I am not a big fan of superhero movies. Never liked superman, the superhero without the sense about where to wear his underwear. Not much of a spiderman, as it was too sci-fi to be true. Never batman either, as I felt the movies were directed in much more a comic vein. So it took me three months after my brothers suggestion, to watch ‘The Dark Knight‘. And it did enchant me.

The character which had a lasting impression om my mind was that of the joker. Previous batman film I had seen had cast Jim Carrey as the ridler. The overall effect created by that villian was more towards a humourous leaning and not a terrifying experience. Jim carrey is a good actor(watch ‘The Truman Show‘), but he acted(or was directed to act), himself, and not a bad boy character. But Heath Ledger was a class apart. And no one can say that my admiration towards his ability was influenced by his death, as I came to know about his death a few months after I saw the movie.

He just stole the show!! Aaron Eckhart played his part well, so did Christian Bale. But they were like spectators, watching the hurricane that was the joker. He redefined the act of villainy. It may be accredited to the direction of the character, the screen play and the plot. But one look at the face, reveals the hard work required for the emotions that the joker was supposed to be capable of. The flow of the plot was controlled by the joker. The joker, and not the batman, managed to create an illusion, that Gotham exists as a real city.

By far the best batman movie ever made!! Credits due to Heath Ledger. May his soul rest in peace.

Inauguramos a partir de hoy una sección con monográficos sobre cine. Así, cada sábado hablaremos de algún film de culto, analizaremos alguna saga o criticaremos películas míticas. Hoy, vamos con el Batman fílmico…

Para empezar a hablar del cruzado de la capa, hay que remontarse a los mismos años 60, época en la que una serie Camp basada en el personaje, congrega a miles de fans ante la pantalla. Si, hablo de aquella mítica teleserie en la que las onomatopellas de los golpes copaban la imagen: Pow, Biff…

Viendo el enorme éxito que tuvo esta serie, el paso era lógico. Había que llevar a Batman Y Robin al cine. Y así, el productor William Dozier se decide a filmar un episodio largo con estos protagonistas de excepción. Pero claro, es una película y no un capítulo. Quieren tirar la casa por la ventana y fichan a todos los villanos importantes. Joker (Cesar Romero) Pingúino (Burguess Meredith) Enigma (Frank Gossin) y Catwoman (Lee Meriwether, sustituyendo a Julie Newmar, la catwoman de la serie, liada con otro proyecto). Batman (Adam West) y Robin (Burt Ward), deberán enfrentarse a tal atajo de viles y viciosos villanos.

El tono Camp de la serie está presente desde el principio, quedando para el recuerdo la escena de Batman corriendo con la bomba, o la del tiburón de cartón piedra que mordía la pierna del héroe.

En aquellos tiempos la imagen que la mayoría del mundo tenía de Batman, era ésta. Un Batman ciertamente tripudo y siempre metido en situaciones inversímiles y estúpidas. En DC Comics, la editorial que publica el personaje se llevaba las manos a la cabeza. Necesitaban devolver a Batman al origen. A las sombras…

Pasan los años y en las oficinas de Warner Bros se empiezan a oír entre susurros rumores sobre un nuevo proyecto con Batman. Tom Mankiewicz, asesor creativo en Superman the movie (Richard Donner 1978) propone un guión, pero no cuaja. Se parece más a James Bond, personaje del que había escrito libretos, que al propio Batman.

Se van sucediendo los rumores, hasta que el anuncio es oficial. Batman vuelve al cine. La gente del comic tiembla ya que durante años han estado dando una imagen oscura al héroe para que ahora lo arruinen con un film tan camp como aquel de Adam West. Pero pueden estar tranquilos. Se elige a Tim Burton como director. En aquella época, Burton tan solo había dirigido dos films y un puñado de cortos, acordes a un estilo que le va a caracterizar durante el resto de su carrera. Burton lo tiene claro. En su mente, ya sabe quién es Batman. Michael Keaton.

Los fans y el propio Bob Kane, creador del héroe ponen el grito en el cielo y empiezan a llover las quejas. Que si el tipo es bajito, que si ¿qué hace un actor de comedia en un proyecto como este? que si….. Pero da igual. Burton no cede. Lo tiene claro. Ya ha trabajado con el actor en Bitelchus, y le gusta cómo interpreta.

Por el camino, Keaton suelta alguna perla que deja al personaje en no muy buen lugar, lo que cabrea más al ejército de fans. Para el papel del villano parece haber más unanimidad. Alguien del estudio propone a Jack Nicholson. Nadie tiene nada que decir al respecto. Es el maldito Nicholson. Todo un puntazo. Hasta Bob Kane asiente al oir la elección. El actor de Chinatown, no lo duda. Acepta a cambio de fines de semana libres. Y así, junto con Kim Basinger, se empieza a rodar BATMAN.

