BuzzSugar

The Video for Gnarls Barkley's "Run" Is So. Much. Fun.

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:59:25 -0800

The video for Gnarls Barkley's "Run" actually makes me want to, well, run. And dance. And stomp around. And wave my arms all crazy. The video features Justin Timberlake as an uber-geeky, wannabe "fresh" host of City Vibin', a hyper-frenetic dance show with '80s effects and a costume designer straight off the set of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The song itself is so frantic and urgent, and in this video that energy is channeled into dance.

You just have to watch this - but you might want to be sure there's nothing breakable around first, because the urge to move might overtake you. To check it out and start doing dweeby dance moves similar to Timberlake's in this video, read more.

BuzzSugar's Must-Haves for September

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 05:30:00 -0700

Welcome to BuzzSugar's monthly must-haves, where I show off a handful of the things I'm most looking forward to watching, buying, renting and reading. With fall in the air, here are a half-dozen of the goodies I'm craving this month.

To hear why these six things are at the top of my list, just read more

Run by Ann Patchett - The new novel from Patchett (who also wrote Bel Canto), which will be released Sept. 25, takes place over 24 hours in the life of a Boston family and deals with sprawling themes of race, family and class. But I'm most intrigued by one review of it that equates it to good television writing, similar in pacing and style to "Six Feet Under" or "The Sopranos."
Matt Pond PA: Last Light - I was already impressed with one song off this band's latest full-length album, which will be released Sept. 25, and I've just spent the afternoon with the title track, "Last Light," wedged in my head thanks to the band's MySpace page. I think this album will be just the thing to help me transition to the colder months.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Seasons 1 and 2 - I just love this weird-dark-funny show centered around four friends and Danny Devito. In some ways, the bizarre humor reminds me of "Arrested Development," and since it's on FX, the writers can get away with much edgier stuff. This 2-season DVD set (which actually comes out today) is a must-have for my collection.
Iron & Wine: The Shepherd's Dog - When the chill of fall first comes into the air, it's time for me to reach for my Iron & Wine albums. The perfect thing for curling up with on a cool night, Sam Beam's gentle rhythms and sublime storytelling never fail to satisfy me, so I'll be picking up his newest album when it comes out Sept. 25.
TiVo HD Series 3 - If I could have any one thing as fall TV season kicks in, it would be this TiVo, which holds 300 hours of standard programming (or 32 hours of HD programming) and allows for recording two TV shows simultaneously, an absolute necessity for me. Its price tag is hefty (almost $800 plus monthly fees), but hey, a girl can dream.
Stars: In Our Bedroom After the War - The first song I heard from this Canadian band's new album made me think of a perfect scene from a yet-to-be-written movie. Though I haven't heard the whole album yet, some early reviews promise that the full album continues that cinematic scope. The album will be released Sept. 25, but if you can't wait till then, you can download it now.

What's Your Favorite Show to Watch in Reruns?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0800

Curb Your Enthusiasm is coming to cable: The TV Guide channel and TV Land have both just acquired the show in a joint effort to run old episodes. Larry David and the gang will first appear on TV Guide starting in February, and TV Land will pick up the show from them starting in 2013. Now, I can feed my rerun addiction and catch up on those seasons of Curb that I missed when I didn't have HBO! Not that I need yet another program to watch in syndication.

I don't know how it happens, but I always get sucked into back-to-back Scrubs marathons. I've seen most of the storylines at least twice - Sex and the City episodes at least three times - but I still watch them again and again.

I know I'm not alone here, so tell me: What's your favorite show to watch in reruns? Seinfeld? Everybody Loves Raymond? The Office?

The Box: An Inadequate Package to Unwrap

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:56 -0800

I so wanted The Box to be a worthy successor to Donnie Darko, director Richard Kelly's first film and much-appreciated cult fave. Unfortunately, I didn't exactly get my wish.

The Box is a highly stylized, good-looking thriller, from the retro 1976 Virginia setting to the Barbie and Ken looks of leads Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. They play husband and wife Arthur and Norma Lewis, who run into a bit of a financial jam when a strange opportunity conveniently presents itself. A creepy, disfigured man (Frank Langella) offers them a million dollars if they push a button inside a box - but a stranger will die if they do.

Kelly has all the right elements and the creativity to give us a hip, entertaining thriller, but there are a number of blatant missteps that make the movie unsatisfying. To see more about what I mean, just read more.

Kelly puts his stamp on everything, namely the constant eerie atmosphere and the random sinister characters (apparently an old person standing still in the road is his trademark). Though many questioned the casting of Cameron Diaz and her requisite Virginia accent, there was a similar doubt when Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze were cast in Darko, and it ended up working. With Diaz, it's not that I would say that she nailed the part, but that the accent and greater aspects of the plot are very campy. And I like campy, but I don't know if that's what the film is going for.

