Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 June 27

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June 27

Looking for a Comedian

This will be vague, as I can only remember one bit, but he has had a Comedy Central Presents appearence, was male, and the bit I remember went a bit like this:

"Some accents wouldn't work for James Bond villains. Like a Irish accent; (In Irish)'Now what I've done is built a satellite, and wrapped it in a sweater. It's a lovely sweater my mom made it it's made of wool it's warm and comfy. Then, I've filled the satellite with poor-quality chocolates. Waxy, crumbly, terrible chocolates. So what I'll do is send the satellite down and it will spread this chocolate everywhere, and the children will come up and taste it and say, 'My, that's some poor quality chocolate'. And a general feeling of malaise will spread over the world.'"

That's not verbatim, but if anybody could tell me this comedian's name I would appreciate it thank you. BioYu-Gi! (talk) 00:21, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like Eddie Izzard, if only because I remember him doing various accents and bits about James Bond, although perhaps not at the same time. Do you remember anything else about the comedian? Adam Bishop (talk) 01:12, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

No that's not him, if anything I'm pretty sure a good deal of his act was impersonations. Thanks though. BioYu-Gi! (talk) 01:46, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Might be Frank Caliendo-- Coasttocoast (talk) 02:00, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

No... BioYu-Gi! (talk) 02:37, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Ew. Frank Caliendo is not a comedian, he's just an annoyance. Corvus cornix_talk 00:25, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

These are more based on the Irish and off-the-wall theme but could it be any of...Ed Byrne, Dylan Moran (spelling). In my head I can imagine Ed Byrne doing this, it kinda follows his style in a way (though I didn't instantly think Eddie Izzard like Adam Bishop suggested). 194.221.133.226 (talk) 13:24, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

No, none of these yet. Thank you though. If it helps, I believe he had short, dark hair and a plus-sized figure. BioYu-Gi! (talk) 01:05, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Phil Jupitus? He would meet that description just about and I could see him doing this sketch, though not sure about putting on an irish-accent (though to be fair not seen a great deal of his stand-up material). ny156uk (talk) 11:25, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

I think its Sean Cullen

It is Sean Cullen

Who's the youngest to win gold medal in Decathlon?

at the Olympic games and IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Breckinridge (talk) 07:53, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

For the Olympics, according to the aricle Decathalon it is Bob Mathias who won the gold at the age of 17 in 1948. Not sure about IAAF World Champs.143.65.99.20 (talk) 09:02, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

American Idiot

If American Idiot is supposed to be an anti-American song, why is it sung by Americans? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 12:23, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

It is not anti-American. It is a song against the "politics of fear." There are many people in America who claim that Bush became President and started the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan strictly by pushing fear into all of his politics. The lyrics repeatedly refer to paranoia and tension. They specifically blame the rednecks for taking part in the fear. -- kainaw™ 12:34, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Plus, your question seems to assume that it is not possible for an American to be anti-American. I would say it was perfectly possible. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:53, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

If anything it's more American to be anti-American than blindly patriotic. For the record though, that song is awful, it's the leat original rebelion song ever. You want a good protest song listen to the Flobots "Handlebars". Beekone (talk) 14:17, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Rage against the Machine is American. And I don't think you could get more anti-American than that (modern rock band-wise). Kreachure (talk) 14:18, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

The Criticism and controversy section of the Green Day article may also interest you, as it deals specifically with this issue. JessicaN10248 16:06, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

"My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right". That's very pro-American. Corvus cornix_talk 00:28, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Simpsons Quote (meta)

Hello. I'm looking for a Simpsons quote, that is about quoting, as might be suitable for the title of a competition involving identifying Simpsons quotes. Since it is a competition, I cannot look through a load of quotes on a website, hence I am asking your good selves. Cheers.--130.88.123.142 (talk) 13:44, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

From the episode when Lisa enters the essay contest to win a trip to DC, one of her competitors is being scolded by his father backstage who says, "We the purple?! What the hell were you thinking?" Beekone (talk) 14:15, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

There aren't many quotes about quotes and they certainly don't make sense at the title of a competition:

• Homer: As Tolstoy said in Quotable Notables, "Give me learning, sir, and you may keep your black bread."
• Homer: To overcome the Spiders curse, simply quote a Bible verse...ummm..."Thou shall not..."

