ScottW said:

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message
...
ScottW said:

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message
...
I think it's pretty apparent that the reason why RAO has become mostly
about
politics these days is because of the very strange things that are
happening in
our country, not to mention the rest of the world. This really hit
home
this
morning when I was listening to Howard Stern on the radio. No one's
really
brought up what he's going through this week because I don't think
there
are a
lot of his listeners posting regularly on RAO, but basically about
one-tenth of
his audience weren't allowed to listen to his show today because of
FCC-imposed
suspensions. The funny thing is, Infinty Broadcasting has been
scrambling to
find out what they did wrong, and they can't get an answer.

Infinity is Stern's home. It was the Clear Channel affiliates that
pulled
Stern
(a whopping 6 channels)and it was Clear Channel that punched out
Sponge Bob (or whatever his name was). Stern is just pitching a hissy
fit in a typical Stern publicity stunt.
Clear Channel was gonna drop Stern anyway, why promote a major
competitors guy?

That may be a premature conclusion. Trust me, this is just the
beginning. You
have to realize that this is all the result of one exposed breast on TV.
Our
Puritan roots are once again revealed. And you wonder why the rest of
the
world laughs at us?

You know, once in a while I feel like we're going to far, constantly
pushing
the envelope of good taste, pushing vulgarity for vulgarity's sake.
Nowhere is
this more evident than on Stern's show...during the commercials, which
advertisers design to appeal to what they think is Stern's core audience.
They're offensive because they're shallow and crude. But Yustabe is
right when
he says that Stern's show has become mild, even boring over the years.

This is not about what Howard says or does on his show. This is an
attempt at
a clean sweep. This is the return of the Moral Majority type of wrongful
thinking.

You should hear the Mexican based stations making fun of the FCC.
One is running a curse word of the day contest.
It's pretty funny. One has commercial that flat says
"**** the FCC".
But I don't think 6 channels less of Howie is any big deal.
The SD channel is FM and normally has a music format.
I'm all for dumping Howie in favor of music.

Well, we shouldn't feel sorry for Stern, who has been threatening to leave the
radio for years now. He made news last week by actually resigning, but not
everyone took it seriously. I think his plan to head to satellite radio is a
great one, because the FCC has hamstrung his creativity for years. I think an
uncensored program would not only make him funny again, but it would really
establish satellite radio in the mainstream for good.


(snip)

At the same time, "The Passion of the Christ" is breaking opening day
box
office records. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the actual content
of
this
movie, it is basically two solid hours of a man being tortured to
death.
Roger
Ebert made the very interesting observation that if that man was
anyone
other
than Jesus Christ, the film would have been rated NC-17...he calls it
the
most
violent movie he has ever seen. Other critics have gone on to say
that
sitting
through this film is tantamount to being punished for our sins, it's
that
unendurable. One woman in Wichita actually had a heart attack and
died
while
watching it, a relatively healthy woman in her fiftied who was
actually a
local
broadcaster. And yet we Americans are seeing this in droves...why?

Tell me again how this country is headed in the right direction.

Explain to me why we should judge the direction of the country
on box office returns?

This film has earned $50 million in its first two days. It will go down
probably as one of the biggest box-office hits of all time.

A marketing coup.
But even if it does. Big deal. What movie is it gonna displace?
LotRs? Star Wars? or Sound of Music?

I'm not sure of the relevance of your argument. Let's face it, "The Passion of
the Christ" is a very unique film, perhaps the most unique film of our
generation. Its sole purpose is to make people feel awful about what happened
to Jesus, and how much he suffered for us. Bringing up other movies is
comparing apples and oranges. People who are seeing this are not just going to
the movies. There are people who are seeing this who haven't been to a movie
theatre in years. Churches are organizing field trips for their entire
congregations. There is a concerted effort to REQUIRE Christians to see this
movie as an act of faith. Can you say the same about the Lord of the Rings?


I found it. Titanic. Kind of surprising.
http://movieweb.com/movies/box_office/alltime.php

What was the message then? I see 2 Star Wars
in the top 4 and 2 LotR's moving up in the top ten.

And it's little
more than a snuff film, with Jesus as the victim. You don't think that's
a
reflection of our society?

Only in how gullible people are for a controversy and
slick marketing.

Scott, have you seen it? I have, and it's an oppressive experience. You might
have a different viewpoint if you did.




If we judge the direction of America
based on anything Hollywood does, I think we would be sadly
mistaken. 3 Months ago we were lining up for Return of the King.
What direction were we headed then?

We wanted to be entertained. Now we want to be punished.

Maybe this weekend. Next weekend it will be
a horror flick on top of the charts. The pendulum always swings.

