Controversy Over a Calendar of Mormon Men | Newsweek Religion

The ‘Lucky’ Ones
5/28/2009 12:00:00 AM
My husband and I are lucky. We're one of the 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who get to keep our California marriage certificate after the state Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Proposition 8, the voter-approved ballot measure restricting the state's marriage rights to heterosexual couples. But as the San Francisco Chronicle's Bob Egelko wrote: "The justices ruled unanimously that Prop 8 was not retroactive and that gay and lesbian couples who relied on the court's May 2008 ruling to get married before the Nov. 4 election will remain legally wed."
TELEVISION
America’s Next Top Mormon
Sally Atkinson 5/6/2008 12:00:00 AM
When brothers Ryan and Craig Simmons auditioned for the CBS reality show "The Amazing Race" in 2003, they hoped the novelty of their religion would give them an edge. Their audition tape showed them outside the Mormon temple in Provo, Utah, while the narration played off those classic Mormon ads ("Family: Isn't it about time?") with a question for the casting directors: "Mormons: Isn't it about time?" It certainly is now. Since then Mormons have colonized reality TV as if they'd been assigned there by Brigham Young himself. They've won "The Biggest Loser," "The Rebel Billionaire" and "Survivor" (along with two second-place finishes on "Survivor"). These days you can't turn on "So You Think You Can Dance" or "Dancing With the Stars" without seeing at least one, and often several, members of the church. And they're closing in on the biggest reality TV prize of all: cherub-faced Mormon David Archuleta is one of four finalists left on "American Idol," and his chances just soared following the elimination last week of Brooke White. White is Mormon too, and now that she's off the show, the two of them won't have to split the faithful's vote anymore.
CAMPAIGN 2008
Mormons and Mitt Romney
Sally Atkinson 2/8/2008 12:00:00 AM
In his pursuit of the presidency, Mitt Romney held fast to his Mormon faith, though his religion remains controversial with evangelicals and some other Christians. But his determined (and ultimately futile) wooing of evangelicals led him to make some statements that didn't quite square with Mormon beliefs and culture. And the effort itself may have deepened the impression of him as inauthentic—even to some fellow Mormons.
Burying Mitt
Howard Fineman 2/7/2008 12:00:00 AM
Here lieth the campaign of Mitt Romney, victim of the mistaken belief that the only way to succeed in national Republican politics was to turn yourself into something you are not. Or maybe the campaign revealed what his closest friends never imaged him to be. They thought he was a decent classy guy. But maybe he really is a soulless throat-cutter who would do and say anything to win.
TELEVISION
America’s Next Top Mormon
Sally Atkinson
A few months ago, "American Idol" alum Carmen Rasmusen (second season, sixth place) was watching her old show when she heard Brooke White tell the judges that she'd never seen an R-rated movie. "My husband and I just looked at each other and said, 'She's totally Mormon'," says Rasmusen, who is as well. "I mean, who else would say something like that?" Apparently, Mormons aren't too hard to spot these days. In fact, so many have colonized reality TV's landscape, it's as if they've been assigned there by Brigham Young himself. They've won "The Biggest Loser," "The Rebel Billionaire" and "Survivor" (along with two second-place finishes on "Survivor"). You can't turn on "So You Think You Can Dance" or "Dancing With the Stars" without seeing at least one. And they're closing in on the biggest reality-TV prize of all: cherub-faced David Archuleta is one of three finalists left on "American Idol," and his chances just soared following White's recent elimination. Now they don't have to split the faithful's vote anymore.
TELEVISION
Latter-day Domination
Sally Atkinson
Maybe Mitt Romney should have taken up tango. While some voters are still uneasy about a Mormon presidential candidate, Americans seem plenty comfortable voting for Mormons in another type of election: prime-time dance shows. 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." "Dance War" favorite Zach Wilson says he's happy to help shatter the notion that Mormons "can't dance and don't know how to have fun." Memo to Romney campaign: Have candidate move more on his feet, less on the issues.