Batson's Blog

The Royal Rumble, disappointing as it may have been (none of my 'should be' surprise entrants made an appearance), is in the books. That means Wrestlemania is right around the corner. Batista seems set to be in the main event at 'Mania. WWE has traditionally put that number one contendership on the line at some point in February, however, so things could still change. C.M. Punk changed the Wrestlemania card the day after the Royal Rumble by essentially handing in his resignation (that's another blog for another day...I don't think it's a work though). WWE has several weeks worth of buildup ahead of them. I'm hoping they end up with an awesome card, but there's been more than one Wrestlemania lineup in recent years that have been lackluster. That's why I'm offering my help. These are the matches I'd like to see at Wrestlemania. Actually, I should amend that statement. These are the matches I'd like to see that have a realisti...

One of the best pay-per-views WWE still produces is the Royal Rumble, largely due to the Royal Rumble match. Pat Patterson did well when he came up with that idea. One of the great things about the Royal Rumble match has always been the surprise entrants. As the Royal Rumble approaches, there are still a few slots left that haven't been announced. Who's going to walk through the curtain in Pittsburgh? Will Christian or Evan Bourne finally make their returns? Your guess is as good as mine. Here are some people I'd like to see show up on Sunday though. DDP and Rikishi were originally on the list, but they just showed up at Old School Raw a couple of weeks ago. I'd rather be surprised by the inclusion of some other superstars. 10. RVD It's been a while since Rob Van Dam has appeared in a WWE ring. The Rumble would be a great chance to bring him back for a nice run through Wrestlemania season. Personally I'd like to see RVD and Antonio Cesaro ha...

A large part of my 2013 was going to 42 different cupcake shops in the greater Charlotte area, sampling over 60 different cupcakes and somehow preventing a sugar overload. The result of all of that (besides a lot of exercise ahead for 2014) is an end to my search for Charlotte's best cupcake. Actually, I got more than I bargained for. 9 different cupcake shops had cupcakes that I gave over 4-and-a-half cupcake star ratings to. Cupcake Delerium’s Aunt Jemima cupcake (complete with bacon on top) was incredible! Big View Diner’s amazingly delicious chocolate cupcake is any chocolate lover’s dream come true. Cupcrazed has a lot of amazing cupcakes, but I enjoyed the maple bacon quite a bit. Maddy’s Fatty’s cannoli cupcake brings a bit of New York City into the Queen City. And then there’s The Polka Dot Bake Shop’s red velvet cupcake (pictured on the right), the cupcake that got my 2013 cupcake obsession going. Of all the cupcakes I sampled, I think Granny Mac's...

Last year I made a list of 10 TV shows and movies that aren't on DVD -- even though they should be. The Nanny (seasons 4-7), Batman , Spellbinder , Ready or Not , Maid To Order , Susie Q , The Elf Who Saved Christmas , Ocean Girl , The Secret World of Alex Mac , The Wonder Years and The Torkelsons / Almost Home were on that list. One year later and none of them are available on DVD yet. What's wrong with the higher ups? Whoever has the rights to those shows should be working their connections, making phone calls and signing deals to get those awesome movies and shows out there, available for purchase at Wal-Mart, Target and other major retailers. If not Wal-Mart and Target, at least on Amazon -- please! Here's a list of 10 more gems that really ought to be released as well: 10. The Parent Trap III and IV The original Parent Trap is still one of my favorite movies of all time. It's amazing -- from the writing to the acting to the camera shots. It's...

The other day I ranked the albums I listened to in 2013 . I'm not done with 2013 yet. Today it's time to rank the movies of 2013. From the good to the bad to the horribly, horribly boring -- they're all here: 25. Mud I kind of feel like I should give this one another shot. After all, I was playing Candy Crush when I was watching it. Then I fell asleep. That's how boring it was though. It failed to keep my interest from the start. Mud is a drama about two young boys who find a man named Mud hiding out on a secluded Mississippi island. The two boys -- Ellis and Neckbone -- help Mud in what he says his goal is: trying to win back the woman he loves. In return, Mud will give the boys his boat. Mud ends up tricking the boys into stealing. All the while there's other drama unfolding with Ellis' parents, who are separating. The entire movie seemed pretty disjointed, but maybe Candy Crush is to blame for that (love that app!). Joining McConaughey a...

I was going through some of my holiday photos and videos and finally got around to uploading some of them. First up: Christmas at the Western Mall. This light show is a yearly tradition in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It originally became a local attraction in Crooks, South Dakota -- a small town outside of Sioux Falls.When the show became too big for the residential neighborhood it started in, the show was moved to a mall in Sioux Falls. I did a story on the move when I was still a reporter in South Dakota. It doesn't cost anything to watch the show, but organizers and sponsors ask that people donate to Make-A-Wish. With over 55,000 lights, the show is incredible. I went to watch it twice this year.

2013 ended too quick! I didn't get the chance to finish up my 'best of 2013' lists. Today I'll tackle the best albums of 2013 and tomorrow it'll be the top movies of 2013. I didn't get the chance to listen to every album that was released in their entirety, but I did get the chance to check out the 13 of them that were listed below. 13. BEYONCÉ by Beyonce Sorry Beyonce fans, but BEYONCÉ didn't do it for me. While many praised the album for being groundbreaking, I struggled to maintain any interest in it. Overall it was boring. The theme of almost every song was about sex. There wasn't much variety when it came to the music either. Beyonce has a nice voice, which was showcased on a handful of songs on BEYONCÉ, but most of the songs consisted of her trying (and failing) her hand at rapping, singing breathily the way Britney Spears would or simply speaking. Maybe that's new ground for Beyonce, but it's hardly groundbreaking. ...

There were a few things that were learned over the course of the last 12 months. Here are the most important things: If you want a successful movie at the box office, put The Rock in it . The man was the highest grossing actor of the year (even beating out Robert Downey Jr.). Batman is the best super hero of all time . They wouldn’t even let him rest in peace. The Dark Knight trilogy just ended and they're already planning more movies with a new Batman. Even Spider-Man got three years before they rebooted his franchise. Billy Ray Cyrus is not the father of the year . Watch the Mtv Video Music Awards to see proof of that. The Carolina Panthers can be a legitimate team . They've had the best season in over a decade. Super Bowl chances?? We'll see. One thing is for sure: it's Cam Newton's best season yet.

It's 2014, but I'm not done looking back on 2013 yet, so let's take a look at the top 40 songs that were played on the radio this year. I was tempted to put songs like “Blurred Lines” or “Royals” on this list because of the fact that they were so successful, but this list isn’t about commercial success or radio play. It's simply my favorite 40 singles of 2013. 40. Come and Get It Artist: Selena Gomez Release date: April 7, 2013 Album: Stars Dance Peak position on Billboard's Hot 100: 6 Selena Gomez proved that she's nowhere near as annoying as her ex-boyfriend, Justin Bieber. While her songs aren't as good as someone like Pink or Kelly Clarkson, Gomez may just end up being a decent pop singer yet. 39. Feel This Moment Artist: Pitbull (featuring Christina Aguilera) Release date: March 15, 2013 Album: Global Warming Peak position on Billboard’s Hot 100: 8 This song, while not Pitbull's best, was a nice collaboration between the two po...