Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 December 16

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December 16[edit]

Comparing boxing and wrestling[edit]

Why is it that professional boxers generally only have one or two fights a year, when professional wrestlers seem to be able to fight every couple of weeks? --81.76.54.220 (talk) 01:37, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Because boxers are actually beating each other's heads in, and wrestlers are not. Adam Bishop (talk) 02:36, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
To expand on what Adam Bishop has noted; in professional boxing, the outcome is not predetermined(well, not SUPPOSED to be) and the boxers are really trying to win by beating the other guy senseless. This, even for the winners, can take a terrible toll on the body, and professional boxers at the highest levels often do need months to recover from a fight. Professional wrestling is basically soap-opera. While the exhibition is physically demanding, the outcome is pre-determined and the wrestlers are play-fighting according to a script. This is a physically demanding venture, but no more so than say, a football game would be, and as such professional wrestlers have a much shorter turn-around time between matches. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:51, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It's much much more simple than that: Money. The top boxers need to limit supply to increase demand. Amateur boxers and other combat-sports competitors can take part in fights at least monthly. As our Nigel Benn article notes he won 22 fights from 1987 to 1989. His record (http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=739&cat=boxer) shows 12 fights in 1987 alone. The reason is not so much physical, as it is financial. The biggest fights need to occur reasonably infrequently to maximise demand, and thus increase revenue per fight. If you look through the records of professional boxers they'll doubtlessly show a similar theme - more fights in the early professional years and less as they get higher up the 'ranks'. I'm sure fatigue from the fight plays a part but realistically all the other fighters manage so it must be (primarily) a monetary reason. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 11:46, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That does seem to play somewhat of a role as well, but also consider that early fights tend to be short (3 round) fights, while at the highest levels, championship fights can go on as long as 12 rounds. Thus, as their careers progress, the fights also become more physically demanding. Its likely some combination of the two. While a championship fighter could likely fight more than twice a year, boxing a 12 round fight every month may be excessive... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 13:08, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Wrestling matches also don't last as long as a normal boxing match. In professional MMA, the bouts are indeed spread out to help increase the demand per fighter's appearance. They can, and do, fight on much shorter intervals when the opportunity arises. But MMA fights are in many ways less brutal than a boxing match; the ref is more likely to stop a fight for the health of a fighter and the fact you can fight all-out makes it easier to end a fight quickly, both in the sense that a knee to the head can end a fight in one shot and in the sense that the lesser athlete will gas themselves much more quickly and so get taken out. Boxing seems designed to drag out each fight, perhaps to help compensate for the fact each man only fights once or twice a year. Wrestling combines the all-out style of MMA without the fear of serious personal injury (well, less fear; accidents happen). Five minutes of posing for the droolers, five minutes of play-fighting, and five minutes of theatrics offstage; that's not exactly a punishing schedule for someone in good physical shape. Matt Deres (talk) 14:47, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Silent Night, Holy Night in a film[edit]

I seem to remember a film which has a part where kids run downstairs in slow motion to open their presents while this song plays. Anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? I may be wrong on the details a bit, but I think it's something like this. Oh, and it might be a very obvious film, just something that has slipped my mind. Thanks. 68.50.107.144 (talk) 01:41, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Could it possibly be Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander? I never saw it, but it was set at Christmas and I recall seeing trailers with kids running in slow motion around a Christmas tree. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:57, 19 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Conway's Game of Life[edit]

Moved to Computing Reference Desk: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing#Conway's Game of Life. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:59, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

GTA 4 Theme Song[edit]

What is the song played in the first GTA 4 trailer?Neon6419 (talk) 12:52, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Arm in Arm by The Boggs. SN0WKITT3N 17:42, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Girl in the 2008 VGA's[edit]

Does anybody know the name of the girl that was dressed all in white and had black hair in the 2008 VGA's? She was in the commercials(moving around those panels like it was a touch screen) and showing the catagories for what award was being presented (on the touch screen).Neon6419 (talk) 12:52, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

texan lesbian prostitutes[edit]

i have heard of a film about texan lesbian prostitutes and apparently there is a scene which is artily shot. she has a dildo in her ass and is tapping it on a mirror but it is filmed in the mirror. what is this film called? Wochende (talk) 16:54, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Can't find any mainstream movies with this in, could be wrong but this sounds like a standard porn movie. Google it and you'll get loads of results. SN0WKITT3N 17:46, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, that's the problem. If you google texan lesbian prostitutes dildo ass you will probably get thousands if not millions of hits. 216.239.234.196 (talk) 14:10, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I can't wait for the next instalment in the series, "Texan Lesbian Prostitutes with Dildos in their Asses Survive the Texas Chainsaw Massacre". I might give a copy of the DVD to my grandmother for Christmas. -- JackofOz (talk) 02:19, 18 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I got Zombie Strippers on Blu-Ray from Netflix the other day, but haven't watched it yet. 216.239.234.196 (talk) 13:37, 18 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Here you will see at the lower left corner a 1/1 below a spear. What does this mean?96.53.149.117 (talk) 18:31, 16 December 2008 (UTC)96.53.149.117 (talk) 18:39, 16 December 2008 (UTC)96.53.149.117 (talk) 18:41, 16 December 2008 (UTC)96.53.149.117 (talk) 18:41, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Well, that's some kind of joke card so you'd need to ask its creator, but on a normal Magic card that number would represent the card number within a set - ie in this case it is card #1 in a set of 1 card. ~ mazca t|c 09:25, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

What does a flaming 8-ball symbolize?[edit]

I've seen loads of people around with tattoos of an 8-ball with a trail of flames behind it (Google image seach for 'flaming 8 ball' for examples of what I mean). I've also seen the symbol used on jackets, caps, cigarette lighters and once on the gas tank of a bike. What does it mean? Is it some sort of drug-related/occult symbol? Or prison ink? Or something related to biker gangs? Anyone know? Thanks. --84.69.203.30 (talk) 22:25, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Here[1] two years ago, the answer was that it means the person "can smoke an entire 8-ball (1/8 of an ounce) of dope". Julia Rossi (talk) 03:49, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Is that a lot then? DuncanHill (talk) 03:57, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Not for this guy... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 05:39, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
for cocaine it's vaguely, 2-4 inches long: Eightball ('Ball') - 1/8 ounce (3.5 grams). And for marijuana, the same weight and twice its usual cost. Since they're both friable materials, it's like Jayron says. I have the mental picture of him shovelling it off the table with his arm while sniffing. Gahd, Julia Rossi (talk) 08:24, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]