by Hunter Patterson | Jun 30, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
Rebounding off the wretched creation that was Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers 3: Dark Side of the Moon proves to be an giant upgrade. Sure, it is darker and more serious than the second film, but it is far more than buildings and robots exploding. Michael Bay fans should not worry, though. There is plenty of that, too. In the latest installment of “Michael Bay Blows Stuff Up,” Bay holds true to his messy incoherent script writing, but it’s still entertaining. It truly is a sight to see — a big, beautiful, shining symphony of chaos, especially in the final act, which involves the Decepticons (including Shockwave, who is as awesome as fans hoped he would be) completely leveling Chicago for what seems like an hour’s worth of screen time. Yeah, guys, I know that Megan Fox is not in the movie, however, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a more than worthy replacement. Not only is she a great fit for the role, she isn’t bad on the eyes, either. Also, don’t fret about her replacing Fox’s character in the actual role. Her character, Carly, is an entirely new addition to the film. It’s not as if the audience should think of her as Fox, because she isn’t. If there is even a small part of you wanting to see this movie, go see it. Going to see the films of this franchise, one knows what to expect. You don’t expect a Martin Scorcese or Spike Lee film. People go see these movies because they want action, special effects and robots that sound like dubstep songs. Filmed spectacularly in...
by Hunter Patterson | Jun 29, 2011 | News Slider
After 10 years and over 70,000 people meandering around a farm in Manchester, Tenn., Bonnaroo still proves to one of the biggest and best music festivals around. Bonnaroo is more than just standing around for four days. It’s actually everything other than boring and blazing hot. Boasting headliners such as Eminem, Lil’ Wayne, The Black Keys and Grammy winners Arcade Fire, Bonnaroo is quickly becoming this generation’s Woodstock. The sites would not be unfamiliar to former Woodstock goers, either. Everything from festival-goers painted from head-to-toe toe to people giving themselves colorful nicknames, Bonnaroo had a little bit of something for everyone. The stereotypical festival atmosphere was around, too. You know, the whole not showering thing? It’s definitely true. Even for Junior communications major Shelby Marvel, not showering was the right way to go about it. “I thought it was awesome,” the Ashland City, Tenn. Native said. “By Sunday I was definitely ready for a shower, but I am glad I went all out.” By all out she means sleeping in a tent without an air mattress and not showering four days. “It’s so much fun you forget about how gross you are and how gross you feel.” It would be easy to say that Marvel was not the only one present that had not showered in a few days, either. Some surprising acts such as Ratatat, Portugal. The Man, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Big Boi wowed the tens of thousands of fans in Manchester, but for Marvel it was a handful of performances other than those that made her want to attend the festival again. “My favorite...
by Hunter Patterson | Jun 24, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Last month it was announced that Belmont would be the leaving the A-Sun and becoming 12th member of the Ohio Valley Conference. While it was announced on the 13th of May, Belmont will not officially join the OVC until July 1, 2012. Belmont president Robert Fisher was intentional in explaining that the move was a strategic one that was made for the student-athletes and the budget of the university. Belmont will have to pay $200,000 to leave the Atlantic Sun Conference, however, the school’s travel costs will drop immensely. “You don’t have to get on a plane to go anywhere,” Dr. Fisher said. “And the students won’t have to miss as many classes.” Missing classes is something that Belmont and Lipscomb have dealt with in the past because of the long travels the two schools make to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. This bodes even worse for Lipscomb now, since their travel partner will no longer be making the trips. Usually, Lipscomb and Belmont would share a plane when traveling to Florida to play teams like North Florida and Jacksonville. Now, Belmont’s longest road trip will be a six hour bus ride to Edwardsville, Ill. to play Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. All of Belmont’s current teams – other than men’s soccer – will be recognized by the OVC in 2012. And despite reports, Belmont does not plan to add football anytime soon. With the addition of the Bruins, the OVC now has five teams in Tennessee: Austin Peay State, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State and now, Belmont. Think of it this way; TSU...
by Hunter Patterson | Jun 9, 2011 | News Slider
For most students at Lipscomb, Advance means making friends, winning Chick-Fil-A sandwiches and revealing secrets during intense games of fruit basket turnover. For Jim Thomas, however, Advance runs much deeper than that. Dr. Thomas, a communications professor and an assistant to the president, started the Advance program 22 years ago with hopes of keeping incoming freshman at Lipscomb for the entirety of their college careers. “I see myself as more of a problem solver as opposed to someone who has great creativity,” Dr. Thomas said. “I always wondered why Lipscomb students transferred to Harding and vice versa.” After looking at the data, which had been complied after 20 years of research, Thomas soon found out that nearly 50 percent of those who start college never get their degree. Thomas then began to wonder if students were simply not as smart as they had thought upon entering college. “Surprisingly it is the brighter students who tend to drop out and never graduate,” Thomas said. “What is making the student say, ‘I’m just not going to do this?’” The main thing that Dr. Thomas found out was that most of the students’ decisions were made very early on in the college experience. He then concluded that if students were able to have a pleasant freshman year it was more likely they would finish college by walking the line and shaking the hand of the president instead of leaving during Spring break and never returning. “Having started at Lipscomb as a transfer student in 1967, I came in thinking that our registration process had a real problem with it,” Thomas said. “We...
by Hunter Patterson | May 16, 2011 | News Slider
Last night, the 22nd season of the CBS reality show Survivor came to an end. Unfortunately, Lipscomb student Matt Elrod did not take home the one million dollar prize; however, Matt has good reason to hold his head high. Matt made it 37 days on the island only to lose the in the last duel on Redemption Island. In the last challenge to see who would make it back onto the island, the four remaining contestants had to balance a vase on the other end of a beam while standing on one foot. Matt lasted for over an hour, and after losing his vase, the other two contestants followed shortly thereafter. Matt spent most of his time on the show on Redemption Island, a new facet of the game thrown in this season. Matt lived on Redemption Island for 29 days this past season, more than any other contestant. Compared to the seven that he actually spent on the island with his fellow cast members, it was a lot. While on Redemption Island, Matt won 10 out of 11 duels, once again, more than anyone. He accredited God with guiding him all the way to the end during the reunion show Sunday night. “God was with me every step of the way,” Elrod said. “I praise His name for just letting me be a vessel for Him. That’s been my reward for all of the struggle and all the strife I’ve been through.” Throughout the game, Matt also became a vessel through which many of his teammates expressed their views to. One of those people on the show was...
