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Madonna's Hard Candy First Impression: Get Ready to Boogie

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:30:06 -0700

Madonna's new album, Hard Candy, has arrived (sort of, on MySpace, ahead of its April 29 release date) and I took some time this morning to listen to each track and capture my first impressions. Madonna is 49 years old, but if 4 Minutes wasn't hint enough, I can assure you this is far from adult contemporary.

In true Madonna fashion, she's reinvented her sound once again with the help of collaborators including Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and Nate "Danja" Hills. Overall, the album has an irresistible insistence that you get up and shake your booty, but nothing stands out as particularly unique or sounds like something we haven't heard before.

These are just my first impressions, though, and over time, the album could surprise me. To read my first thoughts on each track and let me know yours, read more.

Think about when you first heard Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" or Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" - or, for that matter, Madonna's own "Ray of Light." All of those tracks were fresh takes on pop hooks and techno beats that made my ears instantly sing - and I can't say that any of Hard Candy's tracks had that instant wow factor. But for what they are - dance anthems - they're pretty fun, and there's no question they will be instant club hits and added to many a workout playlist, so read on:

"Candy Shop": This song is a fun way to kick off the album, as Madonna purrs that she'll be your one stop candy store, sticky and sweet. So, uh, that's a sex metaphor. Her falsetto is impressive and the beat is really catchy. There are even bongos!
"4 Minutes": We've already heard this track, but now in the context of the rest of the album it's one of the strongest by far.
"Give It 2 Me": This song is upbeat, happy, and all about dancin'! It has that strobe-light synth effect that makes you feel like you're smack-dab in the middle of a sweaty club. And I'm pretty sure there's a lot of cowbell in there. More cowbell! There's a fun little breakdown with a guy's voice (Justin?) telling everyone to "get stupid."
"Heartbeat": Another fun, upbeat song that I like during the verses more than the chorus. Another dude is crooning in the background once in awhile. This also has a breakdown with lots of cowbell and Madonna repeating, "See my booty get down." I'm definitely going to be jogging to this one. It reminds me of Britney Spears a lot when Madonna's up in her falsetto-girly voice.
"Miles Away": This song starts out with a nice acoustic guitar riff, then beats are layered over it, and then kooky synthesizer chords are added. I like how simple this song is, and it sounds more like the Madonna I know and love than the other songs so far. Plus, it's about longing and missing someone instead of the dance floor and/or sex - which is an anomaly on this album.
"She's Not Me": Clearly rooted in disco, electro claps and all. Kind of cute -with little "toot toot beep beep" whistles and talking about how no girl is as cool as her. Duh, you're Madonna.
"Incredible": This song has a million different speeds and a lot going on. The verses are really sweet and I kind of wish it would chill out and stick to the simple stuff. It's totally schizophrenic. Add to that Pharrell moaning in the background toward the end, and I'm officially confused. But it's still pretty in the beginning.
"Beat Goes On": More synth clapping here and a xylophone twinkling in a la Anita Ward's Ring My Bell. I like Madonna singing lyrics where she urges others to get up and dance because the time is now. The little chorus, "get down, beep beep" is cute and the bridge reminds me of her song "Jump." Kanye's rap is fun too.
"Dance 2 Night": Another dance anthem with a simple, driving beat. This is her other duet with Justin, and it's just so-so. Not my favorite on the album.
"Spanish Lesson": Sounds a lot like Justin Timberlake's "Señorita" and I kind of would rather listen to that instead of this. Meh. She literally teaches us Spanish: "Yo te quiero means I love you."
"Devil Wouldn't Recognize You": This is a welcome vulnerable and haunting song to slow it all down. It's pretty, but I kind of wish I were listening to "Cry Me a River" instead, which is similar but superior to this by a long shot.
"Voices": This song asks, "Who is the master? Who is the slave?" It's another slow and haunting song. I like it a lot, and the strings are a nice touch. It wraps up with a very dramatic ending, complete with an orchestral crescendo and what sounds like a church bell "gong!"

So what do you think? Have you given it a listen? Are you excited to own this one?

Source

The Office, "Shareholder Meeting": Best Lines of the Night

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0800

Looks like The Office is trying for a little economic relevance. While it sort of knocks you over the head this week - e.g. showing the Dow Jones sign - you can't blame the writers for making the story timely. Michael travels to New York for a shareholders meeting with Dwight, Andy, and Oscar in tow, but instead of being honored for his work at the branch, he steps into what's essentially a sounding board for grievances.

Lots of great quotes in this episode, so let's recap some of my favorites, shall we? (Don't worry, I've included Michael's big speech.)

"Recyclops will drown you in your over-watered lawns."-Dwight
Obviously the writers had to plug NBC's Green Week like the rest of the network, but The Office's is one of the most creative. I especially enjoyed Jim's side story about how Recyclops's fictional planet was attacked and he "vowed to destroy the planet he once loved." Oh, and his nemesis Polluticorn, which is actually a Power Rangers reference. They could've made the entire episode about Recyclops, and I would've been happy - if for nothing else, just to see Dwight rock that weird eye headband.

