March 2007 Archives

She's changed her name and image more times than Prince or John Mellencamp. Her successful standup career was followed by a popular sitcom, which gave early screen credits to writers like Buffy's Joss Whedon, SNL's Norm MacDonald, and the Gilmore Girls' Amy Sherman--who hyphenated her name upon marriage to fellow "Roseanne" scribe and Gilmore producing partner Daniel Palladino. The sitcom showed us children who matured awkwardly even on camera, brought on gay characters, and launched careers for not one, but two, Beckys. But for all that she's accomplished, Roseanne (Barr/Arnold/"just Roseanne, please") really just wants two things: a bat mitzvah and to become Prime Minister of Israel.

Yes, Roseanne is a member of the tribe--although growing up in the predominantly Mormon Salt Lake City, she had more of an affinity for Mormonism as a child than she did for Judaism. As she explains in an article in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Salt Lake City had only 50 Jewish families, and anti-Semitism was both rampant and violent; Roseanne's mother hid her children's Jewish identity, bringing them to Mormon services. Recently, Roseanne's affiliation with the Kabbalah Centre has created headlines, but the comedian had been acquainted with the principles of Kabbalah since she was 13.

Her reason for considering a bat mitzvah now? "I was recently at my niece's bat mitzvah, and she talked about helping other people in the world," Roseanne said. "I love to be involved, and that really turned me on. Yes, I would like to have a bat mitzvah, that would be cool."

According to the JTA article, when asked about the basis of her Jewishness, she cracks, "An overwhelming desire for carbohydrates." (Heading into Passover, I can tell you that bread withdrawal is a major part of the holiday, and we spend a lot of time, money, and energy trying to create cakes, puddings, anything made of matzah that can substitute for bread during this week of unleaven. It's an addiction we're not proud of. )

"It's part of my genetic memory," she continues. "When I hear stories from the Bible or about Judaism, I think that they are about me, that I am part of them, like I was personally at Mount Sinai with Moses.... Of course, this may be some kind of mental illness... Sometimes I wonder if there isn't a fine line between being Jewish and being crazy."

I haven't seen any evidence of such a connection--although you do hear a lot about the line between creativity and depression, and having three ex-husbands might be enough to push you over the edge. But if by "crazy" she means either "neurotic" or "cuckoo for carbs," then she may be onto something.

As for becoming Prime Minister of Israel, the comedian says that she's qualifed. Even though her family won't listen to her, "I know every solution to every problem," she says.

In the spirit of April Fools Day on Sunday, the Museum of Hoaxes in San Diego has come up with 10 of the best pranks ever pulled on this day--based on their "notoriety, absurdity, and number of people duped." Included on the list is a 1996 Taco Bell hoax in which the fast-food company announced it had purchase the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the "Taco Liberty Bell." Another great prank was a 1992 National Public Radio (NPR) report which announced that Richard Nixon was running for the president again, using the campaign slogan, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." It also included audio clips from a Nixon impersonator.

On the religious side, a 1998, newsletter "New Mexicans for Science and Reason" published a fake article, which stated that Alabama had voted to change the mathematical value of pi from 3.14159 to the "Biblical value" of 3.0.

Personally, I think nothing beats Beliefnet's 2004 prank, when we ran fake news stories claiming the Dalai Lama had gotten a makeover--complete with a large belt buckle and oversized jewelry--in an effort to connect with young people. He was quoted as saying, "A little bling-bling never hurt anything." We also ran "news" stories claiming Oprah was added to the trinity, the Vatican was unveiling a mint-flavored host, and we included a hilarious audio meditation, "Smell the Healing Energy."

You can read Beliefnet's full coverage here.

Once upon a time there was a skeptic and a believer who teamed up to solve mysteries on a popular FOX drama. But, with the X-Files' cancellation in 2002, television audiences lost the delightful facts-vs.-faith parrying of FBI Agents Mulder and Scully. While Scully often played skeptic to Mulder's alien acceptance, it was Scully's deep, abiding Catholic faith and Mulder's open contempt of organized religions that provided viewers with a delightfully complex, realistic relationship; a relationship of agreeing to disagree.

Thank goodness for "Bones." The show, starring "Angel's" David Boreanaz as FBI agent Seeley Booth and Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist and best-selling author, changes up the format a bit with Booth being the devout Catholic and Brennan the atheist.

In this week's episode, Dr. Brennan and team are called to a church graveyard whose inhabitants have been unearthed by a water main break only to discover that one of the corpses is a fairly new addition. Brennan and Booth set out to discover the victim's identity.

The older parish priest, Father Donlon, is offended that Brennan isn't paying proper respect to consecrated ground. "Am I supposed to walk on eggshells because someone believes that a plot of earth has supernatural properties because someone waved a wand over it," Brennan asks Booth.

"There's no wand. The church doesn't use wands," Booth sputters, clearly taken aback.

"Fine. Magic water," replies Dr. Brennan.

"Magic? Holy water," says an exasperated Booth who decides he doesn't want to work on the case since Brennan is attacking his beliefs. "Can't you just be satisfied that if I'm wrong about God I'll burn in hell," retorts Brennan.

Thanks to Boreanaz's and Deschanel's comedic timing, these lines come off as neither crass nor hollow and remind me of many discussions of religion amongst friends. And when Brennan explains to the curmudgeonly Father Donlon that the Yew tree was, in fact, sacred to the Druids first, you almost believe that she was just trying to strike up "friendly conversation."

My only problem with the show is that, as an anthropologist, Brennan shows appropriate respect when dealing with other belief systems--Voodoo, Chinese folk practices--but openly derides Booth's Catholicism; then again, perhaps it's because they have a personal as well as a professional relationship. And it's just one of the many delightful tensions fueling their relationship.

Much like "The X-Files," this science vs. spirituality motif is not often the main plot point, oftentimes simply coloring the corpse-of-the-week storyline. But, no bones about it, when the writers of "Bones" do touch upon matters of faith, it's a divine dramedy.

Watch "The Priest in the Churchyard" here.

As a Christian rocker, TobyMac owes nobody anything. In the 90s as a founder of the rock-rap trio dc Talk, he wrote the group's signature song, "Jesus Freak," and imported mainstream producers to make dc Talk's albums and videos. He cut a new path for Christian groups in the realm of college radio and mainstream labels. In this century he's been discovering and producing new acts, like current hit Reliant K, while releasing three solo albums.

So enshrined is TobyMac (real name: Toby McKeehan), that it's been an unexpected delight to watch "Made to Love" from his new album, Portable Sounds, become an Christian radio hit. The veteran songwriter has been heard in interviews talking coltishly about finding "new weapons" in his voice and "new toys" to play with in his artistic toy box.

Much of the rest of Portable Sounds, though, has TobyMac rummaging through his usual tool set. The musical schizophrenia that normally keeps us off-balance and alert in TobyMac's work--melodies playing over heavy riffs, rap emanating from a small corner of the soundscape, and blasting rock--sounds here like a man looking to stir up excitement for well-worn themes about the joys of diversity and his availability to faith.

"Whatever I got to be, I'll be for you," he sings in "I'm for You." As music or message, it lacks a certain rootedness. The real discovery here is what happens with TobyMac when he pins a single, strong idea (that we're hardwired to look for a divine being) to an energetic, hook-filled romp with echoes of late Sting: A custom-built hit you can't resist cranking up in the car. Where's the anchor in this album?

Fears that a Tom Cruise-controlled United Artists studio will produce Scientology-influenced cinema have spread beyond Hollywood all the way to Hamburg, Germany. Really.

The grandson of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg--the man who managed to set off a bomb in Adolf Hitler's Wolf's Lair in 1944 killing several members of Hitler's inner circle but not the Fuhrer himself--is unhappy that United Artists is set to produce the story of his grandfather's failed coup attempt with Cruise in the starring role.

Or as MSNBC's Scoop so cheekily puts it, "Tom Cruise is set to play the role of a man who tried to kill Adolf Hitler--but the descendants of the would-be assassin are saying 'nein' to the casting."

"I have nothing against him [Cruise] and can even separate his work from his beliefs in Scientology," the described staunchly Catholic Stauffenberg told the Scotsman. "But I and other family members are worried that the picture will be financed by the sect and be used to get across its propaganda."

