BuzzSugar

Upfronts Update: CBS Axes Old Christine and Five More

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:00:21 PDT

Here's a few more shows to move to the cancellation list. Ahead of its big schedule announcement at tomorrow's upfronts, CBS has pulled the plug on six shows: say goodbye to The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Ghost Whisperer, Accidentally on Purpose, Miami Medical, Gary Unmarried, and Cold Case. Personally, I'm going to miss Accidentally on Purpose the most, but are you sad about any of these shows?

Photo courtesy of CBS

Buzz News Roundup, 3/11

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:30:47 PDT

Universal Pictures is headed to Austin this weekend to give South by Southwest attendees a sneak peek at Sasha Baron Cohen's movie, Bruno, at the event's Fantastic Fest. - ComingSoon
Ridley Scott has cast Scott Grimes, Kevin Durand, and Alan Doyle as the Merry Men in his Robin Hood movie. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, and Jesse Williams will join the cast of The Cabin in the Woods, a movie written and produced by Joss Whedon. - ComingSoon
CBS is reportedly considering canceling Cold Case and Without a Trace. - TV.com
Police said Monday they confiscated about $1.2 million in illegal drugs and more than $68,000 in cash, and arrested 194 Phish fans during last weekend's three-night celebration of the band's return to the stage. - Billboard
Sean Penn is in talks to star in the gritty drama Cartel. - Variety
Fox will air an internationally produced medical series called Mental this Summer. - The Hollywood Reporter
Disney has moved up the nationwide release of The Princess and the Frog from Christmas Day to Dec. 11. - Variety
Danny Devito is planning to direct Crazy Eddie, the biography of electronics salesman Eddie Antar. - Zap2It

Source

"Cold Case" Starts Season with All-Nirvana Episode

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:31:12 PDT

I've never been a big fan of "Cold Case" on CBS, but I do think the show uses music in a cool, unique way. Last year, the show set one entire episode to a soundtrack of Bob Dylan tunes, and this year, the show's season premiere will use Nirvana songs as the background.

It's fitting, given that the case the show's detectives will be re-opening is a murder that took place in 1994. The story of the episode, which airs Sept. 23, focuses on two teenagers who have been convicted of the murder of three 10-year-old boys, despite evidence that shows the real killer could still be at large. "Nirvana's music not only evokes the era when this case's killings took place but brings a starkness and poetry to the story that deeply enhances it," the show's executive producer, Veena Sud, said in a CBS press release.

The eight featured songs include all the major hits of Nirvana's career: "All Apologies," "Stay Away," "If You Must," "Lithium," "Drain You," "Heart Shaped Box," "Something in the Way" and "Come as You Are" (though I'm not sure if that's the order in which they'll appear in the episode). With this, Nirvana joins Dylan, Johnny Cash, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Tim McGraw and U2 as artists whose music has been showcased in full episodes of "Cold Case."

Photo courtesy of CBS

Link Time! 2/13

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:35:38 PST

"Top Design" judge Jonathan Adler attempts to explain his weak "see you later, decorator" catch phrase.
With a very awkward video, Best Week Ever proves how much Sharon Stone needs a new schtick.
Stereogum shows us what Vanilla Ice is up to: rapping about doing taxes. And it's actually pretty awesome.
TV Squad serves up five reasons to avoid "American Idol" as it moves into Hollywood Week.
Film Experience tells us how much they can’t wait to see the next Tim Burton-Johnny Depp film, Sweeney Todd.
Defamer is all over Tina Fey's swipe at Aaron Sorkin.
Rolling Stone Rock & Roll Daily has an epiphany: The "Cold Case" soundtrack is to baby boomers what "The OC" music is to 20-somethings.
Popwatch provides some handy pointers on how to get out of your Valentine’s Day obligations so you don't miss any good TV.
BuddyTV wonders if "Lost" will jump the shark in sweeps.
You Ain't No Picasso gives us Arcade Fire covering the Clash.
Reeling talks to Fight Club director David Fincher about his upcoming thriller, Zodiac.

Game of Thrones "The Old Gods and the New": What We're Still Talking About

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:29:13 PDT

There's a lot of plot development on this week's Game of Thrones, but with it comes plenty of blood and guts. People lose their heads, arms, intestines, and in Daenerys's case - some very valuable possessions. We catch up with nearly every Stark this week and spend a little time in Winterfell, but each family member is in some sort of danger.

Though we are forced to look upon Joffrey's yucky little mug, at least he gets served - however petty the punishment. In any case, there are lots of scenes still stuck in my head today, so to chat about them, just keep reading.

The Office, "Turf War": Best Lines of the Night

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:55:21 PDT

In this week's episode of The Office, Robert California is hung over and trying to put together the events of the evening - namely, that he closed the Syracuse branch of Dunder-Mifflin while blacked out. And of course, Andy is still being awkward and hanging out around the office, hoping that it's all just been a bad dream. I was happy to see Chris Bauer (Andy Bellefleur!) from True Blood make an appearance as the Syracuse branch manager who is upset that Scranton is stealing his clients.

We learn that Nellie has been having a hard time and actually has a heart; when Pam warms up to her, she's elated. Andy scores a big deal under the alias Big Red Paper Company to get his job back, but when Robert doesn't bite, he heads over to our old friend David Wallace, who seems interested. While I was happy to see Andy get his groove back, to be honest, the high point of the episode is the cold open, where Jim sets up a thigh curl contest between Gabe and Dwight. There are a few funny lines that held things together, so to see my favorites, just keep reading.

A Reader's First Half Marathon Is Full of Triumphs and a Little Bit of Embarrassment

Fit Community — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:41:02 PDT

FitSugar reader Dhitri has an embarrassing tale about her first half marathon. She shared her story in our RunningSugar community group. Help her out by sharing your own funny or embarrassing race tales below!

So you know I ran my first half and had the greatest time ever.

There were a few blunders, of course (what's a race without 'em?). Firstly, I arrived only half an hour before the start. Leaving the house without breastfeeding my little miss didn't feel right (and I had to lose that excess fluid from that part of my body anyway!) and it took longer than anticipated. Then of course I completely forgot about the road closures! We were stuck in traffic and I had to hop out of the cab and run to the event location to save me a few minutes. Also, in all my excitement, I forgot to put on any Vaseline or Bodyglide and even forgot to apply sunscreen. My skin was dry and full of marks from me scratching all night (I do that when nervous). My legs never looked this ugly!

But here comes a big confession: I peed in my pants during the run. Okay, firstly I have to criticize the otherwise flawlessly organized race. There were simply not enough portaloos! The line before the start was just EPIC.

Initially I didn't feel like I needed to go, but then remembered that I downed a lot of water when I woke up at 5AM (2 hours before start) and even though I went a few times at home, I felt like I needed to visit the conveniences in case I needed to wee because of the cold (it was a chilly morning at 10 degrees C) or nerves. I braved the line until a couple minutes before start (and was still nowhere near my turn). Big mistake! I should have braved the bushes instead.

Read on for the rest of Dhitri's story!

5 Secrets For a Perfect At-Home Cocktail Party

Camilla Salem — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:35:48 PDT

Hosting a cocktail party out of your home is intimate and charming but can sometimes be a source of great stress. The truth is that a little bit of planning and preparation can go a long way. Who wants to spend the party worrying about things like running to get more ice or salvaging burnt hors d'oeuvres? We've got five tips to help you host a smooth soiree.

Make sure to have enough ice.
The last thing you'll want to do is run to the store for more ice while your guests' drinks run dry. Make sure to get enough ice ahead of time for the number of guests you're inviting. Also fill your ice trays earlier in the day for backup.

Stock a variety of mixers and garnishes.
You may be set on serving a signature cocktail for the evening, but just in case it's not everybody's style, keep a variety of drink mixers on hand. We recommend tonic water, cranberry and orange juice, a variety of sodas, and margarita mix. Set out basic garnishes like lemon peels, lime wedges, and maraschino cherries, but don't be afraid to get creative as well: fresh herbs and berries would be fun and pretty. You may want to have a few bottles of wine and a six-pack of beer in the refrigerator just in case your guests don't drink hard liquor.

Don't forget about music.
Sometimes it can take a while for lively conversation to develop, and nothing is more awkward than a silent room. This is where background music comes in very handy. Spend a little bit of time developing a playlist for the evening that matches the mood you're trying to set. Choose calmer songs for the beginning of the evening, and as people start to warm, the music can, too!

For more tips, keep reading.

The Easiest Strawberry Tart You'll Ever Make

Camilla Salem — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:42:21 PDT

My favorite desserts to make for big family meals or dinner parties can come together in a matter of minutes, or even as an afterthought. They don't require ingredients that are hard to find and they are visually impressive. Such is the case with this simple strawberry tart. I got my hands on some bright red strawberries recently and immediately craved them on top of a buttery crust with a healthy dollop of freshly whipped cream.

All you need are strawberries, a sheet of frozen puff pastry, whipping cream, and sugar to create a beautiful Spring dessert. Puff pastry can be a little bit tricky to work with. You'll want to thaw it ahead of time, but it needs to be kept cold so that you can easily work with it. After that, all you need to do is plop it on a baking sheet, slice and arrange your strawberries nicely, sprinkle a bit of sugar and bake until it begins to turn golden brown and the strawberries cook through. Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar and a dollop of homemade whipped cream.

Ready for this fast and easy recipe? Keep reading.

3 Ways to Be a Better Brainstormer

LearnVest — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:15:12 PDT

Learn how to be a better contributor to your office brainstorming sessions with these tips from LearnVest.

When was the last time you brainstormed?

Was it over a group assignment in high school? Maybe over a particularly challenging DIY project? Or was it this week, at work?

Brainstorming is a tried-and-true way many managers encourage their employees to generate ideas.

The goal is to get people in a room with a whiteboard - and snacks, hopefully - and let the fantastic, creative ideas fly.

Here’s the twist: we may have been going about it all wrong. The New Yorker reports that research consistently proves that traditional brainstorming - the type you’ve likely been doing your whole life - is less productive than sending people off to think by themselves. (Although there is a type of brainstorming researchers recommend . . . We’ll get to that.)

This could be good news when you’re privately brainstorming ways to ace your employee review, but it could cause some problems in the office. Namely, you can’t just opt out the next time your boss herds you into the conference room. (Plus, you might miss the snacks.)

We talked to a brainstorming expert - yes, there is such a thing - to find out why this is, and how you can be a better brainstormer in three easy steps.

This Will Make You More Creative

The New Yorker writes that a key principle of most brainstorming is the absence of negative criticism. That’s supposed to encourage people to speak up, since no one wants to volunteer ideas that get shot down. But research shows that it’s not brainstorming that’s ineffective so much as brainstorming without any criticism. This is because criticism encourages us to “engage more fully with the work of others and to reassess our viewpoints.”

Read on for more.