Jill Stanek - Pop Culture archives

March 11, 2008
Horton hears a pro-life protest

horton%20better.jpg Hollywood A-listers and families attending the March 8 premiere of the animated Horton Hears a Who in Los Angeles got a bonus feature: pro-life protesters who after the film ended began chanting the story's famous line, "A person is a person, no matter how small."

Celebrities included 2 of the film's stars, Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, along with Jenny McCarthy, Brooke Shields, and Victoria Beckham, all with kids in tow. All 12 American Idol contestants also saw the pro-life performance.

After chanting the pro-lifers placed red duct tapes over their mouths with "LIFE" printed on them and marched around the theater....

I'm a "no justice, no peace" kind of girl, so I endorse this sort of protest, sorry as I am that kids who beforehand were unaware of the epic moral battle of our time learned a sad thing or 2 Saturday afternoon.

Media and blog coverage, although disparaging, drew attention to Seuss's beautiful pro-life statement, intended or not. Otherwise anti-lifers would have ignored the dots and the mushy middle remained oblivious. Now to a even a small extent, they cannot.

Which brings me to the pro-life dilemma with Horton Hears a Who.

Seuss's widow, Audrey Geisel, is a pro-abort who supports Planned Parenthood, which I've previously documented. It is purported Seuss was a pro-abort as well.

So do pro-lifers give business to a pro-life themed movie, the proceeds of which will go in part to support pro-abort causes?

posted at 9:26 AM | Comments (94) | TrackBack (0)

March 4, 2008
Train up a child?

Here's a wild story, from the Associated Press, February 28:

A newborn girl fell through the toilet in a moving train and onto the tracks moments after her mother gave birth prematurely, surviving nearly two hours before being found....
The infant's mother, who uses the single name Bhuri, was traveling with relatives... when she went to the bathroom... and unexpectedly gave birth, said Arjun Kumar, her brother-in-law.

"Later, she fell unconscious and the baby fell through the toilet," he said. "Two stations later, we knocked at the door."

Bhuri opened the door, soaked in blood....

"When we asked her about what happened, she said the baby had fallen through onto the tracks," Kumar said.
Toilets on Indian trains usually have holes that open directly onto the tracks....

[R]elatives pulled the train's emergency brake and notified railway officials. A search was quickly organized, and guards at one of the stations the train had passed soon found the baby.

"She was on the rail track for almost 1-1/2 to two hours," said Dr. Gautam Jain, a pediatrician at Rajasthan Hospital... where the baby and mother were taken.

The infant, who has not yet been named, was eight to 10 weeks premature and weighed only about 3# 4oz, Jain said. She had a low heart rate and body temperature.

"We do not expect such children to survive," Jain said, adding that her survival was "God's mercy."

I can't believe the baby lived either. So many reasons she should not have. Yes, God's mercy.

[HT: reader JM; photo of Bhuri and baby courtesy of the AP]

posted at 7:31 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0)

March 3, 2008
Notre Dame to honor pro-life actor Martin Sheen

From the Associated Press, March 2:

Activist-actor Martin Sheen will be honored by the University of Notre Dame with its Laetare Medal for his humanitarian work, the school announced Sunday.

Sheen, who played a U.S. president who was a Notre Dame graduate in the TV series "West Wing," is to receive the medal at the school's May 18 commencement.

Since 1883, the Laetare Medal has been awarded annually to a Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity."...

"He has used that celebrity to draw the attention of his fellow citizens to issues that cry out for redress, such as the plight of immigrant workers and homeless people, the waging of unjust war, the killing of the unborn and capital punishment," [university president Rev. John] Jenkins said....

Sheen, 67, describes himself as a Catholic peace activist. He has been arrested for taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against various U.S. military policies, and has donated money and time to such causes as the alleviation of poverty and homelessness, human rights for migrant workers and environmental protection.

In 2001, Feminists for Life named Sheen as 1 of its Remarkable Pro-Life Men that year.

LifeNews.com previously reported Sheen is a "longtime supporter of the Seamless Garment Network, a pro-life group that also opposes war, poverty, abortion, racism, and capital punishment."

Sheen filed a brief supporting Joe Scheidler's right to free speech in the infamous Now vs. Scheidler case, heard before the U.S. Supreme Court twice.

[HT: son Tim; photo courtesy of Anything & Everything]

posted at 1:02 PM | Comments (22) | TrackBack (0)

February 26, 2008
The new black

About this year's Academy Awards Moviefone reported, "Baby-on-board is the new black in Hollywood," a pretty funny line.

Enjoying Tinsel Town's swell of pregnancy pride while it lasts, here were the baby bumps spotted at the Oscars:

Jessica Alba (left) and Cate Blanchett (right)...

Nicole Kidman...

For bauble fans, Kidman's necklace contained 7645 diamonds including rough, faceted, and polished diamonds, totalling ~1400 carats, according to Fox Business, adding:

Each diamond was individually selected... to fit together into an overall design. The intricate design required in excess of 6200 man hours to handcraft.

[Alba photo courtesy of the Associated Press; Blanchett photo also courtesy of the AP; Kidman photo courtesy of the Academy Awards]

posted at 12:17 PM | Comments (24)

February 22, 2008
Tori suckers NutriSytem with pregnant pause?

TMZ wondered February 20 whether Tori Spelling's 2nd pregnancy was a "ploy" to get a repeat contract from NutriSystem:

Tori Spelling probably made a ton of money from NutriSystem. After all, what a great ad - someone famous losing her baby weight.
So what does Tori do? She gets knocked up again and gains it all back. We're thinkin' it's one of the great ploys of 2008.

Here's the scenario. Tori has the kid and then resigns with NutriSystem, which pays her even more money to advertise how women with two kids can dump the weight.

We're guessing Tori could end up in a mansion again, with her own money and more kids than Mia Farrow....

The 34-year-old, married to actor Dean McDermott, delivered Liam Aaron on March 13, 2007.

She then lost 35-40# (reports differ) of baby fat on NutriSystem, going on to become a company spokesperson. According to People magazine, Spelling shot a new ad campaign in November that began appearing in women's magazines in December.

tori%20people.jpg During this time Spelling got pregnant again, with not quite an Irish twin. She just announced her 2nd is due in July, 16 months after her 1st, according to People, where Spelling graces this week's cover.

Back to TMZ. Spelling announced in the October 1 edition of Ok! magazine she wanted to have kids close together. According to my pregnancy wheel, October was the month she conceived. Unless she deliberately withheld info from NutriSystem, the company knew in November she was pregnant again, or Spelling herself did not yet know.

TMZ may be just a gossip rag, but it examples how the calloused pop culture views children. It thinks having children close together or having a big family is abnormal, and no one would do it on purpose without an external, self-serving reason, in this case a get-richer-quicker scheme.

[Top photo credit: TMZ]

posted at 9:42 AM | Comments (26)

February 19, 2008
Suckered by Juno

I had to ponder the double negative in the first sentence of this blog post on Juno by pro-abort Revolution Newspaper. "[N]ot anti-choice"? What, they don't even want to be called pro-choice anymore?

How is it that audiences who are not anti-choice are walking out of a movie like Juno without even realizing what hit them?
For many years now, Christian fascists have been hammering a message that what America needs is a return to the oppressive values of the 1950s (and in many ways, the 1850s), including a return to traditional woman's role as mother. They have been setting terms very broadly, to the point that any Democrat who wants to run for president has to declare that abortion is morally wrong and tragic, while the movement to ban all abortion grows and shuts down clinics....

And through all this, a morality has spread that accepts that we "all" supposedly abhor abortion as a tragedy. The fact that so many people have been taken in by Juno should serve as a wake-up call on how ominously far things have gone in that direction.

I do wonder what alternative Rev thinks we have to a "woman's role as mother." I know they're working on uterine facsimiles, but until then, I must enlighten Rev that there is only one conduit to propagate the species. What, didn't you have comprehensive sex ed, my friend?

I also must note the "morality [that] has spread that accepts that we 'all' supposedly abhor abortion as a tragedy" was started by Rev's very own Bill Clinton, now perpetuated by Hillary. "Safe, legal, and rare," Rev? Never heard that phrase?

