Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2013 February 11

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February 11

WW2 biographies

Where can I find biographies of Irena Sendler or Maria von Trapp? Thanks in advance! 24.23.196.85 (talk) 02:42, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

It looks like there are some listed in the references section for each article. Given the name and ISBN your local library might be able to loan you a copy or Amazon sell you one. RudolfRed (talk) 03:23, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Thanks! 24.23.196.85 (talk) 04:31, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Cadillacs

My aunty always listens to a country radio station, and all the time there's one word that i hear all the damn time: cadillac. cadillac this, cadillac that, blah blah cadillac blah bleeh blah bloh. why do they always sing about them? i don't hear that in other genres, i.e. pop, house, rock, and such. it's kinda annoying to be honest. Alien Arceus 03:43, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Well, they were once the very definition of an American luxury car, and, since country music is all about American things, it wouldn't do to sing about a Lexus or Porche.

I can think of at least one pop/rock/R&B song: Pink Cadillac. StuRat (talk) 04:38, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

And also "Cadillac Ranch" by Bruce Springsteen. --TammyMoet (talk) 13:52, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

The best song about a Cadillac ever has to be "One Piece at a Time", which is a Country song. But I agree. Cadillac is a genercized term for "the best of something". When you call something "The Cadillac of" whatever, you mean "The best, most luxurious" of that kind of thing. So, Cadillac tends to show up all over popular culture as an example of luxury and "having made it". Plus, "One Piece at a Time" is a darned cool song. --Jayron32 04:56, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

In the UK and Australia, Rolls-Royce is the similar generic term for "the best", but there aren't many songs about Rollers. Perhaps this is due to Cadillac being an easier word to rhyme than Royce or because Rock'n'Roll started in the USA. In any case, there are lots of cool songs about cars! --TrogWoolley (talk) 09:21, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Any fan of WKRP in Cincinnati knows about Red Wigglers, the "Cadillac of worms". Clarityfiend (talk) 10:50, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Yeah? One line in the song The Boys of Summer by Don Henley, mentions a Cadillac.142.255.103.121 (talk) 05:34, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Billy Joel's song "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" at some poin says the title character "traded in his Chevy for a Cadillac-ac-ac..." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:54, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

But Billy Joel is disloyal. In "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" he said "Your best bet's a true baby blue (Lincoln) Continental". StuRat (talk) 07:45, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Googling the subject suggests there are lots of songs that refer to Cadillacs. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:58, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

I'm still waiting for a song about the source of the eponym, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 06:28, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Try putting his name to a popular tune, such as "Michael Row the Boat Ashore". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:17, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

That's actually a very good idea. (Says an obsessive creator of Vogon songs.) --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 15:53, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Noblesse oblige. Just make sure you give credit where it's due when the song wins the Grammy. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 19:41, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

A lot of hip-hop songs mention Escalades, I think. ElMa-sa (talk) 22:43, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Carrie Underwood's latest single is "Two Black Cadillacs". The video for the song is based on the Stephen King novel Christine (novel). RNealK (talk) 22:59, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

But Carrie is country, right? 24.23.196.85 (talk) 00:29, 12 February 2013 (UTC)

She's artificial country substitute. Some of the flavor, none of the calories. --Jayron32 04:24, 12 February 2013 (UTC)

Try this one for size. In "The Beginning of My End" by The Unifics, the lead singer's description of a hearse is a Cadillac.142.255.103.121 (talk) 02:45, 21 February 2013 (UTC)

software providing music notes

hi, is there a software that provides musical notes upon receiving a recorded voice (humming)? Such a software would be helpful to those who are composers without pursuing musical studies. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.120.141.254 (talk) 10:48, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Such software might not be very effective, as background noise, slightly off-key notes, variable timing between notes, etc., could mess it up. You might do better with a program which lets you hit a key on a keyboard (piano type), then sounds the note and records it. This should work 100% of the time. If the note is wrong, delete it and try again. StuRat (talk) 16:19, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Such programs exist. At least some Digital audio workstations have this feature. Try a web search for "audio to midi converter". Midi is a file format in which each note is represented by its pitch, duration and volume (plus the instrument played and various effects). The first two links I got were these. As far I know (though not from personal experience), it works reasonably well if the input is a single voice. Humming should work if you're able to sing in tune. Chords don't work well (or at least didn't, see this link). The programs that turned up in my search require you to record the audio first. The midi will have to be cleaned up a bit, since you probably won't hit each note exactly, and probably won't keep a perfectly stable pitch throughout the duration of the note. This will result in pitch-shift events in the midi, to make the output resemble what you hummed as faithfully as possible, which probably is not what you want. A midi keyboard, which can be connected to a PC via usb (or with a midi cable, if you have a suitable soundcard), together with any sequencer program, will as Stu says be easier to work with. --NorwegianBlue ^talk 22:16, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Betting centers' bets for the next pope's papal name?

sorry, we can't give you advice on the law or how to break it
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
Hi, there are various betting centers that allow you to bet on outcomes of current events. Many will start to bet about the pope. However, one I saw from Australia showed a list of cardinals, archbishops, et al. that I haven't heard of before. However, I'm looking for this kind of bet: "What will the new pope's Papal Name be?" And if "Peter II" is included as one of the choices, I'd sure vote that one! So what online betting centers let us guess the new papal name? Moreover, of the above, which of them will allow me to utilize their services, as an American citizen? Thank you. --70.179.161.230 (talk) 12:15, 11 February 2013 (UTC) Is online gambling legal? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:18, 11 February 2013 (UTC) It is in the UK. --TammyMoet (talk) 13:50, 11 February 2013 (UTC) I'm not so sure it is in the US, and the IP/OP gelocates to Kansas. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:53, 11 February 2013 (UTC) Peter II as in Peter the Roman? That would be awesome. I'm betting on Lando II or Hilarius II. Adam Bishop (talk) 21:57, 11 February 2013 (UTC) Right. So where's a good betting site that has us bet on the next papal name? Thanks. --129.130.18.100 (talk) 22:37, 12 February 2013 (UTC)