Church Choir's Dueling Divas Come Out Singin' and Slingin'
The saving graces of “Joyful Noise,” a flimsy movie musical whose parts are pasted together with chewing gum and Scotch tape, are its ornate gospel renditions of familiar pop tunes. When you put singers in choir robes and arrange the songs for chorus and soloists to give them big, churchy buildups, hits by Michael Jackson (“Man in the Mirror”), Paul McCartney (“Maybe I’m Amazed”), Sly and the Family Stone (“I Want to Take You Higher”), and Stevie Wonder (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours”) become sacred hymns. Thus transfused, “higher” means spiritually exalted, and “yours” means in God’s hands. To which I say hallelujah, sort of.
The music includes three new songs by Dolly Parton , who co-stars with Queen Latifah in the Sacred Divinity Choir of Pacashau, Ga. A small town hit hard by the recession, Pacashau is only the nominal setting of this inspirational pseudo-Southern hokum. The real location of the film, directed and written by Todd Graff ( “Camp,” “Bandslam” ), is a lower echelon of musical comedy hell (or heaven, if you love the hoariest musical comedy clichés).
“Joyful Noise” wraps several entertainment modes into a hot fudge Sunday sundae. It is a suspense-free singing competition drama; a down-home, just-folks bucket of cornpone; a thwarted teenage romance of sweethearts without chemistry; and a silly extended cat fight with retracted claws.
The dueling divas are the strait-laced Vi Rose Hill (Ms. Latifah), who is chosen to be the choir director over her saucy rival, G. G. Sparrow (Ms. Parton), after G. G.’s husband, Bernard (Kris Kristofferson), the choir master, dies of a heart attack during a performance. G. G., the choir’s benefactor, is furious when Vi is selected by Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) to succeed Bernard.
Vi is a gospel traditionalist who squelches the exhibitionistic ambitions of her 16-year-old daughter, Olivia (Keke Palmer), a soloist in the choir, when she declares, “Don’t you bring all that Mariah-Christina mess up in here.
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The music includes three new songs by Dolly Parton, who co-stars with Queen Latifah in the Sacred Divinity Choir of Pacashau, Ga. A small town hit hard by the recession, Pacashau is only the nominal setting of this inspirational pseudo-Southern hokum.
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US, Iranian ships involved in incidents in Strait of Hormuz | World ...
Iranian ships recently taunted two U.S. Navy vessels as part of escalating tensions in and around the Persian Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz. The incidents in the strait, one of the world’s most important oil routes, occurred last week and involved the USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock, and the Coast Guard Cutter Adak, the military said Friday in releasing videos of the incidents. Iranian speed boats are seen in one of the videos approaching the USS New Orleans within about 500 yards last Friday. “The Iranian boats did not respond to whistle signal or voice queries from the New Orleans, disregarding standard maritime protocols,” Central Command said in releasing the videos. In the incident involving the Adak, “communications were established with a larger Iranian ship operating in the area and the speed boats ceased their harassment.” One senior defense official told FoxNews.com that the Iranians “intended to be harassing” but it didn’t go much beyond that. No shots were fired. Iran, which recently held war games in the area, has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz if provoked, and it has warned U.S. Navy ships to steer clear. The rising tensions coincide with increased pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, which the West fears is merely a front for Iran’s clandestine work on developing nuclear weapons. Diplomats said Thursday that a senior U.N. nuclear agency team will visit Tehran on Jan. 28, with Iran saying it is ready after years of refusal to discuss allegations that it was involved in secret nuclear weapons work. Diplomats have previously said that International Atomic Energy Agency officials were discussing such a trip with their Iranian counterparts. But before the diplomats’ comments Thursday, no date… (Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.