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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