Christian community…

My pastor, Jonathan Martin, and I have a lively discussion about the nature and limits of true Christian community going on over on his blog. Please check it out and chime in. Believers and non-believers welcome.

http://jonathanmartin.wordpress.com

Peace. Out.

Keith E. Urban…

I had the opportunity to see the Carrie Underwood/Keith Urban “Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride” tour twice in the last two weeks (thanks, Rudy!). I loved Carrie Underwood’s first album and I’m a pretty big Keith Urban fan in general, so I was excited to see the show.

Carrie Underwood sounded amazing, but she’s clearly not comfortable on stage yet. As she was singing, it looked like she was thinking, “Shoulder in, shoulder out, shoulder in, shoulder out, and wave…wave….now walk, walk, walk, walk, and smile….smile…” She looked like she wasn’t able to spontaneously move or connect with the audience. But she looked very pretty and sounded great.

Then, there was Keith Urban. What…a…rock star! I was totally impressed with his stage presence, interaction with the crowd, and performance. I love that he was able to pull off all the stuff he does on his albums, vocally and on the guitar. He literally ran himself ragged during both shows and was clearly thrilled to be there.

Buy Carrie’s albums and go see Keith live. I promise you’ll enjoy it!

Peace. Out.

Young at Heart…

Last night, I attended a screening of the new documentary Young at Heart. I don’t toss around the phrase “favorite movie” lightly, but this is one of my absolute favorite movies ever.

The film chronicles a chorus of senior citizens (the average age of the members is 80!!) who cover songs from artists like Sonic Youth, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, James Brown, and many others. The choir is preparing for an upcoming show, and the film covers the seven week period leading up to the show.

The people in the choir are truly precious. And I don’t mean precious like, “Look, an old person…how cute!” I mean precious like of great worth. I recently worked on a show where we were talking about groups of people who are neglected by the Church. One of the groups we talked about was the elderly. If this movie does not make you understand how valuable and wonderful our elders truly are, there may be no hope for you! The choir members are funny, sarcastic, loving and lively. When they were hindered by their physical ailments, my heart broke for their frustration. When they flirted with each other, I had butterflies in my stomach on their behalf!

Many of the songs selected become particularly poignant when sung by a group of people facing their final years. Songs like The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” (Put me in a wheelchair/Put me on a plane/I can’t control my fingers/I can’t control my brain) and David Bowie’s ”Golden Years” (I’ll stick with you baby for a thousand years/Nothin’s gonna touch you in these golden years) take on a whole new level of meaning.

My favorite moment came when the choir performed at a prison. Among other selections, the choir sang Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.” Something about the arrangement of the song and the gusto with which it was sung made it feel very sacred and almost hymn-like. Add to that the reaction shots of the listening inmates, and you have a recipe for some serious tears! It was honestly the most moving movie moment of my life.

Fox Searchlight is sponsoring tons of free screenings all over the U.S. Go to the website and click “Attend A Free Screening” to reserve your spot. Go see this movie!!

Peace. Out.

Signs of the season…

I was talking to someone the other day about the Renaissance Festival in Charlotte. It’s one of my favorite events of the year (geeky, I know!), and – since it’s here in October/November – the primary thing that signals Fall and the upcoming holiday season. It’s almost like it’s not “officially” Fall until I’ve seen the Tortugas and chowed down on a turkey leg!

That conversation (and the fact that I really needed to write something non-BSG-related!) got me thinking about what signals other seasons in my brain. Off the top of my head, here are some of the things that let me know Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner…

* The smell of tanning bed lotion. I care enough about my skin to avoid being a slave to my tan, but I do appreciate a nice healthy glow once temperatures start warming up. I love the whole experience of the tanning bed. The privacy, the fan noise, the music, the heat. If I could go year-round and not feel bad about it, I so would. As it is, though, I save it for just a month or two before Summer.

* Country music. I’m not sure exactly what, but it’s something to do with high-school and riding in the car with my best friend Julie on sunny days. Julie loved country music and turned me on to it (along with Guiding Light, oatmeal cream pies and Old Navy!). If we were together in a car on a sunny day, the windows would be down and country music would be blaring! Even now, I find myself turning to the country station more often when Spring rolls around.

