May 2007 Archives

I've already got a new television addiction for the summer months (thank God!). It may not be deep and layered like "The Sopranos" (I've maintained the ban on my former favorite HBO series since last season's horribly disturbing Vito storyline), but it's as relentlessly nonstop as "24." In fact, it might be the new "24."

ABC's new action drama, "Traveler," hit the ground running in last night's two hour special. Jay Tyler, fresh out of Yale grad school are about to embark on one last summer of fun before they hit the reality of the working world. Within five minutes of the first episode, Will Traveler, the third member of the road trip crew convinces them to pull what seems an innocent prank--rollerblading down all the stairs of a big New York City art museum (they call it The Drexler but it's really the Met).

But as soon as Jay and Tyler are out the door the museum blows up, and it seems as if Will is the bomber. The FBI has Jay and Tyler on tape looking awfully suspicious fleeing the museum just before the explosion, and less than 15 minutes into the pilot a full blown man-hunt is underway in the vein of "The Fugitive." Jay and Tyler soon must come to grips with Will's betrayal, the fact that he doesn't seem to exist, and the fact that their future as well-paid professionals is shattered. Never mind their freedom.

Deep breath.

I was a reluctant believer at first--the premise is a bit weak. (Why don't they just turn themselves in and tell the whole story?) But I haven't watched anything that adrenaline-inducing since the first season of "24." I was glued to the screen, my heart was racing, and I can't wait until next week. I've long wondered if someone could figure out how to replicate the magic formula that is "24," and "Traveler" may have done it. It feels like everything is happening in real time.

And, Jay and Tyler are easy on the eyes.

Reality shows have often toed the line between taste and tact--think "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire." But there have been times when audiences find a concept even too distasteful for their voracious appetites--remember CBS's cancelled-after-one-airing "The Will," wherein the contestants vied for the inheritance of a ranch in Kansas? Or how about the British reality/dating show that never aired thanks to the contestants who threatened to sue after they discovered the hot woman they had all been snogging was actually a pre-op transsexual?

But even duping men into a “Crying Game”-esque situation seems tasteful when compared with Endemol's (who brought us "Big Brother") latest reality offering: "The Big Donor Show." This Dutch show features a 37-year old woman with an inoperable brain tumor deciding which of three candidates is most deserving to receive one of her kidneys. She bases her choice on interviews with the contestants as well as with friends and family.

Viewers will be able to text in their vote, but the ultimate decision lies with the living donor, dubbed "Lisa." (Once Lisa has passed away, her other kidney can be made available for the national organ registry but cannot be designated for a specific individual.)

"We know that this program is super controversial and some people will think it's tasteless, but we think the reality is even more shocking and tasteless: Waiting for an organ is just like playing the lottery," Laurens Drillich, chairman of the BNN network, said in a statement as reported by the AP. In fact, the network claims, the show is a way "to draw attention to a shortage of organ donors."

Clearly, Lisa should be able to choose to whom she would like to give a kidney. It’s done all the time in this country; family and friends often act as living donors for loved ones. And as much as I would like to defend the show as crass but bringing attention to an important issue, I just cannot. And I even defended "The Swan."

But, this is life and death, not "outwit, outplay, outlast." This is the real "Survivor." These people are desperate not for the million dollar prize, but an organ (even if their percentage of receiving a kidney on the show is far higher than if they were waiting on the national list). Maybe if this process was wrapped in the hygienic, academic veneer of a documentary--perhaps an inspirational story of a woman looking to find a good person who will go on to do great things with the new kidney--the concept would go down easier.

I'm going to stop short of calling it a small-screen snuff film, but the fact that there is audience participation makes it feel a bit too much like the gladiatorial games of Rome--where the audience members were polled for a thumbs up or a thumbs down to determine the fate of the fighter.

"The Big Donor Show" is set to air this Friday on the Netherland's channel BNN.

Will Ferrell just made a new movie for free, and 30 million people have already seen it. What? You didn't see the trailer? You didn't hear the build-up? Not much talk about it on E! or Premiere?

Welcome to a new trend that could be really cool or could fade really fast.

According to today's New York Times (business section, not movies!), Ferrell, "who commands up to $20 million for movies like 'Anchorman' and 'Blades of Glory,'" spent about 45 minutes making a little web-based movie shot by his production partner (Adam McKay) with a camcorder. It's called "The Landlord" and was posted on the new site FunnyOrDie.com as of April 12.

FunnyOrDie.com is sort of like a YouTube but there's way less stuff (which means way more of it is actually funny) and that mainstream actors (like Farrell) are willing to appear there. In fact, "many experienced comedians, talent agents and financiers are seeing the Web as a way to showcase talent while trying to turn a profit." The project is financed by Sequoia Capital, an early investor in Google and YouTube.

I'm hoping that it not only becomes what the profitmakers see (a chance for profit and/or promotional opportunity for the studio-backed talent) but also a chance for faith-based industry members to take some chances and engage their talents in what they really believe, for audiences young and old that would be positively influenced. The movie industry is so organized and manipulated around profit, so it'd be nice if one medium could survive and do well while not falling into the same artistically claustrophobic traps that have controlled the big screen and small screen for far too long.

Meanwhile, as the Times story said, "this being Hollywood, Mr. Ferrell and Pearl have already shot a sequel!" So check out FunnyOrDie.com if you don't have time to search YouTube for quality stuff, and join me in praying that faith-based material from big-name talent makes it on there as well. Considering the success of "Left Behind," "The Purpose-Driven Life," "The Passion of the Christ," etc., what a wonderful opportunity for Sequoia and team to not only make some money but to make a difference as well!

Lindsay Lohan was arrested again and is back in rehab. Britney Spears is blogging theology and confessions. Paris Hilton is talking about how much she dreads her upcoming jail sentence. Who decided that these women's tales were newsworthy?

I hope that someday in the near future, the party girls that the tabloids love and the networks exploit will be able to step forward and give a little bit of productive guidance, or something redeeming. As the father of three girls, I just don't see anything else these ladies have done that's worthy of the non-stop coverage.

My heart goes out to them, though.

Yesterday, the tide may have started to turn, as Britney posted some thoughts on her website, saying she "truly hit rock bottom" and calling rehab a "very humbling place."

"I was like a bad kid running around with ADD," the 25-year-old pop star writes about her adventures partying with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan after she filed for divorce, which of course, came just two months after giving birth to their second child, Jayden James.

"I had a manager from a long time ago come in and try to direct me and my life after I got my divorce," Spears also wrote. "I was so overwhelmed I think that I was in a little shock too. I didn't know who to go to."

I disagree with her comment that "I think it is actually normal for a young girl to go out after a huge divorce," because the only thing that made it "huge" was the false sense of big-ness our society gives to someone who can sing or show up in a video. But I respect her candor in confessing "a lot of insecurities from when I was little are coming up again; it's like we are never good enough... I am only human people and I love you for still loving me."

She closes her blog by theologizing: "We will never really understand or figure out life completely. That's God's job."

As for Lindsay, the young actress is back in rehab and is also volunteering with an outstanding organization called "Teen Challenge." She has a chance to grow a bit and share the beginnings of something redeeming when the time comes. Outside of God's grace and prayers from those who love her, I don't hold out hope for Paris doing the same, but who knows, she's making an effort, and God is capable of much more grace and spiritual power than anyone of us or our media.

But someday, someone will answer me as to who it was that decided these young, immature and hurting ladies deserve the cultural pulpit? It's obviously not bringing peace or fulfillment for them.

I think we ought to all say a prayer for each of them but tune out the television and print news of their latest exploits.

With a possibly prophetic word of warning last week, Michael Lohan, dad to wild child Lindsay Lohan, spoke to the London tabloid The Mirror about his daughter's struggles with substance abuse. Now that Lindsay checked herself back into rehab after her latest crisis--in which she crashed her car and was charged with suspicion of driving under the influence--maybe the troubled starlet will finally listen to Dad's advice, learn from his mistakes, and find religion in the process.

Michael Lohan, who has served one jail sentence for fraud and another for drunken driving, took an online course while in prison to be certified--but not ordained--by the Assemblies of God denomination and has been devoting himself to ministry since he was released from prison earlier this year. Lohan now works with actor Stephen Baldwin running a Christian-based teen rehab program called "Teen Challenge" and told the Mirror that Lindsay is wasting "the gifts God gave her" and insisted that he can "help her in a lot of ways."

While Daddy Lohan might want to take a little more time making sure his own life changes actually stick before he tries to fix his daughter's woes, at least the younger Lohan knows of another treatment program she can try if her current stint at the Promises treatment center doesn't work out. But if Lindsay does some jail time for her latest transgressions , she might have the option to room with on-again, off-again party pal Paris who might even lend Lindsay her Bible.

I have to disagree with my esteemed Idol Chatter colleague Kris Rasmussen as well as, for that matter, several other reviewers, including CNN's Tom Charity, Rolling Stone's Peter Travis, and Time magazine's Richard Schigel, all of whom offered strongly negative...

Davis Guggenheim, who took home an Oscar for "An Inconvenient Truth," has a fiction film hitting theaters this Friday. "Gracie," which stars Carly Schroeder as a 14-year-old girl who goes from underdog to soccer champ in the aftermath of her...

If you are content with snazzy special effects, lots of swashbuckling action sequences and lots and lots of Johnny Depp one liners, then undoubtedly you will enjoy the third installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, "Pirates of the...

Reading Michael Chabon's new "The Yiddish Policeman's Union," you can almost visualize the film noir to which this gripping novel pays homage--the down-and-out boozer of a detective, cracking wise as he pursues the truth; the mysterious murder victim, found dead...

Below is a review of "Please Come Home," the new solo album from singer Dustin Kensrue, frontman for post-hardcore band Thrice. It was the winning entry of a student writing contest at Biola University, a Christian evangelical school in Southern...

What is it like to perform the Hajj? The only people who can tell this story are the Muslims who have been there. So how can everyone else--Muslims and non-Muslims--get a real sense of what it is like? Sure, documentaries...

"All these survivors are capable of great sacrifice ... in the spirit of the community."- Executive Producer, Carlton CuseSince the castaways of Oceanic Flight 815 landed on a mysterious island three seasons ago in "Lost", we have seen ordinary...

There's Christian theology, full of hope for redemption and miraculous conversions, and then there's country music. On her witty, bluegrass-inflected album, "I Want to Love You," (out this week) Kassie DePaiva sings about heartache and being down to your last...

What is it about prison--or just the prospect of it--that makes people find religion? Headed for a 23-day sentence that begins June 5, socialite Paris Hilton has been spotted toting the Bible and the nondenominational meditation "The Power of Now"...

Beliefnet's Dena Ross has a current story and gallery up, a feature on the Christian music artists."According to Nielsen SoundScan, the Christian/gospel category was one of only four genres that saw its overall album sales grow last year," she writes,...

Furthering the conspiracy theory that Christians are scewing the results of this year's "American Idol" finale, the song that won this year’s first-ever "American Idol" songwriting contest and sung by finalist Blake Lewis was written by a longtime Christian music...

For "Onion" fans out there who also appreciate all things religious, you've got to read this. This week, "The Onion" has a hilarious faux-story about a man who posted a "modern-day" 95 Theses (think Martin Luther), in the form of...

I spent most of last night's "Heroes" season finale half-cowering under the covers, worrying that one of my favorite new super-powered friends wouldn't make it to see another season. It was a nail-biter in other words.Would Hiro Nakamura--television's most adorable,...

I really wasn't too cynical about yet another mega-franchise sequel in this summer's movie line-up. I wanted to be sure that I saw "Shrek the Third" with a lot of kids in the audience, including a few from my own...

TMZ.com and other media outlets are reporting that rapper and entrepreneur Master P is starting a record label with his son Romeo (nee L'il Romeo) "for hip hop artists with street music without offensive lyrics."Take A Stand Records is a...

Don't tell me you missed it. America's longest-running sitcom and animated series, "The Simpsons," aired it's 400th episode on Sunday--a hilarious showdown between decency guru Ned Flanders and doofus newsman Kent Brockman over an alleged indecent on-air comment. It was...

There’s an old psychiatrists' joke that goes: "If you're a jerk, and you go talk to a psychiatrist about being a jerk, afterwards you'll still be a jerk. But you'll feel good about it." The same might be said for...

Though I know "Desperate Housewives" mostly as a funny, fluffy confection of marital and familial melodrama, acted superbly by its four female leads, it never fails to remind audiences of its deeper, darker side--and just when you least expect it....

As a Christian, I can tell you that Christians can have a tendency to take their religion a wee bit too seriously. Not that religion isn't serious, but it's also ripe for humor, right? Too often we confuse disrespecting God...

Back in November, I wrote about the developing friendship between two Christians on The Real World: Denver—Davis the Southern Baptist homosexual and Stephen the conservative Christian. Their discord was due to Davis' homosexuality which Stephen deemed reprehensible for a Christian.Months...

I love Betty Suarez. I admit when I reviewed the "Ugly Betty" pilot oh so many months ago, I was lukewarm, but mostly optomistic about the Salma Hayek-produced show based on the popular telenovela "Yo Soy Betty La Fea." In...

"King of Queens" star, and prominent Scientologist, Leah Remini is denying that there's anything to her friendship with music/movie star Jennifer Lopez other than wanting to hang out with "a fabulous girl." Recent reports not only have Remini trying to...

I am happy to report at least one bit of good news about the end of Smallville's Season Six: the CW network finally released to fans their re-ups for next season which include "One Tree Hill," "Supernatural," and "Smallville." Fans...

This past Sunday the CW aired the series finale of "7th Heaven," one of the most successful family dramas in history. At some point, any show that runs a long time runs the risk of veering into soap opera territory....

If you're reading this blog, you likely have some appreciation for how pop entertainment can impact our spiritual lives--perhaps in our present condition, more effectively than formal religion. Dr. Martin Luther King's daughter Yolanda, who died Tuesday at the age...

I love bad TV. And what's worse than MTV's "The Real World/Road Rules Challenge," which combines three bad TV staples ("The Real World," "Road Rules," and people doing idiotic stunts for prizes) into one frothy package? The Challenge also has...

The fact that Jerry Fallwell’s passing is being treated as a major media event brings both a resounding affirmation of his impact upon the politics of our country as well as the compelling question about who will take his...

Though I resigned myself to the series end of "Gilmore Girls" an entire year ago when creator/producer/writer Amy Sherman-Palladino left the show, I have to say that it was more difficult than I thought to say good-bye to Lorelai, Rory...

Is John Travolta the new face of Scientology? This week Travolta called on the BBC to kill a segment critical of the organization after BBC reporter John Sweeney screamed at a Scientology representative, "like a jet engine," in Sweeney's own...

I have posted before about how I completely avoid "American Idol." I could care less if booted contestant Chris Sligh was Christian enough or what the world should think about Sanjaya's hair. But still, Idol mania in the media...

The ex-wife of televangelist Jim Bakker, Tammy Faye Messner, has made a name for herself over the years since the scandal collapse of Bakker’s PTL Club for her over-the-top make-up and personality that appealed, for inexplicable reasons, to both certain...

Israel has a difficult relationship with American culture. On the one hand, Israel creates its own culture and doesn't want to be an America's clone. And then there's the other hand, the celeb-obsessed, hypersexualized American pop culture-consuming hand that resents...

While ABC's "Desperate Housewives" is known for its over-the-top storylines and tawdry sexual affairs, it is an emotional--not literal--affair that has been at the front and center of the show's final episodes.Lynette and Tom, the somewhat "normal" couple of Wisteria...

Tonight’s national 6:30 pm time slot features a potentially wonderfully new kind of drama. This one has to do with the future, but there will be no voting, no calling in, and no consolation prize of an appearance on Leno...

Spider-Man 3" took a huge fall this past weekend. Sure, it took in $60 million, but that was a 60 percent drop-off from its opening weekend, which meant the hype and marketing worked great but the movie itself didn’t go...

You know that feeling of disappointment you get when you tune into your favorite TV show expecting to get a new episode, and it turns out to be a cleverly concealed clip-show? Sure, it's artfully put together, but you wanted...

I've been really amazed by how prevalent Jewish expression seems to be in popular culture these days. Of course, I live in New York so Jewish visibility is likely to be high. I was slightly incredulous when that Gap ad...

Although "insult fighting,"where people verbally abuse each other and their mothers, has been around for ages, it's been most recently popularized by shows like MTV's "Yo Mama." That's why it's so refreshing that this classic Mr. T music video celebrating...

Tonight's "20/20" on ABC looks to be a fascinating two-hour special on all aspects of faith and spirituality. The show is known for producing such specials on a variety of subjects, and tonight's episode covers nearly all "hot" aspects of...

Wednesday's "Lost" episode veered deeper into supernatural territory as Locke (and viewers) got their first glimpse of Jacob ... or, more correctly, didn't.After forcing Ben to take him to see Jacob, the supposed Man behind the man behind the curtain,...

Where do celebrities find their spirituality? It could be in the garden, on the golf course, or in their singing, performing comedy, or even drumming.A new Beliefnet gallery highlights all the fascinating ways that different celebrities--like "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Patricia...

It was no Andrew Sullivan vs. Sam Harris, nor Christopher Hitchens vs. Douglas Wilson, but last night's "Nightline" debate (the first in an unpromising new series called "Face Off") between Christians Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron and atheists Brian Sapient...

Even in these trying times, there are many reasons why America is a great country. My favorite is that we are a land of constant reinvention--from personalities to politics, personas and platforms continue to evolve. The most recent case in...

For anyone else like me who can't seem to stop making fun of Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" (OK, so I've been obsessively blogging about it--first about the DVD review, again about a New York Times feature, and yes, still another...

A few months ago, Idol Chatter brought you the news that Beliefnet contributer Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of CLAL--The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and an oft-sought voice on public culture and religion in the public square, was...

A new kind of heroic character trait has emerged on "24:" Brokenness.Brokenness happens far beyond issues of ethics, morals, or even heroism. It's the occasion of a life event that almost none of us would ever ask for but that...

One of the newest versions of an old TV series is off and running, and I think it shows signs of being the best its ever been--and the most faith-based as well. Like "American Idol," the losers will dwindle towards...

I must confess, like many devoted "Sopranos" viewers, I did not return to the show this season. It wasn't Season Six's much-reviled metaphysical and spiritual meanderings that deterred me, but the fact that HBO was offering up tastier fare, such...

Over the weekend, I logged onto one of my favorite websites, Go Fug Yourself, to get their take on the most important celebutante-related gossip of the weekend: Paris Hilton being sentenced to 45 days in jail. Sure enough, their top...

Time Magazine's current issue focuses on the many actors who are moving somewhat out of (typical) character to play villains this summer, and reflects on some of the more memorable villains of all time.James Franco will probably be the most-seen...

Ever since James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" debacle, with Oprah tearing up the author for fabricating large swaths of his "memoir" (not long after praising him in a show devoted to his book), the whole genre has been under...

"Waitress," directed by Adrienne Shelly, is this year's "Little Miss Sunshine," and Keri Russell as Jenna, is this movie's equivalent to Reese Witherspoon's Golden Globe-nominated turn as Tracy Flick in "Election."The former "Felicity" star gives the performance of a lifetime...

While I am not a big comic book superhero fan, I have always enjoyed the Spider-Man franchise for its unabashed mix of adventure and nerdishness with a touch of humor. And I can hardly argue with the recurring moral theme...

It's official: After seven seasons the era of "The Gilmore Girls" is coming to an end. Yesterday Variety announced the news, confirming long-held suspicions among fans of the show:"After weeks of talks aimed at bringing the show back for a...

I have a friend who would joke that he and his wife had a second child so that they would have spare parts for the first. While he was clearly being silly, there have been cases in the last few...

It seems reasonable to assume that a film whose soundtrack is a setting of the Passion of Christ from the Gospel of John will have a religious or spiritual theme. The film "Passio" by Paolo Cherchi Usai, presented during the...

Many feature film directors learned the craft of moviemaking by originally making short films early in their careers. The Damah Festival, one of the most successful spiritually-themed film festivals (which focuses on short films), opens in Los Angeles starting tomorrow....

We're all Mormons. That was the essence, anyway, of the first half of "The Mormons," the Frontline/American Experience documentary that concluded last night on PBS. The film implies that the founding myth about the United States--that Americans were a pilgrim...

Remember the 2000 Oscar's when Angelina shocked the viewing audience by declaring in her acceptance speech that she was "so in love" with her brother, James Haven, and actually snogged with him? Definitely different. While little was known at the...

Politicians? Diplomats? World leaders? Does anyone know what to do with the Middle East conflict? It seems to be the consensus that children in the region learn from their parents and the society that surrounds them--and those messages are hard...

It's been obvious for some time that the Dalai Lama has rock-star status. A funny piece in yesterday's Contra Costa Times gives us the particulars: Organizers of his appearances, often in halls made famous by '60s musical attractions, face "many...