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Jeff Smolek, the martial-arts stuntman from "Batman Forever," helped direct and choreograph fight scenes in the local short film, "Batman Darkness." But that didn't stop Batman from blowing a knee...

ABC23 article and mini-documentary - Nick, ABC23

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A sign of the times? Maybe.

I was driving past the broken seal in downtown Bakersfield on Sunday and saw a police technician vehicle. (My kid actually spotted that the seal on the child services/forensics building had snapped in two).

The technician was outside sweeping up the mess. "Don't put me in the photo," she asked. So I obliged. She said it was too bad I didn't show up sooner, because she said a big chunk of the seal that fell was really heavy to move.

Read the full article and view a slideshow of the mess.

 - Nick, ABC23

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I guess life just wouldn't be the same unless I chimed in on the shock jock vs. the realty entrepeneur video making waves. You can read what I have to say in the ABC23 Nick 2.0 article, "Digital Media Pop Culture Gossip: Shock Jock Vs. The Entrepreneur."

Excerpt:

We’ve all heard of how videos can spread like wildfire through the Web. Something or other catches the attention of the masses for goodness knows why. Like the Star Wars kid, or the kid who is knocked off a log by his brother. Both were put on YouTube where they received millions of views becoming instant digital media pop culture.

It’s the way of the Web. It can be infectious, toxic, and talked about to no end. Clicking begats clicking all through the power of gossip and a few moments of compelling video.

In Bakersfield, I don’t think we’ve really seen such viral spreading of videos happen all too often. Even Tom Sizemore sitting in a Bakersfield jail cell didn’t really grab my fancy. Yet the recent attempted KRAB interrogation of David Crisp from the now tarnished Crisp & Cole has created quite the online stir. In my opinion it qualifies as an exceptional piece of digital media pop culture gossip.

It’s the stuff Geraldo TV shows and shock jock reporting are made of, and just as compelling as a door slammed in the face of a reporter. Only here we get nearly ten minutes of action—and every second worth watching...

Read the full article