In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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{{trope}}
{{trope}}
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[[File:American_McGee%27s_Alice_cover.jpg|link=American McGee's Alice|frame|''American McGee Presents [[Redundancy Department of Redundancy|American]] McGee in American McGee's American McGee (By American McGee)'']]
[[File:Alice_cover_art.jpg|link=American McGee's Alice|right]]
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[[caption-width-right:330:''American McGee Presents [[Redundancy Department of Redundancy|American]] McGee in American McGee's American McGee (By American McGee)'']]


{{quote|''[[Kenneth Branagh]]'s [[Mary Shelley]]'s [[Bram Stoker]]'s [[Wes Craven]]'s [[Tim Burton]]'s'' [[The Beast of Yucca Flats|Beast of Yucca Flats]]. ''A [[Francis Ford Coppola]] film.''|'''Tom Servo''', ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''}}
{{quote|''[[Kenneth Branagh]]'s [[Mary Shelley]]'s [[Bram Stoker]]'s [[Wes Craven]]'s [[Tim Burton]]'s'' [[The Beast of Yucca Flats|Beast of Yucca Flats]]. ''A [[Francis Ford Coppola]] film.''|'''Tom Servo''', ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''}}


Many [[Film|Films]], works of [[Literature]] and other works are referred to not just by title but by author/ director/ etc., i.e. "William [[Shakespeare]]'s Hamlet." There are seven main variations:
Many [[Film]]s, works of [[Literature]] and other works are referred to not just by title but by author/ director/ etc., i.e. "William [[Shakespeare]]'s Hamlet." There are seven main variations:


# ''Original Author's X'' -- Putting the author of the original work before the title of the adaptation in order to differentiate it from other Dracula-esque movies and add a stamp of authenticity. If the writer is still alive then this is intended to suggest the author did more than just sign the rights away and be done with it; if not, it's intended to suggest the creators are trying to be true to (their understanding of) the original work (especially if it's out-of-copyright - ''anyone'' can make a Dracula film).
# ''Original Author's X''—Putting the author of the original work before the title of the adaptation in order to differentiate it from other Dracula-esque movies and add a stamp of authenticity. If the writer is still alive then this is intended to suggest the author did more than just sign the rights away and be done with it; if not, it's intended to suggest the creators are trying to be true to (their understanding of) the original work (especially if it's out-of-copyright - ''anyone'' can make a Dracula film).
# ''Celebrity Sponsor's X'' -- Attaching the name of a popular author or celebrity onto a game into which he probably had little input, in order to improve the branding and attract passing trade. This is similar to the George Foreman Grill, in that nobody is under the illusion that John Madden sat down and coded an entire video game in his spare time.
# ''Celebrity Sponsor's X''—Attaching the name of a popular author or celebrity onto a game into which he probably had little input, in order to improve the branding and attract passing trade. This is similar to the George Foreman Grill, in that nobody is under the illusion that John Madden sat down and coded an entire video game in his spare time.
# ''Executive's X'' -- Putting the name of a producer or other executive with big-name power on the posters for much the same reason as (2), but this is worse because these people are usually directors or writers themselves. There's an implicit suggestion that the named person had something to do with it creatively when he most likely just gave it some money (or, at most, came up with a plot outline and a few characters). Sometimes rendered as ''[[Steven Spielberg]] Presents: [[Animaniacs]]''. Many people still labour under the impression that Tim Burton directed ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (it was really [[Henry Selick]]; Tim Burton came up with the original story, but didn't write the screenplay).
# ''Executive's X''—Putting the name of a producer or other executive with big-name power on the posters for much the same reason as (2), but this is worse because these people are usually directors or writers themselves. There's an implicit suggestion that the named person had something to do with it creatively when he most likely just gave it some money (or, at most, came up with a plot outline and a few characters). Sometimes rendered as ''[[Steven Spielberg]] Presents: [[Animaniacs]]''. Many people still labour under the impression that Tim Burton directed ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (it was really [[Henry Selick]]; Tim Burton came up with the original story, but didn't write the screenplay).
# ''New Interpreter's X'' -- A variation on #1 used to show that this adaptation is a bold new vision distinct from the original author's version. A relatively honest variation, in that the name at the front of the title actually does belong to the person who created the work.
# ''New Interpreter's X''—A variation on #1 used to show that this adaptation is a bold new vision distinct from the original author's version. A relatively honest variation, in that the name at the front of the title actually does belong to the person who created the work.
# ''Actual Creator's X'' -- where the creator actually ''did'' create the work, no qualifiers needed.
# ''Actual Creator's X''—where the creator actually ''did'' create the work, no qualifiers needed.
# ''Company's X'' -- A variation on any of types 2 through 5 with the company instead of a single person.
# ''Company's X''—A variation on any of types 2 through 5 with the company instead of a single person.
# ''Star's or Host's X'' or ''Bert's [[Family Feud]]'' -- Another variation on #5 with the star or host instead of the creator.
# ''Star's or Host's X'' or ''Bert's [[Family Feud]]''—Another variation on #5 with the star or host instead of the creator.


Not to be confused with [[Author Catchphrase]] or [[Signature Style]]. Compare [[Self-Titled Album]].
Not to be confused with [[Author Catchphrase]] or [[Signature Style]]. Compare [[Self-Titled Album]].
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'''TV Tropes' Examples:'''


{{examples}}
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== Original Author's X ==
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==''All The Tropes<nowiki>'</nowiki> Examples:''==
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=== Original Author's X ===
* ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula]]'' (though this was also to distinguish it from the [[Universal Horror|Universal]]'s ''Dracula'')
* ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula]]'' (though this was also to distinguish it from the [[Universal Horror|Universal]]'s ''Dracula'')
** ''Bram Stoker's Dracula's Guest''
** ''Bram Stoker's Dracula's Guest''
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* [[Mario Puzo]]'s ''[[The Godfather]]'' - done at the insistence of [[Francis Ford Coppola]], who felt Puzo deserved most of the credit. Since that movie got his career started, Coppola has gone on to do the same for ''every'' film he directs that is adapted from a novel.
* [[Mario Puzo]]'s ''[[The Godfather]]'' - done at the insistence of [[Francis Ford Coppola]], who felt Puzo deserved most of the credit. Since that movie got his career started, Coppola has gone on to do the same for ''every'' film he directs that is adapted from a novel.
* ''Lemony Snicket's [[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'', perhaps given that title to emphasize the [[Lemony Narrator]].
* ''Lemony Snicket's [[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'', perhaps given that title to emphasize the [[Lemony Narrator]].
* [[Stephen King]], despite being an archetypal example of [[Billed Above the Title]] for his own novels, isn't a prominent example of this trope. Certainly, he has had several adaptations of his novels preceded by his name, but usually not the really famous ones. The interesting case here is that he actually sued to have his name taken off the movie version of ''The Lawnmower Man''. He also remade ''The Shining'', because he hated the [[Stanley Kubrick]] version (to the point where he was legally forced to stop talking about it) and called the TV mini-series ''Stephen King's The Shining''.
* [[Stephen King]], despite being an archetypal example of [[Billed Above the Title]] for his own novels, isn't a prominent example of this trope. Certainly, he has had several adaptations of his novels preceded by his name, but usually not the really famous ones. The interesting case here is that he actually sued to have his name taken off the movie version of ''The Lawnmower Man''. He also remade ''The Shining'', because he hated the [[Stanley Kubrick]] version (to the point where he was legally forced to stop talking about it) and called the TV mini-series ''Stephen King's The Shining''. Another TV mini-series was titled ''Stephen King's IT'', in case you forgot who wrote ''[[IT]]''.
* [[Robert Rodriguez]]'s film version of ''[[Sin City]]'' is credited as ''Frank Miller's Sin City''; Rodriguez's intention was to acknowledge Miller as the primary creative force behind the film. As he originally said to Miller in his first pitch: "I don't want to make Robert Rodriguez's ''Sin City''. I want to make Frank Miller's ''Sin City''."
* [[Robert Rodriguez]]'s film version of ''[[Sin City]]'' is credited as ''Frank Miller's Sin City''; Rodriguez's intention was to acknowledge Miller as the primary creative force behind the film. As he originally said to Miller in his first pitch: "I don't want to make Robert Rodriguez's ''Sin City''. I want to make Frank Miller's ''Sin City''."
** He went so far as to quit the Directors' Guild of America when they wouldn't agree to let them share director credit. [[Nice Guy|Awww.]]
** He went so far as to quit the Directors' Guild of America when they wouldn't agree to let them share director credit. [[Nice Guy|Awww.]]
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* ''[[The Lord of the Rings (animation)|J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings]]'', Ralph Bakshi's [[Love It or Hate It]] [[Animated Adaptation]].
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings (animation)|J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings]]'', Ralph Bakshi's [[Love It or Hate It]] [[Animated Adaptation]].
* ''[[Hans Christian Andersen]]'s [[Thumbelina]]''
* ''[[Hans Christian Andersen]]'s [[Thumbelina]]''
* ''[[Emily Bronte]]'s [[Wuthering Heights (novel)|Wuthering Heights]]''
* ''[[Emily Brontë]]'s [[Wuthering Heights (novel)|Wuthering Heights]]''
* [[Plato]]'s ''[[The Republic (novel)|Republic]]''
* [[Plato]]'s ''[[The Republic (novel)|Republic]]''
* [[Homer]]'s ''[[The Iliad]]'' and ''[[Odyssey|The Odyssey]]''
* [[Homer]]'s ''[[The Iliad]]'' and ''[[Odyssey|The Odyssey]]''
* [[The Mockbuster]] version of ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]'' was credited in some places as ''Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's [[Sherlock Holmes]]''. This is a particularly bare-faced example.
* [[The Mockbuster]] version of ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]'' was credited in some places as ''Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's [[Sherlock Holmes]]''. This is a particularly bare-faced example.
* ''And Another Thing'', the sixth book in ''[[Douglas Adams]]' [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''. This could be considered somewhere between Type 1 and Type 5, as this book is set in Adams' universe, starring his characters, but was written by [[Eoin Colfer]].
* ''And Another Thing'', the sixth book in ''[[Douglas Adams]]' [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''. This could be considered somewhere between Type 1 and Type 5, as this book is set in Adams' universe, starring his characters, but was written by [[Eoin Colfer]].
* The [[Animated Adaptation|Animated Adaptations]] of ''[[Discworld/Wyrd Sisters|Wyrd Sisters]]'' and ''[[Discworld/Soul Music|Soul Music]]'' opened with a logo saying ''[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Discworld]]''. The recent [[Sky 1]] [[The Film of the Book|Films of the Books]] are ''[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Discworld/Hogfather|Hogfather]]'', ''[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Discworld/The Colour of Magic|The Colour of Magic]]'' and ''[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Discworld/Going Postal|Going Postal]]''.
* The [[Animated Adaptation]]s of ''[[Wyrd Sisters]]'' and ''[[Soul Music (novel)|Soul Music]]'' opened with a logo saying ''[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Discworld]]''. The recent [[Sky 1]] [[The Film of the Book|Films of the Books]] are ''[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Hogfather]]'', ''[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[The Colour of Magic]]'' and ''[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Going Postal (Discworld)|Going Postal]]''.
* ''[[H. G. Wells]]'s The Invisible Man'', a 1950s TV series about an invisible man (who wasn't the one from Wells's novel, nor did the series bear any other similarities).
* ''[[H. G. Wells]]'s The Invisible Man'', a 1950s TV series about an invisible man (who wasn't the one from Wells's novel, nor did the series bear any other similarities).
* ''[[H.P. Lovecraft|HP Lovecraft]]'s Dreams in the Witch-House'', an episode of the TV Show ''[[Masters of Horror]]''.
* ''[[H.P. Lovecraft]]'s Dreams in the Witch-House'', an episode of the TV Show ''[[Masters of Horror]]''.
* ''[[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]]'s [[Faust]]''
* ''[[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]]'s [[Faust]]''


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=== Celebrity Sponsor's X ===

