BuzzSugar

Link Time! 12/9

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:40:41 -0800

Reflecting on the best of Veronica Mars. - Give Me My Remote
Should a man direct New Moon? - Popwatch
Or really, does it actually matter who directs New Moon? - Cinematical
With these new takes on some old favorites, it sounds like we'll have a very Weezer Christmas. - Stereogum
Was the Boston Legal finale too silly? - TV Squad
It's official: Blur's reuniting. - Rock N Roll Daily
A definition of "entertainment debt." I feel tired already. - geeksugar
Burger King's Whopper Virgins film is stirring up controversy. Tasty, tasty controversy. - YumSugar

Photo courtesy of Source

Buzz News Roundup, 12/8

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:30:30 -0800

Heath Ledger was posthumously given the Australian Film Institute's international award for best actor for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. - AP
Reflecting on Boston Legal, which will air its final episode tonight. - USA Today
The award-winning comic book series Fables is being developed into a TV pilot for ABC. - Zap2it
Leona Lewis went straight to the top of the British pop singles charts, taking the number-one slot with her latest single "Run." - Reuters
Bravo has renewed four of its "docu-series," including The Rachel Zoe Project and Flipping Out. - The Futon Critic
Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers have joined the guest list for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. - TV Guide
Lauren Holly and Luke Perry will star in the apocalyptic thriller The Storm, which will be directed by Uwe Boll. - Reuters

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

What Will William Shatner Name His My Little Pony?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:32:46 -0700

This AP story first caught my eye because the headline is so funny - especially with the image of a My Little Pony: "Sunshine, rainbows, James Spader?"

Sunshine, rainbows, James Spader, indeed. Apparently, cast members of Boston Legal (does this TV show choice seems random to you, too?) will design My Little Ponies to be auctioned off for the Give Kids The World charity "as part of a celebration of the toy's 25th anniversary." Who else is designing ponies? To find out, read more.

Spader and his costars on the show, Candice Bergen and William Shatner will contribute designs, along with a smattering of others: LeAnn Rimes, Deborah Gibson (another iconic presence from my youth!), actor Danny Aiello, Spanish illustrator Catalina Estrada, "New York graffiti artist-turned-designer Claw Money and Japanese manga artist Junko Mizuno."

The AP goes on to explain My Little Ponies:

The pastel-colored ponies - with names like Rainbow Dash and Daybreak - usually sport decorations on their hind quarters, often of hearts, balloons or stars. The celebrities and artists were given blank, 18-inch versions of the usually 4-inch-tall ponies to decorate, Hasbro spokesman Dan Benkwitt said.

Did you used to play with My Little Ponies? What do you think will end up on Shatner's pony's hind quarters?

And finally, I must note here that, upon reading this news, CitizenSugar (who gets to Sugar HQ way earlier than any of the rest of us) quipped: "I hear the NIH classified ponies as the key to 'whinny-ing' the war on illness!" Ha. Ha ha.

Which Show Should Win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:30:00 -0700

My predictions are in for which show should win the Emmy for outstanding drama series. Now it's your turn. Which series do you think should win?

Snap Judgment: The Emmy Drama Nominations

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:35:41 -0700

While there were a few pleasant surprises in this morning's Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, the choices overall struck me as safe and boring. I say it every year, but I wish the Emmys would recognize quirkier or lesser-known shows alongside the more mainstream fare. Then again, I'd also like a unicorn.

Over the next couple of days, I'll be sharing some of my thoughts on the nominations. Here's my take on the dramas:

I might as well get this out of the way first: "Friday Night Lights" being shut out of all the major categories is nothing short of ridiculous. The show won a Peabody award and is a major critical favorite, and I can't think of another show that consistently moved me to tears this season. And yet, it's passed over for "Boston Legal"? Not that I don't like the show, but I'm not sure anyone has ever finished an episode of "Boston Legal" and thought, "Wow, that changed my life."
On the other hand, go "Heroes"! It had two big strikes against it when it came to the traditional Emmy biases: It's a new series, and it's sci fi. But it managed to break through anyway - plus snag a nomination for the lovably geeky Masi Oka.
Honestly, I could talk all day about the drama series category alone (should the strong second half of "Lost" have vaulted it above the weak second half of "Grey's"? Did a show like "Dexter" even really have a chance?) But I'm not sure how any show but "The Sopranos" could win this year. Yes, the ending was controversial; no, it didn't necessarily get the great ratings that previous seasons did. But it was the final season of a show that gets a lot of credit for changing the creative climate of TV, and with 15 nominations, it's clearly going to be rewarded this time around.

More thoughts, so read more

I didn't think "24" deserved a series nomination this year, and indeed, it was kept out of the category. But did Kiefer deserve his acting nod despite the weak season? And what about James Spader? Again, not trying to trash "Boston Legal," but I would have rather seen Kyle Chandler or Michael C. Hall in that spot. For that matter, why couldn't have six men been nominated? There are six nominees in the best actress category, after all.

