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First Look: Gossip Girl Goes '80s in These "Valley Girls" Photos

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:00:09 -0700

The '80s are coming! The '80s are coming! You have to get a load of these photos from the upcoming Gossip Girl episode that could launch next Fall's spinoff starring Brittany Snow as young Lily Rhodes.

We've seen the poster, but these are actual scenes from the May 11 episode. Executive producer Josh Schwartz explains how this episode, titled "Valley Girls," will introduce the new characters (including Andrew McCarthy as Lily's father and Krysten Ritter as Carol, Lily's older sister): "It'll be flashbacks that will sort of illustrate a crisis. It will resonate thematically with something that will be happening inside that episode."

I'm so intrigued! For now we'll have to settle for some radical visuals with the new show's stars decked out in '80s fabulousness - plus No Doubt performing as fictional band Snowed Out.

For even more shots of this valley world, just read more.

View 23 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of The CW

Brittany Snow Cast as Lily in Gossip Girl Spinoff

BuzzSugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:30:16 -0800

Casting rumors about the new Gossip Girl spinoff swirled earlier today and now we've got some confirmation: Brittany Snow has been offered the role of young Lily!

We already knew Krysten Ritter would be playing her older sister, and in addition to finding Lily, the show's creators also cast Shiloh Fernandez as Owen, "a hot Valley punk guy with a caustic wit." Here's a new rundown of the show's plot from The Hollywood Reporter:

Overnight, Lily has to transition from a life of luxury and education at a wealthy Montecito boarding school to living deep in the San Fernando Valley she once made fun of and going to public school. Caught between two worlds, Lily dives into the fast-paced Sunset Strip and the Hollywood lifestyle of the '80s, journeying over the hill to a world of wealth and excess that used to be her own.

I enjoyed Snow on American Dreams, and I'm going to keep an open mind about her in this role, but I want to hear from you - is Snow the right fit? Can you picture her as an '80s wild child in Los Angeles? We'll get our first look at her in the role during a special Gossip Girl episode May 11 - which, incidentally, will also feature No Doubt.

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Buzz News Roundup, 9/10

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:33:47 -0700

Josh Groban will sing a medley of TV theme songs at the upcoming Emmys. - Zap2it
Paramount's Nickelodeon Movies division will be making a Kidrobot film. - ComingSoon
Brittany Snow has been added to the cast of Clock Tower, a video game-film adaptation. - Variety
Unsurprisingly, Kenny Chesney is seriously leading the Country Music Association award nominations. - CMT News
Seal is following George Michael as a musical guest on Eli Stone. - The TV Remote
Johnny Depp will reunite with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski to voice a character in the animated movie Rango. - Variety
Attention Tobias Fünke! The Blue Man Group will star in an IMAX 3-D musical. - ComingSoon
A new lawsuit alleges that Disturbia is an illegal ripoff of Rear Window. - Hollywood Reporter

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Finding Amanda: Never Finds Its Footing

BuzzSugar — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:30:43 -0700

For me, there are two big issues with writer/director Peter Tolan's feature-length debut: some crazy, disconcerting tonal shifts and a crazy, disconcerting casting choice. There's also a third, less important issue adding to my perplexity about Finding Amanda which is that Matthew Broderick lifelessly sleepwalks through his role.

Tonally, the movie seems to have no idea what it wants to be and vacillates between screwball comedy, dark humor, high drama, and bleak character study. Sometimes, when you toss those elements into a bag and shake them up, you get something pretty cool. But in this case, it's not cool. In fact, it reminds me of sitting in a car while someone learns how to drive a stick shift, getting jerked around uncomfortably between gears the entire ride. The gear shifts in this movie are so jarring emotionally that it made me want to get the heck out of that car.

To see why I think Brittany Snow should never, ever play another prostitute, read more.

In the opening we meet Matthew Broderick's character, Taylor Peters, a TV writer who's working on a low-rated comedy. We quickly discover he's a bit of an industry loser due to his many addiction problems (drugs, alcohol, etc.). He's supposedly kicked most of these habits at the behest of his wife (played by Maura Tierney) - except for gambling on horse races. Throughout this entire setup, Broderick has some life in him, giving big puppy dog eyes to the camera as he lies to his wife about being at the tracks. All the while, bouncy music a la Curb Your Enthusiasm plays along in the background.
But things begin to unravel for Taylor when his wife threatens to leave him and in some strange attempt to prove his worth, he decides to save their niece Amanda (Snow) who is working as a prostitute in Vegas. This is about when things seriously unravel for the audience, too, because we are suddenly jerked into another gear when the bright eyed, sing-songy Amanda joyfully describes to her uncle in explicit detail the sexual acts she performs as a prostitute.

She also reveals a terribly shocking secret about her past, to which Broderick basically responds with a shrug.

Um, I never want to hear some of these words coming out of Snow's mouth again. It is like watching a Disney movie where suddenly the princess admits she was raped as a girl. It's icky, uncomfortable and completely outside of Snow's acting range. This is all even more disconcerting when Snow is directed to quit with the peppy "Hey, Uncle, I'm a happy hooker!" shtick and is breaking down in a bathroom stall. Her breakdown doesn't make you feel a thing besides "Wait. . .wha??"

On some level, this project could be seen as a valiant try. Maybe give it an "A" for effort because it's not unintelligent and there are some good laughs. But the execution is so poor and actors so off that it's hard to care about it one way or another.

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Movie Preview: Finding Amanda

BuzzSugar — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:30:42 -0700

You know, if someone told me Ferris Bueller grew up to have a gambling problem, I'd totally believe it. Which is probably why I watched the trailer for Finding Amanda with a little smile. It looks like the first role in a long time that lets Matthew Broderick stretch those acting muscles we know are in there, and he's paired with the lovely Brittany Snow.

The plot for this movie, which I missed when I was at Sundance, is this: "A television producer with a penchant for drinking and gambling is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter rehab."

Finding Amanda is due out June 27 and you can see the trailer if you read more.

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Movie Previews: Prom Night, Then and Now

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:33:42 -0800

You know, I think I would be much more impressed by this trailer for the new version of horror movie Prom Night if it were maybe one minute shorter, or otherwise didn't include what seems like way too much of the film in the preview. As it is, I think the first part of the preview is scary enough, nothing original, but it is a remake after all. By the last 30 seconds or so, though, I'm bored. The story is predictable: a bunch of high school kids go to their prom and arrange to stay in hotel rooms afterward. Then a crazy sadistic killer shows up to terrorize the group - particularly the nubile young Donna (Brittany Snow) - and they must figure out how to survive... prom night.

After the jump, check out both the trailer for the new Prom Night as well as the super retro and creepy trailer for the original 1980 movie. Oh, the feathered hair! The disco! The horror!

The new Prom Night opens April 11. To check out the trailers, read more.

The new Prom Night trailer:

The 1980 Prom Night trailer:

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