MDB Spotlight: 3 more posts you don’t want to miss

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This week, MDB featured a post,
called “I’m a Mormon and I Don’t Watch Fox News,” which served as a timely reminder for the need for civility and respect for those who may share your chapel but not your politics. While we’re speaking of Fox News, there’s another MDBer who not only watches it, but is frequently an invited guest on Fox News.

In a recent post, author Jason Wright gives an intriguing description of the five hours that are required to generate a 3-minute interview segment in Behind the Scenes of a Fox News Appearance.


When I visited a new website, called Mormon Explorer, one word popped into my brain: genius. It’s an innovative site that is designed to facilitate connections between Mormon families in their travels throughout the world. The idea for Mormon Explorer began two years ago when Mormon dad Jeff Paul took his family on a 3-week adventure through a number of European countries.

“With two kids (one and three years-old) on a student income (or lack thereof), we had to be creative in how to stretch our budget to be able to experience the best Europe had to offer. We quickly identified our nightly hotel costs as the largest and most manageable expense. We experimented with the different options available; budget hotels, hostels, and staying with friends (some whom we met at church and others through online communities). By far, our most memorable experiences from the trip were the evenings we spent in the homes of strangers, sharing meals and sharing stories.”

Read more about the creation of this site in Mormon Explorer – Uniting Through Travel.


I hope I might be forgiven the self-indulgence of highlighting  Will People Come, Ray?, but it is for a good cause. As a Mormon daddy, I am witnessing one of my daughters who, in addition to working full-time as a Special Ed teacher at a local high school and taking a full load as a Master’s degree candidate at BYU, is doing her best to generate funds for her school’s new Best Buddies chapter.

Best Buddies is an organization that seeks to foster meaningful friendships between kids with special needs and mainstream kids.

My daughter has been doing everything she can to help fill the auditorium for a benefit concert. It will feature a terrific line-up (The Whits and Allred). If any of you are in the Provo area on April 7, I hope you can join us and bring the family. (There’s a $2 discount if enter promotional code “buddy” at the Get Tickets Here box at her online ordering page.)

If you do, please say hello. It would be a pleasure to meet a fellow MDBer.

Jonathan Decker

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By day, Jonathan Decker is a marriage and family therapist in St. George, Utah. By night, he can be frequently found at the local cineplex. Jonathan writes reviews of Hollywood films from an LDS perspective, with overviews of potentially offensive content as well as gospel parallels to discuss.

He is no newcomer to the medium, having written, directed and starred in several independent films.

You can find his blog at MormonMovieGuy.com.

Attention Cynics: Do Not See The Muppets



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Mormon Daddy Reviews

Guest Contributor: Josh Tenney

 

Last year around Thanksgiving, I was new Dad with a five-month-old daughter named Anna. Together as a family, we ventured out to the movie theater for what would be our daughter’s first movie: Disney’s Tangled. Being only 5, Anna couldn’t quite grasp the plot, but she behaved herself fairly well.

Now that she’s a bit older and we have the Blu-ray at home, she’s become completely obsessed with the movie.

This year, again in late November, we headed out for Anna’s second movie theater experience with Disney’s new movie, “The Muppets.” And while she still couldn’t follow the simple plot, she was enthralled with the music, laughter, and familiar puppetry (thanks to Sesame Street).

Could “The Muppets” do what “Tangled” did before it?

Over the last several years, Disney has been on a shopping spree. Recently, Pixar was purchased by the mouse and now Marvel is owned by Disney. But back in 2004, Disney acquired Kermit and the gang. Since then, the attempts to bring the Muppets back to mainstream have fizzled with duds like “A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa” and the awful “Muppet’s Wizard of Oz.”

Jason Segel, who also co-wrote “The Muppets,” stars as Gary, a happy, simple small town guy. Literally. He’s from Smalltown, USA, population 102. Gary’s brother, Walter, is a very manly muppet (he’s three feet tall and made of felt) and Gary’s best friend.

Their adventure begins when Gary takes his long-time girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) on a trip to Los Angeles. Walter, the world’s biggest Muppets fan, is ecstatic to join them – only because the Muppet Studios is located in LA. 
Amy Adams brings the same charisma and charm she brought to “Enchanted.’ And like in Enchanted, musical numbers seem to pop up around her like a flash mob.

The giddy, joyful opening number “Life’s a Happy Song” lets you know right away that this movie is not for cynics. It’s for the happy-go-lucky Muppet inside each of us.

While visiting the Muppet Studios, Walter is traumatized when he overhears plans of the evil Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to bulldoze the studios and drill for oil.

Walter finds and warns Kermit the Frog of the impending disaster, and after Kermit’s moving song “Pictures in My Head,” about how he misses his friends and their good ol’ days, Kermit agrees to try to do something about it.

Together with Kermit, the Smalltown trio set out to get the old Muppet Gang back together again and save the studio the only way they know how – by putting on a show, this time, as a telethon.

This is when the movie gains the wackiness, heart, and humor in the tradition of the classic Muppet movies.

In keeping with that tradition, a road trip ensues as they find Gonzo, Fozzie, Animal, several star cameos and eventually Miss Piggy. Not only do they find the most popular Muppets, but it seems by the end of the movie every Muppet that ever existed finds its way to the telethon.

Die-hard Muppet fans will enjoy seeing long-lost characters.

I did miss seeing more of my favorite two Muppets, Pepe the King Prawn and Rizzo the Rat, but I understand why these wisecracking, more edgy characters were given background roles. This Muppet movie aimed to share a feeling of warmth, nostalgia, and unbridled optimism, with just a touch of the edginess the Muppets are known to exhibit.

“The Muppets” indeed captures the feeling of the original “The Muppet Movie.” With winning music, laugh-out-loud moments and the heart of our favorite fuzzy friends in the right place, Disney may just get the new franchise they’ve been shopping for.

On a personal level, only time will tell if Anna will become as obsessed with the Muppets at home on blu-ray as she did with her first movie. But if she does, I won’t mind. I’ll be singing along and enjoying life’s third-greatest gift: laughter.

Grade: A
“The Muppets”
Rated PG for some mild rude humor
Opening Nov. 23, 2011

Coming Out About Chick Flicks

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Finally, one of us has the courage to come right out and say it: it’s OK for even us manly Mormon dads to like chick flicks.

Let’s all thank MDBer Scott Taylor for boldly taking the lead in his post, A Guy Can Enjoy A Chick Flick & I’m Proof…

Now that the barrier has been broken, anybody up for a Jane Austen movie marathon? Scheduled around the NBA playoffs, of course. And moving the Johnsons and yard work on Saturday. And church and hometeaching on Sunday…

Kirby and Lincoln in Therapy

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Kirby and Lincoln continue their comic kerBLINK capades with their latest video, Therapy Wagon.

Kirby (the “kerB”) Heyborne and Lincoln (the “LINK”) Hoppe are working to create a place where families can come view good, funny, clean videos and other creative content. They hope to become a site that features other people’s content as well, offering a more family-friendly version of sites like funnyordie.com.

Watch and see if you don’t agree that Kirby seems like he’d be a good therapist. And Lincoln seems like he’d be a good patient.

Enjoy Therapy Wagon.

Amazing Race Mormon Edition

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Happily married couples typically lack the pyrotechnics that make for scintillating television. Which possibly explains why there aren’t any on this season’s Amazing Race. Moreover, the popular reality show, which follows pairs of contestants all around the world, doesn’t have a married couple of any kind this season.

MDBer Middle-aged Mormon Man has done some crack investigative reporting and has found the secret transcript of a happily married LDS couple’s efforts with one particular challenge on the show. Contestants Hyrum and Tami’s experience was sweet, but likely dooms the chances for any other happily married couples from this community.

Read MMM’s account in Amazing Race: Mormon Edition.

The Friday Five • Episode 3

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So much good stuff – not enough days. Hence, The Friday Five:


An Abundance of Pudding. A husband’s offer to volunteer 30 minutes turns into a 9-hour ordeal and an experience never-to-be forgotten. In a good way.

Jeff Lindsay’s post in Mormanity shows that were more than just about the Jello at LDS functions. Sometimes, we’re about the pudding. Read An Abundance of Pudding.


The Easter Egg Miracle. Funny guys Kirby Heyborne and Lincoln Hoppe are at it again, just in time for Easter.

Kirby is the “kerB” in kerBLINK, Lincoln is the “LINK”. While the duo specializes in funny business, their aim is for something a little more serious. They are trying to create a place where families can come view good, funny, clean videos and other creative content. They hope to soon be site that features other people’s content as well, offering a more family-friendly version of sites like funnyordie.com.

