KNOW WHAT THIS IS? It’s the 8-Track version of Jesus Christ Superstar, released in the early 1970s. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12: Religion is big on Broadway again. Just consider the mega-hit, “Book of Mormon”, which won 9 Tony Awards! More religious themes are debuting in 2012.

Today, though, Broadway fans are looking way back. They’re celebrating the birthday of a granddaddy of faith-and-music spectaculars: the 40th anniversary of the premiere of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” During the past four decades, this controversial musical has been banned in some countries and has garnered awards in others.

Fans are looking toward the horizon, as well! This show simply won’t stop. The musical is set to reopen on Broadway in March of 2012. A third film adaption is set for release in 2014.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” used rock music to depict the Gospels’ account of the last week of Jesus’ life. Controversy swirled around many aspects of the show, including the depiction of Jesus as singing his way through the agonies of that final week. (Wikipedia has details.) The original Broadway production of 1971 ran for 711 performances. “Jesus Christ Superstar” continues to be popular in community theaters.

The Jesus-centered musical was nominated for a 2000 Tony Award—Best Revival of a Musical—and it was revived once again for the 2011 Stratford Shakespeare Festival, running May through November. It was announced last week that the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway will host previews for “Jesus Christ Superstar” on March 1, 2012, with an opening on March 22. If this show isn’t for you, don’t worry—“Godspell,” “The Book of Mormon” and “Sister Act” will also be running on Broadway.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1: It’s a magical anniversary today—Disneyworld is celebrating 40 years! On this day in 1971, Walt Disney World Resort opened its doors to Disney fans from around the world. Aside from the events and performances Disney has planned for the day, it’s rumored that many of the park’s guests will be decked out—in 1970s clothing! Unofficially termed “Retro Day,” today’s honorary dress should carry guests through the Magic Kingdom until its late closing, at midnight. Disney has also announced signing opportunities with Disney inspired artists, character parades, a 40th anniversary presentation at the Cinderella Castle Stage and a specialized fireworks show in the evening. (Disney’s official website has more.)

What’s next for the mammoth Disney parks? The Walt Disney Co. recently announced plans to build attractions based on “Avatar,” with its first site being Animal Kingdom. (Read details at Live5News.) The first “Avatar” spread will begin construction in 2013, with a building estimate of 3 years and $400 million.

President Reagan appearing with newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor 30 years ago. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25: On this date 30 years ago, the U.S. government made history: For the first time since its inception, the Supreme Court of the United States seated a female justice. Sandra Day O’Connor, named the second-most-powerful woman in America by Ladies’ Home Journal in 2001, started on the road to politics at Stanford Law School—and continues her involvement today, at age 81.

President Ronald Reagan appointed her on July 7, 1981, and the U.S. Senate confirmed her by a vote of 99-0 on September 21. Four days later, she took her seat on the high court. The Wikipedia biography of O’Connor includes lots of fascinating details about her life, including a stinging letter she once wrote to the New York Times when the newspaper clumsily referenced the court. She retired from the court in 2006, partly to care for her ailing husband prior to his death in 2009.

Do you know who O’Connor replaced on the court?
Most Americans don’t recall the name: Eisenhower appointee Justice Potter Stewart.

Her Milestone: ‘Opportunities Matter’

Marking this anniversary in the Los Angeles Times, novelist and attorney Meg Waite Clayton writes that she may not have fully appreciated the milestone O’Connor’s appointment represented. Clayton’s column includes these lines: “The pipeline is slow and leaky, to be sure, but progress is being made. At the time of O’Connor’s appointment, only three women had ever served full Senate terms; now we have 17 female senators. Only one woman had ever been chief executive of a Fortune 500 company; there are currently 11. When Ronald Reagan took office, 48 of 700 federal judges were women, up from 10 just four years earlier; now women make up 26% of state and 22% of federal judges, and a third of the Supreme Court. Role models matter. Opportunities matter.”

Honors and O’Connor’s new i-Civics for students

As recipient of the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom of 2009, given by President Barack Obama, O’Connor has pledged her continued commitment to promoting civic awareness. O’Connor recently attended the 224th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution at the National Constitution Center, where she promoted a web-based program known as iCivics. (CBSNews has more.) Through games and interactivity, students can learn more about the U.S. Government. Since less than 10 percent of eighth-graders in studies can demonstrate knowledge of the three branches of government, O’Connor says it’s essential that parents and schools place a greater importance on civics education.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: It was 100 years ago today that the world welcomed an author whose first novel would be read by almost every student who passed through American and British schools. On Sept. 19, 1911, William Golding was born.

Golding wrote and published poems for 20 years before his first novel, “Lord of the Flies,” was rescued from a rejection pile and finally published. He wrote a dozen other novels, often winning high praise for his work, but nothing he published subsequent to “Lord of the Flies” sparked such international acclaim. Then, in 1983, his entire body of work earned the Nobel Prize in Literature. (NobelPrize.org has more.)

“Lord of the Flies” tells the story of a group of boys stranded on a deserted island. Through the novel, Golding managed to explore many levels of conflict: personal greed vs. common good, instinct vs. rationality and morality vs. immorality. In more than just the religious realm, Golding raised broad ethical questions—through the thoughts and actions of children left to their own devices for survival. Even Stephen King has said that he “identified passionately” with one of Golding’s characters. (Think you know the novel well? Try your hand at a themed game.) Also Wikipedia has more about his most famous novel.