I agree this presents a problem. As recently as two days ago, Bill called abortion a "tragedy." The next question is, why?

I agree with Rev that their situation is ominous.

On a related note, a young reporter named Brianna, writing for a school newspaper in CA, emailed me last week with questions about my thoughts on Juno. One was, "What message or impact do you feel this movie sends to teens?" I responded I would be interested in her answering that for my blog, which she did:

Well... most of my friends and I thought that it wasn't realistic. Although none of us have even come close to getting pregnant, we still felt that the decision would be much harder to make and that our parents would have been much more upset than Juno's were.
It was extremely unrealistic that she would find adoptive parents that quickly, and I thought the movie stereotyped your typical planned parenthood.

I personally thought that the movie glorified teen pregnancy and that people who saw this movie would think of pregnancy in a greater light. I think that the movies and media have an easier way to get into teens heads and they sometimes give unspoken lessons that teens listen to instead of their parents. Therefore, some of my friends and I think that this movie is a propaganda for the teen.

Despite some of my friends and I's opinion, many people believe that it was good for teens to see the consequences of their actions. I think for many people the movie was a reality check and it really made people think of what could happen.

posted at 10:02 AM | Comments (113)

January 28, 2008
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days snubs and snobs

While pro-life themed Juno soared past the $100 million earnings mark this weekend, the critically acclaimed anti-life film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days opened in just 2 theatres nationwide.

And while the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Juno for Best Picture, it snubbed Sure Thing 4 Months (see below) for Best Foreign Film.

More evidence Hollywood has begun to bank on life? I think so.

You can't tell by the trailer what 4 Months is about, unless you have abortion on the brain, as I do. Wonder why they hid the sole topic of the movie, a mother's length of gestation before aborting:

MSM critics everywhere have been trying to pump life into 4 Months for several months. A New York Times critic named it the #1 movie of 2007. This week's People magazine gave 4 Months 4 stars and stamped it as its "Critic's Choice".

Awards for 4 Months are impressive: Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm, Golden Globe Awards 2007 Best Foreign Language Film, European Film Awards Best European Film, Hollywood Film Festival's Best Film, San Sebastian International Film Festival Film of the Year, Stockholm Film Festival Best Film, National Board of Review Top Five Foreign Films, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Foreign Film, Sight & Sound Films of 2007 Best Film, Chicago Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film, Toronto Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film, National Society of Film Critics Best Foreign Language Film, Australian Film Critics Association 2007 Best Overseas Film, yadda yadda yadda.

4%20months.jpg And yet the Academy snubbed it.

MSM critics are hot. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers said the snub was "one of the stupidest things that I've ever seen happen."

And Kenneth Turan of the LA Times, showing the height of snob snubbery himself, wrote, "if the foreign-language Oscar is going to be saved from becoming a laughing-stock, measures need to be taken to ensure that its choices are at least within hailing distance of what the rest of the informed film world thinks."

That's the problem. The "informed film world" has lost touch with what is a good movie, preferring the cinematic equivalent of crucifixes in urine, to true art.

posted at 9:53 AM | Comments (61)

January 18, 2008
That would be?

Sorry, off topic but can't help but post this... :)

[HT: moderator MK]

posted at 3:09 PM | Comments (65)

January 16, 2008
"The Business of Being Born"

Rikki Lake has just released a documentary, The Business of Being Born. From the film's website:

Birth: it's a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies.
The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system....

Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?

I'll answer that. Pro-lifers say the former; pro-aborts the latter, and not just about delivery but about the entire pregnancy.

Here's the trailer:

I'm thrilled with any promotion of pregnancy. Halle Berry was a great pregnancy advocate in this month's In Style magazine:

"My skin is aglow from all the hormones. I actually wear less makeup, which is really good. I want to stay pregnant forever," she says....

halle%20pregnant.jpg

Ask her how she's feeling these days and Berry answers without missing a beat. "Fantastic! The second trimester, everybody told me, 'You'll see, you're going to be a whole new woman.' And it's true.... [R]ight now I just have so much joy and energy that I feel like I've already done 12 things today. I can just go and go and go."

Something weird is happening here. Not only is Hollywood suddenly high on procreation, but so is the rest of America. CNN reported yesterday the U.S. is experiencing a "baby boomlet."

Interesting that a "boomlet" these days means America has reattained a population replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. Well, there's good news. We're no longer dying off. Can't say that about much of the rest of the world. According to CNN:

[T]he United States has a higher fertility rate than every country in continental Europe, as well as Australia, Canada and Japan....
Countries with much lower rates - such as Japan and Italy, both with a rate of 1.3 - face future labor shortages and eroding tax bases as they fail to reproduce enough to take care of their aging elders.

But there's still hope. I appreciated this line from the CNN piece, even if I'm unsure it's true:

"Americans like children. We are the only people who respond to prosperity by saying, `Let's have another kid,"' said Nan Marie Astone, associate professor of population, family and reproductive health at Johns Hopkins University.

posted at 2:45 PM | Comments (35)

January 14, 2008
Wendy Wright: Worst person in the world!

Congratulations to my friend, Wendy Wright. Liberal Keith Olbermann of liberal MSNBC recently proclaimed Wendy, president of Concerned Women for America, the Worst Person in the World!

See Keith Olbermann's diss of Wendy beginning at 1:23:

Explained the CWA website....

In a recent appearance on Fox News, Wendy pointed out that the loudest proponents of that abysmal failure labeled "comprehensive sex education" are the most likely to benefit financially when children and teens become pregnant or contract sexually transmitted diseases.
For example, Planned Parenthood, which receives its lion's share of profit from abortion, has a vested interest in ensuring that young girls become pregnant and have abortions. It's a classic case of "the fox watching the hen house."

For that pro-abort bloggers went balistic and Olbermann ballyhooed.

I take pleasure in pointing out that the impetus for this story was that the Democrat-controlled Congress, for all its blather, kept abstinence funding intact for FY'08.

In fact, they left every single pro-life rider on appropriations bills intact, including the Mexico City Policy, which disallows U.S. international $$ from going to promote or commit abortions.

They did increase Title X, the Planned Parenthood subsidy program, by $17 million to almost $300 million.

But the situation looked far bleaker earlier this year. Democrats simply blinked at President Bush's veto threat.

[HT: LifeNews.com]

posted at 4:39 PM | Comments (372)

Pro-abort: Juno means something but not sure what

I got quoted in a The New Republic column January 11 on the topic of Juno:

The politics of films like Juno, Waitress, and Knocked Up have become new turnbuckles in the wrestling ring of the culture wars.

Befitting the binary nature of the abortion debate, they also serve as something of a civic Rorschach test: For every conservative celebrating Juno as what Pro Life Pulse blogger Jill Stanek calls "the movie pro-aborts will hate," there's a pro-choicer declaring that the real power of the movie lies in their autonomous lead characters' ability to make their own decisions. "The flick is pro-choice in the most literal sense of the term," The American Prospect's Ezra Klein wrote of Knocked Up. "She has a choice; nothing is forced on her." But critics on both sides of the debate imply something new and dramatic is afoot, even if no one quite agrees on what it means.

Nice spin! The pro-abort columnist, Michael Schaffer, of course ignores the truly contempt-ridden reviews his side has given Juno, like this one from RH Realtity Check, which is the actual truth....

Indirect in its underlying condemnation of abortion on request, the film is a far more costly blow against abortion rights than anything the anti-abortion crowd could possibly hope for or ever produce - and they are big gainers (at no cost to them) from its sappy popularity.

With all the attention we're all giving to the pro-life phenomenon in movies of late, I expect Hollywood to reassuredly respond with one promoting abortion.

Which will fall flat.

Meanwhile, Juno is on pace to become Fox's biggest hit. Made for $7.5 million, it is looking to "vault past $100 million and beyond," according to Marketwatch.

posted at 8:23 AM | Comments (71)

January 8, 2008
Hillary cries

Every now and then we veer off topic for a change of pace. So here we go.

Yesterday Hillary Clinton became verklempt during an interview, provoking lots of questions. Was it real or fake? Is it acceptable for presidents/presidential candidates to cry? Is it sexist for us to focus on Hillary's tearful moment? Do you think she was really crying for her country or because she was admittedly tired? In other words, were she well rested and not under such pressure following her loss in Iowa, would she have become so emotional?

posted at 6:53 AM | Comments (344)

January 3, 2008
Christina Aguilera: pregnant pin-up

marie%20claire%202.jpg The January 2008 issue of Marie Claire magazine sports pregnant and mostly naked Christina Aguilera on the cover.

I spotted it on the newstand and was mostly thrilled, despite misgivings of the pose. I love when the pop culture promotes pregnancy, particularly of the rare married celebrity, although this promotion was indeed a bit disconcerting. The accompanying story included more risqué shots. See one on page 2.

I also love to read the altered language when the pop culture promotes pregnancy. Were Aguilera discussing her abortion, names would have been changed to deflect from the innocent. Words like "child," "baby," and "roommate" would have been nixed for "fetus" and the generic "pregnancy."...

When reading these quotes, bear in mind Aguilera's last known position was pro-abortion, and the writer is MC's executive editor, Lucy Kaylin, and MC is decidedly pro-abortion, with easy evidence on its last page, when it wishes "Happy 35th, Roe v. Wade" (click graphic to enlarge)....

"May I?" I say, reaching out - actually copping a feel of icon tummy. Under normal circumstances, breaching the electric fence that surrounds stars of her magnitude would be unthinkable. But this glowing - dare I say earthy? - version of Aguilera is hard to resist....
"We were planning on starting to try after the tour," she says.... "And so I had gone off the Pill to prepare my body, because I didn't know how much time it would take....

"By the time I was supposed to get my period, I was like, It's not coming - and I'm never late. And there were emotions coming up that I'd never felt before - I was already starting to get emotional. So I did a test. And when the double lines came, my jaw dropped; I started shaking. I couldn't help but smile, and I started to tear up."...

Well and good. Only problem was she still had a month left on an 8-month world tour.... "There are so many things that could go wrong - somebody could slip, somebody could fall, I could fall.... There was no way in hell I was going to jeopardize my baby for my show."...

"Because I hadn't said anything, people thought I was trying to keep it this big, bad secret, and that's not the case at all. I just wasn't commenting.... I'm not going to announce my child. Why do I have to announce something that's personal?...

Now the woman who made a public fetish of control and self-determination is happily giving herself over to the unplumable mysteries of procreation. She seems humbled by the knowledge that this whole thing is bigger than she is - that she's just not alone in the universe anymore. "Some days when you're pregnant, you just don't feel like doing a show, but I'd be like, 'Come on, little one,'" she says, gazing down at her belly and giving it a stroke. "I really did feel like I had a teammate. It felt like my little roommate in there. Like, little one was egging me on and encouraging me to do it...."

With the dazed smile of a lottery winner, [husband Jordan Bratman] says how excited he is about the baby - that they've actually started to feel him kick...."

posted at 12:31 PM | Comments (341)

December 28, 2007
Regifting heaven

Priests for Life was kind to send me a copy of Anthony DeStefano's book, A Travel Guide to Heaven, for Christmas. Anthony is the executive director of PFL as well as a prolific author.

But Anthony previously gave me a copy of his book.

I'm sure Anthony and PFL would want this book read rather than shelved.

So, I'll send this copy to the first person who emails me with his or her mailing address (who hasn't recently won something here... :).

posted at 8:30 AM | Comments (10)

December 20, 2007
It's Jesus' birthday, after all

Last week on The View, Barbara Walters was surprised to receive a Christmas card from President Bush with a Bible verse inside. "Does this also go to agnostics and atheists and Muslims?" Walters wondered. Here's Walters:

What Walters received was a birthday card. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birthday. I don't recall the last time I celebrated someone's birthday but was disallowed to mention the one being celebrated for fear of offending someone else who either wasn't sure the person existed, didn't believe the person existed, or didn't like the person.

In fact, although the card shows a Christmas tree in the window, it never says, "Merry Christmas." The theme of the verse and the particular watercolor chosen carry out the White House's National Parks theme for the season, which gives glory to God for creation.

The White House mixed all that into one card, for which I give it lots of credit for savvy.

We also received that Christmas card. Note the RNC paid for the card, and it was postmarked from Crawford, TX. I am so fed up with stupid people who think they're so smart, with intolerant people who consider themselves so tolerant, with mean-spirited people who think they are just the opposite. Here is that card close up (view on page 2)....

UPDATE, 1:10p: Read "release [of] some atheist angst" over my post at The Huntress' Domain.

White%20House%20Christmas%20Card%20front%202-3.jpg

White%20House%20Christmas%20card%20inside2.jpg

White%20House%20Christmas%20Card%20back%202-3.jpg

posted at 8:27 AM | Comments (104)

December 19, 2007
Jamie Lynn Spears pregnant

OK%203.jpg Britney Spears' 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn announced today she is just over 12 weeks pregnant by 19-year-old boyfriend (and statutory rapist - see page 57), Casey Aldridge, 19.

What we have here is a young girl who made a mistake and is responding admirably thus far. From OK! magazine:

"I can't say it was something I was planning to do right now," the 16-year-old confesses to OK!. "But now that it's in my lap and that it's something I have to deal with, I'm looking forward to being the best mom I can be."...

And Jamie Lynn, who intends on raising the child in her home state of Louisiana, also tells OK! that she intends to face up to the life-changing choice she's made. "I'm the one who has to live with it for the rest of my life," she says. "I put myself in this position, an adult position, so I have to act like an adult and take responsibility for what I did."...
As for any message Jamie Lynn's fans might take away from this news, the young actress is realistic. "I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait. But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."

Added People:

Spears told [Ok!] magazine that after confirming the pregnancy with a home test and a subsequent doctor's visit, she told only one friend - then waited two weeks before telling anybody else, including her parents.
"I needed to work out what I would do for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect my decision," she told the magazine. "Then I told my parents and my friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was right for me."

The pressures on this girl to abort must have been enormous. Imagine. Her decision likely cost her the starring role on Nickelodeon's highly rated Zoey 101, a show about a wholesome teen that was nominated for an "Outstanding Childrens Program" Emmy in 2005.

And it also likely cost her mother her book deal on parenting, due out in 2008. According to the Washington Post, "Yesterday the publishing house announced that the book's printing would be delayed... indefinitely."

And certainly Jamie understood the brutal response her news would bring. And sure enough, liberal blogs are treating the news viciously, hypocritical pigs. They promote premarital sex and call those advocating abstinence Neanderthals, but then have this to say about Jamie, quoting Perez Hilton:

Dang. We thought Jamie Lynn was the nice and normal one.
Now we know she's just trailer trash like her sister!!!

Other blog comments:

"another spears retard..."
"abortion. abortion. abortion."

"i used to love and respect jamie but now i don't she is having a baby! that is so yuk, discusting and wrong at sixteen..."

Some are asking what sort of role model Jamie Lynn is. I say, an admirably brave, mature one. She is admitting her mistake and trying to do the right thing on the other side. Abortion is the cowardly way out.

[HT: new Stanek proofreader Angela and reader AB Laura; photo credit: People]

posted at 1:20 PM | Comments (182)

December 18, 2007
Do it for the kids?

A reporter from Focus on the Family's Family News in Focus called yesterday about a story she's preparing on the Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts I reported on here and here December 14.

She said someone wondered in a production meeting yesterday morning how does Stanek find all her stuff? Her first question to me was exactly that, and I responded, "Tips, I get great tips. I hardly have time to do my own scouting anymore because I get so many good tips." The A&F tip came from John Jansen of Pro-Life Action League.

So this morning moderator Jacqueline sent me a great tip based on the A&F-tipped post! Jacque gave me the link to this t-shirt on BustedTees.com:

At first glance, this t-shirt could be one promoting procreation. In fact, it does. But it doesn't mean to. Here is the vile description of the shirt:

do%20it%202-5.jpg

I still don't get how the words on the t-shirt translate into that obviously low caliber, young male-written message. (Young males most support abortion, btw. No wonder.) Perhaps someone can explain.

I prefer my own translation, which makes the shirt clever and humorous.

posted at 8:59 AM | Comments (96)

December 13, 2007
Juno nominated for Golden Globe

The pro-life themed movie Juno, which opens Christmas Day and which I've favorably reviewed, was nominated this morning for a Golden Globe. According to the Associated Press:

Nominated for best comedy or musical along with Charlie Wilson's War were the Beatles musical Across the Universe, the Broadway adaptation Hairspray, the teen-pregnancy comedy Juno and the bloody musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Star Ellen Page was also nominated for Best Actress, Musical or Comedy, and stripper turned blogger turned writer Diablo Cody for Best Screenwriter.

posted at 4:40 PM | Comments (102)

December 6, 2007
Jenna Bush on Ellen Degeneres

Here's another diversion from our topic to lighten things up a little.

All the talk at the White House last night was of Jenna Bush's phone call to her dad while taping the Ellen DeGeneres show yesterday.

But I see it's all over the news as well - 257 news articles, according to Google!

So here 'tis, very cute....

posted at 10:01 AM | Comments (12)

December 4, 2007
Nicole Richie showers 100 needy moms with gifts

I recently reported that pregnant parents Nicole Richie and John Madden had created the Richie Madden Children's Foundation to provide items for moms and families in need, particularly at the LA Free Clinic. In fact, Richie designated all gifts given at her November 18 baby shower to her new charity.

Well, People reported yesterday:

Not many kids have a foundation launched in their honor before they're born. But that will be one of the many privileges bestowed upon Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's baby, due in January.
The couple hosted a surprise baby shower Monday for 100 expectant and new moms at the Los Angeles Free Clinic in Hollywood, where they handed out more than $200,000 worth of gifts. "The looks on their faces were priceless," Richie told reporters after the shower. "Some of them didn't even believe us [when they saw the gifts]. They thought we were joking."...

The Richie Madden Children's Foundation, Madden said, was an idea the couple had when they found out they were expecting. "We grew up in Los Angeles," he said, "and we want our child to be a part of the community, and to know that there's a responsibility to help the community."

And it's a family affair. "We named it the Richie Madden Children's Foundation because we each have families and our families are close, and our family is involved," Richie said. By her side with his arm stroking her back during moments in the conference, Madden quipped, "We're lucky that we have families that get along and love each other," adding, "I think it's great that our child will grow up as a part of that family."

Amongst the goodies given to families in need were Baby Bjorn products, cribs, mattresses and toys from Fisher-Price. "Everything they got, we got," Richie says, "so everything that will be in their nursery, will be in our nursery."

Madden felt good about the event. "Sometimes people don't want to believe that me and Nicole are just a young couple having a baby and we're really excited. We don't really get to share our lives with people. It's nice to connect with people on a real level."

Again, good for them. Well done.

[HT: reader AB Laura]

posted at 12:47 PM | Comments (175)

November 30, 2007
Abortion vanishes from silver screen

Great story in the entertainment section of the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday:

In America, about one in five pregnancies ends in abortion, according to the latest figures from the Guttmacher Institute. In recent American movies, however, every unplanned pregnancy is carried to term.

juno%201.jpg

From Knocked Up to Waitress to Juno [scene pictured left], opening Dec. 14, abortion is The Great Unmentionable, euphemized as "we don't perform, uh, -- " (Waitress), and "nipped it in the bud" (Juno) in comedies in which pregnancy is the situation. Abortion is likewise obliquely referenced, if actually considered, in the drama Bella, now in theaters.

"It's as if there's an 'every conception deserves delivery' policy being observed," says Virginia Rutter, senior scholar at the Council on Contemporary Families....

To the extent that mainstream movies are a barometer of public opinion, the evidence of America's continued ambivalence about abortion can be found at the multiplex.
"The ground has shifted," says Robert George, professor of the philosophy of law at Princeton. "We don't see characters wrestling with the question of abortion as we saw it during the '70s when (television's) Maude weighed the decision whether to keep or terminate her pregnancy."...

[A]cross the ideological spectrum, scholars and advocates ponder why the procedure that so divides Americans - according to a May Gallup Poll, 49% of Americans identify as pro-choice and 45% as pro-life - effectively has vanished from the screen....

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Since the '80s, when characters in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Dirty Dancing sought abortions, abortion has virtually disappeared from Hollywood features. The Cider House Rules, released in 1999 and focusing on an obstetrician-abortionist and his anti-abortion protege during the 1940s, may well have been the last mainstream American movie to utter the A-word.

In Europe, it is different: The 2004 indie British drama Vera Drake and the 2007 Romanian film 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, which took top honors at Cannes in May, dramatize the peril to women in situations where abortion is not safe and legal.

Also add the currently released August Rush and soon to be released Noelle to the list of decidedly pro-life films:

Why do you think abortion is vanishing from American cinephotography?

[HT: mods Jasper and MK]

posted at 8:35 AM | Comments (18)

November 29, 2007
The Maker's Diet

the%20makers%20diet.jpg The jury's out whether I'm suffering from carbohydrate withdrawal or a touch of the flu, but I think it's the former.

I started on The Maker's Diet yesterday, and the author warned I might feel a little nauseous or headachy for a few days. So, sorry, I've been out of it today.

The premise of the book is to get back to eating foods God instructed the Israelites to eat in the form they ate them, organically.

Something the author wrote made me think of the young posters on this site, so many of whom have health problems....

Then there is my generation, affectionately termed "Generation X" - the first generation of young people to suffer in alarming numbers from chronic degenerative and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn's disease, Type I diabetes, and even Parkinson's disease. The rates of infertility are staggering....

I have been very concerned about the startling number of young people here who are on antidepressants, and have all sorts of maladies, including allergies and ADD. Is diet a key? The more I read, the more I think so.

But I'll not leave we baby boomers out. Here's what he said about us:

The baby boomers of the 1940s and 1950s are clearly the generation of widespread obesity, a health condition leading to diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. It seems that the main reason some baby boomers do not get cancer is because their lives have already been claimed by sudden heart attack.

I'm seeing food in a whole new light. God warned against eating pork, fish without scales like catfish, lobster, crab, etc., because these are all scavenger animals. They eat crap, pardon me. God just didn't make up food rules to be mean. Up until recently when many abandoned orthodoxy, Jews enjoyed superior health to others. Because so many of them survived the Black Plague during the Dark Ages, for instance, they were even accused of causing it by poisoning wells from which they would not drink. Wiki confirms this point from the book.

There's much more, and I'm sure my queasiness may not be the best advertisement for The Maker's Diet (it's pathetic, really), but it makes total sense. And it's not just about food. It discusses Biblical hygiene - which God prescribed thousands of years before doctors learned to wash hands and instruments to maintain germ control - as a way to alleviate colds and flus from ourselves and our children.

I picked up the book at my local Bible book store, but there's also a website.

Ok, back to work.

posted at 2:28 PM | Comments (43)

November 27, 2007
Increased child abuse among cohabitators

Two points:

If a society declares prenatal homicide acceptable, it should not be surprised when postnatal abuse and homicide jump.

Teaching abstinence and traditional values are part of our holistic approach to stopping pre- and postnatal child abuse. Everything is related.

From the Associated Press, November 25....

Six-year-old Oscar Jimenez Jr. [pictured below with mom Kathryn] was beaten to death in California, then buried under fertilizer and cement. Two-year-old Devon Shackleford was drowned in an Arizona swimming pool. Jayden Cangro [mom Carly Moore pictured right at grave], also 2, died after being thrown across a room in Utah.

In each case, as in many others every year, the alleged or convicted perpetrator had been the boyfriend of the child's mother - men thrust into father-like roles, which they tragically failed to embrace.

Every family is different. Some single mothers bring men into their lives who lovingly help raise children when the biological father is gone for good.

Nonetheless, many scholars and social workers who monitor America's families see the abusive-boyfriend syndrome as part of a broader, deeply worrisome trend. They note an ever-increasing share of America's children grow up in homes without both biological parents, and say the risk of child abuse is markedly higher in the nontraditional family structures.

"This is the dark underbelly of cohabitation," said Brad Wilcox, a University of Virginia sociologist. "Cohabitation has become quite common, and most people think, 'What's the harm?' The harm is we're increasing a pattern of relationships that's not good for children."...

