Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2010 July 23

= July 23 =

Name of a TV show that I experienced years ago,
It has maybe been 10 or more years since I saw the show.. maybe even 15. I can't remember many details about it, aside from a select few: The main character was an alien. He was searching(through possibly a season or something) for several crystals, which when combined, created a device necessary for him(for whatever purpose). One of these crystals he acquired from a blind violinist; the crystal was present in the neck of her violin.

I hope this mystery can be solved, it's been eating at me what this was called for some time.. I have searched google and the archives of this reference desk, but have found no answers.—  Dæ dαlus Contribs 05:15, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * The Dr Who story arc The Key to Time features The Doctor (an alien) finding six crystaline elements for a crystal cube. I don't recall a blind violinist, however. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 08:19, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Madoka from GetBackers is a blind violinist (if memory serves). The main characters could be construed as aliens, but I think they are just humans with supernatural powers.  They hunt down all kinds of things - and I'm certain they hunted down crystals at one point. --  k a i n a w &trade; 15:59, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. It is definitely not Dr. Who, as to the second, the blind violinist featured in the show was only present for a single episode, as a plot device.


 * It is also definitely not GetBackers; the show was live-action.—  Dæ dαlus Contribs 21:17, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

most money in the history of country singing
I was wondering, what country singer made the most money in the history of country singing? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.150.62.52 (talk) 09:28, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Most likely it would be Garth Brooks. 10draftsdeep (talk) 13:50, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers and George Strait have been mentioned but two ( at least) of them have some non-music income. Rmhermen (talk) 17:58, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Elvis Presley. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 21:56, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

HELP ME
I'm looking for a UK show which featured magic and wizards I think. It was a childrens show. Something about a castle with invisable people and there was a fireplace with a secret door which led to a flight of stairs with an old wizard guy in a secret chamber. Only the kids knew about it, the adults didn't. Oh and there was this magic black / dark purple rock which gave someone evil powers and they became evil when they used it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by I want you bad romance (talk • contribs) 10:25, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Can you give an idea of when it was shown? I can think of one from the 1960s. --TammyMoet (talk) 18:24, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

Episode counts
By design, the show 24 had the same number of episodes each season. Are there other examples of multi-season series in which all of the seasons had the same number of episodes? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.60.31.197 (talk) 14:59, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * All four seasons of Blackadder have six episodes. That's only four seasons, though. Matt Deres (talk) 17:34, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * There are probably lots of them. They try to standardize these things.
 * For many shows Seasons that don't have a standard number of episodes indicates something went wrong. For instance, Star Trek TNG was intended to have 26 episodes per year, and they hit that target on 6 out of 7 seasons, but Season 2 had a writers strike that interfered with production. APL (talk) 18:02, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

"Hide and Seek" game show?
Does anyone recall this game show that used to appear on British TV (Channel 4, I think)?

The basic premise was that the contestants would be sent out and could travel anywhere within the UK. Their opponents (who may have been called "stalkers") would have to track them down and covertly photograph them. Essentially it was like a large game of hide-and-seek, or, as I prefer to think of it, a somewhat less brutal version of The Running Man (as described in the novel, not the film). The contestants would be given challenges; tasks to perform that would draw attention to them, such as announcing traffic reports on a local radio station. I don't believe it was a particularly long-running show, perhaps even just one series, but after years of curiosity I am itching to know what it was called, and if my recollection of it is accurate. Cheers,  AJ Cham  19:13, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I remember it, but can't think of the title. Oh, hang on, was it Interceptor?--Michig (talk) 19:20, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * It might have been Interceptor, but I'm doubtful. It would seem that show lacks the key element of having to avoid being photographed, which I'm almost certain was a key feature of the show I'm thinking of. Besides, it would seem that Interceptor has only been rerun on cable/satellite since its original airing in 1990. I think that the show I watched was on analogue terrestrial, and would have aired in the latter half of the 1990s at the earliest.  At the very least though, it looks like the show was probably inspired by Interceptor. Cheers,  AJ  Cham  19:44, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Maybe it was Wanted (game show)? I think this was the one that I was first thinking of after reading your description.--Michig (talk) 20:30, 23 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I bloody love you! That's exactly it. It's quite interesting to discover that my Running Man analogy was more apt than I had realised. According to our source the novel was a direct influence.
 * It seems I got the details mostly correct; I see that the runners had to be filmed rather than photographed and that the "stalkers" were in fact "trackers" (I see where I got confused though – "stalkers" were featured in The Running Man (film), replacing the novel's "hunters"). Thanks very much Michig!  AJ Cham  20:53, 23 July 2010 (UTC)