BuzzSugar

Reality Roundup: Game Show in My Head, True Beauty, 13

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:00:38 PST

American Idol's still the biggest thing on TV, but it's not the only reality show hitting the airwaves in January. Lots of new reality shows are starting up next month, and here, I've got previews for three of the biggies.

Ashton Kutcher is behind two of these shows, ABC's True Beauty and CBS's Game Show in my Head. For True Beauty, which premieres Jan. 5, Kutcher has teamed up with Tyra Banks for a show that's attempting to find the person out of 10 gorgeous contestants (models, pageant queens, and the like) who's the most beautiful both inside and out. The twist: The contestants don't know the "inner beauty" part of the game, which will be judged from secret footage by Vanessa Minnillo, Cheryl Tiegs, and Nole Marin. That show premieres Jan. 5.

To hear about the other two shows and see clips of all three, just

Game Show is more classic Kutcher in the Punk'd/Wedding Crashers style: Contestants are sent out into the world wearing an earpiece and told to perform ridiculous actions (wear only underwear and get people to give you their clothes; act like you're a hospital patient who just escaped) for the chance to win cash. Its first two episodes air Jan. 2.

And then there's 13: Fear is Real, a horror movie-style reality show from director Sam Raimi. The 13 contestants will be shipped off to a spooky forest where they'll be pitted against each other in challenges straight from horror movies; the weakest links will "die" until only one person remains (I have to assume no actual death is involved). Its visual style is vaguely Blair Witch Project, and I'm amused by the fact that the winner gets $66,666. That one premieres Jan. 7.

Below, I've got clips of all three shows, and I'm curious to know if any of them strike your fancy. Check them out and let me know.

Castle, Reaper, and Other Shows Coming to a TV Near You

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:30:09 PST

CBS and ABC both released their midseason schedules this week, and the CW dribbled out a few little teases, giving us an almost complete picture of what we'll be watching on TV in 2009. It's good news for fans of Reaper and Nathan Fillion, and not such good news for those who love Pushing Daisies or Ashton Kutcher reality shows.

Some of the highlights:

Castle, Cupid, and The Unusuals all made ABC's midseason schedule. Castle will air Mondays at 10 p.m. starting March 9, Cupid will air at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays starting March 24, and The Unusuals will get the post-Lost time slot of 10 p.m. on Wednesdays starting April 8.
Harper's Island, which CBS is calling a "13-episode mystery event," will air on Thursdays at 10 p.m. after CSI from April 9 through July 2. It's actually one of the only changes to the CBS schedule; another is that Flashpoint, which aired last Summer, will start its second season Friday, Jan. 9 at 9 p.m.

For a couple of others, including the premiere date for Reaper, just

Poor Ashton Kutcher. Everyone wants him to make reality shows, but then they either get canceled (ABC's Opportunity Knocks this Fall) or dumped on Saturday night, which is what CBS is doing for his Game Show in My Head. Saturday night! And you thought Friday time slots were bad.
The CW's midseason plans are still coming together, but here's a definite bright spot: Reaper's second season is scheduled to premiere March 17 at 9 p.m. after 90210.

So, no Pushing Daisies or Dirty Sexy Money on the schedule - but hey, I suppose that if ABC's three new series tank, there's a chance those shows could get another look for next Fall. And hooray for the return of Reaper, which I hope will be just as delightful as it was toward the end of the first season.

What do you make of all this news? Are any of these shows on your radar?

CBS Trots Out Three New Reality Series

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:35:52 PST

As the writers' strike rolls on, networks are turning to more and more reality series to keep primetime feeling fresh. So far, the strategy seems to be working: In general, viewers are embracing reality shows, with American Gladiators having one of the best premieres this season and other series, including The Biggest Loser, getting great ratings.

