Amusing Wikipedia Stuff [split topic]

[JoeyBananaduck]

The page about 1979 novelty single Luton Airport reads like an angry rant written by someone who feels they were financially wronged by the whole thing.
   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luton_Airport_(song)

Haha fucking hell, that's bleak. Picture the situation where you are that person making that edit almost 40 years on.

[asids]

Article about that woman from the Trivago advert, Gabrielle Miller:

International fame as a result of the Trivago commercials[edit]

Miller recounts that she received the invitation to audition for Trivago while touring in Greece. She was camped on a naturist beach, on the island of Crete, where she filmed a "rough version of the script". She has estimated that the number of her Trivago commercials is "close to 20", but that "not all have been released". They were produced in Berlin and Melbourne in a series of four- to five-day shoots.[1] Newspaper stories have portrayed her as a replacement for the long-established "Trivago Guy", Tim Williams, who has been the commercial face of the travel site since 2013.[11][12]

A "rough version of the script", eh? On a naturist beach? We can only speculate as to what that would be like...

[Small Man Big Horse]

From infamous drug cheat Ben Johnson's page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Johnson_(sprinter)#Late_1990s_and_beyond

In 1998, Johnson appeared in a charity race in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where he raced against a thoroughbred race horse, a harness racing horse and a stock car. Johnson finished third in the race.

[asids]

From the Wiki of the 2006 Wesley Snipes film The Detonator (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Detonator):

The Detonator is a 2006 American action film directed by Po Chih Leong, and starring Wesley Snipes, Silvia Colloca, Tim Dutton and William Hope. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on April 25, 2006. (Fun fact : some scenes show soccer team Steaua Bucharest's former stadium , Ghencea Stadium)

That's not really a "fun fact". That's trivia. Also, facts aren't "fun", generally. They're just facts.

[jenna appleseed]

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Parris

Hilarious: "Parris attempted to out himself in a late-night debate in the House of Commons in 1984, but failed when nobody noticed"

[Ferris]

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Parris

Hilarious: "Parris attempted to out himself in a late-night debate in the House of Commons in 1984, but failed when nobody noticed"

Desolation.

[buzby]

The page about 1979 novelty single Luton Airport reads like an angry rant written by someone who feels they were financially wronged by the whole thing.
   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luton_Airport_(song)

Looking at the edit history, it was almost certainly either the lead singer Bea Rowley or one of the 2 other backing singers who weren't Deena Payne (Viv from Emmerdale). Whoever it was did it from an Orange mobile phone though..
"It's a shit business...."

[Colin Sanction]

Genesis P Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_P-Orridge

Also known as DJ Doktor Megatrip, Megs'on, P. Ornot, PT001, Vernon Castle, Shirley Ghostman

[Rocket Surgery]

Some wag inserted the "Skrillex of his day" quote from Brooklyn Nine-Nine into the biography of John Phillip Sousa, which got a surprised chuckle out me yesterday. Removed already, unfortunately.

[doppelkorn]

Last week someone had vandalised Rick Moranis's page to include a bit about him taking over a (real) aircraft transmission firm under a pseudonym and running it bust (which also happened).

[jenna appleseed]

Somebody edited out the Manson stuff from Dennis Wilson's page & replaced it with
"1968–69: Keep moving
This doesn't concern you. You will keep moving. Go on, git!"
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dennis_Wilson&diff=815671068&oldid=815670806
(found via a bot that tweets out possibly vandalised pages https://twitter.com/wiki_vandalism)

Somebody elsewhere mentioned this guy & had google him to make sure weren't making it up
- historical Darwin awards candidate & a very grumpy French head Policeman
Franz Reichelt "remembered for jumping to his death from the Eiffel Tower while testing a wearable parachute of his own design."

"The Prefect of Police, Louis Lépine, was forced to make a statement to the press denying that Reichelt had been authorized to make the jump himself."

[Rocket Surgery]

Steve Marriot's Wiki page makes for some rather mind-scrambling reading:

Relationships and family

Marriott had liaisons with many women and had four known children with four of them, including one of his three wives. His first wife was model Jenny Rylance (1968–1973). He met American air hostess, Pam Stephens in 1975 and their son Toby was born in 1976. They married after Toby was born.[37] His third wife was Toni Poulton. They were married until Marriott's death in 1991. He also had three daughters. The first, Lesley, was conceived to fellow teen Sally Foulger before Marriott became famous. She was originally known as Sarah Lisa Foulger (born 9 June 1966). She was adopted out, but later found out who her father was and has been accepted by her siblings. The second was Tonya, with Canadian Terri Elias in 1984. His third daughter Mollie Mae was born in 1985 when Marriott was with his childhood friend Manon Piercey.[38]

Is this what a brain haemorrhage feels like? That's by no means the weirdest part.

[Isnt Anything]

Not being funny but that reads fine to me.

[Ferris]

From the article on Craven Cottage:

"The Putney End is the southernmost stand in the ground, nearest to Putney and backing onto Bishops Park. This generally hosts visiting and 'neutral' supporters,[101] though often this is mixed with home and away fans. When the ground became redeveloped, with the standing terraces replaced in 2003–04 the club applied for a licence to have a designated neutral area, in the rows closest to the Cottage, (nicknamed 'Little Switzerland'.[104]) Due to Fulham's history of having no segregation in the Putney End and no history of crowd trouble, the FA gave the club special dispensation to allow for this, making Fulham the only club currently in the UK to have such an area.[105] Flags of every nationality in the Fulham squad were hung from the roofing, although they were removed after the 2006–07 season commenced and there is now an electronic scoreboard in place. There is a plane tree in the corner by the river,[106] the only remaining tree in a league British football ground."

Something about using the genus of the tree, but not what type of tree it is implies they are not sure or that no ones bothered to check which I find really funny. Add in the neutral zone and I was very amused, especially with the boasting about really rubbish "only one in the uk" stuff.

[Petey Pate]

Mr. Potato Head has also acted as spokesman for several causes. In 1987, Mr. Potato Head surrendered his pipe to become the spokesperson for the American Cancer Society's annual "Great American Smokeout" campaign. He performed the role for several years. In 1992, he received a special award from the President's Council for Physical Fitness. In 1996, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head joined the League of Women Voters and their "Get Out to Vote" campaign. Mr. Potato Head is also the inspiration/main character of an upcoming fan film, Potato Headed.

Oh wait, the first part is apparently true.

For the past 32 years, the Great American Smokeout has made being a quitter something to celebrate. The event challenges tobacco users to quit for at least one day with the hope that single day will be the catalyst to quit completely.

In the past it has been celebrated with rallies and parades, and has been chaired by celebrities like Sammy Davis Jr., Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, and Mr. Potato Head.

[Isnt Anything]

a presumably true but nonetheless amusing snippet from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quatermass_II

One letter received by the production team before the transmission of episode five [of six] came from a woman in Haverfordwest who was concerned that she would never find out what happened in the end as the week before the final episode's transmission she was due to move to Ireland to spend the rest of her life in a convent; she wondered if the BBC could possibly write to her and let her know how the story resolved. After some debate as to whether the letter was a journalistic trick to uncover advance story details, Kneale eventually decided that it was genuine, and allowed Cartier to send a reply outlining the storyline's conclusion.

[gordoncolmstock]

Welsh language singer-songwriter Meic Stevens has one of the bleakest likely self-written articles:

Meic Stevens (born March 13, 1942) is a Welsh singer-songwriter often referred to as "the Welsh Dylan",[1] who has been compared with Syd Barrett. Stevens's songs have a mystical, faintly psychedelic flavour, and are mostly sung in his native Welsh language. Still largely unknown outside Wales, he was discovered by DJ Jimmy Savile, who saw him performing in a Manchester folk club in 1965. This led to Stevens recording his first single - with arranger John Paul Jones (later of Led Zeppelin) - for Decca Records that same year, though it sold badly.

