# Cecil Adams unmasked? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 22, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497 "2012-03-22T13:37:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![branko7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@branko7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/branko7)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/1 "2012-03-22T13:37:15Z")
Apologies if this was discussed in February, when this was fresh. I can’t seem to view older thread topics. … Say it ain’t so! I don’t want to have this knowledge! (Like my age-phobic friend’s age.) But parts 1 and 2 of a post on the Straight Dope Chicago were signed by Cecil, and part 3 was signed by Ed Zotti. [http://chicago.straightdope.com/sdccensus3.php](http://chicago.straightdope.com/sdccensus3.php) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/2 "2012-03-22T13:52:28Z")
What are you talking about? They are all signed by Ed. And they always were. (Shh.) ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/3 "2012-03-22T15:43:22Z")
Ah, I see the problem – the front page of Straight Dope Chicago attributes the articles to Cecil Adams; the articles are signed by Ed Zotti. I understand your confusion. It’s a formatting error – let me go talk to the responsible parties and we’ll get the attributions straightened out. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/4 "2012-03-22T15:57:43Z")
Do we have proof that he even has a mask? ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/5 "2012-03-22T17:03:57Z")
Really? We’re still doing this? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/6 "2012-03-22T17:52:05Z")
Even if “Cecil Adams” is a pen name for Ed Zotti, the attributions should still be consistent. You wouldn’t speak of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, and its sequel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Samuel Clements”. ---
**Author:** ![Cheryl44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@Cheryl44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheryl44)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/7 "2012-03-26T21:58:45Z")
Clemens, not Clements. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/8 "2012-03-27T00:36:42Z")
> [@Cheryl44](#): > > Clemens, not Clements. Don’t tell samclem. He’ll be totally confused. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/9 "2012-03-27T00:42:24Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Don’t tell samclem. He’ll be totally confused. And change his moniker to Martwain. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/10 "2012-03-27T00:43:10Z")
> [@Cheryl44](#): > > Clemens, not Clements. Thank you, my dear. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bootstrap\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d2c977/32.png) [@Bootstrap\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootstrap_Bill)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/11 "2012-05-14T03:15:46Z")
> [@branko7](#): > > Apologies if this was discussed in February, when this was fresh. I can’t seem to view older thread topics. > … > Say it ain’t so! I don’t want to have this knowledge! (Like my age-phobic friend’s age.) But parts 1 and 2 of a post on the Straight Dope Chicago were signed by Cecil, and part 3 was signed by Ed Zotti. > [http://chicago.straightdope.com/sdccensus3.php](http://chicago.straightdope.com/sdccensus3.php) Maybe Ed decided it was time to come clean and this was the easiest way to do it. Hey Ed, if you’re reading this, any chance you might be able to team up with the Mythbusters and do a special or two? I’ll bet the ratings for those episodes would go through the roof. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/12 "2012-05-14T05:01:36Z")
I suspect that the audience for Mythbusters is already significantly larger than that for the Straight Dope, and that most of the biggest fans of the Straight Dope are already fans of Mythbusters anyway, and so an appearance by Ed and/or Cecil would do very little for the ratings of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Bootstrap\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d2c977/32.png) [@Bootstrap\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootstrap_Bill)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/13 "2012-05-14T14:55:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I suspect that the audience for Mythbusters is already significantly larger than that for the Straight Dope, and that most of the biggest fans of the Straight Dope are already fans of Mythbusters anyway, and so an appearance by Ed and/or Cecil would do very little for the ratings of the show. You’re probably right, but the purpose would be to bring another urban legend “legend” to the mix and see what he can do. Obviously the decision to do it is totally up to Ed and the producers of Mythbusters. Maybe Ed can start his own show if/when he makes the decision to stop hiding. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/14 "2012-05-14T14:59:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I suspect that the audience for Mythbusters is already significantly larger than that for the Straight Dope, and that most of the biggest fans of the Straight Dope are already fans of Mythbusters anyway, and so an appearance by Ed and/or Cecil would do very little for the ratings of the show. Are you kidding? Cecil the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent was better looking than our Cecil. He wouldn’t appear on his very own Straight Dope TV show for fearing of shattering the camera and sending children, cats, and goldfish into screaming fits across the land. He dasn’t appear or Mythbusters would be retroactively cancelled from the space-time continuum. Ed, on the other hand, is so bland and boring that it’s not clear that the camera would even register his presence. ---
**Author:** ![Bootstrap\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d2c977/32.png) [@Bootstrap\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootstrap_Bill)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/15 "2012-05-14T15:04:40Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Are you kidding? Cecil the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent was better looking than our Cecil. He wouldn’t appear on his very own Straight Dope TV show for fearing of shattering the camera and sending children, cats, and goldfish into screaming fits across the land. He dasn’t appear or Mythbusters would be retroactively cancelled from the space-time continuum. > > Ed, on the other hand, is so bland and boring that it’s not clear that the camera would even register his presence. Cancelled? Done right, this could be the biggest show they have ever done. Prove me wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/16 "2012-05-14T15:41:28Z")
> [@Bootstrap\_Bill](#): > > Cancelled? Done right, this could be the biggest show they have ever done. > > Prove me wrong. It’s your proposal-prove it right. ---
**Author:** ![Bootstrap\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d2c977/32.png) [@Bootstrap\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootstrap_Bill)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-unmasked/616497/17 "2012-05-14T16:06:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It’s your proposal-prove it right. The only way to do that would be to get both sides to agree to try it. Anyways, the idea has been posted. let’s see if they like it.