Nobody can deliver a romantic love story quite like best-selling author Nicholas Sparks can.  His novels and their movie counterparts have brought us some of the greatest love stories of all time.  The latest of Sparks’ novel to film adaptations, Safe Haven, is no exception.

The film stars Julianne Hough as Katie, a young women who travels to the sleepy North Carolina beach town of Southport from Boston, desperate to escape demons from her past, and reluctant to make close ties with the residents.  Katie soon takes up residence in Southport, and forms a friendship with her single neighbor, Jo (Cobie Smulders), who urges her to open up to the residents of the town. Events soon cause her to let down her guard, and meet Alex, a widowed, kind hearted shop owner who is played by Josh Duhamel.  As Katie begins to put down roots in the town, she becomes increasingly close to Alex and his two children.  As love blossoms between the two, Katie still struggles with the dark secret from her past that haunts her constantly, and is the reason she took refuge in the secluded safe haven of Southport.  As her past threatens to catch up with her, and shatter the life she has started in Southport, Katie realizes that she must make a choice; a choice between living a life of safety, or to continue to run from her past.  With the relationships and security Katie has found in Southport, she soon realizes that only love is the true safe haven.

The film was directed by Swedish director Lasse Hallström, and currently is receiving mixed reviews from critics.  Currently, the film has received a 12% rating on rottentomatoes.com from critics, with 71% positive audience response.  As the eighth film adaptation from Sparks’, it is possible the love story formula that he has perfected, is beginning to lack originality. Safe Haven has its own fair share of high points.  The casting of fresh faces such as Hough and Duhamel is pleasing to contemporary audiences and their chemistry onscreen meshes together nicely.  In addition, the unexpected twist at the end of the film will leave audiences talking about the film long after the credits roll.

The main issue with Safe Haven, aside from the exaggerated melodrama that comes with the typical romantic film, is most definitely the lack of originality present in the film.  On the surface the film appears to be a typical Nicholas Sparks adaptation, and the film is simply just that.  The setting, situations the characters are placed in, and the dramatic events are all quite reminiscent of previous Sparks fare, and could leave audiences feeling like they have already seen this kind of film–and they most likely have.

Nevertheless, audiences wishing to indulge in a bit of romance, some eye-candy, landscape shots of North Carolina and a slight air of mystery for 150 minutes will find what they are looking for in Safe Haven, and will leave the theater to go purchase the novel counterpart as well.

Safe Haven is currently showing at Cinemark Carnation Cinema 5.  Show times for the week are 10:20 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 7:10 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.

This past weekend was Mount Union’s first fall play of the season, “Almost, Maine” at Rodman Theater. Directed by Rudy Roggenkamp, the show is a series of scenes about different characters living in Almost, Maine.

The show has only four actors: Savanna Lancaster, Megan Ostrofsky, Tyler Portner, and Alex Wolfe. Wolfe described the show as “a bunch of little love stories about people falling in (and out of) love. It’s a show that has a lot of funny moments and some sad ones too.”

The scenes varied between heartwarming and heartbreaking, and the characters were well acted and endearing. Mixed with humor, “Almost, Maine” is an honest, and sometimes introspective, look at life and love.

The set is simple and allows for a variety of settings to play out with relative ease. The highlight was the special effect used to create the northern lights, which were a backdrop for the show. Sophomore Christina Price enjoyed the set, commenting, “It looked like a snowglobe.”

Auditions for productions at Mount Union are open to students of all majors and classes, including freshmen.

“We have a great cast and a wonderful crew. It’s always a pleasure to work together with so many awesome people to put together a quality show for others to see,” said Wolfe.

Splinter Cell Blacklist is the sixth installment in the popular Tom Clancy video game series, created by Ubisoft. Splinter Cell games have always provided a revolutionary experience in the stealth genre. In previous games, players controlled Sam Fisher, an undercover spy who works for Third Echelon, a sub-branch within the National Security Agency. His job is to neutralize threats that could harm the global population. In each game, Sam had to sneak through shadows, stalk his targets, and interrogate or eliminate them without detection. Chaos Theory, the pinnacle of the series, allowed for several tactical gameplay options from lethal to non-lethal high-tech gadgets and weaponry. In 2010, however, Ubisoft released Splinter Cell Conviction. This game radically redefined the stealth genre. Now there was colossal emphasize on agro-stealth action instead of what longtime fans were familiar with. Conviction combined trigger happy gun play and fierce explosions to create a stealth-action game. Now with Splinter Cell Blacklist, Ubisoft hopes to cater to both the hardcore stealth fans and the action fans by emphasizing both types of gameplay styles. From gameplay videos shown thus far, I remain concerned about this message.

Ubisoft unveiled Blacklist at the Electronic Gaming Expo in June. Most hardcore fans instantly labeled the game, “Conviction 2”. Third Echelon is shut down and Sam Fisher is back in the field as commander of the newly formed Fourth Echelon. Working under the President of the United States, Sam has the fifth freedom to protect his country. This is where the action concept is implemented. The first gameplay demo showcased Sam at the Iraq / Iran border, in the daytime, seeking out terrorist leader, and former M-16 agent, Jadid. Sam, like in Conviction, is still able to mark and execute his targets, but now he can do it while in motion. Sam can call in airstrikes from his former partner Grim, and he can control an UAV drone to eliminate his targets. In contrast, some stealth elements have been revealed. Abductions pull enemies towards you, the sticky shocker returns, and moving dead bodies is back. These elements were mysteriously absent from Conviction.

Here is the problem: Ubisoft is focusing too much on action. The E3 demos showed plenty of firefights and explosions. A new trailer released last week showcased the same. There is also a video showcasing stealth. The problem with that video is that the stealth looks tacked on. Sam is seen sneaking past guards without directly avoiding them in the middle of their camp. Instead, he shimmy’s on the side of a random cliff, which looks geologically unnatural for the formation of the mountain. Instead, it appears to have been added at the last minute to direct stealth players on an alternate path. The path eliminated the potential risk and tension of being detected by guards. Night time missions have not been shown either.

The new trailer shows only glimpses of new locations, including a night time mission. Most of the trailer is a rehash of E3 material. It has been four months since E3. I feel Ubisoft is scared to reveal anything new. Their marketing and public relations teams are not listening to the hardcore fans. In several interviews the game developers asserted players be patient because stealth will be shown in the coming months. The new trailer states otherwise. The target group for Blacklist is obviously action gamers who play many matches of Call of Duty and Gears of War. Ubisoft even admitted that their intention at E3 was to come out big and to differentiate their game from others. The bottom line is that the hardcore fans are not the target audience anymore. Ubisoft is trying to appeal to a wider audience, one that likes to have everything handed to them on a plate and told how to do it. The stealth that was once a staple for the series has vanished in place of agro-stealth. The only way to feel the nostalgia again is to the play the older titles.

Those who love to write, read and listen to fascinating stories and elaborate myths and fist curling fictional tales can appreciate the amount of time and dedication it can take to form those stories into a well-written piece of fiction. Mount Union professors, faculty, students and all others that love a good story are now lucky enough to benefit from that commitment and hard work as English Professor Michael Olin-Hitt’s first published fictional novel, “The Homegoing,” has been released.

Certainly, everyone who knows Dr. Olin-Hitt is excited for his success with his book, but perhaps it is Dr. Olin-Hitt who is the most pleased, as he stated, “This is my first novel. I have published eight short stories and two books of nonfiction. Of all of these projects, I am finding the novel to be the most enjoyable because it has the widest readership.”

“The Homegoing” is a work of fiction, but the setting, themes and characters in the novel stem from Dr. Olin-Hitt’s childhood and family history. “The Homegoing” is set in the rustic land of Appalachian America in Laurelville, OH—the place where his mother was raised. Dr. Olin-Hitt has said that the story is roughly based on his mother and grandmother, but when it came time to create a plot and pick a setting, Dr. Olin-Hitt’s family history offered all the right details.

“My great-grandmother had been a prayer healer and midwife in southern Ohio, and I was always fascinated by stories about her,” said Dr. Olin-Hitt. “I created a fictional story around the people in my family who lived in southern Ohio… I didn’t choose Appalachia, my family history presented it.”

The title “The Homegoing” is appropriate for Dr. Olin-Hitt’s story commemorating his ancestry because the term “homegoing” refers to a celebration to someone’s life. In the novel, this theme becomes apparent as one of the story’s main characters, Ruth Sherman, attempts to find balance between her ancestor’s Appalachian customs and her modern life while away at college.