1989 por fin es el año en el que Batman llega a las pantallas grandes. Tras ver el film, ya nadie recuerda a Adam West. El tono oscuro de Burton (presente en toda su obra) el genial Joker a medio camino entre un asesino psicótico y un payaso de feria, el tema musical de un Danny Elfman desatado y Keaton. Keaton calla a todos los fans. Es el mejor referente visual de Batman que existe. Y nadie puede negarlo.

El film revienta las taquillas de todo el mundo. Y da lugar a un fenómeno: La Batmanía. Mires donde mires, el símbolo del murciélago está ahí. En los cereales, en los refrescos, en las hamburgueserías…..

Burton se frota las manos. A pesar de los agujeros del guión y ciertos momentos tensos ha terminado. Lo ha logrado con nota, así que ya puede dedicarse a otros proyectos. Pero volvería a Gotham.

Con Batman por todas partes, y viendo el éxito del film, que Warner Bros quisiera una secuela era algo que estaba cantado. Así que nada, a llamar a Burton otra vez, que venía de dirigir Eduardo Manostijeras.

Para este nuevo film, se cambia todo el diseño de producción. La película no va a ser para nada un calco de BATMAN. Así, para este Batman Returns se crea un enorme set con la plaza principal de Gotham, el cementerio de la ciudad y el zoo. Todo ello cubierto bajo una espesura blanca causada por la nieve. Poco a poco va tomando forma un proyecto que estará llamado a ser el más Burtoniano de la saga.

Los papeles principales están cogidos. Michael Keaton vuelve a ser Batman. Kim Basinger lo deja en favor de Michelle Pfeiffer que va a ser la mejor Catwoman fílmica jamás vista. Por su parte Danny DeVito se une al cast para interpretar al Pingüino, villano de la función junto con Cristopher Walken que interpreta a Max Shreck (un guiño Burtoniano a Nosferatu).

Al ver el principio del film, se ve que todo es distinto. No tiene que ver nada con el Batman anterior. El film es Eduardo Manostijeras pero con Batman de protagonista. Hasta en la banda sonora, otra vez de Elfman, se nota que las garras de Burton han llegado lejos.

Finalmente la película triunfa, pero los resultados no son tan espectaculares como los de su predecesora. No obstante, en Warner están contentos. La secuela tiene luz verde.

Entre medias de lo que todavía se llama Batman 3, aparece Batman animated series, la mejor recreación del personaje en la pantalla pequeña y que durará cuatro temporadas y serviría para que se creara un universo animado en torno a los héroes de DC.

Las cartas están lanzadas. Batman 3 es una realidad. Pero no va a ser lo que se espera de ella. Burton se mantiene como productor, pero no como director, labor que recae en Joel Schumacher. En cuanto al papel principal, Keaton dice que ya no quiere ser Batman; el guión no le gusta, se vuelve sutilmente al Batman de los 60 y eso no va con él. Así que Schumacher le ofrece el papel a Val Kilmer que acepta, para luego dar mil millones de quebraderos de cabeza a todo el mundo en el set.

Se va viendo que la película tiene más colorines que las dos anteriores. Una cosa decisiva al respecto: En este film sale Robin. Chris O´Donell será el chico maravilla.

Todo es distinto, nada es igual. Se rediseña Gotham, con más colores, más pulp todo. Se cambia el precioso Batmovil que diseñara Anton Furst para BATMAN y se ridiculiza a los villanos hasta puntos insultantes. Dos Caras, interpretado por Tommy Lee Jones, es un estúpido, un calco del Joker, solo que con media cara desfigurada. El otro villano de la cinta, porque en esta película todo pretende ir a lo grande, es Enigma, al que da vida Jim Carrey. Probablemente Carrey es el único que está algo metido en el papel, pero no lo suficiente. Nicole Kidman hace las veces de chica en apuros con diálogos estúpidos como nunca vistos en el cine… Lo peor de todo, no hay duda, son los dichosos pezones. El Bat-traje tiene pezones!!!!! Sin duda un film para olvidar.

El film, estrenado como Batman Forever,  recauda lo suficiente para que Warner siga frotándose las manos. Quieren Batman 4. Lo peor está por llegar.

Schumacher hizo suya la franquicia de Batman. Pero lo hizo para mal. Si ya en este Forever, Gotham se teñía de colorines lo que está por venir, es el ridículo a la enésima potencia…

(Continuará…)

(Photos by Christopher Stribley. Bowery, NY.  November 16, 2009.)

Can someone make this process into a science?  The constant double checking of materials is neverending and the personal statements are all over the place.  Why can’t graduate schools use the common application the way it was for some undergraduate applications? 

I thought to myself, “Why is this so frakking stressful?  I didn’t do any of this when I applied to college the first time around.”  Then I remembered – my school advisor mailed all of my applications off.  I didn’t do all this administrative work before and I hate it now.  

Today, I spent the whole day visiting my school websites to figure out their personal statement requirements.  The good thing is, most of them want a 200-500 count personal statement while only two ask for a 2-5 page minimum.  Why can’t they all ask for uniform personal statements?  The most important part of the application is my work of art anyway. 

