Ben Affleck's #1 Fan?

I checked out Ben Affleck's Twitter feed (@BenAffleck) to see if he's said anything about his new gig as Batman in the follow-up to this year's Man of Steel movie, and. . .yikes. While the internets are on fire with "Noooooo!" responses to the news of Affleck's casting (with hashtags like #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck), he has at least one fan. One very, very persistent fan. The screen caps here are both from just one of Affleck's tweets. There are more there. I've blurred the young man's picture and screen name in case he thinks better of it, and takes them down. But. . .wow. Click to embiggen.

 
 

Ben Affleck to Play the Next Batman

So, Warner Brothers announced on Thursday night that Ben Affleck has been signed to play the next version of Batman in the sequel to Man of Steel. He'll be playing opposite Henry Cavill's Superman, in what will probably amount to a VS. that segues into a team-up. It's an important piece of DC Comics' puzzle on the way to a Justice League of America movie, to rival the movie universe of Marvel Comics.

Warner Brothers may be having a bit of a panic at the moment, because the announcement has been instantly and overwhelmingly negative, at least in the internet quarters I've been visiting. It's a big "Noooooooo!" even from my sister. I have no idea how ironclad the contract is, but I wonder if either WB or Affleck is feeling a bit bruised already. My advice to the fandom: calm down, and let it settle in. Daredevil was a long time ago. Not only has Affleck's craft improved, so has the entire genre of superhero movies. And while I've dissed the handling of DC's properties in the past, they got the Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel mostly right. So who knows?

The way I see it, Affleck is the right height, has the right hair color, has the lantern jaw, the ability to beef up when necessary, and is a fairly decent actor. I'm keeping an open mind. And hey, it's not like it's "Nicholas Cage as Superman," right? When you think about it, who was thinking, "Yeah! Michael Keaton as Batman!" until they saw him in it?

[Excerpt]
 
Ben Affleck to play Batman in 'Man of Steel' sequel

Actor Ben Affleck will play Batman in an upcoming Superman sequel that will see the two caped crusaders face off against each other, film studio Warner Bros Pictures said on Thursday. . .

Read more at: Reuters

SNL: One More Really!?! With Seth & Amy

Seth Meyers is leaving Saturday Night Live to take over Late Night (whose star, Jimmy Fallon, is taking over The Tonight Show with Jay Leno), and this weekend's show was his last. I would argue that this is a good thing, since he was head writer of Saturday Night Live. The show has frankly gotten a bit stale, and pretty much everybody thinks the writing is the biggest part of the problem. That's not to say that Meyers' tenure as host and writer of Weekend Update hasn't been great. It's usually the best part of the show.

Though Weekend Update has been the linchpin of SNL for most of its run, it has been since 2000 that it's had its most successful (and longest) stretch. It began with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon replacing the brusque Colin Quinn (who replaced the way too deadpan Norm Macdonald), totally rejuvenating the bit. When Fallon left, he handed off to Amy Poehler, who was arguably even more popular. When Fey left, Seth Meyers seamlessly filled in,  and then finally flew solo. Meyers could sometimes seem adrift solo, but it was still a 13-year stretch with a lot of continuity.

Poehler came back for Meyers' swan song, for a reprise of their popular bit, Really!?! With Seth & Amy.


And Meyers put a button on a long-running bit with the Bill Hader (who is also leaving SNL) "Stefan" character. It was one of a series of gay-related skits in the Ben Affleck-hosted finale, a subject Meyers is often criticized for using gratuitously. These were mostly benign and funny though, I have to admit.

Over Time with Bill Maher, October 12, 2012

Ugh. Ann Coulter--who we can sort of blame on Bill Maher in the first place--was hauled out again on this weekend's Real Time with Bill Maher. Between her and the odious Congressman Derrell Issa, nobody can claim that Maher isn't fair and balanced. Thank goodness Ben Affleck was there for eye (and brain) candy!

Ep. 262: October 12, 2012 - Overtime

Better Late Than Never: Jimmy Kimmel's "Handsome Men's Club"

Because I forgot last week, and it's still funny. With Jimmy Kimmel, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Rob Lowe, Sting, Patrick Dempsey and many others.

Bill Maher's New Rules October 17, 2008

Good show, good panel (Martin Short, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ben Affleck, and douchey Frank Luntz). If you don't have HBO, go to their website for some video clips that might make you want to sign up. But the coda on the show, New Rules, is always one of the best parts. Check it out.

Parody Video: I'm F***ing Obama?

The internet sure has changed the whole dynamic of elections, hasn't it? Each candidate has several songs (well, McCain may only have one), and there is no end to the mashups on the YouTubes. This one parodies the "I'm F***ing Matt Damon/I'm F***ing Ben Affleck videos from Jimmy Kimmel's show. Check it out.

Jimmy Kimmel F'ing Ben Affleck?

I feel a little out of the loop on this little pop-culture fact: talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is dating comedienne Sarah Silverman. Anyone who didn't know that probably knows by now, from this "birthday present" video Sarah made for Jimmy:

I'm F'ing Matt Damon! by Sarah Silverman



It was very funny, and of course while the naughty bits are bleeped, it's plain what she's talking about. Not to be outdone, Jimmy now has a response:

I'm F'ing Ben Affleck! by Jimmy Kimmel