Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2013 March 22

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March 22

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Comic

Is it true that this comic book series is for adults and not for kids?184.20.209.241 (talk) 01:42, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Our article says its for all ages. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (comic book) RudolfRed (talk) 03:07, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Oddly enough, the first issue is largely a parody of the 1978 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

There were also a lot of references to other pop culture from that era. (The Blues Brothers, for example.)

To me, this seems like a strange creative choice since I don't think the TV show is reference-heavy like that. APL (talk) 04:03, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Breaking Bad and Homeland (TV series): More like them?

I am currently finishing the second season of Homeland and am of the opinion that Breaking Bad, which I just finished, is one of the best TV shows ever. Is there a way I can input these two shows and get recommendations of other shows I might like? (After I finished Breaking Bad I looked up "Top Ten TV Show" lists and got the recommendation for Homeland, but a lot if irrelevant crap...) Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 03:30, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Dear μηδείς: for someone who is so eager to hat questions that cannot be answered without a reference, what are you asking for exactly? A reference that indicates that people who like Breaking Bad and Homeland must invariably like Series X? Best regards, Orange Suede Sofa (talk) 03:34, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

I asked, "Is there a way I can input these two shows and get recommendations of other shows I might like?"--like Pandora for music maybe? (IF I knew the answer I would not be asking the question.) But I am not averse to other types of suggestions, assuming they link to an article or ref. I really have to thank you for your carefully assuming good faith. Cheers! μηδείς (talk) 03:52, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

You are welcome! I know of several services like this for books and music (as you have pointed out), but I've often wondered if the body of work of high-quality televison is so small in comparison that we must rely on personal recommendations. If there's a good algorithmic recommendaton engine for television, I'd be interested as well. Regards, Orange Suede Sofa (talk) 03:57, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Netflix provides a similar "tell us your preferences" service, but it is not that good, and I dropped their service when they raised their rates. Even then, assuming I added Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, and Homeland (three of my favorites of the last decade) I'd probably get back Dexter, which I found repulsive. μηδείς (talk) 04:07, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

You could try tastekid or jinni - tastekid seemed to come up with what I would think are better suggestions based on your preferences: In particular, The Killing (Danish TV series) and The Newsroom (U.S. TV series) are excellent. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 11:11, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Those suggestions at taste kid seem spot on. I'm going to watch The Killing tonight. Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 15:34, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Excellent. I can't recommend The Killing highly enough - although be warned that once you watch the first episode you will be compelled to watch the whole series straight through. Oh, and for the sake of your sanity, stay well away from The Killing (U.S. TV series) - 'pale imitation' would be a vast compliment.

If you enjoy The Killing, check out Borgen (TV series): once BBC Four had given British viewers a love of subtitled Danish TV, they introduced us to this dramatised version of Danish coalition politics. It's much more interesting than it sounds! Another of the 'Saturday night foreign detective series' we've been treated to by Auntie Beeb (in the slot pioneered by Wallander (Swedish TV series)) is Inspector Montalbano (TV series), a particular guilty pleasure of mine. The implication of the series appears to be that Italian police can solve any crime just by wearing sunglasses, driving fast with clouds of tyre smoke, waving their arms around, and eating lots of seafood and pasta. The stories aren't always up to much, but the scenery and the food are almost pornographic... - Cucumber Mike (talk) 15:48, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Yes, thanks, I do know better than to watch American remakes, lol. I'll post a review. μηδείς (talk) 16:12, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

My Little Pony and Pokemon

Is Pokemon Adventures darker then the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Comics?184.20.209.241 (talk) 04:05, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Strange Cartoon

I remember once when I was a small child watching a video my family had recorded from television over another VHS tape and at the end of the recording there was something from what was originally on the tape. It was a part of a strange black and white cartoon in which several characters went into a cave, found a monster, and began taking photographs of it, causing it to wake up and attack them. Unfortunately we lost the tape. Any ideas on what cartoon it was? Bakmoon (talk) 10:39, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Rocky Graziano

Hello, Does anybody know if Rocky visited the U.K. specifically Manchester in the late 1950's? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.194.114.146 (talk) 11:01, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Listening to Japanese radio outside of Japan online

Is there a way to listen to Japanese radio outside of Japan, preferably online? As in the actual, mainstream ones, not internet radio stations. There is something called Radiko but it only seems to work within Japan. Are there alternatives? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 12:13, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

The national TV and radio broadcaster appears to be NHK. Their website is here [1] but I can't read Japanese so I don't know if that website includes streaming radio or not. They have a basic English-language website here [2] but I didn't see any mention of streaming radio. List of radio stations in Japan may be of assistance. --Viennese Waltz 15:31, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

TuneIn appears to have a wide range of Japanese stations, including all the NHK stations. You can listen on a PC (in a web browser), or through their iOS or Android apps. They may employ geoblocking, in which case you won't be able to listen to it outside Japan. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 15:39, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Songs written by Robin Gibbs

I am trying to find a Robin Gibbs song for my sister that includes the lyrics " and the world cried" This is the only bit of information I have as I do not know the title. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Alan Bradfor§17:21, 22 March 2013 (UTC)86.153.114.255 (talk)ad

Robin sings lead on the Bee Gees' "I Started a Joke", of which the first line is "I started a joke, which started the whole world crying". Might that be it? Deor (talk) 17:37, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

That was Robin Gibb. Same person? -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 18:51, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

I was assuming that the OP meant Robin Gibb, yes. If there's a singer named Robin Gibbs, I offer my sincerest apologies. Deor (talk) 19:04, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

