Idol Chatter

If there are two things we learned from the series finale of "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" they are that Kate feels the whole experience has ended too soon, and that Jon just can't help coming off as a total d-bag. (Laudable statements followed immediately by laughable statements? Where is your PR guy?)

Kate is absolutely correct that the TLC show has afforded her family of eight children with opportunities--exotic trips, interviews with Oprah, robust college funds--they never would have had had they lead a completely normal existence, but Jon's post-firing cease-and-desist order halting any production on "Kate Plus 8," may have been a blessing in disguise. Sure, there's lots of chatter about how the kids will grow up in a healthier, albeit not wealthier, household, but the real blessing may be for the viewers.

To me, the show was never about the children; the real meat of the matter was the relationship between Jon and Kate and how they dealt with such an extreme situation. And last night's finale proved that to me once again. Look here, screaming kids at a fire station with Dad, and look over here, screaming kids at an organic dairy farm with Mom fighting over a terrified kitten. Perhaps the charm of the scenarios escaped me, but so did the blood dripping from my shattered eardrums.

In this video clip, ABC News Correspondent Father Edward Beck interviews stage and screen star Elaine Stritch, who currently stars on "30 Rock" as Colleen Donaghy, about her Catholic faith.

To see more of this interview, visit ABC News.

The runaway success of Twilight long ago ensured that bookstore shelves would become saturated with vampire novels from authors and publishers hoping to hit the Twilight jackpot again. A little over a year ago I wrote a feature for Publishers Weekly called "The Next Dead Thing" that pondered whether this trend of novels featuring all-things undead was already, almost, well, dead. The problem with lots of writers trying to make Twilight happen twice, is that authors and publishers run the risk of their books becoming formulaic to the point that the fun is lost. So now, in mainstream markets at least, folks are turning to other paranormal creatures to capitalize on the star-crossed love that Twilight fans love so much, and this season, the new trend is novels that feature dark angels.

Well, in the Christian fiction and nonfiction world, people are just beginning to jump on the vampire bandwagon, even if it means begging readers to get off that same bandwagon. (I can't believe I just had occasion to write "vampire bandwagon" but such is life during this Twilight craze.) Reporter Marcia Nelson at Publishers Weekly just did a short feature on the new trend of vampires as a hot topic emerging within the Christian book world--and the fact that not everybody is pro-vampire it turns out. In her article, "Vamping Up: Christians Bite into Vampire Market," she writes:

"Not everybody's biting on the idea that vampires are good subjects in this market. [Tracey] Bateman's [author of Thirsty] heard from those who want to cast demons out of her computer, but also from general market readers who assume she's cashing in on reader lust for vamp lit. But she's a longtime Anne Rice fan who started working on her vampire book before she had heard of Meyer's work. "It's not like I said, 'Hmm... vampire books are selling,' " she told RBL from her Missouri home. She brought her faith to a subject that has exerted centuries of fascination. "I wrote it from the perspective of 'Jesus never fails.' I think there's a place for Amish books, but I like a little edge to my reading.""

Casting demons out of Bateman's computer? What?

As far as the nonfiction titles Nelson notes, I'd cast my lot with Escaping the Vampire: Desperate for My Immortal Hero by Kimberly Powers, which "looks at girls' longing for the love of a hero." That sounds most appealing to this Twilight fan. Perhaps I was wrong when I wrote that feature last fall: and the trend of books about the undead is not dead quite yet after all.

I was in the theater last Friday morning, the day of the release of 'New Moon,' with the rest of the screaming, teenage Twilight fans. Though, a good number of us were in the "I'm thirty-something and I love Twilight and I don't care what anyone else says or thinks" bracket, too; or as Washington Post writer, Monica Hesse suggests in her article, "Twilight,' the love that dare not speak its shame," a category of "Good, smart, literary women [who] tried to resist the romantic-vampire phenomenon. And then, alas, they bit."

Anyway, the biggest shocker of all for me as to why I enjoyed the movie so much: Jacob Black. I loved, loved, loved how the film portrayed Jacob Black, his transformation from sweet teenage boy to powerful, vicious werewolf, and most of all, watching the evolution of his relationship with Bella. Taylor Lautner as Jacob was likable, funny, romantic--and broody, too, but not on the level of the film's version of Edward. As a long time member of Team Edward, I was not prepared for how much I was going to like Jacob--in fact, I thought I wouldn't like 'New Moon' as a film very much because it's really Jacob's story more than anything else. But as I watched Bella grow close to Jacob and eventually enter into a series of moments where they come close enough to kiss, I found myself thinking, "Kiss him! Kiss him! He's way less broody than Edward!" It almost feels blasphemous to admit this.

   

You may remember a few weeks ago Rabbi Shmuley Boteach had a public (but not free...) talk with reality TV star Jon Gosselin about whether fame was a blessing or a curse. During that talk Jon publically apologizes to Kate, and expressed his desire to apologize to her in private as well.

Beliefnet has the exclusive video of the event. In the clip above, Jon talks about how he wasn't feeling loved and felt Kate wasn't letting him be the "spiritual leader" of the home.

View more video clips from the Rabbi Shmuley interview with Jon Gosselin here on Beliefnet.

"New Moon" offers up formulaic, fantasy-filled fun you can sink your teeth into.

Susan Boyle's debut is a bestseller and she is using the limelight to speak out about her past

CNN and other outlets are reporting today that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will be ending after 25 seasons. The last show will be coming up soon: on September 9, 2011. Okay, so it's not so soon! Mrs. Winfrey has followed...

A big welcome to one of Beliefnet's newest blogs, Stuff Christian Culture Likes, written by the hilarious and wonderful Stephanie Drury. From her bio: "I sort of consider myself an expert on Christian culture as I am a preacher's kid...

FNL's latest focuses on Julie Taylor's thoughts on church.