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Survivor Picks Its Favorites

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:32:42 PST

CBS has announced the 20 contestants for Survivor: Micronesia, the whopping 16th edition of the show. This time, the network is throwing in a pretty ridiculous twist: The 20 contestants are divided into tribes of 10 former castaways and 10 superfans. The tribes will be dropped on the Rock Islands of Micronesia, where I suppose we'll see if experience with Survivor's challenges outlasts crazy fandom.

I know Survivor isn't the must-see show it once was, but if any of you were fans back in the day, I'm wondering: Are these the "favorites" you would have picked to compete in this special edition? Personally, I wish they could have brought back some really old-school contestants; nobody on this list competed before the seventh season, and most are even more recent than that. To see which favorites have signed up to be cast away again, just

Yau-Man Chan (Survivor: Fiji)
James Clement (Survivor: China)
Ami Cusack (Survivor: Vanuatu)
Jonny Fairplay (Survivor: Pearl Islands)
Cirie Fields (Survivor: Panama - Exile Island)
Amanda Kimmel (Survivor: China)
Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth (Survivor: Cook Islands)
Eliza Orlins (Survivor: Vanuatu)
Jonathan Penner (Survivor: Cook Islands)
Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Cook Islands)

Photo courtesy of CBS

Buzz Blabber: DiCaprio Looks Great as Gatsby

BuzzSugar — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 05:30:00 PST

BuzzSugar readers were in a tizzy about the first photos of The Great Gatsby this week - or more specifically, about how good Leonardo DiCaprio looks in the title role. That wasn't the only topic that got you talking though; fans took sides on a Harry Potter vs. Twilight debate, and Glee fans applauded the show's Christmas special. Take a look at this week's most buzzed-about topics.

The new Great Gatsby is already making us swoon

"I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS. Cannot contain myself. One of my favorite books + my all-time favorite actor!" - Gabriela Une Vie Saine
"Holy hotness! Leo looks amazingly sexy in that pic. I love the book, LOVE Leo, and all the other actors work for me, but 3D has me scared. Although, having Leo come out of the screen at me could be good." - mrsld
"I can't wait to see this! The Great Gatsby was one of the favorite books in high school. Plus, Leo and Carey is all I need to hear!" - carrothead

To see why fans think Harry Potter is better than Twilight, just

Fans agree that Deathly Hallows trumps Breaking Dawn

"Harry Potter, absolutely. The film is much better written and acted than anything in Twilight, and the Potter films have several fantastic messages throughout them." - indigo15
"I'm a fan of both series but Harry Potter has a substance Twilight never had. It's a harlequin romance for teenagers, and it's good for what it is. The Harry Potter series sets the bar for a fantasy series that translates to all readers, not just fantasy fans." - testadura67
Harry, for sure. Twilight is a guilty pleasure...something to make me feel 17 again, but Harry Potter deals with some of the fundamentals in life. Much more meaningful (and better on the big screen)." - planetkate

Glee brings the holiday cheer

"I liked I'm dating Kim Kardashian' moment. So true!"
"Kurt and Blaine's duet was so good! I enjoyed the whole show, and I really liked how the show opened with Mercedes belting out 'All I Want for Christmas is You.' I loved that the show was so light hearted last night." - kimmieb124
I also liked hearing the Blaine/Kurt duet, their voices go great together. Same goes for the "Favorite Things" presentation." - demarco11

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Peter Som Talks East Coast vs. West Coast Style, and Holiday Indulgences

Chi Diem Chau — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:38:53 PST

Encompassing a penchant for laid-back elegance, Peter Som has left the industry smitten with his effortlessly beautiful gowns and separates. With fans ranging from FLOTUS Michelle Obama to celebs like Eva Mendes, it's safe to say the San Francisco native has created a buzz worth talking about. Most recently, the designer teamed up with Rent the Runway to offer a few of his party dresses and shared with us his holiday season indulgences, thoughts on East Coast vs. West Coast style, and celebrities he would like to dress. Listen up:

On East Coast vs. West Coast style: "It's all about the ease and nonchalance of West Coast style mixed with the high-impact glamour of East Coast dressing. In other words - never look like you've tried too hard (even if you did!)."

