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Dorothy Height, a leading female voice of the 1960s civil rights movement and a participant in historic marches with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, died today at age 98. She led the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years and continued to speak out on civil rights issues into her 90s.

According to the Associated Press, President Obama called her "the godmother of the civil rights movement" and a hero to many Americans. Obama said in a statement that Height was the only woman at the highest level of the civil rights movement and witnessed "every march and milestone along the way."

I'm sure very few people have heard of this film. There seemed to be very little marketing behind it, which is truly a shame. I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem.

Based on the book of the same name by W. William Winokur (who also wrote the script), The Perfect Game recounts the true story of a scrappy group of boys in Monterrey, Mexico, who end up competing in the 1957 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Padre Esteban (Cheech Marin), the local Catholic priest, mentors the boys, fuels their baseball dreams, and guides their faith in God. Cesar Faz (Clifton Collins Jr.) coaches the new team, but struggles to overcome his failed attempt as a baseball prospect in America due to racism. Other supporting characters include Maria (Patricia Manterola), the coach's love interest, and Frankie (Emilie de Ravin from ABC's Lost), a sassy newspaper reporter who documents the boys' journey.

We're saddened to hear of the passing of Benjamin L. Hooks, who died today at age 85. Hooks was a prominent attorney, civil rights activist, NAACP director, and Baptist minister. A remarkable leader indeed. 

A young boy with a tragic diagnosis. A mailman who has lost his way. A powerful message of Christ's love and forgiveness. Sounds like the perfect Christian movie, right? Sadly, no. As much as I wanted to like this film, I just couldn't. Now before you call me the Tin Man (no heart) and say that I kick puppies for fun, just hear me out.

Letters to God is about an 8-year-old boy named Tyler (played by Tanner Maguire) who writes letters to God during his battle with cancer. These letters impact the boy's family, which includes his mother (Robin Lively), grandmother (Maree Cheatham), and older brother (Michael Bolten), and the life of a spiritually broken mailman (played very well by Jeffrey S. Johnson). Other cast members include Ralph Waite, L. Derek Leonidoff, and Bailee Madison.

I have two big problems with the movie. My first problem is that there really is no story. A boy with cancer is not a story. That's a character. A boy with cancer writing letters to God is not a story. That's a gimmick. Some will disagree with me because this film is based on a true story, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have enough elements for an engaging movie.

We're sad to hear about the passing of Jaime Escalante, the visionary teacher who transformed a tough East Los Angeles high school by pushing and inspiring struggling inner-city students to master advanced math. An immigrant from Bolivia, Escalante's story was immortalized in the hit 1988 film Stand and Deliver. He died yesterday at age 79 after a long battle with cancer.

Actor Edward James Olmos was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Escalante in Stand and Deliver.

"Jaime exposed one of the most dangerous myths of our time -- that inner city students can't be expected to perform at the highest levels," Olmos told the Associated Press. "Because of him, that destructive idea has been shattered forever."

It seems Marvin Sapp, the talented singer and pastor who scored a huge gospel/R&B cross-over hit a couple years ago with "Never Would Have Made It," is still making it -- big time. Last week his latest CD, Here I Am, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 charts, just below Lady Antebellum and above Ludacris.

This is a record-breaking achievement, according to Gospel Pundit and all the chart-tracking music blogs, as its the first time in Billboard history that a gospel album has debuted so high on the charts. Aretha Franklin, Kirk Franklin, and Mary Mary established the previous benchmarks, but Sapp has taken it to a new level. 

Recently in Utah, state Senator Chris Buttars (R-West Jordan) proposed a way to save his state up to $102 million dollars -- make the 12th grade optional. With a budget deficit of $700 million, Utah lawmakers must be scratching their heads over whether or not to embrace untraditional means to alleviate their budgetary distress -- especially when school districts in places like Kansas City, Missouri, are being forced to use draconian measures to stay afloat financially.

Senator Buttars, who has since backtracked a bit on the proposal, believes that a lot of seniors slack off in their final year of high school and just "play around." This ends up costing school districts money that perhaps may be allotted to extracurricular activities which some may deem unnecessary. So he favors a system of "accelerated graduation" that would get some students out of the system sooner. Opponents of the proposal argue that senior year is still necessary because it helps to mature the students, providing another year to excel academically, athletically, and creatively.