- With nearly all of the power players having said that "The Dark Knight Rises" will be their final film in the Batman series, obviously the hype machine is working overtime to promote the sure-to-be-ginormous summer blockbuster, even if it’s the summer of 2012 when the movie will commence busting blocks instead of the current installment of the year’s best season. With the release date of July 20, 2012 still more than a year away (and situated nicely between the present and the supposed end of the world several months after its theatrical debut), Warner Bros. is cranking up the hype early and in volume. The latest tactical maneuver came over the weekend, when the studio released a teaser poster that gives up no real clues or information but should sufficiently whip the movie-loving fan base into a frenzy. The poster features a simple design highlighted by the Batman symbol in white, outlined by buildings presumably in Gotham City. The release date is the only other information on the poster, meaning Warner Bros. essentially paid one of its graphic designers several hours’ salary to take a logo he or she probably has 100 different versions of, place it against a backdrop he or she probably had dozens of variations on and pick a font in which to write the date of the film’s release. There is nothing new or noteworthy on the poster itself and it really comes across more like a “Save the date” flyer or friendly reminder not to forget about the movie in light of the current summer blockbusters gracing cinema screens around the country. All of the important commodities in the movie are well-known, with director Christopher Nolan heading the project, which will star Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and "Inception's" Tom Hardy as Bane. Real news on the cast also came down in April, when Warner Bros. revealed that Hardy's "Inception" co-stars Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are also on board, with Cotillard playing an employee at Bruce Wayne's company, and Gordon-Levitt playing a Gotham City police officer. Look for more empty, worthless gestures and promotional efforts from Warner Bros. along the lines of this pointless poster in the months ahead…………
- You’ve got ‘em on the run, Greenville, now finish the job! Smokers are a well-persecuted group in these here United States (not nearly as much so in Europe), but there is always room for improvement and the good folks who run things in Greenville, S.C. are reaching for that improvement in a big way. The decisive blow came Monday night during a city council meeting, when council members voted five to one in favor of a new ordinance extending the current smoking ban to include patios and outdoor eating areas, private clubs and city parks near play grounds. That means loser smokers in Greenville won't be able to light up, even outside, at city restaurants and bars. Basically, the only places they will be able to choke down their cancer sticks and slowly kill themselves is their own homes. Sure, there were a few morons who showed up at the meeting to voice dissent over the proposed ordinance, like Dixie's Tavern owner, Fred Kissling. Kissling admitted to understanding the reason for the ban but wanted an exception made so people can smoke outside if they drink. Right, because you just have to drastically up your chances for lung cancer and emphysema is you’re also assaulting your liver with cheap alcohol. He wondered what would happen if the ordinance passed and theorized that the next question would be, "What constitutes a patio?" The obvious question to ask is which buffoon on the council was dumb enough to vote against the measure and one need look no further than Mayor Knox White to find the only vote against the ordinance. Perhaps the mayor knew it would pass regardless and was looking to curry favor with the smoker vote for the next election (a bad play because a lot of them may not be alive when it rolls around). Either way, he was soundly defeated by a quintet led by councilman David Sudduth, who said the current ban has been successful and assured those present that the new ordinance will only clarify where people can and cannot smoke. Really, the only bad news is that the new law will apparently be self-policed. "As long as everyone understands what the rules are, that most people are happy to comply with it," said Sudduth. And if they don’t comply, then simply ramp up the persecution. The ordinance goes into effect August 1, so enjoy the limited time of marginal freedom you have left, loser smokers of Greenville………….
- Cell phone users may vary in the model of phone they prefer and the carrier they use, but one near universal for all is the presence of mysterious, unexplained fees each month when the cell phone bill arrives in the mail. New rules proposed by federal regulators could remove some of that mystery and actually make e it easier for consumers to detect and challenge those fees on their phone bills. While an actual decision is still nowhere close to reality, the Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to seek public comments on the proposed rules to crack down on the practice of "cramming." The term is defined as the illegal placement of unauthorized fees on a consumer's phone bill — either by the phone company or an outside party. Companies bury the charges deep in the bill and attempt to hide them under generic descriptions such as minute use fee, activation, member fee, voice mail or Web hosting. Because the fees are typically only a few dollars, many users simply overlook them. Now, the FCC is taking up the case and the Senate is also set to told a hearing on the issue. If approved, the proposed FCC rules would require landline phone companies to place third-party charges in a separate section of phone bills and to notify consumers whether they offer the option of blocking such charges. Customers would receive the notification when they sign up for service and it would also legally have to appear online and on their bills. Additionally, the new measures would require both landline and wireless carriers to notify consumers that they can file complaints about cramming with the FCC. The figures on the number of Americans impacted annually by these mystery fees are staggering, with the FCC estimating that as many as 15 million to 20 million American households have mystery fees on their monthly landline phone bills every year. Soon, the commission could be telling cell phone companies to cram it up their cram hole…………
- The world has added its 193rd country and Americans are encouraged to celebrate the occasion with the rest of the world and salute Southern Sudan as the world’s newest nation……..just not to visit Southern Sudan and boost its new economy with their tourism dollars. Instead, the State Department warned Americans Tuesday to use "extreme care" visiting the world's newest country, where the fledgling government provides only limited security outside the capital Juba. According to the State Department, U.S. citizens should "avoid all travel" to border regions, where violent clashes have erupted in recent months between Sudanese troops from Khartoum and former rebel forces loyal to the south. "You should exercise extreme care in all areas of South Sudan," read the travel warning. "In addition to fighting on the ground, the Sudanese air force has bombed areas in Unity and Southern Kordofan states." Having someone tag you with a travel advisory after less than a week as a country could be taken as an affront to a nation, but I would urge Southern Sudan to wear the designation as a badge of honor. It says, “You have arrived as a nation and are officially a member of the club.” All nations have been hit with travel warnings and advisories if they’re worth a damn, so don’t worry about it. You always remember your first foreign travel advisory once you become a country. The State Department also cautioned that there were seven different rebel militia forces that "frequently engage in violent clashes with SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) forces in various areas of South Sudan. These clashes can flare up with little warning." That would have been sufficient, but the statement also piled on Southern Sudan’s new government by suggesting it "has limited capacity to deter crime or provide security to travelers outside of the capital city of Juba." The U.S. embassy in Juba has imposed a curfew from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am, and is requiring American personnel to "travel in armored government vehicles at all times at night, and to obtain advance permission for any travel outside of Juba." That does not sound like a place I would like to visit…………
- The NFL and NBA have nearly cornered the market on players being selected to their league’s all-star games and not actually taking part, but Major League Baseball has definitely made headway this season when it comes to stars choosing not to shine when selected for this honor. Perhaps the most glaring absence among MLBers chosen for Tuesday’s All-Star Game by the fans or their peers is New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who reached the 3,000 hit plateau over the weekend and has battled injuries during the first half of the season. Jeter was to be the starting shortstop for the American League in the midsummer classic, but pulled out of the game and chose not to attend at all, citing "emotional and physical exhaustion" from his pursuit of 3,000 hits. The decision rankled fans, players and even league officials, with one anonymous major league official saying baseball wanted to celebrate Jeter's accomplishment and isn't happy he's not there. "Derek Jeter has done everything right during his whole career," the official said. "He was wrong on this one." However, commissioner Bud Selig came to Jeter’s defense, claiming he understood and respected his choice. "There isn't a player I'm more proud of in the last 15 years than Derek Jeter," Selig said. “I know why Derek Jeter is not here. I respect that and I must tell you that I think I would have made the same decision. Any suggestion that I or anybody else around here is unhappy with him not being here is just false. He has played the game the way it should be played, and he's been a better human being off the field.” Sources close to Jeter said the shortstop felt it would be better for him to rest and prepare for the second half of the season for the Yankees, who are locked in a tight battle with Boston for first place in the AL East. Still, many of his peers wondered if Jeter shouldn’t have at least shown up and been there for the festivities even if he did not play. "I do believe, as a ballplayer, if you have no injuries, you should be here," New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran said. "The fans are the ones that vote for you and want to see you here." Another Mets player, injured shortstop Jose Reyes, said that "I want to come no matter what happens." But Jeter or no Jeter, one fact remains unalterable: deciding homefield advantage for the World Series in a meaningless exhibition game is still absurd…………
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