In 1967 he suffered a nervous breakdown and retreated to his home village of Solva (in Pembrokeshire) to recuperate, and started to write songs in Welsh in a concerted effort to create a distinctive national pop music.

He made a one-off English language LP, Outlander, for Warner Bros. Records in 1970, but the contract was abandoned by mutual consent. Today, like his other LPs of the period, Gwymon (Seaweed) and Gog (Cuckoo), it is very rare and highly sought after.

Stevens can be found occasionally singing in certain pubs/hotels in Aberystwyth until the late hours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meic_Stevens

[jonno]

In February 2002, Norris was caught in Jack Duckworth (William Tarmey)'s bird cage, he was initially accused of fondling the pigeons, but it later emerged that he was attempting to milk the queen pigeon and so acquire mystical powers. Luckily Jack saw the funny side, and let Norris off, provided that he bought him a pint. Another humorous mix up followed soon after when Norris was accused of being a member of Sinn Féin by Ken Barlow (William Roache). However, after a hilarious turn of events it was revealed that Norris had been mistaken for Gerry Adams (who had appeared on a previous episode as a special guest).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norris_Cole_(Coronation_Street)

[Rolf Lundgren]

Søgaard is a good friend of Swedish-Nigerian artist Dr. Alban, retired footballer Thomas Brolin and table tennis player Jan-Ove Waldner. They are often seen together in Stockholm.[citation needed]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runar_S%C3%B8gaard

[Thomas]

I've just finished reading Nick Davies' Hack Attack. The Wikipedia article for James Weatherup, one of the journalists prosecuted for shitty tabloid malpractices, reads like a CV.

Weatherup has three children and is a keen tennis player who has represented his county of Essex at over 45 and over 50's level. A former LTA tennis coach, he plays regularly in Essex County Div 1 vets leagues. He has won the Essex County winter mixed over 45's title twice with Louise Baker and the men's over 55's doubles title with Wayne Lemoine and is the current over 55's singles champion. A keen golfer, he also helped edit and write The History of Romford Golf Club.

Then we waft over the gritty business of the hacking scandal in a few lines, and move on to -

The judge described him as 'a distinguished journalist'. Since leaving the News of the World he started a new career in PR and looked after high-profile clients like actress Danniella Westbrook and millionaire Alfie Best, who owns the Rare Cow steak house chain, West London's Vinyl Bar and Wyldecrest Parks, the UK's largest lodge and park home company. In 2015 he was appointed chief reporter for the Central European News Agency and sports editor of the London and Surrey Times newspaper.He was head-hunted by a major PR firm in Soho and is now a senior account manager at Keith Bishop Associates in London's West End.

[Ferris]

The article on Captain John's Seafood Restaurant (a boat-restaurant in Toronto harbour operated by a local eccentric) is great. There's an independent movie in it somewhere. Worth reading the whole thing; the article is full of gems.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_John%27s_Harbour_Boat_Restaurant

Here's the final line from the opening paragraph.

Captain John's helped begin a gentrification process that ultimately claimed it as a victim.[1][2]

This is (inadvertently?) a perfectly written paragraph, with heaps of pathos and a subtle callback perfectly encapsulating the futility of running a restaurant:

In the 1970s and 1980s, the floating restaurant attracted prominent diners such as Bob Hope,[10] Brian Mulroney, Mel Lastman, Robert Campeau, The Village People and Steve Stavro, and was a sought after location for weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events.[10][17] However, in its latter years it lost favour as the city's gastronomical scene became more sophisticated and diverse[11] and by 2002 Letnik was seeking bankruptcy protection[10] Later reviews from local papers rated its culinary fare as average,[18] despite the restaurant's boasts of having "the best seafood in town!", and reviews by patrons were decidedly mixed. The restaurant's clientele was primarily tourists with many bus tours stopping at the venue, as well as wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs and other parties.

