio and The Chicago Sun-Times. His first Stand-up dvd Escape From Halcatraz was self-produced and financed. His current stand-up entitled Charmegeddon debuted on Showtime Networks

Radio appearances
Sparks has appeared as a regular guest and fill-in host on the national The Stephanie Miller Radio Show, providing three hours of commentary and humor on Wednesday mornings. The program is known as "Hump Days with Hal". He has a weekly show saturdays on WCPT radio Chicago's Progressive Talk.

Television appearances
Sparks' on-screen career began with the after school special "Frog" co-starring Shelley Duvall, Scott Grimes and Elliot Gould.

Later the same year he became the United States' youngest game show emcee, hosting the short-lived, syndicated game show, Treasure Mall.

He became the 3rd host of E! entertainment television's Emmy award winning Talk Soup in 1999

Sparks appeared on all episodes, every season, of the Showtime show, Queer As Folk, as Michael Novotny.

Sparks was the voice of "Tak" on the Nickelodeon series "Tak and the Power of Juju"

He was the voice of the computer named "Mr. Q" on the U.S television adaptation of 20Q, which aired on the Game Show Network (GSN) in 2009.

He appeared as himself in the video "Beat It," the Michael Jackson cover, by Fall Out Boy.

Sparks was the captain of the Chicago Hitmen team on GSN's Extreme Dodgeball.

Sparks was one of five celebrities to appear in the first episode of VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project. He has also been a regular on several VH1's series, including the following:
 * VH1 appearances
 * I Love the '70s
 * I Love the '80s
 * I Love the '80s Strikes Back
 * I Love the '80s 3-D
 * I Love the '90s
 * I Love the '90s: Part Deux
 * I Love the '70s: Volume II
 * I Love VH1 Talking Head Clip Show Reviews
 * I Love the New Millennium
 * Undateable

Sparks was a contestant on the 2008 VH1 reality series Celebracadabra, where the celebrities vie to out-perform each other with magic they have learned from their experienced coaches. Other celebrity contestants competing included Ant, Lisa Ann Walter, Carnie Wilson, Christopher "Kid" Reid, Kimberly Wyatt, and C. Thomas Howell. Howell was the winner, with Sparks taking second place.

Film appearances
Sparks has had cameo roles in a few films, including 'Extract",Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star and Spider-Man 2, where he was an elevator passenger with a handful of lines. He co-starred in Spider-Man 2 with current host of E's The Soup, Joel McHale.

Sparks' first significant film role was in the movie Dude, Where's My Car?, as Zoltan, the head of a clan of nerds obsessed with outer space.

Music background
In addition to acting, Sparks is also the lead singer and guitarist for a rock band, ZERO 1 (previously called The Hal Sparks Band ). Additional band members include Brian Crow, Lance Tamanaha and Bumper Renga.. Their first album was produced by King's X's frontman Doug Pinnick. His musical experience paid off as a contestant in the first season of Celebrity Duets. He often joins the Los Angeles cover band Steel Panther to sing Skid Row songs.


 * ZERO 1

ZERO 1 is on the "Rocket Science" label

ZERO 1 plays "Dean Guitars" and "Ddrums"

Former Members include Robert Hall and Miles Loretta

Robert Hall owns his own Creature/FX company in Hollywood called Almost Human. He was the creator of the creatures for the popular shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. He was involved in some prosthetic work on Talk Soup, where he met Hal and became friends. In 2004, he wrote and directed his own film called Lightning Bug which starred Sparks.

Their debut, self-titled album was released in December 2006, available through iTunes and on Sparks' official website.

Second City
If you check the Alum list for Second City you will not find Hal in there under mainstage or E.T.C.

Second City is very strict on calling someone an Alumni unless they have performed on mainstage. I would contact Second City Chicago to clarify this. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.121.235.245 (talk) 21:12, 12 April 2007 (UTC).

Deletion
Deleted ext. ref to site which requires account creation> Mjpresson (talk) 15:49, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

"I Love VH1 Talking Head Clip Show Reviews"
Can anyone prove it exists? It sounds delightful but I can't find any reference to it that isn't a mirror of this article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.242.27.151 (talk) 11:31, 15 June 2010 (UTC)

- not a real show - (5park5inc (talk) 06:09, 4 May 2011 (UTC))

African-American penis?
Here, Hal Sparks is quoted is referring to himself – well, at least to his penis – as "standard-issue African-American, just a little paler than most".

