BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 4/10

BuzzSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:30:52 PDT

Why Fox isn't airing one episode of Dollhouse. - E!
Liam Neeson will reportedly play Zeus in the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans. - Zap2It
Showtime has passed on Ronna and Beverly, a pilot from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan. - Variety
A collection of previously unpublished short stories by Kurt Vonnegut will be released in November. - AP
YouTube and Universal are launching a new website for music videos called Vevo. - Reuters
Semi-Pro director Kent Alterman is attached to direct the grown-up adventure tale Treehouse Gang. - ComingSoon
Brittany Murphy and David Zayas have joined the cast of Sylvester Stallone's action-adventure movie The Expendables. - The Hollywood Reporter
The two-hour series finale of Prison Break will air May 15. - TV.com
Pet Shop Boys turned down a request from animal rights group PETA Europe to change the band's name to something more creature-friendly. - AFP

Photo courtesy of Fox

Sugar Bits - RIP Kurt Vonnegut

PopSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:43:42 PDT

Famed novelist Kurt Vonnegut died last night from complications resulting from a recent fall. He will be dearly missed. - BuzzSugar
Snoop avoided prison time on Wednesday by entering into a plea agreement on guns and weapons charges. Instead he is required to complete 800 hours of community service. He better get started! - People
Marc Anthony also avoided jail time this week by entering into a plea agreement. He agreed to pay $2.5 million in back taxes to avoid criminal prosecution. J Lo probably isn't too happy about that! - TMZ
Joe Francis was indicted on federal tax evasion charges for illegally deducting more than $20 mil in fake expenses. Sounds like someone is in big trouble. No more partying at his house in Cabo with young Hollywood - The Smoking Gun
Don Imus went ahead with his annual radio charity today even after MSNBC pulled the plug on his television broadcast over his racial slur against the Rutger's basketball team. Imus should just call it a day already - AP
Lane Garrison plans to plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter charges and wants to meet with the victims families to apologize. - TMZ

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Remembering Kurt Vonnegut: 1922 - 2007

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:36:35 PDT

I awoke this morning to the sad news that groundbreaking novelist Kurt Vonnegut died Wednesday at age 84. As reported by the AP, Vonnegut's wife, photographer Jill Krementz, said the writer suffered brain injuries following a recent fall at his home in Manhattan.

Probably best-known for his books Slaughterhouse Five and Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut was truly one of the most important American writers of the 20th century, lending his distinct voice to everything from historical satire to non-traditional sci-fi and laugh-out-loud humor. In fact, I think Vonnegut's stylistic legacy is one of the most powerful influences on many of today's modern novelists.

Throughout my adult life, Vonnegut has been one of my favorite authors, and having the opportunity to hear him speak during my college years only heightened my respect for this sharp and endlessly clever man. Though I would highly recommend the more classic Vonnegut novels, my favorite books of his might be the slightly more obscure Galapagos, which tackles the theory of evolution in a thoroughly absurd way, and the darkly futuristic novel The Sirens of Titan. Any other Vonnegut fans out there? If so, tell me which of his books is your favorite.

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Penn Badgley and Zoe Kravitz Stop For a Smooch on the Streets of NYC

Lauren Turner — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:50:06 PST

Zoe Kravitz and Penn Badgley got close for a kiss in NYC over the weekend. They stopped for PDA after shopping at a bookstore, where Penn picked up a few titles including Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle and Richard Alpert's LSD.

Penn and Zoe escaped the Big Apple for the warmer weather of Miami over the holidays. They lounged poolside at their hotel and showed affection while swimming. Zoe's bikini body was on display while Penn went shirtless and let his long hair down in the water. He's still rocking the wild 'do, though we'll have to wait and see if he keeps the style for his small screen character when Gossip Girl returns next week.

Banned Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the Last Two Decades

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:49:54 PDT

When a high school in Missouri recently banned Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut's story of World War II as told through a science fiction lens, for creating "false conceptions of American history and government," the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library stepped up to donate copies of the book to any affected student that requests it.

Despite First Amendment protection, banning or attempting to challenge books has a long history, with many cases even making it to the US Supreme Court. As the American Library Association explains: "books usually are challenged with the best intentions-to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." Science fiction and fantasy books often contain these themes that some find questionable, whether it's alien life forms, magical powers, or mystical worlds. In honor of Banned Books week, we're rounding up the most challenged science fiction and fantasy books according to the ALA. Browse the list below!

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - The stories of the wizarding world are seen by challengers to have occult and violent themes.
Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - The hot series for youth and adult readers has been deemed unsuitable to its target age group and violent.
Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer - Its movie stars may provoke pandemonium, but critics of the book say it's too sexually explicit.
His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman - The series beginning with The Golden Compass is often decried for its anti-religious viewpoints.
The Giver by Lois Lowry - Despite the book's message of freedom of choice, criticisms are made for the fictional dystopia's bleak family outlook.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Offensive language, racism, and insensitivity are often cited in challenges to the future dystopian novel.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - The tale of a future world where the printed word is banned and systemically burned was criticized for offensive language.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - Children's search through space and time for their vanished father is often challenged for the inclusion of supposed witches.

Follow the break for more challenged books of the last 20 years.