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Buzz Gift Guide: Dear Old Dad

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:30:55 -0800

Yes, you read that right: the holiday season is already upon us! It's time to pack up our scary Halloween decorations and start brainstorming ideas for the perfect presents. I know how daunting holiday shopping can be, which is why I'm here to help you every step of the way for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Kicking things off: gifts for your proud papas.

Finding something great for my dad has always been a bit of a struggle, since he's already got a lifetime's worth of gadgets and gizmos, but that's where this guide comes in handy - he always needs new CDs for the stereo and some DVDs to help show off that plasma screen, right?

My parents love reminiscing about the '60s on Mad Men, and what dad wouldn't look dashing in Brooks Brothers' limited edition suit? It doesn't come cheap, but then again, neither does looking as suave as Don Draper.

Many dads, including my own, tend to love Ken Burns, so how about his latest doc, National Parks. Looking for something a bit lighter? As a die-hard Mel Brooks fan, I'm thinking of giving a Blu-ray box set of the classics including Space Balls and Young Frankenstein.

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:30:59 -0700

It's Tuesday! I've already given you some picks to beef up your Netflix queue, but now it's time for your iPod. Check out today's new music releases for what you should download.

The birth of new sound: The latest from The Flaming Lips, Embryonic, is the musical equivalent of an acid trip. The band reportedly improvised a lot in the studio, so the entire album feels raw and pretty much all over the place. MGMT joins in on the track Worm Mountain, Karen O lends silly animal noises (yes, really) to I Can Be a Frog, and a mathematician spouts out equation, x=y type stuff on Gemini Syringes. Weird? You bet. Every track is experimental, which means you'll either embrace it for its free-spirited creativity, or write it off as too strange. Either way, it's worth checking out.

Pop culture candy: Hell has frozen over - Jack White is on the 90210 soundtrack. Hey, I'm not knocking TV music - I've already professed my love for it - but I was surprised to see The Raconteurs associated with a CW show. The band lends a wicked guitar riff to the first track Many Shades of Black (featuring soulful singer Adele) to start the album off. The rest of the playlist includes a mix of new offerings from indie artists and more mainstream pop, but my favorites are the sleepy Valium by MuteMath and the Postal Service-ish Sunburn by Owl City.

See one more release when you read more.

Bah-hum-blah: I was pumped when I heard that Bob Dylan was making a holiday album. It may be Halloween time now, but I always love a good carol, and Christmas in the Heart includes 15 of my favorites. But that's where my excitement ended. Dylan's voice will always be uniquely his, but the throaty quality seems out of place here, singing famous ditties like Here Comes Santa Claus. It's almost like your uncle had too many spiked ciders and started caroling. Even so, I'll probably still download I'll Be Home For Christmas or Winter Wonderland just so I'm not a total Scrooge - the proceeds go to the charity Feeding America.

Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:30:51 -0700

Something I never thought I'd write: David Archuleta and Bob Dylan's dueling Christmas albums! - Vulture
The dreamy Adam Brody takes a pop culture personality quiz. - PopWatch
Rebecca Hall has been cast as the lead in Richard Linklater's latest flick, Liars A-E. - Coming Soon
Here's some help deciphering Diablo Cody's brand of slang. - Cinematical
Eclipse director David Slade wants his Twilight installment to be gorier and more guy-friendly. - MTV Movies Blog
Check out the first 18 minutes of Flash Forward - TV.com
The return of VH1 Divas prompts a dissection of the term "diva." - TrèsSugar
Not a joke title: TLC's upcoming reality show is called "My Monkey Baby." - Best Week Ever
Rich Sommer dishes on how he gets that Harry Crane hair for Mad Men. - Pop Candy
Good news! The Real Housewives of New York City are all definitely coming back for a third season. - TV Squad

Buzz News Roundup, 8/7

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:30:23 -0700

Danny DeVito and his co-stars on FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are taking their sitcom on the road, with a live-theater adaptation of last season's musical finale, The Nightman Cometh. - AP
Bow Wow and Ice Cube will star in the "urban comedy" Lottery Ticket. - ComingSoon
Bob Dylan is set to release an album of Christmas songs this holiday season. - Reuters
True Blood's Deborah Ann Woll will star in the remake of Charles Kaufman's 1980 Troma cult classic horror film Mother's Day. - The Hollywood Reporter
FX has shot a half-hour comedy pilot starring stand-up star Louis C.K., tentatively titled Louie. - Variety
The Robin Hood story will be getting a "futuristic action adventure" makeover, courtesy of Warner Bros. - ComingSoon
Jay Leno's new prime-time series is going to kick off on Sept. 14 with a performance of "Run This Town" by Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West. - AP
Cartoon Network has assembled a cast for its live-action dramatic "urban adventure series" Unnatural History. - The Hollywood Reporter

Photo courtesy of Fox

Buzz News Roundup, 5/6

BuzzSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:30:43 -0700

ABC will pick up The New Adventures of Old Christine if CBS doesn't. - Zap2it
The sci-fi comedy Used Guys, which previously was going to star Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey, will change the story's focus into a vehicle for Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon. - ComingSoon
Talk Show with Spike Feresten won't be back next year. - TV.com
Hugh Jackman is lining up the projects these days, including a sequel to Wolverine, a race car movie titled Drive, a film reboot of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel, and the stage musical Houdini. - Variety
CBS might bring back Let's Make a Deal and The Dating Game. - The Hollywood Reporter
Bob Dylan, whose Billboard 200 chart career began in 1963, lands his fifth no. 1 album this week as Together Through Life opens atop the list. - Billboard
Will Ferrell is in talks to topline the comedy Neighborhood Watch. - ComingSoon
More details about last night's pre-American Idol chaos. - LA Times
Rachel Weisz has signed on to star as a cop in the indie political drama The Whistleblower. - Variety

Photo courtesy of CBS

New Promo: True Blood Cast Gets Bloody to Bob Dylan

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:30:23 -0700

The new promotional video for season two of HBO's vampire series True Blood (following an earlier preview clip) is everything you'd expect from this series: sexy and bloody. There are no words, just Bob Dylan singing his smooth and bluesy single, "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'," but the visuals say a lot.

For example, it looks like Jason is getting down and doing some praying, signaling he's serious about finding his religion as suggested at the end of season one. That should be entertaining. Also, Lafayette is nowhere to be found in this promo, so I guess HBO isn't willing to hint at whether he's dead or alive. And Alexander Skarsgård got a haircut, which makes Eric even more good-looking (and therefore more dangerous) than ever before.

The new season premieres June 14. How excited are you? Check out this clip and let me know. Do you think this Dylan song fits the show as well as Jace Everett's "Bad Things" from the opening credits? To watch, read more.

Courtesy of HBO

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:15:12 -0700

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download. Here are today's selections:

Dylan's got the blues: Bob Dylan's back with a new album, and I'm ready to dig in. The LA Times writes that the album was inspired by "midcentury Chess and Sun label recordings" with the influence of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf apparent in the tracks. I'm enjoying "Beyond Here Lies Nothin" and "It's All Good."

Let the choir sing: I love the idea of university choirs singing Ben Folds songs. The effect, from what I've heard so far on this new album, totally reminds me of what makes the upcoming Fox show Glee so fun: my favorite pop melodies sung with lots of earnest harmonies. Love it! Maybe a whole album of this could be a bit much, but I'm definitely downloading "Brick." And OMG, "The Luckiest" is so beautiful this way!

One more up next, so read more.

Cool and jazzy: Melody Gardot is a 23-year-old Philadelphia singer-songwriter with one heck of a beautiful voice. Her new album features the orchestration of Vince Mendoza and contains original songs plus a cover of "Over the Rainbow." One reviewer had nothing but nice things to say about this album and praised the singer's "intimate lovestruck and lovelorn lyrics and smoldering, bluesy pipes." Check out the lovely "My One and Only Thrill" and "Who Will Comfort Me" for a taste of what this artist has to offer.

Link Time! 3/31

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:30:30 -0700

With studios already battling over the screen rights, seems like a good time to review the Jane Austen-with-a-twist book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. - Cinematical
FNL's Zach Gilford talks about Saracen's future. - Extra Mustard
Want to watch Liz Lemon's full 1-900-OKFACE video? Yes, you do. - Videogum
Would you want to see Chace Crawford star in Footloose? - PopSugar
Oh, hi, pretty new True Blood season two pictures. - Watch With Kristin
Star Trek sequel: Premature ekirkulation? - PopWatch
Have you heard the new Bob Dylan track yet? - Pop Candy
A tribute to Angel's Andy Hallett, who died Sunday. - Monkey See

Source

Link Time! 10/7

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:37:05 -0700

How do you handle Sleeping Beauty and other fairy tales with young girls? - Popwatch
Given Heather O'Rourke's tragic death, does DirecTV’s new Poltergeist commercial go too far? - MTV Movies Blog
Download two Bob Dylan tracks for free! - Spinner
Which Dunder Mifflin staffer would you actually want in your office? - Pop Candy
Is it weird when TV stars who play siblings date in real life? - TV Squad
Nick and Norah's Ari Graynor might be your next crush. - Vulture
The video for Common's "Universal Mind Control" (featuring Pharrell) is all robot-y and cool-looking. - Stereogum
If you've ever wanted to discuss Chuck Palahniuk's novel Choke, now's the time! - PopSugarUK

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 9/26

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:31:05 -0700

Do Not Disturb is the first casualty of Fall TV. - Broadcasting & Cable
It's only in the rumor stage, but still: People are saying Ricky Gervais may be the host for the 2009 Oscars! - E! Online
Steven Spielberg may adapt the sci-fi novel Chocky for his next project. - Zap2It
HBO wants to turn the Tom Wolfe novel I Am Charlotte Simmons into a TV series with Tina Brown as executive producer. - Variety
Helen Mirren is set to play a Mossad agent in director John Madden's The Debt, an English-language remake of Israeli thriller Ha-hov. - Variety
Melissa George of Alias will guest-star on Grey's Anatomy as a possible love interest for Callie or Erica. - Entertainment Weekly
Nick Nolte will star in an indie coming-of-age-drama titled Arcadia Lost. - Hollywood Reporter
Bob Dylan's new album will be released one week early as a free online stream on National Public Radio's website. - AP
The American Idol tour did better this year than last year but still couldn't match the 2006 edition. - USA Today

Photo courtesy of Fox