Batman: Val Kilmer 1995

What can I say? After two successful movies, Burton and Keaton bow out and director Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer take the helm for Batman Forever. Schumacher tries to dial of the erotic, with a more "organic" look and feel, ie, phallic Batmobile and nipple protruding from the suit.

The end result is, Kilmer is sort of like George W and the recent Republican presidents. Keaton revived the character, as Reagan did the GOP. Clooney killed the franchise (more on him in the next post,) like George W is leaving his party in shambles.

George W and Kilmer were sort of the inconsequential middle men who failed to live up to the high expectations of the man before him. Although they didn't completely mess up, they still weren't asked back for a second go.

(Don't ask me where Bill Clinton or Christain Bale fit into this, because the metaphor breaks down and I don't know.)

At the end of the day, if Kilmer can survive playing a blind guy who gets sight in At First Sight, the guy is going to do alright. More recently,
Kilmer is the new voice of KITT on the new Knight Rider, to be honest, not entirely sure what to make of that.

Batman: Adam West 1966

Campy and classic, this version of Batman planted the seeds for all the homoerotic references of the Batman and Robin relationship. Part of the reason behind it, was the literal translation of the comic to live acting, with tights, full screen text sound effects, and over the top dialogue. Smirkers today should be reminded that at its height of popularity, Batman was the "it" guest star show for Hollywood, including Otto Preminger, George Sanders, Liberace, Art Carney, Roddy McDowall, Tallulah Bankhead, John Astin, and Shelley Winters.

In the 90s, I seem to recall Adam West making rumblings that he wanted to play the role in the new movie franchise. But today, he has made piece with the role in superhero history, voice-acting various parts in Batman animated productions. Plus, he had a recurring role in "The Adventures of Pete and Pete," one of the best shows every made for television.

Race Bannon

I grew up loving Jonny Quest. I have found memories even if, today, the stereotyped Indian sidekick character Hadji raises an eyebrow. However, the best part of the show was the dynamic between bodyguard Race Bannon and Dr. Quest. In particular, how the burly Bannon always spoke to the slight Dr. Quest as "Sir" and "Doctor."