Not only did Dr. Olin-Hitt find excitement in recreating the setting of his ancestors, but in creating relatable characters as well. “I love creating characters and making them seem real. To do this, a writer has to consider the depth of emotions and reactions a character will have,” he said.

“Good characters seem real because they speak and react from a specific history, which the writer has to create.” Olin-Hitt added.

The New York Journal of Books gave “The Homegoing” a rave review, demonstrating that Dr. Olin-Hitt has accomplished what he set out to do with his family history inspired tale. The University of Mount Union Bookstore has copies of “The Homegoing” available now, and the novel can also be purchased on Amazon.com.

The brutality of war, hungry and hopeless children, and the higher class sacrificing an elite group of children: these are just some of the plot points of one of the biggest hits in young adult literature and the big screen, “The Hunger Games.”

Directors picked the best characters to play the parts of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. In Parade Magazine, fans said they would love to have a partner like Everdeen and many were in love with the heart of Mellark. What was categorized as an action movie instilled much more then just action, including teen romance, violence, tears, laughter and suspense.

This futurist tale takes place in the country of Panem, after an apocalyptic war. The country split into 12 districts, with two contestants (ages 12 to 18) being sent to compete in a reality show called the Hunger Games from every district. A total of 24 tributes compete to the death until only one remains as the winner.

Chanel Simpson, a senior at Mount Union went to see Hunger Games the day it released on March 23.

“This movie is for people that really like to be on the edge of their seat. This movie shows up all those movie watchers that like to predict what happens next; in this movie you can’t,” Simpson said.

Bryan Bober and Kaleigh Stanley, two seniors at Mount Union, reserved tickets for the Alliance theater premier at midnight.

“It was definitely better than expected. All I have to say is may the odds be forever in your favor,” Bober stated.

“I read all the books and the movie did a great job of illustrating the books. It was the first time the movie didn’t disappoint after reading the books for me,” Stanley said.

The film, based on the book by Suzanne Collins, makes up an imaginary saga about teens that have to fight to the death to show thanks and appreciation for the country and government. Both readers and viewers are mainly young adults 18 and up.

Character President Coriolanus Snow’s line “hope is the only thing greater then fear” sums up the movie. The action in this movie will keep the audience from blinking. So hope for the best, face your fears, grab the popcorn and get out to see Hunger Games. Critics say it will leave you hungry for more.

Grab something fried and praise the lord, because ABC’s new runway hit TV sitcom, GCB (Good Christian B******) dishes out that the old Texan stereotype remains true: Everything is bigger, better and, in this case, holier in Texas.

ABC’s new show is well underway in its first season, stirring up laughs while playing a twist on the typical mean girl in high school plotline. TVrage.com gives the full synopsis of GCB’s premise. Former high school mean queen, Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb), returns to her Texan roots after her Californian life goes up in smoke after the death of her husband, who coincidentally stole millions from the family.

Poor Amanda has no choice but to return to Texas with her two children and finds herself at her wealthy mother’s mercy. Amanda’s new outlook of living a simple, peaceful and kind life is dashed by Texas’s outrageous expectations. She may be the former mean girl gone good, but her high school classmates played by Kristen Chenoweth, Annie Potts, Jennifer Aspen, Miriam Shor and Marisol Nichols are now scorned women out for revenge.

Despite all the bickering, blackmailing and backstabbing that goes on between the scorned women and Amanda, they always show up for church on Sundays. However, church days are when the ladies’ claws really come out.

While the show has a lot of sass, some may question its class. Newt Gingrich slammed GCB for mocking Christianity, stating the show displays, “anti-Christian bigotry” suggestions.

Star of the show, Kirsten Chenoweth, fired back, “The Bible tells us we’re not supposed to judge, and people shouldn’t judge before seeing the show.”

Chenoweth’s response certainly mimic’s her character’s personality. In the show’s pilot, her character stated, “Cleavage helps your cross hang straight.”

Despite the controversy, ABC remains to laugh straight to the bank as GCB pulled in 7.6 million viewers according to the dailmail.co.uk.

Watch out, no one messes with these Southern Belles.

