Batson's Blog

Whatever magic Pitbull had over the past few years, it’s not present on his Global Warming album . He used to be different. He was unique when he first got mainstream radio play in the U.S. His Spanish accent, his signature phrases (lots of ayeeee's and dale's), and the fun vibe that infectiously spread threw the speakers. It’s all there on Global Warming , but so are the same stories he rapped about before. There’s only so many times you can hear Pitbull rap about making money, getting ladies (having one night stands and threesomes) and overcoming the odds before it becomes borderline gloating. He’d have you believe he’s got a lot of street credibility, rapping about his experiences selling drugs (but never expounding past a lyric or two), yet he throws out a line like this: “I break down companies with all my peeps.” That’ll up the cred for sho’. He’d better get some new material because his act is tired and worn out. Truthfully it was getting that way befor...

I already talked about the best portrayals of super heroes and villains on the big screen. Today, let’s take a look at some of the portrayals that didn’t make either of those lists. These heroes and villains weren’t bad, but they could have been better. 10. Sienna Miller as The Baroness ( G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra , 2009) This one almost worked really well. Visually, Miller's transformation into The Baroness was pretty much impeccable. The look was updated enough to not avoid being too cartoonish in the movie, but The Baroness' trademark features were still present -- the glasses, the catsuit, and the dark hair. There didn't seem to be any attempt at The Baroness' accent though. I was disappointed in that. It didn't have to be perfect, but at least some kind of accent would have been appreciated. The producers, looking for a love story, I suppose, also provided us with a romantic history between The Baroness and Duke. 9. Hugo Weaving as The Red S...

The search for Charlotte's best cupcake is on! I was doing some Googling the other day, looking for someplace to get a cupcake, and realized just how many cupcake shops there are in Charlotte. There's quite a selection to choose from. Where to go? Which one is the best? Those are the questions I intend to answer. Each week I'll go to a new bakery and test out a new cupcake (it's a rough job indeed). So, without further ado, let’s get to the cupcakes! First up: Nona’s Sweets Bakery and Cafe I’ve driven by Nona’s, located in the University area, several times. I’d never stopped before though. From the outside it looks like Nona's has a decent amount of store space, but I wasn’t expecting such a large selection of sweets when I walked in. They’ve got cupcakes, cookies, whoopee pies, chocolates, fudge, caramels, cake and mini-cheesecakes, among other delicious looking treats. I was literally like a kid in a candy shop – or in this case an adult in...

I recently made a very interesting discovery. It’s not quite at the level of sliced bread, but darn close. Let me set it up first though. I recently watched Home Alone , just like I do every Christmas. One of my gifts this year was the Dennis the Menace DVD. That’s how I made the discovery. I was watching Dennis the Menace – the scene with the – and noticed two familiar faces. Bill Erwin and Billie Bird played the married couple in this scene. Now if you’re like me, those names probably don’t ring a bell. What if I mention the movie Home Alone – specifically the scene in the airport with the mother? Yep. The same two actors. That’s two movies that Erwin and Bird co-starred in where they played a married couple. And – there’s another Home Alone connection. Devin Ratray – who will probably always be most famous for playing Kevin McAllister’s older brother, Buzz, in Home Alone is also in Dennis the Menace. He plays the babysitter’s boyfriend. Well ther...

After blogging about the best super villains come to life , I figured it only appropriate to come up with a list of the best super heroes come to life. Just like with the villains, some of my choices were made for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s the weaponry that makes a character. Other times it’s the costume. Sometimes it’s the physical Whatever the reason, the end result was successful. 10. Rachel Nichols as Scarlett ( G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra , 2010) I had to Google Rachel Nichols to write this blog post. I haven't seen her in anything before or since G.I. Joe. Turns out she's been in quite a few movies -- just nothing I've seen. She's proof that sometimes it's best to pick an actress that isn't as well known to play a role rather than going to the A-listers. She didn't set the world on fire with her portrayal, but she looked the part and captured the essence of the talented and confident (yet not arrogant) Scarlett. The only thing...

According to Hollywood, a good majority of the world’s population are writers. I was reading through some of the descriptions on Redbox while trying to find a good movie. Ruby Sparks : “Calvin is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career … “ Leave : “Henry Harper is a successful novelist who has it all.” The Paperboy: "Miami Times reporter Ward Jansen returns to his sleepy hometown of Lately, Florida, where a decades-old façade of Southern gentility strains against the sweeping social changes of the 1960s." There are a lot of movies about writers that have been made, but it seems like there's a lot more of them the last few days. If it's not a movie about a secret agent, it's a movie about a writer. There's that old saying, advising people to 'write about what they know.' I get that. It makes sense. It's hard to write a novel or movie script about something you don't have any experience with. Is ...

When I recently blogged about Cobra Commander and the upcoming movies of 2013 , it got me thinking: what are some of the best real-life incarnations of villains from the comic books? I have a feeling Cobra Commander could easily fit into that category. Take a look at the cartoon-to-real-life transformation: Come G.I. Joe 2, we'll see if the acting lives up to how awesome the photos look. In the meantime, I came up with a little list. There’s a variety of reasons for my choices; sometimes it’s the costuming that makes the character come to life. Other times it’s the physical appearance. Sometimes it’s just really amazing special effects that makes it work. Whatever the reason, these are some of the best villains that made it to the big screen: 10. January Jones as Emma Frost ( X-Men: First Class , 2009) It's really just looks that landed Jones on this list. She looked the part. My fellow South Dakotan is not the most amazing actress, but she didn’t to be ...