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The Salt Lake Tribune—LDS WWII movie sheds R rating



Thankfully the directors of Saints and Soldiers edited part of the violence in their long anticipated film to get a PG-13 rating.

The difference between a PG-13 and an R is crucial for the movie’s predominantly Mormon target audience because LDS Church members are counseled to avoid R-rated films.

This film has won numerous awards at independent film festivals and looks like it will be one of the more successful LDS genre films as it appeals to members and non-members alike.

“Saints and Soldiers” has enjoyed success with largely non-Mormon audiences on the film-festival circuit, winning a grand prize at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis last year…Saints and Soldiers,” set during the Battle of the Bulge, tells of five Allied soldiers caught behind enemy lines without weapons.

This film is set to be released in late spring or summer.

Singing with spirit: A famous Brazilian pop singer and LDS convert brings her music to the Tabernacle



Liriel Domiciano, one of Brazil’s most popular pop artists and an LDS convert, will perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.



And…



“She will sing at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ annual General Conference during the first week of April, at a full-length concert at Kingsbury Hall and at Brazilian missionary reunions. She also will perform in Las Vegas—where she hopes to hook up with that other famous Mormon convert, Gladys Knight—Los Angeles and Miami. “



And…She’s coming to St. George April 20th. Sweet!

Box office draw appears to be slow for the latest LDS cinema movies. Although it takes 6-9 months for some of these LDS cinema movies to mature since they don’t have the ability to open in 500 theatres all in one weekend. It’s a few theatres here and a few there until eventually 9 months later they finish up their run.



The Best Two Years is now in 22 theatres and has grossed $319,935 in 17 days

Pride & Prejudice is now in 10 theatres and has grossed $296,004 in 94 days

The Home Teachers is now in only 3 theatres and has grossed just $179,063 in 59 days

The Work and the Story is now in 2 theatres and has grossed $12,492 in 157 days



Source: The Numbers

deseretnews.com | ‘Saints & Soldiers’ wins in St. George



Saints & Soldiers is a new LDS cinema genre film that has been winning every film festival it has entered. I believe the movie hits theatres the first of next year.



There’s a cool documentary on the film here.

The Book of Mormon Movie played in 22 more theatres over the weekend grossing another $27,236 for a total gross of $1,022,374.



The BoM Movie maybe coming to a theatre near you.



Utah, Idaho, Arizona, North Carolina, California, Jacksonville Florida, Tampa Florida, Orlando Florida, and Anchorage Alaska

A Soft Answer picked this article up which has a couple interesting pieces of information.

“Jericho Road did what no LDS artist had done before, selling 30,000 CDs in the first six months.”

Not bad. That’s about $270,000 profit in 6 months.



Brett Raymond said that he only makes about 10% of his income from LDS music. The majority is made from writing music for TV.



A companion article called “Opinions flare over LDS commercialization” really bothered me. The article is about members of the church selling church related items. Like prophet trading cards, temple trading cards, LDS genre films, and I would assume LDS based music.

“‘I have a problem with selling church items,’ said Jessica Peterson, a BYU Bookstore employee. ‘The church has asked people not to do it. Yet, we still carry it.’”

Are you serious? When has the church ever asked members not to sell their music, their films, or their art if it’s about or related to the church? Believe it or not there are members who believe that LDS musicians should not be selling their music. They say that is making money off the gospel.

“Deseret Management, the parent company of Deseret Book, had revenues of more than over $800 million for the year 2001. This included sales of such LDS themed merchandise as books, hobby materials, music, and movies.”

Deseret Book is owned by the church. The president of Deseret Book is Sister Sheri DEW How are we to have uplifting music and quality entertainment if the members who create it are supposed to do it for free? Are they to spend the $10-20,000 dollars it takes to create a CD and give it away? Is it so wrong for a bunch of neighborhood kids to trade temple cards instead of sports cards which represent players that are not role models for kids? Is it wrong for me to buy a beautiful Greg Olsen picture of the Savior for my living room?



