Iranium

Tonight I attended a packed screening at Los Angeles' Luxe Hotel of the new documentary Iranium, about the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, by the same filmmakers of the controversial Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, and The Third Jihad. I've been in contact with the filmmakers about an interview for Front Page, and I'll be reviewing the film as well. Both articles will ultimately be reposted here, hopefully later this week...

Coming Soon

I apologize for being shamefully absent from my own blog in the last week or so, but I've been swamped with research on a Kennedy project (no, not the History Channel miniseries orphaned by Disney), revising an article I'm writing with terrorism expert Steven Emerson, and doing further work on a documentary for him as well.

But next week I should have two new articles forthcoming, hopefully in addition to more active blogging, since there's so much going on. Please continue to check back...

Mark on Clash Radio

I'm a little late posting notice for this, but I'll be on Doug Giles' Clash Radio again this Tuesday the 11th at 8:05 a.m. EST, talking movies and other random topics with host Steve Pauwels. The show is always great fun. Check it out online here...

A Hollywood Ending

I was unsettled two nights ago to discover that a woman was murdered early that morning, apparently shot multiple times in the back by her fiance, in the hallway of an historic apartment building along Hollywood Boulevard. The police brought the alleged shooter in after a standoff lasting a few hours, in which he refused to come out of his apartment.

My wife and I knew both of them. We had had dinner and drinks together on a couple of occasions, although not recently and we weren't close friends.

Enedine was an aspiring makeup artist and Paul a former stockbroker who had ambitions about producing movies in Hollywood, starting with his own script. He not only asked for my help on that script, but wanted to create a production company together. I didn't want to go into business with him or get bogged down rewriting his script, but I did read and evaluate it for him. Eerily, toward the end of that story, Paul's main character was holed up in his apartment with a gun.

Hollywood attracts ambitious dreamers. A lucky few have their dreams granted; for most the dreams gradually fade away. And some tragically fall prey to the darkness of others.

Mark on Clash Radio

Monday morning at 11:30 a.m. EST I'll be appearing again on the lovely and talented Doug Giles' Clash Radio program, this time discussing my latest article "How to Make Islam Respectable." Check it out. Doug's show is always wild and crazy...

More Must-Reads

Another collection of worthy reads from around the web this week:

2010: The Year of Islamist Infiltration (Pajamas Media) - Appeasement and outreach are no match for the enemy's civilizational jihad...

Reporting Islam: Fair, Balanced, and Accurate (Big Peace) - Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy on Imam Rauf's nationwide tour to sell the idea of the Ground Zero mosque...

Why a Non-American Should Promote American Interests (Daniel Pipes Blog) - "What other great power financed defeated foes, initiated development aid, pushed democratic reforms, promoted free trade, and encouraged regional blocs?"

Hollywood Remakes of European Films - Who's Copying Whom? - (LA Times) - Very interesting take on Hollywood's appetite for European remakes: "The irony," [French writer/director Fred] Cavayé says, "is that we do American-style films that they are redoing."

The Cooler King

I just read a short piece by Steve McQueen biographer Marshall Terrill called "Ten Things You Don't Know About Steve McQueen," but I did know seven of them. A couple of years ago I was commissioned by a successful producer to write a script about McQueen called The Cooler King, and I did extensive research about the "King of Cool," including Terrill's book, all of which was eye-opening and fascinating. I finished the script but the movie never got off the ground thanks to a competing project by McQueen's ex-wife.

McQueen is - I mean was, but somehow he still seems alive - famously charismatic and charming, but many people don't know what a repellant character he was: incessantly unfaithful, a substance abuser (of practically every substance), mean-spirited, and almost insanely insecure. I'm disappointed my script went nowhere, but I still fantasize about inserting McQueen, or at least my take on him, as a character into some other project. He's too unique and compelling to let go of.

Must-Reads

A few links to worthy reads from around the web today:

Obama is on the Move - Great piece on Obama, Michael Vick, and blasphemy...

Meet the New Batman: An Algerian Muslim Who Saves France from Communists & Neo-Nazis - The PC comic world gets it wrong again about who the bad guys are...

Hyperbole Rules in Muslim Debate - The LA City Council, without public debate, passes a pointless resolution opposing the non-existent "Islamophobia"...

Why Does Dr. Rowan Williams Never Stand Up for Christianity? - The money quote: "If Muslims were being gunned down and bombed in western mosques by Christian fanatics, there would rightly be a tremendous outcry and Christians themselves would react with horror and fury at what was perpetrated by twisted zealots in the name of their faith. But the entire political establishment remains silent, continuing to pretend that Islamophobia is the real threat to harmony."

How to Make Islam Respectable

Regardless of whether one subscribes to the notion of a clash of civilizations, I think we can all agree that relations between “the Islamic world” and “the West,” however one defines those labels, are, well, strained. President Obama was elected at least partly because, with childhood roots in Muslim Indonesia and an Arabic middle name no one was allowed to mention until after the election, the Left believed him to be the perfect candidate to heal that rift – when he wasn’t healing the racial divide, America’s reputation abroad, and the planet.

So right out of the gate, Obama made his first order of business an appearance on al-Arabiya TV, in which he made seven references to “respecting” the Muslim world, his flashing neon semaphore to them that he was no imperialist exploiter like his predecessor (Daniel Pipes notes here how common a motif the word “respect” was for Obama, ironically so for a man who commands none either at home or abroad). Then it was on to a self-important speech from Cairo, in which Obama flattered the Islamic world so effusively that one wondered if he was angling to ask it to the prom. And of course, who can forget his show of contemptible dhimmitude – I mean deep respect – to the Saudi King?

Merry Christmas, Infidels

Underwear bomber tried to bring down a plane on Christmas Day...

Portland jihadist wanted to kill and maim thousands at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony...

Interpol warned of al Qaeda threats to attack during Christmas season...

Stockholm bomber targeted Christmas shoppers...

Iraqi churches cancel Christmas festivities, decorations, and mass in wake of al Qaeda threats...

Islamists launch "Xmas is Evil" campaign in Great Britain...

And some say there's no war on Christmas...

Update:

Nigerian pastor killed in front of his church; other churches targeted in jihadist arson rampage...

Swedish Coptic Church closed down due to internet threats against "certain Christian churches in Europe"...