There are more about competitions. I like:

• Homer: I, uh, don't think this contest is over yet, Buzz. If that is your real name. I believe there is still a little something called the swimsuit competition.

You could just use the end of it: "I believe there is still a little something called the swimsuit competition." Or, you can use the reply, "There is no swimsuit competition, Homer." -- kainaw™ 14:40, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Wow, finding Simpsons metaquotes is harder than I thought. Here's the best one I could come up with:

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again... ay carumba!"

Kreachure (talk) 15:04, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Er, do you want quotes about quotes or quotes about competitions? How about "You'll be in direct competition with each other! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" (Note: This would work better if you had a light switch to flip on and off at the same time.) Adam Bishop (talk) 03:56, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

A quick look at q:The Simpsons turned up this one, whis is a quote quoting a quote about competition:

Homer: Come on, Bart! Remember what Vince Lombardi said: "If you lose, you're out of the family!"

You could just use the last part, with or without the "Vince Lombardi said" prefix. --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 06:04, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

How about: "Brevity is...wit." --D. Monack | talk 22:59, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

Tennis

In tennis , what is the advantage of winning a break point against your opponent ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.5.206.57 (talk) 14:58, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

When you say "winning a break point", I'm not sure if you mean "getting to a break point" or "winning a point that is a break point", if you see what I mean. Anyway, it doesn't really matter which you mean. If you win a point that is a break point, it means you have won a game on your opponent's serve. This gives you an overall advantage in the current set. Other things being equal, most people should win their own service games, so if the rest of the set goes with serve, the player who's broken serve will win the set. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:09, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Coupled with that, tennis' mechanic of "win by at least two" means that simply alternating points or games (as appropriate) will not result in a victory for either player. Barring tiebreakers (and some competitions restrict the use of tiebreakers), a set cannot be won without a service break occurring. — Lomn 15:57, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Question about a movie

In the movie Breach (2007), there's a reference to a painting of "two guys in a boat". In the end they show the painting, and I know it's a famous one, but I can't remember which. It's two men in a small rowboat in a tempestuous sea, maybe fishermen, I wasn't sure. Anyway, it's been bugging me, anyone know which painting it is? -RunningOnBrains 16:22, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

This page says it's a painting by Winslow Homer; is it Rowing Home as seen in that article? --LarryMac | Talk 16:30, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

A Google search for "Winslow Homer Breach movie" seems to confirm that it is indeed Rowing Home. Dismas|^(talk) 17:50, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

No, thats not it. I took a screenshot, but I'm fairly certain copyvios are looked upon harshly. I can;t really give you any more details, it's a dark painting two (probably) fishermen in a small sailboat (I was wrong about the rowboat) with the sail taken down, in a choppy sea. Thanks for your help. -RunningOnBrains 18:03, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

OK, how about Key West, Hauling Anchor? There are several galleries linked from the Winslow Homer page, so if it's not this one, you could search those. --LarryMac | Talk 18:16, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Wimbledon sexism

