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Mother and Child: Heartbreakingly Lovely

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:30:42 PDT

Have you ever been grateful to disappear into an emotional roller coaster of a movie? One that doesn't manipulate you, but genuinely makes you feel compassion and heartache? This is how I can sum up Mother and Child, a drama about the complexities of maternity from writer/director Rodrigo Garcia. Annette Bening is at the helm of the ensemble cast as Karen, a middle-aged woman who grieves daily for the baby she gave up at 14. Naomi Watts plays Elizabeth, the grownup child Karen has never met, and Kerry Washington is a conflicted wife who is pretty sure she wants to be a mother.

These aren't just sad, woeful women; they're strong, but also majorly flawed. Elizabeth's cavalier treatment of the lives around her is hard to swallow, but her destructive personality is a direct result of her loveless upbringing. Bening is also quite unlikeable as Karen (the nature of their shared biology isn't lost on anyone). Throughout the film, you wonder how both of their lives would have been different had they known each other all along. Would they be softer, more loving?

The pace of the movie is somewhat slow, but it's well-suited to the subject matter; it makes you think, feel, and grieve along with its characters. To find out why, just

The performances in this movie are stellar; not only are Bening and Watts predictably great, but the supporting cast also makes magic. S. Epatha Merkerson and Shareeka Epps (best known from Half Nelson) are both superb, while Samuel L. Jackson manages to break away from typecasting, playing the man who falls for Elizabeth with surprising gentleness.

The ensemble format, overused in recent years, actually works fantastically for Mother and Child. It allows for multiple layers of plot and character; no person is one-dimensional, and even in their lowest moments, you sympathize with everyone.

My only complaint ultimately proves to be moot; the separate storylines seem to fray as the story builds - until the climax, when the paths are organically and beautifully merged. It's an emotionally satisfying ending for a beautifully acted and written film.

Movie Preview: Watts and Bening in Mother and Child

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:30:19 PDT

How do you make two brilliant actresses even more compelling on screen? Make them mother and daughter. It's the case for Naomi Watts and Annette Bening in bittersweet drama Mother and Child, although it comes with a caveat: Watts plays Elizabeth, the daughter Bening's character gave up for adoption and has never met.

Motherhood is the central theme of the movie - Kerry Washington also stars as a woman who is trying to adopt, while Elizabeth finds herself pregnant. Intriguingly, Samuel L. Jackson plays against type here as Elizabeth's love interest in what seems like a sweet and subdued role. The trailer is moving and slightly somber, but it looks to be full of great performances. It's a pretty large ensemble - Jimmy Smits, David Morse, and Carla Gallo also appear, and speaking of, keep an eye out for Life Unexpected's Britt Robertson.

To see the preview, just

Buzz News Roundup, 11/7

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:31:04 PST

Fox has announced its Winter schedule, and is moving "houses" with Dollhouse on Fridays and House on Mondays. - Zap2it
Antonio Banderas is in talks to portray Salvador Dali in the indie biopic, Dali. - Variety
Dylan McDermott will play the lead in a TNT pilot called The Line, about a group of undercover LAPD officers. - The Hollywood Reporter
HBO has bought the rights to a documentary about Barack Obama that's been in the works since 2006. - AP
In other Obama-related news, Bruce Springsteen's next album is expected for release around the time of Obama's January inauguration. - Billboard
Reiko Aylesworth is in talks to join the cast of Lost as "Amy, a smart and successful professional woman with a love for the outdoors who is looking for the right man." - ComingSoon
Annette Bening and Naomi Watts will star together in Mother and Child, a drama from writer and director Rodrigo Garcia. - ComingSoon
ABC won't air the Alyssa Milano comedy Single with Parents. - Variety

Photos courtesy of Fox

9 Ways to Earn Extra Cash When Money Is Tight

Wise Bread — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:51:58 PDT

I'm sure everyone can do with a little more cash in their wallets. Here are some great suggestions by Wise Bread for you to make extra money.

Even though I'm self-employed full-time, I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to make more money.

Earlier this year, I wrote a Wise Bread post on websites that can help you earn extra cash. More recently, I came across a blog post on Zaarly titled, "10 Ways to Make Money Without a Job." After reviewing the latter post, I thought it was time to revisit the topic and let you in on a few more ways to get paid.

