BuzzSugar

Buzz In: How Has John Hughes Influenced You?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:30:01 -0700

John Hughes' work is so far-reaching, he is still making news today despite having quit directing in 1991. The L.A. Times recently ran a story in which some of the most popular directors and actors today point to movies like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club as movies that made an impact on them as artists.

A ton of Hughes nostalgia has been popping up online lately, like this interview with Jon Cryer EW dug up in which he stated:

John had a real need to believe in teenage icons and create teenage iconography - that's what he was doing with Breakfast Club. I think he was really tortured in his high school, and [movies] were a way of him psychologically coming to terms with his youth and sort of reordering it in his mind as a storyteller. I think kids will always latch on to people saying, "Your experience is important. What you're going through right now is not trivial. We care about it, and we're right there with ya."

My sentiments exactly. What about you? Has John Hughes' work influenced you? What mark, if any, do you think he's left on Hollywood's portrayal of teenagers? To see what folks like Judd Apatow, Kevin Smith and Courtney Love have said about the now-reclusive filmmaker, read more.

James McAvoy to Play Kurt Cobain?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:30:00 -0700

When first I heard of this project to turn the Kurt Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven into a biopic at the urging of Courtney Love, it was in conjunction with Ewan McGregor's name as the actor who might be taking on the role of the Nirvana frontman. Recently the project acquired a production company, so it's definitely happening. But McGregor's name is nowhere to be found.

Instead, there are reports that James McAvoy might be the man who plays the troubled Cobain, a suggestion that I find bizarre. I love McAvoy as an actor and I think he's adorable, but to play Kurt Cobain? He'd make a very elfin grunge rocker, in my opinion.

What do you think about this news? Should McAvoy be cast? Should Ewan McGregor be cast? Should anyone be playing Kurt Cobain in the first place?

McAvoy photo source

Buzz News Roundup, 1/31

BuzzSugar — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:32:44 -0800

The New York Times tells us why this year's Oscar speeches will be total snoozers.
Reuters examines the "Oscar Curse," when poor little award winners find themselves too “expensive.”
No rest for The Departed: Already there are talks of a sequel, says Hollywood Reporter.
Oscar ballots are sent out to the 5,830 Academy voters, reports the AP.
In other awards news, The Police confirm their Grammy-tastic reunion, writes Billboard.
Networks aren't ordering pilots of serial dramas, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
US Weekly says Courtney Love could replace Paula Abdul on "American Idol."
Pitchfork posts new tour dates from Jarvis Cocker and The Killers
Yes, you'll soon get to find out if you're "Smarter than a Fifth Grader", the Futon Critic says.
Billboard tells us that Kings of Leon are prepping a new album for April.
Tuesday's "House" was the best-rated scripted show of the season, Variety reports.

Ewan McGregor May Play Kurt Cobain

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:12:10 -0800

Having recently acquired the rights to the biography Heavier Than Heaven about her late husband Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love is apparently in talks to make a movie about Cobain's life, Virgin.net reports. Who could possibly play Cobain on the big screen? Ewan McGregor is reportedly at the top of the list of actors being considered for the part. According to the article:

[Love] confirmed the project was in "an embryonic stage" and was being discussed with several film studios.

She wrote on fansite moonwashedrose.com: "It has no script and no director attached, but if the movie is made it will of course be an A-list and high-end film."

Biopics about musicians' lives - including Ray, Walk the Line, and the rumored Freddie Mercury movie starring Johnny Depp - seem to be all the rage these days. This one makes me particularly sad, however, as I still freshly remember how tragic it was when Cobain died.

McGregor seems like a smart choice, but can a Hollywood "high-end film" truly capture the gritty, terrifying truth of Cobain's sadness without trivializing it? It's good to know that Courtney Love will be involved in the making of the movie, though I still have fears that it won't do Cobain's life and death justice. What do you guys think?