GCB can be viewed Sunday nights at 10 p.m.

A redesigned theater and changes to room 114 are two of the major changes planned for Cope Music Hall.

Changes to Cope, including improvements to the heating and cooling, are still being planned and won’t take place for two or three years.

When improvements begin, one of the biggest planned changes is building a bigger theater.  The theater will be redesigned to house a larger audience with an expansive stage and possibly provide a work area for theater members to build sets.

“The improved auditorium can also be used for concerts and musical theater productions,” said Dr. James Perone a Professor of Music.

Another major change is the transformation of room 114 into a combination of a choral rehearsal room and a multi media class.

“I think that it will be wonderful to have the choir and instrumentals in two different rooms because it will help with scheduling and acoustics,” said Perone.

The heating and cooling system of the building will also be repaired.

“If it’s too dry wooden instruments crack and pianos become more difficult to keep in tune,” said Perone.

“I am very excited about the changes because not everyone gets a chance to be a part of renovation planning in their career and we get the rare opportunity to answer the question of what our dream building would look like,” said Patricia Boehm, Associate Professor of Music.

“I hope the renovations will be built with the goal of attracting more student musicians to our campus as well as providing the general student population with more opportunities to participate in the arts,’ said Suzanne Moushey, a music librarian.

The average American Joe gets a chance to express their true life’s passion- fashion design. NBC’s new reality show, Fashion Star hosted by the ultra-supermodel, Elle Macpherson, focuses not only on design, but teaches the contestants how to build their brand.

The show’s premises follow the contestants through their design dilemmas and triumphs while being mentored by fashionable faces. Jessica Simpson, Nicole Riche, and John Varvatos are the three featured mentors on Fashion Star.

According to thehuffingtonpost.com, the mentors have the power to decide who continues with the design challenge, but it is the merchandise buyers (Macy’s, H &M and   Saks Fifth Ave) who decide what challenger become a fashion victim.

It is the buyer mechanism that separates this fashion reality show from the others. While the buyers hold the key to who stays and goes they also offer the winning designs to be sold online (and select stores) the next day. This way, the audience at home can indulge in their favorite designer’s creations.

Fashion Star seems like the ultimate fashion competition not only focusing on design, but schooling the designers in branding. At the end, the last one standing will be awarded a prize worth more than $60,000 featuring their line in all three stores.

It’s hard to say whether Fashion Star will flourish or fade, but that is the gamble in the fierce world of fashion.

Fashion Star shines Tuesday nights, 10 p.m. on NBC.

One Library resource Manager on campus believes the information found in K.H.I.C. is there for the taking, but worries students might not always know where to look.

Steve Kenneally is a library resource manager and a professor. He fears students would rather ask other students for help over asking an adult who is also there to help.

“Students need to know that it is ok to ask for help,” he said. “They need to know that the library has so much more to offer and asking for help is ok.”

Kenneally has respect and faith in the student workers, but sometimes the librarians know further ways to search for a book or journal. He fears that students are too nervous or intimidated to ask an adult which may cause them to not find what they are looking for.

There are five librarians who are willing to help. They can be reached several ways,

according to Kenneally.

“Students can, visit, email, call and text questions to the librarians,” he said.

The library has rooms and collections that students might not have heard of. For example, the rare books room, the CRC and also the Periodicals room. The 24 hour study rooms and the group study areas are both always open and are popular areas that students can get studying done in.

A major concern Kenneally is facing is the cancelation of LS 100 due to the new Integrated Curriculum taking effect next year. LS 100 used to make students take a tour of the library as a class assignment. If LS 100 is canceled he wonders, then how will students know what the library has to offer?

Kenneally is more than willing to offer library tours but not many students are willing to ask for one.

The UMU Library was originally housed in the basement and first floor of Chapman Hall in 1846. Among the libraries first librarians was Mount Union’s founder, Orville Nelson Hartstorn. By 1930 the library had grown to 32,000 books, 25,000 documents and 1,000 journals. The expansion of the library made it evident that a new building was needed.

The book collections were transferred to a new library building in 1950. Kholenbrander Harter Information Center was built in 2000. The library home page has more information. “This complex includes both the original library and a large addition which includes an expanded library facility, faculty offices, classrooms, and the IT department,” Kenneally said.