Unfortunately the family Stauffenberg can do nothing about this. My grandfather is a figure from history," Stauffenberg added.

The Germans have been wary of Scientology for years; after all, they've had experience dealing with secretive and authoritarian groups. The government considers Scientology a secular organization that takes pernicious advantage of its membership. It keeps the organization under the surveillance of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The recent opening of a 43,000 square foot Scientology Center in Berlin has sparked renewed debate about the group.

Obviously, Cruise is trying to get back in to the good graces of both Hollywood and the heartland by trying to wipe the couch jumping memory right out of the public's head by playing an inspirational figure who represents right and good. But why choose Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg? This is a man who hails from a country whose government inherently distrusts the very religion that people blame for Cruise's career meltdown. Perhaps it's a wily publicity stunt--or a potential Oscar-caliber performance.

Or perhaps the greatest challenge Cruise will face with the film is not the controversy it foments, but as one publication has noted, Stauffenberg's Bavarian accent.

"The Peaceful Warrior," starring Nick Nolte, returns to theaters this weekend following its short-lived limited release last summer. In this screen version of Dan Millman's "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior," a young gymnast finds hope and learns to achieve...

With only three episodes left, NBC's small town drama "Friday Night Lights" still has yet to be picked up for another season. Despite numerous critical accolades, some television viewers are still reluctant to give the series a chance. But after...

Sanjaya Malakar, the 17-year-old American Idol finalist, has had a rough couple of weeks. His singing has been eviscerated by the judges, and he's being criticized for remaining on the show when other, more talented singers have gotten the boot...

Tongues. Some are given the gift of speaking, some of interpreting, and others have only heard the gift. Having heard the gift, I count it a blessing to witness the Holy Spirit fall upon someone in such a manner that...

If some of you "American Idol" fans out there still think that finalist Chris Sligh is playing coy about whether he is Christian enough, people from his past have spoken up with their thoughts on the pressing matter.In a recent...

By now everyone should have been able to get to their recordings of "Battlestar Galactica," and we can safely discuss the riveting season finale. If you still haven't gotten to this Tivo'd episode ... stop reading and go watch it...

If you're a spiritually minded person who enjoys a fresh music sound that inspires, check out FFH's current album, "Far From Home (The FFH Collection)." Unlike some other bands of their kind, FFH manages to maintain a consistently fresh sound--every...

When the tempest first broke about Elizabeth Hurley's Hindu wedding to Arun Nayar in Jodhpur, India, the headlines read "Hurley's Interfaith Marriage Contested by Hindu Traditionalists," and celebrity watchers and religion geeks scoffed in unison at the closed-mindedness of the...

Alabama's "Songs of Inspiration II" album starts with a wonderful spiritual posture: "I'm a pilgrim and a stranger, travelin' through this wearisome land." Then comes the familiar country gospel refrain: "I gotta home in that yonder city, good Lord, and...

Some people send their friends e-cards. Some people send their friends plagues. Wait ... what?If you're like me, you've seen the recent spate of ads for upcoming horror movie "The Reaping" starring Hilary Swank and featuring the tagline "What hath...

I'm not in any way a gearhead. Give me spirituality over sparkplugs any day of the week. But I do love listening to National Public Radio's "Car Talk." So, yesterday when the Tappet brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, said that...

I've no doubt "The Last Mimzy" will keep you glued to your seat. Yes, it's a hokey premise--people from the future send a box of "toys" (and in particular, a stuffed rabbit) for two children to find in the past--and...

Since I returned to watching the screwball medical comedy "Scrubs," with new-found appreciation last season, I have learned to never underestimate the intelligent and touching ways in which the show tackles big questions about the meaning of life. Last night's...

Remember the days when "Ally McBeal" was only kind of quirky... before the dancing baby? Can you recall the name of the show that became the scene-chewing extravaganza known as "Boston Legal?"* Remember the thought-provoking "Picket Fences?"Apparrently, the producer of...

Sports and passion have always gone hand in hand. Indeed, what makes any sport fun to play and watch is the passion with which we do so. When our team wins or loses, our happiness or disappointment can go along...

Everywhere I turn I run into an advertisement, commercial, or preview for "Reign Over Me," the latest of a series of films related to 9/11, but decidedly unlike others released so far--like Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" and Paul Greengrass's...

