Freemasonry and Pop Culture: From Hell: the FX series

According to screenrant.com, FX is developing a series based on Alan Moore's From Hell graphic novel. For those of you who don't know, From Hell takes the theory first presented by Stephen Knight in his book, Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution. The premise is that Prince Albert had fathered an illegitimate heir was involved in a morganatic marriage with a Roman Catholic commoner that would not have been able to claim the throne after the Act of Settlement of 1701. This would have been extremely scandalous so, it's supposed, that Jack the Ripper was a part of a cover up of that marriage and child. The Masonic aspect is that this cover up is performed by Sir William Gull, a prominent member of London society and a Freemason, who murders these women as a continuation of male dominance in society (a near religious practice to attack women) with a Masonic twist.

Although I do not believe the premise, the story itself is very well written. It appears that this new series may be based off of the 2001 film of the same name, which starred Johnny Depp, but as of yet, no word on which source material will be used. I'll hold off judgment until I see the new series.

Edit: corrected the nature of the child in relation to the story.

That's Baphomet... On the Colbert Report...

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Jack White Explains Record Pressing and Secrets

I won't ruin the surprise. You'll hear it.

I think it's a pretty funny video overall.

Saw This on CNN

I saw this picture on the CNN's political ticker. This is a polling place in Orange County, Florida. Anyone know which lodge building this is? Comment below.

Freemasonry and Pop Culture: Run DMC - It's Tricky

Although I'm not in the AASR, I've always wanted to join. Why? Because they wear fashionable caps. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Observe:



What do you think?

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: Psych

It's been years since I've posted a Pop Culture and Freemasonry article. I love the show Psych. I think it's a funny show with a great cast. If you've never seen the show, Psych follows the exploits of Shawn Spencer, a fake psychic, and Berton "Gus" Guster, his childhood friend and business partner in this venture. Think Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson if Holmes was a quick-witted slacker and Dr. Watson was a smart, neurotic pharmaceutical salesman.

This particular episode is entitled "Dis-lodged" and makes some funny jokes about the way secret societies work, from the funny handshakes to our ceremonies. A murder has occurred in the Monarch lodge and the police want answers. The lesson comes at the end and is something that all Masons can understand.

If you have Hulu+ or are a Netflix subscriber with Watch Instantly, you can see it right now. If not, here is a preview.

The Millennial Freemason Reviews: The Lost Symbol

Well friends, the Dan Brown storm has arrived and guess what, no one died. The book that was going to ruin the Fraternity and send pitchfork carrying villagers to kill the Masonic monster hiding in the Lodge downtown never came to fruition. Now that I have read through the book, I can honestly and unequivocally say that...

Chapter 2

Nick thought to himself, Should the public know what my opinion of this book is? Are they ready for the truth?

"Okay, I think I can tell my readers my opinion but I'm afraid of the ramifications."

"Ramifications?" The old man looked blindly at him, wondering what could possibly happen if the young man, the Millennial Freemason as he enjoyed calling himself, (as if he were the only one)decided to reveal his personal feelings about a piece of pop culture. Just say what you're thinking and get us out of this terribly written parody of a Dan Brown novel.

Damn, he knows I'm stalling. Nick looked at the old man and hoped he would just get out of this moment, this sad, stupid moment. Wait, where did this guy come from, anyway? Whatever.

"Alright, alright, I'll reveal my opinion of this book, but I don't want people to call me a sellout." He waited for the old man to speak, but he would be unable to in time; he never thought he would see something so magnificent.

Chapter 3

Whoops, sorry about that, I don't know what happened. The focus of "the Lost Symbol" is aimed directly at Freemasonry, specifically Scottish Rite Masonry. Reading the book made me remember why I liked his books; they are written in the glorious American tradition of pulp. Pulp novels, pulp movies, and comic books are great escapes for the mind. Yeah, you English class snobs (and you know who you are) will be saying, "if a book is not stimulating, such as Joyce's Ulysses or Milton's Paradise Loooosss, ow ow ow owwww!" Yeah, that's what I thought; now where was I... Oh yeah, these novels are not meant to be high art, nor are they meant to present as truth all those crazy ideas that are put in them. They are adventure novels meant as escapism. Think Dr. Samson, or the more modern example, Indiana Jones.

This book provided the right levels of escapism, adventure, patriotism, and a devotion to a higher belief that I came away thinking, "wow, Freemasons really are cool, which means, by association, I'm cool." (The editors of the "Millennial Freemason" take no responsibility for the claims made in the previous statement.) I enjoyed arriving at the end of a two page chapter and having no problem going in for another bite. It's like salty popcorn, not dangerous to your body, but you'll never survive on popcorn alone.

The story is basically a treasure hunt and race against time in one whirlwind trip. The book runs through the city of Washington, D.C. connecting seemingly unconnected works, places, and ideas into a cohesive story. Now, in reality, nothing in the "real world" is connected in the way the book tries to make it but I don't care, I had fun. The city of Washington is built upon the models of Grecian, Roman, and Egyptian architecture, turning the city into something foreign and familiar, exoteric and esoteric.

Whether Robert Langdon is running through the Capitol Crypts or speeding to the House of the Temple, Brown makes Washington alive, secretive, and illuminating. Now, for those who haven't read the book, I will warn you now that there may be some spoilers but nothing that wasn't revealed in other reviews.

SPOILER ALERT!!













The Masonic Fraternity is represented very well by this book. 33rd Degree is the central point from which this entire book revolves around, kind of like a circumpunct. Robert Langdon dispels many of the myths that have been spread by the Anti-Masons, including the head of the devil in the D.C. street plan as well as not hiding from some of the criticism that we also receive including no female Masons in CGMINA-recognized Grand Lodges. But ultimately, Dan Brown treats Masonry extremely fairly, we are the heroes. The book reveals very little about our ritual which was in my mind surprising considering how mysterious our ways are. Ritual is our language and our code. Our path to illumination comes from the stones laid by the early authors of our ritual. Brown instead looks at our goals and teachings to give our Fraternity an air of intelligence, our goal of truth literally surrounding the National Mall. Our history is delved into in some parts but of course, it is simplified. (The Scottish Rite is viewed as a single body instead of the NMJ or SJ in the United States.) And yes, we finally learn why we keep eunuchs out of the Lodge room, ;).











SPOILER OVER!

In the end, the book is a bowl of popcorn, a book of fun and frolic on the same order as "National Treasure." I enjoyed myself and although I have read the works of Milton and Shakespeare, there comes a time when the mind should be given a chance to wander. “The Lost Symbol” may be pulp but it was good, clean, old-fashioned, all-American pulp.

Getting Dan Browned, TODAY?!

Monica Hesse and David Montgomery at the Washington Post have written an article entitled, "New Dan Brown Novel Set To Take Over Washington" about "The Lost Symbol." The authors have entered a new term into my lexicon, "Washington is about to be Dan Browned." The publishing world is about to hit with a tsunami of books, reprints, complementary, supplementary, and secondary media to feed the appetites of a hungry, book-buying public. The protections being used on this book to ensure that no mystery is revealed rivals that of a military base including Amazon.com keeping their stock under 24-hour guard and in protected area where access requires two different people with two different keys. Even the TODAY Show is in on this Dan Brown obsession with Matt Lauer revealing clues to what the book is about. (I’ll be updating this article with the new videos each day so that we know what is being reported, so stay tuned)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The media is grabbing onto this story and frankly, no one knows what will happen after next Tuesday. Now, I do differ in opinion with Brother Tabbert, quoted in the article as saying “We might have to spend the next 25 years responding to Dan Brown's fiction. That's what I dread." Most of the story in "the Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" was fictitious, just as hyperdrives and warp speed are fictitious in "Star Wars" and "Star Trek", respectively. (Wow that was nerdy.) However, it is no less entertaining to wonder, or to question what is true and what is not, and I’m okay with that. I’ve studied the history of Freemasonry in my four years of history and what I’ve learned is that we do not write our own history but we can write our own destiny.

There are really two approaches to dealing with any action, proactive or reactive. I’m of the proactive point of view. We can’t stop the media juggernaut, but we can get in front of it. Every brother should think of ways to discuss the Fraternity and trying to put our best foot forward. We aren’t all about pancakes and fish, but we are a Fraternity of an unknown past, of wild theories and observations, of symbolic, mystic, and philosophic wonders, in total, we are one of the most interesting organizations on Earth. People have written volumes and encyclopedias about the minutiae of our Gentle Craft. Research has been done on our connection to the Revolutionary War, Templar Knights, peasant revolts and the Ancient Mysteries of Egypt. We are a fascinating group to read up on as our story is that mysterious.

