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Movie Preview: What Goes Up

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:30:54 -0700

The cast for What Goes Up is pretty great: Steve Coogan, Molly Shannon, Olivia Thirlby, Josh Peck, Hilary Duff and more (oooh, I love seeing Thirlby and Peck on screen together again after starring in The Wackness). It's hard to decipher what exactly is going on in the trailer (there are nerdy students, there seems to be a death) so I'll leave it to the movie's website to sum up the plot:

It is 1986. An emotionally damaged New York reporter is sent to cover the hometown hoopla for a local hero. But rather than pursue his assignment, which leaves him cold, he follows a group of disaffected students, whose own hero - their beloved, unconventional teacher - has just died under a cloud of scandal. Their passionate and, at times, ludicrous expressions of grief attract the reporter.

Interestingly, this is the kind of independent movie you'd expect to see at the larger film festivals, given the names in its ensemble cast, but it didn't, which is a thing that makes me go "hmm." The movie hits theaters in limited release May 29. To watch the trailer for yourself, read more.

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TV Tonight: Kath and Kim Take on Breast Cancer

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:30:17 -0700

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and tonight, NBC's Kath and Kim is getting into the act. The mother-daughter team at the heart of the comedy has hooked up with Ford's Warriors in Pink campaign to help promote awareness of the disease in tonight's episode.

Anyone who tunes into the show tonight will have a chance to win a Ford Warriors in Pink Mustang (which will also be Kim's car for the duration of the season - huh, who knew she had a license?). There's also a funny little spot at the end of the show spotlighting breast cancer awareness in a way that only Kath and Kim can: by talking about how they need to pick a cause, what with being celebrities and all.

Last week's Kath and Kim premiere got a mixed reaction, but this sounds like as good a reason as any to give the show another try. If you didn't see the first episode, you can watch a quick recap of it if you read more.

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First Look: NBC's Kath and Kim

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:35:35 -0700

It was almost a year ago that I first caught wind of Kath and Kim, NBC's remake of the hit Australian comedy. Since then, Molly Shannon and Selma Blair have been cast in the leads as a dysfunctional mother-daughter team, and NBC has picked the show to anchor its Thursday night comedy lineup. I started seeing promos for the show over the weekend, and so far, I'm finding them completely delightful.

For one thing, it's great to see Molly Shannon with a sassy, blonde haircut and some seriously out-there clothes. For another, I'm loving the attitude Selma Blair's bringing to her role, falling somewhere between entitled princess and petulant teenager. While the two apparently look very little like their Australian counterparts, maybe they can turn the show into an equally big hit.

The odds may be against this remake - and I mean literally, as Horizon Media has already pegged it as one of the shows most likely to fail this Fall - but if the full episodes can keep the easy humor of these promos, I think it stands a chance. To check them out, just read more.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Selma Blair Heads to TV for NBC's Kath and Kim

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:30:13 -0800

Selma Blair has been focusing on her film career for years, but now she's headed back to the small screen. After a long search, NBC has tapped her to play opposite Molly Shannon in the comedy Kath and Kim.

The show, based on an award-winning Australian series, focuses on the dysfunctional relationship between a mother, Kath (Shannon), and her daughter, Kim (Blair). It's been a high priority at NBC for a while: The network first picked up the pilot a year ago, and NBC entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman was talking it up way back at last summer's TCA, but it was reportedly tough to find the right actresses for the leads. The series comes from Silverman's production company, Reveille, which also adapted The Office and Ugly Betty for US television.

This is Blair's first regular TV role since her breakout appearance as Zoe on the WB's Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane back in 1999. Can you see her playing Shannon's daughter? To watch part of an original Kath and Kim episode, just read more

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Buzz News Roundup, 10/3

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:34:53 -0700

Zap2It reports that an asteroid has been named after George Takei!
According to Variety, computers, photographs and proprietary information were stolen from the production of the fourth Indiana Jones movie.
There will be a fourth Fast and Furious movie, with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker probably starring again, Reuters reports.
If you want a spoiler on which "House" docs make the new team, you might want to check out this casting news from the Hollywood Reporter.
The season premiere of "Dexter" drew 1 million viewers, writes TV Week, making it the first Showtime premiere to go over a million.
NME has an exclusive interview with Radiohead about In Rainbows.
Molly Shannon will star as Kath, the mother part of a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship in the NBC series "Kath and Kim," writes Hollywood Reporter.
ComingSoon reports that Kevin Dillon has signed on for the starring role in National Lampoon's "sword-and-sandal epic spoof" 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas.
According to Zap2It, Comedy Central has picked up a "Daily Show" spin-off focusing on comedian Demitri Martin.
Hulk Hogan will host NBC's "American Gladiators" revival, and the Futon Critic has the details.
Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody has sold another script, this one a "female-driven comedy set at a college" titled Girly Style, writes Hollywood Reporter.

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Molly Shannon Joins "Pushing Daisies"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:36:38 -0700

A cute show just got cuter:
Molly Shannon, she of the wacky "Saturday Night Live" characters, is joining the cast of "Pushing Daisies" as a guest-star over several episodes, according to TV Guide.

