AND YES, AN IMPERIAL STAR DESTROYER COULD KICK THE ENTERPRISE'S ASS: Man, myth, legend Ken Jennings has an interesting post on his blog today that seems that it'd spark some discussion here (it certainly has on his discussion boards). He asks about personal pop cultural preferences that run in the face of critical consensus--his include that Felicity's hair was better short, that Timothy Dalton was the second best Bond ever, and that Smashing Pumpkins' "Landslide" is better than the original Fleetwood Mac version. So, what are your iconoclastic views on pop culture? I'll offer a few:

• The Fellowship of the Ring was by far the weakest of the Lord of The Rings movies.
• Apollo 13 should have beaten Braveheart for best picture in 1995.
• Cruel Intentions is the best film or stage version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

RESPONDING TO READER DEMAND: Okay, so can someone explain the Floyd Landis allegations?

ELVIS MITCHELL, WHERE ARE YOU? In the midst of a pretty rave-worthy Miami Vice review, the NYT's Tony Scott unleashes one hell of an odd analogy:

[Colin] Farrell, however, is a movie star only in the sense that Richard Gephardt is president of the United States. He's always looked good on paper, and he's picked up some endorsements along the way -- from Oliver Stone, Joel Schumacher and Terrence Malick, among others -- but somehow it has never quite happened. Here he squints and twitches to suggest emotion and slackens his lower lip to suggest lust, concern or deep contemplation, but despite his good looks he lacks that mysterious quality we call presence.

If you have a chance to see a movie this weekend, what will it be? (Alternately, fill out the 2004-8 Democratic presidential contenders' Hollywood doppelgänger list.)

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SING OR ACT, BUT BROADWAY NEEDS MORE DANCERS LIKE YOU: I'm more than a little behind on my SYTYCD posting, but just a few thoughts to let you know I'm still here:

• Yes, Heidi and Benji were beyond fabulous last night, but the whole notion that they have chemistry while others don't isn't really fair to everyone else. They're cousins, for cryin' out loud, and have presumably been dancing together their whole lives. So how can you compare their chemistry to people who have been partnered up for all of a week?
• I wonder why the opening credits were never revised to include the season 2 dancers. I always find it weird to watch Big Poppa, Snow, and Artem this season.
• Similarly, I wonder why "lyrical" was redubbed "contemporary" this season.
• Has anyone ever done a decent quickstep on this show? It's getting to be the white whale of reality dance competitions.
• I have been getting a big meta-kick out of Nigel's weekly braggings about how well the show is doing this season. ("We've been renewed for season 3 without season 2 even being completed yet!" "That kind of dancing is the reason why we're getting 8 million votes and why we're #1 in the ratings!")
• It's a sign of the relative depth of the female dancers this season that I don't want any of the four girls to go, while the only guy I care about keeping around is Benji. (I have a slight preference for Allison over the other three girls, but I think it's just because she reminds me of Mrs. Isaac Spacewoman.)
• How ridiculous is it that after the big introductory dancer number of each evening's show, Cat Deeley tries to dance her way onto the stage? Cat moves about as well as I do. Which is not well at all. Just walk onto the stage, honey, one foot in front of the other.

Your thoughts on these issues and any others are welcome in the comments.

YOU CAN'T FIRE ME. I DON'T WORK IN THIS VAN: It's time for the vetting of nominations in the 2005-6 TWoP Tubey Awards for outstanding achievements in television. Let me draw your attention, if nothing else, to Category 53 - Best One-Liner, where it's hard to pick a winner between the title line here, Daniel Vosovic's "It's a m************ walk-off", and Hizzy's "If you talk to God you're religious. If God talks to you, you're psychotic."

SHE'S A PARK AVENUE PRINCESS. IN REHAB: Another fabulous episode of Project Runway, and surely Wendell Weiner's favorite challenge ever. We have learned that SuperMom likes designing for herself; that folks like Michael Knight and Barbie Boy are just going to keep doing solid, clean work and skate through to the second half of the competition; that the chyron folks can change your age halfway through the show; and most of all, we are reminded that if Tim Gunn tells you to design a hoodie for your model, listen to Tim Gunn.

There was a lot of good design work this week, and while I'd have given the win to Allison and auf'd the streetwalker outfit, that's mostly because I believe in cumulative judging, and two straight weeks of pure suck out to be the end of you in this competition.

I am nowhere near being able to predict the final three yet -- there's a lot of talent out there this season. Any predictions on that front, as well as next week's Big Auf'ing, are welcome.

PLEASE LINE MAYOR DALEY'S POCKETS INSTEAD: Philly people, how the hell did you f' this up? I don't want the Olympics anywhere near San Francisco. Now or ever.