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

A Tale of Two Ginsbergs: Franco and Eisenberg

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:30:02 -0700

Another Allen Ginsberg movie, you say? Why yes, in fact, in addition to the Ginsberg biopic Howl starring James Franco as the legendary poet (check out some new pics from the set here), now Jesse Eisenberg (of The Squid and the Whale and the upcoming Adventureland) will play Ginsberg in the feature film Kill Your Darlings.

In Howl, the focus is on the obscenity trial launched to censor Ginsberg's long poem "Howl." Kill Your Darlings is not solely about Ginsberg but will tell the story of "the murder that helped spawn the Beat Generation. . . . [Ben] Whishaw will play Lucien Carr, the Columbia U. undergrad who brought together Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac ([Chris] Evans), and William S. Burroughs."

I'll be curious to see how Eisenberg and Franco's portrayals of Ginsberg differ - or match up - in these simultaneous projects. After so much remake and "rebooting" movie news, I can't express how refreshing I find these projects about a real man who genuinely influenced American culture with his art. I say, bring on the Ginsbergs.

Source

Allen Ginsberg Biopic, Howl, Gets Stellar Cast and Crew

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:46:29 -0700

When I was in high school, I discovered Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl and it astounded me. Ever since, it's been that book on my bookshelf that consistently beckons me to pick it up and read it again, and decades later, it's just as relevant to our times as it was in the 1960s. At the time of its publication, however, some folks were not so enamored with Ginsberg's words.

To commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the publication of Howl, there's a biopic in the works, focusing on "the obscenity trial launched to censor Ginsberg's groundbreaking book-length poem." James Franco will play Ginsberg, and the cast just expanded to include David Strathairn, Alan Alda, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker and Paul Rudd. For more details, read more.

The Hollywood Reporter continues:

Among the real-life characters featured in the film are prosecuting attorney Ralph McIntosh (Strathairn), Judge Clayton Horn (Alda), prosecution witness Professor David Kirk (Daniels), radio personality and prosecution witness Gail Potter (Parker) and literary critic and defense witness Luther Nichols (Rudd).

"Fifty years later, Ginsberg's vision is as relevant as the year he wrote it," [one of the film's writers/directors, Jeffrey] Friedman said. "It resonates with issues of free speech, government censorship, militaristic empire building, fear-mongering, sexual conformity and the co-opting of religion."

A documentarian, Jeffrey Friedman is making his feature directorial debut alongside Rob Epstein. The part that intrigues me is that this is the duo, Friedman and Epstein, behind the stunning and Oscar-winning 1984 documentary The Life and Times of Harvey Milk. Director Gus Van Sant, whose biopic about Harvey Milk, Milk, is coming out in October, will executive produce this Ginsberg biopic.

I'm going to be following this production closely. What do you think of this? Have you read Howl or anything else by Ginsberg?

What to TiVo: Friday

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:50:03 -0700

ABC is new with Supernanny, Ugly Betty, and 20/20
CBS is new with Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and NUMB3RS
FOX has a repeat of House
NBC is new with Law & Order and Dateline NBC
The CW is new with Smallville and has a repeat of America's Next Top Model
AMC has Young Frankenstein
MTV is new with MTV Ulalume: Howling at New Moon
USA is new with Monk and White Collar
E! is new with The Soup
VH1 has The Jacksons: An American Dream
Late-night highlights include Regis Philbin and Weezer on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; John Cusack on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Alice in Chains on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Paris Hilton and Slipknot on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Lauren Graham on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; Wanda Sykes and Andrew Bird on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; and Masi Oka on Last Call With Carson Daly on NBC

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:30:52 -0700

Happy Tuesday - also known as my favorite day of the week for new DVD releases as well as music releases. On this crisp Fall day, the new tunes I'm recommending are of the indie, alt-rock variety. Check out the albums and tracks I've picked out as being worthy of a download.

