Yuri Gagarin becomes first man in space - archive footage

April 12 marks 50 years since cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to enter space. Pictures from AP



Fifty years ago this Tuesday, an air force pilot named Yuri Gagarin became the first human being in space - taking the Soviet Union's own giant leap for mankind and spurring a humiliated America to race for the moon.

The flight was limited to a single orbit due to concerns over how a human would cope with space travel, but despite the risks, competition for the mission was strong among the 20 young pilots on the short list.

Just three days before blastoff from what would later be known as the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Gagarin was told that he was chosen for the mission.

In a letter to his wife, Valentina, he asked her to raise their daughters "not as little princesses, but as real people," and to feel free to remarry if his mission proved fatal.

Gagarin's rocket lifted off as scheduled on 12 April 1961, at 9:07am Moscow time (6:07 GMT).

The flight was fraught with drama. At one point the control room lost data transmission and problems involving the antennae put the shuttle into a much higher and riskier orbit than planned.

On re-entry, a glitch caused the ship to rotate swiftly and the landing capsule was slow to detatch from the service module.

But Gagarin bailed out as planned, and parachuted onto a field near the Volga River about 450 miles southeast of Moscow

The 27-year-old cosmonaut's mission lasted just 108 minutes in total and made him a national hero.

On 14 April Gagarin was flown to Moscow, where he was greeted by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and driven into town on a highway lined with cheering Russians.

It was not until John Glenn's flight on 20 February 1962, that an American managed to emulate Gagarin's earth-obiting feat.

BATMAN XXX: A PORN PARODY

Do you like Batman? Do you like porn? Well golly gee whiz Batman, have we got the movie trailer for you!

**Slightly NSFW Alert**

After successes with This Ain't Happy Days XXX and This Ain't Beverly Hills 90210 XXX, porn director Axel Braun has turned his attention to DC Comics' caped crusader. Batman XXX: A Porn Parody is his most recent film, with accompanying trailer here, set to light the world of lonely costumed men on fire.
Batman XXX reportedly spared no expense in spoofing the 1960s Batman television show starring Adam West and Burt Ward, which was likely a mistake since most people are only going to download it for free anyway. It features Batman and Robin getting their bone on, along with Batgirl, the Ridder, Catwoman, and the Joker. Being the nerd that I am, I caught a phaser from Star Trek in there, which I'm planning to write a nasty letter about. And who knew Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson played four-level chess while not being fluffed?

If it weren't for the guy with the junk at the beginning of the trailer, I almost wouldn't have a clue that this was the trailer for a porn movie. That and the fact that, I'm no director, but it seems cut together awfully. Maybe these are the only available scenes where someone isn't inserting a phallus into an orifice or sphincter. I will say, the part with the man staring at the red phone really has me wondering if it ever rings or not. I hope so, and then I hope someone gets f****d.

The Batmobile sections are pretty damn faithful, as are the costume designs (reportedly worked on by designers from the original show), so I'm nearly flabbergasted that someone can get away with a parody this close to the original material. It's surprising that DC hasn't raised a stink at all, though it probably would have by now if it had any right. The masters of porn seem to know pretty well what they can get away with, and Batman XXX appears to be the ultimate example of that. Look for its DVD release on May 24, if you're over 18, or have a fake ID or use the internet.

Via: Bleeding Cool

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TV Catwoman Costume

BAT-BLOG BATMAN TOYS and COLLECTIBLES

Louie Louie - The Kingsmen

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go

Fine little girl waits for me
Catch a ship across the sea
Sail that ship about, all alone
Never know if I make it home

CHORUS

Three nights and days I sail the sea
Think of girl, constantly
On that ship, I dream she's there
I smell the rose in her hair.

CHORUS

Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now!

GUITAR SOLO

See Jamaica, the moon above
It won't be long, me see me love
Take her in my arms again
Tell her I'll never leave again

CHORUS

Let's take it on outa here now
Let's go!!

The Girl From Ipanema - Stan Getz

Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah

When she walks, she's like a samba
That swings so cool and sways so gentle
That when she passes, each one she passes goes - ooh

(Ooh) But I watch her so sadly
How can I tell her I love her
Yes I would give my heart gladly
But each day, when she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at me

Tall, (and) tan, (and) young, (and) lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, I smile - but she doesn't see (doesn't see)
(She just doesn't see, she never sees me...)

Monster Mash - By Bobby 'Boris' Pickett & the Cryptkickers

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise


He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash


From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes


They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash


The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man
Dracula and his son


The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"


They played the mash
They played the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They played the mash
It caught on in a flash
They played the mash
They played the monster mash


Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?"


It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash
The monster mash
And it's a graveyard smash
It's now the mash
It's caught on in a flash
It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash


Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band
And my monster mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you


Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash
The monster mash
And do my graveyard smash
Then you can mash
You'll catch on in a flash
Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash