It's hard to watch France's political and cultural elite rush to support filmmaker Roman Polanski against extradition to the United States on a decades-old sex charge and not wonder exactly how they interpret the national motto "liberté, égalité, fraternité." It's tempting to ask whether they're defending the liberty to break the law and skip town, respecting the equality of all before the law and championing a brotherhood of artists who can do no wrong.

(Photo: Roman Polanski, 19 Feb 2009/Hannibal Hanschke)

Here in Paris, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner declared the arrest was "a bit sinister ... frankly, (arresting) a man of such talent recognised around the world, recognised in the country where he was arrested -- that's not very nice." He and his Polish counterpart have written to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the issue. Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand said "just as there is a generous America that we like, there's also an America that scares us, and that's the America that has just shown us its face." Directors, actors and intellectuals have been signing a petition demanding Polanski's immediate release.

Almost all the focus is on the argument that Polanski is a brilliant director, the charge of unlawful sex with a 13-year old dates back to 1977 and the victim herself says she wants the whole issue to be forgotten.  Almost completely ignored is the fact that he fled the U.S. to escape sentencing, which added a crime to the original crime. There is such a widespread assumption that all artists and intellectuals would automatically support Polanski that Paris papers today -- both the left-of-centre Libération and the conservative Le Figaro -- wrote with an air of surprise that Hollywood was not storming the barricades to back him.

The French Greens leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit made headlines by bucking the trend and saying he was "ill at ease" with the rush to absolve Polanski of raping a minor and the culture minister should have been more cautious in his comments.

Across the Atlantic, by contrast, Hollywood's hometown paper, the Los Angeles Times, reviewed the objections by Polanski's supporters and concluded: "Plausible or preposterous, these arguments are eclipsed by a simple fact: Polanski fled the country ... the Justice Department and L.A.'s district attorney are right to seek extradition."

And almost nobody in the media here in France asks the tough questions that Fr. Tom Reese, S.J. (photo at right) did in his Washington Post blog post entitled "Father Polanski would go to jail":
"Polanski's defenders ... argue that he should not be punished. They say that the girl was willing and sexually experienced and she has forgiven him (after receiving a settlement). They even cite his tragic childhood and life as an excuse. And besides, it is ancient history. Such arguments from paedophile priests would be laughed out of court and lambasted by everyone, and rightly so...

"The Catholic Church has rightly been put under a microscope when 4 percent of its priests were involved in abuse, but what about the film industry? The world has truly changed. Entertainment is the new religion with sex, violence and money the new Trinity. The directors and stars are worshipped and quickly forgiven for any infraction as long as the PR agent is as skilled as a saintly confessor. Entertainment, not religion, is the new opiate of the people and we don't want our supply disturbed.

"Is there a double standard here? You bet."

There's a lot to say about the different ways Americans and French approach the law. But let's go right to Tom Reese's question. Do you think Polanski's supporters cut him slack they wouldn't think of permitting for a paedophile priest? Is the entertainment industry setting our values?

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Actor Stephen Baldwin won't be taking any more profanity-laced roles like the foul-mouthed thug he played in the 1990s hit movie "The Usual Suspects."

But the youngest member of the Hollywood acting clan, who became a born-again Christian a few years ago, has taken on some projects that he sees as more "family-oriented."

"I am doing stuff that is more family friendly ... I have a couple of independent films coming out in a little bit," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a summit of self-styled "values voters" in Washington which is an annual gathering of politically-motivated conservative Christian activists who are a key base for the U.S. Republican Party.

"One of the films is called 'To the Wall' which is the story of two young men whose dads served in Vietnam together and how they befriend one another and learn a lot about themselves and their past. And then I have a new picture which I just finished recently called 'Loving the Bad Man' which is the story of a young woman of faith who has a tragedy happen against her and how she is going to stand up and still try to overcome that by befriending an individual who is a criminal who actually was the cause of the tragedy."

He also said he has a project in the pipeline to develop a "whacky, crazy, zany, fun reality show that I host."

Asked if he would again play in roles like the one he had in "The Usual Suspects," he said: "Not where I would play a role that utilized that type of language."

Baldwin, who recently appeared on the TV show "I'm A Celebrity, Get me Out of Here!", now frequently talks about the culture of Hollywood which he believes is promoting sexual promiscuity, drug use and other social ills.

(Photo: Actor Stephen Baldwin arrives for a special screening of the film Mission Impossible III at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York, May 3, 2006. REUTERS/Keith Bedford)

It was a night of celebration on Fox’s summer hit “So You Think You Can Dance” as the show marked it’s 100^th episode with special guest appearances and the return of Emmy-winning performances.

Familiar faces from seasons past, including Travis Wall, Heidi Groskreutz, and Hawk, performed award-winning routines such as the zombie-inspired group number Ramalama (Bang Bang) and the contemporary gem “Calling You.”

Thursday’s show also featured a new, and perhaps the most eagerly anticipated addition, as actress Katie Holmes performed a pre-taped tribute to screen legend Judy Garland.

Despite the jovial feel, salsa dancer Janette Manrara and contemporary dancer Jason Glover were sent packing as the top eight was cut down to six.

“Janette, you were my favorite too and I really wanted you to win this year,” said executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe. “You bring so much to this.”

Lythgoe added he thought America got it wrong, but ultimately elimination is decided by viewers. So do you agree with Lythgoe? Was Manrara’s elimination as much a shock to you as it was to host Cat Deeley?

Manrara faced stiff competition on Wednesday’s performance show, which was filled with a number of memorable numbers.

Tyce Diorio’s contemporary routine, inspired by a friend’s battle with breast cancer, was hailed as a “perfect portrait” by an emotional judge Mia Michaels. Performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi, Lythgoe said the number prompted an overwhelming audience response, including a personal message from Olivia Newton-John, herself a breast cancer survivor.

“I think television at its best can reach out and unite a country with a shared experience and I think that happened last night with Tyce’s routine,” Lythgoe said on Thursday.

Guest judge Ellen DeGeneres provided some much-needed comic relief on Wednesday’s show as Lythgoe dished out biting criticisms before and after the tears, including his contention this season’s hip hop numbers disappointed.

However, both street-inspired performances blew the judges away. Jeanine Mason and Brandon Bryant hit hard on Wednesday with a Laurie Ann Gibson pop-jazz routine, breaking Lythgoe out of his funk. “This is the flattest night I have ever experienced on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ up until now,” he said of the routine.

Michaels praised the camouflaged-clad couple saying, “you guys danced in a place that was more than dance, you were inside it.”

Kayla Radomski and Glover’s ghoulish Shane Sparks hip hop routine was one of the few numbers to prompt judge Mary Murphy’s coveted bloodcurdling screams. Michaels described the pair as “disturbingly hot” and noted it was her favorite Sparks number to date.

Was the milestone 100th show bittersweet with the elimination of Manrara and Glover or did you have your cake and eat it too?

Captions: (Top) Janette Manrara , 25, is a salsa/ballroom dancer from Miami, Fl. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX

Jason Glover, 21, is a contemporary/lyrical dancer from Fresno, CA. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX

One of the many rumours that swirled around Michael Jackson in the final years of his life was that he had secretly converted to Islam and taken the name Mikaeel. The "King of Pop" does not seem to have spoken about this publicly himself, and that scene in Bahrain when he went shopping badly disguised in an Arab woman's abaya could be put down to his well-known penchant for dressing up. So unless there is some statement in his will or documentary evidence in his estate, his funeral expected this week may be the last time to test whether this rumour has any basis in fact.

(Photo: Veiled Jackson greets security guard as he enters shopping mall in Manama, Bahrain with veiled child, 25 Jan 2006/Hamad Mohammed)

The Jacksons are Jehovah's Witnesses and could be expected to bury Michael in the tradition of that faith. When he announced the death, his brother Jermaine -- a Muslim -- ended with the words: “May Allah be with you, Michael, always.” Jermaine said in 2007 he was trying to convince Michael to convert.

The post-mortem period hasn't looked very Muslim so far. Traditions vary, but in Islamic funeral practices in general, autopsies and cremation are out and the body should be buried quickly, usually in a day or two. Jackson is reported to have asked for cremation in his will and his family has asked for a second autopsy after the first one failed to pinpoint the cause of death without long toxicology tests.

Jehovah's Witnesses prefer short and simple funerals, usually with a Scripture reading, and warn adherents against funerals with emotional outbursts ranging "from frantic wailing and shouting in the presence of the corpse to joyous festivities after the burial. Unrestrained feasting, drunkenness, and dancing to loud music often characterize such funeral celebrations."

The focal point of an Islamic funeral is the funeral prayer called the salat al-janazah. An imam facing Mecca leads the faithful in saying the prayer, punctuated by declarations of Allahu Akbar. The corpse of the deceased is placed perpendicular to the qibla, the direction of Mecca in which all worshippers are standing, rather than in the same direction as the faithful as usual in a Christian funeral.

The funeral service could be in the Jehovah's Witness style, it could be Islamic or it could be a mix of the two (maybe even with borrowings from other traditions as well). If Michael Jackson's artistic career is anything to go by, the third option wouldn't be a surprise at all.

After exposing a Church cover-up in "The Da Vinci Code," symbologist Robert Langdon returns to the big screen as an unlikely Vatican ally in the latest movie adaptation of a novel by author Dan Brown.

"Angels & Demons," again starring Tom Hanks as Langdon and directed by Ron Howard, premieres in Rome on Monday at a theatre a mile (0.6 kilometer) away from Vatican City. It's due to open in the United States on May 15.

(Photo: Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer and Ron Howard (L-R) at a photocall at CERN near Geneva, 12 Feb 2009/Valentin Flauraud)

In the film, Langdon is recruited by the Vatican after the pope dies and four cardinals tipped  to succeed him are kidnapped. Langdon races through the "Eternal City" deciphering clues linked to a centuries-old secret society, the Illuminati.

"He is not the man the Vatican trusts -- he is the man the Vatican needs," Howard said in production notes for the movie.

The Vatican deeply disapproved of" The Da Vinci Code," especially its portrayal of the life of Jesus, and the Archdiocese of Rome refused permission for "Angels & Demons" to be filmed in historic churches there, forcing the crew to recreate them in Los Angeles. The Vatican has declined to comment on reports it would call for a boycott of the new film.

When "Angels & Demons" actor Ewan McGregor and actress Ayelet Zurer posed for a photocall in Rome with actors dressed as Swiss Guards, they had to do it in a deconsecrated church.

(Photo: McGregor and Zurer at photocall in Saint Marta Church in Rome, 15 Feb 2009/Alessia Pierdomenico)

But director Howard says it's not anti-Catholic and thinks that "Catholics, including most in the hierarchy of the Church, will enjoy the movie for what it is: an exciting mystery, set in the awe-inspiring beauty of Rome."

Will this Dan Brown movie go down better at the Vatican than "The Da Vinci Code"? Read the whole story here, plus our film Factbox.

Remember the Singing Nun? If you're old enough to recall the song "Dominique", you might want to see a new Belgian film"Soeur Sourire" ("Sister Smile") about the nun whose hit song topped the charts in Europe and North America in 1963. Then again, you might not ... The song was far more upbeat than the sad story behind it.

