Batman : The Dark Knight Blog

Archive for March, 2008

I thought I would split out the Harvey Dent related viral news to a new post, save everything from getting too congested as the news keeps coming. It seems that those signed up to participate in the campaign have started to receive their rewards in the post,

SHH User Anita18 received a Gotham City voter’s card in the post:

Others have received the latest issue of The Gotham Times. A lucky few have also had some interesting Harvey Dent promotion buttons, with one side melted or burnt away (alas Two Face) – sent via the Concerned Citizens For A Better Gotham (pictures thanks to Marvel152):

We’ve had some more viral news submitted to us in the past 24 hours, let’s see what else we have…

Joseph Candoloro

First up, emails that were sent to Mr Joseph Candoloro were met with this reply,

Your business is important to us. Mr. Candoloro sees the law as something that should work FOR people, not against them. We’re excited about talking to you about how we can help you, so please call our offices during regular business hours.

Continuing with this theme, from the record found at St Swithuns, Mr. Candoloro married one Angela Rossi, Bryan Gray has pointed out that entering “Al Rossi” or “Randolfo Rossi” into the record search leads us to Albert Rossi’s (a witness at the marriage) Baptism certificate. (Randolfo Rossi is the father of Albert Rossi).

Through some clever detective work the Rossi trend continues. Rossi’s Deli which was the original meeting place of the “Citizens for Batman“, DarkxXxPixie at unforums found the website, Rossi’s Delicatessen – www.rossisdelicatessen.com:

Gotham City Clerk

Pierre has also informed me of Gotham City Clerk website – www.gothamcityclerk.com, which bears some informational messages but most importantly a website for another DA candidate.

Please excuse the inconvenience, as we are currently rebuilding our website and file system after server damage due to the recent Orange Line destruction. We hope to be back online serving Gotham City very soon.

Forms and applications for the following services are still available at our N. 6th St. offices: Parking permits, business licenses, dog licenses, festival/block party/raffle/bazaar permits, nightclub licenses, oath of office forms, operator licenses, retail licenses, liquor licenses, street vendor licenses, medical registration forms, notice of claim forms, and garage sale permits.

The Gotham City Clerk announces approval for extensive absentee voter support in the upcoming municipal election. Once the system is in place, we will post details and procedures for both online and mail-in absentee balloting.

Trust Garcetti

That candidate is Roger Garcetti and his campaign website is – www.trustgarcetti.com. This comes with some new promotional buttons to promote Mr Garcetti, an email address to volunteer – “volunteers@trustgarcetti.com” and under the Who is Garcetti we find this – what are the chances that these lead to further sites?

The Gotham Fraternal Order of Police says, “Garcetti has the
experience, and partners with police to stop crime.”

The Gotham Police Union says “Roger Garcetti has the integrity,
the toughness, and the judgement to lead and win the war against crime.”

The Italian Heritage Society of Gotham says, “Roger Garcetti’s
dedication and loyalty make him the candidate to trust.”

3/30 BREAKING NEWS: ACTING DISTRICT ATTORNEY ROGER GARCETTI

ISSUES STATEMENT ON CHARGES AGAINST HARVEY DENT

“The charges made by some of Gotham’s finest police officers against Harvey Dent are extremely serious. These brave men in blue have stood up against Harvey Dent’s intimidations and the tsunami of positive press Harvey Dent has been reaping to tell their story. It is an astounding act of courage, and I commend them all for having the guts to tell the truth to the Gotham public. I salute each and every one of them.

These police officers are some of the finest we have. Many have received medals for bravery on duty. All of them place their lives at risk every day to protect you and me.

It was always obvious that Harvey Dent’s mad lust for power was corrupting his prosecutions. Now, we have proof. Affidavits and testimony by police officers that Harvey Dent threatened and bribed police officers to entice them to testify against their innocent brothers on the force.

It is time to end the sorry chapter that Harvey Dent has forced upon the Gotham people. I expect his resignation from his job and his withdrawal from the race, if he has any honor at all left.”

Acting District Attorney Roger Garcetti

Trust Garcetti 

We stand at a crossroads in Gotham. Ours is a city of great character, with unlimited potential and a creative, diverse, and hard-working families.

But Gotham faces a critical problem — growing crime. To take on the problem of crime, we need experienced leaders that target mobsters, thugs, and killers — not the people who are sworn to protect us. If I’m elected District Attorney, I’ll give the police the tools they need to fight crime — because that’s how we’re going to make our streets safe.

