Our favorite television of all time is “The Chosen.” We did not know about it until a few months ago and it is incredible.

“It’s now been viewed over 275 million times globally,” according to Newsmax magazine. “When people see a character who they relate to, as they get to meet Christ through that character’s eyes, it helps them to understand the Scriptures in a new way.”

For more than a century, Hollywood movie studios have rigidly dictated what kind of films America sees. Their grip is finally loosening.

A crowdfunded company called Angel Studios now offers investors the chance to play movie mogul—greenlighting, funding, and distributing new movies and TV shows.

“We are building a film studio platform that helps creators and viewers create high-quality TV and film without having to answer to the Hollywood gatekeepers,” says Neal Harmon, Angel’s CEO.

The concept caught on fast after rolling out an initial $5 million crowdfund offering, Angel Studios, now has more than 30,000 investors on board.

Last year, it generated more than $47 million in revenue thanks to projects that not only have succeeded beyond anybody’s wildest dreams, but have done so with values-driven content that families want.

Angel’s jewel in the crown so far is THE CHOSEN, a critically acclaimed dramatic series about the lives of Jesus Christ and the people who knew him. Created by Dallas Jenkins, son of bestselling Christian writer Jerry B. Jenkins, THE CHOSEN has become a favorite of TV bingewatchers.

“To put that in context, THE AVENGERS movie only got a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score—and they had all the infinity stones,” Harmon says.

Writing in The Atlantic, critic Chris DeVille said: “Take it from a critic and a Christian with an aversion to Christian entertainment: The show is good . . . “

Jonathan Roumie plays Jesus as someone you’d actually like to hang out with, projecting divine gravity accented with easygoing warmth. He cracks jokes; he dances at parties.”

The series, which cost just $10 million to produce, generated over $30 million in revenue last year.

Another wildly popular Angel show is DRY BAR COMEDY, in which stand-up comics wow live audiences in a Utah club—but without the use of profanity and objectionable content.

“Comedy clubs traditionally want blue material, but comedy clubs don’t represent the broader audience.” Harmon explains. “So, DRY BAR gives them the chance to break into a broader audience.”

The show has attracted such a large social media following that a live tour was created to play clubs around the country. And comics who deliver big audiences get rewarded with bonuses.

“They get what’s called an Angel bonus,” says Harmon, adding that Angel does not censor the comics.

“We don’t tell them there are certain words you can’t say, we don’t tell them that there are certain jokes you can’t tell,” he says.

“We just tell them you’re going to get bonuses if you align yourself with the audience, and here’s what the audience doesn’t like. And then they get to make the choice.”

Upcoming projects include THE TUTTLE TWINS, the most crowdfunded children’s cartoon in U.S. history, and an original sitcom called FREELANCERS.

“Creating original content through a crowd of Angel investors is the future of TV and film,” Harmon says. “Empowering people to choose what gets made while allowing them to share in the profits is a game changer, to say the least.”

All start-up companies have hiccups and Angel certainly did.

It began in 2014 as VidAngel, a streaming video service offering subscribers the ability to skip profanity, nudity, sexual situations, graphic violence, and other mature content from Hollywood movies.

Four studios—Disney, Lucasfilm, WarnerBros., and 20 ^th Century Fox—sued in 2016, charging VidAngel with skirting copyright laws and streaming altered videos without permission.

A jury ordered VidAngel to pay more than $62 million in damages for copyright infractions, and last year VidAngel settled, agreeing to pay $9.9 million over 14 years. It started a new service that resolves copyright issues.

VidAngel was then rebranded as Angel Studios and its movie-filtering business was sold.

Angel Studios is a dream come true for Harmon, a business whiz who attended Brigham Young University, where he received a master’s degree in instructional psychology and technology, and a bachelor’s degree in American studies, and also served as a missionary.

Aside from crowdfunding, angel Studios make money from marketing and ad sales. But does it pay back?

Angel says that while there is no guarantee of any return for those who invest, “if the show succeeds in earning enough revenue, you will earn a share of the profits.”

Asked whether he has a pet project he’d love to get made, Harmon says: “My favorite movie of all time is IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. I can watch it over and over and over again and I would love to see a 21 ^st century version of it.

A Sampling of Dry Bar Comedy:

MARK KLEIN: “Here’s what we make in Kentucky. We make bourbon, we make baseball bats, we make cigarettes, me make fried chicken. Our state motto is, “If it kills you, we make it!”

JEFF SHAW: “My doctor told me I have low testosterone. I said, “How low? He said, “You can start shopping at Ann Taylor.”

KAREN RONTOWSKI: “The other night I went out with a guy who said he didn’t like women who were fragile or vulnerable. So I stabbed him.”

BRENT TERHUNE: “I was in the grocery store, the lady in front of me had a gallon of white milk, nothing else on the conveyor belt. So I put my chocolate milk behind hers, and she gave me a look and then put the divider in between our stuff. I was like, “I thought we were past this!”

