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.

(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.

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MOLINE, ILLINOIS - WQPT is delighted to announce that Kristy Anne Phillipson has been awarded the 2012 WQPT Broadcast Scholarship.  "Every year it is our pleasure to present this award to a student pursuing a career in broadcasting.  Ms. Phillipson  is not only studying broadcasting but has been involved as an intern at a commercial broadcaster and involved in Westerns on air programming" said WQPT General Manager, Rick Best.

Ms Phillipson has been an intern at KWQC, a reporter for Black Hawk Colleges' student newspaper, a reporter for university television programming at Western Illinois University and a reporter for the Courier Reporter.

Upon hearing about the award Ms. Phillipson said "As a senior in the broadcasting department at Western Illinois University in Macomb. I am honored and deeply grateful that I was chosen for this scholarship. It will help me pay for my final year at Western.  It will definitely take some of the stress off. Thanks so much for choosing me as the recipient of the WQPT Broadcast scholarship.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University located in Moline, Illinois.

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The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, has appointed Robert Dizard Jr. as the Deputy Librarian of Congress.  Dizard currently serves as the Library's Chief of Staff. His appointment is effective June 17.

In announcing his appointment, Billington said, "Mr. Dizard has shown over the past two years as Chief of Staff that he has the broad knowledge of the Library and the skill needed to bring Library managers and staff together to collaboratively meet mission-critical needs. We will need to expand and accelerate these collaborative efforts in the future."

The Deputy Librarian has Library-wide program and management authority to ensure that the Library's mission is met and that its services to the Congress and the American people are effectively provided.

Dizard has served the Library of Congress for 22 years. Prior to becoming Chief of Staff, he served as Deputy Associate Librarian for Library Services from May 2004 to May 2009. From May 2000 to May 2004 he served as Staff Director and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Copyright Office. In both positions he was directly responsible for a wide range of program and operational matters involving two of the largest Library service units. He has also served in the Congressional Relations Office, including a year as Acting Director.

Dizard graduated from the State University of New York at Albany with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science and received a Master's Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University. Prior to joining the Library, he served for eight years as Chief of Staff to his hometown congressman, Guy V. Molinari of New York.

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