Category: Pop Culture

FantasticaMania!

New Japan Pro Wrestling/CMLL’s FantasticaMania 2015 is in its fifth year and has become a standard part of NJPW’s year over the half decade. This year’s tour has the most shows yet, but arguably less exciting than previous years. The talent roster isn’t as good as other shows — Rush is lost due to injury and CMLL’s desire to spread out the opportunities as well as reward political favorites has meant a lot of standouts from past shows haven’t been included this time. Some of the best matches on previous tours have been big matches between CMLL and NJPW wrestlers, and there’s none of that this year. Still, for both CMLL diehards and NJPW casually familiar with these names, there are good matches and intriguing matches.

via NJPW/CMLL FantasticaMania 2015 Preview (CMLL) | Voices of Wrestling.

No One Can Agree What a Spoiler Is, But Maybe This Guide Can Help | Underwire | WIRED

Discuss a television show the day after it airs–perhaps the peak window for fan chatter–and there’s a good chance someone will scold you for spoiling them. Mention plot points on Twitter–a site whose entire modus operandi is immediacy–while the show is being broadcast, and you’re even more likely to make someone angry. The confusion and disagreement about spoilers tend to collide in particularly unpleasant ways on social media, where information flows instantly from feed to feed in ways that are both instant and easily amplified.

via No One Can Agree What a Spoiler Is, But Maybe This Guide Can Help | Underwire | WIRED.

Not-So-Freaky Friday

This month, the full moon falls on Friday the 13th.

Freaky? Nah, probably not.

Despite many myths, the full moon does not actually embolden criminals, bring about births or make people mad, studies show. And while Friday the 13th superstitions may be well entrenched, there’s nothing particularly special about a full moon falling on this date.

via Superstitions Collide: Full Moon Rises on Friday the 13th.

Good to know. Saves me a bundle not having to stock up on good-luck charms. 😛

What’s Cool, Anyway?

What makes things cool? What penumbral principle explains not only the marketing campaigns of Harley Davidson, Apple, and Dos Equis, but also the appeal of cowboys, James Dean, and Jennifer Lawrence?

A new paper in the Journal of Consumer Research takes a stab at answering what might be an unanswerable question by studying how brands and companies become cool in the eyes of consumers. And, to my surprise, it’s decently plausible.

via Toward a Universal Theory of ‘Cool’ – Derek Thompson – The Atlantic.

Happy #StarWarsDay!

https://twitter.com/HashtagClutch/status/462988297699328000

Mashable Recaps #FreeComicBookDay 2014

Free Comic Book Day is a tradition that even Sheldon Cooper could get behind.

As the name suggests, comic-book lovers flock to participating specialty stores around the world every first Saturday of May to stock up on select complimentary items, with some showing up dressed as their favorite superheroes (or villains).

The first Free Comic Book Day took place in May 2002. The event was launched to promote the comic-book industry to those who weren’t familiar with it (and as a treat for those who were). Many parents even bring their children to encourage them to read, or to share their passion for the art form. The international event is similar to Record Store Day a tradition that began in 2007 to encourage people to celebrate their love of vinyl.

via It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Free Comic Book Day!.

The article has a collection of related tweets.