Actually, people are seeing this over and over again. They're watching it,
walking out, and walking back in for the very next showing. That's generally
how a movie gets to the $200 million mark, or the $300 million mark. Or more.
Let's see where it goes.

Boon

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message
...
ScottW said:

Tell me again how this country is headed in the right direction.

Explain to me why we should judge the direction of the country
on box office returns?

This film has earned $50 million in its first two days. It will go
down
probably as one of the biggest box-office hits of all time.

A marketing coup.
But even if it does. Big deal. What movie is it gonna displace?
LotRs? Star Wars? or Sound of Music?

I'm not sure of the relevance of your argument. Let's face it, "The
Passion of
the Christ" is a very unique film, perhaps the most unique film of our
generation.

I just don't put much relevance into what's currently hot in the
entertainment
world to bear any real significance on the direction of society.
The Passion may be a record box office draw but porn was still the first
real money maker on the internet. Which one is more significant on the
direction of our society?

Its sole purpose is to make people feel awful about what happened
to Jesus, and how much he suffered for us. Bringing up other movies is
comparing apples and oranges. People who are seeing this are not just
going to
the movies. There are people who are seeing this who haven't been to a
movie
theatre in years. Churches are organizing field trips for their entire
congregations. There is a concerted effort to REQUIRE Christians to see
this
movie as an act of faith. Can you say the same about the Lord of the
Rings?

I've only read some of the media hype but I haven't experienced any such
thing.
No one has called or knocked on my door.


I found it. Titanic. Kind of surprising.
http://movieweb.com/movies/box_office/alltime.php

What was the message then? I see 2 Star Wars
in the top 4 and 2 LotR's moving up in the top ten.

And it's little
more than a snuff film, with Jesus as the victim. You don't think
that's
a
reflection of our society?

Only in how gullible people are for a controversy and
slick marketing.

Scott, have you seen it? I have, and it's an oppressive experience. You
might
have a different viewpoint if you did.

Wouldn't I then be just another one of the masses
leading America in the wrong direction?

How many people are seeing the film just to understand
what the controversy is all about? I assume that is why
you went.




If we judge the direction of America
based on anything Hollywood does, I think we would be sadly
mistaken. 3 Months ago we were lining up for Return of the King.
What direction were we headed then?

We wanted to be entertained. Now we want to be punished.

Maybe this weekend. Next weekend it will be
a horror flick on top of the charts. The pendulum always swings.

Actually, people are seeing this over and over again. They're watching
it,
walking out, and walking back in for the very next showing.

Not at our local theatre. All prime time shows are sold out
hours in advance so repeat viewing isn't an option unless you
plan for it. Even so, repeat viewing would mean a significant
overestimate on the number of people who are actually
going to see it.

That's generally
how a movie gets to the $200 million mark, or the $300 million mark. Or
more.
Let's see where it goes.

Beyond the "box office" smash headlines I'm not hearing unanimous
positive reviews. Lots of people finding the violence over the top,
theologians complaining about departure from scripture and glossing
over the resurrection which was the real event that made Christianity.
I heard one guy complaining, without resurrection, Christ is just
another great man who died a horrible death. The movie treated the
resurrection as an afterthought in his mind.
My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we shall
see.

ScottW

ScottW said:

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message
...
ScottW said:

Tell me again how this country is headed in the right direction.

Explain to me why we should judge the direction of the country
on box office returns?

This film has earned $50 million in its first two days. It will go
down
probably as one of the biggest box-office hits of all time.

A marketing coup.
But even if it does. Big deal. What movie is it gonna displace?
LotRs? Star Wars? or Sound of Music?

I'm not sure of the relevance of your argument. Let's face it, "The
Passion of
the Christ" is a very unique film, perhaps the most unique film of our
generation.

I just don't put much relevance into what's currently hot in the
entertainment
world to bear any real significance on the direction of society.

As I've said before, this doesn't qualify as entertainment.

That's kind of my point.

The Passion may be a record box office draw but porn was still the first
real money maker on the internet. Which one is more significant on the
direction of our society?

The better question is, do the two things feed off of each other?


Its sole purpose is to make people feel awful about what happened
to Jesus, and how much he suffered for us. Bringing up other movies is
comparing apples and oranges. People who are seeing this are not just
going to
the movies. There are people who are seeing this who haven't been to a
movie
theatre in years. Churches are organizing field trips for their entire
congregations. There is a concerted effort to REQUIRE Christians to see
this
movie as an act of faith. Can you say the same about the Lord of the
Rings?

I've only read some of the media hype but I haven't experienced any such
thing.
No one has called or knocked on my door.


I found it. Titanic. Kind of surprising.
http://movieweb.com/movies/box_office/alltime.php

What was the message then? I see 2 Star Wars
in the top 4 and 2 LotR's moving up in the top ten.

And it's little
more than a snuff film, with Jesus as the victim. You don't think
that's
a
reflection of our society?

Only in how gullible people are for a controversy and
slick marketing.

Scott, have you seen it? I have, and it's an oppressive experience. You
might
have a different viewpoint if you did.

Wouldn't I then be just another one of the masses
leading America in the wrong direction?

Only if you felt compelled to see it over and over as an act of contrition.
I'm not talking about those who see this out of curiosity, as I did. Actually,
I was able to see it in a sneak preview, and I had very little idea of how
horrible it was going to be. I actually like(d) Mel Gibson, and judging from
"Braveheart," he is a gifted filmmaker. I felt it was going to be worthwhile
from a film standpoint, and in a way it is.

Personally, however, I feel that you are handicapped in this discussion by not
having seen it.


How many people are seeing the film just to understand
what the controversy is all about? I assume that is why
you went.

And how many people should have been turned off from wanting to go after they
found out what a horrific experience it would be?





If we judge the direction of America
based on anything Hollywood does, I think we would be sadly
mistaken. 3 Months ago we were lining up for Return of the King.
What direction were we headed then?

We wanted to be entertained. Now we want to be punished.

Maybe this weekend. Next weekend it will be
a horror flick on top of the charts. The pendulum always swings.

Actually, people are seeing this over and over again. They're watching
it,
walking out, and walking back in for the very next showing.

Not at our local theatre. All prime time shows are sold out
hours in advance so repeat viewing isn't an option unless you
plan for it. Even so, repeat viewing would mean a significant
overestimate on the number of people who are actually
going to see it.

Well, that's in San Diego. Filmgoing in LA is a tad different. I watched
people on the news being interviewed and saying that they were going back in.


That's generally
how a movie gets to the $200 million mark, or the $300 million mark. Or
more.
Let's see where it goes.

Beyond the "box office" smash headlines I'm not hearing unanimous
positive reviews.

That's because it's getting very mixed reviews. Film critics tend to be
independent thinkers, not sheep like your average Christian. The film is being
criticized for the very things I've mentioned. And even those with a pretense
of faith in Christianity are saying the same thing, that there is precious
little of Jesus' teachings in the movie. If you weren't a Christian, or had a
good working knowledge of the tenets of Christianity, you'd be lost as to the
theme of this movie. This film was designed to make Christians ( and Jews,
arguably) feel guilty and penitent.

Lots of people finding the violence over the top,
theologians complaining about departure from scripture and glossing
over the resurrection which was the real event that made Christianity.
I heard one guy complaining, without resurrection, Christ is just
another great man who died a horrible death. The movie treated the
resurrection as an afterthought in his mind.
My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we shall
see.


Even if its box office run fades quickly, I bet you it will be a huge hit when
it gets to home video. This is the kind of film religious nuts will try to
show to everyone over and over.

Boon

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message
...
ScottW said:

Wouldn't I then be just another one of the masses
leading America in the wrong direction?

Only if you felt compelled to see it over and over as an act of
contrition.
I'm not talking about those who see this out of curiosity, as I did.
Actually,
I was able to see it in a sneak preview, and I had very little idea of
how
horrible it was going to be. I actually like(d) Mel Gibson, and judging
from
"Braveheart," he is a gifted filmmaker. I felt it was going to be
worthwhile
from a film standpoint, and in a way it is.

Personally, however, I feel that you are handicapped in this discussion
by not
having seen it.

Perhaps, I'm still not gonna see it. If I am gonna be saved it's
gonna be
from mass hysteria.



How many people are seeing the film just to understand
what the controversy is all about? I assume that is why
you went.

And how many people should have been turned off from wanting to go after
they
found out what a horrific experience it would be?





If we judge the direction of America
based on anything Hollywood does, I think we would be sadly
mistaken. 3 Months ago we were lining up for Return of the King.
What direction were we headed then?

We wanted to be entertained. Now we want to be punished.

Maybe this weekend. Next weekend it will be
a horror flick on top of the charts. The pendulum always swings.

Actually, people are seeing this over and over again. They're
watching
it,
walking out, and walking back in for the very next showing.

Not at our local theatre. All prime time shows are sold out
hours in advance so repeat viewing isn't an option unless you
plan for it. Even so, repeat viewing would mean a significant
overestimate on the number of people who are actually
going to see it.

Well, that's in San Diego. Filmgoing in LA is a tad different. I
watched
people on the news being interviewed and saying that they were going back
in.

