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Love It or Leave It: Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page Close the Olympics

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:39:18 -0700

Led Zeppelin alum Jimmy Page got together with British singing sensation Leona Lewis at the Olympics closing ceremony to perform a duet of "Whole Lotta Love."

There's a whole lotta think about here, like what an odd pairing this seems to be at first glance, and the fact that Leona is on stilts. When I hear her voice I think, "Pretty!" but then I'm confused because I wouldn't expect to hear those kind of vocal loopdee-loos in this song. So, let's put it to a vote!

Leona Lewis & Jimmy Page. Live.
by michael0845

Will You Go Through Olympic TV Withdrawal?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:00:13 -0700

While watching the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics on Sunday night, I suddenly thought: Well, now what am I going to watch? I admit, I've been watching hours of Olympic coverage almost every night since the hugely popular opening ceremony more than two weeks ago. And I know I'm not alone: The 2008 Olympics has been named the biggest US television event of all time!

So, now what? Fall TV is coming, and the political conventions will dominate primetime for a while - but still, I can't shake the feeling that something will be missing when I settle down on the couch tonight. Will you be going through Olympic withdrawal, too?

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What If Dwight Schrute Controlled the Olympics?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:30:03 -0700

Despite the high-flying gymnastics and record-setting swimming, Dwight Schrute thinks the Olympics are for wimps. In this NBC promo for The Office, he takes down the decathlon and proposes his own, clearly much more taxing event: the Centathlon.

The Schrute-ified event starts out with normal enough events (side jump) then gets significantly more bizarre as the list goes on (hide-the-hamster! murder checkers!). My favorite part is the rendering of each sport in a little red Olympic-style icon; the one for "pain tolerance" is particularly awesome.

The spot is one of several Office promos - maybe as many as five - that will be airing during the Olympics. I can't complain about cross-promotion when it's this clever. To watch Dwight explain the Centathlon, just read more.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Buzz In: What Are You Watching Instead of the Olympics?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:33:32 -0700

So there's a new estimate for how many people watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics last Friday - and it's double the original estimate, which was already mindblowing. Today, Nielsen said the total audience for the opening ceremony was actually 2 billion, a third of the world's population!

That's not all: Even the regular broadcasts have been drawing more than 30 million viewers a night for NBC (for reference, that's about even with this year's Oscars). And even though much of the women's gymnastics team final aired after 11 p.m. in most time zones on Tuesday, it's still estimated that almost 45 million people tuned in for the event, one of the highest-rated portions of the games so far.

But even here at Sugar HQ, there are some folks who aren't getting sucked into the Olympic hype. The problem is, there's just not all that much else to watch right now. Sure, Fox is repeating all of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Big Brother is on schedule, and most of the cable series are soldiering on as normal. But the rest of the schedule looks like a jumbled mess - an Eli Stone here, a Private Practice there, a couple of CSIs to round it out. So, if you're not watching the Olympics, what are you watching? Are you content with repeats? Have you turned to DVDs? Or is this a perfect excuse to turn off the TV altogether?

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One Billion People Watched the Opening Ceremony

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:33:25 -0700

Yes, that says "billion." With a B. And it's how many people worldwide are estimated to have watched Friday's opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics. That's 15 percent of the world's population!

Even more baffling numbers: At least 383 million people in China are believed to have watched the ceremony on TV. In the United States, the broadcast drew more than 34 million viewers, the most-watched opening ceremony ever for an Olympics held outside the country. In countries including the UK, Germany, Australia, and Italy, about half of the total potential TV-watching audience tuned in.

I was one in that billion, and I certainly was not disappointed. From the thousands of drummers moving in perfect unison to the unfolding scroll telling the history of China, the dancers who painted with their bodies to the boxes that formed patterns and cities, it was a huge spectacle. I'm not sure I even can pick a favorite part, though the constantly evolving painting (which was later walked over - intentionally - by every athlete who marched in during the Parade of Nations) and the globe with performers running in all directions would definitely be up there.

If you missed the ceremony, you can watch a large portion of the spectacle online or check out a gallery of still photos here. If you were also among the billion who watched, what were your favorite parts?

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The Olympics in the Movies

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:30:07 -0700

Drama, intrigue, and high stakes are inherent in the Olympic games, which is perhaps why so many movies borrow from the real-life inspirational (or sometimes devastating) stories that have come out of the Olympics. From Cool Runnings to that TV movie about Greg Louganis, test your knowledge of Olympics-themed movies with my quiz!

