When Juleen Jackson met her husband, Al, he was not the man she had pictured marrying. The African-American Al Jackson was gripping a beer at a bar. "I was holding my beer and I had the beer of a buddy out on the dance floor," Al Jackson told Kate Snow in an interview airing Thursday, Aug. 23 at 10pm/9c on Rock Center's hour-long look at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 'Mormon in America.'

MR says: B.J. Johnston, the widow of a pilot who died en route on a flight to Boston, shared her beautiful testimony of eternal families after her husband's passing. "I know that I will see him again,” she said. “We believe that we are together forever, that we are forever families and I know that he will be there and I will be able to see him again when I go from here."

It was a long way from American presidential politics, but as Romanians gathered around their dinner tables one day last week, a national television station aired a 20-minute segment on Mormon core values - close families, hard work, clean living and helping others. Romanian Mormons were surprised, but pleased. With fewer than 3,000 of them in the country, they aren’t used to being on prime time.

As part of the rhetorical warfare that has come to characterize modern American political discourse, it was only a matter of time before someone once again used the term “cult” to describeThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In The Book of Mormon Broadway musical, the central character Elder Price sings, “I Believe…” followed by a mixed series of benign and ridiculous claims. The genius of the song is that it so perfectly performs widespread American perceptions about Mormonism in the early 21st century. Elder Price, and Mormons in general, are presented as harboring some naive and strange ideas, but in the end being good people with good intentions who might actually be able to help people. Mitt Romney’s upcoming nomination as the Republican candidate for President seems to confirm how Mormons generally have come to be understood. Even Evangelical Republican voters have largely overcome some hesitancy about Mormonism, perhaps accepting it the way viewers of The Book of Mormon musical come to accept Mormons. Romney may hold some wacky religious ideas, but he is a good person who may actually help some people.

During the final week of Black History Month, Brigham Young University is presenting a play about a black Mormon pioneer that requires nearly all African-American actors.

She will perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the annual Pioneer Day concert 20-21 July 2012 at 8:00 p.m. in the Conference Center. Jenkins became more familiar to American audiences recently as she competed on ABC’s 14th season of Dancing with the Stars. She said the invitation to sing with the choir came when she was participating on the popular television program. She said she was “absolutely thrilled” with the opportunity to perform with the choir. “I was well aware of the choir and its Welsh roots and thought it would be a lovely thing to do.”

I didn't really know what to expect when I got to Provo, Utah. I knew that many people here were followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons. And I was here to visit Brigham Young University -- also known as the Mormon university. Mitt Romney graduated from here in 1971. I was visiting the school to find out how they viewed their famous alumnus, and if people would vote for him because he was of the same faith -- that report comes next week. For the moment, let me muse on my visit to BYU.

The Correa family's first few months in their home country of Argentina after being deported from the United States nearly two years ago were miserable. Buenos Aires didn't feel like home. It was too big and too busy compared with the small towns in Iowa and Utah where they had lived for 10 years. They felt like they experienced the best America had to offer. They missed their friends and neighbors in American Fork. They spent many nights crying.

The Utah Symphony will welcome Mormon Tabernacle Choir organist Richard Elliott to Abravanel Hall for a concert of the most iconic and commonly performed work for organ and orchestra – Saint-Saëns’ “Organ Symphony.” Elliott will also perform Poulenc’s organ concerto with the Utah Symphony under the direction of young American conductor Andrew Grams, Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7 at 8 p.m. in the hall (123 West South Temple).