Welcome back to my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I sifted through the stacks (er, Web pages) of music, DVDs, and books to find some of the best 2008 has to offer dudes. Today I will share with you some 2008 entertainment gift ideas for the ladies.
It's no secret how much I love Jenny Lewis and I will be spreading the gospel this year by handing out her newest album Acid Tongue to my girlfriends (or at least including her songs on the mix CDs I'll make this holiday season). I'll also be giving out Aimee Mann's newest album, as I think it's pretty awesome.
It was a good year for books: I read both The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum and Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner and would definitely recommend them. In the movies department, might I suggest the hilarious Baby Mama or Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day on DVD?
Since I watch more TV than most people I know, I use the holidays to not-so-subtly suggest to friends what I know they would love, like 30 Rock or Greek. And many of my friends have grown to love Lipstick Jungle, so it would be a treat for them to receive the show's first season on DVD.
A couple more ideas below, so have fun scrolling on through.
Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.
Hello, Buzz Book Club readers! 'Tis the season to read a book together, and my December selection was a pretty easy choice: David Sedaris's Holidays on Ice. I know we just completed a memoir last month, but I couldn't help myself with this one. I know I could use some holiday-themed levity from one of America's foremost humorists as I cram to get my work, shopping, and decorating done in this busy season (less than three weeks, people!). And because we're all so busy this time of year, this book also stood out because it's so tiny.
The New York Times explains that this is the little book that brought Sedaris's "jaundiced, bah-humbug sensibility to prominence a decade ago," and I think viewing holiday mayhem through his eyes will be fun in the weeks to come. There are a couple of editions of the book out now, and while the re-release (pictured here) comes with new essays, I'm going to stick to discussing just the stories in the original — there are cookies to bake and gifts to wrap, after all.
For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: I announce a new book each month. Every week I suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in December). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.
To find out what Holidays on Ice is all about and to get the first assignment, read more
Leverage, TNT's new heist show, starts Sunday night, and it's a pretty good time — there's some Ocean's Eleven flavor mixed with a little bit of The A-Team and some Robin Hood for good measure. Last month, TNT invited me to Los Angeles to interview the cast — including star Timothy Hutton, who plays Nathan Ford, the mastermind who helps a crew of thieves steal from the rich and greedy — and executive producer John Rogers. Here's some of what I learned:
Leverage isn't taking itself too seriously. "[Executive producer Chris Downey] and I were drinking in our garage, which is not as sad as it sounds, and were talking about how heist shows at the time had gotten really grim and gritty — you missed half an episode even and you were lost," Rogers said. "We talked about the shows we liked — Rockford Files, The A-Team, Mission Impossible — and why not do one of those?"
Keeping track of elaborate heists can be tricky. "In the writing room, that can get a little hairy," Rogers said. "We have different colored cards and everything . . . Everything gets spot-welded together, and there are times when we look at the board and are like, where the hell did the bad guy go?"
To see more of what I learned about the series, including what's coming up for Hutton's character, just read more
Well, it's certainly been a crazy couple of days for Grey's Anatomy gossip. Just today, there's news about what might be behind the Izzie/Denny story, plus news about a wild new plot coming up later this season. And a couple of days ago, rumors and "blind items" started flying about a character possibly leaving the Grey's universe. Looking back, doesn't my most ridiculous Grey's Anatomy moment poll from '07 seem awfully tame? If only we'd known what was coming up. Anyway, to start talking about the news and rumors (it should be obvious, but there be spoilers ahead!), read more
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