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TV Tonight: The Olympics Kick Off

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:30:22 -0700

Today, the eighth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of the millennium, the 2008 Olympics kick off in Beijing. Or rather, they've already kicked off: The opening ceremonies began at 8:08 p.m. locally - which is 8:08 a.m. on the East Coast.

Still, in just a few hours, we'll get to see the ceremonies for ourselves, as NBC will carry a tape-delayed version of the ceremonies starting at 7:30 p.m. EDT and PDT. Details of the spectacle have been closely guarded - even more so after a South Korean news station briefly leaked footage online - but here are a few of the things that are known about the ceremony:

It will take place in China's new national stadium, otherwise known as the Bird's Nest, that gorgeous building pictured above.
British singer Sarah Brightman will sing a duet with China's Liu Huan. The song is reported to be some sort of Olympic theme commissioned for the occasion.
There will be a fireworks display that's expected to include upwards of 30,000 firework shells.
The 90-minute show, which will take place before the athletes march in, will feature 14,000 performers and depict 5,000 years of Chinese history.
The 5,000 athletes are expected to take about 90 minutes to march in - and after this week's Project Runway, I can't wait to see their national costumes!
The method of how the torch will be lit is still a secret, but this report has several of the rumors, including that the flame will somehow float in the air above the stadium.

Are you excited, brimming with national pride, and ready to root for various athletic feats for the next two weeks? Or are the Olympics just one big snooze to you?

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Project Runway Rundown: Episode 4, "Rings of Glory"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:30:32 -0700

Last night's Project Runway began as they all do: winner picks model, Heidi tempts us with a prelude to the challenge, the designers get a promise to the tune of "Tim will fill you in on all the details later." Lucky for us viewers, we got to hear what was in store mere moments later, but the designers weren't as fortunate, leaving Jerell to say, "I don't really have any idea where we're going to be going - I just really hope it has nothing to do with female wrestlers." Oh Jerell, that'll never happen again. Right?

Well, this week's challenge wasn't to wardrobe the women of the WWE, but it wasn't too far off. The designers were instructed to create an outfit for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics. This didn't seem too "wack-a-doodle" (as Suede would say), but based on the reactions of designers like Daniel who had never watched an opening ceremony, it was. As he imagined it, "somebody holds a flame and runs around a track field." Which was off the mark, but not nearly as much as his dress was. Yes, he designed a dress, and most of the other designers did skirts, which resulted in a couple laugh-out-loud moments watching the models walk the runway.

To talk about (and see) what was so humorous, read more.

Before we get to a breakdown of the looks, here are some other random thoughts from the episode:

I truly think that the designers having access to the Olympic archives was to their detriment. Had they not been "inspired" by very feminine pictures from the past (when women didn't wear pants!), I doubt as many would have chosen to design skirts and dresses.
Dear Blayne: Clearly the tanning has gotten to your brain if you don't know what Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club is. You're not that young. However, I did love Tim's response: "Oh God, youth!"
Speaking of Blayne's tanning, and Stella's "leatha," and Suede's, well, Suedeness, I'm starting to think those three went to Reality TV School to learn how to be annoying but memorable. It seems to be working, since all three are still standing.
How moving was Korto's story about coming to America to escape a civil war? It really made me feel for her, and subsequently I'm now on team Korto. It's funny how a little back-story can do that.
Favorite line of the night: "As you can see, we're back to high school, and I just want to get to college."

Onto the judges' favorite and least favorite looks (and a bonus one that I just have to mention):

View 13 Photos ›

Stella - Although Stella wasn't officially in the bottom of the barrel, she really should have been. What was that atrocity? Her weird, belly-exposing black (black!) pants-and-vest combo was bad. Really, really bad. They've got to be keeping her around because of her character and not her talent, right?
Terri - Terri's pants, blouse, blazer, and scarf ensemble was perfect. I was obsessed with it. It was the most wearable and the most appropriate for the Olympics. Alas, she was robbed, but luckily the win went to my second choice.
Korto - Korto won the challenge with her pants and leather vest. It was very modern and it worked - not quite as well as Terri's, in my opinion, but I was happy nonetheless.
Jennifer - Jennifer was eliminated last night and, really, she should have been. Gold-striped pleated skirt with a navy cardigan? As Heidi put it "I just don't see Olympic, and I don't see America in it, at all." Well said. You know what else I don't see? Surrealism!
Joe - I cannot believe the judges liked Joe's design. This was one I was laughing at when it went down the runway. I mean, a skort? An uneven skort? No. At least it said USA. Literally, it did.
Daniel - Poor Daniel. His intentions were good, and his dress was kinda cute. It just wasn't right for the challenge. At all. Should've gone with Wonder Woman.
Jerell - I love how Michael started getting the giggles when Nina critiqued Jerell's design. I thought we were going to witness another Kors breakdown, but he managed to keep himself somewhat composed. If Jennifer wasn't heading home, Jerell should have been next on the chopping block.

