BuzzSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:30:48 PDT

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to the titles below you can now rent the Diane Lane thriller Untraceable, Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth, and Mad Money.

The Great Debaters
The Great Debaters stars Denzel Washington (who also directs), Forest Whitaker and newcomer Nate Parker in a movie that is maybe formulaic but also poignant and powerfully acted. As I pointed out in my review, the film borrows the the same elements of storytelling you find in underdog sports movies and inspirational teacher movies. However the film, based on a true story, is no less inspiring thanks to some moving performances.

The movie takes place in Texas circa 1935 when schools were segregated and economic times were hard all around. A group of young black college students work to become a debate team worthy of challenging Harvard. Washington plays the hard-driving debate team coach who encourages his students to succeed. You've definitely seen this all before in one form or another, but it's a great family rental with an inspirational message. The movie was honored earlier this year with an NAACP Award to boot.

Special features include deleted scenes and featurettes titled, "The Great Debaters: An Historical Perspective," and "Learning the Art: Our Young Actors Go to Debate Camp."

One more release to go so

Autism: The Musical
I have been curious about this documentary ever since it showed at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and I'm so glad it's out on DVD now, as I missed its airing on HBO a couple of months ago. The film has earned high praise and was even one of the Academy's 15 documentaries considered for an Oscar nod.

As Netflix puts it, the documentary follows "five autistic children as they develop and rehearse The Miracle Project, an original musical about autism." Between this flick and The Great Debaters I'd say you've got yourself a great family movie night here.

Special features include deleted scenes, a featurette called, "About Autism Speaks" and a filmmaker biography.

Autism: The Musical

babysugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:00:10 PDT

As most every parent knows, autism is a disorder that has become more prevalent in the last two decades. Since the cause of it is still unknown, many parents fear what might be in store for their children.

And while autistic children often have a much tougher road ahead of them, some have amazing talents that are overshadowed by their every day struggles. Leave it up to HBO to spotlight the triumphs of these lil stars.

To see how Elaine Hall helped a small group of autistic children,

In the HBO documentary Autism: The Musical, acting coach Elaine Hall took five autistic children (her own son included) under her wing to produce a musical in Los Angeles. Cameras followed her and the troupe for six months where they captured family and stage hurdles and joys alike.

If the movie houses in your town aren't showing it, you can catch the award winning film on HBO next Tuesday, March 25 at 8 p.m.

The Academy Chooses 15 Possible Best Documentaries

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:30:00 PST

Curious to find out which documentaries may be competing for the little gold statuette at the 2008 Oscars? The Academy has narrowed down the possibilities to 15, from mainstream titles like Michael Moore's Sicko to festival favorites like Autism: The Musical. Clearly war is of particular interest to documentary filmmakers and Academy members alike, as six of the 15 films deal with the subject.

As Variety notes, the list does not include certain audience favorites like King of Kong and In the Shadow of the Moon. This list of 15 will be further whittled down to five and these final candidates will be announced January 22.

To check out the list of this year's top 15 documentaries (according to the Academy),

Body of War (Phil Donahue, Ellen Spiro)
Autism the Musical (Tricia Regan)
Sicko (Michael Moore)
No End in Sight (Charles Ferguson)
Taxi to the Dark Side (Alex Gibney)
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (Richard Robbins)
White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Steven Okazaki)
The Rape of Europa (Richard Berge and Bonni Cohen)
Nanking (Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman)
War/Dance (Sean Fine and Andrea Nix)
Lake of Fire (Tony Kaye)
Please Vote for Me (Weijun Chen)
For the Bible Tells Me So (Daniel G. Karslake)
The Price of Sugar (Bill Haney)
A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman (Peter Raymont)

Lil Links: Dr. Oz Shares His Thoughts on Autism

LilSugar — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:05:27 PDT

Dr. Oz's primer on Autism - Circle of Moms
Tina Fey's daughter, Alice, inherited her mom's funny bone - Celebrity Baby Blog
Sandra Bullock and baby Louis head out on the town - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Protect his sperm with an iPad - The Stir
The perfect pregnancy getaway wardrobe - FitPregnancy
Predicting baby's gender - The Bump
Room service on snow day - Momfilter
Dr. Oz's favorite healthy foods - Health
In defense of ugly babies - Momformation
What role does music play in your home? - The Poop

Do Children With Autism Want to Be Cured?

LilSugar — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:00:54 PDT

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis. And disorders on the autism spectrum are diagnosed in one in 110 children in the United States each year. Advocate Jenny McCarthy says her son Evan, 7, has been healed from the developmental disorder. It's a claim that many refute. Holly Robinson Peete and her daughter, Ryan, 12, wrote My Brother Charlie ($11), a children's book to spread autism awareness. The text is loosely based on the relationship that Ryan has with her twin brother, RJ, who has autism. At one point in the story, Callie (the main character) talks about what she'd like to do for her twin brother Charlie. It says:

I wish I could crawl inside Charlie's world and move things around for him and me. I know Charlie wants to be in my world, fitting in, making friends, having fun and laughing.

This sentiment of wanting a child to fit in is what motivates and exhausts Adam and Kristina Braverman on NBC's Parenthood in their efforts to help their son Max who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. As parents, as sisters, as brothers, we want our children, our siblings to live like us, but is it what they want?

Announcing the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards Nominees!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:14:12 PDT

TV stars Joshua Jackson and Melissa McCarthy were up and at 'em this morning to present the nominees for this year's Primetime Emmy Awards - one of which went to McCarthy herself for her work on Mike and Molly. There aren't too many shockers on this year's list; new shows Game of Thrones, The Killing, and Boardwalk Empire all got some love, Modern Family continues to dominate (now with a nomination for Ed O'Neill), and Friday Night Lights finally got that much-deserved nod for outstanding drama series. There are also some big names you may not have expected to see on this list, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, and Justin Timberlake all picked up nominations for guest appearances.

Check out the full list of nominees when you

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Parks and Recreation
30 Rock

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Louis C.K., Louie
Steve Carell, The Office
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Timothy Olyphant, Justified

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys
Barry Pepper, The Kennedys
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
William Hurt, Too Big to Fail
Idris Elba, Luther

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Elizabeth McGovern, Grantham
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Taraji P. Henson, Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story
Jean Marsh, Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ed O'Neill, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age
Walton Goggins, Justified
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Brian F. O'Byrne, Mildred Pierce
Tom Wilkinson, The Kennedys
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
James Woods, Too Big to Fail

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce
Melissa Leo, Mildred Pierce
Mare Winningham Mildred Pierce
Maggie Smith, Violet
Eileen Atkins, Upside Down (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Idris Elba, The Big C
Zach Galifianakis, Saturday Night Live
Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live
Matt Damon, 30 Rock
Will Arnett, 30 Rock

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Bruce Dern, Big Love
Jeremy Davies, Justified
Beau Bridges, Brothers & Sisters
Paul McCrane, Harry's Law
Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, Glee
Dot-Marie Jones, Glee
Gwyneth Paltrow, Glee
Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope
Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Alfre Woodard, True Blood
Randee Heller, Mad Men
Cara Buono, Mad Men
Joan Cusack, Shameless
Julia Stiles, Dexter
Mary McDonnell, The Closer
Loretta Devine, Grey's Anatomy

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
So You Think You Can Dance ("Alice in Mia-Land Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" / "When We Dance" / "This Bitter Earth - On the Nature of Daylight")
So You Think You Can Dance ("Mad World" / "Sundrenched World" / "Heaven Is a Place on Earth")
So You Think You Can Dance ("Collide" / "How It Ends" / "Fix You")
So You Think You Can Dance ("Scars" / "Fallin" / "Outta Your Mind")
Dancing With the Stars (Jive, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" / Viennese Waltz, "Hedwig's Theme (Theme From Harry Potter)" / Slow Waltz, "My Love")
So You Think You Can Dance ("Oh Yeah" / "Boogie Shoes" / "I Surrender")

