New Era 59Fifty Bufftruck Superman Hat 80hat

Show off your inner superhero in this bonafide New Era 59FIFTY fitted hat. It features a raised, embroidered logo on front with screenprint throughout. 90% wool/10% cotton. Imported.

Superman Blue Baseball Hat Cap Sun Cover 80hat

Superman Blue Baseball Hat Cap Sun Cover
by Berkshire

Waiting for Superman 80hat

A few weeks ago, I attended a screening of the new documentary, "Waiting for Superman." I went less for the topic of education reform than to analyze and learn from a well-received documentary film. I had my professional hat on, primarily because this was a film from Participant Media -- a company that does very well with activist films. Though I may not always fully agree with the perspective of their films, I am fascinated by their company structure and have much to learn from them. Plus, I know one of the cinematographers (Erich Roland) and I was eager to see his work.
"Waiting for Superman" is a well-crafted argument for change. It is both an essay film -- the "big idea" film -- and a character-driven story. While it examines the structural problems that have created "dropout factories" among a wide variety of school systems, it also offers some success stories. But what got me was the hunger of the kids to escape the futures that seem to be pre-determined for them. I didn't expect to cry at the conclusion. But I did. Yes, I will admit it. Watching the children work so hard to overcome the roadblocks created by the adults touched me.
I recommend watching this film in order to have a broader knowledge of the problems that plague many schools ... and ultimately our culture and economy. I have to give props to the director, Davis Guggenheim, for being willing to call out adults who have created structures that benefit them to the harm of the students they are charged with educating. We all have a vested interest in changing an educational system that offers protections to inept teachers -- job protections that workers in other industries don't enjoy, either. It's not good market practice and it certainly doesn't equip the next generation.

Watchmen Hero Nite Owl II To Be Next Superman? 80hat

Watchmen star Patrick Wilson, who played Nite Owl II in Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s cult comic book series has thrown his name in the hat to be the next Superman.
Wilson revealed to MovieWeb that he would love to work with Snyder again but is worried that maybe he is too old to play the Man of Steel…

“When I heard he signed on I called one of my agents and said that I hadn’t talked to Zack or anything but that I just wanted to read it. I don’t even care if I’m right for anything, I just want to know what he’s doing.”

When asked would he be happy to follow Brandon Routh as Superman…

“Oh man, who knows? I love seeing all the Jon Hamm comments and Jon is like, ‘What? I’m over forty, this is ridiculous.’ So I don’t know. That is such a big thing, who knows? I remember when Watchmen came around I didn’t think I was really age appropriate or right for that but then when I jumped into it I was able to make it work. So who knows? I would be happy to do anything with Zack again.”

<<<THOUGHTS>>>
No thanks. There’s no way that Wilson lands the Superman gig. Didn’t Snyder say that his Superman script would be focusing on a younger Superman. At 37 years of age, Patrick Wilson is surely too old?

Lakers-Timberwolves Preview: Superman Is Dead 80hat

We here at Silver Screen and Roll like to name our version of the daily links, "The Credits."  Each day, the Credits are given a movie title that fits the theme of the day or the previous night's game. If you noticed, today's movie was "Superman Returns." In the movie, Lois Lane had written a prize-winning article titled, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." Unfortunately, for both Lakers and Timberwolves fans alike, this might also be true for the NBA's version of Clark Kent (apologies, Shaq and Dwight) - former Lakers assistant coach and current Wolves head coach, Kurt Rambis, who returns to Los Angeles to face the Lakers tonight.
When Kurt Rambis was an assistant coach here in L.A., his primary role was as defensive coordinator. The defense played OK under his guidance. The Lakers did win a championship in his last season, but when he left for the Minnesota job, the D became dominant. Don't believe me? Just remember 83-79 in Game Seven. Or read the post C.A. published last night. Anyway, the Lakers never lost a step with their defensive coordinator gone. In fact, they got better. In Rambis' defense (no pun intended), Ron Artest does make a difference, but gone was the reliance on a strong side zone that often left wide open threes raining down on the Lakers. Back was the tough man-to-man, and versatile switching that gave the Lakers what turned into the toughest defense in the NBA (when it mattered), as well as the NBA's best three-point defense. These Lakers definitely didn't need Superman.
The Timberwolves? They don't need Superman either. They need the whole Justice League. 

Joe Manganiello Denies 'Superman' Rumors: Could a Wrestler Be the Man of Steel? 80HAT

As the new 'Superman' reboot gains speed with filmmaker Zack Snyder coming in to have Supes eye-laser blast people and zip around faster than a slow-mo speeding bullet, it's time to start looking at actors. It might be hard to see past Brandon Routh, who channeled Christopher Reeve pretty darned well, but that's precisely what the superhero powers that be are doing.

