BuzzSugar

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 08:00:38 PDT

Hooray for "Ugly Betty"'s Becki Newton! Check out my interview with the thoughtful and funny lady. Also, did you notice how funny Tyler Labine was in "Reaper" this week? I interviewed him, too!
Welcome back, fall TV! Want to weigh in on what you thought of this week's wave of season premieres? Check out my rundowns of this week's "Heroes," "House," "Private Practice," "Reaper," "The Office," "Grey's Anatomy," "Chuck" and "Ugly Betty." If you watched closely this week and think you know your stuff, take my TV quiz!
Speaking of fall, get in the mood for the chilly season with Matt Pond PA's distinctly autumnal album Last Light. I think it's pretty darn great.
Tell me: in this hypothetical situation, who would you cast in a modern remake of Fast Times at Ridgemont High?
Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman star in Hotel Chevalier, Wes Anderson's short film that is now available for free on iTunes.
What's your favorite one-liner from TV or movies? I had a hard time choosing between "I'll have what she's having" (When Harry Met Sally) and "May the Force be with you" (Star Wars).

CD Review: Matt Pond PA, Last Light

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:30:17 PDT

I don't know who chose today as the release date for Matt Pond PA's new album, Last Light, but the music couldn't be more perfectly suited to the waning days of summer. From the painfully timely title track to the gentle acceptingness of the final song, "It's Not So Bad at All," the music perfectly captures that mix of depression and optimism that has plagued my summer-fall transition since my first year of school.

Not surprisingly, I picked this record as one of my September must haves. For what I thought, and to hear one of the standout tracks,

Before hearing this album, I decided that if every song was all as great as "People Have a Way," then Last Light could be a masterpiece. While it doesn't quite live up to that tall order, there are moments of emotive mastery mixed in among the duds. With the string-driven beats and hard-charging piano, this Matt Pond PA reminds me a little of Andrew Bird if Bird got a little more emo.

In fact, I'd still call this album a must-listen for the autumnal mood is sets so well. "Basement Parties" captures the hungover doldrums that often come with the end of summer, and almost everywhere else, the waning sunlight theme rears its melancholy head. On "Foreign Bedrooms," Pond sings: "deep in the night / with halos around the lights / there's nothing to hold / it's all letting go, don't you know it?" By the end, you'll be happy to give in to the futile battle against fall.

BuzzSugar's Must-Haves for September

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 05:30:00 PDT

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. With fall in the air, here are a half-dozen of the goodies I'm craving this month.

To hear why these six things are at the top of my list, just

Run by Ann Patchett - The new novel from Patchett (who also wrote Bel Canto), which will be released Sept. 25, takes place over 24 hours in the life of a Boston family and deals with sprawling themes of race, family and class. But I'm most intrigued by one review of it that equates it to good television writing, similar in pacing and style to "Six Feet Under" or "The Sopranos."
Matt Pond PA: Last Light - I was already impressed with one song off this band's latest full-length album, which will be released Sept. 25, and I've just spent the afternoon with the title track, "Last Light," wedged in my head thanks to the band's MySpace page. I think this album will be just the thing to help me transition to the colder months.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Seasons 1 and 2 - I just love this weird-dark-funny show centered around four friends and Danny Devito. In some ways, the bizarre humor reminds me of "Arrested Development," and since it's on FX, the writers can get away with much edgier stuff. This 2-season DVD set (which actually comes out today) is a must-have for my collection.
Iron & Wine: The Shepherd's Dog - When the chill of fall first comes into the air, it's time for me to reach for my Iron & Wine albums. The perfect thing for curling up with on a cool night, Sam Beam's gentle rhythms and sublime storytelling never fail to satisfy me, so I'll be picking up his newest album when it comes out Sept. 25.
TiVo HD Series 3 - If I could have any one thing as fall TV season kicks in, it would be this TiVo, which holds 300 hours of standard programming (or 32 hours of HD programming) and allows for recording two TV shows simultaneously, an absolute necessity for me. Its price tag is hefty (almost $800 plus monthly fees), but hey, a girl can dream.
Stars: In Our Bedroom After the War - The first song I heard from this Canadian band's new album made me think of a perfect scene from a yet-to-be-written movie. Though I haven't heard the whole album yet, some early reviews promise that the full album continues that cinematic scope. The album will be released Sept. 25, but if you can't wait till then, you can download it now.

Song of the Day: Matt Pond PA, "People Have a Way"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:07:40 PDT

I was pleasantly surprised to discover so many Matt Pond PA fans the last time I posted a song by the string-laden Brooklyn band. But if you liked "If You Want Blood," then this new track will really blow you away.

Off the band's upcoming album, called Last Light and due in September, "People Have a Way" sounds like modern indie-rock with a touch of '80s nostalgia. It builds slowly from an energized rocker with pounding piano and handclaps into a super-charged anthem. Give it a listen and tell me what you think when you

Thanks to My Old Kentucky Blog for posting the song.

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 12:08:56 PDT

It's Father's Day weekend! I made up lists of my Top 10 Movie Dads and my Top 10 TV Dads. Also, check out this Father's Day playlist I created - you can even give it to your dad as a gift!
Are you watching this season of "Big Love"? I found this cool clip, along with some interesting back stories.
Check out my favorite new songs this week: one by Iron and Wine, and another by Matt Pond PA.
Because Hostel: Part II did poorly at the box office, some people are saying the horror genre is dead. I'm not so sure about that. What do you think?
Did you read the Nancy Drew books as a kid?
How did you feel about the series finale of "The Sopranos"? David Chase had a thing or two to say about it.
Feist is pretty awesome in this video of her playing "I Feel it All."
If you could recast the 1985 movie Clue, which actors would you pick?

Source

Song of the Day: Matt Pond PA, "If You Want Blood"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:48:26 PDT

Don't be scared by the gruesome name or the hatchet-motif cover art. Matt Pond PA's new song, "If You Want Blood," is an energetic Summer anthem, heavily infused with orchestral strings, punchy tambourines, and swerving guitars.

Fans of Andrew Bird and The Shins should definitely give a listen to this roadtrip-worthy track, which will appear on the band's upcoming EP of the same name. Here's hoping the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Philly group's long-awaited sixth album follows soon. If you like this track, you should also check out "Magic Boyfriend" on the band's MySpace page. To hear "If You Want Blood,"

Meet This Year's James Beard Award Winners

Susannah Chen — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:36:10 PDT

The time has finally arrived: the James Beard Awards, or the Oscars of the food world, have just been announced. After months of suspense following the announcement of this year's semifinalists and subsequent finalists, the results were announced at a star-studded gala in New York's Lincoln Center, where a smattering of top talent from Grant Achatz to Top Chef winner Paul Qui walked home with medals.

For the first time ever, there was an Outstanding Bar Program award, and it went to Jim Meehan, owner and bar manager at PDT in New York City. Other highlights? Eleven Madison Park's Daniel Humm nabbed top prize for Outstanding Chef; Wolfgang Puck spoke at length as he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar fame took home title of Rising Star Chef; the pastry wunderkind declared that if she could cook anything for James Beard, it would be turkey pot pie. Read ahead to see the full list of 2012 James Beard Award winners.