But I do have to say that the binder I allotted for all my application materials has significantly helped me through this.  I write a note on each MFA checklist per school and stickers on the schools that accept online personal statements, which makes my life a whole lot easier when I mail out supplemental materials like the manuscript.

As for my manuscript, reading the speakeasy forums on the Poets and Writers website has significantly silenced any self-doubt that was constantly chatting in my head during this process.  I don’t know if  the doubt sprung from being critiqued by a friend who was trying to help that shot my ego into bits; being unemployed due to department lay-offs; having an interview for a publishing intern position and unsure if publishing is even something I genuinely imagine myself working in; or having cabin fever because all I’ve been doing is editing my manuscript for this application.  For the past week, I was pregnant with dread, self-doubt, and anxiety.  I always feel this way when my work is critiqued by a friend (but I never feel this way after a writing workshop critique) and when I’m about to embark on a journey that is bigger than me. 

This Saturday, I attended a Write it Right! workshop administered by the Gotham Writer’s Workshop.  This class focused on the functions of basic grammar starting with the noun and ending with bracket usage.  The last hour of the class is a little fuzzy because I had stopped paying attention after semicolon usage.  The class was very helpful; I feel confident and comfortable using the semicolon and comma in most sentences, like this one.  In this class, the people in attendance were from all walks of life – more older than younger actually.  One girl mentioned she was accepted into the Sarah Lawrence program and had to withdraw because it was so intense.  My hypersensitive emotional state during this process was stimulated when she mentioned her experience; Am I ready to dedicate my full attention to writing in an MFA program?  After reading the speakeasy forum, I have the confidence to answer this question with a simple: Bring it on!

Writers have different experiences when they obtain their MFA degree.  If and when I am accepted, the only thing I am certain of is that I’ll be surrounded by writers that can help me shape my writing.  I’m taking my writing seriously for the first time in my life.  It’s now or never.

Poets and Writer’s Speakeasy Forum

4 out of 5

What starts as a treasure hunt by the Penguin soon turns into a near-apocalyptic ordeal when he accidentally revives the legendary Dracula. Immediately, the prince of darkness begins to feed, snatching innocent citizens of Gotham from its streets.

Darkness blankets the city and the caped crusader is all who stands in the way between Dracula and the city’s doom.

Wow. That was my first reaction when watching this. This direct-to-DVD release doesn’t view as your standard Batman cartoon. This truly is a monster tale and views more like a horror movie than a superhero flick.

The vampires in this film are scary, looking like something between a vampire and a zombie. Dracula himself is neat, trim and suave, yet carries a presence of death.

This DVD also introduces Batman’s love interest, Vicky Vale (who appeared both in the comics and in the 1989 movie). I have yet to discover how much of a role she will have in the half hour episodes of The Batman series (I have only watched up to season three), but it was great to see her on screen. It was also wonderful to see Bruce Wayne dealing with a female lead in a realistic way and having once again come face to face with Batman getting in the way of his personal life.

A surprising touch to this film was the Joker, not so much the character but what happens to him. Cool indeed.

This is a solid Bat-flick, one which is meant for an older audience, definitely, not for kids. 13 or 14 and up, I’d say.

This flick is a keeper, one every true Bat fan should have.

Gotham City Rush är ett spel där man spelar Batman och han ska återigen rädda sin älskade stad Gotham från alla de skurkar som finns där. Spelet är ett plattformsspel där man springer, hoppas och glider med Batman för att komma fram och inte ta skada. Man spelar med piltangenterna och det funderar riktigt bra trots att de är lite ovanliga. När man närmar sig en skurk så kan man antingen slå ner han eller kasta en batman-bumerang mot skurken. Antalet bumeranger som man har är dock inte så många så det gäller att hushålla lite med de. När man klarar en nivå så kommer en av Batmans kompisar som man kan kalla på när man behöver lite extra hjälp i spelet. Spelet har väldigt bra grafik och är skojigt att spela.

Gotham City Rush

By Bryan Q. Miller (writer), Tim Levins & Lee Garbett (pencillers), Dan Davis, Aaron Sowd & Trevor Scott (inkers), Harvey Richards (assistant editor), Michael Siglain (editor)

The Story: As always, Miller makes his themes (in this case, the title “Field Test”) do double duty. Stephanie Brown is field testing her new high-tech Batgirl costume. Barbara Gordon is helping monitor the suit while giving advice, but when she has to deal with something, Batgirl herself is field tested against someone well out of her league.

What’s Good: If there’s one issue that can vouch for Miller’s writing, it’s Batgirl #4. The plotting and thematic ideas are always tight, but my hat remains off on his character work. His characters are just fun to follow. The back and forth between Barbara and Stephanie is solid, as Miller packs his dialogue with personality. Stephanie’s running self-deprecation could get tiresome in another character, but when put together with her natural exuberance and fun, it works, with lines like “And this Batgirl doesn’t sing – not in front of people anyway” and “I’m almost fifty percent sure nothing could go wrong.” I’m also waiting to see where this romantic tension between Batgirl and the young detective is going to go.

