The Vatican's disdain toward both Demons and its blaspheming predecessor The Da Vinci Code has been moderately documented here in the past, with Speedoed star Tom Hanks and source novelist Dan Brown each feeling the wrath of various Catholic grievances. As indicated by today's preview from the set, however, the A&D threat that most of us fear — stiff line readings, nonsensical revelations — is a less intriguing commodity than the church's very real antipathy, best represented by a priest whose acknowledged unfamiliarity with the books wouldn't dissuade him from "throwing them into the fireplace after two or three pages."

That's the kind of holiday spirit we'll miss following this last week of 2008, and which hopefully will reemerge as the film's only viable, exciting conflict leading up to its summer '09 release. Bonus: We think we spotted Raffaello Follieri in his big-screen breakthrough opposite Hanks; the camera was a bit removed, but listen closely and the word "palude" comes up at least once in all the stilted English. And rightly so! It wouldn't be a Vatican scandal without him.

• 'Good Morning America' [ABC]

The scene will now be shot on a soundstage after the diocese of Rome closed its doors against the producers. Father Marco Fibbi, a spokesman, said: "Usually we read the script but in this case it wasn't necessary. Just the name [of source novelist] Dan Brown was enough."

He added that most films are given permission, as long as they respect the "traditions of the Church." Father Fibbi said: "Angels and Demons peddles a type of fantasy that damages our common religious beliefs, just like The Da Vinci Code did."

A publicist in a priest's collar is still a publicist, so pardon our reach as we get our grain of salt. An absolutely nuclear protest, however, was logged by Jesus of Nazareth director Franco Zeffirelli, who told the Telegraph: "Dan Brown is a rapscallion." Well, we never!! Franco Zeffirelli — still alive! There's the shocker; we knew we'd find news in here somewhere.

[Photo Credit: INF]

• Vatican bans 'godless' Da Vinci Code sequel... [The Telegraph]

"It's always the same," Hanks grimaced. "It's like Audrey Tautou's English."

"But Tohm," they cried. "What ees eet?"

"Ask Ron," he said, gesturing his throbbing hand to his director across the way. "That fucker knows. Since Splash! The same fucking finger! Splash, asshole!" Shooting resumed painfully within the hour.

• Tom Hanks stops filming on set [Daily Mail]

· Smelling Oscar, Jamie Foxx will star in DreamWorks' adaptation of the book The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness and Civil Rights, playing one of "trailblazing black detectives who set out to solve a series of racially motivated serial killings that rocked San Francisco in the fall and winter of 1973-74." It's a serial killer flick! It's a socially conscious civil rights tale! Academy voters are already fantasizing about checking off Foxx's name on their ballots. [Variety]
· The Red Sox's World Series-opening rout of the Rockies gives Fox nearly as big a Nieslen win over its network rivals. Also: Bionic Woman (see above for fun behind-the-scenes news!) dropped off 23 percent from its previous averages. [THR]
· Demonstrating that Hollywood Cares About The Wildfires, Disney kicks in $2 million in relief. [Variety]
· Michael Mann is making plans to butch up a gone-too-soft Robert De Niro. [Variety]