Speaking of movies...
Dy and I went to see Miracle last night. Miracle is the story about the U.S.'s hockey team in the 1980 Olympics, which overcame incredible odds to win the gold medal, beating those evil commies from the Soviet Union in the process. It was a fun movie -- inspiring, heartwarming, patriotic (maybe even a bit jingoistic), and nostalgic. (Hey, what do you expect from Disney?) Kurt Russell did a nice job portraying the grizzled coach Herb Brooks, and even had a believable accent. I like the way the makers incorporated original footage from the era -- the 1980 Al Michaels and Ken Dryden coverage of the Winter Games. Most touching was the scene of Brooks driving home from a Christmas Eve party with his players, juxtaposed with the team playing football in the snow in slow-motion, while the voice of Jimmy Carter delivering his "crisis of confidence" speech played on Brooks' car radio. Nevermind that Carter delivered that speech in June of 1979, not Christmas 1979. Ah, Hollywood.
:: Andrew 11:43 + ::
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:: Friday, February 20, 2004 ::
Urban myths and The Passion
Update, 2/23/04: The local radio station addressed this issue by posting an apology on its website and providing a link to the UrbanLegends.about.com website.
So I'm driving home from St. Louis yesterday afternoon, and flipping around the radio dial I find a talk radio program on Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. The caller is recounting to the host of this talk show a dramatic story of a young man who was jumped by five thugs one night. The thugs beat the boy's face into a bloody pulp, and the young man, now permanently disfigured, goes to a church, where the priest takes pity on him and manages to find the best plastic surgeons in the world to restore his face. Long story short: that young man was none other than...Mel Gibson!
To his credit, the talk-show host said, "This sounds like one of those urban legends," and he suggested the listener check out Snopes.com to see what the debunkers there had to say about it.
Then, while my wife and I were having dinner last night, she told me about something she heard on our local Christian radio station. The two morning hosts were discussing the very same thing and telling listeners it was a true story! And the key phrase of the day was "Thank you, Jesus, for Mel Gibson." If anyone heard a DJ speak those words during the day and was the first to call, they would win a CD or something -- maybe Passion tickets, I don't know.
Anyway, the radio versions of these Mel Gibson stories have morphed from an earlier urban myth about Mel Gibson previously debunked by Snopes.com. These are urban legends. The story about a young Mel Gibson is a hoax. I repeat: It is a HOAX! Got it? Don't pass it on!
When will Christians quit being so gullible? Why do so many Christians take forwarded emails as gospel? And then why do radio DJs on CCM stations insist on perpetuating these myths? How can we -- or the Gospel message -- have any credibility among skeptics when we don't even bother to get the facts on these silly email hoaxes?
:: Andrew 11:38 + ::
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:: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 ::
Friday five
Some light blogging from the road...
When was the last time you...
1. ...went to the doctor?
November 2003. I'm supposed to go back, soon.
2. ...went to the dentist?
In September 2003.
3. ...filled your gas tank?
Wednesday night (for my drive to St. Louis Thursday morning).
4. ...got enough sleep?
Monday night/Tuesday morning.
5. ...backed up your computer?
Which one? Oh, it doesn't matter which one. I haven't backed up any of them.
:: Andrew 06:26 + ::
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:: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 ::
Greatest pop/rock albums project
Calling all bloggers who love music. I, along with several other bloggers, are working to compile a list of the greatest pop/rock albums of all time. If you're interested in this project, please email me for more info. (If you've never emailed me before, you'll get a reply message from my anti-spam email service, Mailblocks, but the process of getting through the spam barrier is relatively painless.)
:: Andrew 07:33 + ::
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Top 10 Catholic pickup lines
By way of Spudlets, who picked them up from The Curt Jester.
:: Andrew 11:13 + ::
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How long, how long must we sing this song...
On the drive in to work this morning, I tuned in to the local contemporary Christian station just in time to hear yet another version of "You Are My King," this time by the Newsboys. Let's see: Phillips, Craig and Dean sing it; Rebecca St. James sings it; it's on at least one Passion CD and one Vineyard CD. And now the Newsboys. Have I missed any? Does Michael W. Smith also sing this tune?
Sigh. I used to like "You Are My King," but now that everybody does it, I can barely stand to listen to it.
:: Andrew 08:26 + ::
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:: Monday, February 16, 2004 ::
Mmmmm. Homemade pizza. Mmmmm.
Last night Dyann made homemade, deep-dish pizza for dinner. What a treat it was! Thick crust, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, red peppers, green peppers and onions, all smothered in heaps of mozzarella cheese. Delicious! I swear, my wife makes the best deep-dish pizza west of Chicago. It rivals this.
:: Andrew 07:54 + ::
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"Spiritual bankruptcy" led Mel Gibson to the Scriptures
And ultimately to create The Passion of the Christ. Gibson, who was interviewed by Diane Sawyer for tonight's special airing of "PrimeTime", was at "the height of spiritual bankruptcy" more than a decade ago, abusing alcohol and drugs, when he turned to the Bible, which ultimately inspired him to direct The Passion.
:: Andrew 16:52 + ::
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We interrupt this blog...
To tell you that the blogger has absolutely no blogworthy links, ideas or observations. Maybe later.
:: Andrew 10:12 + ::
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Simon Dawes, 
