BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 3/25

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:30:49 -0700

Freida Pinto has joined the cast of Miral, written by The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's Julian Schnabel. - Variety
George Lopez will have a late-night talk show on TBS starting in the Fall. - AP
Speaking of late-night, Chelsea Handler has signed a deal to stay at E! through 2012. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kelly Clarkson is still topping the Billboard chart this week, and the Twilight soundtrack is back up to No. 3. - Billboard
Jon Hamm has joined the cast of Howl, the Allen Ginsberg biopic starring James Franco. - Variety
A crossover episode between Bones and Family Guy - yes, really - will air May 7. - TV Guide
Conflicts with Big Love have forced Amanda Seyfried to drop out of Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch. - Entertainment Weekly
Jennifer Hudson will perform after tonight's American Idol taping, with the performance to be broadcast at a later date.

- TV.com

Movie Preview: Henry Poole Is Here

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:30:24 -0700

A few months ago I was thrilled to hear that Henry Poole Is Here got picked up by a studio at Sundance because it was hands-down one of my favorite movies there. Luke Wilson is totally engaging as Henry Poole, a curmudgeonly man who buys an ordinary house in Southern California. Soon his neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barazza) notices a stain on the outside of Henry's house that she thinks is the face of Jesus. She starts telling everyone in town about "the miracle" at Henry's house, much to Henry's annoyance. He tries his best to get rid of the stain, but the more he angrily resists the "miracle" on his house, the more proof presents itself that the stain truly does have some kind of power.

It gets a little overwrought and message-y at times, but overall the movie is sweetly funny and ultimately touching. Henry Poole opens in theaters August 15. To check out the trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Overture Films

Live From Sundance, Part II

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:30:45 -0800

I've already shared some initial thoughts about my Sundance experience so far, and Monday was another day of indie film, chilled hands, and long ticket lines. I had the good fortune to catch the Luke Wilson drama Henry Poole Is Here, along with the premiere of Morgan Spurlock's documentary Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? which was followed by a pretty fascinating Q&A session. I'm determined to see more great stuff today; for now, more thoughts:

Best movie line I've heard in a long time comes from Henry Poole Is Here, in a scene featuring Henry (Luke Wilson) walking with his neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barraza). Esperanza gives him some advice and Henry says, "You sound like a fortune cookie." Esperanza chuckles and replies, "Cookies can't talk." Cookies can't talk! It's so true.
Speaking of Luke Wilson, he was at the premiere screening of the movie, and he is rather dreamy, to say the least. He sat next to George Lopez, who is also in the film. They make quite the pair.
Sticking around for the Q&A session with Morgan Spurlock was a good idea, as it managed to improve my perception of his film. The movie made it seem like he decided to go off on this high-risk quest to find Osama Bin Laden because his wife got pregnant and he wanted to make a safer world for his unborn child, which just seemed outrageously foolish to me. Turns out he was already in preproduction when they found out about the baby and his wife Alex just barely let him continue with it. When an audience member asked what his next death-defying project would be, he responded, "Fatherhood," which I think is sweet.

Sound Off: Are You Satisfied with Diversity on TV?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 19 May 2007 14:30:37 -0700

When ABC canceled "George Lopez" this week, did television become a less-friendly place for minorities? That's what Lopez himself is afraid of. "TV just became really, really white again," Lopez told the Los Angeles Times.

It's an interesting point to ponder. Lopez was hardly the only minority on TV, but, as the LA Times pointed out, he was the first Latino to successfully lead his own series on U.S. network TV. And in some ways, I'm sure he paved the way for the Suarez family on "Ugly Betty" - and, hopefully, for more racially diverse TV families to come. At the same time, my problem with "George Lopez" was that it just wasn't very funny, and I'm not sure where the balance is between wanting minority faces on the air and wanting better shows. To put it bluntly: Is it better to have a not-very-good show led by a minority than to have no minority-led shows at all?

Looking through cast photos for some of the current TV hits and the new shows the networks introduced this week, it seems like the trend now is toward big ensemble shows with cast members of every color. Shonda Rhimes has gotten a lot of attention for her race-blind casting of "Grey's Anatomy," and other shows ("Heroes," "Lost," "Friday Night Lights") also have multiracial casts. Even then, though, many of the lead characters are white. (An exception, the Taye Diggs-led "Day Break," was quickly canceled earlier this year.)

So, I'm wondering: What's your take on the status of diversity on TV today? Is losing a show like "George Lopez" a blow? Do you see any promising signs among this fall's crop of new series?

Stop One Show: The Results!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:02:06 -0700

Three weeks ago, I launched BuzzSugar's first Stop One Show poll, which gave all of you a chance to vote on which show you'd most like to kick off the air to make room for something better. After more than 1,600 votes, it doesn't look like anything will catch up to the current leader. So I'm calling an end to the poll and declaring a winner - er, loser? - of the 2007 Stop One Show contest: "CSI: Miami"!

The silliest of all the "CSI" shows pulled ahead late in the second week of the poll and never looked back. I'm not sure what sparked the sudden hatred of Horatio Caine and his crew, but whatever the reason, this dubious honor is certainly well-deserved.

"CSI: Miami" wasn't a sure winner this whole time, though. "Ghost Whisperer" sprung out to an early lead and held it until "The War at Home" haters arrived. "War" stayed in front for a while, until "CSI: Miami" surged ahead. Several other shows were never far behind, though, so to read more about the results and watch a truly amazing clip from our "winner," read more

ABC's "George Lopez" was never far out of the lead, but people didn't hate it quite enough; it finished third, barely ahead of "Ghost Whisperer." "ER" had a surprising charge, finishing fifth, with a huge gap between it and the sixth-place finisher, "American Dad." The least-hated show on my list? "Law & Order," followed by "Medium" and "My Name is Earl."

About that list. Someone pointed out to me that I didn't mention any CW shows. I have to admit that's not because I love all CW programming so much that I think it should stay on the air; it's because I don't watch enough of the shows to have a sense of which are the worst. Interestingly, there were a couple of write-in votes for "Veronica Mars" - one of the winners of the actual Save One Show poll.

A lot of people also suggested that I should have included reality shows, because even the worst show on my list is better than another terrible reality program. While I agree, I stuck to scripted shows because networks aren't choosing between renewing, say, "Survivor" and "How I Met Your Mother." Reality shows are cheap, and NBC, in particular, has said it plans to produce more of them to save money. So the choice is really between shows like "Medium" and "Crossing Jordan" and "Law & Order" and "Friday Night Lights" - at least one of which NBC is likely to cancel before fall.

While this poll was all in good fun, I did promise to write about the winner with the scorn and vitriol it deserves. So, "CSI: Miami," I've got my eye on you. To start, here's a wonderful - if borderline unwatchable - video of David Caruso's "greatest" "hits" (thanks to GiggleSugar for the tip). Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of CBS

RIP "Knights of Prosperity"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:32:51 -0800

I was beginning to worry that I was the only person watching "The Knights of Prosperity," ABC's surprisingly funny Donal Logue sitcom about a group of friends who rob Mick Jagger's apartment. Sadly, it seems I was indeed in the minority: Today, ABC announced that it's pulling the show off the schedule starting with this Wednesday's episode. But want to know the saddest part? According to Zap2It:

The episode titled "Operation: Rent Money" will be replaced by a repeat of "According to Jim," while repeats of "George Lopez" will take the "Prosperity" slot the following two weeks.

Oh yeah, that's just what the world needs: more "According to Jim" and "George Lopez." Ironically, just last week, I declared the off-kilter "Knights" more "Arrested Development" than "George Lopez."

If you never got a chance to watch the show, you missed some pretty hilarious TV. As a tribute, I've rounded up some of my favorite "Knight of Prosperity" moments, so read more

Reliving My Favorite "Knights of Prosperity" Moments

The show's premise, explained in song, by character Rockefeller Butts.
Screech as high-profile guest star.
Entering Jagger's apartment: "Ain't no grails up in this bitch."
Very awkward father-son bonding.