BuzzSugar

The Princess and the Frog Looks Funny, Happy and Sweet

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:30:41 -0700

It was cool to get a glimpse of The Princess and the Frog back in May, but half of that video was simply about how great Disney is in general. Now there's a full-length trailer for the animated movie and it looks like Disney really is returning to the kinds of hand-drawn musical movies I so cherished when I was a kid. We have yet another Disney princess, Princess Tiana, but the similarities between this story and any of the others before it stop there. Set in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age, the story is a spin on the old princess and the frog fairy tale.

The clean, vibrant animation and showstopping tunes make me feel a little nostalgic for my own childhood. So cute! The Princess and the Frog opens Dec. 11, and to check out the new trailer, read more.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

First Look: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency on HBO

BuzzSugar — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:30:13 -0800

A project I've been curious about for a while now is the television adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's book series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. We first heard about it when it was planned as a movie directed by Anthony Minghella; now, almost two years later, it's been turned into a seven-episode series for the small screen that will premiere March 29 on HBO.

Before his death, Minghella directed the first two hours of the series, which centers on Precious Ramotswe, the woman in charge of Botswana's only female-run detective agency who not only investigates cases but serves as a kind of makeshift therapist to all who come to see her. Jill Scott stars as Ramostwe, with Anika Noni Rose and The Wire's Idris Elba in supporting roles.

This project apparently went through quite a lot to make it to the screen, and I'm curious to check out the finished product (which also aired in the UK last year). To check out a trailer for the series, just read more.

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First Look: Teaser for Disney's Princess and the Frog

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:31:16 -0700

We've been hearing about Disney's first black princess for a while now, and today they've released a brief teaser trailer that introduces us to both princess and frog in the animated Princess and the Frog. The story is described as "a fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age." Tiana is voiced by Dreamgirls's Anika Noni Rose.

Tiana was dreamed up after several rewrites of the original concept for this princess, and the animators have quite a while to continue working on the movie; The Princess and the Frog will open December 25, 2009. For now, you can check out the teaser trailer (which is strange to watch - yet kinda refreshing - after so many Pixar-y movies) if you read more.

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HBO Has Female-Driven Programming On Deck

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:31:11 -0700

This year we've seen two network TV shows, Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle, that have tried to recreate the magic of HBO's Sex and the City, with mixed results. By contrast, HBO itself is moving on, leaving SATC for the big screen and once again developing interesting and unexpected female-driven projects.

Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose will star in Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella's adaptation of the popular book series the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The project, about an all-female private detective agency in Botswana, was originally developed as a movie. Variety reports that this story will now be told on the small screen as HBO has ordered 13 episodes of it. If this sounds confusingly similar to another recent female detective project, never fear, I've broken down the differences between the two. As for the other female-led show HBO has on deck, it's a little quirky, so read more.

Actually, "quirky" is probably a generous way to describe this other HBO project, though I think it will end up being quirky-awesome, not quirky-awkward. Apparently, The comedy is titled Driving Around With Joni and follows "a woman who spends her days driving around Los Angeles with her French bulldog, looking for meaning in her life after the sudden death of her husband." No word on who will star as the widow. Got suggestions?

French bulldog image source

Buzz News Roundup, 6/25

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:29:39 -0700

Dreamgirls' Anika Noni Rose will star in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Anthony Minghella's take on the Alexander McCall Smith books, Zap2it reports.
NBC will be airing the final episodes of "Kidnapped," says the Futon Critic - but you'll have to be really dedicated to catch them at midnight on Sundays.
NBC has also canceled its "Friday Night Lights" repeats, but the network still might air the whole first season as a marathon, TV Week reports.
A Gwen Stefani concert on Friday turned into an impromptu No Doubt reunion, writes the Orange County Register.
Isaiah Washington still won't stop talking, running his mouth to BET talk show host Keith Boykin and planning a "Larry King Live" appearance.