So it shouldn't be surprising that there's even more reality coming our way. CBS announced three of its upcoming reality series today, and they're getting closer and closer to the faux programs 30 Rock's Jack Donaghy supposedly bought for NBC. No, there's no Are You Stronger than a Dog - but these series aren't far from it. To see what they are, just

Secret Talents of the Stars - CBS claims this show will "uncover some of the most fascinating and unique secret talents of your favorite film and television stars, whether it be singing, dancing, magic or even acrobatics." Viewers' votes will determine who stays and who goes. Sure, I want to know Jennifer Aniston's hidden talents as much as the next girl, but I'm guessing these "stars" will be more along the lines of, say, The Celebrity Apprentice roster.
Game Show In My Head - Ashton Kutcher's return to reality TV after the flop of The Real Wedding Crashers will send contestants out into the city wearing an earpiece that delivers instructions to perform ridiculous, embarrassing tasks in public. Contestants earn money for each task they perform, but they'll lose it all if they fail to adequately complete any of the tasks. I have to give this one the prize for best title.
America's Top Dog - Now this one would make Jack Donaghy proud. It's exactly what you'd imagine it to be: Dogs and their owners live in a house together and "battle it out in a dog competition that puts the dog's relationship with the person who has raised and trained it to the test." Hey, did anyone else ever watch That's My Dog! on the Family Channel back in the early '90s? I can't deny that it was fun . . . when I was 11 years old.

Would you watch any of those reality shows? And, in general, have you been watching any of the networks' new reality fare - or are you just keeping the TV off these days?

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!

Swimmer Dara Torres on the Quest For Her Sixth Olympic Games

espnW — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:12:32 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Luke Cyphers

Dara Torres once wrote a book called Age Is Just a Number. Nowadays, though, the feel-good story of the 2008 Olympics admits to, well, feeling her age. Torres won two silver medals as a 41-year-old mother and swimmer in Beijing, but she harbors no illusions about repeating the feat four years later. "You have to be realistic," Torres said. "I am 45 years old. I'm that much closer to being 50, and my body just can't recover the way it used to."

Her goal was gold in 2008. In 2012? "I don't feel like I have anything else to prove going into these Olympic Games," said the 12-time medalist. "It's not about medals. I have enough."

So why does she put herself through grueling training five days a week in the hopes of making her sixth - and she swears last - U.S. Olympic team? Because, at her best, she's still one of the fastest sprinters in the world. She placed second in the 50-meter freestyle (25.24 seconds) at the winter nationals. Last month, she swam a solid 25.36 seconds in the prelims of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, but faded to 25.47 in the final to finish sixth. She'll need to place within the top two at the Olympic trials in Omaha in June to make it to London.

Kim Rhode is not your typical Olympian

Dara Torres says it is harder for her body to recover compared to when she competed in the 2008 Olympics. "If I had to just swim the race once, I don't think it would even be an issue making the team," she said. "But I have to swim it three times, and having my body recover for those three races is my issue."

Torres embraces the actuarial challenge of capping an Olympic career 28 years after it began in 1984, even as her world has changed and her body has creaked. Her longtime coach, Michael Lohberg, died of a rare blood disorder in 2011. One of Lohberg's assistants, Bruno Darzi, now coaches her. Her daughter Tessa is now 6. And her left knee required surgery and more than a year to rehab. Through it all, "I still have a passion for the sport of swimming," she said.

But there's also a sense of obligation to the public following she has built through her success and frequent television appearances. (The former telecommunications major and frequent morning-show guest announced her comeback on "Live with Regis & Kelly.") "I have so many people come up to me and say I'm inspiring them to do things that they thought they couldn't do because they were too old, or that they put off because they couldn't find a balance in their life to do it," Torres said.

Keep reading for more on Dara Torres' Olympic past and present.

Rewind: Gearing Up For Summer Movie Season

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:05:17 PDT

Summer movie season is almost here and we're celebrating with pictures of the hottest stars of the season.
And with Summer just around the corner, we brushed up on concerts with a guide to the various upcoming music festivals.
Behold: the Magic Mike trailer, otherwise known as the Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey stripper movie. And also known as the highlight of our month.
In Hunger Games news, we learned that Francis Lawrence will direct Catching Fire.
We rounded up all the character posters for On the Road after Kristen Stewart's was released.
Robert Pattinson is all kinds of sexy in the first full trailer for Cosmopolis, which has him darting around town in a limo and putting some moves on the ladies.
James Franco turned 34, so we paid homage with a gallery of his many onscreen faces.
The trailer for Your Sister's Sister hit, and we love the love triangle between Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, and Rosemarie DeWitt.
As wedding season rages on, we thought we'd inspire some ideas with a list of father-daughter dance songs.
Television lost one of its legends this week with the passing of Dick Clark.
Paul Dano has super cute chemistry with real life love Zoe Kazan in the trailer for indie rom com Ruby Sparks.
A video of Michael Fassbender as an android in Prometheus showed up, prompting us to question what we had assumed from the original trailer.
9021-Oh my God these pictures of Naomi's wedding dress are spectacular.
The Lucky One came out this week, but why not check out these hot pics of Zac before you head to theater?

