Robert Bianco's review in USA Today does something almost unheard of in today's media: it rips into Oprah Winfrey! He hints at the "horrifying" and "stomach-churning" as he describes her new entry into the prime time TV market.
Oprah is more than a pop diva or ratings queen—she's really become something of a cultural chaplain, influencing worldviews, belief systems, and careers. And she's done it with a sort of untouchability when it comes to media criticism.
That's why it got my attention when Bianco's review took aim at her new "giving" show, "The Big Give."
"Anyone old-fashioned enough to believe in keeping acts of righteousness private should give a wide berth to Oprah's Big Give (ABC, Sunday, 9 ET/PT)…as reinterpreted by the Queen of All Media," he writes. It's an "Apprentice-type game that turns charity into a competitive sport, Give will strike you as immensely uplifting or horrifyingly vulgar, or an odd combo of both."
Some TV shows are making their way quickly to post-strike prime time. Some are taking awhile and some are in limbo. There are even websites where you can go and weigh in on your opinion.
But one show that is not being talked about much is "24," and I'm not sure why. Fox made the decision to hold off on the popular Kiefer Sutherland series until January of 2009. 2009!
I am continually fascinated by what is now an industry onto itself with Thomas Nelson's Biblezines. Biblezines are more or less what they sound like: bibles (usually the New Testament) packaged in a glossy magazine format filled with full color photos, quizzes, advice columns, you name it, all corresponding to whatever versus and/or story that falls on its pages.
They are packaged so well and look so much like a teen magazine that if they were around when I was a kid, I might've actually read the Bible. Which is exactly the point, of course. Biblezines get people, especially teens, reading the New Testament.
Angelina Jolie and Aishwarya Rai, among the most beautiful women in the world, have always been compared because of their looks. Now they are both back in the news for a different reason. They are being looked at as possible cousins, or at least having a common ancestor. Why? Because of the blue color of their eyes.
The Journal of Human Genetics reports that scientists studying eye color at the University of Copenhagen have found that more than 99.5 per cent of blue-eyed people who volunteered to have their DNA analyzed have the same tiny mutation in the gene that determines the color of the iris. The study suggests that the mutation originated in just one person who evidently became the ancestor of all blue-eyed people.
According to this new study, all people with blue eyes can trace their ancestry back to one person who probably lived about 10,000 years ago in the Black Sea region.
To be quite honest, sometimes I find it a little difficult to distinguish between one pretty, young, new contemporary Christian female artist and another. I miss the days of Leslie Phillips, Jennifer Knapp, and Maggie Becker at her best. So I was a little surprised when I listened to the first track of Christian pop songstress Natalie Grant, and it actually sounded almost rock and roll. In fact, as a whole, "Relentless" as a whole has more maturity and variety than what I have heard of her previous efforts.
Check out gospel artist Kirk Franklin's new music video, "Declaration (This Is It!)" off his album, "The Fight of My Life." And be sure to check back with us in March when we feature an interview with the popular Christian...
In the article, "The Greek Ideal" the New York Times spring Women's Fashion magazine includes a fun survey of popular Greek Goddesses like Aphrodite (Goddess of beauty and desire) and Hera (Goddess of marriage) but with a twist. In addition...
The name of his first book, "God and Man at Yale," sounds so hidebound and culturally clueless, even for the early '50s, that it's hard to imagine that William F. Buckley, who died this morning, made his reputation on it....
As a professor at Boston University, occasionally I (and my colleagues) get email blasts advertising a new movie that's coming out that might be of interest to members of the department, or even a non-BU lecture or art exhibit. But...
Last weekend I was encouraged to see the New York Times article "Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be Hounded," which poses the possibility of a double standard in the way the press persecutes girl-celebrities like Britney Spears and Lindsay...
There's a new kind of media emerging, the kind related to much of what Beliefnet offer, and a window into what will probably be a major future trend. The Washington Post and Newsweek have teamed up for "OnFaith," advertised as...
Due to the Writers' Strike, filming of new episodes of last fall's Bionic Woman was put on hiatus. However, now there's rumors that the show may cancelled, though NBC has yet to confim this. One thing is for sure though,...
When it was suggested that I write about attending the Spice Girls reunion concert in terms of spiritual experience, I scoffed a bit. As enduring and as deep as my love of Ginger, Sporty, Scary, Posh, and Baby is, I...
