Random Musings

Brad Pitt has been playing father to one of his two daughters in New York's Central Park recently, while partner Angelina Jolie visits Iraq. Zahara was seen accompanied by her stuffed penguin, her adoptive father and a bunch of bodyguards. But what escaped the attention of most star-struck fans was the handsome Hollywood star's new tattoo on his left forearm.

It was none other than Oetzi the Iceman, a naturally mummified body dating back to 3,300, BC, found buried in the Alps bordering Austria and Italy in 1993. Certainly makes for a refreshing change, although perhaps it won't generate as much publicity as Beck's tattoo in Hindi of his wife's name (spelt wrongly), but it's sure to create a fair share of curiosity. Pitt's pulicist says he has "no idea" about the rather strange choice of design.

Philip Pullman fans will be waiting with so small measure of anticipation (not all of it positive) for the first in His Dark Material trilogy from the New Line Cinema stable. But the Golden Compass has already been mired in controversy. Not entirely unexpected, considering the essentially atheistic and anti-god concept.

"The heroes include a pair of gay angels, a band of witches, and a lapsed nun who traded her vows for a life of sex and science; among the villains is a zealous priest who doubles as an assassin. A successful resolution of the plot requires God to be euthanized and an adolescent girl to give into sexual temptation," Jeff Bercovici aptly puts it.

According to The New York Times, "the books' religion-touched heavies were massaged into more generalized, authoritarian villains". But what would be the point? It would almost be like Harry Potter fighting an even-tempered Voldemort who never kills, merely stuns his victims.

"The books' theology (atheology?) is integral to their appeal; without it, they're just stories about talking bears and a plucky street urchin. And it's not as though controversy doesn't also sell tickets. Just look at The Da Vinci code which managed a similar worldwide take despite terrible reviews. Shouldn't a tie go to the author?" writes Bercovici. I couldn't agree more.