The ideas that Zaarly presents are perfect for the unemployed or those who just want to pad their pockets a little more. In addition, there are moonlighting jobs that I do that I thought you should know about. Thus, if you're without a steady paycheck or you just want to build up a rainy-day stash, here are some of your options.

1. Offer Experiences to Strangers

I recently learned about a new site called Vayable, which allows people with specialized knowledge and talents, local info, and time on their hands to create experiences that others can purchase. It's basically a touring and activity company without the company. Anyone can join the site and set up an experience. For instance, the Kan Brothers offer motorcycle tours of San Francisco - which include helmet rental, a drink at a local hot spot, and a city map - for two to four people at $75 per person. In New York City, Kim G. is offering a personalized painting lesson for groups of two to six for a flat rate of $300; the experience includes acrylic paints; canvas board and supplies; studio space; wine, cheese, and crackers; and Kim’s undivided attention. Consider this tip if you're interested in joining Vayable: Browse the site to see what other people in your area are offering. By creating a unique experience that no one else has established, you have a better chance of getting booked.

Read on for more.

What to Expect (Beauty-Wise) When You're Expecting

Jessica Cruel — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:07:00 PDT

Moms-to-be, we salute you. Perhaps your body is changing, and you're not quite sure if your favorite beauty treatments are allowed. In honor of today's release of What to Expect When You're Expecting, we reached out to Dr. Lindsay Cruel, OB/GYN (also known as my dad) to debunk any pregnancy beauty myths. Find out your prenatal dos and don'ts when you read more.

How I Learned to Love Tuna

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:24 PDT

Growing up, I never went through a picky stage, and today there is nothing that I wouldn't taste - except for one fishy thing. As a small child, my mother claims I gorged on tuna fish with no hesitation, but for some inexplicable reason, things took a very different turn. It's been a family mystery ever since.

I recently moved in with a new roommate and felt confident that, when it came to all things kitchen, I had covered all the bases with her: sharing food is a necessity for me (labeling containers just seems so sad and weird), if there are dishes in the sink, just do them (it all evens out eventually), and depending on the week, I call for Indian takeout an embarrassing amount of times.

Then it happened. I walked into the apartment postwork one rainy night and saw my roommate cooking up tuna and tomato soup in the kitchen. That was when I realized I'd left an important detail out of the equation.

Keep reading to see how I faced up to my fear of tuna.

What to Expect Author, Heidi Murkoff, Shares Women's Biggest Pregnancy Surprise

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:02:05 PDT

It's hard to imagine a time when Heidi Murkoff's What to Expect When You're Expecting wasn't a staple on nightstands of expectant moms. But 28 years ago, when Murkoff was unexpectedly pregnant with her first child, she didn't know where to turn for information about how her baby was growing or what she could eat. Being an information hound, she gobbled up information and turned her research into a book that has become the go-to source for newly expectant mothers. Fast forward a few decades and her nonfiction resource is now receiving a big-screen adaptation with Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, and Brooklyn Decker playing five women on the brink of parenthood. I sat down with the author to discuss the state of pregnancy today and how things have changed since she was a first-time parent.

LilSugar: It's been 28 years since the first edition of What to Expect When You're Expecting hit store shelves. Why is it still relevant today?
Heidi Murkoff: It's evolved over the years. The first edition of the first book is definitely not relevant now. First of all, she's in a rocking chair, in a potato sack, polyester pup tent! But certainly some things about pregnancy never change. It's still nine months, you're still bloating, crazy constipated, all those mood swings, etc., but a lot of things have changed. If you look at the fourth edition compared to the first edition - she's on her feet, she's smiling, she's pregnant and proud, she's happy to be pregnant. Sure, she may still be bloated and leaking and constipated, but she's celebrating her pregnancy and her body, which is something that is so different from back in the day, where we covered it up and we had to sit and wait for it to be over. We didn't embrace our pregnant selves and we definitely do now.

Keep reading to see what Murkoff says is the biggest surprise women discover about pregnancy.

