7.29.2008

Pioneer Day Celebration? Fireside?

Did anyone catch the Pioneer Day Celebration Concert on Sunday night? We tivo'd it from the BYU channel and tonight I decided to skim through it. Um....am I missing something?
I was expecting something similar to the Christmas Devotional, you know, hymns inter-mixed with faith-promoting pioneer stories told by the Apostles. Afterall, it was advertised as a fireside on a Sunday evening. But aside from a great rendition of "Come Come Ye Saints" and other medleys by the MoTab, I didn't find it Pioneerish at all but more like a lame excuse for an Osmond Smackdown Reunion Finale. I mean SERIOUSLY, it was nothing more than an Osmond family concert highlighted with old photos, old video clips, "funny" banter, Marie's (flat) voice, and plenty of cha-cheeeese. I mean, sure. They can sing. Not something I would choose to listen to (which is why I skimmed through it in 10 minutes). But um, I guess nothing says Pioneer Day like the Osmonds? Maybe only in Utah?...

24 comments:

lyndsey said...

lol YES!!!! thank you! we totally watched this also but i figured no one else on earth had done so also so i didn't bring it up. um...so awkward. between the synchronized arm waving, the lame interaction and the flat moments it was just rough all over. we even thought they ruined come come ye saints. yuck all around. thank you for your post...amen to it all.

Saunja said...

And um....is that Kenny Rogers?!?

dana said...

haha! Saunja, YES. I asked Casey the same thing.

And Lyndsey, for some reason I knew you would respond to this, either b/c you watched it or just b/c you think the Osmonds are annoying (inside and outside of Utah). Okay, seriously. What tha? I almost felt bad we missed the fireside (which is why I tivod it) and the moment I heard Donnie say "Put your hands togetha!" I was ready to press delete. It almost felt like some Baptist revival. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some Hallelujahs here and there but this was yes, just awkard.
THANK YOU for watching it so I have someone to back me up. I guess I'm not a crazy non-Utahn afterall.

The G-Funk! said...

Okay, I didn't know about it, but I'm missing the connection between Pioneer Day and the Osmonds. Who came up with this idea?

Jean said...

Hahaha!! I missed it, but thanks for the recap. That's hilarious.

teresa and the boys said...

My aunt scored a bunch of tickets to the fireside, and so a bunch of my family went. The only reviews I've heard have been from the 60 and over crowd, and they all loved it, so maybe it was better in person? Or maybe it appealed to the more *ahem* geriatric group?

Jessica said...

I walked through the kitchen a few times and Dave had it on in the background, but what I enjoyed was when they were singing 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' and Dave said he had never heard them do that but what a good song for them! Ha ha- isn't that like their theme song?! That's ALL I've ever heard them do!

Lexie & Sharrid said...

Yeah I'm totally a non utahn too Dana, um yeah missed this one but NO that is not Kenny Rogers, it's actually my favorite Osmond (and no, I'm not a huge fan...only of their Christmas Album from the 70's and like one other song) anyway it's Merril Osmond there who looks like Santa Claus. He sings the high parts...

Mr. Dizzle said...

Dana, are you trying to start a fight with Mr. Dizzle? Just ask Casey, nonUtah Mormons trying to put Utah Mormons into a box is one of my specific pet peeves.

Osmond's are Osmond's, I've always hated everything about them.

dana said...

no no no, I'm not trying to pick a fight with the state of Utah. I guess I'm just looking to some Utahns for understanding on this one. Why are the Osmonds so lovvvvved? They are cheese balls. They are the reason people put the state of Utah in the box you hate, Nate.

Mr. Dizzle said...

Alright, I’ll still consider this not a fight, for the time being.
Why would a Utahan be more expert on the Osmonds than someone else?
I live in SLC and don’t know a single person that likes them at all, if anything they’re a punchline. Obviously from the performance there are many that do, but I don’t know that you would be more likely to find an Osmond fan among Utah mormons versus nonUtah mormons. Do you believe that’s not true? Why look to Utah for help on this one? I don’t think a Utahan could give you any more help on this one than a nonUtahan.

I believe the Osmonds are a mormon phenomena, not a Utah mormon one. I think most mormons are baffled by the popularity of those cheese balls, it’s universal.

dana said...

You're right Mr. Dizzle. I'm pretty sure there's a universal belief that the Osmonds are cornballs. All I know though is the name Donnie or Osmond never seems to come up unless I'm in a conversation with someone from Utah. I don't know why but a Utahn is more likely to use the word "Osmond" in a conversation than a non-Utahn. I'm not saying everyone from Utah would do that or even care about that. I'm just presenting my personal data.
Hey, maybe we'll move to Utah one day and then my conclusions will self-inclusive.

Mr. Dizzle said...

All right, fair enough.
But, don’t forget, this is a nonUtahn blog that started talking about the Osmonds. I don’t know any Utahans that have even mentioned the concert.

If you guys did move to Utah it would make it a personal goal of mine to speak specifically with you about the Osmonds on a regular basis. That’s how we roll up this way. In fact we don’t even call them the Osmonds, we have our own names, like “Donnie O” and “Marie ‘the queen bee’ Osmond. I’ll teach you the rest of them some day.

dana said...

touche.

and yes, I'd love to learn your secret language. that alone is luring me home to mecca. just kidding. utah is actually maybe on our list of places to live.

Casey said...

If it wasn't for Utahns and their undying support for all things Osmond, we'd all be saying "Who are the Osmonds? Oh wait, are you talking about that variety show from the late 70's?"

They're in the same category as all those movies about return missionaries and singles wards and what not. Do non-Utah mormons consume that entertainment as well? Yes. Would the Osmonds and mormon movie-makers be able to make a living on their non-Utah following? Probably not.

Nicole said...

I think the disconnect here is a generation gap. I guarantee the average age of that audience was over 40, if not 50.

The Osmonds are probably a nostalgic draw for people of an older age bracket than Nate and I and you guys. I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of Utahns under 40 think the Osmonds are a joke.

(this is from Jeff, I don't have a blogger ID)

Sara said...

didn't see it, and I think you just convinced me not to ever watch it!

Hilarious pic from beach camping... where was Mark??

Nicole said...

Oh, and I disagree that they are in the same category as those lame Mormon movies. Those are a whole different (and strange) breed. But like Nate, I don't know a single person that takes those movies seriously. In fact, almost everyone I know avoids them completely.

Which, by the way, this may be a conversation for another day or another message board, but I'm pretty sure those Mormon movies are a dying breed. There was a surge of them in the early 2000's after God's Army had its success, but recently I heard from a good source that they typically don't make any money, especially the cheesy comedies like RM and Ward Ball. So local film companies are finding little incentive to continue the genre.

I think you Willards of the California variety need to move past the mormon movie phenomenon. They play much smaller role in Utah pop culture than you might think.

Camille said...

That sounds like a really weird show! I'm sorry I missed it....for the humorous aspect.

Camille said...

Oh ya, and what is with those Utah Mormons and their love for the Osmonds! Seriously, don't they have anything else to listen to? California Mormons are SO much cooler than Utahns. JUST KIDDING!! : ) I just had to say that after reading all of your comments.

Camille said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lettie B. said...

Wow. Funny comments. My sister went to the show and she liked it. She was a bit embarrassed that she was being what a non-mormon might call a stereotypical Mormon (Osmonds AND the MoTab???) She really liked Donnie in Joesph & the Amazing Techincolor Dream coat. I was shocked when she told me that his is one of her favorite male singing voices too. The only thing I have heard him sing was that lame song he made in the early '90's.
Seeing the choir with whomever is pretty cool and way better than CD. We have been to 2 of the Christmas performances and they were fantastic. AS for the Osmonds??? I don't get it either.

La La Land said...

Yuck. I'm from Utah. Went to High School with Osmonds. Yuck, yuck, yuck. They are not loved. :)

Blogger said...

Easily Increase Your ClickBank Banner Commissions And Traffic

Bannerizer makes it easy for you to promote ClickBank products using banners, simply go to Bannerizer, and get the banner codes for your favorite ClickBank products or use the Universal ClickBank Banner Rotator Tool to promote all of the available ClickBank products.