Hollywood Finds Jesus

NewsMax ^ | 7/21/05 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Hollywood has found a new marketing tool � Jesus Christ.

Following the tremendous success of Mel Gibson�s "Passion of the Christ� � which took in $370 million at the domestic box office � mainstream Hollywood is adjusting to what it perceives to be a rising religiosity in America.

Directors, studio executives and marketing experts have been seeking to entice an audience that made its power felt with "Passion,� according to a report in the International Herald Tribune.

"Mel Gibson did us a service,� said Bob Waliszewski, a media specialist with Focus on the Family, an evangelical group.

"The Hollywood elites� eyes widened big time. They said, �I thought the church was dead. Is it possible that we don�t know what�s happening in state after state?� And the answer is a resounding yes.�

There are an estimated 30 million evangelical and fundamentalist Christians in the U.S., and Hollywood � mired in a prolonged slump at the box office � is making a concerted effort to mollify and attract that audience.

# Actor Peter Sarsgaard said that while shooting the Disney thriller "Flightplan,� he was told to strike the word "Jesus� from his dialogue; the directors didn't want him to "take the Lord's name in vain."

# Focus on the Family was one of about 30 groups invited to see an early trailer of Disney�s "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,� based on C.S. Lewis� works, which Christian groups regard as an allegory of Christ�s Resurrection.

# Jonathan Bock, who founded Grace Hill Media to specialize in Christian marketing, was hired to help promote "Kingdom of Heaven� and "Cinderella Man� and is advising Sony on "The Da Vinci Code,� based on a novel that challenges basic Christian dogma.

# When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie steal a neighbor�s car in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith,� a crucifix is seen hanging from the rear-view mirror. And in the next scene the two wear borrowed jackets that read "Jesus Rocks.�

"We decided to make the next-door neighbor, whose crucifix it is, be hip, young, cool Christians," the movie's director, Doug Liman, told the New York Times news service. "It's literally in there for no other reason than I thought: 'This is cool.'"

# Universal Studios screened the movie "Ray" for church groups as a way to build positive "buzz" for the film by word-of-mouth; the director had alread expurgated the script to mollify the film's backer, Philip Anschutz.

Marc Shmuger, vice chairman of Universal Pictures, said the Christian audience is "a well-formed community, it�s identifiable, it has very specific tastes and preferences and is therefore a group that can be located and directly marketed to.

[jtminton]

Interesting&#65533

[Thrusher]

Wow, hypocrisy is so cool.�

[TheBigB]

This&#65533 is a great&#65533 article!&#65533

[happyathome]

Idiots. Like people of faith are going to go to an otherwise depravity-filled movie because the directors give a Cross a cameo.

[Skooz]

?&#65533 bump

[happyathome]

Oops, sorry, missed the trend&#65533

[Thrusher]

# When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie steal a neighbor�s car in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith,� a crucifix is seen hanging from the rear-view mirror

I just find it flat-out, ROTFLMAO hysterical� that this is cited as proof that "Hollywood finds Jesus".�

[D Rider]

The Da Vinci Code,� based on a novel that challenges basic Christian dogma.

A movie that is based on heretical Gnosticism, that has centuries of writings and documents thoroughly discrediting it, yeah, that will bring the Christians out.

[vabeachrepub]

"which Christian groups regard as an allegory of Christ�s Resurrection" Everybody regards it as an allegory of Christ's resurrection (because it is) - not just Christian groups - geez these writers can be morons.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

A hip, young, cool Christ?

Man alive, these Hollywood twits still don&#65533t get it, do they?

[Thrusher]

The Da Vinci Code,� based on a novel that challenges basic Christian dogma.

A movie that is based on heretical Gnosticism, that has centuries of writings and documents thoroughly discrediting it, yeah, that will bring the Christians out.

Yeah, � so even if you are bashing Jesus and pissing on Church doctrine, it still counts as "finding Jesus" in Hollywood.� Brilliant!�

[OB1kNOb]

"We decided to make the next-door neighbor, whose crucifix it is, be hip, young, cool Christians," the movie's director, Doug Liman, told the New York Times news service. "It's literally in there for no other reason than I thought: 'This is cool.'"

Lord forgive them. They only do it in hopes to make a buck. They don't have a clue.

[OB1kNOb]

"We decided to make the next-door neighbor, whose crucifix it is, be hip, young, cool Christians," the movie's director, Doug Liman, told the New York Times news service. "It's literally in there for no other reason than I thought: 'This is cool.'"

Lord forgive them. They only do it in hopes to make a buck. They don't have a clue. oops forgot........&#65533

[frogjerk]

I fell kind of &#65533 over this story.

[Skooz]

"We decided to make the next-door neighbor, whose crucifix it is, be hip, young, cool [ liberal, pro-choice, multi-cultural, Christian Fundamentalist-hating, non-Dogmatic, non-judgemental, pro-gay, pro-gay marriage, don't really believe all that Bible stuff ] Christians," the movie's director, Doug Liman, told the New York Times news service.

[BibChr]

Because the "old Jesus" is so uncool and out-of-date

Dan

[Lost Highway]

Universal Studios screened the movie "Ray" for church groups as a way to build positive "buzz" for the film by word-of-mouth; the director had alread expurgated the script to mollify the film's backer, Philip Anschutz.

I would have hated to see it before it was &#65533expurgated&#65533. The movie was an hour and a half on the few most &#65533un-Christian&#65533 years of his life and spent 10 minutes on the other 40 years&#65533.

[greyfoxx39]

Ok, techies, so how did that &#65533 get into the post anyway?

[theFIRMbss]

>Hollywood Finds Jesus

Let's put it this way: Hollywood went looking for Captain Kirk and found Captain Picard. Just imagine what they will find looking for Jesus!