All posts filed under: Hollywood

‘Unplanned’ smashes box office expectations in Canada

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Despite attacks from the radical left, politicians and the pro-choice crowd, the movie Unplanned did extremely well in Canadian movie theaters over the weekend. The movie is scheduled for a seven-day release running from July 12 through the 18th. Listing of theaters showing Unplanned at the end of the article. The movie tells the story of Abby Johnson’s conversion from the pro-choice movement to pro-life.  Abby worked as a director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in the US and dramatically changed her mind after witnessing the abortion of a 13-week-old baby. And Unplanned continues this tradition as according to its producers they have received  letters from many abortion workers have turned their backs on the abortion industry after viewing the film. According to reports, the movie earned an estimated $7,041 per screen based on reports from 49 Canadian theaters. This gave it the second highest per screen average in all of North America for that weekend. If the movie had shown in 1,500 theaters instead of 53, it could have grossed an unprecedented $5 …

Did God answer a comedian’s prayer through a prophetic word at Starbucks?

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An employee working at a Starbucks’ drive thru provided an incredible answer to prayer for comedian Victoria Jackson revealing that God does hear our prayers and will use spiritual gifts to confirm it. Jackson, 58, gained fame working as a comedian and singer for Saturday Night Live, a late night comedy show that debuted in 1975 and routinely runs parodies of culture and politics. Famous for her ukulele, she was a regular contributor to SNL from 1986 to 1992 where she performed skits, some involving impersonations of Rosanne Barr. Jackson came from a Christian home and attended Florida Bible College in Hollywood, Florida before moving on to Furman University in South Carolina after receiving a gymnastic scholarship and then to Auburn University where she majored in theater. Jackson’s gym-coach father had trained his daughter in gymnastics, a training that she utilized on screen doing back flips on SNL and reciting poetry while doing hand stands. The comedian refers to herself as a conservative Christian and even sent her children to a Christian school. However, Jackson …

God’s miraculous protection from decapitation jolts actor back to faith

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Kristoffer Polaha, 42, is an American actor who is known for his Christian faith. He has appeared in dozens of episodes of TV shows from Castle to CSI Miami, Hawaii Five-O and North Shore. He has also starred in several movies and has publicly stated he favors Hallmark movies, because he wants to be able to sit with his seven year old son as they watch shows. He stared in Hallmark’s hit Rocky Mountain Christmas. Though today a devoted Christian, it wasn’t always that way. And he recently shared his story on The Billy & Justin Show about God’s remarkable protection that brought him back to faith. In an article on Pureflix, Kristoffer said he grew up in a home with a Pentecostal mother and Catholic father and when he was 17 years old, he took a sabbatical from his faith. He was wondering if his success could be attributed to his faith in God or his own personal abilities and decided to test that by not praying for six months. He added: “That six …

Andrea Logan White Credit: Andrealoganwhite.com

Did a Word of Knowledge turn Hollywood actress Andrea Logan White’s life around?

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In an article on PureFlix, Hollywood actress Andrea Logan White, 40, recently shared the unique encounter she had with with God during a very difficult time. White has starred in several movies including Mom’s Day Out, Marriage Retreat and Do You Believe. She and her husband Dave are co-owners of PureFlix, a Christian equivalent of Netflix. Born in Chicago, she had moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career, but was struggling. She was 22 and acting jobs were difficult to find. Andrea was also behind in her rent and had thrown herself into the Hollywood partying scene. She was coming to the end of herself and tells the story of the time she was in her car on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard, when she cried out to God: “God if you’re real I need You to show me who you are, because I don’t know why I’m here and I don’t want to live anymore.” She had just prayed this, when a man in the convertible beside her hit his horn and pointed at his …

Television in abandoned home in Detroit, Michigan Credit: Thomas Hawk/Flickr/Creative Commons

Emmy host insults Christians

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Hollywood is so out of touch with real life that they can’t even figure out how to build a successful business. But maybe it is just me who is out of touch, but I have never thought it was a successful business model to insult your customers. Take this year’s Emmy Awards, the Oscars for TV equivalent. One of the co-hosts, Michael Che, took the opportunity to seemingly slag Christians and Republicans. According to reports, Che is also a co-host of Saturday Night Live. During one of his Emmy rants, Che said: “My mother is not watching. She said she doesn’t watch white award shows because you guys don’t thank Jesus enough. That’s true. The only white people that thank Jesus are Republicans and ex-crackheads.” The only good thing about this lame excuse for a joke is that there was only a smattering of laughter and applause. Che set this joke up by commenting on the free fall in viewership for the Emmy Awards. There are a number of methods to measure viewership of a …

Katie Lee Gifford Credit: United States Department of Interior/Wikipedia and Howard Stern Credit: Bill Norton/Wikipedia

The strange case of Kathie Lee Gifford and Howard Stern

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In Matthew 5: 38-43, Jesus taught us how to deal with our enemies. It was strange advice. Christ said if a man hits you on the cheek, let him hit the other cheek and if a man takes your shirt then offer him your coat. It was the exact opposite of how we would want to react in these type of situations. So what was the purpose of this? I believe one of the things that Jesus was telling us is that we need to take the initiative, be proactive, in situations where we could be offended. God is calling us to make the peace. And this is exactly the situation that Kathie Lee Gifford found herself in with Howard Stern. Kathie, 64, is a singer, song writer, actress and co-host of NBC’s Today show. She is also an outspoken Christian. Howard Stern, 64, is a radio and television personality and is best known for the Howard Stern Show and has earned the reputation as a “shock jock.” On an episode of the Today show earlier …

Dennis Quaid singing Credit: allenmock/Flickr/Creative Commons

Dennis Quaid says renewing his faith in Christ includes forgiving himself

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Dennis Quaid, 64, has been another of my favorite Hollywood actors. I didn’t know he was a Christian and was surprised to see him in the Christian movie, I Can Only Imagine where he plays the role of Arthur Millard, the abusive father of Bart Millard, the lead singer for the Gospel group Mercy Me. Millard is best known for the Christian hit song “I Can Only Imagine” that was birthed in the difficult reconciliation that took place between Bart and his father. The movie has been a tremendous success with a budget of only $7 million it has earned over $84 million since its release. Quaid has starred in several movies including the Parent Trap, The Rookie and the Soul Surfer. He is playing Ronald Reagan in the upcoming biopic on the famed US president. Quaid is also a musician and is actually the lead singer in a band call the Sharks. And when asked to join the movie, I Can Only Imagine, Quaid told them about a Gospel song he had started writing …

Chris Pratt at the San Diego Comic Con in 2016 Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/Creative Commons

Chris Pratt’s nine rules for life?

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At this year’s MTV Movie and TV Awards held on Monday, June 18, 2018, actor Chris Pratt won the “Generations” award handed out to actors who have displayed their unique personality in a variety of roles. Pratt, 38, has starred in several major hit movies including the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic Park and its sequels. While receiving this year’s award, Pratt took the opportunity to present his nine rules for life ranging from how to properly use the bathroom facilities while at a friend’s place to feeding  a dog medicine (hide it in a piece of hamburger.) But scattered within these nine pieces of wisdom, Pratt provided some spiritual advice to the next generation as the MTV crowd is typically millennials and younger. In earlier interviews, Pratt recounted when he became a Christian a man gave Chris a prophetic word that he would become famous. A short time later while working as a waiter in a Hawaii restaurant, Pratt served a movie director and in a matter of days was flying to California …

Chris Pratt along with other Guardians of the Galaxy film answering questions at Comic Con in San Diego in 2013. Credit: Ronald Woan/Flickr/Creative Commons

Chris Pratt attacked on Twitter for praying, but…

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In late February, actor Chris Pratt came under fire for a tweet he sent out stating he was praying for filmmaker Kevin Smith. Pratt is a popular Hollywood actor having starred in Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy. Smith, 47, filmmaker and comedian, was in Glendale California doing a comedy show, when he started to feel ill. With two shows scheduled for that night, he cancelled the second one and took an ambulance to the hospital and was diagnosed with a heart attack. Doctors discovered that his LAD artery, also called the widow maker, was 100% blocked. If he hadn’t gone to the hospital when he did, Smith would probably be dead. So having heard what happened, Chris Tweeted: Kevin we don’t know each other too good, but I have loved you since Clerks and I’m praying my ass off for you cause I believe in the healing power of prayer. Can you please pray with me people? https;//t.co/syB7BIQaoY – chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) February 26, 2018. Clerks was Smith’s first film, a low-budget affair …

Letitia Wright with Forest Whitaker at 2017 Comic Con International in San Diego Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/Creative Commons

‘Black Panther’s’ Letitia Wright: ‘I went on a journey to discover God and I became a Christian’

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Black Panther has become the shocking hit of 2018. Many though it would do well but nobody expected it to be the second highest grossing film in history during it first four days. Made up of a largely black cast some says it provides an overview of America’s current racial and political climate with the intent of finding a middle ground in a country that is splitting apart over the issue. One of the breakout stars in the movie is British actress Letitia Wright, 24, who plays, Shuri, the younger sister of the King T’Challa. People are raving about her performance around the world with Vanity Fair titling its article about her sudden rise as Black Panther Star Letitia Wright Might Be the Next Leonardo DiCaprio But for God, it may not have happened. In an interview on Feb.9, 2018 with This Morning, a British talk show, Letitia explains what happened: “I was going through a lot, a very difficult time in my life and I just needed to take a break from acting because …

Taylor James from "Samson" YouTube Capture

Is the Nazirite vow for today?

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I read an interesting interview with actor Taylor James, a Christian, who plays the role of Samson in the full-feature movie “Samson” released earlier this month. In an interview with “Pure Talk,” Taylor talked about a vision he had a few years earlier that actually prepared him for the lead role in the movie. Taylor said: “I had a vision as an actor and a person a few years ago to grow my hair and to maintain a certain physical appearance. It was my guiding light.” After this vision, another Christian provided further revelation on what lay ahead for Taylor.  The person added that at some point Taylor would be returning home to South Africa and leading “his people.” Taylor had actually been born in South Africa and lived there for six years. When the role of Samson came up, Taylor auditioned for the lead role and was surprised when reading the script that much of the movie would be shot in South Africa. Then, when he noticed the movie’s subtitle “A man who leads …

Anne Hathaway and Denzel Washington at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize concert. Photo Harry Wad / Wikipedia

Denzel Washington and director prayed every day while shooting ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq’

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Denzel Washington, 62, has won two Academy Awards, one for Best Supporting Actor in the 1989 movie Glory and Best Actor in 2001 for his role in Training Days. He has also won a Tony Award and three Gold Globes. Gospel Herald recently interviewed Denzel about his most recent movie, Roman J. Israel, Esq. Though, not overtly Christian, Denzel said the movie is filled with Biblical themes including sacrifice as a man gave up a successful career for a cause he believed in. The movie is scheduled for release on November 22, 2017. In the interview, Denzel shared a couple of things I found interesting. First, Denzel and Dan Gilroy, the producer and writer of the movie, prayed and read a Bible devotional together every day during filming. Denzel said, “Dan and I have been prayer partners during this whole collaboration.” It is tough for Christians to speak out in Hollywood, when fellow celebrities not only oppose faith in God, but blatantly mock it. Such as former Star Trek: The Next Generation star Wil Wheaton …

Credit: Caleb George/Wikipedia

Vegas and Hollywood: the truth

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On the evening of October 1, 2017, a man named Stephen Paddock used a gun to kill and injure spectators at a country music concert in Las Vegas. You probably know something about the story, but have you noticed all the comments and conspiracy theories that have spun off from the incident; the story about the story? It’s interesting because Mr Paddock is such a mystery. We don’t know why he shot those people except that he made a decision. His background story gives us no clues, so we are free to make our own judgments. That’s useful for some people. Related: 2017 Las Vegas shooting A few days later, on October 5, the New York Times published an article about Harvey Weinstein, one of the most powerful men in the Hollywood movie industry. He has been accused of gross misconduct with young women who were trying to make careers in movies and television. At this time, it is fair to say the accusations have been denied, and any accusations are only alleged; but that …

(Left to Right) Chris Pratt Credit: Mingle Media TV/Wikipedia; Justin Bieber Credit: Lou Stejskal/Wikipedia; Kourteny Kardashian credit: © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

What do Chris Pratt, Justin Bieber and Kourteny Kardashian have in common?

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For many they are household names. All three have fame and money in movies, singing and TV respectively. Chris Pratt, 38, is a movie star with leading roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and one of my favorites Jurassic World that earned $1.6 billion world wide. He is also starring in the soon to be released Avengers: Infinity War Canadian born Justin Bieber, 23, is one of the most popular pop singers in the world. He has 102 million followers on Twitter, nearly 92 million followers on Instagram. and his Facebook page has close to 79 million likes. TV reality star Kourteny Kardashian, 38, stars in Keeping Up with the Kardashians — one of the longest running reality shows in the US. She and her sisters have also started successful clothing and perfume lines. And though fame is certainly one common denominator, according to the Daily Mail, they have one more thing in common, all three were recently seen attending the same church service at Hillsong in Los Angeles. Originating in Australia, Hillsong is renown …

Alexa and Carlos PenaVega sharing on their devotional Vlog WOW (Words of Wisdom): Credit YouTube Capture

Hollywood celebrities Carlos and Alexa PenaVega talk about the power of prayer

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Actress Alexa PenaVega (nee Vega) recently shared an Instagram post on how prayer raised her 93 year-old-grandmother from the deathbed. This past week has been a struggle for my family as our beautiful abuelita (grandma) was on life support. It has been a bitter sweet experience. Here is this woman who has had such a full and beautiful life… 93 years old…12 kids… more than 50 grand kids…10 great grand children… just the most incredible little Colombian woman inside and out. This week her lungs collapsed. Her heart started failing. Her stomach stopped working and she fell into a coma. As we all prepared ourselves to say goodbye my family’s local church members came to her side and prayed over her for over five hours. When I say the power of prayer can bring forth the most amazing miracles THIS WILL FLOOR YOU. Our abuelita Yeya woke up completely healed. The Dr.’s cannot find anything wrong with her. They can’t explain it. They keep running tests to try to make sense of it all. But …

Denzel Washington Credit: GabboT/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

An old woman’s prophecy over actor Denzel Washington said he would speak to millions

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Denzel Washington, 62, is a popular American Actor, playing major roles in such movies as Remembering the Titans, Training Day and one of my favorites — The Book of Eli. He has won two Academy awards and three Golden Globes. In an interview with Parade Magazine, Denzel spoke of his strong spiritual roots, including his father who was Pentecostal preacher for nearly five decades. Denzel added that he reads the Bible daily and has read it through completely three times. God had a call and a purpose for Denzel and he tells of a prophetic word given him by an older woman at their church who many considered a prophet. She told Denzel that one day he would speak to millions of people. Denzel was 21 years old and had just flunked out of college. He was sitting in his mother’s beauty shop, when the old woman approached him. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Denzel recounts what happened next: It was March 27, 1975. I started acting four months later. She said, “You know …

Carrie Fisher being interviewed at 2013 Calgary Expo Credit: Steve Potter/Flickr/Creative Commons

You have heard of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, but did you know Todd Fisher?

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I was picking up a coke at the fast food place I regularly go to for lunch. It is where I write many of my articles. I briefly asked the waitress how her Christmas went. Her first comment — “it was full of death.” She was of the age where the recent deaths of Carrie Fisher and her mom Debbie Reynolds impacted her. Carrie, 60, is perhaps most famous for playing Leia in the Star Wars saga. She had a heart attack on the plane while flying from England to Los Angeles and died a few days later (December 27, 2016). She was very close to her mother, famed actress Debbie Reynolds, 84, who died a day later (December 28, 2016) from a stroke. Debbie was a major movie actress in the 50s and 60s starring in such hits as Dancing in the Rain and How the West was Won. She had married actor Eddie Fisher, who she divorced in 1959. But there is one member of this famous family you probably haven’t heard of …

Michael Buble in concert Credit: jeaneeem/Flickr/Creative Commons

Michael Bublé’s family share a statement of faith about son Noah

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I have a confession to make. One of my favorite performers is Canadian Jazz singer Michael Bublé, 41. I haven’t got a bucket list, but if I did — attending a Bublé concert would be on it. So, like many, I was shocked to hear Michael’s sad announcement that doctors diagnosed his son Noah, 3, with cancer. Michael and his wife, who also have a son Elias born earlier this year, initially thought Noah had the mumps. However, a visit to a doctor in Buenos Aires — later confirmed by a doctor in Los Angeles — presented the grim diagnosis of cancer. On his Facebook page, Michael and his wife Luisana Lopilato asked for prayers. “Luisana and I have put our careers on hold in order to devote all our time and attention to helping Noah get well. At this difficult time, we ask only for your prayers and respect for our privacy. We have a long journey in front of us and hope that with the support of family, friends and fans around the …

How ‘Back to the Future’ actress Claudia Wells became a Christian

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I was recently reading an article on Claudia Wells, 50, at News.com.au. For those not familiar with Claudia, she played the role of Jennifer Parker, Marty McFly’s girlfriend, in one of my favorite movies — Back to the Future. Starring Michael J. Fox, it was a blockbuster release in 1985. Fox played the role of Marty McFly who traveled back to his family’s past in a time machine cleverly disguised as a DeLorean sports car. Towards the end of the article, Claudia answered the question on what she would do if she could really travel back in time in a DeLorean. Claudia said: “I would go back in time to hangout with Jesus. I’d just hold his hand, look  in His eyes and just take Him in and have a good chat.” Claudia Wells is a Christian and if you go to her Facebook page you will see her feed filled with inspirational Biblical quotes. It took a bit of digging but I discovered an interview with Smashing Interviews Magazine on how Claudia became a Christian. She …

Crosses near Budapest, Hungary Credit: Gyorgy Soponyai/Flickr/Creative Commons

Acts of faith in a foreign land — Naaman, Bieber and Pratt

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There is a story in 2 Kings about Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-19), a general in the Aramean army. The Bible describes him as “a great man” (v 1) suggesting he was a national hero in Aram. But though a celebrity, he also had leprosy — a dreaded, disfiguring disease in that culture. Since leprosy was incurable, people were considered the living dead. But one day his servant girl, an Israelite captured during one of Naaman’s many raids, told her master about an Israeli prophet capable of curing a person of leprosy. When he tracked down the prophet, Elisha told Naaman he would be healed if he dunked himself seven times in the Jordan River. After kicking up a bit of a fuss, Naaman did as he was told and was instantly healed. Naaman offered Elisha gold and wealth for the healing, but the the prophet refused the generous gift. So instead Naaman asked Elisha for a gift. He wanted two mule loads of Israeli dirt so he could build an altar to the Lord back …

A scene from Jesus VR: The story of Christ. Photo: Autumnvr.com

World’s first full-length ‘virtual reality’ movie is about the life of Jesus

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David Hansen is a movie director and producer from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He has just produced the world’s first full-length virtual reality (VR) movie and it is about the life of Christ. In the movie entitled Jesus VR: The Story of Christ, Tim Fellingham plays Jesus and Mish Boyko the role of Peter. It was featured at the prestigious Venice Film Festival this past week where they presented a 40-minute cut of the 90-minute movie.  In an interview with the Regina Leader Post, Hansen described their invite to the festival as “unbelievable.” Virtual reality allows a person to be immersed in the environment. You literally become part of the story as it is happening. In computer generated environments you are even able to manipulate objects or perform certain activities. However, they are not quite there for VR movies made up of real people and movie sets. Nevertheless you are standing with the disciples as the events take place. In a news release, Hansen described Christ’s story as the most powerful story of all time adding  “The …

Do you have Desmond T. Doss’ spiritual gift?

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Mel Gibson’s most recent movie Hacksaw Ridge received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. Standing ovations are not common occurrences at this festival, much less for movies with a Christian faith theme. Gibson’s movie, which will be released in theaters in November, is based on the life of a heroic soldier from World War II — Desmond T. Doss. As a Seventh Day Adventist, Doss was a conscientious objector and was unwilling to become involved in the actual fighting. The Seventh Day Adventists denomination officially holds to the position of pacifism. Like most people, it is easy to consider conscientious objectors as little more than cowards. But that could not be said about Doss, who died in March 2006 at the age of 87. According to an article in the New York Times, while growing up his dad put a poster over Desmond’s bed. It had the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s prayer emblazoned on an image of Cain standing with a club over the dead body of his brother Able – …

Kendall Jenner Photo: Disney | ABC Television/Flickr/Creative Commons

Super model and reality star Kendall Jenner identifies herself as Christian

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Kendall Jenner, 19, model and reality show star, recently came out as Christian on her website (subscription required). Kendall is the daughter of Caitlyn Jenner, a transgender activist formerly known as Bruce Jenner and Kris Kardashian. She is part of a blended Kardashian/Jenner family that includes sister Kylie and eight half-siblings. Kendall stars on the popular reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The show, which started in 2007, is produced by E!’s cable network and is the longest running reality show in America. The program focuses primarily on the three Kardashian sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloé  and their half sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner. There have also been spinoffs including Kourteny and Kloe Take the Hamptons. In a recent post on her website, Kendall says though she wasn’t raised in a Christian home, she was “definitely taught — even by my sisters — to believe in God.” She says that the family’s actual church attendance was limited to Easter and Christmas. Referring to her faith as more spiritual than religious, Kendall says “I pray …

Report: America’s first Muslim Miss USA has converted to Christianity

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When Rima Fakih, 30, was crowned Miss USA in 2010, it was generally believed she was the first Muslim woman to ever win the title. Shortly after winning, Fakih acknowledged her Muslim faith stating: “I’d like to say I’m American first, and I am an Arab-American, I am Lebanese-American, and I am Muslim-American.” She was born in Lebanon and raised in a Shia Muslim family, that admittedly had been luke-warm to their Muslim faith and would often observe both Muslim and Christian holidays. The family immigrated to New York in 1993 and continued to observe both Muslim and Christian holidays including even attending church on Easter. But in 2003, her family moved to Dearborn, Michigan and became involved with the large Islamic community in that city. When Fakih started attending the University of Michigan, her father urged her to reconnect with her Muslim roots through the Islamic group at the University. It was here that she began to learn of her Muslim faith including Ramadan — that involves a month of fasting and prayer in …

Jennifer Garner at the opening of The Invention of Lying at the Toronto Film Festival in 2009. Photo: Reza Vaziri/Flickr/Creative Commons

Was actress Jennifer Garner impacted by a miracle?

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Actress Jennifer Garner, 43, recently announced that she and her three children are starting to attend church as a direct result of Garner’s starring role in the Christian movie Miracles from Heaven. Garner said they have rarely missed a Sunday since. Jennifer who  separated from her husband Ben Affleck comes from a Christian background and growing up lived for a few years in Calgary, Alberta. Garner made her big break playing a CIA officer in the ABC spy-thriller Alias where she won a Golden Globe and received three Emmy nominations for her performance. She has also shown up on the big screen acting in movies such a Daredevil, Juno, Dallas Buyers Club and recently Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day. Miracles made from Heaven, produced by Affirm Film that lists popular pastor T.D. Jakes as one of its producers, is scheduled for release March 16, 2016. In the movie, Jennifer plays Christy Beam, the real-life mother of a young girl named Annabelle who was miraculously spared serious injury after falling down …

Selena Gomez in concert. Photo: Ronald Woan/Flickr/Creative Commons

Selena Gomez surprises crowd with a performance at Hillsong concert

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I sometimes get a bit gun-shy writing about the faith of celebrities because invariably something hits the media that can taint their testimony. But then I ask how any of us would fare if we were faced with media and others watching, listening, photographing and videoing everything you said and did, day and night. So my tendency, right or wrong, is to give them the benefit of the doubt. If in this growing anti-Christian climate a person is willing to step up and profess their faith in Christ, I say God Bless. Former Disney star Selena Gomez is latest to come out publicly about her faith in Jesus. Selena, 23, is a singer and actress who was the one-time girl friend of Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. She just released an album in October entitled “Revival.” It debuted as #1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to earn a Gold rating. On February 25th, Selena surprised a Los Angeles crowd attending Hillsong Young & Free Revival concert, when she stepped on stage, and joined …

Hugh Jackman speaking at the San Diego Comic Con International in 2013. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Is Hugh Jackman a Christian?