JOE DEVITO: “I’m single. I just turned 50. That means I’m ready to cut a deal. Do you have a nutjob sister-in-law you’re trying to shove off on someone? I’ll take a look.”

J.J. BARROWS: “the weirdest thing about being in my 30s was the day that I realized 40-year-old men were no longer creepy . . . but attractive!”

I believe the country is starved for clean and wholesome movies and Angel Studio is proving my point. May God continue to bless their undertaking.

CC

My friend Earl Dunkelberger sent me the following and I agree 100%.

The Teacher

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: “Let me see if I’ve got this right.

You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages and instill in them a love for learning.

You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self-esteem and personal pride.

You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a check book, and apply for a job.

You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and ensure that they all pass their final exams.

You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicap and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Arabic or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

Think about it!

If Muslims can pray anywhere, why are Christians banned from praying in public and from erecting religious displays on their holy days?

What happened to our National Day of Prayer”

Muslims are allowed to block of major streets, in all American States and pray in the middle of the street! And it’s a monthly ritual!

Tell me, again, whose country is this . . .

Ours or the Muslims?

It is said that 86% of Americans believe in god. Therefore, I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a problem in having ‘God’ in our education system or the Lord’s Prayer said in our government, schools or public meetings.

I believe it’s time we stand up for what we believe!

CC

We all know our country is in trouble. Here is the latest sign of stupidity.

THE GRINCH WHO TRIED TO STEAL CHRISTMAS

Federal officials have convinced themselves that they have the right to dictate when you can and cannot see your family. Hence, why the White House’s coronavirus czar, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is acting as though people need his permission to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.

“There’s no reason at all why you can’t enjoy the holidays in a family way,” Fauci said recently, adding that his permission really only applies to fully vaccinated people.

“I believe strongly that, particularly in the vaccinated people, if you’re vaccinated and your family members are vaccinated, those who are eligible—that is, obviously, very young children are not yet eligible—that you can enjoy the holidays,” he continued. “You can enjoy Halloween, trick-ortreating, and certainly thanksgiving with your family and Christmas with your family.”

As if on cue, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined it with its holiday guidance a few days later. Families should only get together with members of their immediate household, the agency said, or, if absolutely necessary, “Have an outdoor celebration with everyone at least 6 feet apart.”

The CDC likely realized that not one person is going to eat Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner outside when nearly half the country is covered in snow, so it added an indoor option: “If celebrating indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. You can use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through the other open windows.”

At this point, there are only a few people who care about what Fauci and the CDC think about this year’s holiday plans, and they include Fauci, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, and a couple of leftist journalists who only say they care to keep up pretenses. There’s a good chance Fauci doesn’t actually care either. It’s possible he just likes to hear himself talk. By Kaylee McGhee White

And then there is this . . .

NO (CISGENDER) MEN ALLOWED

You have a choice: you can suffer through an Ohio winter without a radiator in your dorm room, or you can briefly allow a maintenance man in to install one.

It seems difficult, doesn’t it?

Well, not if you are a student at Oberlin College. In the Oberlin Review, one such student announced that the cold winter would be preferable to briefly allowing a maintenance man into the dorm room. This student lives in a dorm community that is the “home of the Women and Trans Collective.” So, naturally, that means no (cisgender) men allowed.

After all, if a dorm promises to provide “women and transgendered persons with a safe space for discussion, communal living, and personal development,” there is no reason that any man should be on the premises, even if that is to ensure that the Women and Trans Collective doesn’t freeze over this winter. This student even went so far as to ask if one could decline to have a radiator installed in the dorm.

It turns out that is a “safe space,” you need to be adequately warned if a man is fgoing to show up briefly to make sure your dorm room can be heated. Perhaps more women and transgender people can become maintenance workers to make Oberlin residents feel more comfortable, though something tells me those maintenance workers won’t be graduating from Oberlin. By Zachary Faria

CC

World War II Soldier Has Longawaited Reunion

In 1944, 20-year-old American soldier Martin Adler was part of the allied forces pushing the Nazis northward across Italy. Entering the village of Monterenzio, adler and fellow soldiers cautiously searched for German stragglers. In one empty house, Adler pointed his machine gun toward a large, overturned basket, anticipating a hidden Nazi. Instead a terrified mother rushed in front of Adler’s gun, repeatedly screaming, “Bambinis!” Three stair-stepped siblings fearfully emerged from the basket, but Adler quickly made new friends with reassuring smiles and American chocolate bars. For 77 years, Adler cherished the memory of that fateful day through a photograph of him and the rescued children—Bruno, Mafalda, and Giuliana Naldi.

Now 97 years old, Adler was reunited with those siblings after his daughter found them online with the help of an American veterans group and an Italian journalist. Adler and the Naldis had a video reunion in December 2020. Then in August, he and his wife Flew from Boca Raton, Florida, to Bologna, Italy, where Adler joyfully presented chocolate bars to each of the Naldi siblings, now all octogenarians and grandparents.

It is sad that the greatest generation is being replaced by the goofiest.