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Did You Ever Get Into the American Girl Series?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:00:37 PDT

I've already declared my love of the American Girl books, which I enjoyed mostly because they incorporated interesting historical stuff into stories about girls who - aside from the differences in time periods - were just girls like me and my friends. Now, even though I'm an adult with no kids, I'm excited to see the adorable Abigail Breslin play Kit Kittredge in the movie adaptation heading to theaters just in time for the 4th of July.

Not only did I love the books, but I was the ecstatic recipient of a Kirsten doll at one point. My friend's mother even sewed us pajamas that matched our dolls (the white nightgown for me and Kirsten, the red-and-white striped two-piece PJs for my friend and her Molly doll). At that time, there were only three girls to learn about: Kirsten, Molly and Samantha. Now there are tons! And customizable dolls, too. It's crazy to think how far the American Girls have come over the years.

Was the American Girl series a part of your childhood, too?

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First American Girl Feature Film: Kit Kittredge

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:34:05 PST

I don't know about you, but before I was all about The Babysitters Club I couldn't get enough of the American Girl book series. Of course, these days there is all sorts of American Girl stuff to accompany the stories, and there are way more than just the basic five or six characters I grew up with.

With fond American Girl memories in mind, I recently watched the trailer for the first American Girl feature film: Kit Kittredge, with Abigail Breslin in the starring role. Kit Kittredge is a Depression-era American Girl with (what else?) a go-getter attitude and a fierce determination to become a great journalist. With a supporting cast that includes Joan Cusack, Stanley Tucci, Chris O'Donnell and Jane Krakowski, I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing this movie.

Kit Kittredge arrives in theaters July 2, so to check out the trailer,

Anna Kendrick and Bryan Cranston to Get Jobs Together

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:40:57 PST

Find out about the movie Anna Kendrick and Bryan Cranston are in talks for - NextMovie
100 of Chuck Bass's best quotes on Gossip Girl - BuddyTV
Check out some photos from American Reunion - Rotten Tomatoes
See which book Selena Gomez is going to adapt and star in - Moviefone
Take a peek at Billie Joe Armstrong's appearance on Nurse Jackie - The Hollywood Reporter
Hear what Kiefer Sutherland has to say about the 24 movie - HuffPostTV
Here's the hot young actor headed to True Blood - Zap2It
Get the details on Ben Stiller's new HBO series - /Film
A brief history of cross-dressing in movies - TrèsSugar

Announcing the Winners of the 2012 People's Choice Awards!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:52:17 PST

The people have spoken! The People's Choice Awards have all been handed out after fans voted for their favorites in categories for movies, TV, and music. It was no surprise that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was a big winner since it was the last chance for the wizarding series, and vampires from both the big and small screens also got their chance to come onstage. The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev won for favorite TV drama actress, and though Robert Pattinson may have lost favorite movie actor, he accepted the award for Water for Elephants for favorite drama.

See who else won in the full list of the winners after the jump.

Sugar Shout Out: Plant-Based Meals For Your Week Ahead

Kimberly Timlick — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:55:58 PST

Sugar Shout Out: Stay Warm This Winter With Healthy Stews

Katie Henry — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:55:39 PDT

Kelly Cutrone and Her Mom Give Us Love Advice

Annie Scudder — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:00:30 PDT

Last month fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone released her latest book, Normal Gets You Nowhere, and she's currently working on an MTV pilot by the same name. The book is all about how embracing what makes you unique will help you succeed in relationships and your career.

The "Kella-Sutra" portion of the book details 10 sex-life rules to live by for young women, like share your fantasies or never fake an orgasm. When I asked Kelly about Kella-Sutra during a phone interview, she started thinking about the lessons her own mother taught her. Next thing I knew, she conferenced in her mom, Beverly.

Chatting with Kelly's mom, I learned that her love rules include: "Marry someone with a J-O-B." "Sex in cars is a bad idea. If you got a guy who can't afford a room you better ditch him!" And, "Don't have sex the first time. Then the whole relationship is based on lust, and that doesn't last." Decent advice. Once we got off the phone with her mother, Kelly had more to say on love and life.

TrèsSugar: You write a lot about how we fail to educate girls about sex in a positive way. What would you change?
Kelly Cutrone: Why are we sending our daughters to the Internet? I'm watching my daughter sexually awaken through Justin Bieber. That's all she talks about. I know he was born at 12:56 a.m. on a Tuesday. So I tell her, "I want you to be as devoted to yourself as you are to Justin Bieber." . . . I think girls are hyper-sexualized and it starts with Disney.

TS: So what do you make of the craze surrounding Prince William and Kate Middleton? Find out when you read more.

Harry Connick, Jr. Knows Who's the Boss in His Female-Dominated Home

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:35:53 PDT

Living in a house full of women has taught Harry Connick, Jr. a thing or two over the years. Most of all, the crooner, actor, and activist has learned to be quiet and listen.

The father of three - Georgia, 15, Sarah Kate, 13, and Charlotte, 9 - is now hoping that others will do the same. He and his middle daughter, Kate, are working with American Girl to introduce the dollmaker's two newest dolls Cécile and Marie-Grace from 1853 New Orleans - and raising money for after-school programming for children at the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in NOLA. The father-daughter duo wrote and recorded "A Lot Like Me," based on the message of diversity that streams throughout the new dolls' accompanying books. Each time the song is downloaded, a donation is made to the music center. I recently spoke with the duo about working together and life at home.

