What a Joker (times 2)

Over vacation there were 2 items in pop culture that I thought were great.

First was a moment during the ESPYS. The entire show was pretty good. Justin Timberlake was actually a really good host. He, as well as much of the rest of the show was very entertaining, but nothing during the night compared the Male Athlete of the year award. The nominees were Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, and Alex Rodriguez. To me it was a toss up between Kobe and Tiger. I, unlike most people I know, actually really like Kobe. I was hoping he would win, but who could really be upset by a Tiger Woods win. After all, the guy took down the field at the US Open with the use of one leg, no arms, and while wearing a full body cast. Ok, that is a bit of a stretch, but he did play injured and pushed through for the win. It was amazing. For his efforts, the ESPN voters bestowed unto him the coveted Male Athlete of the Year Award. The award’s acceptance speech was the highlight of the night…. In Tiger’s Absence, Will Ferrell stepped up to the mic and had the place rolling when he accepted the award, not in place of Tiger, but as Tiger. He went on to tell how he was conviced that he really is the greatest athlete alive. Of course he said it a way that only Will Ferrell can and it was hilarious. I wish I could relay what he said with the comedic delivery that he had, but I think that is impossible. If you missed it on the ESPYS live I wont ruin it for you; check out one of the replays on ESPN.

Second was the highly anticipated, second installment of the new Batman series, The Dark Knight. Being that Batman Begins is arguably my favorite movie ever, I was very excited about this sequel, in hopes that it would live up to my expectations. Also, with the untimely death of Heath Ledger, there was much build-up for his farewell performance as the Joker. I even heard rumors that it may have even been an Academy Award winning performance. Well, over vacation I had the opportunity to see how The Dark Knight stacked up. I must say that I was very impressed. I still have to give Batman Begins the slight edge, but that being said there is no doubt that the sequel lived up to the high mark set by it’s predecessor. Once again the director kept that realistic feeling that was lacking in the comic versions of the past, only this time there was a very, very dark feel to the the movie. Although I tend to like movies like that, but would definitely not recommend it for kids. Christian Bale remained the quintessential hero as Batman, giving the character a realness that is void of most super heroes or villains for that matter. Meanwhile, Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker was light years more realistic, evil, and sadistic than the campy version played by Jack Nicholson nearly ten years earlier. Despite any disputes concerning the Oscar worthiness of his performance, I have to agree that he did an amazing job with that role. Hats off to both of them and I can only hope that there will be another Batman movie in the works in the near future.


If you missed the Best Male Athlete Award on the ESPYS or The Dark Knight, then you really missed out. I suggest you check them out.