BuzzSugar

Buzz In: What Are the Worst On-Screen Kisses?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:00:33 -0700

After viewing The Wackness I had lots of nice overall feelings about the movie but one tiny little part of it still makes me go, "Eeesh!" And that would be the part where Mary-Kate Olsen makes out with Ben Kingsley. Yeah, that makeout session (because it's definitely more than a little peck!) gave me the opposite of warm-fuzzies inside.

The romantic pairing up of old and young, sometimes given the lovely term "May-December romance," can be kinda icky to witness. Steve Martin locking lips with Claire Danes in Shopgirl is another one that sends an uncomfortable shiver up my spine.

It's not always the age thing, though. Sometimes there's poor chemistry, or one of the actors looks like he's falling asleep during a supposedly passionate embrace. There are awkward ones, like the tongue kiss between Sarah Michelle Gellar's conniving Kathryn and Selma Blair's painfully naive Cecile in Cruel Intentions. And there's the small screen, too: How awful was that kiss between Joey and Rachel on Friends? I distinctly remember yelling at my TV, "Stop! No! This isn't right!"

Those are just a few of kisses that have made me squirm in my seat, and as Defamer recently pointed out, there's often some squirming on the set as well during these kissing scenes. What are some of the worst screen kisses you can think of?

Source and Source

Buzz In: How Do You Feel About Celebrity-Penned Books?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:30:00 -0800

Actors are always looking to expand their horizons, and though most head towards music or clothing lines, a few brave souls venture into the wide world of literature. Some celebs have tried their hand at writing fiction - like Steve Martin's Shopgirl or Ethan Hawke's The Hottest State - while others find fodder in their own life stories.

I have to admit that I kind of loved Tori Spelling's sTORI Telling, and lately I've been considering exploring the buzz behind Lauren Conrad's LA Candy (don't judge me). I've also heard that Tracy Morgan's I am the New Black is a good beach read, and on the flip side, a few of my Sugar buddies hated Chelsea Handler's Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea.

Clearly there are a lot of options out there, but just because a book is a best seller doesn't mean it's a great read. How do you feel about celebrity-penned books? Which ones have you loved and which have you hated?

Buzz News Roundup, 11/24

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:30:10 -0800

The stage musical version of Irving Berlin's White Christmas will come to Broadway this Winter, offering seasonal competition to The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. - Variety
Shopgirl director Anand Tucker will direct Amy Adams in the Dublin-set romantic comedy Leap Year. - ComingSoon
The Screen Actors Guild will ask its members to authorize a possible strike. - Zap2it
Another one joins George Clooney in the cast of Jason Reitman's (director of Juno) next project, Up in the Air: Vera Farmiga will play the romantic interest for Clooney's character. - Variety
Horatio Sanz and Jessica St. Clair have joined the cast of ABC's In the Motherhood. - TV Guide
Jay-Z and Coldplay will play a few tour dates together next year. - Pitchfork
Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein, Notes From the Underbelly) has joined Grey's Anatomy as a patient for a multiepisode arc. - Entertainment Weekly
Screenwriter John Michael Hayes, nominated for Academy Awards for the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window and for Peyton Place, has died at age 89. - AP

Source

Nicole Kidman to Play Transsexual Married to Charlize Theron

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:35:26 -0800

Wow, this is intriguing: Nicole Kidman is set to play "the world's first post-op transsexual" in The Danish Girl, which will be based on the true story of Danish artists Einar and Greta Wegener. The Hollywood Reporter has details:

Their marriage took a sharp left turn after Einar (Kidman) stood in for an female model that Greta ([Charlize] Theron) was set to paint.

When their portraits become wildly popular in 1920s Copenhagen, Greta encouraged her husband to adopt the female guise. What began as a harmless game led Einar to a metamorphosis and landmark 1931 operation that shocked the world and threatened their love.

Kidman has often struck me as a thoughtful actress, and someone who is interested in stories of metamorphosis in general. I have faith in her ability to carry this film, though I'll be very curious to find out what Theron does with her role. I haven't been this fascinated by a film project in a long time. And, of course, this is exactly the type of transformative story that the Academy eats up with a spoon. Curiously, the director attached to the project is Anand Tucker, who has a relatively short filmography (Hilary and Jackie and Shopgirl being his only two directorial projects of note so far).

What do you make of all this?

Source

Evening: Time to Sleep

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:51:26 -0700

I went into Evening really wanting - nay, expecting - to love it. Look at the cast of respected actresses in this film: Vanessa Redgrave, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Toni Collette... the list continues. I hunkered down in the theater, equipped with tissues, readying myself for some heartwarmth and perhaps a cathartic sob or two. What happened instead? I nearly fell asleep.

The story follows the dying Ann (Redgrave), who is beginning to lose her grasp on the difference between past and present. She mentally relives a period of her life that she never shared with her adult daughters Nina (Collette) and Constance (Natasha Richardson) - the time she fell in love with the same man (Patrick Wilson) her best friend Lila (Mamie Gummer/Meryl Streep) also loved. Some other stuff happens that's of consequence though we're not allowed to concentrate on it for long because the daughters' stories are also roped into Ann's story. It sort of has that Beaches friendship 'n death thing going on, but there's so much other clutter involved that it's ultimately unsatisfying. There's more to say, though, so read more

Swathed in the dusky colors of evening-time and employing adorable period costumes, the look and feel of the movie is luscious and pleasant. Some of the performances are excellent, especially given the sloppy script. Toni Collette, in particular, is a breath of fresh air every time she's onscreen, as usual. Vanessa Redgrave is given little to work with, and by midway through the film I had her pattern down: Lie in bed, babble incoherently about things we don't yet understand, drift off to sleep murmuring to self, repeat. Ann's story told in flashbacks with Danes playing the young Ann would have been quite interesting Danes played Ann with any shred of personality at all. Thus, I come to the greatest problem with this movie: Claire Danes.

As I've mentioned before, I actually like Claire Danes. I enjoyed her part in The Hours, found her pleasant to watch in Shopgirl, and of course she'll always have a special place in my heart as Angela Chase. So watching her fail in this film was disappointing. For a movie almost entirely about her character she doesn't manage to keep the audience's attention for more than a minute or so. Most of all, there is a massive disconnect between Vanessa Redgrave's characterization and Danes' lack thereof - not once did I believe the two women to be playing the same character. The resultant feeling is one of muddy confusion and irritation.

Everyone else is more intriguing to watch than Danes, and I was particularly mesmerized by the character of Lila. Lila in general seems more complex than Ann, but Mamie Gummer's performance as the young Lila is also more interesting than Danes'. And then there is Meryl Streep as the adult Lila, whose screen time is quite brief, but for the few minutes she's there she far outshines anything else in the movie. One gets the feeling watching Streep that she has all the world's wisdom in her possession, and is doling it out in tiny increments. I was left desperately craving more Streep, as she was the only truly great thing about the film. But alas, I only got more of Danes until, to my relief, the movie ended.

Source