[Oscar's photo credit: Kansas City Star; Jayden's photo credit: ABC News]

posted at 7:44 AM | Comments (239)

November 21, 2007
Kudos to Nicole Richie

Friend Paris Hilton threw a Beverly Hills, Wizard of Oz-themed (Nicole's fav) baby shower this past Sunday for expectant parents Nicole Richie and boyfriend Joel Madden. Nicole is due in January.

But guests were told beforehand their gifts would be donated via the newly created Richie Madden Children's foundation to help moms in need.

Very cool.

There is no website yet, but a press release announcing the formation of the charitable organization states....

Nicole would like to invite friends, family and fans across America to participate in the moms-in-need program and highly publicized baby shower. The Richie Madden Children's Foundation will create and promote an online registry to inspire the purchases of items for moms and their families in need. Anyone in the country will be able buy from the registry on her behalf for the clinic. The registry link will live on the Richie Madden Children's Foundation website for at least six months and will be updated regularly based on the needs of the LA Free Clinic and other participating clinics.

Hollyscoop adds, "Next month, their charity will also donate 100 Mom-to-Be kits to the Los Angeles Free Clinic."

nicole%20another.jpg Richie acknowledged having a "bad 'pattern' in her life that was only saved by her child not yet born, who some would consider a nonentity, a blob. She told Diane Sawyer in an August 2 interview:

I owe the baby my life. I owe this baby everything and I have a responsibility now. Besides being responsible for myself, I'm now responsible for someone else. And I have to set the right examples. I have to really be someone that I would want my child to look up to.

She is.

According to ABC, Madden, who is lead singer for the band Good Charlotte, reads his Bible and sports multiple tattoos of Jesus. He told Seventeen magazine in 2005:

richie%20logo2.jpg

Each day, I'd read and think a lot. I also started thinking about God again for the first time in years. My mom is a devout Christian, but I used to be like, Forget about what God wants, I'll do what I want. Yet once I thought about what I really wanted, I realized it was to get close to God. And I knew that I had to stop the things I was doing because God wanted me to respect myself.

posted at 8:02 AM | Comments (108)

November 19, 2007
Starting the holiday week with a smile

[HT: friend Karen]

posted at 10:29 AM | Comments (18)

November 14, 2007
Review of Juno

juno%20cover.jpg I had an opportunity to screen the movie Juno last Thursday, due out December 14.

Turns out we shared the theater with 50 friends and family of Juno's stripper-turned-blogger-turned-debut-movie-writer Diablo Cody, who is from Chicago, which made the experience that much more entertaining.

Juno is the third in an unplanned movie trilogy, the others being Waitress and Knocked Up, where a girl accidentally gets pregnant and grows into a heroine by rejecting abortion as a quick solution.

Social conservatives attempting to break through in movies have not yet mastered the art of getting our point across without coming off preachy.

But it's fascinating to watch the Hollywood and Indie crowd handle one of our premises pretty much the way we'd like it handled....

And here's Juno's premise, by movie reviewer Matthew Turner:

Engaging, frequently hilarious teen comedy with a terrific script, a wonderful cast and a delightful central performance from rising star Ellen Page.
Ellen Page stars as brainy 16-year-old Juno MacGuff, who gets pregnant the first time she has sex with fellow virgin Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Unable to go through with an abortion, Juno decides to give the baby up for adoption, so she finds childless couple Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) through the want ads.

juno%20meets%20adoptive%20parents.jpg

However, as Juno spends more time with Mark and Vanessa, she realises that their marriage isn't quite as picture-perfect as it first appeared. Meanwhile, Juno's father (J.K. Simmons), stepmother (Allison Janney) and best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) offer as much help as they can.

Here are lessons/positives from Juno I with my pro-life antennae picked up :

Juno and Bleeker are both very smart. Yet their preplanned foray to sate sexual curiosity is void of contraceptives. This is typical immature, careless teenage behavior that no amount of "comprehensive sex ed" has or will overcome. Sex ed's principle achievement is to teach soft porn in the classroom and picque sexual curiosity. This is the contraceptive/abortion industry's scheme, which dupes well-meaning educators and administrators into paying it to advertise.

Juno is hurt when Bleeker agrees with her to "nip it in the bud," or abort. This validates reality. Abortion is not a wonderful "right." It is borne, pardon the pun, of tragedy and pain. Paternal support rather than abandonment in crisis pregnancies would drastically cut the abortion rate.

juno%20in%20labor.jpg

Juno's father and stepmother are nice people who support her. "Nice" here does not mean stupid. These two are clever, strong, and smarter than Juno. It's refreshing to see a loving stepmother bear.

The abortion industry and feminists are going to HATE this part. After Juno decides to "procure a hasty abortion," she is greeted at the mill by an albeit nerdy pro-life protester, who nevertheless has the intended impact. She calls out to Juno that her baby has fingernails, which grabs Juno. That little humanizing point changes Juno's mind and eventually causes her to ditch the abortion.

juno%20ultrasound.jpg And the mill itself? Stereotypically bad! I laughed and laughed and would have clapped if in a room of pro-lifers. The noncaring receptionist's face was piercings-laden. She uncouthly told Juno to list "every score and every sore" after offering her a fruit-flavored condom. Not a pleasant place.

Ultrasound is shown as a bonding experience.

Adoption is presented as a heroic option. Open adoption is described, although Juno opts for a closed adoption. She does pick the parents she wants to raise her baby, which is common these days but perhaps not so publicized a facet of the changing face of adoption. Watching this process in Juno will likely be instructional to young people.

The maternal instincts of the infertile adoptive mother, played by Jennifer Garner, are portrayed as deep and touching, a positive aspect of womanhood.

juno%20and%20bleeker.jpg

Juno quietly bears the judgment of school administrators and classmates as her belly grows, providing a heroic role model.

Juno and Bleeker's relationship survives, another bit of role-modeling.

The movie's ending is somewhat a cliff-hanger, unexpected, yet emotionally satisfying. It goes almost as social conservatives would want it but not completely. I have a feeling there will be a few complaints. I got over it.

Juno and its cast are being mentioned as Ocar contenders, which would be very good. Here are other reviews. Here is the trailer:

posted at 8:04 AM | Comments (197)

November 8, 2007
High school blinks when pro-life student sues

stephanie%20and%20mom.jpg When junior Stephanie Hoffmeier's request to launch The Pro-Life Club at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, VA, was rejected in August, she sued.

School officials initially said no to the club because "it was not tied to the school curriculum," according to the Washington Post, although the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Republicans, and Young Democrats had been previously accepted.

On October 24, the school backed down. End of story. Yeah.

Kudos to the aforementioned Washington Post for writing a fair story, even though editors apparently couldn't bear to see the word "pro-life" in the headline, even though that was the name of the club, and so entitled the piece, "Teen Wins Fight for Antiabortion Club at School."

[HT: John Jansen at Generations for Life; photo credit of Stephanie and mother Bernadette: Washington Post]

posted at 8:18 AM | Comments (143)

November 3, 2007
Weekend question: Mr. Brooks

mr.%20brooks.jpg My husband and I watched Mr. Brooks on dvd last night, starring Kevin Costner, William Hurt, and Demi Moore, and co-starring Marg Helgenberger.

I didn't realize what I was getting into or I likely wouldn't have rented Mr. Brooks, because it is one of those serial killer movies, and they freak me out.

But I really liked this movie. In fact, I give it 3-1/2 stars, a rarity for me. I love Hurt in any movie, and Costner, who I've never considered a great actor, was great.

So was the plot, for the most part. But there was one plot line that nabbed me. I only review movies with a pro-life theme or thread, and we had one here....

It was similar to the Godfather II thread, which portrayed ruthless mobster Michael Corleone as a fiercely devoted family man who became so enraged when finding out wife Kay had had a secret abortion he slapped her and banned her not just from his life but also from their children's lives.

Here's the trailer for Mr. Brooks:

In Mr. Brooks, the teenage daughter of serial killer Earl Brooks (Costner) turns up pregnant midway through her first semester of college. When Jane tells her parents, Earl emphatically states abortion is out of the question and offers to raise the baby. Jane is equally emphatically abortion minded until that moment, when she says she will reconsider. Typical. If a mother in a crisis pregnancy is offered love and support, she will most often choose life.

