November 15, 2007 Archives

Kudos to David Letterman for paying his "Late Show" staff out of his own pocket while production on his nightly show is shut down because of the writers strike. The news comes at the same time as reports that Letterman and Jay Leno are each losing $100,000 every night the strike continues.

Letterman plans to continue his largesse through the end of the year. Here's hoping the strike is settled by then. Either way, it's great to see a high-profile star like David Letterman making sure that his staff is taken care of financially during the upcoming holiday season.

Religion and the movies can be a combustible mix. It's sometimes led to protests, boycotts, even threats, and at least one tragic act of murder. Click here to see our Top 10 list of the most controversial religious movies of all time, then use the comments box below to tell us what you think of the list--and what movies we missed.

Salma Hayek is one of the most beautiful women in the world. The Mexican-born actress has showed off her famous curves in movies like "Bandidas" and "From Dusk Til Dawn". But is her fantastic figure the result of genes? Or of hours spent working out in the gym? Turns out it is neither one. In a recent interview, Hayek said God himself was personally responsible for her body. She reflected on her insecurity as a teenager, and said, "My mom and I stopped at a church during a road trip we were making from our home in Mexico. "When we went inside, I prayed for the miracle I wanted to happen. I put my hands in holy water and said: 'Please God, give me some breasts'. And he gave me them! Within a few months, I developed a growing spurt, as teenagers do, and I was very pleased with the way I grew outwards."

Funny. All this time I've been asking God to make me look like Salma Hayek, but it hasn't happened yet.

"Dancing with the Stars" has had a pretty rough season. Contestant Jane Seymour's mother passed away, then Seymour came down with food poisoning. Scheduled singing guests Jennifer Lopez and Gloria Estefan had to reschedule their performances because of deaths in their families. Then the show was affected by both the Malibu fires and the Writers Guild strike.

Marie Osmond may have had the worst luck of all, though: she fainted on live TV after a particularly athletic dance number, her teenage son recently entered rehab, and her father passed away. Marie, a veteran performer, insisted on staying on the show, following the old adage that the show must go on. Just before her father had died, she'd performed a jive number on the show where she and professional dance partner Jonathan Roberts dressed in '40s gear as a tribute to Marie's parents, who met after World War II.

Israel is turning 60 next summer, and along with all of its beauty and religious resonance, it has also become known as a place of conflict, of heavy headlines, and unfortunately more than occasional violence. But apparently, within popular culture on both sides, there's always been music to be found in the Middle East...

“It’s a comedic spin on the apocalypse, as it should occur in the great city of Los Angeles.” So says writer-director Richard Kelly (of "Donnie Darko" fame) about his latest film, "Southland Tales." But viewer beware! “Comedic” implies laughter and...

Yes, my DVD choices this week reveal the variety in my movie tastes as well as perhaps the scattered, unstable nature of my brain. While I laughed myself silly watching “Chalk”, I was deeply, emotionally disturbed as I watched “Pierrepoint”,...