BuzzSugar

TV Tonight: "Shut Up! It's Stacy London"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 12:09:53 PDT

As a dedicated fan of "What Not to Wear," I was thrilled to hear that Stacy London, the show's fashion diva, is getting her own talk show. But the even better news is that we don't have to wait till the fall to check it out. TLC is showing a "sneak peek" of the premiere episode of the show tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, right after a special behind-the-scenes episode of "What Not to Wear." Among the guests dropping by tonight: Jane Krakowski of "30 Rock," Lisa Rinna, and shoe designer Kristin Lee.

I'm excited to see how London's bubbly-yet-snarky personality translates to a talk show format, and I can never get enough Jane Krakowski, so I'll be tuning in for sure. Now, we just need to get the incredibly lovable Clinton Kelly a show, too - maybe a cameo on "Project Runway"? And hey, whatever happened to original "What Not to Wear" co-host Wayne Scot Lukas, anyway?

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New Trailer For The Watch: See the Aliens!

Maggie Pehanick — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:21:51 PDT

The latest preview for The Watch is here, and while the first trailer for the suburban alien-fighting comedy gave us a good look at the bromance between Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn, and Richard Ayoade, it was lacking in plot. Now we get a look at not only the characters, but also a little bit more of the story, and we even get a peek at one of the aliens. I mean, it's dead (kind of) but it's still pretty exciting.

This trailer definitely isn't as crass as the first red-band one, but I don't think its lack of crudeness takes away from the dynamic between the characters. Now we know the origin of the sweet neighborhood watch jackets ("It's like the Chinese symbol for shut up and dance!") and the group's skilled interrogation techniques. Plus we still get to see some exploding cow. The movie hits theaters July 27, but you can check out the new trailer after the jump.

How Not to Destroy Your Marriage

The Good Men Project — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:30:42 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Today, Mark Tyrrell offers eight relationship tools to make your marriage work.

"All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble." - Raymond Hull

So how do you make your marriage work? Or do you just blindly hope it'll take care of itself?

Think of a hot, successful date with someone you’re attracted to. You have fun, great conversation and more sexual chemistry than a warehouse full of pheromones. You don’t have to “work at” the date because it’s self sustaining. It runs as smoothly as the gliding hand of a classical guitar maestro and you can’t wait for another rendition.

Teenage Dating in a Twilight-Hunger Games World

But marriage, or any long term relationship; well that’s a whole other caboodle.

If we’re not careful, marriage can deteriorate into little more than a torturous assault course; littered with routine boredoms, frustrations and resentments. Couple all that with external pressures and sometimes marriage feels not worth the effort. But there are major benefits to being hitched or committed, other than just a beneficial tax regime.

Healthy marriage; healthy people.

Being happily married bestows heaps of health benefits. You might be forgiven for thinking that if you’re married you don’t live longer it just seems like it but, no, a good marriage really can help you clock up more years (1) and married people are happier (2) even though they don’t always look it from the outside.

But when marriage doesn’t work it can feel being manacled to a maniac, marooned with a misogynist or nailed to a nag. And I don’t care what the studies say, that’s not healthy. You may hear couples say stuff like: “We are making our marriage work!” but how do we do this?

Making it work.

We pay lip service to “working on the marriage” but what is the work we need to do? Marriage vows such as “to love and to cherish” and “forsaking all others, for better or for worse” don’t really tell us how to make it work, although they give us a clue.

Fortunately a ton of research has been done on what to do and not do to make your marriage, or any intimate relationship work. Follow the guidelines here to become “good at marriage."

Tip one: Be romantic but keep it real.

We are all (force?) fed romance in movies and novels. The handsome man gets the beautiful woman. But what I wonder is what happens after our romantic couple ride off into the sunset together? What do they do exactly? Bicker? Moan at one another? Start to ignore each other?

After all that romance, our beautiful couple is bound to have massive expectations of their life together. But when rose tinted expectations clash with day to reality, watch out!

Romance is vital in any relationship. Always seeing the best in your partner helps to keep things intimate and love should be expressed. But if you have been raised on Mills and Boon Romance novels or feel-good movies, then your own romantic expectations can work against the sustainability of your long term relationship.

When day to day life fails to live up to the giddy, heady lust-filled days of the pre-settled down romance people can become angry, even blame one another: “This wasn’t what I signed up for." They find it hard to take the rough with the smooth because they never really figured there would be any rough.

Expectations not diluted with at least a dash of realism can be a royal road to relationship ruin. Your partner may be an angel, but they have feet of clay. You must learn to love those feet or at least accept them a bit!

Get the rest after the jump!

Mad Men's 5 Maddest Moments: "Dark Shadows"

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:44:57 PDT

It feels like just yesterday it was summertime in Mad Men world, but alas, we've already arrived at Thanksgiving. It's not exactly a celebratory episode: Betty's cranky about both her new diet and Don's new wife; Pete's still struggling to figure out his life; and Don and Ginsberg have a showdown at work.

Roger, on the other hand, is still using his money to get everything he wants, which includes using Jane for some help landing a new client and paying off Ginsberg. And Ginsberg's success is Peggy's lack thereof; with him cleaning up, she has less and less to show for her work. Ready to break down the big moments? Just

Carry that weight: Betty's already looking noticeably thinner than the fat suit episode, and it's because she's joined Weight Watchers. Her weekly meetings seem to be helping with her portion control, but despite measuring her sad little grapefruit dinners on the scale each night, she still can't resist sucking down a little whipped cream every now and then. As much as Betty irritates me, my heart went out to her at the end of the episode when she eats her tiny Thanksgiving dinner and seriously savors her one allotted bite of stuffing.
Green-eyed monster: While Betty's picking up the kids, she gets an eyeful of Don's swanky new apartment - and his new wife. Clearly shaken up by the incident, she retaliates by spilling the beans about Anna to Sally while Sally is in the midst of making a family tree. Betty easily manipulates Sally into thinking that Megan is a liar, but the joke's on Betty in the end. After a squabble, Don explains the Anna situation to sassy Sally and Sally reports back to her mother without even mentioning the argument. Betty proceeds to freak out. I've got to hand it to Megan for convincing Don not to call Betty in a rage; not only is Megan spot-on about giving Betty what she wants, but she also diffuses the argument pretty quickly.
Fantasy land: Pete is particularly smug because he's been chatting with a reporter from the New York Times Magazine who's doing a piece about ad agencies. Once he's done bragging about his connection with Roger and Don, he assures them that he'll be the only one contacted for the interview. Pete then proceeds to have gross sexual fantasies about how the article will help him win Beth back, but - surprise - he doesn't even make it into the article! He calls Don enraged, but it's clear that Pete's really just mad at the world since, once again, things are not going his way.
Wine time: Bert asks Roger to court a potential new client, and since it's Manischewitz wine, he suggests that Roger's Jewish wife could be of service. Though Bert is a bit behind on his interoffice gossip, Roger still takes the client and asks Jane for help. In return, she asks for a small favor, and by that I mean a brand-new apartment. Roger agrees, and then proceeds to um, christen the new apartment with Jane after dinner. She's angry that he's tainted her new place, but there's a much bigger concern at play here than Jane's whining: when is all the money that Roger's been throwing around going to catch up with him?
Still got it: While Don's putting in a little overtime at the office, he comes across Ginsberg's folder of sketches, and is inspired to get back to basics. His idea is a little dark (you know, because it's based in hell and all), and he puts it head to head against Ginsberg's childlike pitch for the same product, SnoBall. The rest of the team likes both ideas, and agrees that Ginsberg should be the front-runner. Too bad Don conveniently leaves Ginsberg's pitch in the taxi, and sells his snowball's chance in hell idea to the company. Ginsberg obviously isn't in a celebratory mood, but when he confronts Don about what happened, Don just shuts him down. Now that both Don and Peggy feel threatened by Ginsberg, might we see them teaming up against him?

There's also more death omens in this week's episode, including Megan teaching Sally how to fake cry by focusing on something sad, and of course, the mysterious toxic smog that invades Thanksgiving. How'd you feel about the episode overall?

Photo courtesy of AMC

Gear Review: Lark Silent Alarm Clock

Leta Shy — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:48:00 PDT

You can count me as one of the 30 percent of people who don't get enough sleep every night, so when Lark sent me its silent alarm clock ($100) to test a couple months ago, I was all about it. Since then, I've been using it pretty regularly, here's what I think of the alarm clock.

First, here's what it is: The Lark is part app (compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad only at the moment, but an Android version seems imminent), part motion-sensing wristband that vibrates to wake you up and tracks your sleep quality throughout the night. It promises to both help you wake up more naturally and without disturbing your bedmate and change your personality from sleep-deprived night owl to well-rested morning lark. Included in the package is the Lark sensor, wristband, and charging dock where you plug your wristband into when you wake up - both to shut off the vibrating alarm and ensure that your wristband has enough juice to monitor your sleeping stats for the next night. The charging dock includes a USB port to connect your iPhone charger to it, so you don't have to use two sockets for each.

