Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 September 17

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September 17

Questions

1. Why are Melee and Brawl much more popular than the original Smash Bros? Sequels aren't usually that much more popular.

2. And why are they much more popular than the games referenced inside of them? The Smash Bros games only make sense if you have played many of the games they reference.

February 15, 2009 (talk) 03:00, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Smash Bros. games are not more popular than Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, and possibly other included games. I am not familiar with the series, so I don't know what other games are included. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 03:26, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

1) I'd say that Street Fighter 2 was more popular than Street Fighter. I think that Melee & Brawl were either more hyped, the extra characters and easier access to the consoles may have had something to do with it. 2) I wouldn't say that they're necessarily more popular that the games they reference. You only need to have a little knowledge of a few characters to enjoy the game really. It also introduces you to other "retro" games and characters, for example my wife is now obsessed with Ice Climbers. --WORM | MЯOW 12:49, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

I would also disagree that prior experience is needed to "make sense" of the Smash Bros games. Needed to catch the references, sure, but pounding your buddy into oblivion is a fairly straightforward objective.

Additionally, I've seen discussion before that, unlike films, it's quite common for game sequels to outsell the earlier series members. Some related discussion is available at Hollywood Reporter and the New York Times. — Lomn 12:50, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Music of Autumn

Can anyone recommend bands that have a distinctly autumnal feel, as of leaves and mist and sunlight in the morning? The only band I know of personally that does such things is Belle & Sebastian. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated :) MelancholyDanish (talk) 14:58, 17 September 2008 (UTC)MelancholyDanish

Simon and Garfunkel do a few songs that might fit the bill. "April Come She Will" and "Leaves That Are Green" have very explicit autumnal themes. Many of their other songs have an autumnal feel while not explicitly mentioning it. Fribbler (talk) 15:14, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Try Tindersticks, particularly their first three albums. And have a look at the reader-compiled list here. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:27, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Very interesting question about the sense in music pity I cannot offer much of a suggestion except a tindersticks-like album called Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters and the song David's Last Summer by Pulp (band) which is always very evocative. meltBanana

Simon & Garfunkel! Another one of my favorites 66.112.243.202 (talk) 17:00, 17 September 2008 (UTC)MelancholyDanish

It appears to be a bit out-of-season, but this autumn I'm very much enjoying April by Sun Kil Moon. sparkl_!sm ^hey! 19:23, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

The folk singer Jaymay (probably not linked to on wikipedia is a small artist with 1 great album) has a relaxing misty/low-sunlight autumn feel to it. I would suggest that autumn style music would be stuff that has a hint of melancholy but isn't totally bleak (Spring being rebirth and brightening up and autumn being things receding/dieing and light fading). Other than this there is a 'autumn' album (in their collections section) in the iTunes music store but as I don't have iTunes on this PC can't go on and get track-listings. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 08:39, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Matt Pond PA is the perfect fall/autumn band. Hell - he's even changing his band name to 'Dark Leaves.' The albums 'In Rainbows' (Radiohead), 'Scarlet's Walk' (Tori Amos), and 'Our Endless Numbered Days (Iron and Wine) are all great individual fall albums. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.183.126.18 (talk) 23:38, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Not sure if this is quite what you're after as it's more about lyrics than the feel of the music itself, but one song that celebrates autumn is "Wake Up Boo!" by The Boo Radleys. If you take the lyric literally, then Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" would fit the bill too... though of course you're not meant to take it literally, it's some metaphorical conceit about ageing and stuff. -- 79.71.223.82 (talk) 07:26, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

Autumn Almanac of course. DuncanHill (talk) 13:07, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

Romantic Operas

Also, can you suggest any great Romantic operas? I'm thinking in the vein of Charles Gounod's Faust and the operas of Delius - intense and lyrical and eerie. I would like to avoid anything by Wagner, but other recommendations are welcome :) 14:58, 17 September 2008 (UTC)MelancholyDanish

How about some Puccini? DAVID ŠENEK 18:05, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Yes. Romance often equals death. The most romantic of them all is his La bohème (my favourite opera, incidentally; although Giuseppe Verdi is my favourite opera composer over all). The soprano lead Mimi dies of consumption in the end. Tosca has the heroine Tosca flinging herself from the battlements to her death on the Roman cobblestones after she discovers the plan to have her lover Cavaradossi appear to have been executed but actually escape went astray and he was actually shot. This was after she had stabbed her other (unrequited) lover Scarpia. That's pretty romantic. It has shades of the Romeo and Juliet story - various composers have written R&J operas, but the best of them is probably Gounod's version Roméo et Juliette. Verdi's La traviata is based on the Camille story by Dumas fils. If you ever saw the Greta Garbo movie (still a timeless classic), you'll like La traviata. The heroine Violetta also dies of consumption. Bizet's Carmen ends in the heroine being stabbed by her lover Don Jose. Verdi's Aida has her and her lover Radames being executed together. Puccini's Madama Butterfly, set in Japan, has the title character disembowelling herself with a sword after her rotten American sailor-boy lover turned out to be a prick. He'd given her a child and then he had to sail away with the US Navy but he promised to return. That's when she sings "One fine day" (my lover will come back) but when he finally sailed back, he had his lovely young American wife in tow. Butterfly of course said "Well, hell-o, sailor", then killed herself. These all have wonderful music, and you can't go wrong with any of them. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:50, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Dr. Who on Blu-ray

I find it funny that Dr Who spinoff, Torchwood is available on Blu-ray, but not Dr. Who. Are there any plans for a Dr Who Blu-ray release? --70.167.58.6 (talk) 17:14, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Original Dr Who or the new series? — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 18:35, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

The new one, of course. It's shot in HD (the same as Torchwood). --70.167.58.6 (talk) 22:13, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Doctor Who is not shot in HD: the vast numbers of special effects shots preclude this due to cost. See [1] and [2]. Gwinva (talk) 23:29, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Ford Models, Elite Models -- where do they show up? Just fashion Catalogs?

Magazines like Playboy don't hire models from Ford or Elite (at least, not under contract with Ford/Elite). But do magazines like Maxim hire Ford/Elite for photoshoots? Do Ford/Elite models go into Macy's catalogs? Where do Ford/Elite models show up? Only in Calvin Klein ads for popular magazines? Or do you see them in Land's End catalogs, too? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.210.62.147 (talk) 21:16, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Catalog work is considered kinda of B-list in the modeling world. Any professional photoshoot will hire professional models. By Ford/Elite, I assume you don't mean them specifically as there are other world class agencies like Trump, Wilhelmina, IMG, etc. There's countless editorial photos inside fashion magazines -- where magazine editors create fashion stories ("editorial") like "10 cool looks for winter", or "Asian Getaway". There also advertising work for cosmetics, couture fashion labels, hair care, etc. And then there's booth babe type work for trade shows and expos. Does that help answer your question? --70.167.58.6 (talk) 22:21, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

So I guess I'm wondering where the cutoff is? Ford/Elite models don't do catalogs? Or /do/ the B-list models at Ford/Elite end up in department store catalogs? Or are department store catalogs handled by 'lesser' model agencies? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.210.62.147 (talk) 06:24, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Check out this page on Wilhelmina Models [3]. It shows different divisions -- like "W Media". But it doesn't mention anything about catalogs, specifically. Perhaps they don't mention it because it's not "classy" enough for the high-end image the agency wants to project? Interestingly, a Google search on "catalog modelling agencies" doesn't bring up anything useful. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 16:46, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Hmm. That's interesting. I guess catalogs are some kind of well-kept secret for modeling agencies? Thanks for the help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.209.164.56 (talk) 16:46, 19 September 2008 (UTC)