Nearly 24 hours later, I am still thinking about last night's episode of "Lost." It's official: My favorite show is back. After a rocky mini-season, I was almost ready to give up for good, but this particular string of great...

There are two kinds of people in this world: Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles. Johnny Cash, particularly the Man in Black of recent memory, was strictly OT. His lined crag of a face projected righteous lament, matching a...

It recently charged past the video game behemoth known as "Madden NFL '07" to the number one spot in sales on Amazon.com. But could "Who Rules?": The Almighty Edition be enough to cause a group of 30 somethings to huddle...

Despite being a heavily scientific show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation can surprise viewers once in a while by delving into issues of faith, redemption, and forgiveness.Last night's special airing of CSI (otherwise known as a re-run) focused on the ongoing...

Gogol Ganguli. That’s the name Ashoke and Ashima fill out in the forms for their newborn when a letter from their grandmother--that was supposed to inform the Gangulis of their newborn’s name, as per the Bengali tradition of the elders...

When it comes to music, ethnic is in. From mainstream pop artists like Christina Aguilera, Shakira, and J.Lo singing in their native languages, to Madonna sampling a Hebrew song on her "Confessions on a Dancefloor" album, using foreign languages in...

I love to hate "The Apprentice." While the first season of the show was actually kind of good and taught legitimate lessons about business, the show has devolved into something beyond caricature. This season takes place in Los Angeles, because...

Since "The Secret" has made quite a splash on the new age-prosperity front (don't miss the Saturday Night Live skit making fun of Oprah's "Secret" fixation it from last weekend), why not let the Gospels show you how to make...

In "Premonition," creaky stairs, dramatic music, and strange spiritual overtones try to create scares where there are none. This technique proves particularly weary in a church scene that has Sandra Bullock's Linda Hansen seeking advice from a priest who, huddled...

In 1994, there were very few safe havens for the Tutsi people of Rwanda when the violent rebels of the Hutu race began killing hundreds of thousands of Tutsi in a brutal civil war. The Ecole Technique Officielle, a school...

Why, why, oh WHY can't "Smallville's" boy-Superman Clark Kent finally get it together with the love of his life, Lana Lang? Is it because the small-screen Clark must live up to the DC Comics and big-screen Clark, whose long-time love...

I'm on cloud nine this morning, and the first-round exit of the Duke Blue Devils from the NCAA tournament is the reason. But it’s more than the loss of this enemy college basketball team of mine that has me so...

Wacky is the only way to describe "Tortilla Heaven," this wonderful kitschy comedy film that will have a limited release starting March 16th. Isidor and his family own a restaurant called Tortilla Heaven (of course) in a tiny New Mexico...

Please note that the following review concerns only the centerpiece documentary "Addiction," which is part HBO's multi-faceted, multi-day "The Addiction Project."Let it be said that "The Addiction Project," HBO's multi-platform effort to educate the general public about the disease of...

If you look hard enough in the Gospels, you'll find a Jesus that any red-blooded, pick-up truck and football lovin' American he-man can relate to. Just flip past all the parts where Jesus heals the sick and hangs out with...

Just once, I would like to be able to watch a movie and not have to worry about whether I should feel guilty about enjoying it. "300"--a stylized sword-and-sandal take on the epic Battle of Thermopylae, based on Frank Miller's...

It's impossible for me to think of a more oversaturated section of the contemporary Christian music market than the adult contemporary/worship genre, but John Waller--a worship leader and former member of the group "According to John"--has entered that arena with...

If, like most of the world, you missed last year's limited theatrical release of "Peaceful Warrior," fret not. Universal is giving the film a second life, releasing it in theaters again on March 30. And to promote the release, Universal...

With "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under," HBO has already rejuvenated the American television series. Can introducing the f-word, frank sex talk and better production values do the same for the "After School Special?" Set in the downtrodden projects of...

Curly-haired Chris Sligh is one of the contestants to watch this year on American Idol. In the short time we’ve known him, he's already managed to annoy Simon Cowell more than once, and he's had multiple opportunities to show off...

"Dear father, I pray that you would bless and protect Britney Spears wherever she may be. May you lead her back into a right relationship with you. And help her to remember that you are the friend that sticks...