Who it's for: The Lark is useful if you have a partner and you both wake up at different times. Since it's a silent alarm clock, it rouses you with a series of vibrations through your wristband, so if your normal wake-up call is earlier than your bedmate's, your partner can snooze away without being disturbed. That may or may not be valuable enough for you to justify the $100 price tag, but it is an effective solution. Besides the alarm clock portion, the Lark app tracks several sleeping stats: how many hours you slept as well as how many times you woke up during the night and how long it took you to fall asleep (both based on your movements).

Keep reading for my thoughts on the Lark alarm clock.

It's All About You, Mom! 6 Mother's Day Indulgences That You Most Definitely Deserve

Lisa Horten — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:56:42 PDT

Since Mother's Day should be all about you, we suggest that this year, you take advantage of the holiday and spoil yourself silly. That doesn't have to mean going on a giant shopping spree or treating yourself to a full day at the spa. Instead, take stock of the little things in life that you don't think you get enough of and ask your family to indulge you in just one or two of them. While we're sure you've got your own "wish list," here are a few fun ideas to get you started:

Phone a Friend: When's the last time you had an hour-long, laugh-out-loud conversation with a long-distance friend or family member? If you've got lil ones running around, chances are, it's been awhile. Ask your husband to hold down the fort, shut the door, and dial away.
Schedule a One-on-One Date . . . With Your Child: Whether you're a mom of one or four, we're willing to bet that you don't get as much quality one-on-one time with each of your kids as you'd like. Think of something special that you (and your child) would really enjoy doing and plan a date . . . or two, or three, or four . . .
Schedule a One-on-One Date . . . With Your Husband: Breakfast in bed with the kiddos is a great way to kick off Mother's Day . . . and adults-only dinner and drinks is the perfect way to end it!
Spend an Hour Alone: Think back to your preparent days and remember what you miss most. Prior to being a mom, did having an hour to kill mean treating yourself to a pedicure? A back massage? Window shopping? Indulge yourself for an hour, and you'll still be able to enjoy the rest of the day with your family.
Be Lazy: Whether it means sleeping in, ordering your choice of takeout for dinner, or letting a day go by without making the beds, take advantage of a "free pass" to be (just a tiny bit) irresponsible.
Reassume Your Role as Child: Even though you're all grown up, someone out there still thinks of you as her little girl. Borrow one of these ideas and start a new mother-daughter tradition with your mom.

Sources: Flickr User Damien, Thinkstock

Long Commutes Are Detrimental to Your Health, Study Says

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:14:05 PDT

Working a nine-to-fiver is mandatory for most people, and unfortunately, a long commute often comes with the territory. According to a study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, those who travel 16 or more miles each way weigh more and have higher blood pressures than those with less than 10-mile commutes.

Of the almost 4,300 residents from Dallas and Austin involved in the study, researchers discovered that for every 10-mile increase in driving distance, the commuter's BMI (body mass index) rose .17 units. People with lengthy commutes are nine percent more likely to be obese, either because they didn't exercise as much, are eating fast food while driving, or they're not getting enough sleep because their long commute forces them to wake up early.

Weight isn't the only thing affected by a long drive to work. Spending that much time in the car, especially stuck in traffic, also makes a person tired, moody, and stressed out, which is one reason 52 percent of those in the study with a longer commute suffered from high blood pressure.

So what's a commuter to do? Quitting your job is obviously not an option, and if working at home part-time isn't feasible and neither is finding a job closer to where you live, keep reading to learn what commuters can do to avoid weight gain and other health issues.

Mad Men's 5 Maddest Moments: "Lady Lazarus"

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 07 May 2012 06:30:14 PDT

Megan and Pete have been center stage for much of this season of Mad Men, and they're back in the spotlight this week. Pete's journey to rock bottom continues with more self-destructive behavior, while Megan makes a major life change that affects Don and her co-workers.

We haven't seen a lot of Don and Peggy standoffs lately, but Megan's decision throws them back together - and not necessarily in a good way. There's a lot to chew on, so let's get into it when you