Every day I work hand in hand with the real heros of Gotham — our brave men in blue. Gotham cops are some of the finest men I’ve ever had the honor to know. Every day, they put their life on the line to protect this city. They risk their lives because they believe in justice, in law, in order.

And that’s why the Gotham Police Union has endorsed me, Roger Garcetti. They’ve come to know me very well in my time in Gotham. I’ve always supported the police in every way possible. And now, when they are under attack by a “runaway prosecutor,” they’ve turned to me once again. In their endorsement, they said, “Roger Garcetti has the integrity, the toughness, and the judgement to lead and win the war against crime. He is the best friend police have ever had, and we endorse him strongly.”

I am honored to have the support of Gotham police officers. They are the best people to answer the question, “Who will make our city safer?” And the answer is me, Roger Garcetti.

Vote for me, and I will protect all the people of Gotham.

Thank you.

In an interview with Bloomberg,  Hans Zimmer spoker about his work on The Dark Knight, alongside James Newton Howard,

Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer was struggling to find the right music to represent the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” the new Batman movie scheduled for release this summer.

Zimmer, who wrote the scores for “The Lion King,” “Gladiator” and more than 100 other films, had already composed a two-note signature for the fiendish character, played by the late Heath Ledger. But he wanted to expand that sound to symbolize the Joker’s penchant for anarchy.

“I’ve been sitting here all night trying to find out what else to do with those two notes,” Zimmer said during an interview last month at his Santa Monica, California, studio.

Zimmer, who collaborated on the score with James Newton Howard, said Ledger’s death from an accidental drug overdose in January wouldn’t change his musical approach to the Joker. The composer said the best tribute would be an accurate reflection of Ledger’s portrayal.

“The worst thing I can do is stray from that course and not be rigorous about his performance,” the tall, balding composer said in a German accent that reflects his native country.

Here’s the new Joker viral website we’ve been waiting for – now we await the fool’s day puzzles:

Clown Travel Agency – www.clowntravelagency.com

Thanks Agent ONeal

(this comes from the anagram we posted earlier)

IBelieveInHarveyDent.com has updated with an “urgent announcement” concerning slanderous remarks. Many election campaign participants have had a phone call alerting them to this.

3/30 Urgent Announcement

Harvey Dent rejects the slanderous charges made by a shadowy group of unknowns calling themselves “Concerned Citizens for a Better Gotham.”

Harvey Dent has always been truthful and upright in his prosecution of corrupt cops.

There is no truth to any of the charges put forth by the operatives behind this shameless group.

Don’t listen to the lies and innuendos of the people who want to keep Gotham the way it is!

If you want real change in Gotham, join our movement to take Gotham back

News:

• Meet Harvey Dent! Harvey Dent will be at a Townhall Meeting to answer all
your questions about how to take Gotham back! 3pm, April 1, Gotham
Community Center #12, Gainley

• Harvey Dent accepted the endorsement of the Gotham Firefighters Association
March 27. Thank you Gotham firefighters!

• The 100th new volunteer at Harvey Dent Headquarters this week will receive
a free dinner with Harvey Dent himself! So come on down!

This comes in response to the Concerned Citizens for a Better Gotham website, www.ccfabg.org. It is very much an anti Harvey Dent campaign, with petition (download) and video advert.

Ad text:

I know Harvey Dent.
I worked with Harvey Dent.
I did case after case with Harvey Dent.
Harvey Dent is no hero.
Harvey Dent has not been honest
about the Gotham Police Department
Harvey Dent lied to the court.
I know, I was there, I saw the whole thing.
Harvey Dent is lynching good cops
For headlines and poll numbers
He’s using money, threats, and blackmail
To get good men locked up.
Harvey Dent is framing good cops
for his own political purposes.
Harvey Dent betrayed those cops.
He betrayed his office.
He dishonored this city, he most certainly did.
Harvey Dent cannot be trusted.
Paid for by Concerned Citizens for a Better Gotham

Update from the Joker

The Joker phones that came in the cakes have been ringing again, this comes from one of the “clowns left in” Vlkers54 via Hollywood Chicago:

“Hey clown, ready to get to work? (I replied “yes”.) Ok, good. You are 1 of 17 clowns still left in the game (remember, there were 22 phones intially) I have a letter for you. Here is your secret letter..are you ready for it? Your secret letter is “L” as in “Laugh”. Can you remember that? Good. Now get to work and tell all of your goons. We’ll be in touch soon.”

The letters currently stand at:
W-E-Y-R-V-T-A-N-C-A-L-C-E-G – looks like it may include the word “Harvey Dent”

Initial heads up via Adam

Joseph Candoloro

I just noticed this name at the very bottom of the Concerned Citizens website,

“Joseph Candoloro, Esquire, is the founder of Concerned Citizens for a Better Gotham.”

Trying out the name yields this interesting website: www.josephcandoloro.com -people may want to try out that email address and telephone number:

Joseph Candoloro and his associates provide legal representation in family law cases in Gotham. Our services are highly individualized to address our clients’ particular situations.

Family law litigation is complicated by ties of blood and emotion, but we have developed an arsenal of techniques to cut through complications with surgical precision, an approach that while it seems ruthless, we feel causes the least long term damage. Our approach includes a personalized attorney-client relationship, based upon each client’s individual circumstances. We strive to be the voice of reason during a highly emotional time, and we work hard to settle matters without litigation whenever possible.

When litigation is unavoidable, we are formidable advocates for the clients of our firm.

Contact information:
Joseph Candoloro & Associates
101 East 11th Avenue
Gotham City

JCA@JosephCandoloro.com
1866 626 8049

He also turns up at St Swithuns record search:

With the new issues of The Gotham Times, comes a new Joker defacing, with the familiar black eyes and wide-eyed bloody red grin. “Now there’s a smile”.

The Ha Ha Times: www.thehahahatimes.com

Thanks Keith!

Well, the big news today is that we have our second issue of The Gotham Times (www.thegothamtimes.com) (thanks Austin), don’t worry – the first issue is archived.

This is another 4 page in-depth look at present day Gotham City.

Next up…

The Joker is back in town, he’s sending out this text:

Hey clown! Long time, no crime spree! Well, put on your floppy shoes and answer this question: are you ready to get to work? (ReplyY/N)

And a response to the reply (”Y”):

Glad to see you’re still alive and kicking. I’ll be in touch before Poisson d’Avril. (aka April 1st)

Thanks Adam

We also have a slew of new Viral websites for you to gaze upon:

Maiden Avenue Report

www.maidenavenuereport.com

Gotham Cable News

www.gothamcablenews.com, which comes with this press release

Dana Worthington

This is the site of our second Gotham City DA Candidate. Contacting Dana through contact@danaworthington.com yields,

Thank you for your interest in my campaign. We are a small and independent operation, and we can’t answer all emails personally, but your support is important to me.

Your email will be read. Your vote will count.
Who will represent you?
I will represent you.

Dana Worthington for District Attorney

www.danaworthington.com

Citizens For Batman

“Arrest Batman, but not yet” says the new issue of The Gotham Times. As expected, the city is split on opinion about our caped crusader. This is a website for the vigilante cause.

If you want to join them you can email them here: join@citizensforbatman.org, which leads to this response:

Dear Gotham Citizen,

Thanks for expressing your interest in joining Citizens for Batman. The easiest way you can join is by attending a meeting. Check the web site for meeting times. If you can’t attend, you can always lobby City Hall to support Batman and stop any talk of his being arrested.

Looking forward to seeing you,
Brian Douglass
Founder and President, Citizens for Batman

www.citizensforbatman.org

I Believe in Harvey Dent Revamped

The Harvey Dent site, amongst this plethora of new viral websites, has been updated with a new design. The site also sports website banners and some Harvey Dent wallpapers (in the 1024x variety).
www.ibelieveinharveydent.com

Let’s first start with the news that everyone can enjoy – some shots from the Halloween Costume Party (HCP) show in Las Vegas reveal the options we shall all have come October, thanks to SHH (and thanks to Juno and Pierre for sending this in). There are clown masks, bat-suits and purple Joker suits for you to fit into, if you’re that way inclined:

Continue reading to find out the spoiler

(more…)

SHH have had a short moment to talk with Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes in the Dark Knight) at ShoWest:

When asked about taking over from Katie Holmes,

“I think she’s a wonderful actress and I really admired the work that she did in the first Batman, but I don’t think it would have worked if I tried to imitate her. I think the only way to do it is to do it like myself,”

“They just (expect you to) suspend your disbelief, I’m Rachel Dawes now. I mean, how many Batmen have there been? Lots of them!”

