The downer is Mark Schreiner?s piece in today?s Wilmington Star-News chronicling the successful push for millions of dollars in new film-industry incentives imbedded in the just-approved House budget. Among the depressing elements of the story:

? Democratic Sen. Julia Boseman explaining that she ?gave my commitment? to NBC she would fight for the subsidies. Part of the problem here is that politicians really dig proximity to entertainment figures.

? Republican Sen. Phil Berger, the minority leader, saying, ?I don?t have a problem supporting business incentives? but that this one might be a bit too expensive.

? Democrats rebuffing a Republican attempt to cap the annual impact of the film-industry incentives at $15 million. It could really reach that level?

I gotta go see the new Batman flick ? reality is too depressing. It might not lift my spirits much, however, as I might get to wondering how much Chicago paid the studio to film that one on location there.