Idol Chatter

Woody Allen’s newest film, Match Point, starring Scarlett Johansson as Nola Rice, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Chris Wilton, is a far cry from the typical screwball comedy for which he is famous. Opening nationwide today, this well-acted (for the most part) drama will surely lure audiences well beyond Woody Allen’s usual fan base, but don’t…

With NBC’s “The Book of Daniel” debuting tomorrow night, the Episcopal Church is weighing in on the drama–which centers around an Episcopal priest and his troubled family–via a blog of its own, cleverly titled “The Blog of Daniel.” Idol Chatter owes the Church a thank-you for focusing one of the blog’s early postings on a…

This week’s revelation that Hasidic reggae artist Matisyahu makes a guest appearance on Christian band P.O.D.’s new album is not news in itself. Collaborations between Christians and Jews are increasingly common–Rabbi Lawrence Kushner and Gary Schmidt of Calvin College have even made a nice children’s book together. And artists from Willie Nelson to Sinead O’Connor…

MSNBC.com’s Scoop breaks the news States-side that Gwyneth Paltrow is demanding “proof” that her newly-renovated London home is haunted. According to London’s Daily Mail, Ms. Paltrow feels that her current pregnancy is not going as easily as her last one and she is attributing it to “dark energies” in her home. Purchased in 2004 from…

I’ve been told by just about everyone and their mother (quite literally) that HBO’s “The Sopranos“–starring James Gandolfini as New Jersey mafia boss Tony Soprano and Edie Falco as his wife Carmela–is the best show on television. Better than “The West Wing”? I have to say, I can’t imagine that’s possible. But after many years…

The bestselling non-fiction author alive has lost his television show. The Trinity Broadcasting Network, the nation’s largest Christian broadcaster, has suspended “The International Intelligence Briefing,” starring Hal Lindsey, whose apocalyptic book “The Late Great Planet Earth” has sold some 30 million copies and served as the template for the “Left Behind” fiction series. Lately most…

I caught the preview episode on Sunday night of ABC’s new “In Justice,” which will be airing on Friday nights, starting this week. If you like court shows, it’s worth a look-see. The series focuses on the lawyers of the National Justice Project, a take-off on the real-life Innocence Project. Both the factual and fictional…

It was a tragedy that coal miners were trapped in Tallmansville, West Virginia, and an even greater tragedy that news spread of 12 survivors when in fact there was only one. Whenever hard things happen, it is heartwrenching and I join with all those who pray for the families and for better safety for miners…

The world is closer to its end… or so suggested the press release set to Beliefnet by the Left Behind Prophecy Club (associated with, and intended to increase sales of, the highly successful “Left Behind” series). It pointed to such events as the devastating natural disasters over the last 12 months, successful Iraqi elections that…

Just in time to start the new year off with a laugh, I stumbled across a funny article from the Associated Press. The writer’s premise was that the major moments in pop culture for 2005 could all be traced back to one significant event: Tom Cruise jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch. If that…

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