Church of the Masses points out a couple of great articles (Here, then a followup) slamming Roger Friedman's Foxnews thingy1 and thingy2 on The Passion of The Christ distribution. How do people get away with printing such garbage?? I think blogs have a higher level of fact checking! David Poland said Friedman should be fired and I thought that was a bit much but look at this:

"Mel Gibson couldn't find anyone to make "The Passion of the Christ," so he put up $25 million of his own money to produce it."
-I don't think he ever looked for anyone to make it-he produced it from the beginning by choice?

"The Passion" is now the most expensive vanity production in history."
-Dead wrong

"The theaters they have chosen in Jewish areas are minimal — none, for example, on Long Island near Valley Stream and the Five Towns or Great Neck and Roslyn — but screens in more friendly places like Merrick, Lynbrook and Seaford."

-EXXXXXXCUUUUUSE ME????????

Towns where the movies is showing compared to the towns he cites:

Lynbrook is 12 minutes (4.77 miles) from the Five Towns area
Lynbrook is 5 minutes (2.20 miles) from Valley Stream
Port Washington is 17 minutes (5.28 miles) from Great Neck
Port Washington is 13 minutes (4.38 miles) from Roslyn

And: The movie is showing in Seaford, which is in between Massapequa and Bellmore, both of which have large Jewish populations. Also, Merrick is both heavily Jewish and upscale. Who does Friedman's fact checking--The former minister of information from Iraq???

"They have booked "The Passion of the Christ" at the Metro on Broadway and West 100th Street — a grimy two-screen house used for second runs and considered a throwaway by distributors. Ironically, it stares at two Orthodox synagogues that reside within a block. It will be interesting to see how the movie plays in that neighborhood. "

Across from two Orthodox synagogues....but I thought it was not showing in Jewish areas??