Every year the Eurovision song contest pits countries against each other in an international battle of the bands, which CNN describes as "a 50-year-old pan-European institution renowned less for serious music than for unbridled kitsch and terrible costumes but which...

In an industry where artists are increasingly trying to redefine themselves just to stay alive, contemporary Christian music artist TobyMac is the only singer from DC Talk, a Christian boy band of the early 90s, who has made a successful...

Remember how the final episode of "Seinfeld" put the main characters on trial for being selfish, inconsiderate, and just generally shallow? How the show was famously "about nothing" and that there would be "no hugging, no crying" in any episode?Well,...

A hilarious retelling of the David and Goliath story, set to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." The song, called "Bethlehemian Rhapsody," is by a Christian parody band called The Apologetix; the video is by some creative high school students:...

I've already ranted twice about the latest horrifying New Age get-rich quick craze--"The Secret." But according to Peter Birkenhead of Salon.com, I'm not alone in feeling there is still more to reckon with as this book's popularity rises and reveals...

As a diehard "Lost" fan (and a diehard Jack hater), I’m always thrilled for an episode based around Sayid. As a former member of Iraq’s Republican Guard, he knows way more about technology, strategy, and well, everything, than Jack. I’ve...

Amidst all the hoopla over the past couple of weeks about the alleged discovery of the tombs of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, James Cameron--the "Titanic" director who produced the documentary "The Jesus Family Tomb"--offered this gem of a comment: Grasping...

I've been hearing rave reviews about singer/songwriter Patty Griffin’s latest release, "Children Running Through" ever since it dropped into stores last month. So I was thrilled to have a chance this week to sit down at last and soak...

Poor Madonna, she just can't catch a break--unless she's falling off a horse, that is. Once again, the Material Girl is catching flack, or should we say flap, for her choice of Purim party attire. According to MSNBC's Scoop, Madge...

Just as fashion magazines regularly christen every color of the rainbow to be "the new black" for the season, Hollywood A-listers seem to be saying so long to last season's Kabbalah and hello to Scientology. "Scientology is the Kabbalah of...

President Charles Logan was among the most unattractive and disrespected characters ever to appear on the "24" series in all of its seasons. We expect the criminals to be vile, devious, and deviant, but Mr. Logan was the Honorable President...

Watching TV these days is sort of like a travelogue in prime time as the slick and trendy shots of Boston, Miami, Las Vegas, and New York are beamed into the homes of over-cubicled and under-vacationed Americans each night. These...

How much do we love Battlestar Galactica? Not only does this show deliver some of the most erotically charged, unconventional love scenes on television, but it also satiates our less carnal appetites while delivering some of the most metaphysical and...

How did you feel last week? Was everything running as normal, but something--something you couldn’t put your finger on--was different? Did you notice a certain "hotness" missing, even though the weather was mild?Perhaps you too were suffering from PHWS--Paris Hilton...

A few months ago Idol Chatter noted that Episcopalians had taken to piping U2 songs into their churches, a phenomenon that's not surprising, given lead singer Bono's coy but steady relationship with Christianity and the group's redemptive musical themes. Evangelical...

Britney's in and out of rehab. Everyone is still focusing on what might have happened to Anna Nicole. Maybe the media won’t notice if we adopt another kid. That’s what my more cynical side imagines the thought process might have...

I had heard of Tao restaurant and nightclub in its New York City setting, so why should I have been surprised to see it in Las Vegas as well? Situated in the sumptuous Venetian hotel, Tao has two prominent advertising...

How much would you pay for a 16-ounce pouch of dirt from Israel? Five hundred dollars? Fifty? No, no, silly. Try 20 bucks. That's right. For only about twice the price of a one-pound bag of Starbucks' Sumatran extra bold,...

Poor Hurley.Ever since this loveable "Lost" survivor won the lottery, he has suffered continuously: First, his grandpa Tito died. Second, the first house Hurley bought his mother burned down. Third, his best friend ran off with his girlfriend. Fourth, while...

The opening number sets the scene for the rest of the film: There's the turmoil of rival gangs coupled with a nascent love story that will either unite the warring factions or cause a violent rift. But because this musical...