As casting rumors started bubbling, Joe Manganiello's name quickly got added to the heap. Though not a big name in Hollywood circles yet, he's gotten some superhero work on the old 'Spider-Man' franchise as Flash Roberts, and is currently Alcide Herveaux in the sexy vamp show 'True Blood.' But the actor has jumped onto Twitter to set the record straight, but it might just be a case of sneaky, careful punctuation.

On Twitter he wrote: "Just to be clear... as of today, I am not 'negotiating' to play SuperMan [sic]" He continued: "...but keep your fingers crossed and thanks for the wishful thinking." Ah, clarity... Perhaps we're just used to bad grammar and an all-out lack of punctuation on Twitter, but it seems noteworthy that Manganiello chose to add quotation marks around the word "negotiating." Could he possibly mean that he's just being clear about what stage of the process he's in? Or, is this meant to tell us that he is, in no way, being considered?

Well, if Manganiello doesn't play Supes, there are a few actor-wrestlers reportedly up for the gig. Bubbling rumors have actually stated that both John Cena and The Rock -- aka Dwayne Johnson -- are also being discussed to play our Clark Kent/Superman duo. Now that is something we weren't expecting, though perhaps it makes sense since both men are very comfortable performing stunts in tights, and Cena's chiseled jaw could make the wrassler/actor a very beefy Superman.

Which way should Zack Snyder and his team go? Are you Team Manganiello, Team WWE or someone else entirely?

True Blood‘s Manganiello may play Superman 80hat

 

I believe Jamie and Peter over at TMT first reported that “True Blood” Lycanthrope Joe Maganiello was pursuing the chief role in Zac Snyder’s new “Superman”. Most seem to like the idea – he has the frame, the dark complexion, the good looks, the shadowy mop…age on his side. But anyway, just how interested would Warner Bros and Snyder be in casting this relative unknown as the new Man of Steel? Had they even heard his cries to be considered?
Seems so.
 reported earlier that Manganiello appeared on a panel at EyeCon this weekend and confirmed there had been “talks” of some sort between he and the Super-crew.
Manganiello was quick to update his Twitter account with clarification – he isn’t actually in “negotiations” but there’s ‘something’ going on. , “Just to be clear… as of today, I am not ‘negotiating’ to play SuperMan …but keep your fingers crossed and thanks for the wishful thinking!”
In other words, the actor has met with Snyder and Warner Bros about playing the role. That likely also means that so have a dozen or more other young bucks, including Brandon Routh (who played the role in “Superman Returns”), Tom Welling (who plays Clark Kent on “Smallville”), Scott Porter (who played Jason Street on “Friday Night Lights”), and – maybe? – Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”).
Manganiello is great as Alcide on “True Blood”, and he fit the part of Flash Thompson perfectly in the “Spider-Man” movies, but is he Superman?
I see there’s a swell of support for Manganiello on the internet (though a couple have pointed out that the guy’s “big nose” might cost him the job) but there’s just as many campaigning to have Routh reinstated.
Here’s a fan-made Manganiello as Superman pic :

Comic Review: Superman: Earth One (DC Comics) 80hat

OK, so with “reboots” I always get a little leery of picking them up. This new reboot of Superman was in fact a $20 dollar pack of cards. You didn’t know who or what you were going to get and most of all, if you were going to like it. Well I did. Big time. I’m a big Superman fan and as much as I would like to say I like Batman more I have to admit that Superman is my personal favorite, but it is close, ha-ha.

This is as I said, a total reboot of Superman. In almost every way. The book begins with his arrival into Metropolis. He starts to look for jobs, some in sports, others in science.  He winds up at the daily Planet and meets Perry, Lois and Jimmy. Perry is more like J. Jonah Jamison then the Perry White we are used to. Perry tells Clark to fill out a application and they get back to him. On the street Clark’s throws the application in the trash. He’s at conflict with himself over what he wants to be.
His origin, I like better in this book. Martha and Jonathan are hiking in the mountains when something comes crashing down out of the sky. They run to the crash site thinking that it was a plane or something but soon realize it was some kind of space craft. They hear a baby crying and Jonathan retrieves the baby before the ship blows. That night they listen to the radio to see if someone is reporting a plane down but there is no mention. When black helicopters start to arrive Jonathan doesn’t like the look of them and they leave. Now unlike today’s Superman, In this book he has powers from almost the start (his origin start since arriving on earth that is). Instead of his revealing that he is a person from another planet the Kent’s reveal this to Clark at an early age.
Clark decides to not reveal himself as his now passed away father had wanted. Rather he wanted to live a quiet life and not have to worry about the whole revealing himself to the world. Well that is short lived. An invasion of Aliens come to all parts of the earth, with the mother ship coming right to Metropolis. After and initial attack from the Aliens, their commander states that he is looking for someone and that these attacks are to provoke him to come out of hiding. Well it works. The creature reveals many things that tie into Superman’s Origin. Like the fact that it was his race that assassinated the Kryptonians instead of the planet simply being blown up. He said that someone visited them and gave them the tech to destroy their enemies the Kryptonians but they had to make sure every person on Krypton was killed.
They leave some very big holes in the story so either a sequel is coming or a monthly title. Either way I’m game. I liked the fact that Clark was only 20 years old in this and very unsure of himself. I tip my hat to DC and hope to see more from this Superman. $20 bucks is well worth it and I recommend any Superman fan or a fan of good comics to go and pick this one up while they can. I doubt that copies will sit long on shelves.