I won't give away the end of Mr. Brooks except to say the prospect of his seeing future grandchild became Earl's motivation for a life or death decision.

All of this is way twisted, I know. But similar to Godfather II, even a schizophrenic serial killer knows abortion is wrong, and similar to Godfather II, this became a redeeming quality of one who had no others.

Mr. Brooks' pro-life stance was an obviously planned juxtaposition.

On one hand he was a serial killer no better than Dahmer and Gacy.

weekend%20question.jpg On the other, he was pro-life. Of of all possible character attributes, the writer and director chose this as Mr. Brooks' one featured nobility, something they decided demonstrated the exact opposite of the schizophrenic killer mentality.

Why is that?

posted at 8:12 AM | Comments (297)

November 2, 2007
Critical weekend for Bella

New theatres have been added this weekend.

bella%20rave%20wow2.jpg

Last weekend was great!

Tony Bennett loved Bella!

"This film is a work of art.... This is one of the masterpieces.... This is a film that, with our social problem right now between Mexico and the United States, this is the most important film that every citizen in America should go see."

The October 26 "Friday Five" Citizen interview with Eduardo Verastegui included his brush with abortion and his save:

Q: You visited an abortion clinic as part of your research for your part in Bella. Tell me about that.
A: This is the biggest, hardest role I’ve done in my life, and on top of that I was producing as well.

I ended up going to an abortion clinic because I wanted to do research - to understand my character and understand the pain she was going through so I could help her. I thought it would be very simple and easy - just get in there, stop the first young lady and ask her a few questions. Of course, I was very naive and I didn't know what was going to happen.

friday%20five.jpg

When I got there, I was in shock because I saw all young ladies - 16, 17 years old - going in, and I forgot about the film and I didn't know what to say.

I see a group of people outside trying to convince a lady not to do it. A lady in that group pointed me to a couple who didn’t speak English, only Spanish. The couple recognizes me from the soap operas, and we start talking for like 45 minutes and became friends. We talked about life and faith and Mexico and her dreams. And she missed her appointment.

I called her the next day and said, "Listen, I don't believe in coincidences; I was there for a reason." So we built a friendship through the phone.

Months later I receive a call from a man who was there that day and he tells me he has great news: his baby was born yesterday, and he wanted to ask me permission to name him Eduardo.

I couldn’t even talk. I just started crying.

I didn’t plan to do that, but I was used by the grace of God as an instrument to save this beautiful baby. Even if Bella doesn’t sell one ticket, I rejoice in the Lord for little Eduardo.

[HT: Citizen article: reader Sheri K.]

posted at 10:37 AM | Comments (14)

October 29, 2007
Bella weekend showing

eduardo%20car2.jpg First, in an October 27 column, "'Bella' and the pro-life film trend," Brent Bozell of Media Research Center wrote:

The bohemian worldview of Woodstock Nation is in some ways dominant, and in some ways passe in our popular culture.... [T]he "free love" spirit of "if it feels good, do it" still runs strong, especially in our entertainment world. And yet, burbling beneath a noisy culture of sexual excess and self-love, there's a quiet undercurrent in our movies carrying subtle, and even obvious, pro-life themes.

Bozell gives examples of recent film releases: Children of Men, Waitress, Knocked Up, and Bella (pictured above right).

I would add another, due out this holiday season, Juno, starring Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ellen Page, and Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute for Office fans) [HT: moderator MK]:

Back to Bella, you done good....

Bella finished #3 among movies opening this week, #17 overall, while in only 5-8% of theatres showing the #1 and #2 movies. Just imagine had Bella been allowed the same wide distribution....

In head to head competition, Bella came in #2 for receipts ($) garnered per theatre.

BoxOfficeGuru reported, "Also showing strength in its debut was the inspirational tale Bella...."

Here are the weekend estimates, from Box Office Mojo. Click to enlarge. See complete chart here.

posted at 8:31 AM | Comments (4)

October 27, 2007
Live blogging, "Facing Reality: Choice"

Let's talk about the documentary we're watching on Fox News, Facing Reality: Choice....

My notes from the show are on page 2.

Now that the documentary is over, what did you think? Did it help, hurt, or not make a difference in the debate?

UPDATE, 10/28, 7a: We are gratetful to have heard from Bobbie in the comments section last night, the sister of Brooke, the third mother in the Fox News documentary....

Brooke and husband Tom learned when their preborn baby Marlee was 20 weeks old that she was stricken with a fatal chromosomal disorder, Trisomy 18, and would likely not live beyond hours or days after delivery.

Brooke was given the option of aborting, a terribly misguided attempt to assuage a mother's grief, which it does not. Aborting a handicapped baby has the opposite of the intended affect. Then a mother has live her entire life knowing she killed her particularly helpless baby rather than protect him or her according to the maternal mother bear instincts God has placed within women. I have spoken to these mothers, who live tortured lives of guilt and regret.

I have also spoken and read stories of mothers who allowed God to determine life and death, and I have never ever heard of a mother - or family - who regretted taking this path.

Bobbie wished Fox News had shown a picture of Marlee. I'm honored to:

Bobbie also recommended visiting a website dedicated to Marlee, here.

Bobbie has also composed a touching video, which I cried through, about Marlee. Brooke, Tom, and Bobbie, thank you for letting us share in the love and grief of your short time with Marlee:

JLS notes from documentary

First pregnant mother, Kayla....

A product herself of a crisis pregnancy....

Her commitment to abstinence kept Kayla chaste throughout high school....

Got on the pill; got sloppy with taking it. Typical of youth. Did whatever "comprehensive sex ed" she got with the pill work? No. Anytime a woman goes on the pill, the doctor, nurse, or health clinic assume responsibility.

Fayetteville abortion mill: William Harrison. Sinister man. I've had conversations with him.

Second pregnant mother, Jeanne, 29 years old, pregnant with 6th baby. Does not have custody of first 4. Placed 5th drug addicted baby for adoption less than a year ago.

Adopted, yet "would never give my kid up for adoption." Don't get that.

Another product of "comprehensive sex ed" failure....

Third pregnant mother, Brooke....

This is typical. Most handicapped babies are conceived into wanted homes.

Ultrasound at 20 weeks: abnormal. Amniocentesis: Trisomy 18 (extra 18th chromosome). 70% of these babies don't survive to delivery. (So why abort?) Others will generally die within hours to days after birth.

Abortionist William Harrison. Heinous man. Has aborted between 10-20k babies. "I'm not in the business of murdering children. I'm in the business of saving the lives of my patients." Those sentences make absolutely no sense.

Kayla is aborting. The drug is what makes her weepy says the nurse. Bull.

"Last time"? Second time aborter, less than a year ago. Her Mom is helping her. Grandmother watching her grandchild being killed. Can't comprehend.

Jeanne again. Called her boyfriend, who did not want her to abort. So she planned not to. She miscarried.

Pregnant again?! Says adoption is her only option. That's good. Placing the baby with parents of her previous adoptive baby. Whoops, rethinking. Baby due after show airs - February 2008.

Brooke again.

Brooke describes being in shock when told the diagnosis, of course. Yet her doctor asked if she wanted to terminate at that time. Feeling the pressure... the clock ticking... in a surreal situation... very unfair to ask of these vulnerable mothers.

Baby died 20 minutes before birth. Family surrounding her. I've never known a mom who regretted leaving her baby's life and death in God's hands. But I've met several moms who regretted terminating. Of course.

posted at 8:01 PM | Comments (165)

Will live blog Fox's "Facing Reality: Choice" tonight

I will live blog thoughts about Fox Cable New's documentary, Facing Reality: Choice, tonight beginning when its starts at 9p EST (8p CST, etc.) and welcome you to live blog alongside me with your analyses.

I spotlighted this documentary and my concerns on October 24. Every clip of the show's promos now includes that kindly looking abortionist creep William Harrison, which makes my skin crawl.

Fox commentator Fr. Jonathan Morris wrote reassuring words about the documentary....

