OH, THAT WACKY RELIGION

Lots of (non-Jewish) religious news today.

Firstly, Pope says nope to Ope. And by this I mean, JP2 has got a book coming out in September and refuses to hit the talk show/promotion circuit. (Who does he think he is, THE POPE??) He'll never be "an Oprah book" now...if he wants his publication to be a success beyond the jillions of Catholics and Pope-heads (which is my invented, non-respectful term for the equivalent of the Pope's groupies), he's going to have to take a lesson from Shmuely Boteach and do some promotion. Might I suggest an on-air interview with Air America's Al Franken or Janeane Garofalo?

Secondly, we've got the Archbishop of Canterbury in talks to guest on an episode of The Simpsons. He's a big fan, apparently, and says that the show is "generally on the side of the angels" and that he notices similarities between himself and Homer Simpson. The famous Olde English Canterbury Tales aside, does Canterbury dominate enough Nielsen points to merit an appearance by its Archbishop? Dude, where's Shmuely Boteach's guest spot?

[Special bonus for you guys who check out the second story: Beliefnet has Simpson quizzes. "How well do you know Apu?" "How much do you know about Ned Flanders?" etc...]

Which religious figure would you most like to see do a guest star appearance on The Simpsons? Create the wish list here: state your chosen religious figure and why, and maybe I'll forward the list to the producers of The Simpsons for their consideration.

OH, THAT WACKY RELIGION

Lots of (non-Jewish) religious news today.

Firstly, Pope says nope to Ope. And by this I mean, JP2 has got a book coming out in September and refuses to hit the talk show/promotion circuit. (Who does he think he is, THE POPE??) He'll never be "an Oprah book" now...if he wants his publication to be a success beyond the jillions of Catholics and Pope-heads (which is my invented, non-respectful term for the equivalent of the Pope's groupies), he's going to have to take a lesson from Shmuely Boteach and do some promotion. Might I suggest an on-air interview with Air America's Al Franken or Janeane Garofalo?

Secondly, we've got the Archbishop of Canterbury in talks to guest on an episode of The Simpsons. He's a big fan, apparently, and says that the show is "generally on the side of the angels" and that he notices similarities between himself and Homer Simpson. The famous Olde English Canterbury Tales aside, does Canterbury dominate enough Nielsen points to merit an appearance by its Archbishop? Dude, where's Shmuely Boteach's guest spot?

[Special bonus for you guys who check out the second story: Beliefnet has Simpson quizzes. "How well do you know Apu?" "How much do you know about Ned Flanders?" etc...]

Which religious figure would you most like to see do a guest star appearance on The Simpsons? Create the wish list here: state your chosen religious figure and why, and maybe I'll forward the list to the producers of The Simpsons for their consideration.