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Happy Mother's Day!

BuzzSugar — Sun, 10 May 2009 07:30:55 -0700

Happy Mother's Day, Buzz readers! How fitting that for this lovely occasion I happened to come across a clip that has both one of TV's best moms, Clair Huxtable, and Stevie Wonder singing a tune you might be repeating today, "I Just Called to Say I Love You." Aww!

In this clip from The Cosby Show, Stevie and the Huxtable children coax Clair into singing the song along with Stevie, and then by the end, they've all joined in. Even if you've already had a lot of sweetness and love today, this clip is too heartwarming to pass up. And if you're looking for more fun Mother's Day stuff, try your hand at my TV moms' quiz and movie moms' quiz. Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

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Book Recommendations From Buzz's Mom

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:30:35 -0700

My mom is an avid reader so books are a reliable gift option when Mother's Day rolls around. We have similar tastes but there are definitely some books she gets more excited about than I do. I sometimes ask my friends about their mothers' favorite books to get gift ideas for for my mom, so I thought I'd do the reverse here in case you're scrambling for a last-minute gift for your mom or grandma. So, here are some books my mom likes, in her own words.

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A Mother's Day Quiz: Movie Mamas!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:30:48 -0700

Mother's Day is almost here! As we get ready to honor our real moms, let's think back on some of cinema's memorable mothers.

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Take the quiz

A Mother's Day Quiz: Memorable TV Moms

BuzzSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:30:53 -0700

They may not always be perfect, but many of the most treasured TV moms at least try to do right by their kids (and grandkids!). In honor of Mother's Day this weekend, test your knowledge of these loving, funny, and inspiring TV mamas.

Source, Simpsons image courtesy of Fox, and Gilmore Girls photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Take the quiz

How Well Do You Remember Punky Brewster?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:30:29 -0700

Did you know that May is National Foster Care Month? In honor of this, I’m casting a look back at one of television's most beloved foster kids, Punky Brewster. When I was growing up, I adored this show and I wanted to be just like Punky. I also appreciated that it showed a non-traditional family - with all of its quirks and challenges - proving that family is all about love, not just blood ties.

If you loved Punky, too, then take my quiz and find out how well you recall one of TV's most entertaining kids!

Take the quiz

Desperate Housewives Rundown Episode 15, "Mother Said"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:29:17 -0700

This Mother's Day-themed episode of Desperate Housewives was overflowing with crazy drama - including the departure of one character (though we kinda knew about that one)! I gotta say, this episode made me more uncomfortable than most, between the rudeness of Mike's mother and the entire storyline involving Kayla, it was one long, squirmy evening.

What did you think of "Mother Said"? For a rundown of what else happened this week, and to share your thoughts, read more.

Susan - Wow, poor Susan! Her mother-in-law, Adele is infuriating. She calls Susan a whore, for Pete's sake! After passive-aggressively (or just aggressively) cutting Susan down left and right - from her poor homemaking skills to her klutzy tendencies to, yes, calling Susan a whore in the bedroom (and, um, how did she get that information, exactly?!) - Susan asks Mike to make her stop. Yet in the middle of his standing-up-to-Mom speech, Susan goes into labor. I was a little surprised that Susan's birthing wasn't given a ton more attention. We just see Susan begin to go into labor and then she has a baby in her arms at the very end. I hope that kid becomes best friends with Bree's grandson Benjamin.

Bree - Yeah, talk about discomfort. When Edie uncovers Bree and Orson's secret about Benjamin, she tries to blackmail Bree into being her "very best friend," which, if Edie weren't quite so cruel, would strike me as just incredibly sad. So, rather than live under Edie's thumb, Bree comes clean to her three best buddies, and there's that sweet moment that made me tear up a little: When Gaby asks Bree, "What are you going to do?" Lynette replies, "No, what are we going to do?" Yeah! The four ladies march over to Edie Britt's and tell her that from then on, she's invisible to them. This was like a scene from the elementary school playground, but then again, Edie's immature behavior doesn't lend itself to adult discussion. Still, as terrible as Edie can be, I pitied her when the women literally turned their backs on her.

Gaby - Aww. . . Gaby has a heart! This week she discovers Ellie's real business upstairs: dealing cocaine (I still think it's insanely dumb that even when she goes into Ellie's room and doesn't see, oh, any tattooing equipment it doesn't send up any red flags, but whatever). She and Carlos go to the police who tell them to pretend like nothing's happening, since they want to keep tabs on Ellie and her dealings. In exchange for Gaby and Carlos' cooperation, Carlos will be able to go off probation. Gaby feels conflicted about the whole thing since she's come to truly care for Ellie. It seems slightly incongruous with the Gaby who takes her blind husband for walks and lets the branches hit him in the face, but OK.

Lynette - This storyline consistently made me feel squeamish. Starting with the meeting between Tom, Lynette and the family therapist when it is insinuated that Kayla's behavior is entirely Lynette's fault (?!), and Tom, of course, completely agrees with that. Ugh! The suggested solution is for Lynette and Kayla to spend as much time as possible together, but when Lynette and Kayla go shopping, Kayla acts like a brat and Lynette mostly gives into Kayla's ridiculous demands - until Kayla threatens to see what dangerous things she can get Penny to do, and Lynette slaps her. This gives Tom yet more excuse to be an angry jerk, and now Kayla has leverage over Lynette yet again. It's just all so upsetting, because really, who hasn't wanted to slap Kayla? Not that it makes it OK, I'm just saying.

