| Compiled by Leo Partible
(Week of January 26, 2005)
Reel Faith in Pop Culture is newsletter from FilmPR.com that compiles headlines and resources to
inform the Christian community of the growing impact of Christians in pop culture.
To get the full story click on the link.
For questions or comments about this bi-weekly newsletter please contact Leo Partible at leo@filmpr.com Also visit his website at www.dpgvisions.com REEL FAITH IN POP CULTURE A roundup of pop culture news from a Christian Worldview Compiled by Leo Partible (Week of January 26, 2005) Reel Faith in Pop Culture is newsletter from FilmPR.com that compiles headlines and resources to inform the
Christian community of the growing impact of Christians in pop culture. To get the full story click on the link.
For questions or comments about this bi-weekly newsletter please contact Leo Partible at leo@filmpr.com Also visit his website at www.dpgvisions.com CONTENTS QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
HEADLINES: *Another Jesus Film in the Works *A new film highlights Harry Reems' porn fame, but now he's a born-again Christian who sells real estate *Elvis Presley Song Hits No. 1 in Britain: *Valor to publish History of Israel as graphic novel *Robert Zemeckis to Direct Beowulf *Christian bookstores go bust after chains find religion *The Punk-Christian Son of a Preacher Man *The visions of Tolkien and Jackson *In 'Toon: Comic-book characters can have good morals, too *Hitler Plot to kidnap the Pope *Bush opens Second Term with prayer *A Conservative Answer to Michael Moore RECOMMENDED BOOKS: *THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNICATOR: SEVEN PRINCIPLES JESUS LIVED TO IMPACT, CONNECT AND LEAD by Erik Lokkesmoe and Jedd Medefind *WHO NEEDS A SUPERHERO? by H. Michael Brewer (with a Forward by Leo Partible)
QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on their personal faith:
Mick do you believe in the Lord? Sure, I believe in the Lord. All my life. And I believe in gospel music, I believe the Lord's in gospel music. I learned to preach from Little Richard. I don't preach as much as I used to. I just play guitar now, that's all I want to do. Woody and Keith helped me learn. Brian would never help me out. The only numbers I preach on now are 'Eyes' and 'Beast Of Burden'. Keith wrote that. Most of it. I wrote most of 'Before They Make Me Run', but it was Keith's idea. Mick Jagger, Rolling Stones: In Their Own Words , compiled by David Dalton. 1980. Miraculously, due to abstinence and prayer my teeth grew back! Keith Richards, Rolling Stones: In Their Own Words , compiled by David Dalton. 1980. RECOMMENDED BOOKS: THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNICATOR: SEVEN PRINCIPLES JESUS LIVED TO IMPACT, CONNECT AND LEAD by Erik Lokkesmoe and Jedd Medefind (Relevant Books) The Revolutionary Communicator explores the revolutionary power and impact of Jesus' approach to communication, presenting seven communication truths that remain relevant 2,000 years later. In a media-dominated era, all readers--from parents to pastors to politicians--are invited on a journey to rediscover the passageways to influence, impact and relate, and to learn how to integrate seven communication truths in their relationships and professions. Author Dwight Bain comments, "Today I had a chance to do a radio interview Erik Lokkesmoe and Judd Medefind, authors of 'The Revolutionary Communicator' on WTLN in Orlando, FL. They outlined the 7 key principles to achieve a dramatic level of commection in communication, both at work and in personal relationships. While they were talking about how to get better results in daily communications, I noticed that my co-host and I were both busy writing down their insights as fast as they shared them. Their principles were effective and easy to put into use immedietely to get better results in your day to day interactions with others. This book quickly gets in your face about taking personal responsibility to make positive changes, and it will likely step on your toes in places, but it's worth checking out if you want to learn to connect to others with boldness and strength." Order from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com
WHO NEEDS A SUPERHERO? by H. Michael Brewer (with a Forward by Leo Partible) (Baker Books) Christian audiences need a resource that will help them understand the Biblical themes presented in the comic book inspired films and television shows such as The Incredibles , The Matrix , Spider-Man , The X-Men , Smallville , Buffy The Slayer , Blade , The Hulk , Daredevil , Unbreakable , Hellboy , The Punisher , The Road to Perdition , Ghost World , From Hell , American Splendor , and the upcoming Elektra , Batman Begins , The Fantastic Four , Star Wars Episode 3: The Revenge of the Sith , and the new Superman film. Order from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com
HEADLINES: Another Jesus Film in the Works: With "The Da Vinci Code" hotter than a grill left on overnight right now, no surprise to hear that some heat's starting to surround a similiar script at the moment. US scribe Lamar Cook's "Depiction", described as 'National Treasure/Indiana Jones/Lara Croft meets biblical epic The Da Vinci Code', has apparently got studios slogging it out for the rights. "Depiction" tells the tale of some college students who break a 500-year-old code to find the greatest archeological discovery in history : an actual painting of the image of Jesus.
