Idol Chatter

I was in the theater last Friday morning, the day of the release of 'New Moon,' with the rest of the screaming, teenage Twilight fans. Though, a good number of us were in the "I'm thirty-something and I love Twilight and I don't care what anyone else says or thinks" bracket, too; or as Washington Post writer, Monica Hesse suggests in her article, "Twilight,' the love that dare not speak its shame," a category of "Good, smart, literary women [who] tried to resist the romantic-vampire phenomenon. And then, alas, they bit."

Anyway, the biggest shocker of all for me as to why I enjoyed the movie so much: Jacob Black. I loved, loved, loved how the film portrayed Jacob Black, his transformation from sweet teenage boy to powerful, vicious werewolf, and most of all, watching the evolution of his relationship with Bella. Taylor Lautner as Jacob was likable, funny, romantic--and broody, too, but not on the level of the film's version of Edward. As a long time member of Team Edward, I was not prepared for how much I was going to like Jacob--in fact, I thought I wouldn't like 'New Moon' as a film very much because it's really Jacob's story more than anything else. But as I watched Bella grow close to Jacob and eventually enter into a series of moments where they come close enough to kiss, I found myself thinking, "Kiss him! Kiss him! He's way less broody than Edward!" It almost feels blasphemous to admit this.

   

You may remember a few weeks ago Rabbi Shmuley Boteach had a public (but not free...) talk with reality TV star Jon Gosselin about whether fame was a blessing or a curse. During that talk Jon publically apologizes to Kate, and expressed his desire to apologize to her in private as well.

Beliefnet has the exclusive video of the event. In the clip above, Jon talks about how he wasn't feeling loved and felt Kate wasn't letting him be the "spiritual leader" of the home.

View more video clips from the Rabbi Shmuley interview with Jon Gosselin here on Beliefnet.

"New Moon" the latest offering in the "Twilight" series, based on the books of the same name by Stephanie Meyer, is a critic-proof movie. Just ask the estrogen-filled throngs flooding the 14 midnight showings at my local theater, voraciously consuming the development of the vampire-human-werewolf love triangle of Edward, Bella, and Jacob. An informal straw poll of the XX-ers sitting around me revealed that, on whole, they found the movie to be superior to the first and truer to the book. An informal straw poll of those few XYs sprinkled throughout the auditorium revealed a discomfort with the amount of drool being expelled over the leading men.

"New Moon" is a completely different animal than director Catherine Hardwicke's moody, bleached-out "Twilight." Sure, Edward (Robert Pattinson) is still angsty and the whole piece is driven by Bella's (Kristen Stewart) depression over his leaving, but director Chris Weitz has infused the film with some "Golden Compass" magic, upping the special effects budget and creating a hybrid of teen drama and fantasy that mostly works. (The Volturi scenes are great fun.) Of course the special effect that received the most attention in Theater 7 was the 30 pounds of muscle that Taylor Lautner packed on to play the post-werewolf-pubescent Jacob. You may know how the books end, but you'll be Team Jacob by the end of this flick.

But this isn't a CGI-fueled film, it's all about the sexual tension between Bella and Jacob. Oh sure, Edward's still in the story, more so than in the book, but this is really Jacob's set piece. Still growing as an actor, Lautner's performance has some weak points-what my friend calls Keanu Reeves moments: cute but wooden (I think this goes for Pattinson at times, too)-but he's perfect as the best friend with the puppy dog crush: balancing the the pain of unrequited love with the desire to remain a loyal friend. Just as importantly, he brings out the best in Stewart. Gone, for the most part, are the distracting rapidly fluttering eyelashes and stuttering, replaced by an engaging, believable intimacy.

I have already stated here at Idol Chatter that I am not flash in the pan Susan Boyle fan. I am not surprised by the recent news that her debut CD has set a new global sales record for pre-orders over at Amazon. I know I certainly pre-ordered my copy weeks ago when I first discovered she was going to be covering many classic hymns such as "How Great Thou Art." But I am even more excited about the spotlight begin on Boyle again for another reason. She is bringing awareness to those with learning disabilities.

CNN and other outlets are reporting today that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will be ending after 25 seasons.

The last show will be coming up soon: on September 9, 2011.

Okay, so it's not so soon! Mrs. Winfrey has followed the path of evening talk show host Jay Leno, the host of "The Tonight Show" from 1992-2009. To remove speculation about the potential of him moving to another network, or about what would happen with Conan O'Brien, the succession plan was announced well in advance of his May, 2009 departure from the show. Mrs. Winfrey's announcement comes almost two years before her show will actually end.

I have several questions and reactions to the news:

Wow! Sometimes it takes the end of something to appreciate how amazing it's been. According to the Oprah.com website, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has been the highest-rated talk show for 23 consecutive seasons, being seen by 42 million viewers a week in the United States and 145 other countries. It has spun off "Oprah's Book Club," "O" Magazine, Oprah.com, "Oprah's Angel Network," Harpo Films and a host of other associations.

More Than a Show. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is more than a show. It's an institution. It's a movement. It's a congregation. It's a marketing animal. It's the home base of a much larger media empire. While most talk shows ("Larry King Live," "The Today Show," "Good Morning America," "Late Night With David Letterman, etc.) attract media leaders who are releasing a book, movie, campaign or public relations message, Oprah's endorsement has turned unknown people into household names, including Eckhart Tolle and Marianne Williamson. She has helped turn unknown gadgets into everyday must-haves . She once urged her audience to read Leo Tolstoy's"Anna Karenina," and the ancient Russian classic shot to the top of the Best-Seller list.

A big welcome to one of Beliefnet's newest blogs, Stuff Christian Culture Likes, written by the hilarious and wonderful Stephanie Drury. From her bio: "I sort of consider myself an expert on Christian culture as I am a preacher's kid...

FNL's latest focuses on Julie Taylor's thoughts on church.

Entertainment Weekly and the usually astute, if crabby, Get Religion blog did their best to raise a kerfuffle last week about news that Dimension Films is hoping to market "The Road," the new apocalyptic movie thriller, to conservative Christians. Dimension...

You might not recognize the name Jessica Harp, but you might recognize the name "The Wreckers," the country-rock duo Jessica Harp formed with Michelle Branch between 2005-2007. Earlier this summer, I saw Jessica Harp perform to a crowded, small...

The countdown to the release of 'New Moon,' the second movie in the Twilight Saga, is long underway. In less than forty-eight hours all will be revealed! OK. Maybe I'm being a bit melodramatic. Regardless, I'm excited to see what's...