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Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has no love for "Big Love."
Utah's governor said he watched the first episode of the controversial new HBO television show about polygamy and was kind of bored, finding it rather "contentless" and "pointless." He doesn't know what all the fuss is about. And he doesn't believe state tourism advisers need to worry about countering the image of Utah the show projects.
"Hollywood tends to rely on extremes when they make shows. That's what sells. That's what they're doing here," Huntsman said Thursday at his monthly televised news conference on KUED. "I'm not sure too many people are swayed by whatever message it's trying to impart."
That remains to be seen. The pilot episode of "Big Love" coincides with the much-publicized selection of a new slogan for the state: "Life Elevated." Next week, the governor will host a party expanding on the state's new tourism brand, which he calls "awesome."
At the same time, more than 3 million American viewers tune in to the HBO program about a suburban Salt Lake County polygamist and his three wives. Critics say the show misrepresents polygamy and the doctrine of the LDS Church.
But the bigger problem for state tourism officials and the governor may be countering the "weirdness factor" of the show, which reinforces the idea that Utah may have great snow, but it also has a strange, conservative population that is closed off to outsiders. It doesn't help that "Big Love" comes on the heels of President Bush asking a Hurricane Katrina evacuee if he was the only black man in Utah and Larry Miller's widely publicized decision not to show the movie "Brokeback Mountain," about two gay cowboys, at his movie theaters.
Huntsman, like many native Utahns, has polygamist pioneer ancestors. His great-great-great-great-grandfather James had four wives, according to a family historian.
More distantly, Huntsman is descended from LDS Church apostle Parley P. Pratt's sixth wife.
The governor is trying to pitch the state as a mecca for high-tech companies. And tourism leaders want to raise Utah to a level that can compete with Colorado and Alaska for outdoor enthusiasts.
State Tourism Director Leigh von der Esch insists all the stereotypes can be countered by Utah's real attractions. She notes the show's viewership seems to have leveled off.
"I don't want to be a Pollyanna. But I don't think anybody thinks they're going to be surrounded by polygamists if they come to Utah," von der Esch said. " 'Big Love' is to Utah what the 'Sopranos' is to New Jersey. It's not reality. It's entertainment."
Huntsman agrees. He says the Lady Utes basketball team, Utah's ski slopes and the state's economy speak for themselves. "I think our state is doing a pretty good job of selling itself," he said.