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Halloween Special Part 2: Cocktails and Costumes, Including How Rachel Bilson, Audrina, and Kristen Bell Are Dressing Up!

Molly — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:49:00 -0700

Why is Halloween so big this year? We've got seven reasons it's the hugest Halloween in ages, so check out our PopSugar Rush Special! In case you missed part one, watch it here, or just jump right in to see the sexiest celebrity costumes, how to make the perfect festive cocktail, and some dress-up ideas from our editors! Paris Hilton and Lauren Conrad love to get dressed up, and check out what Kristen Bell, Rachel Bilson, and Audrina Patridge told us about their costumes. Watch part two of the PopSugar Rush Halloween Special now!

Rachel Bilson Spills on HIMYM, Weekend Movie Reviews and Charlize and Piven Talk About Matt

Molly — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:29:14 -0700

It's time for the Weekend Edition of PopSugar Rush! We've got exclusive video of Charlize Theron, Jeremy Piven talking Damon and David Arquette talking Coco last night. Also, Rachel Bilson chats about HIMYM and Kristen Bell dishes about charity looking super cute. Add in some weekend movie reviews of Amelia, Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant and more! Watch the PopSugar Rush Weekend Edition now!

New York, I Love You: A Jigsaw Puzzle That Doesn't Quite Fit

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

As a city with so much personality and penchant for possibility, it's no surprise that the follow-up to Paris, Je t'aime heads to New York. New York, I Love You is a tale of the connections and personal missteps that occur every single day in the city that never sleeps. It plays out like a movie version of a song mash-up: some story lines are linear and independent of the rest while other characters wander in and out of each other's lives. Throw an all-star cast in there, and you could possibly have a recipe for perfection.

Unfortunately, the ingredients don't blend together as well as I had hoped, and instead we're left with an engaging but bland look at a handful of trials and tribulations in relationships. To see what I mean, just read more.

Made up of a series of short films, New York, I Love You is an homage to the city as well as the residents who hold it near and dear to their hearts. The "anything can happen" theme is alive and well, as strangers become acquaintances and friends, putting so much emphasis on each and every interaction that we take part in on a regular basis.

You meet a few characters that represent New York well enough; Bradley Cooper is the guy who's constantly jumping into a cab the same time as someone else, Orlando Bloom is the struggling musician who turns to Central Park for inspiration, Hayden Christensen is the pick-pocket who's as sexy as he is dangerous. But sometimes it feels just a little too forced; like the film is primarily concerned with proving that New York is a melting pot. Rather than seeing a few love stories shine through stereotypes, I was more distracted by the fake accents.

As with Paris Je t'aime, some of the stories shine brighter than others. Natalie Portman directs a sweet piece about a relationship between a father and daughter; Olivia Thirlby and Anton Yelchin are refreshing as a younger pair who makes the prom a night to remember. The lighter films are breaths of fresh air amongst others that are trying too hard to be hip and stylized.

The ensemble cast certainly gives the movie a boost; even when it's not provoking the deepest of emotions, the film always had my attention. There are solid performances all-around, particularly from Chloris Leachman and Eli Wallach as an aging couple who are still bickering when they aren't helping each other cross the street. It is the most hopeful of the scenarios, and by far the sweetest and most touching.

The film provides plenty of the standard money shots of Manhattan: a typical day in Grand Central Station in fast forward, subway rides, hours of people watching in a coffee shop. The encounters feel authentic and realistic, but the failure lies in the inability to make us feel something on a deeper level. Sometimes you can relate to the characters, and sometimes you feel sorry for them, but it doesn't squeeze your heart nearly enough - and with a title like New York, I Love You, this a disappointment.

Could Rachel Bilson Be HIMYM's Mother?!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:30:25 -0700

How I Met Your Mother has given us a fair share of teases in the past (Ted's engagement to Stella, his wedding dream in this week's episode), but this one may take the cake. The adorable Rachel Bilson is set to to make an appearance in the show's upcoming 100th episode, and apparently it may be more than a cameo.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the 100th episode will play a vital (legendary, if you will) role in Ted's meeting of his future wife. Apparently the execs really wanted to take their time to choose the right actress for the episode.

Sadly we won't get to see the episode until January, which means we've got at least three long months to speculate. I've loved Bilson since her days on The O.C., and she quite possibly could make a perfect match for Ted. Would you be excited about Bilson, or did you always envision someone else as "the mother"?

Are You More Likely to Tune Into Project Runway For Interesting Judges?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:30:00 -0700

On this week's Project Runway, Rachel Bilson will bring her adorable self to the guest judge's seat, where the lovely and pregnant Rebecca Romjin was sitting last week. I've often admired Bilson's personal fashion style so I'll be very interested to see what she has to say about the contestants' designs.

As much as I like the frequent judges (Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, and of course Heidi) it's often refreshing and exciting to get a whole new perspective from the guest judge - though some are more interesting than others. Do you tune into Project Runway only when there's an interesting guest judge? Or are you a major fan (and if so, cast your vote for Best Project Runway Contestant Ever and enter to win $500!) and will watch regardless of who is sitting in on the judges' panel?

Photos courtesy of Lifetime

Buzz News Roundup, 9/22

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:30:43 -0700

Kathy Griffin's Emmy-winning My Life on the D-List has been renewed for a fifth season. - Hollywood Reporter
Speaking of Emmys, Sunday's Emmys broadcast was one of the lowest-rated ever, with 12.24 million viewers. - AP
Rachel Bilson has landed a role in the indie romance Waiting For Forever. - Variety
The Green Hornet movie, starring Seth Rogen, has nabbed Kung Fu Hustle director Stephen Chow. - Zap2It
Taylor Swift's new song off her forthcoming album, White Horse, will be featured in this Thursday's season premiere of Grey's Anatomy. - Billboard
Prison Break star William Fichtner and ER alum Sherry Stringfield will play the leads in TNT drama pilot Night and Day. - Zap2it
Nicolas Cage will reteam with director Dominic Sena for the supernatural thriller Season of the Witch. - Variety
New York's Reality TV School might get a reality TV show of its own. - Portfolio

Source

Jumper: Teleport Yourself Far Away From This One

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:31:55 -0800

The sci-fi "thriller" Jumper can be described in one word: empty. Pretty much everything about this movie is devoid of any real energy, passion or substance. The performances are stale and lifeless, the plot is interesting in theory but fails in execution and the visuals aren't cool enough to keep us engaged. The plot is boringly similar to that of Heroes (which is itself like a clone of X-Men), and yet Heroes is so much more enjoyable. At least Heroes features intriguing characters who might band together for a higher purpose. Lacking both good characters and any kind of higher purpose, Jumper just lays there.

Here's the plot: David (Christensen) is a "Jumper," someone who can teleport himself. The Jumpers of the world are at odds with the Paladins, and one Paladin in particular, Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) is on a mission to rid the world of all Jumpers everywhere. In his pursuit, he has no problem killing all of the jumpers' loved ones. Hence, David's lady friend Millie (Rachel Bilson) is in danger, and David must protect her as well as elude Roland's grasp. That's it for the story, but for more of my thoughts on the film, read more.

In a seriously empty movie, the emptiest part is Hayden Christensen on whom I think we'd be hard-pressed to find a pulse. He must have been stoked to get this part that requires so little of him because this way he can be comatose onscreen and people are left to wonder if it's the actor or the material. I suspect it's a little bit of both, though Christensen definitely needs to be held accountable for his dismal performance. It angers me that he can't even be bothered to, say, add any kind of inflection to his voice. As though we're the ones wasting his time and not the other way around.

And in tired repetition of an old formula, the main female character is helpless and outrageously stupid and the lone black character is the face of evil. David's mother, played by Diane Lane, is also a hateful character. Christensen makes it impossible for us to care about David, so that leaves one interesting character: David's fellow Jumper Griffin, played with some degree of liveliness by Jamie Bell. When the audience is longing to find out more about this secondary character to the point of being annoyed with the protagonists for getting in the way of his story, there's a problem. Unless your eyes need some exercise in rolling, I think it's best you jump away from this movie.