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== Celebrity Sponsor's X ==
* ''[[Isaac Asimov]]'s Science Fiction Magazine''
* ''[[Isaac Asimov]]'s Science Fiction Magazine''
** This one started out somewhere between Case 2 and Case 3, since Asimov actually did write the editorials (and provide responses for the Letters column) for the first decade and a half or so. Of course, when Asimov died, it became pure Case 2.
** This one started out somewhere between Case 2 and Case 3, since Asimov actually did write the editorials (and provide responses for the Letters column) for the first decade and a half or so. Of course, when Asimov died, it became pure Case 2.
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** The later entries in ''Tom Clancy's [[Rainbow Six]]''
** The later entries in ''Tom Clancy's [[Rainbow Six]]''
** ''Tom Clancy's [[Ghost Recon]]''
** ''Tom Clancy's [[Ghost Recon]]''
** ''Tom Clancy's [[End War]]''. We could go on and on..
** ''Tom Clancy's [[EndWar]]''. We could go on and on..
** ''Tom Clancy'' is, in fact, a brand now, with the logo on the left side of the cover art being the stylized Rainbow with a pistol, and the words "Tom Clancy's".
** ''Tom Clancy'' is, in fact, a brand now, with the logo on the left side of the cover art being the stylized Rainbow with a pistol, and the words "Tom Clancy's".
* ''[[Madden NFL]]''
* ''[[Madden NFL]]''
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*** Like the Punch-Out example below, these games actually have the likenesses (and sometimes voices) of the people named.
*** Like the Punch-Out example below, these games actually have the likenesses (and sometimes voices) of the people named.
* ''[[Quentin Tarantino]] presents The Protector'' and ''Quentin Tarantino presents Hostel''. Interestingly, this is done by Tarantino himself to promote films that would otherwise be ignored, not by the studios.
* ''[[Quentin Tarantino]] presents The Protector'' and ''Quentin Tarantino presents Hostel''. Interestingly, this is done by Tarantino himself to promote films that would otherwise be ignored, not by the studios.
** In the case of Yimou Zhang's ''Hero'', at least, this was the only way the Weinsteins agreed to distribute it [[Executive Meddling|without editing or dubbing]].
** In the case of Yimou Zhang's ''Hero'', at least, this was the only way the Weinsteins agreed to distribute it [[Executive Meddling|without editing or dubbing]].
* ''[[Punch Out|Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!]]'' (though in that game, Mike Tyson was the final opponent)
* ''[[Punch-Out!!|Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!]]'' (though in that game, Mike Tyson was the final opponent)
* Tekno Comics, a short-lived comics company in the Nineties had ''all'' their titles like this: ''[[Neil Gaiman]]'s Lady Justice'', ''[[Isaac Asimov]]'s I-Bots'', ''[[Gene Roddenberry]]'s Lost Universe'', ''[[Mickey Spillaine]]'s Mike Danger'' (although since Danger is a [[Mike Hammer]] [[Expy]], that might count as a type 1), ''[[Leonard Nimoy]]'s Primortals'', ''[[Tad Williams]]' Mirrorworld'' and so on.
* Tekno Comics, a short-lived comics company in the Nineties had ''all'' their titles like this: ''[[Neil Gaiman]]'s Lady Justice'', ''[[Isaac Asimov]]'s I-Bots'', ''[[Gene Roddenberry]]'s Lost Universe'', ''[[Mickey Spillaine]]'s Mike Danger'' (although since Danger is a [[Mike Hammer]] [[Expy]], that might count as a type 1), ''[[Leonard Nimoy]]'s Primortals'', ''[[Tad Williams]]' Mirrorworld'' and so on.
* ''Isaac Newton's Gravity''. Something tells me Sir Isaac Newton had nothing to do with the creation of the game.
* ''Isaac Newton's Gravity''. Something tells me Sir Isaac Newton had nothing to do with the creation of the game.
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== Executive's X ==
=== Executive's X ===
* ''[[Tim Burton]]'s [[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]''
* ''[[Tim Burton]]'s [[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]''
** A (probably intentional) effect of this is that many people by extension think that he directed ''[[Coraline (animation)|Coraline]]'' as trailers advertised it as "from the director of ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]''" and make no effort to tell you that means Henry Selick.
** A (probably intentional) effect of this is that many people by extension think that he directed ''[[Coraline (animation)|Coraline]]'' as trailers advertised it as "from the director of ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]''" and make no effort to tell you that means Henry Selick.
** Maybe not on the TV spots, but the theatrical trailer included Henry Selick's name.
** Maybe not on the TV spots, but the theatrical trailer included Henry Selick's name.
** DirecTv took this a step further. "''Tim Burton's [[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'': The Pumpkin King gives the yuletide season a touch of Halloween in an animated tale from the mind of Tim Burton. Animated. From a Tim Burton story."
** DirecTv took this a step further. "''Tim Burton's [[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'': The Pumpkin King gives the yuletide season a touch of Halloween in an animated tale from the mind of Tim Burton. Animated. From a Tim Burton story."
** Few also remember that this was, technically, a ''[[Family Friendly|Disney]]'' film; aside from placing it under their Touchstone logo, Disney didn't want anyone to intinally know it was from or associated with them, so adding Burton's name was one more degree away in their eyes.
** Few also remember that this was, technically, a ''[[Family Friendly|Disney]]'' film; aside from placing it under their Touchstone logo, Disney didn't want anyone to intinally know it was from or associated with them, so adding Burton's name was one more degree away in their eyes.
* The miniseries ''[[Steven Spielberg]]'s [[Taken (TV series)|Taken]]''. Spielberg neither wrote nor directed any episodes (all ten episodes were directed by different people, and while they were all written by the same man it wasn't Spielberg).
* The miniseries ''[[Steven Spielberg]]'s [[Taken (TV series)|Taken]]''. Spielberg neither wrote nor directed any episodes (all ten episodes were directed by different people, and while they were all written by the same man it wasn't Spielberg).
** Although Spielberg has "Story By" credit on 15 episodes of ''[[Amazing Stories]]'' (including the two he directed) and wrote another one, his name isn't part of the title except in British listings guides (which insisted on calling it ''Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories'').
** Although Spielberg has "Story By" credit on 15 episodes of ''[[Amazing Stories]]'' (including the two he directed) and wrote another one, his name isn't part of the title except in British listings guides (which insisted on calling it ''Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories'').
* ''[[Wes Craven]] Presents: [[They]]'', in addition to being a terrible film, is an example of #3.
* ''[[Wes Craven]] Presents: [[They]]'', in addition to being a terrible film, is an example of #3.
** Also ''Wes Craven's Wishmaster'', ''Wes Craven presents [[Dracula 2000]]'', ...
** Also ''Wes Craven's Wishmaster'', ''Wes Craven presents [[Dracula 2000]]'', ...
** The "Wes Craven Presents" series was an attempt to give experience and an opportunity to some up-and-coming young directors. It was hoped that attaching Craven's name would make the films more appealing to distributors and renters. The whole effort has probably done more harm to Craven's name than it has good for anyone else's.
** The "Wes Craven Presents" series was an attempt to give experience and an opportunity to some up-and-coming young directors. It was hoped that attaching Craven's name would make the films more appealing to distributors and renters. The whole effort has probably done more harm to Craven's name than it has good for anyone else's.
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* ''[[Jenna Jameson]]'s Shadow Hunter''. Many readers felt shortchanged by this comic, since it was fairly light on [[Fan Service]] despite being backed by a ''porn star''.
* ''[[Jenna Jameson]]'s Shadow Hunter''. Many readers felt shortchanged by this comic, since it was fairly light on [[Fan Service]] despite being backed by a ''porn star''.
* ''[[Oprah Winfrey]] Presents [[The Color Purple]]'', the musical adaptation of the 1985 film adaptation of the 1982 novel by Alice Walker.
* ''[[Oprah Winfrey]] Presents [[The Color Purple]]'', the musical adaptation of the 1985 film adaptation of the 1982 novel by Alice Walker.
** See also, among others ''Oprah Winfrey Presents David And Lisa'', ''Oprah Winfrey Presents The Wedding'', and ''Oprah Winfrey Presents Mitch Albom's For One More Day''.
** See also, among others ''Oprah Winfrey Presents David And Lisa'', ''Oprah Winfrey Presents The Wedding'', and ''Oprah Winfrey Presents Mitch Albom's For One More Day''.
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', an anthology television show featuring horror / mystery / crime stories, for which [[Alfred Hitchcock]] served as executive producer and host. He also directed some (but not all, or even most) of the episodes.
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', an anthology television show featuring horror / mystery / crime stories, for which [[Alfred Hitchcock]] served as executive producer and host. He also directed some (but not all, or even most) of the episodes.
* ''[[Peter Jackson]]'s [[King Kong]]: The Official Game of the Movie'' (if it isn't obvious, The Movie is the one film that was directed by Jackson)
* ''[[Peter Jackson]]'s [[King Kong]]: The Official Game of the Movie'' (if it isn't obvious, The Movie is the one film that was directed by Jackson)
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* All the [[Warner Bros]]. TV cartoons that were co-produced with [[Amblin Entertainment]] were fully titled ''[[Steven Spielberg]] presents [show title]''.
* All the [[Warner Bros]]. TV cartoons that were co-produced with [[Amblin Entertainment]] were fully titled ''[[Steven Spielberg]] presents [show title]''.
* [[Marvel Comics]] ''always'' included a "[[Stan Lee]] Presents" before the title of each comic issue for decades. This has led to Lee's reputation getting rather severely inflated among people unfamiliar with comic books.
* [[Marvel Comics]] ''always'' included a "[[Stan Lee]] Presents" before the title of each comic issue for decades. This has led to Lee's reputation getting rather severely inflated among people unfamiliar with comic books.
** Now [[Boom Studios]] is doing the same thing with a trio of titles that Lee is involved in (but not as an actual writer or artist).
** Now{{when}} [[Boom Studios]] is doing the same thing with a trio of titles that Lee is involved in (but not as an actual writer or artist).
* [[Are We There Yet?]] the TV Show from Executive Producer [[Ice Cube]] (who does do the promos for it).
* [[Are We There Yet?]] the TV Show from Executive Producer [[Ice Cube]] (who does do the promos for it).
* ''[[American McGee's Scrapland]]''


