Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 January 29

= January 29 =

Dennis the Menace's friend Joey's baby sister's name from the comics?
Too lazy to go through all my Dennis books tucked way back in my attic, but Dennis' friend Joey, a few decades back, was aged from 2.5 to 4, became a bit bigger, stopped saying "yeth" and such, and the important question here, his parents had a baby sister. The question is, did they ever give Joey's sister a name - I don't think they did, but am unsure. I don't recall one. Being a one-panel strip, unless it was mentioned in a comic book, it's unlikely they did. But, I wanted to see if anyone knew of a name, anyway. Thakns in advance.Somebody or his brother (talk) 01:38, 29 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Presumably, this is about the America Dennis the Menace, rather than the UK one? Just double checking... Skittle (talk) 15:17, 3 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes, didn't realize there was a British one. (Looks at reference) Wow, amazing how they came out almost the same time - of course, with Dennis rhyming with menace, and so few other names to do so, it makes sense.

Fantasy Island guest greetings
On Fantasy Island, I'd see two gals standing "dockside" as the plane was "arriving". Then, I'd see performances with Hawaiian style music and dancing. As the guests were deplaning, two guys on either side would be the first to greet them. Then, some gals would serve them drinks. What's behind all this?72.229.136.18 (talk) 03:14, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Change to Jack (film) article
An IP editor, 65.29.205.217 changed 10 weeks premature to 26 weeks premature on the Jack (film) page. The IP user's edit history shows only two other (minor) edits, and a sensible edit comment was provided - so I'm not sure if this was vandalism, a mistake, or a correction. I have no recollection of the film, so the change may be correct. I asked the following on the fetus talk page but have not received any response :


 * In this diff, user 65.29.205.217 changed a statement about the central character being born 10 weeks premature to 26 weeks, with the explanation "changed prematurity from 10 weeks to 26 weeks premature, as he was born after a 10 week term". As I understand it, a 10 week term is medically impossible, and the full term is not 36 weeks.  However, as I have no recollection of the film, I can't definitively state that a 10 week term is not claimed.


 * I am wondering if someone here has seen the film and can comment. If the edit is simply wrong, then it's an easy reversion.  If the film *did* say 10 week term, then I think someone who knows more than I do should add something to the article to note the medical problem.  I would be inclined to say something like "after a 10 week term, a viable birth at this stage is medically impossible", but am unsure whether this would be claimed to violate WP:SYNTH. EdChem (talk) 00:15, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

Does anyone know the answer, or can advise what to do (other than to go and watch the film)? I tried IMDB, but found no answer. EdChem (talk) 03:57, 29 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I think by simple logic we can say that a 10-week term cannot be true, even in the movies, where Werner syndrome causes you to look like a perfectly normal Robin Williams. Adam Bishop (talk) 08:52, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Don't you believe it! Just because something is medically impossible doesn't mean it can't happen in a movie. Here is Roger Ebert's review of the movie, and it says that the character is "a boy who is aging at four times the normal rate. He is born, fully developed, after a two-month pregnancy, and at the age of 10 he looks exactly like a 40-year-old man." The anonymous correction (no, it wasn't me) is apparently correct or close to it. Several sources, including Wikipedia's pregnancy page, say that the normal period is 38 weeks (from conception); 3/4 of that would be 28.5 weeks premature. Perhaps someone would like to read some of the other reviews listed here by the IMDB and see how they describe it to perhaps resolve that relatively minor discrepancy, if no one wants to check the movie itself. --Anonymous, 02:22 UTC, January 30, 2008.


 * Hmm. Actually that does sound familiar now that I think of it. I suppose I should have said "even a 10-week term can be true in a movie where Werner syndrome" etc etc. Adam Bishop (talk) 07:09, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

Mary Sue litmus tests
Mary Sue states that the tests will often score characteristics that are common in some universes, and thus generate many false positives for characters in those universes. Might it thus be useful, instead of taking the raw score, to also test the N most important canonical characters and compare scores against them? Neon Merlin  04:25, 29 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't disagree. It's a general problem with applying a litmus test, which implies a sort of clinical preciseness, to art.  As I understand it, the Mary Sue litmus tests are really designed to get the budding author to consider the bigger question, of whether their characters are natural, organic parts of the fiction that help to maintain the internal consistency of the fictional world.  Incidentally, if you can find any mentions of Mary-Sue in academic or mass publications (e.g., in a book review in the NY Times), please add them to the article.  I tried to find non-fanfic/SFF references to Mary-Sue and couldn't find any that did a good job explaining the term.  --M @ r ē ino 21:14, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Singer's name
What's the name of that Lebanese singer chappy? DuncanHill (talk) 05:56, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
 * That would be Mika. --Richardrj talkemail 06:09, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Excellent, thank you :) DuncanHill (talk) 06:13, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Who is this singer, from the 1990s?

 * http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Image:Song.Between2.jpeg
 * http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Image:Song.Between.jpeg
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrqqnAc-Cbg

Who's this bespectacled, African-American singer? He appeared on Sesame Street in the early 1990s, at least by 1995, but likely a bit earlier. Any ideas? -- Zanimum (talk) 15:26, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Juno
Towards the end of Juno, it shows the image of a rocking chair and you hear Juno's voice say "it ended with a chair." What is the significance of that, because that is the only time you ever see that chair in the movie? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.101.53.138 (talk) 19:04, 29 January 2008 (UTC)


 * It is just to frame the moving beginning with a chair. Nothing special.  Rarely does framing a movie like that work well.  The best I've seen it done is Fallen.  It begins by the narrator telling a story about the time he almost died.  By the end of the movie, when the narrator has apparently lost and is being killed, he reminds the audience that this is a story of the time he almost died. --  k a i n a w &trade; 20:20, 29 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Uh, you do realize... the point of that ending was that the narrator was not who you thought it was... right? --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 05:31, 30 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The chair was special in Juno because the guy played by Michael Cera was sat in it when Juno jumped him and the baby was conceived - the story (and the film) start with the chair, and end with it. Best recent example of framing was Fight Club. Neıl  ☎  14:57, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Knight Rider, rehash of old idea
A rumor that I read, said that the new Knight Rider series would have a military convict be the new "Michael Knight" for the new series of that show. He would basically be told that he has to work with KITT and all that or be sent back to prison. I know this story idea has been used before, The Invisible Man for one. Can anyone name any other shows/movies where this 'criminal sentenced to do good deeds' concept was used? I know that I've seen it before but I can't think of any more examples right now. Dismas |(talk) 22:52, 29 January 2008 (UTC)


 * 48 Hrs., for one. --Joelmills (talk) 00:06, 30 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The Ipcress File and its sequels. La Femme Nikita, also called Nikita, and I presume its TV version. xXx and I presume its sequel. --Anonymous, 02:07 UTC, January 30, 2008.


 * The A-Team, sorta. --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 05:27, 30 January 2008 (UTC)


 * It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), although it's stretching it a bit to say that working for the government constitutes "good deeds". Clarityfiend (talk) 05:32, 30 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Point taken. You knew what I meant though, I'm sure.  And thanks everyone for the responses.  You've educated and added to the length of my Netflix queue.  :-)  Dismas |(talk) 07:53, 30 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Intelligence, sort of (the main character becomes a police informant). Adam Bishop (talk) 07:07, 30 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The Dirty Dozen uses the same concept and The Rock has Connery in a similar situation. Rockpock  e  t  07:50, 30 January 2008 (UTC)