Romney and Bain vs. Batman and Bane

Mitt Romney may be asking for another apology. From Batman.

In what may be the most nonsensical of ginned-up political controversies — and the competition is fierce — the Washington Examiner fanned the flames of silliness (and kicked off a subtly brilliant viral ad campaign for "The Dark Knight Rises") with this quote from Democratic adviser Christopher Lehane: "It has been observed that movies can reflect the national mood. Whether it is spelled Bain and being put out by the Obama campaign or Bane and being [put] out by Hollywood, the narratives are similar: a highly intelligent villain with offshore interests and a past both are seeking to cover up who had a powerful father and is set on pillaging society."

In case you haven't guessed, Bane is the movie's bad guy.

Unable to let an irrelevant coincidence pass him by, Rush Limbaugh revved up the "controversy" (and got a few shots in at Liberal Hollywood) by going on about this on his radio show: "Do you think that it is accidental," he said, "that the name of the really vicious, fire-breathing, four-eyed, whatever-it-is villain in this movie is named Bane?"

Uh, yeah.

Total accident.

The character Bane was created in 1993 by Batman comic-book writer Chuck Dixon, and the script for "The Dark Knight Rises" was written well before anyone had a clue Romney was going to be the Republican nominee.

Dixon, whose interview with Daily News comic-book writer Jerome Maida will run in this Friday's People Paper, has been hard on both sides for trying to make political hay out of the character.

"Movie people are in the process of making money," he told Maida, "not alienating 50 percent of their potential audience with some goofy, ridiculous political point"

Right on, Chuck. But stupidity has become the bane of politics.

According to hiphopdx.com, Meek Mill apologized to anyone he offended with his new song "Amen," and local pastor Jomo K. Johnson called off his boycott of the rapper.

"People find all types of stuff offensive," Meek said on BET's "106 and Park." "I don't think no preacher or no church approves of any type of rap music — because rap music, period, is a lot of bad stuff said. But at the end of the day, it's real life. And me, I wasn't trying to disrespect no religion or anything like that. My whole family is Christian. I have a half-Christian, half-Muslim family; the situation, the song, that's what energy it felt, and if anybody feel disrespected, I ain't do it in that way. … I did it just because it was a good feeling — that's the feeling it gave me, so I said, 'Amen, church.' I didn't do it with bad intentions at the end of the day."

As if things aren't trying enough over at NBC's "Today" show, ABC's "Good Morning America" will host Kevin Richardson's reunion performance with the Backstreet Boys.

They'll appear on the morning show's summer concert series on Aug. 31 in Central Park.

Richardson announced he was leaving the group in 2006, but has appeared in the lineup occasionally since. The remaining Backstreet Boys — Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean — announced Richardson would be rejoining them permanently during a performance in London last April.

A statement says all five are in a London studio with producer Martin Terefe working on an album that will be released next spring to coincide with the group's 20th anniversary.

TATTBITS

Jada Pinkett Smith urged a Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday to step up the fight against human trafficking in the U.S. and abroad.

In a shocking move for partisan Washington politics, no one came out for human trafficking.

"Call Me Maybe" singer Carly Rae Jepsen has been tapped for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at the U.S. Open. She'll join The Wanted, Owl City and Cymphonique Miller, along with reigning men's champion Novak Djokovic, past women's champion Kim Clijsters and John Isner.

The Aug. 25 event, held at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y., will feature performances, exhibition matches and other activities.

This is the 17th annual Kids' Day. Last year, it was canceled because of Hurricane Irene.

Producers of a musical based on the life of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy are seeking one young actor to play a preteen Gordy and a young Michael Jackson and a young Stevie Wonder.

Why not also a young Diana Ross and all four of the Four Tops?

Gordy says he's not looking for imitators, but someone who "can be themselves in the role" and give him "the same chills" he experienced when he first saw Jackson at age 10 in 1968.

Think you've got what it takes? Go to MotownTheMusical.com/Casting.

Viacom has decided to let new episodes of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" be shown on its own websites, easing a blockade of online viewings that it imposed last week in a fee dispute with DirecTV.

Tuesday's move came a day after both shows resumed new episodes following a two-week hiatus. The blockade had affected all online viewers, not just DirecTV subscribers.

Stewart ripped the Comedy Central network owner in a segment that aired Monday night, saying: "You're pulling shows from the Internet? Viacom, what are you, China?"

In an interview Tuesday on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, Charlie Sheen said "American Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe publicly threw his name out there as a possible judge, and the idea made him think.

"It seems so out of the blue that it almost made perfect sense. I thought this could be a lot of fun," he said. "Seriously ... I'm genuinely interested. It's so different, it could be radical."

He may not have music experience, but neither did Ellen DeGeneres before she was named a judge for Season 9. And Charlie Sheen has probably heard a lot more barroom karaoke than Ellen DeGeneres.