BuzzSugar

Lucy Lawless Tells Kevin Smith What's What at Comic-Con

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:30:22 -0700

I would have wanted to attend a panel on women in the sci-fi, horror, and comic book genres anyway, but the fact that it was moderated by Kevin Smith just sealed the deal. And I didn't realize I was in for such a comedy show. Smith was, as one might expect, hilariously droll, sarcastic, kinda bitter but not quite hostile. But that Lucy Lawless (you may know her as Xena, and/or D'Anna Biers on Battlestar Galactica) is sassy! She's gregarious and smart and has an incredibly cutting sense of humor that she used to repeatedly take Smith down. It was informative, but also one of the most entertaining panels I've attended yet.

In addition to Lawless, the other panelists included Jaime King (Sin City, The Spirit) Pia Guerra (the awesomely smart and creative illustrator of a comic that I'm slightly obsessed with right now, Y: The Last Man) and producer Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator, Punisher: War Zone).

Smith asked each of the ladies some prewritten questions (not written by him, and clearly not questions he was happy asking) about their experiences as women in such fanboy-dominated universes. To see what they had to say, read more.

Lawless referenced Sigourney Weaver multiple times as both an influence on her as an actor and in terms of Weaver being a pioneer of sorts for women in the sci-fi genre.
Jaime King admitted that doing her first horror movie was "sort of traumatizing," and that as much as she was supposed to try and detach from it all, it still seemed real.
Lawless said that the key to great female characters in these genres is "all in the writing," and that if people want to see more quality characters, they need to write quality characters for women. At this, Pia chimed in to say that the great writing of female characters requires writing them as "humans first."
Jaime King said she read a comic book aloud to Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller when she auditioned for Sin City. She thinks some people have a misconception of what Miller is like, and she said he's "actually a very gentle, caring, loving man."
At Gale's mention of Aeon Flux, the crowd went crazy cheering. It was nice to hear this character so warmly appreciated.
In response to the question, "Would you like to see more female directors in these genres?" of course Lawless, King, and Guerra all of course said "yes," and encouraged women to "step it up." Actually, Lawless said aspiring directors should "get off your arse, use your digi [camera], and do it your own self."
When asked who his favorite female character of all time is, Kevin Smith replied, "God." So, yeah. I'm kind of in love with that Kevin Smith.

Buzz Interview With the Cast of Precious, Part 1: Paula Patton

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:30:27 -0700

The buzz about Precious has been building ever since it swept awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival. (I even put it on my list of Fall movie picks.) Now with its release around the corner and Oscar whispers beginning, I sat down with some of the stars and the director himself. The film is based on the novel, Push, which follows a pregnant sixteen-year old living with her abusive mother. Despite the film's dark subject matter, every cast member I spoke to brought up the story's healing and feel-good power.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be bringing you their interviews. First up: Paula Patton, who plays Precious's teacher and mentor, Ms. Rain.

On the film's unexpected success: "We thought it’d maybe be on Netflix or in my mother’s living room! And then Lee called me in the beginning of the year and said, 'We’re going to Sundance.' That was it for me. That was an award to be able to go and be part of the selection, and then it just steam-rolled.”

For more of what Patton had to say, read more.

On her response to those who think the film is going to be depressing: "I understand saying, 'I want to see it, but I don’t want to see it right now, because I don’t want to go there.' It’s not like that. I say it’s like buying a ticket to a roller coaster ride. You laugh, you cry, you scream, and at the end of the ride, you’re left shaken, but with your heart more open. What’s beautiful about this film is that it breeds love."
On what she learned from Precious: “I think we’ve all judged a Precious. What this movie tells you is, don’t judge, because you don’t know their story. I think when we made this film we all had to admit our own racist feelings, our own prejudices, and deal with them head on.”

On newcomer Gabourey Sidibe: “So many actors will have worked their whole life and never achieve what [Gabby] achieves in this film. It’s remarkable. She’s not Precious. She’s like, ‘Paula, oh my god, did you see The Hills?' She’s such a girly-girl and loves to be happy. It's a difficult thing when you have a character that’s talked about the way she’s talked about - you're fat, you're ugly, you're stupid - that it took someone as smart and as confident as Gabby to play her and not be affected by it.”
On the inspiration for her character: "[My mother] was a public school teacher for 35 years, and she was one of these teachers that went above and beyond the call of duty. She would bring students back to the house, help them pay for books, and be supportive. When I decided to do this role, I was like, this is for my mother and for all the teachers out there who are like her.”
On what's next for her: “I just finished a comedy with Queen Latifah. I went from [a character] who has dedicated her life to helping others to someone who is the most selfish human being on the planet. I call her a gold-digger with a heart of gold. It was so much fun to explore a different character and flex those comedic chops!”

Are you looking forward to Precious? I'm dying to see it and Patton's film with Queen Latifah now!

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate and Source

Desperate Housewives Rundown, "Being Alive"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:39:57 -0700

This week's episode of Desperate Housewives follows the residents of Wisteria Lane as they deal with the aftermath of Julie's attack. At the epicenter, Susan's friendships with the housewives are tested (though most of the betrayals happen behind her back). Meanwhile, the newest neighbors find their son on the list of primary suspects and Mrs. McCluskey lands a new love.

