The Passion email flood is beginning to slow a bit, as everyone waits to see if there are enough people in Hollywood who think The Lord of the Rings is too conservative to be given the top Oscar. I'm not joking. I mean, it's pro-Truth with a Big T. If it wins, that's a victory for the Religious Right, right? Meanwhile, a friend who is a home theater fanatic sent this little item from one of those geeky sites that he frequents:

After passing over theatrical distribution of what has turned out to be the surprise hit movie of the year, 20th Century Fox has resurrected its relationship with Mel Gibson's Icon Productions and will distribute The Passion of The Christ on video, reports Video Business. No details were immediately known relative to the terms of the deal or the timing of the video release . . .

And all the people said: "Do the math." Yes, that is precisely what the people at Variety are saying right now:

So, pray tell, how did "The Passion of the Christ" finally perform over its first week at the box office? Heavenly. More precisely, Newmarket's Mel Gibson-helmed religious phenom rung up an estimated $117.5 million since unspooling Monday, $76.3 million of it over the weekend. . . .

Older moviegoers dominated "Passion" auds. But pic drew so well from a broad array of demos that its daily grosses outperformed estimates of just 24 hours earlier throughout the week. So huge has been the "Passion" phenom -- despite, or perhaps due in part to media's focus on pic's graphically violent content -- that some are wondering whether other producers will be tempted to develop other religious-themed pics.

I'm still holding out for a Mel Gibson take on Samson: Judge of Israel. Just think what he can do with the bloody eyes!