Mention the Mormon church and gay rights in the same paragraph and most Utah residents become livid, frustrated, or violently proud and defensive. Christian Burch, a BYU grad currently living in Wyoming, has taken it a step further, writing a children’s book about a boy with a gay manny (male nanny) which, according to a press release, includes in its plot a gay pride parade floating past the Salt Lake temple and a same-sex marriage between the manny and his charge’s uncle.

On Jan. 1 in the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, devotees gathered for a japathon – a ceremony often practiced on New Year’s Day as a welfare project or gift. The participants in the japathon chanted 305 rounds total, surpassing their goal of 289 rounds.

Morrissey and Marr made a name for themselves when they joined forces to become the legendary as well as infamous group The Smiths. I use the word infamous because most people have heard of The Smiths, but have never actually heard their music — or if they have, they don’t know it.

From Johnny and June Cash to Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel of Mates of State, husband-wife musicians tend to capture people’s interest because they are so, well, cute. Brett and Brit Pedersen of the band Johan the Angel are no exception. When this affable folk-duo aren’t running marathons or transcribing medical records to make ends meet, Brett and Brit put their energy into producing the music of Johan the Angel, and have a sound that many have dubbed “epic folk.

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is a post-apocalyptic picture of an America that no longer exists. An unnamed catastrophe has all but destroyed humanity and left the country an ashen wasteland. A father and his young son fight certain death at every turn as they make their way on the road to the coast — and what they hope will be salvation.

Revisiting this film time and again has never disappointed me, ever. Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums is easily my favorite movie of all time — reason being the quirky characters. Anderson picked a stellar cast, including Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum, Luke Wilson as Richie Tenenbaum, Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum, and Ben Stiller as Chas Tenenbaum, just to name a few.

In 2008 one of the most amazing vampire movies ever made was released. The film, of course, is the Norwegian production “Let The Right One In.” The film is so beautifully filmed, directed, written, photographed, and acted that it could be watched every day for a month and still be needed.

Milk, easily one of the best films of the year, tells the story of gay people fighting for the exact same civil rights that the blacks fought for just one decade earlier. It doesn’t matter where you stand on Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage: Milk is made for anyone who values equality.

The very entertaining classic “The Music Man” is playing at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. This play is not to be missed if you want to see something funny that has great production values. Harold Hill, played by Mark R. Gollaher, is a terrific actor, hindered only by his spitting while talking, so watch out first row.

With finals just around the corner, students, including myself, are finding ourselves more and more stressed with last minute projects, papers, tests and assignments. Sounds like the end of the semester is nearing! On top of all the multitasking that comes with school during finals week, we are also balancing jobs, social lives, and dating lives.