Susan Boyle; the latest Catholic superstar

Until she wowed the world with last week's performance on "Britain's God Talent" (see video here) auditions in Scotland, Susan who was deprived of oxygen at birth, and suffers a learning disability was a 'nobody' in the eyes of the world. The youngest of 9 children, Susan was mocked at school for her disability and lived a quiet life centered around her home parish, Our Lady of Lourdes where she sang in the choir until her mother's death in 2007. She has never been kissed, her only companion is her cat, Pebbles, and she has a reputation for quirky behavior and kindness, according to her pastor, Fr Clark in this CNS interview.
She is a beautiful soul. You can tell by the reaction of the audience to her song. It was an epiphany; yes, a disabled woman who is unattractive in the eyes of the world has something wonderful to contribute. Listen and learn. And next time, keep an open mind.
We can feel pride that while most Catholic celebrities disappoint, Susan is too innocent to be ruined by her 20 million viewers worldwide. Yet. I hope her pastor, Fr Clark, and her 8 siblings keep her safe from Hollywood. I'm waiting for her first CD.

Jerry Springer: the Opera

cross-post from The World...IMHO

There are some things that are such garbage that you just know you don't want (or need) to see them.
This is one of them. The good news is that the Catholic League is on the case.

On January 29 and 30, "Jerry Springer--The Opera" will be performed at Carnegie Hall. The first act is a parody of the Jerry Springer Show; the second act depicts the television personality in Hell attempting to bridge a resolution between Jesus and Satan.

"When this opera debuted in London, it was the subject of a libel suit for defaming Christians. When the BBC picked it up, it drew more than 60,000 complaints for its anti-Christian theme. Not bad for a non-Christian country. The London Times described the concert as a 'cocktail of biblical characters, filthy arias and tap dancing Ku Klux Klansman.' After watching a DVD version, I would say that's an understatement. In a Nexis search, linking 'blasphemous' with the show provides 745 hits; there are 112 articles that use the word 'filth' to describe the concert.

"The opera has Jesus introduced as that 'hypocrite son of the fascist tyrant on high, Jesus of Nazareth.' He is portrayed as a fat, effeminate gay-like character (he admits to being 'a bit gay' after the chorus labels him as such) who walks around in a diaper. The crucifixion is mocked, the Eucharist is trashed, the Virgin Mary is introduced as a woman who was 'raped by an angel' and Eve fondles Jesus' genitals. Gee...I wonder why they didn't use Mohammed? Why is it that Catholics and other Christians, and our God, are mocked and ridiculed?

"More than anything else, what this show celebrates is moral nihilism. At the end, it even voices this theme: 'Nothing is wrong and nothing is right' and 'there are no absolutes of good and evil.' This is exactly what the Nazis said in their defense at Nuremberg.

"Veteran BBC official William Rees-Mogg said he was 'ashamed of the BBC' for airing this show. Will the patrons of Carnegie Hall be similarly ashamed? Contact: publicaffairs@carnegiehall.org. We will contact its most generous corporate sponsors."

story here

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Okay--who in their right mind would bring a two-year-old to a movie subtitled The Demon Barber of Fleet Street? The movie is rated R, it's by Tim Burton, and has Johnny Depp. At the very least you should have an inkling that it's going to be dark.

Yes, someone did bring their toddler and ended up taking her out just about every time the music rose to a crescendo and blood spattered the screen.

Just for the record: this isn't The Sound of Music.

DS#2 saw the movie with some of his friends. He enjoyed it, except for the music--he didn't realize Sweeney Todd is a musical. However, his biggest objection to the music is that the songs all sounded the same, just with different words. Part of it might be that Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman don't have a lot of range in their singing voices. But Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Anthony Hope, and Jayne Wisener, as Johanna, are excellent. Helena Bonham Carter is Mrs. Lovett, who loves Sweeney Todd in her own limited way, and who owns "the worst meat pie shop in London."

Ed Sanders, who plays Toby, a young orphan Mrs. Lovett takes in, is a true find. I hope he finds work.

Hubs and I enjoyed it, although Hubs was expecting it to be more of a comedy. The ending is the only one it could have, but it's not happy. But it's not Old Yeller sad, either. The movie is shot in muted tones, which makes the red of the blood all the more startling and surprising.

I did find the fact that three of main actors, Rickman, Bonham Carter, and Timothy Spall, are also characters in the Harry Potter movies. (Spall plays Peter Pettigrew.) Rickman and Spall have several scenes together which just reminded me of Snape and Pettigrew. C'mon--aren't there other actors in England?

Johnny Depp does mad extremely well. I believed he was pushed over the edge of sanity and yet could remain capable of thinking logically. Rickman has done subtle evil so often it must be nearly second nature. (It must have been quite a relief to play a snotty British actor playing an coolly logical alien on Galaxy Quest.) Helen Bonham Carter walks the edge of madness and sanity, truth and lies, love and obsession. More than anything she wants a middle-class life: a home, a husband, a child. Mr. Todd is the closest chance she has of getting that and deep inside her, she knows he can't give normality to her. Toby is her surrogate child, but he forces her to see the reality she doesn't want to see and make a decision she doesn't want to make.

Several of the plot "twists" were obvious to both Hubs and I, in part because there are few resolutions for tragedies.

On the way home, Hubs and I debated whether or not DD#2 should see it and if she would enjoy it. (She's 14.) He didn't think so; I think she would, in part because, thanks to her older sibs, she's had a lot of exposure to dark comedy and to Tim Burton. I will admit several of the scenes made me jump even though I knew what was coming.

Can I recommend this movie? A qualified "Yes." Like the Stephen Sondheim musical it's based on, this won't be everyone's cuppa. IMDb classifies Sweeney Todd under "Thriller" and "Crime" as well as "Musical." I suppose those will do. I knew the general outlines of the story, so I was prepared and I enjoyed it. Hubs didn't know any of the storyline, but he's watched enough Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movies to have an inkling this wasn't going to be a light and happy holiday movie. He enjoyed it and is curious to see it as a stage play with actors who can sing.

On the March Hare Scale: 4 out of 5 Golden Tickets

crossposted at The Mad Tea Party

Deacon Greg Reviews Sweeney Todd

After months of waiting and wondering, last night I finally got to see the movie version of "Sweeney Todd." I'd seen the stage production years ago, with Angela Lansbury and George Hearn, and knew to expect something different with Johnny Depp wielding the razor. It is different. Very different. It's a brooding, disturbing, urgent, ominous, grisly, sweeping "Sweeney."

And it's also something I never expected: heartbreaking.

It's a story of revenge, and like all of these kinds of tales, the moral is the same: revenge begets revenge. (Or, as "Othello" puts it, "Sin will pluck on sin.") The grudges we nurse can destroy us -- even more so, when we believe that settling those grudges will, in fact, redeem us. When Sweeney throws back his head and sings, "I will have salvation," he's not talking about going to heaven, but to hell. And hell consumes, almost literally, the second half of the story, with bodies being burned and chimneys belching black smoke and corpses piling up like the last scene of "Hamlet."

Definitely Deacon Greg should have been a movie reviewer. Read the rest for his thoughtful and compelling commentary. He sees below the surface just as we would want in any well told story. For those who are fans of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Steven Sondheim ... and well, horror-musicals (granted it is a small genre!) ... go read his review. (Cross-posted at Happy Catholic)