Atticus Finch trial "State of Alabama vs. Charles White, Alias," and Atticus Finch's defense of Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird". In a letter to the author, Harper Lee herself noted the "obvious parallels" between the cases (Lee was 12 at the time of the Charles White trial) and between Atticus Finch and Foster Beck, though she also stated that she could not recall the trial, and that "To Kill a Mockingbird" was a work of fiction. Former President Barack Obama referenced Atticus Finch as an ideal American character. In addition Atticus was mentioned during one of Obama's speeches. In July
Batman (1989 film) motion film industry, including the increasing importance of opening weekend box office receipts; the narrowing window between a film's debut and its video release that caused the demise of second-run movie theaters; the accelerated acquisition of pre-existing, pre-sold properties for film adaptations that can be readily leveraged for merchandizing tie-ins; the primacy of the MPAA PG-13 as the target rating for film producers; and more off-beat, non-traditional casting opportunities for genre films. The American Film Institute anointed Batman the 46th greatest movie hero and the Joker the 45th greatest movie villain on "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains". "Batman" has