Douglas Howe: January 2007 Archives

The Oscars are fun—in fact they’re one of our family's favorite nights of the year. We have three girls who (along with my wife) love the fashion show, while my son and I mostly laugh at that part while enjoying the rest. We toured the Kodak theater as a family this year and also love looking up Oscar history and watching old Oscar winners.

But as much as I love it, I’m almost always disappointed at the nominations. It seems like every year there are great films left out and performances overlooked. Worse than that, there are nominees that are just horrible, lacking in any staying power--movies and performances that, a few years from now, will be long-forgotten, let alone remembered as great. As fun as Oscar Night is--and as much as I hate to say it--the nominations process is not.

But that shouldn't surprise me, because the Academy isn't a committee of people who deliberate over a well-reasoned choice. In fact, Oscar has more in common with political campaigns than it does with artistic awards processes. The Golden Globes and various Guild awards are sort of like the state primaries and caucuses, and the media is manipulated through advertising and well-orchestrated buzz in a way similar to today's spins on the State of the Union speech.

If you--like many of the Idol Bloggers and myself--believe that some wonderful performances and pictures were overlooked by Oscar, you’re right, and the real bummer is that it’s not going to change any time soon. The Oscar campaign officially starts in November, and while there are sometimes attempts at restrictions, it’s obvious that Hollywood won’t be the place to put limits on “free speech,” even if that freedom messes with a straightforward voting process.

History will show that “Dreamgirls” won eight nominations and not a “Best Picture” nod, but no one will remark on the fact that that may have had more to do with five stronger campaigns than whether this was one of the best five pictures. History may evaluate that “Children of Men” was a better pic than it got credit for, but probably not the detail that the studio dollars have been spent on marketing (it moves to 1,200 screens today) rather than its Oscar campaign.

I somehow wish for the myth I had when I was a kid--that the Academy honored its best. At present, I think the actual performances are not what are judged: I think they’re merely the opening salvos in a campaign that ends on Oscar Night. And we’ll be watching. I wish it was different, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it anyway.

Hoorah for the State of the Union! Three Cheers! It’s the best TV I’ve seen in months, and it almost made it worth the pre-empting of Boston Legal! (I said almost.)

Cheer #1—Decorum. Our country has rarely been more divided between Red and Blue states, but on SOTU night, we applaud our democracy. There was applause for all of the Supreme Court judges, even though Senators in the room voted against some of them. There was applause for the President’s Cabinet members, even though their policies run directly opposed to the platforms of nearly half of the Congress members. There was applause for Ms. Pelosi, even though her liberalism is out of step even with others in her party, let alone the Republicans. And, there was applause for the President from both sides of the aisle as he entered the room and several times during the speech.

Cheer #2—Inspiration. There were several moments of special inspiration. The first was President Bush’s welcome of the first “Madam Speaker,” which was almost obligatory, but then he made a non-obligatory second mention, which included tributes to her as well as her father, Congressman Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. It was heartfelt and warm, and having met the President twice, I recognized this tone in him and knew he “was himself” on this important night. Also inspiring was the mention of several heroes including Dikembe Motumbo (“We’re proud to call this Son of the Congo a citizen of the United States,”), Julie Eigner-Clark, who created “Baby Einstein” and is now producing videos to find missing and exploited children, Wesley Autrey, the New York City subway hero, and Tommy Rieman of the U.S. Army who defended his gunner, refused medical attention, and stayed in the fight to earn a Silver Star.

Finally, I was inspired by the fact that President Bush kept it to 50 minutes, barely half as long as President Clinton’s last speech.

Cheer #3—Humor! I love these humorous moments:

• Nancy Pelosi really working her lipstick, almost “Saturday Night Live”-ish in the background of the President;
• Dick Cheney breaking out in an amazingly expressive and full, well, half-smile;
• Hillary’s “yeah sure” look on several occasions;
• Ted Kennedy looking like he was nodding off;
• All of Congress standing to cut the “earmarked” special funds—let’s see who comes through and votes for it on the floor of Congress;
• Dikembe Motumbo standing so tall it looked like everyone else was sitting;
• Congressmen and Senators asking (and even falling over each other) for autographs and kisses on The President’s way in, even his opponents, which included the son of Jesse Jackson and some of the most liberal Congressmen in D.C.

Finally, we can all be inspired by the fact that two years from now, we’ll have a new leader that will have risen to power—not with guns or death—but through a wonderful process which is the elective process of The United States of America.

On this week in which we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am growing tired of the disrespect that is tolerated in our culture--and even promoted--toward an individual who has had a far greater effect on the spiritual lives of countless Americans since even before the foundation of our country. His name is Jesus Christ.

A recent bit on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" has brought this to light.

"Oh I love you Jesus, but only as a friend," sang the "homophobe country western singer," as introduced by O'Brien. "You touched my heart but I hope that's where the touchin' ends."

And as if that weren't enough, the bit went on:

"You're always lookin' over me
When I need a higher power.
But you better look at somethin' else
When I'm in the shower."

I can't believe phones weren't ringing off the hook and that O'Brien still has a job! Perhaps it's because his show has become so irrelevant. Perhaps people of the Christian faith just don't tune into him. Worse off, perhaps Christians are so used to their leaders being insulted (politicians, athletes, music and movie stars, etc.) that they don't even notice when the Savior becomes the target of the same stuff.

