Fans of DC Comics have suffered a confounding year of new movie announcements, director defections, and production pitfalls. The Batman seems to be the most frustrating and confusing of all.

Ben Affleck stepped down as director, which left Warner Bros. in the unenviable position of quickly and (not so) quietly searching for a replacement. Matt Reeves agreed to step up, but rumor has it that Reeves has yet to fulfill his obligations on War for the Planet of the Apes. To make things even more complicated, Reeves wants to rework the script to include as many Bat villains as possible, including the Penguin, Scarecrow, Deathstroke, and my personal favorite the Joker. Rumor has it that every bad guy you ever wanted to see in a movie will be there to challenge the Dynamic Duo.

Luckily I have my favorite Batman of all to keep me company while I wait: episodes of the original television series. I love the campy humor, the silly costumes, and the edge-of-your-seat cliffhangers. "Will Batman survive? Can the Boy Wonder save him in time? Will Gotham fall into the hands of the nefarious villain?" To find out you'd have to "Tune in next week, same bat time, same bat channel!"

If they ever find a way to make the film, I'll be there on opening night along with Bat-fans everywhere. Meanwhile, we're all left in the dark - except for Internet rumor mills and tidbits of teasers released Warner Bros. To quote Robin: "Holy Hollywood!" This is the biggest Batman cliff-hanger of all.

On this day in 1962, Marilyn Monroe sang her famous birthday tribute to John F. Kennedy Jr. It was the beginning of what would later be called Monroe's "summer of hell", which would end with her untimely and suspicious death on August 5.

I was a kid when it happened. I didn't fully understand the significance of the "birthday song moment". I couldn't fathom the weight of Marilyn's death just a few months later, or the tragic assassination of JFK himself the following year. As I got older, I finally came to understand only one thing about that time in history: in politics - as in Hollywood - things are seldom as they seem.

For example, it wasn't even the president's birthday. The event was a "super fundraiser" for the democratic party. JFK's early birthday celebration was just part of the staging. No one seems to know (or want to tell) whose idea it was to have the blonde bombshell delivery the breathy birthday tribute. Just as no one seems to know where Marilyn was when Peter Lawford tried unsuccessfully to bring her to the stage with not one, but three introductions. His final introduction, "Mr. President, the late Marilyn Monroe", drew laughs from the crowd, but in hindsight seemed an eerie harbinger of what was to come. (Or perhaps, as many now believe, a slip of the tongue on Lawford's part.)

There remain untold stories about John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, both separately and together. Still lingering in the public imagination is the unsettled sense of unsolved mystery - of something gone horribly wrong just offstage where we can't quite glimpse it.

My mom used to say "secrets always come to the light", but I'm not so sure. For five decades, authors and historians have tried to dust off the facts, presenting theories, explanations, and wild conjecture. It's nice to believe that someday we'll know the whole truth, but here's another thing I learned as I got older: some secrets do come to the light, some secrets are partially revealed, and some secrets never see the light of day.

The house from A Christmas Story just opened for overnight rentals. Ralphie's house has been up for rent before, but the occupants were chosen by contest. Which meant only one winning family per year got a chance to stay in the iconic movie home.

All that changed this year when the house opened for rentals beginning June 1^st. According to the official Christmas Story House website, "overnight guests have use of A Christmas Story House’s private third floor loft for the entirety of their stay and use of the whole house from an hour after closing until 9 am the following day."

The house stays open for visitors during business hours, but after that, it's all yours. You can sleep in Ralphie and Randy's twin beds. Read a book by the light of the famed Leg Lamp. And of course watch A Christmas Story on DVD, which is thoughtfully provided along with cable TV and other amenities.

Rates are less expensive in the summer ($395 - $495 per night), but if you want to spend Christmas there, it will cost you. The rate on December 24 and 25 jumps to $1995 per night.

Ralphie and his family gave our family some of our best Christmas memories over the years. I think it would be a great holiday vacation - if you've got that kind of money.  Reservations opened in May and it's already booked for this holiday season. Which means there's plenty of time to save up for next year!

Barbecues and cookouts are a favorite American summer pastime. What's the difference between a barbecue and cookout? Ask any die-hard outdoor chef and they'll tell you that you can't call it a barbecue unless you're barbecuing, which means cooking over low heat for a long period of time. If you're grilling, or cooking over high heat for a shorter period of time, your outdoor gathering is a cookout, not a barbecue.

The most dedicated grillers and barbecuers will argue the virtues of cooking over wood chips vs. charcoal vs. natural or propane gas. And don't even start a conversation about electric grills with the true fanatics.

We didn't fuss over the labels when I was a kid. Sometimes my dad would fire up the charcoal grill and make slow cooked ribs. Other times he'd use a gas grill for the speed and efficiency of getting hotdogs and hamburgers into a horde of tired, sunburned kids. Either way, we loved it.

As long as the company is good, the food is edible, and the drinks are ice cold, I'll be happy no matter what you call it. As long as you don't forget to invite me!