Talk:Stephen Rannazzisi

Semi-protected edit request on 16 September 2015
Please change "Rannazzisi majored in Communications at the State University of New York at Purchase" and "A New York Times article revealing the hoax also ascertained he had not attended the State University of New York at Purchase, which is known for its theater program, but graduated instead from SUNY Purchase with a degree in communication" to reflect the following: The New York Times revealed that Rannazzisi attended the State University of New York at Oneonta for Communications, rather than SUNY Purchase, renowned for its theatre program, which was on his website before it was taken down.

Kc39597930 (talk) 16:43, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Pictogram voting wait.svg Already done I think. Thank you for the suggestion, but I'm not entirely sure what is the edit you want to make, and the content you've suggested already seems to be in the article. Maybe you were looking at an older version? If not, then please reactivate this edit request, and clearly state your request in the format: "please change XX to YY". Ivanvector 🍁 (talk) 19:15, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
 * This was done. Kc... wasn't looking at an older version, you were just looking at a newer one.JesseRafe (talk) 19:30, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Recent deletions
The article is not here to "help" the subject. It is here to document their life, both as an actor and a person. --Neil N  talk to me 17:58, 27 September 2015 (UTC)

Age
He says on Howard Stern than he's 38. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.229.227.220 (talk) 19:28, 8 October 2015 (UTC)


 * Thanks! This type of thing is usually hard to corroborate. A lot of sites also list the 1978/37 information, but it is unclear where they sourced it. This site also gives the 1977/38 information, but I wouldn't rely on citing it. JesseRafe (talk) 20:08, 8 October 2015 (UTC)


 * If the year is in contention, is it better to indicate that on the this page? (124.150.12.80 (talk) 12:13, 21 October 2015 (UTC))


 * I think if we had a timestamp (I believe the cite-template field is "event=", but we could look that up) and his exact words as a quote, it would be worth adding in a format similar to that at Mariah Carey. Obviously, given his history, we have to take what he says with a grain of salt. --Tenebrae (talk) 14:35, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

Request to Update the Opening Sentences of Rannazzisi's Bio Page
The opening sentences of Steve Rannazzisi's Wikipedia biography should include his 9/11 controversy. Mentioning it at the top won't violate any of Wikipedia's ethical guidelines or neutrality standards. Rannazzisi's lie cost him a prominent endorsement with Buffalo Wild Wings and continues to hamper his marketability (scroll over the STARMeter to see his current ranking, down 191 this week and in a decline since the scandal began last September).

An update can and should be done without using loaded words, opinion or inaccuracies.

Here's an example of how the revised intro could read:

"Stephen Rannazzisi (born July 4, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian who co-starred as fantasy football league player Kevin MacArthur in the FXX comedy series The League . In September 2015, Rannazzisi admitted to lying for more than a decade about claiming to have escaped the South Tower of the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attacks . 187Journalist (talk) 06:34, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

Updated Intro for Steve Rannazzisi/Silent Consensus?
No editors or contributors have challenged this proposed change. May I assume this is a silent consensus?

This is in regards to updating the into of Steve Rannazzisi's bio page to read:

"Stephen Rannazzisi (born July 4, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian who co-starred as fantasy football league player Kevin MacArthur in the FXX comedy series The League . In September 2015, Rannazzisi admitted to lying for more than a decade about claiming to have escaped the South Tower of the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

187Journalist (talk) 16:11, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

Seeking Resolution--Updating Intro Of Rannazzisi Bio
It's indisputable that Rannazzisi's 9/11 lie became newsworthy because he's famous. But there's substantial evidence that the lie propelled him to comedic fame in the first place. His connection with the lie belongs in the lede because it is a defining feature of his career.

Ranazzisi admits his origin story began immediately after arriving in Los Angeles in September 2001. In his apology interview with Howard Stern, Rannazzisi said the lie made it so fellow comedians were less critical of him. "I think it might have been, like, comedians are cruel people. Especially in the beginning. And I kind of was like, maybe now people won’t be as mean to me or make as many jokes about me." In the same interview, he said established comedians like Andrew Dice Clay and Pauly Shore made a point to reach out to him because of his experience.

