How to verify spelling of a celebrity's name

Emily Salmon · **Joined:** Sat Nov 16, 2002 1:01 am **Posts:** 86

How do you verify the spelling of a celebrity's name? I was asked this on a job interview.I would say a newspaper, but since my former employer has misspelled a total of five famous names in two recent articles, perhaps that's not the best advice.[ December 12, 2003: Message edited by: Emily Salmon ]

majorbabs · **Posted:** Wed Dec 10, 2003 6:05 pm

I would probably Google that celebrity to find its fan club page on the web and check the spelling used most often on that page, but there's probably a better way.

jbm · **Posted:** Wed Dec 10, 2003 6:25 pm

I generally use imdb.com for movies and TV and allmusic.com for, well, music. Very reliable.

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Wed Dec 10, 2003 6:27 pm

Happily most celebs now have an official web site. That's my first port of call, followed by library resources and online nespaper archives.

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Wed Dec 10, 2003 6:49 pm

jbm's post is also correct, in my experience.

SusanV · **Posted:** Wed Dec 10, 2003 7:44 pm

Also http://www.gracenote.com/, which incorporated cddb.com and is a great source for finding musicians, whether individually or by album.TV network Web sites are also a great resource, as these days they frequently offer cast lists for all their shows.

Dapper Dan · **Joined:** Fri Dec 12, 2003 1:01 am **Posts:** 273

Another option is the World Almanac. It gives the correct spelling, date of birth and place of birth of hundreds of celebrities. And it will work when your Internet connection is on the fritz.

SusanV · **Posted:** Fri Dec 12, 2003 6:16 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Dapper Dan:
Another option is the World Almanac. It gives the correct spelling, date of birth and place of birth of hundreds of celebrities. And it will work when your Internet connection is on the fritz.<hr></blockquote>
D'oh! You're right, of course. I think the Almanac fell off my radar scope when Snews stopped providing us with individual copies a couple years ago as a cost-cutting measure. The most recent one on my desk is 2001, and while I still do consult it occasionally for some things, I tend to pretty much ignore it. I probably shouldn't.

JayByrd · **Posted:** Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:30 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by SusanV:

D'oh! You're right, of course. I think the Almanac fell off my radar scope when Snews stopped providing us with individual copies a couple years ago as a cost-cutting measure. The most recent one on my desk is 2001, and while I still do consult it occasionally for some things, I tend to pretty much ignore it. I probably shouldn't.<hr></blockquote>My World Almanac is a 1997, and I had to buy it myself. Still use it for some things that would take to long to Google. (My other desk references are the phone book, AP Stylebook, a medical dictionary and the Old Farmer's Almanac.)[ December 12, 2003: Message edited by: JayByrd ]

Bumfketeer · **Posted:** Fri Dec 12, 2003 9:33 pm

World Almanac. Never goes out of style. There's also the Proper Noun Speller (an actual book, not a Web site), but I have found at least one error in it (Hugh Heffner sted Hefner).

Emily Salmon · **Joined:** Sat Nov 16, 2002 1:01 am **Posts:** 86

He says shamelessly :)

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Mon Dec 15, 2003 9:16 pm

Where do you turn to find out if a celebrity is dead or alive? I believe there is a web site dedicated to this very question, but I don't know how reliable it is.

Bumfketeer · **Posted:** Mon Dec 15, 2003 9:18 pm

There is such a site...google Dead or Alive and you will find it. It appears to be OK.

Matthew Grieco · **Posted:** Mon Dec 15, 2003 9:57 pm

I prefer www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com. It has a pretty comprehensive database, is updated regularly, and uses such clarity as: "Former senator Paul Simon died on 9 December. The singer of the same name is alive."[ December 15, 2003: Message edited by: Matthew Grieco ]

Bumfketeer · **Posted:** Mon Dec 15, 2003 10:50 pm

Thganks, Matt..that was the site I meant. Was too busy to look it up...

vtuss · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2003 3:48 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Dapper Dan:
Another option is the World Almanac. It gives the correct spelling, date of birth and place of birth of hundreds of celebrities. And it will work when your Internet connection is on the fritz.<hr></blockquote>You might to turn to those Internet methods:WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI is warning police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather trends could be used for terrorist planning.In a bulletin sent Christmas Eve to about 18,000 police organizations, the FBI said terrorists may use almanacs ``to assist with target selection and pre-operational planning.''It urged officers to watch during searches, traffic stops and other investigations for anyone carrying almanacs, especially if the books are annotated in suspicious ways.``The practice of researching potential targets is consistent with known methods of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations that seek to maximize the likelihood of operational success through careful planning,'' the FBI wrote.The Associated Press obtained a copy of the bulletin this week and verified its authenticity.The FBI noted that use of almanacs or maps may be innocent, ``the product of legitimate recreational or commercial activities.'' But it warned that when combined with suspicious behavior -- such as apparent surveillance -- a person with an almanac ``may point to possible terrorist planning.''The FBI said information typically found in almanacs that could be useful for terrorists includes profiles of cities and states and information about waterways, bridges, dams, reservoirs, tunnels, buildings and landmarks. It said this information is often accompanied by photographs and maps.The FBI urged police to report such discoveries to the local U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2003 4:04 pm

I really thought that was a parody. I'm afraid not. Apparently it's a ruse to round up copy editors.

Jackie · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2003 5:19 pm

TWA: Traveling with almanac.
Cripes, they'll be cuffing people carrying dictionaries next. I personally hate it when Republicans infect the White House, but professionally the copy does rock, doesn't it?

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2003 5:51 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by blanp:
I really thought that was a parody. I'm afraid not. Apparently it's a ruse to round up copy editors.<hr></blockquote>I suspected that the guy sitting next to me at the office was a terrorist cell leader. Turns out he's brazenly left proof beside his thesaurus.

RimRat · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2003 8:54 pm

You might to turn to those Internet methods:I thought I'd stumbled on one of those satire sites, like NewsHax or something, by mistake. Or maybe RottenNews.Com.
Good grief.Meanwhile,
It has a pretty comprehensive databaseThanks for the tip. This is really quite a useful site.

Rio · **Posted:** Thu Jan 01, 2004 1:47 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Jackie:
TWA: Traveling with almanac.
Cripes, they'll be cuffing people carrying dictionaries next. I personally hate it when Republicans infect the White House, but professionally the copy does rock, doesn't it?<hr></blockquote>Alas, not as much as it did during Travelgate and Monicagate.

DominEditrix · **Posted:** Thu Jan 01, 2004 7:18 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Jackie:
TWA: Traveling with almanac.<hr></blockquote> My local Barnes & Noble has put the 2004 alamanac in a dump by the main register. Nothing like a bookstore manager for subtle political statements.D

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