What's she doing?
Shannon will make her first appearance in November as Dilly Balsam, the owner of a saltwater taffy shop that moves in right across from lead character Ned's bakery, the Pie Hole. Mmmmm ... taffy and pie.

This show is so precious, it hurts.
I mean, it's about a piemaker who brings his childhood sweetheart back from the dead, so its quirkiness is pretty much guaranteed from the start. But let's review the other guest actors cast in the show so far: Paul Reubens as Alfredo Aldarisio, a traveling salesman peddling homeopathic antidepressants, and the adorable Jayma Mays as a woman named Elsita who lives and works in a windmill. How darling!

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Buzz News Roundup, 6/27

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:00:22 -0700

Just when we thought it was gone, "According to Jim" is back from the dead for 18 more episodes, TV Guide reports.
Reuters is reporting on a remake of Hitchcock's 1927 movie The Lodger, this time as an "urban thriller set in Los Angeles" and directed by documentarian David Ondaatje.
Blood Diamond's Djimon Houndsou has been cast in the drama Get Some about an underground fight club, Variety reports.
Zap2It reports that Molly Shannon has signed on for a Lifetime original movie titled More of Me about a woman so busy she splits into three people.
Billboard tells us that for the first time since 1988, Bon Jovi takes the No. 1 spot on The Billboard 200.
Lots of casting news: Zap2it reports that Oliver Platt and Lauren Hutton will guest-star on "Nip/Tuck," and the Hollywood Reporter says Portia De Rossi will join them. The Hollywood Reporter also says Sofia Myles is the new female lead in "Moonlight," while DW Moffett is the new star of the CW's "Life is Wild."
NME gets word that Lily Allen has started working on her second album in New York.
I'm not sure if we really needed another online video site, but MySpace will launch one this week anyway, the New York Times reports.
Slate wonders: Did Die Hard spawn the greatest one-liner in movie history?

Year of the Dog: Sweet as a Trusty Old Companion

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:00:46 -0700

There is a comfort in having an obsession, in committing oneself entirely to something. And for every obsession, there are niche communities where that obsession is shared - and at least a few people who will deem it silly. The idea that everyone needs at least one thing to pour herself into is the theme of Year of the Dog, a cute movie with plenty of heart and poignant truthfulness.

Molly Shannon plays Peggy, a secretary whose life consists mainly of caring for her dog Pencil, so when Pencil suddenly meets his mysterious demise, Peggy's life starts to unravel. She grieves helplessly, unsure of how to fill her time. Her next-door neighbor Al (John C. Reilly) takes Peggy out on a date, though Peggy is soon repelled by his fondness for hunting. Peggy's girlish friend Layla (Regina King) thinks Peggy should be as obsessed with romance and marriage as she is and pushes Peggy to keep dating. Layla's not the only one with ideas about how to distract Peggy from her loss, though, so

When veterinary assistant Newt (Peter Sarsgaard) pairs Peggy up with an abused dog, Peggy delightedly gains both a new dog and a new friend/love interest. After spending time with Newt, Peggy turns vegan and begins campaigning for animal rights. Her wish to save all animals everywhere, however, spins out of control, until she finds herself taking her young niece and nephew to a chicken slaughterhouse. Her new obsessions become all-consuming, and she must learn how to pursue her passions without losing herself completely.

Like Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon seems to understand that if she is as honest as possible, the humor and the pathos will follow, making her performance excellent almost because it's so ordinary. Everyone else does their respective things: John C. Reilly is bumbling and unaware, Sarsgaard's sleepy eyes say all he needs to say, and Regina King infuses each of her scenes with a glassy brightness. Laura Dern is perhaps most noteworthy - and funniest - as Peggy's sister-in-law, so fearful for her kids' safety that overprotecting them is her own obsession.

The movie has a comforting this-is-real-life feel to it, reminiscent of director Mike White's other successful film, The Good Girl, though thankfully Year of the Dog is far less depressing in the end. It won't knock your socks off, but sometimes, you just want to wear your fuzzy old slippers anyway.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage

Movie Preview: Year of the Dog

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 07:28:01 -0700

It's hard to look at Molly Shannon without thinking of her Catholic schoolgirl character, Mary Katherine Gallagher, from "SNL" and Superstar. But with her latest project, Year of the Dog, she's looking to change all that. Shannon plays Peggy, whose world revolves around her dog, Pencil. When he suddenly passes away, Peggy feels lost at sea and needs to find something else to consume her attention. The people in her life all have different views on how she should distract herself. Her bubbly girlfriend Layla (Regina King) pushes Peggy to start dating, while cute veterinary assistant Newt (Peter Sarsgaard) urges her to adopt a new dog. Ultimately, though, Peggy has to find her own path.

First of all, Pencil is a hilarious name for a dog. Secondly, the movie's website is unusually cute and fun. Finally, the trailer is adorable, and the film looks like a strange, sweet indie flick. Watch for my review later this week when the movie comes out in limited release, and you can check out the trailer if you read more

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