BuzzSugar

Link Time! 10/14

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:30:25 -0700

American Girl announced yesterday that it would discontinue all products related to Samantha Parkington?! - Popwatch
Were those a bunch of clues about the future on How I Met Your Mother last night? - The TV Addict
Check out a list of the seven funniest horror movies, and the lowdown on this year's most popular movie-inspired Halloween costumes (Joker, Iron Man, etc.). - Cinematical
Check out Bjork's new single, with backup help from Thom Yorke. - Stereogum
Scrooge McDuck pops up on a list of TV characters you could trust with your money in these tough economic times. - TV Squad
Guillermo del Toro discusses his new take on Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. - MTV Movies Blog
Practice your Office lingo with this "Addictionary." - Pop Candy
Click here to chat about Rocco DiSpirito's hot pink ruffly number from this week's Dancing With the Stars, and make your official winner predictions. - Watch With Kristin
Celebrating the news of a new Saturday Night Live clip site. - geeksugar

Is It Hard to Get Into Music That's Not in Your Own Language?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:30:37 -0700

I'm a fan of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, and have especially enjoyed their newest album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. But as much as I like them, they don't tend to get as much iPod love from me as other artists do, and I think it might be because I don't understand the lyrics to a lot of their songs (did you know the Icelandic language is a North Germanic language descended from Old Norse? I love Wikipedia).

On the other hand, I'm not an English-or-nothing kind of woman by any means. There are non-English Bjork songs I dig, and the delicate songs on Yael Naim's album that are in French and Hebrew are fantastic, for example.

What do you think? Is it more difficult to get into a band when you don't understand what they're singing about?

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Link Time! 4/1

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:35:29 -0700

Give Me My Remote introduces us to the first resident of the new Beverly Hills, 90210: this guy (Dustin Milligan, pictured at right)!
Cinematical has a heads up on the essential reading list to get everyone brushed up on all things Batman before The Dark Knight comes out this summer.
Vulture lists 10 terrible music slumps, including dark periods from Madonna, Bob Dylan, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Film Experience also braved a viewing of the atrocity that is Amy Heckerling's I Could Never Be Your Woman, just as I did. I feel validated.
The idea of Chris Cornell as an indie rocker just about blew Idolator's mind.
Stereogum has the latest kooky, colorful music video from Bjork.
On the 45th (!) anniversary of General Hospital, a TV Squad writer lists off six things that keep her tuning in daily.
Want to talk Dancing with the Stars? TV Cocktail is your place.
In light of the upcoming Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama, LilSugar wants to know: Would you consider being a surrogate?
If you're feeling paranoid today, Pop Candy has a list of some of the biggest April Fool's pranks on the web. Don't get fooled!

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Link Time! 12/6

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:31:25 -0800

USA Today is featuring some of the new, vibrant, candy-colored photo stills from the Speed Racer movie.
TV Bloggin has a steamier version of the Bones-Booth kiss.
Jason Bateman continues to talk to MTV Movies Blog about the possibility of an Arrested Development movie, and this time he sounds quite hopeful.
Stereogum has the Michel Gondry-directed video for Bjork's "Declare Independence."
Need a laugh? Check out some bloopers from the British version of The Office, courtesy of Give Me My Remote.
FilmExperience brings up a good point: If Juno is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, it will be "the most youth-skewing entry" in a long time.
TV Squad explains why things don't look good for Bionic Woman.
Idolator has a new candy-colored video from The Pipettes.

Link Time! 11/29

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:34:53 -0800

TV Squad rounds up TV-based comic books, just in case you want to read while the writers are on strike.
Cinematical's weekly list laments the seven good actors who have subjected us to terrible accents in films.
Popwatch has an early review of Wu-Tang Clan's next album 8 Diagrams.
TV with MeeVee is impressed that the Family Friendly Programming Awards actually went to some pretty good shows.
The MTV Movies Blog has a new photo of Sylvester Stallone looking mean (and kind of gross) as John Rambo.
Give Me My Remote has photographic evidence of a possible Prison Break spoiler.
Stereogum has a video preview for Bjork's "Declare Independence."
TV Filter tries to figure out who should win Beauty and the Geek.

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Variety's Women's Impact Report: Bjork

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Every year, Variety issues their Women's Impact Report in which they highlight women in the entertainment industry that they think deserve some praise. From industry executives (like United Artists bigwig Paula Wagner) to household names (like Angelina Jolie), the list spotlights some strong, smart, fascinating ladies.

For the past few Wednesdays I've sung the praises of filmmaker Adrienne Shelly, Tina Fey, and J.K. Rowling. For the final installment of the Women's Impact Report series, I'm spotlighting the quirky and beloved Bjork.

Some people may find the Iceland native's music too bizarre for their tastes, but if nothing else Bjork always dances to the beat of her own drum, figuratively and literally speaking. If all you know of Bjork is that she wore a swan dress to the Oscars you should check out some of her crazy inventive tunes.

She also rejects over-marketing her music and embraces the fans who support her. As it says in the Variety profile:

Bjork is an incessant touring artist because she enjoys the fan contact. She continues to be a sought-after festival headliner - she recently topped Coachella - in addition to her solo dates.

Bjork also works closely with UNICEF and will donate a portion of ticket sales off her current tour to the org's work with babies who have HIV. The gesture continues the relationship she began after the 2004 Indonesia tsunami when she donated proceeds of an album of fans' remixes of her hit "Army of Me." Her 2006 visit sparked the "Earth Intruders" track.

"(The song) just came like a tsunami out of my mouth," she says.

"Like a tsunami out of my mouth" is one of the many reasons I love Bjork and am glad she's getting some recognition as one of the most intriguing and influential women in entertainment.

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Link Time! 8/7

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:18:36 -0700

Best Week Ever brings us the latest NSFW clip from Superbad.
Give Me My Remote can't wait to see Mandy Moore play a "vodka-swilling train wreck" on "How I Met Your Mother."
Cinematical is a little creeped out by priests in the UK falling for Universal's PR campaign for Evan Almighty.
You Ain't No Picasso captures my heart with a playlist honoring "Man vs. Wild."
The TV Addict is loving "Weeds" creator Jenji Kohan even more these days.
The Music Slut shows us which video Bjork chose in the "Innocence" video contest.
With Zachary Quinto firmly in place as Spock, Television Without Pity attempts to recast the rest of Star Trek.
Forget John McCain; according to Vulture, Ted Allen is the real Straight Talk Express.
Pretty Much Amazing thinks the US single from J. Lo's new album is better than the one the UK is getting.
TV Squad wonders if Rob Thomas of "Veronica Mars" is having a mid-career crisis with his move from "Miss/Guided" to "Big Shots."

Source

Vote for Your Favorite Bjork Video

BuzzSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 15:02:06 -0700

Back in April, I told you that Bjork was hosting a music video contest, where fans could submit their very own visual accompaniments to "Innocence," a song on Bjork's new album, Volta. Now, the videos are now being uploaded for viewing here - currently, there are seven, but the site promises 10 total - and when all the movies are up, fans can vote on their favorites.

Anything but amateurish, every entry interprets the song differently, using all sort of assorted styles of animation. One resembles a Nintendo-like video game, while I'm partial to Number 4, which has more of a high-tech gothic wonderland vibe. Watch them online and tell me which one is your favorite.

"House" Recap: Episode 23, "The Jerk"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 12:30:02 -0700

Man, who wasn't a jerk on "House" last night? At least the title wasn't meant just for House, as he had to take on a whiny, angry teenage patient who definitely gave House a run for his money. (If "personality disorder" is really a symptom, couldn't House have been diagnosed with every disease in the book by now?) Meanwhile, Foreman still insists he's leaving, but someone sabotages his chances by canceling a job interview. But who? Well, for that and the rest of the story, read more

The patient this week is Nate, a chess prodigy who wins his match and then beats up his opponent. Hmm, so I guess rage is a symptom. At the hospital, Nate tells Chase to stop asking him stupid questions and asks if he’s a med student, leading Chase to gripe that he hates Nate; House, of course, loves him. A chip off the ol' block there, eh? Nate's mom is thrilled to learn that her son's irritability might be a symptom of a disease; she just thought she was a bad mother.

Meanwhile, House gets all fake-weepy during the diagnostic sessions, suggesting this could be the last time (sob) that Foreman mistakenly suggests the wrong disease. But maybe not - turns out, his job interview has been mysteriously canceled. Of course, Foreman blames House, who denies everything (and suggests he was just getting punk'd by Ashton Kutcher). Cuddy also denies she had anything to do with it.

House attempts to treat the kid's headaches with magic mushrooms, and when he reaches his happy high, he exposes himself to Cameron. She realizes his naughty bits are undersized, and the doctors focus in on Nate’s pituitary gland. But his liver starts shutting down, so House suggests giving him the "hamburger test" - feeding him a lot of meat and seeing what happens. Nate, of course, won't deign to eat the hospital's icky burgers. Later, they order him to fast instead, and he threatens his mom and a nurse to feed him before peeing on the floor - but when the puddle turns red, the doctors realize Nate's kidneys are shot too.

Meanwhile, Cuddy makes Foreman an offer: She'll double his salary and let him head up his own diagnostic team. Wow, is Foreman really worth that? Foreman says no deal; someone there canceled his job interview, and that means he can't trust any of them. Cuddy then accuses Wilson of canceling the interview; he denies it and accuses Cameron, who accuses Chase, who reminds Cameron that it's Tuesday and he likes her.

House challenges Nate to a game of chess, and they match move for move and insult for insult ("it's a real thin line between tortured genius and awkward kid who can't get girls because he's creepy") until Nate has a seizure. House decides that Nate isn't a jerk because he's sick - he's just a jerk who happens to be sick. They cross personality disorder off the symptoms list and test him for another disease. Foreman doesn't find any signs of it, and when House asks him to test again, Foreman says he thinks the kid just has an infection. But he backs down, and House points out that he could have trusted his instincts, but he still trusts House’s judgment more than his own. Meanwhile, Chase says he knows House sabotaged Foreman's interview, and if he wants Foreman to stay, he should just talk to him.

But before he can do that, House has his aha! moment. He realizes that Nate grips chess pieces oddly because he can't bend his fingers; there's stuff in his blood building up between his bones. It's treatable, House says; he then slashes Nate's wrist with a scalpel, which seemed a little harsh.

But not as harsh as what House does to Foreman: He spots Foreman running the test House previously ordered (the one that's now unnecessary), and instead of telling him to stop, he says it looks like Foreman's going to be pulling an all-nighter. Was House trying to teach him something there - or just being, well, a jerk?

We've got a week off now before the season finale, so it's time to speculate: Will Foreman really go? My DVR cut off before the preview of the finale (if there was one), so if you saw it, tell me what you think will happen!

Photos courtesy of Fox

Austin City Limits: Possibly the Best of the Fests

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 07:48:17 -0700

Music festivals are all the rage these days, but it's easy to get overwhelmed. South By Southwest has simply gotten ginormous, while Coachella has gone all Hollywood on us. Then, along comes the lower-profile Austin City Limits Festival with one of the best festival lineups I've seen in ages.

ACL just unveiled the roster of artists playing at its 2007 fest, which will be held Sept. 14-17 at Austin's Zilker Park. There's a lot of chatter about the big artists - including Björk, Arcade Fire, and headliner Bob Dylan - and the number of bands is astounding.

But it's not just the pedigree of performers that I'm impressed by. It's the fact that ACL has managed to round up some of the best live acts I've had the pleasure of seeing in my adult life. Because no matter how much you like a band, if they suck live, it's hard to get excited about seeing them in concert. To see who I'm most excited about, and for a full list of performers, read more

Here, in my opinion, are the artists that make ACL this year's festival to end all festivals:

Bob Dylan. It is rare that one gets to be in the presence of a legend, and for that reason, I almost never pass up a chance to see Dylan. The bonus is that he's still an incredible performer. Watch him and you'll understand that he can't possibly do anything but play music.
Wilco. Seeing an outdoor Wilco show at the Greek Theater in Berkeley a few years ago is a concert experience I've been longing to recreate, and the band's new album is pretty killer to boot.
Arcade Fire. Overhyped or not, this band is dreaming up some of the most interesting and unusual new music in recent history, and its live shows are just as weird.
My Morning Jacket. The way these guys rock out is a throwback to the jam-tastic 1970s. In fact, MMJ's live shows are so excellent, you'll start to find its albums dreadfully dull.
Bloc Party. I don't even really like Bloc Party all that much, but theirs is one of the funnest concerts I've ever attended. Not surprisingly, they know how to party.
LCD Soundsystem. Anyone who can get a bunch of drunk indie kids dancing like they're on E is really onto something, and Sound of Silver is one of my favorite records so far this year.
Andrew Bird. See above re: favorite records this year. Also, the man is a whistling virtuoso whose stage presence is orchestral.
M.I.A. Though I'm not sure what to expect from her next album, I think M.I.A. might just represent the future of hip-hop, and I bet she's a blast to watch.

Who are you most excited about on this lineup?

And here's the full lineup:

Bob Dylan
Björk
The White Stripes
The Killers
Wilco
Arcade Fire
Muse
Queens of the Stone Age
Bloc Party
Arctic Monkeys
My Morning Jacket
Gotan Project
Joss Stone
Damien Rice
Devotchka
Robert Earl Keen
The National
Lucinda Williams
Spoon
Blue October
Indigo Girls
The Decemberists
Paolo Nutini
Regina Spektor
Amy Winehouse
Crowded House
Steve Earle
Ziggy Marley
Stephen Marley
Kaiser Chiefs
LCD Soundsystem
Augustana
Amos Lee
M.I.A.
Ben Kweller
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Andrew Bird
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
Ghostland Observatory
Midlake
Ian Ball
Patterson Hood
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Reverend Horton Heat
Pete Yom
Butch Walker
Peter Bjorn and John
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
Yo La Tengo
Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Zap Mama
Blonde Redhead
Eli Young Band
Aterciopelados
Heartless Bastards
Raul Malo
James Hunter
Mighty Clouds of Joy
Del McCoury Band
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Andy Palacio & the Garifima Collective
Asleep at the Wheel
Ryan Shaw
Will Hoge
Beau Soleil
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Railroad Earth
Dax Riggs
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Sound Team
The Legendary Soul Stirrers
Charlie Musselwhite
JJ Grey & Mofro
Young Love
The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker
The Little Ones
Manchester Orchestra
Billy Joe Shaver
Fionn Regan
Big Sam’s Funky Nation
John Ralston
The Broken West
Rose Hill Drive
Brandon Rhyder
Ocote Soul Sounds
Sara Hickman
Jon Dee Graham
Kevin Devine
Ike Reilly Assassination
Greyhounds
Guy Forsyth
Adam Hood
Cary Ann Hearst & The Gun Street Girls
The Jones Family Singers
The Gospel Silvertones
The Shields of Faith
Sylvia St. James
Jeffrey Steele
Amy Cook
Trent Summar & the New Row Mob
Back Door Slam
Mario Matteoli
Kara Grainger
One Mississippi
Kevin McKinney
Jennifer Nicely
Sahara Smith
The Wonderful Harmonizers
Loretta Williams
Gurnell
Amy LaVere
The Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars
The Steps We Go To 11- Kidz
The Sippy Cups
Daddy A Go Go
Farmer Jason
Q Brothers-
Jambo- Kidz
The Bummkinn Band
The Jellydots