BuzzSugar

Are You Surprised by Forbes's Top-Earning Men in Prime Time?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:30:41 -0800

Forbes recently released the list of Prime Time's Top-Earning Men. Who made the cut? In order, they are: Simon Cowell, followed by Donald Trump, Ryan Seacrest, Charlie Sheen, Steve Carell, Howie Mandel, Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Foxworthy, Hugh Laurie, and at No. 10 (a tie!) David Caruso of CSI: Miami and Patrick Dempsey.

Simon Cowell at No. 1 is a no-brainer, thanks to the unstoppable machine that is American Idol (not to mention all of his other shows). But there are a few names that made me do a double take. Jeff Foxworthy, for instance - who knew that Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader was such a money generator? And where's Jeff Probst? I guess the Survivor franchise doesn't carry as much clout as I thought.

What about you? Other than maybe Simon Cowell at number 1, do you find this list surprising?

Anderson Cooper Rips Into Heidi Montag, New Backstreet Boys, and the World's Largest Tomato Fight!

Molly — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:07:16 -0700

Anderson Cooper has some harsh things to say about Heidi Montag's Miss Universe performance! Plus, check out the scene at the world's largest annual food fight in Spain. The Backstreet Boys have a new video - they're jumping on the vampire bandwagon, but wait a second, haven't we seen that before? Check out all that and more on today's PopSugar Rush!

Channing Tatum's Stripper Past, Paula and Simon's New Deals, A Peek at 90210/Gossip Girl!

Molly — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:14:28 -0700

Channing Tatum secret stripper past now includes video of his impressive moves. Plus, we discuss Paula's next career steps and what's in store for some of our favorite shows when they return this Fall. You won't want to miss the latest 90210 news. Watch PopSugar Rush now!

Buzz News Roundup, 6/24

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:30:39 -0700

Zac Efron will star in and executive produce an untitled "sexy thriller." - The Hollywood Reporter
Bobby Cannavale will reprise his role on Cold Case. - TV Guide
Daniel Craig is in talks to star in Dream House, a psychological thriller set up to be directed by Jim Sheridan. - ComingSoon
Simon Cowell could become TV's best-paid star, topping Oprah. - Financial Times
After a decade of saying no, John Grisham has made a movie deal for his 1999 bestselling novel The Testament. - Variety
MTV has officially picked up Audrina Patridge's new reality show. - Entertainment Weekly
Fringe has cast Meghan Markle as an "attractive, brash" junior FBI agent. - The Hollywood Reporter
Craig Robinson, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville, and Camilla Belle will star opposite Kevin Spacey in Father of Invention, an ensemble comedy that Spacey is independently producing. - ComingSoon
Callum Blue will be Smallville's Zod. - E! Online

WireImage

Buzz News Roundup, 4/22

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:30:05 -0700

Vanessa Hudgens will reportedly star in Beastly, a Manhattan-set, modern-day take on Beauty and the Beast, based on Alex Flinn's young-adult novel. - ComingSoon
Christopher Gorham will return as Henry in the finale of Ugly Betty. - Entertainment Weekly
Simon Cowell claims he'd leave American Idol if it stopped being the No. 1 show. - The Hollywood Reporter
The 3-D "motion picture event," Disney's A Christmas Carol will screen at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, May 18. - ComingSoon
NBC is pulling Kings from the schedule starting this week; it's set to resume June 13. - Zap2it
A "major character from the first two seasons" will show up in the Desperate Housewives finale. - TV.com
Comedian Demetri Martin will star alongside Brad Pitt in the film adaptation of Moneyball. - Variety
ABC has announced the cast of The Superstars, which pairs athletes and celebrities for a competition. - The Futon Critic

Source and source

TV Tonight: American Idol Is Back!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:30:03 -0800

I know this will sound a little doomsday-ish of me, but lately it's hard to shake the feeling that each new season could potentially be American Idol's last. There's always some foreboding sign that the end is near: bad ratings buzz (though even when it's down, it's still been bigger than anything else on TV), rumors that Paula ~~has totally lost her mind~~ is leaving the show, the departure of executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, the simple fact that few shows ever go beyond eight seasons, etc.

So I'm greeting tonight's return of Idol with joy and relief. The Idol powers that be are always promising improvements, but this year a lot of things are being changed up, including a return to the wild card round, a longer Hollywood Week, and adding a new fourth judge. It seems to me that if these things don't make the this-could-be-the-end vibes go away, nothing will, so I'm curious to see how it turns out.

Are you ready for a new season of American Idol? Do you think a fourth judge will make a difference? What part of the show are you most looking forward to? I personally want to see if any of the San Francisco hopefuls I hung out with make it on the air!

