February 2007 Archives

Maybe he feels a certain kinship with the late Anna Nicole Smith after donning drag for the upcoming film version of "Harispray," but John Travolta feels that Scientology could have saved the former Guess! model and reality star's life.

"The Pulp Fiction star has decided to use her death as a chance to promote Narconon--the controversial Church of Scientology drug rehab programme," reports Metro.co.uk. (Narconon is not to be confused with Narcanon, with an "A," which is the 12-step Narcotics Anonymous program.)

"It's so sad," the site reports the celebrity Scientologist as saying. "We could have helped her with Narconon but didn't get a chance to. I wish we had."

With the autopsy not yet finalized, the cause of Smith's death is still speculative. And whether or not she was simply taking prescription medication as her lawyer Howard Stern claims, Smith clearly had a problem, as the disturbing footage of Smith in clown face featured on Fox News clearly illustrated.

Travolta, who starred with Smith in "Be Cool" and has starred with Narconon spokesperson Kirstie Alley in the "Look Who's Talking" films, did not comment on the other strung-out starlettes of the moment, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

According to one poster on gossip blog Perezhilton.com (warning: explicit language), Travolta made the statement while wending his way through the Oscar's press line, although MSNBC's Scoop puts it at a promtional event for his new flick "Wild Hogs." And while it's a questionable line of questioning--and Travolta's response seemed like an advertorial--in a way it gave the former Playboy Playmate and pop-cultural icon what she probably would have wanted, one last trip down the red carpet.

Relient K is a Christian band. Like Switchfoot, they have managed a tricky crossover from the Christian market into the mainstream. But according to a Monsters and Critics interview, their lead vocalist/songwriter Matt Thiessen doesn't enjoy the segregation.

"We view Christian music and the general market all as the same thing. It's funny to have a genre just based on lyrics. If I was Jewish and I was writing songs about Judaism, you [wouldn't] sell me only in Jewish bookstores. I feel like Christian music gets segregated," he says, wryly noting, "Green Day isn't in the Democratic section at Wal-Mart."

While a girl like me can certainly sympathize with not wanting to be labeled, even in identification with an aspect of yourself you're proud of, the truth is that Thiessen shouldn't yearn for Christian music to be treated like Jewish music. Before Tower Records (and HMV before it) closed, I would routinely go to music stores looking for something reflective of or incorporating aspects of Jewish life. Sure, there was a little bit of emergent neo-klezmer, or classic Yiddish tunes that my grandmother might have hummed to me when I was a kid. But young Jews didn't have "family values crossover rock" like Collective Soul, or even Amy Grant. Personally, I was hoping to find the newest Israeli bands and artists who don't even necessarily sing about Judaism. I kept looking in "World" and "Eastern" and "Middle East," but it was mostly Shakira and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Online was no better; BMG Music ("10 Albums for the Price of 1" draws you in and then 10 years later you're still a member, returning unwanting selections of the month) had a few token Hanukkah records in December, but was otherwise similarly bereft. The fact was, to find anything approaching Jewish music or "songs about Judaism," I would have to go to Jewish bookstores, because they're the only places that carry them.

But now, with the internet making the real-life music superstore all-but obsolete, it's a lot easier to find Jewish music. Amazon lists over 1500 titles in the results for "Jewish Music" (compared to 18,477 for "Christian Music"). JDub Records, the company that found and developed Matisyahu for the big time, is producing new Jewish music that blends traditional and contemporary. And JMG Music is not only distributing new Jewish music (like this year's Grammy-winning Klezmatics CD, "Wonder Wheel"), but resurrecting oldies like "Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites" and the comedy album "You Don't Have to be Jewish/When You're In Love the Whole World's Jewish."

Still, when it comes to mainstream store representation, I'd be willing to wager that Christian rockers are better off than their Jewish contemporaries. Thiessen might be interested to learn that on Monsters and Critics, the number one search result for "Jewish music" leads readers to the Relient K interview.

Between "24" and "Heroes" on Monday and "Gilmore Girls" last night, television viewers are getting a heavy dose of religion.

With the recent re-appearance of the shamed President Charles Logan from Season 5--Jack needs his help tracking down a Russian terrorist--suddenly talk has turned to prayer, redemption, and forgiveness. When Jack questions Logan's motivation to help his country (and rightly so), Logan urges Jack to believe that he has "re-found" religion and his true goal is redemption.

On the "Heroes" episode "Company Man," Claire's Mom finally sees what her "special" daughter can really do--come back from the dead--and Mom begins talking about resurrection (Claire's that is) and the role of faith in surviving the latest family crisis.

