Who2 Labs engineer Mike Duffy sends along this trailer for the latest Batman movie, due next summer.The swell Christian Bale returns as the Dark Knight, with Heath Ledger showing his chops as the latest scenery-chewing Joker.
A rare copy of the Magna Carta has been sold for $21.3 million.What else sold in that price range lately? Andy Warhol’s portrait of Elizabeth Taylor, just last month. (The seller was actor Hugh Grant; the BBC says he bought it in 2001 for $15 million, while The New York Times claims he paid only $3.5 million.)
Opening lines from today’s obituaries for singer Dan Fogelberg:”The troubador of might-have-been has sung his final song.” -The Toronto Star”Singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, whose ’70s and ’80s soft-rock hits, such as ‘Leader of the Band’ and ‘Same Old Lang Syne,’ combined poignant lyrics with his tender delivery…” -People
Great holiday gift idea: Born Standing Up, the new memoir by Steve Martin.It’s somehow both brisk and sentimental, with penetrating notes on how he developed his act — starting with his childhood days bicycling to work at the Disneyland magic shop. As Martin describes his 18 stand-up years, “Ten of those years were spent learning, four years were spent in refining, and four were spent in wild success.”
The Times of London has a new look back at the disappearance of adventurer Steve Fossett. The reporter, Emma Smith, gingerly raises the question of suicide (briskly rejected by Fossett’s friends) and notes that “A report in Men’s Journal, a US magazine, has suggested his mind may have been on other matters in the wake of a rare argument with [his wife] Peggy earlier that morning.”
Cryptomundo runs ’em down.(Thanks to BoingBoing for the tip.)
Headlines from today’s obituaries for Ike Turner, rocker and onetime husband of Tina Turner:”Ike Turner, a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer known for his infamy, dies at 76.” -The Associated Press”Rock pioneer was known for abusing wife Tina Turner.” -The Los Angeles Times
It’s the Curse of Tecumseh nobody talks about — the aura of death that surrounded the administrations of U.S. presidents William Henry “Old Tippecanoe” Harrison and John Tyler.Harrison died in office, four of his children died around the same time, and Tyler’s wife died while First Lady. Or as their 1840 campaign slogan proclaimed: Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!Here’s the rundown:
First George Bernard Shaw — now Al Gore has tangled with daredevil Evel Knievel.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has had a minor heart attack. A terse announcement on the show’s official site says he’s fine and will be back on the job in January.