Dice Clay even nicknamed Rannazzisi "T2" because he supposedly was in Tower 2.

This passage from the New York Times' story revealing Rannazzisi's lie also suggests his career sprouted from the narrative: "But what is clear is that, since he moved to Los Angeles shortly after the attacks, with his girlfriend, now his wife, his profile has risen steadily. In 2003, he was noticed by the actor Ashton Kutcher, who gave him his first TV role, as a cast member on MTV’s “Punk’d,” according to Mr. Rannazzisi’s website."

From there, Mr. Rannazzisi was cast in several movies and TV sitcoms, including “The League,” about the high jinks of friends in a fantasy football league..."

The League was six episodes old in 2009 when Rannazzisi gave a detailed 9/11 account on Marc Maron's podcast. He specifically cites the attacks as his inspiration for getting into comedy. “We decided that we were moving,” he said. “We were like: ‘You know what? I am going to do what I want to do now.’ I wasn’t doing a lot of comedy. I wasn’t doing lot of acting, what I went to school for.”

He also cites the 9/11 attack as his reason for getting into comedy on "Pauly Shore and Friends.

His entire public persona revolves around that narrative. It separated him from others in the industry. Omitting it from the lede ignores a pivotal part of his biography.

This request isn't libelous and isn't unduly weighted, and doesn't right a great wrong. It's simply a factual account of his career.

Respectfully,

187Journalist (talk) 21:49, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

Undue Weight Concerns
Can an editor please help me understand what specific element of undue weight my suggested edit violates?

I've followed all of Wikipedia's guidelines in respect to using independent material, and I'm trying to have a constructive conversation about my suggested edit.

The case is presented in previous posts.

But the gist of it is, I want to edit Rannazzisi's intro to read:

"Stephen Rannazzisi (born July 4, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian who co-starred as fantasy football league player Kevin MacArthur in the FXX comedy series The League. In September 2015, Rannazzisi admitted to lying for more than a decade about escaping the South Tower of the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attacks." 187Journalist (talk) 17:51, 22 April 2016 (UTC)


 * Please stop bombarding the Talk Page of this article as well as the User Talks of all its contributors. You got your answer, and you don't like it, but the answer is there and it is accurate. It doesn't need to be explained any further as it's the entire explanation. Your example lead paragraph is 57 words. 29 are neutral biographic details pertinent to a lede or lead section. Then 28 are about one minor incident. How do you not see that is what is being referred to when multiple editors have told you it is "undue weight"? Millions of people have some form of Munchhausen or similar dispensations to fabricate, and thousands of people lie about being afflicted by the 9/11 events - Rannazzisi is not famous for being a liar, his lie is known solely for the fact that he is already and independently famous apart from the lie. Your crusade is bordering on NPOV/COI. JesseRafe (talk) 19:16, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

Clearly Not Undue Weight
This 9/11 story Rannazzisi fabricated is inexorably tied to his career. He's done multiple radio interviews about the lie in recent months. Last night hewas slammed on national television for it--almost a year after the story broke. I'm willing to post the sources, if necessary, though it has agitated page editors in the past.

There's no longer a legitimate reason to exclude this information from his introductory paragraph. If anything, neglecting to mention his falsehood is undue weight to his benefit. Wikipedia is fact-based and neutral. A celebrity's page shouldn't be off-limits because a fan says so. 187Journalist (talk) 17:14, 29 July 2016 (UTC)


 * You've been asked multiple times to stop spamming this article's talk page. The version of the article as it exists has consensus. This is just your preference, to have this information in the lede and it is unsupported by any policy. You are also either a single-issue editor or a sock of another editor looking to make a single-issue account. This harms rather than helps your position. Give it up, the issue is resolved and has been multiple times. JesseRafe (talk) 19:21, 29 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Concur with JesseRafe. --Tenebrae (talk) 21:36, 29 July 2016 (UTC)