I think the most advantageous point that we will find with this book in everyday Lodge life is that there will be an abrupt return to the educational opportunities to which this book will lead that has been lacking in many Lodges. Some brothers may take this book as fact while others will attempt to debunk every assertion and that is a very good thing. I’m hoping to see an open dialogue among brothers about truth, which is one of our espoused values, in all things Masonic and allowing more than just business about lights to run the meetings. This book will not be absolute truth but it can serve as the string between the cans to get brothers to talk.

I think that in my own Lodge, the fact that our Friendship Night falls on the same day as this book's release is truly auspicious. I’m not concerned with gaining many more members but good quality men and perhaps this book will spark their interest even when they never had any inkling that we existed before its publication. For good tips on what Lodges should do, check out WB Chris Hodapp’s article entitled, “The Dan Brown Effect Part II, What Next.”

Be Prepared, Not Afraid: Part 2

I have decided to republish a great comment to my post, Be Prepared, Not Afraid, by Worshipful Brother David Wells of Virginia. He is a Past Master of Taylor Lodge #23 of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. Worshipful Brother Wells has presented great answers to questions that may soon be posed to each one of us.

_________________________________________________________________
I think we should have someone in the media who is a brother mason to propose questions that local lodges could be called by local media to answer after the book comes out. Help our lodge leaders be prepared for the questions that will or could come. Questions like:

So they say Freemasonry is a secret organization are you?

Like many groups we have organizational secrets, modes of recognition such as our handshakes, words so we may recognize another brother Mason as we say in the light as in the darkness, literally. These were not developed just for the fun of it, they were developed over time for reasons. Early operative Masons (those who practiced the trade of building the great building of Europe) were had learned the building trade skills used in the construction of cathedral and castles were given special or secret words only known to other tradesman so they could travel throughout the land to practice their trade freely, therefore the name Freemasons. During earlier wartimes in other countries many lodges and brethren had their lodges destroyed and property confiscated and destroyed as Freemasons are viewed as a threat to totalitarian and dictatorial regimes. Today we use words and signs and handshakes to identify one another and to remind ourselves we can once again become the targets of those who oppose a free government and a free people.

Do you prohibit those of different faiths from joining?

No, we have members in our lodges locally, regionally or statewide who are Christian, Jewish & Catholic just to name a few. Our fraternity only requires a belief in God. I am a member of my lodge for fraternal fellowship & brotherhood; to explore how to make myself and others a better man by studying our Masonic ritual and exploring from an educational perspective what our symbols represent. I attend my church, temple or synagogue for a greater understand and search for my personal salvation. My salvation and grace come from my personal relationship I work on with God, my fraternal fellowship with brother Masons.

Do you allow only white males to join your lodge?

Most all Grand Lodges (Each state has its own Grand Lodge and governs it own jurisdiction) no longer discriminate based on race and culture. Like many organizations, both fraternal and otherwise in the past have discriminated against individuals for reasons that today we find blatantly wrong. Was it right then, we leave to antiquity but we continue to education ourselves and membership. Just like life we as individuals and organizations change and grow. That is what makes us human, at the same time always searching our past to take good men and make them better. That is what we do. Have we always been right, no, are we always searching for ways to make ourselves better, YES!

Who are your members? Are their any members of local government who are members of your lodge?

Our lodges consist of your neighbors, co-workers, and family members both present and past. We have everyone from governmental leaders in our ranks, to labors. That is what makes us unique, all men meet on the same level when we are in lodge and how we treat one another in our community and our life. No matter your occupation, your age you are no better than the next brother.

These are just a sample of some of the questions. Ask the hard questions; help formulate replies to these questions using bridging techniques of communication. You do not have to answer each question direct, although most of the above you can without any problem. How do you reframe the question? How to expand the question to inform the audience of what we do, not just what the interviewer has asked.

What are your questions? What do you think will be asked by your local media? Help us all be prepared to help our communities understand who we are, what we stand for in our towns, cities, shires and states.


+++++++++++Update+++++++++++++

WB David would also like to share with you his Twitter account if you would like to follow him: @DavidWellsVA Thank you WB David again for this great response. It was timely and good. Now that we have seen the novel from Dan Brown, it's the time to get ourselves into action. The Relevant Mason has posted a great article about what we need to do entitled, "Dan Brown Got it Right". Thanks to brother Porter for his great article.