GOLDING AND RELIGION / MYTHS

The Nobel announcement of Golding’s prize is fascinating reading for anyone trying to draw spiritual themes from Golding’s often exceedingly dark novels. The Nobel committee said in part: William Golding can be said to be a writer of myths. … The second world war changed his outlook. He discovered what one human being is really able to do to another. … There is a mighty religious dimension in William Golding’s conception of the world, though hardly Christian in the ordinary sense. He seems to believe in a kind of Fall. … All is not evil in the world of mankind, and all is not black in William Golding’s imagined world. According to him, man has two characteristics—the ability to murder is one, belief in God the other. Innocence is not entirely lost.

CONTEST TO FIND A NEW COVER FOR ‘FLIES’

In commemoration of Golding’s centennial, The Guardian is sponsoring a contest for new illustrations of the book’s cover. (Learn more from The Guardian.) Teenagers have been encouraged to create a cover that will “excite a new generation of readers,” with an opportunity to see their artwork placed on the cover of “The Lord of the Flies.” A special exhibition at the Guardian Gallery in London early next year will also showcase entries from the contest.

Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online journal covering religion and cultural diversity.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17: Wall Street is still grim front-page news today, but it was 10 years ago today that Wall Street’s reopening was the talk of the nation: On Sept. 17, 2001, Wall Street trading resumed for the first time since closing on 9/11. News stories across the country interviewed experts, traders and everyone in between about the impact of the terrorist attacks on America’s epicenter of commerce. The shutdown of 2001 was the longest that Wall Street had experienced since the Great Depression; the Dow lost 648.81 points, making the drop its worst one-day loss in history.

Although the U.S. economy was shakey before the attacks, the collapse of the World Trade Center’s twin towers added to the increasing decline. (A PBS Newshour anticipated the shutdown’s effects.) Still, ten years ago, the recession was far from the minds of Wall Street workers who returned to a site still immersed in smoke, rubble and hundreds of American flags. Several workers voiced a resistance to returning so early, but others argued that showing perseverance was important in the face of the attacks. (Read CNN’s article here.)

Today, protestors have vowed to bring 20,000 individuals to Wall Street for an event dubbed “Occupy Wall Street,” during which they’ll aim to nudge President Obama to establish a commission to end “the influence money has over our representatives in Washington.” (Businessweek has more.) The protestors plan to begin occupation today and to continue for “a few months,” the website suggests. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has shown support for the right of the protestors to voice their opinion.

MONDAY, AUGUST 15: Despite the rapid pace of technology these days, it was just 10 years ago that astronomers first reported discovery of a nearby solar system that functions like our own. The team of astronomers located a planet approximately the size of Jupiter in a circular orbit around a star in the Big Dipper, known as 47 Ursae Majoris. (The National Science Foundation published a press release.) In distance from the star, astronomers estimate the planet to be somewhere between Mars and Jupiter in our solar system; a second planet also orbits the star, leaving researchers to wonder if any smaller planets lie between the two. Although smaller planets aren’t visible from Earth, scientists agree they would fall into a “habitable zone,” where water remains liquid.

The rare find has scientists intrigued, since circular orbits are rare in outer space. Circular orbits not only make it possible for smaller planets like Earth to stay in a habitable zone, but for several planets to orbit the same star. The 47 Ursae Majoris star is estimated at 51 light years from Earth.

Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online journal covering religion and cultural diversity.

DID YO USEE GOOGLE’S TRIBUTE FOR THE CENTENNIAL?SATURDAY, AUGUST 6: Before Madonna or Oprah, one woman stood alone as a household name, defined only by the word “Lucy.” One hundred years ago today, Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown, New York. Despite the difficult childhood that began at age 3 with her father’s death and ended with a separation from her mother, Ball went on to become an American comedian, a stage and radio actress, the star of several sitcoms and, eventually, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors. Even the Library of Congress is paying tribute to her famous television show, “I Love Lucy,” with an exhibit that opened two days ago. (The Washington Post has one of many tribute articles, too.) The exhibit commemorates the 60th anniversary of Lucy’s show and names it “An American Legend.”

Ironically, it was under a fake name that Lucy had her beginnings in show business: after some brief work as a model in 1929, Ball began performing on Broadway as Dianne Belmont. After many small movie and radio roles, Ball took on the role that defined her career in the 1951 television show, “I Love Lucy.” (Learn about the sole woman writer for Lucy’s show in a recent New York Times article.)  

Lucille Ball starred opposite her then-husband Desi Arnaz on the sitcom that aired 180 episodes. After going on to create a few other, less successful shows to follow “I Love Lucy,” including “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” and “The Lucy Show,” Ball turned to movies. (Wikipedia has details.) Today, Lucille Ball is known for having one of the longest careers in Hollywood and having won four Emmy Awards, a Women in Film Crystal Award, the Golden Globe Award and more. Ball died in 1989 at age 77.

Lucy and Desi: Pioneers in Diversity

This may be hard to believe in the era of Jennifer Lopez, but American media executives were leery of featuring a “mixed” marriage at the center of  a new prime-time comedy series. Desi Arnaz already was a successful musician; Lucille Ball had her own successful career. But would Americans welcome into their living rooms a Latino with a heavy accent as the husband of a very Anglo-American leading lady? Lucy and Desi decided to prove their popularity by barnstorming their way across America in 1950 with a musical-comedy revue. Remember Lucy’s famous seal routine? That originally was written for the nationwide tour to demonstrate their grassroots appeal—and was recycled into the TV series.

Lucy marathons to honor her birthday

Hoping to catch an episode of “I Love Lucy?” Tune into the Hallmark Channel or TCM, both of which are airing Lucy marathons today. Learn more at USA Today.

Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online journal covering religion and cultural diversity.