He is Batman

The Internets are all a flutter over the announcement that Ben Affleck will be playing an older Batman who battles Superman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel Batman vs Superman (July 2015).

The clenching of geek-sphincter all around the world has gotten out of control.



Honestly, I really don't think it matters. He'll be just as good as almost anyone else playing Batman. Lord knows we've gone through enough of them over the years. I don't recall anyone thinking Michael Keaton was the perfect person to play Batman (myself included) and he surprised us all.

Of course, people are over-reacting all over Twitter...which is actually pretty entertaining. If you want to see a great collection of the many responses to this announcement, check out this list of the 50 Greatest Tweets about Ben Affleck's casting as Batman.

This one is my favorite...

NATH @IronCoreMedia

 #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck 

1 Paula Deen 

 2 A cats butthole 

3 Ben Affleck's mom 

4 A No. 2 Pencil 

5 Don Knotts 

6 Caulk 

7 All of China 

8 AC/DC 8:39 AM 

Oh...the kids.

It's not like the movie is a serious drama based in reality. It's Batman fighting Superman. In that reality, that fight should last about all of one minute.

• Batman punches Superman in the face.
• No affect.
• Superman punches Batman in the face.
• No face remains.
• Game over.

We all know it's not going to end that quickly...it'll be dragged out for at least a half hour or more. So why even care about the "reality" of a Superhero movie anyway. Just git yer popcorn, a giant sody pop, and sit back and enjoy.

Someone mentioned that they should cast Tilda Swinton as Lex Luthor and, as funny as that was, I would be psyched if they cast her and made Lex an Alexis Luthor.



No one in their right mind should ever mess with Tilda Swinton.

In other Superhero movie news...



Bradley Cooper is finalizing his deal to do the voice of the "Rocket Raccoon" character in the now-filming Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

I can see that. I mean, HEAR that.



And, Elizabeth Olsen is finalizing her deal to play the "Scarlet Witch" in the upcoming Avengers:Age of Ulton sequel.

Yes, she is the sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

And NO, neither of them will be in any of the movies mentioned above.

So...carry on people.

Nothing to see here...

50, Fierce, and Fabulous

This week is Jimmy Kimmel's 50th birthday, so several of his celebrity friends put together some tributes. Ray Romano set up a Jimmy Kimmel-focused Celebrities Reading Mean Tweets...



George Clooney put together "The Jimmy Kimmel Story" ...



And Ben Affleck and J.J. Abrams filmed a movie trailer based on the comic book that Jimmy Kimmel wrote and illustrated as a child called "The Terrific Ten", with Jennifer Aniston, Matt Damon, Wanda Sykes and many more...



Enjoyable.

Wonder-ful!

I'm very excited that they are adding Wonder Woman to the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie....

Warner Bros. has announced this morning that Gal Gadot, most well known for appearing in the "Fast and Furious" films, has landed the role of Wonder Woman/Diane Prince in Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman vs. Superman film. 

In a statement, Zack Snyder stated: "Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character." 

Batman vs. Superman will feature the return of Henry Cavill as Superman, facing off against Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Also starring Amy Adams, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne, the Zack Snyder-directed Batman vs. Superman hits theaters on July 17, 2015.

I think this indicates that Warner Bros. is FINALLY gearing up for a Justice League movie at some point soon.

It's about GD time...

via: SuperHeroHype

How Now Brow Cowl

The first close-up look at Ben Affleck as Batman was released at Comic-Con this week...



He looks pretty good and I like how his chin and furrowed brow seem to match.

It's all in the details, people.

James Gandolfini and Slim Whitman

Some very surprising and sad news yesterday...

James Gandolfini, best known for his role as an anxiety-ridden mob boss on HBO's "The Sopranos," died Wednesday while on vacation in Italy. He was 51.

Gandolfini's acting credits included roles in "The Last Castle" with Robert Redford, "The Mexican" with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, and "Surviving Christmas" with Ben Affleck. In recent years, he had starred in several movies, including the Oscar-nominated "Zero Dark Thirty," "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" and "Killing Them Softly."

He will certainly be remembered for his iconic role on The Sopranos. You definitely did not want to mess with that character.

Also, another passing yesterday...



Slim Whitman, the high-pitched yodeling county music singer whose productive career spanned decades, died Wednesday, his son-in-law told CNN. He was 90. 

Whitman gained fame in Europe as well as the United States. "Love Song of the Waterfall," which a Country Music Television biography calls his "breakthrough" hit, was released in the early '50s. His next single "Indian Love Call" brought him stardom, according to the bio. 

His music was featured in the 1996 film "Mars Attacks!" In the film, the sound of Whitman's "Indian Love Call" made the heads of invading Martians explode.

I will always remember his song "Una Paloma Blanca" because it was featured prominently on his endlessly running late-night commercial for one of his albums in the 80's. You know the ones...they seem to run every commercial break after midnight.

Una Paloma blanca...ahh...Ahhhhhhhh!

That yodel is always in my mind somewhere...and always makes me laugh.

They will both be missed.

Comic-Con Surprises

Comic Con 2015 just ended and, with it, came the release of a few unexpected movie promotions. First off...the first full length Batman v Superman trailer, with our first look at Wonder Woman.



It looks pretty awesome and it was great to see Wonder Woman in action.



I couldn't be more there opening weekend (March 25, 2016).



Then the Star Wars team released a behind-the-scenes overview on the making of The Force Awakens, emphasizing the use of practical sets and creatures (rather than all CGI)...



It was very cool to see so many of the original cast members and locations after so many years. If this sneak peek is any indication, the movie could be amazing.



Then, after a bad pirated version was released last night online, the studio behind The Suicide Squad decided to just release a clean copy today.



I don't know much about this comic book series, but I do know that Jared Leto's creepy Joker and Ben Affleck's Batman are also in it....so that should be interesting and worth checking out.

2012 Oscar Nominations

Well, the Oscar Nominations were announced this morning and there really wasn't anything shocking, other than the fact that Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck were not nominated for Best Director (although their pictures were).

Also, surprisingly...there were no nominations for any of the ladies of the very popular The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (which I am going to watch tomorrow night), especially Dame Maggie Smith.

How does she feel about that?



I agree with her.

Here is the full list of nominations:

Batfleck

The first photo of Ben Affleck as Batman (with the new Batmobile) for the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie was tweeted today by Zach Snyder.

Well…he looks like a very sad Batman.

Probably because everyone was so mean to him when it was announced that he'd be playing the role.

His bank account will definitely turn that frown upside down when the movie opens.

You can see a much larger version of this image here.