Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2009 January 12

= January 12 =

Longest time without lineup change?
Hi all - i've been trying to think of what might be the major rock/pop group who have featured an unchanged line-up for the longest time (excluding reunions after years of hiatus). Best I can come up with is U2, with almost 31 years (Dik Evans left the band in March 1978). Can anyone think of any bands that beat that? Thanks in advance, Grutness...wha?  00:26, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Rush has had the same three members since Neil Peart joined in 1974, making over 34 years with the same lineup. I'm having a hard time with any act that has been together longer than that right now, but their may be one... --Jayron32. talk . contribs  04:16, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * ZZ Top got together in 1969, and their membership hasn't changed -- so they've been playing together for almost 40 years now. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 04:32, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * We have discussed this before, both in 2007 and 2008 (possibly before that, too). Consensus has tended towards ZZ Top, as above, or The Everly Brothers (depending on your criteria for eligibility).  Note also that The Four Tops, while not the longest currently unchanged group, were unchanged for longer than ZZ Top currently is. &mdash; Lomn 14:32, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Electronic Song
There is a song that has the lyrics "push it" and possibly"all night" and even less possibly "all night long". It sounds like it is either from Britney Spears or Lady Gaga. What is the name of this song and the artist?96.53.149.117 (talk) 02:58, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * There was, of course, Push It by Salt-n-Pepa, but that's much older than you describe. There are several other songs named Push It as well.  --Jayron32. talk . contribs  04:20, 12 January 2009 (UTC) graceneet


 * Is it "Do It" by Nelly Furtado? Adam Bishop (talk) 19:18, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * It is definitely not "Do It" by Nelly Furtado. I know that for sure and for certain.  I just played on the radio yesterday (I reckon).96.53.149.117 (talk) 05:33, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Nothing to do with anything but an ancestor is AC/DC's You Shook Me All Night Long on album Back in Black (1980), re-released in 1986 and covered throughout the 2000's. Julia Rossi (talk) 11:01, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

new game
i have a new idea for video game,how can i sell it?


 * Truthfully, you can't. The video game industry is like the movie industry.  "New" is an evil word.  If you had an idea for yet another first-person-shooter, you may be able to sell it.  But, if it was possible to sell something "new", you have another hurdle.  There aren't many video game production companies.  So, you will be able to send your idea to every single one quickly and get back a "we don't accept unsolicited ideas for video games" letter back from each one.  In the end, you will find that you have to be like Brian Fargo if you have an idea for a game that you want made.  Get some money.  Start your own company.  Make your game. --  k a i n a w &trade; 13:56, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * In all likelihood, no. Ideas are a dime a dozen. That's not to say that there isn't a theoretical possibility that someone would actually hire you on the spot because your idea is just that good, but honestly and realistically: the chances of that happening are somewhere between slim and none, especially if you don't have any work experience from the video games industry. I can pretty much guarantee that no one at any game studio is having problems with lack of ideas, and the people who make the call on what ideas make it into a game have generally worked pretty hard to reach a point where they can implement their own ideas. There just isn't any shortage of ideas.
 * So now that I've savagely crushed your dreams, what can you do? Well, what most people who make it in your situation do is get a bunch of people together and come up with some kind of a demo of your idea. It should not only explain what your idea is, but also prove that you can get things done -- a proof of concept thing, which doesn't necessarily have to be playable, especially if your idea really is something that's never been seen before. If you demonstrate your skills and your innovation in a very convincing and intelligent manner, your chances of getting hired to work on your own game go up. It's not an easy thing to pull off, but it's not unheard of. Alternatively, you could get a job in the industry and prove that you're a hard-working and smart guy, and once you've got your foot in the door, you can start shopping your idea around -- but of course, laying the groundwork will take you a good while.
 * And note that I'm talking about getting hired. It's impossible to get anyone to just buy an idea -- to give you money just for telling it to them. No one will do it, because ideas are just that cheap and plentiful. They aren't hard to come by, but people who really understand what makes a good game and how to make one (or their part of one) are always in demand. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 14:00, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Perhaps more to the point, most companies don't want to hear your idea. As Kainaw notes above, you're likely to get a "we don't accept ideas" form letter.  My understanding is that, following from the movie industry (and perhaps other similar industries before), said policy serves as the legal protection against claims of "I sent Concept X to Company Z and they stole it!"  Of course, the answer isn't that they stole it -- it's that ideas (particularly those of the elevator-pitch length) are cheap and easily duplicated.  &mdash; Lomn 14:28, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Here's a sobering essay on the subject "I have a Great Idea for a video game...how do I sell it and get rich and famous?".
 * The jist of it is nobody wants to buy an idea. If you want to make a particular game, you're going to need to be in charge of a game company, either because you've started it, or because you've worked your way up to the top.  This sounds harsh, but think of it this way :  If you walked into a game company and said "Who here has a great idea for a video game they want to make?" every single person would raise their hands.  They're obviously not going to be eager to get ideas from outsiders when they've got their own ideas in-house. APL (talk) 16:20, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Contrary to all these nay-sayers, it's not easy to cash in, but it can be done - exhibit A. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:43, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
 * As far as I can tell, that exhibit's entirely in line with the nay-saying above. The developer in question didn't go to Apple with an idea, he went with a marketable product. Algebraist 03:52, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Yeah, but he didn't need a company/millions of dollars/phalanx of programmers. The power of one. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:06, 13 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Then it may be a question of ambiguity of language. Is it the idea of a game the OP wishes to sell? Then as most posters above remark, the odds are grim. If the question is how to convert that idea of a game into a sale-able product, then that's a horse of another color. The iPhone does seem to be a resurgence of the small developer (and then one may want to look into Cocoa (API), purchasing a new(ish) (Intel) Mac, and otherwise researching the tools required... although the marketplace does seem (in my humble, original research-y opinion) to quickly be reaching over saturation (in its current incarnation), and from what I understand most of the successful developers are quickly forming companies. Not to mention, there have been about a dozen apps to hit it big that I've heard of, and about half of them were from Big Names. 98.169.163.20 (talk) 04:36, 13 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Furthermore, Steve Demeter didn't sell his idea, he went ahead and made the game himself. That's a different story. I haven't played Demeter's Trism, and while it's probably a good game, a big part of why it's doing as well as it is is that Demeter picked a really good moment to release the game, because right now there's not a lot of quality competition for the iPhone. A good game can really clean up when there are few other products of comparable quality available. And of course, his choice of platform is important; as he himself says, this was something he could do himself, and with the iPhone, that's still an option. Mobile games, casual PC games, flash games for the web (good luck turning those into profit, though!) and things along those lines can still be one-man products.
 * But I kind of doubt that was what the original poster had in mind; they aren't really the default when we talk about video games. Back in the olden days, people like David Braben and Richard Garriott made hugely influential and successful games all by themselves. But today, it's no longer a one-man show, simply because the workload is so big. Nobody's making a big modern game by themselves. It's not a question of dedication or skill or working hard, it's just that there's way too much to do. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 06:34, 13 January 2009 (UTC)


