BuzzSugar

Finding Amanda: Never Finds Its Footing

BuzzSugar — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:30:43 PDT

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,

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 PDT

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

Source

Healthy Dose Link Time: Quick, Good-For-You Meals to Make During the Workweek

Michele Foley — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:11:42 PDT

Healthy weeknight meals that will only take 30 minutes of your time - Self
Learn how yoga can help prevent you from committing road rage - Yoga Journal
If you only change one thing about your diet, this should be it - Shape
Find out what Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard eats before a big swim - Fitness
Roberto Martin, the celeb chef who has carnivore clients eating vegan - Blisstree
Get your Monday laugh on: funny fitness videos that are about to go viral - Vital Juice
Say goodbye to bloating, gas, and constipation . . . for good - Daily Spark
Find out if all those vitamins you take make any difference - HuffPost Healthy Living

Amanda Bynes Arrested For DUI

Allie Merriam — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:39:53 PDT

Amanda Bynes arrested for DUI - People
Robert Pattinson and Lindsay Lohan really didn't hang out - just were at the same place - Lainey Gossip
See Elizabeth Berkley's baby bump! - HuffPost Entertainment
Emma Stone is always down for a dance dare - TooFab
Details on how Justin Timberlake was inspired to design fiancée Jessica Biel's ring - Us Weekly
The impressive history of Wilmer Valderrama's celeb hookups - The Daily Beast
Up next for Jennifer Lawrence? Shooting X-Men in January! - Hollywood Reporter
A retrospective of J Lo's boyfriends in music videos - BuzzFeed
Katy Perry is tired of being famous - The Insider
Will you see Titanic 3D this weekend? - Rotten Tomatoes
The latest on Kate Middleton and Prince William's baby plans - Wonderwall
Matt Lauer announces a new extended deal with the Today show - Lifeline Live
Find out what happened on last night's American Idol - Zap2It
Wow - Blake Lively is the best part of the Savages trailer - Celebitchy

Romance For Amanda Seyfried and Josh Hartnett?

Allie Merriam — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:11:01 PST

Are Josh Hartnett and Amanda Seyfried dating? - Wonderwall
Elizabeth and Mary-Kate Olsen party it up in NYC - People
Andrew Garfield prepping for a Broadway run - Lainey Gossip
Jay-Z heading to SXSW! - HuffPost Entertainment
Are we going to see a new, chic Tara Reid? - TooFab
Somehow Sandra Bullock was linked to Brett Ratner, but she denies a hookup - Us Weekly
How does Snooki's bling stack up against other celeb engagement rings? - The Daily Beast
Elisabeth Moss doesn't have much good to say about ex Fred Armisen - The Frisky
Megan Fox explains how tattoo removal is awful - ET
How do you think Jeremy Renner stacks up in the next Bourne? - Rotten Tomatoes
How Prince Harry wrapped up his stay in Jamaica - Lifeline Live
Find out which Bridesmaids star got a TV pilot - Zap2It
Angelina Jolie reportedly rejected the script for Salt 2 - Celebitchy

Amanda Seyfried on Her Scary Obsession and Playing a Porn Star

Lindsay Miller — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:30:00 PST

Amanda Seyfried takes us on a psychological thrill ride in Gone, playing a girl who escapes a kidnapping only to find her sister fall victim to the same fate. As her character takes off on a wild chase to find her, the audience is left clinging to their seats as they try to solve the puzzle along with her. We sat down with the star recently to find out what drew her to make this film and why she loves pulse-pounding thrillers so much. We also talked about what she found most interesting about Linda Lovelace, the controversial porn star she portrays in her next film Lovelace. Check out our interview and catch Gone when it hits theaters Feb. 24, 2012.

Fall in Love With . . . Cold Shoulders

Lauren Conrad — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:40 PST

We are thrilled to share this story from Lauren Conrad! The TV personality, writer, designer, and style maven has started LaurenConrad.com, a social networking site that features daily posts by Lauren on all of our favorite topics - fashion, beauty, food, party planning - and Lauren will be sharing her latest fashion finds with Fab every month. This week, she's sharing her favorite open-shouldered tops.

