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What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:30:39 -0700

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download.

Wilco reintroduction: I've already checked out Wilco: The Album (check out my track-by-track review here), and now it's officially out and ready for you to download! It's more spunky rock than it is country-ish, and overall it's a well-rounded and satisfying album. Check out the tracks "Wilco" and "You and I" to get started.

A little EP is better than nuffin: It feels like it's been forever since Austin indie band Spoon released its stunning 2007 album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. I have no idea when this group will release another full album, but at least we get a fun EP today! The first track, "Got Nuffin," is hard-driving with an interesting guitar solo. The other two tracks, "Tweakers" and "Stroke Their Brains," are more experimental but well worth the download.

One more up next, so just read more.

Kind of a flashback: First of all, doesn't that look like Michael Cera on the cover? I never would have expected a resemblance between Cera and Rob Thomas, but there you have it. Anyway - when I listen to Thomas's music, it takes me back to the '90s, when artists like Goo Goo Dolls ruled the radio and The Real World was in San Francisco. Get a load of "Real World '09" and "Her Diamonds" for a journey back in time.

TV Tonight: Kristen Bell on the Finale of Party Down

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 07:00:30 -0700

The end of the TV season is always full of big, blockbuster drama, but sometimes I just need a break from all the death, destruction, and cliffhangers. So when I've needed a laugh these past few weeks, I've been turning to the Starz series Party Down. Over its first season - it's already been renewed for a second - this show about a group of misfit caterers with big Hollywood aspirations has only gotten funnier.

Tonight's episode sounds like it could be the best yet, with Kristen Bell (obviously a favorite muse for Party Down co-creator Rob Thomas, the man behind Veronica Mars) swinging by for a guest turn as the snappish Uda Bengt, head of a powerful rival catering firm. Oh, and the event being catered in this episode? A gay wedding with George Takei as one of the partners. Awesome!

Don't have Starz? If you can access Netflix's instant viewing feature, watch all the episodes online. And to watch a preview of tonight's episode, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Starz

Cupid's Arrow Strikes Again Starting Tonight

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:30:01 -0700

It's not like TV remakes are anything new (holla, 90210!). But a show's creator getting another shot at his or her own failed series is practically unheard of. That's why I'm curious about Cupid, the new - well, and old - series from Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas that starts tonight on ABC.

The first Cupid, starring Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall, aired 10 years ago on ABC but only lasted 14 episodes. Thomas said back at the TCA press tour in January that he hadn't even talked about the show in almost a decade. "There was no reason to," he said. "It was an idea that I had gotten on the air. There was no reason to believe anyone would want to do it again." Then ABC approached him about a remake (as did the CW, which ended up making the short-lived Valentine, Inc. instead), and soon he was jumping back into Cupid's world.

This version of the story stars Bobby Cannavale in Piven's old role and Sarah Paulson in Marshall's. The premise is essentially the same: Cannavale believes he's Cupid sent down from heaven to match up lovelorn singles; only after 100 successful love matches can he return to Mt. Olympus. Paulson is a well-regarded relationship therapist and skeptic assigned to Cupid's case (though she calls him by his human name, Trevor).

I wasn't a fan of the original series (nor was I a detractor - I somehow missed the whole thing entirely), but I saw enough in the first episode of this Cupid to keep me watching for a while. Specifically, Cannavale is a lot of fun as the goofy Trevor, and while I'm less a fan of Paulson, she plays well off of him. What I didn't like was the dull couple-of-the-week story, and those are going to have to get better in a hurry if Cupid wants to keep me around. But I'm most curious to see what fans of the original have to say about this one, so if that applies to you, come back here and tell me, OK? In the meantime, to watch a couple of clips from tonight's premiere, just read more.

First Look: Party Down on Starz

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:39:56 -0800

Starz isn't necessarily the most popular of the premium cable channels, but here's a good reason to rustle up a subscription: Next month, the channel will premiere Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas's new series, Party Down.

Thomas is one of the co-creators of the half-hour comedy, which revolves around a team of cater-waiters and aspiring writers and actors in Los Angeles. The cast includes Lizzy Caplan, Adam Scott, Ken Marino, and Martin Starr, and there are a few big-name guest stars lined up - including Ms. Mars herself, Kristen Bell, who will appear in the May 22 season finale. Another Mars alum, Jason Dohring, will pop up in the series as well.

The trailer made me laugh out loud a bunch ("Who's your agent?" "State Farm"), and if you've ever known any struggling creative types, you've probably known people like this. I'm excited to check it out when it premieres March 20. To watch the trailer, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Starz

A Veronica Mars Movie Could Be in the Works This Spring

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:45:28 -0800

The Arrested Development movie was a hot topic at this month's TCA press tour, but it wasn't the only TV-to-film adaptation on reporters' minds. When Rob Thomas turned up to talk about his forthcoming Cupid, he also entertained some questions about the future of Veronica Mars - and what he said was mostly good news for fans.

With Cupid's episode order cut from 13 to eight, Thomas said he now finds himself with "a couple months to write the Veronica Mars movie." But that doesn't get it onto screens: "Somebody else had to pay for it," he said. "[Executive producer] Joel Silver does have a certain pile of money that he can decide on and he called me asking if we - you know, can we do this now? So I know that Kristin [Bell] wants to do it. I want to do it. Joel wants to do it, and now I suddenly find myself with enough time to write that script."

As for what the project would entail, Thomas was pretty quiet about any plot details - but he did say the story wouldn't follow the Veronica-in-the-FBI path they'd explored for a possible season four. Instead, he said "it would open just days before her college graduation, so Veronica would be just at the end of her college career."

In addition to Kristen Bell, Thomas said, he's also talked to Jason Dohring and Enrico Colantoni about the film. A while back, the majority of you said you'd love to see a Veronica Mars movie, but are you still feeling that way almost two years after the end of the show?

Photo courtesy of The CW

Would You Want to See a Veronica Mars Movie?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:32:52 -0700

Today EW is reporting that Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas recently met with Kristen Bell to discuss the possibility of bringing Veronica Mars to the big screen. He's a very busy man these days, that Rob Thomas, and he says he'd have to wait until his new shows are off the ground before he could concentrate on a film version of VM, but he reportedly said, "as soon as I have any free time, that's my top priority."

Kristen Bell seems to be on board for it, though she doesn't like to think about VM too much because, she says, "it really does make me sad." At the mention of a possible movie, she smiled and said, "We'll see."

What do you think of this news? Crazy awesome, or just kinda crazy? And if you would like to see it, what kind of plot could you envision for this?

Photo courtesy of The CW

Sarah Paulson Shot by Cupid's Arrow

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:32:01 -0700

Sarah Paulson, last seen as the uptight Harriet Hayes on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, is heading back to TV - in a comedy this time. Paulson has landed the female lead in Cupid, Rob Thomas' remake of his own 1998 series.

Paulson will play opposite Bobby Cannavale on the show, which originally aired for one season on ABC. Cupid focuses on Trevor Hale, who believes he's a Roman god sent to earth to help people find love. Paulson will play his therapist, Claire, who's assigned to cure him of his delusions. In the original, Paula Marshall played Claire, while Jeremy Piven starred as Trevor/Cupid.

It's not every day that we get to see a producer remake his own material, so I'm curious to see what becomes of this pilot. If you've never seen the original, TV critic Alan Sepinwall has a great set of recaps of the whole series, which is available nearly in full on YouTube. The only thing missing is the start of the first episode, so to check out the script for that part, just head over here.

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Ann Veal Lands A Job!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:40:52 -0700

"Her?" Yes, her! Mae Whitman, previously known (to me) as Ann Veal on Arrested Development will be joining one of Rob Thomas' many upcoming projects. The ABC pilot, Good Behavior will be an American version of the New Zealand series Outrageous Fortune. The show follows "the mother of a family of criminals, who decides to take the family down the straight and narrow path after her husband is jailed."

Whitman has been cast as one of the children in the family, the teenage daughter "who's extorting her principal and running a hall-pass scam at her school."

This is fantastic. I'm already going to watch this show. And now it leaves the other daughter role of the wannabe model named Pascalle to - maybe just maybe - Kristen Bell. How funny would it be to have Veronica Mars and Ann Veal be sisters? Fingers crossed!

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Link Time! 4/15

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:30:27 -0700

BestWeekEver has the new poster for Beverly Hills Chihuahua and has declared voting for the 2008 Oscars officially closed.
In celebration of tax day, TV Filter has a tribute to TV's greatest accountants.
Lucky lady PopSugarUK got to see Bjork live! Check out her thoughts here, and stay tuned for her reports from the upcoming Breeders concert.
Popwatch has posted a hilarious challenge: sum up classic movies in three lines.
TV Squad has a list of 10 awkward TV moments, and amazingly, only one is from The Office.
According to CasaSugar, Sting's NYC condo unit is freaking awesome.
TV With MeeVee wonders who really likes The Price is Right enough to buy a box set.
Give Me My Remote is less excited about the 90210 spinoff now that Rob Thomas isn't writing it anymore, but The TV Addict has some better news with a photo of cast addition AnnaLynne McCord.

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 07:30:58 -0700

Hmm. . . let's see, Magnum P.I. works when he feels like it, doesn't wear a lot of clothes, and is really tan. Yep! I'd say Matthew McConaughey could probably handle a role like that. What do you think?
The week started out with one bad idea - the rumor about Madonna remaking Casablanca - and ended with another: the remake of Short Circuit. Thankfully there were some good ideas sandwiched in there like the re-pairing of Steve Martin and Diane Keaton!
Kristen Bell could be a busy bee soon with another TV series possibly in the works. And, of course, Elle is probably returning to Heroes.
More exciting TV news this week: the big reveal of NBC's fall plans - including a spin-off of The Office. I break down what all of this news means for you and give you the lowdown on stand-alone webisodes they're working on as well.
In reading news: there were some strong reactions to that little Oprah book club sticker, I discussed the first section of The Light Before Her Eyes, and some of you confirmed that Blindness (coming in October, to a theater near you) is a tough, but worthwhile read.
Ian McShane is set to play a biblical king on a new NBC show. Meanwhile, American Idol got a little Bible love, too, from the one and only Dolly Parton with her show-stopping performance of "Jesus & Gravity" on elimination night.
When the second Juno soundtrack comes out will you buy the CD, or just put it on your iPod?
The new Hellboy 2 trailer looks so good and so frightening! Which reminds me: I need your help describing the creepy shadow approaching Jena Malone in this week's Caption It!

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