Grumpy Old Fan | Earth One welcomes new Superman fans 80hat

Throughout the character’s history, Superman has been introduced and reintroduced to various audiences through various media. There have been Supermen on radio and film, on television and in prose, and of course in comics. The new Megamind apparently leans heavily on a Superman pastiche, and the newest “proper” Superman movie is being guided by producer Christopher Nolan.
And yet, the goal of Superman Earth One — written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencilled by Shane Davis, and inked by Sandra Hope — seems different from many of the Man of Steel’s other origins. Earth One has Krypton, the Kents, Lois, “Jim” Olsen, the Daily Planet, and of course the familiar red-and-blue costume; but it is most concerned with redefining Clark Kent and his mighty alter-ego. Aside from the “Earth One” brand itself (about which more later), there are very few Easter eggs for longtime fans. This is not a distillation of seventy-plus years’ worth of Superman stories into some platonic ideal (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Instead, it’s almost as if Straczynski and Davis are making a concerted effort to avoid such references.
Regardless, Superman Earth One (there is no colon in the title) clearly seeks to redefine and reintroduce the original superhero to a new audience. As a reintroduction, and more specifically as the first of what is presumably an ongoing series of graphic novels, it’s not a bad beginning — but it doesn’t quite feel like Superman yet.
Superman Earth One postulates a Clark Kent whose options are wide open: anything from star athlete to gifted scientist, with costumed hero far down the leaderboard. Still, it is not really in doubt that Clark will don the red and blue, and sure enough, a hostile extraterrestrial armada spurs Superman to action. That’s the barest outline of the plot, although Straczynski wraps a number of story elements around the villains’ arrival. First, the Kents kept a chunk of Kryptonian spacecraft from the crash site, so Clark brings it to his would-be scientist-employer, hoping that by analyzing it they can find a way to stop the armada. No dice: the scientist is more interested in finding a panic room and riding out the attack. Second, Clark learns (via microscopic vision) that the chunk-o-rocket contains a recording of Jor-El and Lara’s last moments, with a larger Kryptonian library available through the craft itself. Third, and most significantly, Clark sees fearless photographer Jim Olsen stand up to a killer robot, proclaiming that “the truth … [is] the only thing worth dying for.” Flashbacks reveal the origins of the super-suit and dual identity, and voilá! — halfway through the book, this looks like the inaugural job for “Superman.”
Actually, it takes some timely help from Lois, Jim, and Kal-El’s spacecraft to defeat Tyrell, the talky assassin with the oddly-terrestrial name. (Fun fact: I once worked with a Tyrell who pronounced his name like it rhymed with Jor-El.) After that comes the wrapping-up (meek Clark shops for suits, puts on glasses, interviews self) and the setup for future volumes (who’s behind Tyrell? Is there still more to Krypton’s destruction? What about the suspicious Major Lee?). Topping the book off is the Daily Planet’s first Superman coverage, some of Davis’ sketches, and a full-page ad for one of Straczynski’s Brave and the Bold collections.
Anyway. At this point Superman Earth One poses two big questions: is it a worthwhile story, and is it a worthwhile Superman story? I didn’t dislike this book, but I have reservations about it on both counts.
Is it a worthwhile story? I suppose. None of the major character beats are terribly surprising, but they’re not really meant to be. Straczynski wants the reader to see that Clark actively chooses the proverbial “road less traveled,” but the plot is more of a collision-course-with-destiny thing. Since Clark can’t really avoid confronting Tyrell and his engines of destruction, the only drama may be whether he does it as Superman; and again, that’s pretty much a foregone conclusion.
That said, the big Superman/Tyrell fight comes off fairly well. Tyrell is a credible (albeit nondescript) bad guy with a Kryptonian-specific deathtrap, and Superman defeats him both with Kryptonian hardware and with good ol’ Earthling-style punching — plus the aforementioned help from Lois and Jim. Giant hovering mega-drills poised over Earth’s major cities make the stakes appropriately high, and Tyrell’s history with Krypton likewise make them personal.
Still, I can’t help thinking that this was not a particularly nuanced story, which brings me back to Clark’s central choice. The Christopher Reeve movies presented Krypton as generally cold and logical to a fault, except naturally for Jor-El and Lara. Since then many versions of the origin, including “Smallville” and scads of comics, have Clark choose the lessons of Earth over the ethics of Krypton. For example, although Marlon Brando’s Jor-El has given Krypton a kind face, the climax of the first movie finds Superman rejecting Jor-El’s edict (“it is forbidden to interfere with human history”) in favor of Jonathan Kent’s broader guidance (“you are here for a reason”). Not only is that choice more genuine (because Reeve’s Superman was more in touch with his Kryptonian side), it also forces Superman to go harder and faster than he’d ever thought possible.
