As I continue making my predictions, putting myself up so that everyone can shoot me down if/when I'm wrong, I realize how hard it is to predict the things that I don't want to happen.
For instance, looking back over the previous "Who will die?" list, I am second guessing my own prediction that Fred and George will live. Given that JKR has said a "pair" would die, am I just saying they'll live because I don't want them to die? Is it possible that their wonderfully dramatic departure from Hogwarts was in fact a foreshadowing of them going out in a blaze of glory?
Hmmm. Maybe I'll have to steel myself to make some harder predictions. But let me throw one more in to the previous list, one that Liz E. brought up in comments: I agree with her that Luna will die. (Forgot about Luna when making my own list.)
Okay, now for some predictions about the Horcruxes:
1. Harry is not a Horcrux. Nor is his scar, or any other part of him.
2. Harry will figure out quickly that the locket he saw in Grimmauld Place is a likely candidate for a Horcrux (possibly with Hermione's help in remembering).
3. The locket will be missing from Grimmauld Place. (I think we must go back to Grimmauld Place in Deathly Hallows -- otherwise why waste all that time testing Kreacher to determine inheritance in Half Blood Prince?
4. Harry will have to go to Azkaban to find Mundungus to track the locket.
5. Harry will track the Cup through Zacharias Smith, who will turn out to be related to Hepzibah Smith.
6. The unidentified Horcrux ("something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's") will be either (a) an object we have seen only briefly, which has played no significant role in the story so far (e.g., that wand from Ollivander's shop window, or Tom Riddle's trophy for Special Services to the school), or (b) it will be an object we have not been introduced to at all so far. (A) is, I think, more likely. But this Horcrux will not be an object that has played a significant role in the story (such as Gryffindor's sword or the Sorting Hat).
7. Nagini will be the last Horcrux Harry destroys.
8. Harry will use Parseltongue in his attempt to overcome Nagini.
...Okay, I know there will be a lot of folks who disagree here, or who have other great ideas to add. Have at it!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
HARRY POTTER PREDICTIONS, PART 1: WHO WILL DIE?
With less than 3 months to go (gulp!) until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits bookshelves and ends the delightful agony of anticipation for us all, I think it's about time to get serious about making predictions.
Let's start with the basics, and then we'll go from there.
The first and most basic question: Who will die?
I will make some bold and basic predictions here. Tell me what you agree with (or not).
1. Harry will not die.
2. Hermione and Ron will not die.
3. Voldemort will die.
4. Snape will die in a sacrificial manner.
5. Ginny will not die.
6. Hagrid will not die. (I think JKR may have planned to kill him, but loves him too much to go through with it. I think he's the character she spoke of recently as having spared.)
7. Fred and George will not die, but will come close.
8. Percy will die.
9. Draco will not die.
10. But Lucius and/or Narcissa will die.
11. Neville will not die.
12. Bellatrix will die.
Okay, folks, start weighing in on these and other characters. Be bold and take a stand! We'll move on to other predictions (like, say, the Horcruxes) after we've exhausted this one. I'll send a free copy of my book (antique though it will be at that point) to whoever racks up the most correct predictions.
Predict away!
Let's start with the basics, and then we'll go from there.
The first and most basic question: Who will die?
I will make some bold and basic predictions here. Tell me what you agree with (or not).
1. Harry will not die.
2. Hermione and Ron will not die.
3. Voldemort will die.
4. Snape will die in a sacrificial manner.
5. Ginny will not die.
6. Hagrid will not die. (I think JKR may have planned to kill him, but loves him too much to go through with it. I think he's the character she spoke of recently as having spared.)
7. Fred and George will not die, but will come close.
8. Percy will die.
9. Draco will not die.
10. But Lucius and/or Narcissa will die.
11. Neville will not die.
12. Bellatrix will die.
Okay, folks, start weighing in on these and other characters. Be bold and take a stand! We'll move on to other predictions (like, say, the Horcruxes) after we've exhausted this one. I'll send a free copy of my book (antique though it will be at that point) to whoever racks up the most correct predictions.
Predict away!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
TV THOUGHTS: IDOL GIVES BACK
The snarky, elitist corner of me would like to turn up its nose and sniff at the grandiosity and naivete of Idol Gives Back, the American Idol "charity night" last night.
But I can't really find anything to sniff at. I loved every bit of it.
Who cares what the motivation was for AI to do a charity night. The upshot was that they used the biggest platform in America to do something good: To raise money to help kids in Africa, in Appalachia, in Louisiana, and even in Hollywood, money that otherwise would have sat in wallets or been spent on iTunes or lattes or smoothies. $30 million and counting as of close of show last night. And that's a good thing.
The show was well done, as well. Lee commented to me that he felt like he was watching the 21st century equivalent of the Ed Sullivan Show -- a little country, a little comedy, a little light opera, a little rock, a little hoke. For my money, Annie Lennox gave the performance of the night singing "Bridge Over Troubled Water." But if she's not your cup of tea, there was someone who was. It's been a long time since there's been a show on TV that could unite us around disparate tastes, rather than sending us all into separate rooms and separate TVs to watch separate shows, each to his own taste.
Not only did it bring back the variety show, it also brought back the telethon. But without the embarrassing rows of C-list celebrities manning phones and begging into the camera for 10 minutes at a time. I thought the celebrity bits were tasteful and often funny (I'd love to see Eric McCormack's entire "Staying Alive" routine, just based on the clips). In fact, all the fundraising was handled very well -- the major corporate donors, the 10 cents a vote match, the iTunes downloads w/ proceeds going to charity. All really well done.
As for the "shocker" -- At first we thought the "most shocking ending" ever was going to be that LaKisha was leaving. Not all that shocking, we thought. What would really be shocking would be if Melinda or Jordin left. And as the countdown continued and it was clear that were leaving Jordin for the end, at first we were disbelieving. No way! Jordin couldn't be cut!... And then we were really disbelieving. No way, we said, could they end this fabulous night on such a downer note. Nope, we surmised, the shocker would be that, in the terminology of The Amazing Race, this would be a "non-elimination round."
And of course that's what it was. Though I'm sure the producers and the judges and whoever else was in on the joke really enjoyed the huge GASP that flew up from the audience when Jordin was the last one standing.
But hey, good way to keep people watching to the end! Give them points for showmanship.
I'm sure there are people out there with their noses in the air sniffing away haughtily at the thought of a pop culture phenom like AI milking their popularity in such a way. But you know, I think I'd rather not hang with those folks. So we called in our votes and made our little pledge and will buy some of the videos on iTunes.....
We really enjoyed Idol Gives Back. Hope you did too.
But I can't really find anything to sniff at. I loved every bit of it.
Who cares what the motivation was for AI to do a charity night. The upshot was that they used the biggest platform in America to do something good: To raise money to help kids in Africa, in Appalachia, in Louisiana, and even in Hollywood, money that otherwise would have sat in wallets or been spent on iTunes or lattes or smoothies. $30 million and counting as of close of show last night. And that's a good thing.
The show was well done, as well. Lee commented to me that he felt like he was watching the 21st century equivalent of the Ed Sullivan Show -- a little country, a little comedy, a little light opera, a little rock, a little hoke. For my money, Annie Lennox gave the performance of the night singing "Bridge Over Troubled Water." But if she's not your cup of tea, there was someone who was. It's been a long time since there's been a show on TV that could unite us around disparate tastes, rather than sending us all into separate rooms and separate TVs to watch separate shows, each to his own taste.
Not only did it bring back the variety show, it also brought back the telethon. But without the embarrassing rows of C-list celebrities manning phones and begging into the camera for 10 minutes at a time. I thought the celebrity bits were tasteful and often funny (I'd love to see Eric McCormack's entire "Staying Alive" routine, just based on the clips). In fact, all the fundraising was handled very well -- the major corporate donors, the 10 cents a vote match, the iTunes downloads w/ proceeds going to charity. All really well done.
As for the "shocker" -- At first we thought the "most shocking ending" ever was going to be that LaKisha was leaving. Not all that shocking, we thought. What would really be shocking would be if Melinda or Jordin left. And as the countdown continued and it was clear that were leaving Jordin for the end, at first we were disbelieving. No way! Jordin couldn't be cut!... And then we were really disbelieving. No way, we said, could they end this fabulous night on such a downer note. Nope, we surmised, the shocker would be that, in the terminology of The Amazing Race, this would be a "non-elimination round."
And of course that's what it was. Though I'm sure the producers and the judges and whoever else was in on the joke really enjoyed the huge GASP that flew up from the audience when Jordin was the last one standing.
But hey, good way to keep people watching to the end! Give them points for showmanship.
I'm sure there are people out there with their noses in the air sniffing away haughtily at the thought of a pop culture phenom like AI milking their popularity in such a way. But you know, I think I'd rather not hang with those folks. So we called in our votes and made our little pledge and will buy some of the videos on iTunes.....
We really enjoyed Idol Gives Back. Hope you did too.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
A CHANGE OF VOICE
I got the shock of my life the other day.
Cory had a big audition he had to prepare for. He picked out his song, pulled out the lyrics, started to practice -- and stopped immediately with a startled look on his face.
Because he couldn't hit the notes anymore. His voice had changed so radically, he had to drop a full octave down.
His speaking voice has been getting lower and lower over the past couple of months, but this was the first time any of us had been aware of the change in his singing voice. Basically, he's dropped from an alto to a baritone in a matter of weeks.
And all of a sudden, I found myself swept away on a tide of loss. Where's the little boy voice that I'll never hear again? I can't even remember it in my head, because it never occurred to me that I would want to memorize that sound. I have a few videotapes of him, mostly in various stage performances, but nothing that lets me hear him say "Mom?" or that shows him in normal interaction.
It makes me wish I'd recorded every waking moment -- but I know I would never have done that. I don't like living in the past. And yet...
Life moves forward. Things change. People change. Even our own kids. And not always in slow, measured ways. Sometimes in radical, shocking little moments. We never step in the same river twice.
So maybe I'll go dig out that DVD of last year's Christmas show at church. And watch it while I wait to hear the door open after school and hear that baritone voice ringing out, "Hey, mom."
Cory had a big audition he had to prepare for. He picked out his song, pulled out the lyrics, started to practice -- and stopped immediately with a startled look on his face.
Because he couldn't hit the notes anymore. His voice had changed so radically, he had to drop a full octave down.
His speaking voice has been getting lower and lower over the past couple of months, but this was the first time any of us had been aware of the change in his singing voice. Basically, he's dropped from an alto to a baritone in a matter of weeks.
And all of a sudden, I found myself swept away on a tide of loss. Where's the little boy voice that I'll never hear again? I can't even remember it in my head, because it never occurred to me that I would want to memorize that sound. I have a few videotapes of him, mostly in various stage performances, but nothing that lets me hear him say "Mom?" or that shows him in normal interaction.
It makes me wish I'd recorded every waking moment -- but I know I would never have done that. I don't like living in the past. And yet...
Life moves forward. Things change. People change. Even our own kids. And not always in slow, measured ways. Sometimes in radical, shocking little moments. We never step in the same river twice.
So maybe I'll go dig out that DVD of last year's Christmas show at church. And watch it while I wait to hear the door open after school and hear that baritone voice ringing out, "Hey, mom."
Monday, April 23, 2007
GOT RHYTHM?
Over the weekend, I discovered a fascinating and fun website. On this website are a series of tests developed at the Music and Neuroscience lab at Harvard Medical School.
You can test yourself for tone deafness, for pitch perception, and for rhythm perception. I came out in the 75% to 80% range in all of them (but I feel certain my kids could beat me).
Try it out, it's really interesting and fun.
You can test yourself for tone deafness, for pitch perception, and for rhythm perception. I came out in the 75% to 80% range in all of them (but I feel certain my kids could beat me).
Try it out, it's really interesting and fun.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
NOTES FROM THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY ON CONTEMPT
I've finished my yearly read of Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy. But I thought I'd post thoughts from it at least to the end of the month. (If people want more, I can post more. I have a lot of pages marked.)
As Willard works his way through the Sermon on the Mount, he comes to the "anger" passages ("You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable before the court.' But I say to you that anyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court....'). And going one step deeper than mere anger, he moves to the subject of contempt.
This is a tough one for a modern audience, because contempt is in many ways the basis for much of our interaction today as a society. We define ourselves by who we are against (Liberal. Conservative. Pro-life. Pro-choice. Pro-war. Anti-war. Home-school. Public school. Private school. Even pro- and anti-Sanjaya).
And in an ambitious society, the desire to move up into the elite circle (the promotion, the club, the party invite) is always present. Yet Willard points out (hardcover, pg 153) that the basis of the elite is always contempt of those who are not part of that particular elite.
It'd be nice, wouldn't it, if we could stay safe in the church and point to all these nasty behaviors and attitudes out there in "the world." But we can find more contempt than we'd ever wish within the church. We're the inner circle -- or our denomination is, or our individual church, or our individual group within our church or parachurch group. Anyone who doesn't believe the way we do is just stupid, right? ...It's gotten to the point where I can't even stand to read some Christian blogs because their "us vs. them" mentality has gotten so nasty and contemptuous.
I find Willard's words very powerful indeed:
And aren't we so very, very good at it...
As Willard works his way through the Sermon on the Mount, he comes to the "anger" passages ("You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable before the court.' But I say to you that anyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court....'). And going one step deeper than mere anger, he moves to the subject of contempt.
This is a tough one for a modern audience, because contempt is in many ways the basis for much of our interaction today as a society. We define ourselves by who we are against (Liberal. Conservative. Pro-life. Pro-choice. Pro-war. Anti-war. Home-school. Public school. Private school. Even pro- and anti-Sanjaya).
And in an ambitious society, the desire to move up into the elite circle (the promotion, the club, the party invite) is always present. Yet Willard points out (hardcover, pg 153) that the basis of the elite is always contempt of those who are not part of that particular elite.
It'd be nice, wouldn't it, if we could stay safe in the church and point to all these nasty behaviors and attitudes out there in "the world." But we can find more contempt than we'd ever wish within the church. We're the inner circle -- or our denomination is, or our individual church, or our individual group within our church or parachurch group. Anyone who doesn't believe the way we do is just stupid, right? ...It's gotten to the point where I can't even stand to read some Christian blogs because their "us vs. them" mentality has gotten so nasty and contemptuous.
I find Willard's words very powerful indeed:
Contemptuous actions and attitudes are a knife in the heart that permanently harms and mutilates people's souls. That they are so common does not ease their destructiveness. In most professional circles and "high" society, where one might hope for the highest moral sensitivity, contempt is a fine art. Practicing it is even a part of being "in good standing." Not to know whom and how to despise is one of the surest of signs that you are not quite with it and are yourself mildly contemptible.
In his marvelous little talk "The Inner Ring," C.S. Lewis comments that "in all men's lives at certain periods, and in many men's lives at all periods between infancy and extreme old age, one of the most dominatn elements is the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside."
To belong is a vital need based in the spiritual nature of the human being. Contempt spits on this pathetically deep need. And, like anger, contempt does not have to be acted out in special ways to be evil. It is inherently poisonous. Just by being what it is, it is withering to the human soul. But when expressed in the contemptuous phrase -- in its thousands of forms -- or in the equally powerful gesture or look, it stabs the soul to its core and deflates its powers of life. It can hurt so badly and destroy so deeply that murder would almost be a mercy...
And aren't we so very, very good at it...
Friday, April 20, 2007
MODERATE COMMENTS
That's what I'm going to have to do for a while -- moderate the comments on this blog, so that they can be a bit more, well, moderate.
Hopefully none of you have clicked on the comment boxes to find comments from "alex," who has been posting a combination of soft porn and drug purchasing links. And, given his user profile, he's been doing this on thousands of other blogs as well over the last week. Let's see how quickly Blogger can respond to this.
So, my apologies, but when you comment, your comment will not appear immediately, at least until "alex" is shut down.
Pray for this poor guy.
Hopefully none of you have clicked on the comment boxes to find comments from "alex," who has been posting a combination of soft porn and drug purchasing links. And, given his user profile, he's been doing this on thousands of other blogs as well over the last week. Let's see how quickly Blogger can respond to this.
So, my apologies, but when you comment, your comment will not appear immediately, at least until "alex" is shut down.
Pray for this poor guy.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
LINKS FROM SCOTT
Scott Herr, regular reader of this blog, passed on a couple of links you might want to check out.
The first is a link to a poem he wrote. (I can only approach this particular poem in my imagination, as my only experience with snow is on the ski slopes!) You can check out Scott's poem, and vote for it, here.
Scott also told me about the Heroes graphic novel that NBC has been posting online. I wish I'd know about it during the show's hiatus! It looks very cool, and you can check it out here.... I'm very much looking forward to Heroes coming back this week, though I do wish it wasn't on opposite Dancing with the Stars (I tend to not catch up on things I try to time-shift...).
And by the way, can't we all breathe a sigh of relief that Sanjaya's gone?!
Happy linking....
The first is a link to a poem he wrote. (I can only approach this particular poem in my imagination, as my only experience with snow is on the ski slopes!) You can check out Scott's poem, and vote for it, here.
Scott also told me about the Heroes graphic novel that NBC has been posting online. I wish I'd know about it during the show's hiatus! It looks very cool, and you can check it out here.... I'm very much looking forward to Heroes coming back this week, though I do wish it wasn't on opposite Dancing with the Stars (I tend to not catch up on things I try to time-shift...).
And by the way, can't we all breathe a sigh of relief that Sanjaya's gone?!
Happy linking....
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
THE SUMMER'S HOT MOVIE PICKS -- TWEEN STYLE
I happened to be driving a car full of tweens the other day (that's 8- to 12-year-olds, for those of you who don't follow the latest marketing terminology). And they started talking about the summer's movies.
Tweens are increasingly important in the pop culture world because they have an astonishing amount of money to spend, and because they tend to be very brand loyal. So their movie choices will inevitably reverberate through the whole movie and ancillary marketing world.
So what movies are they excited about for this summer?
Well, they're not excited about Shrek the Third. "I am so over Shrek," one boy announced. They feel the franchise is tired, they feel Shrek in various forms has been stuffed down their throats, they're just tired of Shrek.
They're all planning on seeing Pirates of the Caribbean 3. They're not all convinced it's going to be that good, though. But they feel almost an obligation to see it. (I guess the same obligation my generation felt about slogging through all 3 of the Star Wars sequels.) It's the brand loyalty thing.
What about Harry Potter 5? Well, the kids divided into two camps: Those who are into Harry Potter (books and movies) will be there on opening day. Those kids who don't read the books have dropped following the movies. For the readers, the excitement is high. But the excitement around Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is higher.
Lots of skepticism about Spider-Man 3. And a good amount of very smart observation and deduction drawn from the trailers. "What's with the black suit" I heard. None of them really want to see Spidey wrestling with the issue of whether to be Spider-Man any more -- "Didn't we see that already in Spider-Man 2?" And they loudly blasted the concept of having 3 villains in one movie, with the overwhelming vote being that the Sandman should be gotten rid of, since early trailers showed such cheesy effects.
The one movie they're all excited about? Fantastic Four 2: The Rise of the Silver Surfer. Roundly proclaimed to be "cool" on all fronts, Surfer is clearly the movie to beat this summer in the tween crowd.
Are you listening, studios?
Tweens are increasingly important in the pop culture world because they have an astonishing amount of money to spend, and because they tend to be very brand loyal. So their movie choices will inevitably reverberate through the whole movie and ancillary marketing world.
So what movies are they excited about for this summer?
Well, they're not excited about Shrek the Third. "I am so over Shrek," one boy announced. They feel the franchise is tired, they feel Shrek in various forms has been stuffed down their throats, they're just tired of Shrek.
They're all planning on seeing Pirates of the Caribbean 3. They're not all convinced it's going to be that good, though. But they feel almost an obligation to see it. (I guess the same obligation my generation felt about slogging through all 3 of the Star Wars sequels.) It's the brand loyalty thing.
What about Harry Potter 5? Well, the kids divided into two camps: Those who are into Harry Potter (books and movies) will be there on opening day. Those kids who don't read the books have dropped following the movies. For the readers, the excitement is high. But the excitement around Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is higher.
Lots of skepticism about Spider-Man 3. And a good amount of very smart observation and deduction drawn from the trailers. "What's with the black suit" I heard. None of them really want to see Spidey wrestling with the issue of whether to be Spider-Man any more -- "Didn't we see that already in Spider-Man 2?" And they loudly blasted the concept of having 3 villains in one movie, with the overwhelming vote being that the Sandman should be gotten rid of, since early trailers showed such cheesy effects.
The one movie they're all excited about? Fantastic Four 2: The Rise of the Silver Surfer. Roundly proclaimed to be "cool" on all fronts, Surfer is clearly the movie to beat this summer in the tween crowd.
Are you listening, studios?
Monday, April 16, 2007
(NOT-SO-)NEW(-ANYMORE) MONTH'S RESOLUTION
I worked so hard at remembering people's names in March. I really did. So if I forgot your name, please know I was at least trying.
I think I'm going to have to reboot that particular resolution again at some point. Because I just so totally suck at the name-face recognition. Even today -- As we were walking up to a meeting, a car pulled up beside us -- it was our former next-door-neighbor, who recognized us and stopped to say hi. Would we have recognized her on the street? Maybe. But most likely I would have driven by saying to myself, "Hmm, that looks a lot like Janet from next door."
And then at the meeting we were at -- Of course I remember the names of the people we met with. But could I recognize them on the street? Ha!
So I'm working on it. But there's just some synapse missing in my brain.
This month, I've been trying to listen more and talk less. God has made it especially easy on me over the last week or so, as I have lost my voice. Lots of whispering and pantomime around here.
But the intentional listening has been most enjoyable. I've been fascinated to hear about one friend's desires to return to college, about another's journey on getting her own kids into college. If I'd been talking about myself, I would have missed out.
So that's the goal for the rest of April. Who knows? Maybe I won't get my voice back till May?!
I think I'm going to have to reboot that particular resolution again at some point. Because I just so totally suck at the name-face recognition. Even today -- As we were walking up to a meeting, a car pulled up beside us -- it was our former next-door-neighbor, who recognized us and stopped to say hi. Would we have recognized her on the street? Maybe. But most likely I would have driven by saying to myself, "Hmm, that looks a lot like Janet from next door."
And then at the meeting we were at -- Of course I remember the names of the people we met with. But could I recognize them on the street? Ha!
So I'm working on it. But there's just some synapse missing in my brain.
This month, I've been trying to listen more and talk less. God has made it especially easy on me over the last week or so, as I have lost my voice. Lots of whispering and pantomime around here.
But the intentional listening has been most enjoyable. I've been fascinated to hear about one friend's desires to return to college, about another's journey on getting her own kids into college. If I'd been talking about myself, I would have missed out.
So that's the goal for the rest of April. Who knows? Maybe I won't get my voice back till May?!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
BREWING CULTURE BLOG
I have long been a subscriber to Brewing Culture's "Six posts in 60 seconds" weekly feed, and have read many thought-provoking items there.
Now they have a blog, and it's even more fun and provocative (in a good way) to read. Check it out.
Now they have a blog, and it's even more fun and provocative (in a good way) to read. Check it out.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
THINKING OF DAVID...
I'm a day late posting this, but still on my mind....
Four years ago yesterday, David Schall died. I blogged about it at some length in 2004. But all this time later, David is still on my mind.
I got an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from someone who used to work with David, who was also still thinking about him. It's sort of astonishing how someone whom you weren't really all that close to on a day-to-day basis can still have a massive impact on your life. It makes me wonder whose life I'm impacting powerfully without realizing it.
Were David here, I have to think he'd feel some pain over all that's happened in the Christian community in Hollywood over the last four years -- and also some excitement and joy of course. His home church has imploded, due to fiscal and personnel mismanagement, with the pastor David was so close to giving up his ordination. The Christian body in Hollywood, which could once fit into one room at any of several events David put together, has grown geometrically, but has become decentralized and maybe just a bit disconnected. But the growth, as I said, has been phenenomenal, and we're starting to see (for better or worse) Christians taken into consideration by the studios. David would have loved that.
But it's a different place than it would have been if David were yet at its core. So know that you are missed, David. Still.
Four years ago yesterday, David Schall died. I blogged about it at some length in 2004. But all this time later, David is still on my mind.
I got an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from someone who used to work with David, who was also still thinking about him. It's sort of astonishing how someone whom you weren't really all that close to on a day-to-day basis can still have a massive impact on your life. It makes me wonder whose life I'm impacting powerfully without realizing it.
