Best of Utah 2016 

Page 2 of 14

Best Utahn
Tyler Glenn
I know what you're thinking: "But isn't that already a Readers Pick?" Why yes, yes it is. But coming up second in a popularity contest after SLC's benevolent Daddy Warbucks is no small beer, so borrowing a line from the Sultan character at the end of Disney's Aladdin, I asked myself, Well, am I editor or am I editor? Well, I am, and I am defying tradition. Back in the summer, shortly after the release of the video for his song "Trash," Glenn told City Weekly he was coming to terms with a new sensation: pride. "I always thought I was being authentic—and I think I was being authentic at the time—but this is the first time that I feel proud, loud and excited to rally for people that need to be rallied for," he said at the unveiling of Harvey Milk Boulevard. "Pride to me is emotion, it's joy, it's passion, it's anger." Take it from someone who knows; being open and proud in who and what you are is not an easy feat for anybody, let alone someone who lives in a display window. Good on you for being open, vulnerable and true. Good on you for being a beacon for countless LGBTQ youth who once only saw darkness in their future. Good on you for being your authentic self. (EL)
TylerGlennMusic.com

Best Top-Secret Undercover
Super Agents
Bradley Bullock and Seam Cannon
Utah State Bureau of Investigations Agents Bradley Bullock and Sean Cannon receive the title, for their work exposing Brewvies as a purveyor of popular feature film Deadpool and beer. On February 23, the two courageous agents stepped into the lion's den. Dressed in the traditional garb of the enemy, the two tentatively ordered a couple beers and took their seats, not sure what to expect next. Suddenly, they had their smoking gun. "The main character (male) in the film is shown numerous times engaging in acts or simulated acts of sexual intercourse with the female counterpart during a holiday themed sex-montage." Also, there was booze. The shocking report from their night of debauchery was only bolstered by the fact that Agent Cannon had reported watching the heinous film two times prior. Solid detective work, Cannon. You gonna finish that beer? (RC)

Best Man of Convictions
Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox
The post of lieutenant governor might well be largely ceremonial, bar his or her overseeing of the election process. Former LG Gary Herbert was largely incognito in the role, but Spencer Cox has taken the platform this post offers and used it to promote healing and constructive debate, rather than the sniping you might understandably associate with Republican politicians. No more so was his heart visible on his sleeve than his moving, tear-stained speech at a vigil when he apologized to the LGBTQ community after the Orlando club mass shooting for his past homophobia. Describing himself as a "balding, middle-aged, white Republican male" with all the privileges that entails, he talked about how his heart changed as he'd come to know members of the LGBTQ community. He concluded, "On behalf of the 3 million people of the state of Utah, we are Orlando, and we love you. I love you." He also broke ranks with his boss by announcing he didn't plan to vote for Donald Trump. (SD)
Utah.gov/LTGovernor

Best Mayor-Turned-Advocate
Ross Carl "Rocky" Anderson
These days our former mayor is looking both dashing—with his flock of white hair as he hurries from one court hearing to another—and harried. Which, at his tender age of 65, seems almost unfair. But the one-time politician has gone back to fighting for legal causes that stir his blood and you can see his name alongside some of the most fascinating and disturbing cases that have hit local headlines. He's representing a man shot by a Unified cop in one of the few uses of force ruled unjustified by the district attorney, defended Brewvies against the DABC over a Deadpool screening, and for some time now has been trying to pull down the walls around the NSA through a class action lawsuit, while keeping the wolf from the door with a few commercial lawsuits. It gives us a sense of continuity and even pride that the former rabble-rouser of City Hall continues to want to fight for what's right on the Wasatch Front. (SD)
RockyAnderson.org

Best Show of Solidarity
The Bad Kids Collective's Orlando Benefit Show
In the wake of the Pulse attack in Orlando, many cried and grieved. It was the acceptable thing to do following such a heinous act. Others got angry. That was also the right thing to do. A group of beautiful artistic misfits in our community got on the phone, booked a venue, secured a bevy of goods and services from local purveyors for a silent auction and rallied the troops. Held at Club Sound six days after the bloodshed, Party Hard 4 Pulse was a joyful celebration not just of life, but nightlife—that after-work time of solace wherein those that feel persecuted can be themselves inside safe havens. Drag and gender-fuck were elevated to performance art that night thanks to a series of heartfelt performances. At one point, one of the entertainers, Odge—onstage wearing nothing but nude briefs and bubble wrap—smashed plastic baggies filled with blue paint against his body, splashing those in the front row like a cosmic Earth Mother Shamu. Since then, I wear my newly polkadot moto vest with the utmost pride. (EL)
Facebook.com/BadKidsSLC

Best Feminist
Cat Palmer
She's won three City Weekly Utah Arty awards for Best Photographer since 2007, but nothing yet for her local activist efforts (at least not from us). When she's not snapping epic feminist pics or wedding shots, like those of SLC Mayor Jackie Biskupski, she's participating in local activists' events like The Salt Lake Tribune-hosted panel discussion "Rape Culture: A Conversation About Consent" earlier this month, among many others. All across the board, her work is locally known for its focus on feminism. "She's got a big heart and is up against a state that loves and hates her, depending on the day," says her close friend and fellow activist Rachel Jensen. (AH)
CatPalmer.com

click to enlarge

Best Trail-Blazing Candidate
Misty K. Snow
There are plenty of stereotypes regarding our local politics, but it's certainly unexpected that Utah would be the place to find the first major-party transgender candidate for the U.S. Senate—ever. Snow emerged from the state Democratic primary as a bold progressive voice—advocating a $15 minimum wage and marijuana legalization, among other policy positions—in a state where it's presumed that swerving too far from the Republican mainstream is the kiss of death. Garnering 27 percent of votes, Snow might not have been able to unseat the incumbent Mike Lee, but in a year where it could be a chore to follow politics of any kind, this was a story worth cheering about. (SR)

Best Street Love Down on Rio Grande
George Kein
Walk around the Road Home shelter with homeless outreach worker George Kein and you quickly see why he's beloved by advocates, colleagues and, most of all, the folks he helps. They call out his name and come up to him, seeking advice, help or just a human, non-judgmental connection. There's a quiet humility about him that lends an almost spiritual quality to the support he provides those who haunt the streets around the shelter. Despite all the years he's been down there, he doesn't seem to flinch or grow jaded at the apparent pain and torment. He's a rock of protection and selflessness that the homeless can turn to on some of the most dangerous streets in SLC. (SD)
210 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City, 801-359-4142, TheRoadHome.org

Best Barista to Snapchat You
Luan Cavalcante
Not every Wednesday—and sometimes not even every other Wednesday, but often enough—Luan Cavalcante ushers in a mid-week open-mic session at Café on First by busting out from his repertoire a cover of "Stand By Me." Chill and amiable, Cavalcante is the type of barista to host free, unassuming open-mic nights for musicians, poets, hip hop artists or any other performance art du jour. Check with him to see whether the Wednesday open-mic is a go. If Cavalcante isn't slinging lattes behind the counter, he might be lounging in a hammock across the street, or in the café kitchen sharing a photo on social media. Ask around; the dude is usually somewhere nearby. (DWH)
39 I St., Salt Lake City, 801-532-8488, CafeOnFirst.com

Best New Reporter on the Block
Katie McKellar at Deseret News
City Weekly specializes in stories that other papers won't touch. Perhaps they are too complicated, too resource- or time-demanding. One such story that did the rounds for at least 12 months without seeing print was concerns about Salt Lake County auditor Gary Ott not being in complete control of his faculties. But rather than an experienced journalist breaking it, it was a young writer, relatively new to the Salt Lake scene—Deseret News' Katie McKellar, who let it rip with a lengthy piece bringing the civic questions surrounding Ott's mental health to light. She's broken numerous stories, including the West Jordan Facebook debacle with reporter Ben Lockhart, and is a welcome and highly talented addition to the short list of reporters' names to watch. (SD)
@katiemckellar1

Best Meteorological Man About Town
KUTV 2News' Sterling Poulson
Over the years, some "weather-guessers" become the equivalent of family members. That's Sterling Poulson. He's our dad, uncle, brother, son. As Channel 2's chief meteorologist since 1989, Poulson can banter on air with the best of them, but if storm clouds threaten, he as serious and wise as King Solomon: "Cover your tomatoes!" Off air, Poulson has other talents: He's the music director and founder of The Choral Arts Society of Utah, conducting concerts each year with the 120-voice choir. He also directs the Days of '47 Pops Concert. After serving 10 years in the U.S. Air Force, including a tour in Vietnam, Poulson emcees military observances and events, including one held at the Sandy Healing Fields. He is indeed a man about town. And we tip our hat to him. (JW)
KUTV.com

Best Movie-Inspired Spin Instructor
Corbett Brown
When you take a spin class with spirited and dedicated instructor Corbett Brown at 9th & 9th Pilates, be prepared for two things: to work your butt off and to be egged on by a wooden horse Brown named Tina Sparkle, after a character in the Australian film Strictly Ballroom. Brown's eclectic taste in music combined with his delightful patter and infectious enthusiasm for what he does makes his spin class an experience that goes by all too quickly. As you labor on your bike and watch Brown bring Tina up to each of your fellow sufferers, the greatest compliment you can pay is that the handsome duo always elicits a smile in between the drops of sweat and the grunting moans. (SD)
854 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City. 801-410-4180, 9thAnd9thPilates.com

click to enlarge

Breast State Lawmaker
Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City
During a Utah Senate floor debate this year, Jenkins vehemently opposed a bill he believed would require employers to allow mothers to breastfeed their babies at work. In actuality, the bill (now law) compels employers to provide "reasonable accommodations" for when an "employee needs to breastfeed or express milk." In other words, no baby need be present for lactation to occur. This was news to Jenkins—a husband, father of five and grandfather of 20. Much to the amusement/chagrin of the Senate chamber, the sponsor of the bill had to explain to Jenkins how a breast pump worked. Jenkins still voted against the measure. (RC)

Best Best of Truther
Shauna Lake
This fall, KUTV Channel 2's Shauna Lake delved into the world of print on her Person 2 Person segment with City Weekly publisher John Saltas. Lake led off a web-exclusive clip from the interview by asking whether the paper tips the scales in its Best of Utha vote tallying. "I always wonder is it, like, legit?" she asks while holding up the 2015 issue that featured on its cover Mary Nichols, her colleague and that year's reader's choice for best TV anchorwoman. Voters can sleep soundly, though, knowing their picks—not to be confused with those made by the staff—are selected by an impartial computer and not whatever voodoo stick political pollsters used to predict the presidential election. (DWH)
@TVGalShaunaLake

Best Podcaster Rebuffed in an Attempt to Report from Palestine
Scott Carrier
Former public radio journalist and antelope chaser Scott Carrier is a veteran radio voice whose most well-known story, perhaps, aired during his stint as a This American Life contributor. It culminates with him huffing it behind a fleeing antelope to test if humans can exhaust game animal on foot like traditional Tarahumara Indians purportedly did in Mexico. Although Carrier, a Salt Lake City resident, doesn't report for the public radio powerhouse any longer, he's still putting out exceptional audio. His latest enterprise is Home of the Brave, an independent podcast that includes new stuff as well as tape from Carrier's archives. In an episode released last April, he recounts his attempt to return to Palestine by way of Israel, which is stymied when employees of the Israeli State Department interrogate him at LAX. Unimpeded by stonewalling that often disrupts or destroys a story, Carrier turns such moments into radio that's poignant and introspective. Because his gift for storytelling is profound, listeners can forgive the fact that they never know how long the wait will be between episodes. (DWH)
Homebrave.com

Best Under-the-Radar Community Leader
Ron Brown
When folks go into the criminal justice system, they often make the news. But when they've done their time and return to society, that's a different story. Ron Brown is senior pastor at New Hope Fellowship and provides outreach and support to families of the incarcerated, as well as supporting those in recovery and struggling with addiction issues. "He takes support of people in the criminal justice system as a personal calling," says ACLU Communications Manager Anna Brower, and brings both positivity and energy to an arena that requires much of both. If only there were more like him. (SD)
1204 E. 1450 South, Clearfield, 801-452-6203, NewHopeUtah.org

Best 40-Year Engagement
R. Scott Phillips, Utah Shakespeare Festival Retiring ED
R. Scott Phillips began his run with the Utah Shakespeare Festival in 1977 as its first full-time employee. Over four decades, he rose through the ranks to become the marketing director and finally, in 2005, the executive director—a position from which he'll retire in March 2017. Working with mentor and festival co-founder Fred C. Adams, Phillips helped grow USF from three annual shows and a $300,000 budget to nine plays and a $7 million budget. The festival garnered a Tony Award for America's Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2000. Meanwhile, Phillips' fundraising skills helped make the Randall L. Jones Theatre a reality in 1989 and the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts a reality this year. Phillips also assembled a top-notch management team by naming David Ivers and Brian Vaughn artistic directors in 2011 and Zachary Murray as general manager in 2014. Talk about leaving on a high note! Bravo, Scott. (JW)
Bard.org

Best Forward-Thinking South of the Valley Police Chief
Draper Police Chief Bryan Roberts
Chief Roberts' efforts to encourage community participation in policing should be acknowledged for the forward-thinking moves they are. Roberts regularly asks community and advocacy folks to talk to his officers and launched the first special conference for the Utah Police Chiefs Association—he sits on the board—to get his peers in law enforcement not only discussing community relations and training, among other issues, but also talking to community groups such as the NAACP and Libertas about how advocates can dialogue with the police. More, please. (SD)
Facebook.com/DraperCityPD

Best Poking Politics with a Pointy Stick
The Left Show
J.M. Bell is no stranger to sticking it to Utah politics. After years of broadcast experience in talk radio, Bell launched The Left Show in early 2010 to pull no punches on the GOP and criticize everyone in his path for the boneheaded mistakes they inflict on our state. Each Monday morning, flanked by co-hosts and talkative guests, the news of the week from around the country and tidbits from our own backyard are picked apart for conservative bureaucratic bullshit, all for your listening pleasure. (GS)
TheLeftShow.com

click to enlarge

Best New Butcher on the Block
Beltex Meats
In a converted house facing Liberty Park, this 18-month-old upstart entry into the butcher and charcuterie stakes is a joy for any carnivore to digest. The staff is super friendly, the location perfectly positioned for a post-park stroll purchase, and the fare they offer—including cooked goodies, such as country pâté, and mouth-watering cuts of meat—while admittedly pricey, it's worth the investment once in awhile. A whole animal butcher shop that started in summer 2014 at several farmers markets, their relationship with local farms and ranches means they can offer some of the best meat in the state. But what really catches our eye is the quality they bring even to something as humble as headcheese (the boiled remains of a pig's head set in gelatine). A chain-store's headcheese is usually flavorless, while Beltex's has the texture and taste depth of one of their equally great pâté. We rest our case. (SD)
511 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City, 801-532-2641, BeltexMeats.com

Best Advocate for the Underdogs
Angela Romero
Armed with a bachelor's in political science and a master's in public administration from the University of Utah, the Tooele-born activist and politician is always rooting for the underdog, and truly cares about the community. She volunteers with numerous nonprofit boards and commissions, including the Utah MLK Human Rights Commission, NeighborWorks Salt Lake, Salt Lake Weed and Seed Program and many more—outside of her already busy schedule as Utah representative for District 26. One of Romero's particularly honorable ongoing efforts is a bill to mandate the testing of all future rape kits, as well as the backlog of thousands of untested rape kits currently in Utah. It's a crisis, according to her, and unacceptable—especially considering the state has the money to test them. (AH)
AngelaRomero.com

Best Anonymous Donor
The Benefactress of Sandy's Garage 96
Journalists know very little of the impact that their stories have. They rarely see the behind-the-scenes reverberations that a well-aimed piece can have. But once in awhile there are surprises that remind us that readers can be moved, even inspired to do extraordinary things by the written word. Case in point: a City Weekly news story about the struggles of a Sandy City garage owned and run by Robbie Maupin to stand up against his municipality's claims of ownership of a piece of his land. The battle led him to the point of bankruptcy. Several weeks after the story ran in September 2016, an unidentified woman left him a voicemail that she wanted to help and shortly after, someone sent Maupin a check for $5,000. He wept when he opened the envelope and found instead of further bad news from Sandy, the gift of his anonymous benefactress. "For like a half hour I was being a cry baby ..." Maupin says in a text message. "I can't tell you how much that helped me." (SD)

Best Pro Hoops Up-and-Comers
Salt Lake City Stars
Utah is filled with basketball fans, thanks to the Utah Jazz and local universities; some of them just can't get enough. So it's convenient that the NBA Development League's Utah Jazz affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, has relocated to Salt Lake City for the 2016-2017 season, playing home games at Salt Lake Community College's arena on Redwood Road. It's a chance to catch Jazz draft picks, hungry young players and even a handful of former local college standouts as they put in the hard work that they all hope might get them to the NBA—and you can be there to see it. (SR)
SaltLakeCity.DLeague.NBA.com

Best Short-Lived Getaway
Francisco Gonzalez-Velasquez
On June 5, 2016, Francisco Gonzalez-Velasquez stood outside the local Porsche salesroom pondering the beautiful car before him through the plate glass window. It was a late afternoon on Sunday and the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder, worth $1.6 million, spoke to him in a way that left him with only one choice of action: He broke the plate glass window and stole it. What goes through a man's mind, we wonder, as he gets behind the wheel of a car that most of us wouldn't even dream about owning? Where do you go? Light out for Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mexico, perhaps, or Canada? Rather than such distant climes, Gonzalez-Velasquez drove the dream machine to the downtown homeless shelter and was apprehended nearby, six hours after his theft. While we might query his logic and certainly do not support such criminal activity, that moment when he got behind the wheel must have been something to behold. (SD)

Best Frenemy of Utah's LGBTQ Community
The LDS Church
In Utah, there are two things that people who live here—and those who don't—love to argue about: liquor laws and the LDS Church. And the church, in a late 2015 whopper that mystified and even pissed-off a good chunk of the world's population, decided to issue a decree labeling its gay members "apostates," and forbidding the children of said "apostates" from participation in some key church functions. With same-sex marriage being legalized and all, many perceived this move as little more than a massive middle finger to anyone who has ever known or cared for someone who happens to be gay. This announcement was in bright contrast to news earlier in the year that the church had donated an undisclosed sum to the Utah Pride Center's efforts to feed homeless youth. (CF)

Best Political Schott in the Dark
Bryan Schott
As editor of political news site UtahPolicy.com and business site UtahPulse.com, Bryan Schott knows something of Utah's political scene. If you have even one iota of interest in how this state and its cities are run, you should subscribe to or at least visit the Utah Policy's site, where Schott curates local news and headlines five days a week in the Morning Must Reads. He also weighs in on the issues of the day with longtime political reporter Bob Bernick in more than 300 "Bernick and Schott on Politics" videos. Schott's "inside baseball" reporting on local races gives insight into what's at stake. It doesn't matter that Schott—who is also a licensed soccer referee—leans more to the left than his publisher, LaVarr Webb. We'd like to say he provides a nice balance, something we need more of in Utah. Plus, can that man rock a pair of spectacles, or what? (JW)
UtahPolicy.com

