BuzzSugar

Link Time! Watch George Clooney Voicing Fantastic Mr. Fox

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:30:25 -0800

So cool - see how the voice acting was done on The Fantastic Mr. Fox - Cinematical
Comedy Central is teaming up with The Onion for a TV show - The Hollywood Reporter
No Doubt is suing Activision for using their likenesses inappropriately in Band Hero - GeekSugar
2012 already has a TV series sequel, 2013 - MTV Movies Blog
Fox Searchlight has halted the national release of Gentlemen Broncos - Vulture
Sufjan Stevens admits his 50 states album concept was a joke - Stereogum
Amazing video mash-up of scenes with characters saying the movie's title - Videogum
Anthony Hopkins and Annette Bening will play Ernest Hemingway and wife in Hemingway and Fuentes - Variety
The Decemberists' Colin Meloy and wife Carson Ellis are writing a children's book - Pitchfork
10 scary Christmas movies to bridge Halloween and Christmas - Rotten Tomatoes

Link Time! 4/9

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:30:16 -0700

Save One Show is back - can your fave get saved? - Watch with Kristin
This "trailer" for an Everybody Poops movie spoofing Where the Wild Things Are cracks me up. - Cinematical
Speaking of spoofiness, did you catch "Kanye West" on South Park last night? - Popwatch
Chuck week continues with some fun Chuck polls. - Give Me My Remote
Check out No Doubt covering Adam and the Ants' "Stand & Deliver." - PopSugar
Leonard Nimoy as William Bell on Fringe: highly illogical? - The TV Addict
Speaking of which, someone may have cracked the Fringe symbols code. - TV.com
More on Kal Penn's new White House gig. - CitizenSugar
Ben Silverman's time at NBC, in handy charts and graphs. - Vulture

Gossip Girl Countdown: Two Weeks to Go

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:30:51 -0800

My Monday nights have definitely been lacking a certain something since Gossip Girl went into repeats a month ago. But it's starting to seem like we've made it through the worst, as it's just two more weeks till the Upper East Siders are snarking all over my screen again. To celebrate, I've got a quick new look at what's to come, but before that, here's a quick roundup of what we know will be happening when GG finally returns on March 16:

Tamara Feldman will be back as Poppy Lifton, Serena's socialite friend, for four episodes.
She'll factor into Serena's torrid new love affair that may be at least partially inspired by Anne Hathaway's life.
That will also help trigger the return of Georgina Sparks - as a reformed hippie?
Another on the list of returning recurring characters: Carter Baizen (Sebastian Stan).
No Doubt will appear on the show's May 11 episode, otherwise known as the young Lily flashback episode, performing Adam and the Ants' "Stand and Deliver" - though it's unclear if they'll be present-day No Doubt or an '80s throwback.
Oh yeah - and we still have to see some exes kissing (yeah, there be spoilers).

So, let me open this up to you: What do you want to see in the final part of Gossip Girl's season? You can check out a couple of promos if you read more.

Photo courtesy of The CW

Brittany Snow Cast as Lily in Gossip Girl Spinoff

BuzzSugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:30:16 -0800

Casting rumors about the new Gossip Girl spinoff swirled earlier today and now we've got some confirmation: Brittany Snow has been offered the role of young Lily!

We already knew Krysten Ritter would be playing her older sister, and in addition to finding Lily, the show's creators also cast Shiloh Fernandez as Owen, "a hot Valley punk guy with a caustic wit." Here's a new rundown of the show's plot from The Hollywood Reporter:

Overnight, Lily has to transition from a life of luxury and education at a wealthy Montecito boarding school to living deep in the San Fernando Valley she once made fun of and going to public school. Caught between two worlds, Lily dives into the fast-paced Sunset Strip and the Hollywood lifestyle of the '80s, journeying over the hill to a world of wealth and excess that used to be her own.

I enjoyed Snow on American Dreams, and I'm going to keep an open mind about her in this role, but I want to hear from you - is Snow the right fit? Can you picture her as an '80s wild child in Los Angeles? We'll get our first look at her in the role during a special Gossip Girl episode May 11 - which, incidentally, will also feature No Doubt.

Source

Which Do You Prefer: No Doubt or Gwen Stefani's Solo Stuff?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:30:59 -0800

Some music news today: No Doubt is planning to regroup for an album and a tour. In an IM conversation on their site, guitarist Tom Dumont wrote "I have cabin fever. Maybe we should play some shows or something," to which Gwen Stefani responded, "I think we should go out now. I don't think we should wait. Pack up the babies and get a bunch of nannies. So fun! Would be so inspiring to get out there and play all those songs again."

This sounds great to me, as I used to have No Doubt in constant rotation on my stereo way back when. I've liked some of Gwen Stefani's solo stuff, but not as much as songs like "Just a Girl."

Whose music do you like better: Stefani on her own or No Doubt?

Source

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:30:22 -0800

This week's 90210 and Melrose Place combo don't have a ton of shocking moments, but it's obvious both shows are gearing up for major stuff to go down. (Like a drug bust, murder arrest, and Heather Locklear, for instance?!) We do, however, get some nice moments between the characters. Teddy, for one, is acting like an angel - although I can't tell if it's sincere, because I've made it a rule not to trust a guy who ties sweaters over his shoulders. And the gang from Melrose have a nice come-together moment around the pool, which I'd like to see more of.

Not that everything is warm and fuzzy. Hardly. There's still scandal to go around, so ready to decide which gave us more gossip-worthy material? Just read more.

90210 point: Navid discovers Jasper selling Adrianna drugs in her car in the school parking lot. Navid calls Adrianna to confront her, but she of course denies his accusations. Jasper also says the story isn't true and threatens Navid in a "hypothetical" way. Like, "hypothetically if I was a drug dealer, you wouldn't want to mess with me, because I know bad people." Real discreet stuff.
Melrose Place counterpoint: The blood tests from last week's discovery of Sydney's murder weapon come back - and Auggie is the guilty party. Auggie might as well be off the show already, because he is nowhere to be found, supposedly on a trip in Mexico. Ella's relieved, Riley has doubts, and Violet continues to defend him, seeing as how they slept together and she's crazy. When she told Riley that she and Auggie were "intimate" with each other, I nearly ralphed.

90210 point: Debbie is in the doghouse with Dixon. He tries to go comfort Sasha after her "miscarriage," and Debbie admits that Sasha faked the pregnancy - and that she hid the truth. Dixon's unreasonably angry with Debbie, telling her "you're not my real mom anyway." Come on, Dixon. Deb doesn't deserve that.
Melrose Place counterpoint: David sneaks over to Michael's house while he's at work and borrows Noah. He takes his little bro to a fair, but things go amiss when Noah climbs a wall and falls. David rushes him to Lauren at the hospital, and she administers treatment - but not before Michael gets wind of everything. He's understandably furious but later tells David that he's glad he cares about Noah. Could this be the start of an actual relationship between the father and son?!

90210 point: Liam is on the rampage after he tells Mr. Matthews that Jen is psycho and Ryan doesn't believe him. He takes his attitude out on Ivy, Teddy, and an entire group of surfers. Later, Liam explains his behavior, opening up to the guys (and Ivy) about his history with Jen, and the entire thing culminates in a cheesy friend speech to take Jen down, complete with a high-five. [eye roll]
Melrose Place counterpoint: Violet is back to blackmailing Michael. This time, we find out that she's wanted for a court trial for previously resisting arrest. She enlists Michael, suggesting that he find her a lawyer in return for her discretion about their one-night stand. He, in turn, threatens her back, telling her that he can make the sentencing go against her unless she erases the sex video. Which she does . . . or so it seems. I'm still not 100 percent sure that it won't pop up later, but the power play between the two of them was an episode highlight for me.

90210: With Silver's half birthday approaching, her mom decides to make up for years of missed celebrations and throw her multiple parties at once, dressing up their entire house in different themes. The whole thing seemed like a stretch - really, Teddy called his dad's set designer friend to rig up the ambiance? - but it was still nice to see her and her mom get their moment together. Unfortunately, at the end of the episode, Silver goes to wake her mom in the morning and realizes that her mom has passed away.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Whoa, whoa, whoa - Ella makes a move on Jonah that's bold even for her. It all starts when she needs him to pose as a publicist at a lunch with a hot new indie director. The director comes on to Ella, and Jonah swoops in to put off his advances by pretending to be her fiance. They share a steamy kiss to be extra-convincing, and sure enough, once the director is out of sight, Ella suggests that the two of them go to a nearby hotel, so Jonah can see what he's been missing. He angrily tosses Ella's advances by telling her he's in love with Riley. You could tell part of her feels hurt by his words - and that part of him doesn't actually mean them.