For more quips from the evening, including a deleted limo scene, read more.

Dwight: "Oh, I'm sorry were you raised in a household with no consequences?"
Woman in line: "It'll just be a second."
Dwight: "Oh, if onlys and justs were candies and nuts, then every day would be Erntedankfest."
Dwight lays into the woman in the microphone line when she wants to use the bathroom, but his special comeback phrase really made me laugh. I plan on reciting it myself at least once this week. (By the way, I googled "Erntedankfest" and it's Germany's Thanksgiving. Dwight taught me something!)

Pam: "Well, I can't really imagine you yelling at anyone."
Jim: "Oh, I yell, you've heard me yell."
Pam: "Oh, okay. I've heard you exclaim, like the time you said, Hey look, we parked over here."
Jim: "Well that was apple picking day. There's no need to yell that day. You know, I was just excited to find the car. Perfect end to a perfect day."
Aw, Jim. You try so hard to be tough. But you've got to admit that putting Ryan in the closet is genius. Not only does it teach the guy a lesson, but I'm considering it payback for all of those weird getups that Ryan's been wearing recently. (Remember the fedora?!)

"We're gonna come back with a plan for you, it's a 45-day plan, 45 days to get us back on track, 45 points. It's a 45-day, 45 point, one point per day, we get the 45 points. We are back in business. And you can take that to the bank. And limo lady, we are going completely carbon neutral! I love you New York!"-Michael
Best. Speech. Ever. God forbid anyone ever give Michael Scott a mic - serves them right. Oh, and speaking of limos, check out this funny deleted scene of the boys in their ride.

"I just want to say that I believe that there are options out there. A take-a-number option like they have in a deli. What about line varieties? Like an express line for quick comments of ten words or less that could move much more efficiently. What about ropes along the lines that you can hold on to?"-Dwight
I was always welcome a ridiculous Dwight rant, and this was one of his better ones.

Alright, so your turn! What'd you think of the episode? The whole situation has me questioning what's going to happen to Michael in next week's episode. The guy destroys the shareholders meeting, his CEO is annoyed, and then he runs off with the limo - are there going to be repercussions?

If you're a Dunder Mifflin fanatic, head on over to The Office! group in the BuzzSugar Community!

Photo and videos courtesy of NBC

Talking New Moon With Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:15:50 -0800

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner may be dominating the promotional circuit right now, but they're not the only cast members with something to say about New Moon. I had the opportunity to chat with costars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, aka Emmett and Alice Cullen, during their recent stopover in SF. They chatted about their characters, the vampire craze, and what it's like to be a "Twilight celebrity." Here are highlights:

On why so many people are crazy for the Twilight Saga:
Ashley: I think this film in particular is highly relatable. There are a lot of situations that people can relate to. The love story - everyone can relate to being in love or being in lust. You add the vampire, and it adds that next level fantasy. Vampires are mysterious and sensual and dangerous and unattainable. And everyone wants what they can't have. I think on another level that this came together at the perfect time. All the elements just fit, the casting was spot on, and we're in a difficult time right now with our economy. That's why you never have a drop in ticket sales because everyone wants an escape, and this movie is very much an escape from reality.
Kellan: It's a good escape but also it deals with so many situations, on so many positive notes. Just looking at it from the vampire coven to the wolf pack. It just deals with everyday issues just on bigger levels, in a way. And you have Bella as the keystone in many situations. You can just all relate from different countries to issues within the United States. It's easily relatable.

To read a lot more about working with three different directors and why they feel so lucky, just read more.

On how their portrayals of the Cullens are similar or different from the books:
Kellan: We got the jobs because we brought something new to it. You can interpret the characters each their own, but I think it's what we did alongside. Just like Kristen said - she's playing Bella but she's putting her Kristen spin on it, just like all of us are. And I think that's what's making it unique. We're still following the cheat sheets that Stephenie created by making the books, and there's Wikipedia. We have a lot of information to go off of. But I hope it's what I did in my audition that set it apart from the other guys trying out.

Ashley: I think it's mannerisms too. People do fall in love with this book, but I think part of it is that they always want more. You can't write out every human mannerism. You can imagine it, but seeing the emotion in someone's eyes and seeing them be affected it - it was kind of easy to give something to it, because we were just being people. We kinda just got lucky.
On how much more of the Cullens we can expect in the remaining movies:
Kellan: Realistically, we stick pretty close to the books. Obviously us Cullens would love to be in the books a lot more, which would mean we'd be in the movies a lot more. Talking New Moon, the scenes that the Cullens - except for Ashley, playing Alice who gets to go to Italy and be a main lead in the movie - us Cullens, we have to stick really close to the books, and the scenes that we're in are really crucial to the story, as you know - the birthday scene, the voting scene. I don't know, it was kind of a tease. Chris Weitz is such an amazing director, and for us, for myself - I only worked about a week on that movie. And it didn't even seem like I really got a taste for what it was.

