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Buzz News Roundup, 5/8

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:30:32 -0700

Universal Pictures is developing a modern retelling of the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, titled Jekyll, with Keanu Reeves attached to star. - ComingSoon
ABC has picked up its first Fall series, a mockumentary titled Modern Family. - LA Times
Bassist Donald "Ean" Evans of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died at age 48. - Billboard
Guitar Hero could be turned into a reality TV series and/or a live concert tour. - The Hollywood Reporter
Marisa Tomei and Liv Tyler will star in the independent psychological thriller 10A/10B. - Variety
Jay Leno's final Tonight Show guests will include Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Prince, and Billy Crystal. - People
Director Bill Couturie and Stacey Snider are teaming on the documentary Clueless, which looks at the all-consuming media world inhabited by kids today. - Variety
Aisha Tyler is filming a talk show pilot for ABC. - The Hollywood Reporter

Buzz Gift Guide: A Bounty For Boys

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:30:41 -0800

Welcome back to my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. On Monday I dug up some gifts for the little ones in your life and today I'm brainstorming ideas for the teenage dudes in your world who are pop culture sponges.

If I had a teenage brother I'd insist he own a complete set of Indiana Jones DVDs including (but more importantly, not limited to) this year's fourth addition to the franchise. In regard to other franchises, I've noticed that some teenage guys (and by "some" I mean my younger cousins) are always quoting Family Guy and The Simpsons and might have fun with these characters to stick up on their walls.

For the wannabe rock star in your life there's always Guitar Hero World Tour which expands the game from a lone guitar player to a full band that includes drums (it actually looks like a lot of fun!). You may know a young lad who enjoys that Shaun White snowboarding video game, so he might like listening to the pretty cool soundtrack from it, and finally, I'm sure many teens would be stoked to own Iron Man.

Indiana Jones - The Complete Adventure Collection ($59.99)	Stewie Thinks Fathead ($99.99)
Guitar Hero World Tour ($189.99)	Iron Man ($19.99)	Shaun White Snowboarding: The Official Game Soundtrack ($11.99)

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

Buzz News Roundup, 7/18

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:29:39 -0700

ABC Family has ordered 13 more episodes of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
According to Variety, Don Cheadle will get to star in and produce a movie he has long wanted to make: a drama based on the memoir Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine and South America's Strangest Jail.
Will Ferrell and friends will be poking fun at both racism and split personalities in the movie 2-Face, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
The LA Times wonders if the Emmys are out of touch with what viewers are watching.
AdWeek has the story of how the Project Runway legal battle went down in court this week (short story: no decision yet).
A Chinese artist is suing DreamWorks over what he says is an "insulting" depiction of China's national symbol in Kung Fu Panda, Variety reports.
According to Pitchfork, Jarvis Cocker is working on music for The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson's forthcoming film.
Billboard has the news that Jimi Hendrix will be the next musical artist to be used for Guitar Hero.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 3/24

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:40:10 -0700

Billboard reports that Maroon 5 and Counting Crows are planning a spring and summer tour together starting July 25.
Gibson Guitar filed a patent infringement lawsuit related to Guitar Hero and Rock Band. According to Reuters, Gibson claims the games "violate a 1999 patent for technology to simulate a musical performance."
Kristen Bell has herself a leading man in Jon Heder who will play her love interest in Disney's upcoming romantic comedy When in Rome, Variety reports. Hopefully this love interest is nicer to Bell than this guy has been. Sheesh.
Sadly, Grammy-nominated singer Corinne Bailey Rae's husband died suddenly over the weekend. A musician himself, he was only 31 when he passed away.

Hollywood Reporter says the Scrubs cast is back to work, though it's still unclear what network they're actually working for.
The longtime friend and business manager of the Beatles', Neil Aspinall, passed away at age 66.
The LA Times reports that the new Pennywise album, Reason to Believe will be free for two weeks to fans starting tomorrow thanks to a partnership with MySpace Records.

Source

Buzz In: Who Should Get Their Own Rock Band Game Next?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:30:11 -0700

Following in the footsteps of this Fall's release of The Beatles Rock Band, similarly seminal band The Who may also get their own version of the game. Roger Daltrey has been quoted as saying that it's planned for next year, but the news is still unconfirmed by reps for the game. More certain is the fact that you probably won't be able to smash the peripherals when you're done playing.

Honestly, though, the thing I'm most excited about is the road ahead for more acts to get Rock Band games. I'm a fan of The Beatles Rock Band and would love the chance to play another band's catalog. Rock Band has already hit up Metallica, Guitar Hero's already gotten Aerosmith; I think it makes sense to have a Rolling Stones game, or perhaps Led Zeppelin or U2. Maybe they could even use a younger band like Green Day or Pearl Jam? Which band would you like to see get their own Rock Band game?

Couples Retreat: Not Exactly a Relaxing Getaway

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:30:11 -0700

Everyone loves a vacation, right? Beautiful scenery, tropical drinks, fun in the sun. Add a few of your closest friends and you could have the trip of a lifetime - or a romantic getaway gone horribly awry.

To be fair, the four pairs in Couples Retreat don't realize what they're agreeing to when they head to Eden East, a swanky resort on a remote island. But once the relationship boot camp begins, the friendships quickly break down, and it's often more depressing than hilarious. To see what I mean, just read more.

The movie's couplings range in age, family size, and personality, with Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman at the epicenter. As Dave and Ronnie, they are perhaps the most "normal" of the bunch. Between Dave's demanding job making video games (hello, Guitar Hero product placement) and raising two young sons, Dave and Ronnie don't even realize their problems until they are forced into couples skill-building. Vaughn is his typical wise-cracking character, but a touch of sweetness makes his on-screen relationship with Akerman the most enjoyable to watch. You can actually believe that they love each other and aren't using the trip as a band-aid for a bullet hole.

Jason and Cynthia (played by Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell), on the other hand, are a lot harder to relate to as two type-A personalities with an undying love for organization and PowerPoint presentations. Jason and Cynthia present the idea of the group vacation to their friends as a last-ditch effort to save their marriage (promising that the therapy sessions are optional, of course). Bell is her typical adorable self, but Bateman is insufferable. His character is painfully meticulous and overbearing, making the audience feel just as suffocated as Cynthia does.

Joey (Jon Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis) represent the worst of the worst: the couple that's been together so long that they don't even notice each other anymore. The high school sweethearts take the trip not as an opportunity to re-kindle the flame, but to chase skirts (or in this case, bikini bottoms) and muscular yoga instructors. Favreau gets a few laughs with his quest to get to Eden West, the "singles" side of the island, but age-wise, Davis doesn't quite fit in with Bell and Ackerman. It's also hard to laugh at characters that embody one of the biggest fears for young couples, and their ice-cold relationship is almost too realistic to scoff at.

Then there's Shane (Faizon Love), who's newly separated from the wife he still loves, but brings along his 20-year-old girlfriend for the ride instead. As Trudy, Kali Hawk steals a lot of the laughs as she yearns to drink and party all night long while her boyfriend would rather take a nap. One joke that never gets old: Trudy's insistence on calling Shane "Daddy" throughout the entire film.

With such a strong headline cast, it's disappointing that the supporting actors steal the show. I laughed the hardest at Dave and Ronnie's adorable boys (who get very little screen time) and at the motley crew of therapists and other wacky workers at the resort dedicated to making this the trip from hell.

At the end of it all, you'll get a few laughs along with some very beautiful imagery, but you might just want to put your money toward your own vacation instead.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures