Questions about anything

[CensoredAlso]

I assume that today the Paley Center for Media has digital files or something for patrons to select things to watch or listen to instantly, but I wonder how they did it in the pre-digital era. Did patrons have to just ask staff members to manually put tapes in? Was it possible for two people to watch/listen to the same thing at once (on different viewing screens)?

You went on one of their library computers and made your selection. Then you waited until the program was ready and your name was called. They'd give you a paper with the show's ID number. Then you were taken to your assigned TV. When you sat down, you plugged in the ID number for your show and it started. If there were two of you, you could also be assigned a TV that had two sets of head phones.

Source: My time as an Intern (when it was called The Museum of TV & Radio ).

 

[D'Snowth]

So "raise the roof" is outdated now?

 

[minor muppetz]

I don't think I've asked about this in this thread yet, but I know there are a number of celebrities who trademarked their names and/or images. But if a trademarked person were to become president, would they still be trademarked, or would they automatically become public domain? Seems like the names and images of all presidents are public domain, and it would be bad if sometime in the future there was a president who had to be skipped in, say, a poster of all the presidents, or if Disney couldn't add such a president to the Hall of Presidents attraction (or is that still at the theme parks?).

And what are the basic trademark rules regarding a trademarked person (just the same as trademark of a fictional character?)? If a trademarked person worked on something, would they (and their future heirs) get more than just residuals? It seems like it's usually not an issue when it comes to reference books on movies or television (I've read that Chuck Jones' name is trademarked, and he is referred to by name in many non-fiction books on Looney Tunes).

And according to TV Tropes, either George Lucas or Lucasfilm (and I guess Disney now) holds the trademark on the appearance of the Star Wars actors (TV Tropes mentions that Carrie Fisher has joked that she owes money when she looks in a mirror). So whenever the actors appear in non-Lucasfilm works, do the companies making them have to pay George Lucas (if not the actors giving him a portion of their residuals)?

Is there a website out there that lists all real people who are trademarked in some way (I had done a search but couldn't find one)? There are some people who I know are trademarked by name and/or image (Jim Henson, Elvis Presley, The Marx Brothers, Chuck Jones, I read that Sarah Palin tried to trademark her name but I don't know how that turned out), and there are some who I suspect are trademarked (Marylin Monroe, Betty Paige, Lucille Ball, Walt Disney, Dr. Seuss, most of the Looney Tunes directors besides Chuck Jones) but don't really know for sure.

 

[minor muppetz]

So I was reading that a Donkey Kong Country game was in development for the Nintendo Game Cube, but the game was never completed due to Rare, the company that made the previous Donkey Kong games, was bought by Microsoft, and after that it was a number of years before another game in the series was produced (and now they;re made by a company called Retro Studios). But why did Rare have to be the company to make them? I would think that Nintendo owns all copyrights on the Donkey Kong Franchise. Was there some sort of contract that only Rare could produce Donkey Kong Country games for a number of years or something?

 

[minor muppetz]

Does anybody know what the first film or TV program (or maybe even radio program) to have something cut from later releases/broadcasts was to have said cut scenes restored later on?

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm sorry . . . does Will Ferrell really deserve a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Sure he's done a lot of movies, but really, he's only done like one movie that was actually any good, and it's one of those movies that I like but everybody else here hates.

Okay, now why does Sofia Vergara deserve a star on the Walk of Fame? Yeah, she's on a successful and popular TV series, but other than that, her only other accomplishments I can think of are her producing another show and a movie, and she's got that movie with Reese Witherspoon coming out, and that's it. Outside of Hollywood, she has a furniture line for some reason.

 

[fuzzygobo]

It's the same politics that allow crappy bands into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, while other bands that have been around longer and had more influence continue to get ignored.

 

[mr3urious]

Would you rather have any of the Kardassians on the Walk instead? I sure as heck wouldn't.

 

[D'Snowth]

How can Amazing Race be older than me when it started in 2001?

 

[charlietheowl]

How can Amazing Race be older than me when it started in 2001?

I think it airs two seasons each full television season, so it has double the seasons what it should have.