 * It is possible to sell a finished product though, de Blob was created by a group of Dutch students and adapted into a Wii game. - Mgm|(talk) 09:23, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

C.S.i.Miami Graphics
At the beginning of each episode just prior to to the credit for each of the four main characters some kind of coding appears and morphs into the characters credit.You have to freeze the picture to see it.Does this stuff have any meaning or porpose? *&#@
 * This question was asked just recently. If I remember correctly, the only answer online that was given was to look at the IMDB entry for the show under the trivia section.  In short, I don't recall them meaning anything.  Dismas |(talk) 14:09, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 December 20 --—— Gadget850 (Ed)  talk  -  21:48, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

parade
each time i go to sleep or even daydream I see images of this beautiful parade of all sorts of funny object dancing and marching along with this parade music playing in the background

will I ever get to go to the parade or is it just a dream thing - it seems so real and it happens EVERY TIME and sometimes I want to sleep more just so I can enjoy some more of the parade


 * Yes, you will go to the parade! It will happen in exactly 3,532 hours, counting from the moment you read this. It must be true, because you read it on the internet! Exactly what kind of an answer are you expecting to get? It's a dream. Recurring dreams are not exactly unheard of. If you want to attach special significance to this one, go right ahead, but that strikes me as a foolish thing to do. Why not just enjoy the dream for what it is? It sounds like a good one. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 16:48, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Sounds like a fine way to lull yourself to sleep. I have sometime lulled myself to sleep by thinking about firing up a steam locomotive for a trip out into the country. If I ever got to ride in the cab of such a locomotive in real life, I would likely go to sleep! Edison (talk) 05:23, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

Film Ratings
In the United States, films released in recent years have had the MPAA rating listed along with the reasons why (e.g. "PG-13 for strong language and brief nudity"). Older films released on DVD have the rating alone, with no explanation. Is there a reason for the change? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.120.95.34 (talk) 20:51, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The older films likely don't have the reasons for a rating so easily listed anywhere. In recent years, many parents groups and such have requested that the MPAA state the reasons why they rate a movie the way they do.  This way parents can see the reasons why a movie got that rating and base their decisions about letting their kids see a particular film on that info.  For instance, some parents may be fine with cartoon depictions of violence but not sexual situations.  Dismas |(talk) 03:51, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

Metal cover of "Witchy Woman"
What metal bands, if any, have covered the Eagles' song "Witchy Woman"? Neon Merlin  21:00, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * www.allmusic.com may be able to provide the answers. This page: lists a bunch of cover versions of the songs. You can click through the artists to find out if they were metal acts or not. - Akamad (talk) 01:59, 13 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I seem to remember Babes In Toyland and Type O Negative collaborated on a version, back in the day. Rockpock  e  t  05:58, 13 January 2009 (UTC)