(Display Name not set)August 2006 Archives

Indie film star Catherine Keener--known for her character acting in such cinema favorites as "Capote," "Being John Malkovich," and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"--was just interviewed for the New York Times Fall Fashion issue. In "Being Catherine Keener," Keener spills all to interviewer Lynn Hirschberg about how Catholicism has influenced her film career, including her thoughts on how being an actor is like being a priest: "Playing so many characters in so many films is a way to be in the moment. That was, to me, growing up Catholic, the appeal of the clergy--they address the moment. So, short of being a priest, I am an actor."

Other interesting tidbits from the piece:

I still love anything connected to nuns. That’s why I love all of Yohji Yamamoto’s designs--they look like a nun’s habit, and if I had my way, I’d always dress like a nun. As a girl, I saw every movie with nuns: “The Trouble With Angels,” “The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.” I saw them all. I love the nun’s lifestyle: the quiet, the solitude. But then I realized they were subservient to priests, and I decided I wanted to be a priest. That’s when the trouble began. I desperately wanted to be an altar boy, and I stole a bag of unconsecrated wafers. They weren’t yet the body of Christ, but they were delicious. That was the first of my many run-ins with Catholic law.

And:

How does Catholicism relate to show business?

Well, there is something about Catholicism that is both theatrical and pure, and movies can have that quality. There are other benefits to Catholicism: you grow up with a great sense of shame and hope and faith and naïveté.

And apparently, at least if you happen to be a girl, you grow up with creative ideas about how to be priestly without actually having to be a boy or an actual Catholic priest.

For 26 years, the ultra-luxe Cartier has been selling the "Love bracelet"--a gold bracelet that must be secured onto a lover's wrist with a screwdriver. How romantic! Cartier's Love bracelet was originally "inspired by medieval chastity belts," explains New York Times reporter Sandra Ballentine in her article "Prisoner of Love" in the Women's Fashion Fall 2006 magazine.

The signature bracelet, selling for a mere $2,975, has apparently been flying off shelves for decades now, and currently adorns the slight wrists of Hollywood starlets like Lindsay Lohan and Sofia Coppola. (Though who knows who holds the key--or screwdriver?--to their hearts?)

Ballentine reports of Cartier's new plans for the contemporary chastity bracelet: "This October, in a nod to more conspicuous commitment, a $28,000 diamond-encrusted bangle version will be introduced."

I suppose the idea is that the more you spend, the greater the likelihood of fidelity.

Though technically, the "chastity bracelet" does not discriminate according to gender, it still seems to be a gift mostly for the girl, of course. Perhaps it's the upscale, celeb-style version of the ever-more-popular promise ring worn by so many Christian teen girls.

The USA Network's series "The 4400"--about a group of 4,400 people, all of whom went missing at different points in the 20th century and return together bearing special powers, not having aged a day--is about to conclude its third season this Sunday at 9pm.

What makes it worth watching? The last several episodes have seen an interesting twist--Jordan Collier, a 4400 who was essentially the leader of the group worldwide and was assassinated at the end of the second season, is back from the dead! And not only is he back, he has long flowing hair, a beard, and, apparently, was roaming around for the year he was gone prophesying in such a way that he became known to followers as "The Preacher." And if that isn't enough Jesus-imagery for you, during last week's episode, the talk of the town was "Jordan Colllier's resurrection from the dead." Oh, and not to forget the prophesy itself: "The war for the future will be fought in the past," which he tells anyone who will listen.

The 4400 is a gripping show in general, but I have to admit, while the Jordan Collier return is interesting for the narrative arc of the show, the Jesus business they have going on is a bit much.

Interested enough to tune in? For your viewing benefit, the USA network is airing a 4400 Season Three marathon to catch viewers up, beginning at 11 a.m. and running until 9 p.m. Sunday, when they show the finale. It has already been picked up for a fourth season, so no worries about being left hanging.

This week the History Channel is celebrating Ancient Week (kind of like Shark Week at the Discovery Channel, but with no sharks). In honor of Ancient Week, they premiered a hokey, but ultimately interesting, TV documentary called "The Exodus Decoded," produced by none other than James Cameron.

The show aims to prove scientifically the cause behind the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea; provide a new historical estimate for when the Israelites were lead out of Egypt by Moses; and archaeologically trace the route of the Exodus and location of Mount Sinai, challenging all previous speculation on these subjects.

The use of special effects is distracting and, at times, disorienting (no surprise there, though, given the fact that James Cameron is behind the production) and the narrator, Simcha Jacobovici, is rather corny in his attempts to build suspense. But the contentions and new explanations the team of researchers and scholars provides about the Exodus is fascinating--perfect for viewers who love all things "Bible: Decoded."

It airs again tonight at 8:00 p.m.

Despite fellow blogger Charlotte Allen's rather icy assessment of my recent posting in praise of Madonna's crucixifion act and my defense of a woman's right to image the divine on the cross, my NPR commentary on the same topic was controversial enough to catch the attention of one of the most famous gossip-columnists in America, Liz Smith. Yes, I've made the tabloids!

In her New York Post column on Monday, headlined "A Thorny Issue," the queen of celebrity (and, apparently, NPR) gossip writes:

"MADONNA IS doing Christians a favor. She is performing a woman's right to stand in Jesus's place... as a Christian, I know that one of the most important spiritual tasks asked of me is to see the crucified Jesus in each and every person I encounter... it offends only because our imaginations are so impoverished."

So says teacher/author Donna Freitas, about the controversy of Madonna on the cross in her latest concert. Freitas spoke on the NPR program "All Things Considered." (As the world knows by now, while suspended on the cross, wearing a twinkly crown of thorns, Madonna sings "Live to Tell." Images of AIDS-stricken African women and children flash on the giant screen above her.) La Ciccone has insisted, "I don't think Jesus would be mad at me."

Well, I don't try to fathom what Jesus would think. But maybe being named Madonna gives you special privilege.

Forever 21--the homage to cheap and chic that's almost (but not quite) as ubiquitous on the streets of Manhattan as that other homage to cheap and chic, H&M--is apparently preaching the gospel with every sale. Deborah Kolben, a staff writer...

At this late point in summer, the controversy about the crucifixion scene in Madonna's Confessions Tour--when Madonna sings "Live to Tell" while up on a cross, arms outstretched, with scenes of poverty in Africa flashing behind her--has escalated to a...

Apparently, with just 1 million "points" you can get into heaven! At least if you attend The Church of St. John the Evangelist in Ontario, Canada, that is. St. John's and radio station CHEZ 106 (106.1 FM) have teamed up...

Patricia Leigh Brown, a reporter from The New York Times travel section, tried her hand at the ever-more popular ayurvedic spas popping up all over southern India to cater to Westerners, and describes the experience in her rather humorous article...

Bono, the lead singer of U2 turned celebrity AIDS activist wants to know why Christian churches are virtually absent from the effort to address the AIDS pandemic, and whether they are willing to rectify their reluctance.How is Bono leading this...

At a time when U.S. citizens, religious and otherwise, are divided over whether the U.S. should pull troops out of Iraq, not to mention whether the war itself was justified in the first place, the military is desperate for some...

As TNT's "The Closer" headed toward its 9th episode of season two Monday night, "Heroic Measures," Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson (played wonderfully by Kyra Sedgwick) delivered some more of her trademark, morally ambiguous detective work. This time around, the...