Michael Kress: September 2007 Archives

Is the CW--the child of the teen-focused UPN and WB networks--growing up? The net, now in its second year, is launching two new series with religious themes at their core. "Aliens in America" focuses on a Muslim exchange student in the Midwest, and "The Reaper" tells the story of a young man who becomes "the devil's bounty hunter." What's going on here? We got the skinny from CW officials and the producers of these shows. Read about it here.

"The Syrian Bride" is an Israeli movie that points to some of the absurdities and everyday tragedies of a long-term conflict like that between Israel and its neighbors. The movie focuses on a Druze family living in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syrian in the 1967 Six Day War.

One of the daughters in the family is engaged to a soap opera star from Damascus (whom she's never met in person), and the film takes place on her wedding day, when she will cross the border into Syria and never be allowed to return because of the hostilities between Israel and Syria. She is leaving her family behind for a man she doesn't really know.

If you think slavery died with the Civil War, think again. It's a huge problem today, and getting worse. Dave Batstone's written a book about it, "Not for Sale," and he appeared on CBS' "Eye to Eye" to discuss it. Click here to watch.

Or, click here to see a slide show about slavery around the world today.

American Jews have always had a love affair with the stories of Jewish athletes. Sandy Koufax's refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur is probably the best known and most beloved example. Now here comes Jewish High Holiday season, just in time for baseball's penant races to heat up.

To play or pray?

That is the question that Jewish athletes are asking themselves are being asked by the media when key games fall out on key holy days. And in both media examples I've seen this year, playing has beat out praying--though in both cases, the question seemed more a media creation than a real one.

First was the Mets' Shawn Green, perhaps the best-known Jewish major-leaguer today. The morning of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the New York Times inserted the following random paragraph into its recap of the previous night's Mets victory:

After the game, Green, who is Jewish, said the victory was not extra special because it came on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. “It’s not even a factor,” he said.

Special or not--and holiday or not--Green had the winning hit in the game. Read into that what you will.

And then today, I saw this headline on FanNation.com: "Brewer to Play during Yom Kippur." It was a summary of a Milwaukee Sentinal-Journal article:

"In the Valley of Elah"--Paul Haggis's follow-up to his Oscar-winning "Crash"--starts out as a mystery about a soldier who disappears soon after returning home from Iraq. But it soon becomes something more: a full-scale exploration of America's involvement in Iraq and the moral ramifications of the war. Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon, the film opens in limited release this weekend, and in wide release on Sept. 21. Watch a clip here:

Click to Launch Video

Over at J-Walking, our friend David Kuo has harsh words for the Patriots and their coach, Bill Belichick, over the football team's cheating scandal. He goes even further than Doug does here at Idol Chatter, calling for Belichick's head, or...

What's the hardest decision you've ever had to make? That's the question that hovers over "Beyond the Gates," and it's one that can win you a free copy of that movie on DVD. Post your answer in the comments box...

After months of speculation, it seems that Barbara Walters is set to name actress Sherri Shepherd as a co-host of "The View." The formal announcement is expected Monday. While we who slave away in offices all day to bring you...