You may hear today about Larry Norman, who died last night at age 60. You'll hear that he was the "Father of Christian Rock," or that he was the genre's Bob Dylan, or that with his death a chapter in...
Stephen Colbert coined the term "truthiness," and now I would like to expand the lexicon with my own truth-based contribution, "truthlessness." What is truthlessness, you ask? Well, it's just what it sounds like, truth coupled with ruthlessness, the finest exemplar...
I finally saw "Definitely, Maybe," starring Ryan Reynolds as a just-divorced and lonely Dad (who turns out to be a great romantic lead) and the ever-adorable Abigail Breslin as his daughter who longs to fix his broken love life. It's...
We would like to extend a big congratulations to writer Sara Shereeb Bakhshian, who just won 2nd place in the LA Press Club's 1st Annual National Entertainment Journalism Awards for Best Online Feature Story. Bakhshian's piece, "Must-Believe TV," which covered...
In Tyler Perry's new movie, "Meet the Browns," a single struggling mother, played by Angela Bassett, meets the family she never knew after the death of her father. Watch the trailer below. rev; http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1422585174http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1351363375 // By use of this code...
In case you were interested in purchasing the Virgin Mary's miraculous appearance in what most Americans consider mall food or a sports event snack--a giant soft pretzel--you are out of luck. Four radio hosts at a popular station in...
The Oscar broadcast last night was okay. Too many montages and a few upsets in my predictions (rats!). Stewart was funny, but it wasn't his "A" game (The best line being "'Atonement'. Finally a movie that captures the raw passion...
Each year at the Oscars there are goof-ups and fashion slips, which make for lots of water cooler banter the next day. But for me, the most lasting moments are the most inspiring ones. This was certainly the "year...
Blogger and fantasy author extraordinaire, Jeffrey Overstreet, came up with a brilliant joke last night as he blogged the Oscars. If only he could have IM'd it to John Stewart so he could have used it. Jeffrey, in referencing "Wicked"...
I'll be honest. The whole Miley Cyrus phenomenon makes me a little nervous. Not even Hilary Duff at the height of her "Lizzie Maguire" fame was invited to present at the Oscars and do a sit down with Barbara Walters,...
It's a slushy Friday here in NYC, making it extra-nice to find this bit of breaking news in my inbox: Phil Jackson Yells At Pau Gasol's Ch'i Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, evidently incensed over new acquisition Pau Gasol's inability...
Spending five decades on the black gospel circuit is called paying your dues, but now that mainstream success has come for the Blind Boys of Alabama, they aren't thinking about paying themselves back. As they sing in their new CD...
Major confession: if I have ever listened to National Public Radio's "This American Life" series (hosted by show creator Ira Glass), it was only at the prodding of a friend who insisted I check out a specific episode or because...
In her third album, 2007 Grammy Award Nominee Ledisi promises "fiery vocals, funk-up rhythm and absolute soul." And in her 14 full tracks (and two mini-tracks) that make up "Lost and Found," she delivers. As one of Billboard Magazine's "Top...
The movie geek in me loves the idea of posting my Oscar predictions every year here at Idol Chatter, so that I have the opportunity to feel either smug or chagrined over my prognosticating prowess. However, this year I feel...
To me, the title sounded something like an inquest into the Kennedy assassination or the 9-11 Report, but from the first scenes, "The Final Inquiry" clearly takes us back to biblical times, complete with thieves on a cross, a solar...
As Americans, we expect three simple things: Life, liberty and the right to pursue happiness by selling things on eBay. But Scientology is standing in the way of that American dream, reports Scott Pilutik on RealityBasedCommunity.net. It seems that the...
Portfolio magazine blogger Jeff Bercovici calls the current state of Britney Spears a "Joseph Welch moment," referring to the U.S. Army attorney who effectively put an end to McCarthyism in the 1950s by publicly shaming anti-Communist crusader Sen. Joe McCarthy....
Duane "Dog" Chapman--who you either know as the cool guy who catches criminals with the rest of his family, on the hit A&E show "Dog the Bounty Hunter," or as that guy who was outed by the National Enquirer for...
The only movie I haven't been able to cross off my Oscar nominated must-see list has been the dark, sweeping, would-be epic, "There will be Blood." I've had plenty of opportunities to listen to the rave reviews as well as...
There's a serious ethical issue that surrounds this year's presidential campaign. No, it's not pulling out of the war in Iraq or universal healthcare, but a little thing known as campaign music clearance, a point illustrated once again by Democrat...
Sure, you've heard of the Academy Awards--and maybe even the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards--but what about the Beliefnet Film Awards? Every year, Beliefnet honors the best spiritual films, performances, and documentaries in our very own feature. Now's your chance...
Entertainment Weekly's current feature—the Top Twenty Most Appalling Shows Ever—provides a reminder of how bad television can get. No matter how bad we've gotten in this writers' strike, it's actually been worse while the writers were available! (Though not by...
Fifteen years ago I hardly analyzed what it meant for me to be an American Muslim. I was Muslim, I was American, it was difficult at times being both. But hey, it wasn't that big a deal. And when I...
As a singleton who recently survived one of my least favorite holidays, I know this list is going to sound incredibly jaded. But I am not bashing all romantic comedies.There is nothing wrong with an occasional harmless diversion into that...
A picture too cute not to share: my daughter, the pop-culture junkie, reading Entertainment Weekly at the tender age of 13 months. Look for her to join the roster of bloggers at Idol Chatter c.2026....
Evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics gnash their teeth a lot about how Hollywood corrupts youth and demoralizes the faithful. But if it's true that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, Hollywood and conservative Christians, who've both been putting...
For a long time now, Chabad, along with many others concerned about the subtle and not-so-subtle influences of pop culture, has been unequivocal about television watching as a harmful, mind-numbing pastime. But that didn't stop the medium from turning its...
Unless you've had your head in the cosmic dust, you've probably heard that the next movie in the "Star Wars" series is due out this August. And, you've heard of the two potentially controversial decisions made by creator George Lucas....
Yes, it is official that the Writers Guild of America has reached an agreement with Hollywood producers to go back to work, and while I join my fellow blogger Donna in celebrating that the writers' received at least some of...
The beautiful American Dream of baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet turned briefly into a near-nightmare today as one baseball’s strongest candidates for “hero” status—Roger Clemens—went before Congress to defend himself from allegations that he has used steroids to...
It is a trend of many Christian music groups these days to find a niche in the mainstream market and distinguish themselves with an edge that helps distance them from that dreaded Contemporary Christian Music label. Pop rockers Sanctus Real...
At the outset it's just another Bollywood (India's version of Hollywood, if you didn't know already) love story--running around the trees, dancing, fighting villains, costume changes, catchy songs. The perfect formula for an expensive, highly marketed, typical Bollywood movie. It's...
With Valentine's Day this week, expectations are high to pull of a perfect romantic date. With that in mind, I asked some Christian artists to share their all-time worst dating disasters. "My husband Joel was a busy youth pastor so...
A few weeks ago here at Idol Chatter we posted about Anonymous, a group of internet-based folks dedicated to exposing the lies of Scientology. Well, Saturday was declared an official day for protesting Scientology and according to reports by the...
Most of us are on Britney Spears Information Overload these days, and Idol Chatter is no exception. Some people simply turn off the TV when they hear the troubled star's name mentioned. But some have gone one step further--rather than...
A number of graphic novelists have taken on the Bible in the last several years. Check out "Marked" by Steve Ross, which takes on the Gospel of Mark in both imagery and Word, and pubbed from Seabury books in 2005....
Amy Winehouse was not only the big winner at The Grammys last night, she was kind of a mascot for a broadcast that, as The New York Times pointed out today, were oddly haunted by loss. Video-ported in from London...
In what was one of the highlights of last night's Grammy Awards, Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin performed a moving deut of "Never Gonna Break My Faith" with gospel star BeBe Winans. In addition, gospel artists The Clark Sisters, Trin-I-Tee...
I don't usual watch the Grammys but something about this year's nominees and the promise of some legendary match-ups on stage (Aretha and BeBe Winans, Beyonce and Tina Turner) made me want to tune in. And while I am sure...
I bought my wife "Eat, Pray, Love" thinking the spiritual travelogue (and runaway bestseller) by Elizabeth Gilbert would match well with my beloved's belief that travel to exotic climes is essentially a spiritual endeavor: hers is the Church of the...
Glory be, hallelujah! The headline on the front page of the New York Times yesterday was, and I quote: "Writers Reach Tentative Deal With Producers." Michael Cieply reports: An end to Hollywood's long and bitter writers' strike appeared close, as...
There are very few Westerns that I have been able to sit through, much less actually enjoy, and at two-plus hours I didn’t think I would really make it all the way through the latest adaptation of the life of...