I don’t think so.

deseretnews.com | LDS-comedy DVDs aren’t great laugh fests



Two new LDS themed DVD’s were recently released. It’s Latter-day Night! went straight to DVD bypassing the theatres. I Will Go and Do is a “45-minute live-action adaptation of some of the stories from 1 Nephi in the Book of Mormon.”



The music for I Will Go and Do was an Aaron Edson project. I have some of the music and need to get it added to KZION.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Honored at White House



Wednesday, President Bush awarded the Mormon Tabernacle Choir the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

LDS member Bruce Forbes shares his poetry in tribute to veterans everywhere here.



This is a non LDS site with Veteran’s Day poetry and activities.



Here is the Veterans Day Message and Proclamation by President George W. Bush.



“Today, our veterans inspire new generations of Americans as we work to defeat terrorism and advance peace. In respect for and recognition of the contributions our service men and women have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world,the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor veterans…I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through appropriate ceremonies and prayers.”

Here’s a recap of the week in LDS music.



The LDS Music News website is spotlighting the original motion picture soundtrack to Day of Defense, a newly released LDS cinema genre movie. You can read a review of the CD here. They also reported on a new LDS artist named Lyndsi Mitchell Houskeeper. She has a debut CD, Finding Miracles, which is available now at Deseret Book.



Aaron Edson has released a live-action movie musical based on scripture stories. The project is called I Will Go & Do and is available on VHS and DVD and is suitable for children and adults.



Jenny Phillips, Alex Boye, and Kenneth Cope all have performances in the Salt Lake area this week. Jericho Road will be singing the National Anthem at the Utah Jazz game, November 19th. For a complete list of performances visit here.



Speaking of Jericho Road, the LDS “Boy Band” created and managed by Deseret Book. Now the folks over at Deseret Book have created a “Girl Band” called Providence. The new group consists of Camille Aagard, Kerilyn Johnson, Katharine Matis Adams, and Kelly Shepardson. I haven’t heard of any of these women but I have heard their music and it’s awesome! I am waiting for Deseret Book to send me their debut CD.



The band has an interesting story.



“The women of Providence have experienced tragedy, heartache, loss, and disappointment. They have struggled through trials, learned to rely on the Lord, and want to share their message of hope through their music.



“Take note – you won’t catch these women primping and posing, but rather changing diapers, working, and living everyday lives.”



Although not everyone thinks this is a good idea.

I did a little research on Mormon cinema genre movies to see how well they compare to each other financially. Here are the results.



It’s no surprise that The Other Side of Heaven did so much better than the rest. It was a “Hollywood” movie with a 7 million dollar budget. What did surprise me was how well God’s Army did.

Movie	Released in US	Total US Gross
Book of Mormon Movie	September 12, 2003	$938,657
The R.M.	January 31, 2003	$1,111,615
The Other Side of Heaven	December 14, 2001	$4,720,371
God’s Army	March 10, 2000	$2,628,829
Brigham City	April 6, 2001	$851,137
The Singles Ward	February 1, 2002	$1,250,798
Charly	September 27, 2002	$814,666
The Legend of Johnny Lingo	August 29, 2003	$609,092

Here’s a recap of the week in LDS music.



Last week was a quiet week on the LDS music scene. Nothing new to report on the LDS Music World or LDS Musician websites. LDS Music News is spotlighting April Meservy who appears on the new Day of Defense Soundtrack. They also posted a review of the new Jenny Oaks Baker CD, The Light Divine.



Jericho Road is in Canada this week. Cary Judd is in Silver lake, CA, and Kenneth Cope is in Ogden, UT.



LDS Music News announced some new releases. HIMS II by Voice Male is due out in November and, My Family Can Be Forever (Primary 2004) by Clice Romney is also due out this month.

deseretnews.com | Michael McLean: Dreaming big



Thanks to David at A Soft Answer for the heads up on this article in the Deseret News about Michael McLean.



