The Catholic church is in crisis …. Pope Resignation Linked To Gay Blackmail Scandal Via Gawker reports: A new report outlining a network of gay Vatican officials might have been behind the Pope’s resignation earlier this month, a claim the Vatican neither confirms or denies. Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports that gay Vatican prelates were being blackmailed by people with knowledge of their network, which met and had sexual encounters in “a villa outside the Italian capital, a sauna in a Rome suburb, a beauty parlour in the centre, and a former university residence that was in use by a provincial Italian archbishop.” The network was supposedly detailed in a 300-page report to the Pope put together by three cardinals who were looking into the “Vatileaks” affair, a series of Papal dispatches which were stolen and leaked by Pope Benedict’s butler last May. The report was given to the Pope on the same day he reportedly decided to resign. The cardinals found that “various lobbies within the Holy See were consistently breaking” the sixth and seventh commandments (no adultery, no stealing), and were influencing the Vatican. Pope Benedict alluded to the affair in his Ash Wednesday homily, when he railed against vague internal “divisions.” Let’s pray the successor has not only more intellectual competence but will also have greater moral fiber. The scandal of avoiding defrocking pedos and their enablers undermined the ethical character of the Roman Catholic denomination.
After all the tiptoeing and carefully constructed speechifying that has accompanied the Oscar race so far, it’s fun to see Jennifer Lawrence, Naomi Watts , Christoph Waltz , Anne Hathaway and Amy Adams engaging in the comedy equivalent of a WWE wrestling match with Zach Galifianakis on a special “Oscar edition” of his Funny or Die talk show, Between Two Ferns . Galifianakis does a pretty wonderful job here of using absurdity to send up the many absurd and inane elements of awards season. Hearing him describe the episode as “A special Oscar insight to Oscar nominees and all of their Oscar buzzness around them” made me laugh and wince at the same time. And if there is a part two to this, I hope that Joaquin (The Oscars are “bullshit”) Phoenix is one of the guests. What a conversation they could have — even if it’s brief. In the meantime, pay attention to the details: Lawrence’s surly “you shouldn’t eat any more pudding” remark to her host is a thing of beauty, as is Waltz’s comment to the woman who comes to collect him after Galifianakis plays him off with a Staples “Easy” button. Hathaway’s flirty drunk act is also entertaining, as is the onscreen text that identifies her as “Anne Halfway,” the star of a “French movie.” And Adams’ line about farting on her tits is almost as good as her hand-job scene in The Master. [ Funny or Die ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
After all the tiptoeing and carefully constructed speechifying that has accompanied the Oscar race so far, it’s fun to see Jennifer Lawrence, Naomi Watts , Christoph Waltz , Anne Hathaway and Amy Adams engaging in the comedy equivalent of a WWE wrestling match with Zach Galifianakis on a special “Oscar edition” of his Funny or Die talk show, Between Two Ferns . Galifianakis does a pretty wonderful job here of using absurdity to send up the many absurd and inane elements of awards season. Hearing him describe the episode as “A special Oscar insight to Oscar nominees and all of their Oscar buzzness around them” made me laugh and wince at the same time. And if there is a part two to this, I hope that Joaquin (The Oscars are “bullshit”) Phoenix is one of the guests. What a conversation they could have — even if it’s brief. In the meantime, pay attention to the details: Lawrence’s surly “you shouldn’t eat any more pudding” remark to her host is a thing of beauty, as is Waltz’s comment to the woman who comes to collect him after Galifianakis plays him off with a Staples “Easy” button. Hathaway’s flirty drunk act is also entertaining, as is the onscreen text that identifies her as “Anne Halfway,” the star of a “French movie.” And Adams’ line about farting on her tits is almost as good as her hand-job scene in The Master. [ Funny or Die ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
When I learned of the news that Pope Benedict XVI was going to become the first pope in six centuries to resign from office, I immediately thought, I wonder what Alex Gibney makes of this? His documentary, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God details the integral role that Benedict, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, played in investigating the sex-abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church, and, given the ample space that the New York Times devoted to that subject in its report on the resignation, I was left with impression that, behind the scenes, the continuing controversy may have played a part in the Pope’s decision to step down. “I can’t help but think that the sex abuse crisis must have been on his mind,” Gibney emailed back when I asked for his take on the news. “There was no going forward on that issue while he was in office.” The filmmaker added: “I give him credit for resigning. That brought a bit of modernity to the Papacy.” In announcing that he would resign on Feb. 28, the Pope, who’s 85, indicated that “I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise” of his responsibilities as the head of the Catholic Church. Dealing — or not dealing, as Benedict’s critics have claimed — with the sex-abuse scandals must have been a taxing part of that