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Idol Chatter

Now’s the time of year where many of us reflect upon the people who have made an impact in our lives throughout the past 12 months. Whether it’s a high profile celebrity who has brought a cause you believe in to the public light, or an ordinary person—perhaps even a friend or family member—who has…

The most uninspiring show on television this weekend was the “BCS Selection Show” on Fox. No, I take it back. It was actually the most uninspiring show of the year. It wasn’t Fox’s fault. They just happened to be the network that had the rights to show the show. The problem lies with those who…

Guest blogger Tony Watkins is the author of “Dark Materials: Shedding Light on Philip Pullman’s Trilogy ‘His Dark Materials.'” This is the first of several blog posts he will be contributing to Idol Chatter about the controversy over the Dec. 7 release of “The Golden Compass,” based on the first book of Pullman’s trilogy. Nothing…

Remember those M*A*S*H* episodes where Hawkeye or Radar turned over his jeep or sits out a bombing raid in a hut with an old Korean couple, and the character spits out a monologue of self-revelation? I loved those stunts, and this week’s “Saving Grace” (airing tonight) has that high-concept feeling, with Grace getting trapped for…

In what is Hallmark Hall of Fame’s 231st presentation, “Pictures of Hollis Woods” is sure to inspire. The movie, which is based on the Newberry Honor award-winning book of the same name, tells the story of a young girl, Hollis Woods, who has been in foster care most of her life. After leaving a family…

Siblings putting their father in a nursing home may hardly seem like the stuff of great movies, but thanks to a couple of amazing performances and a large dose of humor mixed into its drama, “The Savages” is touching, funny, and engaging. Those great performances come from two of my favorite actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman…

Philip Pullman and ‘The Golden Compass’ movie, opening Dec. 7, are sparking sharp emotions from both friends and foes of his fantasy trilogy. To many Christians, the story is an anti-religious fable aimed at instilling atheism in children, while the book’s many dedicated fans see a rich epic filled with spiritually meaningful themes. But whether…

Congratulations to our friends at Religion News Service for launching a new religion news blog to suplement their superb news-wire offerings. Idol Chatter is particularly happy to see a healthy dose of pop-culture commentary on the blog, with entries on Philip Seymour Hoffman and, of course, “The Golden Compass.” Check it out here.

This summer marked the opening season of the Israel Baseball League. It opened to some controversy, because the sport’s pretty American; in Israel, they play “football”, of course, and some basketball. But baseball? Could the society support a new sport that was largely unfamiliar? Well, depending on who you ask, the season was either a…

To read a Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy book is to tease your intellect with the idea that all the literal religious history and dogma you have learned, believed and followed may be…well, how do I say this politely…does “a pile of mythological hooey” sound too harsh? Their latest work, The Gospel of the Second…
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