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
Mildred Pierce
Too Big to Fail
The Kennedys
Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece)
Cinema Verite
The Pillars of the Earth

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
The Colbert Report
Conan
Saturday Night Live
Real Time With Bill Maher
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Carrie Fisher in Wishful Drinking
Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On
Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden
The Kennedy Center Honors
The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway

OUTSTANDING REALITY - COMPETITION PROGRAM
So You Think You Can Dance
The Amazing Race
Project Runway
American Idol
Dancing With the Stars
Top Chef

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Hoarders
Antiques Roadshow
Deadliest Catch
MythBusters
Undercover Boss
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Modern Family
The Big C
Glee
Nurse Jackie
30 Rock

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Mad Men
The Killing
The Good Wife
Game of Thrones

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
Mildred Pierce
Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece)
Cinema Verite
Too Big to Fail
Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING COMMERCIAL
Conan (American Express)
Baby Driver (Subaru)
Questions (Old Spice Body Wash)
Polar Bear (Nissan LEAF)
Baby (McDonald's)
Born of Fire (Chrysler 200)

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Mad Men
The Borgias
Game of Thrones
Glee

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
Mildred Pierce
Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece)
Cinema Verite
Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire (Martin Scorsese)
Boardwalk Empire (Jeremy Podeswa)
The Borgias (Neil Jordan)
The Killing (Patty Jenkins)
Game of Thrones (Tim Van Patten)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Modern Family (Michael Alan Spiller)
Modern Family (Gail Mancuso)
Modern Family (Steve Levitan)
30 Rock (Beth McCarthy-Miller)
How I Met Your Mother (Pamela Fryman)

OUTSTANDING NONFICTION SERIES
Moguls and Movie Stars
Biography
American Masters
30 For 30
Pioneers of Television
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC AND LYRICS
Family Guy, "Christmastime Is Killing Us"
Saturday Night Live, "I Just Had Sex"
Robert Klein: Unfair & Unbalanced, "An American Prayer - Hymn II?"
Saturday Night Live, "Justin Timberlake Monologue"
Saturday Night Live, "Jack Sparrow"
Saturday Night Live, "The Golden Rule"

OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE DESIGN
Boardwalk Empire
Rubicon
Too Big Too Fail
Game of Thrones
Any Human Heart (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MAIN TITLE THEME MUSIC
The Borgias
Mildred Pierce
Episodes
Any Human Heart (Masterpiece)
The Kennedys
Camelot

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
The Borgias
Stargate Universe
The Walking Dead
Game of Thrones

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR A SPECIAL
Mildred Pierce
Sherlock: A Study in Pink (Masterpiece)
The Pillars of the Earth
Gettysburg

OUTSTANDING STUNT COORDINATION
Southland
Game of Thrones
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
Hawaii Five-0

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Episodes ("Episode 107," David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik)
The Office ("Good-Bye Michael," Greg Daniels)
Modern Family ("Caught in the Act," Steve Levitan, Jeffrey Richman)
Louie ("Poker/Divorce," Louis C.K.)
30 Rock ("Reaganing," Matt Hubbard)

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Mad Men ("The Suitcase," Matthew Weiner)
Mad Men ("Blowing Smoke," André Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton)
The Killing ("Pilot," Veena Sud)
Friday Night Lights ("Always," Jason Katims)
Game of Thrones ("Baelor," David Benioff, D.B. Weiss)

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Saturday Night Live
Conan
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Mildred Pierce (Jon Raymond, Todd Haynes)
Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece) (Julian Fellowes)
Sherlock: A Study in Pink (Masterpiece (Steven Moffat)
Too Big to Fail (Peter Gould)
Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece) (Heidi Thomas)

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
The Real Women of SNL
Colin Quinn: Long Story Short
64th Annual Tony Awards
Louis C.K.: Hilarious
Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit For Autism Education

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM
The Cleveland Show
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III
Futurama
The Simpsons
South Park