1. Mount Vernon schools to hire investigator in Bible case

Comment #169248 by 24fps on April 25, 2008 at 4:40 pm

I wouldn't care about a teacher having a bible on his desk -- who cares? Proselytizing I would take some issue with, but I've already taught my daughters to deflect that sort of nonsense.

But if one of my children came home with a religious symbol branded on her arm I would do grievous bodily harm to the lunatic who did it.

2. Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Comment #163017 by 24fps on April 17, 2008 at 8:33 pm

Aha! So that's where those two demanding small people who've taken over my house came from! :D

Hilarious!

3. Yoko Ono, Filmmakers Caught in 'Expelled' Flap

Comment #162628 by 24fps on April 17, 2008 at 6:47 am

I'm not a lawyer or an American, but I am a documentary filmmaker (in Canada). As far as I know, music has to be licensed if it is recognizable -- and a lawyer friend of mine has also pointed out that "fair use" is actually a myth, but that could be up here. I do know that, through my own experience with E&O insurance that American laws are less restrictive than they are here, but the insurance company can refuse to pay out if there is an intentional breach of the law. Not that the Premise Media crew aren't well-heeled enough to pay it out on their own, but I can't imagine that any insurance company would look kindly on this kind of stunt or sheer stupidity if it was unintentional.

My secret hope is that Ono slaps an injunction on them before tomorrow demanding that they recut and leave "Imagine" out. No way can they recut and get 1000 copies (especially if they're film prints) ready for the opening in a day. I'm not for censorship, but I am for people in my profession playing by the rules.

4. Expelled Overview

Comment #150422 by 24fps on March 26, 2008 at 9:59 pm

I think it's obvious that Expelled is a wrongheaded and biased documentary that preaches to the converted. I also think that many commenters underestimate it.

Every time I hear about "church basements" and how this project is so not mainstream, I think about LeHay's "Left Behind" series. I can't find numbers on book sales, but millions of copies comes to many millions of dollars. The first film based on the series made $4.6 million US, the second $17 million. And the Passion of the Christ made $30 million. I also note the marketers for POTC are working the distribution of this film.

I know the Christian audience seems small and marginal, but this is deceptive. The numbers are larger than you would think, and they weild a powerful market share, especially in the US. Sure, Expelled preaches to the converted, but they're willing to pay to be preached to. And there is serious money being poured into the distribution of this project. Money buys exposure.

I'd also like to note that there seems to be some attempt at crossover to more mainstreamed audiences. Stein obviously buys into ID/creationism, but he approaches it as a devout Jew, not a Christian. So when we start talking about the Christian agenda, they have a built in defense -- their host/star.

Underestimating these people is risky. This is only what I've gleaned from a little time on the 'net. I suspect that's only the tip of the iceberg.