Which look did you think was most fab? Do you agree that Terri was robbed? Were you sad to see Jennifer go? And fill in the blank: Jerell was dressed like Robin Hood because _____________.

Photos courtesy of Bravo

Test Your Knowledge About the Olympics and TV

BuzzSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:36:36 -0700

The Summer Olympics in Beijing kick off on Friday, with NBC broadcasting several hours of the opening ceremonies. For the next two weeks, coverage of the Olympics will be all over NBC and its cable networks - but how many hours are we talking here? Test your knowledge of that, and many other Olympics-related TV questions, in my quiz!

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Take the quiz

Announcing the 2009 Emmy Winners!

BuzzSugar — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:32:15 -0700

Well, the Emmys are over, and we have our full list of winners. Were you guys surprised by this year's picks? (Check out all my Emmy polls here.) I thought the show started out pretty unexpectedly when underdogs Kristin Chenoweth and Toni Collete took home trophies, and there were a few other surprises along the way. Towards the end, though, the big wins seemed pretty predictable with Mad Men for drama, 30 Rock for comedy - no surprises there.

I had a lot of favorite moments of the night - more on those later - but mainly, I just enjoyed seeing Neil Patrick Harris as host. I loved everything from his opening to Dr. Horrible, and most of you thought his opening number was pretty great, too.

For the full list of 2009 Emmy winners, just read more.
COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock

DRAMA SERIES
Mad Men

MINISERIES
Little Dorrit

ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Toni Collette, United States of Tara

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Glenn Close, Damages

MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
Grey Gardens

REALITY HOST
Jeff Probst, Survivor

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race

ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Brendan Gleeson, Into The Storm

ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Michael Emerson, Lost

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Ken Howard, Grey Gardens

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Cherry Jones, 24

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Shohreh Aghdashloo, House Of Saddam

WRITING FOR A COMEDY
30 Rock ("Reunion," Matt Hubbard)

WRITING FOR A DRAMA
Mad Men ("Meditations in an Emergency," Kater Gordon, Matthew Weiner)

WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSICAL OR COMEDY SERIES
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Steve Bodow, Jon Stewart, David Javerbaum, Josh Lieb, Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Jason Ross, Tim Carvell, John Oliver, Sam Means, Rob Kutner, J.R. Havlan, Rich Blomquist, Wyatt Cenac, Elliott Kalan, Rachel Axler)

WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Little Dorrit (Andrew Davies)

DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
The Office ("Stress Relief," Jeff Blitz)

DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Little Dorrit (Dearbhla Walsh)

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
American Idol ("The Final Three," Bruce Gowers)

ORIGINAL MUSIC AND LYRICS
81st Annual Academy Awards" ("Hugh Jackman Opening Number")

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
ER ("And in The End," Rod Holcomb)

LIST OF WINNERS IN THE CREATIVE ARTS CATEGORIES

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Michael J. Fox, Rescue Me ("Sheila")

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2008

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ellen Burstyn, Law & Order: SVU ("Swing")

GOVERNORS AWARD
Sheila Nevins, HBO Documentary Films

ANIMATED PROGRAM (FOR PROGRAMMING ONE-HOUR OR MORE)
Destination Imagination (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends)

ANIMATED PROGRAM (FOR PROGRAMMING LESS THAN ONE HOUR)
South Park ("Margaritaville")

ART DIRECTION FOR MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
How I Met Your Mother ("Shelter Island, Not A Father's Day")

ART DIRECTION FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
Pushing Daisies ("Dim Sum Lose Some")

ART DIRECTION FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Grey Gardens and Little Dorrit

ART DIRECTION FOR VARIETY, MUSIC, OR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
American Idol ("Episode 821-822") and 2008 MTV Video Music Awards

CASTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock

CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
True Blood

CASTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
Little Dorrit

CHOREOGRAPHY
81st Annual Academy Awards ("Musicals Are Back") and So You Think You Can Dance ("Adam and Eve/Silence")

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A HALF-HOUR SERIES
Californication ("In Utero")

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A ONE-HOUR SERIES
The Tudors ("Episode 303")

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Little Dorrit: Part 1

CINEMATOGRAPY FOR NONFICTION
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations ("Laos")

CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING
Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment ("What Did I Sign Up For?")

