Kris Rasmussen: May 2008 Archives

Talk about getting in late on a hot trend. Celebrities from George Clooney to Rosie O'Donnell have had their own websites or blogs for a long time now, but Tom Cruise has only just this past week launched his own offficial website under the guise of celebrating his 25 years in filmmaking.

Cruise has wisely keep major references to promotion of Scientology off the site for now. Instead, it is simply full of fabulous photos of Tom smiling and looking like a movie star. There's also a heartfelt message on the site for his many fans.

As a P.R. tool to continue to remold his image, the site is pretty much a snooze. As a potential arm of propaganda for Scientology under the guise of "Humanitarianism"…well, I think it's just a matter of time, don't you?

Summertime has become a time for me to catch up on TV series I haven't had time to watch during the rest of the year, or, in some instances, foreign TV series that I have never even heard of, or those that I have forgotten about from years past. Instead of watching a movie on DVD, I like the idea of creating a ritual of watching an episode or two every week, just as if the series was actually being broadcast. In some cases, my friends and I make it a group ritual and make a date to watch episodes together.

So here's what I have queued up for the summer. All of the choices are far better than watching yet another reality show where someone humiliates someone else to win something.

"Slings and Arrows" : My fellow theater geeks— I mean thespians— turned me on to this comedic Canadian series about the backstage lives of the members of a second-rate theater festival. The title references Shakespeare's "Hamlet," is written by Bob Martin who wrote the Broadway musical "The Drowsy Chaperone" and features former "Kids in the Hall" actor Mark Kinney. And if all of that means nothing to you, well, this series is not for you. On the other hand, I have noticed it is gaining a cult following on Netflix and it is a fun diversion for the rest of us who appreciate the nobility and insanity of "trodding the boards."

My love of Sam Phillips's music is unabashedly deep and goes back many years. I have listened to her distinctive voice since I was a little girl, when she went by the name Leslie Phillips and was busy fighting the bubble-gum pop image contemporary Christian music tried to foist on her. Then, I followed her into her varied, eclectic musical career in the secular world where she became, at times, the female equivalent of Bruce Cockburn or an edgier version of Sixpence None The Richer's Leigh Nash. And when she started writing music for "The Gilmore Girls," well, that was the best treat of all.

There are a handful of movies that I can say have not only inspired me, but haunted me. A little-seen documentary from three years ago "Shakespeare Behind Bars' has been one of those movies. The stories surrounding a group of men in search of truth and forgiveness as they courageously band together to perform a Shakespearean production, moved me. In fact, the movie moved me to the point that a few weeks I did something I have wanted to do for more than a year: I visited Luther Luckett Correctional Facility and spent a few days experiencing the Shakespeare Behind Bars program in person. I sat in on rehearsals and spoke with the inmates about many more topics than just Shakespeare. It was one of the best—and most transforming— experiences I have ever had, and on Thursday night I witnessed the end of this program in its current incarnation as the director of the program, Curt Toftelund, is moving on to other opportunities.

With one of pop culture's favorite heroes having just returned to the big screen in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" after too many years away, many sites are posting their all-time favorite Indiana Jones moments. I for one have been taking a walk down memory lane by renting the DVDs this week, and here are my favorite "Indy" moments. Undoubtedly I missed some, so leave your own favorites in the comment box below!

5. The Snake Pit, "Raiders"
A lot of surveys show this is the all-time favorite scene of Indy fans, as superhero Jones reveals even he has a weakness and must overcome his fear of snakes while standing in a huge snake pit.

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While I agree with critics and fellow IC blogger Paul that "Prince Caspian" was an entertaining film that is better production-wise that its cinematic predecessor, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe," and that certainly not all of the spirituality...

Since I am not a big follower of the ever-increasing amount of Christian worship music available, I may never have stumbled across Tommy Walker's music if it hadn't been for my time in Los Angeles in the '90s where every...

Revealing the true geek that I am, I must admit I'm always hoping that one day someone will make a truly great movie about the art form and rhetorical skills of debate. The teen comedy "Rocket Science" wasn't it and...

It was just a few weeks ago that I blogged about the interesting piece Daniel Radosh wrote for the New York Times on what he thinks are the top ten Christian songs. Then I read a review of the self-proclaimed...

In addition to the typical big-name high profile movie fare that usually debuts at the Cannes Film Festival, Sean Penn, this year's Cannes Jury President, has handpicked an unlikely documentary to also make its debut this week. "The Third Wave"...

Because one hour of television devoted to Tom Cruise talking about himself just isn't enough, today will mark the second half of Tom Cruise's attempt at PR damage control by returning to the scene of his couch-jumping crime on "Oprah."...

I can remember being somewhat overwhelmed with the amount of attention given to the big screen adaptation of "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and I didn't think it quite lived up to the hype. But...