Anita is My True Love

by: Jay Smith

No matter how much we like to see the good guy triumph in the end and those who have committed crimes be punished for them, we can never quite shake off that sneaking enjoyment that comes from bad guys doing what they do and being good at it! Gangster movies have been a part of American cinema from the beginning and by taking a quick look at the genre, we definitely can see why.

The two movies that are considered the grandfathers of this film genre are Little Caeser, starring Edward G. Robinson and Public Enemy, starring James Cagney. In both of these films, the gangsters get their comeuppance, but often, that’s not what the audience remembers. In Little Caeser, you remember the scenes of Robinson’s character Rico living it up in the lap of luxury and in Public Enemy, you fondly remember Tom Powers, played by Cagney doing a delighted little two step on a public street when a girl smiles at him.

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by: Nate Ohman

Times have sure changed in the Christian music scene. With new artists like Brandon Heath, Rush of Fools, and Lincoln Brewster topping the Christian Adult Contemporary charts recently, it may be easy to forget artists like 2nd Chapter of Acts, White Heart, and Leslie Phillips. In an effort to keep the past alive, here is an objective look back at the Christian music artists of the 1980’s.

Using CCM magazine’s Adult Contemporary Airplay charts, data was collected for every song charted by every artist during the decade. The following formula was used:

1. Points were earned for each song’s peak position (#1 = 40 points, #2 = 39 etc.).

2. One point was awarded for each week a song was on the chart.

3. Finally, one point was given for each week a song was at #1.

To get the artist rankings, the total points that each song earned were added together.

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by: Jennifer Jordan

For the past few weeks, I’ve been astonished to find there’s been no front page news on the life and times of Hilton heiress, Paris. I mean, with America at war, the healthcare system in disarray, and a presidential election creeping up, what else could possibly be more worthy of breaking news than Paris’s recovery from her time in the slammer. We’re all praying for you dear Paris; get well soon.

I’m sure I’m not the only one surprised by this; half of America probably expects Paris to randomly appear on every news station, perhaps speaking at the next State of the Union Address, where – when asked about her feelings on Iraq – she replies, “I’d love to go there; I’ve never been to Africa” and then concludes her speech with her signature catch phrase, “That’s hot.” Her dad beams with pride, her mom applauds enthusiastically, her dog Tinkerbell piddles from excitement.

Right….and the world goes further to hell in a hand basket….a designer hand basket, mind you.

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by: Ed Bagley

The Departed – 4 Stars (Excellent)

Let me get to the most important thing first: Director Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for “The Departed”.

Scorsese, one of the most accomplished directors of our era, has been nominated for 7 Oscars-5 for Best Director and 2 for Best Screenplay-before winning with The Departed.

He had also received 7 Golden Globe nominations-6 for Best Director and 1 for Best Screenplay-and won for Gangs of New York before winning again for The Departed this year (2007).

The Departed is simply the best mob film since Mario Puzo’s original Godfather in 1972.

Besides Scorsese, The Departed won for Best Picture, Best Screenplay (William Monahan) and Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), giving The Departed 4 Oscar wins to The Godfather’s 3 (Marlon Brando for Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola).

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