Be Prepared, Not Afraid

Okay, so I have to confess something, I'm a little intrigued by the new Dan Brown book about the Fraternity. Okay, I feel a whole lot better now. Obviously, I read many comments from brothers in newspapers, forums, and other fora who are not so happy nor appreciative of his book. Rumors and fearmongering seem to be the name of the game concerning our Craft's reaction to this book. I'd like to say just one, teensy-weensy little word, "STOP." Okay maybe a few more, "you're not helping."

This book is going to be huge, like five-million-copies-on-its-first-run huge. Obviously, if this book has any relation in topic or reference to Freemasonry, we are going to be affected for years. We won't know its actual impact until the novel hits the local mega-bookstore. Angered rhetoric might makes us feel better but it really doesn't matter in the aggregate, and here's why: we can complain about or fear the coming of this novel, but it's coming out, plain and simple.

Let's be frank: "The Lost Symbol" is being published, it's being published soon, and we're going to have to live with it. There will be a post-Dan Brown world and we, as Lodges and Masons, are going to have to live in that world. Sorry, we don't get to control the printing press, despite some Anti-Masonic belief to the contrary so we need to understand its impact and be ready for the deluge.

When I see or hear the annoyed comments from brothers, I feel like I've joined a tribe of sun-worshipers who are about to experience their first eclipse. There will be a sun once the excitement dies down and a new day will dawn. I can understand the frustration; we don't know what the story is about and we don't know how it will affect the Craft. Whether brothers want to accept it or not, it's coming.

For years, the numbers of brothers and relative interest in the Craft declined precipitously. We became irrelevant, a fixture of the past to be forgotten. Grand Lodges attempted anything to keep the numbers at a sustainable level through One-Day classes and simplified catechism but still the numbers dropped as Lodges were unable to find their groove. Then, through some miracle, the media began to take a second look at Freemasonry and we were once again in the spotlight.

Sadly, I think our collective response has been less than stellar. Interest was peeked but many Masons remained unable or unwilling to speak about the Craft leaving a hole to be filled by everyone else. This book offers us a second chance to be recognized and I'd like to not see us fail at this again. We need to be prepared for that day, and I believe we can, it's just going to take every Mason to do it.

My advice for everyone is that we plan for both the bad as well as the good press but most importantly, we need to prepare. Each brother needs to know how to explain what Masonry is, what Masonry means to them and what Masonry should mean to the general public. Each Master should be ready to have their local paper ask them a few questions. Each Lodge should be educating their members on what may and may not be discussed about Freemasonry. It won't matter how big or small the town is, this novel will affect everyone.

To sum up my advice, be prepared. We can all do this but we are going to need guidance and aforethought to give an effective and most importantly, coherent and cohesive answer to the questions and attention that we'll most likely endure because of this novel. If we play our cards correctly, Freemasonry may once again climb back to prominence.

"Lost Symbol" and the D.C. Street "Secrets"

The latest clue dropped on the Lost Symbol twitter stream seems to retread what some Anti-Masons believe are the "evils" of Freemasonry found in the D.C. layout. (you may now cough and say bologna or some equivalent word)

The clue states:

38.909561,-77.043471 38.897611,-77.036562 38.909663,-77.029457 38.902508,-77.050118 38.902426,-77.022877 38.909561,-77.043471

It is rather obvious that this clue is GPS coordinates but to what? If you put them into Google Maps, you will see the connection.


View Larger Map

Connect the Circles and you will see the PENTAGRAM!!! (pause for effect)

Sadly, this myth has been found throughout Anti-Masonic texts to point to some sort of nefarious plot to take over the world. To get the record straight, here is the article from the fantastic Grand Lodge of BCY encyclopedia on Masonry.

But wait, there's more!!!

The next clue given out later in the day states:

"Levi’s goat: a symbol used to accuse the righteous of evil deeds"

Levi's goat was a symbol of the supposed "Baphomet" which some Anti-Masons believe is a deity revered by Freemasons, another complete untruth. With the connection of "Baphomet" and the upside-down pentagram, Anti-Masons have concocted a symbol for the ages, the supposed devil's head in the street plan of Washington, D.C. Again, the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon has great material concerning the Myth of Baphomet or Eliphas Levi.