There were scandals all over the place this week, so to talk about it just read more.

Susan - Susan's post-wedding morning bliss with Mike is quickly interrupted by Mrs McCluskey screams. As she faces the possibility of losing her daughter, Susan turns to her friends for comfort. In typical fashion, all the ladies have got their secrets - Lynette admits that Julie confided in her, Bree is sleeping with Carl, and Katherine's throwing herself at Mike.

Lynette - Still in denial about her pregnancy, Julie's accident turns out to play a vital role in Lynette's decision-making process. I was surprised that she's seriously considering having an abortion, but relieved that Susan used her own situation to talk her out of it. Most of all, I'm glad that Lynette is facing the truth from here on in, since pretending her pregnancy isn't real was starting to get depressing.

Gaby - I'm loving Gaby's new life with a teenager. Her guidance on playing hard to get cracked me up, particularly when poor Carlos realizes how many dates Gaby broke off for no real reason. Bonding time between Gaby and Ana never lasts long though, and by the end of the episode Gaby is grounding Ana for lying to the police about Danny's alibi. Though Ana continues to push Gaby's limits, so far her actions haven't strayed far from the typical high school realm - but I'm willing to bet it won't be long before things get out of hand.

Angie - Like any good wife and mother, Angie struggles to protect her family from both the police and the scrutinizing eyes of their neighbors on Wisteria Lane. She spends most of the episode trying to prove that Danny is innocent in Julie's attack, but I'm more worried about her husband than her son.

Katherine - Katherine finds a new confidant in Orson this week, trying to convince him that she's going to get Mike back. Orson has done some questionable things in the past, but even he doesn't fall for Katherine's deluded re-telling of what happened while Susan was at the hospital. Now that Bree's moved on, how long before Orson and Katherine end up in the sack?

Bree - Bree's discovering that Carl can bring out a whole side of her she never knew she had - a bad girl side. Not only do Carl's sleazy ways turn her on, but she realizes a bit too late that she's become a bad friend to Susan. Now the real question is whether or not Julie will remember catching Bree and Carl in the act when she wakes up from her coma.

What did you think of this week's episode? Who do you think is behind the attack on Julie? (My money's still on Mr. Bolen). Are you excited to see Jesse Metcalfe's return?

Want more of the latest on Desperate Housewives? Check out the Entertainment Group in the Buzz community!

Buzz Battle: Kristin Cavallari as the New Face of The Hills

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:30:29 -0700

The editors here at BuzzSugar stand united in our undying love for all things pop culture, but we don't always see eye-to-eye on every topic. After checking out the premiere of The Hills, this morning's water cooler discussion quickly evolved into a debate about whether or not the show can survive with Kristin in Lauren's place.

In corner number one we've got editor B, who is ready to cancel her season pass to the show after last night's episode. In corner number two, we've got editor S, who couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Kristin to the show. We've both compiled our strongest arguments, so check out both sides of the story and weigh in for yourself when you read more.

Editor B: Let me start by saying that I am not a Cavallari hater. I thought she was adorable and entertaining on Laguna Beach. The problem is that her sassy, bad-girl attitude doesn't make her unique anymore. Now she just seems like one of those girls that peaked in high school and never got over it. LC may not have been the most dramatic character on the show, but I appreciated that she kept it real instead of blatantly starting fights five minutes after walking into a party.
Editor S Rebuttal: By replacing LC with Kristin, The Hills just flipped the script. Within ten minutes of this week's premiere, there's a screaming match (Audrina had to be held back!). The show hasn't seen action like this since Lauren hollered that Heidi knew what she did outside of a nightclub ladies room in season three. Last night, no one stared at each other with emotive eyes and pregnant pauses. They talked, they flirted, they yelled. Thanks to Kristin, The Hills is fun again!
Editor B: Her valley girl voice is annoying me more than ever.
Editor S Rebuttal: Have you ever heard Spencer's voice? Hasn't stopped me from watching yet.
Editor B: It's hard to root for a protagonist that you repeatedly want to kick in the shins. I used to think Stephanie and Audrina were whiny, but now I can't blame them for leaving the show.
Editor S Rebuttal: After four seasons of feeling sympathy for LC (someone's being mean to Lauren, someone's lying about Lauren, someone's hooking up with Lauren's maybe boyfriend), it's refreshing to root for a live wire. Kristin's not sympathetic and she doesn't need your sympathy. There's only so many female friendship dilemmas you can go through, and The Hills has gone through them - really, is it a big deal if Lauren hangs out with Lo more than Audrina?! I'm sick of smeared mascara and tearful conversations; I'm ready for stilettos and scheming.
Editor B's closing argument: I'll give her a few more episodes, but I have a feeling that this show is a sinking ship and KCav is the captain. With LC gone, it's like back-to-back obnoxious scenes featuring Kristin and Spencer. There's only so much a person can take!
Editor S's closing argument: Did you see the previews for the coming season? Kristin will get put in her place by Jayde and the catfights are only starting. If the rest of the season is as juicy and action-packed as this week's episode, then I have my new Tuesday night destination for guilty, mean girl pleasure.

So whose side are you on?