Mark Cuban: “My name is Raymond!!!”

Reeling from the public battering he received from Todd Wagner over his decision to play the part of Raymond “Rainman” Babbit in the sequel to the 80’s smash, Mark Cuban has lashed back in a phone interview this morning with Jim Rome on his popular morning show. He took aim at his 2929 partner at Tod Wagner. “Todd Wagner has become the Ned Flanders of the entertainment industry. Take a look at him. Why they didn’t cast him in the live action Simpson’s opening credits sequence they shot two years ago stuns me.”

“The day I take direction from him is the day this company goes under. From broadcast.com to Good Night and Good Luck, he’s always got one hand on the chicken-switch and a foot on the brake. 2929 could be a mini-major by now if it weren’t for that sniveling bed-wetter. He lacks the vision to see what a master stroke my portrayal of Raymond Babbit would be for the company and for the entertainment industry as a whole. And by the way, me playing Swayze’s part in the Dirty Dancing sequel would have been as inspirational as Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid. But, ol’ Tod ‘the-tail-that-Wagners-the-dog,’ put the kaibash on that one,” he childishly retorted. “But all the forces of heaven and hell will not stop me from being Raymond Babbit.” He finished the interview by declaring “My name is Raymond,” repeatedly, as boldy exclaimed on his twitter post today. If you agree, join the online petition by sending a message reading “MyNameIsRaymond” to Mark Cuban’s twitter account @mcuban or send message to @thomas_peep on twitter, or comment on this article @ www.thomaspeep.com results of the polls will be sent to United Artists who own domestic rights on the sequel.

Cuban reportedly spent the rest of the day in a pre game meeting with the Mavericks. At one point he addressed the team staring at the floor, stating over and over again: “definitely need more defense, yeah, more defense, definitely need more defense.” Getting into character, or slowly going insane? All we can do is stay tuned.

So, to the surprise of many, Mark Cuban has stepped up to the plate, boldly stating that he will fill the shoes of autistic savant “Raymond ‘Rainman’ Babbit” made famous by Hoffman.

Tom and I met and spoke about the film last week and the hole left by Hoffman’s sudden departure.  After about ten minutes in, Tom suddenly jumped to his feet and shouted out: “Oh my God,  I got it, you should play “Rainman!” “We sat down and watched the original film”  Cuban said “and we were both struck by the startling similarities between myself and Rainman”. “Tom said, from what he’d seen, that I was definitely up to the challenge of playing an idiot [Savant].

Skeptical Hollywood pundits have been left scratching their heads at the bizarre move, and Cuban has been copping his fair share of ridicule since making the surprise announcement two days ago. However studio chief, Sumner Redstone, has applauded the daring move. “I think it’s a great decision by Mark Cuban. Have you ever seen a side-by-side comparison of the two, they could be twins. Should be a huge success!”  He exclaimed.

Let’s hope this box office prediction proves true, or Cuban could wind up in Vegas counting cards like his famous namesake.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: CUBAN/RAINMAN