We wish them all the best. For now, let them entertain you with An Easter Treat. Bring a tissue.


Smiling Guy Revealed! His winning smile will be an indelible memory from April’s General Conference. But who is he? What were his intentions? And is he single?

These questions raged throughout the LDS blogosphere, but leave it to a newcomer to MDB to land the Oprah-sized interview. Paul Wilson, co-owner of LDSFriends.com, tracked down the smiling guy in Australia and lined up a webcam interview. Paul and his wife have two daughters. He serves in the bishopric of his ward in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Welcome Paul and his blog to MDB by watching Interviewing Smiling Guy, who turns out to be Dan Smith, a self-employed carpenter from Melbourne. (And yes, ladies, he’s single.)


No Peace in the Restroom. With seven children under age 14, it’s been years since Ken Craig has been able to use the restroom in peace.

“Dad, look! I’m waving at you! (Little fingers sticking out from under the door.)”

Read Ken’s fun post, Reader’s Indigestion.


Pennies from Heaven. Another newcomer to MDB is from a blogger known only as Middle-aged Mormon Man.

MDB has learned that MMM is the father of 5, happily married, active in church service, and a former Bishop.

“Am quite ‘orthodox,’ in my beliefs,” writes MMM, “but feel we can joke and have fun within our unique culture.”

For his 99th post, he created a video to demonstrate how family budgets work using a table full of pennies. Welcome MMM to MDB by watching Family Finances – Penny Wise.

On the Cool Side

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Some obscure screenwriter’s blog has taken a productivity hit since he started working on another blog.

He hopes it’s okay if he makes his post today pull double duty. Read On the Cool Side.

We’ll resume our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. Good stuff in the works. Stay tuned…

The Friday Five • Episode 2

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So much good stuff – not enough days. Hence, The Friday Five:


Beat the Rush. Although most of us here have probably already tied the knot, we may have kids who could benefit from this latest help from Mormon Life Hackers, especially in light of one of the major themes of this past General Conference. That’s right, we’re talking about helping prepare for the tsunami of weddings coming this summer.

Tevya Washburn lays it all out in Use Google To Help Plan A Wedding.


Dress Warmer. You have to cut the guy some slack; he just moved from California, not to mention the fact that he had spent the night in the E.R. with his daughter.

So cinematographer Rod Santiano wasn’t entirely prepared for the elements as he shot BYU’s spring football game. Read the chilling account in Note to Self: Dress Warmer!


Watching You. With seven children from ages 13 to just a few days old, Ken Craig finds that the Deniro/Stiller father/son “watching you” roles are reversed in his house. His kids are watching his every move, especially his flaws.

Ken’s always engaging posts have found a home in a new blog sure to be of interest to MDB readers, Modern Mormon Men. Read Ken’s post, A Legacy in Progress, then enjoy what else this “manly mommy blog” has to offer.


30 Things. When it comes to listening to the prophet’s voice, Jamie Huston and his family don’t mess around. As they listen to General Conference, they make a list of direct instructions Pres. Monson gives, and make those priorities in their family.

This General Conference, Jamie came up with a list of 30 such priorities, which he kindly shares with us all on his blog, Gently Hew Stone. Read President Monson’s Marching Orders.


Not Always Our Fault. Relationship expert Dr. Elia fields a question from a male reader who perceives from Dr. Elia’s past columns a pattern of innocent women versus men who are the bad guys. The reader poses the question of whether this perception matches Dr. Elia’s experience in his work.

While it is not surprising that there are issues that are typically “men’s issues,” you may be relieved to know that men don’t have a corner on all the issues. Read Dr. Elia’s response, Relationship Issues Are Not Always the Man’s Fault.

Sorry, it’s Taken

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Quite possibly inspired by what may be a churchwide phenomenon of arriving an hour before the start of Stake Conference, only to discover that the dozen or so people spread throughout the chapel have collectively staked a claim on every inch of every pew (oh, the things we’ll do for a soft seat), funny men Kirby Heyborne and Lincoln Hoppe have just released a new video.

Called Taken, the online 2-minute sketch is the latest in the Southern California pair’s kerBLINK series of funny, clean videos.

Take a look at Taken.