With the Fourth of July weekend upon us, I'm bringing back an old favorite quiz about TV shows that search for America's best. In recent years, we've turned to television to find some of our hottest singers, greatest inventors, young talents, and even cute dogs. In honor of Independence Day, this quiz is all about reality shows with "America" or "American" in the name. How well do you know this intersection of entertainment and national pride? Good luck!
See, Judy Blume is the epitome of Summer reading for me. In my pre-teen years, I spent long Summer afternoons by the pool poring over Deenie or Superfudge or whichever Blume classic I'd grabbed from the library most recently. I still have my well-loved paperback copies of Just as Long as We're Together and Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself, the ones I read the most — often finishing one and immediately starting the other.
So I was delighted to stumble upon this essay collection, which features women writers including Meg Cabot and Megan McCafferty reminiscing about their own experiences reading Blume and the (sometimes shocking) lessons learned from her books. (One essay is titled "Do Adults Really Do That? Does Judy Blume Really Do That?")
For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in July). In these weekly posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.
To read more about this month's book and get your first assignment, just read more
Win a trip for two to the live season five finale of So You Think You Can Dance on FOX! Get a chance to see the performers up close and be there as they crown the winner in Los Angeles. Each week for the next four weeks, we'll be posting a new quiz with some tidbits of SYTYCD trivia. For each of the four quizzes you take, you'll be entered once in the drawing — so the more quizzes you take, the more chances you have to win. Plus, it doesn't matter how you score. As long as you finish the quiz, you are entered!
From today through Sunday (July 5), you can enter by taking this quiz about the first season of the show. Click here for more details about the prize and here for the official rules. And watch So You Think You Can Dance, Wednesdays and Thursdays on FOX!
Question 1 of 7
Who was the first host of So You Think You Can Dance?
Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music, and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points!
What movie tells the story of real-life Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic?
After a night of strong performances on Wednesday, Thursday's So You Think You Can Dance results show delivered a few surprises — at least when it came to the dancers who ended up in the bottom three. Were the dancers on the chopping block the same ones you predicted, or were you left wondering where your favorites went wrong? To chat about it, just read more
Fox is new with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and Mental
NBC is new with The Chopping Block and Dateline
CBS has repeats of Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint, and Numb3rs
ABC has a repeat of Surviving Suburbia, is new with The Goode Family, has two repeats of According to Jim, and is new with 20/20
TLC is new with What Not to Wear
Late-night highlights include Teri Hatcher on a repeat of Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Kobe Bryant on a repeat of The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; and Whoopi Goldberg on a repeat of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC
Things used to be so simple: If a TV show was a half-hour long, it was a comedy. If it took up a full hour, it was a drama. But recently, those lines have been blurring, with hourlong shows like Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty branding themselves as comedies and half-hour shows like Weeds taking on subject matter that's more dark than funny.
A new article claims that the half-hour drama is a full-on TV format. The story cites Hung and Nurse Jackie as half-hour shows that are decidedly more dramatic than comedic. An executive at ABC Family — which is trying the half-hour format with 10 Things I Hate About You — says in the story:
Doing it in the half-hour allows you to take a completely different look at things that could be interpreted as serious — and viewers are comfortable with it being funny because it's a half hour.
Would you like to see more networks experiment with half-hour dramas? Or do you like things as they are, with dramas getting longer time slots and comedies running shorter?
Reese Witherspoon threw together a bohemian chic ensemble for an afternoon of shopping in LA. She casually paired an ikat miniskirt with a plain white tank and beige cardigan, while her gladiator sandals tied in nicely with her beaded necklace and cross-body Marni purse.
It took me a while to draw out these kooky costars, but Year One cavemen Jack Black and Michael Cera provide low-key laughs in person to perfectly complement the movie's madcap antics....
Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! We're deep into Summer reading season, and that makes me even more excited about my selection for July: 
