On the strength of his brilliant performance in Daredevil, Ben Affleck has been cast as the not-so-Dark Knight in upcoming Batman/Superman movie. I know, I know. He’s an Academy Award winner! True, but I feel the need to point out that it was for directing, not acting. Is this another sign of the disconnect between the big studios and audiences? Would love to hear your thoughts. The 50+ Greatest Tweets about Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman
Well, I was at the hospital today to get that suspected pulled solar plexus checked out. Again. It’s been almost a week since I started experiencing some mild discomfort just above my sternum (and under my right ribcage) so I figured it was time Akemi demanded I go get it checked out. So I did. And spent a long while waiting for an ultrasound. How long? So long I actually started AND FINISHED a book, then read the first 100 pages of another before giving up and heading home. For what it’s worth, the doctor suspects a pulled muscle. And results of my blood test were good – in some instances great! I was told someone would be calling me on Monday about coming by for that ultrasound – provided I still felt it was necessary. I think I’m good. Of course, Akemi might have something to say about that. She seems pretty adamant I “should do ultra-man sound!”.
John Travolta as Forrest Gump? Matthew Broderick as Walter White? Rhoda the Immortal Waitress? http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_591_27-insane-but-true-early-versions-famous-characters/
The TMZ newsroom fields calls from angry Beliebers: TMZ Complaint Dept. — ATTACK OF THE BELIEBERS
I need this app: Scientists Reading Minds With Software That Interprets Brain Scans…
Not only are they bad for you. They’re also BAD for you: Cronut burger to blame in 150 CNE illnesses
How can you be sure the civet-poop coffee you’re drinking was actually excreted by an actual civet? Science puts your mind at ease: Kopi Luwak: Rare, gourmet civet-poop coffee can finally be …
Now this is a great story. Woman reunited with her long-lost dog – five years later!: http://news.yahoo.com/video/woman-reunited-stolen-dog-5-035809289.html
A happy ending for Dutch, the pitbull service dog who was under euthanasia order in Montrose, Colorado. The case went to trial and, today, a jury found the pooch not guilty of the charges against him. He is now back home with his family. You can read all about it over on the dedicated Save Dutch facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Dutch/431867163549311
Dutch (and his family) were represented by The Lancaster Law Firm that traveled all the way from Arkansas to defend him:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lancaster-Law-Firm-PLLC/281001605249025?ref=ts&fref=ts
As soon as I heard about the Batman thing (well, as soon as I confirmed that the random comment I heard was true), I thought, “Well, I hope he does better than he did in Daredevil.” Seriously, did the studio not watch that movie? I’ve never been a big fan of Affleck. And I don’t think he’s that attractive, either. An awful lot of the actors who’ve played Batman have been odd choices. The only one who I think really looked very Batman-y was Christian Bale. Michael Keaton made a good Bruce Wayne, but I didn’t think he made a great Batman.
You waited how long for an ultrasound? Well, you do live in the province with the highest senior population in Canada. Kind of like Florida North.
Seriously, Colorado put a dog on trial? Who was his lawyer, Bugs Bunny?
when i told my brother about this he said; “they’d do better if they went back to val kilmer.” i told him; “val kilmer can’t fit in the suit any more.”
i recall the stink over michael keaton being cast as batman way back in the late 1980s and he didn’t do too bad, IMHO.
time will tell if warner brothers made a good choice or crapped the bed on this one.
i discovered this quiz in that 50+ greats tweets link on which batman actor said what; (i scored 80%)
http://mentalfloss.com/node/14073/take
I’m really enjoying the image at the top of the post. And Wil Wheaton’s tweet was one of my favs from last night, but the person who pointed out the horribleness of WW as too much of a financial risk so let’s cast a sure money maker with Affleck as a superhero! is now my favorite. I mean, accurate. (Also all the other BS about Wonder Woman being “too complex”. Oy.)
Uh, suffice to say, I’m not a fan of this casting. NOT A FAN AT ALL. And I have brought this up to every person I know since last night. Even those who don’t give a damn.lol
I can’t believe it took so long to get an ultrasound that you were able to get up and walk out. I get it wasn’t the ER, but that’s pretty awful. 🙁
As tweeted by Mchael Shanks…
Yes. I also auditioned for the new Batman. And yes I think Ben Affleck will bust his ass to make the part his own. #CongratsBen 👍👍
Kriss 🙂
You weren’t so specific about the pain location before. I’ve had so many pains, I don’t pipe in when someone mentions a particular body part or I’d get pretty annoying, but I’ve had a pain in that location except on the left side intermittently since I was 20. It’s usually either a zero on the pain scale or making me consider a little oxygen deprivation from refusing to breathe.
I’m assuming it’s something akin to pleurisy. Though pleuritic pain can happen anywhere in the chest, because it has to do with inflammation between two very stretchy layers of tissue, it seems logical it’s going to happen most where you describe, a location that is constantly moving due to breathing but also a little restricted.
I can clear the pain faster by purposely breathing deeply. As with many inflammation-rooted pains, ibuprofen is a miracle drug. I only get it nowadays when I slip on my low-inflammation diet. There can be tons of causes, even scarring from a long-forgotten virus, so far be it from me to be the one to suggest diet changes to a foodie.
And, no, it’s very hard to pull a muscle there. I’ve done some wild, aerial athletics and been hit in the gut by some of the hardest kickers on the planet and the single time I pulled my abs was life or death and time had to slow by 10,000X for me to do a crunch that fast.
People should go to prison for taking someones cat or dog. And a special place in hell.
Joe, you’ve asked for TV show ideas a couple times lately and many of your regular readers offered up suggestions. I’m curious why you never comment on those suggestions (even to just say ‘thanks for the suggestions’.) Sometimes I’m wondering if I’m typing in an invisible font… again.
Hey BoltBait,
I do thank readers for their feedback but have been waiting to see what other suggestions come up before weighing in. While quite a few readers made suggestions, there were maybe only a handful that fell within the parameters I outlined: genre, not overly expensive to produce, set in a contemporary (modern) world, based on a pre-existing property (book, graphic novels, etc.). I can’t take original ideas (pre-existing properties are easier sells), produce off-shoots of established t.v. worlds (ie. Firefly, other t.v. shows), or consider shows set in space/on a ship/in a wild fantasy setting. Johnny Mnemonic, for instance, is a great idea – but is, uh, already being pursued. Logan’s Run, while interesting, is a little too far future.
Thank you for the feedback. Now I (and others, I’m sure) can refine their thinking and maybe come up with better ideas.
I’ve heard of the poop coffee…. I’m glad I don’t any coffee.
Yay on the dog stories!
What are you doing in your exercise routine that you are hurting yourself? Dude, maybe you ought to get a trainer. I hope you feel better.
I’m not crazy about Ben Affleck but I don’t watch Batman much anyway.
Lulu’s paw any better?
Thinking about my favorite Sci-Fi movies… Soylent Green is out. Silent Running is out. Blade Runner is out. TXH-1138 is out. A Boy and His Dog is out. Rollerball is out. Star Wars/Trek also out.
OK, how about the movie Futureworld (1976)? You could take the idea of robots taking over the world and expand it into a TV show. It was tried once in 1980. There are 5 episodes of a show called Beyond Westworld. I’m sure you could do better. Not an expansion of an existing TV world, a total reboot. Just start where Westworld leaves off and go from there.
Colossis: The Forbin Project (1970). Not sure where you’d go from where the movie left off… I love the movie, I’m just not sure there’s more story to tell.
The Adjustment Bureau (2011). Lots of things need to be adjusted every week. Could include season and overall arcs. Special effects limited to walking through doorways… 🙂
Total Recall (1990/2012). Every week there is a different client? Conspiracy for the overall arc would be planting seeds in minds for some nefarious purpose. This has been done on TV before Total Recall 2070. One season of 22 episodes, never seen them.
As for my favorite books, I’d love to see a mini series or a TV series of the Foundation books by Asimov. Not sure it would fit your criteria though.
Orson Scott Card’s Pathfinder series… not right. Too bad, I like the books.
Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl… again, too complicated.
Heinlein’s Tunnel in the Sky would be awesome… oh, wait– already been done on TV as Stargate. 🙂
@ I’m curious why you never comment on those suggestions (even to just say ‘thanks for the suggestions’
Personally I don’t expect answers when giving Joe feedback, It’s just something nice to do if he needs it.
Ultrasounds are pretty awesome all things considered, I had one not so long ago as a follow up when I was unwell. They can pretty much check your liver, kidneys etc, always nice to hear that things look okay.
@BotBait:
That was also the reason I (and DP or was it Tam Dixon?) thought Caves of Steel might make a good adaptation. You would need to bring the dates in to make them more contemporary (like was done in the recent I Robot movie), say 2025? The basic premise of Caves of Steel was a cop/detective working a murder case with a robot partner.
Having said all of that though, I’m not sure if 20th Century Fox has rights to all of Asmiov’s work or just the I, Robot title. Since Asimov’s work has been around such a long time somebody probably already has the rights to Caves of Steel, though.
For something a little more over looked, how about James P. Hogan’s Thrice Upon a Time? It would need to be adapted from the original story where a small team of scientists build a machine that is capable of sending messages back in time, but it shouldn’t be too hard to build that into an agency (or special forces team) that (weekly) needs to “fix” or adjust to disasters before they happen.
And I’m still trying to wrap my brain around Ben Affleck as Batman…
Opps…typo. Sorry, BoltBait.
How is Lulu?
How are you?
@ Gilder – How are you?
Wishing everyone mentioned and here, good health.
@Randomness:
It is just nice to know that your efforts are appreciated.
Also, I thought maybe he’d lost his mind as he had just recently asked the exact same question.
This is possible.
😆
Joe, how about a prequel to Blade Runner? Set in the near future telling the story of the starting of the Tyrell Corporation. Maybe the events that lead up to the banning of robots on Earth and the starting of the Blade Runners.
Whoever produced the original has the sequel rights.
Yeah, I’m not feeling Affleck as Bat anything. In my head Christian Bale will pop up to take over in the 11th hour, or the film won’t get financing, or Affleck will choose to do the Green Lantern sequel instead. Dunno but oy yo yoy, what a sad, sad day in Gotham.
I thought Ben did a terrific job acting in Argo. I liked Daredevil but unfortunately his role as Batman will be compared to it and most people disliked it.
The dog news is wonderful. I posted the link on my business Facebook page. If anyone wants to follow my business Facebook page, I post a lot of dog and cats things on there, you can like my page here: https://www.facebook.com/ALeashAbove