Was he acknowledging some African ancestry, or was he just sorta bragging about its dimensions by allusion to the stereotypical African penis? --  Jack of Oz   [Talk]  00:35, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Chinese
halsparks.com has a Chinese name: Huò Guānghào (霍光皓) up quite prominently. zh.wiki, however, rather blandly transcribes his name as Ha'er Sipakesi. He also says here that he can "speak Putonghua" at a conversational level (with a knowledge of 6000-8000 characters), spent some time in Beijing, and has an interest in Chinese martial arts and philosophy. In the linked program, he recites a Chinese poem with passable pronunciation. It might be worth mentioning in a section about his personal life. Shrigley (talk) 22:49, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
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1969 or 1971?
Was he born in 1969 or 1971? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2605:6001:E790:5800:E886:E1B8:B2D2:DFCF (talk) 17:25, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

1969. Aaron Saltzer (talk) 21:25, 5 October 2016 (UTC)

There is evidence for both. How do you know the former is correct?2605:6001:EB50:A900:C5A7:FA59:BBC3:48E3 (talk) 02:28, 6 September 2017 (UTC)
 * See above. Geraldo Perez (talk) 02:45, 6 September 2017 (UTC)

Question
In number 8 of the references, it says there's a title missing or empty. How do I change that? Aaron Saltzer (talk) 21:22, 5 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Fixed. Geraldo Perez (talk) 21:36, 5 October 2016 (UTC)

Image RfC

 * The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Considering the three photos shown here, which is the better for the infobox? Choice #1 is the current infobox photo, choice #2 and #3 are being proposed. --  ψλ  ● ✉ ✓ 21:48, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

Choice #1

 * Support I prefer the 2016 image to either the 2009 or 2007 image. It is a decent representation of the current subject. --TonyTheTiger (T / C / WP:FOUR / WP:CHICAGO / WP:WAWARD) 20:03, 27 June 2017 (UTC)

Choice #2

 * Support Choice #2 is not as current, however, it is a straight-on frontal photo from directly in front of the article subject with an attractive smile and facial expression. Choice #1 is not optimal for an infobox photo as it shows the article subject from below and with his mouth open in an unfortunate capture of an unattractive facial expression.  Article subject does not really look like himself in this photo, either, in my opinion.  Choice #1 would be fine for the body of the article, but is not really infobox-worthy. --  ψλ  ● ✉ ✓ 21:48, 25 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Support - I prefer choice #2 because it was taken directly in front of the subject but I am not opposed to choice #2. The backgrounds of the images are a bit distracting but either alternative is better than the current. Meatsgains (talk) 02:08, 27 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Support - This image is the most consistent with his typical physical appearance in his professional capacity. It also has the least distracting facial expression.  --DavidK93 (talk) 14:24, 27 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Support I prefer #2 because while it is older, it is closer in and shows the facial features of the BLP better than 1.  d.g. L3X1  (distænt write)   )evidence(  12:47, 28 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Support No. 2. Second choice No. 3. And thank you L3X for alerting me to the "sbb" shortcut thingie. Coretheapple (talk) 15:23, 28 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Support two, two, it is on. Identify pictures are better.scope_creep (talk) 11:49, 29 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Support photo #2. This is the best of the photos because it shows him with a natural facial expression instead of a fleeting open mouth or an artificial grin. Cullen328  Let's discuss it  04:45, 30 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Support. Best of the photos. (btw, Why does it say "of the four photos", there are only three?) Nik ol ai Ho ☎️ 22:48, 2 July 2017 (UTC)


 * Corrected. Thanks for pointing it out.  -- ψ λ   ●  ✉  22:56, 2 July 2017 (UTC)


 * Support - reasons have been explained by others. It's the best, clearest photo. Cjhard (talk) 14:52, 5 July 2017 (UTC)


 * Support Smaller frame, etc. Stikkyy t/c 05:13, 11 July 2017 (UTC)


 * Support Summoned by a bot. Straight up eye test. Comatmebro  (talk)


 * Support #2 is my pick, front facing, mouth not open, and a good representation of the subject.  WikiVirus  C (talk) 11:29, 15 July 2017 (UTC)


 * Support Of the options, this image clearly is the highest quality and most appropriate to the purposes of a lead image of an encyclopedia article. It has the best framing, angle, lighting, contrast, and colour balance and avoids the candid/awkward moment quality of the other two images (at least by comparison). Not even remotely a close call.  S n o w  let's rap 04:39, 17 July 2017 (UTC)

Choice #3

 * Second choice support Not a straight, head on image, but still better than choice #1. --  ψλ  ● ✉ ✓ 21:48, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

Discussion

 * The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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