Were David here, I have to think he'd feel some pain over all that's happened in the Christian community in Hollywood over the last four years -- and also some excitement and joy of course. His home church has imploded, due to fiscal and personnel mismanagement, with the pastor David was so close to giving up his ordination. The Christian body in Hollywood, which could once fit into one room at any of several events David put together, has grown geometrically, but has become decentralized and maybe just a bit disconnected. But the growth, as I said, has been phenenomenal, and we're starting to see (for better or worse) Christians taken into consideration by the studios. David would have loved that.
But it's a different place than it would have been if David were yet at its core. So know that you are missed, David. Still.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
EASTER AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
For the second year in a row, our church has celebrated Easter at the Hollywood Bowl. It started last year when we were under construction and needed a bigger venue. We're still under construction, so back we went to the Bowl this year.
But it was a little different for us this Easter, because they added a children's choir to the festivities, and Sabrina sang in it. (I'm trying to figure out how to put it on her resume!) What that meant for us was that we had to be at the Bowl an hour and a half before the service started.
And in some ways, being there early was the best part of Easter. Because here we were in this huge venue, with thousands and thousands of people filing in -- and I kept seeing people I know. It was such an odd sensation to be in one of those locations where you typically don't know a soul, yet feeling like it was home because of all the familiar faces.
Maybe that's a little what heaven will feel like. All the vastness, but all the familiarity.
Sounds good to me....
Happy (post-) Easter, everyone!
But it was a little different for us this Easter, because they added a children's choir to the festivities, and Sabrina sang in it. (I'm trying to figure out how to put it on her resume!) What that meant for us was that we had to be at the Bowl an hour and a half before the service started.
And in some ways, being there early was the best part of Easter. Because here we were in this huge venue, with thousands and thousands of people filing in -- and I kept seeing people I know. It was such an odd sensation to be in one of those locations where you typically don't know a soul, yet feeling like it was home because of all the familiar faces.
Maybe that's a little what heaven will feel like. All the vastness, but all the familiarity.
Sounds good to me....
Happy (post-) Easter, everyone!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
MOVIE THOUGHTS: BLADES OF GLORY
As the must-see spring break movie for the tween set, we knew we were going to have to see Blades of Glory. But we didn't expect to laugh so hard.
The movie milks what seems to be a one-joke premise for all it can get out of it: Will Farrell and a surprisingly emotive Jon Heder are banned from men's figure skating for life after getting into a fight on the winners' podium. But when a (slightly-funny) stalker points out that the rules don't ban them from pairs figure skating, and when Craig T. Nelson (appropriately playing their "Coach") steps in to train them, the movie gets going.
I was expecting 90 minutes of gay jokes. I mean, given the premise, wouldn't you? But no. There was only one overt gay joke that I noticed. Dozens of moments of gay subtext, yes, but nothing I had to explain to my kids. The movie goes out of its way to let us know that both characters are robustly straight, then steps aside to let us laugh.
Ferrell and Heder have -- dare I say it -- a terrific chemistry. The obvious dual character arc (two men who hate each other enough to ruin their careers end up friends for life) works in their hands. This is a movie where a lot of actors would have held back with a little wink at the camera ("I know I look like a doofus, but I'm not really that way, it's just the role I'm playing) in that post-Saturday Night Live attitude that ruins so much comedy. But Ferrell and Heder both commit themselves to their roles so fully that we can allow ourselves to believe their utter ridiculousness.
As an ice-skating fan (who can actually distinguish lutzes from toe loops, etc., without waiting for Scott Hamilton to tell me what I'm seeing), I enjoyed watching the send-up of the sport. The skating effects are clearly fake -- no one jumps that high, spins that fast -- but they're close enough to real for us to suspend our disbelief watching. In any sports movie, it's always a problem to work the actual game into the story. Here, the skating routines all move the story forward, and are all funny. Good job.
Blades of Glory is rated PG-13 for a reason. It was okay for my 12-year-old son (after the regular reminder that there will be bad language in this movie and just because people use it in the movie doesn't mean he gets to use it at home or anywhere else), but really on the edge for my daughter (10). The real problem isn't the language (only a sporadic problem) or the gay subtext. The kid-related issue is that Ferrell's character is a sex addict, who talks about it a lot (though only acts it out onscreen a couple of mildish times -- still a bit much for a 10-year-old).
