Jesus eclipses Oscars

[windansea]

Hollywood - Shrouded in secrecy and heralded by allegations of anti-Semitism and extreme violence, hype over Mel Gibson's new movie about the death of Jesus is eclipsing Hollywood's annual Oscars frenzy.

The heavily-disputed The Passion of the Christ, which opened in the United States on Wednesday to huge media fanfare, has knocked Oscar off the front pages just days ahead of Tinseltown's biggest night of the year, Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony.

"Gibson has collapsed the Academy Awards. The Oscars have been overtaken by the Passion," said Hollywood spin doctor Anthony Mora, an author and publicity expert who specialises in putting his clients in the news.

The controversy looks certain to make it a box office hit, keeping Hollywood tongues wagging over Gibson rather than cinema's highest honours, usually the sole subject of conversation in awards-obsessed Hollywood at this time of year.

Studio and Oscar bosses, used to being invincible in generating media "buzz," were desperately trying to boost the visibility of their films, their stars and the glittering Oscars show itself in the face of the stiff competition from Jesus Christ.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Entertainment/Abroad/0,,2-1225-1243_1489823,00.html

[roguevalley]

1. poor Jesus. I wonder what he'll wear on the red carpet. <joke> I feel so

damned numbed by all the hucksterism that I almost hate
my religion. Thank God I don't hate Jesus, who i believe
has as much to do with religion as Strom Thurmond had to
do with honor.

[saltpoint]

2. Perhaps by this time next year, Mel will be --

-- in an asylum receiving the care he deserves.

[bvar22]

3. Refuse to respond to the Commercial Corporate Hype!

What movie??:shrug:

[Champion Jack]

4. The one about some passionate Cheeze-its?

[pinto]

5. I'm on the edge of my seat....any more details?

never mind.

[Just Me]

6. His personal investment of 30 mil was worth the production of a dialogue.

Doncha' think?

I embrace those who ignite a conversation about fundamental values. If that kind of conversation freaks people out,...well,...get over it,...and choose whether to join the rest of humanity or be freakin' out *LOL*.

[windansea]

7. heh heh n/t

[brendan120678]

8. First post!

Okay, so I went and saw this movie with some friends, just to see how it was. Personally, I wasn't at all excited with it.


In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit I am a fairly regularly-practicing Catholic, with mostly liberal views. But I attend movies for their entertainment value. There was nothing entertaining about this movie. I wouldn't even classify it as an "artsy" movie--i like those as well. I love foreign-language films. This just didn't do it for me.


I'll stick with Jesus Christ Superstar, thank you very much.

PS: How did I do for my first-ever post??

[saltpoint]

9. Welcome, Brendan. You did just fine on this post --

-- not to worry.

I rented LIFE OF BRIAN last night instead of going to Mel's movie.

Generally I lean toward foreign-language films or independent films.

Welcome welcome welcome welcome welcome.

[windansea]

10. same thing I've been hearing

welcome to DU :toast:

[Katherine2]

14. I was raised Catholic

and I still go to Catholic church even though I'm not a good Catholic. I saw the movie, and purely as a movie, I found it hokey and cheesy. I wasn't even appalled by all the scourging -- I was more like, OK, can we move on now? And I hate to sound bad, but every time he fell, I was like, please not another falling in slow motion sequence. I didn't even get a religious message from it. It didn't tell me anything about Jesus. I just don't get it.

[Jazzgirl]

39. "please not another falling in slow motion sequence"

I luv that Katherine2, :D And welcome!

Jazzgirl:hi:

[burrowowl]

16. Welcome to DU, Brenden!

The Life of Brian is one of my favorites.
I don't see how a movified version of the Stations of the Cross adds anything to a 'spiritual life' and since one is passively watching the movie, doesn't even provide for meditation as the Stations of the Cross are supposed to do.

[DBoon]

22. So why wasn't it so exciting?

What were you expecting that the movie didn't provide?

Give us details, we insist.


It's not like you'll give the plot away

Note: not a practicing Catholic, but spent 12 years in the Catholic education system.....

[WillyT]

11. What I Wanna Know, Is...

who got the contract for all the movie marketing goodies???

I mean... is MacDonald's putting a Jesus action figure in every one of its 'Happy Meals'???

Is there a Judas 'transformer' toy?

How 'bout a Pontious Pilate hand towel???

:evilgrin:

[windansea]

12. nails pendants are selling like hotcakes

and Mel is having the last laugh on Hollywood

:evilgrin:

[Katherine2]

13. You only get a Jesus action figure

if you order the Fish Filet on Friday.

[WillyT]

15. Ooo... That's Good !!! --- And Welcome To The DU Katherine2 !!!

:toast::bounce::toast:

Love posters with a sense of humor!!!

:hi:

[burrowowl]

18. Welcome to DU, Katherine2

Rent Dogma and you will see the Buddy Jesus!

[Katherine2]

21. I Love Dogma

and I love Kevin Smith.

[rednek_Liberal]

30. <Keanu voice>Woah...

:evilgrin:J-dude happy meals, that would be wack. I would horde them only to auction on e-bay some 10 years later.:evilgrin: </Keanu voice>

[gorrister]

17. Jesus eclipses Oscars

Yeah and it sucks! All this Passion-hype is stealing ROTK's thunder. Gibson only wishes he had Peter Jackson's directing skills. I wish this movie -- and Mel Gibson -- would just go away.

(Braveheart was also overrated and Gibson's Scottish brogue was awful)

[saltpoint]

19. It's all cool, gorrister --

-- a last-minute deal has been struck for the Oscar telecast -- for the opening dance number, Mel Gibson will be flogged by a dance-team dressed as Roman and Jewish luminaries from Bible times. Should be a humdinger. Wayne Newton will handle the vocals.

