Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2015 January 26

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January 26

Contestants appearing on a game show

[This was moved from Misc desk ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:27, 26 January 2015 (UTC)]

I believe I have read that they often tape several episodes of game shows on the same day, back to back (which will later broadcast on different days to the TV public). As such, the game-show host will change his clothes several times, so that each taping (of each new episode) appears like it was filmed on a different date altogether. My question concerns the clothing of the contestants. First, do contestants wear their own clothes on the show? (I can't imagine that the TV show buys each contestant a new wardrobe.) Second, do the contestants also change clothes in between same-day episode filming, in the same way that the host does? Third – and most importantly, to me – does anyone know if the show gives the contestants any set of "rules" about their apparel? A list of things that they are allowed (or not allowed) to wear? I am curious if anyone knows anything about this topic. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 16:23, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

I appeared on University Challenge. We were told not to wear clothes that were too "busy" - that is, would be a distraction for the viewers (I can't remember the exact phrasing), not to wear white, and to take a plain jersey in case something had to be covered up. We were also told not to wear anything that could be construed as advertising, or as supporting a product or political or social cause. Multiple episodes were filmed, but they shuffled the audience around a bit so that supporters from the unis currently being recorded are at the front; I suppose this is so they can get louder cheers. RomanSpa (talk) 16:55, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. Interesting. So, did they tell you to bring several days of clothing? Or did you wear the same outfit in all of the different episodes (taped on the same day)? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:32, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

Same outfit, though because of the way the contest works you get breaks between the first round and later rounds. I just kept things simple, though I think someone put a jersey on (the studio is much colder than you think it's going to be if you're in the first recording of the day). It's not really the sort of show where people pay much attention to clothing. RomanSpa (talk) 21:35, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

I was on Eggheads, and we were told to wear a shirt of a single colour if possible as patterns like checks and stripes can cause moiré effects on screen - that's what causes the distraction, not the patterns themselves. Our team were only going to be on one episode, but they asked us to bring two or three shirts each so we didn't all end up wearing the same colour. There were several episodes shot on the same day, and they sat us in the studio for quite some time, explaining the rules and making sure we all knew where the cameras were, which one to look at when, where to go for the solo rounds, where the cables were so we didn't trip over them and so on, before the regular "eggheads" and the host showed up, so they would have had plenty of time to change. --Nicknack009 (talk) 13:06, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

On The Price is Right, where the audience is full of potential contestants, nobody is allowed to wear advertising or costumes. They also ban you from the building if you have game show experience and don't offer parking. You will be "processed" in a "holding area". It's a very challenging career path. InedibleHulk (talk) 17:49, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

And you can apparently bring a chest, so long as it's not an ice chest. InedibleHulk (talk) 17:51, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

Here, they stress "ABSOLUTELY NO OPEN-TOED SHOES, NO HIGH HEELS, NO PLATFORMS, AND NO SANDALS OR FLIP FLOPS OF ANY KIND WILL BE ALLOWED INSIDE THE STUDIO." I guess CBS has been sued by a viral video star or two. InedibleHulk (talk) 17:58, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

Yep. InedibleHulk (talk) 17:59, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

Ken Jennings in his book Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs talks about his first day arriving to play Jeopardy!:

As the guard at the gate checks IDs, I open the passenger-side back door to pull out the two spare changes of clothes that Jeopardy! asks you to bring.

The clothes aren't there.

...

As we file into the greenroom, I am conspicuously the only contestant not finding a place to hang a bulky garment bag.

Fortunately his wife is with him and she manages to retrieve the clothes from where he'd left them. Anyway, he goes on to address the point explicitly:

If you win your game, you have no time to revel in your victory, call your mom, or do a Terrell Owens end zone dance. You and Alex are rushed backstage to change outfits—in separate dressing rooms, mind you—and as soon as your skirt is zipped or your tie is tied, you're yanked back on set to start all over again. Alex's clever introductory repartee pretends to the home audience that twenty-four hours have passed. ("On yesterday's show, folks—and it must have been yesterday, mind you, not ten minutes ago, because you'll notice that I'm wearing a blue tie now, and yesterday, as these photos reveal, I had a maroon one on...") Five separate shows back-to-back makes for an exhausting day.

--65.94.50.4 (talk) 19:13, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

The World Wrestling Federation used to regularly tape a month's worth of squash matches in one or two long days. To compensate for the human inability to care that long, they often inserted crowd noise and reaction shots to the later end, post-production. If you don't look at them, these people seem pumped! InedibleHulk (talk) 19:40, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

Here is the handout I was given:

Jeopardy! Wardrobe Information

Answer: Less than 10 minutes

Question: What is "How long does the returning champ have to change clothes between shows"?

That's right folks. About 10 minutes. That's how we manage to tape five shows in one day. Alex does it, and you can too. The key is to PLAN AHEAD. Because believe me, if you are a returning champ the last thing you want to be thinking about is what to wear on the next show.

Arrive at the studio in the outfit you would like to wear on your first show. Bring with you a total of two outfits for a total of 3 outfits. (After all, if you win three shows NOBODY is going to remember what you wore on the first night anyway.) The rule of thumb when selecting your wardrobe is to wear what you would wear on an important job interview. Naturally we want you to be comfortable, but we also want to see you looking your best.

THE "NO-NOs"

This applies to BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. No jeans. No sneakers. No solid white or pale colors. Also, avoid any fine prints or very busy patterns or plaids as they do not play well on the video camera. A light dress shirt or blouse is okay, but ONLY if it is worn under a dark jacket or sweater.

MEN

Dress shirt with a sport coat or sweater, suit and and tie. These are the kind of upscale looks we're going for. Remember: you are standing behind the podium most of the time, so as long as you wear a nice pair of slacks and shoes you can really make it easy on yourself by just changing your shirt, adding a sweater, or putting on a new coat and tie. (Incidentally, a dark-colored long-sleeved shirt and a tie is okay, but we'd prefer that you dress it up a bit with a sweater, coat, or vest.)

WOMEN

Best colors are the basics: Red, Royal Blue, etc. For your own personal comfort (and to facilitate the process of attaching a microphone to your garments), you may want to avoid one-piece outfits. We also suggest that you leave long necklaces at home. Skirt and blouse, blazer with skirt or slacks, pantsuits, any of these looks are fine. But remember; stay away from from any pieces that are predominantly white or very pale. When you arrive at the studio, please make sure that your hair and make-up are completely done. We also suggest that you choose a bright-colored lipstick.

Lastly, you should know that it can be very cool in the studio during tape days (whether it is warm outside or not), so it might be a good idea to bring along a light sweater or jacket to be comfortable while watching the shows until you are chosen to play.

These are simply some guidelines to help you make your choices. If you should have a favorite outfit that you're not sure about, by all means bring it along and we'll see if it will work on camera. And, as always, if you have any questions at any time, don't hesitate to give us a call.

So I didn't get to wear my "I'm with Stupid" t-shirt, with the arrow pointing to one of my competitors. (Also, they didn't use a very good proofreader ["3" and an inappropriate use of a semicolon].) Clarityfiend (talk) 11:29, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

2015 Miss Universe Pageant

At about 10:45 p.m. while watching the live broadcast of the Miss Universe Pageant on NBC, I wondered when the last time a Miss USA won the title. I checked Wikipedia and before the announcement was made on the live broadcast, Wikipedia announced that Miss Columbia was the "current" Miss Universe and had been crowned on January 25, 2015 in Miami.