90210 point: Annie is falling hard for Jasper. Their back and forth "I love yous" were pretty sickening, and she even gets in a sting at Dixon, defending Jasper and telling Dixon he's a bad judge of character because of Sasha. But the most cringe-worthy part is Annie tells Jasper that she wants him to be her first - and they start tossing on the bed as the episode wraps. Oh, Annie - you're so gonna wish you had given it up to Ethan instead.

Melrose Place counterpoint: You saw it coming: Lauren and David finally kiss! David's actually a standup guy this episode by taking care of Noah, but his speech to Lauren about how he wants her to see the best in him was unexpected - and welcome, in my opinion. Lauren of course is hesitant due to her call girl lifestyle, which David still doesn't know about. I just hope they don't let that hold her back too long, so we can explore these two as a couple.

This is tough one to call, since neither show packed a ton of drama, relatively speaking. I'm going to go with Melrose Place though, since we find Auggie's blood on the murder weapon, Ella propositioning Jonah, and David and Lauren locking lips. But would you argue for 90210 instead? I'll agree that it did include some pretty nasty lines, and obviously Silver's storyline with her mom carries some weight.

Let me know your pick in the comments, then head over to the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community to discuss the show in more detail.

Photos courtesy of The CW

The Box: An Inadequate Package to Unwrap

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:56 -0800

I so wanted The Box to be a worthy successor to Donnie Darko, director Richard Kelly's first film and much-appreciated cult fave. Unfortunately, I didn't exactly get my wish.

The Box is a highly stylized, good-looking thriller, from the retro 1976 Virginia setting to the Barbie and Ken looks of leads Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. They play husband and wife Arthur and Norma Lewis, who run into a bit of a financial jam when a strange opportunity conveniently presents itself. A creepy, disfigured man (Frank Langella) offers them a million dollars if they push a button inside a box - but a stranger will die if they do.

Kelly has all the right elements and the creativity to give us a hip, entertaining thriller, but there are a number of blatant missteps that make the movie unsatisfying. To see more about what I mean, just read more.

Kelly puts his stamp on everything, namely the constant eerie atmosphere and the random sinister characters (apparently an old person standing still in the road is his trademark). Though many questioned the casting of Cameron Diaz and her requisite Virginia accent, there was a similar doubt when Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze were cast in Darko, and it ended up working. With Diaz, it's not that I would say that she nailed the part, but that the accent and greater aspects of the plot are very campy. And I like campy, but I don't know if that's what the film is going for.

If you're not taking it seriously, the movie is a pretty good time, with some frightening scenes and jumps. There are also many parts that are supposed to be creepy, but they're so labored that they come out as funny. Like, laugh out loud in the theater funny. I wouldn't call that a failure, I'd just invoke the term I used before campy.

The major problem the movie runs into is when it begins exploring these sci-fi and supernatural angles, which end up being red herrings. For instance, much is made of Arthur's job at NASA and Mars, which made me think we were in for a weird, wild sci-fi ride. I was ready to embrace something really out there (I'm a big David Lynch fan, after all), but you don't really get it. There are so many elements that are introduced but never followed to a conclusion, so you're left shrugging your shoulders when the movie ends. It's even more perplexing because the mystery of The Box itself is explained, but you're left with all these details that went nowhere, in retrospect. It's one thing to leave things open-ended, but you have to give the audience something to work with.

Honestly, if you're a Kelly fan, you'll probably find it enjoyable. But if you want complete resolution, I'd wait for the director's cut.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

TV Tonight: V Premiere

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:30:28 -0800

The Visitors are coming! Tonight, V invades ABC with an updated redo of the eighties sci-fi series. I'm still somewhat confused over why the network is splitting up the season into two separate installments (the first four episodes now; the rest in March), but you can bet I'll be watching to assess if the show is worth following into Spring.

If you're not familiar with the original - or didn't take a peek at the my video of the first ten minutes - the storyline follows a group of aliens who visit Earth seeking resources in exchange for their advanced technology. But as you might guess, their "good" intentions aren't what they seem. Scott Wolf of Party to Five fame is one of the stars, along with Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost - which is perhaps why I'm already drawing up comparisons to that fan favorite. (Seriously, ABC even has a Peace Ambassador Program online that viewers can join. The Dharma Initiative, anyone?)

I doubt I'll be as addicted to this new group as I am to the Oceanic gang, but I am loving the trailer thanks to Muse's "Uprising" as its theme song. Check it out for yourself, and tell me if you'll be tuning in this evening, when you read more.

