BuzzSugar

What Do You Do When You Spot Money on the Street?

Emily Co — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:00:45 PDT

We've all found bits of cash lying around on the street or left on places like a seat on the bus, and I'm just wondering what you usually do when you find some. You can't return the cash to its owner, because there's no ID anywhere in sight (it's not like losing a wallet), so there are pretty much two options - take it or leave it. I'm asking, what would you do if you found money on the street?

Missing Bitty Baby Signs Posted at Park For Safe Toy Return

LilSugar — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:00:00 PDT

Every child loses a toy now and then - a shovel in the sandbox or a jump rope on the jungle gym, but sometimes searching the playground and turning the house upside down doesn't unearth the object. For one little girl, misplacing her beloved and pricey baby doll meant taking action! She and her parents printed and posted missing person flyers all around the park where the plastic babe was last seen.

A $20 reward was even offered for the safe return of the Bitty Baby Apple. At $45 per doll plus the cost of clothing, the tot's mom and pop probably figured this method of recovery was worth a try. To what length have you gone to find your kid's toy?

Katherine Heigl to Produce Adaptation of Lost and Found

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:30:40 PDT

Katherine Heigl is apparently not content to rest on her laurels after taking home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama last Sunday. Today we have news that Heigl has optioned the rights to make the novel Lost and Found into a movie. Variety has more:

Jacqueline Sheehan's novel, published by HarperCollins imprint Avon A, focuses on a widowed psychologist who moves to a remote Maine island and works in an animal hospital after her husband dies.

Heigl is said to have contacted the author's agent after reading the book. It's not yet known if she may star in the pic.

Heigl is producing the movie with the company that she heads up with her mother Nancy Heigl. Yes, this is the same mother that Katherine joked didn't think she'd win the Emmy, and then backpedaled and assured us her mother was very supportive while the camera caught Nancy Heigl looking overwhelmed. Well, they're producing another movie together, so all's well that ends well, I guess!

Source

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

Pilot Scoop: The River

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:01:37 PST

ABC is bringing a little bit of the horror genre to primetime with new series The River, which premieres tonight. In the show, created by Paranormal Activity's Oren Peli, a team of people goes on a rescue mission on the Amazon, but they find a lot more than they bargained for while on their expedition. It could be the next good TV mystery to get sucked into, so if you're interested, check out my thoughts on the pilot below.

What it's about: A famous TV adventure series host, Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), goes missing and is presumed dead while he's exploring the Amazon. His estranged wife and grown son refuse to give up, so they go to the site of his last trip, the creepy, jungle-lined Amazon, to see if they can find him. A documentary crew comes with them, and together they discover terrifying supernatural events aboard the boat.
Where it works: There are genuine scares in the pilot, especially because the mystery seems to be rooted in chilling cultural folklore. And if you crave jump scares weekly, this may be the show for you.
Where it doesn't: None of the main characters is particularly compelling, even though they each hint at enigmatic backstories for themselves. Also, the signature found-footage camera work may turn into a headache for some viewers.
When it's on: Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC, starting Feb. 7
You might like this show if: You really miss Lost and love the Paranormal Activity movies.

To watch a preview and see some photos from The River, just keep reading

The Vampire Diaries "Bringing Out the Dead": The Good, The Bad, and The Bloody

Marisa Tom — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:46:39 PST

After a week's worth of TVD reprieve, it's about time we got some answers - specifically, ones that have everything to do with our favorite Original vamp Elijah and then some. From the tragic twisted fate of Bill Forbes to the shocking discovery Elena makes at home, we're still trying to wrap our heads around everything that goes down. Meanwhile, Bonnie and her estranged mother Abby are tasked with opening the mysteriously sealed fifth coffin, and Damon and Stefan head to Klaus's sweet new pad for the ultimate dinner party showdown.

Like all things based in Mystic Falls, nothing is as it seems and nothing ever goes according to plan. Ready to review the good, the bad, and the bloody? Just keep reading.

Desire/Acquire: Accordion Side Table

Angela Swinderman Elias — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:09 PST

My favorite way to incorporate the vintage-industrial-inspired trend that is everywhere right now is with accordian-style accessories. Their simple, architectural silhouettes are easy to work into all sorts of rooms. I've had my eye on the charming Directoire Iron Table from Zinc Door, but the $620 price tag was setting it out of my league.

Luckily, I've found a replacement that looks just as stylish for an astonishing $60! Keep reading to find out where to snag one before they're gone.

