Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2009 April 18

= April 18 =

Arab Pop Music
In your article "Arabic Pop Music", at the bottom, you forgot to put the word "deceased" besides the name "Umm Kulthum". Is there any Arabic Pop Music singers who are deceased besides Umm Kulthum? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.226.95.73 (talk) 01:24, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * It's your article too. YOU are Wikipedia. If you find a problem, please fix it. Its how everything at Wikipedia gets done. As to other deceased Arabic Pop Music Singers, well, I would speculate that sometimes, they do die. In fact, I am pretty sure that Arabic Pop Music Singers are not exempt from mortality any more than Chinese Firefighters or Finnish Engineers or Canadian Tow-truck drivers are. I think people of all nationalities and all professions and all combinations thereof eventually become deceased. --Jayron32. talk . contribs 02:27, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Should every list of people, in every article, specify which of them are living? Would you like the job of maintaining that information? —Tamfang (talk) 19:19, 21 April 2009 (UTC)

Identify the song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuHsTrCwHoY&feature=related

It's very well known, but I just can't seem to remember the name and the artist. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.62.16.228 (talk) 02:25, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Lady (Hear Me Tonight) by Modjo. Nanonic (talk) 11:48, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Future reference tip: Type in any coherent string of lyrics you can hear into google, complete with "quote marks" surrounding them (it will search for the whole phrase, not just the individual words) and the type "lyrics" after it (outside the quotemarks). This is how I find all my song titles, it may help you in future. Vimescarrot (talk) 17:46, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * That's what I usually do, mate. But all I could understand from that sound sample was "lady" and that didn't really help at all. Thanks, though. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.62.16.228 (talk) 23:10, 18 April 2009 (UTC)

Short film about man stalked by stone statue
In the past couple years, I saw this cool short that blended live action and CG. A man is sitting in a subway and is being followed by a silent lonely stone statue. It follows him home. The guy can't escape it. Pretty soon, the man notices other people are being followed around by inanimate objects. A woman is being followed by a subway sign, a coworker is followed by a conveyor belt that snakes itself along the wall. Just really great integration of CG and live action. I think it was a visual effects house that produced it, but I can't remember the name or the company that made it. Any ideas? --70.167.58.6 (talk) 04:21, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
 * None, but that sounds like the creepiest idea for a film I've ever heard... Vimescarrot (talk) 17:43, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I found it! It's called "Terminus" by Embassy VFX.   --70.167.58.6 (talk) 21:29, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Reminds me of The Tinted Venus (1885) by F. Anstey who wrote Vice Versa. The hero gave the stone Venus make-up so she would be less obtrusive. She was, nevertheless, a total pain. Kittybrewster  &#9742;  21:55, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Reminds me of something inspired by Don Giovanni. --  JackofOz (talk) 20:15, 19 April 2009 (UTC)
 * To the original poster suggest you watch Blink! Exxolon (talk) 19:13, 21 April 2009 (UTC)

Who is this man, black guy with sunglasses, is he a rapper?
Name him for me please because I don't know who he is, and I don't really get the joke.--Deceit from wherevermore (talk) 20:02, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * There's a joke here? FWIW, I don't recognize him either, but it just looks like a random guy in sunglasses... Is every black guy in sunglasses a rapper?!? --Jayron32. talk . contribs  21:20, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm guessing that the image is somehow related to a joke that the OP saw online and in order to get the joke, you have to know who the person is. Dismas |(talk) 22:50, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * See today's Reference Desk/Miscellaneous and the "dat ass" internet joke.--Deceit from wherevermore (talk) 23:02, 18 April 2009 (UTC)

It's Rich Boy. --Anon

authors and book covers
Okay, on the back of most book covers there's a little blurb saying who designed and created the cover art. It's understandable that most authors don't do their own cover art, but why don't they design it? Wouldn't it make more sense for the author to do it, make sure all the characters look right, that sort of thing? Library Seraph (talk) 20:33, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * They may well have some say/veto; that might be part of their contract. But the cover is part of the marketing of the book, and involves skills the writer, in general, does not have. Just because they write the greatest book in the history of the world does not necessarily mean they have the best ideas about how to present it to the public.  For some writers, their name alone is sufficient to attract lots of buyers.  But for most, they need something visually appealing to grab the casual browser's attention.  And that's the job of a graphic artist, not a writer. --  JackofOz (talk) 20:52, 18 April 2009 (UTC)

That makes sense. Thanks a Ton!Library Seraph (talk) 23:55, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * There were several situations, notably the confrontation of J.D. Salinger and illustrator James Avati. Unhappy with Avati's cover painting for The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger then allowed only typographic covers. JP Miller's novel The Skook (1984) had the first use of a hologram on a book cover, and it was designed by Miller with Warner Books making a considerable investment in production and promotion. Lewis Carroll did drawings which Tenniel would finish. John Gardner felt strongly about illustration and controlled the way his books were illustrated. Harlan Ellison dictated that Leo and Diane Dillon would illustrate all of his books, and some years later, he did this once again by having Barclay Shaw illustrate his full line of reprints. Pepso2 (talk) 02:50, 19 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Also, Alasdair Gray not only designs his own covers, he also does all the illustrations for his books and even oversees the typesetting. Malcolm XIV (talk) 10:45, 19 April 2009 (UTC)