BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 6/10

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:30:44 -0700

After just one episode, Nurse Jackie has been renewed for a second season. - TV.com
Rosie O'Donnell may star in a Broadway revival of the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms. - Variety
David Letterman beat Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show for the first time on Tuesday. - The Hollywood Reporter
The Screen Actors Guild has officially approved a new contract. - New York Times
Jay Leno promos and mini-monologues will air every night this Summer at 10 p.m. - Variety
Director Rob Cohen will direct the action film Medieval, described as "The Magnificent Seven in the Middle Ages." - ComingSoon
Plus-size model Emme will host Fox's dating series More to Love. - The Hollywood Reporter
Aretha Franklin, Wyclef Jean, Queen Latifah, Josh Groban, and TLC will headline a tribute concert honoring Nelson Mandela on July 18 in New York. - Billboard

Photo courtesy of Showtime

TV Tonight: Rosie Live

BuzzSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:15:14 -0800

Tonight on NBC, there's singing, there's dancing, there's . . . Rosie? Yup. Rosie O'Donnell's primetime variety show, Rosie Live, premieres tonight, and the one-hour special isn't just a little bit of pre-Thanksgiving entertainment. It's also a test to see how Rosie does in the ratings, with the possibility of NBC picking up six more episodes of the show for next year.

She's managed to get a ton of her friends to stop by, including Kathy Griffin, Rachael Ray, Liza Minnelli, and Alec Baldwin and Jane Krakowski - the two reasons I'm most likely to tune in. The show includes comedy sketches, song-and-dance numbers, and a monologue with Rosie sounding off on current events (here's betting Barbara Walters mutes her TV for that). There's also a "massive primetime giveaway" with "incredible prizes" for both Rosie's studio audience and us. And yes, it apparently really is live.

Last month, a lot of you had mixed feelings about whether this show would work. I did always have a soft spot for Rosie's talk show - which was actually a lot like a variety show, at times - so I'm at least a little curious to tune in. What about you? You can check out a couple of promos if you read more.

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Do You Think Rosie's Modern-Day Variety Show Could Work?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:30:33 -0700

Guess who's making her way back to being a TV host: Rosie O'Donnell. On Nov. 26, the night before Thanksgiving, Rosie will host a variety show special on NBC, and it's possible this will lead to a variety series in 2009. Variety (ha) writes:

The hourlong event will include celebrity guests, musical acts, comedy skits, and a contest both for in-studio and at-home auds, the network said. "We want to show people that variety can be done in a new and inventive way for 2008," said Craig Plestis, NBC Entertainment’s exec VP for alternative programming, development and specials. "We hope to do it in ways you haven't seen before. It's going to be the YouTube of variety shows."

I'm not clear what that means, exactly, but regardless, I wonder if modern audiences will be interested in a good old-fashioned variety show. Would you tune in for this?

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Movie Night: The Material Girl Turns 50!

BuzzSugar — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Madonna turning 50 is practically a holiday around here at Sugar HQ. I know one mega-fan here in the office who couldn't be more excited about the Queen of Pop's birthday. While many appreciate Madge's tremendous impact on popular music, I am equally appreciative of some of her movie roles. You'd think that Madonna's off-screen persona might overwhelm her characters onscreen, but that hasn't really been the case. I consider her a capable and engaging actress, and I've picked out a few of my favorite titles in her filmography. So, happy birthday Madonna - this Movie Night's for you!

Dick Tracy
I love that Netflix describes Madonna's character in this awesome '90s movie as the "seductive and sultry torch singer Breathless Mahoney." Dick Tracy was pretty much panned by critics, despite its star-studded cast. Regardless, the visual setting is vibrant, the costumes are neato, and to this day I still watch Madonna's performance of "Sooner or Later" and want to be her for Halloween.

For the other two Madonna movies on my list, just read more.

A League of Their Own
Even though Madonna was a big star by the time she did this movie, she humbly fit herself into the ensemble cast, and her character is a huge part of what makes this Penny Marshall classic so great. Her dynamic with Rosie O'Donnell's character is so perfectly rendered, the two of them endeared themselves to me when I saw this movie for the first time. Aw, how can you resist A League of Their Own?

Desperately Seeking Susan
How fun is it to re-experience the '80s Madonna in all her dark-roots glory? Sure, you can pop in some of her greatest hits, but there is nothing like seeing her on your TV screen. A bored housewife (Rosanna Arquette) becomes infatuated with Susan (Madonna) through the classified ads (remember those?) in this 1985 classic. And who wouldn't get obsessed? Susan is a free-spirited Holly Golightly-type but with a lot more lace. As the screwball comedic plot twists ensue, you're reminded why Madonna became one of the world's biggest stars.

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Buzz News Roundup, 7/25

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:30:11 -0700

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, are in the preliminary stages of creating a new Twilight Zone movie.
Entertainment Weekly has the scoop that Rosie O'Donnell is in talks to return to NBC with a weekly primetime variety show.
The AP has news that both Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown are being sued by Simon & Schuster for not delivering books they were paid advances for.
Darren Aronofsky, director of Requiem for a Dream, is bringing Robocop back to life for a tentative 2010 release date, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Timbaland is hard at work on his new album, Shock Value 2, which will feature collaborations with Madonna, Jordin Sparks, Rihanna, and Jonas Brothers, MTV announced.
The New York Times has information about The Rolling Stones leaving EMI records, their label since the '90s, and switching to the Universal Music Group.
LA Times reports that Randy Pausch, the terminally ill professor who wrote The Last Lecture, passed away today.
Is The Dark Knight an allegory for the Bush administration? The Wall Street Journal and CitizenSugar want to know.

