Idol Chatter: May 2008 Archives

"Year after year, twenty-something women come to New York City in search of the two Ls: labels and love. Twenty years ago, I was one of them," Carrie Bradshaw says in the May 30 theatrical release "Sex and The City." "Having gotten the knack for labels early...I concentrated on love."

And so begins the familiar voiceover by Bradshaw portrayer Sarah Jessica Parker in the long-awaited film based on the HBO series.

Media coverage and public discussions tend to concentrate on the likelihood that the film's lovers include an audience of women and gay men. However, there is some question has to how fans and those in the entertainment industry will label the movie through its results in the box-office.

Even Parker, who also serves as a producer, recently told Entertainment Weekly (in Missy Schwartz' May 23 article "Hello, Lovers") that the film's response is personal.

"I want it to do well, but the bigger story for me here is that I want the people who hold the purse strings to believe that there are female audiences, that it's worth their money," Parker adds.

Studio executives should believe because the "Sex and The City" franchise has symbolized into a religious institution with a faithful following of females and gay males that will stay true.

It could be said without much debate that there is a significant number of Jews in Hollywood. However, a festival focusing on the theatrical depiction of the Jewish experience is relatively new to the area.

The third annual Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival took place May 8-15 with the mission to build community awareness, appreciation and pride in the diversity of the population.

As festival director Hilary Helstein quipped to the opening night audience at the Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills, "Our films are not just selected, they are chosen."

This year's chosen films poignantly included the subjects of Israel, comedians, and the bar mitzvah ritual through the opening gala, mid-week award ceremony and screening and closing night, respectively.

Like many of its fellow Jewish institutions, the festival commemorated Israel's 60th birthday by kicking off May 8 on Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. The evening was comprised of an award presentation to veteran performer Theodore Bikel and his latest film "The Little Traitor"—set in 1947 Palestine under British occupation months before Israel's birth.

In a television season stymied by the writers strike, "Reaper" emerged as a rare critical hit for The CW. "Reaper"'s blend of comedy and demonology has echoes of cult hit, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." But despite rave reviews, "Reaper" remained on the bubble for renewal until this week. So, what makes the show so tough for audiences to embrace?

"Reaper" begins with a horrific premise. Parents fighting for their own survival pledged their first-born son, Sam (Brett Harrison), to the devil (played with plenty of guile by Ray Wise). When Sam achieves independence at age 21, the devil calls in his contract. How can Sam pay off his debt? By serving as a reaper, sending escaped souls back to hell. In each episode, the devil presents Sam with a vessel to capture a delinquent soul. Vessels have ranged from a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner to a Polaroid camera. The captured souls are then dropped off at the gateway to hell—a DMV office!

This summer's upcoming reboot of the "X-Files" franchise after more than six years of living in a Mulder and Scully-less world, rebirth of the "Star Wars" franchise in the form of a computer-animated feature film and television series, and retirement of "Battlestar Galactica," as it (hopefully) finally finds Earth, got us thinking about the great relationship between science fiction and religion.

And so, we give you our list of the ten greatest spiritual characters in science fiction. Some greats had to be left out, of course, and we're sticking to Sci-Fi as a visual medium here. Please let us know your favorites are in the comment space below.

10. Palmer Joss – "Contact" (1997)
Carl Sagan may have been an atheist, but it was in his nature as a scientist to never cease asking questions. As a counterpoint to Sagan's staunchly nonreligious alter-ego, Ellie Arroway, Palmer took a stand for God, and Ellie's attraction and loyalty to him forced her to scrutinize her own take on God and religiosity in spite of her commitment to science and empirical evidence.

For me, it's always been hard to picture the divine. Yeah, in Jewish tradition, there's the story of Jacob wrestling hand-to-hand with a purported angel in the Book of Genesis. And, in Islam, the angel Gabriel visits Mohammed on more than one occasion, flying with him to Jerusalem, discussing life with him, and delivering the Qur'an to (or through) him. Christianity, too, has an angel visit young Mary and tell her of her future role as the mother of Christ.

So, angels, ok. I guess I can somewhat see angels. Vaguely. But God? Am I even supposed to picture God? And what about lowercase-g gods, such as those in Chinese traditions or African tribal religions? Or Hinduism? How do I wrap my mind around their acts, their existences, or their stories?

Well, when it comes to that last case, Hinduism, I've discovered a terrific entry point into this issue--visualizing a tradition's divinities--and a really entertaining introduction to its great myths: A comic book. Specifically, a comic book series from Virgin Comics, "Deepak Chopra Presents India Authentic" written by Saurav Mohapatra and illustrated by a large team of artists. Overseen and prefaced by the renown Chopra, India Authentic, with its rising sales, is the visual version of Hindu Myths for Dummies made for and by rather sharp people.

How does a journalist become a part of a story that he is covering? I first met filmmaker Nina Paley in 2005 when she and some of her friends were hosting an animation party on the roof top of her...