Curious about protien shakes...need some help!

So I am just wondering if protien shakes are really necessary or not???

When do you drink them?
Is it better to mix fruits with the powder or no?
How often should you drink them?
what exactly does it help do?
should i even bother if i weigh 257?
Is it only if your do hardcore workouts?
Anything you could share would be helpful...

EDIT: Okay so I missed the fruit question, so the below numbers are off. I'll leave it to you to decrypt
Mixing it with other foods is irrelevant in terms of the effect of the protein.

In order:
1) No, they are not necessary. They are helpful in reaching your protein targets. Bodybuilders tend to intake higher amounts of protein and often use these to help them reach protein targets. If you can reach your protein goal without the use of supplements, more power to you. That being said, whey is a very, very good source of protein.
2) Often enough to reach your protein goal for the day.
3) It is protein. It helps you reach your daily protein minimum (which MFP sets too low IMO)
4) Weight is irrelevant
5) No

You should hit your daily calorie and macronutrient goals. If whey protein assists you in doing so then have at it! Whey is also cheap when you compare grams of protein.

Sidesteal basically answered your questions. I just want to add that you don't need extra protein shake provided you get enough from your food. How much you need is up for debate. I see a lot recommending the usual 1g / body weight or lean body mass. The reality is that nobody really knows. There have been various studies and they have all been inconclusive.

If you ask this questions to the mature bodybuilders, they will tell you to get your protein from your food when you can. If you can't due to some kind of constraint, then protein shake is fine.

Whey vs casein has also been debated and it comes to a draw. Whey gives you quick protein after a workout while casein provides a long steady stream of protein for building muscles. So they both are good, so it is beneficial to consume both... like in milk. Imagine that.

http://www.jissn.com/content/3/1/7

This piece might be useful:
"In a second study conducted by Tarnopolsky et al. [13] strength athletes with 3–9 months of training experience and sedentary participants were analyzed in response to low (0.8 g·kg-1·day-1), moderate (1.4 g·kg-1·day-1) and high protein intakes (2.4 g·kg-1·day-1). Utilizing linear regression, protein requirements for sedentary and strength athletes were found to be 0.69 and 1.4 g·kg-1·day-1 respectively."

Converted to lbs it's .314g per lb or .73g per lb for sedentary to active respectively. Short of the 1g/lb but 1 is easier to remember.