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TV Tonight: Kath and Kim Take on Breast Cancer

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:30:17 -0700

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and tonight, NBC's Kath and Kim is getting into the act. The mother-daughter team at the heart of the comedy has hooked up with Ford's Warriors in Pink campaign to help promote awareness of the disease in tonight's episode.

Anyone who tunes into the show tonight will have a chance to win a Ford Warriors in Pink Mustang (which will also be Kim's car for the duration of the season - huh, who knew she had a license?). There's also a funny little spot at the end of the show spotlighting breast cancer awareness in a way that only Kath and Kim can: by talking about how they need to pick a cause, what with being celebrities and all.

Last week's Kath and Kim premiere got a mixed reaction, but this sounds like as good a reason as any to give the show another try. If you didn't see the first episode, you can watch a quick recap of it if you read more.

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Selma Blair Hones Her Comedy Skills at TCA

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:30:34 -0700

Most of the cast of Kath and Kim is best known for comedy: Molly Shannon had all those years on Saturday Night Live, John Michael Higgins is one of Christopher Guest's regular players, and Mikey Day is a Groundlings grad who's also dipped a toe into Internet comedy. So how on earth does Selma Blair fit in?

Pretty well, actually, if her appearance at the TCA press tour is any indication. It was the last day of the tour, when reporters tend to get snippy. Blair, though, was ready to snipe right back, and her droll comments had much of the room in stitches. It basically confirmed my thoughts upon seeing the first promos that Blair's going to be the scene-stealer. Some of the goodies:

An early (and pretty expected) question was about what Blair and Shannon thought about playing a mother and daughter when in real life they're less than a decade apart. "Actresses play different people all the time," Blair said - and then just ran with it. "It's weird. It's this thing . . . called acting? And so you just, like, play different characters that aren't your age or anything? I mean, I think. I don't know." She also cracked that she only got the role because "Dakota Fanning was unavail."
On playing younger in the show: "If you squint your eyes when you're watching it, and you don't put it on high-def, if you're like squinting and put some Vaseline on your eyeballs - I look so young."
When a reporter asked about Ben Silverman, NBC's co-chairman for entertainment, also being an executive producer of the show, Blair broke in: "Quite. A. Catch. Yup. Eyes on the prize."
The real fun came when a reporter asked Blair, whose hair is short right now, how many wigs she'd be wearing. That time, she actually gave a serious answer, until breaking into her own response by saying "this is probably the most boring answer to a question you've ever had." Then, well, this happened:

"If I get a wig, it will be a three-quarter wig because apparently I have a very low forehead line, which a lot of people comment on all the time. I am apparently from the monkey family. I hear that all the time. People are either rats or monkeys. I'm a monkey. I know. Look at your friends. You're all either a rat or a monkey. It's true."

She then declared the monkey-vs.-rat status of all her costars: Monkey (Day), Monkey (Higgins), Rat (Shannon), "you're kind of monkey-rat" (executive producer Michelle Nader).

The whole thing felt like a Christopher Guest movie, which I suppose means her comedy skills are just fine.

For the record, Blair also did give some real answers. They just weren't nearly as fun.

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Hellboy II: A Super-Fun, Satisfying Sequel

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:30:46 -0700

I was awed and amazed by Pan's Labyrinth, and I really liked the first Hellboy movie, but I can now say with certainty that I am officially in love with Guillermo del Toro's beautiful brain. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is like being cast back to a time when your young imagination had no boundaries and no inner editor. Del Toro's vibrant, exciting, sometimes nightmarish and often funny work of creative genius is a constant delight. At times it veers into cheesy superhero stuff, and viewers who don't like this kind of thing definitely won't be on board for this movie. But viewers who do like it - and those with a soft spot in their hearts for big Red - may be totally delighted.

When we catch up with our hero Hellboy, he and his lady love Liz (Selma Blair) and their good buddy Abe (Doug Jones) are still working for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, using their superpowers to help people out. But even so, the public gives them no respect, no respect at all. And now they have the problem of Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), a rebellious leader of the creature world who is determined to summon the Golden Army, a vast army of robot-like warriors, to destroy all humans. Hellboy, Abe and Liz are joined by the ectoplasmic Johann Strauss (voiced by Seth McFarlane), along with the leader's twin sister Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) to stop Prince Nuada's evil plan. Meanwhile, Hellboy and Liz are having issues, Hellboy is struggling with his job, and Abe develops a bit of a crush on Princess Nuala.