How can you hear God above the din of your daily life? That's a question acclaimed worship artist Jaime Jamgochian (pronounced "jam-GO-shzun") asked herself as she prepared to record her sophomore album from Centricity Records. Her 2005 debut album "Reason...
If you're a fan of the rap rock/nu metal sound, you'll like Family Force 5, formerly known as The Phamily and The Brothers. I've just been introduced to their music, and I must say, they're winning me over. They sound...
One day, while casting a reality show in Dallas Texas several years back, I happened to drive our rental car down Elm Street in Dealey Plaza. Thinking I was touring a random downtown street, I quickly recognized the distinctive white...
Apparently retirement does equal death, even for world famous gurus who once tirelessly toured the world like a rock star, spreading his message and hobnobbing with celebrity seekers. Less than a month after announcing his retirement from handling the daily...
One of the more profound news stories of the day surfaced this morning via a clip on the MSNBC website and "The Today Show." I was struck by the ugliness, the beauty, the comic relief, and the missing link. There...
I go beyond a cliché when I say that Monty Python's "Life of Brian," finally out on DVD, couldn’t be made today: not because the theocrats have won, but because the anti-Christians take themselves so seriously it’s hard to imagine...
Television's crankiest yet most lovable doctor, Gregory House, has finally returned with fresh episodes, and last night's storyline proved that the doc is an equal opportunity religious offender. House has mocked Christians many times for faith in a God who,...
Here at Beliefnet, we're frequently asked to comment in the media about religious happenings and headlines, and this morning I was a guest on the local NPR station's "Brian Lehrer Show," discussing the death of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The other...
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who introduced the Fab Four, as well as a number of other celebrities, like Mia Farrow and David Lynch, to the benefits of Transcendental Meditation, has died. Check out the 1968 video clip below where the Beatles...
This Sunday night, February 10th, the music industry will hand out top honors when CBS airs the 50th annual Grammy Awards. I don't watch award shows, but this is the 50th anniversary of the Grammys, after all. There's plenty of...
The “Possessed” column in last Sunday's New York Times Style Section has Shalom Harlow waxing (not so poetically, but still) about her meditation habits and percussion instruments--which include both tapping (as in tap dancing) and playing the drums. Harlow says...
I’m an unabashed devotee of the Religion of Romance, but I must admit, the last year’s cinema offerings (or lack of them) left me a bit spiritually starved. As far as straight-up romance goes, I can’t think of a single...
In case you haven't heard, today marks the release of the new praise and worship compilation album, "God of This City," by Passion, a group of Christian musicians and speakers that form the Passion movement. Included on the album are...
Every network that broadcasts live TV sports offers several versions of pregame shows, which are usually pretty boring. They serve as great fare for those in sports bars, people having parties, and lonely types who have nothing else to do...
In the growing (and potentially nauseating!) world of reality TV, yesterday’s Super Bowl once again proved that professional sports are still the absolute best reality TV programming on the air. And, occasionally, it’s not only entertaining, but inspiring, as in...
When is a Romanian movie about abortion in the dark days under Communism not about Romania or Communism? When it opens in the United States, where abortion and childbirth is not only a political issue, but a hot topic in...
Switchfoot and P.O.D helped pave the way for Christian artists to cross over into the mainstream market. Here are five more acts that got their start in the Christian industry but are currently making a splash in the mainstream: 1....
I may live in Brooklyn, but during the college semester I head to Boston three days a week to teach at Boston University, and today is a day of mourning in this city. The Patriots' Perfect Season hopes were dashed...
The culture wars have officially gotten too complicated for me. Ben Stein, a Nixon Republican--as well as a game-show host and financial columnist--has made "Expelled," a documentary defending the rights of neo-Creationist scientists to question the arguments of neo-Darwinians. Roger...
It was only two years ago that federal courts ordered two DVD rental companies that specialized in distributing "scrubbed" versions of movies (in other words, movies that have had all offensive content such as profanity and nudity removed) to cease...
Equinox Fitness Clubs--a national chain of workout clubs that are almost as common on NYC blocks as Starbucks--have only one outpost so far in Boston. However, it's already causing quite an unhappy stir among some Boston Catholic folk. In order...
There was a time when the lawyers and PR firms of those accused of crimes and misdemeanors asked that their clients not be judged in the court of public opinion but given a fair trial in a courtroom far from...
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