Dena Ross: July 2009 Archives

Do you remember what religion George Costanza converted to for a girlfriend in "Seinfeld"?

And do you recall what AJ on "The Sopranos" got caught doing at his Catholic school that got him in trouble?

Many memorable TV characters over the years have expressed a belief in a religion or spiritual practice--often to either hilarious or dramatic results. How much do you know about these fictional faithful? Take our quiz on the Religion of TV Characters and find out!

   

G.I. Joe, a special ops military unit, must take on the evil Cobra Command. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, and Dennis Quaid and releases August 7, 2009.

Check out the trailer for "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra" here on Beliefnet.

How does Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) of the X-Men show her Jewish faith?

What religion is Superman?

Many comic book characters--the good and bad alike--either overtly or subtly express a religious affiliation. How much do you know about the spirituality of superheroes (we've thrown in a couple of bad guys for good measure)? Take our quiz!

Tim Burton's twist on the classic Lewis Carroll books "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" features Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, and Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen. Opens 3/5/10.

Check out the trailer to "Alice in Wonderland" here on Beliefnet.

Brad Pitt recently gave an interesting interview to the German magazine Bild in which he opens up about his spiritual life--or lack thereof.

BILD: Do you believe in God?
Brad Pitt (smiling): "No, no, no!"

BILD: Is your soul spiritual?
Brad Pitt: "No, no, no! I'm probably 20 per cent atheist and 80 per cent agnostic. I don't think anyone really knows. You'll either find out or not when you get there, until then there's no point thinking about it.

Earlier this year Pitt also opened up about religion when he spoke to Rolling Stone about how he felt "stifled" growing up in a religious community (he was raised Southern Baptist).

"It was too much of what you shouldn't be doing instead of what you could be doing. I get enraged when people start telling other people how to live their lives. It drives me mental."

"The Soloist" is based on the true story of a homeless, schizophrenic musician (Jamie Foxx) and a journalist (Robert Downey Jr.) who covers his amazing story and develops a friendship with him. The DVD releases on August 4, 2009. We...

Watch an exclusive clip from the latest VeggieTales film, "Minnesota Cuke and the Search For Noah's Umbrella."

Many of your favorite big screen movie stars were born into deeply religious families. And some of these celebrities actively practice a faith or spirituality while balancing the demands of Hollywood. How much do you know about the religious lives...

This is pretty good!...

Over on Steven Waldman's blog he has a great post on his favorite embarrassing songs. He defines such music as "songs I secretly play when I'm alone that I know would mark me as a) unsophisticated b) sappy and c)...

Actor James (Jim) Caviezel, best known for portraying Jesus in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," was injured in an accident yesterday, after a man threw a bicycle into his path while he was riding his Harley-Davidson. Caviezel, who...

What sad news! The Huffington Post is reporting that Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt is "gravely ill with meningitis" and "not expected to live" according to his brother Malachy. Throughout his memoirs, "Angela's Ashes," "'Tis," and "Teacher Man," McCourt--one...

The Emmy nominations for 2009 were announced this morning and the biggest surprise of all was the inclusion of the Fox animated series, "Family Guy"--a show that's known for keeping the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on their toes with their...

Although the world still mourns the loss of Michael Jackson, his music will certainly live on. And while so many have enjoyed his songs for years, it's easy to overlook the depth of his lyrics--which often contain positive references to...

"Julie & Julia" intertwines the lives of famous chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and blogger/aspiring writer Julie Powell (Amy Adams), who attempts all 524 recipes in Child's book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," over 365 days. Begins Aug 7....

In this clip from the upcoming comedy, title character Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen), a gay Austrian fashion journalist has a conversation with an ex Palestinian Prime Minister and the ex head of Mossad, about hummus. The film releases July 10....

If you missed the recent PBS airing of "The Mosque in Morgantown," about "Muslim Bad Girl" Asra Nomani's fight to reform conservative mosques, good news--you can now order the DVD. And, to tide you over until it arrives, be sure...

In this clip from Hallmark's upcoming TV movie, a woman (Angie Dickinson) and her daughter (Laura Leighton) fight to save a town's water supply, which is threatened by the development of a casino. "Mending Fences" airs July 18....

In 2001, a year after he wrote an essay for Beliefnet about growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, Michael Jackson participated in an online audio chat sponsored by GetMusic.com and RollingStone.com and moderated by writer Anthony DeCurtis. In it, he...