Updates from February, 2011 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Fr. Roderick 7:51 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    Leonard Nimoy & Bilbo Baggins Reunion? 

    In 1967, actor Leonard Nimoy who portrayed Spock in the original Star Trek series, recorded The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. If you are brave, you can watch it in this video:

    Even though Nimoy publicly announced his retirement from acting after his role in the JJ Abrams Star Trek movie, he is rumored to voice the dragon Smaug in the upcoming Hobbit movies.

    Dave Kale and Fr. Roderick talk about these rumors and about the latest Hobbit news from New Zealand in their second episode of the new SQPN show The Secrets of The Hobbit, “13 Dwarves and One Hobbit“.

    The new series is now featured at the iTunes Store. Click here to subscribe and leave a review!

    Who should voice the dragon Smaug? Let us know your opinion in the comments!

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    • Scott 4:21 am on March 23, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Well He definitely sings better then William Shatner.

    • Bonita 7:50 pm on March 12, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Where in the world was that video from? Who was it made for?

    • Maria 7:21 pm on February 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Well, Nimoy has a distinctive voice…it would certainly be a neat choice. (I like Sean Connery’s voice for dragons, too.)

    • Dan 5:53 am on February 19, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      WOW Fr. Roderick, THAT video of Leonard Nimoy falls right in line with the “Star Wars Christmas Special” as something that should NEVER be seen from AGAIN!! :) TTFN!

      Dan

  • Fr. Roderick 10:43 am on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    What is your favorite Catholic blog? 

    by Fr. Roderick

    This morning I was reading the new blog of my good friend Gavin Abraham, “CatholicSoapbox.com” and came across a post that mentioned a list of the top 200 Catholic blogs based upon Google Reader subscriptions.

    A link brought me to Eric Sammons’ blog “The Divine Life“. Eric desribes how he created a program to rank the most popular Catholic blogs by the number of Google subscribers.

    You can find the full list here

    Even though the list does not take into account the number of people that read these blogs by simply going to the website, the resulting list of 200 Catholic blogs gives an approximation of the relative popularity of these blogs.

    The top 5 of Catholic blogs all count 4000+ subscribers, whereas the large majority of the blogs all have a couple of hundred people following their updates via Google reader.

    Take a look at the list: you might discover some blogs you didn’t know about and might want to follow!

    What is your favorite Catholic blog? Do you follow a blog that is not part of the list? Share the links in the comments!

     

    • Daryl 4:25 pm on March 23, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I like That Resource Site
      for awesome printable stuff.

    • Ebeth Weidner 4:13 pm on March 1, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Has anybody read “A Catholic Mom climbing the pillars”?

      Just wondering…..

    • Capt. Jeff 1:31 pm on February 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Chad, Father Seraphim is alive and well! I had a chance to talk to him last month. He is quite busy with his transition back to Steubenville from Austria, and looks forward to resuming his fantastic podcast as soon as things settle down a bit. I, too, miss his informative and entertaining podcast.

    • Chad 1:44 am on February 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Does anyone in SQPN know what happened to Fr. Seraphim of the Catholic Under the Hood podcast? He hasn’t posted anything since October last year. I liked his posts about Catholic history

    • Lindsay 1:09 am on February 25, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Steve, thanks for the lovely compliment! I write less about Catholicism these days than I used to, but I’m glad to know it’s still Catholic enough, per se, and I’m especially glad to hear that you enjoy reading it. :)

    • John Clem 12:14 pm on February 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      My favorite Catholic Blog is from the Archdiocese of Washington. Great content and often has great video and music links to accompany the postings. http://blog.adw.org/

    • Maria 7:24 pm on February 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Carina! Thank you! I am a bit shy about you going on like that, but I’m glad you enjoy my randomness.

      (tell me where to send the cookies)

    • Carina 2:05 pm on February 19, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I like “another cup of coffee” by Maria Johnson at http://begojohnson.wordpress.com/

      Honestly, I would never have found that blog outside SQPN. What I like about it is that she’s real, personal. Some blogs are just too preachy, impersonal, not realistic. Maria tells it like it is through the eyes of a REAL person. She doesn’t beat you over the head with Catholicism, but every-now-and-then she slips it in there. It’s really a breath of fresh air.

    • ALK 2:44 pm on February 18, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    • Daniel 1:07 pm on February 18, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      There are so many Catholic blogs to choose from, so its hard to pick just one. But here’s some that I enjoy to read: Joe Sales’s Blog: http://iamjoesalesblog.wordpress.com/
      Busted Halo: http://www.bustedhalo.com/
      Paulist seminarian, Tom Gibbons, writes the Kicking and Screaming Blog at Busted Halo. http://www.bustedhalo.com/category/kickingandscreaming

    • Sean McGaughey 10:14 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      There are sooo many, and I keep a directory of them on my website, But I keep coming back to Why I Am Catholic.

    • Inge 9:18 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I LOVE Julie D’s blog: Happy Catholic

    • Gavin 6:41 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for the plug, Father Roderick :-) Being Frank is my favorite Catholic blog, followed closely by the Catholic Soapbox, if humility allows that

    • Joe Sales 5:47 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I would have to say my blog ‘ I am Joe Sales” but really there is so many great Catholic blogs out there, its hard to pick just one.