However, I feel more encouraged from this latest clue. If we assume that Dan Brown is using Freemasonry as a part of his book, then we are the "righteous" party. We can hope that this clue points to a kinder portrayal, not accurate mind you, but a portrayal about us being a group of good men. However, let's not have Dan Brown present his story as our story. We will have people asking individual Masons about the Craft which is why I think we need every Mason to prepare himself for the questions. Millions if not billions of people will read this book, we need to be ready for it. SO start coming up with your way to describe our Craft. I believe we can do it, it will just take practice and aforethought.

"The Lost Symbol" Cover Revealed

Well, it seems to be accurate. The newest Dan Brown book will indeed feature Freemasonry. The US cover features the US Capitol and the seal of the Scottish Rite of the Southern Jurisdiction. If there were any doubts before that this book would affect the Craft and how we are perceived, it should dissipate fairly quickly.

What does this mean for us? First, we had better be able to explain to the millions of readers of these books any misconceptions that may appear in the book. Second, we had better be ready for the onslaught of curious men who's interest will be sparked by this book in joining our Fraternity. I know many brothers are concerned about the quality of the men that will be on our doorstep and with good reason. It will be our job to remove the wheat from the chaff. Of course, we have been doing that for centuries so we should have it down by know. And really, when was the last time you ran into a bad candidate.

The UK version of the cover uses a key with a Square and Compass as its handle. It also prominently displays the US Capitol building on its face.

*****Update*******

Okay, so Esquire at the Manthanein Chronicles blog has corrected me on the SR seal. It is, in fact, more similar to the seal used by the Northern Jurisdiction. This is what I get for not being a Scottish Rite Mason. If you want to check out the analysis, go to his blog post here.

*****Update*******

7/9/09

So I think the Scottish Rite bodies may need to get ready for the onslaught of interest. The reason I say this is that if you add the numbers for the date, 9/15/09, equals 33. Interesting.

Keys to the Lost Symbol Tweets

Brother Mark Koltko-Rivera has begun a new blog, Keys to the Lost Symbol Tweets, to study the tweets from the Lost Symbol Book twitter stream. I have discussed earlier that Dan Brown's new book is using Facebook and Twitter to ramp up interest in the new Raobert Langdon book, "The Lost Symbol." The clues that have been dropped for fans and readers have been incredibly fascinating. We have seen tweets concerning the Philosopher's Stone, alchemy, the Great Pyramid of Giza and many other interesting clues. I would suggest that all of you take a look at Bro. Mark's great insight in solving the mysteries surrounding this new book.

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: Cracked

I want to thank Bro. John for pointing this out to me. We (and by we, I mean Freemasons) have been mentioned on the website Cracked.com as one of five "pathetic" groups that people believe are controlling the world. The article looks at the way people view these groups. The article conflates both the Illuminati and Freemasons into the same category.

My favorite quote:

The historical Illuminati (yes, there was an actual organization called that) was an 18th Century group of Bavarian humanists and free thinkers, basically the 18th Century's version of pothead college professors.

If you want to check out the article, you can find it here. (Warning: the language is both explicit and not politically correct.)

"The Lost Symbol" and Twitter

As I am sure all of you know, I am very active on Twitter (you can follow me @nickjohnson). I have recently started following the Twitter profile for Dan Brown's book, "The Lost Symbol". Here is just a taste of what is being posted:

Who stole William Wirt’s skull?

Codes of ethics? T 10 C; 6 P O T SOD; 12 S O T Z

Before they were Illuminati, they were Perfectibilists.

I'm sure most of my readers can recognize the Masonic connection in at least one of the postings. William Wirt was the United States Attorney General for both Monroe and John Quincy Adams. The important fact about Wirt was that he was an unsuccessful candidate for President under the Anti-Masonic Party banner. He was a former Freemason and defended the Craft at the Party's Convention.

Could the mention of William Wirt really point to this book's Masonic premise and furthermore, could this book somehow connect the Illuminati to the Morgan Affair. I will, for one, be very curious to see where the book goes.


