IMO Keaton's performances were great. It's the movies around him that needed work. Though I do enjoy the Burton Batman movies despite their flaws.
Blue Skies in Camelot: An Alternate 60's and Beyond
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IMO Keaton's performances were great. It's the movies around him that needed work. Though I do enjoy the Burton Batman movies despite their flaws.
Regardless of the flaws of Burton's Batman movies, it's still hilarious how abrupt of a tone change the franchise took HAPPY MEAL TOYS. I'm not kidding. One of the reasons why Joel Schumacher was picked for the next two movies was because Batman Returns was too scary for McDonald's.
Yeah......that annoys me to no end.
WB should've told McD's to fuck off and if they didn't want the Batman 3 toys that Burger King or someone would probably love to have them.
At least Schumacher seems genuinely penitant over his sins.
I mean not helped was the fact that Keaton refused to come back for any amount of money and Burton wanted a huge pay raise. WB likely found it easy to turn away from Burton's vision when Schumacher was a lot cheaper and less insistent on his vision.
That he does, and honestly, I blame WB far more than him.
He was hired to do what they told him, and they tied his hands the whole time.
I'm about 78% sure Keaton only refused to come back after Burton was removed from the director's seat.
....I'm less sure about this, but I think Burton's salary demands were a way of him expressing frustration at WB trying to limit how much creative control he'd have over the movie...Basically his way of saying "you can't make me quit, you'll have to fire me.".....and they did...
To turn away from the movie discussion: @President_Lincoln, who succeeded Emmanuel Pelaez as Philippine President in 1973?
Actually no, Keaton didn't even want to come back for Batman Returns, (fearing that it'd type-cast him as Batman for the rest of his career). They basically had to throw a massive pile of money his way just for him to show up and even that was basically because Burton demanded that he play Batman again.
Oh? I'd always heard that he was actually attached to Batman Forever right up until Burton got fired, and when he found out Burton wasn't directing he walked away completely.
They even had to recast Chase Meridian as a result. (originally supposed to be played by Renee Ruso, but when they had to recast Keaton and picked Kilmer they decided she was "too old" for him and recast her with Nicole Kidman)
Keaton was in on the early meetings, and when Rene Russo was Chase Meridan. This quote is from his appearance on WTF with Marc Maron, "You look at where he went, which is exactly when I was having meetings about the third one. I said you want to see how this guy started. We've got a chance here to fix whatever we maybe went off. This could be brilliant."
"He" in this case was referring to Nolan and "Batman Begins", Keaton's always sung his praises.
Warner Brothers is the one who mandated the return of a lighter tone due to the reaction of "Batman Returns". It is an early example of their constant knee jerk, course correcting method which has not served them well with these films.
I think Keaton would have stayed had they gotten the script right. He has become one of those actors that selects their projects based on the quality of scripts.
"He" in this case was referring to Nolan and "Batman Begins", Keaton's always sung his praises.
Warner Brothers is the one who mandated the return of a lighter tone due to the reaction of "Batman Returns". It is an early example of their constant knee jerk, course correcting method which has not served them well with these films.
I think Keaton would have stayed had they gotten the script right. He has become one of those actors that selects their projects based on the quality of scripts.
Brenda Spencer - Is currently a 14 year old Freshman attending Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, California. Deeply troubled and depressed, Spencer has generally found herself uninterested in school and relies on her interest in photography to get her through an otherwise dark, disappointing life. Though lacking many true friends, her acquaintances have noticed her becoming increasingly truant from school and hostile toward authority figures - especially police officers. One of her teachers has repeatedly found her falling asleep in his class, and so has recommended her for placement in a special education facility where she may receive additional supervision and supports. Though she has not shared these feelings with anyone, least of all her alcoholic father (with whom she lives in deep poverty), Brenda is a lesbian, and is beginning to experience attraction to her classmates which she does not understand. Hopefully, someone can get through to this troubled young woman before she commits a terrible atrocity like she did IOTL. Perhaps with (some) earlier acceptance of LGBT+ individuals, Brenda may be able to find someone who can empathize with her and give her the help she needs.
Greg Weisman - Also attending high school in Southern California. Unlike Spencer, however, Weisman's young life is full of wonder and enjoyment, especially of Comic Books, Sci-Fi and Fantasy series, and storytelling in general. He hopes to graduate high school and then go on to write for either DC or Marvel, helping to pen the kind of adventures he so enjoys reading himself.
Michael Reaves - Currently embarking on a career as a Sci-Fi/Fantasy author of Novels and short fiction. His most successful short stories thus far include "The Breath of Dragons", "Passion Play", and "The Sound of Something Dying".
Jeffrey Dahmer - From the first day of his freshman year at Revere High school in Richfield, Ohio, Jeff Dahmer has been seen by virtually all of his classmates as an outcast with few friends. His peers are disturbed by his frequent bouts of drinking alcohol before, during, and after school, which he achieves by sneaking it into the building in the liner of his surplus Army jacket and by hiding it inside of his locker. Downing shots of beer, gin, and other, harder liquors all day long to cope with his loneliness, depression, and worsening mental illness, Dahmer is another case of a young man who desperately needs help if he is going to avoid the horrific path he followed IOTL.
Osama Bin Laden - Bin Laden has recently completed his studies at the elite, secular Al-Thager Model School, where he was described as "studious" and "hard-working". In 1974, he married Najwa Ghanem in Syria while on vacation. Those close to the young son of a real estate and construction mogul also regard him as mild-mannered, soft spoken, and very polite. He is currently attending King Abdulaziz University, where he is studying Business Administration and economics so that he may one day join his father in the family business. Though a deeply religious Sunni Muslim, he has not joined in the "Jihad" against the "Godless" Soviet Union in Afghanistan, instead limiting his ideological activity to protests and other activism against secularism and "European influence". Rather than the terrorist-to-be of OTL, TTL's Osama has instead focused his life (for now, at least) on his numerous other interests: Association Football (where he plays centre forward); raising black stallions; reading books of military history; and writing Poetry. Overall, the world of Blue Skies has helped to deradicalize Bin Laden, and turn him primarily into a very conservative future businessman.
Joanne Rowling - Still in school, but already writing fantasy stories to read to her younger sister, Diane, and to find an escape from what she herself would refer to as her "very unhappy" teenage years. Her mother, Anne, suffers from M.S. which takes its toll on the family, as does her strained relationship with her father, Peter, with whom she is not currently on speaking terms. Young Joanne is hoping to apply to Oxford and escape his miserable life as soon as possible. Though, on the bright side, her most popular creation, and one of the most beloved characters in the history of literature will emerge from this period in Rowling's life - Hermione Granger, whom Rowling claims she based largely "on herself at 11 years old or so."
Che Guevara - A firm believer in the international revolution, Guevara was never captured or killed by the CIA ITTL, and thus lives to act as a revolutionary soldier in advisor in the Angolan Civil War on the side of the Marxist Militias.
Tim Berners-Lee - Just recently graduated from The Queen's College, Oxford, where he earned a first-class bachelor's degree in Physics. He's already built a personal computer out of an old television set he purchased from a pawn broker and is well on his way to the success and innovation he found IOTL.
Fred Rogers - One of my foremost personal heroes and role models as a future educator (and hopefully good and decent human being), Mr. Rogers is finding the same vast success and beloved status with America's youth that he found IOTL and then some. Still the writer, director, creator, and host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on PBS, Fred will likely still take a short hiatus in the mid - late 70's to recharge his batteries and focus on more adult programming. This will likely take the form of interviews and light reporting, of the format of his Old Friends...New Friends of OTL. Fear not, however! Neighborhood will return in 1979, as per OTL, better, stronger, and more mature than ever. Also expect Fred's "gentle progressive" mindset to continue to permeate popular culture, creating a kinder, more loving nation for everyone involved. What a man!