The Phoenix auditions kick things off tonight. For a reminder of how American Idol spins dreams into a reality for a destined few plus a couple of other promo clips for season eight, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Which American Idol Judge Would You Ditch?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:30:59 -0800

There have been rumors flying recently that Paula Abdul could be on her way out of American Idol to work on other TV projects. Adding fuel to the fire is the addition of a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, which means the panel wouldn't be shorthanded if Paula did take off. Now, her publicist has said the rumor is "absolutely untrue," but it got me thinking. If you could get rid of one of the original three judges, which one would you choose to ditch, and why?

Photos courtesy of Fox

Buzz News Roundup, 6/25

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:31:44 -0700

There's more Million Dollar Password on the way, Broadcasting and Cable reports.
Unsurprisingly, Kanye West has a few things to say about the situation at Bonnaroo where he didn't take the stage for his show until 4:30 a.m., Billboard reports.
Bravo will air a one-off special based on Tommy Hilfiger and George Lois' book Iconic America, writes Variety.
According to Zap2It, Simon Cowell will produce a movie titled One Chance, based on the story of Paul Potts, who became an "international music sensation" after appearing on Britain's Got Talent.
Chris Carter, director of the upcoming X-Files movie, has written and started directing his own movie called Fencewalker, reports ComingSoon.
Saturday Night Live will reair its first-ever episode, hosted by George Carlin, as a tribute to the comedian; details are at The Futon Critic.
Coldplay's Vida La Vida is at No. 1 on this week's music charts, dropping Lil Wayne to No. 2, Billboard reports.
Rosie Perez and Carlos Ponce will guest-star on Lipstick Jungle in the Fall, according to E!

Photo courtesy of CBS

American Idol: David Cook Takes the Crown

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:45:36 -0700

Depending on your perspective, the American Idol finale is either the best two hours ever or the most excruciating two hours of your year. Either way, it never fails to be a kind of crazy, psychedelic blend between a televised award ceremony and a giant Ford commercial that brings the season's contestants back to the stage for one last time (until the tour that is).

America smashed all Idol records with 97.5 million votes, 56 percent of them for David Cook. Simon admitted that he called it wrong, that upon viewing the show at home he realized the night before was not a blowout. Which is what many of us were feeling. I'd still call the result an upset. There was a lot to cover so let's get down to it. To see my thoughts on the night, read more.

The opening act was cool and the kids sounded great but it was really hard to tell the So You Think You Can Dance dancers apart from the Idols. At one point I thought, "Hey, look at that. Brooke White doing the splits. Oh wait, no."
Jason Castro once again sounded gorgeous singing "Hallelujah." It's one of, say, two songs he should ever sing. And that doesn't include anything from Cats.
You know who should avoid choreographed dancing at all costs? Amanda Overmyer. And we heard about Donna Summer's new single. Um, yay?
I'm sorry, did I see Ryan Seacrest attempting to break dance? Surely I was a bit delirious and the So You Think You Can Dance kids were just blending in again, right?!
Sigh. Michael Johns' duet with Carly Smithson (who looked and sounded great) and then more Michael Johns when the six guys sang. . . Keep the Michael Johns coming!
An American Idol theme park: "You too can live the dream." Just. . . wow.

David Cook rocking out with ZZ Top was really cool. It's hard not to look smoking hot with those bearded legends playing backup for you.
Pairing Brooke White with Graham Nash to sing "Teach Your Children" was really smart and probably a dream come true for her. But why not Carly Simon? She has a new-ish album out and those two on stage together would have blown my mind.
Grrr. . . why do they bring the crazies back every year? I hate it! This is what you take up my time with waiting for the results?! Renaldo Lapuz, one my Caption It people? However, I admit the whole spectacle was worth it to see Paula get on up there with the crazies to dance. And Renaldo kept singing even when the music stopped. Yeah, it's time for a commercial break.
I did not like Jordan's song nor did I like her outfit. What the heck was she wearing? I felt bad for her that she had to follow that One Republic/Archuleta goosebump-fest but still, yikes.
Robert Downey Jr. as a back up dancer to Gladys Knight was so freaking cute, I thought I might faint. Oh yeah, Ben Stiller and Jack Black were there, too.
Did Carrie Underwood borrow her outfit from Renaldo? Regardless, she took on that stage like the pro she has become and brought down the house.

It all ended with a big tribute to George Michael and then the man himself showed up to sing "Praying for Time" (the song Carrie Underwood sang on Idol Gives Back). And of course Paula shed some tears and rambled something about dreams and hope. David Cook was crowned. Both guys should feel proud, but I'm so happy with the results! You?