What Has Today Show Guest Host Sarah Palin Been Up to Lately?

Annie Scudder — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:00:21 PDT

Almost four years after Sarah Palin told Katie Couric she couldn't recall the specific newspapers she reads, the two are going head to head again. This morning, Sarah and Katie are hosting rival morning shows. Liberal-media critic Sarah is this morning's guest host on NBC's Today, while longtime Today show host Katie is cohosting ABC's Good Morning America all week. No, this is not a leftover April Fools' Day joke. If you turned on your TV this morning to see Sarah Palin and wondered what she's been up to lately, here is a rundown.

Keeping up the heat on Obama. She may be out of politics officially, but you can still count on Sarah Palin to weigh in on the day's politics. Last week Sarah said, "President Obama will have ‘more flexibility’ to weaken us if he’s reelected in November."
Backing up Santorum. When GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum accused a New York Times reporter of "bullsh*t" Sarah had his back. She said, “Welcome to my world, Rick, and good on ya."
Handling the Game Change drama. Last month, HBO released its high-profile movie about the 2008 campaign, Game Change, with Julianne Moore playing Sarah Palin. In response, Sarah wrote to ABC News: “I believe my family has the right priorities and knows what really matters/ For instance, our son called from Afghanistan yesterday and he sounded good, and that’s what matters. Being in the good graces of Hollywood’s ‘Team Obama’ isn’t top of my list."
Keeping up with her Facebook friends. If you follow Sarah Palin's Facebook page, you can count on a steady stream of musings. On March 24, she wrote a Facebook note claiming that Alaskan women don't tolerate sexism, titled Last Frontier Women Don’t Tolerate Misogynists. "I personally do not seek an apology from these narrow-minded men. With a full family and productive 'to-do' list everyday, I just don’t have time for them. But I do feel sorry for them and for their obvious need to compensate for something that’s missing in their own lives, which compels them to belittle others in order to feel big," Sarah quipped.
Working for Fox. It's somewhat surprising Sarah Palin is going on NBC, considering she's been a contributor for Fox News. Just last week, she wrote an op-ed on Fox Nation, titled God, Guns, the Constitution – Still Clinging.
Being nominated for a Razzie. At this past weekend's Razzies, Sarah was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award as worst actress on account of her performance in the documentary The Undefeated, which chronicled her political career. She lost to Jack and Jill, which took home every single Razzie.

Meryl Streep on Oscar "Streep Fatigue" and Having Everything She Ever Dreamed Of

Becky Kirsch — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:46:50 PST

Meryl Streep pulled out a major upset at the Oscars tonight when she beat out Viola Davis for best actress. It marks Streep's third Oscar (and 17th nomination!), but being a seasoned veteran didn't stop her from showing her excitement backstage in the press room. Streep joked about The Academy being sick of her, gave advice for young women, and talked about why she doesn't take anything for granted.

On what went through her mind when she won: They call your name and you just sort of go into a white light. And it was just thrilling. And it was like I was a kid again - and I was a kid the last time I won. Two of the nominees were not even conceived the last time I won!

On whether or not she got to meet Margaret Thatcher: No, I didn't, but I studied her and I studied. And then the challenge was to imagine her present life, and that was completely on active imagination. There was a lot of freedom in that, but also responsibility to a real person and to history. It was really, very, very satisfying as an actor, as an artist, to make a film that starts out about Margaret Thatcher and ends up being really about all of us.

On how she makes time for personal relationships: It's the juggle and the challenge that we [women] have, but honestly, in my life, because it's in the arts, I don't go to work every day. So my day has been more flexible than other working women, even when I was young and broke. I was only ever working for four months at a time and then I was unemployed. So my children never knew when I was going to be home, which was very valuable [laughs]. It was a struggle. Women have to do it all.

