Greetings loyal airmen.  I've got lots of fun things to talk about this week here at the old Hangar 27.  But before I get into those subjects, a quick notice.  There will be no log entry next Friday, the 30th, as we will be on vacation in sunny Florida all week.  Just surf, sun and sand.  Oh yeah, and maybe a Red Sox Spring Training game while we are at it.  Ha.  Looks to be a fun, get-away for us.

Now most of you know during my 35 plus years writing comics, my most popular work was the Green Hornet series I wrote for the late Now Comics out of Chicago.  The above is one of the covers to the many books I wrote for them, art by the amazing Jeff Butler.  Well, yesterday all the newspapers across the country were carrying the press release that Sony Pictures, through Columbia, had just acquired the rights to do a big-budget Green Hornet movie.  It's obvious Columbia, which struck gold with their SPIDERMAN franchise, is hoping to do the same thing with the Hornet.

For the past few years those rights were owned by Disney-Miramax and at one time, popular writer/director, Kevin Smith actually wrote a Green Hornet script for his boss, Harvey Weinstein.  Now knowing Smith is an avowed comic fanatic, all of us were truly anxious to see what kind of movie this would be.  Alas, after writing it, Smith realized he was not cut out to be a big-action-movie director.  As is clear by those small films he's earned his success on, CLERKS and CHASING AMY, Smith likes small, intimate stories.  Ergo he pulled out of the project and the script went on the shelves to collect dust.   And now that Miramax has lost the license, none of us will ever see that story.  My only disappointment in all this.  As for the Sony-Columbia deal, my response to all my colleague's enthusiam has been, don't start applauding yet.  Getting a license and making the actual movie are two different things.  No director or cast has been chosen.  No script has been approved. And much more importantly, no money has been raised to make the darn thing.  Hollywood is really Hype City and they love nothing better than announced all kinds of things.  The sad truth is very few of these ever get made.  We'll keep you posted.

All of you who visit here know I am an avid Red Sox fan.  Well yesterday the club finally announced their closer for the coming season will be…Jonathan Papelbon!!  Yup, the very same, hard hurling right handed wizard, who wowed all of baseball with his performance in this role last season.   But one has to believe it was an issue of math.  Because with Papelbon coming out of the starters ranks, that meant the Sox had to fill in that open position and they have elected the less-than-stellar Julian Tavarez to be their #5 starter.  News I wasn't all that thrilled aboutt.  But here's the bottom line.  The Sox must be thinking the number of games Papelbon can win for them is far above the number of games Tavarez is going to lose.  See what I mean about it being a math thing.  Ah, you gotta love baseball.

And if you do, let me recommend a truly wonderful animated movie that was released on DVD this week.

EVERYBODY'S HERO is the story of a young Yankees fan in the Depression circa 1930s, who must make his way from New York to Chicago to bring Babe Ruth his favorite bat for the World Series against the Cubs.  The bat was stolen by a rival who wants the Yanks to lose.  This movie is beautiful and the story of never-ever giving up even when the odds are stacked against you, is for everyone, young and old.  Major thumbs up on this one.

And that loyal airmen, is it for another week.  See you back here in two weeks.  Enjoy the Spring.
Ron – over and out.