And a good morning to you, Overthinkers.

First, THE DEAD HAVE RISEN AND ARE MAKING ALBUMS. Not literally, of course, but a new album of rare and unreleased Jimi Hendrix tracks, “Valleys of Neptune,” debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts this week. Also, Michael Jackson’s estate signed a deal with Sony for $250,000,000 in exchange for ten albums over seven years. “In exchange” is perhaps a misnomer, since Blanket probably wouldn’t be in the studio cutting new hooks.

Just LEAVE ME ALOOOOOOOONE! Dah-dah nndah-da! Dah-dah nndah-di-da!

Second, MEN WITH GUNS ARE COMING FOR YOU, if you’re a protagonist in any of the movies opening this weekend that is. Repo Men (not to be confused with the cult classic), The Bounty Hunter and Diary of a Wimpy Kid open this weekend. Additionally, last year’s Swedish adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opens to limited audiences in the States this weekend. If it’s half as good as the novel, see it.

Sorry for all the misleading headlines; you know we’re not normally like that. But THE BUS IS SPEEDING OUT OF CONTROL! HURRY UP AND SAVE YOUR … open thread.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before:

A man is on track to succeed in his career through natural talent and hard work. However, he’s also in love with a young woman. Circumstances force him to choose between his career and the woman he loves. In the end, despite uncertainty and pressure, he chooses the woman. The two of them stare fondly as the credits roll.

Which movie did I just describe? Good Will Hunting? The Family Man? Regarding Henry? If we reverse the genders, we can add Sweet Home Alabama, The Devil Wears Prada, You’ve Got Mail and a dozen others to the list. You saw it in Felicity and you saw it on Friends. You see it every time you turn on the television.

But you don’t see it in real life.

Love.

Overthinkers of the world, unite! You have nothing to open but your threads.

In rap news, Lil’ Wayne began his one-year jail term this week, pleading guilty to attempted weapons possession. The obvious joke is that doing a bid can only help a gangsta’s career, but that actually hasn’t been true. It certainly hasn’t helped Mystikal’s career any, though he only just got out.

Question: what should Lil’ Wayne do with his year off from recording (other than reflect on his crimes, rehabilitate, blah blah etc)?

Mr. Carter entered the following statement in his defense: I keep it real crisp like Kellogg, stack it like Lincoln Logs, then I drive my Lincoln over your dog, dawg.

Second, have we all taken a moment to let our jaws drop over the Tron Legacy trailer? Because really, wow.

Question: A revanchist Alice in Wonderland; a mature Tron sequel; and even that trailer for The Sorceror’s Apprentice looked a little edgy for a movie inspired by a Fantasia cartoon. Has the success of Pirates of the Caribbean inspired Disney to treat its properties in a more adult manner? If so, what does this suggest for the future?

Finally, we doff our bandannas for Corey Haim, who apparently succumbed to a drug overdose earlier this week at the age of 38. Best known for his adolescent attitude in such 80s classics as Lucas, License to Drive and The Lost Boys, Corey had regained some D-list cred by teaming up with Corey Feldman in “The Two Coreys” and a cameo in Crank 2: High Voltage. Fame treats few of us kindly, and young Mr. Haim worse than most.

This is how he'd want us to remember him: making out with Lala Sloatman.

Man, Lil’ Wayne doing a bid, Corey Haim dying: does OTI have any good news this week? As it happens, we do! Overthinking It is sending correspondents to PAX East, Penny Arcade’s East coast convention and gamer expo! OTI staff will be wandering the floor, documenting the happenings on the official Overthinking It Twitter account.

“But Perich,” you’re asking, “how will I recognize the OTI crew? Or how can I identify myself as a loyal Overthinker?” Well, you could always buy an official Overthinking It branded T-shirt!

Well, ACTUALLY ...

Are you coming to PAX East? Do you want to catch up with the Overthinking It staff? Sound off in the comments, since this is your … open thread.

You find a thread at the end of your week. Open? (Y/N)

Nothing really interesting happening in the world of pop culture this week. Everything’s at sort of a standstill. So you can talk about … oh, wait, there’s the 82nd Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award Ceremony coming up on Sunday. We could probably talk about that.

We’ve talked the Oscars to death in a lot of other posts, so let’s just focus on recent Oscar news:

• Mo’nique, odds-on favorite for Best Supporting Actress (Precious), made gossip columns for refusing to campaign for votes. Why a successful comic actress wouldn’t want to associate herself with the child-abusing role that made her a star, I have no idea.
• Nicolas Chartier, producer of Best Picture nominee and critical darling The Hurt Locker, has been forbidden from the Sunday night ceremony for e-mailing Academy members urging them to vote for his movie. So first we’re supposed to campaign for the Oscar, now we’re not. Unbelievable! If you can’t count on consistency from the body that’s nominated Meryl Streep for a dozen Oscars, what can you count on?
• Finally, Sacha Baron Cohen has lost his slot as an Oscar presenter, after the Academy nixed a skit spoofing James Cameron’s Avatar. Cameron claims that he would have been okay with the gag. Having seen a description of the proposed skit, though – where Cohen plays a female Na’vi knocked up by Cameron, who confronts him a la Maury Povich – I’m glad it got axed. Where’s the punchline?

Question: list your picks for Oscar winners!

Submit the most accurate list of Oscar picks, and you could win the respect of the smartest people on the Internet! And isn’t that worth more than anything? Well, except winning an Oscar. Or getting paid to predict who’ll win the Oscars (which we aren’t). Discuss these and other quandaries in the comments, since this is your … open thread.

It's hard not to want one, isn't it? Think how that'd look on the XBox.

