BuzzSugar

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 08:00:25 -0800

I never thought I'd get K-Fed and Oprah into the same sentence but I think I just did it.
The DGA brought a glimmer of hope to a bleak strike landscape but networks are still bracing themselves for the fallout with more reality series. Still, new scripted programing is making its way to the airwaves and we're hanging in there with shows like Cashmere Mafia to ride this out.
I'm so excited to go to Sundance this year! Check out the festival films I've been highlighting this week.
You told me the movie you were most likely to see this weekend and I told you neither Cloverfield nor 27 Dresses will disappoint. Not in the mood for either? Perhaps it's a good weekend to tackle that waitflix queue of yours.
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward will make music together once again and I wanted to know what you think of Sia's Gimme More cover. I'm warming to Freddy and the Dials, however it was the Magnetic Fields that made my week.
We know Hayden can do cheerleader but can you imagine her battling vampires? That's right - I'm recasting Buffy!
I'm still getting over the anti-climactic Golden Globe ceremony but thankfully SAG is on the way to fill the void. Get started picking the winners and win a year of Netflix!

Getting Into: The Magnetic Fields

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:31:43 -0800

Today, the Magnetic Fields - the quirky pop band fronted by the deep-voiced Stephin Merritt - release Distortion, the band's first album in four years. It's already garnering positive reviews, and so in its honor, I thought I'd suggest a way to navigate through the band's nearly two-decade career. While there are lots of good starting points, here's my guide to Getting Into the Magnetic Fields.

Beginner: The Charm of the Highway Strip and i

These are two fairly different albums, as Magnetic Fields releases go: One, 1994's Charm of the Highway Strip, is heavy with synthesizers, while 2004's i is mostly acoustic. But they're both good introductions to some of the Fields' standard tricks. Both are concept albums, for one thing: Highway Strip is full of songs about traveling, while i is, well, 14 songs starting with the letter I. Both are also good introductions to Merritt's story-like lyrics and his deep and unusual voice. You may not adore them both - personally, Highway Strip is my favorite Fields album and i my least-favorite - but if you like either one, you'll find more to love in the band's catalog. Also, if you want an intro to Merritt's music in general, not just the Fields, check out the Pieces of April soundtrack for a great overview.

For my intermediate and advanced selections, just read more

Intermediate: 69 Love Songs

Merritt's magnum opus is exactly what it claims to be: 69 songs about love, spread over three 23-song discs. It's a lot for a beginner to digest, but it's the perfect thing to turn a casual fan into a more serious one. The songs run the gamut of musical styles, from sweet ballads to country-tinged anthems to songs so drenched in synth it's hard to make out the lyrics. (It also has a fair number of songs sung by band members other than Merritt, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on how you feel about his voice.) Merritt's known for his acerbic wit and cynical lyrics, and that's certainly present here - there's a song called "The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be," for heaven's sake - but there are also some legitimately sweet and hopeful songs, including "Asleep and Dreaming." If you're buying, spring for the boxed set rather than buying each album individually: The booklet is worth it.

Advanced: Holiday, Get Lost, The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees, and Merritt's multitude of side projects.

These three Magnetic Fields albums are a bit less refined than the ones mentioned above. That doesn't mean they're not worthwhile, just that it helps to be familiar with the band's sound before checking them out. I particularly recommend Holiday, which is one of my favorites - but which is so fuzzy at points that I thought my speakers were broken when I first heard it. It's also worth checking out side projects the 6ths, Future Bible Heroes, and the Gothic Archies, which released a collection of songs to accompany Lemony Snicket books.

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BuzzSugar's Must-Haves for January

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:28:27 -0800

Happy 2008 and welcome to BuzzSugar's monthly must-haves, where I show off a handful of the things I'm most looking forward to watching, buying, renting and reading. I'm hoping to start the new year off right with the following goodies.

To see why these six things are at the top of my list, just read more.