Speaking about working on her first major blockbuster,

“I anticipated it was going to be much different than making a small movie, and in the end, it didn’t feel that way, and I think it was because I was working with really good actors like Gary Oldman and Michael Caine and Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger. It felt like making any other movie, and I think Chris Nolan has a lot to do with that, and also because he really likes and respects actors, so it felt like doing good scenes in any movie.”

And getting involved in the action…

“They took really good care of me. I thought I might get bruised up but in fact, I didn’t. They really knew what they were doing. I was scared to do some of the action stuff I had to do, and I did it once, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is a blast!’”

Thanks Austin!

The Associated Press have put together a short video interview with Chris Nolan and Christian Bale from the recent ShoWest. Bale and Nolan talk about Heath Ledger’s performance, Bale describes it as “defining” whilst re-iterating the seriousness of the movie. In other news – the clip is terribly cut together amongst the Dark Knight Trailer:

DVDActive have posted up the first shots of the soon to be Gotham Knight DVD and Blu-Ray cover.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) — This time out, there’s no vat of chemicals to explain how Batman’s greatest enemy came to be the twisted sociopath known as the Joker.

Director Christopher Nolan said there will be no changes to the film or marketing of “The Dark Knight.”

Heath Ledger’s Joker springs full-blown in this summer’s “The Dark Knight,” the sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins” that was previewed for theater owners Thursday with a clip showing the new movie’s opening sequence.

Unlike 1989’s “Batman,” in which the deranged, disfigured clown appearance of Jack Nicholson’s Joker resulted from a dip in chemical goo, “The Dark Knight” starts right in with the bad guy in all his psychopathic glory.

“I believe whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you stranger,” Ledger’s depraved Joker cryptically tells an accomplice in the opening scenes, in which he pulls off a daring bank robbery.

In an interview at ShoWest, a theater-owners convention where distributor Warner Bros. showed off footage of “The Dark Knight” and the rest of its summer lineup, director Christopher Nolan said it was almost inevitable that the sequel would pit Christian Bale’s Batman against the Joker.

“The psychopathic clown, that’s an icon to stand with the guy with the ears and cape,” Nolan said. “It’s just a wonderful visual relationship, and it’s a terrifying image.”

Long before Ledger’s death of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January, the marketing of the movie had focused on the villain’s rise to power and his creepy appearance.

There had been speculation among critics and fans that the studio and filmmakers might take a different approach to selling the film in light of Ledger’s death, but the marketing has gone on as originally planned.

“I think he’d be very pleased to see we’re just moving ahead as is,” Nolan said. “If you try to honor somebody, you honor them by respecting their work and putting it out there for as many people to see. He was immensely proud of the work he did on the film. I feel a great burden to present that in an undistorted form.”

“The Dark Knight” is due in theaters July 18.

The last time producer Charles Roven saw Ledger was when he showed the actor the very footage that was screened at ShoWest.

Fans have been buzzing over the anarchic style Ledger brings to the role in the movie’s trailer, but the actor himself was utterly taken by what he saw of himself on screen, Roven said.

“He was just blown away by his own performance,” Roven said. “He said, `Can I see it again?’ So he was really, really thrilled.”

Bale — reprising his role as the wealthy Bruce Wayne, who moonlights as the emotionally tormented crimefighter — said he watched the footage Thursday with a heaviness of heart over Ledger. But Bale said he hopes the movie will serve as a testament.

“I hope that this can be seen as a celebration of his work,” Bale said. “He did a phenomenal job. It was a real joy working with the man. It was a joy knowing him, as well. I liked him a great deal, and I liked also how seriously he took his work.”

The Harvey Dent viral campaign is really cranking up now, the first two external viral sites have been uncovered – both relate to the election process in Gotham City:

Gotham Election Board: www.gothamelectionboard.com

The Gotham Election Board will be implementing online voter
registration later this year. Watch this site for details.

Gotham City Clerk: www.gothamcityclerk.com

Please excuse the inconvenience, as we are currently rebuilding our website and file system after server damage due to the recent Orange Line destruction. We hope to be back online serving Gotham City very soon.

•   Forms and applications for the following services are still available at our N. 6th St. offices: Parking permits, business licenses, dog licenses, festival/block party/raffle/bazaar permits, nightclub licenses, oath of office forms, operator licenses, retail licenses, liquor licenses, street vendor licenses, medical registration forms, notice of claim forms, and garage sale permits.

•   The Gotham City Clerk announces approval for extensive absentee voter support in the upcoming municipal election. Once the system is in place, we will post details and procedures for both online and mail-in absentee balloting.