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PDF version'Hurt Locker,' 'Glee' top Catholics in Media awards
Feb. 17, 2010
LOS ANGELES -- The new Fox musical-comedy series "Glee" and the Oscar-nominated film "The Hurt Locker" have been named two of the top honorees of the 17th annual Catholics in Media Associates awards.
Sr. Rose Pacatte, a Daughter of St. Paul who has written extensively about film, has been chosen to receive the group's Board of Directors Award.
The awards were announced Feb. 15 in Los Angeles.
"The Hurt Locker," nominated for best picture, follows an Army explosive ordnance disposal team as they defuse bombs, dealing with the threat of insurgency and the growing tensions which develop among their unit. The screenplay was written by Mark Boal, who was embedded with a real bomb squad.
"Glee" focuses on a Spanish teacher who becomes director of a glee club at a fictional Midwest high school and who hopes to restore it to its former glory. It was selected "because of its beautiful and kind heart," said Catholics in Media Associates member and screenwriter Brian Oppenheimer in a statement.
"The show demonstrates how the arts integrate life and learning in a joyful way, tinged with humor and sometimes pathos, as kids and teachers try to figure out the best choices to make in life," he added.
PacattePacatte, who writes on media for NCR, has been involved in media since she entered the Daughters of St. Paul more than 40 years ago, from publishing to filmmaking. She has served on ecumenical and Catholic juries at film festivals worldwide. Pacatte has been co-director of the National Film Retreat and has taught film and spirituality courses at Loyola Marymount University and Saddleback College in California and the University of Dayton in Ohio. She also has been an author, columnist and reviewer on movies and television.
The awards are slated to be distributed as part of a Feb. 28 Mass and awards brunch in Beverly Hills. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles is scheduled to celebrate the Mass.
I am very proud that a
I am very proud that a Catholic organization would step forward and give honoree status to Glee. It IS a sincere and joyful program, although as mentioned not without moments of pathos and sadness. But could any program that deals with adolescent lives and moral quandaries not be characterized by both excitement, happiness and joys as well as hurt, uncertainty, a search for support and understanding that leads to pathos?
Yes, the show deals carefully and wholesomely with serious issues, a teenage pregnancy, bullying, the breakdown of the teacher's marriage, the role and acceptance of a paraplegic and young gay teenage boy. No one takes these issues so lightly for the sake of "joyfulness" to belittle the need for working toward a moral resolution of small and large crises.
One of the best qualities of the series is that the youngsters are not merely preached at and offered a rigid set of rules or "act centered" ethics. Without getting too heavy, the kids and their adult supporters apply themselves to making the best conscience decisions they can.
Finally, Glee is also wrapped in a bundle of fine music, dancing and creative nonsense. My granddaughters, who are just coming-of-age, watch and listen intently. The episodes present opportunities for discussion of issues that they face or see among their peers. It becomes a "learning-moment" for them and their parents.
Again, I am so happy that a Catholic organization had the guts to honor this series. Too often Catholic groups speak ONLY our "party line" and do not actually meet our young people where they are or respecting their point of view. Thankfully, Catholics in Media Associates is not one of them, at least in this instance. :)
Wow !!! it's indeed really
Wow !!! it's indeed really nice to know that glee one of my recent favorite shows has topped Catholics in media awards . This show has now become a musical sensation with very good jolly music and lots of comedy involved . I think that the show deserves more awards in the near future .
If you would like to read
If you would like to read about one of Glee's producers on being catholic, you should read this article http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/raking-leaves-racked-with-skepticism
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