EMILY MONDAY 652 A Prison gets to be a friend — Between its Ponderous face And Ours — a Kinsmanship express — And in its narrow Eyes — We come to look with gratitude For the appointed Beam It deal us — stated as our food — And hungered for — the same — We learn to know the Planks — That answer to Our feet — So miserable a sound — at first — Nor ever now — so... Read more

THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR JUST LEADS TO THE GUTTER Thanks to friend Frederica Matthews Greene for this great review of the new film Door in the Floor . Based on another novel of John Irving, this film seems calculated to have us all sitting around drinking nostalgically to the insulting propaganda of Cider House Rules. Door has, of course, been getting a lot of buzz here in town for being “important” – which ALWAYS means “morally repugnant” these days.... Read more

OVERLY AMBITIOUS? We are in the last 8 days of Act One-Hollywood. I will be flying back to CT for a week with my family on August 1. So, that means in the next week, I have to meet with thirty students, teach a couple of classes, read a few dozen evaluations and writing assignments, write and deliver a short speech for the program Closing Banquet, and reconnect with the myriad (lovely and wonderful) alumni who will be descendnig on... Read more

SIGMUND VS. CLIVE My friends from Walden sent the following release about their upcoming PBS doc. Walden Media, WGBH Present Lewis/Freud Series “The Question Of God” Special Program To Air On September 15 & 22nd On PBS The Question of God, a four-hour series on PBS, explores in accessible and dramatic style issues that preoccupy all thinking people today: What is happiness? How do we find meaning and purpose in our lives? How do we reconcile conflicting claims of love... Read more

EMILY MONDAY 1380 How much the present moment means To those who’ve nothing more — The Fop — the Carp — the Atheist — Stake an entire store Upon a Moment’s shallow Rim While their commuted Feet The Torrents of Eternity Do all but inundate — Read more

I, TIE-IN “FIRST LAW: “THE STORY MUST NEVER SERVE STUFF OVER THE AUDIENCE.” The new Will Smith vehicle, I, Robot is not so much a piece of cinema as it a stylish piece of commercial advertising. Although shameless product placement has become a staple of big-budget movies, it becomes peculiarly awkward when you are trying to hawk 2004 goods in a futuristic, sci-fi arena. The only way they could manage it here, was to make Will Smith’s character anti-technology, and... Read more

RED (V.O.) I have no idea to this day what them two Italian ladies were singin’ about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I like to think they were singin’ about something so beautiful it can’t be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared. Higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped... Read more

BLIMEY! Here is a new web-site for Christians in the arts and media coming from some great folks in London. They have a group that has a ministry with a vision very similar to what Act One is busy about here in Hollywood, basically to create community for Christian artists. The principle visionary, Steve Cole, and I had an interesting discussion about exactly what are the parameters of Christian community. Act One’s vision is to create community animated by the... Read more

HOLY UNDERDOG! CBS’ MAID MARCHES ON! More kudos to Barbara Hall and her crew at Joan of Arcadia for securing an Emmy Award nom for Best Dramatic Series! In light of the fact that this was the freshman season for the series, this is already an extraordinary achievement. But when you throw in that this is a show in which God is rendered Good, and there are ongoingly positive portrayals of priests and authentic spirituality, this is a miraculous achievement.... Read more

ART AND THE FORMATION OF PRIESTS I just got back from a quick trip to Chicago for a presentation to an assembly of people who work in the formation of seminarians. Here are notes of the talk I gave. The notes are sometimes succinct, sometimes verbose – it’s all I have. I can’t imagine ever being asked to give this talk again, so I am putting the notes here for posterity… THE ARTISTHOOD OF THE PRIEST I. Intro – a)... Read more