When Rob Bell left Mars Hill Bible Church, he said that he was leaving because he felt a “calling to share God’s love” in new ways. Sarah Pulliam Bailey reports that one of those “new ways” is to produce a television drama about his own life. Bell has joined-up with Carlton Cuse—one of the creators of the TV series Lost—to produce a television pilot, and ABC has already bought the rights to it. New York Magazine has a brief report on how Cuse and Bell got together and what the show will be like:
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The End of R.E.M., and They Feel Fine
The band R.E.M. began playing together in Athens, Georgia in 1980. Over the last thirty-one years they have released 15 albums. They were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. I was a big fan, so I took note when I saw the announcement today on their website that they are calling it quits as a band. They write: “To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever…
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Carpe Diem!
Tim Challies posted the preceding video in his daily links list. It’s called “Love Tap,” and I think it is pretty good. I really like the song at the end. It’s by a band named Jukebox the Ghost, and the track is titled “Good Day.” The version in the video, however, is a remix by Andrew Maury. You can download the original “Good Day” track here, and the remix is available here.
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Mel Gibson To Make Movie about the Maccabees
The Los Angeles Times reports that Mel Gibson will be making a movie about the Jewish hero who is memorialized every year during Hanukkah– Judas Maccabeus. Here’s a bit from the article: Gibson’s Icon Productions has closed the producing deal with Warner Bros., and Joe Eszterhas will write the screenplay. Gibson’s camp said the filmmaker will decide if he’s directing after the script is done and that he has not ruled out the possibility that he could act in the film.
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God in America
If you missed PBS’s “God in America” series last Fall, you can now watch it online for free. You can stream it from PBS’s website, or you can watch all six episodes below. Here’s a description of the program: For the first time on television, God in America explores the tumultuous 400-year history of the intersection of religion and public life in America, from the first European settlements to the 2008 presidential election.
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The Cello Song
Steven Sharp Nelson released a single in May that is a variation on an old Bach classic. It’s kind of an experiment. It is a song written for one cello, but he does it with eight. Watch it above, and download the single here. (HT: Trevin Wax)
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Owl City’s Newest Drops Today
Owl City’s sophomore release drops today. It’s the follow-up to the 2009 album containing the mega-hit single “Fireflies.” My two girls loved “Fireflies”especially the video. They don’t know that the lead singer’s name is Adam Young. They always refer to him as “the man with all his toys.” Christianity Today has an interview with Adam Young today. In the interview, Young talks about how he writes songs. He explains, “My prayer has always been, ‘Lord, just give me the songs you want me to write so I can record them, release them, put them in the can, and reflect all glory and praise back to you.” Read the rest here.…
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KJB – The Book That Changed the World
If you haven’t seen it yet, there is a new documentary out on the making of the King James Version of the Bible. It is narrated by John Rhys Davies, and it looks really fascinating. The video is linked above.
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Elizabeth Taylor, RIP (1932-2011)
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Jane Russell (1921-2011)
You have probably heard the news by now that Jane Russell—a legend of the silver screen—has passed away. What you may not have known (at least I didn’t) is that she was a professing Christian. Christianity Today has a fascinating interview with Ms. Russell from 2009 in which she discusses being a Christian in Hollywood, her gospel singing career, and her pro-life advocacy. She even shares a personal story about her own near death experience after having an abortion as a young woman. Here’s an excerpt: