BuzzSugar

Link Time! 7/1

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:31:04 -0700

Popwatch writer Annie Barrett has a hilarious note that her mother passed to her father on a plane, explaining how to adjust the volume on an iPod, which prompted Annie to ask: What's the most basic technological instruction you've had to explain to the tragically unhip?
Best Week Ever is holding a quirk-off between Daniel Day-Lewis and Jeremy Irons.
LilSugar wants to know if you can handle any more Real Housewives.
Inspired by Amanda Seyfried's character's dilemma in Mamma Mia, FilmExperience wonders which of her three possible daddies would be your daddy: Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth or Stellan Skarsgård?
TV Squad names some of the best Six Feet Under corpses, including the one that makes me scared to ever put my head through the roof of a limo.
Cinematical ponders whether or not Robin has any place in Christopher Nolan's Batman movies.
Lucky TV with MeeVee has seen three hours of Generation Kill, and it sounds like everything I'd hope it would be.
One brave contributor to The TV Addict lays out some reasons for hating Lost.

Buzz In: Is HIMYM Giving Up on Barney and Robin Too Easily?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:30:13 -0800

How I Met Your Mother, why must you toy with my emotions?! After just seven episodes of dating seriously, Barney and Robin are broken up and tonight Barney will be back to his old ways of lovin' and leavin'. What's more annoying is that their time together hasn't been crazy in love, and their break up is such a depressing way to end any TV relationship: with Barney gaining weight and Robin letting herself go. As the audience, you wanted them to break up, and I don't think that's fair.

When I asked you guys if you thought Barney and Robin would make it as a real couple, many of you expressed fear that the writers would break them up after a short time, so it's not like we all didn't see this one coming. Still, we went through a whole season of Barney pining over Robin, and tonight we're already back to them being single again. I didn't expect these two to have the easiest route, but I just wish they'd given them a fair shake. What do you think? Do you think they'll be back together by the end of the season?

Photo courtesy of CBS

Link Time! Is Steven Tyler Leaving Aerosmith?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:30:10 -0800

Joe Perry says that Steven Tyler may have quit Aerosmith - Vulture
Leighton Meester's music video with Robin Thicke involves a lot of writhing - E! Online
The team behind the movie Se7en is reuniting for a new film - Cinematical
Eminem, aka Slim Shady, takes on a horror 3D film appropriately titled Shady Talez. - MTV Movies Blog
Harriet the Spy is getting made into a TV movie for Disney, but this time, she blogs - TV.com
Here's what (500) Days of Summer would've looked like without a script - Movieline
Demi Moore promotes two new movies in December's W magazine - PopSugar
Ashlee Simpson may be coming to Broadway as Roxie in Chicago - Zap2it
The 20 worst cover songs ever - EW

What to TiVo: Monday

BuzzSugar — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:50:19 -0800

ABC is new with Dancing With the Stars and Castle
CBS is new with How I Met Your Mother, Accidentally on Purpose, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami
FOX is new with House and Lie to Me
NBC is new with Heroes and Trauma
The CW has repeats of One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl
MTV is new with World's Strictest Parents
TLC is new with Jon & Kate Plus 8
Bravo is new with Million Dollar Listing and Chef Academy
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
E! is new with The Soup Presents: Love and Other Burning Sensations
VH1 is new with For the Love of Ray J
Late-night highlights include Eva Mendes on Lopez Tonight on TBS; Taylor Lautner, Timbaland, and Nelly Furtado on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Robin Williams and Ashley Greene on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; and Andre Agassi and Weezer on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC

What to TiVo: Wednesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:50:00 -0800

ABC is new with The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, and In the Spotlight With Robin Roberts: Janet Jackson
CBS is new with New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY
FOX is new with So You Think You Can Dance and Glee
NBC is new with Mercy and Law & Order: SVU
The CW is new with America's Next Top Model
E! is new with True Hollywood Story: Football Wives
Bravo is new with Top Chef: Las Vegas
Comedy Central is new with South Park, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, and The Colbert Report
FX is new with Nip/Tuck
MTV is new with Real World/Road Rules Challenge
Late-night highlights include Robert Pattinson on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Amerie on Lopez Tonight on TBS; Seth Green, Heidi Montag, and Spencer Pratt on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; 50 Cent on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Kristen Stewart on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; and David Duchovny on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS

What to TiVo: Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:50:44 -0800

ABC is new with V, Dancing With the Stars, and In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: Bright Lights, Big Stars, All Access Nashville
CBS is new with NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and The Good Wife
FOX is new with So You Think You Can Dance
NBC is new with The Biggest Loser
The CW is new with 90210 and Melrose Place
Bravo is new with Tabatha's Salon Takeover
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
FX is new with Sons of Anarchy
MTV is new with The Hills, The City, and Styl'd
Late-night highlights include Jamie Foxx and Marc Anthony on Lopez Tonight on TBS; Jack Hanna and Shakira on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Jessica Biel on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Amerie on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; and Nina Garcia on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS

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.

