In early October, Chris Pratt, star of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, was promoting his Pixar film “Onward” and encouraging his fans on Instagram to vote for this year’s People’s Choice Awards. And because the awards happened to land during the contentious election, he joked, “With all that’s going on in the world, it is more important than ever that you vote. Just ask any celebrity. They will tell you…to vote. But me? I will…
The 2000 film Gladiator follows the story of a fictional Roman general, Maximus (Russell Crowe), in the 2nd Century AD of the Roman Empire. He is betrayed by Emperor Commodus and catapulted into the life of a simple, but exceptional, gladiator. We follow his journey from defeat to fame, and along the way one scene bears a chilling resemblance to our current climate of entertainment. In one of the smaller arenas that will eventually take…
Americans love celebrities. And Christians are no different. So we are smitten when a secular celebrity says they have been saved. We jostle to be the first in line to herald their salvation, have them on Christian talk shows, offer them book deals, let them lead worship, invite them to preach. But what’s the rush? Should we put newly converted celebrities in the spotlight so fast? Kanye West has professed faith in Christ, and his…
Hollywood’s annual season of self-congratulations wraps up this Sunday night with the Academy Awards. No doubt host Jimmy Kimmel, the presenters, and the recipients will continue to advocate for the #MeToo and the Time’s Up movements, designed to draw attention to, and hopefully start ending, sexual harassment in Hollywood. Good for them! It’s about time actors and their ilk used their time on stage for something other than more self-promotion. #MeToo and Time’s Up are…