http://www.moviehole.net/news/4864.html A new film highlights Harry Reems' porn fame, but now he's a born-again Christian who sells real estate: When Harry Reems takes a poetic moment and says "What a ride this thing called life is," he is not being hyperbolic. As Linda Lovelace's costar in "Deep Throat," the most successful pornographic film ever made, he has gone from obscurity to celebrity to criminal notoriety to gutter-dwelling debauchery to born-again sobriety and success in one hectic lifetime. "I've been through things most people never experience even vicariously, let alone for real," he says. "I'm truly proud of myself; I've overcome some major problems. I really believe God is at work in my life."
http://www.calendarlive.com/cl-et-harry22jan22,0,6753083.story Elvis Presley Song Hits No. 1 in Britain: Elvis Presley's music lives on -- and continues to set records in Britain -- taking the No. 1 position on the country's singles chart. The weekly singles hit parade -- first started in Britain in 1952 -- reached its 1,000th week Sunday with Presley's rereleased 1959 hit "One Night" claiming the milestone No. 1 position. The track, one of 18 Elvis hits being rereleased to commemorate what would have been his 70th year, was joined by another Elvis favorite "Jailhouse Rock," also recently rereleased, which came in at No. 10. By storming to No. 1, "One Night" became Presley's 20th No. 1 hit on the British charts -- a record in itself. The Beatles only managed 17 No. 1 hits. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050118/ap_en_mu/elvis_presley_2 Valor to publish History of Israel as graphic novel: Marv Wolfman is a multi-award winning writer of comic books, animation, children's books, novels, television, and more. Mario Ruiz is the creator-artist of the critically acclaimed graphic novels, Samson: Judge of Israel and Testament. Together, they will create a very unique book, HOMELAND: The Illustrated History of the State of Israel. Valor Comics , a new graphic novel publisher started last year by Ruiz along with Nachshon Press, an imprint of the Community Foundation for Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago (CFJE), have burst upon the graphic novel scene with a story straight from history and today's current events. http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25973 Jesus is everywhere -- except pages of Rolling Stone (Chicago Sun-Times): Zondervan probably has risked alienating some of its own bread-and-butter customers by advertising in Rolling Stone, as well as in the Onion and on MTV's Web site. (Both have accepted and are running the TNIV Bible ads.) Lockhart says when the magazine rejected the ad last week, he, too, was told that it just didn't fit "with the rest of the advertising." But when Zondervan execs pushed for more of an explanation, they were told that Rolling Stone "didn't accept ads for religious items." They asked for the magazine's no-religious-advertising-only policy in writing. And they're still waiting. http://www.suntimes.com/output/falsani/cst-nws-fals21.html Robert Zemeckis to Direct Beowulf : Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman have joined forces with Steve Bing and Robert Zemeckis to bring the oldest written English language myth, Beowulf , to the big screen through the magic of performance capture. Zemeckis will direct from the screenplay by Avary and Gaiman. The project will be financed by Shangri-La Entertainment, which is currently in discussions with Sony Pictures Entertainment to distribute all of its feature films. The film will be produced by Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke. Martin Shafer will serve as executive producer along with Avary and Gaiman.
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=8021 Christian bookstores go bust after chains find religion After nearly a decade of steady sales, Richard Ellingsworth, co-owner of GreenLeaf, a Christian bookstore in Towson, Md., started feeling the squeeze. In 2000, Barnes & Noble moved nearby and began selling Christian books for less. Ellingsworth started discounting, but a short time later, Wal-Mart and Best Buy moved into the affluent Baltimore suburb, too. After three years of dismal sales, Ellingsworth is closing his store in March. He's trying not to be bitter. "The good news is that more people are being exposed to Christian ideas," he says. While it's bad news for him personally, "I'm not in this just for me." That kind of selfless attitude seems almost quaint in what is rapidly becoming the dog-eat-dog world of Christian bookselling. The titles have never been hotter: "The Prayer of Jabez," "The Purpose-Driven Life" and the "Left Behind" series have carved out a permanent berth on best-seller lists from coast to coast. But that success has attracted big book chains and discount retailers that are aggressively taking over the market, selling Christian books often at a steep discount. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6827272/site/newsweek/ The Punk-Christian Son of a Preacher Man: In an Atlanta coffeehouse one night last summer, Jay Bakker squinted through patchy stage lights and asked for prayer requests. It was the regular Wednesday-night Bible study for Revolution Ministries, and about 30 people, most of them in their 20's, sat at scattered tables and listened. Bakker wore green Vans, jeans, a Johnny Cash belt buckle and a black Social Distortion T-shirt, revealing arms tattooed to the wrists. A silver ring protruded through his lower lip, and black discs stretched both ear lobes...Bakker, whose full name is Jamie Charles Bakker, acknowledged the prayer request and added one of his own, for his mother, whose cancer had spread from her colon to her lungs and throat. At 29, he still faintly recalls the cherubic kid who appeared almost from birth with his parents, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, on their syndicated television show, ''The PTL Club,'' then disappeared during the family's sexual and legal scandals in the 1980's. ''We're just trying to love people with no agenda,'' he told the group http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/23/magazine/23BAKKER.html?oref=login&oref=login&oref=login The visions of Tolkien and Jackson: The climax of "The Lord of the Rings," he decided, was a "eucatastrophe" -- which calls to mind words such as Eucharist and catastrophe. The scholar of ancient languages defined this as a moment of piercing joy, an unexpected happy ending offering a taste of God's Easter triumph over sin and death. Tolkien thought this sacramental element was at the heart of his new myth. Thus, Greg Wright of HollywoodJesus.com asked Peter Jackson how members of his team handled this in their movie trilogy. When they wrote the scene in which the one ring of power is destroyed, did they discuss Tolkien's theory of "eucatastrophe"? http://tmatt.gospelcom.net/column/2005/01/19/ In 'Toon: Comic-book characters can have good morals, too (Winston-Salem Journal): In The Incredibles, superheroes are forced into hiding when public opinion turns against them. Mr. Incredible turns in his costume and "Incredible-mobile" for a Yugo-sized commuter car and a desk job at an insurance company. But he can't give up the desire to save people, no matter what it costs his family. "It's not about super powers," says H. Michael Brewer, lifelong comics fan and author of Who Needs a Superhero?, a new book about "finding virtue, vice and what's holy" in comics. "It's about finding your place in the world and, dare I say, family values."
http://www.journalnow.com
Hitler Plot to kidnap the Pope: Weeks before Nazi troops abandoned Rome, Adolf Hitler personally ordered the SS to kidnap the then pope so he could be brought back to Germany and locked up in a castle, according to previously unpublished testimony made available at the weekend. The newspaper Avvenire, which is owned by the Catholic church in Italy, suggested the kidnap plot was part of a wider plan to "abolish" Christianity and replace it with a religion in which Hitler would be worshipped as the saviour of humankind. http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1391956,00.html Bush opens Second Term with prayer: Offering one prayer, the Rev. Billy Graham said he believed God had a hand in Bush's re-election. ''Their next four years are hidden from us, but they are not hidden from you,'' said the 86-year-old evangelist, whom Bush credits with inspiring him to reaffirm his faith and give up drinking at age 40. ''You know the challenges and opportunities they will face. Give them a clear mind, a warm heart, calmness in the midst of turmoil, reassurance in times of discouragement and your presence always.'' http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050119165309990008 A Conservative Answer to Michael Moore: Evan Coyne Maloney, 32, who dresses and looks like a college student, may very well be America's most promising conservative documentary filmmaker. Yet the Upper East Side resident hasn't completed a single film. The hype unaccompanied by output says a lot about the room for growth in the conservative documentary community. But a number of those on the right expect Mr. Maloney's unfinished debut film, "Brainwashing 101,"to emerge as a breakout theatrical hit - or at least to make it to theaters, a feat few films of its political ilk have managed to achieve.
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