Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with famous

Junior High isn't easy if you're an Adolf

jepler — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:16:05 -0800

I'm looking for writings about experiences that arise from having a name similar to a famous individual. Online sources preferred, but a trip to the library would be OK.

How to get famous in 30 days?

GIMG — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:25:22 -0800

How could one acquire some degree of fame in 30 days? For a project of his, a documentarian has challenged me to become famous in 1 month - and as foolish as I am, I accepted. What are some ways someone foolish enough to take on this challenge could acquire some degree of fame within 30 days (local/cult fame accepted)? Part of the challenge is the lack of no discernible talents or resources, and fame is measured by the degree of mentions in local media, blogs, etc. (It would be preferable to be not despised, as well.)

What dead rockstar do I resemble enough to be for my friend's 27-Club party?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:12:33 -0800

I need to dress up for a friend's party as "my favorite dead rockstar." Given my looks (brunette and curvy) and my budget (low), who can I be? According to the invitation, the definition of "rock star" is being stretched considerably: Beethoven, Django Reinhardt, and Frank Sinatra would all qualify. Basically, if someone was connected to music, and is famously dead, I think I'm okay.

I would really like to work with my looks rather than against them. I'm white, and pale on top of that. I have fairly long, wavy brown hair, and although I can do it in a few different styles, I'd rather not wear a wig. I have some fun playing around with makeup, so I would be happy to experiment with different styles depending on the suggested look or time period.

But my main distinguishing feature is an unusually curvy hourglass figure -- a 36DD bust and a waist-hip ratio of about 0.65. I am around a size 10, not technically plus-size, but I generally read that way due to my large bust/hips and relatively small waist. My personality is pretty demure and quiet, but my body nowadays has more in common with a comic book.

Right now, all I can come up with is Mama Cass. However, that's not really attractive or even practical -- these outfits will be worn on a bar crawl, so muumuus are less than ideal, and I don't want to be stuck carrying a ham sandwich.

My budget is ideally around $20, although it could go higher if I could reuse the piece next month for a Halloween costume. (Either way, please no Joan Holloway suggestions -- similar body type, but everything else is wrong.)

Thank you!

Help me find "Living Famously"

crossoverman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:07:27 -0800

Can anyone help me track down a documentary series called "Living Famously"? That link goes to the Australia ABC site which screened the series in about 2004.

Details of the series here from 2002 MIPCOM:

LIVING FAMOUSLY
Documentary/ 25 x 60’
Language: English
Producer: BBC
Cast: James Dean, Marvin Gaye, Laurel
and Hardy, Peter Sellers, Karen Carpenter
Delivery status: in production
Year of production: 2002, Country of
origin: UK
A stunning series of biographical portraits
revealing the true stories of the lives of 25
of the greatest names in international
entertainment.

(From the ABC Australia site: Camera/Director: Cassie Farrell)

It hasn't screened in Australia since then, nor can I find any reference to it on the BBC site. I am particularly interested in the episodes that covered classic Hollywood, because the collection paints an interesting portrait of how entangled the lives of certain celebrities were during the 30s and 40s.

Is this series for sale anywhere? Online? Torrents? I am actually happy to pay for it if it's for sale anywhere, but my Google Fu isn't working if that's true.

I almost doubted the series existed (as a series, I thought it might have been old A&E bio episodes repurposed for screening here) - couldn't quite remember its name, until I searched the ABC Australia site (Lana Turner, who I knew had been profiled, led me to its name).

Now I find it odd I can barely find it referenced anywhere - ie. it doesn't seem to be on IMDB at all!

Help in ID-ing a singer from the '30s.

Mimidae — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:49:48 -0800

I am trying to find information about a famous singer- not sure of the spelling- Gali Gerci or Galli Gerchi. My m-i- l said she was famous in England (~ mid 1930's) and she recalls her father getting her mother a record of her singing Peer Gynt's "Solveig's Song". Can anyone help- at least w/ the correct spelling?

I need famous drinks from famous books.

Sully — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:16:33 -0800

I need famous drinks from famous books. Kind of like how Holden Caulfield always drank Tom Collinses in Catcher in the Rye. Or how the Famous Five always had Tea with their scones. Thanks!

I'm Famous on the Internets

divabat — Sat, 30 May 2009 08:31:07 -0800

People like scene queens or lady bloggers who seem to be more famous for their personality and style than anything they do specifically: how did they get famous in the first place? Is there a term for that, aside from "famous for being famous"? There's been a growing group of people online who I notice are famous for being themselves. They're not the only people being "themselves" online by a long shot, not even when you consider their rather alternative style, but some of these people have garnered considerable fame - being asked to model for known brands, speaking in conferences, being featured in magazines. They get called "icons" and "visionaries", but (aside from a few exceptions) there doesn't seem to be anything that they do exactly, aside from taking pretty photos and writing about their travel adventures.

Some of the people I mean include Gala Darling, Audrey Kitching, Jeffree Star, Raquel Reed, Zui Suicide, and anyone who tends to associate with them. Most of them have some sort of modelling-based job, or do something related to fashion or music, but that came after they were already Internet famous.

How did they get famous in the first place? Where was the tipping point between starting their blog/Buzznet profile/MySpace account and getting enough of a fanbase to be asked to present at SXSW? How do they make a living? (I especially still don't understand how Gala Darling makes enough to travel across 2-3 continents every few moths. She says she mainly sells site advertising, but how does she make enough to live off?) At least with people like Britney Spears there's the music angle, but it doesn't seem to even apply here.

Is there a term for the sort of marketing they're successfully using? I was thinking "personality branding", but Googling that isn't getting me anything more specific than the usual personal-branding-for-blogs stuff.

How do I translate "Bavarian Hiasl"?

RedReplicant — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:46:16 -0800

Translating from a Bavarian Legend - what is a Hiesel/Hiesl/Hiasl? I've been working on identifying a drawing in the small museum here at my university, and I've concluded that it's a picture of the ghost of Matthias Klostermayer, the "Bavarian Hiasl" appearing to a poacher. Here's a link. I've found some good German biographies of Klostermayer, but what I haven't found is a translation for his title. Anyone know what a Hiesel or Hiasl or Hiesl is? Many thanks for any input!

Famous Cat Fanciers

Houyhnhnm — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:09:33 -0800

Which famous people love cats? I am looking for quotes, photographs, and/or anecdotes about famous people who love (or loved) cats.

For example, the article on Wikipedia about Stanley Kubrick says that "Kubrick brought his cats on to film sets and editing rooms with him in order to spend more time with them."

Where is the film Ross Kemp made on STDs?

pootler — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:29:08 -0800

Ross Kemp on...... condoms and STDs? I remember seeing this video a while ago, and then promptly forgetting it. Ross Kemp, in a very early acting job, made a film for the British armed forces about preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Today I found out that someone I know was in it, playing an Amsterdam hooker. :-) Now of course, that I want to see the film again, I can't find it! Google and youtube have failed me. Does anyone know where it is?

collection of memorable lines/paragraphs in english literature?

krautland — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:39:42 -0800

collection of memorable lines/paragraphs in english literature? I'm trying to find blogs/websites/books highlighting the most recognizable/memorable/famous passages from contemporary as well as historical fiction. google is throwing a heap of gunk at me but few quality results. any suggestions?

How come we don't have another Einstein of our era?

rintako — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:11:55 -0800

How come we don't have another Einstein of our era? What I mean to say is in the past we have many famous people that have revolutionized our world:

Tesla, Einstein, Curie, Newton, Edison, etc

Why haven't we seen people like these in the past 10-20 years yet?

Please help.

srs — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:15:10 -0800

Are there any famous or not-so-famous epidemics with blindness as an indicative symptom? If so, which? How and/or why? Also, how could you make the argument that blindness is an epidemic, if schizophrenia were to "cure" blindness, or vice versa? I'm sorry if I should have posted that one separately in the "religion & philosophy" category.

Bob Fleischburg's Gettysburg Address, as Read By Lincoln?

Shepherd — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:46:21 -0800

When did professional speech-ghostwriting start, and how confident can I be that those who delivered "classic" speeches and letters actually wrote them themselves? I was heartily impressed by Sherman's letter to Atlanta, as linked in this Metafilter thread, and was thinking about it when it occurred to me that I assume that all speeches, letters, and discourse beyond a kind of fuzzy 1950-ish date were actually created by the person that delivered/sent it.

By contrast, I don't think anybody expects that even the most "inspirational" people in public life and politics actually write their own material these days; U.S. politicians certainly don't now, nor, I expect, do the leaders of corporations or huge social movements.

So how far back can I be confident that public figures actually did write their own speeches? Or did they ever?

You can bring a whore to culture...

thebrokenmuse — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:19:07 -0800

Are there any groups like the Algonquin Round Table around today? It seems like groups of famous friends and visionaries used to be common in the past (Anais Nin/Henry Miller/Picasso, Lewis/Tolkien, The Vicious Circle, ) but it doesn't seem to be the case today. Are there any groups like that today?

I am also accept groups of interesting friends who might be on the horizon of becoming famous in whatever field they are involved in, with their friendship helping their sucess.

Hollywood's finest?

messylissa — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:55:27 -0800

Famous examples of personality disorders? I'm working on presentation of personality disorders for a graduate class, and I want it to be slightly more interesting than the book reports I've spent the last 4 weeks listening to. I remember my undergraduate professor having some awesome pop culture examples of the different personality disorders, but I'm coming up short on several of the disorders (and yes, I know I could email him, and yes, I've tried Google).

