BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 3/4

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:30:27 -0800

Director Zack Snyder has tapped Amanda Seyfried to lead the all-female cast of his movie Sucker Punch. - Zap2It
It's the neverending musical: High School Musical 4 will come to the Disney Channel in 2010. - Billboard
Woody Allen's latest film, Whatever Works, starring Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood will kick off this year's Tribeca Film Festival in April. - Variety
The finale of the ABC version of Life on Mars will air April 1. - The Futon Critic
Megan Fox is lining up more projects: She'll star opposite Josh Brolin and John Malkovich in Jonah Hex, and she's attached to star and develop Fathom, Fox Atomic's comic book-based underwater adventure. - The Hollywood Reporter
Alice Braga, Mickey Rourke and Vincent Cassel are set to star in 11 Minutes, an adaptation of the Paulo Coehlo novel. - ComingSoon
Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis will team up for Kevin Smith's next directorial venture, A Couple of Cops. - Zap2It
The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men are on the verge of being renewed for several more seasons. - Variety
Alfred Molina will play the villain in Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. - ComingSoon

Box Office: Quantum Leaps Into First

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:30:29 -0800

The new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, leaped to box office success in its opening weekend, coming in at No. 1 with an estimated $70.4 million. This was a record breaker, in fact: According to Variety, it was "the biggest opening ever for a James Bond title and a major victory for a film franchise nearly half a century old."

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa came in at No. 2, followed by Role Models, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and Changeling rounding out the top five.

Another movie earning a bunch of buzz, Slumdog Millionaire, also did well over the weekend in a limited opening. I'm excited to see that one myself. Did you head out to see Bond? What did you think?

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Box Office: High School Musical Dances to No. 1

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:00:23 -0700

We knew High School Musical was a huge television hit but now it's a bona fide silver screen success. The third installment of the perky Disney musical bonanza scored the top spot at the box office over the weekend, earning an estimated $42 million.

Meanwhile, Saw V did excellent business over the weekend as well, earning an estimated $30.5 million in the No. 2 spot. Variety notes that both titles were record breakers:

The top two films each entered record territory. Disney’s High School is by far the biggest musical bow ever, besting Mamma Mia! Lionsgate’s Saw franchise is within $2 million of eclipsing Friday the 13th to become the top-grossing horror series ever.

Max Payne and Beverly Hills Chihuahua came in at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively, with the top five being rounded out by the Ed Norton cop thriller Pride & Glory.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Have You Ever Seen a High School Musical Movie?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:45:56 -0700

High School Musical 3 hit theaters over the weekend, much to the delight of preteens and Zac Efron fans everywhere.

A lot of you said you didn't really understand the hype around this big-screen release, but given the movie's vast popularity, I'm still not really convinced. So, it's OK, you can admit it: Have you ever watched one of the High School Musical movies?

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Buzz In: What Are Your Favorite Made-for-TV Movies?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:00:10 -0700

Made-for-TV-movies get a pretty bad rap, don't they? For many of us, that term makes us think of something completely melodramatic that has to do with modern damsels in distress. Many of them are like the TV version of those hilarious romance novels you see at the grocery store. But there are actually some great movies that fall into this category that I know lots of people love - even if they won't readily admit it.

For example, I was impressed with Lifetime's TV movie, Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy, which starred Sarah Chalke and was based on Geralyn Lucas's true story of her battle with breast cancer. The movie is pretty solid entertainment, and inspiring to boot. I also really liked Iron Jawed Angels, about suffragettes in America, as well as Angels in America (that cast!).

Of course, let's not forget that the High School Musical phenomenon started, for better of for worse, on the old tube as well.

What are your favorite made-for-TV-movies?

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Ashley Tisdale As the Teen Witch? Who Should "Top That"?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:35:09 -0700

OK, putting aside for a moment how much I so thoroughly can't imagine Teen Witch being palatable outside of the 1980s - even more so than most of the remakes being done these days - I am curious about the casting for it. Apparently, High School Musical's Ashley Tisdale may take on the role of Louise Miller, "the unpopular girl who discovers that she's a descendant of witches - and possesses powers" in a remake of the 1989 flick.

The original Louise Miller was played by Robyn Lively, and if they have to move forward with this project, why not keep it in the family and cast Robyn's sister, Blake Lively of Gossip Girl? At least that would be sort of funny. Or something.

However, there's a bigger question at hand: Who will play Louise's rap-happy best girlfriend? If you're unsure of what this role entails, please, for the love of all things holy, watch the "Top That" clip from Teen Witch after the jump. You may never be the same again.

To check it out (thanks to Giggle!), read more.