“’Michael is one of a kind, truly,’ says Sheri Dew, CEO of Deseret Book, which distributes much of McLean’s work. ‘There has been no one else in the LDS culture who has been as prolific and as diversified in his talents. . . . It would simply be impossible to measure or quantify the good this man has done.’”



This is an intimate article about Michael and his career. It touches on his wife’s auto accident and Michael’s struggle with depression.



There are also some touching stories.



“Once a young woman approached him after one of his ‘Forgotten Carols’ concerts in Texas during the Christmas season. Looking at her feet, she mumbled, ‘I think I can like Christmas now,’ and then turned and walked away. Moments later, another woman approached him and explained, ‘That was my best friend. She was raped on Christmas Eve and has refused to participate in Christmas. I begged her to come tonight because I saw it last year. How can I thank the man who gave my best friend Christmas back again?’”

Here’s a recap of the week in LDS music.



Here are the LDS Music World top 10 downloads for the week.



John Castellain – “When Angels Cry”

Hayley Anderson - “Every Corner of My Heart”

Cherie Call – “One More Star“

Katherine Nelson/Wayne Burton – “Stand as a Witness“

Alex Boye – “Ye Elders“

Andrew Reese Howells/Katherine Nelson – “Forward with Faith“

The Standards – “Because She“

Alex Boye – “Be Still and Know“

Stephanie Smith – “I’ll Choose You“

Freddie Ashby – “Altar of Love“



The Album Spotlight on LDS Music News is Railroad Blessing by Sam Payne. You can sample Sam’s music here and here. LDS Music News has also posted some new album reviews.



Kenneth Cope is performing in Mesa AZ. this week. Jericho Road is in Las Vegas and in Cardston, Canada. For all the weeks concerts see the Events and Shows schedule.



Deseret Book has a Jericho Road sampler on sale featuring two new tracks that are scheduled to appear on their next album. This quote is from the Deseret Book website.



“Their previous CD releases have sold nearly 100,000 units in less than two years, and Jericho Road is already in the studio with album #3. Now their fans can get two of the first cuts from the popular group’s latest project. This extended play CD (5 tracks) features the newest song by Lowell Alexander, one of today’s premiere songwriters in contemporary Christian music. Lowell previously wrote “You Melt the Madness” and “Nothing Matters” from the Jericho Road True North album and has taken time from his busy Nashville schedule to write “The Center of My Prayer” specifically for this current Jericho Road project. Also included as a bonus track is the group’s original, stirring, a Cappella version of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’”

Everyday Lives, Everday Values Interview with Katherine Nelson about Sometimes He Lets It Rain.



Jeff Goldman pointed me to this great interview with Katherine Nelson about her debut CD, Sometimes He Lets It Rain.

Here’s a recap of the week in LDS music.



LDS Music News is spotlighting the By The Hand of Mormon CD by Sam Cardon & David Pliler. The CD is on sale at Deseret Book for $13.58 (15% Off). Kurt Bestor is their Spotlight Artist. There’s another boat load of performances this week from Las Vegas to Salt Lake. Kenneth Cope will be in Sacramento this week. LDS Music News also announced a new Christmas release by Eclipse called Three Kings.



It doesn’t look like LDS Music World has updated yet so nothing new to report from Jeff Fairbanks. The LDS Musicians discussion group has been discussing how effective LDS music is with kids who are struggling with the gospel. “Now for the question – are groups like Jericho Road just ‘preaching to the choir’? Or in other words, are the kids showing up to these shows the ‘good kids’, who would be making correct choices anyway? Christ said that the whole need no physician, but the sick. Do you think all of our clean LDS music is reaching out to the ‘sick’ as well, or only attracting the ‘whole’? They have also been discussing the news that Val Kilmer might be playing Joseph Smith in the upcoming motion picture The Prophet.



