Idol Chatter

There’s Christian theology, full of hope for redemption and miraculous conversions, and then there’s country music. On her witty, bluegrass-inflected album, “I Want to Love You,” (out this week) Kassie DePaiva sings about heartache and being down to your last dollar, and she reminds us that the God who sent a whale to swallow Jonah,…

What is it about prison–or just the prospect of it–that makes people find religion? Headed for a 23-day sentence that begins June 5, socialite Paris Hilton has been spotted toting the Bible and the nondenominational meditation “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. The question is, will she be taking these tomes with her into…

Beliefnet’s Dena Ross has a current story and gallery up, a feature on the Christian music artists. “According to Nielsen SoundScan, the Christian/gospel category was one of only four genres that saw its overall album sales grow last year,” she writes, “proving that many artists of faith not only have an impact on other Christians,…

Furthering the conspiracy theory that Christians are scewing the results of this year’s “American Idol” finale, the song that won this year’s first-ever “American Idol” songwriting contest and sung by finalist Blake Lewis was written by a longtime Christian music recording artist Scott Krippayne and his pastor. The song, a cheesy ballad that makes last…

For “Onion” fans out there who also appreciate all things religious, you’ve got to read this. This week, “The Onion” has a hilarious faux-story about a man who posted a “modern-day” 95 Theses (think Martin Luther), in the form of “95 Comment Cards” nailed to the front door of a South Dakota IHOP. Just to…

I spent most of last night’s “Heroes” season finale half-cowering under the covers, worrying that one of my favorite new super-powered friends wouldn’t make it to see another season. It was a nail-biter in other words. Would Hiro Nakamura–television’s most adorable, idealistic character ever–survive his mission to take out the brutal serial hero-killer Sylar? Would…

I really wasn’t too cynical about yet another mega-franchise sequel in this summer’s movie line-up. I wanted to be sure that I saw “Shrek the Third” with a lot of kids in the audience, including a few from my own family. What I found was exactly what I expected: The younger the audience, the better…

TMZ.com and other media outlets are reporting that rapper and entrepreneur Master P is starting a record label with his son Romeo (nee L’il Romeo) “for hip hop artists with street music without offensive lyrics.” Take A Stand Records is a direct reaction to the recent debate that ensued after the Don Imus debacle. As…

Don’t tell me you missed it. America’s longest-running sitcom and animated series, “The Simpsons,” aired it’s 400th episode on Sunday–a hilarious showdown between decency guru Ned Flanders and doofus newsman Kent Brockman over an alleged indecent on-air comment. It was funny, it was sharp, it was stupid, it was classic “Simpsons.” What can I say…

There’s an old psychiatrists’ joke that goes: “If you’re a jerk, and you go talk to a psychiatrist about being a jerk, afterwards you’ll still be a jerk. But you’ll feel good about it.” The same might be said for Tony Soprano. With only two episodes to go, the leitmotif of mental health emerged as…

More from Beliefnet and our partners