Unanswerable questions and eternal mysteries of pop culture (SPOILERS).

Which state do the Simpsons live in?, for example. Frequently hashed over, impossible to answer.

Pulp Fiction: What’s in the briefcase? Theories abound, while definitive answers are not forthcoming.

Who did Carly Simon have in mind when she wrote “You’re So Vain”? Theoretically answerable, but she’s opted to keep the answer secret.

And a classic, from Sherlock Holmes: was Dr. Watson injured in the shoulder or the leg? Or both? Or what?

Another classic: the lady or the tiger?

What other questions from movies, books, TV, and other pop cultural media come up often, are frequently debated, and can’t be (or won’t be) answered – at least, not with any real authority?

Who killed the chauffer in “The Big Sleep”?

What is this one referring to?

The Lady or The Tiger by Frank Stockton

Mickey’s a mouse, Donald’s a duck . . . what’s Goofy? A dog? No, wait, Pluto’s a dog . . .

(The Master speaks, but briefly: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_077.html)

The meaning of “American Pie.”

Donald Duck wears a sailor coat and no pants. But when he steps out of the shower, he wraps a towel around his waist. Why?

Why, in a cartoon, gravity doesn’t work unless you first look down.

Actually, she has answered this question…but we’ll probably never know what it is. She auctioned off the answer to the highest bidder a few years ago with the stipulation that he never tell anyone.

Oh well…I know it sounds vain but I always thought the song was about ME! :stuck_out_tongue:

Why does Kim Possible have a glamour-shot of Shego inside her locker?

Only one plausible answer, but you will be hard-pressed to hear Disney corp. acknowledging that fact. :stuck_out_tongue:

My cousin worked in Hollywood around when this movie was made, and he had it on good authority that the suitcase contained Marsellus Wallace’s soul. It makes perfect sense in the context of the movie. I actually haven’t heard any other theories.

How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie-Roll center of a Tootsie-Pop?

We’ve had a few threads about this song. There was some very solid evidence that it’s about Warren Beatty.

The eternal question among Middle Earth fans and geeks.
Did the Balrog have Wings?

Jim

Theories discussed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You're_So_Vain

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pie_(song):

Who stole the keishka?

Oh, please. There are dozens of other theories around (most likely – it merely contains a McGuffin), and the “soul” is just plain silly, as is bluntly stating there is a definitive answer.

Add this to the list:

What did Billy Murray whisper to Scarlett Johansson in the last scene of Lost in Translation?

And the all-time classic: Who was the third murderer in Macbeth?

Who let the dogs out?

Who, who, who, who, WHO?!

[QUOTE=Interrobang
Pulp Fiction: What’s in the briefcase? Theories abound, while definitive answers are not forthcoming.
[/QUOTE]

Isn’t it obvious? It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

Well, Actually I think Tarentino said it was.

A.) A light attached to a battery.

B.) Whatever you want it to be.

So the stuff dreams are made of is rather fitting with B.