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=== New Interpreter's X ===

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== New Interpreter's X ==
* ''[[American McGee's Alice]]'', indicating the grim [[Grimmification|withdrawal-suffering]] take on ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]''. However, American McGee himself ''didn't'' want his name on the game, claiming it was the publishers who slapped his name upon it in order to promote it as "the game made by one of the developers of Doom". The sequel is simply "Alice: Madness Returns".
* ''[[American McGee's Alice]]'', indicating the grim [[Grimmification|withdrawal-suffering]] take on ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]''. However, American McGee himself ''didn't'' want his name on the game, claiming it was the publishers who slapped his name upon it in order to promote it as "the game made by one of the developers of Doom". The sequel is simply "Alice: Madness Returns".
* ''[[John Carpenter]]'s [[The Thing (film)|The Thing]]'', to separate it from the much less faithful to the book [[The Thing from Another World|movie]] in the fifties.
* ''[[John Carpenter]]'s [[The Thing (film)|The Thing]]'', to separate it from the much less faithful to the book [[The Thing from Another World|movie]] in the fifties.
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* ''[[Neil Gaiman]]'s [[Eternals]]'', which is significantly updated from the original Jack Kirby comics.
* ''[[Neil Gaiman]]'s [[Eternals]]'', which is significantly updated from the original Jack Kirby comics.
* ''[[Dean Koontz]]'s [[Frankenstein]]''.
* ''[[Dean Koontz]]'s [[Frankenstein]]''.
* ''[[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds]]'' -- a [[Rock Opera]] adaption of the [[Alien Invasion]] novel by [[H. G. Wells]].
* ''[[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds]]''—a [[Rock Opera]] adaption of the [[Alien Invasion]] novel by [[H. G. Wells]].
* ''[[Lord Byron's Don Juan]]''
* ''[[Lord Byron's Don Juan]]''
* ''[[Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America]]''
* ''[[Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America]]''
* ''[[Elton John]] and [[Tim Rice]]'s [[Aida]]''
* ''[[Elton John]] and [[Tim Rice]]'s [[Aida]]''
* ''[[Monte Cook's World of Darkness]]''
* ''[[Monte Cook's World of Darkness]]''
* ''[[American McGee's Grimm]]'', based on the fairy tales


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=== Actual Creator's X ===

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== Actual Creator's X ==
* [[Sid Meier]] has gained sufficient acclaim for his work that ''[[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]]'' is the official title. And ''Sid Meier's [[Civilization]]''. And ''Sid Meier's [[Railroad Tycoon]]''. And...
* [[Sid Meier]] has gained sufficient acclaim for his work that ''[[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]]'' is the official title. And ''Sid Meier's [[Civilization]]''. And ''Sid Meier's [[Railroad Tycoon]]''. And...
** Sid Meier's been getting less involved in the games of late; although he remains Chief Creative Officer of Firaxis, he doesn't write much code anymore. He apparently does contribute a lot conceptually, though.
** Sid Meier's been getting less involved in the games of late; although he remains Chief Creative Officer of Firaxis, he doesn't write much code anymore. He apparently does contribute a lot conceptually, though.
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* ''Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio.'' This is somewhere between types 3 and 4, actually, since Paul McCartney is both author and executive. He was ''one'' of the creators of this work, but he did have a collaborator. Since Paul couldn't read the music he was writing, he was afraid that people would think this piece was ghostwritten if he didn't put his name on it. Carl Davis, his collaborator, did not appreciate this title.
* ''Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio.'' This is somewhere between types 3 and 4, actually, since Paul McCartney is both author and executive. He was ''one'' of the creators of this work, but he did have a collaborator. Since Paul couldn't read the music he was writing, he was afraid that people would think this piece was ghostwritten if he didn't put his name on it. Carl Davis, his collaborator, did not appreciate this title.
* [[Tyler Perry]] and anything he releases.
* [[Tyler Perry]] and anything he releases.
** ''[[The Onion]]'' did a parody of this with "[http://www.theonion.com/content/magazine/the_top_50_tyler_perry_movies Tyler Perry's Top 50 Tyler Perry films of 2007]."
** ''[[The Onion]]'' did a parody of this with "[https://web.archive.org/web/20100223093914/http://www.theonion.com/content/magazine/the_top_50_tyler_perry_movies Tyler Perry's Top 50 Tyler Perry films of 2007]."
* Despite the below-mentioned parody, ''[[Clive Barker's Jericho]]'' is actually a case of this... to a degree. He didn't actually write the code or anything, but he collaborated on development and is listed as "creator" in the credits.
* Despite the below-mentioned parody, ''[[Clive Barker's Jericho]]'' is actually a case of this... to a degree. He didn't actually write the code or anything, but he collaborated on development and is listed as "creator" in the credits.
* Blake Edwards did this with several of his films' onscreen credits from ''The Great Race'' onwards, as he often served as director, writer, ''and'' producer. He also named his 1980s production company Blake Edwards Entertainment.
* Blake Edwards did this with several of his films' onscreen credits from ''The Great Race'' onwards, as he often served as director, writer, ''and'' producer. He also named his 1980s production company Blake Edwards Entertainment.
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* ''The Inferno'' by Dante Aligheri, is almost always referred to as ''Dante's Inferno''.
* ''The Inferno'' by Dante Aligheri, is almost always referred to as ''Dante's Inferno''.
* The original edition of Shakespeare's sonnets is actually titled "[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Shakespeare's Sonnets]]", and repeats the words as a running title on every page. At that time this was a very unusual kind of title; one could almost believe that the editors foresaw the centuries of disputed authorship that were to follow.
* The original edition of Shakespeare's sonnets is actually titled "[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Shakespeare's Sonnets]]", and repeats the words as a running title on every page. At that time this was a very unusual kind of title; one could almost believe that the editors foresaw the centuries of disputed authorship that were to follow.
* ''[[Kira Is Justice (Fanfic)|Kira Is Justice]]'' was formerly called ''[[Chihuahua 0|C0's]] Death Note'', because it was a [[Working Title]]. [[Captain Obvious|It was changed]].
* ''[[Kira Is Justice]]'' was formerly called ''C0's Death Note'', because it was a [[Working Title]]. [[Captain Obvious|It was changed]].
* In the 1960s kids' cartoon "Beany and Cecil" (also called "Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil"), creator Bob Clampett shoehorned his name in every episode about six times, including in the opening theme song, which also features a cartoon rendering of him. Every half-hour episode consists of three cartoon shorts, and in the beginning of ''every'' one of them, the main characters sang "so here are Beany and Cecil in--a whole half-hour--Bob Clampett cartoo--oon!" [[The Other Wiki]] reports that he was known as "a shameless self-promoter." Well...yeah.
* In the 1960s kids' cartoon "Beany and Cecil" (also called "Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil"), creator Bob Clampett shoehorned his name in every episode about six times, including in the opening theme song, which also features a cartoon rendering of him. Every half-hour episode consists of three cartoon shorts, and in the beginning of ''every'' one of them, the main characters sang "so here are Beany and Cecil in--a whole half-hour--Bob Clampett cartoo--oon!" [[The Other Wiki]] reports that he was known as "a shameless self-promoter." Well...yeah.
* ''[[Recess]]'': Created by Paul and Joe (at least on [[The Merch]])
* ''[[Recess]]'': Created by Paul and Joe (at least on [[The Merch]])




== Company's X ==
=== Company's X ===
* Seen all-too-frequently with [[Disney]] movies.
* Seen all-too-frequently with [[Disney]] movies.
** In the case of ''Disney's The Kid'', this was done to differentiate it from other movies titled ''The Kid''.
** In the case of ''Disney's The Kid'', this was legally required in order to differentiate it from the famous [[Charlie Chaplin]] movie, ''[[The Kid]]''.
** Done with their TV shows too. Curiously, [[The Other Wiki]] (and a [[Jerkass]] on the Disney Wiki) insists on ''[[Adventures of the Gummi Bears]]'' and ''[[House of Mouse]]'' always being referred to with the "Disney's" preface.
** Done with their TV shows too. Curiously, [[The Other Wiki]] (and a [[Jerkass]] on the Disney Wiki) insists on ''[[Adventures of the Gummi Bears]]'' and ''[[House of Mouse]]'' always being referred to with the "Disney's" preface.
*** The Canadian network Family, a ''de facto'' Disney Channel for Canada, used to do this; since about 80% of their schedule is Disney shows, this meant that practically ''everything'' was prefaced by "Disney's".
*** The Canadian network Family, a ''de facto'' Disney Channel for Canada, used to do this; since about 80% of their schedule is Disney shows, this meant that practically ''everything'' was prefaced by "Disney's".
{{quote| "Coming up next on Family, Disney's ''[[Recess]]'', followed by Disney's ''[[Kim Possible]]'', and then, Disney's ''[[Hannah Montana]]''."}}
{{quote|"Coming up next on Family, Disney's ''[[Recess]]'', followed by Disney's ''[[Kim Possible]]'', and then, Disney's ''[[Hannah Montana]]''."}}
** Possibly so that Disney has some trademark to fall back on should someone challenge its ownership of a generic term or [[Public Domain Character]]'s name. For example, they couldn't trademark ''[[Cars]]'', so they trademarked "Disney [[Pixar]] Cars". Likewise, should someone invalidate [http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=71295828 Disney's trademark on "Pinocchio"], that wouldn't affect a trademark on "[[Pinocchio (Disney film)|Disney's Pinocchio]]". Certain TV listings may list ''[[Recess]]'' as ''Disney's Recess'', but not usually.
** Possibly so that Disney has some trademark to fall back on should someone challenge its ownership of a generic term or [[Public Domain Character]]'s name. For example, they couldn't trademark ''[[Cars]]'', so they trademarked "Disney [[Pixar]] Cars". Likewise, should someone invalidate [http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=71295828 Disney's trademark on "Pinocchio"], that wouldn't affect a trademark on "[[Pinocchio (Disney film)|Disney's Pinocchio]]". Certain TV listings may list ''[[Recess]]'' as ''Disney's Recess'', but not usually.
* [[Dreamworks Animation]] also does this, due perhaps to the CEO of the company being a former Disney executive.
* [[Dreamworks Animation]] also does this, due perhaps to the CEO of the company being a former Disney executive.
* ''Rockstar Games Presents [[Red Dead Redemption]]''. Not the official title, just on the case.
* ''Rockstar Games Presents [[Red Dead Redemption]]''. Not the official title, just on the case.
* ''Warner Bros.' [[Histeria (Animation)|Histeria!]]''
* ''Warner Bros.' [[Histeria!]]''
* [[Tecmo]] loves this trope. See ''[[Secret of the Stars|Tecmo Secret of the Stars]]'', ''[[Deception|Tecmo's Deception]]'', ''[[Tecmo Bowl]]'', ''[[Tecmo Stackers]]''...
* [[Tecmo]] loves this trope. See ''[[Secret of the Stars|Tecmo Secret of the Stars]]'', ''[[Deception|Tecmo's Deception]]'', ''[[Tecmo Bowl]]'', ''[[Tecmo Stackers]]''...
* The cartoon ''Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates''.
* The cartoon ''Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates''.
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* Google and Microsoft are both fond of this trope.
* Google and Microsoft are both fond of this trope.
* ''Saban's [[Diabolik]]''.
* ''Saban's [[Diabolik]]''.
* Saban's ''[[Power Rangers]]''. Also an example of [[Screwed by the Network]] as the Disney Years ''never'' had Disney's name on it and admitted shame over having it.
* Saban's ''[[Power Rangers]]''. Also an example of [[Screwed by the Network]] as the Disney Years ''never'' had Disney's name on it and admitted shame over having it.




== Star's or Host's X ==
=== Star's or Host's X ===
* ''Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong''
* ''Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong''
* ''Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon''
* ''Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon''
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* ''Bruce Forsyth's [[Card Sharks|Play Your Cards Right]]''
* ''Bruce Forsyth's [[Card Sharks|Play Your Cards Right]]''
* ''Bruce's [[The Price Is Right|Price Is Right]]''
* ''Bruce's [[The Price Is Right|Price Is Right]]''
* ''Burgo's [[Catchphrase]]''
* ''Burgo's [[Catchphrase (game show)|Catchphrase]]''
* ''Chris Moyles' Quiz Night''
* ''Chris Moyles' Quiz Night''
* ''Chris Tarrant's Great Pretender''
* ''Chris Tarrant's Great Pretender''
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== References and parodies ==
----
=== References and parodies: ===
=== Fan Works ===

== Fan Fiction ==
* [[I'm a Marvel And I'm a DC|ItsJustSomeRandomGuy]], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg6v1dgTcxw parodying] the future ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]]'' film reboot: "[[Sony]] presents Sony's Spider-Man, [[Executive Meddling|by Sony!]]"
* [[I'm a Marvel And I'm a DC|ItsJustSomeRandomGuy]], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg6v1dgTcxw parodying] the future ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]]'' film reboot: "[[Sony]] presents Sony's Spider-Man, [[Executive Meddling|by Sony!]]"


=== Film ===

⚫
== Films -- Live-Action ==
* Parodied by the film ''Jane Austen's Mafia!'', which has nothing at all to do with Jane Austen.
* Parodied by the film ''Jane Austen's Mafia!'', which has nothing at all to do with Jane Austen.
** At the time, there were a lot of film and TV adaptations of Austen, the Bronte sisters and their contemporaries that were using the formula (e.g., ''Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice''), so it was a topical parody.
** At the time, there were a lot of film and TV adaptations of Austen, the Bronte sisters and their contemporaries that were using the formula (e.g., ''Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice''), so it was a topical parody.
* In the ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'' writers' commentary, it is stated that the film's ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' parody was initially going to be referred to as ''Baz Luhrmann's [[William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet|William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet]]''.
* In the ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'' writers' commentary, it is stated that the film's ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' parody was initially going to be referred to as ''Baz Luhrmann's [[William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet]]''.
* Parodied in ''Mr. Bean's Holiday'': "CARSON CLAY PICTURES present - CARSON CLAY - in a CARSON CLAY production - of a CARSON CLAY film" - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glAhZcjo37s PLAYBACK TIME]
* Parodied in ''Mr. Bean's Holiday'': "CARSON CLAY PICTURES present - CARSON CLAY - in a CARSON CLAY production - of a CARSON CLAY film" - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glAhZcjo37s PLAYBACK TIME]
* ''Precious: Based on the novel '[[Push (novel)|Push]]' by Sapphire'', one can only guess that is title is for cases where you forgot, for cares to forget that the cinematic motion picture (feature length) is adapted from a long form narrative prose (fiction-American, written in English) work of a different name written by an author under a pseudonym.
* ''Precious: Based on the novel '[[Push (novel)|Push]]' by Sapphire'', one can only guess that is title is for cases where you forgot, for cares to forget that the cinematic motion picture (feature length) is adapted from a long form narrative prose (fiction-American, written in English) work of a different name written by an author under a pseudonym.
** The adaptation was originally called ''Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire'', but retitled to avoid confusion with the 2009 sci-fi film ''Push''.
** The adaptation was originally called ''Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire'', but retitled to avoid confusion with the 2009 sci-fi film ''Push''.
** NBC's ''[[The Office]]'' parodies this trope when Michael, taking Erin out to lunch, pops in a book-on-tape "novelization" of ''Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire''.
** NBC's ''[[The Office]]'' parodies this trope when Michael, taking Erin out to lunch, pops in a book-on-tape "novelization" of ''Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire''.


⚫
=== Live-Action TV ===

== Live-Action TV ==
* ''[[Garth Marenghi's Darkplace]]''
* ''[[Garth Marenghi's Darkplace]]''
* Also satirized in ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' with Stephen's still unpublished [[Doorstopper]] Sci-Fi epic, ''Stephen Colbert's Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure''
* Also satirized in ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' with Stephen's still unpublished [[Doorstopper]] Sci-Fi epic, ''Stephen Colbert's Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure''
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* ''Parrot Sketch Not Included'', a 20th anniversary compilation of sketches (not including the dead parrot one, obviously) from ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', featured a filmed intro and outro from comedian Steve Martin. The actual title for the piece was 'Steve Martin is Steve Martin in Steve Martin's ''Parrot Sketch Not Included'' (A Steve Martin production)'.
* ''Parrot Sketch Not Included'', a 20th anniversary compilation of sketches (not including the dead parrot one, obviously) from ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', featured a filmed intro and outro from comedian Steve Martin. The actual title for the piece was 'Steve Martin is Steve Martin in Steve Martin's ''Parrot Sketch Not Included'' (A Steve Martin production)'.
* On ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'', Dick got the chance to direct ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''. This is how he responded:
* On ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'', Dick got the chance to direct ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''. This is how he responded:
{{quote| '''Dick''': I can see it now on the marquee... ''Dick Solomon Presents A Dick Solomon Production of Dick Solomon's Romeo and Juliet''.}}
{{quote|'''Dick''': I can see it now on the marquee... ''Dick Solomon Presents A Dick Solomon Production of Dick Solomon's Romeo and Juliet''.}}
* ''[[Married... with Children]]'': "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Larry Storch players present: A Larry Storch production of Larry Storch's [[Phantom of the Opera]], coming to you in Surround Storch. Starring Larry Storch ..."
* ''[[Married... with Children]]'': "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Larry Storch players present: A Larry Storch production of Larry Storch's [[Phantom of the Opera]], coming to you in Surround Storch. Starring Larry Storch ..."
* An episode of ''[[Growing Pains]]'' where Ben makes a movie for class, Ben gives him self top billing for everything, writing, directing, producing and staring. He does give the rest of the cast credit, in tiny writing squeezed onto one title card.
* An episode of ''[[Growing Pains]]'' where Ben makes a movie for class, Ben gives him self top billing for everything, writing, directing, producing and staring. He does give the rest of the cast credit, in tiny writing squeezed onto one title card.




== Web Originals ==
=== Web Originals ===
* Parodied by ''[[Zero Punctuation]]'' in the review of "[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/2633-Zero-Punctuation-Clive-Barker-s-Jericho Clive Barker's 'Clive Barker's Jericho' (by Clive Barker)]".
* Parodied by ''[[Zero Punctuation]]'' in the review of "[https://web.archive.org/web/20080513130559/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/2633-Zero-Punctuation-Clive-Barker-s-Jericho Clive Barker's 'Clive Barker's Jericho' (by Clive Barker)]".
* Also parodied by John Solomon of ''[http://badwebcomics.blogspot.com/ Your Webcomic is Bad and You Should Feel Bad]'': over time, his references to Robert A. Howard's webcomic review site [http://tangent.panel2panel.com/ Tangents] have gotten increasingly unwieldy. For example: "Robert A. 'Tangents' Howard of Robert A. Howard's 'Tangents', by Robert A. Howard (featuring Robert A. Howard, of 'Tangents')".
* Also parodied by John Solomon of ''[http://badwebcomics.blogspot.com/ Your Webcomic is Bad and You Should Feel Bad]'': over time, his references to Robert A. Howard's webcomic review site [https://web.archive.org/web/20090106014505/http://tangent.panel2panel.com/ Tangents] have gotten increasingly unwieldy. For example: "Robert A. 'Tangents' Howard of Robert A. Howard's 'Tangents', by Robert A. Howard (featuring Robert A. Howard, of 'Tangents')".
* [[Old Man Murray]] was absolutely ''merciless'' to American McGee, going so far as to insinuate that he referred to everyday objects in this fashion (i.e. "Have you seen American McGee's my pen?")
* [[Old Man Murray]] was absolutely ''merciless'' to American McGee, going so far as to insinuate that he referred to everyday objects in this fashion (i.e. "Have you seen American McGee's my pen?")
* Similarily, ''[[The Demented Cartoon Movie]]'' opens with "Brian Kendall presents....A Brian Kendall production.....of a Brian Kendal film." Complete with drum beats between each part. Also, you have to watch it twice before you actually get on with the movie.
* Similarily, ''[[The Demented Cartoon Movie]]'' opens with "Brian Kendall presents....A Brian Kendall production.....of a Brian Kendal film." Complete with drum beats between each part. Also, you have to watch it twice before you actually get on with the movie.
* "Abe Vigoda ''is'' Abe Vigoda in ''[http://www.spinnwebe.com/iadl/archive/index.php?cartoon=481 Abe Vigoda: The Abe Vigoda Story!]''"
* "Abe Vigoda ''is'' Abe Vigoda in ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20180612090848/http://www.spinnwebe.com/iadl/archive/index.php?cartoon=481 Abe Vigoda: The Abe Vigoda Story!]''"




== Webcomics ==
=== Web Comics ===
* ''Lilformers'' had "Michael Bay presents: A Michael Bay Movie: Michael Bay's Transformers. (Directed by Michael Bay)". (The movie ''did'' have at least one mention of Michael Bay's name in its credits, but ''[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Geewun Lilformers]'' is ''[[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|Lilformers]]''.)
* ''Lilformers'' had "Michael Bay presents: A Michael Bay Movie: Michael Bay's Transformers. (Directed by Michael Bay)". (The movie ''did'' have at least one mention of Michael Bay's name in its credits, but ''[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Geewun Lilformers]'' is ''[[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|Lilformers]]''.)




== Western Animation ==
=== Western Animation ===
* ''[[Family Guy]]'' parodied both types 3 & 4 with "Peter Griffin Presents [[The King and I]], a Peter Griffin Production." His new interpretation might as well have been a new play entirely; it was set on the planet England and featured partial nudity, kung fu fighting, & [[Groin Attack|Groin Attacks]].
* ''[[Family Guy]]'' parodied both types 3 & 4 with "Peter Griffin Presents [[The King and I]], a Peter Griffin Production." His new interpretation might as well have been a new play entirely; it was set on the planet England and featured partial nudity, kung fu fighting, and [[Groin Attack]]s.
** The marquee also refers to "A Peter Griffin Joint", a parody of Spike Lee's odd director credit (instead of "A Spike Lee Film").
** The marquee also refers to "A Peter Griffin Joint", a parody of Spike Lee's odd director credit (instead of "A Spike Lee Film").
* ''[[Space Ghost|Brak Presents The Brak Show Starring Brak]]''
* ''[[Space Ghost|Brak Presents The Brak Show Starring Brak]]''
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{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Title Tropes]]
[[Category:Title Tropes]]
[[Category:In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It]]
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[[Category:Broken image markup]]
[[Category:Category:Broken image markup]]

Latest revision as of 19:59, 23 December 2023

American McGee Presents American McGee in American McGee's American McGee (By American McGee)
Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Bram Stoker's Wes Craven's Tim Burton's Beast of Yucca Flats. A Francis Ford Coppola film.
—Tom Servo, Mystery Science Theater 3000

Many Films, works of Literature and other works are referred to not just by title but by author/ director/ etc., i.e. "William Shakespeare's Hamlet." There are seven main variations:

