Anthony Sacramone

Steven Spielberg will not continue as an artistic adviser to the upcoming Summer Olympics in China—a one-eighty Spielberg attributes to a pang of conscience over China’s continued support of the Sudanese government. And you can thank Mia Farrow, it would seem, for panging him. It was she . . . . Continue Reading »

Folio has the latest magazine circ figures : And Time has taken a beating in paid circulation, down 17.57%. While it’s still the No. 1 newsweekly, Newsweek isn’t that far behind. Its numbers are also down, but by a mere .30%, and if Time continues to sink, the gap in total circ numbers . . . . Continue Reading »

Ruth Gledhill on what distinguishes the current Archbishop of Canterbury from his predecessor . In a phrase, “intellectual arrogance.” Or, perhaps as the current ABC said himself when addressing the Synod, he is simply prone to a “misleading choice of words” “clumsily . . . . Continue Reading »

An Ellyn Von Huben has chosen to apply for the First Things junior fellowship on her blog rather than go the conventional route. Allow me to reply in an equally unconventional manner. Dear Ms. and/or Mrs. Von Huben: Your application has been received. I found it both frightening and entertaining, . . . . Continue Reading »

Slate has published its list of the 60 Biggest Charitable Donors of this past year. You know who’s missing? You don’t know their names. Neither do I. But I bet if you picked the average congregant from the average African-American storefront church, that person probably gives as much if . . . . Continue Reading »

A reader/interlocutor has chided me for being too hasty in condemning Archbishop Rowan’s shariah remarks, noting that one, and only one, system of civil law gets you exactly what is happening in Colorado—an attempt to curtail the Catholic Church’s freedom to hire whom it will. And . . . . Continue Reading »

Mollie Hemingway follows on up on the fallout from Rowan Williams’ declaration that “some form” of Shariah law is “inevitable” in Britain. Favorite headline: ” Has the Archbishop Gone Bonkers?” Gledhill comments on how “uncharacteristically . . . . Continue Reading »

. . . as well as four other Olivier Award thingees . Who knew it would make for anything but a ludicrous musical ? They must put on one heck of a pyrotechnical miracle over at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Go figure . . . Although, almost as staggering, Hairspray has broken an Olivier Award . . . . Continue Reading »

1. North Korea 2. Saudi Arabia 3. Iran 4. Maldives 5. Bhutan 6. Yemen 7. Afghanistan 8. Laos 9. Uzbekistan 10. China At least according to something called the Open Doors’ 2008 World Watch List . How much business do we do with China? And isn’t Saudi Arabia a kinda/sorta ally? Needless . . . . Continue Reading »

So says the Archbishop of Canterbury . . . And he’s not all that upset about it: “There’s a place for finding what would be a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law, as we already do with some other aspects of religious law.” Well, if you’ve failed . . . . Continue Reading »