Idol Chatter

“Mothers, Harry Potter has done something that will make you mad! Stay tuned to hear what!” These were the titillating words I heard driving home after dropping my kids off at school. I already knew the story: Daniel Radcliffe, the young actor who has portrayed J.K. Rowling’s beloved character through five movies, will be doing…

When economics meets the spiritual journey, economics wins–at least as far as the NFL and its lawyers are concerned. And that’s a shame. The Bears-Colts match-up included a wonderful and historic storyline, as the first Super Bowl ever to have even one African-American head coach, let alone two. Coach Smith and Coach Dungy have risen…

Last night, I watched “Criminal Minds” for the first time. I’d heard it was good and decided to watch its newest episode, “Revelations,” when it aired following the Super Bowl. After all, how could I resist watching a show with a Biblical title? And it stars Mandy Patinkin, who is hard not to love. Well,…

We don’t know yet whether the young wizard Harry Potter will survive Book 7, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (though we will soon–hooray!!). But the publishing industry–particularly children’s-book publishers and most of all Scholastic, JK Rowling’s American publisher–are bracing for a major hit once July 21, 2007, passes and there will no longer be…

Ladies and gentlemen, Daniel Radcliffe will take his clothes off onstage when the play he’s starring in opens in London later this month. So who cares? Ladies and gentlemen, Daniel Radcliffe also plays Harry Potter in the Warner Bros. film series based on the J.K. Rowling novels. Since his casting was announced, parents have funnelled…

The auditions on “American Idol” can usually be counted on to make the audience cringe, but how often do they make the audience cry? Sure, “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff and contestant Kathrine McPhee’s father both teared upduring last year’s finals, and judge Paula Abdul has a good cry at least once a season, but Los…

I hate to say I told you so. But way back when Madonna was embracing Kabbalah and taking my name as her own, I knew instinctively that Britney–who would have been a Wannabe, had she been a teenager in the 80s–would not be far behind her idol. And then suddenly Brit wore red string bracelets…

Nowhere on television is God’s existence more consistently, vigorously, and eloquently debated than on Fox’s medical series “House,” and in last night’s episode the acerbic, cynical doctor’s faith–or lack of it–was once again put to the test in almost Shakespearean fashion. As Gregory House is treating a series of patients with STDs , he encounters…

To those following the coverage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ recent paparazzi-chronicled nuptials, the attendance of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony probably wasn’t much of a surprise (unlike Brooke Shields and her husband). Lopez has been best friends with “King of Queens” star and Scientologist Leah Remini for years. But Lopez surprised gossip columnists…

So you think that Muhammad Ali is the most famous convert to Islam? Well the “fastest-growing religion” may be welcoming a new brother to the fold, and brother, this potential convert would be a thriller. It seems that Jermaine Jackson, who finished as runner-up on the British “Celebrity Big Brother,” believes that his ultra-famous little…

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