Art team has changed a bit. Tim Levins has replaced Scott and Hope in the driver seat with Lee Garbett. The art is clear, the expressions tell the story and the poses are more natural. The layouts also seem to be evolving positively. The final battle page between Batgirl and the villain is a funny and well-told stack of panels.

What’s Not So Good: The superhero skeleton of the story is nothing original. Batgirl’s encounter with this super-villainess is pretty forgettable, but I’m wondering if the search for something truly field-expanding is what Batgirl readers are looking for when they buy this book. Would something truly original to the field (think the teen angst of Lee/Ditko Spiderman, the gritty noir of Miller’s Daredevil or the soap opera of Claremont’s X-Men) fit within a book whose focus is the fun of watching a flighty, occasionally quixotic teenager turn herself into a real superhero? But if ground-breaking work is not in Batgirl’s future, will the series survive? Sales estimates for issue #3 from Diamond are around 37,000, which is pretty respectable for a new book, so Michael Siglain has some flex before making any serious decisions, but Miller has got some work ahead of him to convince readers that Stephanie Brown matters, without losing the fun of what makes her great.

Conclusion: Batgirl is an entertaining book and very accessible to the new reader. This is what mainstream comics do well. But I hope that Batgirl does not get lost behind a lot of other books that are also delivering mainstream stories.

Grade: C+

-DS Arsenault

Ok, so we’ve all seen batman as a grownup: incredibly awesome and guaranteed box office GOLD. Batman as a kid would be boring: boohoo dead parents and all that. But what about batman as a TEEN?!
BOOMPOW!
Enter Gotham High,
Wait, what is that?
Is that success I smell a-brewin’?
Before I lay it all out, I’ll ease your mind by saying we already have a sequel in the works: Gotham University! (and a threequel: Gotham post-grad!)
Now, strap into your pampers because this movie is going to shit money. Literally.
Batman and Joker: two seniors in high school. They both have built their reputations or the past three years, and now they’re the top dawgs of Gotham High. This means one thing of course: RIVALRY!
They’re totally rivals!
We see them pass each other in the hall and Batman’s like “something smells poor. Joker must be nearby!” Then he and his snob friends chuckle and Batman’s monocle falls out of his face from laughing so hard and he almost spills his martini. Also Catwoman is his girlfriend and she’s the head cheerleader.
Then Joker punches him and the teacher, who is the Green Lantern, breaks them up and is like “superheroes aren’t supposed to fight! Get back to class you knuckleheads before I send you to principal Spiderman!” and they’re both like shrugging their shoulders and looking cool and like “whatever.” They both know mean old principal Spiderman is mad at them for always being rivals and tearing the school spirit in half instead of acting like the brothers they are. Also Catwoman is the joker’s girlfriend and she’s head of the spirit squad.
All of a sudden, this rivalry is about to explode!!! why?
Because Samantha Campbell is a new transfer student who just moved from New York out here to California to attend Gotham High School. And she is totally mind-blowingly hot! You’d better believe it!
So they’re in chemistry class throwing insult-notes at each other and then, in walks Samantha Campbell, and BAM! jaws=on floor. heads=turned.
Batman’s all like “you can sit here Samantha!” and joker’s like “i got you flowers Samantha!” and Batman’s like “you can wear my varsity jacket Samantha!” And the teacher, who is the Punisher is like “everyone settle down! There are two things I know about: Chemistry and punishing!”
so they all sit down, and Batman and Joker make angry eyes at each other so it’s clear to the audience that it’s ON!
So we see Joker at home and hes family’s all mean and his dad’s a gambler-drunk and he’s like “no one understands me!” and he runs into the yard and gets into his purple camaro and peels rubber outta there! Then we see Batman at home and his mom’s like “why don’t you buy her things? That’s how your father and I met.” and his dad’s like “she’s not good enough for you son. We need a family that’s fat with mutual funds and banking! I raised you better than this!” And Batman cries a single tear because he’s rich and rich people don’t know how to cry properly. Then he leaves on his harley, and puts on his leather jacket, which has a skull on the back (skulls are scarier than bats).
Then Batman pulls up to the red light and who should be there but the joker in his purple camaro. And they both look at each other all sad, and we can just tell that they used to be best friends because of family stuff. Then before they can be best friends again, or say a word, Samantha pulls up to the light in her daddy’s ferrari, which is candy red, like Samantha’s blonde hair, which is dyed black now to match the car. Batman sees her black hair and he winks at joker like she dyed it black to match his batman suit. Joker revs his engine and batman revs his motorbike and the light turns green and they’re off! We blast Sammy Hagar’s “Heavy Metal” as loud as the theatre speakers can go, BLASTO!
They race all through town, and Samantha is following to see which one will win her heart, and they both have gadgets in their vehicles like james bond, but the joker’s are all krappy like with duct tape and milk jugs, but they’re still powerful (he’s poor, but scrappy!).
This race signifies that snobs will always be versus slobs in life and teenagers should get used to it and find out who they really are inside, so it’s kind of a feel-good life lesson movie too.
Then they both crash into fireballs in the side of a building that ironically is owned by the evil Daredevil corporation.
And Iron Man comes out of the building in a tuxedo and he’s like “you’ll pay for this damage, you knuckleheads!”
They both look at Samantha, who is eating a popsicle, and they realize they can’t run away like cowards. It’s time to team up and fight together! So Batman uses his gadgets and Joker uses his laughing and they both are winning the fight against Iron Man, but then he turns into the HULK and says “it’s clobberin’ time!!!” they both get their noses bloodied, but after a sweet 45-minute cgi battle, they emerge victorious. They look at Samantha, but she is eating a banana with her throat and isn’t impressed with either of them yet.
So they look at each other and they’re like “i guess now it’s time to fight each other for her love.”
they are both bloody and broken-nosed and batman’s cape is all beat up and then professor Punisher shows up and he’s like Samantha, you’re causing all of this?!”
Samantha says “Mr. Punisher, I really need straight A’s if you catch my drift.” (the audience is like “Oh ho-HO! It’s an erection thing!)
and the Punisher and Samantha walk away arm in arm and Batman and Joker learn a valuable lesson about women and vow never to fight each other again. But then another hot girl comes into the screen (EVEN HOTTER than Samantha!!!), and she’s like “I’m Nadia, the new exchange student from Norway.” Then Batman and the Joker look at each other and make angry eyes and the credits roll as we kick in with ACDC’s “Back in Black”.