Photos courtesy of Fox

American Idol Finale, Part One: The Battle of the Davids

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:39:15 -0700

Well, the American Idol finale showdown between the Davids did not disappoint. The show opened to what would become a rather prolonged metaphor for a singing boxing match of sorts, complete with the Rocky theme song, Michael Buffer, and shiny robes! Tension was high and it felt like anyone's game heading in before the singing started, especially after young Archuleta faltered last week.

To guide the Davids, Idol brought in two final mentors in the form of Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The first one makes sense, being a legendary hit maker and all, but again with the Lloyd Webber. . . I don't totally get it. Before we get to the singing, though, I have some thoughts which you can check out if you read more.

When the announcer introduced David Archuleta weighing in at 100 pounds soaking wet I laughed loud and hard. I felt for the little guy, though, because it seems like he's getting picked on a lot these days.
David Archuleta won the pre-show coin toss and chose to sing second. I think it's a smart choice to choose the final performance spot of the season.
Singing aside, I think David Cook won the charisma non-round in the beginning. Where Archuleta could barely take in the giant, enthusiastic crowd, Cook seemed calm, excited and totally ready to rock.

Not only did the contestants sing two original songs written for Idol, but they sang a song of their choice along with one picked by the mentors. Simon told Ryan that in order to win this thing you needed to hate your opponent, which was followed by a lovefest of back-pats, and mutual admiration between the Davids on stage. So, on to the singing. . .

David Cook
First song: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (U2). I was a little worried at first because the verse was a little off. But once he got going it was good and he even took tiny liberties on the melody here and there. Randy said it was a great way to kick off the night, Paula told us we have found David Cook (was he lost?), and Simon called it phenomenal.

Second song: "Dream Big" (songwriting contest). So the lyrics are, well, dorky. I think there was something in there about how if you don't dream big you shouldn't dream at all. That's not David's fault though. He brought out his guitar for this one and I thought he sounded a little weak on the verses but great during the chorus. Randy said he was clearly singing his face off, Paula said it was a great way to take a song we don't know and make us love it (I might have to agree to disagree here, Paula), and Simon called it lightweight and said it wasn't a winning moment. Yikes, first big wet blanket of the night.

Third song: "The World I Know" (Collective Soul). David took a big risk picking a song he hadn't performed before for his closing act. It's a great song and he played an intimate acoustic version of it. Not only did his voice sound pretty but his heart was entirely in it and the overall effect was moving. He was visibly emotional in the end, teary eyes and everything. Randy said it showed his sensitive side and that's the kind of album he should make, Paula told him he was standing in his truth (what?), and Simon said that while he is the nicest, most sincere contestant they've ever had he thought it was completely the wrong choice.

David Archuleta
First song: "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" (Elton John). Now this is a great choice for David A. It's one of those perfect Idol songs that builds up to a goosebumps-inducing chorus and David knew exactly how to squeeze every bit of goodness out the song. Right off the bat he proved his head was in the game, or ring, or whatever the metaphor is. Randy called it the best performance of the season, Paula told him the sun is never going down on him, and Simon said it was arguably the best he's ever done and gave the first round to David Archuleta.

Second song: "In This Moment" (songwriting contest). If there is anything Archuleta was born to sing, it's these "This Is My Now"-esque Idol songs and he did a great job with it. The whole performance reminded me of one of those big theme songs from a Disney movie soundtrack. David was clearly emotionally connected to it and entirely believable. Randy wasn't crazy about the song but said he could sing the phone book so whatever, Paula called it pure magic, and Simon thought the lyrics were very self-centered and he liked that. He then declared that he had taken Round Two as well.

Third song: "Imagine" (John Lennon): David Archuleta chose the safer route, opting to recreate the magic of his original performance of this highly nostalgic and pretty song. This performance brought the house down and David's version of it was heartfelt and there is no question his voice was stellar that night. But I'm kind of a sucker for singing a song that lovely straight and I think he mucks it up with all those runs. Randy went nuts and said he's exactly what this shows about, Paula was rendered speechless, and Simon said that we witnessed one of the great finals ever and that the night was officially a "knockout."

Who should win? It's a tough call for me because while David Cook definitely didn't do his best, he also didn't play it safe. His choice to try a new song instead of something he clearly could have done well with like his cover of "Billie Jean" was risky and may have cost him the title - but I respect that. Plus, the emotional weight of his second song was the most compelling moment of the night, in my opinion.

Who will win? David Archuleta played it straight and smart. Not only was he born to sing those cheesy Idol finale songs about dreaming and soaring and whatnot, he didn't miss a single beat the entire night. Singing "Imagine" was a savvy and smart way to completely seal the deal. I'd say this one is in the bag.

Photos courtesy of Fox