culture

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Hey guys, just as Elder Perry was admonsihing us to avoid sloppy appearances, Lifehacker published Top 10 Easy Ways to Look Sharp.

The greatest actor (or at least my favorite) was born 100 years ago today: Happy Birthday Jimmy Stewart. Watch TCM today or enjoy Mr. Krueger’s Christmas on this fine day in May.

Mormons can dance.  Who knew? I didn’t.  Maybe it’s a Utah thing. 

Mormons have already won “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing With the Stars,” and two of the front runners on ABC’s current hit “Dance War” are, yes, Mormon. “Some of the greatest dancing on TV is coming out of this community,” says Kenny Ortega, director of the “High School Musical” movies, both of which were filmed in Utah to capitalize on a hotbed of dance talent that Ortega noticed while choreographing the opening ceremony for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. “Dance is part of our culture,” says Lee Wakefield, chair of Brigham Young University’s dance department. “Mormons danced when they crossed the plains to Utah, and one of the first buildings they built was a dance hall.”

20 Christianity-friendly movies. I have to rent Amazing Grace and love Cinderella Man and Master and Commander.

Profile on the life and death of an LDS man who died of ALS.  He has some pretty impressive credits, including Mr Krueger’s Christmas and Little House on the Prairie:

Wallengren, a Heber City native, hadn’t stopped moving since he began his television career as a writing apprentice on “Little House on the Prairie” straight out of college. As a recently returned LDS missionary, he wrote the 1980 teleplay “Mr. Krueger’s Christmas,” a light tale featuring Jimmy Stewart as a housebound janitor who fantasizes about conducting the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Later, he wrote and produced dozens of episodes of television series such as “Doc,” “Touched by an Angel,” “The New Adventures of Flipper,” “Life Goes On” and “Falcon Crest.” He produced the first episode of “Baywatch,” but backed away from the show after seeing the bawdy direction it was taking.

“Mormon nannies’ recommendations are hard to beat“:

“All the LDS nannies have to have a recommendation from their bishop and they are strict about who they recommend,” said Kari Shafer, the non-Mormon owner of Your Child’s Nanny, an agency that pairs caregivers and families.

Shafer said 90 percent of the requests for LDS nannies come from non-Mormon families and have helped boost traffic on the company’s Web site, yourchildsnanny.com.

In the DC area, Mormon nannies have been popular too. But I’ve never heard of getting a Bishop’s recommendation?!? Does that need to be renewed? Some friends of mine have had good experiences being a nanny but it always struck me as counter to the Church’s teachings, such as the Proclamation.

Yikes.  A BYU study finds that: “A new study finds female college students more accepting of pornography than their fathers, suggesting the rise of Internet porn may be creating a generational shift that encompasses both genders.”

If you are still undecided as to whom to endorse for President, the decision should be clear now that Mitt Romney lists the finest creative work ever as his favorite TV show: Lost.  Not only is he pretty good on the issues but he has impeccable taste as well.  Speaking of which, here is a brand new two-minute trailer for the new season of Lost. 

Ten years ago today: Chris Farley died.

Andrew at Burning Bosom was a little prescient by posting last week on Elder Ballard’s urging advancements in Mormon culture.

Has Postum been discontinued? William: my mother-in-law joins in your mourning.

When cultures collide.  What to expect when we export our worst to the rest of the world.