Michael Uslan, Originator and Executive Producer of the Batman film franchise, joined industry giants Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and Charles Schultz when he received Comic-Con International’s highest honor: the Inkpot Award.

The award recognizes lifetime achievement in the comic book and film arts industries. It came as a surprise, says Uslan, who was presented it during the recent San Diego Comic-Con International, the largest such event in the world.

“I am beyond thrilled!” he says. “I did not know that I was to be awarded with The Inkpot, and to be included with so many of the industry’s heroes is truly humbling. I particularly want to congratulate my fellow 2012 winners!”

In a manner of speaking, Uslan grew up in the Gotham Universe and, since childhood, his dream was to have the world see his favorite superhero as he saw him. Despite many obstacles, Uslan held fast to his dreams as he methodically worked toward his goal, including teaching the first accredited college course on comic book folklore in 1972 and earning his law degree four years later.

His journey is documented in his new memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman (www.theboywholovedbatman.com).

“I was just a kid from the suburbs who loved comic books, but I had a dream and I wasn’t going to stop till I made it come true,” he says.

Now busy leading the charge on what may be the most critically-acclaimed comic-book movie to date, The Dark Knight Rises, Uslan was featured this week on The CW Television Network special “The Batmobile.”

The Dark Knight Rises, the third movie in the Batman trilogy, opens July 20.

About Michael Uslan

Michael Uslan (www.theuslancompany.com) is the Originator, and Executive Producer, along with his partner Benjamin Melniker, of the Batman franchise of motion pictures. In his 36 years in the film and television industry, he has been involved with projects such as “National Treasure,” “Constantine,” and countless animated films. His work has earned Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards. An authority on comic book history, he is the author of several books including his autobiography, “The Boy Who Loved Batman,’’ now in bookstores and at amazon.com.

Here is information about Senator Grassley’s schedule this week.  The Senate is in session.

Senator Grassley will meet with Iowans from the Conservation Districts of Iowa, Cedar Valley Hospice, Christians United for Israel, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the National Downs Syndrome Congress, and  the National Association of Elementary and Secondary Principals.

He also will meet with Iowa students from Waverly, Spirit Lake, and Carroll.

Senator Grassley will meet with Iowa families visiting Washington from Ankeny, Treynor, Pella, Nevada, Cedar Rapids, Oskaloosa, Knoxville, Pella, Randalia, Auburn, Waukon, Goose Lake, Altoona, Waterloo, and West Des Moines.

Senator Grassley will be a guest this week on public affairs programs hosted by Mike Savage on KBUR Radio in Burlington, Jim Fischer on WOC Radio in Davenport, and Fred Hoffman of KCPS Radio in Burlington.

On Tuesday, July 17, at 10 a.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in an Agriculture Committee oversight hearing regarding the Dodd-Frank financial reform enacted two years ago.  Gary Gensler, the Chairman of the Commodities Future Trading Commission is scheduled to testify.  Senator Grassley will question the Chairman about the CFTC’s oversight of Peregrine Financial in Cedar Falls, which has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, with $215 million in customer funds missing.  The CFTC is responsible for regulating commodity markets, and the Agriculture Committee has legislative and oversight responsibility for the CFTC.

On Wednesday, July 18, at 10 a.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in a Judiciary Committee hearing on Improving Forensic Science in the Criminal Justice System.  Senator Grassley is Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee.  In 1997, Senator Grassley took on the cause of Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, a whistleblower who exposed problems with the FBI crime lab, which had lost accreditation due to its shortcomings in forensic science and led to landmark reform recommendations from the Inspector General for the Department of Justice.  Today, Senator Grassley is questioning the FBI and the Justice Department to obtain more information about what has led to the present-day largest post-conviction review ever done by the FBI due to flawed forensic work in federal and local cases nationwide.

On Wednesday, July 18, at 10 a.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in a mark-up by the Finance Committee of international trade legislation, including the Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion (ENFORCE) Act; Citrus, Cotton and Wool Trust Funds; amendments to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), technical corrections to the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) ; Burma Sanctions; and Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Russia and Moldova.

On Wednesday, July 18, at 2:30 p.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in a hearing of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control about Responding to the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic.  Senator Grassley is co-chair of the drug caucus.  According to a recent survey by Monitoring the Future, a University of Michigan study of U.S. students and young adults funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, prescription drugs are the second-most abused category of drugs after marijuana.

On Thursday, July 19, at 10 a.m. (ET), in Dirksen 226, Senator Grassley will participate in the Judiciary Committee’s weekly executive business meeting.  The nomination of Frank Paul Geraci Jr. to be United States District Judge for the Western District of New York, Fernando M. Olguin to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, Malachy Edward Mannion to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Matthew W. Brann to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Charles R. Breyer to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission may be considered.  In addition, S.285, a bill for the relief of Sopuruchi Chukwueke, and S.3276, the Federal Aviation Administration Sunsets Extension Act of 2012 may be considered by committee members.

(DES MOINES) – Iowa is the victor in CNBC’s “Top States Twitter Battle,” garnering more than 35% of the vote using #TopStatesIA.

Tweets using the #TopStatesIA were sent from a broad spectrum of businesses, individuals, news organizations, public officials, associations, schools, and other interested parties. The #TopStatesIA Twitter stream was displayed multiple times this week on CNBC as part of their coverage.

“This week was a great exercise in Iowans coming together for a common cause and is a really positive way to showcase Iowa,” said Gov. Branstad. “We saw thousands of Tweets from all across the state promoting Iowa, and it’s clear that Iowans are proud of their state. The lieutenant governor and I are happy that we won this Twitter battle, and the credit goes to all Iowans who took part.”

CNBC made the announcement immediately following today’s closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition to engaging on Twitter, CNBC offered each governor the opportunity to record an “elevator pitch” video and submit it as part of the campaign.

As of the stock market’s closing bell today, Gov. Branstad’s video was the most-viewed of any video submitted in the contest.

Produced in the Iowa governor’s office, the brief video explains why Iowa is a top state for business. The video is found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnmfO92glyo&feature=relmfu

The Twitter battle and video were a part of the CNBC “Top States for Doing Business” annual rankings show. This high-profile, yearly ranking of all 50 states on 43 measures of competitiveness was developed with input from business groups including the National Association of Manufacturers and the Council on Competitiveness.

# # #