Pandora-monium! 'Avatar 2 & 3' on the Way!

by Mark Moring

Avatar is the biggest money-making film of all time, earning nearly $2.8 billion worldwide at the box office. It is also the top-selling Blu-Ray disc in history.

Cameron said, "It is a rare and remarkable opportunity when a filmmaker gets to build a fantasy world, and watch it grow, with the resources and partnership of a global media company. Avatar was conceived as an epic work of fantasy – a world that audiences could visit, across all media platforms, and this moment marks the launch of the next phase of that world. With two new films on the drawing boards, my company and I are embarking on an epic journey with our partners at Twentieth Century Fox.

"Our goal is to meet and exceed the global audience's expectations for the richness of Avatar’s visual world and the power of the storytelling. In the second and third films, which will be self contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of Avatar’s visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world. I'm looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild."

Owl City Covers 'In Christ Alone'

by Mark Moring

Adam Young, best known as the pop sensation Owl City, was up late Sunday night recording a cover of the modern hymn, "In Christ Alone," by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. On his blog, Young said it wasn't for any particular album or project: "Not for anything special, just for fun."

"Something about this song makes me bawl like a baby," Young wrote. "If I were to count on one hand, the number of songs that have ever deeply moved me, this one would take the cake. Last night I probably spent more time actually crying at the piano than I did recording it. Such are the secret confessions of a shy boy from Minnesota . . .

"As I’m so often reminded what a priceless gift my life is, I ache with everything in me to make it count, so that when I finally cross the finish line, I’ll hear the words, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'"

Young also noted that the spiritual meat of the song is not "intended to be 'crammed down the throat,' if you will. That is not my intention. This is what I wholeheartedly believe, and to that belief, I remain steadfast until He returns or calls me home."

Click here to listen.

Cash, DeGarmo & Key to Join Gospel Hall

by Mark Moring

Cash, who died in 2003, was quite vocal about his faith in the final decades of his life, and recorded a number of gospel albums including Man in White, My Mother's Hymn Book, and Cash: Ultimate Gospel.

The D&K induction will be bittersweet, since Key passed away in June.

Other January inductees will include Golden Gate Quartet and Bill "Hoss" Allen, it was announced. For the full press release, click here.

New U2 Album Just Months Away?

by Mark Moring

"I would expect a new U2 album sooner than anybody thinks," Paul McGuinness told the Irish Times. "I would guess early 2011 before the next leg of the American tour which starts in May."

The Irish Times reported that McGuinness says the album will likely include "Mercy" and "Every Breaking Wave," which the band has been playing at its recent shows.

"Mercy" (see the video below this post) includes these lyrics:

Love has come again / I am gone again Love is the end of history / The enemy of misery
Love has come again / I am gone again

Love is justice, a charity / Love brings with it a clarity
Love has come again / I'm alive again

I am alive, baby I'm born again and again
And again, and again and again and again

Bono has described "Every Breaking Wave" (video, lyrics) as a "surging anthem," and says it will be the first single off the new album. Another possible song on the album, according to @U2, is "North Star" (lyrics), a song from the How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sessions which included a guest organ appearance from Michael W. Smith. (In an interview with CCM, Smith described the song as a tribute to the unwavering faith of Johnny Cash.) Read more about more possible songs on the album here.

In a recent interview with Australia's The Age, Bono said that the new album -- the first of three albums they're working on -- is being produced by Danger Mouse, the alias for American production ace Brian Burton (Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz).

"We have about 12 songs with him," Bono said. "At the moment that looks like the album we will put out next because it's just happening so easily."

Bono said the next album after that will be a "club" record featuring Lady Gaga collaborator RedOne, Black Eyed Peas rapper Will.I.Am, and French superstar David Guetta. He also said that he and guitarist The Edge are trying to convince their bandmates Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. on recording an album based on the 20 songs the two have written for a Spider-Man musical that opens on Broadway next month.

