Is Paul an attack on the Christian faith?
Nick Frost, one of the writers/actors of the new E.T. spoof (about a
pair of comic book geeks who have a close encounter of the absurd kind)
says the film isn’t anti-religion just because it depicts a crazed Christian creationist (portrayed by SNL‘s Kristin Wiig) who can’t handle the idea of life on other planets.

Did the Catholic Legion of Decency actually cause Hollywood to make better movies?  Blogger Brad Brevet argues
that the 1930’s group pushed Hollywood to create production standards (aka
censorship rules) that lasted into the 1960’s and in turn pressed filmmakers to hone the art of
subtlety. He points out that movies made during that supposed cinematic
dark age include classics like Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind,
Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Casablanca, It’s a Wonderful
Life, It Happened One Night, Some Like It Hot, All About Eve, The
Searchers, Bringing Up Baby, North by Northwest, Rebel Without a Cause,
Double Indemnity, Mutiny on the Bounty, City Lights, Red River, The
Bishop’s Wife, Singin’ in the Rain, My Man Godfrey, Goodbye Mr. Chips,
Roman Holiday and Sabrina.
IMHO: First, there is a distinction to be made between government
censorship and a movie studio censoring itself. But that censorship
(aka responsible judgment) should come from an internal sense of taste
and propriety (as well as right and wrong) on the part of filmmakers and not be imposed by the Catholic
Church or any other group. On the other hand, the Church, GLAAD and everyone else have a right to criticize what is put out into the culture.


News:
Disney Channel moves to promote social values in pre-school programming.
As long as they stick to the basics (i.e. kindness, respect and consideration for
others) and avoid political indoctrination (of the right or left), that’s a
good thing.   

Michelle Obama to promote healthy eating on Cartoon Network.
Interesting juxtaposition of stories here but I think encouraging kids
to eat well is fine. Now, if she were to go on a preaching bender about national
health care policy that would be another story.

Never Say Never a hit. The new concert/documentary film in which pop star Justin Bieber openly displays his Christian faith is a big hit on a relatively small budget.

Jesse L. Martin sings Hallelujah. The former Law & Order star is teaming with Desperate Housewives creator
Marc Cherry and ABC on a musical drama pilot with religious overtones.
It’s about a town that sees its fortunes change when a mysterious
stranger arrives — perhaps leading to a restoration of faith among its
citizens. A church choir will serve as a backdrop for the stories. A faith-themed Glee? I like the concept. It’s all in the execution.

Inspiration for those on the go. The interfaith group Odyssey
Networks has teamed with mobile innovator GoTV Networks to create Call on Faith, an
inspirational app that delivers 80 original two-minute inspirational videos on 14
different channels each month for a
one-time download charge of 99 cents.