AND THE AWARD GOES TO.....

Due to early forecasts of cold and rainy weather for today, February 27, 2011, I canceled the Ghetto and Gowns Gala - our annual celebration of all things Oscar.

That is the first call I got right in the 2011 Academy Awards race. If the temperature were to dip any lower outside we would be in the middle of a blizzard.

Below are my thoughts and predictions on some of the actual awards to be handed out tonight at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood:

BEST PICTURE

Black Swan - I found this movie difficult to sit through. How good is a movie you watch through your fingers?

The Fighter - Although not my top pick, it is right up there. I walked out of this movie completely satisfied with what I had just watched and was blown away by the four lead performances: Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo. All four were superb.

Inception - I did not see this movie and have to admit I don't think I am smart enough to see it.

The Kids Are Alright - I know some people raved about this movie, I, on the other hand thought it was a snoozefest - and rather pointless. While I believe female sexuality is more fluid then males, I thought the affair between Julianna Moore and Mark Ruffalo was unrealistic and a way for Hollywood to make a "gay themed" movie that was somewhat palatable for straight audiences.

The King's Speech - WINNER - While I enjoyed this movie I do not feel it should win.

127 Hours - This movie was good, perhaps long, but the only reason to see it was because of James Franco's performance.

The Social Network - This was the best movie of this past year and I think it should win. I walked out of the theater completely satisfied, like I had just pushed my chair away from a delicious 7 course meal. I loved this movie.

Toy Story 3 - I cried like a baby the last 10 minutes of this movie. Very good movie but it will win in the animated category.

True Grit - I didn't see this movie but it doesn't have a chance.

Winter's Bone - This is one of the best movies of this past year and I am happy to see that it got nominated as I doubt many people saw it.

BEST DIRECTOR

Black Swan Darren Aronofsky - I found this movie difficult to follow and watch at times. So sorry Darren!

The Fighter David O. Russell - Good job and thanks for showing up but you can stay in your seat.

The King's Speech Tom Hooper - If it is a "King's Speech Sweep" then Tom has a chance - and that will be his only reason for winning.

The Social Network David Fincher - WINNER - Great movie, great direction!

True Grit Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - Is it only me that finds it strange when the Coen brothers are co-nominated for things? Shouldn't only ONE be able to be the best?

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem in “Biutiful” - I am sure he is good in this and I meant to see it (and didn't) but he doesn't have a chance.

Jeff Bridges in “True Grit” - Although I didn't see this movie, I don't think it matters as he won last year.

Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network” - Jesse was very good in this movie but I'm not sure he isn't this nerdy and awkward in real life.

Colin Firth in “The King's Speech” - WINNER - Solid performance

James Franco in “127 Hours” - Possibly the best performance of this past year and if Colin Firth hadn't perfected his stutter, James would be going home with Oscar. The entire film is him and he carries it well.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE


Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right” - WINNER - In recognition of her body of work, Annette will walk away with Oscar.

Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole” - I saw the trailer of Nicole being great actress Nicole. I am rarely impressed with her and do not think she should have won for The Hours.

Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone” - This was a spot on performance by a relatively unknown actress and she should be very proud of the work she did on this movie. While her performance is definitely worthy of a Best Actress win, she doesn't have a chance.

Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” - Most likely to upset Annette Benning and I would not be unhappy in the least. While the movie is too strange for my tastes, her performance is amazing and I would be happy to see her walk to the podium.

Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine” - If I was able to officially cast my vote it would have been between Jennifer Lawrence and Michelle Williams. This girl nails it every time, and in the movie, although I thought her character was the problem in the film (as opposed her Ryan Gosling's), Michelle's performance was SPOT ON!


ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale in “The Fighter” - WINNER - One of the few cases that I think I will agree with the Academy voters. His performance was transformative and sublime.

John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone” - I don't think the Oscar should go to anyone who looks dirty (or toothless) on screen. Good performance though.

Jeremy Renner in “The Town” - The Town is tied with The Social Network as my favorite movie of the year (and it just arrived from Netlix). Jeremy Renner's performance was fantastic and any year he wasn't competing against this year's Christian Bale performance might have nabbed him the gold.

Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right” - Nice to look at but anyone could have played this role.

Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech” - Geoffrey's performance is the heart of this movie and definitely Oscar worthy but against Christian Bale's performance this year, he doesn't stand a chance.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams in “The Fighter” - Definitely Oscar worthy and if Melissa Leo screwed herself out of an Oscar with her "For Your Consideration" advertisements, Amy Adams will be the winner

Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech” - Her first normal person role in recent memory, but this performance was not the best of the year.

Melissa Leo in “The Fighter” -WINNER - This is my choice of the year (along with Amy Adams). Melissa Leo was outstanding as the rough around the edges mother to Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in The Fighter. With more screen time she could have qualified as Best Actress as possibly won.

Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit” - Sorry I didn't see your movie Hailee, but I don't think you have a chance. Plus, with a name so close to Seinfield, I probably would not have voted for you anyway.

Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom” - I Netflixed this movie and then didn't even watch it. I hope you were good Jackie.


BEST ANIMATED FILM

How to Train Your Dragon - Sorry, stay in your seat!
The Illusionist - I haven't seen it yet but plan to see it.
Toy Story 3 - We have a WINNER


Those are a few of my picks.....and the Oscar goes to.................

IMAGINE - SAM TSUI AND AHMIR

After the tragedy last week in Tucson, I started to write a reaction and couldn't do so without angry words and pointing fingers. I'm glad I waited until today when I received this video of Sam Tsui and AHMIR's cover of one of my favorite songs - John Lennon's Imagine.

NOELLE TURNS FIVE AT DISNEYLAND

Two days before my tenth birthday, my grandparents took me to Disneyland. I remember going on nearly every ride and although I thought my grandparents were a tad over protective, I had a wonderful time. Since then I have visited the park two more times, and as an adult it doesn’t hold the same magic. The only way to enjoy it is through the eyes of on innocent and two or three months ago I promised Noelle, a lover of all things Disney, we would take her for fifth birthday.

On Monday, we left for California and Disneyland, and although there were a couple of hiccups along the way, the trip was a resounding success.

We set out for Southern California at 9:45 Monday morning and 40 miles west of Phoenix we got stuck for 45 minutes in a long line of traffic due to road construction. Three hours later we approached the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs) and saw snow on the tops of the mountains, San Jacinto is on the left and San Gorgonio (the highest peak in Southern California) is on the right.



After the six hour drive (stopping only for lunch and gas), our first stop was Belmont Shore (Long Beach). I lived in this seaside community from July 1996 to August 1999 and then returned from August 2001 to April 2002 and have many fond memories. It was only fitting that this be the place where Noelle first experienced the Pacific Ocean, and although it was cool outside (low 60s) she frolicked and wanted to build a sand castle.



It had been a long day so I promised her a rain check and we drove downtown Long Beach to the Hyatt.

Our initial intent was to leave Phoenix on Tuesday, drive to Long Beach that night, go to Disneyland on Wednesday and stay in Palm Springs afterwards, returning home Thursday. Unfortunately, the weather changed our plans.

I had been watching the weather forecast on a daily basis (as it seemed to change daily), and on Sunday the forecast called for rain on Wednesday, therefore, we decided to leave a day early and go to Disneyland on Tuesday.

Tuesday was a beautiful day, bathed in sun and blue sky. It was forecasted to be the nicest of the week and we took our time getting ready for the big day. We arrived at Disneyland to find that it was sold out. While sitting in traffic waiting to get into the park I stopped a policewoman and inquired and she informed that the park had been sold out the day before as well, but they had allowed visitors into California Adventure (Disneyland’s sister park) and then at 6:30 they were allowing guests to cross over and enter Disneyland.

Although this wasn’t how I envisioned our day - it was worth a shot. There was no way I was going to disappoint Noelle. She had been looking forward to this trip for so long, so we paid the $15 to park our car, boarded the bus to the park, got outside the gates to Disneyland and were turned away, being told that an hour earlier they have stopped offering the California Adventure/Disneyland arrangement.

Discouraged, we returned to Long Beach to regroup. We ate lunch at an old favorite of mine in Belmont Shore, Super Mex, and while there we decided to extend our trip a day and visit Disneyland on Thursday, as it was forecasted to rain on Wednesday. We then did some shopping and took Noelle to get her hair cut. Afterwards we went back to the hotel and Noelle decided it was a time for a photo shoot.



