Joanne Brokaw: June 2008 Archives

Let's see how well you know Christian music!

Q: What Christian singer/songwriter had to change his last name because it was getting flagged as porn by spam filters?

Check back on Wednesday for the answer!

This May, Genius Products released the film, "The Wager," on DVD. The movie stars country music star Randy Travis as Michael Steele, a Hollywood leading man who finally gets the Oscar nomination he's been waiting for his whole career.

But as the countdown to the awards show starts, his life spirals out of control (much like Job), as his wife files for divorce, his costar accuses him of unspeakable acts against a child, and a member of the paparazzi stalks him to get a story.

First, the good news. Christian filmmaking has taken huge leaps in the quality of product. The acting was good and the directing was interesting and creative. Travis is believable as a Clint Eastwood-ish action actor, as is his manager, played by "24'"s Jude Ciccolella. Candace Cameron Bure stars as Steele's fiesty costar, and Nancy Stafford is his kind-hearted sister, Annie.

And the filmmakers get an "A" for effort as they at least tried to tackle subject matter normally taboo in Christian movies.

The bad news is that they threw every possible scenario into the film and the effort results in a storyline lacking in cohesiveness and depth. At only 80 minutes, the film barely has time to develop the characters before it's over, let alone develop the child in question, the marriage problems, and Steele's sister's work at The Dream Center, and explain the strange man who keeps showing up to challenge Steele about the Sermon on the Mount. A less complicated plot and more time to set up the story would have gone a long way towards making this a really great film.

I have to admit that the best part of the film, for me, came when I recognized the song "Lifelight," by my friends Two Empty Chairs, playing as the film ended and the credits rolled. I'd totally forgotten it was going to be included in this movie. Quick intro to 2EC: The guys in the band lost a friend to suicide a few years ago, and it changed their entire outlook on life. They renamed the band to reflect their willingness to sit down with fans and talk at any time - one chair for them, one chair for you - and dedicated their ministry to reaching their peers with an open ear and a message of hope. They don't care if they're playing to hundreds or dozens. The band is currently touring with actor Jason McLeod from "Facing The Giants," doing retreats and discipleship weekends.

The movie also includes other great music, including "Grace" from Phil Wickham, as well as music from Evan Wickham, Kendall Payne, Judson Pearce, Jason Harrod, Ashton Allen, and The Daylights.

"The Wager" is available now on DVD.

This week, hands down, my pick of the week is Kutless To Know That You're Alive. The album released Tuesday.

To Know That You're Alive is a great mix of hard rock anthems, like "The Feeling" and "The Rescue," and ballads like my favorites "Guiding Me Home," "You," and "Complete." You'll also find some radio friendly rock, like "I Do Not Belong," 'Dying To Become," and the title cut, "To Know That You're Alive."

I love the sincerity and transparency of the lyrics as well as the mix of music styles on the album. No matter what your musical tastes, you'll find something to love on this album.

The band was recently on an acoustic tour and I wasn't sure how a hard rock band would sound tripped down. The truth is that when you start with great lyrics and creative musicians, you always get great music, no matter how loud it is. And this album is strong proof of that.

Kutless has sold 1.5 million copies of their first four albums. That's impressive and this album is only going to add to that. The album already jumped right into the Top15 on iTunes album chart when it was released.

You can catch Kutless on tour and on the festival circuit this summer. This fall, the band will headline the first ever Creation Tour, which will be a "rock replica on wheels" of the 30-year-old summer festival.

Hey Skillet fans! Catch your favorite hard rockers tonight on ... CMT? The country station?

You got it! The band is featured in tonight's episode of the home renovation show, "Mobile Home Disasters." It's like "Extreme Makeover" except for mobile homes, I think.

Anyway, tonight's episode focuses on the Talcott family. According to the show's episode guide, the family participates in church youth group activities and is active in community service. All of the Talcotts sing, and mom Bonnie dreams of becoming the real Partridge Family and traveling the country singing Christian music. (If they only knew what life on the road was really like...)

And apparently the family's favorite band is Skillet. Each of the kids were given a special Skillet gift package at the close of the show. They also got to see Skillet perform live and meet the band back stage at The Spirit West Coast festival in Del Mar, CA this past May.

"Mobile Home Disasters" airs on CMT. Each episode is shown several times. For a listing, visit the show's website.

In case you're living on another planet, there's a phenomenon sweeping the tween culture, and it's growing at a rate far bigger than any other squeaky clean pop fad since The Beatles.

Can we talk about The Jonas Brothers, for just a minute? No screaming or crying?