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AND THAT'S THE FACTS
(by "Reliable Source")

 

Our "reliable" writer for this column seems to have dropped off the face of the earth...at least for the time being. That said, editor Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton has decided to give writing this column a whirl...what craziness can he come up with today?  Let's see...

 

NOTE: This column is written completely off the top of our collective head, and is meant to be utterly FALSE. Any similarity to any real rumours or circulating information is purely coincidental!

 

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 Things have been amazingly quiet on the animated-series front...no new news has surfaced regarding the seeming "cancellations" of our three beloved animated series.  Eclipsing this lack of news is the news regarding the forthcoming live action BATMAN film. Yes, that's right - things are finally moving.
 Here is the rumour of the week:

 

 Apparently, the folks at the WB have finally listened to fans, and are moving away from the campy tone that was all-too present in BATMAN & ROBIN (and to a much lesser extent in the previous film, BATMAN FOREVER).  The fifth Bat-film, entitled "Batman - Episode V: The Phantasm Menace" will be an adaption of the much-beloved cult-favourite animated film, BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM.  Word has it that the best of Hollywood's A-list are vying for roles in this movie, told predominantly in flashback.  Batman will be played by none other than Michael Keaton once again - but, to fill "sex appeal" quota, Ben Affleck is apparently ALREADY signed on to play the young Bruce Wayne.  The runner-up for this part was apparently Freddy Prinze, Jr., but he said that "he'd rather do more cheesy teen movies than develop his career with surefire lackluster blockbusters." OK.
 The Joker will be played by none other than Jack Nicholson, proving the rumours that he will be returning (dating back to 1997 and earlier) are, in fact, true.  Sadly, Big Jack is getting on in years, and even all the make-up in the world couldn't make him look 20 again - so right now, there is a race between Ray Liotta and John Ritter to play the hit-man Jack Napier in the flashback sequences.
 The other major character, Andrea Beaumont, will be played by none other than Gwenyth Paltrow. Those rumours of her being involved with a Bat-film WERE true after all. 
 Rounding out the original cast are Robert DeNiro as Salvatore Valestra, Michael Gough as Alfred (as always), Pat Hingle as (you guessed it) Commissioner Gordon, and, even though he hasn't signed on yet, James Earl Jones will be providing the voice of the Phantasm - complete with the gasps and wheezes.  As a red herring in the film, the Phantasm will, at one point, tell Batman that he is Andrea's father, promptly before slicing off a segment of his arm.
That's just a rumour though, folks - interpret it as you will.
 Jet Li is being considered to play Carl Beaumont. Why? "He was cheap," said one exec of a certain movie studio, "and besides, we want to make him a more potential candidate to BE the Phantasm in the film, so having some martial arts training wouldn't hurt." Jackie Chan was also considered, but was quickly passed upon because of his busy schedule working on "Supercop 4",
"Rush Hour 2", and "ESL: If I Can Learn It, So Can You".
 A 77 minute film is not long enough for a live-action theatrical release, however; it's a given that all Bat-movies have to just barely break the two-hour mark. Therefore, more zany characters are being introduced in the film, the foremost being none other than the Joker's hench-wench, "The Joker's Wife".  Dressed in a frumpy, Charlie-Chaplin-esque green and purple suit (as seen in the BATMAN: HARLEY QUINN graphic novel), this character will accompany the Joker on his many, many rampages during the present-day sequences of the film. Jenny McCarthy is the front runner for this position. We asked her what she thought of the part, and her response was, "Like, cool," and she giggled for quite some time afterwards. I'd state just how long, but I didn't have a calendar on me at the time.
 A young law student named Harvey Dent will appear in the flashback sequences alongside bosom-buddy Bruce Wayne. This role has yet to be cast, but an editor of a certain online newsletter is vying for the role. At least that's what he stated in his "subliminal message" in a recent issue.
 Rounding out the cast will be Catwoman, the Riddler, and Mr. Freeze, all showing up for the show-stopping finale - simply just to draw more people into the film. "If there's one thing we learned about the last Bat-film," said a nameless employee at the WB, "it's that the more villains there are, the better!  These three characters really impressed audiences everywhere, especially Mr. Freeze - but we want to cast an actor that can express his true coldness this time, not a joking action hero. I won't say who, per se, but..." his eyes shifted back and forth rapidly, "...expect to see Pauly Shore make a smashing comeback."
 With a tentative release date of February 02, 2002, this film is causing a HUGE buzz in Hollywood right now. It's only a matter of time before something more concrete can be reported.
 Eeeenteresting, isn't it?  I must state, however, that this shouldn't be taken as Bible truth, though - but it's the closest thing we have to it right now. Again, as Mr. Reliable Source said, more as I hear it...

 

;-Y

 

PS - I think I failed to mimmick Ol' Reliable's style. So sue me. Actually, nix that. Don't sue me.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED TRIVIA
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)

 

  This is one of my favourite sections, where I get to boggle the minds of all our readers! 
*EVIL LAUGH* This trivia is all animated-related in some form, and can deal with ANY aspect of the show or comics based on the show. Remember, answer the questions WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE ANIMATED CONTINUITY. Now have fun - let's see how well you do! Answers are provided below.

 

OOPS! These errors are more and more frequent now...I've REALLY gotta wake up.  In question #269 in , I asked which of the following characters has ever had a romantic interest on BTAS: Summer Gleeson, Edward Nygma, Hamilton Hill, Tim Drake, and Jonathan Crane. I said that Tim Drake DID (with Clayface), but forgot that Summer ALSO had a relationship with a man (who also turned out to be Clayface) in Issue #8 of BATMAN ADVENTURES. Sorry about the mistake, everyone!

 

More craziness from the woodwork, everyone...just go knock ya'self out, K?

 

271. As of the printing of this issue, what is the current release date for BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER?

 

A: December 21, 2000
B: November 7, 2000
C: May 16, 2000
D: October 31, 2000
E: None - the series was cancelled, wasn't it?

 

272. Who performed the theme song to BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM, as heard during the closing
credits?

 

A: Tia Carrere
B: Celine Dion
C: NIN
D: Jewel
E: Mariah Carey

 

273. What is the title of the only BATMAN BEYOND home video that features ANY episodes featuring Inque?

 

A: BLACK OUT
B: DISAPPEARING INQUE
C: INQUE-BLOT TEST
D: HEROIC EMANCIPATION
E: TECH WARS

 

274. Aside from MASK OF THE PHANTASM, which animated episode featured ANY reference to Salvatore Valestra?

 

A: IT'S NEVER TOO LATE
B: MAD LOVE
C: BEWARE THE CREEPER
D: TWO-FACE (Pt. 2)
E: None - he was only referenced to within MASK OF THE PHANTASM.

 

275. In the animated continuity, which of the following countries has Batman NOT been to?

 

A: Canada
B: United States
C: Monaco
D: France
E: Malaysia
F: Japan
G: Australia
H: United Kingdom
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AND THESE ARE OUR FINAL ANSWERS (to the trivia)

 

Answer to #271: D
Answer to #272: A
Answer to #273: B
Answer to #274: C
Answer to #275: C, G
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LITTLE FACTS AND BLOOPERS
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)

 

Here is a section that just points out various little facts and bloopers that we have noticed while watching BTAS and STAS countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!

 

CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
Alas, we here at the newsletter were unable to spot any new little facts OR bloopers over the past week. For that, we apologize. Really.

 

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by "Bill F. Mykel")
1) One error that was in "Legacy" is they were going to execute both Superman & Supergirl with a Kryptonite injection.  In the series Kryptonite has no effect on Supergirl.  Granted that in the weakened state from the red solar lamps is vulnerable to pretty much everything so it wouldn't have taken extraordinary measures to complete the execution.
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by CatyStorm@aol.com)

 

CATYSTORM has been kind enough to submit a review of various BATMAN BEYOND toys in his/her collection. Thank you, CatyStorm!
-editor Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton

 

I'd start with the "normal" Batman Beyond figure, a black-suited Terry! Yay! For one thing, this figure looked like it jumped right off the TV screen. All black, with the red bat, it just seemed better looking than that glowing "blue" variant.

 

Once out of the package, I noticed a couple more things. The first was this figure was slimmer than the "blue" version, making it much more believable, in my opinon. The shoulders were ball joints, and the red glide wings were attached to the back. All in all, I thought that this was a pretty good figure.

 

My second figure was the Bat-Link Robin. Instantly, I snatched this up, being a mondo Robin fan. My first thought was: Yay, a new Robin toy! My second thought was: Who the heck is this?

 

The figure itself is pretty nifty, red and green and futuristic in the terms of Batman Beyond. The mask on the figure's face brought to mind Green Lantern. I am immensely curious as to this character, and I hope he'll show up soon. 8)

 

CatyStorm@aol.com

 

NOTE: The Bat-Link figures are just cyber-incarnations of the Bat-characters, and are meant to have NO connection to BATMAN BEYOND in any way; that said, this Robin character will not pop up on the show. At least not to our knowledge.

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LAST-FICTITIOUS-MUSCLE-BOUND-INDIVIDUAL-STANDING
(by Danny Leary)

 

Yeah, so what if we got this idea from WIZARD?  It's not like we're getting PAID to use it, are we?  (We better not be!  I'm not gettin' sued over something like this!) Anyhow, long-time subscriber Danny Leary, a.k.a. "An Alien Fan" wanted to submit an article for this new column that we're testing. Enjoy!

 

Oh, and if you people at WIZARD catch wind of this, go easy on us, please - we're a non-profit organization, remember? ;-Y

 

Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
-editor

 

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