However, my daughter loved the movie. Loved it. "Mom, it was so funny that I forgot to eat all my candy!" Believe me, praise doesn't come higher than that.
Blades of Glory is not a movie for the ages. Ultimately, it's pretty disposable. But you know, it's also pretty funny. And sometimes an hour or so of laughing is a really good thing.
The movie milks what seems to be a one-joke premise for all it can get out of it: Will Farrell and a surprisingly emotive Jon Heder are banned from men's figure skating for life after getting into a fight on the winners' podium. But when a (slightly-funny) stalker points out that the rules don't ban them from pairs figure skating, and when Craig T. Nelson (appropriately playing their "Coach") steps in to train them, the movie gets going.
I was expecting 90 minutes of gay jokes. I mean, given the premise, wouldn't you? But no. There was only one overt gay joke that I noticed. Dozens of moments of gay subtext, yes, but nothing I had to explain to my kids. The movie goes out of its way to let us know that both characters are robustly straight, then steps aside to let us laugh.
Ferrell and Heder have -- dare I say it -- a terrific chemistry. The obvious dual character arc (two men who hate each other enough to ruin their careers end up friends for life) works in their hands. This is a movie where a lot of actors would have held back with a little wink at the camera ("I know I look like a doofus, but I'm not really that way, it's just the role I'm playing) in that post-Saturday Night Live attitude that ruins so much comedy. But Ferrell and Heder both commit themselves to their roles so fully that we can allow ourselves to believe their utter ridiculousness.
As an ice-skating fan (who can actually distinguish lutzes from toe loops, etc., without waiting for Scott Hamilton to tell me what I'm seeing), I enjoyed watching the send-up of the sport. The skating effects are clearly fake -- no one jumps that high, spins that fast -- but they're close enough to real for us to suspend our disbelief watching. In any sports movie, it's always a problem to work the actual game into the story. Here, the skating routines all move the story forward, and are all funny. Good job.
Blades of Glory is rated PG-13 for a reason. It was okay for my 12-year-old son (after the regular reminder that there will be bad language in this movie and just because people use it in the movie doesn't mean he gets to use it at home or anywhere else), but really on the edge for my daughter (10). The real problem isn't the language (only a sporadic problem) or the gay subtext. The kid-related issue is that Ferrell's character is a sex addict, who talks about it a lot (though only acts it out onscreen a couple of mildish times -- still a bit much for a 10-year-old).
However, my daughter loved the movie. Loved it. "Mom, it was so funny that I forgot to eat all my candy!" Believe me, praise doesn't come higher than that.
Blades of Glory is not a movie for the ages. Ultimately, it's pretty disposable. But you know, it's also pretty funny. And sometimes an hour or so of laughing is a really good thing.
Monday, April 02, 2007
A MORE-TO-THE-POINT EASTER QUIZ
Okay, let's forget about Easter candy (please!). Here's an Easter quiz that actually knows what Easter is all about!
I have never heard of this particular song, but maybe I should check it out....
What is your Easter song?
Your song is Lamb Of God, by Twila Paris. "I was so lost I should have died but You have brought me to Your side, to be led by Your staff and rod and to be called a Lamb of God.Oh Lamb of God, Sweet lamb of God, I love the Holy Lamb of God. Oh wash me in His precious blood, My Jesus Christ the Lamb of God"To you Easter is a beautiful time of renewal. You are overwhelmed by God's great love for you, and recognize that you need His mercy and grace in your life. You humbly walk by God's side as His love daily washes over you.
Take this quiz!
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Join
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I have never heard of this particular song, but maybe I should check it out....
What is your Easter song?
Your song is Lamb Of God, by Twila Paris. "I was so lost I should have died but You have brought me to Your side, to be led by Your staff and rod and to be called a Lamb of God.Oh Lamb of God, Sweet lamb of God, I love the Holy Lamb of God. Oh wash me in His precious blood, My Jesus Christ the Lamb of God"To you Easter is a beautiful time of renewal. You are overwhelmed by God's great love for you, and recognize that you need His mercy and grace in your life. You humbly walk by God's side as His love daily washes over you.
Take this quiz!
Quizilla |
Join
| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code
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