A recent story at freerepublic.com brought this to light, and told about one leader who's doing something about it. "The idea that anyone would think about the Son of God in this way is simply appalling," said Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI) said. "The inferences that permeate the song are utterly disgusting."

Mr. Scott has written to Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment, copying Robert Wright (Chairman of Universal) and Jeffrey Immelt (Chairman of GE). I hope more followers of Christ—and people who respect and revere God—to do the same.

It's one thing to make fun of Christians, but a completely different thing to insult Jesus Christ. To do the former is levity and usually well-deserved. To do the latter is at the very least grossly irreverent, if not biting the hand we ask to feed us.

I think the media has been propagating a dramatic myth for a long, long time and it does a disservice to our culture and our country. I wish someone would please tell them that I am not an EvangeliCatholic, although they treat me like one and may have convinced you that I am one. Let me explain.

CNN ran a story yesterday about John McCain courting the religious right through a meeting with James Dobson. It was typical of how certain evangelicals are picked as some sort of "media darlings" and usually featured as representatives of religious conservatives. Dr. Dobson is a gifted leader with a significant following, to be sure, but he's not the EvangeliPope of the First Organized Evangelical Church of the World. Nor is Jerry Falwell, nor Pat Robertson, nor anyone else. How do I know? Because we don’t have one!

Evangelicals aren’t organized like the Catholic Church or, for that matter, the Mormon Church. While those organizations have one tax number, one person at the top, and an organizational structure for which the overseers hold authority and responsibility. This includes spokespersons for the Church.

I’ve never listened to a Jerry Falwell sermon. I’ve never watched a Pat Robertson show for more than a minute. Dr. James Dobson does not speak for me. I don’t know anyone who tunes into Joel Osteen. I think the world of Rick Warren but I also have high regard for Jim Wallis and his team, though he and Rev. Warren hold to different theologies. That’s one of the beauties of evangelicalism: We believe one can pursue God spiritually without needing an intermediary who speaks to God for us. Therefore, there also isn't anyone who can speak to the media as the sole representative for the hundreds of denominations within the movement.

I'd like to see a new trend, one which features the true heroes of evangelicalism: the pastors, ministers, rectors, and other caregivers of local churches who work in many non-glorious ways with the members of their churches and those they're reaching out to. It would be a truer representation of the diversity of evangelicalism, and certainly a credible expression of the large mosaic that is the current American evangelical movement.

Donna Freitas is a gifted writer of spiritual insight, but her recent blog posting is dead wrong (literally) on both "24" as well as Shel Silverstein's wonderful book, "The Giving Tree."

If you missed it, "24's" two-night debut again showcased Keifer Sutherland's Jack Bauer sacrificing himself for the sake of a greater cause. Donna may not like that, but for her to pan Jack as the "sacrifical lamb" in the current plot would be to have, say, panned Seinfeld for doing monologues in every episode, or panning "Cheers" for setting every episode in the bar.

Since Day One, Jack Bauer has woven a strangely nuanced ethical line, where he's sacrificed his family, his friends, his career, his freedom, and eventually his life for the sake of his moral center: the defense of the United States of America against terrorism. It may seem old, but I though it was an ingenious plot development that he quickly got to the place of saying, "I don't know how to do this anymore."

Donna may be right that the "sacrificial lamb" idea gets old, but perhaps that's part of the problem in our culture: Is character no longer character just because it's not new or exciting?

"24" certainly has its work cut out for it as an entertainment product, since every season has raised the bar from the previous one. Who knows, it may indeed go from the sublime to the ridiculous. But for me, it's still hanging out in that tenuous middle.

As far as Silverstein's "The Giving Tree," it give us what every good little tale or fable does: a made-up story with a point to it, and I've used Silverstein's little story to help countless hundreds of audiences--from youth to executives--be reminded of our tendency to be so selfish and self-centered that we forget the joy that comes with the choice of a selfless act, and the enduring commitment required to sacrifice beyond what's comfortable.

And that is something that Jack Bauer has given us, attracting a following as significant as the paperback action heroes of generations past... at least so far.

"Jack is back," or so the commercials promise. Next Sunday, Season Six of "24" kicks off during its traditional slot right after Fox-TV's playoff coverage.It will be eight days short of eight months since the last original episode of "24"...

I liked "The Good Shepherd" and enjoyed Ellen Leventry's Idol Chatter review of it, with one main point of disagreement. Where she saw it as perhaps an incomplete movie about the CIA, I thought it was a thorough--if not ingenious--look...

One more follow-up to CNN's "Most Controversial Celebrities of 2006": Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears not only provided non-stop fun and follies on which a starving (or bored) cultural audience feasted, but something else far more...

While some reviewers panned it, I thought "A Night at the Museum" was full of surprises. The advertising run-up to this movie made it seem like it'd be sort of an indoors version of "Jurassic Park," and the first several...

President Ford’s death has set off a week of reflection and commentary regarding his presidency and predictions about his lasting legacy. I’m sorry that one of the prime stories about his life has not been overly reported, and I understand...