BuzzSugar

Link Time: Watch Kris Allen's Video For "Live Like We're Dying"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:39 -0800

Kris Allen's music video for "Live Like We're Dying" is here - Music Mix

Jemaine Clement says that he and Bret may not return for Flight of the Conchords because they're dads now - Vulture

New Moon's Jamie Campbell Bower thinks Tim Burton should direct Breaking Dawn - MTV Movies Blog

Watch Jay-Z and U2 perform "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" in Berlin - Pitchfork

Five Mad Men spinoffs that would be great ideas - TV.com

Jim Carrey's new website may freak you out - MTV Movies Blog

JJ Abrams is directing and exec-producing the pilot for his show Undercovers for NBC - Coming Soon

Top Chef Masters is cooking for the cast of Modern Family today! - Steve Levitan's Twitter

This week's Parks and Recreation brings up an interesting relationship issue - TresSugar

Stephen Frears reunites with his High Fidelity screenwriter D.V. De Vincentis for Lay the Favorite - Cinematical

The Conchords May Not Fly Again - Are You Bummed?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

The Flight of the Conchords released a new album just a few weeks ago, but we may be seeing less of the goofy New Zealanders in the future. In a recent interview, Jemaine Clement hinted there might not be a third season of their HBO series. He said, "It very likely might not. . . We've got to write the series, but we've also got to write the songs, and just dividing your time into those two writing tasks is really tricky."

I still love watching (and listening to!) the Conchords first season, though I admittedly was less enthused about the second set of episodes. Still, I would be sad to see them go. What about you - are you bummed about this news?

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:30:14 -0700

It's one of my favorite days of the week: Tuesday! Which means I get to add DVDs to my Netflix queue, along with some brand new tunes for my iPod. So check out today's music releases for what you should download. (And if you like to review albums, don't forget to take a peek at the Music Review Group in the community.)

A smooth ride: Sufjan Stevens takes a breather from his states project with BQE, an ode to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. He originally performed the work to accompany a film about the road, but the music stands on its own as a beautiful orchestral arrangement. Warning if you like Stevens's mellow voice: BQE is all instrumental. Still, it proves that he has what it takes as a composer, and I'd like to see him lend his talents to more of this sort of work. My picks: Movement II: Sleeping Invader, which sounds like a ballet dream sequence, and Traffic Shock, which mixes in clashing electronic sounds like a busy gridlock.

Pretty packs a punch: If you haven't heard of Florence and the Machine, get ready. Florence Welch is the latest spunky Brit singer on the scene, and her debut Lungs already went platinum in the UK. Today, it's available to buy stateside. She's the singer I'd want to be if I had my own band - a woman who wails while banging the tambourine - and her album veers between tough-chick anthems and haunting ballads a la Sarah McLachlan. Make sure you try the hand-clapping, feel-good Dog Days Are Over or the romantic Cosmic Love.

See two more releases when you read more.

Freaky fun: If you're a Flight of the Conchords fan - or even if you're not - you'll want to check out I Told You I Was Freaky, a compilation of music from season two (including three previously unreleased tracks). Sure, half the fun is watching the boys act out each song on the show (and Jemaine's wicked dance moves), but when you listen to the music on its own, you realize just how talented they really are. Each selection could qualify for radio-play - or just a ridiculously fun karaoke night. The album includes favorites like Sugarlumps, Hurt Feelings, and the Emmy-nominated Carol Brown.

Lyrical wanderlust: Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie team up on One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Music From Kerouac's Big Sur, an ode to the famous author's work. The two musicians met while working on a documentary about Kerouac and decided to collaborate on this album using words from his novel. It's fitting then that the result feels like a cross-country trip - lazy and laid-back with some twangy country, Americana sound. I'll be adding the title track and California Zephyr to my car playlist.

Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:30:44 -0700

Awww, I'm swooning so hard for Jim and Pam's wedding magazine cover - PopWatch
'70s horror film The Fly is going to be reborn as a TV show - Cinematical
MTV is going to air DJ AM's reality show - Vulture
TV's top 10 depressive doctors - TV.com
The CW has ordered more episodes for The Vampire Diaries and Melrose Place, but not The Beautiful Life - Zap2It
The 14 sexiest movie androids - Moviefone
Anna Heche addresses her comments about her ex on Letterman and her role on Hung - Movieline
Have a look at Ryan Adams's paintings - Pop Candy
Believe it! From the makers of Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus comes the trailer for Megafault! - MTV Movies Blog
Flight of the Conchords might be coming to Rock Band! - GeekSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:30:55 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Flight of the Conchords: Season Two
If ever there was a DVD set to bring home and enjoy over and over again it's one for Flight of the Conchords! This show is a neverending source of joy because Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie are so very funny. Plus the songs are actually quite catchy.

