LAST SONG? What does it say about me – besides that I’m jet-lagged – that the first song I thought of when I asked myself this question was Downtown by Petula Clark? Bob Dylan Interview in Rolling Stone: Q: ‘What’s The Last Song You’d Like To Hear Before You Die?’ A: ‘How ‘Bout ‘Rock Of Ages?’ Lyrics: Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which... Read more

FROM THE “YOUR MONEY IS NO GOOD HERE” FILES Someone forwarded me this from some source called Studio Briefing. Actually, I really hope this is just one more urban legend spam thing. But I’m going to take a chance and reprint it here. Clearly, for Viacom and NBC, just being Christian makes you inappropriate for the public airwaves. Church Ad Rejected by Networks Viacom’s CBS and UPN networks have rejected a paid public service announcement by the United Church of... Read more

BLOGGIAMO A MILANO Coming to you all live from the Catholic University of Milan. I am here for a few days, as part of an international program in screenwriting that the university offers annually. My sister and I are having fun – even if La Scala, the Duomo and even our hotel are all being renovated… Judging from my email, Catholic Exchange just posted another of my columns. I can’t get the embeded link to work on this Italian keyboard,... Read more

MOVIN’ ON UP [ahem] I will be the official guest-blogger over at BeliefNet today. A group of us are all filling in for Charlotte Hays while she’s on a break, so I will be posting what I would normally post here, there. Go see. Just so’s you all know, I got places to go… Read more

ISOLATION AND COMMUNITY IN THE ARTIST’S LIFE [These are the notes from my talk at the Notre Dame “Epiphanies of Beauty Conference.” I gave the talk today and people seemed to like it. Sorry if it’s hard to follow in it’s spottiness – just imagine me doing the Sicilian hand-waving and filling in all the holes.] I. Intro….Thanks for invitng me to be part of this wonderful event. I am not a theologian or a philosopher. I have recently had... Read more

SEE BARB IN OHIO! I am giving a talk Monday night at Franciscan University of Steubenville that will be open to the public. Do come and bring hoards of culturally astute philanthropists. Info follows… “SIGNS FOR HOPE FROM HOLLYWOOD” a presentation featuring Barbara R. Nicolosi, Executive Director, Act One, Inc. Monday, November 22, 8pm The International Room JC Williams Center Franciscan University of Steubenville For more information: 740-283-6450 Read more

PERMIT ME TO REPEAT MYSELF I finally got myself organized with the folks over at Catholic Exchange such that they will now be posting all my columns from the National Catholic Register. This will provide an on-line archive for me (and reveal in no uncertain terms that I really only have about four and a half original thoughts, but I keep recombining them in endless schticks…). I sent them all the articles from the last year, and they will be... Read more

EPIPHANIES OF BEAUTY: ART IN A POST-CHRISTIAN CULTURE That’s what they’re calling an amazing conference going on at Notre Dame this Thursday-Sunday. I love the title of it above, because I find it refreshing to see the phrase “post-Christian culture” asserted directly. I’ve been going around saying that we’re in a post-Christian culture for ten years now, but invariably, religious folks demur. Not sure what happened to put the folks at ND over the edge, but they’re welcome to join... Read more

EMILY MONDAY #405 It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness — I’m so accustomed to my Fate — Perhaps the Other — Peace — Would interrupt the Dark — And crowd the little Room — Too scant — by Cubits — to contain The Sacrament — of Him — I am not used to Hope — It might intrude upon — Its sweet parade — blaspheme the place — Ordained to Suffering — It might be easier To fail —... Read more

TOWARDS CLEARING UP MY CORRESPONDENCE I probably get five inquiries a week that are a version of one of the following questions. (Note that each question comes with an implicit unspoken question. I’ll write those in italics.) – “I have a REALLY great idea for a movie. Can I tell it to you?” “And can you find someone to buy it from me?” – “My daughter/son/nephew/neighbor wants to be an actor/writer/director/composer, can you give him/her some advice about starting out?”... Read more