On celebrities he would like to dress: "There are so many women who inspire me for their talent, spirit, and confidence! I'd love to dress Cate Blanchett."

On his favorite indulgent holiday treat: "I love cooking and baking so it would have to be my Panettone bread pudding."

On the best and worst presents he ever received: "All presents are great if there's thought behind them."

9 Tips to Make Your Computer Last and Run Fast

LearnVest — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:15:00 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Cute bathing suit vs. medical co-pay. Yummy organic blueberries vs. credit card late fees. Beachside mojitos vs. laptop repair.

When it comes to certain expenses, it’s clear which we’d prefer. So, as a public service to help you fund all of your summer cocktails, we recommend taking a look at your Old Faithful–your computer, that is.

It’s your buddy, your confidant, and it brings you all the great info out there (like, ahem, this article). And at a grand or more apiece, it’s worth your while to make sure this expensive electronic goes the distance–if only to keep your summer funds going where they should be.

From dusting your USB ports to coddling that battery, we bring you nine tips to make sure that your machine does your bidding for ages to come:

1. Protect Yourself

If your computer were to get a virus, a diagnostic and fix at a place like Best Buy could cost as much as $200. So, protect yourself in advance. Make sure you have an antivirus and that all of your definitions are up to date. If you don’t pay for an antivirus, get a free one like AVG or Avast.

2. Watch Your Water

We can tell you from firsthand experience that one of the easiest ways to ruin a laptop is to reach for a glass of water on your desk late at night. This may sound basic, but prevent spilling on your expensive electronics by investing in a closed lip water bottle to use near your computer. If you’re on the market for a stylish new bottle that will keep your laptop-and the environment-safe, check out our picks.

Read on for more great tips.

Jason Segel Talks Muppets, Amy Adams, and His Next Hollywood Dream

Allie Merriam — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:48:00 PDT

We were able to pay a visit to the LA set of The Muppets earlier this year, and the movie's mastermind, lifelong Jim Henson fan Jason Segel, stopped by to chat about life on the set with Kermit. The project was written by Jason and his partner Nick Stoller, and was brought to life with director James Bobin, leading lady Amy Adams, and a roster of talented puppeteers. Jason spoke about how he and Nick tried to make the film fun for both kids and adults, and revealed how happy he was to land Amy Adams as a costar. Jason, who at the time was finishing the Five Year script with Nick between scenes while logging an almost-regular workweek on the set of How I Met Your Mother, also touched on new Muppets, operating Fozzie himself, and what his next big Hollywood dream is. Jason said:

On people's perceptions of a Jason Segel Muppets movie: "I think maybe there was a moment of wariness that I was doing this with a sense of irony. Like there was a wink-wink about it - 'Oh, cute. R-rated Jason Segel is going to do the Muppets and make fun of it.' But as soon as we arrived on set and everyone saw that that wasn't the case, that this was coming from a very genuine and true place, we were all on the same team very very quickly."
On making a movie for kids and adults: "We're trying to harken back to the original three Muppet movies, The Muppet Movie, Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper. I think one of the things the original Muppet movies did amazingly well is that they don't condescend to children by feeling like they have to dumb things down to the lowest common denominator. And when you don't do that, you get a family film in its truest sense. An entire family can sit and watch and enjoy it. The worst equivalent is Barney the dinosaur where parents are having to sit there while their kids watch this and the parents want to blow their brains out. This I think is going to be the exact opposite. I think parents are going to be laughing as hard as kids are going to be laughing. We have jokes geared toward children and we have jokes that are geared specifically toward adults that go right over a kid's head. It's something that The Simpsons does as well. There's something very special about a family sitting down to enjoy something together - that was our goal."
On why Amy Adams is the perfect leading lady: "I wrote it for her. She was in my mind from the beginning, ever since I saw Enchanted. The role is very different, but first of all, she's like the best actress alive. To go from Enchanted to Doubt, and The Fighter, this woman can do anything. She's able to do this wide-eyed naiveté that is not part of her personality in real life - she's one of the most smart, on-top-of-it women I've ever met. But she can do this kind of thing - my character and her character and Walter are true innocents. She's able to do that. She channels it through her eyes, and she can sing. She's totally game. She's up for it. She also really gets the jokes, so she was the perfect choice from the start. I don't know what we would have done if we hadn't gotten her."
On writing, filming TV, and filming movies at the same time: "I spent [ages] 21-25 totally out of work. And so now that I have a chance to do stuff, there's a part of me that thinks I'm not letting this opportunity pass by. You see it go away so quickly. It's so fickle. I like writing, I genuinely do. I get tired and all that stuff, but when you think about it, it's like the alien is going to burst out of your chest. When I get an idea it's kind of hard not to do something because it feels like the alien is going to burst out of my chest. I'm not good at setting it aside and saying I'll get to it eventually. I want to start writing it, even if it means staying up all night. It's tough to complain . . . I bought a house! What do I have to complain about, a little lack of sleep?"