Tom Cruise on His Beautiful, Creative Wife and Growing Up Without His Dad Around

Allie Merriam — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:33:00 PDT

Tom Cruise chatted with Playboy about his new movie Rock of Ages, but the conversation between the actor and interviewer Michael Fleming got quite personal. No stranger to promoting movies, Tom is happy to discuss his career and ambitions, but rarely talks about his childhood. However, in Playboy, Tom gave a great deal of insight about growing up with his mom and sisters, but not his dad. Tom also spoke about the tough career time he went through in 2005 after PR-unwise interviews on the Today show and Oprah. Tom additionally had nothing but kind words to say about his wife Katie Holmes and their family. Here are highlights:

On loving Katie: "She is an extraordinary person, and if you spent five minutes with her, you'd see it. Everything she does, she does with this beautiful creativity. When she becomes interested in something, she doesn't talk about it, she does it. One week I said to her, 'You've been up in the middle of the night. Is everything okay?' She smiled and then threw this thing on my desk and said, 'I wrote this script.' She wanted to try it, and she did. She wanted to try designing clothes, and now her line is wonderful and, to me, an example of how she just creates beautiful things in her life. She has a voice and warmth as an artist, as a mother. She's funny and charming, and when she walks into the room, I just feel better. I’m a romantic. I like doing things like creating romantic dinners, and she enjoys that. I don't know what to say - I'm just happy, and I have been since the moment I met her. What we have is very special."
On growing up without his dad around: "It wasn't a big conflict when I was growing up; that's just the way it was. I don't look back and feel bad. I know some people do, but it's not a burden I carry through life. It's more like, OK, this happened. That's how he behaved, that's how he did things. He tried, but it just was who he was. Traveling has given me a broader understanding of people, and I've always been interested in the similarities we have and why people make certain choices in life. I got an introduction to that as a young child, but it never felt like a weight I carried on my shoulders."
On how he looks so young: "I honestly have no idea. [laughs] I work. I'm always with family. I train, go without sleep. I just go hard."

To read more about what Tom says on having the same values as when he was a child, not caring about bad press, and his tough times in 2005, just read more

Shaquille O'Neal's Mom Opens Up About Education, Sports, and Keeping Kids Motivated

Yahoo Shine — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:02:33 PDT

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Yahoo! Shine:

When basketball star Shaquille O'Neal was still a kid, he knew that he had to get good grades before he could to play sports.

"In our home we had a rule: No pass, no play," his mother, Lucille O'Neal, told Yahoo! Shine in an interview. "If you didn't pass the grade, then you weren't allowed to play the extracurricular activity." That dedication to his studies is still strong: On May 5, the four-time world champion and 15-time All Star player earned his doctorate in education from Barry University in Miami. That's earned, mind you, not honorary. According to The Miami Herald, Shaq, 40, spent the past 4 1/2 years working toward a doctoral degree in organizational learning and leadership with a specialization in human resource development, studying before and after NBA games and between segments as a sports analyst on TV.

Keep reading to hear Lucille's advise for parents.

5 Things You Can Do For Your Mom This Mother's Day - and 5 She Can Do For You

Kate Stahl — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:42:34 PDT

Mother's Day is double the fun when you're a mom yourself. Not only do you get a day that celebrates you, but you have a whole new appreciation for your own mom, who definitely deserves some special attention. If you're both looking for ways to celebrate each other, consider the following 10 tips - five are just for you, and five are for her.

For You: She can offer perspective. When you're in the thick of sleepless nights, endless teething, and toddler temper tantrums, motherhood can seem overwhelming. But your mom survived it, and she can tell you how quickly "this too shall pass" and remind you to appreciate the fleeting moments.
For Her: You can allow her to revisit the early days of being a mom . . . without all the stress. Changing diapers, making bottles, and soothing baby breakdowns can actually be fun when you're grandma (or at least that's what our moms tell us), so let her step in and take a trip down memory lane.
For You: She can provide worry-free (and free!) babysitting. Grandparents are second only to you when it comes to caring about your kids. Take advantage of her desire to spend time with your lil ones and take a break!
For Her: You can give her your time. Offer to help her with a project in which you have expertise. Help her figure out that iPad or fancy camera, weed her garden, or just (finally) clean out your childhood closet.

Click here for six more Mother's Day gifts you and your mom can give each other.