Is it cold in here, or is it just the bitter windchill cutting across the American Northeast? Or did I just answer my own question? Maybe I should shut the window and OPEN up a THREAD, perhaps?

Two items of note this week: first, the 2010 Oscar Nominations were announced on Tuesday. Avatar and The Hurt Locker both have 9 nominations, ranging from Best Sound Mixing to Best Picture and Best Director. James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow going head to head – talk about drama. Fortunately, they’re at least on speaking terms; Will Ferrell and Mo’nique have yet to reconcile.

Question: A movie about a Hollywood couple who divorces, then goes on to direct two movies both of which are nominated for Oscars, gets nominated for an Oscar: too meta, or not meta enough?

Oh, Jimmy; it's so funny when you pretend you can hurl lightning.

Second, a big game of American (that is to say, “padded”) football will be played this Sunday: the AFC/NFC conference championships, colloquially known as the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl ads, typically some of the most expensive commercials sold throughout the year, continue to draw controversy, with Tim Tebow’s anti-abortion ad, as well as ads from CareerBuilder and GoDaddy, already making headlines. Even more shocking? The two teams with the best regular season records are playing in the Super Bowl! You know how rarely that happens?

Question: Do you know how rarely that happens? Without consulting Wikipedia?

You think they'll let me star in commercials if I win this Super Bowl, Peyton?

In a postscript, can someone explain what’s going on with Overthinking It’s Facebook page? We’ve gained 800 fans in the last week and it’s just not slowing down. We don’t want it to stop, but we’re sort of scared of where it’s leading us. Anyhow, if you want to say that you were a Facebook fan of Overthinking It “back when it was still cool,” join soon. At this rate, we’ll have 35,000 fans by the end of 2010 and then it’s just going to be a mess.

Do you have answers regarding Facebook? Perhaps you can share some Oscar predictions? Care to lay a wager on the Super Bowl? Or have we once again missed that important news that you crave so much? Sound off in the comments, for this is your … Open Thread.

This album is dedicated to all the teachers that told me I’d never amount to nothin’, to all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustlin’ in front of that called the police on me when I was just tryin’ to make some money to feed my daughters, and all the ni—rs in the struggle, you know what I’m sayin’?

—Notorious B.I.G., “Juicy”

I just threw away a lifetime of guilt-free sex and floor seats for every sporting event in Madison Square Garden. So please, a little respect. For I am Costanza, Lord of the Idiots.

—Jason Alexander, Seinfeld

Every culture recognizes the hustler.

Greek mythology devotes as much praise to Odysseus – builder of the Trojan Horse; blinder of Polyphemus; the man who outwitted Circe and Proteus – as it does to the legendary warrior Achilles. The Native Americans of the Midwest venerated the mythical Coyote, trickster extraordinaire, while the Norse had Loki, who could even change his gender. You can find more classical fables, from Aesop to Jean de la Fontaine, that honor the cunning prey overcoming the mighty predator than vice versa. From the Monkey King of the Ming Dynasty to Anansi, spider-god of the Ashanti, every human society reveres cleverness and wit.

These mythological gods and heroes play a variety of roles. Anansi was a storyteller; Coyote, the creator of man and the Earth; Loki, a thorn in the side of Asgard. But they all share the similar Jungian archetype of the hustler: the underdog surviving on his wit.

Smooth operator.

And good morning to you, Overthinkers. Is that a new sweater? You’ve definitely lost some weight, at least. No? Well, enough of these pleasantries.

In happy news, Steve Jobs announced the iPad in a demonstration earlier this week, Apple’s entry into the undercrowded tablet computer market. The demonstration promised slick graphics, fast loading and 3G access. Everyone’s already made all the “tampon” jokes? The “like an iPhone, but bigger, and it can’t make calls” observations? Okay, good; just making sure the low-hanging fruit was plucked.

Question: what would the iPad need for you to buy one (taking as read “a $100 drop in price”)?

The Apple is always a low-hanging fruit.

In less happy news, the world of academia lost two original Overthinkers this week. First, Howard Zinn, the fiery revisionist historian whose People’s History of the United States remains one of the most accessible counter-cultural texts on American history. Then, in short order, J.D. Salinger, reclusive author of Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey and other school reading assignments. Both took the same sort of hypercritical look at established institutions that Overthinking It plays at – Zinn, with his populist interpretations of history; Salinger, infusing suburban family dynamics with Buddhism. They were tremendous influences on our time.

Question: when a prominent author dies, do you go out and read their famous texts immediately? Or do you wait for the furor to die down? Or does it not make much difference on your reading habits?

I got namechecked in Good Will Hunting. How do you like DEM apples?

And finally, today marks the series finale of Dollhouse, bringing Joss Whedon’s latest attempt at a prime-time series to a close. Fans will doubtless have unanswered questions and bitter recriminations against the Fox network. I just hope people don’t lose respect for Eliza Dushku as a serious actor.

(Note: download our podcast on Monday for Overthinking It’s final thoughts on the series)

Question: what’s the biggest unanswered question about Dollhouse burning in your mind?

I'm trying so hard to avoid a joke about the mannequins upstaging her. So, so hard.

Not a fan of Apple products, academic literature or Dollhouse? Then as far as marketers are concerned, you don’t exist – but you’re still real to us! Tell us what you’d like to talk about, since this is your … Open Thread.

Good morning, Overthinkers!

Only one news story worth reporting on in the world of pop culture: the two-year anniversary of a little site called Overthinking It. Wow. Two years already. It feels like only yesterday we were asking, “Does pop culture deserve this level of scrutiny?” Thankfully, we’ve never received an answer.

Question: visit the Authors Page or dive deep into our archives. Tell us what you’ve liked from the last two years. Tell us what you’d like us to revisit. Tell us what you’d like to see more of.

And while we’re at it, tell us what you want changed about the site. More Excel charts? More product placement in the podcasts? More visits by our goofy upstairs neighbor Laronté? Sound off in the comments, for this is your … Open Thread.

(oh, and news happened this week, too; you can talk about that)

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another’s arms, birds in the trees
– Those dying generations – at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.

- William Butler Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium”

One thing I could never stand was to see a filthy, dirty old drunkie, howling away at the filthy songs of his fathers and going blurp blurp in between as it might be a filthy old orchestra in his stinking, rotten guts. I could never stand to see anyone like that, whatever his age might be, but more especially when he was real old like this one was.

– A Clockwork Orange

Comparing A Clockwork Orange to No Country for Old Men takes no more effort than focusing a pair of binoculars. We have two fuzzy images on either side of us: Burgess’s dystopian future, as viewed through the past (1962), and McCarthy’s blood-soaked past (1980), as viewed in a contemporary novel (2005). But dialing the focus bit by bit until the image adjusts, we see that we’re actually examining the same time period from two different perspectives. The 3-D effect seen in binoculars comes, as with human eyes, from overlaying two images from different angles. Thus, too, does examining this chaotic time from two different viewpoints give us clarity.

(I make reference to Burgess and McCarthy’s visions throughout, even though I’ll be focusing primarily on the films – Kubrick’s and the Coens’ adaptations, respectively. Most critics consider these movies to be unusually faithful to their source material, however, and in any case they’ve reached a wider audience)

Good morning, Overthinkers! We have had one hell of a week, let me tell you. And I will tell you.

Leading the headlines this week is the continuing battle over the fate of The Tonight Show. As of this writing, rumors – but nothing solid – say that Leno will be taking over The Tonight Show again and that Conan O’Brien will get the boot (with an eight-figure severance package). So if Leno moves to 11:30, who takes the 10:00 slot? Well, we’ve already informed NBC that the smoky-voiced Mark Lee lives in the tri-borough area and has extensive broadcasting experience. Just waiting on that phone to ring.

Question: Where should Conan O’Brien go if he leaves NBC?

Are funny newspaper headlines no longer a draw?

In other sinking-ship news, Simon Cowell announced that he is leaving American Idol following this season in order to host an American version of his British show The X Factor. The X Factor boasts a wider range of contestants, more control by judges, and fewer singers who drop their pants during auditions.

Question: Who should replace the legendarily cold Cowell on the American Idol panel?

A lame reference to this week's auditions? Not impressed, OTI.

On a more serious note, a 7.0 magnitude quake has left (possibly) thousands dead and (definitely) millions stranded in Haiti. Fortunately, the international response has been overwhelming: Wyclef Jean’s Haiti foundation, Yele, as well as the American Red Cross, have been collecting donations via text. We urge every Overthinker to pitch in somewhere, as the extent of this tragedy can’t be overstated.

Question: donating via text seems to be the “new media / crowdsourcing” response to the Haiti crisis. How else could the First World use the global internet/telco backbone to bring aid where it’s needed?

Seriously, there might be one hundred thousand people dead.

Ending on a real downer: the entertainment world said goodbye to punk rocker Jay Reatard and R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass this week. Reatard, 29, born Jimmy Lee Lindsey, was a dynamo in the Memphis punk scene, while Pendergrass, 59, produced several soulful ballads like “Turn Off The Lights.”

Question: Reatard left behind a discography of 22(!) albums, while Pendergrass kept producing hits even after a car accident paralyzed him from the waist down. What excuse are you using to not follow your dreams today?

Anything we forgot? Anything cheerier to add? Sound off in the comments, for this is your … Open Thread.

Good day, Overthinkers! How go those New Years’ resolutions? That poorly, huh? Don’t worry – we still love you.

In award show news – is it that time again? – Twilight, “How I Met Your Mother” and Taylor Swift were big winners at last night’s People’s Choice Awards. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson lost out to Sandra Bullock and Johnny Depp, respectively, for Favorite Actress / Actor nods. For the first time this century, democracy works! (Twice if you count the black President thing)

Question: The fascination with “giving the people a choice” in entertainment is relatively recent in human history (Hall of Fame ballots, the People’s Choice awards, American Idol voting, etc). If we lived during the Roman Empire, how would the big stars of the day have been nominated for awards? How about the Dark Ages? The Byzantine Empire?

At long last, one of the great comedians of our time meets Hugh Laurie.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), favorite of geeks worldwide, opened this week in Vegas (baby). Big tech news includes the debut of Google’s Nexus One (not going to link to it; just go to the Google homepage), its Android-ready smartphone, and the buzz about Apple’s new tablet computer, or “slate.” Also, the presence of Lady Gaga, Polaroid’s new creative director for specialty imaging products. Not making that up, people; we’re not that clever.

Question: What eye-grabbing pop star – of this or any era, really – deserves a promotional title at a major electronics corporation?

Shake it like, shake it like, no you can't shake the PO-LAROID! (It develops automatic)

And finally, the Directors Guild of America announced their nominees for best film of the year. The films honored are The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow), Precious (Lee Daniels), Up in the Air (Jason Reitman), Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino) and There’s Something About Cat People (James Cameron). We here at Overthinking It are still waiting on our DGA and AMPAS ballots; probably just a matter of time. You know how the post office is. What with the snow and all.

Question: Best film of the year of those five, OR best film which was not on that list!

Costume dramas are a toss-up at awards season.

Answer these questions, or propose your own! This is your … Open Thread!

In honor of the upcoming 20th Anniversary of the premiere of The Simpsons, Overthinking It is devoting this entire week to a look at how America’s Favorite Family has transformed the cultural landscape. Welcome to D’OHverthinking It!

Shana Mlawski gives us ten more additions to your Simpsons vocabulary. Good ol’ rock; nothing beats that.

Jordan Stokes takes us on a tour of Simpsons musical parody over the years. If you were ever curious about the chord changes in “Dr. Zaius,” Stokes is your man.

From the guest writers, Chris Morgan guides us through the rising complexity of Springfield in his post Purple Monkey Dishwasher, and Trevor Siegler finds that he is in a Springfield, USA State of Mind.

Stay logged on for some excellent guest posts, additional Simpsons content and a very special Simpsons-related podcast on Monday morning, right after the anniversary special.

Overthinking It has hosted some posts of late debating pop-cultural parodies, like Starship Troopers and Steel Panther. These posts have generated some contentious yet rewarding discussions. In these posts, and the discussions that follow, a common question has emerged: does the fact of being a parody excuse the parody from being offensive? Is “I’m Just Kidding, Guys” a sufficient defense?

And good-bye to the working week.

First off, Overthinking It bids farewell to two older icons of the entertainment industry: Jennifer Jones, star of The Song of Bernadette and Duel in the Sun (in the 40s and 50s) and Roy Disney, part owner of the empire of that name. Disney breathed new life into the company’s animation division, helping create gems like Beauty and the Beast and disappointments like Fantasia 2000. Actors who won Oscars for playing saints and pioneers of 2-D animation: they probably weren’t going to like the 21st century much anyway.

Not to take sides on religions, but name the last Oscar-nominated nun.

Second, the Golden Globe nominations were announced earlier this week. Up in the Air sits atop the pile with six nominations. Avatar, The Blind Side, Inglourious Basterds and a dozen movies you’ve never seen nor heard of are also up for awards. House is going up against Season 3 of Mad Men for Best Drama. That guy punching that girl on Jersey Shore? Apparently not dramatic enough.

Question: The Golden Globes have no problem giving comedies their own category (this year’s nominees: (500) Days of Summer, The Hangover, It’s Complicated and Julie and Julia). Why won’t the Oscars?

Nominated for both It's Complicated and Julie & Julia, Meryl Streep is competing against herself this year.

Finally, holy #$%# there’s a new Iron Man 2 trailer and it looks awesome.

Remember when this guy was a believable love interest for Kim Basinger?

Question: are you excited, really excited, or really really excited for Iron Man 2?

And of course, anything else you want to discuss in the comments. This is YOUR … Open Thread.