R.I.P.: Pat Hingle

Pat Hingle, the veteran actor with more than half a century of impressive work in theater, film and television who was perhaps best known to a generation of movie fans as Commissioner James Gordon in the first four “Batman” films, has died. He was 84.
He wasn’t a household name, but his solid, broad, hang-dog screen face became a household image. On film, he worked with stars ranging from Clint Eastwood to the Muppets. He was Sally Field’s father in “Norma Rae” and Warren Beatty’s in “Splendor in the Grass.” He played the bartender who needles Marlon Brando about his former prize-fight style in “On the Waterfront,” and he was the sadistic crime boss who terrorizes Anjelica Huston with a bag of oranges in “The Grifters.”
obit HERE
IMDB HERE

R.I.P.: Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt, the sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died. She was 81.
Kitt, a self-proclaimed “sex kitten” famous for her catlike purr, was one of America’s most versatile performers, winning two Emmys and nabbing a third nomination. She also was nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys.
On television, she was the sexy Catwoman on the popular “Batman” series in 1967-68, replacing Julie Newmar who originated the role. A guest appearance on an episode of “I Spy” brought Kitt an Emmy nomination in 1966.
obit HERE
IMDB HERE
official website HERE

and the Oscar goes to…

yeah…unless Josh Brolin takes it…

Batman Dies

THE world’s most famous comic book hero has breathed his last Bat breath.
Bruce Wayne – who by night is Batman – gets murdered by a man claiming to be the father he thought was dead.
In a highly controversial new storyline Bruce, who first appeared in 1939, is killed by Simon Hurt – the leader of the shady Black Glove organization.
Simon claims he is really Dr. Thomas Wayne, saying faked his own passing when Bruce was a child.
The superhero dies when he tries to stop his foe escaping by helicopter in the new comic Batman R.I.P.
Writer Grant Morrison said: “This is so much better than death. People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story!
“I like to keep the story twisting and turning. So what I am doing is a fate worse than death. Things that no one would expect to happen to these guys at all.
“This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman.”
Batman will live on though, with another character filling his Batsuit.
Two likely contenders are Dick Grayson – the original Robin – or current Boy Wonder, Tim Drake.
BBC article HERE

Batman sues Batman over Batman

The mayor of Batman, Turkey, is suing Warner Bros. and The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan for using the Cape Crusader’s name without the city’s permission.
Variety reports Huseyin Kalkan, mayor of the predominantly Kurdish town located in the Batman province of Turkey on the Batman River, is preparing to file a series of charges against Nolan and Warner Bros. for royalties from the blockbuster film.