BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 5/30

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:45:01 PDT

According to the AP, Melissa Gilbert will once again star in Little House on the Prairie - but this time as "Ma" Ingalls in a stage musical version of the show.
Harvey Korman, the Emmy-winning actor from The Carol Burnett Show has died at age 81, Zap2It reports.
Billboard has the news that Toni Braxton has canceled all her scheduled shows in order to concentrate on her health.
The memoir of Elissa Wall, Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs, will be adapted for the big screen, Variety reports. The book is also one of CitzenSugar's suggested reads right now.

According to Disney execs, their latest Narnia movie, Prince Caspian is not doing well at the box office simply because of the timing of the movie's release, writes ComingSoon.
According to Zap2It, Ray Winstone has joined the cast of HBO's police drama pilot Last of the Ninth.
UK band James will release their first album in seven years this September, Billboard reports.

Should This Album Art Be Banned?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:34:06 PDT

Though their album Hey Ma just hit stores in the U.K. on April 8, the cover art for the album is already stirring up controversy. Depicting a baby reaching toward a gun with baby blocks spelling out the album name, the idea for the cover arose from a news item about a 10-month-old American baby obtaining a firearms certificate. Guitarist Larry Gott said, "Firearms are dangerous, they're not to be taken likely, and we as a society are becoming over familiarized with the image of gun and gun culture."

The Advertising Standards Authority in the U.K. has a different opinion, however, and has banned the cover art from any billboards promoting Hey Ma.

Do you think this is necessary?

Source

Honor's Cool-Girl Look Is Incredibly Easy to Wear

Annie Tomlin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:21:12 PST

For her Fall 2012 collection, designer Giovanna Randall was inspired by the love story of a preppy boy and free-spirited Argentinean girl. But when it comes to beauty, the inspiration was decidedly Gallic. Borrowing from French singer and style icon Françoise Hardy, the just-slept-on hair and chalky eye makeup were uncomplicated and cool. See how the look came together, and you'll agree: this is one runway look that anybody can pull off.

Sarah Jessica Parker Wraps Up Lovelace and Returns to Her Kids - but Not the Super Bowl

Allie Merriam — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:22:00 PST

Sarah Jessica Parker left her NYC home Friday with two of her three children. Her 10-year-old son James Wilkie Broderick led the way to their car, while SJP followed carrying Loretta, one of her twin girls. It seems baby Tabitha didn't go along for the outing, but she's often seen exploring the Big Apple with mom SJP and Loretta.

Yesterday was a special occasion for the family, as Matthew Broderick's Ferris Bueller Super Bowl ad aired. However, SJP doesn't care for the Super Bowl too much. The actress, who's fresh from filming a small part in Lovelace, said recently, "I can tell you honesty, I will not be watching the football game. I have absolutely no interest. . . How long does [the game] last? Up to four hours? Really? If I had four hours of leisure time, I would watch the first episode of Luck and start the first season of Mad Men or Downton Abbey. You get my point."

Hot Daniel Craig Brings His Best James Bond to the Set of Skyfall

Lauren Turner — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:21:51 PST

Daniel Craig got serious in a gray suit on the London set of the new James Bond movie today. He's filming Skyfall after wrapping up a worldwide press tour for the thriller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Daniel and his leading lady Rooney Mara traveled to Berlin, Paris, and more spots around the globe promoting the project. Rooney's style was the star of many photo ops, but heads also turned when Daniel's wife Rachel Weisz joined them on the red carpet in Madrid. It was the couple's first public appearance since tying the knot last Summer. Rachel recently made headlines when her L'Oréal ad was banned in the UK for being "misleading." Attention will be back to Rooney later this month though, when she hits the red carpet at the Oscars, where she's nominated for best actress.

The Muppets' Music Man Bret McKenzie on His Oscar Nod and Taking a Silly Job Seriously

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:50:41 PST

Bret McKenzie is up for an exceedingly rare honor this year, with his ballad "Man or Muppet" earning one of just two nominations in the Oscars' best song category. I caught up with The Muppets' musical supervisor today at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to chat about the awards attention and the unique experience of penning music for Kermit and company. The New Zealand native talked about fighting the temptation to use the word "motherfrogger" in his songwriting and the roundabout way he came on board The Muppets project in the first place. Bret - who previously was best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords - also shared his hopes of bringing FOC to the big screen. Check out our conversation below:

PopSugar: It's got to be an honor to be nominated for an Oscar, but also in a year when the Academy only bothered to nominate two songs.
Bret McKenzie: They barely nominated anyone! When I found out, it sounded like there'd been a mistake, and yeah, it's a huge honor. It's great and it's really exciting, and I'm not complaining that there's only two nominees the year I'm nominated. I mean, this is the best chance I'll have of winning an Oscar, ever. It couldn't have been better, unless there was just one nomination, and then it would be a very dull ceremony . . . There's a lot of legendary musicians - tunesmiths - in that list of possible nominations. So it's all very surreal to think that I got in ahead of Elton John.

PS: And Madonna. Those two had a little rivalry going on.
BM: I know. I got nervous about what Elton John's husband was going to say about me. It's crazy, and it's great for The Muppets film, because we're all really proud of the film and it wasn't ever really going to get a best actor. Hey, Jason's good, that's not what I mean, but Kermit, Miss Piggy - they can't win these awards - and comedies don't generally get recognized at these awards ceremonies, so it's kind of cool. It's almost like the film as a whole is being recognized with this category.

For more from our chat with Bret, including what he says about his plans for a Flight of the Conchords film, coaching Jason Segel, and the pressure he felt on the project, just

read more! PS: What was the biggest unexpected challenge for you writing music for the film? I know you talked about one draft of a song where you referred to a Muppet as a piece of felt and were told you couldn't do that. BM: Yeah. Little piece of felt, and you couldn't say things like motherfrogger, even though it's very tempting. There were lots of hard parts to it. The Muppets can't sing certain notes. They can't sing too high or the voice changes and doesn't sound like the right character. There were so many weird things. I spent hours recording penguins and rats, and what's weird is that it's such a silly job, but you have to take it very seriously. So I would be in the studio for days, maybe a whole day recording penguins, and then I'm like, "I'm not happy with how the penguins are sounding! Where's penguin four?" You know, getting demanding. "We lost penguin track four! I can't hear the penguin!" PS: I was watching the movie again last night and watching Jason Segel's performance of "Man or Muppet." Did you coach him on any of his rockstar moves? Because he pretty much nailed it. BM: He nailed it. That's my favorite moment in the film. When he buckles down in the rain, that was one of my favorite shots. I was so proud of what James [Bobin, the director] and those guys achieved, because I wasn't there on set, I just saw them syncing the video, and I was like, "Wow, guys. You nailed it." What we did do in the studio, as Jason and I had a technique where I would sing a line, and he'd watch me through the window, and then he'd sing it back. So we did this thing where, I was really into the drama of it. So, I was like, "Am I a Muppppettt?" [balling his hands into fists] And he'd be like, OK, record. "Am I a Muppppettt!" So we kind of worked together to get that style. PS: Did it shatter some of your childhood illusions to have the guy that does Miss Piggy's voice come work with you [in the recording studio]? BM: Yeah. Well, it wasn't Frank Oz. The guy Eric, who does it now, yeah. That was strange. And the day that we recorded Kermit the Frog doing "Rainbow Connection" - I was sort of pinching myself, because that was probably one of the real moments for me where I realized that my world had really changed. That I'd come from New Zealand, I'd grown up with Kermit the Frog, and now I was in Hollywood in a studio recording Kermit the Frog. It felt like worlds had collided. PS: Was there pressure knowing there was already this great catalog of Muppet songs? To try to add to that or top it in some way? BM: I knew I wouldn't top "Rainbow Connection," but I was very intimidated, but the way I worked on the job was it actually started with me just writing one song, so I didn't feel the pressure of writing the whole movie. I think it would have been different if I'd been hired from the outset to do all the music. So I wrote one, then another, and gradually wrote more and more, so that helped. PS: What song did you write first? BM: The opening song. That's the one they needed, that's the one James asked me to write first. The script was probably on a second draft, and they were in preproduction, so I came in quite late. And the way they were doing it was, they got 100s of demos submitted from all sorts of songwriters, and surprisingly - even though they got some really great people to do demos - people weren't quite hitting the right tone. The Muppet tone. I'd just come off the Conchords tour and I had some time, and James asked if I was interested in doing that opening song, because he had a kind of specific thing he needed from that song. He needed it to be really Muppet-y, that song, and he had a great idea for the whole town joining in, it starting off small and becoming a big musical number, and that came together really well. PS: Is this experience maybe something you want to bring to a Flight of the Conchords movie? BM: Yeah, exactly. Having done this movie now, we're in a much better place to do a Conchords film, because James is more experienced - well, we're all more experienced. Not specifically, but James Bobin - well, we're all very keen to do another studio musical, because I really enjoyed being able to do comedy musical numbers on such a grand scale, and I think next time, I really think it will just get better and better. Because it's such a fun genre, and we've done like 50 songs for TV now, and now The Muppets movie, and I feel like we've accidentally sort of become musical comedy experts. PS: What do you imagine Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords are up to these days, in their universe? BM: In the Lower East Side? That's a good question. I reckon they probably got a regular gig now. Like, at a Chinese restaurant. Photo courtesy Disney

Watch a Preview For Cougar Town Season 3

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:14:18 PST

Watch 10 minutes of Cougar Town's season premiere - Zap2It
10 shows you might like if you watch Criminal Minds - BuddyTV
See who will be learning how to pick up chicks with James Franco in The Game - NextMovie
Watch the latest trailer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation - Rotten Tomatoes
Rapper M.I.A.'s most controversial moments - The Daily Beast
Check out photos from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - /Film
Find out about the book adaptation Amy Adams will star in - Moviefone
Guess which rock star is coming to Once Upon a Time - HuffPost TV
Get the details on the amazing dress Blair wears to kiss Dan on Gossip Girl - FabSugar

We're a Lot Obsessed With Heidi Klum's New Sunglasses

Noria Morales — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:22:28 PST

Heidi Klum was spotted in a casual but cool outfit while out to lunch with her kids last weekend, but the item that we love the most are her super-chic sunglasses. The snow-leopard print, the cat-eye shape, and the delicate metal detailing make these sunglasses equal parts retro, ladylike, and quirky. It turns out they are limited-edition Elizabeth and James Fairfax sunglasses ($185), and we think they're a perfect way to punch up our Spring sunglasses collection. If you're a black-frame enthusiast, consider making more of a statement with these. The elegant shape keeps the look classy, and we promise you'll get lots of "Where did you get those?!" comments.

Exclusive - See William and Kate on Vacation in Mustique With the Middletons

Allie Merriam — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:59:23 PST

Prince William and his wife Kate spent the last week together on vacation with her family in Mustique. The couple spent a few days on the West Indies island with her sister Pippa, brother James, and parents Michael and Carole. William apparently met up with the group after the Middletons started their fun. He arrived, however, ahead of the celebrations for Carole Middleton's 57th birthday. The Middletons' getaway included plenty of beach time and group lunches by the water. The girls were able to wear bikinis and sit in the sun, while James snapped photos from his deck chair. William and Kate stayed at Aurora House, a retreat owned by their friend Mark Cecil, according to reports.

William, Kate, and Pippa wrapped things up and left Mustique for the Hewanorra airport in nearby St. Lucia, where they caught a British Airways flight. They headed back to London so William could prepare for his deployment to the Falkland Islands. He was scheduled to begin a six-week tour of duty Wednesday. Along with other pilots, William will be tasked with manning search-and-rescue helicopters.

The Office, "Jury Duty": Best Lines of The Night

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:59:04 PST

After a solid cold opening of Andy dancing to "Footloose" in the warehouse (think dancing on bubble wrap and punching packing peanuts), the rest of this week's episode of The Office is a success. We find out early on that Jim was called to jury duty for a half day that he turned into five days. Dwight catches on to Jim's plan early on and does everything in his power to bring him down. On top of all the cute kids that show up for "Jury Duty," Jim and Dwight go at it. Oscar has some awesome moments. And I love this new friendship between Kevin and Erin that's blossoming before our eyes.

This is one of my favorite episodes I can remember in a long time. Not too plot driven and chock-full of solid comedic writing plus a handful endearing moments that just made me feel good. To get a few of my favorite lines, just keep reading.