20 November 2008

Next up: Aquaman, The Czech Republic

This just goes to show you that stupid people exist in all countries of the world, and frivilous lawsuits are one of America's last remaining exports:

Batman's Latest Archenemy: Batman, Turkey


The mayor of Batman, a small oil-producing town in Turkey, has filed suit against The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros., the studio behind the record-shattering blockbuster, looking for a cut in the film's royalties in exchange for using the city's name without permission.

As the article points out, where have these people been for the past 70 years? I'm pretty sure no one's confusing Batman movies with travelogues for Turkey, and furthermore, I bet that town has made at least millions in tourism dollars from college students alone diverting their backpacking trips just to go through there and snatch up whatever they can get their hands on to take back home.

So that includes more than a few street signs and a couple giant Welcome billboards... is that such a high price to pay for having one of the coolest city names in the world?

10 comments:

unmitigated me said...

I want to live in WonderWoman, USA.

Goldfish said...

I'm not telling my kids about this place. What self-respecting little boy wouldn't want to live in a place called Batman?! They'd be filling out passport applications tommorrow. Wait a minute....

Midwest Mom said...

I told my boys about this (ages 5 and 7). They offered the fact that any coolness of a city named Batman is completely nullified by the fact that the country is called Turkey. (Besides, Mom, Batman lives in Gotham City... now *that* would be a cool name of a town!)

They also said there could be a new line of poultry superheroes -- Batman Turkey, SuperChicken, WonderPheasant, the list goes on.

Sometimes it's a little surreal that we have these conversations.

-MM

Everyday Goddess said...

Didn't Kim Bassinger once buy a town, while she was starring in a Batman movie? How's that for coincidence?

Natalie said...

yep...batman turkey. i haven't been there...it's out east, but here is a link to a friend's blog with a picture in front of the batman sign.

http://thelandhampad.blogspot.com/2005/10/batman-forever.html

nufus is population and rakim is elevation. man...now i feel like i am missing out. leaving turkey on monday having never visited batman. oh well!

Jenny Grace said...

Curiously, Batman is not on my list of must-visit cities.

Brittany said...

So....wait. I was the only person totally disappointed when I walked in to find Michael Keaton when I was totally expecting a hard hitting documentary on a kurdish oil giant?

LiteralDan said...

Middle Aged Woman: Anyone can, in theory, but the problem is finding the plane that flies there.

Goldfish: I've happen to know that the immigration line is miles long for this town. This comes from a friend who looked into this for me...

Midwest Mom: I'll have you know that the Turkey is one of America's most noble animals. Ben Franklin was right to push for it to be our national bird over that pesky eagle.

Considering what a big ego boost it has always been to balding men everywhere, the support of Franklin for the turkey over the bald eagle is high praise, indeed.

Comedy Goddess: I'm guessing that the ensuing years somehow saw Ms. Basinger sell any towns she might have purchased.

Natalie: I'm surprised they weren't dressed in full costume. I'd be surprised if they don't sell them somewhere in Batman.

Now you know where to stop by whenever you come back for a visit. Have a safe journey home!

Miss Grace: I indeed find that curious. Curious enough to suggest you might be Poison Ivy herself.

Brittany: No, you were not. The most recent movie was the only one that didn't confuse the hell out of me, since it didn't have the unspecific word "Batman" in the title.

I'm still waiting to see the glorious propaganda piece I had expected before sitting through 2 hours of Val Kilmer.

Andrea said...

I'm looking at your ClustrMaps and you need to bring in more readers from Africa. Then, only then will you have conquered semi-global status, my friend!

Irrational Dad said...

I suddenly find myself wishing that Joe Dirt had made a lot more money in the theatres. Maybe you should sue the people behind "Dan in Real Life"