THE BLIND SIDE
Sandra Bullock: A blessing to meet and portray a real Christian
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Sandra Bullock says meeting Leigh Anne Tuohy (lee ann TOO'-ee), who she portrays in "The Blind Side," showed her there really are some Christians who "walk the walk."
The film presents the true story of the Tuohys -- a well-off white family in Tennessee -- who welcome a homeless black youth into their home and then adopt him as their son.
That young man, Michael Oher, now plays for the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens.
Bullock says thanks to the Tuohys, who attend Grace Evangelical Church in Memphis, she now has "faith in those who say they represent a faith."
Leigh Anne Tuohy says she hopes "The Blind Side" inspires more people to help others.
The film has earned more than $100 million dollars at the box office so far.
Sound:
<<CUT …258 (11/30/09)>> 00:10 "represent a faith"
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock says making the movie "The Blind Side" has shown her that Christians can be genuine.
<<CUT …259 (11/30/09)>> 00:13 "live your life"
Sandra Bullock
Actress Sandra Bullock says Leigh Anne Tuohy isn't like some hypocritical church-goers she's known.
<<CUT …260 (11/30/09)>> 00:08 "but doesn't preach"
Sandra Bullock
Actress Sandra Bullock says getting to know Leigh Anne Tuohy showed her that religious faith can be authentic.
<<CUT …261 (11/30/09)>> 00:17 "walk the walk"
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock says she was wary of Christians before she met the Tuohys.
<<CUT …262 (11/30/09)>> 00:15 "make a difference"
Leigh Anne Tuohy (lee ann TOO'-ee)
Leigh Anne Tuohy says she hopes the movie "The Blind Side" inspires people to help others.
<<CUT …263 (11/30/09)>> 00:16 "a player's mom"
Leigh Anne Tuohy (lee ann TOO'-ee)
Leigh Anne Tuohy says she enforces a behavior code when she watches her adopted son play for the Baltimore Ravens.
ALICE COOPER-GOOD AND EVIL
Shock rocker says he was the prodigal son
LONDON (AP) — A quarter-century into his career as a shock rocker, Alice Cooper says he's still doing shows that pit good against evil, but notes that "the devil doesn't ever beat God."
Cooper told reporters in Britain, where he's performing this week, that his father was a pastor and his grandfather was an evangelist. He, however, was the prodigal son "who ran away out into the world and became the poster boy for everything wrong and then came back."
Early in his career, Cooper says he became immersed in his evil image, but now it's just a character he plays on stage in sort of a "morality play." In real life, Alice Cooper says he likes to golf and is happily married to a woman whose father is a pastor.
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<<CUT …257 (11/30/09)>> 00:58 "''
Steve Coleman, AP religion editor
A Closer Look: Shock rocker Alice Cooper says he was the prodigal son who returned to his Christian faith. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports.
<<CUT …264 (11/30/09)>> 00:21 "then came back"
Alice Cooper
Rocker Alice Cooper says he had a very Christian upbringing.
<<CUT …265 (11/30/09)>> 00:16 "I was doing"
Alice Cooper
Musician Alice Cooper says he didn't feel the need to give up his career when he returned to his Christian faith.
<<CUT …266 (11/30/09)>> 00:21 "are total opposites"
Alice Cooper
Shock rock musician Alice Cooper says in real life, he's nothing like his stage persona.
RI BISHOP-KENNEDY
Kennedy discusses health care after abortion flap
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Congressman Patrick Kennedy says all people deserve health care because they're "children of God" who share "the spark of divinity."
The Democratic lawmaker spoke Monday at Brown University, but did not discuss his public feud with Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop over abortion and health care.
Kennedy earlier this month said Bishop Thomas Tobin banned him from receiving Communion because of his support for abortion rights. Tobin said he asked Kennedy to stop receiving the sacrament in 2007.
On Monday, Kennedy borrowed from the Bible's story of Cain and Abel to promote health care reform, telling the audience that "we ought to be there and be our brother's keeper."
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<<CUT …220 (11/30/09)>> 00:10 "as human beings"
Congressman Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I.
Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy says all people deserve health care because they are "children of God."
<<CUT …221 (11/30/09)>> 00:05 "the final analysis"
Congressman Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I.
in his first public appearance since escalating a public feud with Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop over abortion and health care, Congressman Patrick Kennedy says no one should be denied health care.
<<CUT …222 (11/30/09)>> 00:10 "medicine for cancer"
Congressman Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I.
Congressman Patrick Kennedy says his father, the late Senator Ted Kennedy, was no more entitled to good health care than anyone else.
RED KETTLE STOLEN
Christmas hater swipes Salvation Army kettle
MAUMEE, Ohio (AP) — Police in northwest Ohio have arrested a man who they say swiped a Salvation Army red kettle full of donated money and pushed one of the charity's bell ringers to the ground.
Police in Maumee (maw-MEE') say 44-year-old Shawn Krieger of Toledo grabbed the kettle Saturday evening outside a general store. When the bell ringer tried to take the kettle back, police say Krieger pushed her down and said, "I can't stand you and your bell-ringing. I hate Christmas."
Police say Krieger drove off in a pickup truck with the kettle and tripod it was hanging from.
Krieger was charged Monday with robbery and held on $25,000 bond. The judge will assign a public defender to his case.
The Salvation Army estimates the kettle held $500 to $700.
STREET PREACHERS
Men can resume street preaching in NH town
HAMPTON, N.H. (AP) — Two street preachers have reached a legal settlement with the southeastern New Hampshire town of Hampton that will allow them to resume their public witness and worship.
Mark Frost and Jayson Gardner were arrested on a Hampton Beach sidewalk in August 2008 for an alleged violation of the town's noise ordinance. They were acquitted in January, then sued the town and the police department in federal court for allegedly violating their free speech rights.
Under the settlement, Frost and Gardner can preach at the beach between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. If their voices are amplified, they may not exceed 85 decibels from a distance of 65 feet.
The street preachers were supported in the lawsuit by the Alliance Defense Fund -- a national Christian organization.
PREACHING PRISONER
NJ inmate wins appeal of prison preaching ban
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A convicted murderer who's an ordained Pentecostal minister has won a settlement that allows him to preach during worship services at the New Jersey State Prison.
Howard Thompson Jr., who's serving 30 years to life, taught Bible study classes, founded a prison choir and conducted weekly services until 2007, when prison officials ordered him to stop.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on Thompson's behalf, accusing the prison of violating his religious rights.
The settlement allows Thompson to deliver sermons and morning messages under the supervision of a chaplain or approved volunteer.
The ACLU won a similar lawsuit challenging a preaching ban in Rhode Island prisons.
CUBA-CATHOLIC BLOG
Cuban Catholic Church launches faith blog
HAVANA (AP) — The Roman Catholic Church has entered Cuba's blogosphere with a new Web site that aims to provide a virtual forum for the island's faithful.
The Cuban Catholic Bishops Conference says the site "Believing in Cuba" is a meeting place for "those who live, dream, work and hope in Cuba and the Cuban community overseas."
Despite having the lowest online penetration in the Americas, Cuba has seen a flourishing generation of dissident bloggers using the Internet to make their voices heard.
But church leaders insist that "Believing in Cuba" is intended to be apolitical -- a place they say is "for suggestions, more than complaints."
A senior Vatican official recently asked Cuba's government to allow the Church more access to mass media, saying it's an important way for clergy members to reach the faithful.
SWITZERLAND-MINARET BAN
Rights watchdog hints Swiss minaret ban could go
GENEVA (AP) — The secretary-general of the Council of Europe says a Swiss ban on minarets could violate fundamental liberties -- an indication that Sunday's vote could be overturned.
The Swiss justice minister also said the European Court of Human Rights could strike down the vote banning the mosque towers that issue the Islamic call to prayer.
The court rules on breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The referendum was overwhelmingly approved, forcing the government to declare illegal the building of any new minarets in Switzerland. It doesn't affect the country's four existing minarets.
The U.N.'s special investigator on religious freedom said the ban constitutes "a clear discrimination against members of the Muslim community in Switzerland."
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