# Name that entertainment thingy from this vague reference? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426 "2008-10-31T14:14:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/41 "2008-10-31T18:29:22Z")
I took a screenwriting class a few years ago and the teacher was talking about how actors can bring something special to a role that surprises the writer, and he was trying to come up with a specific actor. Teacher: Like that black guy… Student: Don Cheadle? Teacher: Right, Don Cheadle. (Teacher and student were both black, by the way.) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/42 "2008-10-31T18:47:50Z")
That’d also go a long way to explaining why Cheadle gets to play Rhode in the next Iron Man movie… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/43 "2008-10-31T19:11:40Z")
A la the OP, my neighbor says “the black guy, with the voice?” “James Earl Jones?” “No, he was in films with Ashley Judd?” “Morgan Freeman!” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/44 "2008-10-31T19:45:32Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I took a screenwriting class a few years ago and the teacher was talking about how actors can bring something special to a role that surprises the writer, and he was trying to come up with a specific actor. > > Teacher: Like that black guy… > Student: Don Cheadle? > Teacher: Right, Don Cheadle. In _Ocean’s 11_? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/45 "2008-10-31T19:51:38Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Oh and there were other funny episodes. I liked the episode where Gina dated a puppeteer and then broke up with him, causing him to add a slutty giraffe character obviously meant to represent her to the show. Especially the running gag where the boss of the magazine keeps trying to figure out why the mayor on the puppet show wears both glasses and a monocle. “Is it some sort of joke?” ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/46 "2008-10-31T19:58:22Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Kids In The Hall. Did you stab him? > > Too obscure? For anyone who thought this was too obscure, this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-LxmrFm40](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-LxmrFm40) is worth watching. Even if it was spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/47 "2008-10-31T20:05:27Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > In _Ocean’s 11_? I think it was shortly after _Traffic_. In any case, I was amazed that “Don Cheadle” was the first and only suggestion and that teacher and student were both so nonchalant about it. Black guy? Don Cheadle! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/48 "2008-10-31T20:16:41Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I think it was shortly after _Traffic_. In any case, I was amazed that “Don Cheadle” was the first and only suggestion and that teacher and student were both so nonchalant about it. Black guy? Don Cheadle! I thought I’d heard somewhere that it was Don Cheadle’s idea to give his character the cockney accent in _Ocean’s 11_. You said the class was talking about an actor bringing something special to a role, so I took a guess. ---
**Author:** ![Dosipede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dosipede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dosipede)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/49 "2008-10-31T20:54:13Z")
For some reason, this thread makes me think of this: “You’re completely under siege. Just like that guy in that… that movie… What’s it called?” “Under Siege?” “No.” “Under Siege 2?” “No.” “Under Siege 3?” “That’s the one.” “I don’t think they made Under Siege 3.” “Hey, I can dream, can’t I?” ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/50 "2008-10-31T21:02:20Z")
A guy I used to go to school with told me he was looking for an album that had a certain song on it by a guy whose name he couldn’t remember. I said “Leonard Cohen?” His jaw dropped and he looked at me like I had read his mind. Maybe I had- the name suddenly popped into my head- I’m not even a fan and I think I can only name one song by him. Not sure where it came from. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/51 "2008-10-31T21:13:20Z")
> [@Dosipede](#): > > For some reason, this thread makes me think of this: > > “You’re completely under siege. Just like that guy in that… that movie… What’s it called?” > “Under Siege?” > “No.” > “Under Siege 2?” > “No.” > “Under Siege 3?” > “That’s the one.” > “I don’t think they made Under Siege 3.” > “Hey, I can dream, can’t I?” “I saw this in a movie about a bus that was _speed_ing around a city and had to keep its _speed_ up, because if its _speed_ went under 55, it would explode. I think it was called ‘The Bus That Couldn’t Slow Down.’” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/52 "2008-10-31T21:45:46Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > For anyone who thought this was too obscure, this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-LxmrFm40](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-LxmrFm40) is worth watching. Even if it was spoiled. Boy, I’m silly thinking KITH would be too obscure for Dopers. Sorry 'bout the spoilage. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/53 "2008-10-31T23:00:33Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > A co-worker asks, “Whose the guy? The black guy-- with the freckly face. . . with Brad Pitt’s wife’s head.” Whose the girl? The chinese girl-- with the freckly face… who cut off that guy’s head. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/54 "2008-10-31T23:17:24Z")
What’s that movie about a town in which a guy and a girl share possession of Paris or something? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/55 "2008-10-31T23:19:33Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Whose the girl? The chinese girl-- with the freckly face… who cut off that guy’s head. Oh sheesh, that’s easy- Lucy Liu in KILL BILL I. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/56 "2008-10-31T23:26:21Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > For anyone who thought this was too obscure, this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-LxmrFm40](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-LxmrFm40) is worth watching. Even if it was spoiled. I used to watch KITH all the time & I’ve never seen that skit. Loves it! ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/57 "2008-10-31T23:28:50Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > “I saw this in a movie about a bus that was _speed_ing around a city and had to keep its _speed_ up, because if its _speed_ went under 55, it would explode. I think it was called ‘The Bus That Couldn’t Slow Down.’” That would be Speed! What do I win? ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/58 "2008-10-31T23:31:00Z")
Who’s that guy? The actor with the eyebrows-- the one in that black and white movie about television, from the fifties. But the movie wasn’t from the fifties, it was recent. And he smoked a lot in it. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/59 "2008-10-31T23:55:56Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Who’s that guy? The actor with the eyebrows-- the one in that black and white movie about television, from the fifties. But the movie wasn’t from the fifties, it was recent. And he smoked a lot in it. I guess that would be David Strathairn in “Good Night and Good Luck.” I had a friend ask me back in 1975 or so, “Who’s that guy? He looks like John Lennon and sings like Joe Cocker and he writes really heavy songs?” “Randy Newman?” I said. Right the first time. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426/60 "2008-11-01T00:10:42Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > What’s that movie about a town in which a guy and a girl share possession of Paris or something? Casablanca? What about that one where the guy was playing with his mashed potatoes and found the landing spot? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-entertainment-thingy-from-this-vague-reference/470426.md?page=4)