Idol Chatter

I had heard of Tao restaurant and nightclub in its New York City setting, so why should I have been surprised to see it in Las Vegas as well? Situated in the sumptuous Venetian hotel, Tao has two prominent advertising campaigns around town. One carries the, ahem, “sensual” promise, “Always a Happy Ending.” The other,…

How much would you pay for a 16-ounce pouch of dirt from Israel? Five hundred dollars? Fifty? No, no, silly. Try 20 bucks. That’s right. For only about twice the price of a one-pound bag of Starbucks’ Sumatran extra bold, you can now own a bag of “100% genuine Israeli Soil,” thanks to a company…

Poor Hurley. Ever since this loveable “Lost” survivor won the lottery, he has suffered continuously: First, his grandpa Tito died. Second, the first house Hurley bought his mother burned down. Third, his best friend ran off with his girlfriend. Fourth, while visiting his accountant he sees a man commit suicide by jumping off the building.…

The opening number sets the scene for the rest of the film: There’s the turmoil of rival gangs coupled with a nascent love story that will either unite the warring factions or cause a violent rift. But because this musical is “West Bank Story,” the Oscar-winning short film by Ari Sandel, love, politics, and hummus…

Maybe he feels a certain kinship with the late Anna Nicole Smith after donning drag for the upcoming film version of “Harispray,” but John Travolta feels that Scientology could have saved the former Guess! model and reality star’s life. “The Pulp Fiction star has decided to use her death as a chance to promote Narconon–the…

Relient K is a Christian band. Like Switchfoot, they have managed a tricky crossover from the Christian market into the mainstream. But according to a Monsters and Critics interview, their lead vocalist/songwriter Matt Thiessen doesn’t enjoy the segregation. “We view Christian music and the general market all as the same thing. It’s funny to have…

Between “24” and “Heroes” on Monday and “Gilmore Girls” last night, television viewers are getting a heavy dose of religion. With the recent re-appearance of the shamed President Charles Logan from Season 5–Jack needs his help tracking down a Russian terrorist–suddenly talk has turned to prayer, redemption, and forgiveness. When Jack questions Logan’s motivation to…

Between the front page New York Times Style section article “Shaking Riches Out of the Cosmos,” which marvels about the fact that “The Secret” book is sitting atop the New York Times Hardcover Advice Bestseller List, and Newsweek’s online extravaganza “Decoding ‘The Secret,’” not to mention an official Oprah stamp of approval (she’s dedicated two…

Okay, so it’s taken a day to recover from the fact that some of my Oscar predictions for this year didn’t quite work out the way I had hoped, but as I reflect on the ups and downs of the long, long, long, Oscar ceremony, one moment still irritates me. Regardless of who hosts, who…

If you’ve been reading or watching the news this week, you’ve likely heard about James Cameron’s press conference about his latest project: the supposed unearthing of Jesus’ crypt. What’s that? Isn’t it the Christian tradition that Jesus was resurrected? Well, forget all that Sunday School education. Because Cameron and director Simcha Jacobovici (who also hosted…

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