I’ve been slightly obsessed with cold shoulder tops lately. Cut out shoulders transform an otherwise simple piece into something a little sexier, a little edgier. The peek-a-boo shoulder adds a fun and flirty feel without showing too much. It’s subtle, but sexy. The look was initially introduced in the nineties when Donna Karan debuted her iconic “cold shoulder” dress on Hillary Rodham Clinton who wore the dress to the inaugural ball. When asked about the gown, Karan said that no matter what women think about their bodies, they never complain about their shoulders. And she’s right! The trend regained momentum more recently during spring 2012 fashion week when designers like Richard Chai LOVE, 3.1 Phillip Lim and BCBG Max Azria rolled out various interpretations of the shoulder splice.

Needless to say, I’m a big fan of the look. When it came to designing my spring collection for my LC Lauren Conrad collection for Kohl’s I was inspired to create a few easy-to-wear flirty blouses. And Donna’s famed cold shoulder made the cut.

I adore this blouse (pictured above) because I’m a sucker for floral prints and chiffon. When I designed it I wanted to create something feminine that would turn heads, which is why the shoulder splice was the perfect finishing touch. I love wearing this blouse over a camisole with dark wash jeans.

What do you think about the cold shoulder look? How would you wear the Floral Chiffon Top?

XO Lauren

Glee Will Pay Tribute to Whitney Houston in This Week's Episode

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:47:11 PST

Here's how Glee will honor Whitney Houston this week - BuddyTV
Find out the status of Houston's final film Sparkle - NextMovie
Get the full list of this year's BAFTA winners - Rotten Tomatoes
The Grammy ratings almost broke their own record - Zap2It
The worst mistakes in romantic movies - Moviefone
Find out who's rumored to compete on the next season of Dancing With the Stars - HuffPost TV
See Amanda Seyfried as porn star Linda Lovelace in Lovelace - /Film
The 10 worst romantic comedies ever - The Daily Beast
A style tribute to Whitney Houston - FabSugar

Photo courtesy of Fox

Fall in Love . . . With Belted Coats

Lauren Conrad — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:18:03 PST

It’s easy to look frumpy during the Winter when you’re hidden beneath layers upon layers of clothing. But you don’t have to be a fashion victim just because the mercury dropped. Instead, take a cue from Burberry Prorsum and Diane von Furstenberg and belt that bulky coat of yours! Defined waists are coming back in a major way for 2012, which makes belted coats the perfect transitional piece for this trend. I love the belted look because I think it’s a nice way to create a waist when it’s cold. And I love the understated femininity of the look as well. As a matter of fact, I even designed one for an upcoming Paper Crown collection (stay tuned!).

The belted look can be achieved a couple of ways: Simply cinch your coat or jacket at the waist with your favorite belt or buy a pre-belted (or waist-tie) coat/jacket. You can even work this trend with a closed blazer and cute belt, too. The belted coat works for all body types. It’s universally flattering and adds the ultimate chic-factor to drab Winter wear. The best part? It’s a cinch!

Here are a few of my favorite belted coats:

Topshop Military Belted Coat
Urban Outfitters BB Dakota Romain Belted Coat
Vanessa Bruno Camel Belted Coat

Which one is your favorite?

Also, how do you feel about the belted coat look?

XO Lauren

P.S. Want to see what the original cover concept looked like for the first L.A. Candy book? Click here to see the sketch I did (and just found)!

Link Time - Tim Gunn Is Celibate and Happy

TresSugar — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:20:06 PST

Tim Gunn's gone 29 years without sex. What's your record? - YourTango
Is this the next Bridesmaids? - The Daily Beast
Amanda Knox loves Italy and plans to go back - TheFrisky
Find out which country has banned Valentine's Day - Newser
Give the gift of Jon Hamm for Valentine's Day - Jezebel
Wedding bell blues: when all your friends are getting engaged - CollegeCandy
Cuddle or sleep? What your choice says about your relationship - Huffington Post
See what celebs looked like before stardom took over - theBERRY
What it's like to do Muslim speed dating - GOOD