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July 3

Jackson press conference

I've read suggestions that the person who appeared at the London press conference to announce the This Is It concerts wasn't really Michael Jackson, but a stand-in. Now I normally don't give any credence to this kind of rumour, but I've watched the video and I do actually think there might be something in this one. The jawline looks different and the voice sounds deeper. What do others think? --Richardrj ^talk ^email 08:09, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sure that many people have many opinions about this. Unfortunately, this is a desk where we try to keep opinion to a minimum and facts to a maximum. Unless there is somewhere reputable online that we could point you to, explaining how it either was or wasn't Jackson, then we can only further the confusion by debating it. Sorry.Popcorn II (talk) 13:56, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, but I already know the terms of reference for this desk, having been a regular here for over three years. --Richardrj ^talk ^email 14:06, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It looks legit to me. Keep in mind that MJ was 50 years old at the time of this press conference. A person's voice tends to get deeper as they get older. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 14:30, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Does his jawline, or any part of his face, ever look the same twice in a row? Adam Bishop (talk) 16:54, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A ha! "Does"! You know something! Tempshill (talk) 20:43, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Cleats

List all the brands that sell cleats.174.3.103.39 (talk) 15:37, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The list would be huge. Any sports brand involved in soccer would sell 'cleats' (well Football boots) and so on. So for a starter in football you get brands such as - Nike, Adidas, Puma, Reebok, Umbro, Lotto, Mizuno, Diadora, Asics and many more besides. I can't find a list in the categories on Wikipedia but hopefully some one will be able to help. Basically I suspect that any sports footwear manufacturer will produce some form of 'cleat' like equipment. ny156uk (talk) 15:49, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are you the same person who asked about the brand who had the least choice of cleats? If you have any more questions about cleats, please ask them now. DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:46, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

And am I being a prude but would it be nice to say please? Gazhiley (talk)

tennis shirt sleeves

Why don't the men go sleeveless? They look so unwieldy, having to adjust the sleeves all the time. 98.14.223.143 (talk) 18:01, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Unwieldy? You can't get much more wieldy than a tennis player.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:14, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wimbledon at least has a dress code (it's why the women all wear skirts instead of shorts). There may be other reasons - you may not want to bare too much skin if you are out in the sun for several hours. DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:47, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Raphael Nadal often plays in a sleeveless shirt. A google images search for "nadal wimbledon" finds any number of pictures of him playing at Wimbledon in a white sleeveless shirt, including this reliable source. I believe the Wimbledon dress rules mandate mostly white kit, as Nadal typically plays other tournaments in brightly coloured sleeveless shirts. So Nadal's preference for sleeveless, and other players wearing sleeves, seems to be a matter of preference rather than rules (and Nadal can be seen playing with sleeves in this photo, so it's not a uniformsic preference). It should be mentioned that many players have little rituals (Nadal again, but others too) wherein they adjust their clothing between points, this is more to do with their mental state than with their clothes actually being uncomfortable. 87.113.26.43 (talk) 21:06, 4 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Music question: what does it mean to "turn the beat around"?

Maybe drummers and percussionists might know this; what the hell does it mean to "turn the beat around"? I was listening to the song, and it never gives specifics. Does it mean to play the same beat pattern, only backwards? We're also instructed to "turn it upside down" -- does that mean anything in music-theory-type terms? Thank you. CSWarren (talk) 23:16, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In music, a Turnaround is a short bridging sequence which connects two parts of a piece; usually it is a means to bring back a prior part of the piece. It is similar to a break, except that in a turnaround, most of the instruments do not necessarily drop out. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 01:06, 4 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Some music-related terms have non-intuitive meanings. Obbligato literally means "I must", but in music it means it's optional - the precise opposite. People speak of "getting down" in musical contexts - but they're not talking about depression. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:00, 4 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think the "turning the beat around" CSWarren is asking about is connected to the "turnaround" Jayron linked to. The latter has a harmonical function, while the former refers to rhythm. Basically it shifts the rhythmic pattern away from a given grid of groove. For example, where context would let you expect to hear an on-beat (the "1" or "3", typically played by the bass drum), the drummer or turntablist suddenly surprises you with a snare drum accent (e.g.) on the 1, while the bass drum is now pounding on the off-beats of 2 and 4. Other shifts are possible of course. It's an irritation to the listener, something that makes you stumble, not unlike syncopation, but on a longer scale of rhythm. I'm sure you've often heard this in intros of electronic music, misleading you into a certain feel of meter and then surprising you when it takes off on a different beat than you expected. Though it is omnipresent in electronic music these days, it was originally performed by real people on real drum-sets. Funk and jazz-fusion drummers of the 1970s and 1980s such as Billy Cobham, Alphonse Mouzon, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl (and many others) often used this technique to stir things up for a couple of bars. You can even hear precursors of "turning around the beat" in bebop drumming of the 1940s, though the shift is usually one of two beats (or half a measure), and thus smoother and less irritating. ---Sluzzelin talk 12:37, 6 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

<nit> obbligato means 'compelled' (participle), not 'I must' (indicative). </nit> —Tamfang (talk) 00:35, 22 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

japan image, slightly not safe for work

[1]

Can someone identify this, tell me what is is from, etc etc. Thanks in advance. 83.100.250.79 (talk) 23:21, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, she's a fan of the Brazilian national soccer team. --Nricardo (talk) 01:39, 4 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's Yoruichi-sama, from the manga and anime Bleach, a popular motif for fan art [2]. decltype (talk) 23:22, 4 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, do the characters explain why she's wearing part of the Brazilian football team strip?? 83.100.250.79 (talk) 01:20, 5 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I would think it's just a fan of the anime / manga who decided to make a picture of her in a Brazil kit, for reasons unbeknownst to me. decltype (talk) 01:28, 5 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]