BuzzSugar

Pilot Scoop: House of Lies

Becky Kirsch — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:05:00 PST

The major networks aren't the only ones trotting out new midseason shows; Showtime is getting in on the fun with tonight's premiere of House of Lies. The 30-minute comedy has a great cast that includes Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell as slick, fast-talking management consultants.

What it's about: Cheadle leads the way as Marty, who has essentially sold his soul for a fat paycheck, along with the three other people on his team (Bell, Ben Schwartz, and Josh Lawson). Marty's not all business though; he's got a "psycho" ex-wife who works for a competing firm, and a young son whose top priorities are shoe shopping and landing the role of Sandy in the school production of Grease.
Where it works: Cheadle is as excellent as always, and getting an inside look into Marty's world is appealing, especially since this is Showtime we're talking about here. Whether or not the raunchy debauchery that Marty gets into is realistic, it makes for good entertainment.
Where it doesn't: Though I laughed a couple of times, sometimes the pilot feels too smug for its own good. There's also the issue that Marty consistently freezes time to break the fourth wall and explain what he's thinking, which is a little too reminiscent of Zack Morris's timeouts on Saved by the Bell.
You might like this show if: You're into Showtime's Californication; the humor is similar and there's just as much nudity.
When it's on: Sundays at 10 p.m.

To watch a preview of the show and see some pictures, just

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Photo courtesy of Showtime

Gisele Bundchen, Matthew McConaughey, and More Honor Morgan Freeman

Allie Merriam — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:55:27 PDT

Gisele Bundchen wore Oscar de la Renta on the red carpet at the AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Morgan Freeman held last night at LA's Sony Pictures Studios. The supermodel said hello to the man himself, hugging Morgan and the Brazilian TV presenter Hebe Camargo. Gisele also caught up with Morgan's daughter Alexia before moving inside to mingle with other celeb guests like Clint Eastwood, Matthew Broderick, Matthew McConaughey, Casey Affleck, Betty White, and Helen Mirren. Morgan's Amistad costar Matthew McConaughey rocked a new look with his handlebar mustache, though his girlfriend, Camila Alves, didn't seem to mind the new facial fuzz. Morgan said a few words about his career and humbly acknowledged one special role in Bruce Almighty. Morgan Freeman said of his AFI honor, "I should be ashamed to say that sooner or later, I knew that someone was going to call on me to play God. I just had to be sure that when I said OK, that it was a comedy."

Gisele Bundchen and Katie Holmes Get Together For Beauty Culture

Allie Merriam — Fri, 20 May 2011 06:33:59 PDT

Katie Holmes and Gisele Bundchen shared a red carpet last night to celebrate the Beauty Culture exhibit, which opens tomorrow, at the Annenberg Space For Photography in LA. It's a collection of images from various photographers, including a snap of Gisele herself, designed to make viewers question the pursuit of beauty. More Hollywood stars came out for the event, including Halle Berry, Ali Larter, and Amber Heard. Supermodel Gisele wrote that she was home in LA after a quick trip to the Amazon, where she was able to do the environmental work that's close to her heart. She posted on her blog, "What a magical place the Amazon is, and so full of history and legends . . . I’m here, sharing my special experience and feelings so we can all think about it. We need and we want to develop, but not at the cost of damaging the planet." The visit was one of philanthropy and fashion, as there was a Gisele Bundchen bikini sighting in Sao Paolo when she took the runway for the Hope Valentine's Day special collection show last week. Katie, meanwhile, is back on the West Coast after a stop in Chicago to honor Oprah and a stint in Florida. She got some swimsuit time in as well when she hit the pool with daughter Suri at her Miami hotel, near where husband Tom Cruise has been working on Rock of Ages.

Link Time - Kristen Bell Is Headed Back to TV

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:30:15 PST

Kristen Bell is joining Don Cheadle in the Showtime series House of Lies – Zap2it
The worst movie roommates of all time - Moviefone
Watch a trailer for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Elektra Luxx - Movieline
Find out where you can watch Katie Holmes in The Kennedys - TV Squad
James Cameron's five favorite films - Rotten Tomatoes
Watch the 1969 and 2010 versions of True Grit, side by side - PopWatch
Joaquin Phoenix is considering a role in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Vulture
5 real-life bridesmaid truths from the Bridesmaids trailer - TrèsSugar
Russell Brand will host SNL on Feb. 12 - NBC

Link Time - Eminem Will Box on the Big Screen in Southpaw

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:30:54 PST

Eminem to star as a boxer in new drama Southpaw - MTV Movies Blog
2010 movie montage! - Moviefone
The 11 biggest Real Housewives feuds of 2010 - TV Squad
A guide to the upcoming slew of romantic-comedy sitcoms - TV.com
Michael Sheen shares his five favorite films - Rotten Tomatoes
Julia Roberts rumored for The Brothers Grimm: Snow White - Slash Film
Universal plans to remake Firestarter into a new film franchise - EW.com
Don Cheadle to join Showtime's House of Lies - Vulture
Boardwalk Empire's Kelly Macdonald will play the Grey Lady in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II - Collider
Check out this rundown of fun gifts from the characters of The Office! - SavvySugar

Matt Damon Plays His Best Hand For Africa

PopSugar — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:00:00 PDT

Matt Damon joined his Ocean's 13 costar Don Cheadle on Saturday for the Ante Up for Africa poker tournament in Las Vegas. The Damon clan left NYC last week to embark on their holiday weekend adventure - their family usually heads off for a Hawaiian vacation during the first week of July, and sometimes Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, and their girls go along too! Matt spoke about balancing his career and home life at the gambling event, and he took particular care to praise his wife Luciana. He said, "She really keeps it together. . . We just talk it out and work it all out. You say, this is the job and this is the time commitment and this is where it will be. I’m a lot easier to hire if you’re doing movies in New York."

To see more Matt, just

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Iron Man 2: A Solid Sequel, With a Side of Snark

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 07 May 2010 06:30:00 PDT

Riding the smash success of 2008's Iron Man is both a blessing and a curse. The film already has a wide fan base that should make it easy for the action flick to skyrocket to blockbuster status, but whether or not it will receive the same acclaim is another story. The good news is that the sequel delivers everything it needs to, even if it's not quite an improvement on its near-perfect predecessor.

The film picks up six months after we last left off. Weapons extraordinaire/billionaire/playboy Tony Stark's ego is even more inflated than it was before (if you can believe that). Thanks to the Iron Man suit he developed, Stark has managed to maintain the longest periods of uninterrupted peace between Eastern and Western civilization. Unfortunately, the government doesn't see eye-to-eye with Stark's God complex, and wants him to turn over his metal armor, his "sword with untold possibilities," in fear that terrorists may be copycatting the technology around the world. Of course, across the pond a grimy Russian convict named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) is doing just that.

To see where the film flies and where it flops, just

The film checks off a lot of the typical sequel requirements. It introduces new characters (Sam Rockwell as Tony Stark's competitor John Hammer, Scarlett Johansson as his new assistant Natalie, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury) while keeping the other ones we've come to love intact - Happy (Director Jon Favreau), Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Rhodey (Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard). It packs in just as much fireworks and fanfare as the original without going over-the-top or trying too hard. In fact, one of the aspects of the film I appreciated most is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. The action sequences are fun to watch but not overly indulgent, and the witty banter is woven into every scene. Basically, we're dealing with a cast of characters made up entirely of smartasses.

My biggest issue with the film is that there are a lot of storylines packed in here. At the core, Stark is struggling with the harsh reality that wearing the Iron Man suit is slowly poisoning his blood, forcing him to face his own mortality. But then, he's also dealing with competition from Hammer. And his feelings for assistant-turned CEO, Pepper Potts. And his seemingly out of nowhere daddy issues. And pressure from Nick Fury to join the Avengers. And the Senate that wants him to turn over his suit. The problem here is that we get a peek at what makes Tony tick under all that metal and egoism, but the rest of the characters remain as cartoonish and one-dimensional as their comic book counterparts.