Wednesday, Noelle’s actual birthday, was rainy and we didn’t do much. We went out for breakfast and then back to the hotel. Noelle decided it was time for another photo shoot.



That evening we joined my friend Tova, her mother Joyce, and Tova’s two boys, Reece and Ty for an evening at the Aquarium of the Pacific, located across from the hotel. It is a spectacular facility with several outstanding exhibits. I lived in Long Beach when it opened (and was a charter member for a few years).

Noelle had met Tova's boys the day before and insisted that Reece was a girl because has long blond hair. I repeatedly tried to explain that boys can have long hair too, and Tova also gave it a shot, but Noelle still insisted that Reece was a girl. She couldn’t quite understand that boys can have long hair too.



I purchased our Disneyland tickets online to ensure we wouldn’t have a repeat of Tuesday’s fiasco and Thursday morning we got up early and arrived at the park at 9:15.

Our initial destination within Disneyland was the Princess Fantasy Faire - where the princesses spend their time, but along the way there the Merry-Go-Round caught Noelle's eye.



Then it was off to the Princess Fantasy Faire where Noelle was too shy to join the festivities but instead sat next to me smiling from ear-to-ear.



Once the Princess coronation was over we hopped aboard the Disneyland Railroad for a trip around the park.



Afterwards Noelle announced she wanted to get her face painted – BIG MISTAKE. Almost instantly, her mood changed and she wanted to go home. When I asked her why she wanted to leave she said because people were staring at her. Thirty minutes, and some cotton candy later, her mood returned to normal and she wanted to stay.



The crowd at Disneyland was huge. It was like New Years Eve at Times Square. There was no where to walk without stumbling over people and the lines for the good rides were over two hours each. Even getting a bite to eat was an endeavor and while walking around trying to find a sit down restaurant (I think there is only one and you must have reservations) we stumbled across, and toured, Tarzan's Treehouse - forty years ago when I first visited Disneyland it was called the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (named after the Disney movie).

After grabbing a quick bite we resumed our expedition. The following clip shows some a small glimpse into the crowd.



The next ride Noelle wanted to go on was the Mad Tea Party (the tea cups), but just as we were about to get in the line, she spotted the Dumbo ride - the Tea Cups would have to wait. Dumbo had a line with an approximate wait time of 50 minutes. It went rather quickly and Noelle was very well behaved waiting her turn. While we were in line, a little girl in front of us, between three and four years old, got her head stuck in the fence - Looked painful!



After Dumbo it all becomes a blur to me now. I know that Fettit took Noelle on the Mad Tea Party ride and then there was the Christmas Parade (for some reason my video recorder did not record the parade). It was during the parade that we got to see nearly every Disney character – Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale and several of the princesses again. Sleeping Beauty was absent from the parade – we think she was taking a nap.

Once the crowd cleared from the parade we were nearly the first in line for Storybook Land Canal Boats. Noelle seemed to enjoy it but it was a snooze. If you watch the following video be prepared to fall asleep (and get a cavity from listening to the guides too sweet voice).



At this point the temperature was dropping from chilly to cold and we decided it was about time to leave - after one more ride on the Tea Cups.



Noelle was an ideal travel companion and we haven't stopped talking about her, and the trip, since we got home. Fettit keeps asking when she is coming over to spend the night. He misses her after spending those five days together.

It was such a nice trip - one of many - with more to come.

2011 RESOLUTIONS

2010 is in the history books and it’s on to 2011 – which means it is time for some RESOLUTIONS:

- I would like to revive this blog and write something witty, clever, or insightful at least on a weekly basis.

- Today starts a return to eating healthily – Whole, low carb, and low fat

- It’s time to incorporate some physical activity into my routine. TIME TO MOVE!

- To quit smoking (for good) before I have my BIG birthday in July

LITTLE FOCKERS-BEHIND THE SCEENS

The new "Little Fockers" movie trailer follows. With the reshoots (adding Dustin Hoffman and more Barbra) it may now be worth going to the theater to see. It is being released December 22nd.

THIS FUNNY GIRL IS SMART......

STOP. THINK. BREATHE

It's not news…many people in our country are suffering. Uncertainty over our economy continues with high unemployment, which in turn has triggered many more home foreclosures. The lack of jobs has left a lot of people understandably angry, fearful and cynical about what they will face in the days ahead.

It’s natural to want to stop the pain, to find a fast solution or look for a quick fix to end the agony of the last twenty months. But it took many years (eight) to unravel the policies and regulations that both protected our economy and kept it strong, and it is going to take time to rebuild and restore it.

The patience of the American people has worn thin. However, as we head into a mid-term election, we must not make decisions based on frustration or anger, and revert back to the party and the leaders that turned a $236 billion budget surplus left by President Clinton into a $1.2 trillion deficit left by President Bush. We cannot, out of fear, go back to the same party and policies that created this economic meltdown, abused the system, and did little to help those who were left victimized by the greed of Wall Street and the special interests from K Street.

Republicans spent eight years creating and supporting the destructive policies of the Bush Administration, which systematically debilitated the economy as well as weakened our regulatory system. They created the biggest disparity between the ultra rich and the poor, while working to relax and eliminate rules governing banks, corporations, and financial institutions. Now, as we near Election Day, they are again asking hardworking Americans to trust them with their vote. Why should we trust them? They spent twenty months stonewalling the President’s efforts to recharge our economy and put Americans back to work.

My question to the Republican Party is: What actions would you take that would differ from the actions that originally got us into this mess? Would you extend the Bush tax cuts that primarily benefit the top 1% of our country? Continue to block energy policies that will create millions of new green jobs? Keep policies in place that reward corporations that ship American jobs overseas? Oppose strong financial reform that insures that transactions, loans and credit cards are fair and transparent? Oppose a jobs bill that helps small businesses get the loans and the tax cuts that they need to prosper? Those are not the decisions that will lift America out of its difficulties and make our country stronger.

Week after week, on the 24 hour cable news cycle, Republican officials and prominent GOP leaders twist, distort and misrepresent the facts in order to place blame on others, while they continue to obstruct progress. It’s like the old saying that if you tell a lie big enough and you keep repeating it often enough, people will eventually come to believe that it is true. Whether they are discussing financial regulation, health care, jobs, the economy, energy policy…virtually every important issue our country is grappling with today, the Republican Party that once stood for something, now refuses to engage in constructive conversation about anything, all the while, offering virtually no new policy alternatives in return.

Since President Obama took office, the Republican narrative has been to serve their party over serving the people. They have been committed to blocking progress at all costs in order to insure the failure of this President. But now is the time to give President Obama a chance to fulfill his promise of reviving the spirit of hope and possibility that has always allowed our country to dream and to make the impossible possible. The only way he will be successful is if he has a Congress that dreams with him and an American electorate that gives him the chance!

I believe that Americans truly want a government that represents the middle class and working families of this nation, not the extremely rich, the bankers, and the CEOs. We have experienced a difficult recession, but due to the President’s policies, the country has avoided a total depression. What matters as we move forward is that consumers are protected, Wall Street is regulated, children have health care, and our representatives in Washington are committed to working for the people, not the private interests. I only hope that we can all take a deep breath and show the patience that is required to give our smart, committed and hopeful young leader the time he needs and the elected allies in Congress he requires to lift us all into a new time of innovation and prosperity.

The above was posted today by a very smart woman.... Hope she doesn't want to have me killed for reposting it here....

Originally posted as http://www.barbrastreisand.com/us/statement

FORMER RNC CHAIRMAN KEN MEHLMAN GAY

Another Republican comes out of the closet - surprise surprise.

Ken Mehlman, a man who formerLY held the highest (non-elected) office within the Republican party has come out as gay.

For at least four or five years of his involvement with George W. Bush and the Republican party, he was the mouthpiece for a group of rich, bigoted, white men and had to demonize and criticize his own community in order to get his boss re-elected.

I cannot imagine the self-hatred this man must have internalized - just to make a living!

To him I say congratulations for finding peace and honesty, but also shame on you for not standing up for yourself and for allowing Karl Rove and other puppet masters to pull your strings.

Interestingly enough, Bill Mahr outed him on CNN's Larry King Live back in 2006. See below:

TWINKLE TWINE (OF MY EYE)

Papa Fettit taught Noelle how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or at least the first couple of notes and next thing I know she is play the entire song - much to my amazement.

Arizona immigration law: Arizona's immigration law should be overturned, says Rev. Josh Pawelek - Courant.com

Arizona immigration law: Arizona's immigration law should be overturned, says Rev. Josh Pawelek - Courant.com

This article first appeared in the Hartford Courant. My response: AMEN

After praying long and hard, I have decided to go to Phoenix to add my voice to the growing chorus of protest against Arizona's tough new immigration law. Barring an injunction from the U.S. District Court, the law goes into effect next Thursday.

Dubbing this Arizona's "freedom summer," civil rights organizations and faith groups have vowed to resist the law's implementation and are calling on all those concerned about the humane treatment of immigrants to lend their voices and bodies to the struggle. The law's most controversial provision is known as Article 8 B. It requires police to make a "reasonable attempt" to determine the immigration status of a person if they have a "reasonable suspicion" that "the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States."

Unfortunately, Article 8.B does not define "reasonable." It is so vague that even my untrained legal eye can see that police officers, on a whim, will be able to stop, question and detain anyone they choose. This opens the floodgates for racial profiling, which has been cause for dismay among civil rights activists across the nation.

With Article 8. B at its core, Arizona's law has the strong potential to result in separation of families, unnecessary incarcerations, erroneous deportations of legal citizens and lost productivity. It has struck fear and terror into the heart of Arizona's Hispanic communities. This law is an affront to the moral sensibilities of our nation.

I am not in favor of open borders. Given the reality of drug smuggling, human trafficking and the potential movement of international terrorists, I recognize the need for tough, consistent and well-resourced border control. I also recognize that the Arizona legislature and Gov. Jan Brewer were frustrated by the lack of federal progress on immigration reform and felt compelled to act. But, in the end, the new law doesn't "get tough" on immigration.

It gets tough on people already living in the United States. That is its moral failing.

Some estimates put the number of undocumented people in the United States at 20 million. The vast majority of them have come here out of economic desperation.

There is considerable evidence that in most cases, they take jobs most citizens don't want. There is clearly a robust market for their labor, otherwise they wouldn't come. We cannot intimidate, arrest and deport our way out of this situation as if such activities can somehow contain the larger economic forces at work. Undocumented immigrants work extremely hard, for long hours, with very little recognition and few rights. Like so many previous generations of immigrants, they provide the unseen backbone of our economy. The Arizona law completely ignores this reality.

I am moved by the words of Moses who said "when an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be as a citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself." I don't turn to this scripture for legal advice, but I do seek moral inspiration from it.

Our nation needs immigration reform desperately, but let us achieve it in a manner that respects the integrity of undocumented people and honors their contributions to our society. Let us achieve it in a way that doesn't tear parents from their children in the dead of night. Let us achieve it in a way that doesn't criminalize whole communities based on skin color, language and accent. Let us achieve it in a way that doesn't return us to our white supremacist past. Let us achieve it in a way that is grounded in the same love toward the alien of which Moses spoke.

Arizona is better than its new immigration law. So is our nation. That is why, when the call went out for clergy and others to come to Phoenix, I could not refuse.

The Rev. Josh Pawelek is minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society: East in Manchester and president of the Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice.
Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant

THE COOLEST YOU'LL LOOK POOPING YOUR PANTS

Fettit and I stopped by the Conforti-Wiley's earlier today on our way home from lunch and while there this commercial came on the television.

A toddler is all swagger and charm as he struts his chic down the sidewalk, capturing the attention of two beautiful sidewalk cafe diners and the nodding appreciation of a motor scooter rider. A slack-jawed pedophile (in a gray Pee Wee Herman suit) is so taken by the denim diaper wearing stud that he releases his balloons. (Okay, what the hell was JWT thinking - that part is beyond creepy.)

Other then that last part, I love this advertisement. It made me want to run out and buy jean diapers for my kids - then I remembered they are nearly 28 years old. They can buy their own!

My diaper is full
Full of Chic
When it's a number two
I look like number one
I poo in blue

PRAY FOR OBAMA

Today I returned from work and found an email in my inbox. The subject line read "PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS." As I scrolled down the above picture was displayed and the text of the email read:

The scripture on the T-Shirt reads: Psalms 109:8 - If you look in your Bible it reads: "Let his days be few and let another take his office (or place of leadership)."

Please Black people - show them that you just don't buy and wear ANYTHING!

It was signed by Dr. Leslie Agard-Jones, Historic Paterson, NJ. This prompted me to look up the passage, as well as the supposed author (Dr. Agard-Jones), and that is what it says and Dr. Agard-Jones is the former Dean, College of Education, William Paterson University.

I initially found it a bit humorous that Dr Agard-Jones, a black man himself, addressed his statement to "black people." Perhaps he felt it necessary, but what disturbed me (yet didn't surprised me), was that a white sheet wearin red neck would be making such t-shirts. Is nothing beneath these cowardly racists. Perhaps it was the brain child of one of the neanderthal low-lifes that pass as Arizona state senators, you know, the ones that still want President Obama to hand them his birth certificate in order for him to be allowed on the ballot in 2012.

CHRISTOPHER'S FIRST HAIRCUT

Yesterday my 21 month old grandson, Christopher, had his first haircut. I wasn't there but I am told he handled like a trouper.

BARBRA STREISAND - ONE NIGHT ONLY

Yesterday, fours days after its release, I purchased "One Night Only Only - Barbra Streisand and Quartet at the Village Vanguard." I typically purchase her music and videos on the day they are released, but this week I procrastinated.

While Fettit was away playing his organ for the masses, I snuck off to Target and bought the DVD/CD combination, came home and cued it up for viewing later that evening, and once the sun went down, and it was apparent our Arizona Diamondbacks were going to lose against Milwaukee, I switched over to the concert.

At 67 years old, Barbra Streisand's voice is still as captivating as ever and she continues her reign as the preeminent interpreter of the great American songbook. In the case of this concert, the 123 lucky people in attendance (and now everyone else,) were able to experience her in an intimate setting, reminiscent of her beginnings in the small clubs of New York's Greenwich Village.

This private concert was to kick off the release of her last CD "Love is the Answer" - the jazz inspired work of art that surprisingly debuted at number 1 on the charts, making her the only artist to have a number one album in five decades (breaking her own record).

Barbra puts her stamp on several standards: In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning, Nobody’s Heart (Belongs To Me), Make Someone Happy, My Funny Valentine
Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, and stripped down versions of two of her most well known songs, Evergreen and The Way We Were.

One of my favorite moments in the concert came near the end, after finishing her classic "Evergreen," she leaves the stage and when she returns she realizes that she walked off a song too early. Known for her perfection to detail and production, and releasing carefully controlled product, her realization (however brief) is priceless - a brief glimpse into a human Streisand.

Sarah Jessica Parker sits at the front table with Barbra's husband, James Brolin, and is clearly mesmerised throughout. As Babs finishes her final song, "The Way We Were," she is visibly moved and is seen wiping tears from her face - a reaction I can relate to from the four times I have seen her, whether from the rafters in Detroit's Palace in 1994 or 30 feet from the stage here in Phoenix in November 2006.

Nearly 50 years after becoming an international sensation, Barbra Streisand's connection to the lyrics and emotions of a song remain unequalled. She still touches a special place in my heart and getting to experience this exclusive, unplugged performance was a pleasure to watch from beginning to end.

DOBSON'S SUCCESOR GIVES MEGA-MINISTRY NEW FOCUS

I stumbled upon the following article this morning featuring Focus on the Family's new leader Jim Daly. Is there a softening of the evangelical right? Are they starting to see the light?

COLORADO SPRINGS (April 24) -- Jim Daly is certain there is "a right way and a wrong way" to live one's life, and it's all about Jesus Christ and a literal reading of the Bible. But the new leader of the evangelical ministry Focus on the Family isn't going to get in your face if you disagree.

At a time when the conservative movement is dominated by raucous tea party demonstrations for lower taxes and smaller government, Daly seems oddly disconnected. "Don't know much about it, to be honest with you," he said, even though a recent poll showed that many tea party supporters are social conservatives like himself.

Instead, he spends more time worrying about so-called "Christian militias" plotting against the government. "The 'Christian' label means a lot to me," he said. "We don't want a theocracy. We want a government informed in moral principle.”

Focus on the Family "will weigh in on the big social issues before us and provide an opinion, but in all of that I want to express respect for everyone, for all human beings," he said. "It's not about being highly confrontational. It's about results."