COMMERCIAL
"Heist," Coca-Cola

COSTUMES FOR A SERIES
Pushing Daisies ("Bzzzzzzzzz!")

COSTUMES FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
Little Dorrit: Part 3

COSTUMES FOR A VARIETY/MUSIC PROGRAM OR A SPECIAL
So You Think You Can Dance ("Episode 415-416A")

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL
"Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony" (Bucky Gunts)

DIRECTING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (Marina Zenovich)

MAIN TITLE DESIGN
United States of Tara

MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR A SPECIAL (PROSTHETIC)
Grey Gardens

MAKEUP FOR A SINGLE CAMERA SERIES (NON-PROSTHETIC)
Pushing Daisies ("Dim Sum Lose Some")

MAKEUP FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES OR SPECIAL (NON-PROSTHETIC)
MADtv ("Episode 1405")

MAKEUP FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE (NON-PROSTHETIC)
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation)

MUSIC DIRECTION
"Streisand: The Concert"

MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A SERIES (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE)
Legend of the Seeker ("Prophecy")

MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR A SPECIAL
Into the Storm

ORIGINAL MAIN TITLE THEME MUSIC
Great Performances

PICTURE EDITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES (SINGLE-CAMERA)
Breaking Bad ("ABQ")

PICTURE EDITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES (SINGLE OR MULTI-CAMERA)
30 Rock ("Apollo, Apollo")

PICTURE EDITING FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE (SINGLE-CAMERA)
Taking Chance

PICTURE EDITING (SHORT FORM)
81st Annual Academy Awards and "Stand Up to Cancer"

PICTURE EDITING FOR A SPECIAL (SINGLE OR MULTI-CAMERA)
"Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger"

PICTURE EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
This American Life ("John Smith")

PICTURE EDITING FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING
Project Runway ("Finale Part 1")

HAIRSTYLING FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
Mad Men ("The Gold Violin")

HAIRSTYLING FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES OR SPECIAL
Dancing With the Stars ("Episode 709")

HAIRSTYLING FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Grey Gardens

CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT IN INTERACTIVE MEDIA - NONFICTION
"The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Digital Experience," nbc.com

CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT IN INTERACTIVE MEDIA - FICTION
"The Dharma Initiative," DharmaWantsYou.com.

LIGHTING DIRECTION (ELECTRONIC, MULTI-CAMERA) FOR VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY PROGRAMMING
American Idol ("Finale")

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
"The Kennedy Center Honors"

SPECIAL CLASS PROGRAMS
"Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony"

SPECIAL CLASS - SHORT-FORMAT LIVE-ACTING ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS
"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," drhorrible.com.

SPECIAL CLASS - SHORT-FORMAT NONFICTION PROGRAMS
"Writer's Draft"

CHILDREN'S PROGRAM
Wizards of Waverly Place

CHILDREN'S NONFICTION PROGRAM
Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? With Maria Shriver and Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Coming Home: When Parents Return from War

NONFICTION SPECIAL
"102 Minutes That Changed America"

NONFICTION SERIES
American Masters

REALITY PROGRAM
Intervention

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN NONFICTION FILMMAKING
The Memory Loss Tapes

WRITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES
Battlestar Galactica ("Daybreak: Part 2")

SOUND EDITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
Generation Kill: The Cradle of Civilization

SOUND EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING (SINGLE OR MULTI-CAMERA)
"102 Minutes That Changed America"

SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR)
House ("House Divided")

SOUND MIXING FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Generation Kill: The Cradle of Civilization"

SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (HALF-HOUR AND ANIMATION)
Entourage ("Pie") and Weeds ("Three Coolers")

SOUND MIXING FOR A VARIETY OR MUSIC SERIES OR A SPECIAL
81st Annual Academy Awards and The 51st Annual Grammy Awards

SOUND MIXING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING (SINGLE OR MULTI-CAMERA)
"102 Minutes That Changed America"

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A SERIES
Heroes ("The Second Coming/The Butterfly Effect")

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
Generation Kill: The Cradle of Civilization

STUNT COORDINATION
Chuck ("Chuck Versus the First Date")

TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO CONTROL FOR A SERIES
American Idol ("Episode 834A")

TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO CONTROL FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
"Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony"

VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE
The Simpsons ("Father Knows Worst")

WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
"Chris Rock - Kill The Messenger"