Idol Chatter

Everyone who either has a tween or knows one also knows that Disney churns out (more or less) family-friendly pop stars (see Hannah Montana) and one-offs like “High School Musical” (and its sequel) to unbelievable success–feeding the hopes, dreams, and first crushes of many a kid in America. Disney’s newest venture, according to a New…

This year’s NBA Basketball Finals show was a big Prime Time event for ABC and ESPN. It was scheduled to go up against the other networks on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays for two weeks. It went head-to-head against everything from “Ugly Betty” to “Family Guy”, from “Grey’s Anatomy” to Tiger’s knee, from from “Cold Case”…

As web series and other alternative outlets continue to diversify the media landscape, the Gospel Music Channel has announced that it will create original series programming for the 2008-2009 season. A sketch comedy show called “Comedy Quickies” and drama entitled “Gospel Playhouse” will be the first two series on the slte for the network. There…

Therese Borchard writes Beyond Blue, a sister Beliefnet blog about spirituality and depression. She recently wrote two celebrity-related posts that perked up our ears over here at Idol Chatter. First, she weighed in on the growing controversy surrounding TV therapist Dr. Drew, who claimed that Tom Cruise’s involvement in Scientology could be the result of…

What’s your favorite “Gangster” movie of all time? What’s the best romantic comedy ever made? What movie best brought sports to life on the Silver Screen? What was the best Courtroom Drama? These and other questions will be addressed–and answered in the eyes of the American Film Institute, during tonight’s three hour prime time special…

This post contains some spoilers. Fool me once, shame on you (I’m talking to you, Ang Lee), fool me twice… well; luckily that wasn’t the case. “The Incredible Hulk” asks moviegoers to forgive 2003’s “Hulk” and step into the Marvel universe with a clean slate. I did, and was pleasantly surprised. We meet Dr. David…

Next to the eternity of the afterlife, does screen immortality really count for much? Not in the view of the Roman Catholic Church, apparently. Approached by director Ron Howard and his Sony Pictures production team, the church refused to allow the director to shoot the “The DaVinci Code” prequel “Angels & Demons” in two of…

It’s easy to complain about the glut of reality TV this summer–“Celebrity Circus,” “Wipe Out,” “High School Musical: The Series,” etc. But then I started thinking about it, and really, reality TV has actually improved–generally speaking–from where it started. Anyone remember Darva Conger? How about Joe Millionaire? So going back in time, here are my…

If you’re a fan of Christian hip-hop superstar tobyMac, his new DVD/CD collection, “Alive and Transported”–his first live album– is a must-have. Featuring versions of some of his most popular songs, such as “Jesus Freak” and “No Ordinary Love,” the set also includes videos of the show and other special features. Beliefnet has 5 copies…

In his Idol Chatter entry about Tim Russert, Patton Dodd put voice to the loss we, his fans, feel at his sudden death. There’s another side of Russert that I’ve been focused on, however: Tim Russert the devoted father and son. I had the joy of interviewing Russert two years ago for Father’s Day, and…

More from Beliefnet and our partners