Live Your Life Two Minutes at a Time V 1.5

The Nationals

According to wikipedia.org as of July 2009, there were 78 leagues in North America who are members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. These leagues are comprised of dozens of women athletes who spend countless hours away from their families at the rink, preparing, training, working to gain an edge against their next opponent. In the world of sports though not everyone can be a winner, even fewer can be a champion. From those 78 leagues, 40 were selected to take part in 4 regional tournaments across the United States over the span of a month. The regional tournaments were filled with a few surprises, but on the whole, the obvious top tier talent took their rightful place in the National Tournament. From 40, we now stand at 12, and after Declaration of Derby, there will only be 1 team who will take the Hydra home, only 1 league will be known as champions.

In the first 4 editions of my blog, I listed each team from 1 through 10 for each regional. Go check out my past blogs (and bump their reader numbers while your at it , to see what I said about each team and individual players. For this edition of my blog, I am going to break down the tournament in regards to how I filled out my Nationals bracket, because as we all know the only thing that makes sports better is gambling…and beer.

FIRST ROUND

(S2) Kansas City vs. (W3) Denver:
Kansas City is one of only one of three teams in the history of the WFTDA who have been national champions, playing the part of Cinderella in 2007. Even though they have a Hydra at home in the trophy case, I feel that Kansas City is like Rodeny Dangerfield in this one, they just can’t get any respect against the sleek, sexy pick that is Denver. Thats not to say that K.C. Isn’t good, far from it they are a solid team, but Denver has been on an offensive tear this year putting over a 100 points a game on the board and doing it against much stiffer competition then what the Roller Warriors are used to playing in the South Central which is the weakest of the 4 divisions. Does this mean Denver is going to walk through K.C.? No, far from it, as the Roller Warriors beat the Mad Rollin’ Dolls this year by 40 points at ECE and stayed within 20 points of Charm City who had an incredible 2009 season. This game is going to be a lot of fun but in the end I see Denver moving on to the 2nd round.

(E2) Gotham vs. (N3) Detroit:
Gotham has to play in the first round of a tournament for the first time in a long time against an always tough and tenacious Detroit team. Losing to Philly at Eastern Regionals was the best thing that could have happened to girls from the Big Apple to help them to refocus and sharpen up their training for Nationals. You know that Gotham is going to come into this tournament with something to prove, that even though they are the 2nd seed from the East, they are still the best in the world. Detroit has a lot to prove to as they have been one of the top 10 teams in America for the past 2 years, but have yet to be able to knock off a top tier program like Philly, Gotham, Windy City, or Texas. From what I have been able to gather from individual Detroit players Facebook pages, they are training their ass off for Nationals and pushing themselves to new limits.

Detroit is a strong team, they are smart, they are aggressive, and they have a lot of talent. I have seen them control entire games just by having Cookie Rumble lock down the back end of a pack and let the rest of the squad destroy the other team with speed. That being said, Gotham is going to come into this game revitalized, refocused, and ready to do whatever it takes to get into the championship game. Detroit will have to play as a team to try and get the W as Gotham’s jammers are to good for anyone to try and match up against 1 on 1 in the pack. Gotham gets the win here, but I honestly feel that if Detroit would have gotten matched up with any other team in the first round, they would also be moving onto the second round.

(N2) Madison vs. (E3) Boston:
Remember back in the day when you would be playing Street Fighter II and you and your friend would pick to fight as Ken vs. Ryu which is essentially just the same character but with different color gais? Yeah, thats exactly what this Madison vs. Boston match up is. Both teams live and die on controlling the speed of the pack and shifting the tempo from light speed to slow as skating in tar.

After years of bitter disappointment Boston scratched and clawed their way out of the Eastern Regionals with the 3rd seed, beating rival Charm City in the process. Madison on the other hand irked out a victory against Detroit before going on to be completely over matched by Windy City. Even though Madison has gotten better through out the course of the 2009, I don’t see them beating Boston. Boston’s skate skills are second to none and they do the little things so well which is why I see them prevailing in this match up. The only way I see Madison winning this one is if they can draw fouls and force Boston to play short handed which will allow them to gain pack control.

(S3) Houston vs. (W2) Rocky Mountain:
The last time these two teams met at Battle Royale 2008, RMRG skated away with a 25 point victory, this time it will be by much, much more. Rocky Mountain has been the big surprise this tournament season, recently beating Rose City before Derby on the Rocks and then trumping cross train arch rivals Denver en route to earning the second seed in the West. Houston on the other hand took third place in the weakest of the 4 WFTDA regions and was easily handled by Kansas City in the process. With the recent additions to Rock Mountain they are looking better then they ever have in the history of their league and unless the entire team suffers an outbreak of hamthrax (H1N1), there is no way Houston is going to be able to stop them.

SECOND ROUND
(N1) Windy City vs. (W3) Denver:
The chatter coming out of the West is that n one else is able to match the regions speed and offense. Offense is great, offense is fun, and offense is sexy but defense is what wins championships. Just like the 1985 Bear’s “Monsters of the Midway”, WCR can play some defense and on top of that can score a staggering number of points as well. Windy is going to be fresh unlike Denver who is going to have to play a competitive Kansas City the day before. Windy will get the W here and move on to the 3rd round.

(W1) Oly vs. (E2) Gotham:
The most intriguing match up of the weekend bar none. Oly has been on the scene for less then a year and now firmly sit on top their region at 8-0, the only undefeated team in all of the WFTDA. Gotham, is a team that needs no introduction. These two titans are separated by 2,894 miles, but will meet on the flat track in Philly. I know that Oly is a great squad but there is no way I am picking them to beat Gotham. Gotham’s experience is the big edge in this game and while the sisters for Oly are two of the best players in the history of modern flat track, at the end of the day its a 14 woman roster and Gotham has a much deeper bench. Gotham gets the W here, but Oly will learn from this game and look for them to possibly hoist the Hydra next season.

(S1) Texas vs. (E3) Boston:
Texas v. Boston, what an interesting clash in styles as those two are polar opposites. Boston will look to control the pack and try to work as unit where as on the other hand, Texas will do what Texas does, beat the living hell out of anyone who lines up against them in the pack, open holes, and let their jammers fly through the pack. Boston is good, but Texas is just bigger, faster, and stronger and when push comes to shove, I see TXRG rolling into the 3rd round with a win in this one.

(E1) Philly vs. (W2) Rocky Mountain:
The home town team makes their first appearance of the tournament against Rocky Mountain. RMRG is a good team, but Philly has had such an amazing 2009 taking out Carolina, Boston, Rat City, Kansas City, Windy City, Charm City, Gotham, and more. They are just a juggernaut of a team right now and Rocky Mountain does not have the answer to the riddle that is how to beat Philly. To top it off, The Belles are going to have home track advantage and you know their fans are going to be the “6th woman” for them. Philly gets the victory and moves on to the 3rd round.

THIRD ROUND
(N1) Windy City vs. (E2) Gotham
The second city vs. the city that never sleeps. Again, WFTDA power houses Windy City and Gotham meet with national championship implications on the line. When it gets to this level of play, it just comes down to who is on that weekend. WCR has never beat Gotham and that is going to give New York the mental edge. Windy generally doesn’t play well against Gotham and thats why I predict that New Yorkers will be playing for the Hydra.

(S1) Texas vs. (E1) Philly
This will be the most ass kicking battle between females since the Bride took on Elle Driver in Kill Bill Vol. 1. Philly can play any form of roller derby so Texas is not going to be able to out play them or intimidate them physically. This game is going to come down to the 2 biggest stats in flat track roller derby, lead jammer and penalties. Texas has a tendency to get lots of time in the box and it has costed them in the past in tight games. Look for Philly to exploit this weakness and move on to play Gotham for a national championship.

3rd Place Game
(N1) Windy City vs. (S1) Texas
Both of these teams are going to be angry and disappointed if they don’t win a national championship. The winner of this game will come down to who can keep their composition and focus to win. Windy got the W the last time these 2 teams met, but it was only by 13 points. Look for Texas to get this win as they have come on strong this season and then look for them to put up serious numbers at the after party.

(E1) Philly vs. (E2) Gotham
I am predicting a rematch from the Eastern Regionals, the greatest roller derby game I have ever seen. In my bracket I picked Philly to win it all, but Gotham could just easily take home back to back Hydras. This all goes back to Gotham being revitalized and ready to reclaim their place at the top of the mountain. While my heart says Philly, my brains says Gotham.

That brings us to the end of my Nationals preview. Will it all pan out the way I wrote it? Probably not, but thats why we watch sports, the thrill of watching an unscripted drama that no one knows the answer too. Unfortunately, I won’t be getting into the tournament until late Friday night so I will be checking my phone all day for updates tweets from the tournament. On the upside though I will be calling games live and mostly likely for derby news network as well so make sure your tuning in and watching from home. Thanks for reading and as always remember to live your life two minutes at a time.

5 out of 5

There’s a new superhero in Gotham, one who wears silver-gray tights and a cape.

And she’s a woman, a bat-woman.

At first it appears she’s here to help, but when she begins targeting the Penguin and Rupert Thorne’s secret arms operation, the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder step in to solve the mystery of the Batwoman.

Who is she? What does she want? And why is it each time Batman thinks he’s solved her secret identity does he find himself back at square one?

As Batman and Batwoman put the strain on the Penguin’s operation, the bird man calls in a deadly force to eliminate them: Bane.

The Bruce Timm-designed Batman series is a staple on the animated superhero genre. The sleek yet angler style’s been used in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. And in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, it’s delivered in spades. The art is just simply amazing straight through.

The story is terrific, with twists and turns right up till the end, and no punches are pulled in giving each and every character a level of depth not usually achieved in animated features.

Kevin Conroy is Batman and has the greatest Batman voice out of them all, both live action and animated. His line delivery as the Dark Knight forces you to respect the pointy-eared vigilante and take him seriously. The dude’s got major authority.

Likewise, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred? Wow. Between him and Kevin, these two hold down the film and set the tone for the entire movie. The relationship Alfred and Bruce Wayne share is beyond close and is a stark contrast to the relationships the bat women suspects have with their own family or loved ones.

You know what? All the voices were terrific, not a one out of place. Each suited the character they portrayed, the acting and tone behind their voices never missing a beat.

The stakes are high, the danger’s real and Batman is better than ever.

Go. Watch. Enjoy.

Das vollstänige Interview findet Ihr hier.

The gorgeous Rachelle Lefevre (aka Victoria) is featured in the upcoming fashion section of Gotham Magazine.  She talks about her fashion style and her upcoming roles.

With long, curly red hair, porcelain skin and a loud, infectious laugh, actress Rachelle Lefevre is hard to overlook. But until she appeared as the bitchy bloodsucker Victoria in the 2008 smash hit Twilight, she’d been a relative unknown. Now with the hotly anticipated second film in the series, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, hitting theaters November 20 and two more films in the works, Lefevre is about to find herself in the glare of the spotlight.

“When I first got to LA, everybody said I was too ‘girl-next-door’ for edgier roles,” she says. “I ended up playing a stripper, an escort, a vampire and an off-her-rocker troubled poet. I keep playing roles that are not even close to the girl next door.”

Rachelle looks absolutely stunning in the pictures featured in Gotham Magazine. Check out the rest of the article and all the gorgeous pictures here!

source

(Photos by Christopher Stribley. Bowery, NY, September 27, 2009.)

Jay Z and Alicia did a great song.As far as i’m concerned, i would never have thought of Jay Z and Alicia doing a collaboration.I’m still trying to figure out how the idea occured.The man behind this is not only a creative genius but he did a awesome job.I’m freaking loving this city.Its reminded me another hit, back in days, sung by Frank Sinatra : ” New York, New York”.Another musical evidence that “this godamn city” is one of the top spots to live in.

Image from http://cartoons-comics.deepthi.com

“Mother Goose” on the Panic.

We have picked up the following capital applications of Mother Goose’s melodies to the present conditions of the money market, floating about in our exchanges:

Image from www.searchviews.com

Sing a song of specie
Gotham all away,
Seven and fifty Bank Birds
Knocked into pi;
When the Banks were open’d
The Cashier tried to sing,
Wasn’t that a pretty dish
To send to Gov’nor King!

Image from www.liveauctioneers.com

Hark! hark! the Banks do bark,
The brokers have come to town,
Some with “bags” and some with “rags,”
To hunt the specie down.

Image from www.posterpalace.com

There was a man in our town,
Who was so wondrous wise,
He jumped into the Barbary coast
And drew out his supplies.
And when he got his specie out,
With all his might and main,
He rushed into another Bank
And concluded that, all things considered,
he might as well deposit again.

Image from www.corbisimages.com

Ba! ba! Bank sheep, have you any gold?
Yes, marry, have I, three bags told;
One for depositors, one for me,
And one for an old chap that lives across the sea?

Image from www.taylorgreenelaw.com

One — Two! What shall we do?
Three — Four! Close up the door.
Five — Six! They are coming like bricks,
Seven — Eight! Ask them to wait.
Nine — Ten! Good friends, come again.
Eleven — Twelve! The deposits we’ll shelve.
Thirteen — Fourteen! Stop exporting.
Fifteen — Sixteen! Ain’t we fixed in?
Seventeen — Eighteen! Keep ‘em waiting!
Nineteen — Twenty! Vaults are Empty!

Fort Wayne Sentinel, The (Fort Wayne, Indiana) Nov 7, 1857

BLOCK QUOTES run a muck again!

ali stephens is represented by elite model management.
she appears in issue 15 of french revue de mode, as seen here.
i love the gotham city them to this edit & love the mod make-up artistry.
photographic credit for this set to  thierry le gouès.

imagesource | tfs

Everything must go!

I know – this isn’t very professional – but nobody pays me to do this, so I’m going to do it anyway!  I’m moving house very shortly, and that means I have a lot of possessions I need to off-load.  Sadly, that includes a massive pile of comic books.  Naturally, I’m selling them on eBay, and now I’m flogging them off to you, Dear Reader.  Oh, and there’s also a Super Mario Galaxy Strategy Guide if you need as well…Here’s a list:

		SALVATION RUN #1-7 Incl. Neal Adams Joker Variant Cover Postage cost: AU $4.99	1	0	AU $14.99	9d 20h	Sell similar
		Super Mario Galaxy Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide Postage cost: AU $6.99	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 16h	Sell similar
		BATMAN: Streets of Gotham #1 & 3 Comics by PAUL DINI Postage cost: AU $3.25	0	0	AU $1.99	9d 16h	Sell similar
		BATMAN UNSEEN #1 Comic by DOUG MOENCH & KELLEY JONES Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 17h	Sell similar
		BLACKEST NIGHT: TITANS #1 Comic FIRST ISSUE (Ed Benes) Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 17h	Sell similar
		COUNTDOWN to FINAL CRISIS #51 – 32 Comics (20 Issues) Postage cost: AU $4.99	0	0	AU $23.99	9d 17h	Sell similar
		ROBIN #169 Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul Part 5 Batman Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 18h	Sell similar
		ROBIN #173 & 174 Comics by CHUCK DIXON Spoiler Returns! Postage cost: AU $3.25	0	0	AU $1.99	9d 18h	Sell similar
		SUPERGIRL #37 Faces of Evil: SUPERWOMAN New Krypton Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 18h	Sell similar
		THE MIGHTY #1 & 2 Comics by Peter J. Tomasi (GLC) Postage cost: AU $3.25	0	0	AU $1.99	9d 18h	Sell similar
		BOOSTER GOLD #13 Comic (DC Comics) Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 19h	Sell similar
		52: The Four Horsemen #1-6 Batman Superman Wonder Woman Postage cost: AU $4.99	0	0	AU $6.99	9d 19h	Sell similar
		The Death of the New Gods #1-4 Comics by Jim Starlin Postage cost: AU $4.99	0	0	AU $5.99	9d 20h	Sell similar
		The Death of the New Gods #6 & 7 Comics by Jim Starlin Postage cost: AU $3.25	0	0	AU $2.99	9d 20h	Sell similar
		COUNTDOWN to MYSTERY #8 Comic by Mark Waid, Gail Simone Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $1.99	9d 20h	Sell similar
		COUNTDOWN to MYSTERY #5 Doctor Fate & Eclipso Comic DC Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $1.99	9d 21h	Sell similar
		Brave & the Bold #17 SUPERGIRL & RAVEN by Marv Wolfman Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $1.20	9d 21h	Sell similar
		SUPERGIRL #30 Comic by Will Pfeifer (Catwoman) Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 21h	Sell similar
		SHADOWPACT #17 Comic by Matt Sturges & Doug Braithwaite Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 21h	Sell similar
		TITANS #1 & 2 Comics – Nightwing, The Flash, Starfire Postage cost: AU $3.25	0	0	AU $2.99	9d 21h	Sell similar
		Birds of Prey #119 – Oracle Black Canary Huntress Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 21h	Sell similar
		SUPERMAN: EMPEROR JOKER Trade Paperback by Jeph Loeb Postage cost: AU $4.99 High bidder: ertansteph ( 117)	0	1	AU $8.99	9d 22h	Sell similar
		COUNTDOWN: Search for Ray Palmer RED RAIN KELLEY JONES Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 22h	Sell similar
		COUNTDOWN to FINAL CRISIS #14 – 11 Comics (4 Issues) Postage cost: AU $4.99	0	0	AU $4.50	9d 22h	Sell similar
		TRINITY #1 by Kurt Busiek Batman Superman Wonder Woman Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 23h	Sell similar

		Rann-Thanagar Holy War – Starfire, Hawkman, Animal Man Postage cost: AU $4.99	0	0	AU $3.50	9d 23h	Sell similar
		GOTHAM UNDERGROUND #1-3 Batman Two-Face Riddler Postage cost: AU $4.99	0	0	AU $3.60	9d 23h	Sell similar
		BATMAN & THE OUTSIDERS #1; #3-7 (6 Issues) Chuck Dixon Postage cost: AU $4.99	0	0	AU $6.99	9d 23h	Sell similar
		Outsiders Five of a Kind Thunder & Martian Manhunter #1 Postage cost: AU $2.50	0	0	AU $0.99	9d 23h	Sell similar

Just click the links if you’re interested!  And even if you’re not, have a bid anyway – consider it a small donation if you’ve been enjoying the site thus far.