BuzzSugar

Target Special Edition iPod Shuffle: The Winner Is ...

BuzzSugar — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:00:00 -0700

Thanks to all of you who took the BuzzSugar quiz to win a pink special edition iPod Shuffle in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Much as we'd love to shower you all with prizes, only one lucky reader could win - and that reader is splayer! Congrats to you!

Thanks again to the rest of you for entering. Don't forget: You can still read all the great Breast Cancer Awareness Month coverage from around the Sugar Network.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Spotlight On: Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy

BuzzSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:38:05 -0700

As today is the final day of October, I'm wrapping up my Breast Cancer Awareness series with a spotlight on the Lifetime television movie Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy. Based on the Geralyn Lucas' 2004 memoir by the same name, the movie stars Sarah Chalke as the 27-year-old Manhattan-dwelling Lucas who finds herself living "the life" with a dream job and dreamier doctor husband - and a lump in her breast.

She goes through a mastectomy and the subsequent chemotherapy, all the while struggling to maintain a sense of confidence and femininity. Her high-end New York lifestyle, loving family, understanding boss and supportive friends all help her through the experience, but nothing can truly make her feel better about being unusually young for a breast cancer patient. She fiercely insists on wearing red lipstick whenever she can, her "war paint" in the battle against the disease.

I'm a huge Sarah Chalke fan, and while the story is, in true Lifetime fashion, slightly glossy and vanilla, Chalke does a magnificent job portraying the defiantly feminine Lucas. Her determination to live a beautiful life in the midst of such an ugly experience is inspiring. The movie is currently available on iTunes for $4.

Buzz In: Cancer-Themed Books

BuzzSugar — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 13:30:19 -0700

In pondering what to write for Breast Cancer Awareness Month this month, I have been thinking a lot about a book I read years ago titled What Girls Learn. The novel by Karin Cook is about two sisters whose mother discovers that she has breast cancer. The narrator is 12-year-old Tilden who brings us through the heartwarming, yet difficult story of illness, mother-daughter bonds and coming-of-age in the midst of family crisis. It's beautiful and funny, and I recommend it to people of all ages - whether or not you relate to the cancer storyline.

In the same vein, I've heard marvelous things about Allison Winn Scotch’s The Department of Lost and Found, and a friend recently recommended Nordie's at Noon: The Personal Stories of Four Women "Too Young" for Breast Cancer.

So what about you? Have you read any excellent books - fiction or nonfiction - in which cancer was a theme?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Spotlight On: Cancer Vixen

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:30:00 -0700

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'll be featuring people and products from pop culture that have to do with the disease - those who have beaten it, have been touched by it, or are working toward finding a cure.

Today's spotlight is on Cancer Vixen, the alternately hilarious and horrifying memoir by Marisa Acocella Marchetto, a cartoonist for Glamour and The New Yorker. She was leading a decidedly fabulous life - hot fiancé, successful artistic career, kicky shoes - when a breast cancer diagnosis cast doubt on everything.

Acocella Marchetto holds nothing back in this memoir, depicting her "everything's fine" face as a dopey smile, her mother ("(s)mother") as a lovable but annoying hypochondriac, her friends as well-meaning gossips who wanted nothing but the best for their friend, and her cancer cells as little green blobs giving her the finger. Cancer Vixen focuses on surviving a scary diagnosis, but it's also a story about love, friendship, success, and what happens when life suddenly throws up a roadblock you never saw coming. Like Kris Carr, the filmmaker behind the documentary Crazy Sexy Cancer, Acocella Marchetto has created something creative, entertaining, and wickedly funny out of a very dark experience - and that's truly an inspiration.

Want to check out Cancer Vixen for yourself? Amazon has a great price on the hardcover book, but you can also scroll through a digital version of the story over here.

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month Spotlight On: Ford's Warriors in Pink Campaign

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 05:30:00 -0700

Today, the spotlight is on Ford's Warriors in Pink campaign, which has successfully brought entertainers from all corners of pop culture into the fight against breast cancer. Last year, the campaign convinced the cast of Grey's Anatomy to wear its pink gear in an ad campaign, and the show also devoted a large part of one episode to a breast cancer story.

This year, the campaign recruited Kelly Clarkson to spread the word about the campaign through magazine ads and a video reminding all women to be mindful of their breast cancer risk. Warriors in Pink is also auctioning off mini Mustangs signed and decorated by entertainers including Clarkson, the casts of Grey's and Desperate Housewives, and Courteney Cox and David Arquette, among others. The campaign is also sponsoring a special all-pink Deal or No Deal this Friday night.

It doesn't hurt that the campaign's logo is pretty cool, to boot - here's a handy guide to what all the symbols mean. To watch Clarkson's Warriors in Pink ad and see a gallery of some of the mini Mustangs up for auction, just read more

View 10 Photos ›

Mustang decorators
Top row, left to right: Richard Simmons, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, cast of Brothers and Sisters, cast of Young and the Restless, cast of Desperate Housewives

Bottom row, left to right: Laurie Force, cast of General Hospital, cast of Grey's Anatomy, Toby Keith, Kelly Clarkson

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TV Today: "Frosted Pink"

BuzzSugar — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 07:00:00 -0700

Throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I've been writing about people in the entertainment industry who have been making a difference in the fight against breast cancer. So I wanted to make sure to mention "Frosted Pink," a TV special airing today on ABC designed to raise awareness of all women's cancers.

The event features musical performances, appearances from cancer survivor Sharon Osborne and other celebrities, and figure skating exhibitions from star athletes including Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi. Yeah, I know, the figure skating's a little random. But there's a great slate of musical performers lined up, including Joss Stone, Olivia Newton-John and Heart. I'm especially intrigued by Shades of Pink, a chorus made up entirely of breast cancer survivors, whom you can see backing Stone in the picture above.

I'm glad ABC is devoting some of its broadcast time to raising awareness of breast cancer and all cancers that affect women. The special airs from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT (check your local listings in other time zones) and will be repeated on the Style Network throughout October.

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month Spotlight On: Lifetime's "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" Campaign

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:30:00 -0700

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'll be featuring people and products from pop culture that have to do with the disease - those who have beaten it, been touched by it, or are working toward finding a cure.

Today, the spotlight is on Lifetime Television, which has launched its 13th annual "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" campaign this month. The network has recruited several stars to record public service announcements about breast cancer awareness that will air throughout this month; Whoopi Goldberg, Reba McEntire, Fran Drescher, Daisy Fuentes and several NFL players are just a few of the stars involved.

The network also recruited R&B singer Mya - who became active in the breast cancer awareness community after her mother was diagnosed with the disease in 1998 - to record a special theme song for this year's campaign. The song, "My Bra," is based around the idea that we can be supportive, uplifting presences - er, "bras" - in each other's lives. The song will be featured in a new Lifetime movie, Matters of Life and Dating, starring Ricki Lake, who also has talked about the ways breast cancer has affected her.

Kudos to Lifetime for all the ways they're working to raise awareness. To watch a preview for Matters of Life and Dating featuring the Mya song, just read more

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Spotlight On: Kylie Minogue

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:15:00 -0700

Today the spotlight is on Kylie Minogue whose battle with breast cancer was a well-publicized fact.

Her next album, titled X will release in Australia on November 26 and marks her first musical project post-cancer. Billboard states that the single "2 Hearts" will be available online on November 5. Get a load of this sassy image from the album - va-va-voom!

In addition, Minogue has made a documentary chronicling her return to performing after her cancer surgery. Titled White Diamond, the documentary will be released on DVD December 10. To see a preview for White Diamond, read more