    • Steve Nelson 3:46 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I like “Contrariwise”, written by Lindsay, a young woman working as a campus minister at the University of Texas at Austin.

      She doesn’t spend a lot of time writing about “Catholic stuff” but as a fellow Catholic, I can see how her faith impacts her life. Plus, I just enjoy the freshness and openness of her writing.

      You can find it here: http://burned-bridges.net/contrariwise/

    • Christine Hebert 2:52 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I like Creative Minority Report

  • Fr. Roderick 7:14 pm on February 16, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    Jesus vs. Obama vs. the Kiwis 

    Who would teens rather pick as a role-model, Jesus Christ or Barack Obama? The hosts of the 15th Station, New Zealand’s first Catholic podcast discuss the results of a recent study in their latest show.

    Each month, the crew of The 15th Station brings together fresh perspectives on Catholic news from around the world. This month, they discuss the upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II, the “early days” of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate, the Prime Minister at a Christian Music Festival, the fore-mentioned role-model study and the iPhone app for Confession.

    Click on the player to listen to the episode and click here to visit the website and subscribe to receive new episodes automatically. You can follow the 15th Station at facebook.com/station15 or twitter.com/station15.

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  • Fr. Roderick 6:37 pm on February 16, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    Five Reasons to Watch ‘Inception’ Again 

    by Fr. Roderick

    I must be one of the few people not to have seen the movie ‘Inception’ when it was in theaters. I watched it last night and was very impressed by the story, the acting, the special effects but most of all by the ability of the movie to have me think about it for a long time afterwards. I did a spoiler-free review of Inception in this week’s episode of The Break, and after some thought, came up with (at least) five reasons to rewatch Inception more than once: (More …)

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    • Stefan Ansinger 3:50 pm on February 23, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I also would recommend, for all the inception lovers, to watch “Shutter Island.” It’s also starring Leonardo Dicaprio, and it’s also a very psychological thriller. IMDB says: “Drama set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding nearby.” Really a must see movie!

    • kattekliek 9:10 am on February 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Oh, and I would like to see ‘the making of’ as well; especially the zero-gravity scenes in the hotel were absolutely astounding! :D

    • kattekliek 9:07 am on February 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Wauw, great movie! I had never seen it before, but because of your podcast, my husband and I decided to watch it – which we did yesterday evening. One good tip: don’t watch it just before going to bed. Boy, did I have some stránge dreams last night :D

      LIke Memento (which Vito Mori also refers to, some posts above this one), one needs to pay attention from the very beginning of the movie, otherwise one would be completely lost. My hubby and I were able to grasp most of it, but for sure we’ll have to rewatch to get even more out of it! :)

      BTW, Roderick, if you wish to borrow Memento on DVD some time in the near future, just drop a line; I have it somewhere (either in my old or new appartment).

    • Lyn F. 5:05 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      @Chris, I’ve had to do the same thing… someone who called himself a Catholic said such uncharitable and hateful things that I ended up unfriending him and blocking him from my Facebook page. I had copied his posts and archived them more as a reminder than anything else just how hateful people can be. I’m just glad that person is out of my Facebook friends list and out of my life.

    • Vito Mori 9:59 pm on February 16, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Fr. Roderick
      from the same writer director have you seen Memento?
      fantastic, mind trip
      #30 in the top 250 of IMDB

    • Chris 8:47 pm on February 16, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Fr. Roderick,

      Your observation about how people are treated on FB comes right on the heels of an incident that happened to me last week, when a friend of mine – without provocation – left such an insulting and offensive public comment on one of my status updates that I was compelled to un-friend him both virtually and (unfortunately) socially.

    • Shelly @ Of Sound Mind and Spirit 7:11 pm on February 16, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Thank you for this information! We just received Inception via Netflix this weekend and haven’t watched it yet. I’ve been debating making the time to watch it, but after reading this post I think I’ll be scheduling a “movie night” with my husband to view it.

    • Luis Escobar 6:48 pm on February 16, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I agree 100%. I went to watch it in the theater and loved it. It’s one of my favorite movies ever now. First movie since the original MATRIX that I wanted to watch again right way after it was over. I would have too, if I hadn’t been broke at the time.

  • Fr. Roderick 9:03 pm on February 15, 2011 Permalink | Reply
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    SQPN Launches The Secrets of The Hobbit 

    Today, the Star Quest Production Network is proud to present a new series on SQPN.com and on iTunes: “The Secrets of The Hobbit”.

    The new podcast series is dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and to news about the movies by Peter Jackson that are currently in production in New Zealand. Dave Kale and Fr. Roderick discuss the background and inspiration of the story that introduced the world to hobbits, elves, men and dwarves.

    “Just as our existing series about the secrets of Middle-earth, this new show will also explore the religious and moral dimensions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work,” says Fr. Roderick.

    “Tolkien was a dedicated scholar as well as a devout Catholic. Even though his books aren’t meant to be read as metaphors of Biblical stories, his philosophical and theological perspective plays a key role in how he tells his stories”.

    You can listen to the first episode of The Secrets of The Hobbit by clicking on the player below, and follow these links to subscribe to the entire podcast series: Subscribe to the Feed | Subscribe with iTunes

    Click here for more SQPN shows about books and movies: secrets.sqpn.com

    What do you think about the first episode? Share your thoughts in the comments or on the Facebook page of The Secrets of The Hobbit!

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    • Inge 12:02 am on February 27, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Great job! I really like the speculation. Keep them coming!

  • Fr. Roderick 6:25 pm on February 14, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    The SaintCast is Back! 

    Our favorite neurosurgeon and Catholic podcaster Paul Camarata is back with a brand new episode of The SaintCast!

    In “Be my Cyril or Methodius?” today’s SaintCast tells you about the other Saints celebrated on St. Valentine’s day: Cyril and Methodius.

    Today’s SaintCast also features the eminent Baroque-age neuroscientist, anatomist, and the father of Geology, Blessed Niels Stensen. Can love of science and religion co-exist in the same person? Tune in to find out!

    Click here to visit the website of the SaintCast!

    Subscribe to the feed | Subscribe with iTunes

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    • Evelyn 4:00 pm on February 16, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Welcome back Dr. Paul! Your podcast is most welcome and prayers for you, your mother and family.

    • Gerard Berger 1:37 am on February 16, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I noticed a new Saintcast episode immediately when I refreshed iTunes !

      Welcome back, Paul. Understand that you have had a tremendous amount of other priorities. You can only do what you can do. God Bless.

    • Deacon Jorge Castillo 6:27 pm on February 15, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Welcome back , it is very nice to know this. Keep up the good work!

  • Fr. Roderick 6:09 pm on February 14, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    The New SQPN 

    The new SQPN is launched… what has changed? Tune in to our conversation between our CEO and Founder Father Roderick, Executive Director Steve Nelson, Captain Jeff, and foreign correspondent Sean McCarthy in a brand new episode of Catholic Weekend!

    Full shownotes: click here

    Subscribe to the feed | Subscribe with iTunes

    What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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  • Fr. Roderick 10:26 pm on February 12, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    Coming soon: Secrets of The Hobbit 

    Director Peter Jackson has confirmed that principal photography on ‘The Hobbit’ will begin on March 21 in New Zealand. Fr. Roderick and Dave Kale are the hosts of a new SQPN series dedicated to the new movies and the story that inspired them.

    In ‘Secrets of The Hobbit’, they will discuss the latest news surrounding the production of the movies, and explore the backstory and themes developed by the Catholic author JRR Tolkien.

    The first episode of ‘Secrets of The Hobbit’ will be available in a few days. People can already join the special Facebook page that is set up to facilitate discussion and exchange among the listeners to the new show.

    Click here to visit the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Secrets-of-The-Hobbit/182624575107841

    Do you look forward to the new movies? What do you think of the book? Share your thoughts in the comments!

     

    • Lisa 2:38 pm on February 15, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      From what I understand, PJ is re-writing the Hobbit as much as he re-wrote the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He feels the need to keep characters from LotR that were never in the Hobbit because it will sell more ticktets and he is claiming that he is “filling in the backstory”. So what will he leave out, so he can add in things that never happened? Again? He won’t keep Beorn, any more than he kept Old Man Willow, Tom Bombadil or Goldberry – and chances are pretty good that he will fabricate some romantic backstory so he can get the teenage girls. I expect that it will be another beautiful piece of eye-candy that has nothing to do with Tolkien or his intent – it’s all about PJ and selling tickets. This isn’t about “the book is always better” – it’s about Peter Jackson taking wonderful stories and doing stupid things with them – like making the Ents so stupid they didn’t know what was going on in their own backyard and having to be convinced to fight Saruman by the hobbits. Like having those ridiculous scenes in Return of the King just to keep Liv Tyler in the movie. Like having the Steward of Gondor turn into a fireball and throw himself off the battlements of Gondor. Dwarf tossing jokes in every movie. The list goes on.

    • Dave 4:18 am on February 13, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I have read and reread Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” many many times. I have read his other books about middle earth at least once.

      I used to reread the original 4 books at least once a year. I can’t get enough.

      The movie “The Lord of the Rings” was interesting but I liked the book better.

      I have the cartoon version of “The Hobbit”. It was missing Beorn, otherwise it was a pretty good job. I did miss Beorn though.

      Dave…

  • Fr. Roderick 10:10 pm on February 12, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    Santo Subito! 

    In Catholic Weekend  episode 57, Steve, Maria, and Capt Jeff discuss the excitement over Pope John Paul’s beautification on May 1. (More …)

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  • Fr. Roderick 9:58 pm on February 12, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

    Lisa Interviews Confession App Creator 

    In her latest Catholic Moments show, Lisa Hendey interviews the creator of the smartphone app ‘Confession: A Roman Catholic App’, Patrick Leinen.

    Patrick is developer and Co-Founder of LittleiApps.com. His Confession app is the first smartphone app to have received the Imprimatur from Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes.

    Listen to Lisa’s Catholic Moments podcast for a discussion about the launch of the app and about the Pope’s recent World Communications Day message.

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