2008 Sundance Film Festival - Not so much a "must-have" as a "must-go," the lineup for the Sundance Film Festival this year has me drooling. I can't wait to be in Park City, Utah in a few weeks, getting a first look at the industry's best independent films.
The Magnetic Fields: Distortion - This album, out Jan. 15, is the band's first since 2004's i. While this album doesn't have an obvious theme, the two songs I've heard so far, "Three-Way" and "California Girls," hint at a new musical direction - with Stephin Merritt's acerbic lyrics blissfully intact.
3:10 to Yuma - Though it didn't make the cut as one of my top 10 favorite movies of 2007, I pretty much loved every minute of the remake of the old Western film 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. You can read what I loved about the movie, but you may as well just rent it when it comes out on DVD January 8 and see for yourself.
Cat Power: Jukebox - I can't wait to hear Chan Marshall's sultry voice take on a new set of cover songs on this album, out Jan. 22. Jukebox, Cat Power's second covers record, includes songs originally recorded by artists including Janis Joplin and Frank Sinatra, along with two originals. A deluxe edition includes a second disc with five bonus tracks.
Duma Key: A Novel by Stephen King - I don't totally love everything Stephen King does but that won't prevent me from checking out his next novel, Duma Key, which will hit bookstore shelves January 22. The supernatural story follows a disturbed man whose paintings take on a terrifying life of their own.
Cashmere Mafia - The buzz has been building since ABC picked up the show last May; now, Cashmere Mafia is finally getting its premiere. The show's first episode airs Jan. 6 at 10 p.m., then moves into its regular Wednesdays-at-10 time slot. In addition to giving us some relief from the writers' strike, it also sets up the battle (with NBC's forthcoming Lipstick Jungle) for the rights to be the heir to Sex and the City.

Link Time! 12/13

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:45:29 -0800

Tube Talk has an interview with Moonlight's Jason Dohring.
According to MTV Movies Blog, the Lance Armstrong biopic is still on the table, and Matt Damon is still the name being tossed around as the actor to play the athlete.
Stereogum is announcing the results of the reader-submitted 2007 Gummy Awards, starting with Album of the Year: Radiohead's In Rainbows.
LAist has seen the set of the new American Gladiators - and the gladiators themselves. Is it wrong that I'm jealous?
Popwatch is rooting for the song "Falling Slowly" from indie musical Once to triumph at the Oscars over the tunes from Enchanted.
TV Squad introduces us to the new, Will Arnett-voiced, Ford-manufactured KITT for the Knight Rider TV movie.
Pop Candy rustles up a blog post about hidden jokes in Pixar movies.
The Walrus has another new Magnetic Fields song, "California Girls." Let's just say it's not an ode to bikini-clad blondes.
TV with MeeVee makes me wonder: Should I care about the new direct-to-Internet Jackass movie?

Photo courtesy of CBS

Song of the Day: The Magnetic Fields, "Three-Way"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:34:41 -0800

I forgot how much I love 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields until I put the album on the other day after a long absence. Meandering through the massive three-disc song collection, I was reminded of what a stellar songwriter Stephin Merritt is, so it's fitting that this week, a new Magnetic Fields song surfaced on Stereogum.

Called "Three-Way," the tune will appear on the group's new album, Distortion, which comes out in January. It's not the most standout song ever. In fact, it's sort of an odd choice for an early track, since it sounds less like a single and more like a piece of a large puzzle. But the cyclonic melodies, crafted from carnivalistic piano and '60s rock guitars, suggest this new Fields album might go in a totally new direction. And that's exciting to me. Listen and tell me what you think when you read more

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Link Time! Bob Saget Gets His Own Reality Show

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:30:41 -0800

Bob Saget will investigate odd American subcultures on a new reality series for A&E - The Hollywood Reporter
Christopher Waltz talks about The Green Hornet - Vulture
Decorating ideas to steal from the set of New Moon - CasaSugar
Check out the new Alice in Wonderland posters - Rotten Tomatoes
HSM writer Peter Barsocchini is developing a new series for Nickelodeon about Summer camp. Salute your shorts redux? - PopWatch
Rob Marshall will direct Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - Worst Previews
Take a sneak peek at tonight's episode of V - MTV Movies Blog
The Magnetic Fields announce their 2010 tour - Pitchfork
Usher's new album, Raymond vs. Raymond, will drop on Dec.21 - Billboard