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Recast Sleepless in Seattle and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:34:01 -0700

Every other 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!

I hope you're in a romantic mood because this week I've set my sights on a great romcom: Sleepless in Seattle. The movie was, as you probably remember, a big hit featuring box office stars Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (who managed to have a lot of chemistry despite spending about five minutes on screen together). I have a special place in my heart for this movie and for the film's writer/director Nora Ephron.

If you could recast this film today, who would you pick for the two romantic leads? Remember, Tom Hanks' widowed character Sam Baldwin is old enough to have a school-aged son and Meg Ryan's Annie Reed is an accomplished journalist engaged to be married. Who would be Annie's quick-witted BFF Becky, originally played by Rosie O'Donnell? And then there are the two little ones: What little boy could you see as Sam's son Jonah and his acronym-slinging pal Jessica, played by Gabby Hoffmann? If you'd like to recast Annie's nerdy fiance Walter (Bill Pullman), as well as Sam's best friends Greg (Victor Garber) and Suzy (Rita Wilson), go for it.

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, May 13, complete with a "new" cast photo.

To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more.

Characters to recast
Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks)
Annie Reed (Meg Ryan)
Becky (Rosie O'Donnell)
Jonah Baldwin (Ross Malinger)
Jessica (Gabby Hoffmann)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

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Buzz News Roundup, 11/12

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:40:16 -0800

Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood will tour together for 24 shows starting at the end of January, Billboard reports.
Author Norman Mailer died over the weekend at age 84, USA Today reports.
The CW will debut Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, a mother-daughter beauty showdown, on Dec. 12, and all the scandalous details are at The Futon Critic.
TV Guide reports that the Star Trek movie has yet another cast member: Jennifer Morrison of House.
Spoon, Gym Class Heroes, and Muse took top honors at the MTVu Woodies last week, NME reports.
Rosie O'Donnell is eyeing an online talk show, writes People.
According to The New York Post, Project Runway is ridiculously grueling to film.
Hollywood writers aren't the only ones off the job: Broadway stagehands have gone on strike, too, The New York Times reports.
Mickey Rourke will replace Nicolas Cage in The Wrestler, an indie drama from director Darren Aronofsky, Variety reports.

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Buzz News Roundup, 11/7

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:38:52 -0800

It may be "news" instead of news, but nonetheless, a source tells The New York Observer that Lindsay Lohan is in talks to guest-star on Ugly Betty.
It's official: PopSugar says The Eagles bested Britney Spears on the Billboard charts, thanks to a last-minute rule change that let the Eagles album be on the chart despite being sold only at Wal-Mart.
ComingSoon has news that Josh Lucas will star in Tell-Tale, the film adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart."
According to NME, Meat Loaf has canceled his Europe tour due to a cyst on his vocal cords - but he swears he's not retiring for good just yet.
Zap2It has news that Jennifer Connelly will join Keanu Reeves in the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Lalia Ali will host a teen makeover series called Student Body on the N, Variety reports.
Reuters reports that Mayor Michael Bloomberg will have a cameo in the Sex and the City movie.
According to a recent study, most people paid nothing for Radiohead's latest album, writes Billboard.
Rosie O'Donnell is in discussions with MSNBC to host a prime-time show, reports Zap2It.

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Rosie O'Donnell to Guest on "Friday Night Lights"?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:32:29 -0700

Finally, a piece of Rosie O'Donnell news that doesn't make me groan! TV Guide's Michael Ausiello reported this week that "Friday Night Lights" executive producer Jason Katims is hoping to snag Rosie for a multi-episode arc in the upcoming season. Apparently one of the new recurring characters Katims mentioned to me is a female soccer coach angry about all the school's resources going to football, and he told Ausiello he'd love for Rosie to play the part.

One of her representatives confirmed to Playbill that "they are in talks and she loves the show," though nothing is definite. And on her blog today, Rosie responded to a question about whether she would guest-star on the show with "if they ask me yes."

Rosie is controversial to say the least, but I love the idea of her in this role; it makes me think of her character in Beautiful Girls who goes on a classic rant about men, women and objectification. In fact, it's really one of the few things Rosie could do next that wouldn't make me squirm, and it would put her brash, unapologetic attitude to good use. I usually hate stunt casting, but I could get behind this. What do you think?

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Could Rosie Replace Bob on "The Price is Right"?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 11:29:55 -0700

Fresh from his final spin of the big wheel and his 19th Daytime Emmy Award win, Bob Barker kept making headlines over the weekend by saying Rosie O'Donnell could follow him as host of "The Price is Right."

In the press room after the Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony, Barker said of O'Donnell (who, by the way, actually took out a full-page ad in Variety to express interest in the job):

"She knows the show. There's no doubt in my mind she could do the show. Now, whether they want a lady host, I don't know. I've never heard that discussed. As far as I know, they've only auditioned men."

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Rosie hosting "Price" (on the one hand, she has the energy for it; on the other hand, she's pretty polarizing), but I just have to mention Barker using the words "lady host." In anyone else's mouth, that would sound a little sexist, but coming from him, it's oddly quaint and endearing. Oh, Bob. I'll miss you.

By the way, other people mentioned as possible replacement hosts have been Todd Newton of E!, Mark Steines of "Entertainment Tonight," George Hamilton, John O'Hurley, and Mario Lopez, though that last one was apparently just a rumor. So, do you think Rosie could do it?

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