The slightly-above-ground-level scoreboards on the side of the courts show the current players' names. Females are always "Miss A. Smith", but males are merely "B. Jones". Since they're obviously going to the nth degree to be teddibly polite and overly formal (who uses "Miss" anymore?) with the ladies, why don't they give the guys an appropriate title - "Mr B. Jones"? Or is it something like: Players are assumed to be male, unless the contrary persuasion is indicated. What sort of attitude would that reveal? -- JackofOz (talk) 18:42, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Is this a factual question, or just a spot of soapboxing? Malcolm XIV (talk) 18:45, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Actually, I believe that there are two questions, because there are two question marks. The first question states: "Why don't they give the guys an appropriate title?" The second question states: "Players are assumed to be male, unless the contrary persuasion is indicated. What sort of attitude would that reveal?" It is not easy to answer the first question, because "they" is not mentioned. Who's they? The second question sounds more like a rhetorical question, because it supports the title "sexism". So for now, the answer cannot be given, unless the asker provides more info.Coffsneeze (not Coff N. Sneeze) (talk) 22:30, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Rather than sexism, you could possibly attribute it to tradition. Corvus cornix_talk 00:31, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Given that the information you note can be found under "traditions" in our article here, I would agree with Corvus but I don't think that tradition and sexism are mutually exclusive. I checked the articles on the other grand slams and couldn't find anything. Fortunately, Wikipedia is not bound by pointless (and politically incorrect) traditions (see 2007 Wimbledon Championships - Women's Singles, for example). Zain Ebrahim (talk) 05:39, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

The reason for this naming convention, I suspect, is that women are deemed to be worthy of greater politeness and formality than men are. Is that sexist? Perhaps, although it could also be construed as old-fashioned courtesy. I would hold a door open for a woman, for example, but never for a man. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 06:33, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Wouldn't you just hold a door open for anyone who happens to be within a couple of steps/feet of you when you go through a door (and more if it's raining and people)? I'd find it really odd to not hold the door open for a man but to do so for a woman. I figured people were all or nothing in this matter. ny156uk (talk) 10:46, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with you regarding politeness and courtesy, but I don't understand why women are traditionally worthy of greater formality. Including a title leans more towards formality than courtesy, IMHO. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 06:43, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

To me it's self-evident. Referring to a woman as "Miss Jones" implies greater courtesy than simply referring to her as "Jones". --Richardrj ^{talk email} 06:56, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

OK, there was a bit of soapboxing in my question, for which I apologize. Richardrj, you've hit the nail on the head. I have no issue with females being accorded the courtesy of a title, whether it's Miss, Ms, Mrs or whatever. My question is, why aren't males accorded the same courtesy? -- JackofOz (talk) 02:41, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps it follows the former convention in cricket, where "Mr B. Jones" was an amateur, and "B. Jones" a professional - Amateurism#Cricket. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:07, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

That sort of helps. I guess people who play in Grand Slam matches are assumed to be professionals, although I'm not aware there's any rule preventing an amateur from competing. We call this the "Open Era", not the "Professional Era". -- JackofOz (talk) 01:04, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

Wimbledon holds to traditions, but not necessarily merely sporting ones. It has long been established tradition to call men by their surnames, but not women. Think of old boys schools, where the boys are called by surname. Socially, you might refer to a gentleman as Smith, rather than Mr Smith or Lord Smith; but his wife would always be Mrs or Lady Smith. Not so common in everyday life these days, when first names are used more commonly, but there are a few areas where the surname-only construction is restricted to men. One example which springs to mind is in books; for example, Ian Rankin calls his inspector Rebus, but uses "Siobhan" for his female sergeant. I suspect it's not sexism so much as convention. Gwinva (talk) 08:12, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

To put it another way, Jack, if you saw a surname (or other name not obviously a female first name) would you assume it was male?  :) Gwinva (talk) 21:18, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

That last point more-or-less proves what I said above, that players are assumed to be male unless there's a "Miss" in front. But the tradition explanation works for me. It reminds me of when Bob Menzies wrote to the chairman of the ABC, Sir James Darling, and started off with "My dear Darling". (True story, but it was the 1960s). Thanks, everyone. -- JackofOz (talk)

Paul LeMat's service

It's understood Paul LeMat is a veteran of the Vietnam War. Which service did he serve in?72.229.139.13 (talk) 22:49, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

I've put a request for citation on that claim on the LeMat article. Corvus cornix_talk 00:32, 28 June 2008 (UTC)