Daly may be getting them. On a wall in the organization's offices here is a framed editorial from The New York Times, a publication not known for its sympathy toward religious conservatives. It defends Focus on the Family's right to air a TV ad during the Super Bowl featuring Denver Broncos draft pick Tim Tebow and his mother, who ignored doctors' advice that she should abort her fifth child, the future Heisman Trophy winner himself. The Times editorial attacked "would-be censors" and called protests by abortion rights groups against the then-unseen spot "lame."

When the actual commercial turned out to be an understated, feel-good message about motherhood, in fact, it was the group's most ardent supporters on the right who had a problem. "Some on our side criticized us for being too soft," Daly said in an interview with AOL News. "CBS wasn't going to allow, you know, 'DO NOT ABORT YOUR CHILD!' It's ridiculous."

In any event, traffic to the group's website surged after the Super Bowl, and Daly cited surveys saying it prompted millions to reconsider their position on abortion. "That's a game changer," he said.

Don't Say 'Unlike Dobson'

The biggest game changer for Focus on the Family, though, was the departure of its fiery founder, James Dobson. The child psychologist-turned-radio minister started the group in 1977 to help strengthen traditional marriage and give advice on parenting. But in recent years Dobson, 74, had become more involved in politics, and before the 2008 election he gave Sarah Palin a sympathetic platform and published a letter predicting that in "Obama's America" gays would get bonuses for joining the military and pornography would be televised in prime time.

In an era of kinder, gentler evangelical leaders like Rick Warren and Timothy Keller, who appeal to a younger generation of believers, Dobson may already have been an anachronism.

"The hard-edged politics of the original Christian-right leaders is increasingly out of style, partly due to generational change, and partly because evangelicals have been involved in politics for a long time and many have adopted a more pragmatic approach," said John Green, a University of Akron political scientist who studies religion.

Daly certainly has. He joined the ministry in 1989 and ran its international division -- which broadcasts to 130 countries, including Muslim Indonesia -- before becoming president in 2005. In February, he took over the organization after Dobson left to host his own radio show. (Dobson declined to be interviewed for this article.)

Dobson's departure angered some Christian conservatives even as liberal bloggers rejoiced. But Daly, who hates when journalists describe him as "unlike Dobson," says on matters of principle there is no daylight between him and his mentor. In tone and style, though, they are like night and day.

Speaking of the heyday of the religious right in the 1980s, Daly, 48, suggested that the influence of social conservatives like Jerry Falwell and of Dobson himself may have been illusory.

"When you look back from a pro-life perspective, what were the gains there?" he asked, noting President Ronald Reagan's judicial choices. A generation later, "we see a bit of fatigue. We don't see the results for the energy, the money, everything else that's been poured into the political sphere," said Daly, who keeps a desk plate reading "Laugh" in his office overlooking Pike's Peak.

"We as a Christian community need to refocus a bit on what's important in the culture. For us, it's family. That's our mission."

'Not Fearful of Change'

Earlier this month, hundreds turned out for a community discussion on homosexuality in a strip mall movie theater-turned-church in this city known as "the Evangelical Vatican" for its dozens of Christian ministries. Among the six panel members were those comfortable with their homosexual orientation and others who were less so. One of the latter was Focus employee Jeff Johnston, who told of "my journey out of homosexuality."

Daly was out of town but taped a welcome message. "We're not always going to agree," he said on the video, but added, "I'm not here to tell you what to do."

Bill Oliver, a local gay rights activist who has protested outside the 81-acre Focus campus, said Dobson disparaged gay families, but under Daly, "the rhetoric has definitely been lowered."

One sign: the group's recent decision to stop offering "reparative therapy" for gays and lesbians. Focus officials say the transfer of its Love Won Out program to Exodus International -- which has been attacked by gay rights groups and criticized by mental health professionals -- has to do with getting back to "bread-and-butter" issues and doesn't signal a change in policy.

Yet it's clear Daly, who has met with gay activists, sees diminishing returns in continuing the culture wars.

"I'm not fearful that change will happen in America. It will happen. ... I don't know what will happen with same-sex marriage, but I'm not going to be discouraged if we lose some of those battles," he said, noting that for "98 percent" of people, traditional marriage will remain relevant.

"It's going to be difficult in this culture and the way the demographics are going right now," he went on. "You look at the under-35 age group. I think it's splitting 60-40 support for same-sex marriage. There's a lot of people in the U.S. [who] basically come to the conclusion that this is something between two adults. I will continue to defend traditional marriage, but I'm not going to demean human beings for the process."

As with the Tebow ad, the new approach hasn't always pleased the Focus faithful. Daly sparked an uproar last year after he attended a White House conference on fatherhood and said the president was a good role model for African-American men.

"It caught me by surprise," Daly said of the criticism from conservatives. Like them, Daly finds little political common ground with Barack Obama, but, considering the president is married to his "first wife" and is raising his own biological children, "does anybody doubt that if we had more families like that in America, we wouldn't be better off?" he asked.

Daly told Obama that both know what it's like not to have a father around. In his autobiography, "Finding Home," Daly writes of being abandoned by his alcoholic father, then orphaned at 9 when his mother died and sent to a nightmarish foster home before finding God in high school.

That dysfunctional childhood, in fact, informs Daly's priorities at Focus: Since he took over, Focus has started a program to reduce the number of legal orphans in foster care by recruiting families to adopt hard-to-place children. Wait No More is in five states and has already halved the number of children in foster care in Colorado. The Denver Post called it "a perfect example of how faith-based organizations can partner with government to best utilize the strengths of both."

Faithful to Its Mission

Amid the recent economic decline and falling donations, Focus on the Family has had to scale its ambitions back a bit. The organization's budget has fallen from $151 million in 2008 to $136 million this year. In 2004, there were 1,400 employees; today, there are 830 (many of them working in modern buildings incongruously adorned with seven miles of oak trim donated by a wealthy supporter).

But the group hasn't abandoned its more traditional activities. For instance, it still buys ultrasound machines for pregnancy centers, boasting that has "saved" 80,000 babies whose mothers had considered abortion. And it still rates popular entertainment for its suitability for Christian families -- Daly recently devoted his radio show to an interview with the executive producer of a wholesome made-for-TV movie sponsored by Wal-Mart.

Indeed, despite media stories emphasizing the differences between Dobson's Focus and Daly's, much remains the same. The campus bookstore sells such titles as "The Feminist Mistake: The Radical Impact of Feminism on Church and Culture" and "What Darwin Didn't Know: A Doctor Dissects the Theory of Evolution." And the latest print edition of the group's Citizen magazine features articles on the "unprecedented wave of anti-life legislation and executive orders" under Obama and, under the headline "What We're Really After Is Cultural Change," how state-level activists can get like-minded candidates elected to public office.

Tom Minnery edits the magazine, and as head of government and public policy for Focus, he lobbies against same-sex marriage and abortion rights. He notes that just 45 Focus employees are involved in policy issues, even if they do get most of the media attention.

That doesn't include the Family Research Council, a separate but closely aligned advocacy group Dobson helped found. Earlier this month, it was almost alone in speaking out against a White House order extending hospital visitation rights to the partners of gay men and lesbians.

Daly may be dialing back his public image, but Minnery's shop is more active than ever. Last year, Focus opened its first Washington office. In February, the group took part for the first time in the annual meeting of CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. Minnery said the group's lobbying arm, which may soon change its name from Focus Action to something less identified with Dobson, plans to speak out soon on immigration. He called current laws "terribly wrong" because they often lead to family separations.

"Whether we're big players or small players or quiet players," Minnery said, "we'll keep playing."

Jesus First, Policy Second

Yet it's clear his boss may be playing by new rules.

"Policy is important, but Jesus is more important," Daly has said. Which may explain his hesitancy to talk about one of the biggest policy issues of the day.

"Now you're going to get me in hot water," he said when asked his views about health care reform. No, he didn't like the language about abortion and would have preferred a go-slow approach. Mandating health insurance "doesn't come out of our free will," he noted. "Tax collection is not an act of love."

But he also noted that early Christians opened the first hospitals and hospices and that after "gladly" ceding responsibility to the government during the 1960s Great Society era, the church was "muddled" on its role.

"Many people would put their hand up, Christians, and say, 'Well, that's something the church should do.' But the church has failed to step up. That's a big task, to try to insure 30 million people. I don't know that anybody but the government could do something for those people," he said. "As we've focused a lot more on the political issues and trying to defend those things we believe in that arena, I'm concerned we may be forgetting the social issues that we need to be engaged in."

The above article is from AOLNews' Senior Washington Editor Andrea Stone.

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