Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2010 May 1

= May 1 =

Laughter in sitcoms
I have seen that in sitcoms there is often laughing when someone says or does something funny. Is this live studio audience laughter or computer generated? If the latter, why is it there? 76.199.144.250 (talk) 00:32, 1 May 2010 (UTC)


 * It could well be a combination of both, if the audience didn't respond to a given joke the way the show's producers were hoping. Laugh tracks were common on filmed comedies, even when there was no studio audience. They were also common on variety shows. "Everyone" laughed at Benny and Hope's jokes, no matter how funny they were or weren't. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:42, 1 May 2010 (UTC)


 * I don't think the laughter is computer generated - it's just pre-recorded (or not, as the case may be). Vimescarrot (talk) 08:06, 1 May 2010 (UTC)


 * When there is laughter after every single line (as there is on so many US "comedies") you can be pretty sure it's not real.--Shantavira|feed me 11:52, 1 May 2010 (UTC)


 * A live studio audience is best, as then you get honest feedback. "Canned laughter" does have it's place, as in a location shoot where no audience is possible.  However, it should be used judiciously, not after every line, which makes it worse than none at all.  But, better yet, they should screen the finished show in front of a live audience and get their laughter, then add it to the prerecorded video.  There is a coordination issue between the video and laugh track, in this case, but nothing that can't be figured out. StuRat (talk) 12:02, 1 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Answering the last question of "why"... Producers feel (based on experimentation) that people will find comedy funnier if they hear other people laugh. In a movie theater, it is not a problem.  There should be others laughing.  At home, it is hard.  There aren't a lot of people around to laugh.  So, the television does the job for you by providing laughter.  Not all comedy shows go along with this idea.  For example, The Simpsons doesn't have a laugh track. --  k a i n a w &trade; 14:37, 1 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Have a look at the Wikipedia page Laugh track. Alansplodge (talk) 17:40, 1 May 2010 (UTC)
 * And while you're at it, check out Laugh track. :) It's an interesting read. I had no idea that one guy was behind so many of the audience-reaction tracks in sitcoms and variety shows. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:50, 1 May 2010 (UTC)

Man
Who is this man?174.3.123.220 (talk) 02:34, 1 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I haven't seen the film, but it seems likely it's the leading player in In My Sleep. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 02:42, 1 May 2010 (UTC)

People


Who are the people in the bottom in this picture?174.3.123.220 (talk) 04:37, 1 May 2010 (UTC)
 * The picture was uploaded at Commons by DavidShankbone. You could log into Commons and leave a message at his talk page.  He also has an account at Wikipedia, but for reasons I won't go into right now, you are unlikely to get a response here.  -- Jayron  32  04:58, 1 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Is there any reason to think that they are anything other than just random people in an audience? And I know you didn't ask this but I really have to wonder why the photographer didn't crop out the people's heads.  They're rather distracting from the main focus of the image.  Dismas |(talk) 11:28, 1 May 2010 (UTC)

Please help me find this movie about a teenage girl with cancer.
Back in high school, I watched a show on the Lifetime Channel about a family whose dad was a car salesman somewhere in Oregon and whose daughter once had a growth in her leg. Turns out, it was cancer and the leg had to be cut off because other forms of treatment wouldn't suffice. Eventually, the cancer returned, this time to the lungs. Since Dad was away to see his daughter frequently in a state-of-the-art hospital in Washington, he eventually got fired from his car dealership. He had to trade in his Buick for a 1986 Mazda and get a $7,000 check for the difference in order to make ends meet somehow. Eventually, he got a job at a smaller dealership; they could only pay him half as much as his previous job; he happily accepted as it was vastly better than no income. His new boss was also sympathetic about his daughter's plight because the boss had a wife who was ill and he had to visit her often.

Soon, the Make-A-Wish Foundation gets in touch with the patient and she wishes to tour Washington D.C. and see the President. Even though they can't guarantee that she'll get to see the President, they do get her a tour of the White House. Eventually President Clinton comes in and has a brief chat with her.

That was all I saw. I didn't get to see the ending, and have searched for many years to find this movie so I could finish it. I tried putting in plot keywords to search engines, but to no avail. I searched high & low for this movie on Lifetime's website, but also to no avail. Then I even emailed Lifetime to get them to tell me what this movie's title was. They never responded.

Therefore, I hope for your help here and now. What was the title of this movie? --Let Us Update Dusty Articles 04:43, 1 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Based on the plot summaries from TCM and AMG, I think it's A Child's Wish. (I started going through Lifetime's movie listing A-Z - thankfully it wasn't titled Zenobia's Wish.) Clarityfiend (talk) 08:58, 1 May 2010 (UTC)

Debra Paget
Do you know how we can get ahold of Debra Paget or get her our email?

Thanks!

Kenneth Morris WJSQ/WLAR —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.185.138.91 (talk) 19:43, 1 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Our article Debra Paget says she currently lives in Houston, Texas and occasionally appears on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Maybe they can help you?  Ka renjc 20:45, 1 May 2010 (UTC)


 * There's a page at http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0656428/where you might be able to contact her via her agents, but it's a paid site, though you can get a 14-day free trial. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.93.215.71 (talk) 22:23, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

In Napoleon Dynamite, who plays Trisha's mom?
In the movie Napoleon Dynamite, I can't find out who plays Trisha's mom. I've look in quite a few places (IMDB, etc...) but can't find a credit for her. She looks like Ronee Blakley (from Nightmare on Elmstreet fame). Does anyone know?Chunkyc (talk) 20:30, 1 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Ellen Dubin. Kingsfold (talk) 02:20, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Answer: It's Ellen Dubin

Who Let the Dogs Out?
Is it "Who who who who", "woof woof woof woof" or "whoop whoop whoop"? Definitive references only please; no random lyrics sites. The Hero of This Nation (talk) 22:44, 1 May 2010 (UTC)
 * It's pretty clear from their video that they are saying "WHO-WHO-WHO-..." (notice the shape of their mouths - no "F" or "P" sound being formed at the end) in such a way as to suggest barking dogs. As for a "definitive" reference, you'd probably have to find their website and/or the CD (if it has lyrics). As you've noticed, various random sites have interpreted it different ways. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 23:37, 1 May 2010 (UTC)