That brings me to the second question:  is Superman Earth One a good Superman story? Here it’s not so clear. Although the character had become a square, paternalistic establishment figure decades before, the Reeve movies did a lot to crystallize his basic … well, goodness; not just for the general public, but for comics fans and pros alike. However, for a while now that’s apparently also made Superman boring, if not inaccessible or even inexplicable. Straczynski showing Clark trying out for a football team, or pulling a Good Will Hunting at the local laboratory, is one way to respond to those critics. Clark becomes Superman because he realizes it’s the right thing to do … and also because the plot’s basically pushed him into it. Straczynski may want the reader to realize that Clark’s commitment to “Superman” is the book’s real message, but that gets muffled in all the wrap-up and setup.
I mentioned earlier that the book contains very few Easter eggs and/or references to other Superman stories, and that includes familiar Superman villains. Using Luthor or Brainiac would certainly have made this more recognizable as a Superman story, and it might have made Clark’s choice seem more organic. However, this Superman is a stripped-down model, with only the most perfunctory supporting cast, which suggests that Straczynski wants him to not be defined (in whole or part) by one or both arch-enemies.
This Superman is also not terribly interested in Lois Lane, at least not romantically. Although Earth One establishes Lois’ rivalry with Clark and (to a lesser extent) her attraction to Superman, she and Perry exist primarily to give the Daily Planet some iconoclastic flavor. Not having Clark/Superman triangulate off of Lois and Luthor distinguishes Earth One from more conventional Superman origins, and truthfully, the story doesn’t really miss them. However, their absence and/or relative lack of participation also makes Earth One feel more like a generic superhero story.
Of course, Earth One features its own distinct departures, including the military/government subplot, Clark’s career options, and the details of Krypton’s destruction. The book’s twenty-year-old hero is probably younger even than “Smallville’s” Clark, and as drawn by Davis and Hope, he’s more Michelangelo’s David (or Alan Davis’ Superboy) than Wayne Boring’s beefsteak. That itself casts Earth One in a whole different light, because this Superman may well have to grow into his inspirational role.
And that “room to grow,” for lack of a better phrase, informs my hesitancy about Earth One. So much of the book is calculated to make Superman cool that it risks abandoning the fundamental Reeve-esque “goodness” (uncoolness?) which has come to define the character. This book has Clark wrestle with some self-centered impulses, and I imagine future installments will similarly address other apparently-incongruous elements.
My last big complaint about Superman Earth One is the title. Regular superhero-comics readers understand that “Earth One” is a brand, like “Elseworlds” before it,** but this book isn’t just for us regular readers. You could read the “One” as meaning the first book in the Superman Earth series, but you’d probably be confused later by the Batman Earth One book, and you might even wonder where JLA: Earth 2 fits in.
In any event, Superman Earth One is a handsome package. I appreciated the embossing on its squarebound cover, and Davis and Hope combine well with Barbara Ciardo’s colors.  (Other visual effects, like painted clouds and weathered newspaper boxes, especially give the Metropolis of Earth One an expansive, lived-in look.) Ms. Hope’s inks are often found over Jim Lee or Ed Benes’ pencils, so Earth One’s figures and faces occasionally have the same sort of scratchy feel. For his part, Davis does a good job balancing frequent flashbacks with action sequences, and the book moves along well. Again, his Superman is slender and callow, and sometimes looks too lost in thought, but he’s heroic when he needs to be.
Ultimately, the success of Superman Earth One may depend on the goodwill this hypothetical new audience already has for the Man of Steel. Straczynski dedicates the book to anyone who’s felt a “thrill of excitement” upon seeing the S-symbol, because they “understand what that symbol means — that all things are possible.” On a more practical level, though, Straczynski has written this book for people who may need a little more convincing. I can see a new-to-Superman reader coming away from Superman Earth One wanting to read more, but still not quite getting why Superman has been so popular for so long. In that respect I’d say Superman Earth One is a success — just not the revelation that other Superman revamps have been.

