Douglas Howe: October 2008 Archives

Halloween gives the young (and the young at heart!) a chance to dress up, play a role, wear a mask, and be something or someone they're not. For a day. That's the key.

On this Halloween, I've assembled a list of top five media masquerades. These "masquerades" are the people and issues that (for the most part) bug a faith-based fan of pop culture like me because they are always in the media or always covered by the media.

5. Non-stars that get treated by the media like real stars. Like Paris Hilton. I mean, really, what has she really ever done that's redeeming, even on the surface-y Hollywood scale?

4. Non-inspirational shows that pretend to be authentic inspiration. Notably, many televangelist shows and, most notably, the time they spend selling product.

 

WWJB?

That's "What Would Jesus Brew?" possibly coming soon to a bracelet or T-shirt near you!

According to CNN, a Southern California entrepreneur is using the Jesus angle to sell beer. I'm a pretty casual guy about such things, and I love reminding people that Jesus not only went to the party but he turned it into the best wine they'd ever tasted. If Jesus were here today, I believe he'd go to a wedding and turn the water into the best microbrews anyone could find anywhere.

But this guy in San Diego has got it wrong, and his tongue-in-cheek way of promoting "Inspired Beers for Saints and Sinners Alike," is part of a bigger problem--it has become too easy and commonplace for the media to report stories with a biblical theme without pointing out the flaws in the story.

If John McCain is photographed holding up a "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline on Election Night in two weeks, pundits and media talking heads across the country will no doubt point to the invisible "Obama Factor" as the reason for why this a priori nominee didn't win. What they may be missing, though, will be the "Palin Effect," at least if last week's "Saturday Night Live" is any indication.

The ratings for last Saturday night's show--headlined by Palin--were the highest in the last 14 years. That's fourteen years! Those were the days of Chris Farley. Of Adam Sandler. Al Franken was still writing for the show. That's how long ago that was!

If you haven't seen it yet, check out "Appaloosa" before it's gone from theaters. Then circle back to this blog, as the discussion of faith issues in the movie I'm about to talk about will include a few spoilers.

I found "Appaloosa" to be a remarkable commentary from Ed Harris who directed, starred in, and co-wrote the movie. Included in this finely told (and beautifully filmed) tale of intriguing characters in an 1860's New Mexican town were some surprisingly insightful questions raised about society which stand just as relevant for today. The film speaks about Authenticity, Leverage, Covenants and Sacrifice, featuring a Savior figure that isn't who you'd think it would be.

Consider who is more the harlot: the proper, clean, mannered, and finely-dressed Allison French (played by Renee Zellweger) or the supportive, honest advisor Katie (Ariadna Gil) proves to be for Everett (Viggo Mortensen)?

It's always a privilege to be in on these media conference calls, but all I needed to hear from Oliver Stone about his current film, "W," came in a response to Fox's Courtney Friel's questions about his approach to the film.

"I just don't think the Bush family believes in looking inside themselves, especially George W.," said Stone. "Neither Freud nor Darwin seem to apply. He talks about psycho babble; so does his father. Jeb calls it 'hooey'... you're talking about a family that has no...introspection."

While I agree with Mr. Stone's assertion that the President appears in the media to be "aloof... in his body language and tone regardless of the circumstances," I will also say that as one who's twice had the privilege of being in small rooms with President Bush, I know from personal experience that he is more than introspective--he is even humble and self-aware in his introspection. But his introspection and self-reflection are based largely on his faith, rather than exit polls, media pundits, Freud, or Darwin. I think the problem lies not in his lack of introspection but in the fact that he has a different source for his guidance than Mr. Stone. And, of course, he doesn't share that side of himself through the media. So Mr. Stone has decided to fill in the blanks sort of on his own.

I've heard Neil Diamond's music before and loved it. But I never thought it'd be time to call him Reverend Neil! Let me explain. What do you do when you're 67 years old, on a world-wide tour, after having lost...

From the honesty and transparency of discussing his daughter's death to the energy and passion of their greatest songs to the warmth and joy in a loyal audience, Steven Curtis Chapman's pairing with Michael W. Smith on their current tour...

During these troubled times, with prime-time TV dominated by news channels, I wish there would be more mention of our nation's history of turning to God in times of trouble. I've scanned The History Channel, PBS, CNN, FoxNews, CNBC...and I...

Man, what a drag! I like writing positive posts and wanted to say something great about last night's debate. I suppose we could say that it was civil, and perhaps we could say that no fights broke out, and perhaps...