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America Has Spoken: Nuns Having Fun Is Recession Proof!

The Nuns Having Fun Calendar 2009 is well on its way to becoming a bestseller for the fifth straight year. Why? It's funny, it's tender, and it is a reasonable price for a great gift that gives 12 months long. The paperback book of best of the Nuns Having Fun Calendars called Nuns Having Fun (great title huh?) is also climbing the bestseller list and may take its place along with Growing Up Catholic the 25 year in print New York Times Bestseller by the same writers.

Don't fear the recession! The price is right for a stocking stuffer or office gift or just for someone you like (they don't have to know it didn't cost you an arm and a leg or a rapped knuckle.)

Nobody Is Getting Anything From Santa Claus This Christmas

We at Nuns Having Fun are well aware of the crunch everyone is feeling as the economy grinds to a shuddering halt.

What will we get Aunt Mae and what about all those cousins!?

Ad begins here: How about the very inexpensive Nuns Having Fun Calendar! Or a copy of that great icon of Catholic humor Growing Up Catholic. A year's worth of fun and rememberance!

Change from a twenty! Lots of change. Check out the very low price of intra-family peace at Amazon or your favorite independent bookseller.

Enjoy that moment when your extended family opens their gift and says: "I didn't know they were doing so well!"

No Doubt: Meryl Streep Is The Greatest Actor Alive

La Streep has long been regarded
as the greatest actor of her time. In Doubt (adapted by John Patrick Shanely from his Pulitzer Prize Winning) she gets to play a nun. She has already played an angel of course.

Films of Streep. (Links from the International Movie Database-http://imdb.com)

Untitled Nancy Meyers Project (2009) (pre-production)
Julie & Julia (2009) (post-production) .... Julia Child
Doubt (2008) .... Sister Aloysius Beauvier
Mamma Mia! (2008) .... Donna Sheridan ... aka Mamma Mia! The Movie (UK: promotional title) (USA: promotional title) ... aka Mamma Mia! (Germany)
Lions for Lambs (2007) .... Janine Roth
Rendition (2007) .... Corrine Whitman
Evening (2007) .... Lila Ross ... aka Spuren eines Lebens (Germany)
Dark Matter (2007) .... Joanna Silver
The Ant Bully (2006) (voice) .... Queen
The Devil Wears Prada (2006) .... Miranda Priestly
The Music of Regret (2006) .... The Woman
A Prairie Home Companion (2006) .... Yolanda Johnson
Prime (2005) .... Lisa Metzger
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) .... Aunt Josephine ... aka Lemony Snicket - Rätselhafte Ereignisse (Germany)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004) .... Eleanor Shaw
"Angels in America" .... Ethel Rosenberg / ... (6 episodes, 2003) - Millennium Approaches: Chapter Three - The Messenger (2003) TV episode .... The Rabbi/Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg/The Angel of Australia - Perestroika: Chapter Five - Beyond Nelly (2003) TV episode .... The Rabbi/Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg/The Angel of Australia - Millennium Approaches: Chapter One - Bad News (2003) TV episode .... The Rabbi/Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg/The Angel of Australia - Millennium Approaches: Chapter Two - In Vitro (2003) TV episode .... The Rabbi/Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg/The Angel of Australia - Perestroika: Chapter Four - Stop Moving! (2003) TV episode .... The Rabbi/Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg/The Angel of Australia (1 more)
"Freedom: A History of Us" .... Abigail Adams / ... (4 episodes, 2003) - Democracy and Struggles (2003) TV episode .... Margaret Chase Smith - Independence (2003) TV episode .... Abigail Adams - Liberty for All (2003) TV episode .... Mary Easty - Yearning to Breathe Free (2003) TV episode .... Mother Jones
The Hours (2002) .... Clarissa Vaughan
Adaptation. (2002) .... Susan Orlean
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) (voice) .... Blue Mecha ... aka A.I. Artificial Intelligence (USA: poster title)
"King of the Hill" .... Aunt Esme Dauterive (1 episode, 1999) - A Beer Can Named Desire (1999) TV episode (voice) .... Aunt Esme Dauterive
Music of the Heart (1999) .... Roberta Guaspari
Chrysanthemum (1999) .... Narrator
One True Thing (1998) .... Kate Gulden
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998) .... Kate 'Kit' Mundy
...First Do No Harm (1997) (TV) .... Lori Reimuller
Marvin's Room (1996) .... Lee
Before and After (1996) .... Dr. Carolyn Ryan
The Bridges of Madison County (1995) .... Francesca Johnson
"The Simpsons" .... Jessica Lovejoy (1 episode, 1994) - Bart's Girlfriend (1994) TV episode (voice) .... Jessica Lovejoy
The River Wild (1994) .... Gail Hartman
The House of the Spirits (1993) .... Clara del Valle Trueba ... aka Åndernes hus (Denmark) ... aka A Casa dos Espíritos (Portugal) ... aka Das Geisterhaus (Germany)
Death Becomes Her (1992) .... Madeline Ashton
Defending Your Life (1991) .... Julia
Postcards from the Edge (1990) .... Suzanne Vale
She-Devil (1989) .... Mary Fisher
Rabbit Ears: The Fisherman and His Wife (1989) (V) .... Storyteller
Evil Angels (1988) .... Lindy Chamberlain ... aka A Cry in the Dark (International: English title) (USA)
The Tailor of Gloucester (1988) (V) .... Narrator
Ironweed (1987) .... Helen Archer
Rabbit Ears: The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1987) (V) (voice) .... Storyteller
Rabbit Ears: The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher (1987) (V) (voice) .... Storyteller
Heartburn (1986) .... Rachel Samstat
Out of Africa (1985) .... Karen Blixen
Plenty (1985) .... Susan Traherne
Falling in Love (1984) .... Molly Gilmore
Little Ears: The Velveteen Rabbit (1984) (V) .... Storyteller
Silkwood (1983) .... Karen Silkwood
Sophie's Choice (1982) .... Sophie Zawistowski ... aka Sophie's Choice (Australia)
Still of the Night (1982) .... Brooke Reynolds
Alice at the Palace (1982) (TV) .... Alice
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) .... Sarah / Anna
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) .... Joanna Kramer
The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979) .... Karen Traynor
Uncommon Women... and Others (1979) (TV) .... Leilah
Manhattan (1979) .... Jill Davis
The Deer Hunter (1978) .... Linda
"Holocaust" (1978) TV mini-series .... Inga Helms Weiss
Julia (1977) .... Anne Marie
The Deadliest Season (1977) (TV) .... Sharon Miller
Secret Service (1977) (TV) .... Edith Varney

Nuns Having Fun Reviewed In Arts Section of the New York Daily News

The New York Daily News wants to know "Why are photos of nuns kicking up their habits, so to speak, so damn funny? (Sorry, Sister, for the language.) They just are." Click photo to enlarge.

A Nun Too Far?

The NUNSENSE people have been touring for many, many years and are certainly masters of the touring nun franchise. But have they jumped the shark with some of theie latest offerings?

We certainly have nothing against spin-offs. Nuns Having Fun includes the work of two of the Growing Up Catholic authors (Growing Up Catholic, More Growing Up Catholic, Still Catholic After All These Years) and the Nuns Having Fun Calendars have become some of the bestselling calendars in the market, but the next thing you know they will do a touring show of Nuns going to Las Vegas or something. Oh, wait, they already have!

Stupid Nun Movies 4: Detroit Rock City (1999)

Okay, this is not specifically a "nun" movie; it just has priests and nuns who try to prevent our heroes from going to a KISS concert. One of the boys is removed to a Catholic boarding school where his mates have to break him out so they can get to the concert. Boys THEY WERE DOING YOU A FAVOR!

Nuns Don't Just Have Fun. They Help People.

Nuns Having Fun Calendars and the Growing Up Catholic book authors never forget that real nuns do good, lots of good, each and every day. As tough economic times hit nuns are frequently the only face those in trouble see. Read this news article from Florida. Bless you sisters.

Stupid Nun Movies 3: Hot Under The Collar (1991)

Man dresses as a priest to save his girlfriend from a convent. Huh?

And Now For Something Completely Different

From Mother Teresa's school to award winning garden designer and television star. The improbable life of Diarmuid Gavin.

Stupid Nun Movies 2: Space Nuns (1995)

I can't find a poster for this laugh riot from New Zealand but the plotline says it all:

Kate has always wanted to fly in space, and when the Vatican announces plans to send catholicism to the stars she signs up. Her motivation however falls somewhat short of purely evangelical, and the mission fails to proceed exactly according to (divine?) plan.

The Wild Ones: Nuns Adopt Motorcycle Gang

Don't know how I missed this story, but it is on the Catholic News Service about the alliance between a group of nuns and some Harley...ahem...enthusiasts.

New Feature: Stupid Nun Movies

There have been GREAT nun movies and there have been stupid nun movies. Everyone knows about The Bells of St. Mary's and The Nun's Story so we thought we would highlight the "stoopid" from now until Christmas.

Our first entry stars the terrific fisher of Wanda Eric Idle who for some reason decided to star in this turkey in 1990. Rent at your own risk or just have a laugh right here.

Eva Mendes Just Not Nun Material

The sisterhood of the traveling wimple dodged a bullet when Cuban-American actress/bombshell Eva Mendes (Ghost Rider, 2 Fast 2 Furious) decided not to become a nun. The problem: not enough pay.

In an interview in the Kahleej Times (where I get all my news) Mendes said:

What were your dreams as a child?
I wanted to become a nun. I'm not kidding. My sister told me: “You know Eva, nuns don't get paid.” And I said: “Forget it!” I've always wanted a better life financially and was probably around ten years old when I came to that conclusion. I think I would have eventually said no to the nunnery, but that was definitely one of my ambitions as a child.

See, God does have a plan.

Little Known Facts

During the creation of Growing Up Catholic, Nuns Having Fun (both the calendars and the NEW book) frequently a semi-funny comment during brainstorming sessions was greeted by co-writers with the phrase, "How ironic!" What made this funny was the comment was never IRONIC at all! But now let us introduce you to The Ironic Catholic. This is funny stuff and who would have thought Catholics (other than Joe Biden of course) could be this funny.

Embracing Your Cultural Catholic

There is a new game (or do they call it a meme?) where we, the great unwashed, "google" ourselves to see what our connectivity and importance in the world is. Tosh. Everyone is important. But I noticed whenever I googled things about being catholic one site kept coming up which seemed to explain it all to us. The Cultural Catholic.

One of the reasons that Growing Up Catholic and Nuns Having Fun (books and the heavenly CALENDAR) have had such a great reception, is the shared culture of having participated in the Catholic faith in many different ways. Indeed the pre and post Vatican II view of the world sometimes seperates us but we are brought back together by not just nostalgia but shared beliefs.

The icing on the cake or the insense in the censor, was this nice correspondence with the webmaster of Cultural Catholic, Sharon:

Thanks for bringing this brand to the Catholic public. My late brother, a product of New York City Catholic grammar and high schools during the time period of the calender, had the Nuns Having Fun calendar hanging in his downtown Manhattan insurance company office where it garnered much attention. My brother would say, "The nuns are having fun in my office!"

Nun Stories

For me it was a nun in high school who inspired a love of good books and even the scribbling I did in Growing Up Catholic. I still have a note from that Sister congratulating us on making the bestseller list. I remember the exact moment I got "it" about what was great and lasting in books and plays. We were reading The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene and Sister's thoughtful teaching of that book let me know there was a lot more going on than I had first thought.

There is a nice article about the First Folio Theatre in Chicago and the artistic director of that fine theatre who had a similar experience:

Alison traces her own love of theatre and Shakespeare back to grade school, where an intuitive nun had her students reading Shakespeare out loud in class. "We took turns reading ‘Romeo and Juliet' out loud and I found that I naturally loved the rhythm, it made sense to me spoken out loud. Then in college I had a professor who almost killed it for me."

Read more about The First Folio Theatre here.

Feel free to leave your own nun stories in the Comments.

Nuns Having Fun Is Good Clean Fun!

No! That is not the Nuns Having Fun Calendar or Growing Up Catholic book or any of our fun looks at Catholic humor. We only do it with good clean fun!

Dear Nuns Having Fun...

"What do I do when I am done looking at the funny nun pictures in your books and calendars?"

Well, the internet is full of clever and delicious writing by so called "amatuers" who actually are doing some of the most interesting work around today. Simple searches can reveal a world of humor, perspective and practical advice not to be found in the MSM (main stream media.)

Here is The Modern Gal blog which found a unique use for a copy of Nuns Having Fun (the book.)

Okay, Everything Changed After Vatican II...

But what was Vatican II? Read the original documents in a zillion different languages at this very official looking Vatican Site. No Swiss Guards, feel free to browse around.

Australian Roman Catholic Church Gets Topical

Stained Glass "roll" models for upcoming World Catholic Youth Day. Does this need to be re-thought or is it just snoopid fun?

Read the article on copyranter

The Original Celebrity Nun

No, not The Flying Nun but Soeur Sourire singing Dominique is truly the first celebrity nun having fun. But have you ever heard the disco version?

Ever Been To The Sistine Chapel? Me Either.

Full Disclosure

I wrote some of material in the New York Times Bestseller GROWING UP CATHOLIC and some friends of mine wrote that and the book and calendar NUNS HAVING FUN--on the right. Those friends who wrote on all of them are more industrious than I am. Contribute to our our corporeal body by buying them. Click the images to go to a fine online bookstore or go to your local independent bookseller and support them!

You will laugh at this fine book and enjoy the calendar all year long almost as much as watching nuns play frisbee in full habit.

If You Survived It-- It's Time To Have Fun

Hail the last generation who will know the pains and glories of Growing Up Catholic and of Nuns Having Fun. Say an Our Father and a Hail Mary and relive those chalk-stained days with a certain fondness and not a ruler in sight.