A question as complex and serious as this definitely deserves to be dealt with in its own update in the story-line proper. To give a brief and inadequate answer for now, the issue will come up, and the Church will need to grapple with it, and with hope, eradicate it from their faith. As a Catholic American myself, this issue is very personal to me, and I do have plans to cover it as Blue Skies moves forward. Thank you for asking, @Sunstone77.
Absolutely. Similar to the theories surrounding JFK's assassination IOTL, motives and explanations beyond the official reports of the Freund Commission abound. The most popular and frequently peddled center around Arthur Bremmer being nothing more than a stooge for J. Edgar Hoover's loyalists at the FBI, or perhaps that he could have been hired by then Vice President Bush and/or the Republican National Committee to carry out the deed. Before Romney's assassination, Reagan's challenge of the incumbent President was rapidly gaining steam and posing a real threat to party unity. At the same time, the Democrats were unifying behind Edmund Muskie and Lyndon Johnson. Regardless of whom the GOP candidate wound up facing in the general, they expected a hard reelection bid. Thus, the conspiracy believers claim, the RNC Chairman (Bob Dole) and VP Bush coordinated to have Romney assassinated so Bush could take the reins and the party (and the nation) could rally around Bush in the wake of such a national tragedy. Those who believe Hoover loyalists in the Bureau to be to blame point to the swift (perhaps too swift...) investigation pursued by the Bureau in the wake of the assassination. Even though the FBI had nothing to do with Romney's death, the rumors persist because of Hoover's shadow looming over the Bureau, and the courage it took Romney to stand up to his dictatorial status there.
Centre-right Senator and former Mayor of Iloilo City, Fernando Lopez, was narrowly elected to be Pelaez' successor in 1973. He has governed primarily as a moderate, anti-corruption President, who models his policies and demeanor off of those of President George Bush of the United States.
An earlier War in Afghanistan strikes as Bin Laden is still a High School student in his formative years, rather than during his time at University, for one thing. This has limited his chances to get involved in "Jihad" at an earlier age, and allowed for his other interests to take more center stage in his life. I believe a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in '74 as opposed to '79 would have pretty massive butterflies across the Middle East, with this just being one in particular.
@President_Lincoln Sorry if you've already covered this and I missed it (as good as the TL is I haven't had time to read every chapter), but what are John Kerry and John McCain up to?
You know it be hilarious if instead of turning to Islamic extremism,Bin Landen just funds conservative political campagins perhaps even in the west (Muslims actually voted Republican alot back before 911)
With regards to Brenda Spencer, I agree, it was her horrible upbringing that led her to her actions (and she regretted her actions and the fact that they inspired other school shootings), which also does not excuse them (especially shooting kids; one kid had a bullet miss his heart by inches); ironically, if she had shot her abusive dad and stopped there, there'd be a lot more sympathy to her. RIP Burton Wragg and Mike Suchar (the latter was a World War II veteran) IOTL, and kudos to them for running into the line of fire to try and save lives (Wragg in order to save his students and Suchar in order to try and save Wragg)...
With regards to Dahmer, in an interview, he always said that he would get angry whenever his parents would be blamed because his upbringing had nothing to do with his actions; he appears to have been evil from the start, IIRC...
With regards to Dahmer, in an interview, he always said that he would get angry whenever his parents would be blamed because his upbringing had nothing to do with his actions; he appears to have been evil from the start, IIRC...
To be fair, before 9/11 conservative Christians and Muslims in America identified with each other to an extent (and that's all I'm saying lest we get into Chat territory)
And if you don't mind me asking again @President_Lincoln how is Oscar Romero doing? His life will likely be very different given America isn't supporting anti-communist authoritarian regimes to the extent of OTL.
And if you don't mind me asking again @President_Lincoln how is Oscar Romero doing? His life will likely be very different given America isn't supporting anti-communist authoritarian regimes to the extent of OTL.
It would be appropriate to have "1963 (Oh, What a Night)" as a chapter heading.
How have the butterflies affected Roger Delgado's life? I hope that about a decade of butterflies between the start of this timeline and his death would be enough to prevent him from dying in a car crash in Turkey.