Tag Archives: Batman

Eartha Kitt Dies at Age 81

Groundbreaking singer/actress Eartha Kitt died of colon cancer on Christmas Day this year at the age of 81. Eartha had a career that spanned six decades, so I thought a blog about her life was only fitting. Eartha was born in North, South Carolina (one of the funniest city names I’ve ever heard!) in 1927. Her parentage was of a Cherokee/African-American mother and a German/Dutch father, which gave the singer/actress an unusually striking beauty. This photo, by Carl Van Vechten, is in the public domain. She started her career as a dancer for the Katherine Dunham Company in the 40s. … Continue reading →

What Price a Hero?

I’m feeling stunned. I’ve just come back from watching The Dark Knight. Like a lot of people I couldn’t help but be affected by Heath Ledger as the Joker and couldn’t help but wonder whether playing a part like that every day would somehow affect the psyche of the person playing the part. Is it as easy as that for an actor to switch off? What do others think? As we left one of the part owners of our local movie theatre commented, ‘Even when he’s not on screen, you’re waiting all the time for the Joker to come on.’ … Continue reading →

The Dark Knight – PG-13 (2008)

Last night at 12:01 a.m. I sat down in a packed theater to watch The Dark Knight, the latest Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan and featuring Christian Bale in the titular role. The Dark Knight is an amazing cinematic feat that I will do my best to cover, but I honestly do not believe any review will do it justice. Heath Ledger Heath Ledger died shortly before the film was completed. His fellow actors have been lobbying to get him an Oscar nomination for his work as the penultimate Batman villain: Joker. It needs to be said that their … Continue reading →

Batman Returns… But He’s Not the Only One

The buzz around this summer’s release of “The Dark Knight” has reached epic proportions. The film doesn’t premiere until July 18th but there is barely an entertainment news program or publication out there that hasn’t already given the Batman sequel significant coverage. Obviously, much of the hype has been caused by the passing of one of the movie’s stars: Heath Ledger. The late actor plays the Joker in his next-to-last role and his frantic performance and his demonic makeup has fueled major buzz about the film and the rest of the cast. “The Dark Knight,” reunites star Christian Bale with … Continue reading →

Pop Culture Potporrui: Movie News

Did you have any doubt that Disney’s “High School Musical 2” would NOT shatter records? (You wouldn’t have if you had read my previous blogs.) It was a date with Disney shared by millions of tweens and teens across the country. Make that multi-millions. According to Nielsen Media Research, Friday night’s premiere of “High School Musical 2” on The Disney Channel drew an astounding 17.2 million viewers, making the made-for-TV movie the most-watched basic cable telecast in history. What’s more, it also became basic cable’s highest-rated movie ever, bumping TNT’s 2001 Western “Crossfire” from the record book. The original “High … Continue reading →

“Super” Celebrity Broadway and Movie News

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. Hold on. (Cue the screeching tires.) Wrong superhero. Movie fans know by now that “Spider-Man 3” opens in just a few short weeks. The film reunites actors Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson and is expected to be one the summer’s hottest releases. If you’ve seen the trailer for the movie (I just saw it for the first time last night during “Dancing with the Stars”), then you know that the sequel features a black clad Spidey. A bit of irony, I thought, after hearing Spider-Man the musical … Continue reading →

Gentle Giants Rescue

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Back in the day, Burt Ward donned tights and cape to rescue the hapless citizens of Gotham City as one of the stars of the Batman live-action television series. These days, his gear is less flashy but he is still doing the hero thing. Burt Ward and his wife run Gentle Giants and Little Giants Rescue out of Riverside, California. They rescue and adopt gentle giants — large and extra-large breed dogs like Great Danes, Saint Bernards, Wolfhounds, Newfoundlands, and more, including Little Giants like Whippets and Shelties. Many of the gentle giants come from families who cannot keep their … Continue reading →