Rock the family tree: Tegan and Sara's Sainthood is harder rocking than their previous albums (this is their sixth), but the relationship-heavy lyrics haven't changed. It's a more updated sound for the twin-sister indie outfit; lyrically and vocally, they seem more mature and evolved. The fast pace of songs like "Hell" is an example of a new-ish sound, while "The Cure" is a little more traditional Tegan and Sara. Don't miss the impassioned "It Was Midnight."

Scruffy sounds sweet: Devendra Banhart's latest, What Will We Be, is a lo-fi collection of subtly sexy folk-rock tracks; I could listen to the funky "Baby" all day long (in fact, I kind of have). Banhart's music often sounds like it's from another era, particularly the '70s, and this album really solidifies that - cue the sweet, twangy "Angelika," which switches it up in the last minute with a '50s Latin flavor. As a San Franciscan, I was predisposed to love the song "16th and Valencia Roxy Music," and its upbeat tempo and chorus are perfect for getting ready for a night out.

Listen in on one more new release when you read more.

Howling at the radio: Cosmic Egg is the follow-up from Australian band Wolfmother. Their debut album made a huge splash in the rock world in 2005, garnering the band a Grammy, but it wasn't all good times; two of its original members left the band in Summer 2008. Despite the new lineup, the hard rock sound hasn't changed a bit; the title track and "White Feather" (my favorite) dive in with heavy guitar riffs and Andrew Stockdale's signature screeching vocals. It also has to be said: "New Moon Rising" has a very timely title (hey, it could have been on the soundtrack!).

The Office: Best Lines of the Night

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:30:39 -0700

For last week's premiere of The Office, I recapped some of the hilarious quips from the employees at Dunder Mifflin. They usually don't disappoint, but I've got to say I didn't find the latest episode quite as uproariously funny. Hopefully the writers are just saving their creative juices for the sure-to-be-killer Jim and Pam wedding episode. (Start the countdown - only 13 days left!) Not that there weren't a few lines sprinkled throughout the show that made me howl, and I loved the surprise at the end of the episode. Let's discuss, shall we? Here are my favorite quotes of the evening along with a few key moments. Check 'em out, and then add your own in the comments (Oh, and needless to say, there's one pretty huge spoiler in the mix).

"My main concern is, should I have a safe word?" - Michael
The opening of the show was classic, excruciatingly inappropriate Michael Scott material. I couldn't believe that he went so far as to consult Oscar about his colonoscopy and what to expect . . . okay, or maybe I can believe it. It's Michael Scott.

For more lines and highlight moments - and the big news of the night - read more.

"And that's why I'm having Andy wheel me into the conference room in a makeshift cheese cart." - Michael

I sort of loved this bit when Michael sneaks into the secret meeting between Jim and David, using a cart as his Trojan Horse. Ridiculous. They really should've milked it a little bit more.

"I'm rebuilding a steam engine in my slaughterhouse."-Dwight

First of all, how scary is it that Dwight owns a slaughterhouse? Secondly, seeing him team up with Toby to uncover Darryl's faux work accident was inspired. I like those two together, and now that Dwight's the odd man out in the work caste system - more on that if you keep reading - they should start being BFFs.

"Jim is like Big Bird. He is tall and yellow and very nice. But would I put him in charge . . . I don't think so. Big Bird doesn't make the tough decisions. I would put Burt in charge . . . or maybe Maria." - Michael

Maybe I'm just a sucker for Sesame Street references, but this was my favorite quote of the evening. Period. But let me say this: I sort of hated Michael for bad-mouthing Jim, so that David wouldn't promote the poor guy. Well, that is until it ends up backfiring and Jim got a bump up the ladder anyway . . . to co-manager . . . alongside Michael. (Like I said, spoiler!) I cannot wait to see how this plays out. I mean, did you see the look on Dwight's face? Amazing.

Did I leave anything out? Please share your favorite funny lines or moments in the comments below! Meet other fans of The Office in The Office Group on BuzzSugar!

Photos courtesy of NBC