For more of my take on the movie, read more.

In addition to del Toro's awesome visual style, which is sometimes nostalgically reminiscent of older movies like The Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and Return of the Jedi, the story in this Hellboy sequel is great. It's simple, interesting enough, and easily wrapped up in less than two hours while also providing plenty of fodder for future sequels. But the real strength of the film lies in del Toro's artistic mastery combined with the motley gang of misfit creatures who lead us on this adventure. Of course, our beloved Hellboy, with all his macho posturing, sardonic wit and soft spot for cats, is at the heart of it all. But while his wry zingers sometimes smack of cheesy action hero lines previously reserved for the likes of Arnold Schwartzenegger, the character of Hellboy is more complex than that. He's insecure and struggles with his temper.

I think that's what I like most about these superheroes: they're quite flawed. They are incredibly emotional, fallible and misunderstood. And in an age-old lesson, they appear to be beasts but are actually helping to save the world. You won't find those toned, cocky Fantastic Four types here. There's a little more going on beneath the surface - not a ton, it's still a pretty light superhero flick, but enough to give us something to actually care about.

I'm not usually of the mind that a movie should have more and more sequels (see: the Spider-Man franchise, which should just stop), and in fact, I can't recall any time I've ever said I'd like to see a sequel to a movie as soon as possible. But if I had my way, I'd like del Toro to put out a new Hellboy installment every single year. I love what he's doing with this series, and I just can't wait to see what else comes out of that mind.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

First Look: NBC's Kath and Kim

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:35:35 -0700

It was almost a year ago that I first caught wind of Kath and Kim, NBC's remake of the hit Australian comedy. Since then, Molly Shannon and Selma Blair have been cast in the leads as a dysfunctional mother-daughter team, and NBC has picked the show to anchor its Thursday night comedy lineup. I started seeing promos for the show over the weekend, and so far, I'm finding them completely delightful.

For one thing, it's great to see Molly Shannon with a sassy, blonde haircut and some seriously out-there clothes. For another, I'm loving the attitude Selma Blair's bringing to her role, falling somewhere between entitled princess and petulant teenager. While the two apparently look very little like their Australian counterparts, maybe they can turn the show into an equally big hit.

The odds may be against this remake - and I mean literally, as Horizon Media has already pegged it as one of the shows most likely to fail this Fall - but if the full episodes can keep the easy humor of these promos, I think it stands a chance. To check them out, just read more.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Movie Preview: Hellboy 2 Full-Length Trailer

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:30:26 -0700

Hold on to your red horns because the official full-length trailer for Hellboy II: The Golden Army has arrived and it looks awesome.

Although the first trailer was quite long and full of information, this new peek at director Guillermo del Toro's follow-up to the first Hellboy reveals more of the heart-stoppingly creepy monsters that rumble through the city.

I'm so glad the Hellboy franchise is in this director's hands as he truly understands what it takes to visually tell a great story, and he's one of the few people capable of creating a world where - as the trailer puts it - forces beyond our understanding reside.

We also get a little glimpse at the funny and adorable "I have a crush on you" banter between Ron Perlman's Hellboy and Selma Blair's Liz Sherman. Are you excited as I am?

Hellboy II opens in theaters July 11. To check out the new trailer with an introduction from Guillermo del Toro himself, read more.

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Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:00:28 -0800

This week we tragically lost one of the entertainment industry's most promising young talents. Heath Ledger will be remembered as a supremely gifted and courageous artist as well as a loving father. As Hollywood struggles to cope with this shocking loss, the fate of his projects hangs in the balance.
The same day as Heath's terrible death, Hollywood was busy celebrating their own as the 2008 Oscar nominations were announced. I gave you my thoughts and got you off to a good start for the award ceremony with clips of the nominated animated shorts.
Molly and I had a blast at Sundance this year! You can check all my thoughts on the films I caught plus general musings about the festival here.
The cast of Freaks and Geeks took us down memory lane and we learned that some familiar faces are heading back to TV.
The Coachella line-up left some of you feeling underwhelmed, but there was other good music-related stuff on the web this week that made me smile.
I dug up a hilarious photo from American Idol and I need you to caption it!
Finally, there does seem to be progress, but it's becoming clear the strike will have an impact on TV for years to come.

