LIVE's Former Frontman's Single Inspired by Haiti

Former LIVE frontman Ed Kowalczyk’s shares how his single, 'Grace,' was inspired in part by the tragedy in Haiti.

After 20 million plus records sold world wide, Ed had a rough fall out with the band, but is now becoming a solo artist with a genuine heart for the poor (including having 10 World Vision sponsor kids.)

Needtobreathe Will Be Opening Act for Taylor Swift

According to CMT, the 2011 Taylor Swift Speak Now Tour will welcome Needtobreathe as the opening act for the North American leg, which begins on May 27 in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Speak Now Tour will be a major boost to Needtobreathe, as Bo Rinehart of Needtobreathe recently confirmed. "It means a lot to us that Taylor handpicked us for her Speak Now tour," said Rinehart. "Everyone knows she has amazing fans, and we thrive on performing live, especially in front of new audiences."

Third Day's 'Follow Me There' Is Theme Song for 'Sarah Palin's Alaska'

Third Day's “Follow Me There” has been selected as the theme music for SARAH PALIN’S ALASKA. Premiering Sunday, November 14, 2010 SARAH PALIN’S ALASKA takes viewers into the country’s ‘last frontier’ through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens – Sarah Palin.

Tai Anderson, Third Day bass player, shares, “We’re honored to have our song chosen for this exciting new show on TLC. It showcases an incredibly beautiful state through the eyes an intriguing family. We’ve played several shows in Alaska and look forward to performing there in months to come.”

“The minute I heard ‘Follow Me There,’ I loved it and knew it was the only song I wanted for the main title for this series,” said Executive Producer Mark Burnett. “I hope this song goes on to win Third Day another Grammy and inspires millions of Americans.”

“‘Follow Me There’ is a wonderful invitation to viewers to join our exciting 8 week television journey with Sarah and her family,” added Tom Carr, SVP Marketing, TLC. “With such terrific crossover between Third Day and TLC fans, we're excited to share the song and the show across our respective marketing platforms."

700K Lite-Brite Pegs Light Up Vevo for David Crowder Band

David Crowder*Band’s “SMS (Shine)” Music Video Debuts Today Using An Unprecedented 700,000 LITE-BRITE® Pegs

The Band’s Latest Original Video Creation Debuts on VEVO with “Artists We Love” Placement

David Crowder*Band’s self-made new music video for their latest single “SMS (Shine)” debuts today using an unrivaled 700,000 LITE-BRITE® pegs. The video also features dancing monkeys, jumping frogs and of course an appearance from the David Crowder*Band themselves.

The video portraying a love story made completely of LITE-BRITE® pegs was done solely by hand. Even details such as the piano playing in the background and the monkeys beating a drum in perfect time was done free of digital affects and computer animation. It took 2,150 man hours, 1,200 LITE-BRITE® images, 83 friends and 148 pizzas to complete the video.

John Woo: When Doves Cry

Many Christians have problems with violent action movies, so it's ironic that one of the most successful directors in the genre is a christian.  John Woo insists that his movies bolster his own strong family values. His heroes are “always reaching out a helping hand,” he points out, “even sometimes sacrific[ing] himself for the others.”

Characters in his movies have both good and bad qualities – everyone does horrible things and makes mistakes. They're equally fallen and in need of redemption. Characters face moral dilemmas and their own sins throughout .Woo doesn't resolve dilemmas in simple ways – he leaves them hanging, much like in real life.

The symbolism, the framing, the way everything looks is intentional. As he says in an interview with Premiere Magazine:

I love doves. I am a Christian. Doves represent the purity of love, beauty. They’re spiritual. Also the dove is a messenger between people and God. When I was in high school and I used to draw posters for the church, I would draw a picture of a dove. When I shot The Killer... In the church scene, I wanted to bring them together. I wanted to use a metaphor of the heart. I came up with doves-they’re white. When the men die, I cut to the dove flying-it’s the soul, rescued and safe, and also pure of heart. So the dove became one of my habits: I used it in Hard-boiled, Face/Off, and in [M:I-2], at the end of the movie.

Surprisingly, he even wanted to be a minister at some point:

When I was a kid growing up in Hong Kong, our family was so poor, and an American family sent money to the Lutheran church and supported me going to school for six years, and also my brother and sister. And I was grateful to the church because, without their help, I might have become a different person. I had great parents, but at that time I was so scared, and so lonely, and I had to fight so hard, because I had to deal with gangs almost every day. So you can see how rough it was — I felt like I was living in hell, and the church became my shelter. I felt safe and happy and comfortable in the church. When I was 16, I really wanted to be a minister, to pay back the people who gave me help, and help other people.

So what does Woo truly believe, anyway? In his interview with Woo that closes Between the Bullets: The Spiritual Cinema of John Woo, author Michael Bliss leads us to an answer:

- Do you think that the traditional values that you cherish -- such as honor, devotion, religion, family -- aren’t very popular anymore?
- “Yes. It seems that many people have lost them. I think it is my duty to bring all of these things back, these things that people have lost.”
- With that in mind, would it be fair to say that more than anything else, you’re a religious director?
- “Yes. I’d agree with that.”

Updated: great article on Theology Gaming