Skeletons and Skeltons

This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 20 through 26 July.

Featured articles

Two featured articles were promoted this week.

The Nusfjord Road by Simo Räsänen, a new featured picture.

Red Skelton (nominated by We hope) According to the nominator, this American comedian spent seventy years in the business of making people laugh, including "vaudeville, films, radio and a weekly television show" lasting for two decades. On the side, he painted portraits of clowns. Strangely, rumor has it that Skelton made more money from the latter.

The FP (nominated by Sock) A little-known, low-budget, low-grossing film with a small cult following, The FP follows gang members who fight using a Dance Dance Revolution knock-off. Taking in just over US$40,000 at the box office (including one weekend's total of just $93), The FP has gradually gained fans since its 2011 premiere at South by Southwest. Its bizarre dialogue and premise have divided critics and audiences alike.

Featured lists

Four featured lists were promoted this week.

The Chequered Skipper, a smallish butterfly found in northern and central Europe, is the subject of this featured picture.

Alastair Sim on stage and screen (nominated by SchroCat) SchroCat's twentieth featured list comes in the form of this article detailing the appearances of Alastair Sim, a "memorable character player of faded Anglo-Scottish gentility". He performed from 1930, when he played a messenger in Othello until 1977, when he acted in his last performance, as himself in the television show To See Such Fun, ending his 47 year long career, in which he appeared on stage, film, and television.

86th Academy Awards (nominated by Birdienest81) Birdienest81's seventeenth featured list regarding the Academy Awards. The 86th Academy Awards were presented on 2 March 2014, at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre. 12 Years a Slave won the coveted award for best picture, whilst Gravity received the most awards.

Moons of Neptune (nominated by Double sharp) Double Sharp received this featured list with some captivating pictures accompanying it regarding the 14 moons of Neptune. Triton is by far the biggest of the 14; it has a mass far far greater than the other moons combined, and was the first discovered, in 1846. The most recently discovered moon was first seen only last year.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award (nominated by Vivvt) Vivvt's second Featured List is, as the first, related to Indian cinema. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award for cinema, and has been running for the 45 years since 1969. The most recent edition (2013) was awarded to Gulzar of the Hindi film industry.

Featured pictures

Nusfjord road (created by Simo Räsänen, nominated by EuroCarGT ) A lovely picture of the road to the village of Nusfjord on the island of Flakstadøya in Norway, with the mountains on the island looming in the background.

Chequered Skipper (created by Haeferl, nominated by Crisco 1492) A smallish butterfly - wingspan 29-31 mm (about 1 ⅛ inch) - with brown and orange wings marked with lighter spots that give it its name.

Bath, Somerset (created and nominated by David Iliff) Bath is an ancient city in Somerset, England. The Romans built the town, then known as Aquæ Sulis, around a natural hot spring; it was rebuilt by King Alfred the Great in the 9th century, and it soon became a popular spa town. Its popularity became such in the 17th century that a grand expansion of the city took place, giving Bath its many Georgian buildings. This photograph by David Iliff gives some idea of the complicated historic city, seen from the hill to its south.

Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette (created by Vincent van Gogh, nominated by Editør) Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette is an undated work by Vincent van Gogh depicting... well, it's in the title. Thought by some art critics to be a parody of academic art teaching based around skeletal anatomy, which would likely date it to the winter of 1885–86, when van Gogh was taking such classes, whenever it comes from, it's a fine painting.

Gabrielle et Jean (created by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, nominated by Crisco 1492) Gabrielle Renard was the cousin of artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir's wife, and served as nanny to his son Jean Renoir. She formed an extremely close bond with the infant Jean, as well as serving as a model for the artist, and, later, his assistant, helping him to continue painting despite his arthritis.

The Death of Socrates (created by Jacques-Louis David, nominated by Nikhil) This painting by Jacques-Louis David shows the execution of Socrates as depicted in Plato's Phædo. Socrates was ordered to drink hemlock, but did so at a last party of his friends, in which, if Plato's account is accurate, they discussed the afterlife, death, and the soul. The Death of Socrates is one of the iconic works of Jacques-Louis David's early period, with one critic calling it "in every sense perfect", and Denis Diderot comparing it, suitably enough given the subject, to an ancient bas-relief.

Wilbert Robinson (created by Bain News Service, nominated by Adam Cuerden) Wilbert Robinson was a baseball player who played as a catcher in the major league from 1886 to 1903, after which he served as a coach and manager, including eighteen years managing the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. He was also the first player to ever have ten runs batted in credited to him in a single game, a feat only a handful of players have managed since.