Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2019 October 25

= October 25 =

Carmine Appice?
Commons recently got this image from the Seattle Municipal Archives. It appears to be and, if it is, it would be by far the best "free-licensed" picture we've got of him as a young man. But he's at the keyboards, not the drums. Does anyone know if Appice ever played keys, even occasionally? Anyone maybe know him, or at one remove, and could ask if this is him? Or have a decent theory who else it could be? More information about the concert where this was taken on the file page, click through on the photo if you want that. Appice was definitely performing there that day. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 03:20, 25 October 2019 (UTC)
 * It's decidedly not Carmine Appice. If you check photos from the same time period, you'll see some key differences: 1) Carmine's nose is very straight, this guy has a completely different nose, much more of a aquiline nose with a distinct bump near the top.  2) Carmine's hair is much straighter than this guy.  3) I can't find any evidence that Carmine played keys.  Mark Stein played keys in many of Carmine's bands; but that isn't him either.  Neither is it Bob Smith of Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys, the other band mentioned in the image description (google search that band for images of him).  Jimi Hendrix was playing at the time with the Band of Gypsies, there was no keyboardist in that band, it was a power trio.  I'm at a loss for anyone else based on who is listed in the image description.  -- Jayron 32 12:31, 25 October 2019 (UTC)y
 * Totally with you on it not being Band of Gypsies, and agreed that it doesn't look anything like Bob Smith. So who the heck could it be? Did someone maybe sit in for one song that day? - Jmabel &#124; Talk 16:01, 25 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Could be a different, unbilled opening act? Could be a mislabeled photograph from a different show?  The possibilities are endless.  Do we have a poster or other list of acts from the date in question, or are we relying on the notes on the file alone?    -- Jayron 32 17:08, 25 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Did find This poster. It only list the three acts: Cactus, Cat Mother, and Hendrix.  That leaves the other possibilities: an unbilled act, a guest musician, or a different show.  -- Jayron 32 17:12, 25 October 2019 (UTC)


 * A further possibility: one of the road crew checking that the instrument is working, although I agree his clothes have more of a 'performer' look. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.200.41.118 (talk) 18:53, 25 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Different show is unlikely: the Municipal Archives say it came from a roll of film shot at that show. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 15:50, 28 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Looks like Mike Finnigan, the touring keyboardist for Hendrix. I know he had striped pants like that (and a matching shirt). 2600:1004:B022:5255:7A88:5987:105B:29D9 (talk) 09:38, 29 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Great call. Here's another photo of Finnigan . Looks like a match. --Viennese Waltz 10:02, 29 October 2019 (UTC)
 * NICE! That does look like him!  Well done 2600:1004... -- Jayron 32 12:17, 29 October 2019 (UTC)
 * I've changed the image description, and requested the file be renamed so it is associated with the correct person. -- Jayron 32 12:23, 29 October 2019 (UTC)

Captain Marvel
Should the Wiki article mention the controversy over empty theaters? Thousands of tickets were pre-ordered but many people never showed up. Many people accused the studio to buy cinema tickets as a marketing strategy. And apparently, Disney is doing the same with Star Wars right now. 42.112.110.143 (talk) 04:38, 25 October 2019 (UTC)


 * If so, it's not much of a strategy. How many people decide to see a movie just because it has pre-sold lots of seats ? After all, even if the movie was actually so popular that all the seats were sold out on opening night, you'd just wait until another showing, which isn't exactly the end of the world. SinisterLefty (talk) 05:25, 25 October 2019 (UTC)


 * The idea would be to pump up the box office numbers, which are hungrily digested by hollywood and sites like Box Office Mojo. If the info is well sourced then by all means it should go into the article.  The right place to discuss this type of question is on the article talk page.  Or just add the info (with a good citation)!  173.228.123.207 (talk) 06:07, 25 October 2019 (UTC)


 * But it would cost them more to buy each seat than they would get back, so they take a loss on every seat they buy. Unless they think this strategy will convince others to buy tickets, it seems like a profoundly bad investment. SinisterLefty (talk) 06:09, 25 October 2019 (UTC)
 * The most recent Star Wars movie was constantly booked, and then it left, so I never saw it. Buying all the tickets strikes me as something too stupid for a successful corporation to do, though you never know. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 07:39, 25 October 2019 (UTC)
 * I had a quick look for this earlier in relation to Captain Marvel and most of the sources were the insane conspiracy theory GamerGate style anti-SJW variety arising from random Tweets or other comments of stuff people allegedly saw in their local cinema or heard from someone working there. So I don't think whether or not it makes economic sense matters. I don't know about Star Wars but I expect it to be the same, and even more nonsensical since the movie hasn't even been released. That said, the economic analysis is not simple. I don't know how much it would cost to do this compared to what Disney would make back per seat, but even if they only make back 25% per seat, if they buy out 5 million seats in the opening week, they would only need roughly 15 million more seats in the following weeks to break even. Plus most of the reports refer to the US only at least for Captain Marvel. The influence of the US in modern pop culture is significant so it's likely reports of sold out cinemas in the US would help ticket sales in other places. Then there's whatever other advantages it brings, like in tie-in product sales, optical media or online streaming sales, negotiations for TV rights, etc. Plus there are still plans for future Star Wars products like TV series. Nil Einne (talk) 02:34, 28 October 2019 (UTC)


 * You'd also need to figure in the probability of them being caught by the obvious millions of empty seats, and the negative PR that would generate: "Movie so bad the studio had to buy all the tickets themselves !". It would be far better PR if they could find a way to give away those seats, that didn't smell of desperation. For example, if the movie is about a Boy Scout, they could give all Boy Scouts and their families free tickets, and toss in Girl Scouts and their families on the grounds of not wanting to be sexist. SinisterLefty (talk) 02:56, 28 October 2019 (UTC)


 * It should only mention it if it is widely discussed in reliable sources. I have no idea whether what you say is or is not verifiable; if it is verifiable and widely covered by reliable sources, you should bring the matter up at the article talk page.  -- Jayron 32 12:21, 25 October 2019 (UTC)


 * I managed two theaters for eight years. Absolutely no studio every bumped sales by purchasing tickets. What they did was give the theater an allotment for free tickets. For example, when we were to receive Pulp Fiction, Miramax sent us an allotment of 50 free tickets a week. I was expected to give out all free tickets (which I did). The studio counts those as "sold tickets" even though they aren't sold. It can work. Pulp Fiction as an art-house movie that most people would never watch. Then, because of the buzz, it went mainstream and saw a second release in regular theaters. Now that I write this, I just remembered that Vajna's production assistant did buy out the theater one night for the cast and crew of Die Hard with a Vengeance. Bruce Willis didn't show up, but Samuel Jackson did. He even came back twice because he was a bit bored between shots. Imagine watching a movie and, when it is over, realizing that you are sitting next to the costar. But, I'm off topic. The point is that production companies have no interest in purchasing tickets to fake numbers. 135.84.167.41 (talk) 13:19, 28 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes, but MRAs have an interest in generating fake controversy to take down movies that upset their false sense of male superiority. See here for but one example.  -- Jayron 32 15:47, 28 October 2019 (UTC)