job. And though the Times did not draw any direct correlation between the controversy and Benedict’s decision to step down, the paper of record did note that, in 2010, outraged critics of the church’s handling of these clerical abuses had called on Benedict to resign. Here’s how the Times carefully put it: In 2010, as outrage built over clerical abuses, some secular and liberal Catholic voices called for his resignation, their demands fueled by reports that laid part of the blame at his doorstep, citing his response both as a bishop long ago in Germany and as a cardinal heading the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles such cases. In one disclosure, news emerged that in 1985, when Benedict was Cardinal Ratzinger, he signed a letter putting off efforts to defrock a convicted child-molesting priest. He cited the priest’s relative youth but also the good of the church. Vatican officials and experts who follow the papacy dismissed the idea of his stepping down at the time. “There is no objective motive to think in terms of resignation, absolutely no motive,” said Father Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. “It’s a completely unfounded idea.” For his supporters, it was a painful paradox that the long-gathering abuse scandal finally hit the Vatican with a vengeance under Benedict. As the leader of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he had been ahead of many of his peers in recognizing how deeply the church had been damaged by revelations that priests around the world had sexually abused youths for decades. As early as 2005, he obliquely referred to priestly abuse as a “filth in the church.” He went on to apologize for the abuse and met with victims, a first for the papacy. But he could not escape the reality that the church had shielded priests accused of molesting, minimized behavior it would have otherwise deemed immoral and hid the misdeeds from the civil authorities, forestalling criminal prosecution. Benedict’s resignation could have some interesting ramifications when it comes to the cloud of scandal that still hangs over the church. If he’s no longer protected by the Vatican, he could find himself quite popular with lawyers who are suing the Catholic Church on behalf of alleged victims of sex abuse. On a more positive note, Benedict’s departure could pave the way for his successor to finally address and make reparations for the many sins of the Catholic Church’s clerics. To paraphrase Gibney, that would bring even more modernity to the Papacy. [ The New York Times ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
When I learned of the news that Pope Benedict XVI was going to become the first pope in six centuries to resign from office, I immediately thought, I wonder what Alex Gibney makes of this? His documentary, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God details the integral role that Benedict, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, played in investigating the sex-abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church, and, given the ample space that the New York Times devoted to that subject in its report on the resignation, I was left with impression that, behind the scenes, the continuing controversy may have played a part in the Pope’s decision to step down. “I can’t help but think that the sex abuse crisis must have been on his mind,” Gibney emailed back when I asked for his take on the news. “There was no going forward on that issue while he was in office.” The filmmaker added: “I give him credit for resigning. That brought a bit of modernity to the Papacy.” In announcing that he would resign on Feb. 28, the Pope, who’s 85, indicated that “I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise” of his responsibilities as the head of the Catholic Church. Dealing — or not dealing, as Benedict’s critics have claimed — with the sex-abuse scandals must have been a taxing part of that job. And though the Times did not draw any direct correlation between the controversy and Benedict’s decision to step down, the paper of record did note that, in 2010, outraged critics of the church’s handling of these clerical abuses had called on Benedict to resign. Here’s how the Times carefully put it: In 2010, as outrage built over clerical abuses, some secular and liberal Catholic voices called for his resignation, their demands fueled by reports that laid part of the blame at his doorstep, citing his response both as a bishop long ago in Germany and as a cardinal heading the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles such cases. In one disclosure, news emerged that in 1985, when Benedict was Cardinal Ratzinger, he signed a letter putting off efforts to defrock a convicted child-molesting priest. He cited the priest’s relative youth but also the good of the church. Vatican officials and experts who follow the papacy dismissed the idea of his stepping down at the time. “There is no objective motive to think in terms of resignation, absolutely no motive,” said Father Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. “It’s a completely unfounded idea.” For his supporters, it was a painful paradox that the long-gathering abuse scandal finally hit the Vatican with a vengeance under Benedict. As the leader of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he had been ahead of many of his peers in recognizing how deeply the church had been damaged by revelations that priests around the world had sexually abused youths for decades. As early as 2005, he obliquely referred to priestly abuse as a “filth in the church.” He went on to apologize for the abuse and met