NICOLAS CAGE - CAGE DEFENDS SON'S SUPERHERO NAME

NICOLAS CAGE has defended the unusual name he gave his son - and predicts future parents will follow his lead. The CON AIR star has always been fascinated by SUPERMAN and decided to name his son KAL-EL - who celebrates his first birthday tomorrow (03OCT06) - after CLARK KENT's Kryptonian name. But he's furious at the backlash he's received for choosing such a unique name. He says, "I thought Kal-El was an unusual name that not a lot of people knew about, and stood for something good. "I'll bet you within five or 10 years, there will be a lot more Kal-Els. It just happens that my son is the only one right now."