It Was Only a Matter of Time

Things have been a bit busy around here lately, so I haven't had much of a chance to write. I'm hoping my schedule frees up a bit more soon so I'll have a chance to write more. Luckily, I have a little bit of time today, so here we go.
The biggest story that happened this morning was Kanye West. He's been all over the place lately, starting and ending feuds left and right. First he was never going to be on the Mtv Video Music Awards again, then he closed the show. Stuff like that. It was only a matter of time before he started a feuds with the paparazzi. Unfortunately, this was not a feud of words. Here's the scoop:
Kanye West and one of his bodyguards were arrested Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport after an altercation with paparazzi in which the rapper allegedly smashed a camera on the floor. Airport police arrested West and his road manager, Don Crowley, who also serves as a bodyguard, on suspicion of felony vandalism shortly before 8 a.m., LAX spokesman Marshall Lowe said. He said early reports indicated that a camera valued at more than $10,000 was broken. The incident happened before West and his bodyguard passed a security checkpoint at an airport terminal that houses American Airlines. The pair were scheduled to board a flight to Honolulu, Hawaii, Lowe said. West's publicist declined to comment Thursday. (source)
I can't say I'm surprised by this news. Kanye's a powder keg waiting to explode. What I'm surprised about is that it took him this long to explode at the paparazzi. I think this is the first time he's been arrested for assaulting the paparazzi, which must have taken a lot of restraint on his part. The details are still emerging on this one and West is still in jail, though I'm sure he'll be out by the time my lunch break is over. Then he gets to join the illustrious group of celebs who've assaulted a camera man. Welcome to the club Kanye, we've been waiting for you!
In other timely news, Warner Bros. studios announced today that they will indeed be re releasing The Dark Knight in movie theaters sometime in January. This is basically to generate more Oscar buzz for Heath Ledger and crew. Here's the story:
No exact date has been settled on, but Warner Bros. is planning to rerelease the box-office behemoth in January, just in time for a final Oscar-season push before Motion Picture Academy members have to turn in their ballots. The relentlessly bleak and critically beloved Batman sequel is already the second-highest grossing movie of all time in the U.S., where it falls about $78 million short of Titanic's $600.8 million in box-office receipts but towers over fellow comic-book-inspired films. But it was the early Oscar buzz for Heath Ledger, who curdled blood as the murderous Joker, as well as for Christian Bale, director Christopher Nolan, and the film's effects and visual artistry that really differentiated The Dark Knight from its superhero brethren. And while Ledger's performance will still be rattling around in most brains even without the extra theater time, the fact that the film will be back on the big screen just in time for the one-year anniversary of his death on Jan. 22 will make the late actor doubly hard to ignore when it comes time to pick the '08 Academy Awards field. (source)
I've been saying this was going to happen ever since the movie was released. Many summer movies that are considered award favorites use this particular technique to remind voters and the public of their movie, which can get lost among the deluge of Oscar baiting films that are released from October through December. Now, I kind of doubt that Warner Bros. would be so tacky as to re release the movie on the anniversary of Heath Ledger's death, but I wouldn't be surprised if they released it the week before, just to generate some buzz. The only way The Dark Knight is going to surpass Titanic as the number 1 grossing movie of all time is by re releasing it in January. The movie's been out for over two months and its losing steam. It needs to keep a low profile, then burst back onto the scene at just the right time in order to make that last $78 million that its missing to become number 1. And pick up a few Oscar nominations. And I'm the kind of gullible movie viewer who will go back to see it in January. What can I say, I loved this movie!
That's about all I've got time for right now. I'll keep tabs on the Kanye thing and see if anything interesting comes of it. More than likely, he'll make bail and get probation, but it is Kanye, so you never know.
Well, I'm off to lunch!
Later!