If you're not taking it seriously, the movie is a pretty good time, with some frightening scenes and jumps. There are also many parts that are supposed to be creepy, but they're so labored that they come out as funny. Like, laugh out loud in the theater funny. I wouldn't call that a failure, I'd just invoke the term I used before campy.

The major problem the movie runs into is when it begins exploring these sci-fi and supernatural angles, which end up being red herrings. For instance, much is made of Arthur's job at NASA and Mars, which made me think we were in for a weird, wild sci-fi ride. I was ready to embrace something really out there (I'm a big David Lynch fan, after all), but you don't really get it. There are so many elements that are introduced but never followed to a conclusion, so you're left shrugging your shoulders when the movie ends. It's even more perplexing because the mystery of The Box itself is explained, but you're left with all these details that went nowhere, in retrospect. It's one thing to leave things open-ended, but you have to give the audience something to work with.

Honestly, if you're a Kelly fan, you'll probably find it enjoyable. But if you want complete resolution, I'd wait for the director's cut.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "Invest in Love"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:14 -0800

This week I felt like Grey's Anatomy is finally getting back on track. The episode has a very sad central focus, as Arizona faces the inevitable loss of a young patient, but was nicely rounded out with the usual relationship issues, comic relief, and a few sweet moments.

For more Grey's fun, check out the Grey's Anatomy McAddicts group in the Buzz Community. To get into the money matters, the L-bombs, and the shirtless Karev from this week, just read more.

This week's episode belongs to Arizona, as she takes a few of the surgeons into the "magical" world of pediatrics. She introduces Yang, Hunt, and Avery to Wallace - a 10-year-old patient with a nutritional disorder that's kept him in the hospital for 7 months. Thanks to her particularly sweet bedside manner and close relationship with Wallace, his parents offer to donate $25 million to the hospital. But when his condition worsens, Wallace's parents and the chief put pressure on Arizona to perform a surgery she doesn't feel comfortable with - and she ends up losing Wallace on his 11th birthday. There is one saving grace though, and that's the "I love you" exchange that happens between Arizona and Callie after Arizona runs out on her own surprise party.
The tension continues for Cristina and Owen, and Cristina's obsession with performing a surgery finally takes hold of her when she goes against Owen's orders and performs in the OR. It leads to a big fight for the two (which according to Meredith means Owen loves Cristina), but causes Avery to take notice of Cristina. They share a kiss at Arizona's surprise party, but Cristina pushes him off, saying that she's "involved." Somehow, I don't think this is the end of Avery's little crush.
As if things couldn't get any worse for Alex with Izzie gone, he gets slammed with $200,000 worth of her medical bills. He takes his anger out on Reid, who finally admits to Avery that she has a crush on Alex. Alex sweetly cares for a baby he thinks is about to die, and manages to coddle her back to health (shirtless, no less). I loved the jokes about the softer side of Karev (specifically Derek asking if Karev is lactating yet), and was even more impressed with Reid's persistence, even as Alex continues to snap at her and complain about Izzie.

What'd you think of this week's episode? Are you excited for next week's Izzie return and Kim Raver introduction? How long before Karev and Reid finally get it on?

FlashForward Breakdown, "The Gift"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:30:48 -0800

On this week's episode of FlashForward, we get some of those big payoffs that Sonya Walger promised. While the main characters' most important relationships grow more tense, the FBI agents learn more about the blue-hand situation, and the end of the episode has two very big twists.

There's plenty of excitement to discuss, so to get into it, just read more.

Call me Al: We don't learn much about Al in the first handful of episodes of the season, but boy do we get an eyeful and an earful this week. Turns out Al's flash-forward is a lot more jarring than just a dead bird - it's followed up with a phone call revealing that a still-mysterious chain of events ends in Al "accidentally" killing a mother of two. Throughout the episode Al seems to have a laid-back, collected demeanor (even when he opts in for a game of Russian roulette), but inside he's a mess. In the end, Al is so overcome with grief about having a death on his hands, that he decides to "change the game" and commits suicide. I have to admit, as heartbreaking as that scene is, I was kind of glad Al went through with it - just to prove that the flash-forwards aren't necessarily the future. Everything is changed now, the paths can be adjusted, and both Mark and Demetri realize this as they head home to their significant others. Now that they believe the visions can be adjusted, I can't wait to see what else they try to do to throw their visions off course.

My blue heaven: Following up on Demetri and Al's scavenger hunt to find the "blue hands," the fun continues this week as the FBI agents discover that the blue hands are actually a "death club," with meetings set up all over the country for people like Demetri who didn't see a flash-forward ("living ghosts"). It kind of reminded me of Fight Club, though Mark defines it as a "book club with bullets." The guys are hilarious in their street clothes headed to the party, though what they find inside is pretty horrific. After a quick game of Russian roulette, the guys enter what can only be defined as a torture den - people who believe they are going to die doing all kinds of creepy things to each other. I have to say, if I was one of those "living ghosts" I think I'd either be trying to do all the fun things I never got to do before - or I'd just want to get it over with. Why anyone would want to be tortured when he or she is already tormented by the idea of their inevitable death is beyond me.

Blast from the past: Aaron gets a visit from Mike, a friend and solider who served at the same time as Aaron's daughter Tracy. Mike passes on a Swiss Army knife to Aaron, a good-luck charm that Tracy wanted her dad to have should anything happen to her. Aaron is overjoyed since the knife also appeared in his vision, though Mike isn't exactly receptive to the notion that Tracy is still alive. He explains to Aaron that he watched Tracy die (though hello! He didn't even check to see if she was breathing), but surprise! Tracy is sitting in Aaron's kitchen at the end of the episode.

Other plot points:

As tensions rise between Demetri and Zoey, Demetri finally admits to Zoey that he didn't have a flash-forward and is going to die. Zoey refuses to accept it, insisting that should could feel Demetri in her vision and that nothing's been decided yet. Demetri seems skeptical about choosing Zoey's side to "hope" for the best, but after Al's suicide, he seems to have warmed up to the idea that he can change his fate.

Like Demetri, Al's death is a wake-up call for Mark. After suffering problems with Olivia (how sad is it when Charlie catches him crying?) he runs home and embraces her sweetly.

Instead of helping out at the church, Nicole lands a gig volunteering at Olivia's hospital. We learn that she speaks Japanese pretty will, and now is helping Bryce try to find the mysterious Japanese woman from his vision. Will this somehow lead to Nicole's scary vision? Is she sticking her nose where it doesn't belong?

What did you think of this week's episode? Do you think other characters will try to "change the game," too?

Patrick Dempsey to Move From the Hospital to the Bank

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:30:24 -0800

Patrick Dempsey is finally breaking out of his romantic comedy pigeonhole - sort of. He's set to star in an untitled heist film, penned by the guys behind The Hangover. Don't get your hopes up to see Dempsey as a bad-boy bank robber, though - he'll be playing a man "caught in the middle of two different robberies at the same bank who tries to protect a bank teller with whom he's secretly in love."

Sounds like it could have potential to be cheesy, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore can keep the plot line on the edgier side and hit another home run.

Movie Preview: Angelina Jolie in Salt

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:30:05 -0800

I've been eagerly awaiting the trailer for the Angelina Jolie thriller Salt ever since the gender-bending news was announced that the actress would be replacing Tom Cruise in the title role. Though we already knew it was spy thriller, the trailer reveals new plot details, which reveal the necessity of all those wig changes.

The tense clip with Jolie as Evelyn Salt on the run already looks more compelling than her last action flick, Wanted, and I think the addition of supporting cast like Liev Schreiber could make this a hit. To watch the trailer, just read more.

30 Rock Gets James Franco and Maybe Julianne Moore

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:30:35 -0800

I can't wait to see James Franco head to General Hospital later this month, but if soaps aren't your thing then maybe today's news will be more up your alley. Franco is the latest actor to make an appearance on 30 Rock! He'll be playing himself, but the best part is that he'll be involved in a showmance with Jenna. If you've seen any of Franco's Funnyordie videos (of which there are many), you know this guy has no problem poking fun at himself, and a fake relationship between James and Jenna should be hilarious.

But wait - there's more! Jack Donaghy will be getting a love interest as well (though his a real one) for a handful of episodes. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but word on the street is that it may be Julianne Moore. Salma Hayek had a great run as Jack's girlfriend last season, but can Moore measure up?

What do you think of 30 Rock's newest guest stars? Do you think they'll be as funny as Jon Hamm and Jennifer Aniston?

Link Time! Heroes Is Killing Off a Major Character

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:30:36 -0800

Want to know who's getting the ax on Heroes? Click here for the spoiler - Watch With Kristin
Commemorate Election Day '09 with five of the best election campaigns in movies - MTV Movies Blog
Director/writer Richard Kelly talks about The Box and whether he would push the button - Collider
Weezer continues their run of head-scratching collaborations. Check them out with Chamillionaire, Sara Bareilles, and . . . Kenny G?! - Stereogum
Hey Muse fans, here's their new video for Undisclosed Desires! - Rolling Stone
Your childhood Berenstain Bears are coming to the big screen - Moviefone
Critics are just not liking the new Chris Brown album cover, and I have to agree - Vulture
Gordon Ramsay is taking on another cooking show for Fox - YumSugar
Now here's a holiday cover I can get behind: Strokes singer Julian Casablancas is taking on the SNL ditty, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today." Genius. - Pitchfork

Photo courtesy of NBC