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Is there a way to watch the Michael Jackson memorial AFTER it's over, online?

jenfullmoon — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:23:42 -0800

Is there a way to watch the Michael Jackson memorial AFTER it's over, online? Stuck in a work meeting alllllllllll morning, no way to watch it live. Does anyone know of a way I can watch it online later?

What's the movie where that street musician sings "Ben"?

Kirklander — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:42:09 -0800

What's the name of this short documentary film? It follows a street musician on the NYC subway. Then he sets up his boom box and sings an amazing version of Michael Jackson's "Ben."

I'm Michael, not Mike. How do I get this into people's heads?

madcaptenor — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:41:58 -0800

I'm Michael, not Mike. How do I make sure people know this? (Extra degree of difficulty: for a few years I was a girl, so I'm sensitive about names in some weird ways.) How do I get people to call me Michael, instead of Mike?

I was born Michael; that's what's on my birth certificate. My parents insisted that I be called Michael, at least until I decided that I wanted to be called something else. At some point I must have started going by Mike, but I don't remember it.

I used a different name for four years, a name which was unambiguously female, because I identified as transgendered. (I don't identify that way any more, but I also wouldn't say I identify as entirely male, whatever that means.) A bit under a year ago I went back to using my birth name. I told everyone to call me "Michael". I did think about using a less obviously gendered name, but I couldn't find one I liked. Also, I never legally changed my name, so it was the easiest thing to do.

For a while, people did call me "Michael". But I've noticed that a few people have started calling me "Mike". That's not my name. I haven't talked to them about it, because they're for the most part people I'm not going to see much of in the future, so it's not worth my trouble. But I foresee it bothering me more and more in the future. (Perhaps I think of "Mike" as me-as-a-teenager and am trying to draw a distinction between him and me.)

So, the question: how do I get people to call me Michael? Preferably without seeming too pompous. And preferably without actually talking to people, because I find it difficult to assert that Michael is my name when I spent a while not too long ago asserting that it was not my name.

And also, what do you think about people named "Mike" as opposed to people named "Michael"?

Sort of a sub-question: I'm a graduate student, I'm teaching a summer course (it's my own course; I've been a TA before) and this is the first time I've taught since changing my name back. I think I want my students to call me Michael, because:
1. I don't have a PhD yet, so "Dr. Lastname" is inaccurate;
2. I'm not a professor, so "Professor Lastname" is inaccurate;
3. "Mr. Lastname", because of the aforementioned gender identity issues, sounds like a lie.
The culture at my institution seems to be that the undergrads call TAs by their first names and faculty "Dr. X" or "Professor X"; a graduate student who's the sole instructor for a course kind of seems like a gray area, but I've already gotten one e-mail from a student which began "Mr. Lastname".

And yes, I've seen this post (by a woman who has a name pronounced like mine! and this one on Dave vs. David, which includes the wonderful comment "If you're not upper management, and you say you prefer "Michael" or "David" or "Gabriel", you're gay."

How did Michael know?

DecemberBoy — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:15:34 -0800

Question about The Godfather Part II: How exactly does Michael figure out that Hyman Roth was behind the shooting at his home?

This is one of my favorite movies, and I've seen it many, many times, but I've always missed this plot point. OK, so Michael's home is shot up. He assumes (or at least appears to assume) Frank Pentangeli is behind it, because of the grievances Frank expressed at the beginning of the movie. Next we see him visiting Hyman Roth, and telling Roth that "Frank Pentangeli is a dead man", to which Roth replies "he's small potatoes". Then we see him visiting Frank Pentangeli at his father's old home, and telling him that he knows it was Hyman Roth. How does he know? Does he assume it's Pentangeli until he talks to him, and then it dawns on him that it was Roth during their conversation?

Trying to re-read the entire Elric of Melniboné saga!

Byun-o-matic — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:44:27 -0800

Help me make sense of Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné series! I am attempting to re-read the saga from the beginning, in chronological order, including all the new stores/novels published since the DAW paperbacks in the 1970s. The problem is, the Elric stories are so scattered around in different collections that my head is spinning trying to figure out which books I need. I have two Eternal Champion series volumes (Song of the Black Sword and Stealer of Souls), but what else would I need to complete the saga? The Wikipedia entry on the series is a little hard to follow. Any help much appreciated!

Michael Jackson song?

santogold — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:09:02 -0800

Name that Michael Jackson song: What is the name of the song that has sirens (either tornado or air raid, not police) in the song? Thanks!

Where can I find a list of Michael Hedges' shows?

jtoth — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:56:12 -0800

I'm looking for a (hopefully) complete list of Michael Hedges concerts by date and venue. I have been tagging my music collection and I came across a pile of live performances that are dated but I'd like to expand the venue info in my tags if I can find it.

When is Michael Phelps competing?

null terminated — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:41:02 -0800

I would like a list of the times Michael Phelps' gold medal races will be shown on NBC (EST). I can't seem to find this information online, or even the events in which he's competing. I can't use NBC's Olympic site to watch video because I can't install Silverlight.

Is Michael Lost?

fiTs — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:18:01 -0800

Where is Michael on TV's Lost? Harold Perrineau, who plays Michael on TV's Lost, is listed in the credits for the latest episode of the show, "The Constant," but he never actually appears on screen, does he? Why do you think that is?

Ba di duhm dum, da di da da

tmcw — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:45:18 -0800

So I've become pretty obsessed with 'I Want You Back' - the Jackson 5 song. How do I play and write that kind of music? I know that the 5 were essentially a combination of Motown and bubblegum pop, and that 'I Want You Back' and some of their other hits were written by The Corporation. I'm there interested in the music theory / general idea / themes of motown and anything related. Especially the guitar work in the aforementioned song - how that is formed and composed, generally?

Thanks!

Repository of Michael Chabon essays?

msali — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:44:40 -0800

Trying to find a Michael Chabon essay on regret and unhapppiness from Details magazine. Yesterday at the gym, I was perusing a Details magazine, when I happened upon a Michael Chabon essay wherein he discussed growing up, 'tristeza', getting married, getting divorced, etc. There was a neat little summary about how one goes about developing regret, which I would love to have for myself (I have a young and reckless family member who might respond to such words). Unfortunately, I didn't get a look at the cover (there was an article about influential men), so I can't offer any guidance as to issue numbers. I am hoping that somebody can point me in the direction of a copy of that essay online (I can't find it). Hope me?

How do I get a 5 o'clock shadow?

russmail — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 10:32:51 -0800

ShavingFilter: Having a 5 o'clock shadow really works for me (clean shaven makes me look really young and I'm not into beards of any sort). So how do I maintain a 5 o'clock shadow look (or, as it was called in the 80s, designer stubble)? The best I've come up with so far is that I shave with the beard trimmer attachment of my Braun Flex. This basically gives me a shave, but just not too close. However, it's a rather slow and tedious method, so I was wondering if anyone else has a solution, or a recommendation for a shaver that doesn't cut too close.