Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2007 August 13

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August 13

Help need the name of a bad movie

There was recently 1-3 years ago a awful movie about a black man dressed in diapers as a baby.

I just can't work out what the name of the bad movie was. 202.168.50.40 01:33, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

• Little Man with the Wayans?--Sethacus 01:39, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

That's it!

Telegrams and Telegraphs

On very old TV shows and movies, sometimes a character will have occasion to read the text of a telegram/telegraph to another character. I have noticed that it usually goes something like this: "Dear Mister Smith - stop - we regret to inform you - stop - that your son has passed away - stop - please accept our condolences - stop." What is all that repetitive and odd placement of the word "stop" all about? Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro 03:51, 13 August 2007 (UTC))

See Morse code. There's no period, so they used a long "stop" to break up the sentences. Also, it was common to use highly condensed language because many telegram services charged by the letter or word. With much of the words removed, a verbal "stop" was required to make sense of what was remaining. -- Kainaw^(what?) 04:01, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

I really don't follow you. Can you clarify? It seems to me that the addition of all those misplaced "stop"s in my example sentence serve to obfuscate, not illuminate, the meaning of the sentence ... no? (Joseph A. Spadaro 04:19, 13 August 2007 (UTC))

Your example is not very accurate. It would be more like: "Mr. Smith - stop - Regret to inform - stop - Son passed away - stop - Condolences." Which, would be a much shortened form of "Dear Mr. Smith. We regret to inform you of the following news. Your son passed away this morning. We give you our deepest condolences." However, upon hearing the word "stop" a lot, people who know nothing about actual telegrams try to imitate the sound of reading them by just saying "stop" every few words. That has nothing at all to do with actual telegrams. -- Kainaw^(what?) 04:33, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Ahhhhhhhhh ... makes sense. Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro 05:34, 14 August 2007 (UTC))

Even Kainaw's example is somewhat unrealistic. The stops were often omitted if the sentence breaks were obvious: "MR SMITH REGRET TO INFORM SON PASSED AWAY CONDOLENCES". If you search in Google Images for "telegram", you'll see many examples like this. You'll also see some with actual punctuation and some with the word PERIOD rather than STOP; in fact none of the ones I looked at actually used STOP. The technology and customary practices both changed over the period that telegrams were used. --Anonymous, August 14, 2007, 22:04 (UTC).

In telegrams, "STOP" is not printed. It is the pronunciation of excessive space between words. So, if you see:

MR SMITH    REGRET TO INFORM    SON PASSED AWAY    CONDOLENCES

You would read it as "Mr. Smith (stop) Regret to inform (stop)..." -- Kainaw^(what?) 14:08, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I find that very hard to believe; do you have a cite? The natural way to read it would be to read the large spaces as normal ends of sentences, as if a period was there. And there used to be jokes about people reading telegrams and being puzzled by the word STOP; who would have found those funny if it was never actually written? --Anonymous, August 15, 2007, 23:07 (UTC).

How about Morse code for a citation? Long pauses are "stops" between sentences or phrases. "Stop" is quicker to pronounce than "Period". Do you want the person translating the incoming blips to say "Period" over and over? Also note that the pronunciation of "Stop" is optional for the casual reader. It was standard practice when dictating to an operator or reading off an incoming message. Once printed, glued to a mailer (as you've probably seen - the words are on strips of paper that are glued to a larger sheet), and delivered, the recipient can read it however he or she likes. -- Kainaw^(what?) 19:22, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Okay, first, Morse code is irrelevant because we're not talking about the message when it's in the form of Morse code; we're talking about the printed transcription that someone actually receives. I assume this was typed by same the person who received the "incoming blips", so nobody needs to be "saying 'period' over and over". It does make sense that STOP would be used in dictation, but people did joke about misinterpreting STOP in messages received, which only makes sense if it was sometimes printed. And nobody reading a printed message aloud would need to insert STOP, because they'd be reading it for content, not dictating it to someone else. --Anon, August 17, 01:29 (UTC).

I've read of a case where Morse transmissions definitely did include the word "stop" a lot. During WW2, an Allied agent was caught in the Netherlands. The Germans had one of her transmissions, in which she happened to have sent stip or step instead of stop, and so she told them that this was her authentication mark; the Germans then started sending bogus reports (or compelling her to send them) with variations of st_p. Alas the agent's contacts in England didn't recognize that something was amiss. (This is from my memory of reading Between Silk and Cyanide five years ago.) —Tamfang 05:08, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

riddle

nowadays it is more profitable than the blackstuff.what is it? whoever gave me the riddle told to just smart google it.am unable to get it.help

Ironically printer ink? Lanfear's Bane

The more I think about it the more I think - Mines a pint of the black stuff! Or possibly the other black stuff.

LEGAL REMINDER: You can't drink a pint of Bovril. Lanfear's Bane

if ink is the colour lanfears ban what is the blackstuff?

