Ellen Leventry: March 2008 Archives

We've called Paris Hilton many things here at "Idol Chatter," but I'm not certain anyone has dubbed her a role model. But that's exactly how the hotel heiress sees herself, according to Reuters (via TMZ.com).

"I work very hard and I've built this empire on my own," she recently told the news agency while judging a beauty pageant in Turkey. "I think this is an inspiration for a lot of girls out there."

The brooding, spiritually-challenging "Battlestar Galactica" returns to airwaves on April 4, but those in the Sci-Fi know have been getting their fix of thought-provoking, other-worldly entertainment over at BBC America, thanks to "Torchwood." Perhaps best known for its camp and outrageous-for-American television bisexual protagonist, the "Doctor Who" spinoff has a deep existential thread running through the series.

In the very first episode of "Torchwood," the writers make clear that the themes of death and resurrection are to be characters just as important to the series as any of the five members of the sci-fi Scooby-gang known as Torchwood. The Resurrection Gauntlet, a metal glove that can bring the dead to life for mere minutes, is the prime motivator of the pilot and comes back to play an important role in later episodes. As Ianto says, "That's the thing about gloves … they come in pairs."

But it's not just the alien artifact-of-the-week that captures the spirit. Captain Jack Harkness, the charismatic leader of the "supernatural sleuths," himself was brought back from death, only to discover that following his resurrection he cannot die. And now Owen Harper, the group's medical doctor, has been brought back from the beyond only to discover that he technically is still dead— he has neither breath to resuscitate others nor blood to help in times of amorous intention. How's that for resurrection?

In the last two episodes, Owen has not only had to deal with the ramifications of being non-living, but in "Dead Man Walking" he actually brings Death, the hooded character with scythe and capital "D," into the world and then turns right around and saves a woman from committing suicide in the next episode. In fact the recent arc embodies the show's life and death, sex and salvation dichotomy perfectly.

At the beginning of January, I contributed a piece to "Idol Chatter" positing that spinning Britney Spears' then increasingly curious behavior as a drug problem was far more acceptable in America than admitting to suffering from a mental health disorder. I concluded the piece by voicing my hope that once Britney found her own stability she might share with the country her own struggles and by so doing help the average American battling depression.

I thought about the piece again yesterday in light of recent published reports that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling contemplated suicide while battling depression during a particularly rough patch in her 20s, including a divorce from her first husband and living on the dole.

When I received a press release yesterday stating that Sir Richard Branson, of the Virgin mega-brands and various hot air balloon adventures, had joined SciFi Channel's "Visions for Tomorrow" advisory board, my curiosity was piqued. Not only do I think that Branson is one of the coolest philanthropists around, but I had never even heard of said initiative and I'm no stranger to the SciFi Channel.

The "multi-platform, pro-social campaign" aims to use "the power of science fiction to inspire individuals, organizations, corporations and policymakers to meet the growing challenges of the future and advance the idea that individuals can affect positive change" and "utilizes public service announcements, educational curricula, and an interactive website to impact the future."

Remember back in the late 90s and early 2000s when you couldn't flip open a lifestyle section or magazine without seeing at least one article about outrageous Bar and Bat Mitvahs? The progenitor of the MTV "My Super Sweet Sixteen"-style shindig, these "Bash Mitzvahs," as New York Magazine dubbed them in 1998, involved extravagant themes, hot performers like 50 Cent, and could cost a quarter of a million dollars easily.

So when I read that former "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar appeared at the Bat Mitzvah party for Long Island resident Rachael Lader, I saw a glimmer of hope that the Bash Mitzvah may have jumped the shark, so to speak.

How many times have you asked yourself, when reading a newspaper headline, "What were they thinking?" Sure Gov. Eliot Spitzer's head-scratching admission to patronizing a prostitute elicited the most furrowed brows this week, but it was TMZ.com's report of pro-life...

"Does being Paris' spirituality chihuahua mean the guy was especially horrible in a past life," my friend asked me when confronted with the recent story of Paris Hilton's new Buddhist monk sidekick. According to the Daily Mail, the celebutante's newest...

Remember the heady days of the new millenium when every self-respecting teen star was declaring that they were saving themselves for marriage? Now remember how you felt when it was discovered that shocker, one pop princess did not in fact...