Idol Chatter

Did somebody say “Passion Effect”? A recent CNN piece claims the greatest boon of Mel’s “The Passion of the Christ” fell not to Christian filmmakers but to two Christian P.R. firms that help Hollywood navigate church basements to market their movies to the faithful. For its recent release “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the…

In “National Lampoon’s European Vacation,” Rusty Griswold discovers, much to his dismay, that every English television station airs the exact same show on cheese-making. So, when I saw that my local PBS station was airing a documentary called “The Cheese Nun,” I was both intrigued and hesitant. What Sister Wendy is to art, Sister Noella…

The creators of “South Park” promised a war against Scientology, and they made good on their pledge last night, with the opening episode of the always-irreverent series’ 10th season. The brouhaha started when, as you probably know, Isaac Hayes, the voice of “Chef,” quit “South Park” when they mocked his religion, Scientology, in an episode…

Who says there’s no “Passion” effect, no rush to mimic Mel Gibson’s phenomenal success? Details magazine reports in its April cover story featuring Vin Diesel–whose recent filmography includes “The Chronicles of Riddick” and “The Pacifier”–that he is preparing to star as “one of the baddest conquerors in all history: Hannibal, the elephant-riding Alps-crosser.” And, oh…

When I saw the title of the film “On a Clear Day,” my first impulse was to complete the old phrase–“you can see forever.” But this movie isn’t about seeing forever; it’s a small, intimate look at ordinary people who deal with forces much larger than themselves. Frank (Peter Mullan) is a lifelong factory worker…

A critic for Canada’s National Post examines the new field of Seinfeld Studies, as it is represented in “Seinfeld, Master of Its Domain,” a recently published collection of academic writings on the cultural significance of the long-running sitcom. Among the theses included: “Seinfeld, Situation Comedy, and the Encounter with Nothingness,” “Seinfeld is a Jewish Sitcom,…

Before he was the 40-year-old virgin, Steve Carell had a hilarious cameo role as the competition news anchor to Jim Carey’s Bruce in “Bruce Almighty.” Now, Universal Pictures plans to release a Summer 2007 follow-up called “Evan Almighty,” with Carell as its central character. “Evan Almighty” will see the return of Morgan Freeman playing the…

The April issue of GQ, the magazine for dudes with elegantly mussed hair, baits us with the cover line, “The New Christian Sex Craze.” This continues a series of articles on conservative Christians, most of which have peddled fringey crackpots as just average Christian Joes. The sex craze in question, however, turns out to be…

Dover, Penn.–the town made famous last year because of a court decision to overturn a school board requirement to teach intelligent design in the classroom–is about to get the Hollywood treatment. Variety reports that Paramount Studios is developing a film version of the trial, which will focus on the way the court’s decision divided the…

Blowing up a national landmark to make a statement about terrorism. Unleashing a dangerous virus for political gain. No, I am not describing the latest news headlines. It’s the plot of “V for Vendetta,” the latest blockbuster action flick from the makers of the “Matrix” trilogy. In the film, based on a graphic novel of…

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