* Planning for the James Taylor concert. JT comes to Charlotte about every other year, and my family goes out to see him every time. The concert is normally in May, so it’s lovely to be sitting out on the amphitheater lawn, hanging out with friends, singing along to timeless classics. On a sidenote, since Gabe was born, I’ve been singing “Sweet Baby James” to him, but changing “James” to “Gabe.” It fits perfectly! He knows most of the words now, and I often think about the day when he hears that song and realizes it’s not really about him. I hope he has a sort of “aha!” moment where he realizes that (a) his aunt didn’t make up that song, but (b) she loved him enough to create a little lullaby just for him.

* Season premieres and finales. I know, I know, you’ve heard enough about that show! Actually, I was thinking of Burn Notice and Psych, though. Psych (and Monk) randomly have two short seasons – one in winter, one in summer – and I always look forward to it coming back on. Burn Notice just started last summer and I’ve been chomping at the bit for its return. Both are on USA. The season finales of other shows will be a little weak this time around, considering the fallout from the writers’ strike, but I still enjoy a good cliffhanger to take me into summer!

This is the first year since I started Kindergarten that the school-schedule holds no influence over my plans for the year. When I wasn’t in school myself, I was working at a school. Ideas about “spring break” and “summer vacation” are so ingrained that I find myself at a kind of loss as to what the next few months will and should hold. But I have a new house, a new puppy, and a community pool…what more could a girl ask for? :)

Peace. Out.

BSG 4×1 – He That Believeth In Me…

So, you might not have heard, but the Battlestar Galactica Season 4 premiere was on this past Friday. :-)

I had high hopes for the premiere, and it didn’t disappoint. Here are some thoughts about the episode and the general direction of this season…

* The title of this episode intrigues me. It’s a clear reference to John 11:25, “Jesus said, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live’” (KJV). I think the title is meant to refer to Baltar’s interaction with the sick boy. The boy was almost dead, his mother believed Baltar could save him, and – ultimately – it seems that he did. Baltar seems to be truly believing in the One True God of the Cylons based on his private prayer over the boy. Baltar believes and, therefore, his life is spared when threatened by non-believers. I wonder if the title could also be referencing Starbuck. In other words, “Those who believe in Starbuck will ultimately live.”

* I loved all of the fun the writers were having with the Final 4/5 in this episode. I feel like these characters will take a turn for the serious sooner rather than later, so I was glad to see a few “wink, wink” moments to kick things off (i.e. Starbuck telling Anders “If I found out you were a Cylon, I’d put a bullet between your eyes.”). Considering who the Final 4/5 are brings up some interesting questions. They all keep saying, “We must have been Cylons from the beginning,” but I don’t think that’s possible. If that’s true, then Cylons age just like humans. Plus, in Sharon/Boomer/Athena’s case, we see that when Cylons are “resurrected,” they come back as adults, not babies. I think it’s more likely that all of the Cylon human models are based on real people. Those people have either been cloned or destroyed in the process. In the case of the Final 4/5, I think they waited to see which humans would be placed in key positions before becoming “embodied.” Tory is connected to the President, Tigh is connected to Adama, Anders is connected to Starbuck, and the Chief holds a prominent position himself. At some point in the recent past, I believe those people were replaced with Cylon sleeper agents. They haven’t been Cylons all along.

* Ron Moore has said that the final member of the Final 5 is not in the Last Supper-like promotional photo of this year. Hmm. A lot of people thought it would be Starbuck. Or Adama. Or Roslin. Or Baltar. But they are all in the picture. I never really thought it would be Starbuck, but her connection to the Cylons can’t be ignored. I’m most puzzled by her returning in a brand new ship. Whaaa…?

* Finally, I’m very excited to have read a quote from executive producer David Eick saying that every episode will be important this year. He went on to say they basically don’t have to worry about gaining a broader audience this season. They have their audience and they’ll be rewarding them with each episode. Yay!

Peace. Out.