In the second season of their HBO show, the two guys continue to struggle to make it in the music industry and meet the ladies of Manhattan. Some of the DVD extras include outtakes, deleted scenes, and Dave's Pawn Shop commercials.

Two more up next so read more.

The Soloist
The Soloist is an ambitious little film from Atonement director Joe Wright all about the relationship between a journalist and a homeless, mentally ill man who also happens to be a gifted Julliard-trained musician. The visually slick movie stars heavyweight actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx in the lead roles. Wright tries to pack a ton of stuff into one movie, so watching this one is a substantial - but worthwhile - undertaking.

Special features include audio commentary by Wright, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, a featurette about homelessness in Los Angeles, and a peek at the real-life men who inspired this remarkable story.

54%

Obsessed
Interestingly, Obsessed and The Soloist opened over the same weekend. Obsessed was No. 1 at the box office while The Soloist was No. 4.

Though I find the whole catfight thing to be a little tired, I have to admit that the trailers for Obsessed made me chuckle. In one preview, Ali Larter's character is brutally attacking Beyonce's character and Beyonce's husband calls to ask if she's OK. Beyonce responds with something like, "I got this" and hangs up. Ha! It might be worth renting for the camp factor alone.

Here's the plot: "Derek Charles (Idris Elba) seems to have it all - including the perfect job and the perfect wife (Beyonce Knowles). But his charmed life takes on an ugly tarnish when sexy office worker Lisa Sheridan (Ali Larter) sets out to seduce and destroy him. Now, it's much more than a dangerous liaison; it's a full-blown occupational hazard. Christine Lahti and Jerry O'Connell co-star in this Fatal Attraction-style thriller from director Steve Shill."

The DVD extras seem just as entertaining as the movie and include three behind-the-scenes featurettes: "Girl Fight!" (about the stunt coordination and the actresses' thoughts on "the fun of getting to fight each other!"), "Playing Together Nicely" (about the writing of the script and the casting process), and "Dressed to Kill" (featuring costume designer Maya Lieberman).

18%

A Seinfeld Reunion - and Other News From HBO

BuzzSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:35:49 -0700

HBO took the stage at the Television Critics Association press tour on Thursday and came out with plenty of big news, including a Seinfeld reunion on Curb Your Enthusiasm, new seasons of several shows, and a new animated series from the folks behind The Office. Want to know more? Here goes:

First of all: Seinfeld reunion! Larry David had long insisted such a thing would never happen, but then he decided it might be funny to do it on the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm - so he is! The idea of a Seinfeld reunion will be a major plot on the upcoming season, which will premiere Sept. 20. Jerry Seinfeld will appear in five episodes throughout the season, and Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards will also appear in four to five episodes each, though not necessarily all together. Said David:

We'll see writing, see aspects of the read-through, parts of rehearsal, see the show being filmed, and see it on TV. You won't see the entire show. You'll see parts of the show. You'll get an idea of what happened [to the Seinfeld characters] 11 years later. Within the show, it will be incorporated into regular Curb episodes.
HBO also officially renewed three shows: the new comedy Hung and veterans Entourage and - confirming what we heard at Comic-Con - True Blood. All will return sometime in 2010, with True Blood a lock for a Summer slot.
One of the announcements that excited me most: HBO has officially ordered an animated comedy series from The Office creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, based on their podcasts with Karl Pilkington.
The official word on a possible third season of Flight of the Conchords: "When they're ready, we're ready."
Ideally, Treme (from The Wire creator David Simon) will premiere in the Spring. The fates of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and In Treatment remain undecided. And Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire is practically guaranteed a series order.

Will you tune into Curb for the Seinfeld reunion? Does any of this other news excite you?

Link Time! 7/23

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:30:18 -0700

Is the "post-Seinfeld slump" finally ending? - TV.com
Atlas Shrugged getting a screen adaptation: shrug? - Popwatch
An interview with Mad Men's Harry Crane (Rich Sommer). - Televisionary
Are this year's movie characters - or at least their names - unusually unmemorable? - Cinematical
Here's a new Of Montreal video. - Stereogum
Five reality TV mashups worth creating. - Vulture
What episodes are the Emmy nominees submitting? - Gold Derby
A new Flight of the Conchords album? Party! - Pitchfork

Flight of the Conchords Viewers Create a "Fansterpiece"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:30:48 -0700

A while back, the folks behind Flight of the Conchords challenged their fans to a "lipdub" contest, in which they'd record themselves performing a version of "Hiphopopotomas vs. Rhymenoceros." The promise: The best of the submissions would be edited into one big "fansterpiece" that would air on HBO.

