I've watched J.J. Abrams's "Lost" from the very beginning just as faithfully as other devotees. But I have to call it like I see it: the show has deteriorated into a mess of too many plotlines, too many time zones, and too many wrong turns. It's lost its compass, so to speak.
One thing that kept me faithful this season was the show's shift to flash-forwards in lieu of the typical flashbacks—last season I started fast-forwarding through most of the character flashbacks because I was so sick of them (sacrilegious, I know). Another was last year's announcement that the creators and writers of "Lost" had determined an end to the show. A brilliant idea, I thought, because it gave fans the assurance that the writers knew where they were going, that the show would not wander around aimlessly for an indeterminate number of future seasons. Finally, there was what I call "the Desmond episode"—"The Constant"—which was so brilliant, engaging, and moving that I felt this one segment made watching the entire series worth it.
Time magazine profiles Stephenie Meyer, author of the vampire-ridden Twilight series whose first non-"Twilight" book, "The Host' will be out next month. Citing her unlikely rise to best-sellerdom (Meyer was a Phoenix, Ariz. housewife when she penned the first "Twilight" novel) and her 5 million copies in print, Time compares Meyer's success to J.K. Rowling's. But where Rowling's lightly held Christianity factored heavily in her Potter books, Meyer's deeply felt Mormon faith is only hazily visible in her work.
Dancing has always been a movie metaphor for celebrating your spirit and following your dreams. I think that is why shows like "Dancing with the Stars" and even the cheesy ones like "So You Think You Can Dance?" are so successful right now.
So I started thinking about all the great dance movies of years gone by. Here is a list of my favorite and most inspiring movies of all time. I didn't count Broadway musicals adapted to screen, so that leaves out classics like "West Side Story" and "Chicago," but I still had plenty of interesting choices to consider. Feel free to add to my list by posting to in the comment box below.
10. "Singing in the Rain": Maybe it's not technically a dance movie, but it certainly has some of the most famous dance numbers ever put on celluloid.
9. "White Nights": Okay, this is actually a pretty lame movie—not to mention outdated—but the dance sequences between Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov are unparalleled.
Welcome back to Week 9 of the Oprah Winfrey/Eckhart Tolle "A New Earth" web event. There's only one more class to go in the ten-week course, if you can believe it! Monday night's class, based on Chapter 9 "Your Inner Purpose," is now available for viewing at Oprah.com or here at Beliefnet.
Monday night's class proved to be quite relevant for me on several fronts as Oprah and Eckhart Tolle discussed finding one's inner purpose, a topic that seems to affect so many people these days. If I had a dime for every time a friend has told me that they don't know what they want to do with their life or asked me for advice on discovering the career that will truly make them happy, I'd be a venti latte richer by now, for sure!
Maybe it's because I live in Los Angeles where everyone dares to dream big but then, often, has to amend those plans when years of struggling have left them disillusioned and defeated. I'm not going to blame this over-reaching zeal on the entertainment industry, however, because this idea of finding one's purpose feels more like every American's inherent birthright.
So just what is our inner purpose? And what does it have to do with the notions of the white picket fence, 2.5 children, and a career that's both personally fulfilling and financially rewarding?
Beliefnet just posted this cool new personality quiz, "Which Narnia Character Are You?" According to the quiz, I'm Prince Caspian, rightful heir of Narnia. I also, "have a sharp eye for injustice and a humble heart to improve the world" and "believe only teamwork can achieve them." Click here to take the quiz, and let us know which character you are by posting in the comments section below.
On February 9th, Disney superstar Miley Cyrus and her "achy breaky" father Billy Ray Cyrus participated in a "relaxed family event" photo shoot for Vanity Fair's June issue. While Cyrus isn't on the cover, her scantily clad photo—where she is...
Scottish heartthrob actor James McAvoy has quickly become one of Hollywood's biggest rising stars, with roles in "The Last King of Scotland," "Atonement," and "The Chronicles of Narnia." However, had he made a different career choice, the screen might have...
Aww, shucks! Why is it that I am such a sucker (ha!) for all things vampire, no matter how kitschy they get? CBS's "Moonlight" gets more melodramatic by the episode--as does its star vampire Mick St. Johns--but it only makes...
I got out to see "Baby Mama" with my wife, daughters and son this weekend, and came away with these impressions: 1. This is most definitely a chick flick! The girls were giggling and occasionally laughing as if on a...
In the upcoming animated movie "Kung Fu Panda," a panda named Po is unexpectedly chosen to train among his Kung Fu idols. Although big and somewhat clumsy, Po works to become a Kung Fu master and defend his friends from...
I still don't get the NFL draft as a TV event. But apparently I'm in the minority! "According to the NFL, more people will be watching the draft than the NBA playoffs when the two events are being aired at...
Clay Aiken has been many things. He was an unassuming North Carolina college student, an "American Idol" runner-up, a popular and mega-selling solo artist, a Broadway star, and now... the Messiah? Aiken is currently starring on Broadway in the Monty...
For me personally, one of the worst side effects of the writers' strike has been the lack of fresh "House' episodes. No other series is so consistently smart, witty, and thought-provoking. On tonight's episode, I will once again able to...
So Tom Cruise is heading back to the couch. No, not in the psychiatric sense of the word, heaven forefend, but back to Oprah's couch. (Although, it could be argued that O is America's pop psychologist.) It's been three whole...
The movie "Expelled" dropped out of the box-office top 10 this week, but is back in the news thanks to Yoko Ono, who has sued Premise Media, the production company behind "Expelled," for using a 10-second clip of "Imagine," by...
This week on "American Idol," contestants sang songs from the canon of music theater genius Andrew Lloyd Webber. The field had been narrowed to six contestants, and each worked one on one with Webber to prepare their song. Carly Smithson,...
The Gospel Music Association's annual GMA Week is the time every year when industry professionals, media representatives, and aspiring and established artists from every genre descend on downtown Nashville to network, showcase their talent, celebrate the industry, and basically...
2008, more than any other year in a long time, will be remembered as the year of the movie sequel. I think it's possible, though, that it should more accurately be described as the year of—are you ready for this?—The...
With air travel and gas prices going north while housing values and income margins going south, perhaps this is a great summer for going to the local theatre. Sure, you may want to eat at home before plopping down the...
Speaking of incarcerated celebs, yesterday TMZ reported that actor Wesley Snipes is going to jail.. In February, the "Blade" star was tried on eight charges--acquitted on five of them, he was convicted of three counts of willful failure to file...
We're no longer shocked when a popular Christian figure does something to invite the scorn of his or her faithful (so to speak) fans. But when Azariah Southworth, host of "The Remix," a popular Christian version of MTV's "Cribs" told...
But for the rarest of relationships, for any parent and child sitting down to talk about sex is uncomfortable on both ends. Maybe it's supposed to be that way. But the talk has to happen or a child will get...
Last August, Pentecostal televangelist, author, singer, and actress Juanita Bynum was the victim of domestic violence at the hands of her then husband, Bishop Thomas Weeks. The two had been separated since June but were allegedly coming together to reconcile...
Check out P.O.D.'s new music video "Addicted," the single from their just-released album, "When Angels and Serpents Dance." Watch the video below--and when you're finished, click here to read our interview with P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval. embedVideo(1515766875);...
A rabbi and a Muslim walk into a restaurant, garbed in a kippah and a skullcap, respectively. Both are religious educators, but this isn't a formal summit on religious education in America--it's a reunion between Charlie Buckholtz and Sedar Chappelle,...
Christian music's big chance to shine happens tonight when the Gospel Music Awards, or the Dove Awards, are given for outstanding commercial--and occasionally critical--success on the airwaves this year. Instead of being televised weeks later, as in years past, the...
Wow! We're already at Week 8 of the Oprah Winfrey/Eckhart Tolle "A New Earth" web event. As usual, Monday night's class, based on Chapter 8 "The Discovery of Inner Space," is now available for viewing at Oprah.com or here at...
With the release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the much anticipated sequel to "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," on May 16th, we've decide to celebrate by—what else?—giving you free stuff! We have 10 'Prince Caspian' prize...
Rapper Foxy Brown just finished serving time (8 months in Rikers) for smacking a Brooklyn neighbor with her BlackBerry. While that might not sound like a prisonworthy offense, it was a violation of her probation, which itself was the result...
Have you ever wished you could change the future? Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood star in this edge-of-your-seat thriller about how making a single choice can alter your fate. Watch the trailer below. embedVideo(1515771671);...
The New York Times published a really interesting top ten list by Daniel Radosh on his "Paper Cuts" blog. Radosh, a self-proclaimed secular Jew gives a smart, spot-on assessment of Christian music by listing his top ten favorite Christian songs...
"American Idol's" Kelly Clarkson sang the classic hymn Ave Maria for Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Saint Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, NY last Saturday. His Holiness looks like he enjoyed it, smiling a number of times throughout the...
Okay, so something has to be said on Idol Chatter about the lighter side of Pope Benedict XVI's visit: his bright, ruby red(!!) shoes. Yes, he wore them everywhere throughout his entire U.S. visit, and yes, everyone in the media...
Humans may fantasize about eternal life, rising from the dead (well, perhaps that's a particularly Christian hope), and the kind of bodily regeneration known only to superheroes and the undead, but Mick St. John, the eighty year old vampire protagonist...
Though I rarely see it said explicitly in the press, it has always been obvious to me that Nicole Kidman lost primary custody of her adopted children in her divorce from Tom Cruise and that Scientology no doubt has had...
American author Fran Lebowitz once noted that "Very few people possess true artistic ability. It is therefore both unseemly and unproductive to irritate the situation by making an effort. If you have a burning, restless urge to write or paint,...
"Constantine's Sword," the heavyweight indictment of the Catholic tradition's fraught relationship and history with Judaism by National Book Award winner, Boston Globe journalist and novelist James Carroll (published in 2001 just before 9/11), releases in documentary form tonight in select...
While I wasn't really that surprised when I read that theabortion debate somehow wormed its way into the release of the big screen adaptation of "Horton Hears A Who", you could have knocked me over with a tiny, purple flower...
I believe there were a handful of movies last year that served as a type of litmus test for your own personal level of cynicism and disenchantment about the world. "Juno" was one of those movies, but the tiny indie...
So it's very possible and even highly likely that during the Hollywood writers strike I Netflixed the first two seasons of "Ghost Whisperer." Yup. I did. I confess. It's also very possible and even highly likely that I grew to...
How do you know a movie is a cult classic with numerous devout followers? When the announcement of the title of the latest chapter in that icon's history receives attention from every major media outlet. The intriguing title of the...
David and Victoria Beckham are already not your typical L.A. couple. He's insanely hot and talented and famous. She's insanely skinny and talented (at being skinny and posh) and famous. (OK, so maybe that's a bit typical. But wait, there's...
France is no stranger to racial tension--just over two years ago the country was rife with riots as young Arabs and North African Muslims protested the death of two immigrant youths, opening up old wounds of racial, economic, and social...
What is it about turning 40 that strikes fear into the heart of the typical American? Does the end of one's fourth decade on Earth mark some elusive tipping point; signaling that there is no turning back, that youthful follies...
There's a wonderful moment toward the end of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," Ben Stein's new documentary on the intelligent design controversy, where Oxford zoologist and outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins speculates on how life came to be. Beings from somewhere else...
In this clip from Ben Stein's new documentary "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," opening this Friday, athiest scientists discuss Darwinism and religion. embedVideo(1504464403);...
Welcome back to week 7 of the Oprah Winfrey/Eckhart Tolle "A New Earth" web event. Monday night's class, based on Chapter 7 "Finding Who You Truly Are," is now available for viewing at Oprah.com or here at Beliefnet. This week's...
In just a few days the CW Network's hottest show "Gossip Girl," will be back on the air. All "Gossip Girl" fans and closet cases will be able to get their fill of Blair, Serena, Dan, Jenny, Chuck, and Nate—maybe...
A month after J.K. Rowling went to court to ban the publication of a photograph of her son, she's back in court to ban the publication of an encyclopedia of the Harry Potter universe. RDR Books, a small publishing...
If you're a Yankees fan like me, you probably have yet another reason to hate the Red Sox and their fans. Last week, it was announced that a Bronx construction worker, Gino Castignoli, working on the new Yankee Stadium, had...
In the upcoming documentary, "Lord Save Us From Your Followers," releasing June 13, 2008 (the book version was released in March), writer/producer/director Dan Merchant, a Christian, "explores the collision of faith and culture in America." Specifically, he wants to learn...
Every year, Jews celebrate Passover, the Festival of Freedom, often using the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the holiday's themes: oppression, freedom, and liberation. When I was growing up, our synagogues and schools urged us to remember the...
