According to TMZ, Nicolas Cage just dropped off $6,257,005 with the federal government, putting him almost halfway home to clearing the $13 million in debt he accrued in back taxes from 2002 to 2007. Which means that maybe he can, one day soon, stop making horrible, awful, just terrible decisions as to the projects he stars in? Cage has been a hit-or-miss kind of guy for decades now, but the last few years have seen a torrential outpouring of brand-appropriate crap: Since his last big hit Knowing in 2009 (which, for the record, was about an end-times-prophesying child), there have been such prominent failures/instantly forgotten releases as [deep breath] The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Season of the Witch, Drive Angry 3D, Seeking Justice, Trespass, and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. In that same span of time, however, he’s also given us the bonkers and amazing Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call — New Orleans (as well as a pretty solid turn in Kick-Ass), and so has continued to stoke the flames of hope for “Nicolas Cage, regular actor not picking movies based in large part thanks to what will help him pay off huge debt racked up by buying shrunken heads and dinosaur skulls.” No word on when the final payments will bring Cage back to even, but TMZ says that Nic’s been “slowly chipping away at the debts.” So, whenever that day may come, can we all agree to not tempt Nicolas Cage with scripts where he fights hell demons or wears chain mail or interacts with anyone from the future/past/alternate dimension that’s trying to kill him? At least for a few months?