September 2008 Archives

So yes, "Ghost Town" is basically "The Ghost Whisperer" starring Ricky Gervais in Jennifer Love Hewitt's role on the television series, but here's the thing: this movie has Ricky Gervais as its ghost whisperer and that makes all the difference. And yes, just like on the CBS television series, Gervais as "Dr. Pinkus" (ahem, remember "The [British] Office"?), not only sees ghosts but once the ghosts realize he can see ghosts, they all have unfinished earthly business they want him to finish so they can "cross over" or go to heaven or disappear in a flash of divine light-- which is also what happens on "The Ghost Whisperer."

The idea behind this film therefore, I admit, is not an original one, but Ricky Gervais's Dr. Pinkus--a people-avoiding dentist who dies for seven minutes during a colonoscopy (!!) and comes back to life with this newfound ability--is not to be missed. Not only is it side-splitting, tears-running-down-your-face funny (it also stars Greg Kinnear, Kristen Wiig, and an amazing Tea Leoni), but it is also tears-running-down-your-face sweet. It's hard not to choke up when this people-avoiding, oddball of a man, Dr. Pinkus, discovers his altruistic side and begins to help these ghosts cross into heaven, not to mention get the girl.

Okay so Sarah Silverman is known for her outrageous comedy skits but this one tops all: she's done a video urging all Jews in the United States to take Florida by storm, making a special visit to their Jewish grandparents (all of whom, Silverman says, now reside in Florida) to convince these well-meaning, loving elderly folks to get out the vote--for Obama. And while Sarah Silverman is totally hilarious in this video, she is also totally not kidding about what she is calling "The Great Schlep." She wants Jews to swing Florida for Obama via their Bubbes! The website of "The Great Schlep" greets visitors with the following message:

"The Great Schlep aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor. Don't have grandparents in Florida? Not Jewish? No problem! You can still become a schlepper and make change happen in 2008, simply by talking to your relatives about Obama."

I don't really want to belabor the Clay Aiken "coming out" discussion here at Idol Chatter, but I have to say that after I caught his interview with Diane Sawyer, I stopped and did some thinking about what he had to say.

As he spoke with Sawyer, he was actually very sweet and articulate about the fact that he was raised Southern Baptist, and still considers himself of that faith--even though he realizes he is not exactly welcomed with open arms by that denomination. He was also quick to say that he does not want to put himself in the place of telling those from generations before him-- like his grandmother--that they are wrong in their opinions about the matter. To do so, would be a lack of respect for his elders.

According to New York Times reporter John Leland, he does. In this weekend arts section article, "Cameras Roll, and Faith Hasn't a Prayer," Leland says that "Religulous," which comes out October 3rd in New York City, "shows Mr. Maher on a world tour of rapid-cut interviews in Israel, Denmark, Vatican City and Monsey, N.Y., the home of Orthodox Jews United Against Zionism, whose leaders participated in a convention of Holocaust deniers in Iran. The movie is trying to tap the same spirit that has propelled books crusading against religion, like Richard Dawkins's "God Delusion," Sam Harris's "End of Faith" and Christopher Hitchens's "God Is Not Great," to the best-seller lists."

Leland thinks Maher gives Buddhism and Hinduism a pass, but all other faiths are more or less ripped to shreds in this whirlwind world religions tour:

"At the end of the movie Mr. Maher calls on "anti-religionists" to "come out of the closet and assert themselves" in the face of religious extremism. "Grow up or die," he says. Mr. Maher said he intended the movie as a call to action, not to convince religious people to join his camp but to stir the nonreligious to unite."

Not even in the news-crazy political season that we're in could the news of Paul Newman's passing not make the front pages. He was sort of the closest thing we've had to a legend in our generation, and he would have been more so had he not worked so hard against it.

As an actor, philanthropist, race car driver, entrepreneur and quiet political activist, he did almost all he could to lift up causes and people rather than himself. Further, he did what so few public figures do today: he cared more about his core convictions than he did building his personal brand.

He's being praised by so many of his peers, and deservedly so. This is what Russell Crowe had to say, and those who worked for his charity, and those who worked for his racing team, and Casey Davis at The Paul Page. Both the New York Times and the L.A. Times were also generous.

I was too young to really appreciate some of his oldies as I only saw them on DVD, including "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" (1958), "The Hustler" (1961), "Hud" (1963), and "Cool Hand Luke" (1967), all which garnered him Academy Award nominations. Like many, my first exposure to him was in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969). I didn't realize what a rarity it was that he and Robert Redford were "reunited" only three years later in "The Sting," my favorite movie of all time.