... FOR "THE IRRESISTIBLE POP RHYTHMS OF GOTYE AND 'SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW'"

An odd post today, since I'm getting irritated with myself for procrastinating so much in between my regular week/two week updates to the site. Also, it's time I started living up to that "And Other Crap" sub-description for FTWW above. So here's the first in a series of sporadic mini-posts for you to mull over/discuss/complain about/whatever while you anxiously await the bigger, better stuff.

I'm warning you now: These really won't amount to much. Just a few short sentences and a video link or two to get some things off my chest - whenever the mood strikes me. Which will hopefully be often.

Today: How about a good old-fashioned music video for your viewing pleasure? More specifically, it's "Somebody That I Used To Know," by Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye (or "Wally" to his friends), which has been climbing the charts over the last few months both here and abroad. (A Twitter post from Ashton Kutcher, of course, helped a lot.)

... FOR "QUIZ TIME, PART 8 (SUPERHERO EDITION)" - UPDATED... WITH ANSWERS!

In doing my research (if you want to call it research) for an upcoming project, a thought occurred to me faster than a speeding bullet: How many comic book heroes can be identified immediately by the insignias on their chests?

Indeed, these symbols/logos/trademarks or what have you all seem to act as targets for gun-wielding criminals. Be it Superman's "S" or The Flash's lightning bolt or Spider-Man's spider, they all scream, Why, hello, evil doers! Fire your bullets at this! For it is a symbol of who I am and the means by which I shall bring you to justice! (Okay, so maybe that's not exactly what they say, but you get the point.)

How would we know recognize these people if not for their insignias? How would we even know what to call them? And does it help that they're color coded?

... FOR "THAT SINKING FEELING... IN 3D!"

We now take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to bring you... James Cameron's Titanic on Facebook!

Has anybody seen this? Chances are, you probably have: As of this writing, the Titanic Facebook page has been "liked" 18,181,157 times since its debut on May 19, 2011. Eighteen million! Am I reading that right? Do that many people still care about Titanic? Sure, the thing made about a gazillion dollars when it first came out, and deservedly captured the imagination of millions of movie-goers worldwide, but still. How many people who "liked" the page were even alive when it first hit theaters 15 years ago? 

... FOR "WALT DISNEY'S ANIMATED FIFTY (PART 36 - 'MULAN' EDITION)"

My continuing foray into Disney's fifty official Animated Classics. As always, don't hesitate to share your thoughts/memories/complaints in the comments section below. Links to previous entries have also been included below.

Title: Mulan (1998; based on the Chinese poem The Ballad Of Mulan)

The Plot: In 3rd century China, a peasant girl disguises herself as a man and joins the Imperial Army in her father's place.

The Songs: "Honor To Us All," "Reflection," "I'll Make A Man Out Of You," "A Girl Worth Fighting For," "True To Your Heart," "Reflection (End Title)"

... FOR "FRANCHISE FACE-OFFS (PART 12 - 'SHERLOCK HOLMES' EDITION)"

Will the real Sherlock Holmes please stand up? The great thing about the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is just how much that question is left open to interpretation. Recounted in the first-person by the estimable Dr. John H. Watson, M.D., Holmes's flatmate and partner in (solving) crime, it is next to impossible to tell what the world's "first consulting detective" might be thinking at any given moment; indeed, Watson can only stand back and observe, in awe and wonderment, as that great and fevered brain goes on about its business. If we're lucky, Holmes might even key us in on his investigative process - how, for example, he is able to deduce (correctly) a killer's age simply by the gait in his footprints. More often than not, though, we're left to ponder the evidence all on our own - not just about the mystery at hand, but also about this strange, enigmatic cipher at its center.

This is no doubt why readers have been so enthralled by Holmes's adventures over the years. Doyle published the first, A Study In Scarlet, in 1887's Beeton's Christmas Annual, and even now - four novels and 56 short stories later - we have only pieces of the character's true psychological makeup. What we do know is mostly limited to the external: Watson, upon their first meeting, describes Holmes as well over six feet tall, thin, with a "hawk-like nose" and "sharp[,] piercing" eyes. He is emotionless, distant, prone to fits of manic depression when his mind isn't busied on a case, and is a master of deductive reasoning. He will never miss a chance to remind you of this last important fact.

That's all well and good, but what about the man inside - his hopes, his dreams, his thoughts, his fears? Is there more to him than meets the eye? Or do his actions speak for themselves? Why is he so driven, so intensely focused, so difficult to identify with on a personal level? (Modern theorists attribute this behavior to Asperger's Syndrome.) He's been the subject of countless films, radio adaptations, literary spin-offs, TV series, even a Disney cartoon - each with their own personal take on the character, but sharing one common trait: Sherlock's obsessive love of the chase. And he's just as popular as ever. My, how we love a good mystery man.