Is New York City Actually "Gotham City" and Batman Therefore Real?

Batman has got to be real. Otherwise, there would be no explanation for the existence of New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino--whose mind-boggling hate speech could only reasonably be credited to a 'Penguin'-esque fictional supervillain.

Disagree? The next two things you'd tell me would be (1) "the first black American President has a shot at a second term" and (2) "heavily-sponsored white folk driving vroom-vroom machines in a continuous left-hand-turn 'til somebody done get smashed up and burned real good isn't recognized throughout America as a 'sport'."

The Hero the Internet Deserves, but Not the One It Needs Right Now?

While Christian Bale's infamous tirade on the set of Terminator: Salvation (and its kickass dance remix) certainly appears to posit the Dark Knight star as the raging villain to put-upon cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, Radar reports that perhaps things are not what they seem in Gotham City.

According to the site, Bale's verbal assault on Hurlbut made him "a hero to cast and crew", many of whom paint a picture of the director of photography less resembling an innocent passerby and more in line with the Penguin, a condescending taskmaster prone to instructing his underlings to "stab [themselves] in the head".

WHO are the real victims here, and who is the hero?

WILL the publicity over this incident help or hurt Terminator's box office performance this summer?

WHY won't I bother to think of a third question to ask in this fashion?

Tune in next week...same bat-time, same bat--okay, I think I've pumped this well dry.

[Radar via Defamer]

Better than 'Batdance'

When audio of Christian Bale going ballistic on the set of Terminator: Salvation popped up on the internet on Monday, that was pretty amusing.

The dance remix, however, is The Dark Knight to the original recording's Batman & Robin.

[MySpace via Defamer]

End of 'The Dark Knight's' Box Office Dominance Foretold by Children

"For truly it is to be noted, that children's plays are not sports, and should be deemed as their most serious actions." - Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

Neat as the above amateur trailer may be (and it is pretty neat), it is likely that those who enjoy it most--including the adult nerds who made it--are the least likely to recognize the underlying prophecy brought forth by its very existence...

Children are indeed the future--but that applies not only to the longview of humanity, but also to the short-term view of popular culture. The moment that the future embraces any aspect of the present, that aspect becomes a part of the past. Ergo, The Dark Knight's historic reign atop the box office will come to an end this weekend. Thus the children have spoken; thus Metroville guarantees it.

(Also, Tropic Thunder comes out on Wednesday; that kind of helps my fortune-telling confidence.)


[video courtesy Wizard Universe via Defamer]