"We haven't convinced the rest of the band to do that yet," Bono told The Age. "Larry definitely has a raised eyebrow."

Here's the video for "Mercy":

Another Award for Melissa Leo

by Mark Moring

The Space Between, starring 2009 Oscar nominee Melissa Leo, won the $50,000 Grand Prize as Best Dramatic Feature at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Leo, who was nominated for an Academy Award last year for Frozen River, was not present at the ceremony, but filmmakers Travis and Kristine Fine were there to pick up the award for The Space Between, which does not yet have a distributor. Other big Heartland winners were Freedom Riders ($25,000 for Best Documentary) and The Butterfly Circus ($10,000 for Best Short Film). Freedom Riders will air on PBS's American Experience next May, and you can view The Butterfly Circus in its entirety here.

A total of $150,000 was awarded at this year's festival, bringing Heartland's total over the years to more than $2.3 million in prizes.

Meanwhile, Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, co-founders of Alcon Entertainment and producers of The Blind Side, My Dog Skip, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, won the annual Pioneering Spirit Award "for their creative spirit in filmmaking and their contribution to Heartland's mission to support filmmakers in their quest to create films that bring out the best of the human spirit," according to a press release.

See a complete list of award winners here.

DCB and 700,000 LITE-BRITE Pegs

by Mark Moring

Some of my favorite movies feature old-fashioned stop-action photography; Ray Harryhausen (Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts), master of the craft, is one of my cinematic heroes.

I'm not quite ready to put David Crowder on the same pedestal, but his new self-made video comes pretty close. Using over 700,000 LITE-BRITE pegs, Crowder and 83 friends spent 2,150 man hours making 1,200 LITE-BRITE images for the three-and-a-half-minute video of "SMS [Shine]," from 2009's album Church Music. Oh, and they consumed 148 pizzas in the process.

I love the way Crowder and his team creatively blend real objects with the displays on the LITE-BRITE -- the way outside objects (plants, water, etc.) merge into the screen and become part of the show. Brilliantly conceived, marvelous executed. Enjoy!

Christian Film Fest Slated for Korea

by Mark Moring

The 8th Seoul Christianity Film Festival (SCFF) will be held Oct. 21-26 in Seoul, "with a solemn goal to touch viewers and heal them from the emotional stress and burden in their everyday lives through movies," according to an article in The Korea Times.

Ralph Winter, a Christian and producer of the X-Men and Fantastic Four films, is the keynote speaker. Winter will "give a lecture on movies and his Christian faith," according to the article.

The fest, with the theme of "Touch You, the Healing," will include 20 full-length films and 17 shorts from 10 different countries. SCFF chairwoman Bae Hae-hwa said, "As so many people use touch phones these days, the meaning of human `touch' has vanished, making people feel more lonely and depressed. We wanted to heal those souls (through SCFF)."

The opening film Korogocho Hakuna Matata: A Story of Jirani" by Korean director Lee Chang-gyu documents a Korean priest and conductor who teaches despairing African children how to sing by creating a choir, and their journey to stage a performance in the United States. The 80-minute documentary will have its world premiere at the festival.

'The Hobbit' Gets the Green Light

by Mark Moring

The Hollywood Reporter says that the on-again, off-again films finally get the go-ahead, but labor issues could still affect where the movies are shot.

Signs That the Apocalypse Is Upon Us

by Mark Moring

An e-mail just arrived in my inbox with that header at the top. So I clicked. And read this: "The wait is over! Loyal fans who have been waiting five years for the next LEFT BEHIND film, will be thrilled by the news that Cloud Ten has re-gained its rights to continue their LEFT BEHIND film series franchise."

We'll let the press release do all the talking. For now.

Insane Christian Posse?

by Mark Moring

London's Guardian, which "broke" the story on Saturday, had this for a subtitle: "America's nastiest rappers in shocking revelation – they've been evangelical Christians all along."

