The Surprising Unintended Consequences of Fandom
Movies can make people do strange things. And, no, I’m not talking about some of the usual suspects here. You know, teens taking up smoking (a correlation many studies have indicated) or imitating risky behavior. Nope, I’m talking about buying tropical fish and visiting a tiny island off the southwest coast of Ireland. Why? Because […]
We Weren’t Meant to Be Worshipped
A couple of months ago, my son and I went to a TobyMac concert in Denver, and I was able to get us a couple of pre-concert meet-‘n’-greet passes. It was my son’s first concert and he was off-the-charts thrilled to have a chance to meet Toby. As is often the case with such events, […]
Angry Birds Takes Flight
Captain America: Civil War‘s reign atop the box office came to a decidedly unheroic end this weekend. Even Cap’s iconic vibranium-alloy shield wasn’t enough to fend off the brutal onslaught of a bunch of aggrieved animated avians. The Angry Birds Movie—a flick inspired by the enormously popular video game of the same name—flew to the […]
With a Little Help From My Friends
I’m not sure I would have made it without Joe. He was my best friend from fifth grade through, well, all the way up to today, 35-ish or so years later. And Joe played an especially critical, stabilizing role during my tumultuous adolescent years. As a tween and teen, I was moody and insecure, given […]
Celebrities’ Hearts Hurt Too
Celebrities are different than the rest of us “normal people,” in pretty much any way you want to define the word different. They’re prettier or more handsome. They have more money. They get more attention. They live in nicer places, drive nicer cars. Etcetera. Because of that, I wonder if we sometimes subconsciously suspect that […]
Don’t Go to War With Captain America
Usually, when a film plunges nearly 60% in its second week at the box office, it means other newcomers have a fighting chance at the top slot. Except, of course, when the movie in question has Captain America in its title. ‘Cause even a drop that big wasn’t enough to slow down the Star-Spangled Soldier […]
Weighing the Heavy Costs of Extreme Weight-Loss Shows
NBC’s The Biggest Loser has been one of the network’s, ahem, biggest reality TV success stories. It’s paired consistently strong ratings with feel-good storylines about overweight people working hard to get back to a healthy size and all of the good things that come with it. Everybody wins, right? After all, what could be wrong […]
When Bono Met Eugene
Rock stars and theologians generally inhabit separate spheres of influence. But every now and then, their orbits intersect in unexpected ways. Such is the case with Bono, frontman for U2, and Eugene Peterson, the pastor and theologian who wrote The Message paraphrase. Bono has long been a fan of Peterson’s work translating Scripture not only […]
What Does the Truth Feel Like?
Every now and then when I’m reviewing music for Plugged In, I’ll come across a lyric from an artist that succinctly encapsulates some aspect of our culture. That happened recently when I reviewed Gwen Stefani’s first new solo album in 10 years, This Is What the Truth Feels Like. Before I talk about the lyric […]
Are You an Infomaniac?
My kids have probably heard me say this sentence hundreds of times: “I just need to check one more thing.” I’m talking, of course, about the semi-compulsive (or, maybe if I’m being really honest, flat-out compulsive) urge to engage with information almost constantly. I just need to check one more thing, I frequently tell them […]