Edie - After having the tables turned on her by the fearsome foursome, Edie calls her son and tells him she's coming for a visit - a long visit. I was relieved at this ending because a part of me worried that Edie would go down the suicide route once more, and this time maybe succeed.

Katherine - Katherine considers moving to Baltimore to escape Dylan's dad, but Dylan will have none of it. So, Katherine again baits Wayne by telling him she slept with other men while they were married, and that Dylan isn't actually his kid. He does a test to find out if he and Dylan are biologically related, and finds that they aren't. But when she goes over to his apartment (in a scene that I was so hoping wouldn't become sexual; the episode was discomforting enough!), he also realizes that the little girl he raised isn't the same girl as the teenage Dylan he's been spending time with. So, where's his real Dylan? Now that Katherine has succeeded in igniting his rage, I wonder what's going to happen with them in the season finale next week! I just hope Katherine doesn't end up moving away from Wisteria Lane - she's one of my favorite characters on this show.

A Special Mother's Day Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:00:09 -0700

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! If you enter in the correct answer, you win points!
Here's one for all you Gilmore Girls fans!
In a flashback to when Rory was first born, Christopher and Lorelai look at the baby Rory and Christopher says, "She's pretty."
What does Lorelai say next?

Photo courtesy of The CW

Buzz Interview: Marion Ross on Being One of TV's Funniest

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:30:43 -0700

In some ways, Marion Ross is everyone's mother - and grandmother. The actress made an indelible mark on popular culture playing Marion Cunningham - "Mrs. C" - on Happy Days for a dozen years starting in 1974. Since then, she's played mom to Nora Walker on Brothers & Sisters and Drew Carey on The Drew Carey Show and grandmother to many more - everyone from Lorelai Gilmore to SpongeBob SquarePants.

Ross will appear tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on the ABC special TV's All-Time Funniest, in which TV fans nationwide reveal their picks for the funniest characters in a variety of categories. Ross is up for the title of All-Time Funniest Mom - battling against Lucy Ricardo for the title.

Recently, I had a chance to speak with the delightful Ross about her long career, being called "Mrs. C" on the street, and discovering the joys of playing a crochety old woman. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

What's it like for you to be named one of TV's all-time funniest?
I'm so thrilled. I was sure that one of my relatives must have done this - I want to say thank you to my children, thank you to somebody. Isn't that an honor? I'll tell you - me and Lucy!

You have had such a long and really amazing career in television. Have you seen TV change at all over the years?
Well, there's just too much, isn't there? And too much going on. I can't keep track, and I'll think, "Who is that?" I don't know these people yet! It seems like - I must be getting old or something, but everybody looks alike, all these girls with the long blond hair - they all look alike. It's a new generation, and I surrender, because you kids are running it your way. . . . I think there's more creativity going on now than ever before, and it's better, the actors are better.

What do you think are some of the all-time funniest shows?
Well, [I Love] Lucy, of course. Seinfeld. Even Laverne and Shirley - I loved all their physical comedy. . . I loved Doris Roberts in Everybody Loves Raymond.

More from Ross about the overwhelming amount of TV these days, her favorite characters, and being nastier with age if you read more.

What do you watch these days?
That's about it. I'm not a computer person either. But I think that's typical of my generation, I really do - I bet we're all kind of getting like this. I get overwhelmed with so much going on all the time.

Yeah, my cable gets, what, 300 channels or something like that?
Yep. In fact, I can remember sitting on the set of Happy Days and we were saying among ourselves, "You know what? This may never happen again." We had total control of Tuesday night at 8 o'clock, and everybody watched it, and then when they went to school they talked about it the next morning. Now I think Dancing With the Stars or American Idol are in that kind of position, everybody's watching those.

Have you gotten together with any of the Happy Days cast?
We all went to New York recently and did The Today Show. It makes us so happy when we get to see each other because we were a family. And I talk to The Fonz a lot on the phone, because I think he should be on Dancing With the Stars.

Of all of the characters that you've played, are there any that are particularly close to your heart?
I did a series called Brooklyn Bridge, which hardly anybody saw . . . We only made 35 of those shows and they were absolutely brilliant. We won all kinds of awards. So I'm most proud of that, because it was such a different character. I played a Jewish, bullish grandmother - wonderful. I loved her.

Since you've had so many roles and so many mother roles, I'm wondering what people say to you on the street - Do they call you Mrs C?
They call me Mrs. C. I loved That '70s Show [playing Red's mother] - She was a terrible one. She smoked cigarettes, and had irritable bowel disease - she was just awful. I loved her! After I'd been nice so much, I really enjoyed being rude.

It seems like our celebrities are so different now.
Aren't our celebrities different? . . . Now, the rattier you are, the worse of a person you are, then you can be an instant celebrity and a star! And I thought, well, my mother brought me up all wrong. I'm never gonna get anywhere!

You should have gotten into that meaner side a little earlier.
I know! I try to be a good example, and what is it? It's a waste! A waste of time.

Photos courtesy of ABC and Source

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:30:09 -0700

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! Name the first movie to ever use the term "MILF."

The Onscreen Moms We Love to Hate (and Hate to Love)

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:30:23 -0700

When it comes to Mother's Day, many of us think of sweet things like emotional support, chicken noodle soup, etc. However, Hollywood has a way of flipping the idyllic concept of motherhood on its head sometimes, and the effect can be both terribly frightening and highly entertaining. The dysfunctional mother as a source of fear, humor, and irony is as old as the hills, but there are a handful of onscreen moms, ranging from funny-bad to downright evil who stand out from the rest. To see some of my picks, hit "Start."

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