Christian Bale

Four days after a profanity-ridden audiotape of Christian Bale ranting at the director of photography on the set of "Terminator Salvation" hit the Internet -- launching a veritable tsunami of fan reaction, Web creativity (including a dance remix) and comedic skits on late-night talk shows -- the actor has finally done what many professional public-relations types have advocated all along: He owned up to his mistake and apologized for his bad behavior.

What do you call the loss of productivity caused by too much time spent on Facebook? "Social notworking." A steeply devalued retirement account? "201(k)." A painfully obsolete cellphone? "Brickberry." These linguistic dispatches from the land of cooler-than-you come courtesy of wit-mongers Cramer-Krasselt, a Chicago-headquartered full-service agency with a tidy billion dollars in annual billables.

LONDON -- Did Batman attack his family? Christian Bale was arrested and released Tuesday and then denied allegations made by his mother and sister that he had assaulted them Sunday night. The arrest reportedly was delayed until after Monday night's glittering European premiere of the actor's latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight." The British press reported that Bale was accused of lashing out at his mother and sister Sunday in his suite at the downtown Dorchester hotel.

"Batman" star Christian Bale will not face charges relating to an alleged assault last month on his mother and sister, London prosecutors said Thursday, suggesting their decision was based in part on the family members' wishes. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence to afford a "realistic prospect of conviction" and ordered police not to take any further action. Bale, 34, who denies the allegation, said through his spokeswoman, Jennifer Allen, that he was relieved the issue had been settled.

Christian Bale was the man in the cape in the biggest film of 2008, "The Dark Knight," but next year he steps into a new mega-franchise as John Connor, the man who fights Skynet and its legions of machines in "The Terminator" films. Director McG ("We Are Marshall") is taking over for the fourth film in the series -- "Terminator Salvation" -- and the first that doesn't star a certain California politician. The film is set in 2018.

In the opening sequence of the remake of the 1957 Western "3:10 to Yuma," which opens Friday, Christian Bale limps toward a burning barn with the desperation of a man who has nothing left to lose. While the flames dance behind his shaggy head and sun-scarred face, it's difficult to find any part of the real-life Bale, even around the edges of Dan Evans, the character he plays.

Your snarky dismissal of "3:10 to Yuma" ["Overrated," Dec. 6] is a sad reminder of the steady decline of the L.A. Times into the trendy world of short-attention-span opinionators. Russell Crowe, Christian Bale and the excellent supporting cast brought depth, humor and tension generally not seen in films of any genre these days. Sometimes the director of a film has a hand in bringing out fine performances.

MUCH fun could be made of "The Prestige" as a sort of superhero showdown, cape versus claws, Batman versus Wolverine ... but that would be beneath us. Although "The Prestige" does star Christian Bale ("Batman Begins") and Hugh Jackman ("X-Men"), neither will be found in tights or spikes in this film about rival magicians set in London of the early 1900s. The movie does, however, reunite the 32-year-old Bale with his "Batman" director, Christopher Nolan ("Memento").

CHRISTIAN BALE'S not an entourage guy. When a makeup artist raises the first cotton ball with its load of flesh tone to prep him for a later, taped interview, he begs off, capitalizing on a counter offer he'd gotten to grab a couple of pints in the bar. "A couple beers," he says, downsizing the stylist as graciously as possible, "will bring out my natural Celtic flush."