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It's Not Easy "Living with Ed"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:29:49 -0800

When I heard Ed Begley Jr. was getting his own reality show, my first reaction was a slack-jawed "seriously?" Begley, the earnest "St. Elsewhere" star who makes me laugh even when he's not trying to be funny, wasn't high on my list of celebrities whose lives I'm dying to explore.

But "Living with Ed," Begley's new HGTV show, looks like it could surprise me. Begley's a totally committed environmentalist who's known for riding his bike to Hollywood events, and the show focuses on life at his little California house, where he powers his lights with solar panels and times his wife while she's in the shower.

Begley's fervent commitment to a green lifestyle has been a Hollywood punchline for a while - I mean, the man lent his name to a natural cleaning product. Basically, he's his "Six Feet Under" character, the outdoorsy, electric-car-driving Hiram - only more extreme. When I saw the dead-serious picture of him meditating on the "Living with Ed" site, I figured the show would be way too preachy. But the video clips actually made me laugh, so read more

The clips on the show's MySpace page are pretty funny, thanks to Rachelle Carson, Begley's wife, who keeps it real while her husband rhapsodizes about his lifestyle. He shows off his solar oven; she points out she has to plan her cooking days in advance. He gushes about how he can eat straight from his garden; she admits the apples are pretty sour.

Of course, green living is serious business (see also An Inconvenient Truth), and I'm all for finding ways to make a difference - even if Begley's model is a little extreme. "Living with Ed" looks like it could make me chuckle while also giving me a few environmental tips, so I might have to check out an episode or two. What about you? Did anyone catch the sneak peek on Monday?

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The Invention of Lying: Sweet, but Unsteady

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:45:37 -0700

In his Hollywood directorial debut, Ricky Gervais takes us to an alternate universe where honesty makes the world go round. It's not just that lie-telling is an impossibility; everyone can't help but speak their minds at all times, no matter how personal, embarrassing, or brutal their innermost thoughts may be. The premise of The Invention of Lying is rife for comedy, but the film is also a commentary on religion and has its sad moments as well.

The film tells the story of Mark Bellison, an average joe who just can't seem to get ahead in a world where his mediocrity is ridiculed day after day. His co-workers can't stand him and women reject him based on his looks alone. When he loses his job as a screenwriter, Mark is ready to give up - until he mysteriously becomes the world's first liar.

To see what else I thought of the film, just read more.

Ricky Gervais stars as Mark, living in a world that's mostly free of flair, frills, and aesthetics. Mark's house and office are plain and boring, complementing his every-day appearance. Those who stand out are the people who are naturally attractive, like the object of Mark's affections, Anna (Jennifer Garner) and his snarky co-worker Brad (Rob Lowe). Anna can't help but show her shallow side on her first date with Mark. She immediately rejects him on the basis that she doesn't want to have "fat, snub-nosed" children someday and must find a "better genetic match." Once Mark starts to stretch his newfound talent though, he decides he can have whatever he wants - and begins a quest to win Anna's affections.

Gervais surprised me with his performance because he finally takes a break from his typical British dry humor. As affable, down-on-his-luck Mark, Gervais proves that he doesn't need his signature sarcasm to be witty. The most important scene of the movie requires a lot of raw emotion from Gervais, and he absolutely nails it, showcasing a sweet side that we rarely see from the actor.

There are two major aspects of the movie that wore me down: the cameos and the product placement. I love a good celebrity appearance, but after Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ed Norton, and Jason Bateman pop in, it starts to feel like Gervais is trying to use his comical buddies to keep the storyline afloat when it starts to lose focus. Seeing a familiar face is always fun, but this isn't a Judd Apatow movie.

The product placement is funny and fitting at first; there's not much room for advertising in a world of stark truth. With only a reputation to rely on, Coke and Pepsi are left with the slogans "It's very famous" and "When they don't have Coke," respectively. The film goes way overboard from there though, and suddenly Mark is surrounded by Budweiser bottles at all times and at the film's climax he's standing in front of a group clutching a pair of cardboard Pizza Hut boxes.

The movie's biggest problem is that it tries to appeal to too many genres. It's packaged as a comedy, but Mark becomes a god-like character once the world gets wind of his lies. His peers literally take everything he says as gospel, and Mark becomes a blatant modern-day Moses (complete with long hair and beard). Just as the audience begins to wonder where it's all going, the movie quickly ditches the religious aspect and finishes up as a love story. The ending is satisfactory, but what's the point of satirizing religion when it doesn't hold much water for the overall message of the movie?

Like I said, the premise is rife for comedy and starts us down a path that's packed with laughs - I just wish Invention of Lying didn't wander off before finding its way back home.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Glee-Ful Highlights From This Week's Episode, Including Video!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:30:35 -0700

Just when Kanye West was defending "Single Ladies" as one of the best songs of all time, Glee swoops in with an entire episode dedicated to the tune. We've seen a ton of spoofs of the famous music video - Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg on Saturday Night Live, Joe Jonas - but I've gotta say that I think Kurt's version may be my favorite rendition so far.

This week was Kurt's magnum opus. He and Sue are quickly turning into my two favorite characters, and they both got lots of camera time to keep me happy. Of course it wasn't all about him - the show also included a shocker that should be interesting to see play out. (Big hint: It involves the episode title "Preggers.") Keep reading for my thoughts (warning, spoilers ahead), plus video of Kurt's Beyonce impression when you read more.

Kurt opens up the episode in a leotard (because "they wick sweat from the body") with a reproduction of "Single Ladies" - until his dad walks in. Check out the dance below. I'm a little over the Beyonce parodies, but Kurt's moves are spot-on, and he takes himself very seriously, which makes it all the more hilarious. I'm also kind of loving Mike O'Malley as Mr. Hummel. The scene where Kurt comes out to him gave me the warm fuzzies.

With the exception of "Single Ladies," the episode was fairly light on the musical numbers, which was kind of a disappointment. Where is the early '90s pop, guys? I hope they were just giving their vocal chords a rest after the music-heavy episode last week.
Having the football players dance = awkward and genius. Some of those guys really know how to body roll.

Quinn is pregnant? Ugh. I guess I should've seen that one coming. They don't make a character the president of the Abstinence Club and then not have her get knocked up. I'm a little annoyed with the whole covert adoption that's going to play out with her and Terri, but I can't wait to watch the news erupt that Finn isn't the baby daddy. (Although, if Finn had been paying attention in sex ed, he would've figured that out on his own by now.)
I was dying over Principal Higgins airline steward video for Mumbai Air. When they release Glee on DVD someday, I hope the full version is in the special features. Embolism-reduction stockings are surprisingly funny.
Rachel is wearing thin on me. Anyone else agree? When she gets P.O.'d over Tina's solo, I wanted to give that girl my two cents.
Sue's pro-caning speech on the local news was a highlight of the night. ("Yes we CANE.") I love hearing more from her, but towards the end of the episode, it seemed like they were trying to set up her news spots as a moral-of-the-episode lesson. I hope this doesn't become a regular thing - an earnest Sue just doesn't work for me.
My favorite line of the night was when Sandy says to Sue, "I'm living in a cocoon of horror!" How great is that scene at his house with the kimono and the doll collection? Creepsters. Second favorite: "My body is like a rum chocolate souffle. If I don't warm up right, it doesn't rise." That's courtesy of Kurt, of course.

What did you guys think of this week's episode? Did you like having the focus on Kurt? Did you miss the flashier production numbers? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. If you're a fan of the show, don't forget that you can join Whiplash's Glee Club Community group - then enter our contest to meet one of the cast members!

Photos courtesy of Fox