Hollywood Types Keeping the Faith -- On Screen and in Their Own Lives by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith on Creators.com

Recently

Jesse Eisenberg Talks Role That Helped Him Overcome Stage Fright If you've caught the trailers for "Now You See Me," Summit Entertainment's May 31 release caper-thriller starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine and Isla Fisher, you've gotten a taste of the …Read more. Ask Stacy -- Week of 5/11/13 Ask Stacy for May 11-12 DEAR STACY: There's a cute commercial with a dad who gets his Kia SUV into a tight parking spot because it has folding mirrors. Can you tell me the name of the song used in it? It's kinda catchy. — Andy A., Carlsbad, …Read more. For Patty Duke, ‘Glee' Guesting Just What She's Been Looking For; Shelley Morrison Unveils 12-Year Labor of Love Patty Duke's showcase guesting on the May 9 "Glee" season finale is just what the beloved actress has been longing for. She has honorary doctorates, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an Oscar, Emmys and numerous other awards — …Read more. It's Dream Come True Time for 'The Client List's' Sexy Alicia Lagano It's dream-come-true time for Alicia Lagano. As we speak, the wide-eyed beauty with the long thick waves of unruly brown hair is juggling preparations for her June wedding, shooting a guest spot on "Major Crimes" and promoting "The …Read more.

Hollywood Types Keeping the Faith -- On Screen and in Their Own Lives

Between the installation of Pope Francis and the, well, biblical proportions of the attention being accorded History's "The Bible" miniseries from Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, it's been a hot time for religion in the media this month — and if you don't like it, brace yourselves, because there's much more to come. As you may have heard, Russell Crowe as "Noah" is on the way to movie houses for 2014. That biblical feature also stars Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson and Jennifer Connelly. Then there are the competing Moses films in development being brought along by Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott; a Cain and Abel tale Will Smith is reportedly on track to do; plus a Pontius Pilate project; Paul Verhoeven's planned Jesus film and more.

Not all of these will be aimed at believers, to be sure. Scott is an avowed agnostic. Verhoeven's flick will purportedly set out to debunk the miracles in the New Testament. Still, all this speaks to the enduring interest in biblical material and matters of faith — which is ironic, considering decidedly downward trends in religious affiliation. These days, according to Pew Research figures, one-in-five U.S. adults has no religious affiliation, and of those, 37 percent consider themselves to be "spiritual but not religious." That's also the common self-description among many in Hollywood.

However, the show business realm also includes countless well-knowns who actively practice their religious faiths and who will be celebrating Easter or Passover next week. Young talents like "The Carrie Diaries'" Annasophia Robb and the Jonas Brothers aren't shy about expressing their Christian beliefs.

Jessica Simpson is among the celebs that show up occasionally at Bel Air Presbyterian Church, once known as the home church of former President Ronald Reagan. Well-known faces of various religious persuasions, including Leonardo DiCaprio, were there to mourn the victims of the terror attacks at a memorial after 9/11/01.

The airy, sunlit hilltop sanctuary is also the site of Jewish high holy days services, when temples that are especially popular within the industry (like the Leo Baeck Temple and the Wilshire Boulevard Temple) have big spillover crowds.

Today's active and very famous Jews include Spielberg, Ben Stiller, Leonard Nimoy, Barbra Streisand and Debra Messing.

St. Monica's Catholic Church in Santa Monica is known for attracting Hollywood names from Maria Shriver to Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen — while Beverly Hills' Church of the Good Shepherd draws other noteworthy Catholics such as Brooke Shields and Vanessa Williams.

"In the Middle's" Patricia Heaton plays a choir member on her series, and in real life, the former "Everybody Loves Raymond" costar is among the stars seen across town at Hollywood Presbyterian Church. There, a community of faithful folks who happen to work in the entertainment business has thrived for decades. The Inter-Mission organization, comprised of (as they describe themselves) "more than 4,000 entertainment professionals who have a love for Jesus Christ, a passion for excellence, and a desire to effect moral change on popular culture" has been actively hosting actors' and writers' workshops, seminars, conferences and outreach programs since 1987.

Some of them worked with the revered, late Father Ellwood Kieser, founder of Paulist Productions, who for more than 40 years used the media to bring the teachings of Jesus Christ to the masses through entertainment. Among the talents who worked with Kieser: Joan Chen, John Amos, Meg Tilly, Dick Van Dyke, Judge Reinhold, Laura Dern, Marion Ross, Paul Sorvino, Moira Kelly and devout, outspoken Catholic Martin Sheen.

Denzel Washington, Stevie Wonder, Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson are among the stars who've made South L.A.'s West Angeles Church of God in Christ a spiritual home.

Nia Vardalos, Rita Wilson and Arianna Huffington have practiced their Greek Orthodox faith inside the splendid sanctuary of St. Sophia's Cathedral in L.A.

And then there's Della Reese, the singer-actress whose faith convictions were such that she became an ordained pastor in 1987 and went on to lead the nondenominational Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles. Reese, of course, played Angel Tess for years on "Touched by an Angel" — alongside her best friend and daughter figure, Roma Downey. Small world.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM