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Special 'Da Vinci' Edition James Hirsen THE LEFT COAST REPORT
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories): 1. Gnostic Gnon-Sense in Newsweek The title of an upcoming cover story in Newsweek magazine is "The Mystery of Mary Magdalene Beyond 'The Da Vinci Code.'" The feature seems to be designed to perpetuate the witless claims of Dan Brown's novel and the film it inspired. A written statement released by Newsweek states: "Despite its revolutionary central claim – that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus and bore his child – best-selling novel 'The Da Vinci Code' and its film adaptation are remarkably old-fashioned, making Magdalene important for her body more than her mind."
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In an attempt to elevate Mary Magdalene, the article speaks of the "other voices" heard "from the earliest hours of Christianity." These are the Gnostic Gospels that, with painstakingly careful deliberation, the early Church rejected but today's mainstream media seem adamant about shoving down our throats. In the end, the New Testament "opinion" prevailed. So Newsweek asks a question that is, in essence, an advertisement for the same conspiracy theories contained in Dan Brown's book and Ron Howard's film. "Why, then, did this woman, whom the New Testament tells us was Jesus' constant companion and whom the Gnostics claim was privileged above all others, disappear after the Resurrection?" the mainstream media magazine inquires. The non-canonical Gnostic writings are said to provide the answer; that Saint Peter is a patriarchal chauvinist who rejects Magdalene because of her gender. The Left Coast Report notes that speculative theories attempting to distort centuries of Christian scholarship are not made newsworthy simply because some academic blockheads back them up.
2. Mel Gibson: 'Da Vinci' Weaves 'Maverick Theories' After all the "Da Vinci" comparisons to "The Passion of the Christ," famed filmmaker Mel Gibson was evidently no longer able to keep his silence. Gibson recently expressed some of the same concerns about the book and film that many Christians have been voicing. "What worries me is that people will take this as fact," Gibson told the World Entertainment News Network. "I'm not angry, per se, that it refutes everything I hold sacred, the foundations of my beliefs. 'The Da Vinci Code' is an admitted work of fiction but it cleverly weaves fact into maverick theories in a way that will appear plausible to some," Gibson said. The star's name has been brought up by the real-life inspiration for Tom Hanks' film character, Robert Langdon. Dr. Robert Lomas (who apparently was Brown's Langdon inspiration) actually had Gibson in mind to portray the professorial Langdon. "In an ideal world I'd quite like it to have been played by Mel Gibson," Lomas said. The Left Coast Report says, yeah, he and every other dude on the planet.
3. The Real Jesus Beats the Fake Speaking of Mel Gibson's "Passion," despite the fact that Ron Howard's budget was about four times as big as Gibson's and Gibson had to seek out independent distribution after the major studios refused to distribute his film, in its first weekend out the "Passion" took in almost $84 million. But according to Variety, estimates indicate that "The Da Vinci Code" has brought in about $77 million; this with the total power of the Sony marketing machine and a book that has sold more than 40 million copies. In addition, the Passion brought in more on its first full weekend day even though the film had lesser known stars in its cast unlike Howard's film, which had Hanks and McKellen to reel in viewers. Its first Saturday, "Da Vinci" took in an estimated $27.5 million, while "Passion" brought in over $33 million in revenue. The Left Coast Report hopes "The Da Vinci Code" does break one record - the one for the biggest drop in sales.
4. High Hollywood Hopes for 'Da Vinci' The movie industry is closely watching the "Da Vinci" box office. Generally, ticket sales have been in a slump, falling more than 6 percent in 2005 with the summer intake dipping more than 8 percent. Headlines in the Tinseltown trades, though, claim that the take has been better this year because of a 5 percent increase over last year in the first four months of 2006. These numbers are deceptive. In 2006, there were 63 new national releases in the first four months compared to 46 during the same period last year. That's more than a 35 percent rise in the number of movies but only a 5 percent increase in revenue, still slump territory in my estimation. "The Da Vinci Code" was expected to bring in between $60 million and $90 million during its opening weekend. There was even some talk that "Da Vinci" would become the fourth movie in history to break the $100 million mark in its first three days of release. The film has brought in an estimated $77 million domestically and $224 million worldwide. Sources say the long-term worldwide projections for the gross are as high as $600 million by summer's end. But to reach that level, it needs to stay popular long past the opening, and reviewers of the movie have expressed doubt as to whether it can sustain momentum after the first weekend or two. If "Da Vinci" does defy the critics and bring in the big bucks, Hollywood will do what it does best: Imitate rather than innovate. So there may be more Christian bashing films on the Hollywood horizon. The Left Coast Report says, in keeping with Hollywood's lack of creativity, this summer's moviegoers will be able to see "Fast & Furious 3," "Garfield 2," "X-Men 3," "Pirates of the Caribbean 2," the return of "Superman," "The Omen," and even "Miami Vice."
5. Ian McKellen Says 'The Da Vinci Code' Won't Last Ian McKellen, who co-stars in the film version of "The Da Vinci Code," has made some less-than-diplomatic statements about the content of the film and book. During a Cannes interview, McKellen suggested that a disclaimer be added to the front page of the Bible to let readers know that it is a work of fiction. The disagreeable actor also taunted Christians, saying, "I am only too happy to believe that Jesus was married. I know that the Catholic Church has problems with gay people and I thought this would be absolute proof that Jesus was not gay." But it was another of McKellen's statements that may have studio executives behind the movie scared to pieces. The actor doesn't think "Da Vinci" has the staying power of "The Lord Of The Rings," another of McKellen's films. Comparing the two, McKellen told Comingsoon.net, "I doubt if people have read 'The Da Vinci Code' more than once. It's not that sort of book."
"Of course, though, there is an immense interest, but it's not the same sort of interest as you got with Tolkien where it was almost like filming the Bible for some people," McKellen added.
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