Michael Medved is an author, political commentator, film critic, and talk show host whose career successes came early and often.

Medved attended California public schools until age 16 when he enrolled at Yale as a national merit scholar. He went on to attend Yale Law School and then worked as a campaign speechwriter and political consultant.

He authored his first best-selling book at age 26. That book gave birth to a television series. Now, his newest project turns his latest book, The American Miracle, into a docudrama.

The movie explores moments of crisis in our nation’s history that were interrupted by the hand of Providence, or as President George Washington described it, “the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men.”

“The history of the American Experiment is a fabric woven of countless instances of improbable, unimaginable success. Whether it is the supernatural protection that surrounded George Washington – the Father of our Country – throughout his life, the mysterious weather conditions that favored the movements of the Continental Army at critical battlefield junctures, or, the unique, longstanding success of a revolution unlike any other in recorded world history; it is difficult, nearly impossible to explain the outcome of any of these, and so many more events like them, without allowing for divine intervention,” the website for the movie explains.

Sources:CBN News

http://theendtimeradio.com

The groundbreaking Christian TV drama based on the life of Jesus is gearing up for the debut of Season Five in a major way.

Dallas Jenkins, the creator and executive producer behind The Chosen, recently unveiled the season’s newest artwork, shot by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, on display in Times Square.

Leibovitz has shot iconic photos of the Queen of England, presidents, and celebrities, Dallas explained in a recent social media post.

He said he thought, “She probably hasn’t even heard of our show, much less going to be interested in (shooting) it.”

But unbeknownst to the cast and crew, a few months prior Leibovitz began watching the series at the recommendation of a crew member.

“She became obsessed with it and became a huge, huge fan,” Jenkins explained. “She’s been wanting to do something related to the Bible for a decade. Nothing came along and nothing made sense to her. And then this came along and she thought, ‘I have to do it.'”

Leibovitz’s trio of stunning portraits reveal pivotal points in Jesus’ ministry which the upcoming season is focusing on, such as the Last Supper and Judas’ betrayal.

“I admire what Dallas Jenkins is doing so much… He is the artist of our time doing the Bible,” said Leibovitz.

Jenkins and Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus – along with the series’ actors Elizabeth Tabish, George H. Xanthis, Abe Bueno-Jallad, Austin Reed Alleman, and other cast members – stood in Times Square last week as the billboards were displayed.

What makes her work so extraordinary is she tells stories – in seconds – and then you look deeper and you find more. And we’re trying to tell stories of some of the most iconic people who ever lived. They actually lived and breathed and had fear and doubt and felt things like joy and betrayal. So in a season like this, where you see all of those things, it felt like the season that was in need of someone most like her to communicate that photographically. When she agreed to do it, we knew that it was going to elevate the show and bring something to it with her portraits that we can’t do,” said Jenkins regarding Leibovitz and her photography.

Season 5 Premiere

Season 5 will premiere in theaters through a 3-part series right before Easter, beginning March 28.

The Season Five synopsis reads:

The table is set. The people of Israel welcome Jesus as king while his disciples anticipate his crowning. But—instead of confronting Rome—he turns the tables on the Jewish religious festival. Their power threatened, the country’s religious and political leaders will go to any length to ensure this Passover meal is Jesus’ last.

The series picks up on the events that took place through Holy Week, which leads up to Jesus’ crucifixion.

Part One of the season, or the first 2 episodes, will be in theaters nationwide starting March 28 in the U.S. During its four-week run, fans can purchase tickets for the remainder of the series which includes Part Two (episodes 3, 4, 5) followed by Part Three (episodes 6, 7, 8).

In April, The Chosen: Last Supper Part One will roll out in more than 40 additional markets worldwide, including Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Poland, the Philippines and India.

And although fans have an idea of what will happen because of its Biblical context, Dallas says that there are unexpected scenes in the upcoming season.

“There is a big moment that, when we did a little sneak for a crowd of about 5,000 people at our ChosenCon, it was such a surprise, they freaked out for two minutes!” Jenkins told Women’s World. “But the thing with The Chosen is, even when you know the stories from the Bible, we’re going to bring it in a way that is faithful to the story, but also gives you a human perspective that you haven’t seen before.”

He continues, “We remove it from a stained glass window, we take it down from a painting, and it becomes an actual human moment that you can identify with. So the triumphal entry, the turning over the tables in the Temple, the betrayal of Judas, the Last Supper—these are all moments you’re going to feel viscerally because you can identify with the people involved.”

Roumie told the outlet there are many heart-tugging moments.

“The Garden of Gethsemane was a very difficult scene in Jesus’ life,” he explained. “So to portray that was trying to connect with all the sorrow that he went through.”

“I think (Season 5) maybe prepares viewers’ hearts for the magnitude of the sacrifice that Jesus made on Calvary. I think it’s a really appropriate and sobering precursor to Season 6,” Roumie added.

After its theatrical run, The Chosen Season 5 will make its streaming debut.

As CBN News has reported, The Chosen tries to read between the lines in depicting the ministry of Jesus, telling the Gospel story through the eyes of the people who encounter Him. The series is the largest crowdfunded television project in history and continues to climb to new heights of success.

Episodes of The Chosen started as a crowd-funded project and have grown to over 280 million viewers with a strong social media following.

The series is available to watch for free on The Chosen App. It’s also available on popular streaming services including Apple TV, fubo TV, Amazon Prime, and the Roku Channel.
Sources:CBN News

http://theendtimeradio.com

ന്യൂയോര്‍ക്ക്: ലിബിയയിലെ കടൽത്തീരത്ത് 21 കോപ്റ്റിക് ക്രൈസ്തവരെ കഴുത്ത് അറത്ത് കൊലപ്പെടുത്തിയ സംഭവത്തിന്റെ പത്താം വാര്‍ഷികത്തില്‍ ഹ്രസ്വ ആനിമേറ്റഡ് ഫിലിം “ദി 21” പുറത്തിറക്കി. യേശുക്രിസ്തുവിലുള്ള വിശ്വാസം നിഷേധിച്ച് ഇസ്ലാം സ്വീകരിക്കാനുള്ള സമ്മര്‍ദ്ധത്തിന് വഴങ്ങാത്ത ക്രൈസ്തവര്‍ 2015 ഫെബ്രുവരി 15നു രക്തസാക്ഷിത്വം വരിക്കുകയായിരിന്നു. ഇവരുടെ ജീവിതമാണ് കുട്ടികള്‍ക്ക് മനസിലാകുന്ന വിധത്തില്‍ ഹ്രസ്വ ആനിമേറ്റഡ് ഫിലിം ആയി പുറത്തിറക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നത്. https://www.the21film.com/ ‍ എന്ന വെബ്സൈറ്റില്‍ സിനിമ സൗജന്യമായി കാണാന്‍ അവസരമുണ്ട്. മോർ പ്രൊഡക്ഷൻസിൻ്റെ സ്ഥാപകനായ മാർക്ക് റോഡ്‌ജേഴ്‌സ് 2019-ൽ ഈജിപ്ത് സന്ദർശിച്ച് രക്തസാക്ഷികളുടെ ആത്മീയ വിജയം ഉയർത്തിക്കാട്ടുന്ന സിനിമ നിർമ്മിക്കാൻ പദ്ധതിയിടുകയായിരിന്നു.

തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോകൽ, തടങ്കലിൽ വയ്ക്കൽ, വധശിക്ഷ എന്നിവയെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള കൃത്യമായ വിവരണം “21” അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. 21 ക്രൈസ്തവരെ അറിയാവുന്ന കുടുംബാംഗങ്ങളുമായും സുഹൃത്തുക്കളുമായും കോപ്റ്റിക് വൈദികരുമായി കൂടിക്കാഴ്ച നടത്തി വിപുലമായ ഗവേഷണത്തിൻ്റെയും സംഭാഷണങ്ങളുടെയും അടിസ്ഥാനത്തിലാണ് ഹ്രസ്വ ആനിമേറ്റഡ് ഫിലിം യാഥാര്‍ത്ഥ്യമാക്കിയത്. കോപ്റ്റിക് ഗാനങ്ങളും ആരാധനക്രമവും അവരുടെ സംഗീതത്തിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുത്തുന്ന ക്ലാസിക്കൽ പരിശീലനം ലഭിച്ച സംഗീതജ്ഞരായ അയൂബ് സിസ്റ്റേഴ്‌സ് ആണ് ഇതില്‍ പശ്ചാത്തല ശബ്ദം ഒരുക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നത്.

സിനിമയുടെ ആനിമേഷൻ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്നതിനായി അഞ്ച് വർഷത്തിനിടെ ഇരുപത്തിനാലിലധികം രാജ്യങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുള്ള എഴുപതിലധികം കലാകാരന്മാരെ കാർട്ടൂൺ സലൂണ്‍ സ്റ്റുഡിയോയിലെ മുൻ ക്രിയേറ്റീവ് ഡയറക്ടറായ ടോഡ് പോൾസൺ ഏകോപിപ്പിക്കുകയായിരിന്നു. ‘ദി ചോസണ്‍’ എന്ന ജനപ്രിയ ബൈബിള്‍ പരമ്പരയില്‍ യേശുവിന്റെ വേഷം കൈകാര്യം ചെയ്തുകൊണ്ട് ജനകോടികളുടെ ഹൃദയം കീഴടക്കിയ ജോനാഥന്‍ റൂമിയാണ് സിനിമയുടെ എക്സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് പ്രൊഡ്യൂസർ. ക്രിസ്ത്യാനികൾ എന്ന നിലയിൽ, മരണം അവസാനമല്ലെന്നും ഭയപ്പെടേണ്ട ഏറ്റവും വലിയ കാര്യമല്ലെന്നും അറിയാമെന്നും ധീരരായ പുരുഷന്മാരുടെ സംഭവാക്കഥകള്‍ പറയുകയും പങ്കിടുകയും ചെയ്യേണ്ടതുണ്ടെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം പറഞ്ഞു.
കടപ്പാട് :പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം

ISIS militants brutally executed 21 Coptic Christian prisoners on a beach in Libya. Now, on the 10th anniversary of their martyrdom, a short animated film called “The 21” is honoring these 21 men who died because of their unwillingness to deny their faith in Jesus Christ.

The 13-minute short, animated film was made by MORE Productions in collaboration with the global Coptic community. Actor Jonathan Roumie, best known for his portrayal of Jesus in the hit series “The Chosen,” served as the film’s executive producer.

“The 21” can be viewed for free on www.the21film.com from Feb. 14–17. After that viewers will have to provide an email in order to get access to watch it.

Mark Rodgers, founder of MORE Productions, visited Egypt in 2019 and felt called to create a film that highlighted the spiritual victory of the martyrs. “The 21” presents an accurate narrative of the men’s abduction, detention, and execution. It was developed based on extensive research and multiple conversations with family members, friends, and Coptic clergy who knew the 21 men.

Original music was composed and recorded by the Ayoub Sisters, classically trained musicians who incorporate Coptic hymns and liturgy into their music.

The film is also unique in that it uses neo-Coptic iconography. Tod Polson, former creative director at Cartoon Saloon, led a team of over 70 world-class artists from more than 70 countries over the course of five years to create the film’s animation style.

“As Christians, we know that death is not the end, nor even the greatest thing to fear. These brave men’s stories need to be told and shared so that the world will know in whom we find the ultimate example of hope … one that is never extinguished,” Roumie said in a press release.

“It’s up to those of us in the creative community to make films like this to spotlight and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their faith: martyrs (and their families) who have shown the rest of us what discipleship truly means and what sainthood looks like,” he added. “God’s love transcends and renews all things.”

In May 2023, Pope Francis added the Coptic men to the Roman Martyrology, the Catholic Church’s official list of saints, recognizing them as martyrs. This was the first time in history that Coptic Christians were recognized as martyrs by the Catholic Church.

http://theendtimeradio.com