  1. Original Author's X—Putting the author of the original work before the title of the adaptation in order to differentiate it from other Dracula-esque movies and add a stamp of authenticity. If the writer is still alive then this is intended to suggest the author did more than just sign the rights away and be done with it; if not, it's intended to suggest the creators are trying to be true to (their understanding of) the original work (especially if it's out-of-copyright - anyone can make a Dracula film).
  2. Celebrity Sponsor's X—Attaching the name of a popular author or celebrity onto a game into which he probably had little input, in order to improve the branding and attract passing trade. This is similar to the George Foreman Grill, in that nobody is under the illusion that John Madden sat down and coded an entire video game in his spare time.
  3. Executive's X—Putting the name of a producer or other executive with big-name power on the posters for much the same reason as (2), but this is worse because these people are usually directors or writers themselves. There's an implicit suggestion that the named person had something to do with it creatively when he most likely just gave it some money (or, at most, came up with a plot outline and a few characters). Sometimes rendered as Steven Spielberg Presents: Animaniacs. Many people still labour under the impression that Tim Burton directed The Nightmare Before Christmas (it was really Henry Selick; Tim Burton came up with the original story, but didn't write the screenplay).
  4. New Interpreter's X—A variation on #1 used to show that this adaptation is a bold new vision distinct from the original author's version. A relatively honest variation, in that the name at the front of the title actually does belong to the person who created the work.
  5. Actual Creator's X—where the creator actually did create the work, no qualifiers needed.
  6. Company's X—A variation on any of types 2 through 5 with the company instead of a single person.
  7. Star's or Host's X or Bert's Family Feud—Another variation on #5 with the star or host instead of the creator.

Not to be confused with Author Catchphrase or Signature Style. Compare Self-Titled Album.

Examples of In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It include:

All The Tropes' Examples:

Original Author's X

Celebrity Sponsor's X

  • Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
    • This one started out somewhere between Case 2 and Case 3, since Asimov actually did write the editorials (and provide responses for the Letters column) for the first decade and a half or so. Of course, when Asimov died, it became pure Case 2.
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
    • The novelizations of the games still have "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" on the cover, despite not being written by Tom Clancy.
    • So, just like Tom Clancy's Op-Center and Tom Clancy's Net Force, then?
    • The later entries in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
    • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
    • Tom Clancy's EndWar. We could go on and on..
    • Tom Clancy is, in fact, a brand now, with the logo on the left side of the cover art being the stylized Rainbow with a pistol, and the words "Tom Clancy's".
  • Madden NFL
    • Somewhat misleading, as Madden did much more than to lend his name and sponsorship to the game. The game was not initially conceived as a realistic football simulation, but Madden refused to put his name on it unless it were one. The game as it exists is very much his concept instead of the developers', so it's fitting that it's named after him.
    • Tiger Woods PGA Tour
    • Brian Lara Cricket
  • Clive Barker's Undying. Clive was brought in partway through development for a rewrite of the story, and he also ended up doing a character's voice. His name was attached to it because EA thought it would sell. Unfortunately, despite being a very good game, it didn't -- due in no small part to the sum total of EA's marketing campaign for the game being slapping "Clive Barker's" in front of the title.
  • Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World, a documentary series; Clarke introduced each episode, but was otherwise uninvolved (even the narration for the bulk of each episode was done by somebody else)
  • Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
    • Also a number of anthologies of short stories for children (one centered on spies, one on horror, one on mysteries, etc.) were published as Alfred Hitchcock's X. The Three Investigators series was also "presented" and introduced by Hitchcock. Hitchcock had nothing to do with any of these, other than licensing his name out to them.
  • Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy by Eric Lustbader
  • The Jon Pertwee Book of Monsters and Peter Davison's Book of Alien Monsters, short story anthologies trading on the stars of Doctor Who. Apparently, Davison actually chose the stories in "his" book, while Pertwee only provided introductions to stories selected by another; this may explain why only Davison gets the 's.
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
    • Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
    • Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
    • Shaun White Snowboarding
      • Like the Punch-Out example below, these games actually have the likenesses (and sometimes voices) of the people named.
  • Quentin Tarantino presents The Protector and Quentin Tarantino presents Hostel. Interestingly, this is done by Tarantino himself to promote films that would otherwise be ignored, not by the studios.
    • In the case of Yimou Zhang's Hero, at least, this was the only way the Weinsteins agreed to distribute it without editing or dubbing.
  • Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (though in that game, Mike Tyson was the final opponent)
  • Tekno Comics, a short-lived comics company in the Nineties had all their titles like this: Neil Gaiman's Lady Justice, Isaac Asimov's I-Bots, Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe, Mickey Spillaine's Mike Danger (although since Danger is a Mike Hammer Expy, that might count as a type 1), Leonard Nimoy's Primortals, Tad Williams' Mirrorworld and so on.
  • Isaac Newton's Gravity. Something tells me Sir Isaac Newton had nothing to do with the creation of the game.
  • The Forgotten Realms series R. A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen. Each book in the series was written by a different author, and while Salvatore did oversee the project, his name is basically a selling point for these novels by lesser known authors.
  • The Adventure Island games are titled Takahashi-Meijin no Bouken Jima (Master Takahashi's Adventure Island) in Japan, after Hudson Soft's spokesman who is barely recognizable as his in-game likeness. The first game was actually titled Hudson's Adventure Island outside Japan, though it was originally Wonder Boy and not a Hudson Soft game at all.
  • Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat
  • Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf
  • Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road


Executive's X

  • Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
    • A (probably intentional) effect of this is that many people by extension think that he directed Coraline as trailers advertised it as "from the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas" and make no effort to tell you that means Henry Selick.
    • Maybe not on the TV spots, but the theatrical trailer included Henry Selick's name.
    • DirecTv took this a step further. "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King gives the yuletide season a touch of Halloween in an animated tale from the mind of Tim Burton. Animated. From a Tim Burton story."
    • Few also remember that this was, technically, a Disney film; aside from placing it under their Touchstone logo, Disney didn't want anyone to intinally know it was from or associated with them, so adding Burton's name was one more degree away in their eyes.
  • The miniseries Steven Spielberg's Taken. Spielberg neither wrote nor directed any episodes (all ten episodes were directed by different people, and while they were all written by the same man it wasn't Spielberg).
    • Although Spielberg has "Story By" credit on 15 episodes of Amazing Stories (including the two he directed) and wrote another one, his name isn't part of the title except in British listings guides (which insisted on calling it Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories).
  • Wes Craven Presents: They, in addition to being a terrible film, is an example of #3.
    • Also Wes Craven's Wishmaster, Wes Craven presents Dracula 2000, ...
    • The "Wes Craven Presents" series was an attempt to give experience and an opportunity to some up-and-coming young directors. It was hoped that attaching Craven's name would make the films more appealing to distributors and renters. The whole effort has probably done more harm to Craven's name than it has good for anyone else's.
  • Billy Rose's ...
  • Jenna Jameson's Shadow Hunter. Many readers felt shortchanged by this comic, since it was fairly light on Fan Service despite being backed by a porn star.
  • Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple, the musical adaptation of the 1985 film adaptation of the 1982 novel by Alice Walker.
    • See also, among others Oprah Winfrey Presents David And Lisa, Oprah Winfrey Presents The Wedding, and Oprah Winfrey Presents Mitch Albom's For One More Day.
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents, an anthology television show featuring horror / mystery / crime stories, for which Alfred Hitchcock served as executive producer and host. He also directed some (but not all, or even most) of the episodes.
  • Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (if it isn't obvious, The Movie is the one film that was directed by Jackson)
  • Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon, which Berry Gordy wrote directed was Executive Producer of.
  • All the Warner Bros. TV cartoons that were co-produced with Amblin Entertainment were fully titled Steven Spielberg presents [show title].
  • Marvel Comics always included a "Stan Lee Presents" before the title of each comic issue for decades. This has led to Lee's reputation getting rather severely inflated among people unfamiliar with comic books.
    • Now[when?] Boom Studios is doing the same thing with a trio of titles that Lee is involved in (but not as an actual writer or artist).
  • Are We There Yet? the TV Show from Executive Producer Ice Cube (who does do the promos for it).
  • American McGee's Scrapland