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Hugh Jackman is a popular Hollywood star by anyone’s standards. He is probably best known for his super hero roles in the X-Men series and Wolverine. He also played Jean Valjean in the Hollywood remake of the classic Les Misérables. In an interview with Parade, Jackman came out about his faith stating bluntly: “I am a Christian.” Though I admit Christian can be loosely interpreted, in the interview Jackman spoke about his involvement with Evangelical Christianity when he was younger. He was raised by his Christian father after his mother abandoned the family when Hugh was eight. Jackman stated: “I used to go to different evangelists’ [revival] tents all the time. When I was about 13, I had a weird premonition that I was going to be onstage, like the preachers I saw.” I found it interesting that he referred to a premonition about being on stage. In an earlier post, I wrote about a prophetic word given Hollywood star Chris Pratt by a Christian evangelist who shared his faith with Pratt because God said …

Jordan Smith Photo: YouTube Capture/The Voice

Jordan Smith’s spectacular blind performance on ‘The Voice’ wows the crowd and judges

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Jordan Smith stunned the crowd at The Voice with his blind audition on September 21, 2015 when he sang “Chandelier.” Wowed by his performance, the crowd and four judges, all who turned their chairs, gave Jordan a standing ovation. Jordan is a senior at Lee University, a Liberal arts college in Cleveland, Tennessee. Operated by the Church of God, a Pentecostal denomination, it has consistently ranked among the top universities in the Southern US. Jordan eventually chose Adam Levine as his coach who described the young man as one of the most important people to be on The Voice. Jordan said: “I don’t know if I’m really happy or really scared.” Jordan sings with the Lee Singers, one of many choral groups at the university. This is not the first time the campus has gained recognition for singing performances by its students. Lee University Festival Choir was invited to sing at the 57th Presidential inauguration of Barack Obama held January 21, 2013. Two hundred students led by Dr. William Green, Dean of the Lee University School …

Atlanta on a Sunday Photo: Flickr/richardcawood.com

The God story behind the Hollywood movie ‘Captive’

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I remember watching the ads on TV for the movie “Captive,” but had no idea how much God was involved in the Hollywood thriller which hit the theaters September 18, 2015. The movie is based on an incident that took place in Atlanta, Georgia over ten years ago involving murderer Brian Nichols, 33, and his kidnapping of a young widow, Ashley Smith. On March 11 2005, Nichols was on trial for rape in an Atlanta courthouse. During his trial, Nichols overpowered Fulton County Sheriff’s deputy Cynthia Hall, then using her gun was able to escape captivity. In the process, he shot and murdered four people — Judge Rowland Barnes, Sheriff deputy Hoyt Teasley, immigration officer David Wilhelm and court reporter Julie Ann Brandau. In an interview with Dan Woods of Assist News, Ashley told her incredible story of God’s intervention. Ashley grew up in a Christian home, but at the age of 18 made some bad decisions. She started getting into drugs and ended up marrying a man who she watched get stabbed to death …

Clara praying with Elizabeth Photo: War Room/Facebook

Faith movie ‘War Room’ beats out blockbusters at the box office

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Entertainment Weekly called it a “sleeper hit” and when a Christian movie catches the secular media’s attention you know its shocking everybody, including Hollywood. Refusing to follow Hollywood’s script of sex and violence, the name of the movie aside, the Kendrick brother’s, Alex and Stephen, latest movie is on a record-setting pace. War Room sold an amazing $11.4 million worth of tickets this past weekend, blasting through the brothers’ belief that $10 million would exceed their wildest expectations. The movie was second only to Straight Outta Compton a profanity laced hip hop movie that grossed $13 million. War Room, with only a PG rating, managed to exceed $11 million without swearing, violence, sex, and a star filled cast and while only showing in 1,100 theaters across the US. Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation starring Tom Cruise was in over 3,000 outlets but only earned $8 million that same weekend. The Christian movie is on course to surpass Fireproof, another faith movie the Kendricks’ released in 2008. With sales of $33 million, it was the …

Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford Photo: YouTube Capture

NFL star Frank Gifford’s greatest trophy was a small stone

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Frank Gifford, 84, former NFL star and sports broadcaster died Sunday morning, August 9, 2015 sitting in his chair waiting to go to church. He was husband to Kathie Lee Gifford co-host of NBC’s Today Show and on Monday she shared a testimony of Frank’s faith and the impact a small stone had on him. Frank grew up in abject poverty during the Dirty 30s where at times his family ate dog food to survive. But his mother and father believed in God and faithfully attended church through these hard times. When Frank went on to play college ball at USC, he showed up with one white shirt and one pair of jeans. He went on to become a star in the NFL where he played as a running back and receiver. He played in eight Pro Bowls, was installed in six halls of fame, was the NFL’s most valuable player in 1956 when his team won the Super Bowl. Frank was nominated the come-back player of the year and was the only person to …

Chris Pratt at the San Diego Comic Con in 2016 Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/Creative Commons

Did a prophetic word about his future fame play a role in Chris Pratt becoming a Christian?

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You may be familiar with Chris Pratt. He is a Hollywood actor who most recently starred in Jurassic World. Released in June 2015, Jurassic World is a blockbuster setting a global record of US$511.9 million in ticket sales on its opening weekend. In the movie, Chris plays Owen Grady — a Velociraptor (a mid-sized raptor) trainer and expert. According to Variety magazine, Pratt earned $1.2 billion in 2014 making him the highest paid actor that year. He earned his big payday starring in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie. But Pratt is also a Christian and his faith comes out in an interview with QPolitical where Pratt shares his struggles with the premature birth of his son, Jack, born in August 2012.  Pratt said that he and his wife Anna Ferris prayed for weeks for their son born nine weeks premature and weighing only 3 pounds. Pratt said: “We were scared for a long time. We prayed a lot. It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but …

Study says if you are looking for gore and horror turn on a children’s show

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[by Dean Smith] If you are looking for films with a bit of death and gore, you may find exactly what you want in the cartoons set aside for your children. According to a report released in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) this past December, children’s cartoons and movies are full of death often surpassing levels found in adult dramas. The research team, led by Ian Colman, associate professor of epidemiology at Canada’s University of Ottawa, used a “Kaplan-Meler survival analysis” to compare when the first death occurred in a group of top 135 grossing movies — 45 considered children’s entertainment and 90 adult-themed.

Katy Perry’s Super Bowl performance should encourage parents to pray for their children

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[by Dean Smith] I am sure the Christian parents of mega-pop star Katy Perry have struggled as they watched their daughter climb the heights of stardom while seemingly walking away from her faith. Katy’s parents, Keith and Mary Hudson, are Pentecostal pastors now based in Santa Barbara, CA. They minister through the US preaching the Gospel. Katy grew up in a Christian home, attended a Christian school and for a time even sang Gospel music. But as her popularity grew, she walked away from her faith. In a 2013 interview with a woman’s magazine, Marie Claire, Katy stated she no longer “believes in an old man sitting on a throne” and certainly her lifestyle would back up that statement. But things are never as cut and dried as they seem and this applies to all children of Christian parents.

Was Kim Kardashian’s family saved by a 165-year-old prophecy?

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Kim Kardashian, 34, is an American TV celebrity most famous for her reality TV show Keeping up with the Kardashians. It was rumored she was the highest paid reality star at the time. She has since branched out to other TV programs, movies and the retail and fashion industry. Her father, Robert Kardashian, is a 3rd generation American-Armenian and most famous for his role in helping defend former NFL star OJ Simpson in his notorious murder trial in 1995. Research by the Daily Mail has recently uncovered a strange story of how a prophetic word by a 11-year-old boy saved Kim’s family on her father’s side from the Armenian genocide. The Kardashian family originated in Russia and at that time had the last name Kardaschoffs. Sometime in the mid to late 1800s, they moved to the village of Karakale, in present-day Turkey. It is found near Mt Ararat, considered the resting place of Noah’s ark. The family was considered religious rebels as they did not belong to the Russian Orthodox church but instead favored the …