After being impounded under marine law and having its engine removed so it couldn't "flee port" prior to paying its fines (surely the first time a dining establishment has been immobilized under Marine Law), it went bust and no longer exists. This is the closing shot, complete with "where are they now"-style text updates as "Carry on my Wayward Son" plays over the credits.

The ship was towed across Lake Ontario and through the Welland Canal to Port Colborne, where Marine Recycling Corporation has its scrapyard, in a journey that began at 10:30 am and concluded at 2:15 the following morning.[36][37] Letnick was invited to travel aboard the ship for its entire final voyage, as a paid consultant, and stood on the ship's deck, waving to the crowd assembled on the dock, as the ship was towed out of its slip.[38] Prior to the ship's departure, Letnick was thanked by Harbourmaster Angus Armstrong and Councillor Norm Kelly for his contribution to the city in creating the waterfront's first attraction at a time when it was an industrial area neglected by tourists and residents alike. Letnik was given a framed photograph of himself, in captain's uniform, in front of the ship in the 1970s and thanked for "a mission well-served and not soon forgotten."[1][37] The day before the ship sailed, Letnik received a reminder from the city that he still owed $814,656.12 in back property taxes.[1][39]

[spamwangler]

briliant

[thecuriousorange]

The page on the "Royal Welsh Show" gets a bit Partridge.

Given the number of farming people at the venue it is regarded as a vital opportunity to attract new business as well as to network with current customers. It is not unusual, for instance, to see an exhibition trade stand selling manure spreaders sited next to a stand selling luxury sports cars.

[Ferris]

On the preparation of ancient grain, freekeh.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freekeh

The wheat is harvested while the grains are yellow and the seeds still are soft; it is then piled and sun-dried. The piles are carefully set on fire...

It's the "carefully" that gets me.

[AsparagusTrevor]

The piles are carefully set on fire...

This was before Anusol.

[SteveDave]

About Barry George and his previous pseudonyms:

"In the early 1980s he appeared in a local newspaper claiming to be the winner of the British Karate Championship. He gave his name as 'Paul Gadd' and his occupation as 'a singer with the band Xanadu and a session musician with the Electric Light Orchestra'. He was exposed as a fraud by another newspaper. He then assumed the identity of the cousin of Electric Light Orchestra singer Jeff Lynne and created a fictional company called Xanadu Constructional and Mechanical Engineers"

"He assumed the identity of 'Steve Majors' and claimed to be a stuntman; he convinced a stadium to stage a show in which he would jump over four double-decker buses on roller skates; he injured himself attempting this stunt"

"George had been found in the grounds of Kensington Palace, at that time the home of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. He had been discovered hiding in the grounds wearing a balaclava and carrying 50 feet of rope, a 12-inch hunting knife,[6] and in possession of a poem he had written to Prince Charles"

Apart from the sexual assaults he seemed like a great guy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_George#Previous_criminal_convictions_and_investigations

[doppelkorn]

FC United used to have a keeper called Barry George (who was captain of the England partially-sighted XI).

We had a song for him that went (to the tune of I'm Coming Out):

Free Barry George
He wants the world to know,
He didn't kill Dando

[purlieu]

They were "sold at the door" to the crowd on the way out. That's the usual order of things.

I see. And the gap in the space-time continuum?

[NoSleep]

I see. And the gap in the space-time continuum?

Order it on the the way in, pick it up on the way out. Natch.

[Bad Ambassador]

Not Wikipedia but Genome - the entry for a screening of Laurel and Hardy film Saps at Sea in 1992.

When work at the horn-testing factory gets too much for Ollie, Stan calls for Dr Finlayson. He diagnoses "homophobia" and prescribes peace, quiet, goat's milk and an ocean voyage.