Well, there goes my only chance of seeing it.

I don't think he's so much anti-Christian as pro-atheist. I don't remember anything in the books that's attacking Christianity in particular. Religion in general, sure.

But I read them for the agenda, so I may not be the best judge.

It felt like the Papacy was being assaulted to me, but my memory is fuzzy.

I liked the books well enough until the stridency accumulated past my breaking point.

Still kept reading, because, well, I'd started, and I only stop when I'm bored.

From IMDB:

'Da Vinci Code' Sparks Indian Riots

Controversial new movie adaptation The Da Vinci Code has prompted religious protests in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay). Hundreds of Catholic stalwarts yesterday gathered outside a convent school in the city in a bid to stop the film's release next week , blasting it as an attack on their faith. Members of the Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) have taken offence to the movie's depiction of Catholic group Opus Dei as corrupt, out-dated and at the centre of a cover-up of the truth about Jesus Christ. Csf general secretary Joseph Dias says, "Activists will go on a fast unto death if the government fails to take action against anti-Christian movies. You can't make fiction on a religious figure. Tempers are already running quite high and there's no way of saying what could happen if the movie is released." In a statement, the group added: "The Da Vinci Code is offensive as it hit certain basic foundations of the religion." The protest is the second in a week by the CSF after Tuesday saw approximately one hundred demonstrators take to the streets outside a Mumbai church and burn copies of the Dan Brown novel.

Activists will go on a fast unto death if the government fails to take action against anti-Christian movies. You can't make fiction on a religious figure.

My immediate urge to know if anyone's scheduling the Jesus-heavy episodes of South Park to air there pretty much brands me as evil, right?

Also from IMDB:

Tucker Becomes Highest-Paid Actor, Says Report

New Line has agreed to pay Chris Tucker $25 million to appear in Rush Hour 3, making him the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, according to FoxNews.com's Roger Friedman. Friedman commented that the figure is all the more remarkable considering the fact that Tucker has starred in only two other films -- both of them the Rush Hour movies. Friedman observed that Rush Hour 2 holds the record for the highest gross of any comedy and that the total worldwide take for the first two films is about $600 million. Both the previous Rush Hour also star Jackie Chan alongside Tucker.

This is fucking ridiculous, and begs two questions.

1) Who actually went to see either Rush Hour, or Rush Hour 2, for Chris Tucker???

2) Who actually avoided either Rush Hour, or Rush Hour 2 because of Chris Tucker?

The only reason to see either movie is Jackie Chan but since Chan isn't given the chance to properly strut his stuff, it's still not a compelling reason.

I thought Rush Hour was absolutely hysterical, and loved it to bits. I chalk that up to both of the leads.

The sequel was ho hum, which is why I'm surprised he's getting this much for the third. But it's obvious that the general public doesn't agree with me.

However, if they can't make it without him (and I agree they can't), $600m is nothing to sneeze at.

Oh, and re: DaVinci Code -- according to E, that article is incorrect, or at least incomplete. The press screenings in NY/LA will be held at the same day/time as the Cannes premiere, which will give critics 2 days to review it before the US release. Sucks for monthly/weekly magazines (and freelancers with day jobs), but newspapers will be fine.

It felt like the Papacy was being assaulted to me, but my memory is fuzzy.

Hey, you can attack Catholicism and still be Christian! Heh. But I think I know what you mean -- if I remember right, the church in the books resembles the Catholic Church in structure. But I don't think we get a whole lot of their doctrine beyond the fact that they believe in god, and they believe in sin. If it was an attack on a particular faith, I'd expect there to be something to identify which one, and why that one sucked but others were okay, y'know? I guess, if it's only about Christianity, it seems like Jesus should at least get mentioned somewhere.

Still kept reading, because, well, I'd started, and I only stop when I'm bored.

This is me with the Wheel of Time books. I'm invested enough in the (original) characters (I could give two craps about the 500 ancillary characters he introduces in every book.) to want to know how it ends, but I'm not really thrilled about trudging through everything to get there.

As for Chris Tucker getting $25 million, that's ridiculous. While I enjoyed Rush Hour, going in, Chris Tucker was a major negative rather than a draw for me. (He annoyed the crap out of me in The Fifth Element.) RH managed to change him from negative to neutral. I still wouldn't see a film with him in it unless there was someone in it I wanted to see, but at least he wouldn't drive me off.