The good news is that Robert Downey Jr. is just so darn watchable that putting all the movie's eggs in his proverbial basket pays off. His chemistry with Gwyneth Paltrow is spot-on, and he delivers Tony's rapid-fire one-liners with comedic timing that would put even Vince Vaughn to shame. For every scene that seems to meander off the film's course, our hero is lurking around the corner waiting to reel the audience back in.

In retrospect, the film may be remembered simply as a building block between installments in the Iron Man franchise, but as far as the near future goes, it's the perfect way to triumphantly ring in another season of Summer blockbusters.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Gwyneth and Scarlett Are White Hot With RDJ For Iron Man 2 LA Premiere!

Molly — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:00:00 PDT

The dueling leading ladies of Iron Man 2, Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson, were once again in similar hues for last night's world premiere. On Friday the women were both in shades of gray for the photo call, the first of the weekend-long series of events moved from London to LA last week. Robert Downey Jr. planted a kiss on Gwyneth, who was all legs in her shorts tuxedo with her trademark center part in that perfect blond hair. Scarlett was beautiful herself, brightening up the evening even without her super hot husband there to help her debut the first of this Summer's 10 most anticipated blockbusters!

Of course, the men of the film were nothing to scoff at, all suited up! RDJ had his real life favorite lady, wife Susan, for most of the red carpet poses. Mickey Rourke displayed his usual quirky fashion sense, and director Jon Favreau got ready to show off his sequel as fans are already looking towards number three. Don Cheadle went his own direction with a hat while Adrien Brody was just along for fun. The first Iron Man was a critical and box office success, and there are only a few weeks before its May 7 release we get to see if the second one can live up to the same standard!

To see lots more from the premiere including Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, and others, just

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Images include: Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Monaghan, Adrien Brody, Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, Susan Downey, Dane Cook

Jennifer Garner's Big Birthday Weekend With Friends, Kids, Pedicures, and Parties!

Molly — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Jennifer Garner turned 38 on Saturday, which she celebrated with a weekend full of friends and family. On Friday, she and Violet got pedicures together at a nail salon in Pacific Palisades. Jennifer made sure that Violet didn't mess up her pretty toes by carrying her out to the car afterwards. That evening, Ben Affleck was on his own at the Children Mending Hearts Peace Please Gala in Hollywood. It wasn't too late of a night, however, since there was a big daytime bash to throw the next day.

Among the three big celebrity birthdays this weekend, the vast majority of you picked Jennifer's party as the one you'd most like to attend, and it ended up being quite the event! Reese Witherspoon started out her Saturday stopping by a sporting goods store with Jim Toth, Ava, and Deacon before the foursome all headed to the Garner-Affleck celebration. She was just one of the A-list attendees, joining Jason Bateman, Tobey Maguire, Jennifer Meyer, and more at Jen and Ben's home. The sunny, beautiful afternoon was kid-friendly of course with Seraphina and Violet also playing host to all their famous pals.

Lots more photos from the big weekend so

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Buzz In: Who Is Your Favorite Onscreen Superhero?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:34:38 PST

I'm starting to get seriously excited for Iron Man 2. At last night's Oscars, Robert Downey Jr. name-dropped Tony Stark during his presentation with Tina Fey, and then during Jimmy Kimmel's aftershow, we got a peek at the latest trailer for the film. Boy, is it a good one.

Whereas the earlier preview gave us a long look at Stark's nemesis, Whiplash, this new installment has more Scarlett Johansson (who, from the looks of it, may be a love interest for Stark!), Sam Rockwell, and tons of Iron Man-suited destructive clones. Oh, and it has the same quick one-liners, courtesy of Downey Jr.

In terms of onscreen superhero types, RDJ may just be my favorite actor to ever don spandex. Though I loved the most recent Batman, Christian Bale, and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, he has those guys beat in terms of entertainment and laughs. His Stark may not be as big as the Hulk, but he's got witticism for what he lacks in brawn.

Do you agree, or does another actor top your list? Perhaps you're a fan of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine or Ron Perlman's Hellboy. Tell me who you think is the best actor to step into superhero shoes, and then check out the new Iron Man 2 trailer, when you