BuzzSugar

Song of the Day: Kings of Leon, "On Call"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 07:11:40 PDT

Kings of Leon hail from Tennessee, but the band probably wouldn't get very far on "Nashville Star." The family foursome (including three brothers and a cousin) makes guitar- and bass-heavy Southern rock that just sounds unwholesome. And that's precisely why I like it.

I was a big fan of the band's debut album, Youth & Young Manhood, and though I could never really get into 2005's Aha Shake Heartbreak, I'm heartened by what I've heard off of the band's new album, Because of the Times, which comes out today. In particular, I'm liking the gradual swagger of "Fans" and the space-age organ on "On Call," which you can listen to when you

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Read Our Interviews With Halle Berry, Liya Kebede, Serinda Swan, and More

Jessica Cruel — Sun, 27 May 2012 07:00:00 PDT

Get the inside scoop on celebrity beauty from our interviews with Liya Kebede, Milla Jovovich, Halle Berry, and Serinda Swan.
An up-close look at all the best hair and makeup at Cannes.
Calling all Geminis! These zodiac beauty buys will satisfy your dual personality.
See tips for breaking your nail-biting habit.
Discover the makeup brush you should be using to apply mascara.
Well-groomed brows will always be in style, and here's how to get the look.
Three ways to wear a minty tint on your eyes.
Cream or powder blush? That is the question.
How to get great bridal hair on your wedding day.
Prevent your foundation from melting in the Summer sun.

18 Celebs Who've Welcomed Children Through Adoption

Rebecca M Gruber — Sun, 27 May 2012 04:37:11 PDT

Jillian Michael's news that she recently added two children to her family - one through adoption and one through her partner - wasn't shocking given her earlier announcement about her plans to start a family. She joins a long line of Hollywood parents who've added to their families through adoption. Babies come into homes in many different ways, and Hollywood homes are no different. Some are born at home, some breathe their first gasp of air from the operating table, and some are born to one mother only to find a home with another. Celebs have traveled the world in search of babies to call their own. Here's a look at 18 who have turned to adoption to help complete their families.

Casa Capsule: Unbelievable Design Moments at the Elle Decor Modern Concept House, Memorial Day Decor, and Boho Weddings

Elka Karl — Sat, 26 May 2012 10:00:09 PDT

35 unbelievable design moments from the Elle Decor Modern Life Concept House.
Take a trip to Marrakesh, thanks to this new book.
Indulge in major deals with these Memorial Day sales.
Would you use terrariums at your wedding?
Learn how to make this DIY clothespin chandelier.

Have you tried any of these 100 DIY projects?
We're loving these chic urban homesteading products from Agrarian for Williams-Sonoma.
These design apartments would be amazing places to call home!
Enjoy the gorgeous decor from these bohemian weddings.
Create an amazing outdoor dinner tablescape with these products.

Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson picked up an awesome new house.
See how a cramped city apartment got a beachy makeover.
These gorgeously designed hotels have equally gorgeous rooftop spaces.
See how Snow White and the Huntsman inspired these products.
Ridiculously chic outdoor furniture for your home.

4 Reasons We Can't Wait to Play Harry Potter For Kinect

Laura Marie Given — Sat, 26 May 2012 09:02:00 PDT

There's a book series, a film series, a Florida amusement park, a London studio tour, and, coming this Fall, there will also be the Harry Potter For Kinect video game! Based on the eight films, the game gives diehard fans a chance to experience the movies' most memorable moments for themselves, whether as a character or as their own avatar. Check out the top four reasons we're excited to play:

Pretending we're wizards: Thanks to hands-free and voice-recognition technology, users can cast spells using physical maneuvers or by calling out spell names. We're already practicing our "Expelliarmus!" technique.
Flying (sort of): It's a dream come (virtually) true. Gamers will have the opportunity to fly on a broomstick for their very own Quidditch match.
Walking in Harry's shoes: With the game, users can experience some of Harry's classic moments, like choosing a house at Hogwarts, visiting Ollivanders, and confronting He Who Shall Not Be Named in a final, dramatic battle.
Some friendly competition: Select co-op gameplay to connect with wizardly friends, and master lessons so you can challenge other opponents in competitive minigames.

