BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 5/30

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:45:01 -0700

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 -0700

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

Which Guest Star Are You Most Excited to See This Week?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

November sweeps is here, which means appearances by big names on some of my favorite shows. We've already seen the likes of Samantha Ronson and Pharrell on 90210, but now we're getting to the exciting stuff.

Lady Gaga hits Gossip Girl tonight - check out a sneak peek here - before Melrose Place welcomes back Heather Locklear tomorrow night. And who could forget James Franco's big cameo on General Hospital? While I'm still baffled by his career move - not to mention those early pics - Franco on a soap opera is bound to be hilarious.

All of this means lots of TV-watching for me, and luckily none of the shows are on the same night, so I don't even have to pick favorites! Still, I'm curious to hear your opinion - which guest appearance is earning the top spot on your TiVo?

Sneak Peek at James Franco on General Hospital!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:30:03 -0800

Even if you're not a soap opera fan, these photos from James Franco's upcoming appearance on General Hospital are too funny to miss. His character's backstory is still being kept under wraps, but we can make a few guesses based on these shots. The episode will air on Nov. 20, but you can get your Franco fix right now.
Photos courtesy of ABC, Inc.

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The Box: An Inadequate Package to Unwrap

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:56 -0800

I so wanted The Box to be a worthy successor to Donnie Darko, director Richard Kelly's first film and much-appreciated cult fave. Unfortunately, I didn't exactly get my wish.

The Box is a highly stylized, good-looking thriller, from the retro 1976 Virginia setting to the Barbie and Ken looks of leads Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. They play husband and wife Arthur and Norma Lewis, who run into a bit of a financial jam when a strange opportunity conveniently presents itself. A creepy, disfigured man (Frank Langella) offers them a million dollars if they push a button inside a box - but a stranger will die if they do.

Kelly has all the right elements and the creativity to give us a hip, entertaining thriller, but there are a number of blatant missteps that make the movie unsatisfying. To see more about what I mean, just read more.

Kelly puts his stamp on everything, namely the constant eerie atmosphere and the random sinister characters (apparently an old person standing still in the road is his trademark). Though many questioned the casting of Cameron Diaz and her requisite Virginia accent, there was a similar doubt when Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze were cast in Darko, and it ended up working. With Diaz, it's not that I would say that she nailed the part, but that the accent and greater aspects of the plot are very campy. And I like campy, but I don't know if that's what the film is going for.

If you're not taking it seriously, the movie is a pretty good time, with some frightening scenes and jumps. There are also many parts that are supposed to be creepy, but they're so labored that they come out as funny. Like, laugh out loud in the theater funny. I wouldn't call that a failure, I'd just invoke the term I used before campy.

The major problem the movie runs into is when it begins exploring these sci-fi and supernatural angles, which end up being red herrings. For instance, much is made of Arthur's job at NASA and Mars, which made me think we were in for a weird, wild sci-fi ride. I was ready to embrace something really out there (I'm a big David Lynch fan, after all), but you don't really get it. There are so many elements that are introduced but never followed to a conclusion, so you're left shrugging your shoulders when the movie ends. It's even more perplexing because the mystery of The Box itself is explained, but you're left with all these details that went nowhere, in retrospect. It's one thing to leave things open-ended, but you have to give the audience something to work with.

Honestly, if you're a Kelly fan, you'll probably find it enjoyable. But if you want complete resolution, I'd wait for the director's cut.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

30 Rock Gets James Franco and Maybe Julianne Moore

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:30:35 -0800

I can't wait to see James Franco head to General Hospital later this month, but if soaps aren't your thing then maybe today's news will be more up your alley. Franco is the latest actor to make an appearance on 30 Rock! He'll be playing himself, but the best part is that he'll be involved in a showmance with Jenna. If you've seen any of Franco's Funnyordie videos (of which there are many), you know this guy has no problem poking fun at himself, and a fake relationship between James and Jenna should be hilarious.

