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Sir Ian McKellen, who plays historian Sir Leigh Teabing in “The Da Vinci Code,” is not staying out of the fray that swirls around the film. Unlike director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks, who have publically reiterated the line that the film is entirely a work of fiction, McKellen mischeviously hinted that he was…

John Travolta and Tom Cruise aren’t the only Scientology fans in Tinsel Town. In an article titled “Why Scientology is Good For Hollywood,” design writer Alissa Walker praises the organization for sustaining architectural landmarks in the area’s seedy downtown. “With seemingly little self-awareness, Scientology has become the unofficial pioneer of Hollywood’s gentrification movement,” Walker writes.…

Alvin the Chipmunk; Geddy Lee of Rush; Polyphonic Spree; The Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano… Daniel Smith, the leader of the indie-gospel band Danielson Famile (sic), has been compared to any number of musical masters. The Famile’s new album, “Ships,” shows both why critics reach for familiar anchors to try to make sense of Smith’s music,…

The first reviews of “The Da Vinci Code” are out after its debut at Cannes. And the verdict, seemingly unanimous, is: thumbs down. One critic called it “an unwieldy, bloated puzzle,” and another said it is “a stodgy, grim thing.” See this piece for more what’s in store for Ron Howard, Tom Hanks, et al.…

The big, fat extra-special 1,000th issue of Rolling Stone just arrived at the door complete with a psychedelic, 3-D cover featuring just about every rocker imaginable. The theme of this special edition is a cover art retrospective (which could double as an early Annie Leibovitz gallery showing) and it’s a must-flip-through if you happen to…

Celebrity gossip site Perezhilton.com reports that Britney Spears has put the kibosh on her study of Kabbalah. Introduced to the belief system by Madonna, it seems that motherhood is trumping mysticism, as Spears explained in the “Love B: Stream of consciousness” section of britneyspears.com, “I no longer study Kabbalah, my baby is my religion.” While…

Preparations for this Friday’s opening of “The Da Vinci Code” are reaching fever pitch–from eager moviegoers as well as Christians who are angry about the story and its pervasiveness in pop culture. So this begs the question–how should those opposed to “Da Vinci” protest or demonstrate their views? This New York Times article explains how…

A few months ago I blogged–not-so flatteringly, I might add–about one novel response to the upcoming movie release of “The Da Vinci Code.” Barbara Nicolosi–a former nun who’s now the executive director of Act One, a program that trains Christians to work in Hollywood–had suggested that Christians refrain from boycotting the movie, and instead “othercott”…

It seems that “7th Heaven” may have nine lives. CNN reported today that the series, which had its much-touted finale last week, may return for an 11th season on the new CW network this fall. Fans of the show will, no doubt, rejoice if the deal goes through. And Catherine Hicks, the show’s matriarch, will…

Is the mega-bestseller “The Da Vinci Code,” a work of fiction, actually influencing the religious beliefs of its readers? Yes, says a new survey released today by pollster George Barna–but not in the way many traditional Christians fear. The poll found that instead of changing readers’ religious beliefs, the book served to confirm the beliefs…
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