Thunderstruck

The first time that Pauley Perrette excused herself from the room during our interview, she said: “The best thing to do is sit her on my chair. As long as you don’t stand up while I am gone, you’ll be fine.”

She was talking about her Chihuahua, Cece. I had been warned. When we were arranging a time and place to talk, she told me that she would be bringing her two dogs along. “One of them bites,” she said. “I just wanted to let you know.”

Thankfully, Pauley is passionate about rescuing Chihuahuas and not Rottweilers. When she excused herself from the room, she looked in my direction and gently whispered in Cece’s ear, “Friend, friend.” While she was gone from the room, I even found myself sheepishly repeating the refrain. I survived. At one point later on, Cece even sat next to me on the couch. After three and a half hours, I was on Cece’s VIP list. Well, that may be a stretch, but at least there were no flesh wounds.

Pauley goes everywhere with her dogs. Our time together was spent in a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont, the Sunset Strip hideaway in Hollywood where Jim Morrison lived temporarily, and John Belushi died tragically.

Despite her Goth babe character on mega-hit NCIS, Pauley is not attracted to a place like this because of morbid Hollywood lore. No, she digs it because the bungalows are dog-friendly—complete with little doggie snack bags for the canine visitors.

She’s red-hot passionate about animal rescue. Several years ago, she read a story about a puppy-breeding ranch that was abusing dogs. When the authorities moved in, it was suggested that the dogs be euthanized. Animal rescuers tried to find good homes for the abused pups. Pauley got on the organization’s website and read about their efforts and ended up having a dream about a white faced dog named Joker. That next weekend, she was volunteering for the cause.

The aforementioned Cece is a rescued dog. It explains her skittishness around strangers, and it goes a long way in explaining the compassion of Pauley Perrette.

In real-life, Pauley is every bit as engaging, inquisitive, and tattoo-and-mascara attractive as her character Abby Sciuto on NCIS. I never told her this, but I watch the show just to see her banter with Mark Harmon, work her techno crime solving mojo, and pace around with her lab coat and school girl miniskirt. I am probably not the only one. CBS bags more than 17 million viewers every Tuesday with NCIS—a certifiable top-l0 show.

She didn’t start off in show business. Her journey in front of the camera began when she dropped out of grad school while pursuing a degree in criminology. She fled to New York City and found herself wearing a sandwich board on roller skates in the Diamond District of Manhattan passing out fliers and bartending at night. When she heard she could make good money making commercials, she went for it to the pay the rent. Since that time, she has appeared on Frasier, The Drew Carey Show, and CSI before finding a niche at NCIS. When she is not filming for TV, she likes to work on independent film projects.

Goth purists may be disappointed that she was not bedecked with fetish boots, black lipstick, or skulls and crossbones. Instead, she was kicking back in old jeans, a white tank, and tennis shoes. She is far more of a very cool grad student than my generation’s Elvira. Truth be told, she’s a party girl with a brain. Her mind grapples with the big questions of life at a frenetic pace, producing both theories and uncertainties about life. In the midst of the swirling notions, she still has faith that one day she will understand the pain and joy of humanity’s existence.

Do you ever feel like you are the pin-up girl for science nerds?
Abbey is.

Yes, Abbey is. Are crime-fighting techies—the forensic experts—the new superheroes?
Maybe in real life. No actor should be considered a superhero. But the people that we portray—I could tell you about a real person who I met with and trained me—those people really are making a difference by solving crimes. When I was taking forensics in school, no one even knew what that word meant.

You went to grad school for criminology. What was the attraction?
I always say, “I have a theory on that.” I have a theory on crime and it goes a little something like this. I don’t know what we are doing here. It’s a weird planet. It’s all f—ked up. But things happen to all of us that suck—like cancer and AIDS and awful things and car accidents and all this crap that no one planned for and nobody wants. And no one is immune from it. I cannot understand why someone, on purpose, would rob your house and steal your stuff or rape your daughter. We are all just trying to survive on planet earth. I don’t understand it. Maybe there is a humanity thing there that is a missing link. Don’t you understand about how tough this life is already? It is hard.

There are fleeting moments of joy and happiness and fun. They are hard to come by, and they are so awesome. A lot of the rest of the stuff that we have to go through sucks. So someone makes a decision—on purpose—to steal somebody’s wallet. Why would you f—k it up even more? It is hard enough. That’s kind of what it was about. It’s not crime, its just people being awful to each other.

