I have to confess up front that I’m not a “Seinfeld” fan, but I know many, many people who are. And for their sakes, I got up early on the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 15, and headed to Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, where streaming service Hulu is celebrating its exclusive acquisition of the long-running comedy by filling a storefront with exact replicas of Jerry Seinfeld’s New York apartment (a similar exhibit ran for a short time in New York... Read more
In Robert Browning’s 1855 poem, “Love Among the Ruins,” a young man looks upon the site where a great city once stood, now overrun with nature and a pasture for sheep. There, near the last standing stones of this once-mighty edifice, waits his true love. At the end: In one year they sent a million fighters forth South and North, And they built their gods a brazen pillar high As the sky Yet reserved a thousand chariots in full force—... Read more
In the battle of the big events, NBC’s musical “The Wiz Live” last week may have performed better in the key demos — 18-49 and 25-54 — but NBC’s “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors,” a drama based on an incident from the singer’s childhood that inspired a hit song, won big overall. From Variety: NBC’s faith-based original movie “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors” opened to hearty numbers on Thursday, skewing older as expected but beating its broadcast competition... Read more
One of the grace notes in Peter Weir’s masterful 2003 film “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” was its casual, occasional yet accurate insertion of faith into the story of a brash British ship Capt. Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) of the HMS Surprise, hot on the trail of a dreaded privateer during the Napoleonic Wars. There are prayers recited, and it’s obvious that most of the crew is familiar with Bible stories, but oddly, my favorite line... Read more
It was a moment in a little girl’s life that became a country classic. Premiering Thursday, Dec. 10 on NBC, “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors” isn’t a biopic or a musical based on the country singer’s whole life. Instead, it focuses on an incident when Parton was 9 years old, as she and her close-knit family in Tennessee’s Great Smokey Mountains in 1955 struggle to overcome a devastating tragedy. Along the way, a handmade patchwork coat — the TV... Read more
On Dec. 3, news broke that 48-year-old Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland was found dead on his tour bus. No official cause of death has been released, but there was cocaine on the bus, and Weiland had a history of drug addiction. Whatever the ultimate cause of his demise, as far as Weiland’s ex-wife Mary Weiland is concerned, their children — Noah, 15, and Lucy, 13 — had lost their father a long time ago. In a poignant... Read more
It’s easy to accept blessings from God when good things happen in our lives, but in moments of fear, pain and loss, it’s only natural to wonder where God is, whether He loves us, why we are being punished, and how a good and loving Savior would ever allow mishaps and tragedy to befall those who love Him. This question has long troubled believers and challenged belief itself, and it’s one that everyone winds up asking at some point in... Read more
On Dec. 4, The Los Angeles Times ran profiles of the people killed and injured in the apparent terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Among them are Mike Wetzel, a family man who attended the Church of the Woods in Lake Arrowhead (and can be seen here lighting the first Advent candle with his family); Isaac Amanios, the cousin of New York Giants safety Nat Berhe; tattooed former truck driver Shannon Johnson; Larry Daniel Kaufman, a gay... Read more
In October, Twitter launched Moments, a new feature to help users to locate Tweets on breaking news. From the official Twitter blog: How it worksTapping on the new lightning bolt tab on your phone opens a list of Moments that matter now. As new stories emerge throughout the day, we continue to update this list. Looking for more? You can also swipe through to topics including “Entertainment” and “Sports” to find more stories from the past few days. Pope Francis’... Read more
Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” has a beautiful, plaintive melody paired with vaguely Old Testament-ty lyrics that, if not exactly anti-religious, are religiously ambivalent. Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord That David played, and it pleased the Lord But you don’t really care for music, do you? It goes like this The fourth, the fifth The minor fall, the major lift The baffled king composing Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Your faith was strong but you needed proof You saw... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In