*************Update***************

6/27/09

It appears that "The Lost Symbol" will really be going on a strange bent. The latest post is:

29.979093, 31.133891

If you put this into Google Maps, you will come up with this:


View Larger Map

Yep, that's right. That is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Mischke Reads WB John Hendrickson's Obit

I was listening to "In the Stream" with Tom Mischke and was pleasantly surprised by the Masonic connection in the show. Mischke reads obits on air, not the big paragraph obits of "famous" folks but those on the death notice page. On Monday's show, he read Worshipful Brother John Hendrickson's obituary, his long, extensive obituary. I was amazed by the Masonic record of this truly dedicated brother. I could never do justice to all that he did for the Masons of Minnesota so I will post the link to it here.

If you want to hear the mention, fast forward to 58:00 into the show.

Pop Culture Review: That Illuminati Movie

Today, (Sunday, the 17th) my wife and I went to see Angels and Demons, you know, that Illuminati movie. I have read the book but it has been awhile so the story was not as fresh in my mind. Because of my lack of memory, I really came into the movie without any preconceived notions. Well, maybe one. There have been a lot of reports that the Holy See impeded the film crew from filming in certain sites in Rome, so I expected some pretty harsh criticisms of the Church. However, there was really no insults lobbed at anyone.

I have to say, I had fun. I realize that the historical truth in a Dan Brown novel is like panning for gold. The movie pares down much of the book's more controversial topics and streamlines the movie into a quick, action packed movie. Which topics were removed?

*Spoiler Alert*:

Well for starters, there is no Kohler, nor is Vetra branded with the Illuminati symbol. The Hassassin is not of Arab descent, he does not lust after women, nor is he killed as he was in the book. There is no Janus character. The Chamberlain in the book is not the illegatimate son of the former Pope nor is he from Italy. You know what, this list is getting really long so let's just say the book and the movie are related only to the main storyline.

*Spoiler Over*

As I sat through the movie, I thought to myself, "Why was there so much anger by the Vatican?" In fact, the Church is shown in a very honorable light of faith and ritual. The movie could almost be considered a dignified representation of the Catholic Church. I think it should be remember that this movie is entertaining and should provide some good talking points about Science and Religion. Finally, if you are looking for a Masonic reference in the movie, you won't find one.

I will be curious to see what Dan Brown's next book holds, there are still rumors about a Masonic connection. I guess if there is one, I will have a very busy next year, should tradition prevail.

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: The Last Templar Revisited

In the desire for completeness, my wife pointed out that the Last Templar has been posted on Hulu which I will post below. Sadly, for my readers not living in the United States, Hulu will probably not work. Therefore, I will also post the NBC website for the show here which has the show available for viewing in its entirety. I hope that works for everyone.

Part 1:


Part 2:

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: The Last Templar

Next Sunday, NBC will be airing a four hour miniseries, "The Last Templar." "The Last Templar" was originally a NY Times bestseller written by Raymond Khoury. The book remained on the bestseller list for 22 months. The story is based around the legend of the Templar Knights after their fall. The story follows an archaeologist named Tess Chaykin who goes on an adventure to find an encoder stolen by four horsemen dressed as Templar knights from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The miniseries stars Mina Sorvino as Tess, Scott Foley (from the Unit) and Victor Garber (from Alias). Although I am an admitted believer in Freemasonry being tied to the cathedral builders of the Medieval age, it is still fun to see stories surrounding the Knights Templar. The first part airs Sunday, Jan. 25th at 9/8c and the second part airs Monday, Jan. 26 at 9/8c.

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: Angels and Demons Teaser Trailer

Today, my wife pointed me to the new Teaser Trailer for Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. Unless you have been living under a boulder, I am sure you have at least heard of or have read this book. Dan Brown spins a tale of the Illuminati threatening the delicate balance between faith and science. As can be seen in the trailer, Tom Hanks is back as Robert Langdon, the Harvard Professor of Symbology (and mullets?) to solve more mysteries in the Eternal City, Rome.

As Chris Hodapp reported, Doubleday has entered panic mode as Dan Brown has yet to present a manuscript for his Masonic thriller, The Solomon Key, after 5 years of "working on it." Here is my guess: Dan Brown had the intention of writing his book until he saw the disgusting amounts of money that he would be paid from movie royalties and found a nice beach chair to began tanning writing. Here is hoping that Dan Brown doesn't get a nasty sunburn.

(Why did I post this video? Internet Superstar was one of my favorite video podcasts available but sadly, Martin Sargent has been laid off from Revision3 as well as many others. I am posting this as a tribute to this funny, irreverent show.)