And welcome to DU, too.

[gorrister]

20. re: "It's all cool, gorrister --"

LOL yeah I could actually see him doing something like that, as it would feed into his "martyr complex."
(see http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0345/winter.php)

thanks for the welcome. :D

[Merlin]

26. In the grand finale, perhaps they could disembowel him live on stage,

as he shrieks out:

Freedom !

Given Gibson's ecstatic pleasure over reveling in bloody, sadomasochistic, self-flagellating, exhibitionistic self-gratification, I actually think he would be tempted to do it.

[DarkSim]

27. Why do people even want to see passion? Life of Brian is better... nt

[gate of the sun]

23. it wasn't Jesus

it was a movie made by Mel Gibson called the passion depicting his view of Jesus.

[saltpoint]

24. --which windandsea acknowledges and points out --

-- in the second-to-last paragraph of the original post.

[windansea]

28. actually I just posted the article

but thanks for the defense...:)

[gate of the sun]

29. I was just pointed out what I perceive to be the truth

no attack on anyone intended.

Peace.

[saltpoint]

31. Peace right back, but the point was whether --

-- the original post covered your concern.

It did.

[Voltaire99]

25. To rub it in, He plans to streak across the stage, too

Afterwards, He will return to judge the living and the Dawn of the Dead remake.

[rooboy]

32. Wow, Jesus has become bigger than Jesus !!! n/t

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

33. The Oscars eclipsed the US backed coup in Haiti

Democracy was being overthrown in Bush's own hemisphere, and he doesn't doesn't lift a finger to keep it intact.

[windansea]

35. democracy?? see info below

sorry but I wouldn't call the guy "democratically elected" based on these reports

re: 1995 election

The Carter Center report on the ensuing election -- written by Carter confidant and former National Security Council advisor Robert Pastor -- documents the disgraceful conduct of the Aristide government and his Lavalas party. "Of the 13 elections I have observed, the June 25 Haitian elections were the most disastrous technically, with the most insecure count," Pastor said in the report. "I personally witnessed the compromise of one-third of the ballot boxes in Port-au-Prince."

According to the report, the election was riddled with graft, fraud and chaos, with widespread irregularities, ballots burned, hundreds of voting stations never opened and tens of thousands of people never able to vote.

The report, issued by the Atlanta-based Carter Center, exposes Aristide's one-party "Lavalas" rule, with its widespread corruption, mismanagement and ballot manipulating, particularly in the June 25 election. Aristide's allies swept local and parliamentary seats in that balloting.

President Carter's critique of Aristide is especially startling, considering the long political association between the two. When Aristide won Haiti's 1990 presidential election, the Carter Center was at the forefront of groups supporting the results

A critical part of Aristide's plan for seizing total power in Haiti has been his illegal and authoritarian command of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) that conducted the fraudulent June election. Sensing trouble in March, Carter visited Haiti and was formally rebuffed by Aristide. Unofficially, he was greeted by hostile crowds and vicious graffiti, all engineered by Lavalas street gangs intent on embarrassing the former U.S. chief executive

http://www.cartercenter.org/documents/1248.pdf

and these reports on 2000 election from politics and elections.com


Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide won election as president of Haiti again, winning 92% of the vote according to the country's electoral council. All major opposition parties boycotted the election.

Aristide's Lavalas Family Party won all nine Senate seats that were contested, giving it all but one seat in the upper house. Lavalas Family also won 80% of the House of Assembly seats in may, June and July legislative elections. Opponents charge that those elections were rigged to enable Aristide to govern with, effectively, one-party rule.

Aristide was first elected in 1990, ending nearly 200 years of dictatorship. A bloody army coup kicked him out seven months later, followed by a terroristic military government, and than an invasion by U.S. troops to restore Aristide to power.

Opposition activist Evans Paul said ballot boxes were stuffed and tally sheets altered to make it look like a higher turnout. Some polls closed hours early for lack of voters.

more...

http://www.politicsandelections.com/international/hai.htm

[Oilwellian]

36. You've been very busy

This is the second time I've seen you post this within the last 10 minutes. Tell me, do you support the successful coup in Haiti today?

[windansea]

37. I am in favor of real democracies

I do know Aristade was a thug posing as a populist...are you in favor of rigged elections?

but lets not hijack my Jesus thread...I just couldn't let the comment above slide..there are plenty of Haiti threads :)

[monobrau]

34. Was that a 900 ft. Jesus?

-NT

[JasonDeter]

38. And I love this! The movie is raking in MILLIONS!

Mel deserves it in my book. I look forward to the next movie, probably about the Apostles.

'Passion' Hauls in $117.5M in Five Days


http://www.comcast.net/News/ENTERTAINMENT//XML/1402_Movies/a5ac3059-368f-49d7-91b3-70fd45d76956.html


'Passion' Hauls in $117.5M in Five Days

Sun Feb 29, 11:55 AM

By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson's gamble on "The Passion of the Christ" paid off enormously, riding a storm of religious debate to a $117.5 million haul in its first five days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"The Passion," which debuted on Ash Wednesday, rocketed to the No. 1 box-office slot for the weekend with $76.2 million from Friday to Sunday. It was the seventh-best three-day opening ever, behind "Spider-Man" at $114.8 million and such Hollywood franchises as "The Matrix Reloaded" and the first two "Harry Potter" movies.

"The Passion" put up the second-best five-day figures for a movie opening on Wednesday, behind last year's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" at $124.1 million and ahead of "Star Wars: Episode I _ The Phantom Menace" at $105.6 million.

The first movie released in 2004 to cross the $100 million mark, "The Passion" easily passed the weekend's No. 2 flick, "50 First Dates" at $88.7 million, as the year's top-grossing film.