User blog comment:Solar Dragon/Guest Star articles/@comment-1594482-20100913043205

Below is what I think a guest star article needs to be considered complete rather than a stub. This duplicates a lot of what you said already, and also is a lot like the Guest Star Articles section of Project Self Voicers.


 * Infobox with information filled in, including a photo
 * Templates such as Guest Stars of Season X
 * Appropriate categories
 * Appearances
 * External links: Wikipedia and IMDB for sure. Optionally, the guest's personal website and/or links to other Wikis on which they have a significant presence.

The body of the article is where there's the most room for debate. I write guest stars' articles with the goal that someone who knows the show (but not necessarily the guest star) can learn what the star did on the show, who they are outside of The Simpsons, and (if applicable) how details from their personal life influence the role they played on the show.

Harvey Fierstein is an example of the latter. His status as an openly gay celebrity feeds into the debate and discussion over his character Karl's sexual orientation, and therefore is worth mentioning in his article. On the other hand, Ian McKellen is also gay, but his status doesn't have any bearing on his role in the show, so doesn't need to be mentioned.

Also, if the person is a veteran of the armed forces of whatever country they're from, I'll include that in their article. Sometimes it has to be mentioned becuase it's an integral part of their claim to fame (as with Buzz Aldrin), but I'll go a little out of my way to weave that detail in even if it doesn't have any bearing on their Simpsons role. That's purely personal bias on my part, so my feelings won't be hurt if no one else thinks it's necessary.

A guest star article that covers all those bases should be considered complete and not a stub, even if the main body of the article is only a couple of paragraphs long. My $.02 worth!!