I WALKED THROUGH BEDFORD-STUY ALONE TO GET A PLATE OF DELICIOUS RIBLETS: Manhattan has already been infiltrated by Applebee's, which are usually 3/4 empty (save the one on 42nd, which is a zoo because tour groups get vouchers from it), but apparently, Brooklyn is crazy for Applebee's.

(Link courtesy of the fine folks at Curbed, which serves all your Manhattan real estate gossip needs.)

GOLLY! TV's Don Knotts, a man who turned bumbling and reluctance into comedic art forms, has passed away at the age of 81. Depending on your age, you either remember him best as Deputy Barney Fife, landlord Ralph Furley, star of a series of amiable Disney movies or as frequent guest star on The New Adventures of Scooby Doo. But you do remember him.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU LIKE: According to a study to be published in the journal Psychological Science, people use musical taste as a means to determine other people's personalities and to reveal their own.

Among various other tests, the researchers had a group of students compile a list of their ten favorite CDs. After listening to the compilations, the judges (also students) evaluated those who chose the CDs using standard personality profiles. The ratings turned out to be amazingly accurate. As an artcile that orginally appeared in the NYT summarizes:

The top 10 lists were particularly good in revealing the authors’ taste for variety, intellectual appetite for abstract ideas and willingness to experiment with alternative points of view, a quality psychologists call openness. And a high volume of lyrics in a person’s list seemed to roughly reflect sociability, or extroversion, Rentfrow said.

The top 10 lists revealed little, however, about people’s levels of conscientiousness — how neat, responsible and organized they were. "This makes some sense," Rentfrow said. "You can tell more about these kinds of qualities by looking at a picture."

Nick Hornby would approve. For a brief analysis of what your own taste for certain artists means, check out this.

So ... here is my list (in alphabetical order by artist):

Gordon -- Barenaked Ladies
The Pretender -- Jackson Browne
London Calling -- The Clash
Can You Dig It? -- Compilation (of funk and soul songs from the 1970's)
88 Basie Street -- Count Basie
Blood on the Tracks -- Bob Dylan
Amplified Heart -- Everything But the Girl
The Man from Ipanema -- Antonio Carlos Jobim
Hejira -- Joni Mitchell
Songs in the Key of Life -- Stevie Wonder

Feel free to analyze what that list says. Or post your own list and let us analyze it.

NO PERFORMANCE BY ANTONIO BANDERAS THIS YEAR: Most of this year's Oscars are boring as all get out, with most of the high-tier races being virtual locks (Brokeback, Ang Lee, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Reese Witherspoon, Crash and Brokeback for the two screenplay awards), though the supporting races are interesting. However, one category (ironically, one that's been shrunk), may be the most competitive, and that's Best Original Song, which really runs the gamut this year. Your nominees are (links are to iTunes or Amazon):

"Travelin' Thru," Dolly Parton, from Transamerica: Parton is a prior Oscar nominee (for "9 to 5"), and a prior Razzie winner (for "Drinkenstein" from Rhinestone), which may give her an edge (well, at least the former). The song's a nice little loping bluegrass ballad (at least the part that's a sample on iTunes is), but I'm not sure how integral it is to the movie and its themes.

"It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp," DJay (Terrence Howard), from Hustle and Flow: Plusses? It's the most integral to the movie of the nominees, and is the only one that could even concievably be a radio hit on pop radio. Also, that Howard performs the song may be seen as a way to reward his performance, since he's not winning the Best Actor award. The downside? It's a rap song titled "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp." "Lose Yourself" may have won, but I just can't see this one.

"In The Deep," (Kathleen) Bird York, from Crash: Plusses? The song has drawn a lot of press for York and gotten her a major label deal. York's also an esteemed actress (probably best known to folks around here for playing Toby Ziegler's ex-wife Andie on TWW). It's also the only nominee from a Best Picture nominee. The downside? It's only over the closing credits, barely in the movie, and its lounge-y electronic sound may not resonate with older voters.

Voting purely on the song, I'd say that "In The Deep" ought to win, but really, this is a toss-up that could go to just about any of the nominees. What's your preference?

"SHE'S GOT A PISTOL" IS THE BEST I CAN DO: I am apparently of the wrong race and gender to comprehend it, but your challenge for this weekend is to explain the allure of Tyler Perry. An accompanying question--why on earth have the movie releases of late been an utter doldrum, with nothing interesting in theatres, and nothing really exciting until March 17, with She's The One (Amanda Bynes does Twelfth Night), Thank You For Smoking, and V for Vendetta.

REMAINDER BIN: Having returned from an almost entirely pop-cultural free week of vacation to the West Coast followed by a trip on a big boat down to Baja California. A few observations and catch-up:

• This year's "worst movie tagline" competition already has two strong competitors in The Shaggy Dog's "Raise The Woof" and Curious George's "Show Me The Monkey."
• My favorite sight in L.A. may well be the rather bizarre collection of Seward Johnson sculptures on Bill Cosby's lawn, visible from Sunset Blvd.
• Also fun in L.A. was the continuous "winter storm" coverage last weekend, with the "winter storm" amounting to a few rain flurries and some high winds. It's not a "winter storm" unless you've got snow.
• You might have read about the copyright lawsuits against a couple of cruise lines. While the Grease copyright was not infringed on my trip, the copyrights to Chicago and The Wiz certainly were.
• Yes, you should be smart enough to know that The Daily Show is a comedy, not real news, if you're the governor of Illinois.
• While the figure skaters, with their costumes that expose (ideally) exactly the right amount of tootie, get the most attention in the "attractive athletes" competition at these games, I think the U.S. Women's Curling Team (unsuccessful though they have been) might be a dark horse.
• I finally got around to seeing Pride and Prejudice on the plane, and is it just me, or is Keira Knightley nominated for an Oscar far less because her performance was great (though it was certainly fine) and far more because she was playing a beloved literary heroine? I can think of several folks in that allegedly thin category (Joan Allen, Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette) whose performances were richer and more layered than Knightley's "cute, spunky Brit" bit.

THE PLUSHY SEX-BOMB: If you have not yet seen Evgeni Plushenko's Tom Jones routine, you really, really (REALLY!) must. Immediately. Go now. (Now.)