Ellen Leventry: October 2007 Archives

When female rap pioneers Salt-n-Pepa disbanded in 2002 it seemed like the typical band breakup: Cheryl "Salt" James couldn't take the harsh glare of fame and the exhausting lifestyle that came with it, while Sandy "Pepa" Denton was ready to keep on rapping and felt betrayed by her partner's sudden abandonment.

Now VH-1 is trying to bring the two stars back together and is, of course, taping it for the whole world to see, with delightful results on "The Salt-n-Pepa Show."

Upon leaving the group, Salt turned to God to help cleanse the demons of her performance days, including a struggle with a stress-induced eating disorder. Meanwhile, Pepa continued to search for the spotlight, appearing on The Surreal Life and The Surreal Life: Fame Games.

Pepa still harbors a great amount of bitterness toward Salt, but clearly craves the glory days of winning the Grammy for Best Rap Album. Salt is extremely hesitant and tests Pepa by asking her to perfrom with her at the megachurch she attends, noting that she doesn't want to perform any of the sexually suggestive lyrics of their smash hits, like "Let's Talk About Sex" or "Push It," and doesn't want to dance suggestively anymore. Watching Pepa try to pick out a modest outfit for the performance was one of the higlights of this television season; apparently she has not met a low-cut or see-through shirt she didn't like.

Remember the "Seinfeld" episode in which Jerry and George try to convince a reporter that they aren't a gay couple, but try to come across as politically correct by spouting the phrase, "Not that there's anything wrong with that?" It's that mockingly PC catch phrase that immediately came to mind when I read that Jerry Seinfeld is crediting Scientology with helping create his stand-up style and early success.

The famed funnyman told Parade Magazine that he was introduced to Scientology by a High School auto mechanics teacher. "I last really studied, oh, it’s almost 30 years ago. But what I did do, I really liked, in terms of it’s very...it was interesting. Believe it or not...it’s extremely intellectual and clinical in its approach to problem-solving, which really appealed to me. In my early years of stand-up, it was very helpful. I took a couple of courses. One of them was in communication, and I learned some things about communication that really got my act going."

“It was just things about understanding the communications cycle... Even the volume at which I’m speaking now is the right volume for where you’re sitting. I’m almost performing, in a way....Just a little thing like that, understanding that really helped me on stage to understand how you have to invade the space of the audience a little bit."

So it turns out that the world's favorite neurotic, New York City Jew -- other than Woody Allen -- studied the controversial Scientology technology to help hone his craft. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

You know that sinking feeling you get when you take someone who hasn't seen a great movie to see the long-awaited sequel to that film, and the follow-up doesn’t live up to it? It’s a strange form of guilt; a mixture of embarrassment and contrition. “I’m sorry,” you want to say. “The first one was really great. I didn’t mean to waste two hours of your life. And I really do have good taste in film…Really.”

Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” evoked that sinking feeling in me this weekend-- and it’s an absolute shame, when 1998’s Academy Award-winning “Elizabeth” evoked such awe. But my friend assured me that he wasn’t really that disappointed since sequels rarely live up to the films they follow.

But I had high expectations for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and was disappointed. Kapur had taken his Bollywood sensibilities, a then relative-newcomer named Cate Blanchett and a riveting bit of history and turned the story of the young, Protestant Elizabeth (heir to Henry VIII) and her ascendancy to the throne over opposition of Catholic enemies and men of all denominations, into a violent, beautiful tour de force. The cinematography was innovative, the costuming and set design lush and the intrigue palpable.

Everyone’s favorite cantankerous, pill-popping physician has taken on organized religion, faith healing and has even aimed his sarcasm at atheists. And while House had to deal with Chase’s ontological/theological struggles and Cameron’s ethical quandaries, he’s never had to deal with one of his Fellows actually being religious. Until now.

At the end of last season, House’s fired Chase, and the other two Fellows Cameron and Foreman left as well. So now he’s on the hunt for a few more good men and women. Labeling them with just numbers, he whittles the group down through wit and whimsy, resulting in a humorous Broadway try-out atmosphere.

Number 18, a tall African-American male who has no compunction about being assigned to wash House’s car, turns out to be a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. (Although only referred to by number on the show, the show’s website states that his name is Jeffrey Cole.)

“You a Mormon? You’re wearing a ring from Brigham Young,” observes House. “Or did your folks just do the lawn?” he presses on, referring to the LDS Church’s restriction of ordination to men of African descent until 1978. Number 18 responds that “The Church has a very progressive attitude toward racial equality.” And so begins a wonderful new sparring partnership.

Britney Spears has temporarily lost physical custody of her children. Her once much-maligned ex-husband Kevin Federline now has the boys 100% of the time. Spears does, however maintain legal custody of the children, and will continue to be entitled to make decisions about the children's health, schooling and well-being.

Why even give her that much?

Los Angeles County Commissioner Scott Gordon [insert Batman joke here] revoked her custodial privileges due to her inability to make even decisions affecting her own welfare, much less the welfare of her two small children with Federline: Jayden James and Sean Preston.