The Australian followed up with this: "US gangsta-rap duo Insane Clown Posse has admitted to having been an evangelical Christian group for most of its 20-year career."

Contact Music: "Insane Clown Posse Relieved To Admit Christianity."

The Washington Post: "America's profanest and most reviled shock rappers, have come out, for lack of a better term, as Christians."

At least the Post writer was on the right track with the phrase "for lack of a better term." Because nowhere do Violent J. and Shaggy 2 Dope, the two guys who make up the shock-rap group, say they're "Christians," much less "evangelicals." Why these media outlets feel the need to use those terms is beyond me. ICP has simply said they believe in God, and that they are in awe of creation.

Except not quite in those terms. In the lyrics to their song "Thy Unveiling," ICP raps: "F--- it, we got to tell / All secrets will now be told / No more hidden messages / ... Truth is we follow GOD!!! / May the Juggalos find God! / He's out there!" (A "Juggalo" is a fan of ICP).

Ah, but there's more: "Juggla, Juggla, f--- with the Juggla (repeat 3x) / May the Juggalos find Him! He's out there! / . . . This is our world! This is our world! This is our world! / SO GET THE F--- OUT! / . . . Suck My Nuts, B-tch! F--- You!"

Not gonna be singing that in any contemporary services any time soon, eh?

Explaining how he's awed by some parts of creation, Violent J. asks the Guardian writer, "Have you ever stood next to an elephant, my friend? A f---ing elephant is a miracle. If people can't see a f---ing miracle in a f---ing elephant, then life must suck for them, because an elephant is a f---ing miracle. So is a giraffe."

I don't think they'll be performing at any Christian youth conventions or showing up on K-LOVE (safe for the whole family!) any time soon. But that's not the point. If the guys in ICP have found God, that's wonderful.

What's stunning is how quickly -- and ignorantly -- so many media outlets immediately start labeling them "evangelical Christians." What's up with that? Somebody -- anybody -- finds God, and they're automatically an evangelical? What if they're a Muslim, or a Jew, or any number of other religions? Or no religion at all -- they've just come to see that there must be a Creator behind those incredible, effing elephants and giraffes?

Talk about playing fast and loose with a term. Let's leave it at this: The guys in ICP haven't used the word "Christian" or "evangelical" -- at least not anywhere I've read it -- so let's not call them anything that they're not claiming for themselves. If they do start self-labeling with those terms, well, that could be a whole 'nother discussion. Something about fruit.

Rousing Music Coming to 'Church'

by Mark Moring

"Everyone has a story about the church they attend," says executive producer Tommy Ross. "What we have done is taken those funniest stories, blended them with some original music and unforgettable characters to create a cinematic experience that will not be forgotten.”

Gospel greats Daryl Coley and Blanche McAllister Dykes lend their voices to the film.

'Blue Like Jazz' Movie Back on Track

by Mark Moring

On September 16, three weeks ago today, Donald Miller wrote on his blog that the Blue Like Jazz movie, which he and filmmaker Steve Taylor had been trying to make for several years, was essentially dead. "The book that swept the country will not sweep theaters," Miller blogged that day. The main culprit was a lack of funding, especially after a key investor had decided to back out of the project.

Less than two weeks later, the film received a breath of fresh air -- and possibly new life -- when two young men from Franklin, Tenn., launched SaveBlueLikeJazz.com, a grassroots effort to raise $125,000 by October 25 to keep the film on track. The money was being raised through Kickstarter.com, an online fundraising site.

They had 30 days to raise the money; they did it in ten. Miller announced the news on his blog today with a post titled, "YOU DID IT!", writing, "I’ll blog more about all of this soon, but for now, raise your glasses friends, because WE ARE MAKING A MOVIE!"

Taylor recently told CT that once the money is raised, shooting would begin within a few weeks, mostly in Tennessee (where Taylor lives) to save significantly on costs. Originally, the entire film was to be shot in Portland, where Miller lives and where much of the story is based. Now, only portions of it will be shot in Portland.