Are crime-solving television shows a reflection of an innate sense of justice that we want to see things corrected or is that something that is tutored in us?
I don’t know. I think it is completely different. I have a theory on this. I think that it is just the mystery. Because there are not a lot of mysteries for us to figure out. People don’t usually sit around and try to figure out mysteries. Sure, some try to figure out how they build those little ships in the glass bottles, but that lasts for only a few moments. If you are going to solve a mystery, you only have so many options through stories to do that. You have ghosts, or aliens, or coincidences, and then you have crime—which is a big one.

I remember reading a book when I was younger about “entertaining ourselves to death.” Sometimes I think that being able to entertain ourselves is the kindest thing that God has ever given us the ability to do. If you look at the big questions, at the big mysteries—For example, what the hell are we doing here?—you can go through it a million nights and some nights you come up with the same answer. You go, “You know what, I don’t know, so we might as well entertain ourselves.” I think that the crime thing has more to do with mystery solving.

I love John Walsh. That is someone who is actually trying to solve crimes. That show started for a reason. People’s fascination with it may be that they are really fascinated by crime. Could be. But I think that most people find mysteries interesting.

You internalize your character to a certain degree. What factors of your own personality do you bring to that role?
I can’t lie. I don’t know. I didn’t go to acting school. At the end of the day, I still think that the greatest thing you can learn is empathy, which you learn by talking to people. Leave your acting class, walk up the street, and go sit at a bar. Care about people’s days. Care about what they feel. I love people.

Right now my character’s name is Abbey. And when I have had a crappy day, Abbey didn’t. None of that crap happened to her that day. She’s absolutely fine. She’s got her own problems, but I don’t have to figure them out because our writers do that.

What kind of mail do you receive because of your character?
I get letters every single day. Every kid in the world wants to be a forensic scientist. Girls getting into science is great. I am incredibly proud of being an independent female. I like to be proud of what I can do. I am so glad that the letters that I get from young girls did not say “How do I meet a rich guy?”

Those kinds of letters are going to a different show, like Desperate Housewives.
Those kinds of letters are for a different time—like the 1 800s? C’mon.

The deal with this weird business is that there are not very many Abbeys. I think Abbey is an incredible role model. Me? Not so much. Everybody has great days but others totally suck. I’m alright, but Abbey is great. She is a superhero. I portray scientific superhero. I am just a real weirdo who has a great job. A lot of people get confused. It’s hard for some to separate me from my character.

Is that the #1 drawback from being the public’s spotlight?
I can’t figure out why anyone would want to be famous. There is not one positive aspect to it, whatsoever. None. It is terrifying. It is something that I don’t understand. I understand people saying, I want to do this. I think the biggest drawback—the awful, awful thing—is that your life becomes far too important to people for all the wrong reasons. If I accidentally bump into somebody with my cart at the supermarket, when I was 15 it would be like, “Whatever.” But now, it’s like “That girl from that show” bumped into me with her cart.” It becomes way too important.

As your career moved into television, did you ever worry that you might be changing because of fame?
I talk about my job just like when I used to work on a car lot. Or when I worked as a hostess at some chain restaurant. I still don’t consider myself part of the Hollywood community.

Do you find being in acting and entertainment a form of escapism?
It is. It is exactly why I do what I do. There is no drug anywhere that can solve what ails you like spending a majority of your life being someone else. I don’t have to think, I don’t have to decide what to say—somebody wrote it. I don’t have to do anything. I don’t have to figure out what I am going to wear.

What do you do to relax?
I write, not just poetry, but I write. And I read, read, read, read. I read the news every morning and every night. I read books. I read everything. I am a news junkie.

Do you process through your writing?
Yes. Sometimes you have to get on the other side of something to write about it. I think that we are vessels for art in every form. I don’t think that we come up with anything that spectacular. We are just people who are vessels for our work. I think art is connected to God and all that is good.

Jack White said that once he realized he could not create like God, it was both humbling and freeing to pursue his work with the White Stripes.
Exactly. That is exactly it. It’s an astounding thing to really understand, and realize, and appreciate and be so grateful and happy about the fact that there really is nothing that spectacular about any of us. I think that we should be very aware of what our contribution is. I don’t know anyone who just sits down and says, “I am going to write this incredible piece of poetry.” That’s not how it works. You are cooking brisket and all of a sudden you say, whoa! And you write stuff on napkins and paper towels and the countertop and the walls until you can transcribe it somewhere else.

Your creative process works like that? So you don’t go away in order to get the juices flowing.
Oh, hell no. I never wanted to write anything. Ever. I never meant to. It is like a sickness. There really is nothing beautiful about it sometimes. It just hurts until you get rid of it.

What percentage of your heart and soul is poetic and what percent is scientific?
It’s the same thing. 100 percent. Both.

Some people would say that poetry and faith are on one side of the spectrum, while reason and science are on the other.
That’s bullsh-t. I would disagree with that. I would always be like, Huh? Are you kidding me? I think that is the same thing. Science vs. God? What? I don’t understand that. The most mind-blowing thing about God is science. Wow! No human being can create a body. You can take everything apart and put it back together, but you can’t give it life. Because that’s not us—that’s God. Science is one of the most “stand up and applaud” things about God. People put those things up against each other? Are you kidding me?

Did you grow up in church?
I grew up in the church and what it made me do was fanatically examine and think about all faiths. God, religion and faith—which are completely different. Faith is what people are talking about when they use the word religion. Religion is horizontal and faith is vertical.

I have this theory on horizontal life and vertical life. I read a book about it one time. It is long and hard to explain, but fascinating. It deals with the church. The problem with the church is that it tries to take your vertical life and turn it into your horizontal life. And that is how people get confused. I think that we are all going on a journey and no one can explain it to you. If they tell you they can, they’re lying.

Right now it is a weird time, although I am sure that everyone thought that their time was weird. But I think this time is really weird. People say, “Jesus says...” “God says. . .“ They have turned God into this creepy, awful, mean, terrible thing. Can you tell that I have thought about it way too much? I talk too much about all that. That’s all I do. I sit around and talk about it. Think about it.

Do you ever look up and ask, “Why?”
For the first time in my life — this last year has been a weird year — I came to a point where I was yelling at God, “Why is this happening to me.” I mean, I don’t understand. But you know what, tribulation and adversity let you know immediately who your friends are. I went through a lot of crap in the last year that was of biblical proportions. I lost everything in my life from a really good con artist.

What is going on? The sky is falling.

I got really confused for a while about why. Look, I never talked back to my parents. I make mistakes all the time but I have never been intentionally cruel to anyone in my entire life. Ever. I was left asking why. But then I thought, no one is immune to this. You are not immune to it. You just have to roll with the punches and go. I am not supposed to understand it. But I think that I will. Eventually, you’ll go, “Oh, alright.”

© Steve Beard and Thunderstruck Media Syndicate. This interview originally appeared in the March/April 2006 of Risen Magazine.

************************************
Pauley Quotes:
“Some of the nicest people I have ever met were in bars and absolutely some of the meanest people I have ever met were in church. That’s sad. But then again, I don’t understand church. I’m into God.”

“It took me a long time to figure out — and I did figure it out — that it certainly is easier to be a more effective human being if you are not doing drugs. That was great reality.”

I have a great job that I love, but you know what? It is no more interesting than anyone else’s job or their life. I have had a pretty interesting life because I have gone everywhere and done everything and I have never stopped. I can’t stop.

I feel like I’m terminally bored and terminally overly stimulated at the same time. Every single life is fascinating, and every single one is different. And that’s from someone who doesn’t know why the hell we’re here anyway.

When you stand in reflection of God, I think that God is love and we are a portion of love, each one of us. But I think about this all the time. That is what we’re supposed to be. I cannot understand one person saying something mean or cruel to another person for whatever reason—because they’re mad, because they’re drunk, because whatever.

Who on earth has ever called somebody else ugly? I think about that four-letter word all the time. Who would say that to somebody else? It’s not true. Nobody’s ugly. When you find out about somebody’s soul, or soullessness, they can become ugly immediately, but no one is physically ugly. Not one person.

Kindness is the most beautiful thing in the world to me. And it’s exactly what should happen—it shouldn’t be an exception. It shouldn’t be anything, it should just be.

Filed under: feature

Undefeated: Football, fatherhood, and family

steve — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:04:06 +0000

A film review by Steve Beard

Bill Courtney is my new hero. Haven’t heard of him? Not surprising. He’s a father, husband, and the owner of a lumber business. He is also a football coach.

“Undefeated” is an Oscar-nominated documentary that tells the story of his six year tenure as the volunteer coach at Manassas High School in economically-devastated North Memphis, Tennessee.

It was the school that other schools paid to play so they could guarantee a win during homecoming. That was before Courtney showed up.

With elements that will provoke memories of both “Friday Night Lights” and “The Blindside,” Courtney’s work with Manassas touches upon lightning-rod issues such as race, fatherlessness, perseverance, testosterone, anger, academics, faith, and hope.

"Undefeated" is all about priorities and selflessness.

“The foundation has got to be a solid platform that you can stand on and speak to these kids and say, ‘This is the way you build yourself,’” says Courtney. “If you build yourself this way and handle yourself this way and have character, you get to play football and winning will take care of itself because men of character and discipline and commitment end up winning in life--and they end up winning in football.

“But when you flip it and the foundation of what you are doing is football and you hope all that other stuff will follow, well then you think football builds character. Which it does not. Football reveals character.”

Since its founding in 1899, Manassas High School had never been to the playoffs. The title is a bit of a teaser to let you know that the team has a shot at a championship. But "Undefeated" means far more than gridiron accolades.

“The character of a man is not measured in how he handles his wins, but in how he handles his failures,” Courtney will say. That mantra is tested throughout the season, on and off the field. Courtney wants the players to learn the important lessons of how to handle challenges and adversity--something that Courtney has to deal with himself.

Undefeated is about the remarkable achievements of the Manassas Tigers and the life-changing effect that Courtney had on a team of largely fatherless young men.

You can hear the coach both cuss and pray in the film. Needless to say, his prayer does a better job of describing the reason he volunteered as a coach: “Win or lose, keep our heads right and let us know that You’ve graced us with another week at least...Teach us to believe in a life of love, to walk in honor, and serve You in truth. In your Son’s name, we pray.”

Bill Courtney is my new hero. If my son played football, I’d want Courtney to be his coach.

Steve Beard is the creator of Thunderstruck.

Don’t miss The Way

steve — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:59:28 +0000

A film review by Steve Beard

The Way of St. James has been a Christian pilgrimage for more than 1,000 years. Known as The Camino de Santiago, believers of all nationalities have walked the lengthy trek from France to visit what are said to be the remains of James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.

It is elegantly fitting that the DVD and Blu-ray of The Way was released at the beginning of Lent.

Brimming with wanderlust, Daniel Avery (Emilio Estevez) was about to embark on his own pilgrimage when he was killed in a freak storm in the Pyrenees Mountains. His father Tom (Martin Sheen), a tightly-wound doctor from California, heads overseas to retrieve his son’s remains and makes the unexpected decision to personally finish the 500-mile journey that his son began.

Tom’s impulsive and sentimental decision to walk the Camino and scatter the ashes of his son along the way proves to be far more of a life-altering experience than he could have ever expected. Pilgrimages, planned or haphazard, tend to do that.

One should not be in a hurry with The Way. This is not a race, but a journey. Each soul must take the first step alone, but it does not take long before you recognize and depend upon the other pilgrims along the path.

Estevez (Sheen’s eldest son in real life) has written and directed a beautiful spectacle that brims with winsome significance. Once again, Sheen reminds you why he is such a compelling and captivating actor. In this film, he gives one of his finest performances.

In addition to the story of a mourning father fulfilling the cut-short pursuit of a departed son, The Wayintroduces the viewer to an equally compelling cast -- cranky innkeepers, chain-smoking fellow travelers, and honorable gypsies -- all trying to finding their way along the path.

There are many motivations that drive pilgrims to pursue The Camino de Santiago. Some are looking for a physical and mental challenge. Others are looking for a miracle. Still others are looking to merely shake up the mediocrity of their lives.

Whatever the motivation at the outset, the pilgrimage produces a thirst for something beyond what we have experienced and an openness to a possible transformation that lies before us. For Tom and his friends it helped them decipher the difference between “the life we live and the life we choose.”

Don’t miss The Way.

Steve Beard is the creator of Thunderstruck.

steve — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:39:05 +0000

Whitney Houston, RIP. I choose to remember her at her best. "And every road that I've taken / Led to my regret / And I don't know if I'm go'n make it / Nothing to do but lift my head / My levees are broken / My walls are coming down on me / My rain is falling / Defeat is calling / I need you to set me free / Take me far away from the battle / I need you / Shine on me!" Amen.

° The artful dodgers of Melbourne’s graffiti revolution (BBC)

° How Pimps Use the Web to Sell Girls by Nicholas D. Kristof (NY Times)

° A review of “Touch”: Boy With Strange Powers and a Challenged Father (NY Times)

° Interview: Bruce Cockburn: The veteran artist on longevity, war zones, and why he believes Christians can cuss. Interview by Daniel Lumpkin (Christianity Today)

° Philippe's 9-cent coffee about to become history: The L.A. restaurant announces it will raise the price of a cup o' joe to 45 cents on Feb. 2 because of the rising cost of its supply. Customers of the French dip palace wonder what took so long. (LA Times)

° The serious side of making people laugh: Larry David, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Don Rickles are among those discussing the business of being funny for David Steinberg's 'Inside Comedy' series. (LA Times)

° In VW Beetle’s Creation Story, a Plot Twist (NY Times)

° Tithing: In the news (ask Mitt Romney) but also in Old Testament (LA Times)

° New Legos make Barbie look like Betty Friedan (LA Times)

° Is Cage Fighting Ethical for Christians? Observers weigh in on participating in or watching sports and violence by Joe Carter, Ted Kluck, and Matt Morin (Christianity Today)

° Sevenly hopes to change the world one T-shirt at time: The Fullerton company is following a recent trend in business models — for-profit firms that donate a major percentage of their revenue to charitable causes. In Sevenly's case, it's nearly 30%. (LA Times)

° Jimmy Buffett launches an online 'Margaritaville' game (USA Today)

° New Satellite Takes Spectacular High-Res Image of Earth (Wired)

° Inside The Online Matchmaking Industry's Giant Blind Date: How eager young geniuses of love like the founder of TheComplete.me plan to disrupt Big Relationship at the annual digital dating conference in Miami. (Fast Company)

° How Bethany Hoang Was Wired for Justice: The director of IJM Institute for International Justice Mission shines the spotlight on modern-day slavery by Mark Moring (Christianity Today)

° 8 Of James Bond’s Sweetest Rides, And One Submarine Disguised As Crocodile (Fast Company)

° They Hate Poor People: The liberals’ dirty little secret. by P.J. O’Rourke (Weekly Standard)

° Marilyn Monroe glamour: A Hollywood legend and style icon, Marilyn Monroe remains the ultimate silver screen pin-up (Gulf News)

° Ten Happiest Jobs (Forbes)

° Who Are The Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers? (Forbes)

° ‘The Future Isn’t Futuristic Anymore’: Marc Newson, maybe the most influential industrial designer of his generation, is not a design evangelist. But he doesn’t like your cellphone. (NY Times)

° Visit to Warhol’s World, In All Its Goofy Glory (NY Times)

° Jesus and the Goodness of Everything Human: Why it matters that God became the human prototype by Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (Christianity Today)

° The net tightens around Joseph Kony by Michael Gerson (Washington Post)

° Is Harry Potter Christian? by Michael L. Avery (Busted Halo)

° Man has ‘gentle madness’ for church fans collection by Amanda Greene (RNS)

Etta James RIP, Joe Paterno RIP, Jack White, Smash, European Soul, David Brooks, Nicholas Kristof, Fran Tarkenton, Ai Weiwei, Ford, Lauren Winner, Dion and much more

steve — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:37:15 +0000

° Etta James: Beyonce, Roseanne Barr, more celebs note her passing (Chicago Tribune)

° Joe Paterno dies at 85; transformed Penn State into football power:The Ivy League-educated coach's career ended mired in scandal less than two weeks after he recorded his 409th career victory, a major-college football record. (LA Times)

° Jack White's Greatest Collaborations: Jack White greatest collaborations. From the White Stripes and the Dead Weather to Conan O'Brien, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Page and more (Rolling Stone)

° “Smash” on NBC, about Broadway, with Katharine McPhee (NY Times)

° The New American Divide: The ideal of an 'American way of life' is fading as the working class falls further away from institutions like marriage and religion and the upper class becomes more isolated. Charles Murray on what's cleaving America, and why (Wall Street Journal)

° Has Europe lost its soul? Stabilizing the Euro is one thing, healing the culture that surrounds it is another, says the Chief Rabbi of the UK. (MercatorNet)

° Romney and the wealth issue by David Brooks (NY Times)

° The Mounting Tragedy of Missing Baby Girls by Matt Ridley (Wall Street Journal)

° How Mrs. Grady Transformed Olly Neal by Nicholas D. Kristof (NY Times)

° Does God Care Who Wins Football Games? After a moment of devotion, our team would all shout in unison, 'Now let's go kill those by Fran Tarkenton (WSJ)

° Ai Weiwei: The Evolution of a Dissident (NY Times)

° The Artist: He Pushes."Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," debuting Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival, shows the artist as both impish and serious. (Wall Street Journal)

° The Henry Ford museum makeover: From the Quadricycle to the Prius (Wall Street Journal)

° Girl Meets Grace: Lauren Winner's New Reflection on Divorce and Desolation: God's faithfulness sustained Winner when her faithfulness to God faltered. (Christianity Today)

° It's History (Believe It or Not) (Wall Street Journal)

° Singapore Hawker Stalls Move Indoors (NY Times)

° Dion: The Eternal Teenager in Love. The singer, now 72, talks about Aretha Franklin, Mick Jagger, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan—and his new blues album. (Wall Street Journal)

° Searching the Brain for the Roots of Fear (NY Times)

° In a City Fighting Blight, ‘Ghost Signs’ as Portals to a Bygone Era (NY Times)

The unexpected pleasures of Joyful Noise

steve — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:03:17 +0000

By Steve Beard

I never would have written parts for Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah in the same screenplay. But I’m glad Todd Graff did. Then again, I never would have guessed that Todd Graff, a Jewish screenwriter and director, would have produced such a high-energy and entertaining film about gospel choir competition. But I’m glad he did.

Let’s just get this straight, Parton and Latifah are a marvelous duo—two Oscar nominated women with charisma, talent, and charm enough to light up any screen. Parton plays the role of a free-spirited widow named G.G. Sparrow, while Latifah plays a far more conservative mother trying to raise two children on her own.

In Joyful Noise, both women are members of a small choir in Pacashau, Georgia, that is attempting to beat insurmountable odds in order to compete in a national church choir competition. Like a perfect storm, the church is surrounded by unexpected and catastrophic waves from all directions. Throw in a little dash of teenage romance, Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton’s hilarious bickering, and a fantastic soundtrack of great gospel music and you have got two hours of Joyful Noise.

“We were inspired,” Dolly Parton told Thunderstruck. “I pray every day that God will let me be a blessing and a light in the world and let me do things to uplift people. And working in this film, there were always these wonderful little things that were happening—little coincidences that I called ‘God winks’ or ‘God smiles,’ just to let you know that God’s hand was in it. I felt inspired to be able to work around so many good hearted people, so many people who were sincere in their faith.”

Despite the fact that this is a mainstream film from a mainstream studio for a mainstream audience, it was refreshing to see that references to Jesus were not sanitized from the script in an awkward nod to political correctness or what passes as anemic pluralism. Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah even teamed up to lobby the director to scratch a few zesty expletives from the film.

“I appreciated being a part of a film where the word God was used—where you could say Jesus,” Queen Latifah observed during our interview. “I’ve been doing this for a while now, and so often I see the name Jesus or the word God omitted or changed. Everyone is trying to placate to every religion or non-religious person—Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Atheist—it has always gotta be some kind of broad brush painting for everyone.”

Of course, this is a film about a choir at a Christian church in Georgia—and all of the drama, the hanky panky, the politics, and funny idiosyncrasies that are often part of church life. Look, I should know; I grew up in a parsonage.

“It was just refreshing to do a movie that is based in Christianity for a change,” Latifah continued. “To really be able to enjoy that, to enjoy the music, to the enjoy the faith.” She even observed that although she was going through difficult struggles during the time of the filming, she found it to be a blessing to be on the set and find strength in her role and attempt to “hear God talk to me doing a movie. Nothing against anyone else’s beliefs, but it was refreshing and inspiring to me to be able to do that.” She is convinced that no matter a person’s creed or national background or circumstances, Joyful Noise can inspire you.

Both Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton grew up with a steady diet of church and faith and music (as did their powerful young co-star Keke Palmer). You could genuinely tell that they enjoyed having their careers dovetail with being able to express their faith through an entertaining and uplifting film.

“We’re all sinners, but that is why we have this religion to forgive us and help us,” Parton observed. “We try to be perfect, we strive to do better, but it is an inspiration to know that we were doing something that would uplift people during this hard time in the economy. That’s what this story was all about. For me personally, it just made me feel good to be involved in something great and mighty and something bigger than us.”

Ironically, director and screenwriter Todd Graff didn’t grow up around high-powered gospel music. Instead, he grew up listening to his mother lead a Jewish ladies choir in his home two days a week. When I asked him how he would describe their style of music and singing, he deadpanned, “Lots of minor chords.” He even jokingly responded that his love of gospel music had something to do with it utilizing major chords.