On Saturday evening at 9 p.m. ET, the FOX News Channel will air a provocative documentary also about abortion and "choice." Executive producer, Brian Gaffney, described to me his team's work in this way: "This show has no political handicapping, no medical experts, and no Constitutional analysis. We simply follow three women as they decide what to do about their problem or unwanted pregnancies."
This includes toting FOX cameras into an operating room with a 20-year-old student as she undergoes an abortion. Facing Reality, Choice, hosted by E.D. Hill and produced by Rachel Feldman, also documents the story of Brooke and Tom who bring to full-term a child with a fatal disease, knowing it will only survive a few hours after birth. I have not seen the documentary, but if it lives up to the advertisement, it will be groundbreaking in its ability to make us consider, once again, what "choice" is all about....

fr%20jonathan2.jpg

We hear a lot of chatter about the politics of abortion, but rarely do we hear anyone talk about my abortion, or my wife's abortion, or the child we almost aborted. Similarly, we rarely hear discussion about how to support women in the midst of their agonizing decisions, often forced upon them by irresponsible men.

Until we see up-close what "choice" really is and what its consequences are, we will, I'm afraid, forever be a country held bondage by sterilized debates that have nothing to do with women, children, or the good of society.

Storytelling may be the best way to break the impasse, and it all starts this weekend. Tune in....

posted at 12:33 PM | Comments (100)

October 26, 2007
See Bella this weekend (Click to enlarge)

The movie Bella opens tonight, and if possible, please see it this weekend. The first weekend of a film's opening is its most important.

Bella is an indy movie with a strong pro-life theme, which I think explains why it has juxtaposedly received wide audience acclaim at film festivals (see awards above) but halfhearted if not panned critical acclaim and difficulty nabbing a distributor.

Here's the trailer....

Bella is playing in limited theatres. Find the one closest to you here.

Today's Philadelphia Daily News provides background info:

In the world of independent movies, the road from script to screen is paved with land mines. There are budget issues, talent issues, production problems, and if the film ever gets completed, there's the biggest roadblock of all: How do you get people to see it?
Every low-budget film has a crazy story behind it and "Bella," (opening today... ) is no exception.... (Continue reading story on page 2.)

Last week at the FRC Washington Briefing I posted Eduardo Verastegui's story. He is described as the Brad Pitt of Latin America. Eduardo has the male lead in Bella. Here it is again:

I saw Bella in the worst possible conditions, on a portable screen in an uncomfortable chair with cheap speaker sound in an acoustically abysmal room anyway, and I still thought it was good. Can't wait to see it in the right environment. Hope you will, too.Philadelphia Daily News

'Bella' took an interesting path to the screen
By HOWARD GENSLER

gensleh@phillynews.com 215-854-5678

In the world of independent movies, the road from script to screen is paved with land mines. There are budget issues, talent issues, production problems, and if the film ever gets completed, there's the biggest roadblock of all: How do you get people to see it?
Every low-budget film has a crazy story behind it and "Bella," (opening today, review on Page 61) is no exception.

Eustace Wolfington looks more like a CEO than a Hollywood slickster. A stately senior, he wears conservative suits, and made his money in the car business - first as a Chevy dealer in Roxborough and later as the pioneer of auto leasing.

A couple of years ago, his nephew Sean, who was interested in the movie business, came to him with some Mexican filmmakers - including director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde and actor Eduardo Verástegui - an idea and a dream.

"They hadn't even finished the script yet," Eustace Wolfington said in the Daily News office Wednesday. "But they put a screen up, I looked at their short films and they blew my mind.

"Before they left that night, we had a deal for $3 million on a handshake. We never had a contract."

"Bella" was shot on location in New York City in 35 mm, a speedy 24-day shoot. When filming finished, there was only $250,000 left in the budget for color correcting, sound and music, but industry veterans fell in love with the film and waived their usual fees.

"One of the guys cried his eyes out and said 'I'll do it,' " Wolfington said.

"We had to get rid of a lot of the songs," because of budget constraints, Wolfington said, but then Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz saw the movie and donated two his songs.

Tammy Blanchard, "Bella's" female star, had a scheduling conflict with a role in Robert De Niro's "The Good Shepherd," and according to Wolfington, De Niro, and Blanchard's own agent, tried to get her to pull out of the indie film.

"Tammy said, 'If I can't do "Bella," I won't do "Good Shepherd," ' " Wolfington said.

"Bella" got accepted to the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival when festival staffers ganged up on the fest director, who wanted to pass on the film.

"No one was paying any attention to us," Wolfington said, "and we win the whole thing." "Bella" left Toronto with the People's Choice Award, previously won by films such as "American Beauty" and "Hotel Rwanda."

Distribution seemed a sure thing.

"We were right at the top," Wolfington said. "Everyone wanted the film. Then they all backed out because no one knew how to market it."

Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate came on board with distribution support only a month ago, and "Bella" recently won the $100,000 first prize at the Heartland Film Festival held in Indianapolis.

"It's the first money the movie's made," Wolfington joked.

The first-time film financier said "Anyone who's sensitive will love this movie."

It's a good thing filmgoers tend to be more sensitive than film critics because "Bella" has been taking some knocks. The movie, however, got a spiritual thumbs-up Tuesday when it was endorsed by Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia.

"["Bella"] has a message that is so connected to life, to the problems of life, the challenges of life, the value of life," Rigali said. "This film, I believe, is destined to have an extraordinary impact on people's lives." *

"Bella" is playing in selected area theaters. It premiered locally last night at the UA King of Prussia.

posted at 5:04 AM | Comments (33)

October 24, 2007
Hell House

hell%20house2.jpg Just in time for Halloween, reader Jess has sent me an intriguing video produced by the Festival Travel Channel wherein "Melody visits a Haunted House in Brooklyn based on the fundamentalist Christian's Hell House."

What sets this Hell House apart is it was produced and staged by Les Freres Corbusier, an off-Broadway professional acting troupe, which earned it rave reviews. For the most part, the troupe tried to stick true to the original intent with no sarcasm, so the whole thing is a mix of the bizarre, shocking, scary, camp, and sometimes embarrassing, all the while very well done.

What is a hell house? Les Freres Corbusier explained....

... a nearly exact recreation of the thousands of hell houses staged by Christian Evangelicals in communities across America during the Halloween season. First staged by Jerry Falwell in the 1970s, hell houses take a traditional haunted house's ghosts and ghouls and substitute teenage cheerleaders getting abortions, gay men dying of AIDS, and secular humanists sipping lattes.

Here is the NY Times review of the production. And a couple others:

"Stange and sinfully entertaining." ~ New York Sun
"The edgiest entertainment in the city!" ~ New York Observer

"Pretty much the entire journey has immediate shock/laugh value, but over the next few days I find myself disturbed. I didn't get The Passion of the Christ, the movie, but I'm closer to an understanding of His passion thanks to the Les Freres production of this Hell House" ~ Curtain Up

I didn't think I could sit through Melody's half hour tour of Hell House, but I did. In case you're not sure you want to invest the time, here's a 2:30 preview:

And here's the entire show, complete with an abortion depiction, also from the baby's perspective. There's a bit of a surprise ending, and Melody's interview with the Columbinesque actor after that is interesting.

[Photo credit: NYT]

posted at 12:27 PM | Comments (59)

October 22, 2007
Annie Leibovitz

Yesterday afternoon, my daughter Daena and I went to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in DC to view the just opened exhibit, Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005.

I have always loved Leibovitz's work, from the Lennon/Ono shot taken just hours before he was literally shot in 1981, to Queen Elizabeth's portrait taken by Leibovitz just this year, and everything in between.

But I should have known I could not escape the liberal agenda even there.

Naive me, I didn't know until yesterday Leibovitz is a lesbian....

But she infused her entire exhibit with photos of the life and slow demise of her lover, Susan Sontag, who not incidentally died of breast cancer in 2004, prevalent among lesbians because they forego the protection of child-bearing.

It was certainly Leibovitz's right to push her sexual preference on us as well as her pro-abortion position in another photo of a man with a "I am pro-choice" button as his most prominent feature.

It was Leibovitz's right to exhibit several warm photos of the Clintons alongside several harsh, cold photos of the Bush cabinet.

But the exhibit only served to drain me.

