I’ve just heard the news that Michael Jackson has died of a cardiac arrest. I really can’t believe it. He was such an incredible entertainer and musical talent.

His personal life was troubled, but there’s no doubt that for many years he was an inspiration to millions of people around the world.

Rest in Peace

Three weeks ago I bought my ticket to see the Dark Knight this Friday at the IMAX, and I can’t wait. At the moment I’m trying to avoid spoilers while gearing myself for the most anticipated blockbuster of the year.

Tonight I watched the animated movie Batman: Gotham Knight which I rented via iTunes. It was designed as a bridge between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, and depicts some of Batman earliest battles, whilst also exploring some aspects of Bruce Wayne’s origins and his path towards becoming Batman.

Though the movie works well as an anthology, the work of different animation teams is apparent in the disparate animation styles. I felt that this worked well as it showed that although Batman’s core values shone through in each story, he could be viewed through a range of perspectives.

This point was explored in the first tale which featured a group of kids who’d each had encounters with Batman and had a different interpretation on what they’d seen. The second story featured a cop who imagined Batman to be a dangerous vigilante, until personal experience of Batman changed his mind. The other four chapters focussed on Bruce Wayne/Batman himself; his values, his fears, his strengths and his motivations.

Overall, it was a great way to re-immerse myself in the legend and the mythology of this most human of super-heroes.

Urban Recluse Rating:

By the way, I’m really baffled about the reports that Christian Bale allegedly assaulted his mother and sister. I’m hoping that it’s not as awful as it sounds.

Sienna Miller heals Balthazar Getty with breast therapy as he struggles with the guilt over the breakdown of his marriage. (via Webster’s is My Bitch)

I’m still fairly friendly with Dirk, the married guy who has wanted me for ages. I’ve got to be careful with him though. Today he tried to manoeuvre me into a dark place in order to have some sort of adulterous contact, but I resisted his amorous advances and stayed out of his clutches. A few minutes after, I recalled a line from The Lord’s Prayer, despite the fact that I gave up Catholicism more than a decade ago: “And lead us not into temptation.” Fear of sinning wasn’t what stopped me from succumbing though, I just didn’t want to become entangled in such a messy situation. I’ve suggested so many things to him, (talking to his wife, marriage counselling, using a prostitute, etc.) but he doesn’t want my advice…

Of course I fancy him – in his twenties he was a professional model, and even at 39 years of age he’s the best looking man who’s ever shown an interest in me – but I don’t see the point in being more than friends with him. His main focuses are his penis, and maintaining the lifestyle that he has set up for himself; although he is fond of me and often says that I’m a “nice person”, he’s all about his own needs. That said, I like him as a friend; he’s quite a character, but even if he wasn’t married I doubt we’d be a good match for a relationship as he’s too selfish, unfocussed and unsubtle.

Perhaps Sienna feels justified in stealing the affections of a married man, but I wonder what the future holds for this tainted love.

The weather’s even more bizarre than usual over here in Blighty; a week ago it was snowing, then it was rather mild all week, then this afternoon it rained heavily. I decided to go for a walk when the rain seemed to be dying down, but a few minutes later I found myself in the middle of a hailstorm, and became unreasonably worried that one of those huge mutant hailstones would fall on my head and knock me out. Luckily it eased after another couple of minutes.

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France’s First Lady, Carla Bruni, is apparently upset about the reappearance of some nude pics she modelled for during her modelling career. I don’t think she should be embarrassed at all; what’s done is done, and she looks amazing. Sure, it’s probably not totally appropriate for her current position as Mrs Sarkozy, but you have to own your actions, and posing nude, like having a tattoo, is something you may have to live with for the rest of your life.

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I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but if I were the subject of the Lucien Freud’s painting, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, 1995, I would not be proud at all, never mind that it’s expected to become the most expensive picture by a living artist ever sold. Actually the subject doesn’t look half as bad in reality as he made her look in the painting, but I guess that’s art for you.

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There’s a rumour going around that Shakira was involved in a ménage à trois on a yacht with her boyfriend Antonio de la Rúa and singer Alejandro Sanz, which was captured on videotape… Shakira denies the whole thing, but if it were true I’d be very proud of her. Hetero men are always going on about their fantasy of having a threesome with a couple of women, basically because they love the idea of being able to satisfy two women at once, and that both women would lavish their attention on them. The thought of sharing a woman with another bloke repels them not just due to the possible bisexual connotations, but because of the competition factor. If Shakira was able to convince two apparently hetero guys to service her every wish, and then record it for posterity, then all power to her!

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After being banned by British Airways and arrested for acting like a complete knob, Naomi Campbell insists that she was mistreated because she’s black. No darling, you were punished for disrupting a flight, spitting on a cop and abusing crew members. You weren’t the only one to have been inconvenienced by the chaos at Heathrow Terminal 5, but I’m pretty sure that you’re the only one who made such a complete fool of yourself. Unlike most people whose suitcases went missing during the chaos, you can afford to replace every single item without a problem. The chances are that your suitcase will turn up eventually, but in any case there’s no excuse for attacking people in the way that you did. You need to sort out that anger of yours before you kill someone else or yourself.

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It looks like I might be staying with my parents for a while longer. The Bank of England cut interests rates by a quarter this week, but in reality it’s not going to mean much to those with mortgages as the global banking crisis and the threat of recession continue to hold our banks by the balls. Banks are becoming much stricter on people applying for mortgages, so you’d be hard-pressed to find a 100% mortgage anywhere now, and a sizeable deposit is also necessary for any chance of getting finance for a home. It does look like house prices are starting to decrease now, though it was inevitable really as first-time buyers were being priced out of the market. While the average salary in London is £25,000-35,000, the average home is about ten times higher, making it impossible for the average person to afford their own home.

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The electric guitar I won arrived a couple of days ago, but we’re not hitting it off totally. I think it needs new strings but I’m not bothered enough to even replace them. I wouldn’t mind having a nice electro-acoustic number, but I don’t think this one is really me. It was fun to try it out though, and even my dad had a go with it earlier. I’ll probably put it on ebay in a few days, or if you’d like an electric guitar with all the fixings (apart from an amp) and you’re in the UK (preferably), feel free to contact me.

Madonna. Justin. Timbaland. 4 Minutes.

I’m not loving this one, guys. Funny cos I love each of these artists, but the song isn’t about anything really. 4 minutes to save the world from what? These guys are only saving me from buying this single.

It’s catchy and all, but I’m not feeling the faux-brass riff going on in the background, and the video is a bit disturbing with all those yucky flesh cutouts. That snog was nasty!

Madonna looks amazing though, some are saying that she was airbrushed, but I don’t know… professional makeup can hide anything…