Do you plan to buy Harry Potter For Kinect?

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Share Your Food Photos on YumSugar

Susannah Chen — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:24:28 PDT

Have you cooked, eaten, or spotted something mouthwatering recently? If so, then don't let anything hold you back from sharing it with the rest of us: we want to feast with our eyes too. On a recent trip to Chicago, I hit up one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Big Star, for some south-of-the-border sustenance and wound up ordering their queso fundido, a platter of melted, pungent, cheesy goodness.

Are you ready to share? We've got a group called Savory Sights, where you can upload mouthwatering images of foods and drinks you've made, consumed, or simply salivated over. Start showing us your photos now. There are lots of ways to participate, so read on to learn more.

What Makes Chili Chili?

Sara Yoo — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:15:25 PDT

Recently, reader Blanca123 raised some interesting questions when responding to our recipe for President Obama's chili:

"Kindly explain why you call this pitifully flavored 'meat one-pot' a chili . . . Where's the heat? No cayenne, red pepper flakes or even hot sauce, much less real fresh chiles? Turmeric? Why?"

She sure got us thinking about what are the intrinsic elements of a true pot of chili. At its most basic level, the slow-simmered one-pot dish contains meat, tomatoes, and some form of heat (chiles, chili powder, hot sauce, etc.), but as most fierce chili chefs will tell you, the secret's in the sauce: everyone has his or her own magical blend.

Traditional Texas-style chili is also known as chili con carne: a blend of meat, tomatoes, and chiles, but strictly free of one ingredient. As devout Texas chili adherents like to say, "If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans." Chili beans (that is, chili con carne with beans) is also a perfectly acceptable dish, but don't omit that key second word. However, whether in the Lone Star State or elsewhere, beans often show up in chili recipes and were used historically when meat was expensive or scarce.

So we want to hear from you: beans or no beans? Does it need to be three-alarm heat or can it still be parked at the station? Can it still carry the lofty title when made with white beans? What makes chili . . . well, chili?

Lil Links: How Do You Decide to Add Another Baby to the Family?

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:32:19 PDT

Is three children one too many? - BabyCenter Blog
Sienna Miller shows off her boho-chic bump - Celebrity Baby Scoop
16 reasons to live like a 2-year-old - HuffPost Parents
Jillian Michaels says adoption is a calling - Celebrity Baby Blog
The pros and cons of common labor and delivery positions - FitPregnancy
The best baby travel gear - Parenting
9 cute headbands for baby girls - The Bump
Should this little girl's hair bow have been banned from school? - Yahoo! Shine
6 mom-approved movies for grade-school kids - Circle of Moms
How to cut your kids' hair at home - LearnVest
Custom birthday books moms and kids will love - Cool Mom Picks

The First Lady's Minty Spring Pea Salad

Lauren Hendrickson — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:07:30 PDT

Fresh green peas are the first sign for Spring and since they have a short season, I always get my fill before they disappear come Summer. And just in the nick of time, I spotted a new recipe from Michelle Obama's upcoming book, American Grown.

The First Lady's pea salad calls for peas, shallots, leeks, and mint, all tossed together with a healthy cream dressing.
After shelling the peas, they are quickly blanched and immediately soaked in an ice bath after cooking to ensure they don't end up mushy. The whole process, which might sound a bit complicated, actually takes just a few minutes. Michelle's recipe originally called for adding puréed peas into the salad, but since I already had my blender out, I opted to add the lemon juice and olive oil in with the pea purée for an even smoother dressing. The result was a spring salad that'd be great to bring along to a seasonal party, since it can be made ahead, and the flavor only gets better with time.

My advice: run to the farmers market before all the year's peas are gone, then make this spring pea salad recipe.

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!