Ashley: In the third film, you'll see a lot more of the Cullens because it's all of us collaborating and then getting ready to fight this war that's coming up. In the second one, my character got a much larger role because Alice is the Cullen, other than Edward, that really embraces Bella and they end up becoming best friends. In the beginning, you see her throw this huge party for Bella, and then Alice is the one who does, in fact, come back for Bella when everyone else decides to skip town. Alice is responsible for dragging Bella over to Italy, and she and I the whole time are fighting to save my brother's life. And then of course we get held up by the Volturi and stuff like that. My character got to grow a lot, which is really cool. You get to actually see the relationship develop between Bella and Alice, where in the first one you didn't. The first one was very much about the romance and showing the audience why these two people are willing to die for each other.
On working with a different director on each film:
Ashley: Each director is going to be very different. They're artists as well, and I don't think any of them are quite the same. The books, when you read them, all have very, very, different tones. So I think it's highly appropriate that we switch directors each go. The first one is very much a romance and is a very scenic, beautiful film. And Catherine's really, really great at capturing that. She's very high energy and works well in chaos and stuff like that. And it was fantastic because we didn't quite know what we were getting ourselves into, and so it was nice to have her to guide us when we were freaking out a little bit. She was just so high energy, and it was really contagious. We were sad to lose her and move on to the second film, but then we got Chris Weitz and he's the complete opposite! But great as well. He's so giving and caring and collaborative and created this atmosphere that was kind of a safe haven for us. And it was really nice because we didn't know, switching directors, if they were gonna embrace us or if they had a completely different vision than what we created in the first one. It was nice that he was right there on the same page with us. And the second one is a warmer film, even from the color scheme. The first one is very blue tones, and the second one is much richer and warmer and I think he did a great job at capturing that. And we just finished shooting with David Slade, and I think he's highly appropriate as well. He just finished shooting 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, and they're both very dark, edgy films. And Eclipse is very much that. It's all centered around the anticipation and us getting ready to fight this huge war. We just finished filming, we haven't gotten to see much of it, but I think it's gonna be fantastic. He is, technically, the most advanced director. The angles that he shot and how he knows that tweaking something can affect a whole scene and the lenses. He was really nice to work with.
On coping with the fan effect and being a "Twilight celebrity"
Kellan: That's what blows my mind, 'cause I feel like it's really unearned in a way. The fans are making our careers. Without them, we wouldn't be working and doing the saga. There's so many times that trilogy books become a movie and the first one bombs, and then that's it. And you're always hopeful that you get to do them all. Especially since we're all in love with our characters. I love Emmett Cullen to death, he's my favorite character I've ever played. It's just so cool to have made it this far, and I think we all hope that we get to finish this series and do Breaking Dawn. This is such a blessing, it's every actor's dream to be part of something like this. It's not terribly hard either. We don't shoot halfway around the world; we don't shoot for a year of our lives. I know a lot of us have homes, we have pets, we have family. And it's really nice to shoot on the West Coast, either Portland or Vancouver, and have the chance to fly down if we need to. But it's definitely amazing to be part of something like this. And I don't think any of us knew how crazy it would be and how exhilarating it would turn out to be. Going to the premiere, really just, wow. I don't even remember it because I was really just starstruck by how many fans and signs and cameras. It felt like I was just walking through a strobe light room. It's amazing.

Ashley: I still think we can't really wrap our heads around what's going on and what's happening. We're still in the midst of filming and kept very busy from one film until the next. It's only these brief moments where you sit back and are actually able to take a breath where you go "Whoa. Wow. This is crazy." I mean, the amount of tickets they've already sold for New Moon - I'm pretty sure I can't even get a ticket if I tried to see my film in Jacksonville and it's mind boggling. We're just very lucky. I went into this film thinking "Oh my gosh, I got a job" and the it turned into the biggest break of my life. I think we all feel very blessed to be a part of this.
On how it feels to be part of Twilight fan fiction:
Kellan: It's an escape, in a way. We do live in a trivial time period right now. There's so much depression that it's kinda cool to be a part of something where people use it to be an escape. In a way that's kinda what Stephenie did -she had a dream and just elaborated on it. It became a huge success and it's really encouraging that people are doing the same and just making up this journey.

Ashley: That's why people love it so much I think. You can take it and make what you want of it. Before the demographic was teenage girls, but now it's women of every age and guys are starting to get into it, too. It's because there is that element of fantasy. If you're 8 years old you look at it one way; if you're 80 years old you look at it another. I think it's fantastic that we can draw such a huge crowd. The other thing is - it blows my mind but people are making connections over this film and over this book. there are mothers and daughters and grandmas who can all sit and talk about the same story and all fantasize about it and I think that's a really cool thing. I think it's rare.

To see all of our Twilight and New Moon coverage, check out TwilightSugar!

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