Well, HBO made good on the promise, and the resulting video is pretty fantastic - and eclectic in a way that I think Bret and Jemaine themselves would enjoy. It includes more than a few people in Jemaine-esque mutton chops or Bret-style curly wigs, some puppets, several grandmothers, and even a guy wearing an eagle hat, presumably in honor of Eagle vs. Shark. You can still check out more than 200 individual submissions on YouTube, and to see the final product, just read more.

Source

Fall in Love With Flight of the Conchords Again (or At Last)

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:30:43 -0800

Flight of the Conchords isn't necessarily one of those shows I watch for the plot - it's mostly just for the laughs and the goofy songs - but just in case you're confused when your friends prattle on about Bret and Jemaine, HBO can help you out. Yup, it's another of those ". . . in four minutes" videos, this one introducing you to Murray the band manager, superfan Mel, and Sally (you know, the "prettiest girl in the whole wide room").

Awesomely, that's not the only Conchords video treat I have today. One of my favorite minor Conchords characters, Dave, runs a comical pawn shop that the show checks in on from time to time, and now we're getting a look at the ads Dave made for his shop. I imagine these things running on public-access TV late at night. And, well, let's just say Bret and Jemaine aren't the only people on the show capable of writing catchy jingles.

To check out the videos, just read more.

Can't get enough? Giggle's got one more Conchords video.

Source

Kristen Schaal on Stalking the Flight of the Conchords

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:30:46 -0800

It's always a good day when I see funny lady Kristen Schaal's big grin on my screen. This weekend, she returns to TV as Mel, the adorable but possibly certifiably crazy stalker on HBO's Flight of the Conchords. A couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to chat with Schaal about her role, her appearances on The Daily Show, and her favorite Conchord. Here are highlights:

How did you come to play Mel?
The show was being developed with HBO at the same time I was doing the HBO comedy festival in 2006, so they showed the guys a tape of me doing standup, and from there they decided that I could do the part. . . They pitched it to me kind of like, "Mel's crazy about the guys, but she also has a husband, Doug, and Doug kind of treats her obsession with the guys like, 'Oh, she really likes chocolate.'" They never pitched that she was a stalker, but she's . . . obviously a stalker.

What's Mel's favorite Conchords song? And what's yours?
Mel's favorite song is "Who Likes to Rock the Party," which is the one song they play at every gig. My favorite song - I don't know if I really have a favorite. I just got the album! I love "Prince of Parties," I love "Sally," "Hiphopopotamus Versus the Rhymenoceros " - there isn't one song where I'm like, "ehhh, I don't like them."

I heard "Prettiest Girl in the Room" playing once at Forever 21 and it was the weirdest thing! Have you ever heard the songs anywhere odd?
That happened to me at Urban Outfitters. They were selling the album, so that was probably why. But the guy who was checking me out was also mouthing the words! They're novelty songs and they're funny, but they're also really well-crafted, so they can be played on the radio.

To hear her thoughts on The Daily Show, her romance novel, and whether she has a Mel of her own, just read more.

You've popped up on The Daily Show a couple of times. How did that come about?
I did some standup about Hillary Clinton, and that idea got pitched by one of the writers to Jon Stewart, and that's sort of how it developed. Hopefully I'll be able to do more stuff. My role is women's issues on the show, so that kind of makes it harder to get on the show - it just depends on having an idea and if it has a feminist approach and then pitching it to Jon Stewart.

Do you get recognized on the street now? And do you have a Mel of your own?
I usually get recognized about once a day. I have a rule that if someone sees me when I walk by and then realizes who it is and turns around and yells "Mel!" I won't respond - I'll just pretend that they're yelling for another person named Mel because that's not my name. Mainly just they like the show, that's all. It's all been pretty low-key. There are all these funny moments when fans say, "You do this on the show." I'm like, "Yep."

How much will we see Mel in the new season?
One of [the episodes], she's more heavily in the main storyline, which is exciting. She also gets to sing her own song.

Does Mel have a favorite member of the band?
She does not. A lot of people speculate that she likes Bret more, but I don't know where they're getting that, because as an expert on Mel, I can assure everyone that she does not have a favorite.

And I read you were working on a romance novel?
I'm working on it with my boyfriend. It's hot and steamy, it's sexy - it's gonna be just like a "how to have sex" manual that's funny.

And besides Conchords, where else will we see you soon?
I'm in the movie Cirque du Freak, just a small part in that. My friend Kurt and I are making a pilot for Channel Four in London of our web series, Penelope, Princess of Pets. It'll be a social experiment.

Photos courtesy of HBO