But which is the Angel and which the Demon? The feud before the May 15 premiere of “Angels & Demons,” the latest film version of a Dan Brown novel is heating up. (My take from last year: Brown is actually a humorist. He’s hilarious, in fact.) But Bill Donohue is not laughing, and neither is director Ron Howard, who has had it with Donohue.
Opie takes a bite out of Donohue at The Huffington Post:
I guess Mr. Donohue and I do have one thing in common: we both like to create fictional tales, as he has done with his silly and mean-spirited work of propaganda…But since Mr. Donohue has, in effect, smeared me by claiming I am smearing his Church, I want him to know this: I have respect for Catholics and their Church, and know they accomplish many good works throughout the world. And I believe Angels & Demons treats the Church with respect — even a degree of reverence — for its traditions and beliefs.
I know faith is believing without seeing (and a boycott would be disbelieving without seeing). But I don’t expect William Donohue to have faith in me, so I encourage him to see Angels & Demons for himself. Then he will finally witness, and perhaps believe, that what I say is true.
And of course Bill hits back:
“Howard must be delusional if he thinks Vatican officials are going to like his propaganda–they denied him the right to film on their grounds. Moreover, we know from a Canadian priest who hung out with Howard’s crew last summer in Rome (dressed in civilian clothes) just how much they hate Catholicism. It’s time to stop the lies and come clean.”
And nothing better than a good mudfight to gin up news coverage–and publicity for whatever you’re selling.
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Previous Posts
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posted 8:29:24pm Aug. 02, 2009 |
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posted 11:53:35am Jul. 16, 2009 |
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posted 10:51:36am Jul. 16, 2009 |
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When Benny met Barry: "I'll pray for you!"
The first word via Vatican Radio and first image (that I saw) via Rocco:
Speaking to Vatican Radio, Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi said "moral values in international politics, immigration and the Catholic Church's contribution in developing countries" were key topics of discussio
posted 12:54:28pm Jul. 10, 2009 |
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Signs of the times: Obama's eye
Yes, this photo of Obama ostensibly eyeing a young woman (apparently a 17-year-old delegate from Brazil--where are her parents?!) at the G-8 Summit is the hottest Google search item. And of course the question of what Obama was thinking is a leading Fox News story.
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posted 12:26:05pm Jul. 10, 2009 |
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posted April 22, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Okay, Ron Howard, I’ll take you at your word. If faith is believing without seeing, then I won’t see Angels and Demons and just have faith that it is a good film that respects the Church. As for Bill Donahue, yawn, the DaVinci Code is so yesterday. I hope Tom Hanks has cut his hair for this film. That last do looked like a toupe. Seriously.
posted April 23, 2009 at 12:17 am
I love how an apoplectic hack like Donahue can cause such a fuss. So The red-faced storm-trooper thinks a movie is anti-Catholic. So what. He probably thinks Cheerios are anti-Catholic.
If anyone is offended by Browns work, please… feel free to stay home as is your prerogative. Just shut up already. No one cares that you get your knickers knotted over someone else’s fiction.
Grow up already.
posted April 23, 2009 at 9:35 am
Neither Donahue and Howard have anything of substance to offer, talk about or defend. I saw about 15 minutes of the Da Vinci Code and consider it an affront to cinematic standards. That is the movie’s foremost crime. I simply can not bear to consider seeing this sequel.
Perhaps Donahue and Howard are in on this together to pump up interest for what is surely going to be a poor excuse of a movie. My advice toward any potential moviegoer is the same as Jesus’ advice to Mary Magdelene, “Noli me tangere.”
posted April 23, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Fiction = long fiction.
posted April 23, 2009 at 9:07 pm
correstion.
Novel = long fiction. Mea Culpa
posted April 25, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Gosh darn (I hope Pa didn’t hear that), Opie is a lousy liar.