And then on the "Gilmore Girls" episode "Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore?" Lorelai ends up negotiating a truce between Lane--about to give birth to twin boys--and her fundamentalist Christian mom. Mom wants the boys raised as good Christians, and Lane says absolutely not: her kids are going to have the "freedom from religion" that she never enjoyed growing up. But when Lorelai suggests to Lane that maybe her kids will actually want church, Bible camp, and all the related stuff that Lane hated when she was a child, though shocked at the thought, Lane caves to Lorelai's sense, and Mom and Lane make up.

So everybody's jumping on the television religion bandwagon this week, and with a new "Lost" airing tonight, I'm guessing we're not done yet.

Between the front page New York Times Style section article "Shaking Riches Out of the Cosmos," which marvels about the fact that "The Secret" book is sitting atop the New York Times Hardcover Advice Bestseller List, and Newsweek's online extravaganza "Decoding 'The Secret,'" not to mention an official Oprah stamp of approval (she's dedicated two shows to it), Rhonda Byrne, editor of "The Secret" book, is laughing all the way to the bank--WITH YOUR MONEY!

New York Times reporter Allen Salkin rightly compares Byrne's "Secret" empire and its basic (and base) Law of Attraction message that "if you think it, it will come" to a long history of public interest in the latest "get rich quick" schemes (emphasis on the scheme):

Although "The Secret" is an overnight phenomenon, its message of think-and-grow-rich is but the latest version of a self-help formula dating back more than a century, with roots both secular and religious, and branches that have included Napoleon Hill's best-selling "Think and Grow Rich" in 1937 and Norman Vincent Peale's "Power of Positive Thinking" in 1952.

J. Gordon Melton, the director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif., traces the origins of "prosperity consciousness" to 19th-century Christian Science. "It's always waiting for slightly different forms of expression, the same old message," he said.

In my Idol Chatter December review of the DVD, I slammed this watered-down, self-interested mockery of a viewer's intelligence. This film's message is so flimsy and so juvenile that I could barely sit through the screener. And now to find out that it's sitting atop the bestseller list and getting top billing in major news outlets? I am rather appalled.

You do realize that by investing in "The Secret, you are merely making Rhonda Byrne richer, right? Not yourself?

"The Secret" is the latest New Age version of what has long been known as "The Prosperity Gospel," which is anything that preaches the "good news" that you are meant to have lots of money, and that if you just support "our church" or buy "our book" than we we let you in on the "how to"!

And you should know: some people consider members of Prosperity Gospel movements as members of a cult. Don't join the mania!

Okay, so it's taken a day to recover from the fact that some of my Oscar predictions for this year didn't quite work out the way I had hoped, but as I reflect on the ups and downs of the long, long, long, Oscar ceremony, one moment still irritates me. Regardless of who hosts, who is nominated, or who performs on the show, one thing Oscar has never done well is political statements. Not when it's Michael Moore. Not when it's Susan Sarandon. And not when it's Al Gore. Though I was thrilled that Al Gore won for his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," unlike fellow blogger Doug, I cringed at the way Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen DeGeneres, and the rest of the Hollywood elite took a wonderful moment and used it to rub salt in old wounds.

It started with Ellen's joke comparing Gore to Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, reminding people that America didn't vote for the former "American Idol" contestant, but America did vote for Gore, and yet somehow they both ended up at the Academy Awards. Then there was Leonardo DiCaprio fawning all over the former vice-president, trying to convince him to announce that he would run for president. All of these rather lame jokes did nothing but take Americans back to a contentious election that divided the country.

Such ego-driven one-liners on a night intended to celebrate artistic excellence only showed that Hollywood completely missed the other reason Gore's film is worthy of praise. "An Inconvenient Truth" not only documented the damage we are doing to the environment, but also portrayed one man's courage and grace after public failure. It traced how one man learned from defeat, refrained from whining or pointing the blame at others, and is now rising from the ashes to truly lead our nation in a way we desperately need--all without holding political office.

I realize there is no perhaps no punchline in looking forward as opposed to looking back, but it might have been the ever-so-slightly more dignified response.

If you've been reading or watching the news this week, you've likely heard about James Cameron's press conference about his latest project: the supposed unearthing of Jesus' crypt.What's that? Isn't it the Christian tradition that Jesus was resurrected? Well, forget...

Big awards shows show us the human side of stars as they navigate spontaneous moments that can even make them nervous. That's why we like Oscar night, which is the biggest of these. While the show itself may not have...

Jennifer Hudson's Oscar win was everything we tune in for: a handsome leading man (George Clooney) welcoming a young actress to the Hollywood fold and a teary speech punctuated by gasps of gratitude and sheer terror (and featuring a grandmother)....

Being an Oscar host is a difficult thing. I've never done it, but I've met two of the three most successful ones ever, and they both told me it was among the hardest gigs they'd ever done. There've been a...

With "Studio 60's" ratings floundering, NBC has decided to up the premiere date of their mafia drama "The Black Donnellys" from Oscar winner Paul Haggis ("Crash," Million Dollar Baby") to this Monday evening, taking over "Studio 60's" timeslot for the...

I admit it: I followed "The O.C." fervently during its first season, when Ryan was still a tough guy from Chino, Seth was still a videogame-playing geek, and Marissa and Summer were still hard-drinking, unattainable rich girls. (Plus, the theme...

It's official: Meredith Grey didn't die last night in "Some Kind of Miracle," one of "Grey's Anatomy's" most intense episodes yet. I know, I know. She is one of the main characters. She couldn't really die. But I really did...

Feeling a little puffed up over my successful predictions of the winners of last year's Oscars, I am going to set myself up for possible ridicule again by putting myself on the line once more here at Idol Chatter, and...

CNN reported yesterday that Kevin Federline, nee Mr. Britney Spears, planned on attending an emergency hearing today after learning that his former wife had left rehab for a second time after a brief 24 hour period, following months of bizarre...

Business is booming at Body and Soul, the tattoo parlor where Britney Spears stopped on her much-reported breakdown last weekend, according to celeb tracker andPOP. Tattoo artist Max Scott says he expects many of the new bookings will be asking...

TLC premiered a new reality series this week, "My Unique Family: The Witches Next Door," presumably because the very premise must sound weird (or even blasphemous!) to most viewers. "What?" you're meant to wonder with confusion. "Witches? A family of...

“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” is not a regular show for me, but when Michael Kress, our Idol Chatter editor, told me about the “Brother’s Keeper” episode last night, I was inclined to watch, even though the "televangelist has secret...

Just when I thought "Boston Legal" was going to forever fade into the kind of redundancy that was starting to plague this entire season, it took a nice break from some of the whimsical hijinks and sexual politics that have...

Britney Spears' much-balleyhooed head-shaving meltdown over the weekend had (at least) one religiously confusing aspect to it. While she was getting a white-and-pink cross tattooed on her lower hip, the former teen idol sported a large Star of David necklace...

In "Breach," director Billy Ray of "Shattered Glass" tells yet another gripping story of one man's utter duplicitousness. This time around, however, the man in question, Robert Hanssen--played brilliantly by Chris Cooper--succeeds in bringing down not only himself, but the...

The press this week about Britney Spears has centered on a single puzzle--what's going through that newly bald head? For a while, Britney's life has been "The Truman Show" meets "Real World." In the past week, reports from the disaster-in-progess...

...and that's a good thing!The National Basketball Association and the City of Las Vegas’ tourism bureau went prime-time on TNT on Sunday night, and we found out that these players are clearly gifted for high levels of competition, but far...

Even though Ryan Gosling ( "The Notebook") is up for an Academy Award for his performance in the indie film "Half Nelson," the film played in such limited release last summer that it's hard to imagine many outside of Hollywood...

Finally, Madea goes on vacation and we get to see what kind of work Tyler Perry does when he stays behind the scenes. The results are magical, as depicted in his latest film, "Daddy's Little Girls." The story follows Monty...

Time was, not so long ago, that the game superseded just about anything for professional athletes. Perhaps a day off was warranted if a close family member died, but not much else could tear a player away from those temporary,...

I walked into the theater with great trepidation to see Walt Disney's film adaptation of Katherine Paterson's Newbery Award-winning "Bridge to Terabithia," a story about a friendship between a boy and a girl, Jess and Leslie. From the look of...

Does God work through thunderbolts or more subtly? That's the underlying theme of "Amazing Grace," an earnest, informative, and often stirring biopic of the heroic William Wilberforce, who battled the slave trade for nearly 20 years in England's Parliament.As a...

Before seeing the movie "Amazing Grace," I didn't know who William Wilberforce was. I had no idea that the namesake of Wilberforce University, the nation's first historically black college, was a British man who fought long and hard for the...

The current issue of Newsweek features an interesting follow-up to the potential pseudo-controversy surrounding the movie "Save Me," which recently made an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival. The Newsweek article features a surprisingly in-depth interview with actor Chad Allen,...

I'd like to think that Christian vegetables--like VeggieTales' Larry the Cucumber--will never be passé. There is, however, a new kid on the block in evangelical children's entertainment: Max Lucado's "Hermie, a Common Caterpillar" series.The series' latest DVD is "Milo, the...

Angels found their way to "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" last night in Matt Albie's flashback to the days when he was still a new (and struggling) "Studio 60" writer seeking attention from the senior staff and attention from...

Don't miss the Science Times section of The New York Times today: it's filled with religious kitsch and memorabilia!Ever wanted to see that famous Tennessee cinnamon roll that boasts the face of Mother Teresa? Or the Florida grilled cheese sandwich...

Last night's Grammy's weren't about outrageous rocker antics (although I did hear one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers curse during a pre-show on another station), or about big rapper feuds. Instead, the main themes of the night were faith...

Mary J. Blige wasn't the only artist giving props to Jesus last night at the Grammy Awards. The 2006 American Idol winner Carrie Underwood collected two awards--the first, off-screen for Best Female Country Vocal Performance--and the second in front of...

When "Heroes," the NBC hit about ordinary people who develop extraordinary powers, returned from winter break several weeks ago, we met a new citizen with supernatural abilities, Claude. Played by "Dr. Who's " Christopher Eccleston, Claude--whose full name is Claude...

It was a night for unity and positivity at the Grammys--except for one glaring omission!“The Police” got back together. African-American-Old-Guy Stevie Wonder won with Older-White-Guy Tony Bennett. Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around” featured a white guy singing with a largely...

Redemption appeared to be the theme of the night at the Grammys, from the Dixie Chicks' triumphs to Mary J. Blige's gracious acceptance speech to Carrie Underwood's win for the spiritual surrender anthem, "Jesus Take the Wheel."Not everyone handled their...

Yesterday's tragic news of the death of model/Playmate/reality star Anna Nicole Smith, after being found unconscious in a Florida hotel room, was shocking, and yet, at the same time, oddly not completely surprising. From her days as a stripper in...

Movie Land has been barren of late, at least when it comes to shiny, happy romantic comedies, which are my favorite kind. I can appreciate intensity, drama, and depressing stories. But sometimes I'd just rather not. And during the pre-Christmas...

Last night's "Veronica Mars," somewhat oddly titled "There's Got To Be A Morning After Pill," portrayed a family of evangelical Christians in a surprisingly sympathetic light. (I say surprising only because evangelicals are not usually portrayed this way on TV,...

Beliefnet's now-annual answer to the Oscars is underway. The Beliefnet Film Awards honor the best mainstream films that explore spiritual topics and themes. This year, we've got three categories, each with five nominees:Best Spiritual FilmBabelChildren of MenFlags of Our FathersThe...

I just have to start with a little "Hip, hip, hooray!" "Lost" is back on tonight, after a way-too-long hiatus. I will also admit that before this morning I wasn't that excited, and I'd even almost forgotten it was re-premiering...

The national reality show that is our national political stage plays on several cable news shows and network news and newsmagazines. There was a great plot twist--and the deepening of a main character's character--that went largely overlooked last week, which...

I'll admit it, I was initially resistant to the charms of "Lost." A plane gets ripped in half mid-air and crashes? Undiagnosed vertigo and living in New York City post-9/11 are enough to make that one of my top-10 fears--no...

More powerful than Wolverine and more charismatic than Magneto, the man best known for producing the “X-Men” series of films, Ralph Winter, has achieved something even Professor Xavier couldn’t dream of accomplishing. Variety has announced that Winter will at long...

When strategically cropped nude photos of Daniel Radcliffe from the play "Equus" first surfaced on the web, the first thought that ran through my mind was: Oh no, et tu, Daniel?It seems that child actors these days are trying too...

"Mothers, Harry Potter has done something that will make you mad! Stay tuned to hear what!" These were the titillating words I heard driving home after dropping my kids off at school. I already knew the story: Daniel Radcliffe, the...

When economics meets the spiritual journey, economics wins--at least as far as the NFL and its lawyers are concerned. And that’s a shame. The Bears-Colts match-up included a wonderful and historic storyline, as the first Super Bowl ever to have...

Last night, I watched "Criminal Minds" for the first time. I'd heard it was good and decided to watch its newest episode, "Revelations," when it aired following the Super Bowl. After all, how could I resist watching a show with...

We don't know yet whether the young wizard Harry Potter will survive Book 7, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (though we will soon--hooray!!). But the publishing industry--particularly children's-book publishers and most of all Scholastic, JK Rowling's American publisher--are bracing...

Ladies and gentlemen, Daniel Radcliffe will take his clothes off onstage when the play he's starring in opens in London later this month. So who cares? Ladies and gentlemen, Daniel Radcliffe also plays Harry Potter in the Warner Bros. film...

The auditions on "American Idol" can usually be counted on to make the audience cringe, but how often do they make the audience cry? Sure, "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff and contestant Kathrine McPhee's father both teared upduring last year's finals,...