Given that I can't resist any television drama that features vampires, ghosts, all things-spooky and/or with vampire-like immortality, I've watched the entire first season of "New Amsterdam" on Fox with interest, if not unbridled enthusiasm. The season finale is tonight....
I love "Bones." Love it. I love the series title character, Dr. Temperance Brennan (Bones), I love her fellow science geeks at the lab, and I love her ambiguous, potentially-romantic relationship with the very Catholic Seeley Booth, the FBI agent...
Who would have thought that the saucy, sassy, soapy "Desperate Housewives" would have returned after a strike-imposed hiatus with a smart and spiritual storyline? Definitely not me. I tuned in last night out of curiosity over any new programming, and...
With the launch of Jhumpa Lahiri's latest collection of short stories, "Unaccustomed Earth" her readings all over the country have been sold out. Lahiri, an author in the literary genre, has become so popular that Knopf has reportedly printed 300,000...
In case you haven't heard the good news, Beliefnet has been nominated for a super cool Webby Award in the Religion and Spirituality catagory. " target="_blank">Click here to check out the other sites we're up against. And, most importantly, be...
The Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama holds 1500 of the country's most violent offenders. Inmates there have been convicted of murder in every degree among other senseless acts of extreme violence that will haunt the victims' (and the inmates')...
Five years ago Thomas Nelson Publishers took a chance on a relatively unknown author, Donald Miller, and published a slightly unorthodox memoir, "Blue Like Jazz." The word of mouth for the raw and reflective anecdotes in the book soon had...
She's sassy and flirtatious, vivacious and mischievous. I'm not writing about Hollywood's next ingénue du jour, I'm actually referring to 92-year old Eileen Hall, one of the most captivating members of ‘"Young@Heart," a new film from Fox Searchlight about a...
Last year's "Idol Gives Back" was an exciting experiment in charitable giving with a delightful roughness around the edges and a pioneering spirit. This year the "Idol" team produced a slick telethon with a vast array of stars and even...
A drum beat commands attention, gathers communities, invites us to dance. It is the sound of freedom and also the sound of warning: "Sit up, take notice, focus." The drum beat in "The Visitor" serves as a wake up call....
Last night's two and a half hour long celebrity installment of "Idol Gives Back" ranged from the bizarre (Teri Hatcher?) to the popular-but-not-inspirational (Fergie) to the truly meaningful. British singer Annie Lennox was one of the few celebrities who seemed...
In a 48 Hours special running Saturday night (8 p.m. ET on CBS), CBS News collaborates with Loki Films, the producers of "Jesus Camp," to document the lives of Christians teenagers training to become Christian missionaries in an effort to...
Last night the actual Idols performed on 'Idol Gives Back' (tonight is when the celebrities perform, and Thursday is eliminations--whew!). The theme, as it was last year for the charity show, was "inspirational songs." Here are my two favorite performances...
Last year's "American Idol: Idol Gives Back" was an extraordinary experiment in fundraising. No one really knew if Americans would respond with their wallets the same way they responded to the weekly voting? Would the evening turn in phenomenal numbers...
Whenever the Teletubbies introduce an Indian theme or the Backyardigans sing a Bollywood tune, my son is tickled pink, and immediately exclaims, "That's just like us!" To an Indian American child finding something Indian on children's television is fascinating and...
Here we are already at week six of the Oprah Winfrey/Eckhart Tolle "A New Earth" web event. Monday night's class, based on Chapter 6 "Breaking Free," is now available for viewing (at Oprah.com or here at Beliefnet). Something really struck...
You may not have heard of John Shannon, but you will soon. The soulful singer-songwriter just released his debut album, "American Mystic." Many of the songs on the album were inspired by Shannon's experiences at a meditation retreat in the...
Billy Graham, one of the most influential evangelicals in history, is finally due for the big screen treatment. Variety reports that an independent film production has begun shooting the bio pic in Tennessee. Without any sex scandals or other juicy...
I'm a recently born fan of the HBO show "Big Love," now in its third season, which focuses on a polygamous (they are very careful not to say "Mormon") family in Utah. The twist is that the family--husband, three wives,...
Just recently, I wrote about how "Men In Trees" (starring Anne Heche) has quite a few interesting "religion" plotlines going this season, including one about a Christian pastor, Eric, who loses his Elmo church congregation because he's unmarried and in...
We at Burn or Burn are always working hard to come up with good fire-related puns to attach to our recommendations (or disses) of to
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