Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2009 February 23

= February 23 =

Charles Aznavour
To any source for contact info for Charles Aznavour

I'm 76 years old, and a big Charles Aznavour fan. I'm also a big Tony Bennett fan, my one Big Life desire, before I'm no longer in good health, or one of these great entertainers is unable to perform, I would go anywhere in the world, (beg, borrow, somehow make it work) to see a performance that Charles Aznavour and Tony Bennett perform together.

I've made this request in dozens of potential sites, and never received any reply, (negative or positive). I have no where to go from here. I would like either to hear from the Aznavour team, or receive some information that would allow me a direct link to ask the Aznavour, or Bennett team if this proposal is possible.

My reason for selecting Tony Bennett for this Entertainment Block Buster, I was born in San Francisco, I was a Police Officer for 25 1/2 years, now retired and living in Montana, I did, leave my Heart in San Francisco. My connection with Charles Aznavour is when I was in the service in the 50's, in France, where I first heard him sing, ( not live,sad to say) but I was hooked. I can not think of any show I would rather see in my life time.

Respecfully requested

Robert Sleadd

Inspector (ret) San Francisco, Police Dept


 * Hello. Did you check out this page: Charles Aznavour ... or this website: www.c-aznavour.com ...?  Thanks.   (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 02:07, 23 February 2009 (UTC))
 * Joseph, did you actually check those links before you provided them to see whether they would help answer the OP's question? I can't believe you did, because if you had done, you would have seen that neither of them include contact details for the singer, which is presumably what the OP is asking for.  To the OP: you would need to contact either Aznavour's or Bennett's management, details of which I do not have.  To be honest, though, it's unlikely that the event you describe will happen unless both parties are already committed to it from some other reputable entertainment industry source.  They're not going to organize a concert just based on a suggestion from an ordinary person, no matter how good of an idea it is.  If you really want this event to take place, your best bet would be to front the money yourself. --Richardrj talkemail 06:48, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * This site lists Aznavour's agent as the Fifi Oscard Agency, 24 West 40th Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Rockpock  e  t  06:58, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Not to crush your dreams but you should probably just forget about Bennett and see Aznavour while you can. Our French article says he is going on a short final North American tour to NY, LA, Montreal and Ottawa this spring. --JGGardiner (talk) 09:51, 23 February 2009 (UTC)


 * A Google search reveals lots of ticket sites for Charles Aznavour in 2009 (one also mentioned a concert in Toronto), though I would first approach the box offices of the individual theatres first - it will almost certainly be cheaper and there are lots of ripoff merchants taking money and failing to deliver the tickets.
 * Tony Bennett is also on tour this year. According to the official site, he will play 3 venues in California in a couple of weeks time and then visit Detroit and New Orleans.  Astronaut (talk) 07:11, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Identifying a song in Big Love episode "Empire"
What is the classical song playing in the Big Love episode "Empire" when Margene is vacuming? It is during the scene when she puts her mother's ashes in the closet.
 * http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1075437/ doesn't have a soundtrack listing for any music used in this episode but you might try Big Love: Hymnal. My google-fu suggests it might be Forever Young (Alphaville song) as mentioned at http://forum.dvdtalk.com/archive/t-549028.html.  Lanfear's Bane  |  t  12:41, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Slumdog Millionaire release dates
Does anyone know when Slumdog Millionaire will be released in cinemas in Austria? The film's IMDB page lists release dates for a slew of countries but Austria is not among them. Many thanks. --Richardrj talkemail 06:39, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * 3/20/09. (And its great, so make sure you see it!)  Rockpock  e  t  06:46, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Good stuff, thanks for that. --Richardrj talkemail 06:50, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

I really need someone to answer thisd and make sense (Flushed away mystery part 3)
Okay, First of all I'm not saying those people who previously answered didn't make sense but it's hard to get the whole the whole story from their answers. I've tried to find and contact the people who put up the sequel stuff in the first place but I can't. Could someone please talk to them n find out EXACTLY where they got the information. (Also, if possible, asking aardman would really help.) I'm very grateful to you if you help me or if you already have. 86.138.105.63 (talk) 16:48, 23 February 2009 (UTC)


 * I presume you are referring to:
 * Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 August 11
 * Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 August 23


 * I also presume that by aardman you mean Aardman Animations. --——  Gadget850 (Ed)  talk  -  17:20, 23 February 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure how much of a "mystery" there is. Some people (who are not in any way related to Aardman) have suggested that Flushed Away 2 should be made.  Others have suggested that it should be called "Flushed Again."  Others have suggested that "Trashed Away" could be a sequel.  You can search through every press release made by Aardman and none of them include a sequel to Flushed Away. --  k a i n a w &trade; 18:08, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Also, this is a list of all past and current productions from the company. -- k a i n a w &trade; 18:09, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Nail-bitten hands in movies
This recent question at the Misc desk reminded me of something. In days gone by, film studios would employ "hand artists". Whenever an actor's hand needed to be seen in a close-up shot, it usually wasn't their own hand but that of a person whose hand was considered more photogenic. In particular, the nails were nicely manicured and there was no evidence of any nail-biting. These days, an actor's real hand is much more likely to be used, and as often as not their nails have been bitten, sometimes quite savagely. I'm wondering why the practice has changed. Is it because nail-biting is no longer considered the social evil it once was, or is it that hand artists are defunct? Or is it something else? -- JackofOz (talk) 23:18, 23 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Hand models used for purposes such as jewelry catalogues or TV commercials need to have flawless skin and perfectly manicured fingers. For movies, their purpose is more to save shooting time for the star. For example, if a director needs a close-up shot of the star's hand reaching into a drawer for a weapon, there's no need to waste Mr. Pitt or Bloom's valuable time in shooting and re-shooting the scene. The hand needs to look realistic, not perfect. I doubt nail-biting has anything to do with whether or not the practice is becoming more or less widespread. --Xuxl (talk) 16:04, 24 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I only mentioned nail-biting because this is something that's always occurred and is a well-documented psychological phenomenon.  We perhaps like to think of our filmic idols as near to perfect as it's possible to be, but the truth is different.  The studios, nevertheless, did all they could to promote their unreal image. So, if a Clark Gable or a Humphrey Bogart happened to be inveterate nail biters, there's no way the studios would ever allow their hands to appear in close up.  But these days, they don't seem to mind.  True, often a stand-in hand is used, simply to not waste the star's valuable time; but where that's not an issue, whether the star has perfect nails or not doesn't seem to figure in the equation any more.  Maybe it's all about reality vs. fantasy.  Or, as I say, maybe it's because people no longer generally look down on people with bitten fingernails, or assume they're a manifestation of a tortured psyche.  But I know many who would form that sort of conclusion.  --  JackofOz (talk) 20:39, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Does seem strange that the flawless face (or heavily made up one) and the toned body is stressed, but hands aren't – like Navi Rawat's bitten nails in Numb3rs TV series – not a good look, but natural as. Julia Rossi (talk) 12:31, 26 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I am reminded of a case where a hand model was used for a humorous effect: The Bizarro Jerry. cheers, 10draftsdeep (talk) 17:53, 26 February 2009 (UTC)