Donna Freitas: January 2009 Archives

Well, it's official: the Pope (that's PBXVI) is getting all tech savvy and into virtual profiles. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, "The Pope Embraces YouTube, Facebook," reporter Marisa Taylor explains:

"The Vatican announced last Friday that it launched its own channel on YouTube to keep viewers up to date with the activities of Pope Benedict XVI, as well as to celebrate "the capacity of the new technologies to foster and support good and healthy relationships and various forms of solidarity."

Um, does that mean soon we can "friend" the Pope? Well, not quite yet. Though he does have a fan page there. His YouTube hits aren't as high as the Vatican had hoped either--not yet, at least:

Full disclosure: I am a sap when it comes to romantic comedies, and, save "Last Chance Harvey," it's been quite a dry spell these last few months in the cinema for the genre. Therefore, I'm pleased to announce the arrival of "New In Town," starring Renée Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr., as Lucy and Ted, in theaters January 30th. It will satisfy just about anyone looking for a nice, happy love story--if that person is also someone avoiding the kind of "romantic" movie of the Judd Apatow frat-boy variety (aka, me). This is the good old-fashioned kind of romance, heavy on the sweet, and low to nonexistent on the vulgar physical comedy (I can't believe I need to qualify movies this way now).

Yes, "New In Town" is predictable--high-fashion Miami girl wants promotion but has to schlep to nowheresville Minnesota (heavy on the oooh-tah) to prove herself, has a hard time at first, but ultimately wins the whole town over and lands a man--but then who cares? I enjoyed watching Lucy's conversion from Ms. Nasty Sarcasm (like when sweet-natured townie Blanche inquires whether or not Lucy's "found Jesus," Lucy quips, "I didn't know he was missing!" all self-satisfied with herself about this response), to Ms. I-Love-It-Here. It's a ninety minute cross between "Gilmore Girls" and "Men In Trees," complete with quirky, small-town folks, lots of baked goods, freezing temperatures, and, of course, the requisite one single girl (Lucy), whose "new in town," and one (there's always, only one) lonely, very eligible widow (Ted). Add the predictable storyline--Lucy and Ted fight at first, apologize, come to like each other, things fall apart again, but everything will come out all right (you know the drill)--and you have yourself the basics for every romantic comedy ever made.

But that doesn't mean I didn't like it. That doesn't mean I didn't shed a little tear with all that small town love being heaped on Lucy, transforming her sense of life's meaning, purpose, and where she wants to plant her roots for life. It also doesn't mean I didn't sigh when Lucy and Ted finally figure out their angry friction is really attraction for each other.

Okay, full disclosure: I did not actually see "Fireproof," a film "about a Christian fire captain who recommits to his marriage," as described by reporter Dale Buss in the Wall Street Journal article, "What Christians Watch" and my main interest has to do with its star, Kirk Cameron. But apparently this movie with a paltry $500,000 budget and its 80s teen idol has surprised everyone at the box office since it "collected more than $33 million -- and was the biggest-grossing indie movie of 2008." (Note: he also likens the unlikely success of "Fireproof" to "Rocky" which I think is a bit overdone, but I digress.)

Apparently, the other reason for the surprise about the success of "Fireproof" with church-going audiences is that Christian films are not always a slam dunk among "belief-motivated film watchers":

Apparently, Mattel has put out a talking doll that whispers (very quietly) "Islam is the Light"--apparently, this was not one of the intended comments the doll is supposed to make--and moms are up in arms across the country, uniting to protest attempts to invite their kids to join Islam forming a group called MAMA: "Moms Ask Mattel for Accountability." From the group's website:

"MAMA -is a public education effort by concerned families to protect children from being invited to join Islam, without their parents' knowledge or permission. Mattel, the largest toy maker in the world, is still selling a toy that says "Islam is the Light" - the Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle & Coo Doll, in spite of protests by parents, media and store owners. We ask Mattel to recall the toy immediately during the 2008 Christmas season. If Mattel will not recall the toy, we ask retailers to remove it from store shelves. If retailers keep selling the toy, we ask them attach the MAMA labels to the toy packaging, so parents are not subject to what may be deceptive advertising by omission of materially important information about the toy's risks. As concerned parents, we have also started this campaign to educate retailers, state and federal government officials, our communities, fellow parents and Mattel itself about the very real threat to the civil liberties of girls under Islamic legal doctrine of Shariah. Shariah treats girls and women with systematic discrimination - with child marriages, polygamy, honor killings, legalized beatings, unequal treatment in courts and inheritance, executions. Shariah forces girls and women into a kind of gender apartheid. Parents have every reason to be concerned about a toy that summons young girls to join Islam by telling them "Islam is the light," given Shariah law's discriminatory treatment of girls and women - as well as Shariah's discrimination toward non-Muslims, Muslim reformers, and Muslims who have left Islam."

Religion Dispatches writer Hussein Rashid weighs in on the doll, the controversy, and MAMA. You can also check out the doll whispering in this video:

It's not often that I am tempted to watch a Lifetime Original movie, but tomorrow night is the premier of "Prayers for Bobby":

"Sigourney Weaver stars in this emotional true story about a 1970s religious suburban housewife and mother who struggles to accept her young son Bobby being gay. What happens to Bobby is tragic and causes Mary to question her faith; ultimately this mom changes her views in ways that she never could have imagined."

I happened to catch Sigourney Weaver yesterday promoting the film on one of the morning talk shows and it turns out that both she, and the real life Mom of the boy this film is about, are together trying to advocate for gay and lesbian teens from fundamentalist homes. Their cause is to raise awareness about how a family's rejection of an adolescent's sexual identity--and often the attempt to "cure" it--can not only result in severe depression, but in Bobby's case, tragedy (he committed suicide). Since Bobby's death, his mother has devoted her life to this cause (she is still a devout Christian) and now Weaver is on board.

It airs tomorrow Saturday night at 9 p.m.

So last season I stopped watching "Lost" a few episodes from the end because I got bored. I was especially tired of the flashbacks. (I was to the point where I'd just fast forward through them--am I alone on this...

After seeing "New In Town," the romantic comedy starring Harry Connick Jr. and Renée Zellweger that releases nationwide on January 30th, I was lucky enough to do a Q&A with the handsome crooner, himself, over the phone (his accent is...

As a Catholic, the incredible variety and range evangelicals have to choose from among available worship communities simply amazes me--from the young and hip, left and funky, to the old school and liturgical, and the flat out cheesy. If you...

Lately, I've become addicted to the kind of television subgenre known as the "procedural"--which is basically a show like "NCIS," "Criminal Minds," and "Fringe," that yes, has ongoing story arcs, but mainly turn on an episode by episode, crime-solving scenario....

I don't normally write about celebrity scandal--it's not my thing. But I came across this thoughtful article, "Travolta Tragedy: Don't Blame L. Ron Hubbard," by Kathryn Lofton on a new webzine, "Religion Dispatches," that I like a lot (the articles...