Maybe he feels a certain kinship with the late Anna Nicole Smith after donning drag for the upcoming film version of "Harispray," but John Travolta feels that Scientology could have saved the former Guess! model and reality star's life.
"The Pulp Fiction star has decided to use her death as a chance to promote Narconon--the controversial Church of Scientology drug rehab programme," reports Metro.co.uk. (Narconon is not to be confused with Narcanon, with an "A," which is the 12-step Narcotics Anonymous program.)
"It's so sad," the site reports the celebrity Scientologist as saying. "We could have helped her with Narconon but didn't get a chance to. I wish we had."
With the autopsy not yet finalized, the cause of Smith's death is still speculative. And whether or not she was simply taking prescription medication as her lawyer Howard Stern claims, Smith clearly had a problem, as the disturbing footage of Smith in clown face featured on Fox News clearly illustrated.
Travolta, who starred with Smith in "Be Cool" and has starred with Narconon spokesperson Kirstie Alley in the "Look Who's Talking" films, did not comment on the other strung-out starlettes of the moment, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.
According to one poster on gossip blog Perezhilton.com (warning: explicit language), Travolta made the statement while wending his way through the Oscar's press line, although MSNBC's Scoop puts it at a promtional event for his new flick "Wild Hogs." And while it's a questionable line of questioning--and Travolta's response seemed like an advertorial--in a way it gave the former Playboy Playmate and pop-cultural icon what she probably would have wanted, one last trip down the red carpet.
Relient K is a Christian band. Like Switchfoot, they have managed a tricky crossover from the Christian market into the mainstream. But according to a Monsters and Critics interview, their lead vocalist/songwriter Matt Thiessen doesn't enjoy the segregation.
"We view Christian music and the general market all as the same thing. It's funny to have a genre just based on lyrics. If I was Jewish and I was writing songs about Judaism, you [wouldn't] sell me only in Jewish bookstores. I feel like Christian music gets segregated," he says, wryly noting, "Green Day isn't in the Democratic section at Wal-Mart."
While a girl like me can certainly sympathize with not wanting to be labeled, even in identification with an aspect of yourself you're proud of, the truth is that Thiessen shouldn't yearn for Christian music to be treated like Jewish music. Before Tower Records (and HMV before it) closed, I would routinely go to music stores looking for something reflective of or incorporating aspects of Jewish life. Sure, there was a little bit of emergent neo-klezmer, or classic Yiddish tunes that my grandmother might have hummed to me when I was a kid. But young Jews didn't have "family values crossover rock" like Collective Soul, or even Amy Grant. Personally, I was hoping to find the newest Israeli bands and artists who don't even necessarily sing about Judaism. I kept looking in "World" and "Eastern" and "Middle East," but it was mostly Shakira and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Online was no better; BMG Music ("10 Albums for the Price of 1" draws you in and then 10 years later you're still a member, returning unwanting selections of the month) had a few token Hanukkah records in December, but was otherwise similarly bereft. The fact was, to find anything approaching Jewish music or "songs about Judaism," I would have to go to Jewish bookstores, because they're the only places that carry them.
But now, with the internet making the real-life music superstore all-but obsolete, it's a lot easier to find Jewish music. Amazon lists over 1500 titles in the results for "Jewish Music" (compared to 18,477 for "Christian Music"). JDub Records, the company that found and developed Matisyahu for the big time, is producing new Jewish music that blends traditional and contemporary. And JMG Music is not only distributing new Jewish music (like this year's Grammy-winning Klezmatics CD, "Wonder Wheel"), but resurrecting oldies like "Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites" and the comedy album "You Don't Have to be Jewish/When You're In Love the Whole World's Jewish."
Still, when it comes to mainstream store representation, I'd be willing to wager that Christian rockers are better off than their Jewish contemporaries. Thiessen might be interested to learn that on Monsters and Critics, the number one search result for "Jewish music" leads readers to the Relient K interview.
posted by Esther Kustanowitz @ 6:42 PM | Permalink |
Between "24" and "Heroes" on Monday and "Gilmore Girls" last night, television viewers are getting a heavy dose of religion.
With the recent re-appearance of the shamed President Charles Logan from Season 5--Jack needs his help tracking down a Russian terrorist--suddenly talk has turned to prayer, redemption, and forgiveness. When Jack questions Logan's motivation to help his country (and rightly so), Logan urges Jack to believe that he has "re-found" religion and his true goal is redemption.
On the "Heroes" episode "Company Man," Claire's Mom finally sees what her "special" daughter can really do--come back from the dead--and Mom begins talking about resurrection (Claire's that is) and the role of faith in surviving the latest family crisis.
And then on the "Gilmore Girls" episode "Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore?" Lorelai ends up negotiating a truce between Lane--about to give birth to twin boys--and her fundamentalist Christian mom. Mom wants the boys raised as good Christians, and Lane says absolutely not: her kids are going to have the "freedom from religion" that she never enjoyed growing up. But when Lorelai suggests to Lane that maybe her kids will actually want church, Bible camp, and all the related stuff that Lane hated when she was a child, though shocked at the thought, Lane caves to Lorelai's sense, and Mom and Lane make up.
So everybody's jumping on the television religion bandwagon this week, and with a new "Lost" airing tonight, I'm guessing we're not done yet.
Between the front page New York Times Style section article "Shaking Riches Out of the Cosmos," which marvels about the fact that "The Secret" book is sitting atop the New York Times Hardcover Advice Bestseller List, and Newsweek's online extravaganza "Decoding 'The Secret,'" not to mention an official Oprah stamp of approval (she's dedicated two shows to it), Rhonda Byrne, editor of "The Secret" book, is laughing all the way to the bank--WITH YOUR MONEY!