adidas Orlando Magic Black Superman Adjustable Slouch Hat 80hat

Represent Dwight “Superman” Howard while cheering on the Magic in this slouch hat by adidas featuring the Superman logo embroidered on the front and team logo on the back!Quality embroiderySix panels with eyeletsUnstructured fitEmbroidered adidas log

adidas Beast “Superman”80hat

When he’s not kickin’ it with Slim Chin, Dwight Howard stays busy on the court grabbin’ boards and swatting shots. He does so in the adidas Beast. This special “Superman” colorway pays to tribute Dwight’s alias and alter ego. Baring both the Superman logo and Howard’s number, the signature relays strong ties. Blue accents and a swirled color outsole, similar to the ice cream of the same name, finish off this heroic colorway. These are available for pre-order now at Eastbay.

Friday's Smallville was like the Wicker (Super)Man! 80hat

Last week's spooky Smallville was some insane amalgam of The Wicker Man, Robin Williams' Jack, and Tommy Wiseau's The Room. It combined country bumpkin human sacrifices with a creepy turbo-aging Lex Luthor with softcore erotica...with Superman!
Smallville has been on a hot streak of better-than-average episodes lately. "Harvest," to be blunt, was not one of them. But there's a particular paradox when it comes to watching Smallville — the more an episode resembles a steaming hunk of weaponized Velveeta, the more entertaining it tends to be. Indeed, "Harvest" was the kind of episode that will win you over with its sheer badness.

Let's start with the first plot — Clark and Lois are on their way to cover a Cherry Festival (Clark wants to keep Lois away from the anti-vigilante rally, so he puts them on the soft news beat) when they get two flats in the bucolic hamlet of Meeker Springs. Clark power-walks over the county line to buy a new tire while Lois hangs out with what appears to be a friendly Mennonite girl. Lois disappears with girl, who belongs to a cult of hillbillies who drink water infused with blue Kryptonite and sacrifice a woman every year to commemorate the Kryptonian meteor shower of 1989. Why? So the harvest is plentiful, of course.
This plot twist gives the evil Amish a chance to wail on Clark until he rescues Lois with a shotgun. This part of the episode was predictable, villain-of-the week pap, but Erica Durance was in fine form warning the crazies of Meeker Springs that the divine Superman would descend from the heavens and destroy their crops with super-breath.

The second story followed Tess and Alexander, her fast-aging clone of Lex. It was only last week that Tess' promised to love and care for him. She changes her tune real fast when a boatload of totally perplexing events go down:
1.) Since we last saw him, Alexander has aged four years in two weeks. In that time, Tess has held him four birthday parties, complete with children who I can only assume she hired to attend. Seriously, where did she get these kids? Wouldn't they be at least a little freaked out that their new friend will be a college freshman by Thanksgiving? Also, isn't it really insensitive to hold a birthday party for a kid who will be dead by next Labor Day? Even when Tess tries to be good, she can't win.

2.) Alexander has a seizure at his depressing birthday party. It turns out that this seizure is caused by his hatred of Clark...which is etched into his DNA.
3.) Tess tries to convince Alexander that Clark Kent is a good guy. Alexander claims that Tess only gets by on her connections with powerful men. Is he genetically predisposed for misogyny too?
4.) Tess' research team finds a cure for Alexander's fast aging. Tess has a volte-face and decides to lock up Alexander until he spoils like an overripe avocado in six weeks. Meanwhile, Alexander shaves his head. From declarations of love to evil haircuts. Hooray for hyper-compressed storytelling.

After their adventure with the Amish death cult, Clark and Lois have sex in a scene straight out of a Harlequin romance novel. I'm not sure if it's because the blue Kryptonite temporarily tamped down Clark's powers or if evil Mennonites get them hot, but they have intercourse. At first I thought they had sex in the barn, but I realized the scene cut to the Kent's home. This disappointed me, as a tussle in the hay would've made this scene extra-porny.

In sum, this episode was cornball fun. Granny Goodness shows up next episode. Just as Glorious Godfrey was a right-wing talk show host, I hope she's reimagined as an angry pro-abstinence crusader who punishes our heroes for Kryptonian fornication.