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March 27

a modern cartoon

im looking for a cartoon made around 2000, the main character was a boy who lived at the top floor of a light tower, his mom was heard but not seen. it was also around his best friends that were aliens from another planets. there was a crazy kid with german like voice in a creepy mansion on the hill that was the sometimes-antagonist. I think it was in computer animation.

thanks 157.157.204.108 (talk) 07:26, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

Sounds like Pet Alien. Deor (talk) 09:00, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

Classical piece identification required

What is the piece? (rhythm omitted): E D E D F E B C A ... E D E F A G E F D ... F E F E E D B C B ... etc. Gil_mo (talk) 19:54, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

That would be the Hungarian Dance No. 1 by Brahms. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 20:02, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

Fantastic, Thank you! Gil_mo (talk) 20:08, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

March 28

official carrier confusion

American Airlines used to be the official carrier of The Oprah Winfrey Show guests. But for the farewell season of the show, United Airlines had one of their airplanes painted with some special markings. Then I got confused all of a sudden. What was going on between the two airlines and Oprah Winfrey?24.90.204.234 (talk) 03:36, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

Just a WAG, but United's corporate headquarters is in Chicago (Oprah's base of operations as well), while American's is in Fort Worth. Having myself lived in Chicago in the late 1990's, at the height of Oprah's power, I note that the city does love itself some Oprah. So, United may have decorated its planes merely as a sign of civic pride. Just a guess tho. --Jayron32 05:33, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

I find myself wondering how they decorated their plane to honor Oprah. Did they paint it black and have it constantly balloon up, then slim back down ? :-) StuRat (talk) 05:50, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

Take a look on YouTube to see how they decorated one airplane to honor Oprah.24.90.204.234 (talk) 06:03, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

"Tulip" bow tie

In the following Video (Kojak, 1978) at 21:04 min. (and following) the croupier wears a very special "bow tie". Did it have a special name in the 1970ies or was it known under todays name tulip tie or Tulip Bow Tie? Any other suggestions - in respect to this bow tie or the logo on it? Thanx Grey Geezer 07:42, 28 March 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Grey Geezer (talk • contribs)

Bad Poet Gets Girlfriend!

In The Kids in the Hall, who played the Bad Poet's girlfriend? (The characters' names were respectively Bobby and Laura, iirc.) —Tamfang (talk) 08:52, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

The IMDB entry (linked at the bottom of the article) lists Nicole de Boer as playing Laura. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 10:26, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. —Tamfang (talk) 21:03, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

ipod shuffle?

I have what looks like a shuffle 4th generation. no charger, no headphones. but it is gold with white circle. any ideas please? Kittybrewster ☎ 17:05, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

Is it the real deal, or a knockoff? There's lots of counterfeit Apple products out there, and there's also a lot of legit products that work very hard to look like Apple products. --Jayron32 17:17, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

how to tell? it has an apple on the back. Kittybrewster ☎ 17:32, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

this google search has some links to decent ways to tell. Some of it is outdated, but I am sure with some poking around, you can find good "tells" to spot a counterfeit. Well, spotting a bad counterfeit. There are some non-trivial number of really good counterfeits out there that the lay person can literally not tell the difference between. This article deals with the ability of the Chinese market to countefeit, with surprising accuracy, many of these kinds of things. --Jayron32 18:49, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

So, assuming it is genuine, you should be able to get headphones and a USB cable (for charging and add/delete music). Borrow a friend's headphone and USB cable at first, to see if it is broken/battery dead, but longer term, Amazon seems to sell suitable stuff and I imagine there are many other stores too. Astronaut (talk) 13:14, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Violin solo piece identification required

Please help me in finding a classical violin solo, called something like 'dance of the dwarfs' and by a composer that sounds something like 'Baccini'. The piece is very energetic and virtuosic, and contains a pizzicato section. Thanks, Gil_mo (talk) 20:08, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

There's a "Dance of the Pages & Dwarves" in The Maid of Orleans by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, but I am unfamiliar with the instrumentation. Tchaikovsky also has a "Dance of the Corps de Ballet and the Dwarves" in his Swan Lake, so he may have had a thing for dwarves. Just a few leads I could find. --Jayron32 20:15, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

There is also an italian composer of some note named Giacomo Puccini, who may or may not have written such a piece. Another thread for you to follow. --Jayron32 20:20, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

The composer is Antonio Bazzini and the piece is "The Dance Of The Goblins", but it's most often seen in its French translation "La Ronde des Lutins". We don't have an article on the piece itself, but it's all over Youtube. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 20:52, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

Indeed again, Thank you! Gil_mo (talk) 21:01, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

March 29

Disney matine'e from Hungary

Dear Disney WikiProject!
I have a question about this intro. This was sometime a Disney matine'e in Hungary. In the intro can be found details of old Disney-moovies. I would like to ask which of these movies?

• where the great fireball
• where the submarine
• where the chinese warriors
• where the Scottish warriors
• David Tomlinson and the gold fish
• flying car
• alligator in yellow shirt

Thank you! Doncsecz^talk 08:18, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

The scene with David Tomlinson as well as the alligator in the yellow shirt are from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. ---Sluzzelin talk 12:06, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

The flying car would be Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, wouldn't it? Chinese warriors is Mulan? --TammyMoet (talk) 12:28, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

I think the flying car in the clip is from one of the Herbie films, but I don't know which one. The Asian warrior (not sure he's Chinese) is not animated but an actor in flesh and blood, so he's not from Mulan. ---Sluzzelin talk 12:34, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

Submarine's probably 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film).--Wehwalt (talk) 12:37, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

The fireball is from The Black Hole. Staecker (talk) 15:41, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

The Scottish warrior looks like Errol Flynn, but I don't think he worked for Disney. Does Errol Flynn look alikes exist? The car is definitely Herbie the Love Bug.--Canoe1967 (talk) 22:42, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

I think it may be Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue. The costume looks very similar.--Canoe1967 (talk) 23:19, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you, everybody! Doncsecz^talk 05:21, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

I think the Chinese pirate is from Swiss Family Robinson (film). AndrewWTaylor (talk) 16:25, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Amy Winehouse

Who wrote an unauthorised biography of her, published shortly after her death? Kittybrewster ☎ 21:25, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

I think the first one published may have been Amy, Amy, Amy - The Amy Winehouse Story by Nick Johnstone (updated version). INeverCry 00:08, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Another possibility might be Amy Winehouse: The Biography 1983-2011 by Chas Newkey-Burden, although it's also an updated version. INeverCry 00:15, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

March 30

Babies and little children crying in films

How do they ethically film scenes where babies and little children are crying? — Preceding unsigned comment added by XPPaul (talk • contribs) 05:03, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

How do they ethically film scenes where babies are raped? How do they even do it at all? 92.80.58.90 (talk) 07:57, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

There are several methods:

1) For babies and children too young to act, they go for volume. That is, they have a nursery full of babies which look roughly alike, so that one of them is likely to be crying, one laughing, one sleeping, one nursing, and one crawling, at any given moment. Depending on what they want, they grab the appropriate baby.

2) A newer method is to use mechanical "babies", which have a small range of motions.

3) They also often will just dub in the previously recorded sound of a baby crying. If you can't see the baby's mouth when it's supposedly crying, this is probably what they did.

4) Bordering unethical behavior would be to take away a toy, or maybe mommy, and thus get the baby to cry. At least they don't stick them with a pin. StuRat (talk) 08:18, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Is this considered an unethical experiment to do nowadays? (Maybe I should ask on the Science Desk.) TresÁrboles (talk) 04:31, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

I imagine it would depend on why they are doing it. If it's to train the baby to be more independent, no prob, but, if it's to make money by filming a crying baby, then yes. StuRat (talk) 05:15, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Mythbusters did a segment on taking candy from a baby. Some of the subjects there cried. Is that too mean? HiLo48 (talk) 05:27, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

March 31

Tie to rest

Hi, I hope this isn't too much of a silly question. I always see, in music, a tie/slur from a note to a rest. Is there an actual definition or name for this? I've tried searching for variations on "open slur" or "tie from note to rest" but get nothing. The thing is that I have studied music for about 12 years and still don't really understand the definite meaning.

Thanks in advance, 27.32.104.185 (talk) 12:31, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

I have never seen such a thing. Is this for a specific instrument or style of music? That might give us a clue to its meaning.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 15:44, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

It's often used as a shorthand notation for laissez vibrer, meaning "let it vibrate" or "let the sound die naturally", often used for cymbals, to indicate that they are not to be damped after a clash. It can also be used for other percussion instruments, and also for piano and guitar. See here. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 15:51, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Looking for a sword-and-sorcery arcade game similar to Magic Sword

I would say it was released between 1987 and 1992, it was similar to Magic Sword in that there were a variety of different characters to play as, and it was strictly 2D (as opposed to Golden Axe that had a 3D playing field). If there's a list on Wikipedia or anywhere else that isn't massive I'd be happy to go through each one to try to find it. I would guess it was more towards the late eighties than early 90s based on the graphics. Thanks. Vranak (talk) 19:34, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Well if we're talking a hack 'n slash/platform game as opposed to a beat em up then the first thing that sprang to mind was Rastan (video game) since like Magic Sword it features a barbarian leaping about and chopping up enemies in scrolling stages. There is only one character in Rastan, which is a fly in the ointment. Looking at Warrior Blade: Rastan Saga Episode III, however, reveals that there are two other playable characters in it, a male hireling and a female thief. If you click the ExoticA Wiki link in that article it gives a list of bosses which may jog your memory if it's the right game. Failing that, do you have a ballpark figure for how many playable characters there are in the game you're looking for? Someoneanother 20:27, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Depending on how crude one is looking for in graphics, there's always the classic Nethack. --Jayron32 20:34, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Another possibility is Cadash, which generally meets the poster's criteria. --McDoobAU93 04:39, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Gauntlet (arcade game)? Staecker (talk) 12:08, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

It wasn't any of these, it was a side-view game (not top-down like Gauntlet) and I believe the color palette was not particularly vibrant. Vranak (talk) 19:48, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

U-19 Women ACC cricket

this year, kuwait hosted the 2012 ACC u-19 women's champhionship. What is the definition of U-19? Does this mean that a 6 yr old girl can the sport because I notice one of the teams had a player who look like as if she was a elementary school student? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.53.230.38 (talk) 20:05, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Yes, but it would seem unlikely. I've seen minimum ages specified for adult sports from time to time, but never for under age competitions. But it's hard to imagine a 6 year old successfully competing with 18 year olds. HiLo48 (talk) 22:37, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

April 1

Annual shark

Can you supply information about the San Jose Sharks' “Teal and White” game? 71.146.8.88 (talk) 04:35, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Does this help? --Jayron32 04:38, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Unfortunately—for me, at least—I can't say it does. I've searched Google already and it doesn't seem to yield many relevant results. To specify the information that I would like, I would like the overview, general date, purpose, and typical scoring. Thanks—in advance 71.146.8.88 (talk) 06:00, 2 April 2012 (UTC)

What its called when all waht in video shall be sayed written down?

i need that answer cause i search for soejmthing... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Saludacymbals (talk • contribs) 11:03, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Your use of English makes it quite difficult to understand, but I think there are perhaps two answers depending on what you are asking:

1) Maybe the word you are looking for is transcript - a text copy of what was said in a TV show or interview. Some TV shows, particularly factual programmes, have a transcript released by the TV company on their website.

2) Maybe the word you are looking for is script - the written text of a play, film or TV show. Actors learn what they have to say by reading the script. Astronaut (talk) 11:18, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Yes, I think the word is "transcription". Several articles relate to this, such as Transcription (linguistics), Transcription (service), and Subtitle (captioning) and probably a few others. Bus stop (talk) 11:24, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Also see closed captioning. StuRat (talk) 23:10, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Trying to find SF TV show episode

One time I saw on TV an episode of what had to have only been a half-hour show, probably the kind of show with a different set of characters and plot each week, like The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, but I've scanned through their episodes and haven't found what I'm remembering. It goes like this: a guy is trudging through a densely packed rainforest, which I think was on another planet. I don't remember a word of exact dialogue, but my memory had retained the main idea of whatever was said that this was not Earth, and scenes of his using some tricorder-like device. Eventually, he finds in the middle of the global forest a building that has a dry plant-free interior. He gladly enters and lies down in a chair, but he's got a very tiny fragment of leaf stuck to his leg, and when he wakes up, this oasis of dryness has become like the rest of the rainforest. Does anyone know what series and episode this was? It was in the 80s or 90s. 69.243.220.115 (talk) 12:50, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Sounds to me like The Illustrated Man (film), The Long Rain part.John Z (talk) 21:22, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, it was The Long Rain, alright. I recognized the face of this Marc Singer actor as the guy as soon as I saw the link I just gave. 69.243.220.115 (talk) 22:19, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

HELP ME FIND THIS SHOW: "Runaway"

Also, help me find the lyrics to the theme-song. (Many of the words are unintelligible.)

How come I never found the actual episodes of "Runaway" on YouTube? This show and its episodes are SO hard to find. Why isn't Google forthcoming either? Anyway, would you find perhaps an obscure link to all their episodes?

Moreover, what channels would "Runaway" be on, on my parents' DirecTV satellite network? --Tergigress (talk) 20:32, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

It isn't a real show. It was part of this film: C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America.--Canoe1967 (talk) 20:38, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Brussels Sprouts-Boy Scouts

I'm trying to find details of a British TV play called Brussels Sprouts-Boy Scouts which was shown in 1973, part of the Armchair Theatre series. I have a dim recollection that it caused a bit of a furore at the time. I can't find anything apart from the rather sparse IMDb entry. Any help would be appreciated. Alansplodge (talk) 23:19, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

April 2

Arab cricket teams

I notice that most of the players of both Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Emirates, and Qatar men and women teams are South Asian guys and girls. Why? Is it because Arabs don't understand the game like South Asians do or is it they don't have an interest and think it is not an Arab thing and they see it as a South Asian thing? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.95.104.101 (talk) 02:08, 2 April 2012 (UTC)