For exclusive videos about Jumper - including a preview video - check out movies.ivillage.com.

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Chuck Rundown: Episode 9, "Chuck Vs. the Imported Hard Salami"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:30:31 -0800

So I'm sitting there watching Chuck, and everything seems pretty normal: There's a spy case. Chuck bumbles through a date. Casey says something funny. There's danger. Morgan's half-endearing, half-annoying. The usual.

And then, pow! Much like Heroes, Chuck whipped out a mostly surprising ending with the potential to shake everything up. Well played, show. To read my thoughts and chime in with yours, just read more

I'll start with the end: Bryce is alive! Others have said that NBC's promos over the past week made this revelation obvious - somehow, I didn't see them - and in any case, we've been discussing the possibility of Bryce returning. But dang if I didn't sit bolt upright on the couch when they opened that capsule to show everyone's favorite once-dead rogue agent strapped into some sort of breathing contraption. I'm with Casey: "Didn't I kill this guy?" And really: Didn't he kill that guy? What happened in between Bryce "not an accountant" Larkin getting shot nine weeks ago and his sudden reanimation? I love this development, and not just because I have a little thing for Matthew Bomer; the part Bryce played in Chuck's becoming an agent is one of my favorite parts of this story. I was disappointed when they dropped it after the Stanford episode, but this is better than I could have hoped: Bryce, alive again, interacting with lost lover Sarah and ex-roomie Chuck, and possibly (make that probably) being evil.

But some stuff happened in the other 42 minutes of this episode, too, most notably a tale of two romances. I'm glad Chuck stuck to his guns and enforced his very real breakup of his very fake relationship with Sarah. But he also got to see what life's like on the other side during his date with Lou - and, as it turns out, being a secret agent attempting to have a normal love life isn't so easy. The "take a number" scene in Lou's shop was full of cuteness ("this is a hot sandwich. In the reuben family"), and I was glad the writers didn't take the predictable, Karina-esque path of making Lou a rival spy. Instead, she's just a salami smuggler who got wrapped up with the wrong crowd and ended up questioning Chuck's motives - a familiar tune for Chuck these days. She's out of the story for now, but not in a way that she couldn't come back later. (Please, Josh Schwartz?) Meanwhile, Sarah kissing Chuck - and that was some kiss! - might have moved their relationship forward, if not for that pesky Bryce-back-from-the-dead issue.

A few more things:

Nice as it was to see Morgan getting some action, the story took a pretty predictable turn by having Morgan end things with Anna as soon as Chuck appeared to be single again. I think it's clear that Chuck will always be Morgan's No. 1.
Sarah scaring Lester off with her sexiness was hilarious. "Hey, how about that movie?" Also: "How's my breath?" "Like the ocean."
Speaking of breath: If the oxygen timer counted down to zero before the Chuck-Sarah kiss, then how was Bryce still alive when they finally opened the capsule?
Casey had some pretty stellar moments in this episode, including his snarking about the right to bear arms, his ahead-of-the-curve rejection of Sarah, "That's dating in LA," and giving Chuck a rose so he could get laid.

What's your take? Sad about losing Bilson - but happy about gaining Bryce? Did you love or loathe the "he had me at pastrami" line? And how rockin' was Chuck's guitar pin?

Photos courtesy of NBC

The Results Are In: Recast Say Anything

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:31:13 -0800

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar T-shirt!

Yes, I recognize that to some of you it is sacrilege to recast a movie as beloved as Say Anything, but that didn't stop many others from submitting their recast lists! My personal favorites were the actors selected to play Diane's father, James Court. I loved that kateaustin456 kept it in the Frasier family with Kelsey Grammar, and dollymama's pick of David Duchovny is great, as he plays morally ambiguous rather well.

