Idol Chatter

One day in my junior year of college in 1997, I excused myself from my favorite class because my stomach was cramping so hard. When I arrived at my apartment, I tossed my backpack into the corner, collapsed onto the couch, and grabbed the remote control. I groaned–not from stomach pain this time, but because…

There’s more than one moment on Third Day’s retrospective album “Chronology: Volume One,” that so masterfully combines pain and hope, delicate lyrics and anthem rock, that you ask yourself, “How do they do that?” And then you remind yourself: “Oh yeah, they’re a Christian band.” That is, they tap into the rich store of good…

Who says Middle Easterners and Muslims don’t have a sense of humor? Because in these tense times, if you can’t make fun of the situation you’re in, then you’re up the creek. And so my husband and I laughed until the tears rolled as we watched “The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour,” which was just…

I always dreamed of the day when a Hollywood director would have the courage to transform a biblical disaster story into a big screen blockbuster. I thought my dream had come true when I saw the posters for “The Reaping,” a film that depicts a modern day onslaught of the ten plagues. The film focuses…

Say what you will about “The Sopranos.” Chances are that it’s already been said. In the last decade, no show has been praised more highly, examined more closely, credited with more cultural influence, or been as consistently good as “The Sopranos.” It has its detractors and its flaws, but most importantly, it has its legacy.…

I remember watching the finale of “7th Heaven.” Even though I hadn’t been following the show since most of the Camden kids moved out and a string of random houseguests filtered through, I felt enough of a loyalty to tune in for the last episode. Apparently, three million other people felt the same loyalty I…

It’s Holy Week, so it’s not that surprising to see all sorts of Jesuses are popping up in the art world. There was a “Chocolate Jesus,” and fellow blogger Douglas Howe mentioned something about a “hot buttered Jesus” (!!) in a recent post). But young artist David Cordero is turning to democratic presidential hopeful Barack…

Diane Gibson–the “powerhouse manager at GMI Entertainment who crafted a musical career for her daughter Debbie (now Deborah)–has signed on to manage Chutzpah, the “Jewish Hip-Hop Supergroup” that’s experiencing some success in this early stage of their career, or as one might call it, their “electric youth.” According to a press release, Gibson has said…

The hit Fox counterterrorism drama “24” depicts a universe where people rely on one of two things when faced with difficult decisions. Either they turn to the protocols, laws, and directives of the hierarchies in which they work, or they serve as their own moral compass. The show’s hero, Jack Bauer, uses the latter technique…

With March Madness behind us and the May “upfronts”–where television executives announce the shows they are scheduling for fall–only weeks away, it is that time of year when existing shows receive the unwelcome news that they are getting the pink slip. NBC’s The Black Donnellys” was cancelled so they could air the Ashton Kutcher-produced series…

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