Each week, Benzinga Buzz compiles the latest entertainment news into a cohesive column for your consideration. Read on for the latest updates — both useful and irreverent.
This weekend, a voice from my childhood went silent.
Arleen Sorkin, the first actor to portray iconic DC villain Harley Quinn, passed away at 67 years old.
How often I sat, as a kid, transfixed by the opening theme of “Batman: The Animated Series.” And when it was an episode featuring Sorkin, you knew it was going to be special.
What a joy, and rarity, it was to hear the cadence of an authentic Brooklyn accent in a superhero cartoon. Indeed, it was similar to many of the voices I had heard growing up among family members.
Not only did Sorkin clock in the most air-time as Harley, but she was also the inspiration for the character in the first place. Her college pal, Paul Dini, was a co-creator of the Batman show. He based the character of “Harleen Quinzel” on Sorkin, who played a jester in a dream sequence on the daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives.”
Sorkin would go on to voice Harley over the course of about three decades — episodic television, feature-length movies and video games.
To those who are only familiar with Margot Robbie‘s portrayal in live-action films, check out the episode “Mad Love” on Max, the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer. Harley Quinn does something her maniacal boss/love interest, the Joker (Mark Hamill), never could — defeat The Dark Knight. You go in thinking it’s just another Saturday morning cartoon. But Sorkin and Dini managed to tell a horrific, powerful, and yet thought-provoking story about a toxic relationship in just 22 minutes.
Here, Hamill laments the loss of his late acting partner:
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- Hello, Hello, Hello. NYSNC, the boy band behind “Bye Bye Bye” is making a comeback. In the spirit of this news, here’s a music video from a band that’s far superior:
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Image: Pixabay
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