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Selma Blair Heads to TV for NBC's Kath and Kim

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:30:13 -0800

Selma Blair has been focusing on her film career for years, but now she's headed back to the small screen. After a long search, NBC has tapped her to play opposite Molly Shannon in the comedy Kath and Kim.

The show, based on an award-winning Australian series, focuses on the dysfunctional relationship between a mother, Kath (Shannon), and her daughter, Kim (Blair). It's been a high priority at NBC for a while: The network first picked up the pilot a year ago, and NBC entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman was talking it up way back at last summer's TCA, but it was reportedly tough to find the right actresses for the leads. The series comes from Silverman's production company, Reveille, which also adapted The Office and Ugly Betty for US television.

This is Blair's first regular TV role since her breakout appearance as Zoe on the WB's Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane back in 1999. Can you see her playing Shannon's daughter? To watch part of an original Kath and Kim episode, just read more

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First Look: Hellboy 2

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:30:45 -0800

Yeah, I'll admit it: I loved the first Hellboy movie by Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro. I love the big red Hellboy (Ron Perlman) with his wry humor. I like Selma Blair in her role as Liz. And I love all the creepy, fantastical elements that the imaginative del Toro cooks up for his movies.

So naturally, I'm stoked to see a teaser trailer for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The story goes like this: "The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his team must save the world from the rebellious creatures." And as the movie's official site points out, "He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy."

Hellboy II opens in theaters July 11. To check out the teaser trailer, read more.

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Feast of Love: Sweet But Not Filling

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:36:14 -0700

There are certainly some lovable things about Feast of Love. I love Morgan Freeman. I love the peaceful Oregon setting. I love watching Greg Kinnear do what he does best - play the blithely unaware guy. The movie aims to be a romantic weepie, and there are a few tears and there is some romance. There are good performances and a few sweet, truthful scenes. But all the elements put together make for a narrative that mopes along with a couple lightning bolts of drama trying to jolt us out of our stupor. In the end, it's a pretty unfulfilling "feast."

The story mostly revolves around the lovelorn Bradley (Kinnear) and his terrible luck, Harry's (Freeman) grief over having lost his son, and a young couple dealing with new love, minor money troubles, and an ominous psychic reading. Bradley marries one woman (Selma Blair) only to have her realize she is a lesbian and run off with - who else? - the shortstop on a rival softball team. Then Bradley finds another woman (Radha Mitchell) who can't seem to pull herself away from a man she's had an affair with for a long time. There is no shortage of naked breasts or lovemaking scenes while either the night sky looks on or the pounding rain provides a soundtrack. There's more to this movie than just that, though, so read more

In the meantime, Harry mostly dispenses a lot of kindly advice and privately continues to grieve for his dead son while shutting out his compassionate wife (Jane Alexander, in a role similar to the one she plays on "Tell Me You Love Me"). For a while I was very concerned that there would be some dumb twist where Harry was actually a figment of everyones' imaginations, but thankfully the story never delves into those tricks. The nicest aspect of the story is the relationship between Chloe (one half of the young couple, played sweetly by Alexa Davalos) and Harry as he becomes a kind of surrogate father to her.

On paper, I'm sure the script seemed really beautiful. And combined with these great actors, how could they go wrong? I'm not sure how they did, but they did. The audience around me was palpably restless and at times even I found myself making a to-do list in my head and checking my watch. I would recommend seeing this film if you a) want to cry and just need an excuse, b) have a ton of patience, and/or c) are feeling sick and need something relatively tame to lull you to sleep. Otherwise, skip it and wait for these great actors to find better projects.

Photos courtesy of MGM

Movie Preview: Feast of Love

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:27:25 -0700

As I mentioned in my romantic roundup of fall movies, Feast of Love is a little romantic drama starring Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear and Selma Blair. It takes place in Oregon and focuses on Bradley's (Kinnear) terrible luck with the ladies and how he learns all sorts of lessons on love from the various people in his life. Going out on a limb here, I assume Freeman's character doles out endless bits of sage advice. The movie opens September 28, so to check out the slightly cheesy trailer, read more

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