Who will protest 'The Passion'?

By JOHN ANDERSON
NEWSDAY
As Peter Biskind tells it in his controversial new book, "Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film" (Simon & amp; Schuster), when Harvey and Bob Weinstein of Miramax were going to open "Priest," the controversial, 1995 gay-themed film, they picked Good Friday as their opening date. And even though they ultimately changed it -- under pressure from such groups as the Catholic League (which has been after Disney to sell Miramax ever since) -- it was symptomatic of a go-for-broke distribution style that marked much of indie film in the middle of the last decade.
Similar situation
This reminded us that a similar situation will soon be upon us: Mel Gibson's equally controversial (but for much different reasons) "The Passion," about the last hours in the life of Christ, is opening Feb. 25, which happens to be Ash Wednesday. What will have us on the edge of our pews is not that protests will ensue over Gibson's allegedly anti-Semitic movie, but where they will all come from.