On how it feels to have won three times: I read a poem yesterday, and it had nothing to do with this, but one of the lines jumped out, and it said "It's as strange to be here once as it is to return." So that's true. The whole thing is strange. If you're a human being, it's weird. If you're not, I don't know. Probably fine.

On if she worried that she'd never win again: No. I have everything I've ever dreamed of in my life. I think there's room for other people, and frankly, I understand Streep fatigue. And it shocked me that it didn't override this tonight. I was really, really happy but I don't take anything for granted, that's for sure.

On advice for young women: Never give up, don't give up, don't vie up. Many girls around the world live in circumstances that are unimaginably different. Show business is a golf game compared to the way most kids grow up in the world. But I would say never give up.

On how it felt to see herself as Margaret Thatcher: By the time we had achieved the right amount of less and less and less, I had become acclimated to not looking at Margaret Thatcher in the mirror, I thought it was me. And that was important to me, that I wasn't looking at rubber, that I wasn't looking at me. At that point in creating that character, I had already morphed, in a way, in my head and in my heart with her. And her concerns, and her interests, her zeal, her mission, her sense of rightness, and all that. But honestly, when we first had the old-age makeup on, I saw my dad. Maybe my dad looked like Margaret Thatcher.

Gail Simmons on Her New Book, Her Future, and the Question She Never Needs to Hear Again

Susannah Chen — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:55:25 PST

Gail Simmons has a pretty full plate right now: in addition to being in charge of special projects at Food & Wine magazine, she's also got some pretty steady gigs as a judge on Top Chef and the host of Top Chef: Just Desserts. But on top of that, her first book, Talking With My Mouth Full, was just released yesterday.

Over the phone, we caught up with Gail, who despite being at the top of her game, offered plenty of her time to share candid thoughts on everything from the health hazards of celebrity chefdom to her plans 15 years from now.

Find out her thoughts on current food issues, her plans for now (and later), and the one question she'd be happy to never hear again, when you keep reading.

Announcing the 2012 Golden Globe Nominations!

Becky Kirsch — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:00:38 PST

Well, folks, we're finally getting into the heavy hitters of award season, as the 2012 Golden Globe nominees were announced this morning. As expected, award season darlings The Artist and The Descendants led the way with five nods apiece, but there are plenty of surprises here, too. George Clooney is going to have a big night, as his The Ides of March scored four nods, including one for him as a director. Ryan Gosling managed to score two nods for acting, for Crazy, Stupid, Love as well as Ides.

In the TV categories, new shows ruled as nods for New Girl, Game of Thrones, Boss, Episodes, Enlightened, and Homeland made the list - and that's not all. Zooey Deschanel scored a best actress nod, as did Mireille Enos for her work on The Killing and Laura Dern for Enlightened.

We'll be breaking down all of the surprises and snubs later today, but for now, check out the full list of nominees when you

MOVIES

BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
The Descendants
Moneyball
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
War Horse

BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week With Marilyn

BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

BEST ACTOR, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

BEST ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST SCREENPLAY
Midnight in Paris
The Ides of March
The Descendants
Moneyball
Bridesmaids

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Artist
W.E.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
War Horse

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
The Flowers of War
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The Kid With a Bike
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Hello, Hello," Gnomeo and Juliet
"The Keeper," Machine Gun Preacher
"Lay Your Head Down," Albert Nobbs
"The Living Proof," The Help
"Masterpiece," W.E.

BEST TV SERIES, DRAMA
American Horror Story
Boardwalk Empire
Boss
Game of Thrones
Homeland

BEST TV SERIES, COMEDY
Enlightened
Episodes
Glee
Modern Family
New Girl

BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Damian Lewis, Homeland

BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge

BEST ACTOR, TV COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
David Duchovny, Californication
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

BEST ACTRESS, TV COMEDY
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

BEST MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Mildred Pierce
Too Big to Fail
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Hour

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
William Hurt, Too Big to Fail
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Idris Elba, Luther
Bill Nighy, Page Eight
Dominic West, Appropriate Adult

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Romola Garai, The Hour

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce