They said it couldn’t be done. No one believed it was possible. But they did it. They broke their own record: on March 7, “Nothing Sacred” posted ratings so bad—only 6% of the available audience watched it—that one TV insider said this represents “reverse appointment viewing,” meaning, he said, that 94% made plans not to... [Read more...]
“NOTHING SACRED” AXED AT LAST “NOTHING SACRED” AXED AT LAST
Just as we were going to press, we learned that ABC apparently has decided to cancel “Nothing Sacred.” Several phone calls to the network, and everyone else connected to the show, failed to secure a definitive answer. It seems that ABC is quietly walking away from “Nothing.” On March 19, the Los Angeles Times said that “Nothing”... [Read more...]
“NUNSENSE” IN DRAG
Over the past several years, we have been asked on occasion whether the Catholic League objects to the long-running play, “Nunsense.” Our answer has been, no. As a matter of policy, we generally don’t make complaints when there is an element of doubt about a given illustration, movie, depiction, etc. Because we have doubts about “Nunsense”... [Read more...]
“OUR LADY OF THE PUCK”?
What is it about our religious themes and icons that seem so irresistible to Madison Avenue executives? The latest example of this comes from Spike Lee, better known for his Hollywood forays. Lee has been commissioned by Fox Sports to do an ad for its coverage of National Hockey League games. Lee chose comedian Flip Wilson to preach from a pulpit at... [Read more...]
RELIGION LAW ADVANCES
On March 4, the House Judiciary Committee approved a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would allow prayer in the schools and other forms of religious expression on public property. William Donohue, who testified in favor of the amendment before the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House Judiciary Committee in July, 1996, appeared on... [Read more...]
RETURN OF SINEAD
The new Neil Jordan movie, “The Butcher Boy,” scheduled to open in select theaters on April 3, features Irish lout Sinead O’Connor. The singer-actress-bigot plays the role of the Virgin Mary, making a spectacle of herself for uttering vulgarities. She recently told reporters, “I tend to think that if Mary was around now she might... [Read more...]
SHOULD CATHOLICISM BE RELEVANT?
On a recent television show that I was on, one of the other guests remarked that Catholicism risked becoming obsolete because its message wasn’t relevant enough to today’s Catholics. I thought this was a strange comment, especially coming from a Catholic university professor. The good news is that she’s wrong. Those who say that Catholicism should... [Read more...]
SOFTWARE FROM MICROSOFT TAINTED WITH PREJUDICE
Microsoft Bookshelf 98, a software reference library, continues a pattern of prejudice against Roman Catholics that was evident in earlier versions of this software. In a search for “Catholic,” there is a subsection of quotations that lists 24 comments by public figures, past and present, on Catholicism. Fully sixteen of them are very negative... [Read more...]
TIME ADMITS ERROR
In last month’s Catalyst, we ran a story on how Time magazine gave the impression to readers that the Church had apologized for “collaborating” with the Nazis during World War II. It has now admitted that this was an error, though it refuses to run William Donohue’s letter and refuses to publish a retraction. Here is what Time said... [Read more...]
VATICAN DOCUMENT ON HOLOCAUST DESERVES PRAISE
On March 16, the Vatican issued a long awaited document, “We Remember, a Reflection on the Shoah.” It defended the role of Pope Pius XII during World War II while also acknowledging that some Roman Catholics were guilty of misdeeds. It implored Christians to abide by a “moral imperative” that will never allow for another Holocaust.... [Read more...]