(The following post should be read in conjunction with Shana Mlawski’s oft-linked article, “Why Strong Female Characters Are Bad For Women.”)

If you’ve had any access to online or conventional media in the continental U.S. for the past 60 days, you’ve seen an ad for the upcoming bro movie She’s Out Of My League:

On the surface, a forgettable sex comedy. Adorable schlub lands major-league hottie; usual series of pratfalls and embarrassing incidents; he rises to the occasion and proves himself worthy of her love. No bankable stars and plenty of references (the TSA, iPhones) that will hopefully seem dated in ten years. The tone’s a little more crass than usual, but no worse than anything we’d see in the Eighties. Or Nineties. Or Aughts.

Of course, I liked it much better the first time I saw it, when it was called (500) Days of Summer.

They say God never closes a door without opening up a thread. We’re here to do his work.

A quick rundown of geek hits: rumors fly that The Office’s John Krasinski is in consideration to play Captain America, that Ole Miss will change its mascot to Admiral Ackbar, and that Conan O’Brien has been blowing people away with his Tweets. Sorry; that last one sounded kind of dirty. And yet it’s the story most likely to still be true three months from now. Isn’t that how Hollywood works?

Question: Which actor would you like to play Captain America? Which pop-culture icon should become your school’s mascot?

There's potential for an OTI article here - how long can an Internet meme lay dormant before reviving it again becomes funny? It certainly forces us to IT'S A TRAP! ... sorry. that slipped out.

In less entertaining news, “Growing Pains” actor Andrew Koenig was found dead in a Colorado park yesterday, after having gone missing for several days. Police suspect suicide. His father, Star Trek veteran Walter Koenig, said that Andrew had been dealing with depression for some time. Among child actors who peak early, this isn’t unheard of.

Do you have anything cheerier for us to end on? Then by all means say it! Because this is your … open thread!

Falling from the sky like an unraveled skein, it’s this week’s OPEN THREAD.

In the stranger-than-fantasy-fiction category, J.K. Rowling has been hit with a plagiarism lawsuit by an author claiming that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire stole several ideas. Or rather, the lawsuit’s being filed by the dead author’s estate. I’d make some joke about a Hogwarts artifact that communicates with the dead, but (A) I don’t know the series that well, and (B) this is such a transparent publicity stunt I can hardly jape about it.

Question: is plagiarism even that big a deal, outside of schools?

Because once you've made the first $1,000,000, your future writing probably won't be scrutinized at all.

Martin Scorsese’s latest, Shutter Island, opens in theaters this weekend. Metacritic gives it a 64/100: generally favorable reviews. DiCaprio’s Boston accent? A 29.

Question: what’s the worst accent ever attempted on film?

Dude, you see that feckin' Statie ovah deah? Dude, bro, he looks WICKED pissed.

And finally, GamesRadar observes that this week marked the 20th anniversary of the U.S. release of Super Mario Bros. 3. A groundbreaking platformer, with astonishing level variety, an unprecedented range of powerups and gameplay that was challenging without being frustrating, SMB 3 set the bar high for the greatest franchise in video games.

Question: does SMB 3 stand up to the test of time?

Do you want to plagiarize someone else’s Shutter Island review so you can get back to your Tanuki suit? Then HAVE AT IT, YOUNG’N! Because this is your … Open Thread!

I'm-a Mario! I'm-a an end in-a myself!

Who is Mario?

Mario is a guy with a moustache and red suspenders. He jumps on top of or over things in order to rescue a princess.

Why does he want to rescue the Princess?

Because she’s been kidnapped: sometimes by a giant ape, sometimes by a giant turtle.

No, that’s why she needs rescuing. That’s a tautology. Why does Mario want to be the one that rescues her?

Well, that depends on the setting. Most instances of Mario rescuing the Princess imply a rather chaste romance between the two.

Can Mario want something other than to rescue the Princess?

… hmm.

If you live between North Carolina and New York, you’re digging yourself out from over a foot of snow this week. If you don’t, you have no idea what I’m talking about. And speaking of not having any idea what we’re talking about, how about we OPEN up this THREAD?

First off, in news that readers of this site are likely to care about, the rights to the Terminator franchise have been sold for $29,500,000 to hedge fund company Pacificor. That’s less than 15% of what the last movie cost to make, or less than 8% of what it grossed worldwide. Halcyon Holding Corp was forced to sell the rights to Terminator off in order to pay off its debts – debts held largely by Pacificor. If this reminds you of those plays from the 19th century where the bank threatened to foreclose on the farm unless the evil manager could marry the nubile daughter, well, quit spoiling Terminator 5: Foreclosure, jackass.

Question: if you could acquire the rights to one franchise for less than $30,000,000, which would it be? And what would you do with it?

Ohhh, good for you! McG, you got something to say?

Second, some movie news: Valentine’s Day, The Wolfman and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief all debut this weekend. Critics are largely unimpressed by these three, which should shock nobody. Speaking of shocks, Bioshock 2 found its way into reviewer hands this week, and the worst thing anyone can say of it is that it’s “exactly as good as the first one.” Damning with faint praise? Better than damning with OH HELL IT’S BIG DADDY GO RUN HIDE AAAAH!

Question: Adapt either Valentine’s Day, The Wolfman or The Lightning Thief to a grim, atmospheric first-person shooter rife with complex moral dilemmas. Go!

Call me jaded, but I'd rather pay $9.50 to see the entire cast of Valentine's Day get tossed around by a Big Daddy for 80 minutes. ... too soon?

Did anything else happen this week? If so, we clearly missed it. That’s why we rely on you, our readers, and this: your … open thread!

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.