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Meet Your Washingtoniennes: HBO Casts Its Leading Ladies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:30:53 -0700

HBO has some interesting projects in the works these days, and one I'm definitely following is the adaptation of The Washingtonienne, which is being executive-produced by none other than Sarah Jessica Parker. The network has just picked its leading ladies, so let's meet the women who will soon be cavorting around Washington:

Rachael Taylor (left, best known for Transformers) will play Jackie, the central character who comes to DC from New York to work as a speechwriter but starts out as a lowly intern.
Bitsie Tulloch (center, best known for Quarterlife) will play April, a college friend of Jackie's and now her Capitol Hill mentor. She's living "a prematurely middle-age lifestyle" with her boyfriend, an aide to a high-powered senator.
Amanda Walsh (right, best known for Sons and Daughters and Disturbia) rounds out the trio as small-town girl Laura, a workaholic with conservative views that she's constantly having to defend.

Fans of the book, does any of this sound familiar? And whether you've read the book or not, do these sound like 20-somethings you'd want to get to know?

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Bottle Shock: Intriguing Story Muddled by a Fruity Aftertaste

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:00:11 -0700

I live near Napa Valley and I enjoy wine a great deal, so when I first heard about a new little movie called Bottle Shock all about the historical legitimization of California wine, I was intrigued. I may have taken for granted the fact that Napa hasn't always been a world-renowned winemaking region, and that at one point it was viewed as nothing more than a bunch of back-water country hicks noodling around with grapes. Which is why I was disappointed to not love this sincere attempt to bring this story to life on the screen. I had such high hopes, but in the end the movie spends too much time on other stuff and not enough on the part that's the most interesting.

Invariably, this tale of Napa's beginnings will be compared to another indie film about California wine, Sideways, and though the subject matter may be similar, it's not an accurate pairing. Where Sideways uses wine country as a setting in which to explore the lives of four intriguing characters, Bottle Shock is a saccharine mix of slapstick comedy, melodrama, and sweeping shots of California's golden hills. This director practically fetishizes the beauty of the state's coast, and at times the movie feels more like a tourist ad than anything else. I wish the filmmakers had relied on the interesting true story for a dramatic arc rather than tossing in several tedious subplots, including an emotionally weightless father-son drama and a mind-numbing love triangle. To see why, read more.

In 1976 a British wine shop owner named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) and his American neighbor Maurine (played wonderfully by Dennis Farina) come up with the idea of a blind tasting that would pit France's best winemakers against the renegades in America, intending to prove that great wine could only be made in France. Surrier travels to California and makes his way from one roadside tasting to another, carefully noting which regions are best. At the same time, Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) and his free-spirited, slacker son Bo (Chris Pine) are attempting to create a perfect chardonnay at their winery, Chateau Montelena. Bo sees Surrier's arrival as a chance to prove to his dad that he can make something happen for the winery. Meanwhile one of the Barrett's employees, Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodríguez), is making his own wine on the side and frequently butts heads with Jim.

Oh, and then a blond bombshell "intern" shows up at the Chateau and proceeds to befriend and bed both young men amidst winery duties, which include wearing sexy outfits and hosing off a barrel while the water runs down her body, not unlike a Playboy fantasy, while the dirty old men of the winery gawk.

There's a lot of time spent on these characters but it all falls flat because tonally their stories don't jive with what's going on over in Alan Rickman's movie. While they run around an Anthropology catalogue, delivering dramatic monologues about feeling wine in your blood, Alan's tasting Kentucky Friend Chicken for the first time and it's hysterical. Eventually we get to the climax of the film - the industry-changing wine tasting in France - but by that time I was pretty much over it and couldn't care less about the fate of these people.

The sad thing about this movie is that it's well-intentioned and wants to do justice to the stories of these real-life people. The saving grace, predictably, is Alan Rickman and there isn't a single scene he's in that doesn't sparkle with wry humor and simple elegance. But alas, his scenes are too few, and when they end we're swept away via endless aerial shots of vineyards to the dopey plotlines of the other characters.

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Movie Preview: Bottle Shock

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:30:13 -0700

Did you like Sideways, a quirky indie movie about wine (and relationships)? Then you might dig Bottle Shock, another indie movie about wine, this time with an emphasis on the history of American winemaking. It may sound like a snoozefest to some of you, but the trailer makes it look incredibly interesting. The film premiered at this year's Sundance and I was sorry to miss the screenings while I was there.

The movie focuses on the mid-1970s when French wine makers were starting to sit up and pay attention to what was going on in California vineyards. Alan Rickman stars as a wine snob from across the pond who comes over to find out what these California "hicks" are up to with their so-called wine. The supporting cast includes Bill Pullman, Dennis Farina, Chris Pine, Eliza Dushku and Freddy Rodriguez, among others. It looks funny and interesting, and opens in limited release August 8. To check out the trailer, read more.

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Twilight on Talk Shows: Where to Watch the New Moon Stars

BuzzSugar — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:30:53 -0800

The big release of New Moon is just five days away, which means the film's stars are in turbo mode to promote it. They've already popped up on red carpets all over the world, but now they're bringing it home to hit the interview circuit here in the states. The list is a bit overwhelming, but I've mapped out the next week so that you can all program your DVRs accordingly! Of course, don't forget to check out Molly's exclusive interviews with the whole cast and check back for my own chat with Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene.

Monday, November 16: Tune in to The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC to see Kristen Stewart while Taylor Lautner stops by The Jay Leno Show on NBC
Wednesday, November 18: Robert Pattinson stops by The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS, while Kristen hits The Today Show on NBC, Live With Regis and Kelly on ABC and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC, Nikki Reed heads to It's on with Alexa Chung on MTV, and Kellan Lutz heads to Ellen
Thursday, November 19: Kristen takes her turn on The Today Show on NBC while Robert heads to Live with Regis and Kelly on ABC, Dakota Fanning makes an appearance on The Jay Leno Show, Kellan heads to It's on with Alexa Chung on MTV, and Taylor spends his Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC
Friday, November 20: Taylor Lautner hits The Today Show on NBC and Live With Regis and Kelly on ABC, Nikki Reed makes an appearance on The Rachael Ray show, Robert heads to Ellen on NBC, and both boys join Kristen for a late night chat on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC
Monday, November 23: Tune to The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS to see Ashley Greene
Tuesday, November 24: Ashley Greene takes her turn on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

Still can't get enough? Check out the Twilight Saga Group in the BuzzSugar Community!