Best Innovative Geek Artist
Kat Martin
Imagine an oil-on-canvas landscape from the '70s—the type of thing you might see hanging above your grandma's old piano, or sitting on a shelf at the D.I. in a dusty gold frame. You probably wouldn't buy it, even for 50 cents. But add in some reference to pop culture—say, a duel between Harry Potter and Voldemort—and they sell like crazy. That's what local artist Kat Martin does. "I give them life and therefore new love," she says of her artistic process of digging through thrift store bins. She's been selling her work in SLC for eight years now to much success at local farmers markets, flea markets and Salt Lake Comic Con events, but more recently has branched out to Comic Cons all across the country. Wherever your geeky passion lies—be it comic book superheroes, sci-fi series, new video games, old cartoons, cult classics or even Disney princesses—Martin has something that you will not be able to resist buying, and at such reasonable prices, you won't need to. (AH)
KatMartinArtist.com

Best Library Advocate
Kearns Library Manager Jennifer Fay
Librarians do far more than just check in and out books. They can also be mentors and even confidantes for readers who have pressing issues and don't know who to reach out to for help. Sometimes, says county library system spokesperson Liz Sollis, "users disclose personal crises such as family violence, mental illness or substance use disorder." Since librarians aren't equipped to address such needs, Kearns Library manager Jennifer Fay came up with the idea of bringing help to libraries. Now six county libraries have a social worker from South Valley Services by the stacks either for a set day or time, or by appointment. Sollis says the partnership has resulted in more than 1,000 library users being connected to public health resources. While libraries provide a crucial if under-applauded role in our community, Fay has both the foresight and empathy to see how it can add even more. (SD)
SLCOLibrary.org

Best Brother and Sister Weapon Against Heroin ODs
Dr. Jennifer and Sam Plumb
You see their faces on billboards across the valley: smiling young people tragically lost to an epidemic of heroin and opiate overdoses. But thanks to the extraordinary hard work of ER doc Jennifer Plumb and her young brother Sam, Utah Naloxone's program coordinator, the benefits of Naloxone—or Narcon—are finally being recognized and taken up where it counts. Not only on the front line, among multiple law enforcement departments (UPD Chief Jim Winder is a tireless advocate), but also pharmacy chains at hospitals and grocery markets across the state, which all provide the life-saving injections free of charge. Tireless advocacy is inevitably driven by personal loss—in the Plumbs' case, their brother. But the education they have afforded Utahns through the media, speaking engagements and lobbying about the opiate addiction epidemic that has exploded within our midst in recent years and the gift Naloxone offers in terms of saving individuals in the throes of an overdose, whether loved ones or strangers, truly makes them Beehive heroes. (SD)
UtahNaloxone.org

Best LGBTQ Activists
Equality Utah
Making national headlines this past October was the state's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, Equality Utah, as they filed a lawsuit—the first of its kind in the U.S.—against the state education office, claiming that its curriculum laws prohibiting positive discussion about homosexuality in the classroom is unconstitutional. But that's only their most recent accomplishment. They started out 2016 with a campaign and legislation to fix Utah's broken hate-crimes law, and were able to get to a third reading in the Utah Senate before it died. "That was rather remarkable for the first year we ran the legislation," Executive Director Troy Williams says, "especially when you consider that it took us seven years to get that far on our non-discrimination law." In May, they dedicated 20 blocks of 900 South (now called Harvey Milk Boulevard) in Salt Salt Lake City to the late Harvey Milk—a prominent LGBTQ activist and the first openly gay person to be elected to office in California. "Our work is to send a message to young [LGBTQ] people that they are powerful, they belong and there is a place for them in our city and state," Williams says. (AH)
EqualityUtah.org

Best Advocate for Two Wheels
Ryan Littlefield
Many a weekday morning you can see the trim, athletic figure of biking guru Ryan Littlefield pick up libations at the Coffee Garden at 9th & 9th and somehow manage to amiably cycle up to his store, Contender, a tray of coffees in hand. Littlefield took over Contender back in 1999 and has turned it not only into a wonderful bike shop beloved by experts and amateurs alike, but also an engine for growth for Salt Lake City's bike community. He's built what some customers call "a community of riders" who cherish both pleasure and safety where it comes to riding, while encouraging all and sundry to take part. SLC owes a big vote of thanks to Littlefield for making this town the bicycle-friendly circuit that it is. (SD)
989 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City,
801-364-0344, ContenderBicycles.com

Best Un-retirement
U of U Running Back Joe Williams
After a lackluster start to the 2016 football season, senior Utah running back Joe Williams announced in September that he was hanging up his cleats. Retiring. Calling it a career. The Utes, seemingly flush with young talent at the position, relied on Zack Moss, Troy McCormick, Armand Shyne and Jordan Howard to carry the weight. But then, as if the bodies of these men were cursed, each were folded to the turf with injuries, leaving Utah with few answers and prompting Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham to plead with Williams to return. Williams did just that, and, to date, has been having a storybook un-retirement party. In a victory over UCLA, Williams rushed for 332 yards, a single-game school record. (CF)

Best Tireless One-Person Homeless Mom Support
Ashley Hoopes
The former manager of downtown shelter The Road Home's pre-school, Hoopes knows all too well the struggles, challenges and obstacles single homeless mothers and their children face just to survive, let alone find housing. Hoopes now runs a support group for around 50 homeless moms and along with connecting them with mentors herself, advocates to the city and the county, she says, "about what the system needs to look like so these moms don't end up circling the drain." She also tries to get them to tell their stories through the media or social events, anything to build empathy and get the message out that things desperately need to change. (SD)

click to enlarge

Best "Hello, Dolly"
Viva La Diva
Some of us will never get a chance to see legendary performers up close and personal, so it's nice to have performers whose spot-on impersonations can give us the next best thing. Salt Lake City native Jason CoZmo has returned to town to launch Viva La Diva (at Club X most recently), a female impersonator revue showcasing his lip-synched, spot-on embodiments of Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler and, yes, Dolly Parton in all her 9-to-5 glory. David Lorence shares the bill as Celine Dion and Cher, with other guest performers at select shows adding up to an evening with some of the biggest voices in show business—or at least a tremendously entertaining approximation. (SR)
Facebook.com/JasonCozmo

Best Lovers of the Environment
Greta and John DeJong
Love stories in this jaded time rarely get much publicity or admiration. But when you see the duo who founded Utah's much loved, respected and valued Catalyst magazine shopping together on a Sunday morning at Costco, it reminds you that their relationship, while weathering the private storms that life sometimes throws at us, has emerged strong and resonant as ever, with a healthy dash of self-deprecating DeJong wry humor thrown in for good measure. The fruits of that relationship are to be found not only in the rich print and online pages of their alt magazine and their regular columns, but also in the way, like royalty, they enliven and grace every room they walk into. (SD)
Catalyst.org

Best Driver
You
Yes, you. But you knew that already, didn't you? You're never one to follow other drivers too closely. You always signal your turns. You only use the left lane to pass. You can't even remember the last time you rolled through a stop sign, if you ever did. But you're not
just a safe driver. You're a good driver. You're like the Michael Jordan of parallel parking. Remember that one really tricky spot you pulled into on Main Street in like five seconds? That dude walking by on the sidewalk who definitely slow-clapped in amazement remembers. Way to go, you. Now look up: The light just turned green. (RC)
Your home, phone number and Facebook page

click image