Those wacky opening ceremonies for the Olympics

I've actually watched some of the Olympics this year, more than I usually do. But it seems like scandal after scandal is coming out of that spectacular opening ceremony. For days, everybody talked about how cool it was. Then came the fake singer, then some fake fireworks. Now there are news reports that they used actors to play ethnic minorities in the opening ceremonies. At least the athletes are real ... I think.

If Milli Vanilli take the court for China in doubles tennis, I'm done.

Skip Foster throws out the first pitch -- and doesn't mess it up

Here's video of my boss, Star Publisher Skip Foster, throwing out the first pitch at one of the American Legion Southeast Regional tournament games on Thursday. I'm sure he wouldn't want me to put this on my blog or the site, but I just couldn't stop myself. I lost the office pool that had him throwing the ball 10 feet over the catcher's head. We're sending the video to the Tampa Bay Rays to see if they have need for a pitching prospect:

Harry Potter fans are very, very mad

Reports are that "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" movie won't hit theaters at all this year. How about 2009?

Warner Brothers has pushed the film from Nov. 21, 2008 to July 17, 2009, according to Variety.

If it helps, in my opinion, this is the least filmmable of the books. Too many flashbacks.

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?