Although she had not been in a movie in 20 years, Graff wrote the part of the flamboyant GG Sparrow just for Dolly Parton. When I asked her about the first time she read the script, she responded: “I could not let anyone else play that character....It was me. I had to do it. It was perfect for me. I have been looking for something great. I have been praying for something great.”

“How else would you explain it? This Jewish guy writing a film about Jesus,” Parton observed. Her bright smile lights up the room. “God was good to me...He’s worked through the Jews before.” Like everything else that radiates about Dolly Parton, her laughter is as infectious as her faith.

Steve Beard is the creator of Thunderstruck.

This film has been rated PG-13 for some language including a sexual reference.

Kit Cat Clocks, Meryl Streep, Margaret Thatcher, Anne Hathaway, Common, Wanda Jackson, Best Coast, Tree of Life, Creative People, Drew Brees, and much more

steve — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:07:31 +0000

° O.C.'s Kit-Cat Clocks celebrates 80 years with Rose Parade float: The Fountain Valley clock company will pay tribute to the iconic cat clock at the parade. Skateboarders from H.B., Costa Mesa and Newport will ride on the float. (OC Register)

° Scientific answers to the mysteries of children’s books (NY Times)

° Meryl Streep walks in Margaret Thatcher's shoes: The actress and her 'Iron Lady' director, Phyllida Lloyd, dish on the former British prime minister and women's roles in politics and filmmaking. (LA Times)

° Pariahs and prophets by Ross Douthat (NY Times)

° ‘Dark Knight Rises’ star Anne Hathaway: ‘Gotham City is full of grace’ (LA Times)

° Google Bases a Campaign on Emotions, Not Terms (NY Times)

° Common has got it going on: The rapper, actor and writer has a new album that's a return to his roots with 'The Dreamer/The Believer.' (LA Times)

° The Year When Rock Just Spun Its Wheels (NY Times)

° Pop music review: Wanda Jackson and Best Coast. Two far-flung generations of rock ’n’ roll — Wanda Jackson and Best Coast — ring in the New Year with spirit and sass at Club Nokia. (LA Times)

° The joy of quiet by Pico Iyer (NYT)

° So, what’s ‘Tree of Life’ about? We actually ask. Jessica Chastain, editor Mark Yoshikawa and sound designer Erik Aadahl give their own interpretations (or not) on enigmatic moments in the Terrence Malick film. (LA Times)

° Angelina, George, Ben and Mia by Nicholas Kristoff (NYT)

° Tournament of Roses to salute spirit of Roy Rogers: The parade's 'King of Cowboys' tribute will feature the Happy Trails float and faithful companions Trigger and Bullet. (LA Times)

° The Unleashed Mind: Why Creative People Are Eccentric. Highly creative people often seem weirder than the rest of us. Now researchers know why (Scientific American)

° Seeing City in Need, Southern Baptists Plan Growth (NY Times)

° Navigating Love and Autism (NY Times)

° Year That Began Like a Dirge for San Diego’s Organist Ends in Joy (NY Times)

° Drew Brees sets NFL single-season passing record: His nine-yard strike to Darren Sproles in the fourth quarter of a 45-16 victory over the Falcons gives him 5,087 yards, three more than Dan Marino's previous mark set in 1984. (LA Times)

Vaclav Havel, RIP, Kim Jong-il, Alvin Plantinga, Alice Cooper, Elvis, X, Social Distortion, Jeb Bush, Rob Bell, Marilyn Monroe and much more

steve — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:23:26 +0000

One of the great political figures of my lifetime, Vaclav Havel embraced romantic idealism in overcoming the bloodthirsty Communist regime of Czechoslovakia as the leader of the "Velvet Revolution." A playwright, poet, and political prisoner, Havel was steadfastly courageous in the face of totalitarianism. He was a legit rock n roller. Havel visited CBGB's in New York during his first visit to the United States, and was a huge fan of Frank Zappa and Lou Reed's Velvet Underground. "None of us—as an individual—can save the world as a whole, but . . . each of us must behave as though it were in his power to do so," Havel once wrote. His life was the trajectory of those liberating words.

At the same time, let the people rejoice because North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is dead. The good news is that the lover of tyranny, perfecter of repression, hater of humanity, and psychopath with nukes has checked out. The bad news is that Kim Jong-un, his son, will take over.

