BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 6/23

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:29:52 -0700

Alfre Woodard will play Christian Slater's boss on NBC's series My Own Worst Enemy, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
The indie film Nailed, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel, has stopped production for the fourth time, citing more financial problems, Variety reports.
The Financial Times is reporting that there could be a Beatles edition of Guitar Hero or Rock Band.
Katie Cassidy won't be returning to Supernatural, TV Guide reports.
Jennifer Egan's novel The Keep will be adapted for the big screen, writes ComingSoon.
Billboard is reporting the news that Amy Winehouse has emphysema, according to her father.
You can now watch full episodes of ABC shows on Veoh.com, Reuters reports.
Blake Lewis is the latest American Idol contestant to lose his record deal, according to the New York Post.

Buzz In: What Are Some of the Funniest/Worst Album Covers?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:30:30 -0700

There's been a little dust-up on the Internet surrounding the new Weezer album cover (pictured above), as some bloggers assumed it was a joke because it looks . . . a bit weird. The band's publicist had to make an awkward statement to the contrary, saying, "Yes, that's absolutely the cover. It's what they chose. They looked at a bunch of mockups, and that's the one they decided to go with. It's not a joke."

I'm glad people actually care about this and that album art is not dead in the mp3 age. When done well, it adds to the overall effect of an album. When done poorly? Well, then it's either totally hilarious or just plain awful. Of course, this made me think of some of my favorite ludicrously bad album covers. Seriously, check out that Dolly Parton album art: Dolly's head is bubbling up from a pool as Dolly herself looks on.

And Blake. Poor Blake. What the heck was he thinking? Idolator once nominated his visually assaulting cover the worst of the year. As for Paula Abdul, I didn't remember her Spellbound art right away, but I took a wild stab in the dark that she'd have a ridiculous cover out there somewhere. Bingo!

Which album covers make you laugh - or, worse, make you stay away from the music?

Source and Source

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 07:30:00 -0800

Just in case you missed it, the teaser trailer for the Sex and the City movie is here! Who else can't wait until May?
Your opinion counts! Tell me all about what you thought was the best of 2007, from the most attractive TV cast to the best movie romance and everything in between.
This week featured the last episodes for a while of some of my favorite shows. Weigh in on what you thought of these last episodes of Heroes, Chuck, Desperate Housewives, Reaper, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, and Ugly Betty. I'll miss you, new TV!
If you could recast My Two Dads with new actors, who would you choose?
Even if you don't want to hear Blake Lewis's new album, you simply must check out the cover art for it.
My holiday gift guides continue! This week I offered up suggestions for the reality TV junkie, the smartypants, the book lover, and '80s fans.
Check out who was just nominated for Grammys. Who are you rooting for?
Some of Showtime's shows might come to CBS, with, uh, a little bit of editing.
Between Jem, Josie and the Pussycats, and Zack Attack!, are these the best fictional bands of all time?

Source

Album Stream: Blake Lewis, Audio Day Dream

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:37:53 -0800

Ever since I was pleasantly surprised by the first two tracks off American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis' debut album, I've been curious to check out the full album to see if it lives up to the insane energy of "Break Anotha." The album, Audio Day Dream, hits stores today, but if you can't wait to buy it - or just want to take a listen before committing to a purchase - the full album is streaming right now on AOL.

So far, the album is definitely meeting - if not exceeding - my expectations, despite its atrocious cover art (seriously, Blake, what were you thinking?). Like the two tracks that leaked early, especially "Know My Name," the album is a bit of a mess, with tons of loops and beats and tempos and musical styles packed into each track. But being boring would have been a much greater sin; the album shows the eclectic side of Blake that managed to peek out around the edges of his Idol performances. The verses of "Gots to Get Her" remind me of a hip-hoppy "Puttin' on the Ritz," and "Surrender" owes a lot to '80s power ballads - and that's just the start of the myriad influences here. Some of it's a little cheesy for my taste, but I can also hear a ton of songs that could (and probably should) be big hits.

One of my typical problems with Idol first albums is that they're too safe. This is anything but, and that makes me excited for what Blake could do long-term. Check out the album, then let me know: Are you on board with Lewis' Day Dream?

Source

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 07:00:00 -0700

How well do you remember My So-Called Life? Take my quiz and find out. Also, you can now purchase the series on DVD. I've got some old clips from the show to remind you of its angsty awesomeness.
American Gangster is an excellent film, and the music in it is great. You can get a taste of the soundtrack here.
October is over, but you can still go back and check out all my Breast Cancer Awareness Month posts. Then check out what I simply must have this November.
I know you could never truly choose, but if you absolutely had to, who do you like better, Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert?
I've got some highlights from the Office convention! Also, there's talk of an Office spin-off. Do you think that's a good idea or a bad idea?
Check out Blake Lewis' new song "Break Anotha." It's actually... not too bad.
NBC's green-themed week of programming will take place next week, November 4-10. Here's what this means for all your favorite NBC shows.
Trailers to check out this week: James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie in Wanted, Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton in Mad Money.
If you could recast Who's the Boss with new actors, who would you pick?

First Listen: Blake Lewis, "Break Anotha"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:30:40 -0700

Hey, remember Blake Lewis? The beatboxing American Idol contestant who made women everywhere swoon? We haven't heard much from ol' Blake since he finished second to Jordin Sparks in the Idol finale, but now he's prepping his first album, Audio Day Dream, scheduled to hit stores in early December.

His first single, "Break Anotha," is now streaming on AOL's PopEater, and after listening to it a few times through, I ... kinda like it. It has hints of Blake's signature beatboxing, but it's more outright danceable than anything he performed on Idol, with a pretty great beat backing Blake's falsetto chorus. Just over two minutes in, the song gets all crazy with a horn section break and synth-y vocal effects. It's kind of the sonic equivalent of a strobe light, and I'm not sure I love it, but I respect how weird it is.

Idolator also has another leaked Blake Lewis track, "Know My Name," which is also a strange musical soup. This one is a lot heavier on the synthesizers, and it reminds me of how a slightly lamer Justin Timberlake might sound if backed by a college a capella choir. Which is not to say it's bad. I mean, it's kind of a mess, but it's a mess I'm oddly compelled to listen to, which must mean something.

Check out the songs and let me know what you think. Is this how you expected Blake's album to sound?

Source

Miss the Ending of "American Idol"? Here You Go

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:15:12 -0700

So if you're like Pop and me and your DVR cut off right after the lame Sgt. Pepper tribute on the "American Idol" finale last night, here's the clip of what you missed. For the record, I was right on all of my predictions of what happened, except there was no weepy Hasselhoff this year - just Jordin's tearful parents, which almost made me cry at my desk just now. What can I say? I'm a sap. To watch the clip, read more

Photo courtesy of Fox

"American Idol": Jordin Takes the Title

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 01:11:47 -0700

Apparently "American Idol" is a singing competition after all, because sparkly Jordin came away with the win on Wednesday over beatboxing Blake. Not that I got to see it, because the already-bloated results show ran so far over that my TiVo didn't catch the ending. Note to producers: The "American Idol" finale is not the Oscars. You could have cut a Golden Idol or two to make sure everybody saw the moment we've been waiting for since, you know, January.

Since I didn't get to see the big finish for myself, I'm going to assume the following things happened: Jordin cried, then Paula cried, then David Hasselhoff cried, then we got the big "This is My Now" singout. Correct me if I'm wrong.

For the record, I'm glad Jordin won; I think she'll be a very marketable pop star, and she'll be able to work well within the "Idol" constraints. Blake, on the other hand, will do just fine on his own. Normally, I'd be worried about someone so young taking on all the pressures of winning "Idol" - isn't Jordin the first to win while still in high school? - but she's grown up with fame, and she seems grounded enough to handle all the attention that's going to come her way now. I don't think I'll be buying her album, but I'm sure a lot of people will.

While I didn't get to see the coronation ceremony, I did get to see two looooong hours of filler, so for all the time-sucking, dignity-stealing details, read more

Oh, so there's the Gwen Stefani performance they promised but failed to deliver during "Idol Gives Back." Gee, thanks.
Frankly, I'm amazed that Kelly Clarkson performed. That makes two "Idol" appearances in as many months for the girl who once attempted to cut all ties with the show. I guess you'll do anything when you have a new single to promote. And besides, I'm never going to complain about a chance to watch my Kelly.
I haaaaate the Golden Idols. Hate them. There's a reason I try to avoid watching the auditions, and it's that I don't want to indulge the crazies. The Golden Idols are all about indulging the crazies. I did not need to see Margaret Fowler shaking her tailfeather while making out with Seacrest. Frankly, I did not need to see Margaret Fowler again ever.
The Doug E. Fresh / Blake performance gave me serious "White Rapper Show" flashbacks. Man, I miss that show.
Melinda proved she can hold her own with BeBe and CeCe Winans. She looked fantastic and sounded better. And she's not the "American Idol" because... ?
Taylor Hicks: Making "I just stepped in poo" faces on "American Idol" since 2006.

It's official: The world did not need more Sanjaya. And Ashley Ferl was totally faking the tears this time.
In theory, I liked the idea of the pimpomercial filled with blooper-reel footage from other pimpomercials - but they should have used a fun, upbeat song, not "Time After Time."
Do the "Idol" winners always get cars? Is that really necessary? Can Jordin even drive?
Was it just me or did Carrie Underwood sound absolutely awful? I usually love her voice, but I thought she sounded screechy and reedy and terrible. And I did not understand her outfit at all; it looked like the top and back of a prom dress, worn over jeans.
On the topic of bad singing, Bette Midler was shockingly off-key, and also wearing what appeared to be a pleather miniskirt.
Clive Davis said the big "Idol" news of the year was "the huge explosion of Chris Daughtry." Heh. How do you stop an exploding man, again?
Does the Sgt. Pepper tribute explain Randy's fashion choices on Tuesday? There was a little part of me that expected a big "Idol" shocker where Paul McCartney would suddenly appear on stage, but ... no.
Votes cast this week: 74 million, which Seacrest said was a new record.
And that's our season. It started dull and ended dull, with a few fun moments, a gigundo charity special and a ponyhawk in between. I would say this must be the year that "Idol" took an irreversible turn for the worse, but here's the thing: When Season 7 starts up in January, I know I'll still be watching.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Do You Agree with the "American Idol" Results?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 22:06:38 -0700

So Jordin Sparks is our new "American Idol"! Do you think it was the right call?

Photo courtesy of Fox

"American Idol" Finale: Seattle Rules

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 09:45:27 -0700

Well, I've got to give Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis some credit: They actually got me to care about "American Idol." No, there were no Grammy-winning performances in the finale, but I legitimately enjoyed watching both of them. It's a battle of the performer vs. the entertainer, and I'm really not sure which one of them will end up the winner tonight.

I'll get to the singing in a second, but first, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some of the things we learned from the "Idol" finale:

Seattle rocks. Not only did Blake and Jordin both audition there but the winners of the first "Idol" songwriting competition also hail from the Emerald City.
Don't break your nose before appearing on "Idol." Paula didn't just sound drugged but probably actually was drugged after tripping over her dog and smashing her face.
Don't bother doing a nationwide search for songwriters if all you're going to end up with for your big single is "This is My Now." Uh, was that a self-awareness movement in the '70s? It was exactly the kind of cheesy fare that we've come to expect from "Idol," with lines like "I settled for less/now I'm ready for more." Might as well have done "Inside Your Heaven."

Besides "This is My Now," Blake and Jordin also had to break out one favorite song from the competition and one they hadn't performed on the show, all the while braving Paula's truly unhinged comments and Randy's odd Sgt. Pepper-style jacket. The competition seemed pretty evenly matched to me - until the end, that is - so don't forget to tell me who you think will win, and to hear my take, read more

Blake Lewis
First song: "You Give Love a Bad Name" (Bon Jovi), his favorite. Um, I liked it better the first time. I still say this is the best use of beatboxing he's had in the whole competition, but he sounded out of tune, and I thought he seemed fairly low-energy (despite some ill-advised microphone-stand dancing). Randy gave him a 10 on the beatboxing but said the singing was off, Paula babbled something about giving him "a 10 plus 10 plus 10," and Simon said Blake was certainly the better performer.

Second song: "She Will Be Loved" (Maroon 5), his new song. I know I'm going to hear it from all you Maroon 5 fans, but I really don't like this song, mainly because every time I hear it it gets wedged in my head for days. Still, Maroon 5's performance last week proved to me that their songs are a good fit for Blake; he and their singer have almost identical ranges. That said, the falsetto on this song did not work for me at all. Randy said it was a great vocal; Paula said Blake sounded more relaxed on this one; Simon said it was good, safe and yet worse than the first song.

Third song: "This is My Now." I was dreading this from Blake, because I figured he wouldn't get to jazz up the arrangement and would have to sell it with just his voice. Sadly, it might have been the best pure singing he's done on the show, and it still wasn't very good. It wasn't embarrassing, though, and I'm not sure I could ask for much more from him on a song like this. Randy said it was OK, Paula said he sounded great, and Simon said it was odd to watch him attempt that kind of song.

Jordin Sparks
First song: "Fighter" (Christina Aguilera), her new song. I'm so glad she picked something modern and uptempo and fun, because it showed the young, tough side of her we didn't really see through the rest of the competition. I know I slammed Blake for doing the microphone dancing, but I actually wish she'd moved around the stage a little more. Randy said she didn't give a great performance but the singing was wonderful; Paula said she was fantastic; Simon said she was shrieky and called round one for Blake, which I was not expecting.

Second song: "A Broken Wing" (Martina McBride), her favorite. Ah, here's the one I thought she should have used last week; maybe I'm glad she reserved it for the finale. This song is just made for her voice, and the simple, straightforward performance style suited her perfectly too. Randy said she's the most talented 17-year-old singer he's ever seen; Paula said her voice sounded great; Simon simply said "now, that was good."

Third song: "This is My Now." Well, of course she sounded great on this song; I think the advantage of her youth was that she could sing this treacly thing without any sense of irony. I honestly thought she'd break down crying before the end, though (though again, that vulnerability worked for the song). Randy said she was certainly the best singer of the night; Paula said she had a lot to be proud of; Simon said he was wrong for thinking she wasn't good enough to make the finals, because she wiped the floor with Blake on this one.

The judges then issued their final verdict: Randy said Jordin should win based on the singing; Paula blabbered that they're all winners, referring to fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry, who was about to take the stage (which was not immediately clear to me, causing me to chalk the whole thing up to Paula being drugged); and Simon said Blake had the best individual performance of the night with his first song, but Jordin should take it overall. And with that, the next-to-last "Idol" episode of the year came to a close with Daughtry performing that "Home" song, which seemed like a mighty depressing way to wrap things up.

Who should win? Based on the singing? Jordin, easily. She has a soaring voice with a lot of potential; she connects with her songs on an almost frightening level; and she could easily be packaged into a serious superstar.

Who will win? My gut still says Blake; I think the has the fan base, and he didn't fall flat on his face this week. On the other hand, if the finale got a lot of first-time viewers (or first-time voters) who want the better singer to win, Jordin could walk away with the title.

Photos courtesy of Fox