Why doesn't he just change his name...to Weiner???

I tried to suggest that to him and this is what happened.
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Everyone says "fire-steen" when it's really "fear-stine". I studied German language too long, I guess.

My musical theatre professor brought that up to me a few months ago. I mentioned that I was probably going to see La Cage with Harvey "Fire-Steen" and he corrected me and said it was "Fear-Stine". I would have written it off as an alternate pronunciation but he also happened to teach German.

Eh, I think people can pronounce their own names however they want.

And Duh-MEE Moore agrees with me.

The rule is very simple, and my own last name follows it.

In German, when you have two sequential vowels (EI or IE) the SECOND one is pronounced.

Anyone who is going against that (including Oscar Hammerstein, apparently) is incorrect. That would not be the original pronunciation of his name. It would be Hammer-STINE. Not STEEN.

Pretty easy to remember. Just pronounce the second vowel. If they've changed it somewhere along the way, that's their problem.

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Names become Americanized with time. Steve Buscemi pronounces his surname incorrectly, and he knows it but doesn't care! In 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin is Jack Donagee, but the correct pronunciation (in Ireland anyway) is Donahee...the g in Donaghy being silent.

Interesting though about the second vowel regarding EI and IE!

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Updated On: 6/2/11 at 07:10 PM

Ha, ha, Not sure if it's true or not but heard a funny story that on the set of the Juror, when they were on location in South America, Demi was approached by a production assistant who asked "Excuse me, Demi what would you like for lunch?" To which she replied it's "Duh-me, as$ole!". To which the PA rephrased his question: "What would you like for lunch Duh-me As$hole?"

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"Oh I wish I were an Anthony Weiner" said Oscar Meyer

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