Discuss: Misspelling Celeb/Film Names
Filed under: Fandom

Earlier today I noticed on three different sites (including this one) that Nicolas Cage's name was spelled wrong, with the writer opting for Nicholas over Nicolas. Simple mistake, yes, but I began to think about all the different celebrities and films with names and titles we just can't seem to spell right no matter how hard we try. As far as film titles go, the most confusing one of 2008 and 2009 has to be Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds -- a title that comes with at least one "Hey, are you sure they spell it that way?" instant message or email each and every time I write about it.
I introduced this question via Twitter (feel free to follow me and find out how lame I really am) a little while ago, and the most popular misspellings for celebrities were Shia LaBeouf, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell and Colin Farrell. Folks usually have the most trouble with names that could have a double 'L', and long hard-to-pronounce last names are also a pain in the neck to figure out (ie: Timur Bekmambetov). Which film title or celebrity name do you find yourself misspelling on a regular basis?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-20-2008 @ 10:56PM
MCW said...
"Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds", yeah, he wins for dumbest movie title ever.
I had trouble in the past with Will Ferrell, just because I'd think it was Ferell or Ferrel, or some other abomination. Thankfully, Firefox knows how to spell Ferrell, so they help you out with that one.
Try spelling Zach Galifianakis, right the first try. That ones been giving me trouble lately, but I'm improving. I also have trouble with Rob Corddry. It seems like it should be Corrdry. Ugh.
I think you misspelled "celebrity" in the title of this article though, technically.
TV Squad pointed out that the geniuses at Variety called the South Park creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone recently, so it isn't just spelling, it can also be complete lack of research.
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12-21-2008 @ 12:01AM
StanleyNickels said...
Michael Ondaatje is always tricky for me, as is George Stromboulopoulos. I wonder if the rise in less common celebrity names has anything to do with a drop in stage names. Obviously they're still around (Natalie Portman, for example), but they're less common than they used to be.
But again, it's probably more likely that people just don't care if they're wrong. Keith Ledger was one of the most googled names of early 2008. It's kind of discouraging, but what can you do?
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12-21-2008 @ 3:44AM
Nick said...
One I notice a lot is Seth Rogen, which is frequently mispelled as "Rogan," even on very credible movie sites.
Also a lot of people spell Sofia Coppola's name as "Sophia."
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12-21-2008 @ 6:11AM
MCW said...
I've got one. I'll attempt to spell it without Google :)
Chiwetel Edjiofor. That's probably off, but it's worth a try. He's got a cool, if hard to spell name.
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12-21-2008 @ 11:14AM
Kurt said...
Game, set, and match
12-21-2008 @ 7:35AM
Vic said...
I don't really have a problem with names like Chiwetel Ejiofor or Megalyn Echikunwoke - once I've spelled them right on my own, they stick - but I usually catch myself sort of naturally going for the double last letters in, say, Garret Dillahunt or "correcting" spellings that are counterintuitive to me, like Shia LaBeouf (to LeBoeuf) or Adrien Brody (to Adrian).
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12-21-2008 @ 9:04AM
Julio said...
What, no mentions of Zellweger or Gyllenhaal? I was so proud of myself when I realized I could spell those without looking them up anymore.
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12-21-2008 @ 1:20PM
Tyler said...
The Coen Brothers often end up as The Cohen brothers.
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12-21-2008 @ 1:53PM
Todd G. said...
Mathew McConaghey -- even that is probably wrong, see
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12-21-2008 @ 2:17PM
Bryan Price said...
Seann William Scott.
Too n's on the first name (pun intended).
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12-21-2008 @ 3:46PM
Scott Weinberg said...
Djimon Hounsou and Chiwetel Ejiofor used to trip me up. Nacho Vigalondo. Maurice Devereaux. Adam Green.
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12-21-2008 @ 4:28PM
lowrentherzog said...
The staff at the BBC News website has a running gag along these lines. Whenever there is a story about Adam Sandler, they refer to him as Adam Sadler.
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12-21-2008 @ 5:08PM
Walt Whitman said...
It's Mike M-y-e-r-s not Mike M-e-y-e-r-s.
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12-21-2008 @ 5:10PM
SkyDog said...
This one's so simple, yet so many people f#@% it up. Christopher Reeve. How many people have put an "s" at the end of his last name during the course of his career, and even now, well after his death? Way too many to count. I know the guy who played Superman before him in the TV series was named George Reeves, but that doesn't even come close to excusing the sheer volume of incompetence from the people who don't even bother to check to see if the name is spelled right.
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12-29-2008 @ 7:54PM
Laura said...
The worst misspelling are often perpetrated by professional writers and editors on the Web. Yahoo! has some of the most egregious offenders, even on its front page, where Chace Crawford is often listed as "Chase." Also victimized by careless editors? Courteney Cox, Stephenie Meyer, Ashlee Simpson, Keyshia Cole, and lots more. Just a few of them are highlighted at: http://terriblywrite.wordpress.com
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