View 5 Photos ›

Photos courtesy Disney

To read what Jason says about the new Muppet, more on the movie, and his one remaining Hollywood dream, just

On creating a new Muppet: "Nick Stoller and I did. We wrote the script together, he's my writing partner. We invented Walter! We did not get to design him physically because then they would owe us a lot of money. So we came up with him on paper and then they were very clear that we could not be involved in any aspect in the physical design of Walter. But it is pretty crazy when I saw him and I knew he was born in our brains. It's like Nick and I had a little baby - with our brains."
On whether or not this movie would be a musical: "We knew it was going to be a musical from the start. All the Muppets movies are musicals. When you look back at the great lineage of the Muppet music, like "The Rainbow Connection." I mean that is not a joke of a song. That is a serious song. If a legitimate musician put out that song they'd win a Grammy. We really wanted the music to be great and James (director) was the perfect choice for this movie and it seems like he's been training for this."
On what Muppets we'll see again: "We're bringing out a lot of the Muppets from the archives. A lot of guys from the old Muppet shows, some of the kind of obscure performances make appearances. I can't give too many away, but there's some old favorites of mine . . . there's some really cool weird ones."
On improv from the Muppeteers: "There is! I did not expect that for a minute! These guys know the characters so much better than I could hope to. I could imagine what the character might say, but these guys have been playing them for 20, 30 years."
On operating a Muppet himself: "Yeah I just operated Fozzie a minute ago! I've done Fozzie, Dr. Teeh, and I've done Beeker so far. It's been amazing. That is what knocks your socks off. This is going to sound different from how I mean it - but my hand is inside Fozzie? That's amazing. I never thought that would happen!"
On taking pieces from the set home: "I really want a lot of stuff that I see around here. They're very protective certainly over the puppets, but I've gotten a few bits of paraphernalia that I'll save and treasure forever. Some really special photographs. Me with Kermit, shooting the . . . breeze? What's the the PG version of that? That's the greatest picture I've ever seen. I love it."
On Muppets not being puppets: "In the original script, I was a ventriloquist and Walter was my puppet. But one of the things you find out is that you really don't want to cross the line into mentioning puppet. It becomes very, very complicated because the Muppets and not puppets. Muppets are living creatures in this world, you know what I mean? So as soon as I realized that that made things really complicated to have a puppet vs. the Muppets . . . it became complicated, so we cut that aspect of the story and it actually really simplified the story."
On Walter's personality: "Walter is the sweetest little guy you'll ever meet. He's like Kermit. He's like a very young Kermit. He's naive and he's sweet. Walter's thing is he's never met anyone like him. Like I said you don't use the word puppet, but he's my best friend and we grew up in Smalltown, USA - that's literally the name of the town - and he's never seen anything else like him. Except for the Muppets on television. So his dream is to go meet the Muppets and maybe have a family. It really does have tones of young Kermit."
On the movie's bad guys: "There are some other new Muppets. Villainous characters - they're not specifically Muppets. They're not very nice, so they're not Muppets. But they're adorable. I love them. They're another great creation. I can't give too much away about them, but they're really cool."
On the movie being a lifelong dream: "Once [the studio] said they were going to make it, everyone in my life was like, 'All right! Whatever you need. Let's get this thing made.' Because I've had puppets and Muppet figurines in my house, in my bedroom, since I was a kid."
On making Muppets history: "I'm not an arrogant dude, but to be even the tiniest footnote in the Muppets lineage is nuts to me. That is insane! So I feel very honored."
On Hollywood stars requesting cameos: "I got a lot of calls, especially my contemporaries who have kids all wanted to be a part of it for their kids. The idea of bringing their kids to meet the Muppets, or even to be able to show them the movie eventually. People love the Muppets. There's a lot of Muppet love out there."
On the music: "Bret McKenzie wrote most of the songs, and we have a couple reprises of some of the old songs. I wrote one of the songs, but it's a jokier version. Bret really took the songs and ran with them, and they're awesome . . . but some of the lyrics are definitely adult-based."
On where we find the Muppets: "We've got them in varying states of success and disarray. Some are famous, some are . . . destitute is the wrong word, you're not going to see any destitute moments . . . but some aren't doing what they wish they were doing. Everyone is doing their own thing, and it's a bit of a struggle for all of them to come back and do the Muppet show again."
On his next big Hollywood dream: "I'd like to be president of the United States. No. I've like to play a villain in a superhero movie. I think I'd be really good at it. I'm like 20 percent creepy. I'm really am. I am 20 percent creepy, I exclude it from this movie. But when you watch Sarah Marshall, the Dracula musical is funny but it's 20 percent creepy. I really want to play a villain in a superhero movie."

