Story courtesy of Dan King

WHERE IS DOGMA?

Hard to believe it's been a year since one of the most star-studded casts ever for a movie shot in the 'burgh had us all snapping cameras and doing patented double takes. Maybe you tried to nonchalantly gaze at Alanis Morissette sipping java on the South Side. You might have been at the Funny Bone the night Chris Rock did an impromptu set. Could be you were a few seats back from--gasp!--Matt Damon and Ben Affleck when they snuck into the Showcase North to catch "U.S. Marshals." Maybe even, like me, you gazed upon the radiant countenance of my future wife, Janeane Garofalo. (Hey, we all have our fantasies, right?)

Yes, it was a hoot to go-a-stargazin' last year during the production of 'Dogma,' Kevin Smith's forthcoming religious-themed satire. So, like, when are we gonna see this movie? When do we get to play spot-me-in-the-crowd-scene? Well, judging from the latest reports, it'll be taking a less direct road back here than was planned.

Miramax co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein recently announced they were buying the film for more than $10 million to sell to another distributor. The move follows expressions of concern by parent company Disney over likely protests from the Catholic Church. 'Dogma' reportedly pokes fun at God, Joseph and Mary, the Apostles, and other religious figures.

Andrew Sproule, Pittsburgh Filmmakers Director of Public Relations and Marketing, said the distribution shuffle isn't surprising considering the protests over the 1995 movie 'Priest,' a British film which told the story of a gay Catholic priest.

"Disney's coming down so hard because they put up the money themselves for 'Dogma,' " Sproule said.

Smith, a practicing Roman Catholic, has publicly defended 'Dogma,' saying the movie "was always intended as a love letter to both faith and God almighty." He added, "It's mind-bending that as we come to the close of this century that anyone would still attack a work that has yet to see the light of day without having seen it themselves."

Reports of initial test screenings of 'Dogma' indicated the movie was well received, although one unnamed Disney executive termed it, "inappropriate on all counts." The Catholic League, in an April 5 press release, has indicated it would protest the film if they found it to be offensive, regardless of distributor.

Miramax had planned to show 'Dogma' at May's Cannes Film Festival, then release the film in October. According to Sproule, the latest events may not pose a serious delay.

"(Miramax) could still enter the film at Cannes, because that's self-promotion," Sproule said. "Any publicity is good publicity. If it's a good film, there's gonna be a distributor to pick it up."