Director of 'The Young Messiah' Shares How Film Survived Bankruptcy During Production

"The Young Messiah" will hit theaters March 11th but the upcoming biblical drama almost did not make it to the big screen after losing millions before it was even released.

Based on the novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice, "The Young Messiah" sets out to illustrate the life of a young Jesus Christ. Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh, "The Young Messiah" chronicles one year in Jesus' life when he was seven.

Christian Post interviewed Nowrasteh about the film:

Christian Post: What would you says is a unique story having to do with faith or Christianity surrounding the making of the film?

Nowrasteh: An earlier incarnation of the film was shut down while we were in pre-production in Italy, [because of] a devastating occurrence on any film which usually means you're done. $3 million dollars went down the drain. The assumption was that we would never get the film made. It took one-year-and-eight months to get the film back up, it would not die. And, in the end, the film was much better for it. That sacrifice made for a more powerful, more orthodox, film.

Christian Post: How did the film impact you?

Nowrasteh: Making this film, getting the opportunity to tell this unique story, was a privilege and honor. The entire experience has humbled me and brought me closer to God.


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Fuller House: Nostalgia, Comedy and Sex... Oh My!

First off, yes,  Netflix's "Fuller House" has its corny moments and certainly scratches a nostalgia itch that fans of the original series will savor.  It's a mostly family-friendly series that is often funny with some laugh out loud moments.

This reboot is a product of our nostalgia culture, Throwback Thursdays and “Things Only a ’80s Kid Would Know” listicles, come to life.

It’s not entirely clear who the audience is meant to be for the new “Fuller House.” Grown-up fans watching with their kids? Today's kids and teens? Nostalgic parents who have put their kids to bed?

It wants to be a warm and fuzzy throwback comedy, complete with laughs and awws from a studio audience — a first for Netflix. But it also wants to trade on the winking meta-humor that’s currently so popular.

Gears shift a lot on "Fuller House."  There are ongoing allusions to the off-screen lives of the stars and applause-rewarded fourth-wall breaking. Such moments contrast with the heartstring-pulling and lesson-learning more standard to traditional sitcoms.

Fans will have to adjust to the biggest contrast to "Full House:" its cringe-making innuendo, suggestive dancing, lots of drinking, revealing clothes and female kisses.

It's probably because of its insistence on being perceived family-friendly that "Fuller House" gets panned by critics including some Christian ones.  However, star Candace Cameron Bure's fans might be surprised by how her character is portrayed.

Bure has responded to the critics:

"The critics never had a good thing to say about Full House and yet it ran for eight years in primetime and then it’s never been off the air in 30 years. So it’s a testament to what the fans want and not what the critics think.  If there are any negative review that’s how we feel about it with Fuller House; we did this for the fans and we think they’re going to absolutely love it."

"The fans are excited about the show," Jodie Sweetin added."We’re not going out there and trying to win an Emmy for Best Drama. We’re a family sitcom that fans absolutely love and adore, and we’re incredibly honored to get to bring that back and I think we’ve stayed really true to that drama."

Risen in Top 5 at the Box Office for Second Consecutive Week

Risen remained in the top 5 for a second weekend despite dropping 40.7%, bringing in an estimated $7 million for a total of $22.7 million in two weeks.

Is 'Bachelor' Star Ben Higgins' Christian Faith Being Downplayed on Hit Reality Series?

Even though this season's star of ABC's popular reality series has conveyed his Christian beliefs in his private life, on social media and even in a blog for People magazine, one fan contends the show is concealing his faith.

"Athough you would never know it if you consume 'The Bachelor' only through the show itself, he [Higgins] seems to be an evangelical Christian," writes one Slate blog contributor. "On the show itself, spirituality gets only the most fleeting, veiled references and dog whistles."

If the portrayal of Higgins' Christian faith is in fact minimized on "The Bachelor," perhaps it is because there is no need to emphasize what has already been made obvious by the star.

Higgins previously talked to People about how his personal boundaries on the show are influenced by his faith, and about the infamous Fantasy Suite where couples go to get one-on-one time.


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Jennifer Garner Shares Life-Changing Impact Movie Role Has Had on Her Life

While on the road promoting her upcoming film "Miracles From Heaven," actress Jennifer Garner ("Alias", "13 Going on 30"") visited T.D. Jakes' church to attend Sunday service and spoke of the life-changing impact her movie role has played in her personal life.

"Ahhh I can't even watch the clip, I can't even see it, it makes me cry," Garner said as she joined Jakes and Christy Beam, who she portrays in the film, on stage.

