‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Impossible Dream’: Eric Mabius on Serving a Soldier’s Story

Last updated on: October 4, 2015 at 1:25 pm By Kate O'Hare

Some cultural elites dismissed writer/producer Martha Williamson’s “Touched by an Angel” as lightweight fluff, because it didn’t feature profanity, gratuitous sex or extreme violence. All that demonstrates is that many self-proclaimed cultural elites are arrested adolescents still rebelling against mommy and daddy. They’re eager to shock and titillate and thrill, but not nearly as interested in telling a solid human story. Shakespeare, Mark Twain and Frank Capra didn’t need sensationalist crutches, and neither does Williamson. In her just-renewed movie series,“Signed, Sealed,... Read more

‘Pan’ Star Hugh Jackman Finds Peace in Faith

Last updated on: October 4, 2015 at 10:34 am By Kate O'Hare

Today, fellow Patheos Catholic blogger Tony Rossi spotlights a new interview with Hugh Jackman, soon to be seen as the pirate Blackbeard in the new movie version of “Pan,” due out Oct. 9. In this week’s issue of “Parade” magazine, actor Hugh Jackman offers a variety of fascinating insights about his life while promoting his latest movie, “Pan.” He discusses his mother leaving his family when he was eight, the Wolverine-type anger that produced inside him, the peace that acting provides, and... Read more

Ravens’ Catholic Kicker Justin Tucker Saves the Day

Last updated on: October 2, 2015 at 8:34 pm By Kate O'Hare

It took watching a repeat airing on NFL Network on Friday morning, but I finally saw the very end of the overtime Thursday game between the Baltimore Ravens (my second-favorite team, after the Seattle Seahawks) and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s how the U.K. Guardian compared the performance of Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to his less-lucky Steelers counterpart: Josh Scobee couldn’t. Twice. Justin Tucker could. Twice. The big-legged Baltimore kicker hit a 42-yard field goal to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final... Read more

‘Empire’ vs. ‘Nashville’: A Fan Weighs In

Last updated on: October 2, 2015 at 7:34 pm By Kate O'Hare

In the battle of the primetime music-based soaps, I’m a noncombatant. So I turned to someone who’s very familiar with both Fox’s “Empire” and ABC’s “Nashville” to see how the sophomore megahit about the hip-hop industry stacks up against the fourth-season melodrama set in the heart of country music. And she knows a bit about storytelling too. From her website: A former development executive with a major Hollywood producer, Sara Anne Fox played a vital role in the conception and development of over... Read more

A JPL Scientist Finds Common Ground With Pope Francis

Last updated on: October 2, 2015 at 7:03 pm By Kate O'Hare

Over at CatholicVote, I have an interview with oceanographer/climatologist Dr. William Patzert at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who has high praise for Pope Francis’ latest encyclical. Here’s a taste: The scientist also felt a connection with Pope Francis. “Isn’t it interesting,” he said, “that I felt he was talking to me. … He definitely has my ear, all right. Some of my colleagues only speak at scientific meetings and gibberish and putting each other to sleep using science talk. I make... Read more

2 Times Kind Women — and Social Media — Made All the Difference for a Child (Video)

Last updated on: September 30, 2015 at 5:41 pm By Kate O'Hare

Mary always teaches us about patience, kindness and love. Like her, all women have the innate ability to nurture things, whether it’s a business, students, friends, relatives, a garden, their own children or even the children of complete strangers. And when a woman finds that in herself, it’s truly beautiful. From a TV station near my hometown comes a lovely story about a nurse who forever changed the life of a suffering child: And what happened next … And then, here’s... Read more

Michael Gerson on the NFL, Pope Francis, Taylor Swift and the Evangelical Dilemma

Last updated on: September 29, 2015 at 4:20 pm By Kate O'Hare

As Catholics deal with all the issues we have in the Church, we don’t have a lot of time to think about what’s going on inside all those other religious communities, especially Evangelical ones. In this entertaining 9ish-minute video, former George W. Bush speechwriter and political columnist Michael Gerson previews Pope Francis’ recent visit to America, and then begins to ask what the message of the Bishop of Rome means for all Christians, especially his fellow Evangelicals. It’s not encouraging.... Read more

‘My Brother’s Bomber’: A ‘Frontline’ Filmmaker Pursues a Personal Quest for Lockerbie Justice

Last updated on: September 28, 2015 at 2:29 pm By Kate O'Hare

Finding the truth won’t bring a loved one back, but sometimes, it’s the last gift you can give to those you’ve lost. Terrorism is murder, plain and simple. It’s the willful killing of other human beings to make some sort of a point or to frighten peoples or nations. All of it is horrific, but at its worse, it’s the slaughter of the innocent, who either have no culpability in the terrorists’ complaints, or have a culpability that only exists within twisted... Read more

Dean Cain, TV’s ‘Superman,’ Joins ‘Gosnell’ Abortion-Horror Movie

Last updated on: September 25, 2015 at 12:21 pm By Kate O'Hare

“Superman is going to take down America’s biggest serial killer.” Actually, this headline in a press release that landed in my email today is referring to Dean Cain, the star of the 1990s ABC series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” (he also appears in the pilot for CBS’ “Supergirl,” premiering Oct. 26). Here’s the rest of it: Superman Dean Cain has joined the Gosnell movie to play the detective who uncovered the doctor’s ‘House of Horrors’ clinic. The filmmakers have also announced... Read more

James Bond and Pope Francis at the U.N.

Last updated on: September 25, 2015 at 10:54 am By Kate O'Hare

Well, look who showed up to hear Pope Francis’ talk today at the United Nations in New York City (click here for the full text of his address), none other than James Bond himself, actor Daniel Craig … At least we know the pontiff was safe, since 007 was on the job. Image: James Bond at Madame Tussauds waxworks (Wikimedia Commons); screenshot by Kate O’Hare Don’t miss a thing: head over to my other home at CatholicVote and like my Facebook page. Read more

In Revelation, what color is the horse ridden by Death?