Savvy Confessions: Will My Job Be Affected If I Take Maternity Leave?

Savvy Community — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:15:29 PST

This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking how her job will be affected if she takes maternity leave. Do you have any advice for her?

I work in a very small office which includes myself, a nurse, an office assistant, and our program director. Before the holidays, the program director took on an additional position within the company, but at another clinic, which now has him out of our office about 50 percent of the time. At that time, there was one other person in the office with the same job as me, but she was fired a few weeks ago, so now, I fly solo a majority of the time until we can find someone to replace her. Two days before my six month review, I found out I am pregnant! My husband and I are SO EXCITED, and had planned on starting a family this year. Initially, when I interviewed for the position, I mentioned that my husband and I were hoping to begin a family soon as well. Now, I am terrified to tell my boss that I am pregnant! He is a really nice person, but saying that he does not handle stress well would be an understatement.

Read on for more.

The River Producers Talk About Its Paranormal Activity Roots

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:20:11 PST

One of ABC's midseason shows is exploring a genre that's not currently that common in primetime: horror. The River is a drama set on the Amazon, and Paranormal Activity's Oren Peli is serving as an executive producer. The new series uses the same kind of found-footage style of those films and follows a group of people trying to find a man who disappeared on the river (the horror aspect comes in when the team finds a terrifying supernatural being). The cast and showrunners stopped by Winter TCA to talk about how scary The River will be and why you'd want to tune in if you're not a horror fan.

Peli, who directed and wrote Paranormal Activity, was asked to create a TV show after the success of the horror franchise, but he admitted that he had "no idea about TV" and wasn't sure what kind of show he wanted to make. When he had a chat with a writer from Paranormal Activity 2, they talked about making a movie about lost people on the Amazon, which inspired Peli to wonder why it couldn't be a TV show with an adventure every week, and The River was born.
In terms of other mystery series, executive producer Michael Green said he looked more to The X-Files as an inspiration rather than Lost. He says The River will have standalone episodes, where each episode is "its own horror film," with "longer-term horizontal arcs." For us scaredy-cats, producers tried to let us know how scary the show will be. Green said that the network told him, "You can go as scary as you want, as long as we care about the people." They believe that the characters, which include a family, will get people to keep tuning in.
The found-footage style that's in the Paranormal Activity films is used in The River, which Green says "makes it feel more improvisational, a lot scarier, and more real." Fellow producer Zack Estrin says that they "think of the camera as a character," but despite that, Green doesn't want people to get caught up in that. "The show is not about the style, it's about the people," Green said.

J.J. Abrams Talks About Going to a New TV Island With Alcatraz

Shannon Vestal — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:40:26 PST

Lost alums J.J. Abrams and Jorge Garcia found themselves at TCA together again to promote the show they're collaborating on now: Alcatraz. Garcia stars with Sam Neill and Sarah Jones as a team of people trying to track down prisoners who disappeared from the famed prison over 50 years prior. Abrams and the actors talked about the genesis of the series, and the whole slate of mysterious characters.

Abrams talked about how he had been surprised to discover there had never been a TV series about Alcatraz when the show started taking shape. He also revealed that Garcia was the first person cast, and coincidentally, Garcia's girlfriend was writing a book about Alcatraz when Abrams brought it up to him. Abrams joked that Garcia simply said "Yeah, it's cool," when Abrams asked him if he wanted to be a part of the show. Garcia added, "If J.J. asks me to do anything, I say yes, and read second."
Neill lauded the creepy atmosphere of the island prison, saying that "just the name puts a shiver down my spine." It's the perfect place for a mystery series because "the charisma of that strange place has permeated the show." As for his character, an enigmatic government agent, Neill says "he does bad sh*t, but he does what's necessary."
Producers want to employ the rich mythology of The Rock, but Abrams lamented that the island's most famous prisoners, Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly, were transferred far before the '60s, the time frame the series flashes back to. It's "definitely a bummer they weren't there to time travel" like the other inmates we'll meet, but Abrams noted that since they're already doing flashbacks, "who's to say we can't flash back further?"
Though it's a procedural, showrunner Jennifer Johnson said Alcatraz is a unique crime show because the team has to think outside of the box to catch the returned prisoners, who are from a different time and haven't aged. "These guys are ghosts," she said, with "no credit cards, friends, or family members." Additionally, they have all committed "tremendous, heinous crimes," and they "have the same venom and urgency that they did before."