“The twist ending is Hollywood shorthand for when you need to give people a reason to tell their friends about this incredible movie or episode of a TV show they have to see because the ending is just mind-blowing. But the drive to make sure every story has a mindfuck twist means that often we see the same ones over and over again, regardless of whether or not they make any sense whatsoever. So maybe it’s time to retire these five…” w/ photos

“Hollywood strives to make movies look as real as possible: after all, The Matrix wouldn’t have been nearly as convincing if it’d been filmed in some guy’s basement. To make that magic, sets are often elaborately and solidly built. So elaborately and solidly, in fact, that after filming is over, those sets keep being used, even when it’s no longer for the movies.” w/ photos

“The most frequently asked question among Cracked readers has to be, ‘Is it possible I’m having too much sex?’ Fortunately, some have made history by letting us know just how much sex is possible, seemingly dedicated to testing the very upper limits of human humping. Such as…” w/ photos

“The games he’s been starred in include Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party, and a whole bunch of others. Obviously he didn’t make it here all by himself. He had to had some help from a lot of other characters. They have a load of importance for Mario’s existence. And with this said, I give you the list of the 10 characters whom Mario never could have made it without.” w/ photos

“The Powwow is a social gathering that combines all these aspects and more into one cohesive moment that lasts well into the memories of those that attend. This list here is what I consider to be the best dances of today’s ‘modern’ powwow. I’m not going to go into too much detail about Native American history and Powwow etiquette. For that you should perhaps look up the definition on Wikipedia, but for these dances you should, hopefully, get a basic grasp of what it all entails.” w/ photos

“It’s hard to stay mad at your pets, even when they’re pooping on your sheets or chewing on your Mr. T action figure collection (to clean the delicious poop out of their teeth, of course). After all, your pets are just creatures of instinct. You may reprimand them, but you’d never just outright hurt them, as — we’re giving you the benefit of the doubt here — you’re not a total SOB. But you may be unwittingly engaging in behaviors that are making your pet’s life a living hell.” w/ photos

“Over the centuries our definition of ‘art’ has changed a lot. Three hundred years ago, it meant paintings of trees. A hundred years ago, it meant paintings of squares. Today it means ‘insanity’. Yeah, since the advent of pop art and postmodernism, art has apparently gone from being an outlet for tortured poets, to something practiced exclusively by mad scientists. How else do you explain deranged social experiments like…?” w/ photos

“If ’90s music is remembered for anything, it’s for producing groundbreaking alternative artists, as well as a slew of shallow, glossy pop novelties. Somewhere in the middle of all that, the following pop-rock artists released amazing albums featuring a little bit of slickness, and a whole lot of craftsmanship. They’re remembered neither as revolutionary records, nor as Macarena-esque mockeries. In fact, they’re barely remembered at all. See which ones you recall…” w/ photos

“Along with ruining the chair I was sitting on, this also basically ruined the time I’d normally use preparing this column. With no other option but to flex the mighty block-stacking machine my brain had become, I realized (and slightly fabricated the fact) that there are certain life lessons that Tetris teaches like no other game. So join me, won’t you, on what will no doubt be an entertaining exercise in a barely rationalized waste of time.” w/ photos

“These are examples of the kind of knowledge that is so basic, you just pick it up naturally throughout your life and couldn’t possibly remember where you first heard it. As a result of this, a lot of things we hear are often taken for granted as truth, and some mistakes become so widespread that saying otherwise would make people think you were lying, or stupid. Well here are ten examples of people who are wrongfully accredited with being the first to accomplish something.” w/ photos