LilSugar: Kate, what was it like working with your dad?
Kate Connick: It was great! It’s always fun working with my dad no matter what we do. It was really cool, because we got down to business. And he helped me not only as a dad, but working too.

LS: Harry was it a dream come true working with your daughter?
Harry Connick, Jr.: It's one of those things where before I had kids I would dream about what it was like to have kids and now that I have three girls, it's such a blessing. I never really thought about the prospect of having any of them want to do anything similar to what I do, but Kate's shown interest from early on. To not only have the pleasure of hearing her sing, but to be able to work with her - Kate's very serious and she has a really hard work ethic - it's a joy, I love it!

LS: The books in the new series and the song all celebrate diversity. Harry, you grew up in the diverse world of New Orleans. How do you instill the importance of such diversity in your kids?
Harry Connick, Jr.: We live in Connecticut now, and Connecticut is not as diverse as New Orleans by a long shot. I've told them for a long time that this is kind of a brown world we live in and [where] we live in Connecticut is not by any means representative of the world. So Kate's been to Asia, to Africa. She’s been all over the world, and she sees that this is a diverse world. The music that I play is also very diverse. The musicians that I play with come from different backgrounds, so Kate's pretty steeped in that.

LS: Harry, with three daughters, you're constantly surrounded by women. What's the best part of living in a female-dominated home?
Harry Connick, Jr.: I stay quiet, and I listen. Is that right?
Kate Connick: Oh, yeah.
Harry Connick, Jr.: I mean, who’s the boss of our house?
Kate Connick: Mom
Harry Connick, Jr.: Yeah!.

LS: Kate, do you guys ever gang up on him?
Kate Connick: No, he’s the only guy in the house, so we help him out.

Keep reading to see how Harry works family into his busy schedule, and how he answers our Four Lil Questions.

Emily VanCamp Talks Revenge and Taking Down Rich People in the Hamptons

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:30:00 PDT

You may recognize Emily VanCamp from her good-girl roles on shows like Everwood and Brothers & Sisters, but she's tapping into her dark side for ABC's new drama Revenge. In this loose adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, VanCamp plays Emily, a woman who lost everything at a young age and has returned to her home in the Hamptons to take down the rich, powerful people who had a hand in destroying her life. At the TCA, VanCamp and her long list of costars took the stage to talk about the show's longevity and why we'll love watching her take down rich people.

The show, which is very much a soapy guilty pleasure, will also work as a procedural at first. Each week, Emily will cross off another person from her list of conspirators so that the audience gets to see a little bit of revenge, even if they only tune in for one episode.
Though the character of Emily is a lot tougher than some of the girls-next-door VanCamp has played in the past, both VanCamp and executive producer Mike Kelley assured us that we'll still want to root for Emily as she carries out her plan. On her character's morals, VanCamp said, "At the end of the day it's a moral discussion on how people feel about revenge. On some level, everybody can connect on the theme of revenge whether they act on it or not."
Madeleine Stowe, who plays the villain that Emily is ultimately trying to take down, asserted that the gorgeous, beachy backdrop is the perfect cover for the series' dark undertones. She said, "The idea that you're in a place that's sunny and bright, and all these dark undercurrents are going on, makes for a really interesting story. I think the average American is going to want to see the takedown of the rich."

View 5 Photos ›

To see how closely the show will follow its origin story, just read more.

As for how closely the series will follow the novel, Kelley said that he's "peppering" moments from Monte Cristo throughout the series, and that it's a "challenge because it needs to be sustaining," so really the book is a jumping off point. He added, "The fun of the Hamptons is that it's East Coast royalty. It's America's answer to royalty. And the Count of Monte Cristo needs to infiltrate royal society."
Connor Paolo, aka Gossip Girl's Eric van der Woodsen, said he wasn't sure if Revenge would allow him to stay put on the Upper East Side as Serena's little bro. That said, don't expect to see him play a similar character on his new show: Paolo noted that the two characters "couldn't be more different" and that they "wouldn't get along in a bar."

Captain America: Red, White, and Surprisingly Emotional

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 05:02:00 PDT

Chris Evans is no stranger to playing characters with superpowers, playing a cocky Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four franchise, and arrogant Lucas Lee in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but his turn as the leading man in Captain America: The First Avenger is decidedly more endearing. Set against the backdrop of World War II, where men from all across America are lining up to serve their country, Brooklynite Steve Rogers is rejected from enlisting in the Army again and again due to his tiny stature and long list of physical ailments. Steve has lots of problems: asthma, social anxiety, and a tendency of getting beat down by bullies because he stands up for common decency. Thankfully, these same characteristics are what get him drafted into a secret government project called the Strategic Scientific Reserve run by Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), and assisted by the technological genius of Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) that will turn ordinary humans into super soldiers to fight Hitler's army.

The plot also centers around Johann Schmidt, the leader in Hitler's own scientific project called Hydra, who is tasked with obtaining an artifact called the "jewel of Odin's treasure room," which will undoubtedly give a wartime advantage to the Germans. As it turns out, Johann was actually the failed first test subject for Dr. Erskine's super solder project, and once he learns that the American project has been successful, he gets a giant chip on his shoulder and breaks off from Hitler to turn Hydra into an army dedicated to destroying the world with the power of the gods he now possesses.

To see why I think Captain America could be one of the best superhero comic adaptations yet, just keep reading.