It is a bitter irony that Kim Jong-il and Vaclav Havel share the same news cycle. One said, "Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred." The other built a kingdom upon treachery and terror. History will fondly remember the liberator and, unfortunately, North Koreans will have only known the madman.
° Vaclav Havel and the climate of freedom (BBC)

° Vaclav Havel, the principled president by Madeleine Alright (Washington Post)

° How a Revolutionary Czech Rock Band Inspired Vaclav Havel: Havel met the Plastic People of the Universe in 1976 (Rolling Stone)

° Kim Jong Il and Vaclav Havel: Two leaders a world apart: Kim Jong Il put his interests ahead of North Korea's. Czech leader Vaclav Havel put democracy first. (LA Times)

° Vaclav Havel, living in truth (Washington Post)

° Philosopher sticks up for God: Alvin Plantinga’s new book on God and Science (NY Times)

° Alice Cooper On Life, Music And The Night He Almost Murdered Elvis (Huffington Post)

° Movies: The '20s roaring again: In 'The Artist' and 'Hugo,' Hollywood visits the era when fashion entered the modern age. (LA Times)

° Live review: X, Social Distortion at GV30 (LA Times)

° The Grim Good Cheer of the Irish by John Banville (NY Times)

° Dressing the goth-punk heroine of 'Dragon Tattoo': Rooney Mara's Lisbeth Salander gets a dark, fierce look in 'Girl With a Dragon Tattoo.' (LA Times)

° Why I Ditched Corporate Life And Moved To Rwanda by T.P. Allen (Huffington Post)

° The 20 Unhappiest People You Meet in the Comments Sections of Year-End Lists by Linda Holmes (NPR)

° Christianity has become less European over past century, study says (LA Times)

° Albums I Loved in 2011: Fifteen Favorites (Give or Take) by Josh Hurst (Hurst Review)

° In-N-Out Burger: Coming to a Town Near You. In-N-Out is expanding beyond the West Coast — and this time (The Daily Meal)

° Capitalism and the Right to Rise:In freedom lies the risk of failure. But in statism lies the certainty of stagnation by Jeb Bush (WSJ)

° Young Heir Faces Uncertain Transition in North Korea (NY Times)

° Good Minus God: The Moral Atheist by Louise M. Antony (NY Times)

° Rob Bell's Parting Epistle to Mars Hill: "Grace + Peace" (SoJo)

° A Catalan Christmas (NY Times)

° Did you know there was a poem (seriously) about the vintage Oakland Raiders? Check it out at NFL Films

° Have Evangelicals Lost Their Sway? (NY Times)

° Slain music producer John Atterberry was working on Christian-themed movie (LA Times)

° West Virginia pastor hopes to turn notorious strip joint into a church

° Unravelling the universe gives rise to wonder by Michael Gerson, Calgary Herald

° Vivid images and words on Marilyn Monroe: Bert Stern's 1962 photos taken weeks before her death and Norman Mailer's 1973 essay on the actress are edited together in a glossy new edition by Lawrence Schiller. (LA Times)

° Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) picks some of Hanukkah's greatest menorahs (LA Times)

Christopher Hitchens, RIP

steve — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:46:03 +0000

In memory of Christopher Hitchens 1949-2011. I shared very little of his vision of the world or the world to come, but I did read his work. As a writer, he was top-drawer. He was a type-A provocateur, a rigorous critic, and quite often a bit of a jackass. I benefitted from his on-going debate with Doug Wilson on whether Christianity was good for the world via the dvd "Collision." The piece below is not offered in a sentimental way, but a good example of his writing while on his deathbed. He has crossed over unto the dimension of eternity. I pray that it is a very different experience than what he had imagined. And I say that with respect, not a smirk.

° Test of the will by Christopher Hitchens (Vanity Fair)
° In memoriam, my courageous brother Christopher, 1949-2011 by Peter Hitchens (Daily Mail)
° The believer's atheist: Why so many believers admired Christopher Hitchens by Ross Douthat (NY Times)
° A Hitchless World by Matt LaBash (Weekly Standard)
° The World According to Hitch by Mindy Belz (World)
° No Better Place: An atheist meets his maker. No, make that his end by James Taranto (WSJ)
° Christopher Hitchens Has Died: How to think about the death of the outspoken atheist by Douglas Wilson (Christianity Today)
° The Black Keys: A Reinvention on El Camino (NPR)
° The Psychic Benefits And the NBA lockout: Why owning a basketball franchise has always been a bad business decision and should stay that way by Malcolm Gladwell (Grantland)
° What if Tim Tebow were Muslim? By Jen Engel (Fox Sports)
° The Girl Past the Dragon Tattoo (NY Times)
° Collector's Edition Elvis Comic Book