New York Times reporter Allen Salkin rightly compares Byrne's "Secret" empire and its basic (and base) Law of Attraction message that "if you think it, it will come" to a long history of public interest in the latest "get rich quick" schemes (emphasis on the scheme):
Although "The Secret" is an overnight phenomenon, its message of think-and-grow-rich is but the latest version of a self-help formula dating back more than a century, with roots both secular and religious, and branches that have included Napoleon Hill's best-selling "Think and Grow Rich" in 1937 and Norman Vincent Peale's "Power of Positive Thinking" in 1952.
J. Gordon Melton, the director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif., traces the origins of "prosperity consciousness" to 19th-century Christian Science. "It's always waiting for slightly different forms of expression, the same old message," he said.
In my Idol Chatter December review of the DVD, I slammed this watered-down, self-interested mockery of a viewer's intelligence. This film's message is so flimsy and so juvenile that I could barely sit through the screener. And now to find out that it's sitting atop the bestseller list and getting top billing in major news outlets? I am rather appalled.
You do realize that by investing in "The Secret, you are merely making Rhonda Byrne richer, right? Not yourself?
"The Secret" is the latest New Age version of what has long been known as "The Prosperity Gospel," which is anything that preaches the "good news" that you are meant to have lots of money, and that if you just support "our church" or buy "our book" than we we let you in on the "how to"!
And you should know: some people consider members of Prosperity Gospel movements as members of a cult. Don't join the mania!
Okay, so it's taken a day to recover from the fact that some of my Oscar predictions for this year didn't quite work out the way I had hoped, but as I reflect on the ups and downs of the long, long, long, Oscar ceremony, one moment still irritates me. Regardless of who hosts, who is nominated, or who performs on the show, one thing Oscar has never done well is political statements. Not when it's Michael Moore. Not when it's Susan Sarandon. And not when it's Al Gore. Though I was thrilled that Al Gore won for his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," unlike fellow blogger Doug, I cringed at the way Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen DeGeneres, and the rest of the Hollywood elite took a wonderful moment and used it to rub salt in old wounds.
It started with Ellen's joke comparing Gore to Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, reminding people that America didn't vote for the former "American Idol" contestant, but America did vote for Gore, and yet somehow they both ended up at the Academy Awards. Then there was Leonardo DiCaprio fawning all over the former vice-president, trying to convince him to announce that he would run for president. All of these rather lame jokes did nothing but take Americans back to a contentious election that divided the country.
Such ego-driven one-liners on a night intended to celebrate artistic excellence only showed that Hollywood completely missed the other reason Gore's film is worthy of praise. "An Inconvenient Truth" not only documented the damage we are doing to the environment, but also portrayed one man's courage and grace after public failure. It traced how one man learned from defeat, refrained from whining or pointing the blame at others, and is now rising from the ashes to truly lead our nation in a way we desperately need--all without holding political office.
I realize there is no perhaps no punchline in looking forward as opposed to looking back, but it might have been the ever-so-slightly more dignified response.
If you've been reading or watching the news this week, you've likely heard about James Cameron's press conference about his latest project: the supposed unearthing of Jesus' crypt.
What's that? Isn't it the Christian tradition that Jesus was resurrected? Well, forget all that Sunday School education. Because Cameron and director Simcha Jacobovici (who also hosted "The Exodus Decoded," which featured narration from Cameron) "claim to have amassed evidence through DNA tests, archeological evidence and Biblical studies, that the 10 coffins [or, more accurately, "ossuaries," found during the excavation of Jerusalem's Talpiyot neighborhood] belong to Jesus and his family." They've also concluded from the find that Jesus had a kid with Mary Magdalene. And they've made a movie about it, which will be shown soon on Discovery Channel, Britain's Channel 4, Canada's Vision, and Israel's Channel 8. The Discovery Channel has a more complete account of the film, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus."
Time gets the award for best headline: "Tales from the Crypt," but loses points for including too many Titanic references ("this time, the ship he's sinking is Christianity" and "stir up titanic debate") and yet not taking advantage of the chance to refer to either Cameron or Jacobovici as "the Cryptkeeper." (I mean, if you're going to go with Tales from the Crypt as your header and beat the Titanic thing to death, then go all the way.)
And now, this Jewess will offer some literary and cinematic recommendations (aside from "The Da Vinci Code," which I found interesting content- and mythology-wise, but amateurish and pedestrian in execution) for those of you who love to ponder Jesus and his mysteries from a less-than-traditional perspective:
"The Body" (movie, 2000): Antonio Banderas in a clerical collar is hot. "Ordered to investigate a dead body that could call Christianity's fundamental beliefs into question, Father Gutierrez (Antonio Banderas) travels to Jerusalem and meets archaeologist Sharon Golban (Olivia Williams). Together, they analyze the body and look for clues that could give them definitive answers to its origins. But events take a dangerous turn when a Palestinian terrorist group confronts Father Gutierrez and threatens to steal the body." (description: Netflix)
"The Last Temptation of Christ" (book, then film, 1988): Scorsese directs, and Peter Gabriel's haunting, sometimes painful score is itself a reason to experience this film. "At his execution, Jesus is tempted by an alluring image of a peaceful and pleasant life with Mary Magdelene to try to get him to refuse the sacrifice he must make." (description: IMDB)
"Cross Bones," by Kathy Reichs (book): If the characters sound familiar, it's likely because this popular series of "Bones" novels was recently transformed into the FOX procedural of the same name. "Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Tempe" Brennan gets caught in mysteries past and present when she's called in to determine if illegal antiquities dealer Avram Ferris's gunshot death is murder or suicide. An acquaintance of A
vram suggests the former: he hands Tempe a photograph of a skeleton, taken in Israel in 1963, and insists it's the reason Avram is dead. Tempe's longtime boyfriend, Quebecois detective Andrew Ryan, is also involved with the case, so the duo head to Israel where they attempt to solve the murder and a mystery revolving around a first-century tomb that may contain the remains of the family of Jesus Christ. This find threatens the worldwide Christian community, the Israeli and Jewish hierarchy and numerous illegal antiquity dealers, any of whom might be out to kill Tempe and Ryan." (description: Publishers Weekly)
"Jesus Christ Superstar" (show, then film, 1973): Listen to the opening song, and then try to get its infectious melody out of your head. Just try. "Based on a concept album project written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and the subsequent long-running Broadway performance, this film tells the story of the final 6 days in the life of Jesus Christ through the troubled eyes of Judas Iscariot. Too often mis-labeled a musical, this film is a 'rock opera.' There are no spoken lines, everything is sung. " (description: IMDB)
"Godspell" (1973): "An adaption of the musical, in a modern-day song-and-dance recreation of the Gospel of St. Matthew." (description: IMDB)
And my nearly-out-of-print favorite, "Act of God," by Charles Templeton (book, 1977): As a teenager, I was obsessed with this book's analysis of religion, the potential upheaval of faith, and the conspiracy theories involved. "A secret so momentous it threatens to change the course of history... The most important archaeological discovery of all time sets irresistible forces in motion and alters forever the lives of three men and a woman: a celebrated Cardinal in the Roman Catholic church and the probable next pope, who is compelled against all his principles to plan the ultimate crime; a world-renowned archaeologist whose lust for fame carries him into the Israeli desert on a quest that promises immortality but threatens to destroy him; a beautiful but vulnerable young woman who is driven by events to make the agonizing choice between her faith and the first man she has ever loved; and a detective with the New York County District Attorney's Office who relentlessly investigates an international crime in the knowledge that the solution may shatter his own happiness."
Open mind. Read, see, think, and enjoy...
posted by Esther Kustanowitz @ 12:40 PM | Permalink |
Big awards shows show us the human side of stars as they navigate spontaneous moments that can even make them nervous. That's why we like Oscar night, which is the biggest of these. While the show itself may not have won huge ratings points, I found more inspiring and touching moments in this year's show than usual:
The many, many winners who wrote speeches because they knew they'd be too flustered to remember everyone, and the many, many winners whose hands were so jittery they could barely read their notes;
Jennifer Hudson's authentic and natural expression, "Look at what God can do," and also "My grandmother... she had the passion for it, but she never had the chance."
73-year old Alan Arkin freely setting his statue on the ground, perhaps a first in Oscar history;
Clint Eastwood in the role of translator, handling Italian for his friend who won the special award;
The moment each year where tribute is paid to those who've passed, inviting each of us to consider our own legacies and what awaits on the other side;
Seeing new art forms (at least new for us) in the gymnasts who formed the wonderful real-life figures behind the white screen, as well as the sound-effects orchestra called "The Hollywood Film Chorale Sound Effects Choir."
Any time we get to hear James Taylor sing;
Helen Mirren, who gave her poised speech with no notes and one of her earrings in her hand;
Nominees Leonardo Di Caprio, Ryan Gosling, and Will Smith standing for an extended time in honor of the Best Actor who'd just won over them, Forrest Whitaker;
Mr. Whitaker's impassioned speech about the light inside of each of us and how, through acting, he's been able to reach his goal of connecting to "everyone,"
The kind of loose hooting and hollering (for Scorsese's win) usually reserved for other shows but not the Oscars;
Two other mentions: My least favorite moments were every time the band was cutting people off, especially the second or third writing or backroom partner who'll never get another chance to thank his wife and love on his kids. And, some kind of special award has to go to Al Gore's agent or manager for his unbelievably high profile at the Grammys and Oscars. He's been funny, human, warm, and well-disciplined. He's doing wonders for our environment--which is needed--and he could probably announce his bid for president, but why would he want to? This has got to be more fun for him!
Jennifer Hudson's Oscar win was everything we tune in for: a handsome leading man (George Clooney) welcoming a young actress to the Hollywood fold and a teary speech punctuated by gasps of gratitude and sheer terror (and featuring a grandmother). Another beauty of the moment was the lack of mention of Hudson's race: In recent years, wins by Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, and Hallie Berry have celebrated, rightfully, the emergence of great roles and corresponding awards for African-American actors. With Forest Whitaker, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, and Hudson all up for Oscars, one couldn't be race-blind at this year's ceremony ("It's a wonderful year to be an African-American actor," Beyonce Knowles said on her way into the Kodak Theater). But both Hudson and Whitaker accepted their awards without calling attention to the color of their skin.
Except, of course, in her simple statement, "Here's what God can do." It's hard to imagine a Caucasian performer leading with this in their acceptance speech. As in pop music, where Aretha Franklin can sing at church without causing anyone to wonder about her politics, or rappers like Mos Def can proclaim their Muslim faith without it defining their, uh, profile, African-Americans bring God naturally into mainstream events, without risking their popularity. Why? I've often thrown this question out to black and white performers alike, and few even attempt an answer.
Hudson's easy touch with Godtalk also allowed her to slip effortlessly out of a ridiculous exchange with E! reporter Ted Casablanca. Pressed by Casablanca for a few words of advice for fellow pop diva Britney Spears, Hudson said, "All I can do is pray for Britney." Amen.
Being an Oscar host is a difficult thing. I've never done it, but I've met two of the three most successful ones ever, and they both told me it was among the hardest gigs they'd ever done. There've been a lot of underwhelming performances by talented people over the years, and Ellen's, I'm sorry to say, was another one. She wasn't bold, funny, or controversial, though I'll grant that she was sincere. She had some cute bits in the audience with Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, but as the show got longer I wished she'd have gotten shorter. She had one decent line: "If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there'd be no Oscars. Or anyone named Oscar."
While hosting has proved difficult, there've been some great one-liners by hosts through the years:
"So much mud was thrown this year, all the nominees look black." --Whoopi Goldberg.
"It's so good to see so many new faces, many of them on the old faces." --Johnny Carson.
"Welcome to the Academy Awards or, as they're known at my house, Passover." --Bob Hope.
"Good evening, Hollywood phonies." --Chevy Chase
"Probably the only laugh that man will ever get is for stripping and showing his shortcomings." –David Niven, after a streaker ran across the stage
"We have black people, white people, Asians, Hispanics, Jews, Christians, all working together. All because of a single common love: publicity." –Steve Martin
Last night Ellen joined a long list of hosts who've tried and not necessarily succeeded at being a comedic host. Jon Stewart wasn't bad last year, but the "Brokeback Mountain" jokes got old in the first hour and got tired by the end. Chris Rock was decent, but it obviously was a much tamer atmosphere than he was used to. David Letterman is famous for how badly his "Ooooooomah, Ohhhhhprah" gad went. I think the worst years were when Oscar tried to put groups of people together called "Friends of Oscar."
Who were the best Oscar hosts of all time? Well, I'd say it's these:
Bob Hope, who hosted 18 times from 1939-1978, kept it light, made it funny and (most important of all) moved it along.
Billy Crystal, with the curious off-and-on reign of 1990-93, '97-'98, 2000 and '04; he made the opening film segment and opening song medley a true art form, combining overture and expectation creation with humor and music.
Johnny Carson, who hosted 5 of 6 years from 1979-1984, calling it "two hours of sparkling entertainment stretched into a four hour time slot."
I think Johnny, Billy, and Bob succeeded where others have failed came in the freedom to be authentic. We're all at our best--physically, mentally, socially and spiritually--when we can be real, where we can be ourselves. Ellen wasn't. Chris Rock wasn't. David Letterman wasn't. Chevy Chase wasn't. Robin Williams wasn't. I don't understand why Oscar producers pick hosts that have succeeded with a certain style that has to be tamed down on Oscar night. I hope they'll keep that in mind when they make their next choices.
No blog posting on this would be complete without mentioning the noble efforts of Jerry Lewis, who tried to fill 20 minutes of empty time after the show ended early, as well as Agnes Moorhead, the first woman host. Perhaps a miracle will someday happen and they'll return to the format of the first show, when Douglas Fairbanks and William DeMille handed out all of the awards in about 20 minutes. Until we get back to that, I'm hoping Billy Crystal will come back, or some new star will arise. I don't think it'll be Ellen.
With "Studio 60's" ratings floundering, NBC has decided to up the premiere date of their mafia drama "The Black Donnellys" from Oscar winner Paul Haggis ("Crash," Million Dollar Baby") to this Monday evening, taking over "Studio 60's" timeslot for the rest of the season. I guess the hope is that good-looking people committing crimes in the name of love and loyalty will interest audiences more than good-looking people talking about their love of working in television and their beliefs about the existence of God.
"The Black Donnellys" refers to four Irish boys growing up in a rough neighborhood where the Italian mafia rules the way things are done. The pilot is told in flashback by a childhood buddy, a wiseguy named "Joey Ice Cream," who is being interrogated by the police about the Donnelly brothers and their involvement in organized crime. Through Joey's anecdotes we learn why Jimmy Donnelly is a cripple and an alcoholic, why Tommy Donnelly is the good kid of the bunch, and why two specific tragedies lead Tommy to make a choice that sucks him into a life of crime.
I realize that "The Black Donnellys" will automatically suffer by comparison to "The Sopranos"--which can get away with far more risqué material on HBO--but still, the pilot episode is not exceptionally edgy or violent. Instead, it contains oddball humor in the character of Joey, and sets up a star-crossed romance between Tommy and the girl-next-door/childhood sweetheart, Jenny Reilly.
I admit I am not a big fan of mafia dramas in general, never buying the idea that criminal underworld provides this amazing canvas to tell stories of redemption and justice. In the case of "The Black Donnellys," it doesn't help that they are replacing a show I have grown fond of. But while I found some of the style and dialogue of the first half of the show a little contrived, where the show shines is in the performance of Jonathon Tucker as Tommy, and in the love story between Tommy and Jenny. Jenny is the moral compass for the Donnelly family but she is fighting a battle for Tommy's soul that she is unlikely to win. The connection these two characters have remind me of epic lovers in the vein of Romeo and Juliet and was enough to suck me in to watching a few more episodes.
I admit it: I followed "The O.C." fervently during its first season, when Ryan was still a tough guy from Chino, Seth was still a videogame-playing geek, and Marissa and Summer were still hard-drinking, unattainable rich girls. (Plus, the theme song was rather catchy.)
Even though I stopped watching during the second season, when plotlines started getting preposterous and other TV shows found their way into my heart, I tuned in last night for the last hurrah of the Cohens and the Coopers.
Despite missing three years' worth of character and story development, I found myself easily absorbed in the finale, which was light-hearted, touching, and surprisingly poignant. Gone were the backstabbing, the affairs, and the gossip. Instead, the softer and mature sides of each character were highlighted.
