BuzzSugar

Link Time! 4/22

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:29:40 PDT

The Film Experience has a great collection of photos of Penelope Cruz trying out different hairstyles and makeup ideas for her next Pedro Almodovar film, Broken Embraces.
The season finale of Oprah's Big Give left TV Filter feeling less than charitable.
It's that time of year again: Head over to the MTV Movies Blog to submit your 3-minute movie spoof for the 2008 MTV Movie Awards.
After last night's Gossip Girl, the TV Addict proposes new meanings for O, M, F, and G.
The Merry Swankster has a track-by-track preview of the new Wolf Parade album.
Popwatch wonders which TV guest stars have driven you to IMDb and Netflix their past work.
TV Squad stands up for How I Met Your Mother co-creator Craig Thomas, who always seems to get left out of discussions about the show.
Rolling Stone's Rock & Roll Daily wonders why David Cook's best-selling album was suddenly pulled from Amazon's mp3 store.

Do You Want to Watch a Competition About Giving?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:30:38 PST

Oprah is hoping to convert her daytime success into some primetime interest with a new series called Oprah's Big Give, in which 10 regular people will compete to "outgive" each other in a variety of contests. In the first episode, for example, contestants are tasked with changing someone's life in a big and creative way. The person who does the least to help his or her stranger will be sent packing, while the rest continue on to other charitable challenges.

While a show about helping other people sounds like a good thing - and certainly not the worst use of reality TV ever - it strikes me as odd to send someone home for not giving well enough. Aren't judging and giving sort of opposites? Check out the preview below and let me know what you think. Is this something you're excited to watch?

Would You Want to be as Successful as Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg?

Emily Co — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:34:15 PST

Many of us look up to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg as a role model because she's one of the most successful female business leaders of our time. She's consistently ranked by Forbes as one of the most powerful women in the world and she's estimated to be worth a cool $1.6 billion. She's the face of women trying to crack the glass ceiling, and with so many glowing praises showered on Sandberg, I was surprised to see career blogger Penelope Trunk make the bold statement that "very few women want to be Sandberg." Trunk explains:

"Sandberg wants to be a role model for women who want big, exciting careers. But here’s the problem: women don't want to be Sandberg. It’s no coincidence that the number one woman on the list of self-made millionaires is Oprah. She has no kids and no husband. She’s fascinating, nice, and smart. But few of us would really enjoy her life.

Sandberg and Oprah represent extreme choices in life. The things they give up are not things that most women would want to give up in exchange for the wild career success they could have . . . You can't have small kids and a startup if you want to see your kids."

Everyone has a different definition of what it means to "make it." In fact, success for many women doesn't mean climbing the corporate ladder; it's having a good work-life balance, according to a More magazine survey. The Facebook executive may be one of the wealthiest women around, but her intensive job may leave her with less time to spend with her two kids and husband. What about you - would you want to be as successful as Sheryl Sandberg?

Join Us For a Virtual Cookie Swap!

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:14:47 PST

All that holiday gifting is only half the merriment of the holidays. The rest of it - in our opinion, at least! - comes from the joy of making and savoring special holiday treats that only come once a year. The minute Thanksgiving passed, we move on to dreaming about all the holiday dessert possibilities, and there are simply too many on our to-make list to name. From gingerbread cookies to peppermint patties, we'll be cooking up a storm, but one thing's for sure: it isn't the holidays without these no-bake date balls. We hope you'll give them a try and add to your holiday cookie rotation, too!

See our recipe for no-bake coconut date balls

This year, we're also adding to our holiday baking traditions: we're taking part in Food Network's first-ever virtual cookie swap, where some of the web's best food destinations have gathered together to share their favorite cookie creations. See what the rest of our friends are swapping at this virtual cookie exchange when you read more.

7 Things You Didn't Know About Bill Gates

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:11:41 PDT

We already know a bit about the life and times of Bill Gates, but during a recent interview with the UK's Daily Mail, we get an even closer look at the billionaire Microsoft mogul. Bill Gates still resides at the top of Forbes's richest list but here are a few facts you may not have known:

He's an honorary knight - The Queen of England gave Bill Gates an honorary knighthood back in 2005.
He knows pop music - Bill's kids tease him by singing the Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars tune "Billionaire," and he knows "some Lady Gaga songs," (but only the ones without swear words).
He's a workaholic - Bill says he didn't take a single day off when he was in his 20s, but now he plays tennis and bridge.
He's got famous friends - Bill Gates is close friends with Oprah (who he's recruiting to donate a lion's share of her wealth to his 'Giving Pledge’ program), and hosted Bono and his wife at his home overnight after a recent U2 concert in Seattle.

See the rest of the list (including the first things he'd save in a fire) after the break.

Video: Jessica Simpson Surprises 7 Girls With Prom Dresses on Oprah!

