History Main / AlmostFamousName

* ''{{JAG}}'': Rabb once offered to introduce a pair of sailors to JenniferLopez in exchange for them helping him out. It wasn't till after they've helped that we find out ''this'' Jennifer is his dental hygienist.

** A similar confusion led to BillMurray doing the voice of {{Garfield}}, getting screenwriter Joel Cohen mixed up with the much cooler Joel Coen (the proposal was apparently made over the phone, making the confusion even more understandable). Murray had already recorded the part before discovering his mistake.

[[folder:Film (Live Action)]]
* ''OfficeSpace'': MichaelBolton.
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* A running joke in ''JohnnyAndTheDead'' in regard to the local cemetery. For instance, Einstein is buried there -- not AlbertEinstein the physicist, but Solomon Einstein the taxidermist.

* ''TheBeverlyHillbillies''[=/=]''PetticoatJunction'': Hooterville's richest and most powerful man is named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hughes Howard Hewes]]. This didn't confuse anybody in Hooterville or the Clampett clan, but Beverly Hills banker Mr. Drysdale just about had an orgasm when he heard that Jed and Mr. Hewes were considering doing business together.

* In an episode of ''{{Community}}'', the Dean attempts to hire GreenDay to play at a dance. He gets Greene Deye, an Irish band, instead.

* A running joke in ''JohnnyAndTheDead]]'' in regard to the local cemetery. For instance, Einstein is buried there -- not AlbertEinstein the physicist, but Solomon Einstein the taxidermist.

* On an episode of ''CornerGas'', Brent exclaims, "Look everybody, it's Al Gore!" When Lacey says that the man in question looks nothing like Al Gore, Brent clarifies that his name is spelled "Goar".

** And the bookshop sketch, where the customer is looking for books by Charles Dikkens (the well-known Dutch author) such as Rarnaby Budge.

* From ''MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', the "Trivializing the War" sketch from series 4 mentions "the other ColePorter" who wrote "the other 'Anything Goes.'"

* [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/xemnuthetitan.htm Xemnu the Titan]] is a kinda interesting example; he was referred to as "a Hulk" before the {{Hulk}} existed, but he called himself Xemnu. [[hottip:*:"Hulk" being a generic word for a large thing, often a ship, at the time. See SpaceHulk, which is not {{Hulk}} [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]] ]] After the Hulk was created, Xemnu has come back a few times mostly as a Hulk foe, feuding over the name.

** For an episode or two Elaine dated a man who had the same name as infamous serial killer [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Rifkin Joel Rifkin.]]
* In the ''VeronicaMars'' episode "Ruskie Business", Keith gets hired to track down an actor named [[TomCruise Tom Cruz.]]
* In an episode of ''StepByStep'', Cody told Dana that he was friends with BradPitt, and would introduce him to her. Turns out he was friends with a Brad ''Pit''.

* From ''MontyPython'', the "Trivializing the War" sketch from series 4 mentions "the other ColePorter" who wrote "the other 'Anything Goes.'"

* ''TheBeverlyHillbillies''[=/=]''PetticoatJunction'': Hooterville's richest and most powerful man is named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hughes Howard Hewes.]] This didn't confuse anybody in Hooterville or the Clampett clan, but Beverly Hills banker Mr. Drysdale just about had an orgasm when he heard that Jed and Hewes were considering doing business together.

* A variation occurred in the Australian version of ''The Late Show'', where Tony Martin would announce a major celebrity to perform the musical finale for the show, only for Mick Molloy to confess he slipped up and booked a minor celebrity with a similar name.
* On an episode of ''CornerGas'', Brent exclaims "Look everybody, it's Al Gore!". When Lacey says that the man in question looks noting like Al Gore, Brent clarifies that his name is spelled "Goar".

* {{Concerned}} stars the exploits of Gordon ''Frohman''.

** A similar confusion led to BillMurray doing the voice of {{Garfield}}, getting screenwriter Joel Cohen mixed up with the much cooler Joel Coen (the proposal was apparently made over the phone, making the confusion even more understandable). He had already recorded the part before discovering his mistake.

* An actress named Patricia Mahoney, whose only [=IMDb=] credit is the 1988 film ''Black Eagle'', is likely not a [[PattyMaloney dwarf]].
* Country singer, [[JuliaRoberts Julie Roberts.]]

** A similar confusion led to BillMurray doing the voice of {{Garfield}}, getting screenwriter Joel Cohen mixed up with the much cooler Joel Coen. He had already recorded the part before discovering his mistake.

** A similar confusion led to BillMurray doing the voice of {{Garfield}}, after seeing the name Joel Coen on the screenplay. He had already recorded the part before discovering that it wasn't ''that'' Joel Coen.

** A similar confusion led to BillMurray doing the voice of {{Garfield}}. Seeing the name Joel Coen on the screenplay, he took it to be the much cooler Joel Cohen, and had already recorded the part before discovering his mistake.

AlmostFamousName is when a person states they've met not a celebrity, but someone with a similar sounding name who may be less famous or not famous at all.

* Producer Jon S. Denny has a name very similar to much more well known producer JonathanDemme. When Denny asked for a meeting with Danny Bonaduce to pitch a film based on his life story, Bonaduce thought that Demme had called.
* There's a guy who sells powered wheelchairs who is named [[TomCruise Tom Kruze]].
* A British general at the time of the Falklands war was named MichaelJackson.
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* In the ''VeronicaMars'' episode "Ruskie Business", Keith gets hired to track down an actor named Tom Cruz.
* In an episode of ''StepByStep'', Cody told Dana that he was friends with Brad Pitt, and would introduce him to her. Turns out he was friends with Brad ''Pit''.

* ''OfficeSpace'': MichaelBolton.

* ''{{JAG}}'': Rabb once offered to introduce a pair of sailors to Jennifer Lopez in exchange for them helping him out. It wasn't till after they've helped that we find out ''this'' Jennifer is his dental hygienist.

* A British general at the time of the Falklands war was named Michael Jackson.

* A variation occured in the Australian version of ''The Late Show'', where Tony Martin would announce a major celebrity to perform the musical finale for the show, only for Mick Molloy to confess he slipped up and booked a minor celebrity with a similar name.

* There's a guy who sells powered wheelchairs who is named Tom Cruise.

* Also {{Marvel}}'s Doctor Druid, in his first appearance, was called Doctor D'''r'''oom. They changed his name when they revived the character so as not to be confused with Doom.

* In {{Seinfeld}}, George Costanza buys a car purported to have been owned by actor Jon Voight. He later learns that the car was owned by Dr. John Voight, an unrelated character.
** And also from ''Seinfeld'', for an episode or two Elaine dated a man who had the same name as infamous serial killer [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Rifkin Joel Rifkin.]]

* In an episode of ''{{Cheers}}'', Sam discocers that when he was an alcoholic bender, he bet the bar that he would be married to Jacqueline Bisset by a certain date. When the guy he made the bet with turns up to claim the bar, Sam realises that the bet didn't specify ''the'' Jacqueline Bisset, so he tracks down another woman of that name to marry.

* In an episode of {{Community}}, the Dean attempts to hire GreenDay to play at a dance. He gets Greene Deye, an Irish band, instead.
* {{JAG}}: Rabb once offered to introduce a pair of sailors to Jennifer Lopez in exchange for them helping him out. It wasn't till after they've helped that we find out ''this'' Jennifer is his dental hygienist.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''Bad Baby'' was directed by ''Tom'' Burton, [[TimBurton as opposed to...]]

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