As killed off as anyone gets in comics, anyway

BBC Nov 29, 08 1:47 PM CST
(Newser)
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Bruce Wayne appears to have fought his last crime. This week’s Batman #681, the conclusion of the ominously titled Batman RIP story, sees Batman ( spoiler alert ) apparently blown up on a crashing helicopter, in a confrontation with a villain who may or may not be his father. But no body is ever shown, and DC Comics is sending mixed signals about whether this is indeed the end of our hero.
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Pol wants share of Dark Knight revenues for citizens of oil town

Variety Nov 12, 08 2:51 PM CST
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The mayor of Batman, Turkey, is threatening to sue Warner Brothers for a share of the nearly $1 billion The Dark Knight has generated. The unauthorized name use has wreaked psychological havoc in the Anatolian oil city by driving up unsolved murders and female suicides, Huseyin Kalkan tells Variety —though he didn’t explain why the action comes 70 years after the hero’s comic-book debut.
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Pair could be dealt 20-year sentence for playing card prank

ABC News Aug 19, 08 5:46 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Virginia police didn't see the humor of a Joker-inspired prank that terrified dozens of residents, ABC News reports. Two 18-year-olds have been charged with conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism after leaving playing cards with threatening messages on them scattered around their town. Cops say the felony charge—which carries up to 20 years in jail—is justified by the fear the duo created.
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Brit prosecutors says they have 'insufficient evidence' to press the case

BBC Aug 14, 08 1:54 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Christian Bale will not be charged in the alleged assault of his mother and sister, the BBC reports. A spokesman for the British prosecutor’s office said there was “insufficient evidence to afford a realistic prospect of conviction.” Bale and his family have been incommunicative with the press since the incident at a London hotel last month, after which Bale was arrested and questioned.
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Pineapple Express beat Batman on Friday, slid into No. 2 overall

Variety Aug 10, 08 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The Dark Knight is still lording it over the box office, grossing $26 million over the weekend for a fourth consecutive win—and overtaking Shrek 2 to become the third biggest Hollywood blockbuster ever with a cumulative $441.5 million. Judd Apatow's new comedy Pineapple Express beat The Dark Knight on Friday, but finished at No. 2 with $22.4 million for the weekend. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 took third place, grossing $10.8 million.
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Be afraid, be very afraid, Radar warns

Radar Aug 10, 08 7:44 AM CDT
(Newser)
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First a technician died on the set of the Dark Knight , then Heath Ledger overdosed. Christian Bale allegedly assaulted his mother recently, and now Morgan Freeman is recovering from a nasty car accident and undergoing a divorce. Folks have started muttering about a Dark Knight curse, and Radar insists the hex is real. What other tragedies plague actors linked to the film? Aaron Eckhart is doomed to play supporting roles for the rest of his life.
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Candidates reveal pop-culture picks

Entertainment Weekly Aug 8, 08 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Closet ABBA fan: Obama or McCain? The two presidential hopefuls recently bared all to Entertainment Weekly , revealing their pop-culture preferences: Favorite superhero: Obama: Spiderman, McCain: Batman iPod playlist: Obama: Frank Sinatra, Sheryl Crow, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan; McCain: Roy Orbison, Linda Rhonstadt, Usher, and yes, ABBA
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Dark Knight still rules, banking $43M in third weekend win

Variety Aug 3, 08 5:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Even the undead can't stop Batman: The Dark Knight defeated The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in its third weekend win, grossing an unexpected $43.8 million and hitting nearly $400 million. The Mummy sequel took second with $42.4 million, while Kevin Costner's Swing Vote , the only other newcomer, grossed $6.9 million. Step Brothers took third with $16.3 million.
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Newest Batman hits milestone in 10 days

Associated Press Jul 27, 08 7:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Latest Batman flick The Dark Knight grossed $300 million in just 10 days—turning the 16 days Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest took on its head to set a new record. The dark tale, driven by Heath Ledger's strong performance, took in another $75.6 million in its second weekend to push its total upwards of $314 million.
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OPINION
The two are 'vilified' for their crusades against terror

Wall Street Journal Jul 25, 08 10:42 AM CDT
(Newser)
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They actually have a lot in common, the beleaguered president and the superhero currently smashing box office records, writes Andrew Klavan in the Wall Street Journal . In The Dark Knight , Batman, like Bush, is "vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand." He's also willing to "push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency," knowing they can be restored when the crisis is past. Under cover of a mask, he writes, the film praises Bush’s “fortitude and moral courage.”
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GLOSSIES
Radar lists subversive characters who deserve shot at breaking out of comics

Radar Jul 24, 08 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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With The Dark Knight —featuring a Batman "easily inhabited by the George Clooneys or Christian Bales of the world"—all the rage, Radar presents "other subversive comic book characters who probably won't—but really should—show up at a theater near you," including: Female Furies: "With a little retooling, this could be the hot new Julia Roberts feminist vehicle that Mona Lisa Smile never was."
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But despite 'intense sequences of violence,' film still rated PG-13

USA Today Jul 21, 08 10:31 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Parents who saw the PG-13 rating attached to The Dark Knight and decided to bring the kids along are walking away, if not dissatisfied, then a little miffed. “I know it's a good movie, but it should have been rated R,” one surprised mother tells USA Today . Another parent was less equivocal. “There has to be a way to tell parents that someone is going to get a pencil in the skull.”
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Batman blazes way to $155.34M opening weekend

Associated Press Jul 20, 08 2:38 PM CDT
(AP)
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Batman has sent Spidey packing as king of Hollywood's box office superheroes. The Dark Knight took in a record $155.34 million in its first weekend, according to Warner Bros., which released the Batman Begins sequel. That figure topped Hollywood's previous best of $151.1 million, set by Spider-Man 3 in May 2007.
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