TV: What Bentley Williams and The Bachelorette Can Teach Us About the Mormon All-Star

Jun 07, 2011 56 Comments by

For Bachelorette viewers across the country, Bentley Williams was one of the worst villains the reality show has seen. Host Chris Harrison said the 28-year-old Utah resident “just seems to have bad intentions.” But while William’s actions were shocking to some, they were all too familiar to women who’ve dated his type — the “Mormon All-Star.”

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POLITICS: The HB477 Disaster

Mar 11, 2011 2 Comments by

HB 477 passed in about as much time as it took Charlie Sheen to break the Guinness Book of World Records for most followers on Twitter in the least amount of time — and before the public knew what hit them, they just got a heaping load of Sheen-style nuttiness in the Utah Legislature.

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SPORTS: Respect BYU's Principles — Even If You Don't Like Them

Mar 03, 2011 2 Comments by

Despite my personal disdain for BYU’s Honor Code, I still understand — and, in fact, appreciate — what happened to leading rebounder and part-of-the-reason-why-BYU-lost-to-New-Mexico-at-home, Brandon Davies.

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LOCAL: Blame BYU for Davies' Fall

Mar 02, 2011 43 Comments

Suspended BYU basketball player Brandon Davies obviously let down his team and community, but an equal share of culpability should go to the university for its opaque enforcement of a bizarre and arcane set of rules. In other words, Davies screwed up because he broke the rules, but BYU did the same when — by implementing and enforcing those rules — it set the stage for Davies’ failure.

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FILM: Oscar the Grouch

Feb 26, 2011 No Comments

Because sometimes Oscar is just mean. And so if the world were a fair place, and if I were in charge, the following films would win at Sunday night’s Academy Awards show (as compared to those that will).

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MUSIC: In Defense of the Provo Scene

Feb 22, 2011 10 Comments

On Friday afternoon, I was shocked to see online buzz among the Provo music community over an article published in The Daily Universe about the “exclusiveness” of the Provo scene. At this point, I hadn’t even read the article — I was simply shocked over the fact that The Daily Universe, known for its sparse (if not bland) coverage of Provo music, had anyone talking at all.

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TV: Darkly Dreaming Dexter: Why We Root For A Serial Killer

Feb 09, 2011 4 Comments

“I can kill a man, dismember his body and be home in time for Letterman. But knowing what to say when my girlfriend’s feeling insecure … I’m totally lost.”

So laments the protagonist in Showtime’s critically acclaimed Dexter — originally based on Jeff Lindsay’s novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter — one of the most imaginative, entertaining and haunting shows on television.

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SPORTS: BYU Basketball: Not Just Jimmer

Jan 27, 2011 10 Comments

If you listen to The PB&J Report podcast (and at this point, why aren’t you?), then you know I have a method of sorts when it comes to BYU sports — I am the eternal pessimist. But this year’s basketball team has me ready to believe.

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FOOD: Tune In to Food Television

Jan 24, 2011 No Comments

You never thought you’d see it, but food television has officially become popular. Thank you, Julia Child.

These days there are channels like Food Network and Cooking Channel that are dedicated entirely to the wonderful subject of food, which is a dream come true for some of us. You don’t have to be a “foodie” to enjoy great food television. Here’s a list of some of my favorite shows.

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TV: The Brilliance of Parks and Recreation Returns

Jan 20, 2011 No Comments

Parks and Recreation is returning to NBC tonight. This is great news.

I don’t know why it was ever missing from the Thursday night line-up. And I really don’t understand why Outsourced deserved air time while Parks and Rec was shoved into the abyss of short-lived shows.

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