Still, there's always hope. Here's a photo from the exhibit Leibovitz took in 1993 of AIDS activist and beseiged Rebecca Denison. I couldn't find a large clear view of the color portrait we saw, so I am including a large b&w so you can read the words on Denison's body with a thumbnail of the color, so you can see the art intended (click to enlarge):

Note one word missing from what comprises a woman: MOTHER.

But in 2001 Leibovitz gave birth to a daughter at the age of 52 with the help of donated sperm and had twins by surrogate in 2004. So she's evolving as a woman in her own lesbian way.

To be fair, Leibovitz celebrated motherhood in 1991 with a nude photo of very pregnant Demi Moore for the cover of Vanity Fair, and there were other photos of pregnant women in the exhibit, including one of Leibovitz nude - who is no Demi Moore, but at least she's honest.

But Leibovitz's polarized polaroid political statements overshadowed all else.

posted at 1:00 PM | Comments (124)

October 16, 2007
Happy Halloween, pedophile-style

A company called Party City must be run by pedophiles. Here are some of its costume options for girls:

"French Maid":

Is there any earthly reason to promote costumes like this other than to sexualize little girls? See more on page 2.

"Devil Grrrl":

"Major Flirt":

"Little Red Riding Hood":

"Runway Diva":

"Devil Bride":

"Alley Cat":

"Aqua Fairy":

"Bad Spirit":

[HT: moderator MK]

posted at 11:46 AM | Comments (137)

October 11, 2007
Lake of Fire

Over the course of 18 years, director Tony Kaye filmed a 2-1/2 hour documentary about abortion called Lake of Fire, released on a limited scale 1 week ago. By limited I mean one theater in NY. It will open in LA this Friday, likely on just as small a scale.

I first read about Lake of Fire when it debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last September. I had hoped to personally review it, but this now appears unlikely until it is released on dvd. Instead, I will piece together a review based on reviews, all by pro-abort movie critics as far as I can tell. All who identified their positions were such. Before I go on, here's the trailer:

Despite anticipating skewed reviews, I was interested to read their take since I knew the movie was bookended by footage of two abortions - the first late-term and the last early-term. Most pro-aborts avoid the truth of abortion like the plague that it is. But because Kaye, one of their own, made the documentary, reviewers let down their guard and agreed with the need to sit through them for balance and objectivity's sake.

Sniffed TV Guide's Ken Fox:

Showing the torn arms and legs and crushed skulls of aborted fetuses as they're washed and reassembled on a steel tray (the only way to ensure a late-term abortion is complete) simultaneously reveals a plain, painful truth about abortion while defusing one of the radical pro-life movement's favorite tactics of displaying graphic photos of aborted babies by finally putting them into their proper context

I can't imagine how showing an abortion "defus[es]" our "tactics" by putting abortion in its "proper context." But whatever.

LOF's title comes from Scripture quoted by a pro-lifer in the movie, Rev. 20:12-15. Kaye shot the film mostly throughout the 90s, using footage of the 2006 SD abortion ban battle to reflect back.

Almost every reviewer thought LOF was important. How important? Tom Hall:

I believe that in 20 years time, as our nation's political landscape changes in whatever ways it will, we will return to Lake of Fire... as an essential documentary; A piece of the cinematic puzzle of our nation. I knew Lake Of Fire would be difficult (any responsible film about the issue of abortion must be), but I was not prepared for the film's epic complexity; I have used the word masterpiece on this site before, but Lake of Fire is one of the most important documentary films ever made. Shot entirely on gorgeous black and white film and utilizing extreme close-ups of many of his interview subjects to tremendous effect, Kaye... has crafted what is, both aesthetically, politically, and cinematically, what I can only imagine will be remembered as the film of record about our battle over a woman's right to choose an abortion....
[T]he film is much more than a simple roll-call of the names and faces that have lead the fight over abortion rights in the last two decades; it is, quite simply, a devastating chronicle of America's slow and steady slide into political intolerance. With unimaginable access to people on both sides of the issue, Kaye refuses to flinch from the comprehensive presentation that the subject requires.... Most difficult of all, two abortion procedures are shown in detail.

Against that backdrop, reviewers had a hard time stomaching the film. Kenneth Morefield:

Watching it... comprised two of the most grueling hours of my life.

David Edelstein:

... sprawling, scary, nearly unbearable film....

It's certainly not the heated debate they had a hard time with. Still, reviewers agreed Kaye was evenhanded. By that they meant he devoted much footage to pro-life extremists. According to John Horn of the LA Times:

[H]e clearly is drawn to people on the fringes of the debate, chiefly religious activists who feel they are called by God to demonize and even kill abortion providers.

Nick Van der Graaf:

I couldn't help but think that nearly all the pro-lifers interviewed came across as deeply disturbed, with a couple of exceptions.

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Even so, there was still truth in the cliched debate for those with eyes. The New York Post's Kyle Smith:

While Kaye portrays nearly all abortion defenders as eloquent and reasonable, he doesn't seem to notice how often these activists change the subject to things no reasonable person supports, such as racism and gay bashing.

Because he offput pro-lifers while devoting so much time to offputting pro-aborts by the graphic display of abortion, reviewers wondered who would want to watch the film, and which side was more convincing?

We don't know who will watch the film, but I do know which side had the greatest impact, and it was the pro-life side, because, thank God, Kaye showed the reality of abortion. That's all it takes. Pro-lifers are used to being called nutcases and most let it roll off. But pictures are worth a thousand words and make stereotyping of pro-lifers worth it.

The New York Times' Manohla Dargis:

Not everyone will agree about the abortion visuals, including, perhaps, those who worry that such explicit imagery can speak louder than any pro-abortion-rights argument. It's an understandable concern.

Because they are filmed (the dead woman is immortalized in a still photograph), the abortions are unnerving, which is why I suggest that the faint of heart skip the rest of this paragraph. After the first operation, a second-trimester abortion, the doctor sorts through a tray of fetal parts, including a perfect-looking tiny hand and a foot, to make sure that nothing has been left inside the patient, which might lead to poisoning or even death. The doctor then holds up the severed fetal head. One eerily bulging eye looks as if it's staring into the camera and somehow at us....
It's possible that Mr. Kaye opted to show several abortions because he wanted viewers, particularly those sympathetic to a woman's right to abortion, to understand what stirs some people not just to action, but also to kill doctors. If nothing else, the first abortion in the film (of a 20-week-old fetus, though that information is not in the film) reinforces what an abstraction the term pro-choice really is. Abortion does end the life of something.

Kim Voynar:

It's disconcerting, after all, to see what abortion actually looks like; if your beliefs around abortion are based on holding it firmly in your mind that a fetus is just tissue and an abortion a medical procedure no more morally meaningful than an appendectomy, you may be a little turned off by seeing a doctor measuring a tiny severed foot. The more graphic dead-baby abortion footage in the film is mostly from later-term abortions, but we also see abortion from the doctor's perspective, planted firmly between the stirrup-splayed legs of naked women....

Horn again:

No matter where people stand on the issue, the abortion Kaye presents just 20 minutes into the film will certainly become indelible to many: Concerned that he leave no fragments of an aborted fetus in his patient's uterus, a doctor reassembles the body parts -- tiny feet, arms, a head with a clearly discernible face -- into a nearly intact whole. And the camera never blinks.

NPR's Bob Mondello:

Still, when the focus narrows to the personal - to the story of a woman undergoing first counseling and then the actual procedure of terminating her pregnancy, for instance, or to the transformation of Roe v. Wade's original "Jane Roe" into a fervent right-to-lifer - the film becomes undeniably powerful in its specifics.

Smith again:

And the two most memorable portions of the film are powerful propaganda for pro-lifers. The scenes of shredded bloody fetuses at a clinic contain some of the most shocking, revolting footage I've ever seen.

Chris Cabin of FilmCritics.com:

None of the footage outweighs the sight of the actual procedure, which is shown twice as a set of bookends for the film. At first rather faceless, easy-going and clinical, the first procedure only becomes shocking when the doctor explains how he must put together the aftermath to make sure they got it all, holding the gelatinous beginnings of a head between his thumb and forefinger. By actualizing the event early, Kaye guides us into the argument with fresh eyes.

Fresh eyes. Sick pun.