How is it that the name of the winner was posted on Wikipedia before it was announced on the live broadcast? 98.85.30.24 (talk) 04:16, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

I have no idea. But it could be a case of simple vandalism. I often work on the "Academy Awards" articles. And, on Awards night, a lot of people are fooling around and naming their favorite person as the winner. And, within a few seconds, the vandalism edit gets removed. It's pretty common on very current competitions. This probably happens with the Super Bowl, and stuff like that as well. But, on the plus side: when an event is current, there are usually many eyes on that page. So, vandalism gets removed pretty quickly. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 05:26, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

What time zone are you in? The event apparently started at 8 PM in Florida and the NBC air time was 8/7c, meaning it was live in the eastern and central time zones and tape delayed by 2+ hours elsewhere in the US. -- BenRG (talk) 08:57, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Good point. I had assumed that the original poster was watching it live. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 14:32, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

The IP geolocates to Florida but that is not conclusive. One question is was the broadcast three hours long? Here is another possible explanation - ever since Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction (if not before) live events aren't actually live. With the exception of sports (and maybe even those) there is a minute or two delay built into a broadcast. I remember when Melissa Leo dropped the "f" bomb at her Oscar acceptance speech we didn't even hear a bleep it just looked like she had shifted an inch to her left at that point. So someone in the pageant audience might have added the info a couple minutes before it was seen on TV. Now I haven't looked at the edit history so this guesswork may be way off. MarnetteD|Talk 15:48, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

I see what you are saying. But in those cases (e.g., Melissa Leo, etc.), aren't we talking about mere seconds? Or is it longer? Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 16:21, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

It can be as long a delay as they want it to be. So I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing is delayed by several minutes in case of something drastic happening, it will give them more time to cut to a commercial or simply edit something larger out. Other things that they might want to remove go from curse words being uttered to streakers running across the stage to even nuts with guns. Dismas|^(talk) 16:32, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

(edit conflict)It is longer now JAS. I assumed the delay was at least a minute. According to the last paragraph here Broadcast delay#Computerized delay it is 30 seconds. In ML's case the "something that can be quite jarring to a viewer or listener" certainly applied. It wasn't until I read the papers the next day that I learned the she had used the f bomb - yes that is an old fogey admission I am sure that those who use social media knew it within a few minutes :-) MarnetteD|Talk 16:38, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. I didn't know that. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 20:07, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Did that entry turn out to be true? If so, maybe the vandal merely guessed right. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:26, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Yes, it was true. My guess is the competition was winding down to the last few contestants. And Miss Colombia (who, only by coincidence, was the eventual winner) had a fan that was fooling around and prematurely listed her in the article as the winner. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 19:47, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Stranger shit happens. InedibleHulk (talk) 20:05, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

If the contest was on January 25, then yes, it was vandalism. An anonymous editor made a series of 5 edits from 21:35 to 21:47 UTC (4:35 to 4:47 pm EST in the US) on January 24, updating various parts of the article as if Miss Colombia (a word that does not have a U in it, by the way) had already won. --65.94.50.4 (talk) 22:56, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

It would be interesting to see where the IP address of that anonymous editor originates from. Colombia? Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 23:12, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

It locates to Venezuela which is right next door. MarnetteD|Talk 23:15, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

And home to the defending champion. Those countries have a history of (allegedly) harbouring each other's enemies. Probably unlikely to go all the way to the top here, but also unlikely that was a native vandal. InedibleHulk (talk) 00:12, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

• "Live" has come to trade in the same debased currency as "free". I was watching the supposedly live broadcast of the Allan Border Medal presentation last night. During a break I checked my phone for online news, and there was the winner's announcement, posted 14 minutes earlier. The winner is named at the very end of the TV broadcast, which was still about an hour away. So much for "live broadcasts". -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:18, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

The censor (and everybody else) working on the KDOC New Year Special are why we can't have live things. At least can't let the whole world see them. InedibleHulk (talk) 20:33, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

That montage was missing the grand finale. InedibleHulk (talk) 20:41, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

Entertainment ke liye kuch bhi karega indian woman Guinness world record

What is the woman's name who was on the show carrying bricks with a thing that connects her ears to the bricks and also she broke the world record in Guinness? Also, which season and episode was it on? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.31.17.253 (talk) 19:10, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

According to the Daily Express here, her name is Asha Rani (not to be confused with the Asha Rani on whom we have an article) and she performed the feat on or about January 29, 2014. I'll see if I can track down details of the broadcast. Tevildo (talk) 19:21, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

It was apparently Season 5, Episode 6, first broadcast on May 20, 2014, although I've yet to track down a website that isn't full of adverts and malware to link to. (Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega for our article on the show, incidentally). Tevildo (talk) 19:31, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Who performs the SNL closing theme?