Post-earthquake, everyone's future in Newport Beach is uncertain, especially as Ryan prepares to attend Berkeley College, Seth and Summer prepare to move in together, Julie plans for her wedding to a man called "The Bullit," and Sandy and Kirsten prepare for the birth of their daughter and consider moving out of their house.
Everyone in the episode comes together, offering rare moments of honesty, sacrifice, and support for each other. While visiting UC Berkeley, Ryan and Seth also visit the first house the Cohens lived in, the house they were the happiest. Though they fail to convince the same-sex couple living there to sell, the boys are not discouraged.
Meanwhile, Julie Cooper and Kaitlin share a tender mother-daughter exchange. In a rare moment of honesty, Julie reveals the real father of her upcoming baby while Kaitlin shows genuine concern for her mother's future.
On the wedding day, Julie shares another heartfelt moment with Summer. As Summer wonders if she is making the right decision to live with Seth, Julie confesses she regrets having married so young, never attending college and pursuing her own dreams. After she advises Summer to pursue her own life first, Summer gifts her with a locket holding a picture of Marissa. Both share a tearful moment that even brought me to tears because the scene was genuinely moving.
Back in Berkeley, the four Cohens are trying their best to buy their original house when Kirsten goes into labor. In Newport, when Julie discovers her best friend won't be at the wedding, she makes a thoughtful, emergency decision to have the wedding at Berkeley. While in the middle of the ceremony, the real father of Julie's baby interrupts the wedding and offers a chance to alter Julie's future, but she decides to stay single.
Afterwards, in a huge moment of sacrifice, the same-sex couple agree to sell the Berkeley house after seeing how much history and memories the Cohens had with it. Summer decides to pursue a temporary life of environmental activism, at Seth's encouragement, and Seth moves to Providence on his own. Ryan takes one last tour of the Newport home, his mind flashing back to all the memories he associates with each room and with Marissa.
Flashing a few years forward, we see more of what happens to each character: Seth and Summer finally get married in a Jewish wedding ceremony, Julie graduates from college, Sandy is a professor teaching law, and Ryan has a steady management job at a construction company. To bring the show back full-circle, we see Ryan noticing a young rough-and-tumble boy who is a reminder of his past life. In a "pay it forward" moment, Ryan asks the boy if he needs help, and the tumultuous four seasons of "The O.C." end on a hopeful, satisfying note that offers the inspiration of being able to change your own life and make it better for the future.
It's official: Meredith Grey didn't die last night in "Some Kind of Miracle," one of "Grey's Anatomy's" most intense episodes yet. I know, I know. She is one of the main characters. She couldn't really die. But I really did start to wonder if she might.
Though Meredith came back to the living after her near-drowning experience (potentially a suicidal one) in the frigid waters along Seattle's coast, before she woke up she spent some time among the already dead. Viewers got a full hour glimpse of the afterlife--at least according to Meredith Grey. Not surprisingly, it looked a lot like Seattle Grace hospital, and it was populated by former patients of Meredith, most notably Denny, Izzy's one-time fiance who died tragically at the end of last season. It is Denny who plays angel to Meredith's newcomer-to-heaven role. As Meredith scurries through the hallways trying to re-save long-dead patients, Denny tries to convince her that death is not what she wants, that she can still go back, she just needs to want life.
But it's an encounter with her mother that finally convinces her to end her heavenly sojourn.
For all the talk of McDreamy and McSteamy and the soap opera-like relationships ongoing in the show, "Grey's Anatomy" continues to wow me each week, producing moving, provocative storylines with so much depth and emotion that I can't help but tune in. Last night's was one of the show's best.
Feeling a little puffed up over my successful predictions of the winners of last year's Oscars, I am going to set myself up for possible ridicule again by putting myself on the line once more here at Idol Chatter, and share my thoughts and predictions for Sunday night's Oscars. With no overwhelming favorite coming out of this season's race for the coveted golden statue, I am feeling a little less confident about my Oscar expertise this season, but I still like my chances of having bragging rights again come Monday morning.
If my predictions help you win your office betting pool, just remember to send me a portion of your winnings, and if you want something fun to do while waiting for Sunday night's ceremony, be sure to check out the Beliefnet Film Awards page to see who won our own movie awards.
So, without further ado, my predictions
Performance by an actor in a leading role: The nominees are: Leonardo DiCaprio ("Blood Diamond"); Ryan Gosling ( "Half Nelson"); Peter O'Toole ( "Venus"); Will Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness"); Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland")
My analysis: Even though Forest Whitaker won the SAG award , I think it is a two-horse race between two other actors--Leonardo DiCaprio and Peter O'Toole. Some critics feel that Oscar has to give it to O'Toole because he has never won an Oscar (well, he received an honorary one years ago, but he didn't win for "Lawrence of Arabia" or any other movie). I think not enough voters will take time to watch the tiny film "Venus" that O'Toole was in, leaving DiCaprio as the favorite.
Who will win: Leonardo DiCaprio, because he is a star on the rise who has given several great performances lately.
Who should win: In spite of my distaste for "The Notebook," I am a Ryan Gosling fan and "Half Nelson" was definitely Oscar-worthy.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role: The nominees are: Alan Arkin ( "Little Miss Sunshine"); Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children"); Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond"); Eddie Murphy ( "Dreamgirils"); Mark Wahlberg ("The Departed")
My analysis: While there is some sentimental support for veteran actors Alan Arkin and Jackie Earle Haley, this may be the one and only time Oscar voters will have a chance to recognize Eddie Murphy for his body of work.
Who will win: Eddie Murphy will squeak out a win over Alan Arkin.
Who should win: Djimon Hounsou, who has given several amazing performances in the last few years and is always overlooked for his work.