Pitchfork posts the lineups for two more great music fests: Voodoo in New Orleans featuring Wilco and New York's Siren Fest with M.I.A.
The Futon Critic tells us "The Great American Singing Bee" has a host - and it's Joey Fatone.
Now, the Transformers are headed to both the big and small screens: Cartoon Network is developing a new "Transformers" series to start in January, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

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Buzz News Roundup, 4/25

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:20:26 -0700

Avril Lavigne's album The Best Damn Thing debuts at No. 1, Billboard reports.
Rainn Wilson will play a lonely geek who hires a prostitute to pretend to be his girlfriend in the comedy Girlfriend Experience, says Variety.
MySpace and Mark Burnett are trying to find potential presidential candidates to compete on a new reality show, USA Today reports.
E! reports that Anika Noni Rose will be the voice of Disney's first black princess.
NBC's ratings keep tanking, the Associated Press reports. And the network's not alone - shows including "Ugly Betty" and "CSI: Miami" also hit lows last week, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
NBC soap "Passions" will continue making new episodes after all - but you'll have to have DirecTV to see them, says the Futon Critic.

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What to TiVo: Friday

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:50:00 -0800

ABC has Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
CBS has repeats of Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and NUMB3RS
FOX has 'Til Death
NBC has a repeat of Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
The CW has a repeat of Smallville and Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
AMC has National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
E! is new with Maxim Hometown Hotties 2009, Forbes Most Bankable Stars, and The Soup
FX has Home Alone and Deck the Halls
MTV has repeats of South Park and Real World/Road Rules Challenge, and has Men in Black II
USA has Elf
VH1 has The Jacksons: An American Dream
Late-night highlights include Jenna Bush Hager, Laura Bush, and The Dan Band on a repeat of The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Robert Downey Jr., Martin Short, and Kris Allen on a repeat of The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Megan Fox and Louis CK on a repeat of The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Anika Noni Rose on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Snoop Dogg and Mary Steenburgen on a repeat of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; and Grizzly Bear on a repeat of Last Call With Carson Daly on NBC

What to TiVo: Friday

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:50:00 -0800

ABC has Dreams Come True: A Celebration of Disney Animation, and is new with Ugly Betty and 20/20
CBS is new with Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and NUMB3RS
FOX is new with Dollhouse
NBC has Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa and is new with Dateline
The CW has a repeat of Smallville and Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
FX has Home Alone and Christmas With the Kranks
AMC has National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
MTV has repeats of South Park and Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, and is new with the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards
TLC is new with Say Yes to the Dress and Happily Ever Faster
USA is new with Monk and White Collar
VH1 has Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular
Late-night highlights include Kelsey Grammer and Taylor Swift on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Rachel McAdams and Diane Birch on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Al Gore, Brad Paisley, and Michael Buble on a repeat of The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Anika Noni Rose on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Fred Armisen and Carey Mulligan on a repeat of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; Emily Blunt and One Republic on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; Keane on a repeat of Last Call With Carson Daly on NBC

Separated at Birth: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and "Women's Murder Club"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 10:40:26 -0700

From "Bones" to "The Closer," female detectives are hot right now. So hot, in fact, that two suspiciously similar projects, "Women's Murder Club" (pictured above) and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, are currently in development (the latter just cast Anika Noni Rose). Lest you be confused should the topic arise at your next cocktail party, I've put together this handy guide to telling the projects apart.

Title	What is it?	Adapted from	Premise	Location	Stars	It's like ...
"Women's Murder Club"	A new ABC drama scheduled for Friday nights in the fall	A series of books by James Patterson	A group of women working in the justice system come together to solve crime	San Francisco	Angie Harmon, Paula Newsome, Aubrey Dollar, Tyrees Allen	"Law & Order" meets Steel Magnolias
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency	A new movie by Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella	A series of books by Alexander McCall Smith	An African woman establishes herself as her country's first female detective	Botswana	Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose	"Murder She Wrote" in the savanna

Movie Preview: Disney's The Princess and the Frog

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:30:38 -0700

Opening Dec. 11, The Princess and the Frog is the tale of what happens after the princess has decided to actually kiss the frog in the classic tale. Another of Disney's princess stories, this one centers around Princess Tiana (voiced by Dreamgirls' Anika Noni Rose) who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age. One of the most exciting things about this project, however, is that it's a return to the hand-drawn animation that so many of us grew up watching in movies like Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. A few of you mentioned that some of the most inspiring characters to you as kids were found in these movies, like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. To check out the next beloved Disney princess in the new preview for The Princess and the Frog, read more.

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