That's the media and it's twisted way of getting involved in the marketing
hype.
They get all gaga over the pre sales and the hype just builds.
I went to a movie when LotR's had been out a week, still had
it's own line.
There was a media guy out front wanting to interview anyone
who had seen the movie more than 5 times.
He found some Tolkien disciple and got the story he wanted.
I think it had some kind of opening week box office record.


That's generally
how a movie gets to the $200 million mark, or the $300 million mark.
Or
more.
Let's see where it goes.

Beyond the "box office" smash headlines I'm not hearing unanimous
positive reviews.

That's because it's getting very mixed reviews. Film critics tend to be
independent thinkers, not sheep like your average Christian. The film is
being
criticized for the very things I've mentioned. And even those with a
pretense
of faith in Christianity are saying the same thing, that there is
precious
little of Jesus' teachings in the movie. If you weren't a Christian, or
had a
good working knowledge of the tenets of Christianity, you'd be lost as to
the
theme of this movie. This film was designed to make Christians ( and
Jews,
arguably) feel guilty and penitent.

Exactly why I waited and now have decided not to bother.


Lots of people finding the violence over the top,
theologians complaining about departure from scripture and glossing
over the resurrection which was the real event that made Christianity.
I heard one guy complaining, without resurrection, Christ is just
another great man who died a horrible death. The movie treated the
resurrection as an afterthought in his mind.
My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we shall
see.


Even if its box office run fades quickly, I bet you it will be a huge hit
when
it gets to home video. This is the kind of film religious nuts will try
to
show to everyone over and over.

You think the Jehovas will start leaving DVDs instead of those
Watchtower
booklets?

ScottW

ScottW said:

My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we shall
see.

$117 million in the first five days. That's just a bit behind "Spiderman,"
which has the record for the first week.

Boon

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message

ScottW said:

My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we
shall
see.

$117 million in the first five days. That's just a bit behind
"Spiderman," which has the record for the first week.

So Phillips you think that 5 days is a week when it's a religious movie, or
what?

My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we
shall
see.

$117 million in the first five days. That's just a bit behind
"Spiderman," which has the record for the first week.

So Phillips you think that 5 days is a week when it's a religious movie, or
what?








LOL.

Arny said:

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message

ScottW said:

My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we
shall
see.

$117 million in the first five days. That's just a bit behind
"Spiderman," which has the record for the first week.

So Phillips you think that 5 days is a week when it's a religious movie, or
what?

You know, I almost thought that you were smart enough to get the hint and stay
away. Now you pop in here and say something else that's unbelievably stupid.

Now, knowing your poor reading comprehension is once again your undoing, please
try to explain where I have equated five days and a week. The two facts I gave
were in no way meant to be presented as identical. They were meant to be
independent...one movie made $117 in its first five day, and the other movie
holds the box-office record for the first week. Can you understand that? My
statement presupposes that one is smart enough to compare the two figures.
Knowing your understanding of statistics is abysmal at best, your gaffe here is
not surprising at all.

Arny...YOU ARE TOO ****ING STUPID TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH ME. How long is
it going to take for you to understand this? I mean, it's already been six
years.

Boon

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message
...
ScottW said:

My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we shall
see.

$117 million in the first five days. That's just a bit behind
"Spiderman,"
which has the record for the first week.

Yes, it raking in the dough.
I notice the theatre count is well below that of
RotK during its opening week.
Why might that be?

ScottW

"ScottW" wrote in message
news:TkS0c.24638$aZ3.6730@fed1read04...

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message
...
ScottW said:

My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we
shall
see.

$117 million in the first five days. That's just a bit behind
"Spiderman,"
which has the record for the first week.

Yes, it raking in the dough.
I notice the theatre count is well below that of
RotK during its opening week.
Why might that be?


The book wasn't as good?




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Yes, it raking in the dough.
I notice the theatre count is well below that of
RotK during its opening week.
Why might that be?


Return of the King had a release date determined well ahead of time. No one
wanted to compete with it so the screens were made available. No one knew what
would happen with Passion or even if it would ever be released.

ScottW said:

"Marc Phillips" wrote in message
...
ScottW said:

My gut feel is this thing won't sustain it's run like RotK. But we shall
see.

$117 million in the first five days. That's just a bit behind
"Spiderman,"
which has the record for the first week.

Yes, it raking in the dough.
I notice the theatre count is well below that of
RotK during its opening week.
Why might that be?

Because the are more fantasy fans than Christians? Actually, I think ROTK may
have opened in more theatres.

But then again, we really should stop comparing the two.

Boon