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PEOPLE & ARTSTuesday 22 March 2016
Fey, Bassett, Pinkett Smith to receive women’s media awards
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tina camera encourages future
Fey, Angela Bassett, Jada generations of women to
Pinkett Smith, Cynthia Nix- pursue media careers.
on and Kathie Lee Gifford They will be recognized at
are being recognized for a gala ceremony at May
their media achievements. 24 at the Beverly Hilton
The Alliance for Women Hotel. The event will raise
in Media Foundation said funds for the foundation’s
Monday that it will honor scholarships and educa-
the five women at its 41st tional programs. A second
annual Gracie Awards in celebration for students
May. Foundation Chair- and local-market media
woman Kristen Welch said talent is set for June 21. The
the entertainers will be hon- Gracies Awards Luncheon
ored because their suc- will be held at Cipriani in
cess on both sides of the New York.
In this March 2, 2016 file photo, Angela Bassett arrives at the LA Premiere of “Underground” in Los
Angeles.
Associated Press
Review: Batman’s life as a
night stalker, dancing machine
This book cover image comics was soon bright- websites and comic-cons
released by Simon & Schuster ened up with the addition that attract top sci-fi stars.
shows, “The Caped Crusade: of a young sidekick, Robin. Batman provides the bet-
Batman and the Rise Of Nerd By the 1960s, Batman be- ter story. He could have
Culture,” by Glen Weldon. came a camp icon thanks been a forgettable knock-
to a hit TV show where he off character inspired by
Associated Press got to show off his dance The Shadow. But his cre-
moves and gravely intone ators developed a comic-
MICHAEL HILL ridiculous lines like: “Well, noir style and a compelling
Associated Press well. We’ve come a long origin story with a young
Batman is a brooding night way from the prime minis- Bruce Wayne vowing to
stalker, grim and remorse- ter’s exploding cake. ... Or fight criminals after one
less. Also, he’s a guy who have we?” The TV show in- guns down his parents. And
might break out into “Ba- spired a return in the com- he’s vulnerable in a way
tusi” on the dance floor. ics to a darker Batman, that super-powered heroes
While Superman has barely one familiar to a new gen- like Superman are not.
veered off his flight path eration of fans weaned on Writing a book about Bat-
over the decades, Bat- Christopher Nolan’s block- man is tricky. He is a cultur-
man’s image has swung buster movie trilogy. Even al icon deeply meaningful
back and forth like a pen- then, there have been fluc- to many because his story
dulum since the superhe- tuations along the way. In touches on themes of loss,
ro’s creation in 1939. The 1986, writer and artist Frank adversity and persever-
night detective of early Miller portrayed Batman ance. Also, he is an implau-
as an ill-tempered middle- sible character who defies
aged man. In 1997, George laws of physics and com-
Clooney put on the cowl mon sense every time he
in a widely panned movie swoops on gun-blazing lu-
remembered mostly for a natics. Weldon successfully
Batsuit with nipples. walks the tightrope, show-
Weldon tracks Batman’s ing reverence for the char-
evolution and how the acter but keeping it fun.
changes played among Plus, he loves Batman, and
his hard-core fans. The the nerds that love him.
“nerds” went from being a There is a certain type of
subculture with hand-cop- nerd who thinks anything
ied fanzines to Internet-era less than a dark Batman is
kingmakers with influential a travesty.