• Tarmac?See "Boys from the Blackstuff"hotclaws 10:41, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

Oil - X201 13:45, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes sorry I thought you knew that part. Most likely as oil is often referred to as 'black gold'. Lanfear's Bane

Identifying an old comedy

I saw a little bit of a film on TV a few months ago and one scene is stuck in my head for being so ridiculous and awful, I just have to know what film it was. A 10- or 12-year-old girl is in a shoe store and the shoe salesman is helping her try on all these different shoes while talking to someone else, maybe her dad. Every time he tries to put them on her feet, she starts screaming "I don't want it! I don't want it!" This happens probably 20 times and it's really annoying. The movie is black and white and probably from the 1940s or 50s. It was probably a comedy, but it's hard to tell with some of these, you know? Recury 14:25, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like The Devil and Miss Jones. The character played by Charles Coburn goes undercover in the department store he owns in order to spy on his unionizing employees. He gets assigned to the shoe department and has his butler (the immortal S.Z. Sakall) bring a girl in to buy a lot of shoes and make him look good, but she's a brat and won't cooperate. Clarityfiend 15:15, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Sounds about right, maybe it will make more sense for me in context. Thanks! Recury 16:22, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

X-file quote

MULDER: They're out to put an end to the X-Files, Scully. I don't know why, but any excuse will do. Now, I don't really care about my record, but you'd be in trouble just for sitting in this car and I'd hate to see you to carry an official reprimand in your file because of me.

SCULLY: Fox...

MULDER: And I... I even made my parents call me Mulder. So... Mulder.

SCULLY: Mulder, I wouldn't put myself on the line for anybody but you.

MULDER: If there's an ice tea in that bag, could be love.

SCULLY: Must be fate, Mulder. Root beer.

---

Even though I understand all of the words and know what root beer is, I can't derive the point of their respective last sentences. Can someone who has seen the scene help me? --KnightMove 14:39, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Mulder is saying that it could be love between the two of them if she is carrying iced tea. She replies that it must be fate (that there is no love) because she is carrying root beer, not iced tea. -- Kainaw^(what?) 15:01, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

(after edit conflict) I can't remember the scene, but I would hazard a guess that Scully is holding some kind of carry-out food & drink bag she has brought from a cafe. Mulder is saying that he would love to drink an iced tea at this precise moment. Scully takes out the drink and disappoints him by telling him that it's actually root beer. I guess this exchange is a reference to the sexual tension between the two of them. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:05, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

• The Truth is out therehotclaws 10:42, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

There's a while web site devoted to this scene. [1] - Zepheus <ゼィフィアス> 21:54, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

I think Mulder is jokingly flirting with Scully. You could probably translate his line as "Given what you just said, if you also correctly predicted what I want to drink right now, then I might fall in love with you." She responds in the same lighthearted way by saying that she guessed wrong and therefore they must not be fated to fall in love. 69.95.50.15 19:17, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

John Titor an Early ARG?

Has anyone considered the John Titor posts/irc logs as part of an early ARG? I'd imagine 90% of the population agrees it was some sort of hoax, but maybe it was a beginning model/test run for what would become ARGS like I love bees or Iris. --12.155.80.115 15:57, 13 August 2007 (UTC) Sp3ktral

I don't know anyone who thinks about that sort of thing, but what about it makes you think it's an alternate reality game and not just some guy fucking with everyone? Recury 17:24, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Oh I'm not ruling out the idea of it just being some kid who didn't get enough attention from Mommy and Daddy, but I just thought it was such a big deal during it's time and every now and again you hear it come up. People connected withit for some reason. I just thought maybe a good explanation would be an early ARG and was curious if anyone had interpretted it that way. --12.155.80.115 17:31, 13 August 2007 (UTC) Sp3ktral

People have interpreted it many different ways. It took on such a life of its own that anyone claiming to be responsible for the posts is immediately assumed to be a liar. As such, any explanation is possible since nobody wants to know the real truth. -- Kainaw^(what?) 20:15, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

I just put 2 & 2 together...I want to read your book. And for the record, I want to know the truth, Mr Wagner :) --12.155.80.115 16:55, 16 August 2007 (UTC) Sp3ktral

Well, I would still like to get it published. It is not easy when a book about "future" events from 2004 and 2010 is being published. I've had many rewrites. For example, I thought the Iraq war in 2001 was going to be it. I didn't plan for a return. -- Kainaw^(what?) 19:52, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Unfortunately, I Cannot help you get it published. But I would like to talk to you outside of wikipedia, if possible. I have you site bookmarked at home (I'm at work right now) would it be alright for me to email you (from your contact page)? --12.155.80.115 12:28, 17 August 2007 (UTC)Sp3ktral

Sure. If your email makes it through all three spam filters, I'll even reply! -- Kainaw^(what?) 12:08, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Haha, sounds fair to me! --12.155.80.115 12:28, 17 August 2007 (UTC) Sp3ktral

TV-14 or TV-PG?

Pants-Off Dance-Off says that the show is TV-PG, but Jodie Sweetin's article says that it's TV-14. Did it change between seasons, or what? grendel|khan 21:17, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

From the article Television_rating_system :

A rating is usually set per individual television program. A common mistake is the :assumption that a rating for one episode of a television series, applies to all episodes of :this series. This is usually not the case. The rating can change per episode, network, :rerun and per country.

So, probably both are right, but for different episodes.

69.95.50.15 19:43, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Why do so many professional wrestlers die relatively young?

The recent deaths page reminded me that this must have been the umpteenth professional wrestler I've seen on Wikipedia's recent deaths page who has died in middle age...--h i s ^{s p a c e} _{r e s e a r c h} 20:26, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Here's a list; steroids and oher drugs as well as a high injury rate (they work year-round) appear to be implicated. grendel|khan 21:46, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks.-h i s ^{s p a c e} _{r e s e a r c h} 07:42, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, that's weird! Who'd have thought that getting beaten-up for a living might be back for your health?! Plasticup ^T/C 19:17, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

Murray Walker PC racing games

Which PC games has Murray Walker done the commentary for? Exxolon 22:46, 13 August 2007 (UTC)