The lying game: Megan receives a call at work that's suspiciously from someone who's using her maiden name. That night, she tells Don that she's working late, but then tells Peggy that she's going to dinner with Don. It doesn't take long for their wires to get crossed, with both Peggy and Don realizing that something isn't quite right.
Pack your ads and go: As it turns out, Megan's basically the only character on this show that's not sneaking around with someone else; rather she was at a late-night callback for an off off Broadway play, and comes clean to Don about the lie almost immediately. That's only the tip of the iceberg though: she also admits that she's not happy at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, despite her obvious talent for advertising. Don tries to talk her out of quitting, but eventually succumbs and says he's willing to help her chase her dreams. Joan draws the obvious connection between Betty's background as a model and Megan's acting, but Don's disappointment really shows the differences between his two marriages. He truly wanted Megan to succeed as a copywriter rather than be relegated to a trophy wife; will his feelings toward Megan change now that he's realizing she's not the complete anti-Betty?
Getting the shaft: Despite his endorsement, Don's obviously not that excited about Megan's decision to leave SCDP, and he gets a creepy omen when Megan leaves the office for the last time: an empty elevator shaft. Not only is it an unsettling sign, but the moment is reminiscent of the Mad Men season 5 poster that featured a falling man.
Gilmore girlfriend: Pete's obnoxious train buddy Howard brags about his new floozy in the city over a morning chat about life insurance. Right on cue, Pete finds Howard's wife Beth (it's Gilmore Girls' Alexis Bledel!) stranded at the train station waiting for her husband, and asks if Pete will give her a ride home. It doesn't take a genius to predict what happens next: she's vulnerable, he's desperately unhappy, so they end up doing it. Though Beth tells Pete she doesn't want to see him again, Pete becomes fixated on her and even worms his way into their household at dinnertime. He proposes that she meet him for a hotel rendezvous, but she stands him up. However, when he sees her later in the car with Howard, she sends him a very mature message: a heart drawn in her steamed-up window. Pete seems to be looking for anything to latch onto these days, but with the casual mentions of suicide and life insurance, I'm a little worried about what will happen to him if he plays into Beth's mind games.
Just try it: Don's not just emotionally affected by Megan's decision to leave; she also leaves Don hanging with his new campaign for Cool Whip. Peggy is once again caught in the middle, this time tasked with playing Don's wife for their little skit for the "head of desserts." Peggy mucks up the bit, leading to an all-out bickerfest between her and Don that feels a lot more like an authentic married couple than their skit. They blame each other for Megan's departure, and Peggy eventually shuts him down.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Anything Wrong With Working Out First Thing in the Morning?

FitSugar — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 18:50:30 PDT

With work and family responsibilities, and feeling drained in the evening from a long, busy day, often the only time you can squeeze in your workout is to set your alarm for four, five, or six in morning to sweat it out then. Early morning workouts are a great way to start the day and relieve any pre-work stress. Plus getting it done first thing in the morning means you don't have to worry about fitting it in during the rest of your crazy day. With that said, there are some things you need to consider if you choose to exercise in the a.m.

Since you're getting up pretty early, make sure you're not compromising on getting enough shut-eye. Most people need about seven to eight hours every night, so be sure to hit the hay early enough to get your sleep quota. While getting in regular exercise can help you lose or maintain your weight, not getting enough sleep can actually slow down your metabolism and cause your body to store fat, undoing the good you're doing by making time to work out.

Also, because you've been without food for at least eight hours, you'll need to eat a little something to give your body enough fuel to work out. Exercising on an empty stomach causes your body to hold on to fat and target your lean muscles for fuel instead, breaking down the muscles you're working so hard to build. Your lean muscles also help to boost your metabolism, so you definitely don't want to lose them. Eat a little something that includes easily digestible carbs and protein. If you're not sure what's appropriate, here are tips on how to choose the right pre-workout snack.

Before hitting your cardio workout at full speed, make sure you warm up for at least five minutes first. It'll make your body and mind more alert, which will help prevent clumsiness that can lead to injury. Stretch and hydrate after your workout, and refuel with a healthy post-workout snack or light breakfast that includes protein and carbs.

Pet Peeves: My Cat Won't Stop Meowing!

PetSugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:00:00 PDT

Q: My kitty is a chronic meower. Every morning when I get up, she just follows me around meowing very loudly. Really, I don't mind too much, but the fact that I live in an apartment is what really troubles me. I'm scared that some of the other tenants might start to complain about her meowing so early in the morning. And it's not just friendly, tiny meows . . . these are like loud, long, irritating meows. What should I do?

A: Before I talk about ways to work through kitty's continuous meowing, there are a couple of things to check out first:

Make sure the cat has food, water, and a clean litter box. Your kitty could simply be communicating that she wants something to be done about one of those things.
Figure out when your cat is not meowing. Is it a certain time of day or during a certain activity? If you pay attention to kitty, does she continue to meow? When does she start again? Then, try to find a way to continue whatever activity stops the meowing (for example, if kitty consistently meows after you stop playtime, get some games for her to amuse herself with after you go to bed).
Consider a trip to the vet. When cats are vocal, they are usually trying to communicate something to us. Check with your vet to make sure your pet is healthy. There are certain times when cats are noisier, like when they are in heat or pregnant.

To hear more tips for solving the problem, keep reading.