Performance by an actress in a leading role: The nominees are: Penélope Cruz ("Volver"); Judi Dench ("Notes on a Scandal"); Helen Mirren ("The Queen"); Meryl Streep ( "The Devil Wears Prada"); Kate Winslet ( "Little Children")
My analysis: The Eurpoeans dominate this category, with Streep being the only American in the bunch, but it is the British actress Helen Mirren who has won every award there is this season.
Who will win: Helen Mirren will win in the only slam-dunk of the evening.
Who should w
in: Helen Mirren deserves a gold statue for playing one gutsy broad in some really hideous outfits.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role: The nominees are: Adriana Barraza ( "Babel"); Cate Blanchett ("Notes on A Scandal"); Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine"); Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls"); Rinko Kikuchi ("Babel")
Who will win: Jennifer Hudson
Who should win: Anyone but Abigail Breslin. Now that I have that little rant out of my system, I think it is almost impossible to root against Jennifer Hudson.
Best motion picture of the year: The nominees are: "Babel"; "The Departed"; "Letters from Iwo Jima"; "Little Miss Sunshine"; "The Queen"
My analysis: There is some support for "Little Miss Sunshine" to be the feel-good, underdog upset, but I still believe that this is the year Oscar will finally get around to honoring Martin Scorsese with a best director award and best picture award.
Who will win: "The Departed"
Who should win: Any movie but "Little Miss Sunshine." Oops, I ranted again. Of all of the Oscar choices, my curtsey would go to "The Queen" for its fresh, creative, and insightful storytelling.
CNN reported yesterday that Kevin Federline, nee Mr. Britney Spears, planned on attending an emergency hearing today after learning that his former wife had left rehab for a second time after a brief 24 hour period, following months of bizarre behavior. While it is not known what issues were to be discussed, suspicions were that the backup dancer wanted to revisit the custody of sons Jayden James, 5-months-old, and Sean Preston, 17-months-old, which he and Spears are sharing until the end of this month.
However, TMZ.com reports that Britney has reported back to rehab and this time she has an ultimatum from Kevin: Get the help you need or I will file for full custody of the children. As a result, Kevin agreed to cancel today's emergency hearing.
More importantly, her mother, with whom she's had a strained relationship since her marriage to Federline, has reemerged. EXTRA reports that Mrs. Spears drove her daughter back to the Promises rehab facility, which led me to recall the "Wall of Britney" a co-worker and I had started many years ago. When Brit-Brit first came on the scene, she was cute, shiny and a real pop-cultural icon. We though Britney was brilliant in her seductive schmaltziness. But every once in a while we would question her sartorial selections by asking, "Where was her mother?" As in, how could she let her leave the house like that?
Unfortunately, that question was soon applicable to the popstress' life choices: My co-worker puts the pivotal moment at the nearly-nude Esquire magazine photo shoot; I place it sometime around the opening of NYLA, her lambasted Manhattan restaurant.
And while it's true that Britney is legally an adult, and her mother can't force her to do anything, it's also true that she is in the classic sense a little girl lost--that she needs to develop an identity and learn to love herself as much as we did. Right after they got married, Bit and K-Fed were voted by Beliefnet readers as the celebrity couple most in need of spiritual help. "If you asked me," I quipped, "this marriage isn't about spirituality, it's about sperm."
"What we have here is the making of a classic Ricki Lake episode. You know the ones, where a teen girl says she wants to have a baby because she wants something to love her? It happens to child stars all the time, they have the adoration of millions of fans, but crave real love, at least according to all those VH1 specials."
It's heart-breaking that I was seemingly so right and that Britney, who seemed to defy child star status, has become such a stereotype--turning to drugs and alcohol, behaving inappropriately and wondering why men she dates for five minutes don't love her enough and then betray her confidences to the tabloids. Even more tragic is the fact that Federline, whom tabloids lambasted for two years for going out and partying while Britney stayed home with the babies, is now being heralded by the same publications as father of the year.
This is not to say that Federline isn't and wasn't a good father, I am not intimately familiar with the situation and can't make a true judgement, although US weekly did a fairly good job of convincing me that he was quite a cad. However, Britney's downfall has provided a dramatically delightful redemption story for the failed rapper; he's even rubbing elbows, albeit briefly, with A-lister and former Britney flame, Justin Timberlake. No wonder Britney shaved her hair off; it saved her from pulling it all out!
Let'
s hope that the third time is the charm for Spears and she can reinvent herself, a la her idol, Madonna. Maybe minus the mysticism.
Business is booming at Body and Soul, the tattoo parlor where Britney Spears stopped on her much-reported breakdown last weekend, according to celeb tracker andPOP. Tattoo artist Max Scott says he expects many of the new bookings will be asking for the cross the shop put on Britney's hip.
That Britney's lost weekend would result in a proliferation of cross tattoos is another strange spiritual note in her recent slide. Never mind the shaved head that made her look like a novice nun in the wilds of the San Fernando Valley, or the Manichean name of her tattoo parlor of choice. The star began her tear by shaving her head at Esther's Hair Salon, named for owner Esther Tognozzi, but resonant for anyone familiar with Britney's spiritual journey (see Holly Rossi's informative post below): the biblical heroine Esther is the spiritual alter ego of Madonna, who is said to have introduced Britney to the Jewish mysticism of kabbalah.
TLC premiered a new reality series this week, "My Unique Family: The Witches Next Door," presumably because the very premise must sound weird (or even blasphemous!) to most viewers. "What?" you're meant to wonder with confusion. "Witches? A family of them?"
Meet the Rev. Kendra Vaughan Hovey, High Priestess of the First Wiccan Church of Duxbury, Mass., and her husband Tim, her daughter Alana (8 years old), and her son Alec (11), also witches. For the last year, Kendra has been working full time establishing her church and building a congregation. She wears a collar every day, like any other clergy might, whether she's doing official business or she's off to meet her kids at the bus. She does this to make a point: that a Wiccan priestess should act no differently than any other minister, and that it is important for the public to recognize her role and status in the community.
Perhaps the weirdest part of show is how normal this "witch family" is--kind, well-mannered, happy, devout, and trying to reconcile their lives with their faith--in comparison to some of their neighbors, in particular the Christian ones, who live in the same town.
At one point in the episode, Kendra's family and several others from their church take an afternoon hay ride on a beautiful sunny day, sing "church hymns" happily together as they bounce along, pick pumpkins, and endeavor to teach their kids to appreciate the earth and creation with some brief lessons from the Wiccan tradition. Pretty harmless, right? Well, as everyone is off frolicking among the pumpkins, the TLC people interview the tractor driver for the ride--who happens to be Christian--about what he thinks of Witch Kendra and company. His basic answer (I'm paraphrasing here) was that while he had to do his job for any paying customers--i.e., drive them around--he felt that "these people" were a blot on society, and that anyone who didn't accept God's son was damned to hell.
Zoom to the end of the hay ride when, like any other well-meaning, polite parents, the kids are encouraged to say "Thank you" to the hay-ride driver--which they do with great kid-like gusto. What's funny/sad about this moment is that as the witch kids are shouting their thanks, Mr. Christian hay-ride driver is wincing, as if it's not thanks they are giving to him, but evil, satanic spells that are pouring out of their mouths in his direction.
It's hard not to like Kendra and her family--they are about as happy and well-adjusted as any family can be. The kids have lots of friends, they say please and thank you, they play nicely, and they seem pretty happy to be witches (especially the little girl, Alana, who you just want to hug every time you see her), eagerly participating in services, giving thanks at the table, among other devotions. Kendra is incredibly articulate, likable, and has a healthy relationship with her husband. The biggest problem this family faces is that the First Wiccan Church of Duxbury is growing so quickly that the kids miss mom, since she's always on the phone doing "pastoral counseling" or writing at the computer.
Viewers who will not be offended by a family of Wiccans will certainly find learning about the tradition--its rituals, practices, and members--pretty fascinating. I'd say that so far, "The Witches Next Door" is a nice testament to a faith that many people have unjustified prejudices against. Once you get beyond the fact that its practices are unfamiliar--at least at first--Wicca doesn't seem all that strange after all. They sing, pray, give thanks, gather for worship, and certain members wear robe and cape-like garments during praise. Hmmmm. I wonder what other traditions do
that, too?
“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” is not a regular show for me, but when Michael Kress, our Idol Chatter editor, told me about the “Brother’s Keeper” episode last night, I was inclined to watch, even though the "televangelist has secret life and people close to him get hurt but his handlers look the other way while the money rolls in" storyline sounded old to me. I tuned in hoping for something deeper and more meaningful than the kind of caricatures that have fueled entertaining parodies from Leno to Letterman to (going back a bit here) SNL to Fletch to Phil Collins/Genesis.
I was hoping for a show that could portray something new and interesting about evangelical Christians and their leaders, a group that makes up 25 to 45 percent of our nation’s people (depending on which study you use and whose theology you trust). I think it would be awesomely wonderful if primetime shows could show and reveal more about the real Christian faith and sincere attempts to live it out among the millions of people who are serious about it.
So I was willing to endure the tired (if not trite) themes rolled out early in the show, with Tom Arnold playingtelevision preacher Calvin Riggins (and he tried to do it with a straight face!) and belting out the need to “accept the Lllllooohhhhrrrrdd” and “submit to Ggggaaawwwwwwdddd’s will.” Pastor Cal is a clueless guy who somehow has risen to pastoral fame while discussing his wife in terms like “she’d rather be dizzy than stupid.” After her death, Pastor Cal’s handlers posed her hands in prayer for the post-mortem photos. A main character debated “Creationism v. Evolution.” Riggins was called by opponents “just another big phony.” He pursued a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, had a $100 million evangelical institute called the Light of Heaven Evangelical Institute, and convinced his staff that his credit card bills at massage parlors were the work of old imps (devils) who were cloning his identity.
His closest attempt at fake repentance sounded something like “I knew that God was going to punish me for what I was doing because I knew that it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop.” I don’t know of a single Christian or church that would indulge that kind of thinking.
The most interesting stuff came from the intelligent questions of the decidedly non-believers in the show:
The mother of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Detective Robert Green asks why he’s crying about his wife’s death: “He’s supposed to be a believer--he’s supposed to believe that God had a reason for her death. So why is he crying?”
The television opponent of the preacher says, “If inflicting unbearable pain is how your God tests faith, then He’s a vindictive (expletive).”
And Green’s brothers shows up at the evangelist’s studios, complete with new faith and strong words, but with no coat or real hope for life. The church “cleaned him up” but it’s D’Onofrio who gives him a coat.
In the end, I fear that too many people have been given the wrong impression about what Jesus said and what Christianity is all about. In this show, the detectives were smart, warm and compassionate, while the Christians were goofy, lazy, and whimsical, not to mention immoral.
But in the scriptures, it’s Jesus who told the parable of The Good Samaritan, and it was he who said “come unto Me all who are weary, and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
I hope more shows will show that side of evangelical Christianity in the future. It’s more the norm, notwithstanding the missteps of a handful of high profile leaders and the stereotypes sustained by the news media and entertainment world.