PopSugar — Thu, 05 May 2011 17:36:15 PDT

Just like Johnny Depp and his Pirates screening, Jessica Simpson played a part in Oprah Winfrey's final "Harpo Hookups" episode, which aired today! Jessica surprised seven high school girls who wouldn't have otherwise had the chance to buy prom dresses with perfect gowns, shoes, and accessories from the Jessica Simpson Collection for their big nights. Jessica stepped out to give the teenagers even more gifts and talk about the power of feeling good about the way you look. Watch Jessica's Oprah segment!

18 Easter, Earth Day Freebies and Discounts You Can't Miss!

Emily Co — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:11:40 PDT

For those of you who missed out on Tax Day freebies, don't despair. The free loot you're getting for Earth Day and Easter is even better! Big-name retailers like Starbucks and Disney will be handing out freebies, so be sure to take advantage of them.

American Eagle: Print out this coupon and get a 20 percent discount on American Eagle products. Good until Sunday.

Anthropologie: Check out these Anthropologie locations to see what Earth Day craft workshops will be held near you. Children will learn how to pot, and there will be workshops that teach participants how to make crafts with corks.

Caribou Coffee: Get a free cup of coffee at any Caribou location today when you bring in a reusable cup.

Disney: Get a free (and really cute!) tote bag at the Disney store in exchange for five plastic bags.

Drugstore.com: Shop green products that are natural and organic at Drugstore.com today, and get 60 percent off the retail prices.

For more great freebies and discounts, read on!

Speed Read - New Guidelines For IUDs Might Be Coming

TresSugar — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:50:37 PDT

Annual sonograms may be needed to verify correct position of an IUD - Science Daily
Arizona outlaws abortion based on race or sex - WSJ
George Clooney might testify in Berlusconi's prostitution trial - People
Divorce wars: the big business of big money divorces - Double X
Britney Spears busts a move on Jimmy Kimmel - PopSugar
Oprah wants to give Donald Trump a makeover - NY Post
Student suspended for uncovering school employee is a porn star - Nerve
10 books to read before big-screen movies - BuzzSugar

Author Allison Winn Scotch on The One That I Want, First Love, and What-Ifs

Tara Sharp — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:10:19 PDT

In The One That I Want (paperback out today), 32-year-old Tilly Farmer is an optimistic school guidance counselor convinced all she needs to be happy is her perfect high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband and the future baby she's trying to have with him. But after a childhood friend cryptically gives her "the gift of clarity" she begins to see visions from her future, and they aren't according to the plan she's mapped out for herself. In this story about family struggles, being stuck in the past, and second chances, Tilly must decide if the life she so carefully put together is really the one that she wants. I spoke with the novel's author, Allison Winn Scotch, about first loves, what-ifs, and what she would tell her 17-year-old self.

TrèsSugar: Did you draw inspiration for the book's protagonist, Tilly, from your own life? Do you share personality traits and characteristics with her?

Allison Winn Scotch: I related a lot to the characters in [my second book] Time of My Life, and I wanted to push myself. With Tilly she was really this foreign person to me in every sense. I didn't understand her; I didn't understand her choices. And I wanted to become a better writer through stepping outside my comfort zone. It forced me to dig deep. It took so many drafts until I finally understood her, and I feel like I'm a better writer for it.

TS: How did you finally understand her? And in what ways do you think your readers will relate to her?

AWS: In the earlier versions of Tilly I really, really wasn't getting her. Then about halfway through the book she starts to get really angry. And in the initial draft she wasn't angry. When I finally made her angry that's what I could tap into. I understood being really pissed off at waking up and discovering that a lot of the life that you wanted is not coming to fruition. And I think a lot of people of our age or our generation can get that. You've worked hard or you've maybe even compromised yourself or given up certain expectations, and then you wake up and you're like, "How did I get here? I made small compromises, but I never thought that my life would be this." And I understood that anger, not because my life isn't wonderful, but because I understand that disappointment. And once I did that, that's when she and I connected.

TS: In both Time of My Life and The One That I Want there's a time travel theme that forces the heroine to look back and question if she's made the right life choices along the way. Are there things in your own life that you would change if you could? Find out her answer when you keep reading.

A Lesson From Obama: Give the Gift of Health

FitSugar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:00:29 PST

It's often pointed out how fit and healthy President Barack Obama is - he plays basketball with a passion, goes to the gym six days a week, and when on vacation chooses to bodysurf over lounging on the beach. It was even reported that during his presidential campaign he hit the gym for 48 days in a row. In light of his struggle to kick a nicotine habit - something he says he is 95 percent cured of - Obama lives a pretty fitness-focused lifestyle.

Last night the first couple was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for the holiday special, Christmas at the White House, which gave viewers a peek into how the first family spends their holidays together. While watching, I was struck by a few things that the president said on Christmases past and thought to myself that particular gifts he received as a child helped shape him into the health conscious man that he is today.

To find out what the president's favorite childhood gifts were,