“Dear John” a must-read before the movie
Feb 2nd
Though published in 2006, Nicholas Sparks‘ romance novel “Dear John” is currently earning a second wave of widespread popularity due to the upcoming release of the movie tie-in by the same name. Premiering February 5th in theaters, the film Dear John stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. Watch the trailer for the upcoming film below to get the gist of the love story featured in Sparks’ novel. (It’s little surprise that the release is timed perfectly to anticipate Valentine’s day coming up later this month.)
From the looks of it, the film closely follows Sparks’ original love story without many deviations (though we can’t be completely certain until we watch it).
The novel Dear John adds to Sparks’ growing literary repertoire of love stories with simple themes featuring ordinary, down-to-earth characters. The magic touch Sparks lends that makes these novels heart-wrenching tear jerkers every time is the extraordinary emotions he imbues within his characters. Sparks tackles those profound and deeply satisfying emotions of longing, endless love and finding your soul mate. Still, his stories are atypical of the usual romances since they are usually tinged with hints of tragedy – as is the case with Dear John.
The love story follows the characters of John Tyree, a rebel-turned-patriotic-soldier, and his blossoming relationship with University of North Carolina student, Savannah Lynn Curtis. The narrator of the story, John, meets Savannah by happenstance (or fate) while on temporary leave from the Army. Though they’re from two different worlds (Sparks is a fan of the star-crossed-lovers motif), the pair overcome their conflicting values and find true love with each other. Tender sentiments of love like the following are sprinkled throughout the novel like hidden treasures for the reader: “And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever.”
Of course with seemingly perfect love stories like this life always happens and in the case of John and Savannah, the events of 9/11 will change them. This novel is almost impossible to put down and results in a quick read from start to finish. Be prepared for waterfalls of tears as you make your way through John’s memories and understand the depth of his love through his eyes. Not only is his story with Savannah touching, John’s journey of finding love for his socially awkward father is equally poignant.
Dear John, while not The Notebook part II, is still one of Sparks’ best. Consider reading it in its original literary form before the film hits theaters. You won’t regret it.
Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” offers memories
Oct 13th
Passionate King of Pop fans can get excited for MJ’s “This Is It” album release arriving in stores internationally on Oct.26 and in the U.S. on Oct. 27. The album is available for fans to purchase just a day before the worldwide release of the documentary/concert film of the same name. The “This Is It” film hitting theaters on Oct. 28 will chronicle MJ’s rehearsals and preparations for his London concert series which sadly never happened due to his untimely death. Columbia Pictures acquired rights to the footage of the “This Is It” concert series’ rehearsals and created the film tribute to give MJ fans something to hold on to, as well as creating a historic pop culture milestone.
This posthumous full 2-disc deluxe album release from MJ is meant to be a companion piece to the film and features music that inspired the film, meaning it’s primarily a compilation of Jackson’s greatest hits in their original mastered versions. New material includes previously unreleased demo recordings of classic hit tracks, a never-before-heard spoken word poem titled “Planet Earth” read by MJ and 2 versions of the previously unreleased song, “This Is It.” The album arranges the songs in the same order as they appear in the film.
The title track, “This Is It,” first emerged in 1983 when it was co-written by Michael Jackson and former teen star from the 50’s and 60’s, Paul Anka. The song was recorded by Jackson backed only by a piano accompaniment right around the time that “Thriller” was a billboard smash. The recording was found in an old box of Michael Jackson’s tapes. Studios added strings to the recording as well as back-up vocals from Jackson’s brothers. For added flavor, fans can catch finger-click percussions performed by MJ himself that were borrowed from his recording of “The Girl Is Mine.”