"I fell so in love with this family, I fell so in love with their love for each other. I fell so in love with their faith," she said. "It was a transformative experience to play this woman right here, she made me stronger," the actress confessed about Christy as she choked up.

While Garner has never really talked about her faith in the past, in a video captured by DeWayneHamby.com during a Q&A conducted during that same trip to Dallas, she revealed that her faith life has changed. Garner shared that in Los Angeles, where she lives, people don't talk about faith and it's a topic that has become very political. She said that people of faith are usually considered outsiders.

"I will say that being around this community, and while I've always gone to church in West Virginia, that when I got back to Los Angeles, I was talking to my kids about the movie and they said, 'Mom you don't take us to church,' and we went that Sunday, and they went today without me. That decision was a direct gift from this movie and for that I'm very grateful," Garner said.


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Ex- Flyleaf Singer Lacey Sturm Becomes First Solo Woman to Top Hard Rock Albums Chart

For the first time in its nearly nine-year history, Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart welcomes a No. 1 by a solo female. Lacey Sturm, best known as the former lead singer of rock band Flyleaf, debuts at No. 1 on Hard Rock Albums with Life Screams, her first solo set.

Sturm becomes the first solo female to top the chart, which began with the June 28, 2007 ranking. Life Screams is also the seventh chart-topper from a female-led act, the first being (guess who?) Flyleaf's Memento Mori, in 2009.

Sturm is also the 10th solo artist (joining nine males) to top the chart and the first since Slash led with World on Fire in October 2014.

On other Billboard charts, Life Screams opens at Nos. 7 and 8 on Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums, respectively. It starts at No. 74 on the Billboard 200.

Life Screams is the first record Sturm has released since her departure from Flyleaf in 2012; the act has since continued with a new lead singer, Kristen May (formerly of the band Vedera).

"Impossible," Sturm's lead solo single, is currently rising at rock radio, ranking at No. 29 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart.

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Risen is For Real

Risen opens in third place with $11.8 million along with a solid "A-" CinemaScore. The film should continue to do well through March and into early April as it scored one of the biggest faith-based openings of all-time, placing seventh behind the likes of The Passion of the Christ, Son of God and Heaven is for Real as well as the three films in the Narnia trilogy. The audience was 53% female with 70 percent 25 years of age and over.

Flyleaf's Lacey Sturm Releases 'Life Screams' Today And Tops Charts

Platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated frontwoman of Flyleaf (through 2012), Lacey Sturm, returns to music as a solo artist with Life Screams.  The album is being lauded by critics as the lead single, "Impossible," enters the Active Rock chart top 30 and continues to climb.  The new album currently sits atop the iTunes Rock charts.

Wow!!!!!
Life Screams is #1 on @itunesmusic Rock Charts!!!!!!!!! It's all because of you. Thank… https://t.co/3UlHkAlRcY

— Lacey Sturm (@LaceySturm) February 12, 2016

Lacey joined Kayla Riley in SiriusXM's studio for an interview and acoustic performance of "Impossible" and more new songs from Life Screams. The resulting SiriusXM "Octane Unleaded" show airs today at 3:00 pm EST with encore airings this week.

Lacey also electrified "Impossible," as well as the Life Screams track "Rot," for a "Rising on Yahoo! Music" video feature that hit online yesterday and can be seen along with an exclusive interview here.

"There is a striking intensity in the singing voice of Lacey Sturm that is both captivating and instantly memorable," says Yahoo! Music executive editor, David Di Martino.

"A superb set that sonically carries on from her work with Flyleaf, Sturm's new album offers up a compelling array of emotional, hard-rocking tracks with just the right amount of edge--the lyrics, the vocals, the unique, tactical screaming bursts--that truly is a whole new thing, but familiar enough to please even the most ardent Flyleaf loyalists," continues Di Martino. "Significantly, that husband/guitarist Josh Sturm is an integral part of the mix now makes Life Screams very much a family affair. To its benefit."

Jon Foreman Gives TEDx Talk On Living Life as a Song

Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman took the stage at University of Nevada to give a TEDx talk on the subject of wonder & living your life that only you have been given.

Foreman performed "Only Hope," "Terminal" and "Dare You to Move" with cellist Keith Tutt in addition to sharing his thoughts. The talk centered around the idea of living life like a song-- a concept previously expressed in Switchfoot's "Where I Belong." You can watch the talk below.



The singer explained "Music is a metaphor for the human story here on the planet. Your song is important, needed, and no one else can sing it for you."