Sounds of Zion has the new Soundtrack to Day of Defense, a recently released movie in the Mormon Cinema genre on sale for $15.98.



Found on the Internet



A Very Singles Christmas – From the makers of “The Singles Ward” soundtrack CD. This album features favorite Christmas songs and hymns performed in all new ways by today’s hottest bands, with styles including popular jazz, pop, contemporary, etc.



“Joy To The World” performed by Majestic

“Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful” performed by the Sugarland Run

“Silent Night” performed by Jamen Brooks

“Once Within A Lowly Stable” performed by Maya Shore

“Away In A Manger” performed by Haley and Cath

“It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” performed by Jerrytown

“O Little Town Of Bethlehem” performed by Ponchillo

“Hark! The Heerald Angels Sing” performed by Becky Jean Williams

“With Wondering Awe” performed by the Debra Fotheringham Band

“Far, Far Away On Judea’s Plains” performed by Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand

“The First Noel” performed by Sofina

“I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day” performed by Clay

“Stille Nacht” performed by Sunfall Festival

“O Holy Night” performed by The Rockamatics

“I Believe in Santa Claus” performed by Kirby Heyborne

KSL News: More LDS Movies Set to be Filmed



Get ready for God’s Army 2: States of Grace set to begin filming next year.



The big surprise from this article is that Val Kilmer is quite possibly going to be playing Joseph Smith in The Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith set to begin filming next year. The is the much anticipated Richard Dutcher film.



Update: Here is another article about God’s Army 2 and The Prophet.

Here’s a recap of the week in LDS music. LDS Music News is spotlighting the new Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband album titled Hey, Hey, Hey. They also reported that Paul Cardall will be releasing a new live CD in November but if you purchase it now for $11.99 you’ll receive it before the official release. LDS Music News also reported that the Knudsen Bros are releasing a new CD titled Believe. They also have a promotional price of $12.00 if you buy now. This is the Knudsen Bros first CD since 1998. If you live in the Salt Lake City area, there are a boat load of concerts in the next few weeks featuring well known artists such as Alex Boye, Julie de Azevedo, Kenneth Cope, and others. Check the LDS Music News Events page for more information.



LDS Music World is also featuring the new Knudsen Bros CD and you can download some music clips from the CD. LDS Music World also added some new music downloads from Royce – “Yarrow Way” – Folk Rock, Lindsay Bennett – “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” – Sacred, Jay Richards – “Journey Home” – Orchestral, Marsali Hancock – “Come Follow Me” – Orchestral, and David Wright – “When You Believe” – Ballad



The LDS Musician website is featuring the new CD Release Primary Colors from LDS A Cappella Group InsideOut that I reported a few weeks ago.



The LDS Musicians discussion list has been hotly debating the topic of LDS firesides and whether people should make money from them or even receive reimbursement for gas and other fireside related expenses. There was also a lively debate on whether LDS musicians should be holding their concerts at the Unitarian Church. This is the church where the street preachers were taking LDS sacred garments and wiping their behinds with them in front of conference goers. (See my earlier post for more information)



Deseret Book has the latest Jericho Road CD on sale for $14.38 which is 10% off the retail price. You can also Pre-Order the October 2003 General Conference talks on CD, DVD, cassette, or VHS.



Missionary Emporium is giving away a sampler CD with every purchase from their online store. The sampler includes music from Julie de Azevedo, Enoch Train, Ryan Shupe, Colors, and Kalai.

New group to support film in Utah :: The Daily Herald ::



“Richard Dutcher and Jongiorgi Enos announced the creation of the Utah Filmmakers Association (UFA) last week, an organization the two founders say is designed to support independent films of all types in Utah.



“Dutcher, who is well-known for his Mormon-niche films “God’s Army” and “Brigham City,” said in a news release that launching an organization that can give back to the community and foster arts locally has been one of his longtime dreams.”