Speaking of which: Back at the Golden Globes, I was whining about the lead dramatic actress category and how it paled in comparison to the actors' nominees. Well, I think the women have a leg up on the guys this time; Sally Field and Minnie Driver were great surprises. But Mariska Hargitay? Again? Is she actually that good?
Half of the nominees in the female supporting actress category came from "Grey's." I'm thrilled to see Chandra Wilson get a nod after her SAG Award win, and this is a great argument for giving Bailey more to do next season. Sandra Oh gave some great performances this season, though I'm assuming voters didn't see the episodes when all she did was fight childishly with Burke. Izzie is a divisive character, but Katherine Heigl probably locked up this nomination when she drilled that guy's head. Can any of them actually win? Or will they just cannibalize each other's votes?
On the other side of things, the only "Grey's" guy nominated was TR Knight. I feel a little weird about that, but I can't quite put my finger on why. Meanwhile, Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn fulfilled my wish of getting acting nominations for "Lost" beyond the leads. Michael Emerson is outrageously creepy - yet sometimes almost pitiable - so I'd almost rather see him take the win over Terry O'Quinn, but either one would be satisfying. I'm so pleased about these two nominations it almost makes up for the best drama series snub. Almost.

"Friday Night Lights" photo Source
Minnie Driver photo courtesy of FX

TV Casting Roundup: "Aliens," "Boston Legal," More

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:45:49 -0700

Jonesing for a Luke-from-"Gilmore Girls" fix? You'll have to tune into the CW's "Aliens in America" this fall to get it. Scott Patterson will play the father on the show, which focuses on the relationship between Christian and Muslim teens in Wisconsin when the Christian boy's family brings the Muslim boy in as an exchange student. Patterson replaces Patrick Breen, who was originally cast in the role.
The revolving door continues to spin at the Crane Pool & Schmidt offices: Taraji P. Henson, best known for her role in Hustle and Flow, will join "Boston Legal" as a series regular, playing a lawyer from the firm's New York office. Saffron Burrows also will join the cast, playing a lawyer who once had an affair with James Spader's character. Though they were purged from the show last month, former stars Mark Valley and Rene Auberjonois will appear in a few episodes during the season.

Mae Whitman, best known to me as George Michael's girlfriend, Ann, from "Arrested Development," will be replaced as the deaf younger sister in NBC's "Bionic Woman." According to TV Guide, the part also might be rewritten to give the character her hearing back.
Wisteria Lane might be getting a new resident: Dana Delaney - who was "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry's first choice to play Bree - is in talks to join the cast as a woman who moves to town with her much-younger husband and daughter. TV Guide's Michael Ausiello speculates that the character could be Bree's long-lost sister, which sounds crazy to me, but crazy's never stopped "Desperate Housewives" before.

Source

Big Changes Coming for "Boston Legal"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:30:00 -0700

The offices of Crane Pool & Schmidt are going to look quite different come fall. Several "Boston Legal" cast members won't be returning to the show, while two new actors are joining the cast and a third will become a series regular.

Don't worry: William Shatner, James Spader and Candace Bergen aren't going anywhere. But Julie Bowen, Mark Valley, Rene Auberjonois and Constance Zimmer aren't so lucky; they weren't given the option to renew their contracts in an effort to keep the show fresh, according to David E. Kelley Productions.

Meanwhile, John Larroquette will be joining the cast to play a senior partner from the firm's New York office who transfers to Boston. Tara Summers (Abby from "Dirt") will play a junior partner at the firm, and Christian Clemenson will become a series regular, ensuring more screen time for his character, Jerry "Hands" Espenson.

I'm not a regular enough watcher of "Boston Legal" to know how much these changes will affect the show. Will the departures matter? Or is the show really a Spader/Shatner/Bergen affair?

Link Time! 5/17

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:47:08 -0700

Pop Candy has details on a contest for big-time Harry Potter fans.
Already missing Melinda Doolittle? Buddy TV's got an interview with the eliminated "Idol" contestant.
Stereogum brings us Ryan Adams' heartbreaking playlist.
Check out FilmExperience's homage to Kate Winslet, including photos of her on the set of Revolutionary Road.
TV Squad finds evidence that networks like reality shows better than scripted ones: The "Boston Legal" finale is getting bumped for "The Bachelor."
Cinematical explains how Sienna Miller is replacing Jessica Biel who replaced Lindsay Lohan for a role in Importance (which replaced the title A Woman of No Importance).
Give Me My Remote goes all paparazzi on us at the Upfronts.
Popwatch asks who you would pick to be your leading man in a romantic comedy, and kicks things off by giving props to Nathan Fillion and his performance in Waitress.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.