Italian Churches Ban Da Vinci Code Prequel

Director defends Angels & Demons from 'smear campaign'

(NEWSER) - Ron Howard wants to make something clear: He is not anti-Catholic, and neither is his upcoming film, Angels & Demons. The beleaguered prequel to the similarly controversial Da Vinci Code is under fire from the Catholic League, and Howard responds to the latest “silly and mean-spirited work of propaganda” on the Huffington Post: “I believe Catholics, including most in the hierarchy of the Church, will enjoy the movie.” More»

What will we still be talking about next decade? Britney, for one

(NEWSER) - The ‘00s were full of important contributions to culture, but which ones will we still be talking about in another decade? Here are some of New York ’s picks:

• TV: The Sopranos for inventing quality cable, American Idol for changing the music industry, and of course all things Oprah Winfrey.
• Books: The Da Vinci Code for singlehandedly sustaining the book industry, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for blazing the trail of combining geek lit with high lit.

Da Vinci Code follow-up barrels its way through Dan Brown's brand of hokum

(NEWSER) - Da Vinci Code sequel Angels & Demons is a fast-paced improvement on its sluggish predecessor, say critics, although filmgoers without a high tolerance for hooey are advised to steer clear.

• Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: The "ticking-bomb thriller tightly wrapped in a papal plot and cinched with the ribbons of religion and science" could pass as CSI: Vatican City.

Brown's DaVinci Code sequel has stunning first-week sales of 2M+

(NEWSER) - Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code sequel sold more than 2 million English-language copies in its first week, a Doubleday spokesman tells Publisher’s Weekly, making it the best debut Doubleday—or, for that matter, parent company Random House—has ever had. “The book is exceeding our expectations,” the spokeswoman said. The figure includes hardcovers, audiobooks and e-books. Symbol still has a ways to go, however, before matching Da Vinci, which has more than 81 million copies in print. More»

Da Vinci Code follow-up sells 1M copies in 24 hours

(NEWSER) - To the surprise of exactly no one, Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code follow-up, The Lost Symbol, is a smash hit, selling, between its hardcover and e-book editions, 1 million copies in its first day on the shelves, the New York Times reports. Amazon and Barnes & Noble both say it’s the best first day any adult fiction book has ever seen. More»