Newsboys Lead Singer Michael Tait Endorses Ted Cruz

Michael Tait, the frontman for the enormously popular Newsboys, has officially endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for president, citing the GOP hopeful’s principles, saying that, as an African-American, he supports him “100 percent.”

Tait, who is an alumnus of Liberty University, told Fox News columnist Todd Starnes that when he saw the senator launch his campaign from the university in March of last year, that he saw Cruz’s “drive” and “hunger” for “solid principles.”

“I saw him, his family, the way he talked to people in person. I saw his drive, his hunger for solid principles, solid ideas going forward in our country that, even as an African-American, if you want to get really technical about it, I support 100 percent,” Tait told Starnes.

Tait went on to share some advice for fellow Christians who will be entering the voting booth.

“People of faith should vote for a man they believe in,” Tait said. “A man they feel can do the job, not falter, not say one thing before the election and do another whole thing after the election, a man that stands his ground, keeps his word, protects our freedom — that’s who you should vote for.”

Fixer Upper's Chip and Joanna Gaines Live Out Their Faith on Hit Show

While entertaining with their designs, shenanigans and renovation on their hit HGTV show "Fixer Upper," Joanna and Chip Gaines have won over the hearts of viewers.

Joanna and Chip take broken down but potential-rich houses and turn them into showpieces that are helping revitalize whole neighborhoods throughout central Texas.

The couple told the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, "Our family has made a commitment to put Christ first, a lifestyle our parents modeled for us very well. They showed us how to keep our marriage and family centered around God. As for 'Fixer Upper,' we have been surprised at the impact of our faith through the show. We haven't been overtly evangelical, but the rich feedback we have received on family and love all source from our faith. Jesus said the world would know His disciples by their love for one another, and we've glimpsed this in practice and strive for it every day."

The Gaines own Magnolia Homes, a remodeling and design business in Waco, Texas, that they have operated for years. In a video for Baylor University, the college in which both Chip and Joanna met at, Joanna shared her testimony. She revealed that it was not until she trusted God with her dreams that all of this success was able to come about.

Growing up as a biracial (Asian & white) child, proved to be very challenging for the now mother of 4. Joanna said that from an early age it was always her faith in God that gave her hope for the future.

According to multichannel.com "Fixer Upper" shattered multiple ratings records for the network in January, making the show one of the top 15 telecasts in HGTV history.

Roma Downey's LightWorkers Media Developing Karen Kingsbury Novel Series For TV

Deadline is reporting that Roma Downey's LightWorkers Media, the faith and family division of MGM, have acquired rights to New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury’s The Baxter Family novel series for television.

The 22-book series has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

“Working with Roma Downey to see the Baxter Family become a TV series is the most exciting thing to happen in my entire career,” said Kingsbury. “In her capable and talented hands, we all believe the Baxter Family will become a longstanding beloved series that will run for many years to come. My 25 million readers have been begging to see the Baxter Family on TV, and now their dreams will come true.”

LightWorkers Media, launched in 2011 by Downey and her husband Mark Burnett, is now a division of MGM, whose TV operation is run by Burnett.

Skillet's Hit Single "Monster" Receives RIAA 2x Platinum Certification, Recognized As Biggest Digital Single In Christian Music History

Upon RIAA 2x platinum certification and accumulating over 2.6 million in sales and streams, multi-platinum rock band Skillet's hit single "Monster" continues to live up to its name, now recognized as the biggest digital single in Christian music history. Even six years after its release, the song continues to dominate, touted by Billboard at the close of 2015 as both the No. 1 Christian, and No. 8 Rock streaming song of the year. The band was also recognized as the No. 1 Christian and No. 9 Rock streaming artist of 2015 on Billboard's year-end charts.

"2016 marks Skillet's 20th anniversary, and the band has been with the Atlantic family for a dozen years now," noted Atlantic Chairman & CEO Craig Kallman. "They have accomplished what few bands ever attain - true career longevity alongside constant creative growth. This fantastic achievement for 'Monster' is not only a milestone in Christian music, but a landmark in the history of rock. All of us at Atlantic are deeply proud to play our part in the amazing Skillet story."

Also commenting on the significance of this accomplishment, Word Entertainment President and CEO Rod Riley remarked, "Skillet is firmly among an exclusive and elite group of game-changing artists spanning the course of Contemporary Christian music history. With the achievement represented by 'Monster' becoming the biggest digital single in the history of the genre, the band has only further cemented their position as trail-blazing leaders."