So far, I've got examples for Schizoid, Antisocial, and Histrionic Personality Disorders. So....what are your awesome/entertaining examples of:

-Paranoid Personality Disorder
-Schizotypal Personality D/o
-Borderline Personality D/o
-Narcissistic Personality D/o
-Avoidant Personality D/o
-Dependent Personality D/o
-Obsessive Compulsive Personality D/o

Actual famous people, movie/tv characters, whatever, are all great.

Why do some actors use their own names in TV shows?

ranglin — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:26:42 -0800

Why do some actors use their own names in TV shows? To clarify, I mean an actor playing a role, but using his own first name. The two examples that come immediately to mind are Michael J. Fox playing a "Michael" in Spin City, and Charlie Sheen playing a "Charlie" in both Spin City and also Two and a Half Men.

This came up between my wife and I today and we can't work it out. It seems fairly inconsistent, with some actors doing it, and others not. At first we thought it might be a fame thing (like calling it the Bill Cosby show or the Lucille Ball show, to make sure your audience knows what they're getting), but other equally-famous came-from-the-movies actors do it as well and I don't see it with them (think Keifer Sutherland in 24, or James Caan in Las Vegas).

So, what's the story here? Does anyone have any insight?

(I promise my next AskMe won't be about TV shows, my history is getting a little one-dimensional!)

How do I find a star-for-hire in London?

Elle Vator — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:52:52 -0800

How do I find a list of publicists for stars of the theatrical stage or screen? Basically, I can be a hero if I can find celebrities currently in London, England recognizable to a Canadian audience. We need to hire them for a charming bit on our show... but the ones on our short list have not turned out. Therefore, I am now looking to get in touch with an appropriate publicist who has LOTS of clients and who can make suggestions as to who we should use, and then give them to us. ...or directly in touch with a celebrity or agent or manager, or a website or a magic genie who can get me the perfect happen-to-be-in-London celebs (we actually need three) within two weeks.

Yes, this is my third question alone these lines - the good news is you guys are giving me GREAT advice. What would you do if you were me and in this situation? Where would you go? Who would you call?

Thanks so much... ElleVator

Don't give up the day job

Iteki — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:05:38 -0800

Before they were stars (pre-fame jobs of celebs please) I work with young job-seekers and I want to come up with what some contemporary celebs did before they became famous. Harrison Ford. for example, is a carpenter by trade. I found a site with lot of celebs, but to be honest, a lot of has-beens, B-stars and no cites. I don't think that "kids today" are going to feel wildly inspired by Dan Akroyd or Benny Hill. Also, most of the listings are overly glamorous, such as "was a model before she was an actor" or "had a bit part in show X".

These kids are in europe, so the celebs should be world famous, but I am also open to regional superstars from non-English speaking countries. There's no age limit, but there's a freshness rating, where celebs like Harrison Ford, Bruce Springsteen etc are timelessly cool. Musicians, athletes, actors, politicians, authors, it's all good!
Ideally, I would love a link to a cite for the factoid too.

Look at me! Look at me!

barrakuda — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:57:36 -0800

What are your favorite celebrity gossip blogs?

Most famous typo

Plutor — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:51:21 -0800

What is the most famous typo in history? (And I don't mean malapropisms like "misunderestimated" or Kerry's botched joke.) Maybe "most notorious" or "most influential" would be a little easier to answer. Are there any typos that have had international consequences?

Lifestyles of the rich and stupid?

jdroth — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 14:29:39 -0800

What are some of the stupid things rich and famous people have spent their money on? I know about Michael Jackson and his ten AIBOs, for example. What are some other examples? Actors, politicians, athletes, past and present — tell me about their excesses. [This is lazyweb research for a future article.]

Are there famous Iranian men?

BuddhaInABucket — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 17:14:31 -0800

Are there any famous Iranian males who are well known among non-Iranians in the west (especially the USA)? Any kind of celebrity will do: actors, musicians, artists, authors, or other kinds of TV personalities like newscasters. It occurred to me that there are lots of famous Iranian women- Shohreh Aghdashloo, Anousheh Ansari, Rudi Bakhtiar, Christiane Amanpour, Azar Nafisi, and Marjane Satrapi, just to name a few off the top of my head- but besides the author Reza Aslan, and actor Adrian Pasdar (who is half German), I could not think of a single Iranian male who might be well-known.

Bonus points if they don't play a terrorist on TV.

Famous childless people

vizsla — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:15:47 -0800

Who are the most famous people of recent times that were married but never had (or will have) children?

Where did it all go wrong?

ChazB — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 06:32:46 -0800

Are there any confirmed and documented cases of famous people that have lost everything for one reason or another and ended up broke, alone, and homeless? Guns 'n' Roses' Sweet Child o' Mine just played on the radio here at work and it got some of us talking about how great they were. I make a joke about how poor, crazy Axl Rose was going to end up either dead in a hotel room full of hookers and blow, or broke and homeless wandering the streets of LA singing for spare change. It made me wonder if anything like this has ever happened before.