MAN OF STEEL GROSSES 125 MILLION DOLLARS

"Man of Steel" grossed 125 million dollars since opening Thursday at midnight, according to EW.COM. (you can read the article here). It broke the record set by "Toy Story 3" for biggest opening for a June release.

We will see if "Man of Steel" can maintain it's dominance when "World War Z" comes out next week.

The Professor

IS SUPERMAN STILL RELEVANT?

HENRY CAVILL AS SUPERMAN


"Is Superman still cool?" That's the question that Chris Connelly posed to Henry Cavill in an interview on Nightline last week. I'll get to Cavill's answer later but that question got me thinking and over the last 60 years or so how Superman has lost his "cool' factor to the general public.





From 1950-1983, when George Reeves and Christopher Reeve portrayed the character the cool thing was that Superman had powers that everybody wanted like invulnerability, flight, and superspeed. Also as a country the United States felt as if we were the best country in the world especially after our victory in World War Two.



Now with more restive and charismatic heroes like Batman and Iron Man that do amazing things but have decidedly human traits, audiences think of Superman as a hero who represents an ideal that has long since faded. This is also due to a change in the way Americans see this country as the American dream is getting harder to attain because of crooked politicians and a slumping economy.

Even as a longtime Superman fan sometimes I find it hard to relate to him. There are days  I'd rather be rich and charismatic like Tony Stark than be the ultimate good guy like Clark Kent.

"Man of Steel" will attempt to update Superman for a new audience but there's only so much you can do. You won't see Superman have a drink like Wolverine or take a beautiful woman to bed like Tony Stark does. That's just not Superman. These are the traits that people love in these characters and what have elevated them above Superman.

"Man of Steel" will make millions of dollars because people will be curious about the changes that Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder have made to the character. A different suit, A slight change on his origin story, and emotional conflict will hopefully be enough to draw audiences in and keep them.

Back to the original question that started this article that Chris Connelly posed to Henry Cavill, "Is Superman still cool?" Cavill's response, "Superman's about doing good, what's not cool about that?"

I think the question is not whether Superman is cool. I think the question will be: Is Superman relevant? We'll find out how relevant he is after June 14th.

If you like this article let me know @SEMSCORPIO.

Class Dismissed,
The Professor

RATINGS FOR IMAPCT SLIGHTLY INCREASE WITH RAMPAGE JACKSON APPEARANCE

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson


PROWRESTLING.NET reports that TNA's rating moved up slightly to 0.92 and they attracted 1.1 million viewers last Thursday. Even with the announcement of Rampage Jackson appearing on the show did not increase the rating by much. Due to competition by the NBA Playoffs, Impact didn't crack the top 100 in the 25-54 demographic.

Jackson was confronted by Kurt Angle on Impact last Thursday to set up a possible match down the road.  Jackson was received well by the crowd and he was seen as a star.

It may be a several months before Jackson actually steps into a ring to mix it up with any wrestlers. When he does it should be a big event.

Class Dismissed,
The Professor

RAMPAGE JACKSON SIGNS WITH BELLATOR AND TNA WRESTLING IN DEAL WITH SPIKE TV

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has signed a multi-year deal with SPIKE TV which includes a deal to work in Bellator MMA, TNA WRESTLING, and his own reality show according to TMZ.

While this is a big signing for SPIKE, BELLATOR, and TNA, the question remains if "Rampage" can still get it done inside the cage. He's coming off of three consecutive losses before he left the UFC. I'm sure he's looking forward to going to Bellator and proving that he still has what it takes. Hopefully, he won't get KO'd in the first round of the Bellator tournament like King Mo did back in January.

As for TNA, I would have to see how they use him before I make any judgments. Jackson will be appearing on TNA Programming on Thursday June 6th so we'll see if this media attention helps with a ratings increase and higher profile for TNA.

"Rampage" has a great personality and should fit right in with TNA Wrestling and Bellator.

If you like this article let me know @semscorpio.

Class Dismissed,
The Professor

CURTIS AXEL: THE REAL DEAL

Curtis Axel (Joe Hennig) is the future of WWE. The company is showing tremendous faith in him by putting him in the ring with stars like Triple H and John Cena.

He has won matches against both by count out and is managed by Paul Heyman. A recipe for success as a bad guy.

Some have said that he doesn't have the charisma that his father (Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig) did but that's why Paul Heyman is there. Also he is being booked as an angry, intense, young man who is mad about being looked over. Having an abundance of charisma could work against his bad guy character.

Things are looking up for the son of Curt Hennig and the grandson of Larry "The Ax" Hennig. I hope he has a lot of success in WWE.

THE PROFESSOR

MARVEL NEWS: DAREDEVIL RIGHTS REVERT BACK TO MARVEL

NEWSARAMA reported last week(read the article here) that the rights to "Daredevil" have returned to Marvel after being at Fox.

Marvel can now decide if it wants to make another "Daredevil" movie or even a TV show.

Personally, I think Marvel would be smart to do a TV show. With "Daredevil" as a second tier character a weekly TV show could give him a much higher profile in the eyes of the casual fan.  

If you like this article let me know @SEMScorpio.

THE PROFESSOR

MATT MORGAN: VILLAIN OR ANTI-HERO?

Back in November 2012, I wrote a blog on the feud between Hulk Hogan and Matt Morgan (you can read it here). I predicted that the feud would lead to Morgan winning the World championship.

That could still happen but it's interesting to note the circumstances that could happen. Last Thursday(April 25th) Morgan said that he would take care of Aces and Eights in exchange for being named the #1 contender for the World title match at Slammiversary. Hulk Hogan declined and said that Matt was offering his help for the wrong reasons.

As a fan, it makes me wonder. Morgan is currently a villain who hates Hulk Hogan and TNA for not giving him more opportunity. This could all lead to Morgan becoming an anti-hero like Stone Cold Steve Austin in his early WWE run circa 1996-1998. At that time Austin was portrayed as a character that didn't like anyone or need anyone's help but would work with people if it served his agenda. The fans loved Austin's attitude and slowly he became a hero to the masses. People do like Morgan for his size and attitude so he might make a great anti-hero.

Morgan has put himself in the crosshairs of the Aces and Eights. I wonder if they will attack him and cause him to team up with men like Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, or Kurt Angle? Morgan can keep his heat by saying he's only working with them for revenge against Aces and Eights and once the match is over he can leave them behind if the odds become too overwhelming.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the coming weeks. Morgan could be working toward a great feud or even a World title or mid-card title. We just have to wait and see.

The Professor