Following the unexpected success of the cable TV series “The Bible”, Hollywood is planning several Bible-based films for 2014. These include Mary Mother of Christ, a “high action drama” about Mary and Joseph’s escape to Egypt from King Herod, with a 16 year old Israeli actress in the title role; Russell Crowe as Noah, with Emma Watson as his adopted daughter and Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah; Exodus, produced by Ridley Scott and starring Christian Bale as Moses with Sigourney Weaver as Pharaoh’s wife; Gods and Kings, another Moses story produced by Ang Lee; Son of God, the story of Jesus; and Resurrection, in which a Roman solider is sent to investigate Christ’s death. There are also rumours of Will Smith producing a film about Cain and Abel, and Brad Pitt playing Pontius Pilate. Despite some concerns about dramatic licence (apparently an early draft of the Noah script showed the Great Flood as being due to man’s disrespect for the environment rather than God’s judgment), it appears that Hollywood will be targeting Christian (and Jewish and Muslim) audiences in 2014.
A car bomb in Baghdad killed 14 worshippers leaving church on Christmas Day. The lives of Christians in Iraq have become so dangerous that even Price Charles has spoken publicly about it; he notes that the Middle East was where Christianity originated, but that there is now a risk that it might be effectively eliminated there. In Nigeria, too, Christmas Day church attendance was very low because of past holiday attacks by the Islamist group Boko Haran.
The cable network that shows “Duck Dynasty” in the USA has reversed its suspension of the family patriarch, Phil Robertson, for making statements perceived as strongly anti-homosexual. A statement said, “We reiterate that [his statements] are not views that we hold … but the show is about a family, not one man’s views, and as you have seen in episodes, they come together to reflect and to pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness.” Duck Dynasty is the second biggest show on US cable TV, and supporters of Robertson had threatened to boycott the entire network. Robertson has defended his comments as “quoting the Bible” and his views on sin as being based on his own pre-Christian experiences, but says he regrets the language that he used and that he would never incite hatred.
A cruise ship that became stuck in Antarctic ice on Christmas Eve, when strong winds blew ice around it which then froze, is still awaiting rescue. The first two ice-breaking ships to arrive found the ice too thick for them. A third ship is expected to arrive tomorrow. The ship, which was on a special research voyage, has plenty of supplies for the 74 passengers.
In technology news, a British soldier who lost his right arm in Afghanistan has become the first Briton to be fitted with a “bionic” arm that responds to his thoughts. His severed nerve endings were reattached to muscles in his chest, which in turn control the prosthetic arm. He is now able to cook, drive and use bank cards.
And finally, a café in Nice introduced a politeness-based pricing system. It advertises “un café” for €7; “un café s’il vous plait” for €4.25; and “Bonjour, un café s’il vous plait” for just €1.40. The proprietor said, “It started as a joke; the regulars started calling me ‘your greatness’. But now people in the café are far more relaxed, and smiling.”
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