Can 'The Dark Knight' sink all-time box office record?

Each day that passes brings a new box office record for "The Dark Knight." The more interesting records are in the future. It should hit the $300 million mark within its first 11 days. That would also be a record. At the same time, it'll overtake "Iron Man" as the year's most successful movie. It has already made more at the box office than "Batman Begins" did in its entire theatrical run.

Will "The Dark Knight" overtake the all-time record at the box office set by "Titanic." I don't think so. It would have to cross the $600 million mark in the U.S. This is a dark, brooding film that's not particularly kid friendly. I liked the movie, but it's not for small children.

Also of note is the film entered the Imdb.com top 250 at No. 1. I've never seen No. 1budge on this highly subjective poll of moviegoers. The closest movie to get near No. 1 in recent years was "Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King." And it didn't make it.

"The Dark Knight" will be the No. 1 movie of 2008. It will make the top 10 overall in box office history, perhaps the top 5. It might topple "Star Wars" on the list at No. 2 all-time. But I don't think it will sink "Titanic." But we'll just have to wait and see.

The best TV show you've probably never seen

It's hard to find. But a little-known TV show out of England towers over virtually anything you'll find on TV these days. "Foyle's War" focuses on the homefront in England as the the country finds itself under seige during World War II. Despite the focus on the war, a lot of bad things are still happening on English soil.

The seasons of this show are extremely short -- about four, 90-minute episodes each. It actually falls under the mystery genre as there is a death or two in every episode. DCS Foyle is a brilliant detective with a unique knack for solving these mysteries. Trying to figure it out yourself is part of the fun. The series is in its sixth season. PBS is airing the fifth season now.

PBS picks it up as part of "Masterpiece Mystery." The show comes from ITV, not the BBC (frankly, I haven't quite figured out who's who in British television). For some reason the future is somewhat hazy for this well-respected series. I just know it's good television. Although it's difficult to find, you can rent it from some video stores or Netflix it.

The only knock on the show is many episodes tend to introduce too many characters. Sometimes it takes a little while to get things figured out as to who is who. But it's worth the effort.

Batman movie makes history

The Batman sequel, "The Dark Night," made history as the highest-grossing movie opening of all time -- around $65 million on Friday alone. It may break the record for the highest three-day opening as well.

It needs to beat "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," a dreadful film, and "Spider-Man 3," not as dreadful but not as good as the first two Spidey movies.

The cool thing about this is that the first movie was a slow builder. The previous Batman franchise had turned off fans so much that few trusted "Batman Begins." But word of mouth spread about how good it was and the box office numbers built up over time.

With the trust now fully restored, "The Dark Knight" should continue to make history. And I still haven't seen it. I'm going to wait until the crowds are down.

Taylor Hicks sports a devoted fanbase

Fellow blogger Adam Fenwick simply made the mention of Taylor Hicks in his blog one day, and the blog literally exploded in a heated debate with passionate arguments on both sides of the issue. It was interesting to watch as this pro-and-con debate unfolded.

Taylor Hicks, the 2006 winner of "American Idol," obviously has a loyal group of fans. He also has a fair amount of critics. I haven't heard much of the music of Taylor Hicks, but I can't see the point in actively seeking to tear him or anyone else down. I don't watch "American Idol." It's just not for me. But a lot of folks I know or work with follow it closely, never missing an episode. I will admit I did watch some of the episode last year that featured cover versions of Beatles songs.

But I digress. If Mr. Hicks makes his fans happy with his music, more power to them and him. Who can really argue with that? If everyone liked the same music and singers, there would be few choices out there and the music scene would be quite dull. Variety is the key -- something for everyone. How else can you explain Graham Cawthon's inclusion of A Flock of Seagulls in his weekly music column?

Did anyone catch the Batman movie?

Did anyone catch the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight"? Did anyone like the Batman movie? There was a midnight showing, but I'm getting too old for that sort of thing. The movie appears to be darker than the first one. But the reviews are through the roof. It's really one of the best reviewed movies of the year so far. I want to see it in the worst way. I'm just not going to rush out. Feel free to post what you think of the movie here.

The good, the bad and the Uggla

The good, the bad and the Uggla: This was the joke we were tossing around about the All-Star game that lasted forever. I don't usually watch this thing, but it got interesting when it looked like they were going to run out of pitchers. If the game had continued, we would have had third-baseman David Wright pitching as well as outfielder J.D. Drew. These guys are good, but they aren't pitchers.

There were a few other interesting things about the All-Star break. Second-base All-Star Chase Utley shamed my fantasy team by saying a major boo-boo on national TV during the home-run derby. We're talking the grandfather of bad words. Remember "A Christmas Story." In this case, however, he completed the word. Didn't he notice the microphone on his uniform? ESPN blushed. Utley has always come across as a down-to-earth guy that hasn't let his success go to his head. He has apologized, but this will hurt his image with some. A little humility could go a long way -- and a few more home runs.

Then there's the horrible game from Dan Uggla. His errors kept piling up in the game despite the fact that he hasn't had that many in the regular season. He had an ugly game.

Then there's the booing of Jonathan Papelbon, the great Boston closer. He should take it as an honor. He was playing in Yankee Stadium. What did he expect? A gracious welcome. They boo their own players there. Who cares what the New York tabloids say about him? He's a great closer for a team I hate.

The best story is the emergence of Josh Hamilton, a former first pick in the draft who fell into a life of drug addiction and fell completely out of baseball. He has battled back through a strong support system and his strong faith in God. He won over a tough Yankee Stadium crowd at the home-run derby and won the hearts of millions. You can blame him for getting into drugs if you want. That's fair. But why not praise him for leaving that life behind and reclaiming glory on the baseball field. I can't wait for someone to make a movie about this remarkable story.

They'll be no movie about Dan Uggla: This Florida Marlin standout flopped like a fish out of water.

A block party in Shelby

Patton Oaks held its annual block party on Tuesday night. Residents lined up for hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, and a large selection of treats. The block party has become a tradition at Patton Oaks and residents enjoy getting out, talking to each other and taking advantage of the food and fellowship.

Kidney for sale: Scam or truly desperate person?

Needless to say, we get a lot of strange e-mails here at The Star. I got one today offering to sell me a kidney for $250,000. Is this a scam or a truly desperate person? I think I'll write a full column on this one. For now, here's the text of the e-mail (I didn't correct the grammar):

"I am an Indian & 38 years old. Clean habit and pure vegetarian.

My Blood Group is B+. I am offering my kidney for a price of US $ 250,000
(Two hundred & fifty thousand US Dollars). Only genuine buyers who are able to pay the asking price are requested to contact me.

My kidney would be sold on a first come, first serve basis. I have a pasport,

In case interested please contact me on my email address. About the price, it is not negotiable. Hope to hear from you."

Early reviews for 'The Dark Knight'

Early reviews for "The Dark Knight," the Batman sequel debuting on July 18, are basically love letters. Critics say it plays more like a top-notch crime drama that happens to take place in the context of a superhero movie. They also say it's dark, really dark. It's rated PG-13 and probably wouldn't interest anyone younger.

Fear of the snakehead fish

This is a column I wrote about a snakehead fish I once owned. The picture is a government picture, not my snakehead. I had heard there were a lot of snakehead videos on youtube, but most of them were gory and disturbing -- definitely not for general audiences. Here's the photo followed by the column:



More than a decade ago, I bought a cute little fish at a pet store. The store labeled it a red snakehead. It was a unique looking fish, fairly inexpensive - and kind of cute.

He (actually I don't really know what sex it was) had an unusually healthy appetite, so I named him Hoover, even though he was only a couple inches long at the time. People remarked what an active, unique fish I had in Hoover. Shortly thereafter, everything went downhill rather rapidly. Hoover ate everything I gave him. He started to grow at an alarming rate. Then Hoover's fellow aquarium mates, who he had outgrown, started to mysteriously disappear - all of them except for one. As I started to feed Hoover one day I watched in horror as he ate his remaining tankmate whole. At this point I saw his teeth for the first time.

Hoover continued to grow and then he started to jump. Some days I would come home and the floor and wall would be covered in water that had splashed out. Other days I would come home and Hoover would be on the floor staring at me. Reportedly, they can breathe air. I would pick him up with the aid of a net and place him back into the aquarium. The escapes continued and he would even shred the nets.

By the time Hoover grew to be about 2 feet long, frankly, I was scared of him. I had a nightmare of him jumping in my bed and biting a toe off. I went back to the pet store and begged them to take him back. I didn't want any money. I just wanted Hoover out of my life. They agreed. Hoover found a new home - and I was free.

Years have since passed and the snakehead species has found itself in the news for all the wrong reasons. It appears other unlucky owners took a different path. They released their snakeheads in rivers and ponds. As it turns out, this is an invasive species of fish in the United States and there is little in the ecosystem to keep them in check.

Eventually, government bans sought to curb importing and selling of these fish, which are native to Asia. There are many varieties of snakeheads. Based on what research I could find, I believe Hoover was something nicknamed a giant snakehead. The northern snakehead has also been particularly troublesome to wildlife officials. If you happen to snag one of these fish, most officials now recommend one thing - kill it.

All of these memories came flooding back this week while I watched a National Geographic special on "Fishzilla: Snakehead Invasion." They've also been called "Frankenfish." Back when I bought Hoover, few - if any - knew what a problem these fish would become.

Here's how the program guide described them: "It's got teeth like a shark, a taste for blood, and even walks on land. It is an insatiable alien predator that can obliterate the food chain and overpower native life. Scientists are sounding the alarm. But can anything stop it?"

I think a lot of the stories on the snakehead have been exaggerated - fish tales so to speak. The Sci-Fi Channel even aired a horror movie on snakeheads. It was atrocious and went way over the top. But there's no doubt this is one scary fish. As for Hoover, I never found out what happened to him. In the end, as far as I know, he ended up at the same place I bought him - a pet store.

Does 'Blood Done Sign My Name' meet the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon test?

This is in honor of Kevin Bacon's 50th birthday (we're all getting old) brought to my attention by ESPN (of all sources).

OK, "Blood Done Sign My Name," which filmed in Shelby recently, stars Rick Schroder, who starred with James Gandolfini in "Crimson Tide." Gandolfini was in "All The King's Men" with Sean Penn. Penn was in "Mystic River" with ... Kevin Bacon. Done.

Those fireworks are really loud

Apparently the high price of gas hasn't hurt the fireworks industry. People are setting off fireworks throughout area neighborhoods this weekend. It sounds like cannon fire near my house right now ... and it's getting louder despite the lateness of the hour. It's going to be a long, annoying night. Maybe folks are buying the stronger fireworks in South Carolina and bringing them here. For the record, that's not exactly legal. Possession of illegal fireworks is a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 and/or 30 days to six months in jail. Of course the ones purchased in North Carolina are perfectly legal.

Animal lovers: Are these fireworks driving you crazy?

When I was a kid I loved buying and setting off fireworks. My friends and I always did so for the Fourth of July. But right now I have two petrified dogs who seem tormented by all the noise. It's going to be a long weekend for people who own pets that don't like loud noises. I'm patient about it because kids will be kids. At least this only happens a couple times a year. People tend to buy a lot of fireworks for New Year's Eve as well. I wish they sold animal earplugs.