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Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 07:00:00 -0800

I'm getting excited for the HBO miniseries about John Adams based on the preview clips I've seen. Speaking of miniseries news, NBC recently announced that Mira Sorvino and Victor Garber will star in one about the Knights Templar. The network also scored some big names for its horror and suspense anthology series.
I had a great time at the Noise Pop festival last weekend, going to see some of my favorite bands and discovering new acts.
There were a lot of music divas in the news this week. I dared you to pick a favorite Madonna album and wondered if Whitney Houston could make a comeback.

Do you think there are some famous people who shouldn't get a biopic? Notorious B.I.G is getting one, and they found the guy to play him via the internet.
The title of "bad idea of the week" goes to the High School Musical reality TV show. Great idea of the week: casting Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski opposite each other in a rom-com.
Fear not, Gossip Girl will return! We're also going to get another CW show about really rich people. Tell me, have you had your fill of this income bracket?
Woo-hoo! 10,000 B.C. is coming out! OK, so I'm not really as excited about that movie as I am about Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day. But 10,000 B.C. did provide an excellent photo for my caption contest.

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Bad Idea of the Week: High School Musical With Real People

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:29:52 -0800

I can understand how the people in charge of the making-money part of show business are blinded by dollar signs when anyone says the words "High School Musical." The Disney Channel's made-for-TV movie starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens is a goliath that quickly moved from a massive ratings success to a global franchise phenomenon. It's not surprising that the powers that be are eager ride this tween wave for all it's worth. However: a reality show? Really?

There's already plenty of HSM to go around with the original and HSM 2 on TV, HSM3: Senior Year in the works for Fall 2008, and the live stage production and ice tour currently making their way across America. Plus, actual high schools can now license the musical for performances, and Showtime is working on a documentary about the "cutthroat world" of musicals at Southern Indiana high schools. Might this proposed reality show - which would show young singers competing for a still-mysterious grand prize - be the point when even the most die-hard HSM fan just says no?

For more details about the show and why I think this is where the folks in charge should practice some restraint in the brainstorming room, read more.

Variety reports that while the deal is not finalized, some aspects of how the show would work are known and include:

A nationwide talent hunt followed by a group of contestants studying at a music conservatory to hone their skills
A summer airdate on ABC
Weekly eliminations of contestants
A grand prize - though the prize itself is still confidential.
Appearances by franchise stars (does that include the ice skaters?)

I'm probably not the demographic ABC is targeting for a show like this, and I realize there are others who could be entertained by this concept. However, I've generally come to believe that giving the reality tretament to popular musicals should be avoided (thanks to Grease: You're the One That I Want for that lesson). Issues of HSM overload aside, I think people are attracted to these musicals because it allows them to escape to a sincere and earnest world where most problems can be solved with spontaneous bursts of song and dance. Reality show competitions are rooted in the exact opposite: a cynical place in which there are always winners and losers (and boatloads of drama), and no matter how hard you try, sometimes the cards just don't fall your way. The two just don't mix well, and I can't imagine millions of Americans lining up to watch young hopefuls Buffalo-two-step their way into oblivion.

Then again, maybe the HSM gravy train truly knows no bounds. I think this is one very bad idea, but what's your take?

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Can You Take Zac Seriously in a Song-Free Role?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:00:27 -0800

While I kind of loved Zac Efron in Hairspray, I have mixed feelings about him in certain roles, like the main one in a remake of Footloose, say. Today there's news of more Efron casting, this time in a dramatic role: he's been tapped to play the lead in an independently financed film adaptation of Me and Orson Welles.

It looks like a pretty serious turn for Zac and what's more - there does not appear to be any singing or dancing. He clearly has the kind of charisma that works in upbeat musicals, but I'm not sure he can be taken more seriously than that. So I'm wondering: Can you see Zac in a role without the spontaneous bursts into song and dance?

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HSM 3 Heads to Big Screen; Senior Year Is Tough, Step-Ball-Change

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:31:18 -0800

According to a Disney press release, the High School Musical kids are heading to the big screen for their senior year. High School Musical 3: Senior Year will hit theaters Oct. 24 and reunite teeny bopper faves Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman.

Walt Disney Studios Production president Oren Aviv stated, "This latest musical adventure delivers lots of great new entertainment on an even grander scale. Kenny Ortega brings his enormous talents to this project and Peter Barsocchini has come up with a wonderfully inventive script that delivers plenty of delights and surprises."

Surprises! What kinds of surprises? "[The movie] finds high school seniors Troy and Gabriella facing the prospect of being separated from one another as they head off in different directions to college. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about their future." If there's anything to be learned from the HSM movies it's that there's nothing in life - or high school! - so difficult it can't be resolved with a reflective musical.

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