What's the middle name of Craig Perry?

close trolling by banned user
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
The producer of the Final Destination movies? 186.130.73.11 (talk) 18:13, 22 March 2013 (UTC) The poster of this question hails from Argentina. μηδείς (talk) 19:03, 22 March 2013 (UTC) Yes and? 186.130.73.11 (talk) 19:30, 22 March 2013 (UTC) The Final Destination wiki and IMDb don't know, and I can't even find websites for Zide/Perry Entertainment or Practical Pictures Inc. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:22, 22 March 2013 (UTC) I hope he doesn't use the same firm to make wigs for his actors that made the one he's wearing in that photo... Tevildo (talk) 00:07, 23 March 2013 (UTC) see user:186.130.74.219

Bones and Booth

Why, despite being a couple since the end of Season 6 and now living together in a house they bought, do the the two lead characters in Bones (TV series) still refer to each other as "Bones" and "Booth", even when in private? Astronaut (talk) 19:47, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Because they want to. No wait, because the people who write the script of the show want them to. Yeah, that's probably it. --Jayron32 19:57, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

So, is there any evidence of that being a deliberate decision by the writers, perhaps to keep viewer familarity with established characters? Or are you just guessing that that is the case? Astronaut (talk) 20:53, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

No, the writers is the term for the people who give the dialogue that the characters speak. So, if you want to know why the characters say the words they do, its because the writers have given them those words to speak (using writers broadly; there are also directors and producers and showrunners etc. involved in the process of creating a TV show, I'm including all of them in this as well). I'm not sure that this is the sort of thing that requires much evidence; do you have any reason to believe that the words got spoken for some other reason than that? --Jayron32 22:04, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Unless the actors are ad-libbing, there's no question that it's a deliberate decision by the writers. To find out why, the OP would probably have to contact the writers and the see if they feel like answering the question. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:44, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

There's always a snarky response or two when an OP asks a question like this. The real question being asked is clearly whether there is an in-show reason for this particular behaviour. --Viennese Waltz 06:01, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

If there is, then the OP should be able to figure it out by studying the show carefully and/or by finding a website that discusses the matter. If not, then it's as Jayron and others indicate: The writers just felt like doing it that way. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:48, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

To piggy back on Bugs answer (and to respond to the fact that my response has been called "snarky"), Wikipedia Reference Desks are for providing someone with factual answers to questions. It is not technically possible to explain the motivation of fictional characters. My answer sufficiently provided the technical details for how and why words are spoken in a work of televised fiction. Unless the creative team behind the production have specifically been asked and answered this very specific question regarding character behavior and its motivations, there is absolutely no way we can answer it here. We could sit here and idly speculate about why we personally believe the characters act that way. We don't do that here. There's a place where they do that, it's called the rest of the Internet. Otherwise, my answer was perfect in that it provided the best answer we could give (the technical details behind how characters speak the words they do in a TV show) and did not run afoul of our long-standing and universally agreed upon principles regarding the purpose of these ref desks. --Jayron32 19:35, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

It is indeed possible to explain the motivation of fictional characters, if that motivation has been explained elsewhere in the fictional universe of the show. The two fictional characters being asked about here, for example, might have said to each other at some point in the show that they were only ever going to call each other by their surnames. I'm not saying that ever happened, but if it did, it would be the correct answer to this question. And as for "finding a website that discusses the matter", isn't that what we're here for? --Viennese Waltz 21:25, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

There's nothing inherently wrong with asking a question like the OP's, it's just that if someone here knows an obscure detail about an obscure show, it's a matter of chance; whereas if the OP seeks out internet forums or other sources in which everyone is well-acquainted with the show, he's much likelier to get either an answer or at least some useful theories. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:59, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

Yes, but if such internet forums exist, it's our job to tell the OP about them. --Viennese Waltz 22:09, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

No one here is stopping you from doing just that. --Jayron32 01:56, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

• Long running series with multiple writers usually have a guidebook that provide facts and continuity items and other guidelines for writers to refer to. The exact phrase used for that type of manual escapes me, but I am sure we have an article on it. μηδείς (talk) 15:29, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

  The job of dealing with continuity from a writing perspective devolves to the script supervisor. I know about the concept of which you speak; authors, TV shows, and movies maintain (for lack of a better word) continuity scripts or background scripts or things like that which allow them to avoid continuity errors or plot holes. I can't find the link at Wikipedia, but the thing does exist and per WP:WHAAOE, it seems likely that Wikipedia maintains an article about it. --Jayron32 19:35, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

I've come across the term "Series Bible" used for this, which on Wikipedia gives a redirect to Bible (writing). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.100 (talk) 20:09, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

Yes! Bible is it. μηδείς (talk) 20:48, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

Since no one here can point me to a suitable source, I'll drop a vague plan I had to add something about this to the character's articles. However, thanks to Viennese Waltz, perhaps I'll seek out a fan forum to satisfy my own curiosity or maybe someone there can point me to an online version of the series "bible". Astronaut (talk) 10:39, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

The show does have a bible. Beyond "why are the characters called what they are called" it is not clear what else you are looking for. μηδείς (talk) 21:50, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

It is uncommon in Western culture for a married couple to refer to each other by their last names, hence "Booth" is something of an anomaly, however Bones' character is such that maintaining this non-intimate name would be natural for her. "Bones" on the other hand is a group nickname, and it is reasonably common for such names to be maintained into a long-term relationship or marriage. Rich Farmbrough, 04:53, 25 March 2013 (UTC).