But wait - there's more! Jack Donaghy will be getting a love interest as well (though his a real one) for a handful of episodes. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but word on the street is that it may be Julianne Moore. Salma Hayek had a great run as Jack's girlfriend last season, but can Moore measure up?

What do you think of 30 Rock's newest guest stars? Do you think they'll be as funny as Jon Hamm and Jennifer Aniston?

Link Time! James Van der Beek Is Coming to The Forgotten

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:30:35 -0700

James Van Der Beek will make an appearance on The Forgotten - The Ausiello Files
Woody Allen's next movie will be called You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Vulture
Jay-Z will perform at the World Series this week - Pitchfork
Bravo has a new Top Chef spinoff in the works that's focused entirely on desserts - YumSugar
Keira Knightley will portray Eliza Doolittle in Joe Wright's My Fair Lady remake - Cinematical
Check out these two new leaked promos for 24 - The Wrap
Michael Hurwitz confirms that he's directing the Arrested Development movie - MTV Movies Blog
5 things you should know about the Battlestar Galactica spinoff Caprica - Pop Candy
Kristin Chenoweth is going to reprise her guest-starring role on Glee - PopWatch
Kenny Ortega drops out of directing the Footloose remake - Coming Soon

Not a Joke: James Franco To Appear on General Hospital

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:30:03 -0700

It's not April Fool's, I have not started abusing substances, this is an actual news story: James Franco is set to guest star on daytime soap opera General Hospital.

Oh and it's not just some walk-on role as a favor or a dare: Franco will star in a multi-episode arc, which will last for about two months, and he'll play a "mysterious character" (of course he will). What's more, he apparently approached General Hospital himself with the idea. His first episode will air on November 20.

This whole story is kind of too crazy to not believe, so let's just go with it. Admittedly, I used to watch General Hospital back in the day, so I am so going to set my TiVo to watch this.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this is all an elaborate bit, or could Franco be a closet soap fan? Most importantly, are you going to tune in?

Link Time! New Moon Director Chris Weitz Has a New Project

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:30:52 -0800

New Moon director Chris Weitz reveals his next film, titled The Gardener - Cinematical
Who was the most over-the-top on the AMAs stage? - PopSugar
ABC halts Cougar Town due to a "private family matter" for Courteney Cox - HitFix
Here's a sneak peek at the final episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 - People
Taking a page from Kevin James's resume, TLC is doing a new show about mall cops - TV Squad
Behind the scenes of Avatar - Rotten Tomatoes
Will the Grammys let Lady Gaga compete for Best New Artist? Pretty, pretty please! - Rock & Roll Daily
What's really based on true life and what was just made up in The Blind Side - Moviefone
Parks and Recreation's Aziz Ansari on his favorite music growing up - Pitchfork
Kat Dennings joins the Thor cast - MTV Splash Page
The top five turkeys on TV - as in failures, not the bird - The TV Addict
Heroes stars reveal what they're thankful for this year - TV.com

Movie Preview: Adam Sandler and Chris Rock in Grown Ups

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:30:36 -0800

I've been watching over the past several months as the cast roster for Grown Ups continued to add more of Adam Sandler's previous SNL colleagues and close friends - Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Colin Quinn. It's like he decided to make a project where he could invite everyone he knows to jump on board and have fun. And the cast really does appear to be having a good time in the trailer - I'm just not 100 percent sure I'm right there with them.

The film follows Sandler and his childhood friends (Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade) as they reunite one Fourth of July weekend to honor the death of their basketball coach. Sounds kinda like The Big Chill, but as to be expected with a Happy Madison film, it's ridiculously slapstick. I love all of these guys, but the bits in this teaser definitely aren't as roll-on-the-floor funny as I had hoped with such a star-studded cast. (Really, a breast-milk joke?!) But maybe I'm just judging it too quickly. The film opens in June, but take a peek at the video and tell me your thoughts when you read more.