Just when I thought "Boston Legal" was going to forever fade into the kind of redundancy that was starting to plague this entire season, it took a nice break from some of the whimsical hijinks and sexual politics that have hurt the show this season and returned to the kind of compelling moral dilemmas that occasionally give the show a spiritual base, including:
James Spader’s “Alan Shore” defending a woman who liberated her father’s plastinized (muscle-organ-filled skeleton) body from a museum exhibit;
Shore’s surprise opponent being none other than his old friend (and project) Jerry Espensen as Shore protects the employment rights of a UFO-believing therapist while being forced to choose between the success of his friend or his case;
“Clarence Bell,” the character who finds confidence in dressing and acting like a woman, being invited to deeper relational intimacy by his boss;
Main characters “Denise Bauer” and “Brad Chase” attempting to move from their friends-with-benefits relationship towards the longshot of marriage and ending up in an insults-turned-sincere discussion of gender roles in modern marriage;
William Shatner’s “Denny Crane” attending temple and defending Lutheranism (sort of) as part of his own spiritual reflection.
Yes, "Boston Legal" is a show that makes mockery seem mundane and whimsy seem well-mannered, but this list is a lot for a one-hour show to accomplish, and this one came through.
Crane’s visit to temple borders on insulting to the Jewish audience, but his admission that “to us Christians, Temple is a, uh, college” is actually fair satire because too few Christians know enough about the Jewish faith to treat it as they do. Further, too few Christians know enough about their denominations, illustrated by his statement “I know what we Lutherans believe; we believe in... Luther.”
Chase’s case that many successful working women actually would love to stay home and nurture healthy children seems so dramatically retro that it borders on insulting to Denise, but when he shares with candor “you’re lost,” her response is healthy and honest: “I’m scared.”
The plasticity case pointed out the absolute dangers of alcoholism by visually depictinghow ugly a ruined liver looks while gently proclaiming “promiscuity heightens the odds.”
And as usual, the deepest reflections came from Shore, who beat his friend by beating him up, hence the show’s title of “The Good Lawyer.” Shore was good at his job but he wasn’t good to his friend, the all-too-often choice of litigators.
“I want so badly to believe in God, not because of any words in the Bible or claims made by gospels, but because I suppose with our planet being polluted into extinction while country after country develops nuclear bombs coinciding with an unprecedented escalation in hatred while an entire continent is dying from AIDS and starvation as the rest of the world pretends not to notice, it’s just not that easy these days to have faith in man,” says Shore, the decided agnostic, before going on: “I’m not sure I if do believe in God, and even if I did, I’m not sure he’d be the same God who you believe in. But in the throws of doubt, I still do believe in man. I believe in man’s innate sense of humanity, his potential for compassion, for reason, righteousness in his heart.”
Now if we could just get the producers to help him realize that that ability for compassion, reason, righteousness and heights of humanity comes from God alone, then we’d really have ourselves a show!
In the end, Shatner’s Crane articulates a position probably held by all too many Christians who won’t admit it but whose life hypocrisy reveals it:
“Because if you believe in God and it turns out there’s no God, then ther
e’s no harm, no foul. But if you don’t believe in God and it turns out there is one... you’re screwed.”
“Why then,” says an intelligent Shore, “does He allow for all of this suffering that goes on?”
Hence the end of an admittedly risqué show that comes far closer to asking the kinds of compelling questions than many church services and bible studies lack, but were par for the course when Jesus walked the planet.
Britney Spears' much-balleyhooed head-shaving meltdown over the weekend had (at least) one religiously confusing aspect to it. While she was getting a white-and-pink cross tattooed on her lower hip, the former teen idol sported a large Star of David necklace that at one point was on backwards so it hung down her back--facing the many cameras that were filming her through the tattoo parlor window. Apparently, the one-time Southern Baptist has been wearing the star since January as a gesture of solidarity with her recent (Jewish) boyfriend.
A brief religious history of Britney Spears, for those who need a refresher:
1981-2003: Britney is raised a Southern Baptist, and touts her faith as her inspiration for remaining a virgin.
2003: Britney becomes friends with Madonna, who brings her into the celebrity Kabbalah fold.
January 2006: Britney dabbles in Hinduism, taking her baby son to be blessed at a Malibu Hindu Temple.
May 2006: Britney splits from her buddy Madge and renounces Kabbalah, declaring, "my baby is my religion."
February 2007: Newly divorced, Britney briefly dates Isaac Cohen (hmm, do we think he's Jewish?) and is photographed wearing a large Star of David necklace on the party circuit even after they break up.
Bloggers and entertainment reporters are all atwitter about the possible reasons behind Britney's bizarre behavior, speculating about everything from addiction to post-partum depression to irreversible follicle damage from harsh chemical hair dyes. But whatever the specific reason for her weekend oddities, no one can deny that this is a young woman who seems lost and overwhelmed in a media climate that she herself works really hard to perpetuate. It sounds more exhausting than fun. And not a little sad that she can't even find a single faith to be a lasting port in the long, long storm of her life.
Maybe he feels a certain kinship with the late Anna Nicole Smith after donning drag for the upcoming film version of "Harispray," but John Travolta feels that Scientology could have saved the former Guess! model and reality star's life.
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Okay, so it's taken a day to recover from the fact that some of 
Big awards shows show us the human side of stars as they navigate spontaneous moments that can even make them nervous. That's why we like Oscar night, which is the biggest of these. While the show itself may not have won huge ratings points, I found more inspiring and touching moments in this year's show than usual:
With "
Business is booming at Body and Soul, the tattoo parlor where Britney Spears stopped on her 
TLC premiered a new reality series this week, "My Unique Family: The Witches Next Door," presumably because the very premise must sound weird (or even blasphemous!) to most viewers. "What?" you're meant to wonder with confusion. "Witches? A family of them?"