with victims, a first for the papacy. But he could not escape the reality that the church had shielded priests accused of molesting, minimized behavior it would have otherwise deemed immoral and hid the misdeeds from the civil authorities, forestalling criminal prosecution. Benedict’s resignation could have some interesting ramifications when it comes to the cloud of scandal that still hangs over the church. If he’s no longer protected by the Vatican, he could find himself quite popular with lawyers who are suing the Catholic Church on behalf of alleged victims of sex abuse. On a more positive note, Benedict’s departure could pave the way for his successor to finally address and make reparations for the many sins of the Catholic Church’s clerics. To paraphrase Gibney, that would bring even more modernity to the Papacy. [ The New York Times ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The Hobbit caught some negative reaction when 10 minutes of unfinished footage played at the CinemaCon convention earlier this year in Las Vegas. But Sir Ian McKellen , who stars in The Lord of the Rings prequel, has defended the anticipated film directed by Peter Jackson , after early criticism from fans flared over how it looks in 3-D. Some viewers complained that the footage appeared “un-cinematic” and that it had “made-for-TV” quality. But McKellan, who plays the wizard Gandalf in the forthcoming film, said he believes audiences will be impressed by the feature’s aesthetics. “I’ve seen enough of it to know it’s going to be just as exciting as Lord of the Rings ,” he said via BBC . “In fact in some senses it’s more exciting because it’s in three dimensions.” McKellan said the sensation audiences will experience will bring them closer to Middle Earth, drawing fans into the story as never before. “It’s not the sort of crude 3-D that comes out of the screen. Rather it brings you into Middle Earth. You see round the corners. You see everything,” said McKellen. For his part, Jackson said he didn’t it surprising by the reaction the footage received. He shot The Hobbit at a rate of 48 frames per second which compares to the industry standard of 24 frames. “It’s not absolutely complete yet but Peter Jackson’s very pleased with it,” added McKellan. Along with McKellan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Evangeline Lilly star, while Orlando Bloom returns as Legolas and Elijah Wood takes on Frodo again. The three films are a prequel to The Lord of the Rings series. The first installment, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will open Stateside December 14th. Part two, The Desolation of Smaug will open in 2013, while There and Back Again heads out in 2014. [ Source: BBC ]
The Vatican has apparently caught wind of Skyfall mania and it even gave its opinion through its official l’Osservatore Romano newspaper. The 23rd James Bond pic even nabbed a rare review, calling it one of the best in its 5 decades. l’Osservatore Romano ‘s Skyfall green light is a sea-change for the publication which only has a print circulation of 15,000. Its influence is far higher, however, when its editorial which reflects Vatican policy, is splashed in papers and websites around the world. For Skyfall l’Osservatore Romano published five articles, according to Reuters . The paper noted in its main article “007 License to Cry” that the latest installment presents the British super-operative in a less cliché manner, and “more human, capable of being moved and of crying: in a word, more real.” In another article, the paper compares the lineage of Bond actors from Sean Connery to the current Daniel Craig. Craig told the paper he feels “very different” from his predecessors, but noted that Connery is a “point of reference.” The Catholic Church famously condemned Federico Fellini’s classic La Dolce Vita when it debuted in 1960 through l’Osservatore Romano, which viewed a scene from the film as a parody of Christ’s second coming. It was subject to widespread censorship including a full ban in Spain until after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. The first Bond film, From Russia with Love came out in 1963. [ Source: Reuters ]
El Diablo! A Colombian couple claims they’re living in fear that they may have given birth to an Epitome of a Bad Seed . According to UK Daily Mail reports : Black magic and evil spirits have captured the soul of a new-born baby in Colombia who can apparently already walk by himself and produce fire, his own mother has claimed. Ana Feria Santos gave birth to her son last month but says her joy quickly turned to fear when she noticed that he had ‘several abnormalities’ – leading to fears in her community that he is the ‘devil in disguise’. She says the boy can already stand up and walk – quite a feat for a child of just four weeks. Much like the 1976 horror film The Omen , the mother-of-five says he frequently hides around the house, cackles in an ‘adult’ way for hours on end and has an ‘intimidating’ pair of eyes. She told the RCN Radio station: ‘He walks like an adult, sometimes going off and hiding underneath the bed, in a suitcase, in the washing machine or in the fridge.’ Her neighbors in the town of Lorica, near the Caribbean coast, also say he is possessed by a ‘malign spirit’ and that he is capable of producing fire. This, they say, is because burn marks have been found on his clothes and a sofa where he regularly sits. It has led to vigilante attacks on Santos and her taxi-driver husband Óscar Palencia López’s house, which is allegedly being pelted with stones on a nightly-basis by frightened residents. But the 28-year-old’s story has not been believed by doctors, who have now launched an investigation into the possibility that the new-born could have been abused. The Colombian Family Welfare Institute, the National Police and the Catholic Church have also all refused to assert the claims that black magic is involved. A team of psychologists, a social worker, a nutritionist and a lawyer will now look into the case, with a source saying: ‘The child shows signs of abuse. ‘Two small burns were found on the palm of the left hand and for that reason a restoration measure was adopted to [safeguard] the family environment. ‘The parents received a warning while the facts are being clarified.’ What would Sweet Brown Say about this? Do you think the baby is really doing all this? Seems kinda weird for the neighbors to be throwing stones and stuff if something really isn’t going on with the kid right? Shoot, maybe he’s a mutant. They might need to call Professor Xavier in on this one. Shutterstock
Everyone is familiar with that special breed of screen performer whose names are associated with not only longevity, but also ubiquity. Gene Hackman reigned among this class for much of the last few decades, his title soon overtaken by Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicolas Cage and others who’ve shown a willingness to earn paychecks in everything from Oscar bait to glorified grindhouse fare. Yet another thespian exceeds them all in output, not only with an impressive slate of completed work but also a calendar-busting array of upcoming projects. Just who is the most in-demand player in Hollywood? It might come as a surprise, but by all appearances Danny Trejo holds that title. The character actor has achieved something close to omnipresence in recent years; so saturated are movies with Trejo’s image that you can almost overlook his appearance while watching one of his many films. Much of this has to do with the fact that, despite the former boxer and ex-con’s dependable ruffian visage, he has assembled an impressively varied resume relying on both gritty roles in direct-to-rental genre pulp and such diverse mainstream titles as The Muppets , A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas , and Spy Kids 4D — to say nothing of his frequent television work. And with news this week of Trejo and director Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills shooting next month, the actor’s profile will only broaden from here. Using the comprehensive (if admittedly unreliable) IMDB Pro as a launching pad, I went about separating the real Trejo wheat from the development chaff for one of the most robust slates anyone has achieved in a generation: COMPLETED Sushi Girl (the role of Schlomo): A man is released from jail after six years and has a celebratory sushi dinner with the rest of crew, eating sushi off of a naked girl who is supposed to be oblivious as they try to reclaim their loot. Haunted High (The Janitor): A New England private academy finds itself with a demonic headmaster, while the janitor is also the enforcement guardian of the school. (SyFy original movie) Counterpunch (Manny Navarro): A bipolar boxer from Miami tries to win the Golden Gloves championship, with the help of his counselor. Amelia’s 25th (Don Javier): A young actress has a midlife crisis the day she turns twenty five in Los Angeles. IN THE CAN/POST-PRODUCTION Bro’ (Gilbert): A college student gets involved in the wild partying lifestyle of a professional motocross racer. Skinny Dip (El Tigre): A grindhouse offering about a young woman (played by Sasha Grey) who, following the death of her boyfriend, dresses as a cop and takes on the role of a vigilante. The Cloth (Father Connely): Centering on a secret order of the Catholic Church formed to deal with a rise in demonic possessions. Pendejo (Pedro): A rich playboy is forced by his father into the lowest position of a company he technically owns. Alcatraz Prison Escape: Deathbed Confession (Narrator): The true story of what happened to the only escapees from Alcatraz prison. Strike One (Manny Garcia): A young boy in a gang-infested neighborhood has a former-gang-member uncle as a role model. The Insomniac (Jairo Torres): Following a break-in at his home a man develops insomnia and comes to learn the people he knows cannot be trusted. Death Race: Inferno (Goldberg): Trejo reprises his role from the first sequel of the remake. And that’s not all: Add to this glut an array of other “announced” projects in various stages of development, and Trejo may ultimately be involved with nearly two dozen titles over the next 12 months. Among those titles with the actor attached — but which remain unconfirmed and/or unproduced as of this writing — include Five Thirteen , Dead in Tombstone , Left Turn , Human Factor , Badass , Vengeance , Tarantula and Raggedy Anne . And of course there’s Machete Kills , shooting in April. At that rate Trejo could turn down half his roles and Burbank would experience a barista shortage from the bulk of actors who finally are able to find work. Brad Slager has written about movies and entertainment for Film Threat, Mediaite, and is a columnist at CHUD.com . His less insightful impressions on entertainment can be found on Twitter .
Socialist Rep. Jan Schakowsky wants you to believe that the Obama Administration’s attack on the Catholic Church is really about women’s health. Of course, Schakowsky believes that free abortion drugs and contraceptives are a natural human right. Schakow The United … Continue reading → Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Gateway Pundit Discovery Date : 14/02/2012 01:48 Number of articles : 2