I also liked that many of the James Court ideas were drawn from current TV shows, from Steve Carell (Jean_Metro's pick), to Kyle MacLachlan (leeluvfashion) to Alec Baldwin (pistonsjenny) to Lost's Terry O'Quinn (WhiplashGirlchild).

I found the ideas for Lloyd's sister Constance Dobler to be really thoughtful, like EmPaige's nod to the original with Lily Taylor, and, most especially BellaCalla's idea of Jenna Fischer.

Overall, however, my favorite recast list this week comes from bhilb! To see who bhilb chose along with a new cast photo, read more

bhilb's cast:
Lloyd Dobler - Shia LaBeouf
Diane Court - Rachel Bilson
James Court - Victor Garber
Constance Dobler - Zooey Deschanel

Chuck Rundown: Episode 8, "Chuck Vs. The Truth"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:25:29 -0800

I'm no expert in the spy genre, but I've heard and seen enough stories involving "truth serum" to know that I should have expected that plotline to turn up on Chuck eventually. But I really liked the way the show used the idea of the honesty drug, taking Chuck's relationships with both Sarah and his sister to new levels while giving us some of the best laugh-out-loud lines yet. Plus: All hail Bilson! To read the rest of my thoughts on the episode, just read more

A lot of episodes of Chuck have involved some kind of conflict between Chuck's spy life and his real life, but none has done it so forcefully. Ellie didn't actually get poisoned because Chuck was a spy - in fact, she probably only survived because Chuck, Sarah, and Casey knew how to get the antidote - but it still showed Chuck the dangers of his new life. We knew enough about Chuck to expect that he would give Ellie the antidote rather than taking it himself, but it's good to have his selflessness confirmed. And Ellie really sold her part of the story; I haven't been the biggest fan of Sarah Lancaster's acting, but her "words taste like peaches" had me giggling all night. Possibly the sweetest (and saddest) moment was Chuck confessing to Ellie while Ellie was unconscious. That may be the closest our hero comes to telling his loved ones the truth.

This episode also brought an end, at least temporarily, to Chuck and Sarah's cover relationship. Good for Chuck for standing up for what he wants - especially when what he wants is the chance to date Lou, the sandwich-obsessed character played by Rachel Bilson. (Did anyone else think the dialogue on Chuck got instantly better when Bilson came in?) I suppose the girlfriend plot was the easiest cover for the government to invent for Sarah, but couldn't they achieve the same goals by just having them be friends, or neighbors, or coworkers? Of course, there's still the issue of whether Sarah actually wants something more with Chuck - but for whatever reason, she can't quite say it.

Maybe the biggest surprise of the episode was the hasty disposal of Harry Tang. Damn. I liked the guy, but the actor playing him is a regular on Dexter now, and presumably that's why Chuck had to let him go. The way he puffed up when Casey told him the government was going to send him on a mission was priceless.

Some other thoughts:

All hail Lou: "I think you're cute. You're funny. Our vast height difference intrigues me." Man, I wish Bilson were on this show permanently.
Talk about a window into Morgan's strange, strange mind: "Her hair looked so much like licorice, I wanted to chew on it until I make myself sick."
Loved Sarah and Casey talking to the government about Chuck's instincts: "Chuck's not wrong very often." "He's annoying all the time."
Chuck's whiteboy dancing as he waited for Sarah's faux-bootycall was hilarious. Also: "This is part of my cover." "Well, it doesn't cover a thing."
Some other great poisoned Ellie lines: "If everything is awesome and nothing is unawesome then everything by definition is just mediocre!" and "Chuck, you need a haircut. It's starting to make funny animal shapes."
The scenes with Chuck, Sarah, and Casey telling the truth completely cracked me up, with Chuck talking about how he'd write about this day on his blog, Casey admitting he wouldn't shoot Chuck, and "Casey, your jaw was chiseled by Michelangelo himself."

Your thoughts? Who's going to be the new assistant manager of the Buy More? Am I the only one getting the hunch that it's Morgan?

Photos courtesy of NBC