Kris Rasmussen: December 2007 Archives

There is an interesting article over at Salon about how in 2007 the toxic relationship between the media, celebrities, and the average consumer has hit new levels of lunacy. Well, I certainly can’t argue with that. And while some of my fellow Beliefnet writers have already posted their thoughts on what some stars could do in 2008 to be a little less toxic and a little more mentally and emotionally stable, I am trying a slightly different approach in discussing potential New Year’s resolutions, by making a few New Year’s resolution suggestions for some of my favorite celebs, but tying them to my own resolutions. After all, it’s not fair to ask others to change if I am not willing to change my own bad habits or help these celebs out in some way, right?

Here are my New Year's resolution suggestions for some of our more notorious celebrities:

This has been a surprisingly good year for movies and I am thrilled to say that it was difficult to limit my list of favorite movies to ten. (Last year I had a difficult time even finding ten to make my list!) In fact, there are a couple of movies that would probably have made this list, but I haven’t had the opportunity to see. “There Will Be Blood” or “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” are two movies receiving raves that I am inclined to think I will appreciate.

If you’ve been reading my reviews here at Idol Chatter this year, the choices on my list will probably not be a big surprise, but be sure to tell me in the comments box below what movies made it on your list this year. I know there are some big fans of “Lars and the Real Girl” out there. Or am I being a snob by ignoring a comedy like “Knocked Up”? Let the debate begin.

While I have never understood the fascination with continuing to remake the bizarre story of
demonic barber Sweeney Todd, I have to admit that when I saw the dazzling, completely innovative spectacle of the Tony winning Broadway revival of ‘Sweeney Todd” in 2005, it had a powerful impact on me as a Christian writer and artist. The experience was something akin to watching an extraordinary impressionistic painting come to life (yes, I realize that is actually the plot of another Sondheim musical entirely), even while I still felt the twisted nature of the story never paid off as some epic tragedy, moral fable, or even edgy, satirical social commentary.

Not to my surprise, my reaction to Tim Burton's big screen adaptation was pretty much the same reaction I had to the stage version: The movie is artistically impressive, but dramatically flimsy. So while the critics continue to gush about the bloody spectacle of this dark musical, I can only recommend it to the die-hard Burton/ Depp fans and to those with an affinity for anything gothic.

Two years ago I posted a list here at Idol Chatter of some of my favorite Christmas episodes of some of my favorite TV shows of years past. I’ve decided to trot out a revised version of that list.

Are there any favorite holiday episodes you try to catch in reruns that you would like to add to my list? “Seinfeld’s” infamous episode with Elaine picking the Christmas card, perhaps? Or maybe “The Office” and its Christmas party episode is your new favorite Christmas classic. Be sure to tell us in the comment box below, and you might also want to check out a great website that has downloads of numerous classic holiday episodes you can watch anytime.

Whenever there's a child star crisis -- for example, the Jamie Lynn Spears pregnancy announcement-- it seems to bring numerous other former child stars out of the woodwork to comment. Both People Magazine and ABC News felt it was newsworthy that Lisa Whelchel, who once played snooty Blair Warner on the cheesy 80s sitcom "The Facts of Life," wants to speak out in support of Jamie Lynn and her mother. Perhaps in response to Thomas Nelson placing Lynn Spears' parenting book on hold, Whelchel, who just happens to be the author of several Christian books on parenting herself, is voicing her compassion and concern for the Spears family.

Whelchel is proud of Spears for "stepping up" and being courageous" in her choices and says that she believes Lynne Spears is "doing the best she can" as a mom.Whelchel even claims that she has used Spears' pregnancy as a teachable moment with her own two teenage daughters.

Oh, sure, I know what some of you are thinking. There are so many cheap shots I could make over a story like this, but in the spirit of Christmas, I am not going to. I actually think Whelchel is to be complimented for her kind comments, and maybe the words of wisdom even had something to do with Thomas Nelson Publishing's recent press release that Mama Spears' memoir was never meant to be a parenting how-to and may be released after all.

Unless you attended a film festival this year or you happen to live in New York or Los Angeles, you undoubtedly missed one of the best films of the year. I raved about the romantic drama “Once” this summer because...

I don’t profess to know what Jesus would buy, but if you are still searching for a few fresh ideas for Christmas gifts, here are my four favorite new religious products of the Christmas season....

Joel and Ethan Coen became filmmaking legends in their own time with their brutal crime caper “Fargo” back in the 90s. They reached beyond their cult indie filmmaking status with the mainstream success of their dark comedy “O Brother Where...

After success at several film festivals this year, director/producer Dallas Jenkins second feature film (he produced “Hometown Legend” a few years back), the unconventional Christmas story, “Midnight Clear, is out on DVD this week. Based on a short story written...

Have I mentioned I am not interested in continuing the discussion over “The Golden Compass?” I’m pretty sure I have, but I have been following two critics in particular who have written on the subject at length, and they both...

It’s not only a busy holiday season but a busy Oscar season as well, as most movies that are nominated for Oscars are usually released in the final two months of the calendar year. “Atonement”, directed by the man who...