7 Reasons to Love Craig Ferguson

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:43:56 PDT

As host of the Late Late Show, Craig Ferguson has been keeping us in stitches since taking over late-night hosting duties in 2005. Craig is a nerd-lover's dream; his love of science fiction and geekery come through on every episode and his Twitter account. Here's why we love the funny Scotsman.

Devoted Whovian - He dedicated an entire episode of his talk show to his love of Doctor Who. Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith even made his first American talk-show appearance for the episode.
Robot cohost - Craig is such a huge Mythbusters fan that show host Grant Imahara built him a robot sidekick name Geoff Peterson.
Geek Peacemaker - When discussing the time old debate of Star Trek vs. Star Wars with guest Adam Savage, Craig explains you don't have to pick a side, each have their own special star themes.
Shark Fan - As host of the Discovery Channel's 2010 Shark Week, Craig guided viewers through his "favorite holiday."
Loves puppets - Regular viewers of the show are familiar with the frequent use of puppets in the opening monologue and skits. For the 1,000th episode Wavy the crocodile hilariously hosted the whole show and interviewed Jason Schwartzman.
Good sport - Craig went along with the original captain William Shatner's request to show off his horsemanship skills by galloping around the stage with Shatner at the reigns.
Keeps it real - When Britney Spears was going through tough times a few years ago, Craig refused to joke about her on the show. Proudly sober for nearly 20 years, he understands that such trying issues don't need to be prodded further.

If you need any more proof as to why you should be loving Craig Ferguson, watch the song and dance performed on the Doctor Who episode of the Late Late Show. It wasn't aired on the show due to rights problems with the theme song, but it was later, thankfully, leaked on the web.

Johnny Depp Talks Playing a Lizard, His Sex-Symbol Status, and Gets a Visit From Justin Bieber at the Rango Press Day

Lindsay Miller — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 08:25:50 PST

Johnny Depp got lots of laughs at the press conference for his new movie Rango in LA yesterday. The actor was joined by his costars, Abigail Breslin and Isla Fisher, as well as director Gore Verbinski at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Johnny plays the movie's title character, a pet lizard who is forced to save the day after a lie gets him in over his head. Johnny admitted that his own kids aren't all that interested in his career, and are far more into Family Guy and Justin Bieber. It turned out that Justin happened to be in the hotel, heard that Johnny mentioned him, and dropped by to say what a huge fan he is in the middle of the press conference! Johnny joked, "What am I going to tell my daughter?" Johnny, who was as gracious and funny as you might expect, also talked about tackling the challenge of playing a reptile and the reason he enjoys making movies for children. He said:

On why he enjoys making kids' movies: "I think kids, in general, as an audience, are the way forward because they’re not sort of sullied by intellectual expectation or this or that. It’s a very pure sort of response to the work, and the great luck that I had, for example before Pirates [of the Caribbean], I had a daughter. And for about four years, all I watched was cartoons. Just cartoons. And I realized at that point the parameters were far away from what we do in sort of normal, everyday movies. You can get away with a lot more. They accept a lot more and they buy it, because they’re free. So for me that was everything in terms of coming up with what Captain Jack would be. I trust kids far more than I do adults. Kids give you their honest opinion. They tell the truth."
On how his own children felt about Rango: "They actually call me the Lizard King, my children, they do. I force them to address me like that. [laughs] It was an odd sort of thing. 'Where you going daddy?' I gotta go to work. 'Well, what are you doing?' Well, I’m playing a lizard. You drop your kids off at school and give them a kiss, and now I gotta go be a lizard. The things I’ve done that my kids are sort of privy to - Willy Wonka - it doesn’t register. They’re far more interested in Family Guy or Justin Bieber. [Someone calls out, 'Are you a Belieber?'] Belieber? I’ve actually never heard that one, and that is my favorite. And you know what? Yes, I am a Belieber. And I shall remain so. "
On how he feels about his sex-symbol status: "Attention is a strange sort of being anyway. If someone appreciates your work, it’s always nice if someone appreciates your work. I’ve never quite understood the other bits, where somehow you’ve been voted some thing for a magazine, and it’s a complete mystery to me. I wake up and I have to look at that head when I brush my teeth every morning and it’s weird, and it’s unpleasant at times, so I don’t know about the attention."

To read the rest of Johnny's interview, just

On what Jack Sparrow has in common with Rango: "I don’t know, I’ve always had an affinity for lizards. I’ve always felt close to them. Feeling somewhat reptilian myself at times. Oddly, I think, Gore might even disagree, but I feel like when we were doing Pirates 1,2,3, at times, when Jack Sparrow had to run, it was this very specific run I wanted. I’d seen this footage of a lizard running across the water and it was the strangest thing I’d ever seen. So whenever we were in that situation, [I'd] get in touch with the lizard. So I actually think that Rango was somehow planted in Gore's brain from that lizard run. When he actually called me and said, "I want you to play a lizard,' I said, 'God, I’m halfway there.'
On his own experience with lying: "I actually tell lies for a living. That’s what acting is, really! I felt, having kids, that I had horrific guilt for many years playing along with the Santa Clause thing, waiting for that moment to arrive. Because you’re never going to bring it up them. They’re going to go…'Hey, you’ve been telling me a lie for my entire life. What are you prepared to do about it?' So yeah, I had horrific guilt and we’re now just on the outskirts of that, so I feel okay. These are lies that society tells you you have to keep these lies going, these myths. So I felt guilty about it. I still do.
On whether he likes making animated films vs. live action: "We’re lazy-at least I am. I’d rather just sit in front of the microphone and do the thing. However, the process that Gore created, this sort of atmosphere that was really, truly ludicrous, just ridiculous. It was like regional theater at its worst. And somehow...[it's] emotion capture. Certain gestures, body language, movements, something you might have done with your eyes…these animators took it and put in there. It was very strange. For Harry Dean Stanton to walk up to me one afternoon…he walks up to me and says, 'This is a weird gig, man.' And I went, 'Yeah.' He had just started and I said, 'Just wait.'"
On how he developed Rango's voice: "Early on, some of the talks that Gore and I had about the character-talk about two grown men, middle-aged men, discussing the possibility of one of them being a lizard. So it starts off on a really surreal note anyway. Finding the voice or finding the character-we talked about when, people in life, they have a tendency to exaggerate or lie…you always notice their voice goes high…that’s kind of where it came from. You imagined the character to be just really like a nervous wreck."