Movie Preview: Matt Damon in Green Zone

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:30:59 -0700

Matt Damon is officially a Hollywood juggernaut. Not only does he have a ton of movies in the works (a Liberace biopic, an Eastwood film, and as of today a new project with the Coen brothers), and here's a peek at his upcoming thriller Green Zone. Even though I've been anxiously awaiting a fourth Bourne installment, Green Zone looks like a worthy substitute for the time being. (No doubt because it's directed by Paul Greengrass, who worked on the Bourne franchise.)

Damon is back to kicking butt and taking names as Roy Miller, an Army officer on the search for weapons of mass destruction. During his journey, Miller seeks the help of a journalist (Amy Ryan) and gets tangled up with an underhanded higher-up (Greg Kinnear). As a result of his sniffing around where he's not supposed to, Miller soon ends up with a giant bull's-eye on his head. Dun, dun, dun!

While the storyline doesn't sound entirely fresh, you can still count me in for this one. The trailer has that edge-of-your-seat suspense vibe, and with Damon and Greengrass working together, I know I'm sure to be entertained. It doesn't hit theaters until March 12, 2010, but you can watch the preview when you read more.

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:30:45 -0700

Tuesday night's soapy dramas packed several surprises into this week's episodes - 90210 introduces a whole new character to love (or hate) and Sasha drops a bomb on Dixon; while over on Melrose, Riley and Jonah's seemingly perfect relationship is quickly unraveling. But the biggest surprise of all? Ella was nice. I know, crazy stuff.

Ready to pick apart a few plot lines (spoiler alert!) to determine which show was this week's juiciest? Let the battle begin when you read more.

90210 point: Annie steals a car! In her defense, she was talked into doing it by Jasper, because he wants to film the heist for his "movie." (I purposely put movie in airquotes, because who knows if this guy is for real. I don't trust him.)
Melrose Place counterpoint: Lauren finds out that David has been doing some stealing of his own when diamonds spill out of his bag. She makes a deal with him that she won't turn him in, if he stops. Not that Lauren should be doling out moral advice...

90210 point: A new surfer girl named Ivy arrives, and after accidentally hitting Liam's car, the two get competitive on and off land. He cuts her off at a surf contest, and she fakes a cramp to win. (This is also known as foreplay.) Their flirty antics grab Naomi's attention, who answers back by ditching her relationship with Richard - and her chances at college - for his roommate Jamie.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Violet gives the evil eye to anyone who comes near Auggie. When she sees his concern for Riley, she hints to Jonah about their questionable friendship to help break things up. And those sparrows in the complex that Riley and Auggie seem so smitten with? I doubt it's a coincidence that their nest was later smashed. Watch out Riley - my bet is Violet's gunning for you next.

90210 point: Dixon gets frustrated that he can never be seen with Sasha and dumps her. When she shows up later, he thinks that she's making amends, but actually, she's pregnant. This isn't necessarily new teen territory, but pregnant when you're in an underage relationship? Now that's scandalous.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Where do I begin with Jonah and Riley? First Auggie lets it spill that Riley kissed him, then Riley doesn't 'fess up the truth to Jonah, then Jonah grabs a drink with the hot new film exec who's helping him with his script (Step Up's Jenna Dewan!). We all know where this is headed...
90210 point: Debbie is still fuming over Harry calling her Kelly by accident, but matters worsen when Harry plans to have lunch with her and then cancels to comfort Kelly. Deb shows up to Harry's office with some food, and surprise - Kelly is there. Later, he teases Kelly about how Deb thinks she has a crush on him, but when Kelly doesn't respond right away, Harry realizes it's true. Do you think they're going to have an affair?
Melrose Place counterpoint: Riley models for another fashion shoot, and is asked to get topless by the photographer (Jo from the original Melrose!) In an even bigger shocker, Ella stands up for Riley when Jo starts throwing a few verbal punches at her from behind the camera. She even calls Jo a sell out. Awww, Ella, you do care.

I'm going to have to give this week's round to 90210 yet again. The guys from Melrose weren't bringing that much new drama to the table, but how can you compete with an illegal pregnancy and a car-napping? Do you agree, or should the Jonah and Riley storyline earn Melrose more points?

On a side note, is 90210 setting up Silver and Teddy? Looks so, but I hope not!

Don't forget that you can keep talking about these questions and the rest of the episode over in the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community. Check it out!

Photos courtesy of The CW