Disney's A Christmas Carol: A Fun New Spin on an Old Favorite

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 -0800

Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol is, quite literally, a tale as old as time. Hollywood has already turned the novel into countless films, so how do you keep it fresh to entertain old and young audiences alike? You give them a pair of 3-D glasses.

I was a bit skeptical about Disney's newest remake of the flick, even with the super stylized animation and all-star cast behind the voices. But once you put on those glasses, you'll be oohing and aahing right along with the kids, making the film a fun ride. It doesn't tug on the heartstrings the way other versions can, but it's not devoid of emotion either. To see what I mean, just read more.

Robert Zemeckis brings the story we already know and love; old Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Jim Carrey) defines miserly and crotchety, spending his days counting his pennies and bitterly snapping at those around him. On one particularly Christmas Eve, he his haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley. Sporting chains and a ghastly demeanor, Marley warns Scrooge that he will suffer the same miserable fate if he doesn't take heed of three spirits who will visit him over the course of the night.

The film stays very true to Dickens's short novel, borrowing much of the text straight from the book and incorporating some of the darker elements that I hadn't seen before in versions designed for kids. That said, I still feel like some of the scenes waver on the side of being too scary. Marley's introduction with the chains is frightening but funny, whereas the progression of the ghost of Christmas present to the ghost of Christmas future (complete with full decay from giant to skeleton) probably would have given me nightmares when I was younger.

The special effects are all you could want and more; the 3-D pulls you right in, carrying you along with Scrooge as he flies overhead in his nightgown (and later spits in your face). You're in the midst of Victorian England at Christmas time, from the snowstorms to the festive music. It's dazzling - until you hit the emotional stuff.

The tale is one with a great big heart, but the actors can only go so far using their voices alone. In the most sentimental scenes, I found myself just wishing I could see the big name actors (which includes Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Robin Wright Penn) gazing into each other's eyes pointedly. Instead, it feels a bit like watching two mannequins standing face to face. Still, you're never bored for long, and there's always another thrill waiting at every turn.

In the end, Disney accomplishes its goal, producing a film that looks amazing and will entertain kids and adults alike. It may not be the best version of the tale to date, but it will leave you feeling plenty merry on your way out of the theater.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

What to TiVo: Friday

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:50:00 -0700

ABC is new with Supernanny, Ugly Betty, and 20/20
CBS is new with Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and NUMB3RS
FOX is new with Brothers, 'Til Death, and Dollhouse
NBC is new with Law & Order and Dateline NBC
The CW is new with Smallville and has a repeat of America's Next Top Model
MTV is new with My Super Sweet Sixteen and My Super Psycho Sweet 16
TLC is new with Say Yes to the Dress
USA is new with Monk
E! is new with The Soup
Late-night highlights include Amy Poehler on a repeat The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Colin Firth and First Lady Michelle Obama on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Robin Williams on a repeat of The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Catherine Keener on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; and Kristen Wiig on a repeat of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC

Do You Think Robin and Barney Will Make It as a Real Couple?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:30:28 -0700

The season premiere of How I Met Your Mother, "Definitions," made good on its promise (gleaned from my sneak peek) to show Robin and Barney as an actual couple. Alas, long-awaited relationships are rarely smooth sailing in sitcom land, and in this episode, Robin and Barney haven't yet established what they are, though the last scene was optimistic about their status. (Were you lost? Brush up with my season four quiz.)

Usually having a couple get together and be happy can be boring for TV shows, but it has worked for Jim and Pam on The Office. Meanwhile, on Gossip Girl, the writers felt the need as early as the premiere to spice things up for Chuck and Blair so people won't get bored watching them.

Do you think HIMYM's writers will give us what we want and let Robin and Barney be happy together? And even if you like them together, is a happy relationship what you want to see?

Photo courtesy of CBS