Hanna Seariac

Salt Lake City

Staff Writer at Deseret News

Latter-day Saint | Writing and editing @Deseret | BA & MA from BYU

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Articles

What Christmas movies have the highest ratings on Rotten Tomatoes?

Dec 28, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

Editor's note: This story was originally published on Nov. 25, 2023. Grab some peppermint hot chocolate and your favorite Christmas pajamas. Thanksgiving is over, and it's time to snuggle up and watch some Christmas movies. But which holiday films should you watch first? There are classics like "Elf" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," but the landscape of Christmas movies includes hundreds of other options.
'The Chosen' actress who plays Mary says the show helps her think about motherhood

Dec 24, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

Acting as Mary, Jesus' mother, on "The Chosen" has prompted actress Vanessa Benavente to think about motherhood and the mothers in her life. As a mother herself, she said the show couldn't have come at a better time for her to reflect on this subject. Before coming to "The Chosen," Benavente acted in a number of short films. Now she's a regular on "The Chosen," having appeared in 26 episodes.
Your guide to sharing the Nativity story with your family

Dec 24, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

Editor's note: This story was originally published Dec 18, 2022. The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke both contain the Nativity story. The Nativity story or the birth of Jesus is not found in the other two gospels - the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of St. John. While the Matthew and Luke both tell the Nativity story in different ways, the central element of the story is that Jesus, the savior of the world, was born in Bethlehem.
100 years ago, Salt Lake City had 'the most enjoyable Christmas on record'

Dec 21, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

Editor's note: This story was originally published Dec. 22, 2023. Beginning at 5 a.m. on a "clear, cold, but cheery" Christmas morn, children began to flock to the Elks club, where north of 3,000 children eventually gathered. The year was 1924 and "Salt Lake celebrated as merry a Christmas as the city has seen.""Here they were greeted by banks of toys and goodies including everything from games, dolls, and toy machinery," an article published in the Deseret News that Christmas read. "...
'The Chosen' is going into the wild with Bear Grylls

Dec 20, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

For the last couple of decades, Bear Grylls has been busy, climbing Mount Everest and exploring the coast of Antarctica. Whether it's getting Zac Efron to sleep in a cave or dropping into the ocean with Michael B. Jordan, Grylls is always down for some kind of adventure. Seeing Grylls, who often appears in remote settings in extreme conditions, wearing jeans and sauntering around a convention center was a departure from his usual high-adventure settings.
Trump's push to get rid of the debt ceiling

Dec 20, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

President-elect Donald Trump said the "smartest thing" for Congress to do would be to get rid of the debt ceiling. Trump made his comments as a potential government shutdown looms ahead of Christmas. The debt ceiling is how much money the American government can borrow to pay for programs it has authorized. Currently, federal debt is at around $36 trillion. Conservatives are typically reluctant to raise the debt ceiling because they believe it leads to excessive spending.
Religious attendance rates are stagnant, not declining. Here's what could happen next

Dec 18, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

With mounting statistics showing a steady exodus from the pews, this trend of declining church attendance continuing is sometimes treated as a foregone conclusion. It's true that millions of Americas have formally or informally disaffiliated from religion, and younger generations show less attachment to religion than older generations do. Fewer Americans say religion is important to them and studies show the majority of people leaving religion aren't looking for a new religious home.
This is the No. 1 rule 'The Chosen' writers follow, according to writer Ryan Swanson

Dec 16, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

Ryan Swanson said he had never thought about what led Peter to fish all night before he sat down to help write the scene involving the miraculous catch of the fish for the hit series "The Chosen.""I never thought of that moment, what led Peter to need to fish all night, and after catching nothing, stay out there casting their nets," said Swanson, one of Dallas Jenkins' writing partners. Then, after writing the scene, he said it was up to the crew to make the magic happen.
What it's like for Liz Tabish to play Mary Magdalene on 'The Chosen'

Dec 15, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

For actress Elizabeth Tabish, playing Mary Magdalene on "The Chosen" is both an honor and a privilege. Tabish, who also recently had roles in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and "The Shift," is an actress and director whose filmmaking projects have centered around women. Now she's playing one of the most well-known women in human history.
The secret sauce for Christian entertainment to keep on thriving

Dec 12, 2024 | deseret.com | Hanna Seariac

The giant, air conditioned room was a refuge from the muggy Florida weather for thousands of attendees who stayed at the convention center into the evening to hear Dallas Jenkins speak. It had already been a long day at "The Chosen" Insiders Conference, but that didn't seem to matter to people who skipped out on swimming in the giant resort style pool outside or retreating to their hotel rooms.