Jeanine Deckers, or Sister Luc Gabrielle -- better known by her pseudonyms Singing Nun in English and Soeur Sourire in French -- was a Belgian Dominican sister who scored a one-hit wonder with "Dominique" in 1963. The record was released under her pseudonym. But the song became such an international hit that she finally went public and even appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in the United States She never had another hit and the 1966 film "The Singing Nun" starring Debbie Reynolds ended with her giving up music to work in Africa. Deckers later described that film as "fiction". "Soeur Sourire" sticks closer to the facts

(Photo: film poster for Soeur Sourire/Ocean Films)

As the film depicts it, the rebellious Deckers enters the convent to find refuge from her heartless mother and her youthful confusion at advances by male and female admirers. She has trouble adjusting to convent life but her singing catches the attention of Belgium's Catholic television and her mother superior is persuaded to let her record "Dominique." Celebrity goes to her head, she leaves the convent and moves in with Annie, the female admirer. When she tries to launch a new career, she cannot not use the pseudonym Soeur Sourire because it belongs to her order.

Things go downhill from there, with pill popping and binge drinking becoming more frequent. During a disastrous tour of Canada, the local Catholic hierarchy gets a Montreal concert series stopped because she sings a song in praise of contraception, "Glory be to God for the Golden Pill". The final straw comes back in Belgium, where the authorities demand back taxes due on her royalties from "Dominique". She had handed them all over to the order, but has no receipt. Overwhelmed, she and her partner Annie commit suicide. Director Stijn Coninx has found a way to put a soft spin on the ending, but it still ends tragically.

The film is mostly in line with the facts. It starts off well, recreating the atmosphere of late 1950s Belgium, but takes too many shortcuts once Deckers's life starts going downhill. There are some strange Church-related scenes (for example, a bishop who scrambles to don his zucchetto when a phone call wakes him in bed in the middle of the night) and the cars all seem to date from the late 1950s and early 1960s despite the passing years. Deckers lived until 1985.

(Photo: Cécile de France as the Singing Nun/Ocean Films)

The film has already won two awards at a film festival in Valenciennes, a French city just across the border from Belgium. It opened on Wednesday in Paris in a multiplex at the Forum des Halles, one of the ugliest places in this beautiful city. It was a midday showing, so it was difficult to say if the nearly empty cinemreflected its box office prospects. Most of the moviegoers were, like me, old enough to remember the Singing Nun and wonder what became of her.

Could a film like this cross the Channel and the Atlantic as easily as "Dominique" did?

Here's a trailer for the film "Soeur Sourire":

When John Lennon said in 1966 that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus," there was a furious reaction in the United States. Dozens of radio stations in the South and Midwest banned Beatles music and some concert venues cancelled scheduled appearances by the band. Their manager Brian Epstein quickly flew to the U.S. to try to quell the storm. Soon afterward, Lennon told a news conference in Chicago that he was sorry for making the comparison, although he added he still thought it was true. The Vatican, as far as I can see from online archives, stayed silent and aloof even thought it could hardly agree with or approve Lennon's message.

(Photo: Japanese band performs in Lennon's memory, 8 Dec 2005/Toshiyuki Aizawa)

When the Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano came out with a nostalgic look back at the Beatles on the 40th anniversary of their 1968 White Album on Saturday, it lead off the article with Lennon's famous quote and promptly shrugged it off. "The remark by John Lennon, which triggered deep indignation mainly in the United States, after many years sounds only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success, after growing up with the legend of Elvis and rock and roll," it wrote. The Beatles' music was creative and original, even more so than their haircuts and clothes, and has stood the test of time, it said. The Italian-language original has now been overtaken on the OR website by the latest edition, but an English translation will certainly pop up somewhere (on Zenit?).

At the risk of possibly over-interpreting an arts page story, I wonder what all this says about the ridiculing of religious leaders. The uproar back in 1966 was mostly from the U.S. "Bible Belt" and the Vatican seems to have been quiet. Would it be the same today? At the Catholic-Muslim Forum in Rome three weeks ago, the two sides agreed in a statement about religious minorities that "their founding figures and symbols they consider sacred should not be subject to any form of mockery or ridicule." Muslim countries, which were not very vocal on the international scene back in the 1960s, are now working hard at the United Nations to push through a global blasphemy law.

What do you think would happen today if a rock band claimed to be more popular than Jesus? Or Mohammad?