In a later e-mail to CT, Miller said, "It’s become a bigger and better story, and a story I think God stepped into the middle of. Some thoughts:

"We had so much trouble raising the money for the film that I wondered whether God wanted us to make it. . . . This is a very honest movie, a very raw movie, but it’s a movie that presents faith as it intersects with a fallen humanity. So I think God answered my doubt in a way only God could. That’s been the most amazing part for me.

"We all get to tell this story together now. It’s our story. It’s not a story for the church to consume, it’s a story for the church to tell.

"The gospel is about rescue, and in a very real way, we got rescued on this. Our brothers and sisters swooped in to help us out.

"Another feeling I didn’t expect . . . is fear. We’ve got to make an amazing movie now! We’ve been pushing so hard to get the finances, and now we’ve turned a corner and are making it, and that let loose a lot of fear. Fear is a good thing, for sure, but it has to be overcome. The only way to overcome this fear is to make a heck of a movie. So here we go."

10/11 UPDATE: Jonathan Frazier and Zach Prichard, who launched the SaveBlueLikeJazz website, report that contributions came from almost 1900 backers, with donations ranging from $1 to $5,000, and that most donations were between $50 and $100 -- "which is great," they note, "because it proves that this was truly a groundswell of smaller donations that made the difference."

Director Steve Taylor weighs in on the good news: "I've been overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. We reached the end, then God provided a very unexpected turn via a couple of very dedicated fans of the project. It hit me at the end of the third day of the campaign, 'Hey - we're making a movie. Time to stop saying "if" and start planning "when."' Not since the Apostle Thomas has anyone been so happy to be proven wrong." Taylor said that shooting would start in late October and run through November.

Here's an updated video from the team behind SaveBlueLikeJazz, including thank you's from Taylor and Miller:

Let's Make History! from Save Blue Like Jazz on Vimeo.

Sara Groves: How to Support Rwanda's Artists

by Mark Moring

When I went to Rwanda in March 2009 with Sara Groves and a team from Food for the Hungry, we met a number of local artisans who created beautiful handiwork -- baskets, bowls, bags, jewelry, and more. But without much of a market, these talented artists didn't have many outlets for selling their work. Until now.

FH's Tom MacGregor and Christi Whitekettle have worked closely with these artists for a few years to build their business, and just recently they launched the AziziLife.com website, where you too can buy these fantastic crafts and support Rwandans while you're at it. (And yes, the term "starving artist" can be quite real over there.)

Groves recently blogged about Azizi Life here and here. She will be selling some of the products on her Christmas tour, but you can also buy the Azizi Life products right here. They even have Christmas ornaments and hand-carved Nativity scenes.

The Faith-Based Version of 'Crash'?

by Mark Moring

Billing itself as "the faith-based Crash," the new film I Am opens in more than 2,000 churches this Sunday -- 10/10/10, an apt release date for a story based on the Ten Commandments.

The drama, set in Los Angeles, features 10 disparate stories ultimately connecting together -- similar to the model and ensemble cast in Crash. Characters include "a desperate heiress, a beautiful reporter, a vengeful detective, a charismatic district attorney," and more, each wrestling with one of the 10 commandments.

The film was made by Mariners Church in Irvine, California. Sunday night's screenings will be free, and the film will release to DVD on November 2.

The trailer:

The 'Upside' to the Down Side

by Mark Moring

Randall Bentley of NBC TV's Heroes plays a young athlete who has the world in his hands until an accident changes everything in the new faith-based film Upside, releasing to DVD today. Bentley's character, lacrosse star Solomon White, has his world literally turned upside down after a vicious hit leaves him with an unusual perspective. And that's just the beginning of his problems. When a new girl, the blind Wren, enters his life, Solomon gets the chance to see things in a whole new light. Check out the trailer here.