New Interpreter's X

Actual Creator's X

  • Sid Meier has gained sufficient acclaim for his work that Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is the official title. And Sid Meier's Civilization. And Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon. And...
    • Sid Meier's been getting less involved in the games of late; although he remains Chief Creative Officer of Firaxis, he doesn't write much code anymore. He apparently does contribute a lot conceptually, though.
  • Like Sid Meier, Will Wright makes such good games that he deserves to have his name in the title, though nobody ever includes it in idle conversation.
    • Supposedly, that's because Will Wright either doesn't want his name in the titles, or EA doesn't want his name in the titles. Depending on who you believe, Will Wright is either a humble guy, or EA is full of jerkass executives.
      • That's the inclusive or, I take it.
  • Chris Sawyer's Locomotion. A sequel to his earlier Transport Tycoon game, the only reason his name was included on this one was to play up on the popularity of the other game he made in between those two.
  • John Romero's Daikatana
  • Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate
  • Archer Maclean's Mercury
  • Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
  • Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio. This is somewhere between types 3 and 4, actually, since Paul McCartney is both author and executive. He was one of the creators of this work, but he did have a collaborator. Since Paul couldn't read the music he was writing, he was afraid that people would think this piece was ghostwritten if he didn't put his name on it. Carl Davis, his collaborator, did not appreciate this title.
  • Tyler Perry and anything he releases.
  • Despite the below-mentioned parody, Clive Barker's Jericho is actually a case of this... to a degree. He didn't actually write the code or anything, but he collaborated on development and is listed as "creator" in the credits.
  • Blake Edwards did this with several of his films' onscreen credits from The Great Race onwards, as he often served as director, writer, and producer. He also named his 1980s production company Blake Edwards Entertainment.
  • Kurt Busiek's Astro City. Put in by the author because his editor thought simply Astro City sounded too hokey. His name tends to be in rather smaller print.
  • Clancy actually did write the stories for the early Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six games. Later ones are Celebrity Sponsor's X (above).
  • George A. Romero's Land of the Dead
  • Writers who are popular enough tend to have their names as large or larger than the title on the covers of their books. Sometimes this reaches ridiculous levels.
  • Wes Craven's New Nightmare
  • Older Than Steam: This device was not unknown in the 17th century. One of the compositions of Johann Kaspar Kerll bears the title La batal à Casparo Ceerl.
  • Sometime's this is done as a fan reflex more than anything - several works by Katsuhiro Otomo have his name added by fans more than anything. Oddly, the only film that has this as an official alternate title is Memories which as an anthology, had numerous people working in the same capacity as Otomo did. Go figure.
  • James Cameron's Avatar, in order to distinguish it from the other Avatar; Cameron did write and direct it.
  • Not a clean-cut example, considering the title uses Colon Cancer rather than the more classic possessive form. Nevertheless, the opening sequence for Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos certainly drops a hint or two about who created it... taking this trope to drinking game levels.
  • Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D: "The Naked Sample."
  • The Inferno by Dante Aligheri, is almost always referred to as Dante's Inferno.
  • The original edition of Shakespeare's sonnets is actually titled "Shakespeare's Sonnets", and repeats the words as a running title on every page. At that time this was a very unusual kind of title; one could almost believe that the editors foresaw the centuries of disputed authorship that were to follow.
  • Kira Is Justice was formerly called C0's Death Note, because it was a Working Title. It was changed.
  • In the 1960s kids' cartoon "Beany and Cecil" (also called "Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil"), creator Bob Clampett shoehorned his name in every episode about six times, including in the opening theme song, which also features a cartoon rendering of him. Every half-hour episode consists of three cartoon shorts, and in the beginning of every one of them, the main characters sang "so here are Beany and Cecil in--a whole half-hour--Bob Clampett cartoo--oon!" The Other Wiki reports that he was known as "a shameless self-promoter." Well...yeah.
  • Recess: Created by Paul and Joe (at least on The Merch)


Company's X

  • Seen all-too-frequently with Disney movies.
    • In the case of Disney's The Kid, this was legally required in order to differentiate it from the famous Charlie Chaplin movie, The Kid.
    • Done with their TV shows too. Curiously, The Other Wiki (and a Jerkass on the Disney Wiki) insists on Adventures of the Gummi Bears and House of Mouse always being referred to with the "Disney's" preface.
      • The Canadian network Family, a de facto Disney Channel for Canada, used to do this; since about 80% of their schedule is Disney shows, this meant that practically everything was prefaced by "Disney's".

"Coming up next on Family, Disney's Recess, followed by Disney's Kim Possible, and then, Disney's Hannah Montana."


Star's or Host's X


References and parodies

Fan Works

Film

  • Parodied by the film Jane Austen's Mafia!, which has nothing at all to do with Jane Austen.
    • At the time, there were a lot of film and TV adaptations of Austen, the Bronte sisters and their contemporaries that were using the formula (e.g., Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice), so it was a topical parody.
  • In the Hot Fuzz writers' commentary, it is stated that the film's Romeo and Juliet parody was initially going to be referred to as Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet.
  • Parodied in Mr. Bean's Holiday: "CARSON CLAY PICTURES present - CARSON CLAY - in a CARSON CLAY production - of a CARSON CLAY film" - PLAYBACK TIME
  • Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire, one can only guess that is title is for cases where you forgot, for cares to forget that the cinematic motion picture (feature length) is adapted from a long form narrative prose (fiction-American, written in English) work of a different name written by an author under a pseudonym.
    • The adaptation was originally called Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, but retitled to avoid confusion with the 2009 sci-fi film Push.
    • NBC's The Office parodies this trope when Michael, taking Erin out to lunch, pops in a book-on-tape "novelization" of Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire.

Live-Action TV

Dick: I can see it now on the marquee... Dick Solomon Presents A Dick Solomon Production of Dick Solomon's Romeo and Juliet.

  • Married... with Children: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Larry Storch players present: A Larry Storch production of Larry Storch's Phantom of the Opera, coming to you in Surround Storch. Starring Larry Storch ..."
  • An episode of Growing Pains where Ben makes a movie for class, Ben gives him self top billing for everything, writing, directing, producing and staring. He does give the rest of the cast credit, in tiny writing squeezed onto one title card.


Web Originals


Web Comics

  • Lilformers had "Michael Bay presents: A Michael Bay Movie: Michael Bay's Transformers. (Directed by Michael Bay)". (The movie did have at least one mention of Michael Bay's name in its credits, but Lilformers is Lilformers.)


Western Animation

  • Family Guy parodied both types 3 & 4 with "Peter Griffin Presents The King and I, a Peter Griffin Production." His new interpretation might as well have been a new play entirely; it was set on the planet England and featured partial nudity, kung fu fighting, and Groin Attacks.
    • The marquee also refers to "A Peter Griffin Joint", a parody of Spike Lee's odd director credit (instead of "A Spike Lee Film").
  • Brak Presents The Brak Show Starring Brak
  • The title of the work is Mary Shelley's Frankenhole, but it was created by Dino Stamatopoulos. While the setting is Dr. Frankenstein's lab in Eastern Europe, the show is a parody of horror genres.
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