It sounds like two saxophones. The alto sax player, I have heard, is the show's music director. They show him with a bass guitar player, but there's no way a bass guitar can hold notes as long as the ones I am hearing. I say it's a baritone sax playing the low notes, but I can't find anything.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 19:17, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

A bass guitar can do a lot of things, depending on the effects pedal. But then again, Ron Blake plays a real baritone sax for the Saturday Night Live Band. InedibleHulk (talk) 20:55, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

So apparently they're not showing him. Thanks.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 22:28, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

If you're watching a pre-2007 episode, you won't see him. Lew Del Gatto played baritone (among other things) from 1975-79, then 1985-2005. German Wikipedia has an article, but we don't. Maybe we should. InedibleHulk (talk) 01:18, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

George Young could also use more recognition than a quarter note. InedibleHulk (talk) 01:26, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

Even though there have been older episodes in prime time, I'm primarily thinking of the past three seasons. I started watching after they started showing those prime time reruns, which were originally the previous week's episode condensed to an hour.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 23:22, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

I just looked it up. Lenny Pickett, the musical director, is actually playing a tenor sax. But he's playing the high notes so it seems like an alto sax.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 23:25, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

I looked closely this past week. I did see someone playing what appeared to be a baritone sax while everyone was hugging at the end. But it was only for a few seconds and I wouldn't have seen him without really trying. But considering it's apparently him we can hear, he really should be given a close-up.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 19:04, 3 February 2015 (UTC)

Celebrity (?) identification

I was wondering - who are the modern people depicted in this animation from the BBC History of Ideas series? The erastes is presumably Peter Ustinov - who are the eromenoi? And is a reference to any particular film in which Ustinov plays such a character intended? Tevildo (talk) 20:04, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

I'm intrigued as to why you think it depicts modern people at all. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:20, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Well, they're not depicted as potential models for classical sculpture, they do have fairly distinctive rather than generic facial characteristics, and the chap with the sunglasses and the cigar would be out-of-place in ancient Athens. But I agree that it's possible they're not intended to represent any particular real people. Tevildo (talk) 21:46, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Having watched it twice they look generic to my eye. Having said that the one you mention looks more like Charles Laughton than Ustinov. There was at least one Bugs Bunny cartoon where they depicted Laughton in his role as Captain Bligh and that is who this one reminds me of. There was another one which featured all manner of stars from the 30's and early 40's at a formal party. I can't remember their titles - maybe Baseball Bugs can. I will be interested to see if any other editors can suggest who they might be. You might try contacting the Beeb to see it they can put you in touch with the makers of this animation. MarnetteD|Talk 21:36, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

I'll take a look at the production company's website, thanks. Tevildo (talk) 21:46, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Doing some poking about in the dark depths of Twitter, the character is named as "Uncle Monty", which leads me to suspect it's Richard Griffiths and the film is Withnail and I, which I regret to say that I've not watched. Does this sound like a reasonable solution? If so, who are the other three? But I may be on the wrong track altogether. Tevildo (talk) 22:23, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

That's definitely it. Richard E. Grant (Withnail) and Paul McGann (...& I) are clearly in there too. And Ralph Brown (Danny). ---Sluzzelin talk 22:26, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Congrats on tracking it down to you both. T the film is a one of a kind. If you ever do see it I would stay away from the associated drinking game. Unless your constitution is strong and your liver is in great condition :-) MarnetteD|Talk 22:31, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

The sequel Withnail and II was a great disappointment. —Tamfang (talk) 08:23, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

My intrigue has been assuaged. Thank you, Tevildo. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:11, 27 January 2015 (UTC)