BuzzSugar

George Clooney Gives Showtime Its Next Dark Comedy

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:30:53 PDT

Between Weeds, Californication, and the recently announced Matthew Perry project The End of Steve, Showtime certainly seems to be racking up a warehouse full of dark comedies these days. Today there's news of a new one, and it's got a powerhouse behind it: George Clooney.

Clooney's production company, Smoke House, is developing a half-hour comedy called The Fall of Bob. (Wow, nobody's going to get that confused with The End of Steve, right? Heh.) The show centers on a man, unsurprisingly named Bob, who sees his whole life before his eyes as he jumps from the top of a building. According to Variety, the show will play out in flashbacks, which Bob will narrate as he falls.

Yeah, I'll say that sounds dark. But I'd be curious to see it - especially depending on who's cast as Bob.

Last we heard, Clooney was also producing a potential Showtime drama called Doubting Thomas, about a family of televangelists, though there hasn't been any news on it in a while. This new show just might extend his "hero of pay cable" status a while longer, though. Does The Fall of Bob sound like something you'd check out?

Source

Ryan Gosling Gets Love From Eva Mendes and Even Bradley Cooper

Allie Merriam — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:30:32 PST

Ryan Gosling joined his Gangster Squad costar Josh Brolin on set in LA yesterday afternoon. Even in period costume, Ryan looked hot as he posed, smoked, and swigged from a prop flask. Ryan's back in California working with Josh after a romantic trip to Paris over Thanksgiving with a different costar. Ryan and his The Place Beyond the Pines leading lady Eva Mendes met up in France, where she was shooting Holly Motors. The couple were photographed taking loved-up strolls, hugging by the Eiffel Tower, and dining out with some of her new cast-mates. Eva has since returned to the West Coast, and was pictured catching up with her new-mom friend January Jones at dinner last week.

Eva is clearly a big fan of Ryan, and someone else has shown him some public love. People's Sexiest Man Alive Bradley Cooper thinks Ryan is hot. Bradley told UK chat show host Graham Norton that perhaps Ryan really deserved the magazine's honor after all. Bradley compared their street style saying, "[Ryan] literally looks like he's in a photo shoot, like he just came off the runway. I literally look like the neighbor who never comes really out of his house."

5 Ways to Prevent a Cold This Weekend

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:06:10 PST

I love the crisp, colder weather of Autumn, but I hate that it also signals the start of cold and flu season. There are plenty of things you can do throughout your day to prevent catching a cold, but here are five things you should keep in mind specifically on weekends.

Don't Overdo It on the Booze
I don't blame you for wanting to de-stress from your crazy work week by letting loose with a drink but be mindful of how much you're kicking back. Heavy alcohol consumption doesn't do your immune system any good, and also dehydrates you body. It's OK to relax with a glass of wine or a cocktail, but one should be your limit. Sip water with your alcoholic bevvy to stay hydrated (since that also prevents colds), and don't let alcohol tempt you to smoke socially (smokers are more prone to getting sick).

Take Time to Chill
Weekends tend to be for catching up on errands you didn't get to all week, but all that running around is sure to run down your immune system. Take time each day to relax whether it's by sleeping in, getting to bed a little early, lounging on the couch with a good book, or taking a stroll with a friend.

Keep reading for three more ways to prevent catching a cold on the weekend.

21 Perfect Pizzas From Coast to Coast

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:38:00 PDT

Call it a 21-pie salute to the best pizzas our country has to offer. In honor of National Pizza Month, we've teamed up with our expert taste testers in NYC, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco to pinpoint our 21 favorite pizza places in four major cities. Read on, then eat up.

YumSugar's Top 5 Pizzas

Motorino: New York's East Village is lucky to have this neighborhood spot, which makes a memorable, chewy-blistery crust (pictured above). Try the brussels sprouts and smoked pancetta pizza.
Pizzeria Mozza: The luscious toppings and creative flavor combinations at Mario Batali's Los Angeles pizza outpost will leave any pie lover hankering for more.
Gino's East: Chicago's deep-dish pizza wouldn't be what it is without the precedent of Gino's East. Do as a Chicagoan would do: order a pie with an entire layer of the joint's famous sausage.
Pizzeria Delfina: San Francisco's favorite neighborhood pizza house makes solid pies across the board, but the panna pizza - with sweet-tart tomato sauce, cream, basil, and thin shavings of parmigiano - will change your life.
Grimaldi's: There's a perpetual line around the block at this Brooklyn institution, and for good reason. Don't pass up an opportunity to try a classic New York slice, made in a historic coal-burning brick oven.

Check out 20 more favorites from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, after the jump.

The Vampire Diaries "The Birthday": The Good, the Bad, and the Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:00:13 PDT

The Vampire Diaries is back! The series marked its return with a birthday party, a highly anticipated sex scene, and a sadistic new personality for Stefan. While Elena and Damon are left in Mystic Falls, Stefan is off gallivanting as Klaus's puppet, partying it up and dismembering the occasional Southern belle.

While we didn't get to see much heat between Damon and Elena (aside from a jealousy-inducing bubble bath scene), the premiere episode set up and even gave us a cliffhanger and a couple brief moments of emotion. To talk about it all, just check out the good, the bad, and the bloody after the jump

Nudge Yourself to Better Finances

LearnVest — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:15:19 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We expect our gym membership to cost money. What we don’t expect is that it will charge us for not working out.

Yes, you read that right.

Gym-Pact is charging clients who skip workouts.

After we got over the shock, we loved this idea-using your pocketbook to prompt yourself to do the right thing.

It exploits our basic psychology: We hate our losses about twice as much as we like our gains, i.e. our distress over losing $500 equals our happiness over winning $1,000.

So, if the promise of rewards isn’t enough to keep you on track with your goals, do you think you would stay the course in order to avoid losses?

Nudging-prompting people to do what is good for them-was made famous in Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Cass Sunstein. People are using nudging principles to stop smoking or lose weight, such as with this website that charges you for not meeting your goals.

Here’s how you can nudge yourself toward financial health in three big money areas:

1. Retirement

Saving for retirement requires the most nudging. It’s so far in the future, it always feels like you can get to it later. But because your investment is likely to keep increasing more and more over the years (around 7%, historically speaking), postponing saving for retirement is like turning down free money-tens of thousands of dollars of it.

If you haven’t opened a 401(k) yet, you’re in good company-even Tony Snow, White House press secretary under George W. Bush, couldn’t be bothered to enroll in a 401(k), and so didn’t have any retirement money saved up at the age of 52.

Nowadays, companies have “opt-out” 401(k) plans to help fix this problem. These programs automatically enroll employees, forcing them to opt out instead. Companies that switched to these plans saw participation rates skyrocket from 20% to 90%.

Read on for how to nudge yourself to retirement.

Why You Should Consider a Roommate Agreement

Bundle — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:15:00 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Bundle story here on Savvy!

Getting a roommate is a great way to share costs and lower rent. But living with someone is not always easy, as these roommate horror stories illustrate.

One way you can limit problems is by creating a roommate agreement. This is a formal document that spells out living arrangements and responsibilities. It may sound odd to create a legal contract, but it is often a sensible idea. Here are three reasons why.

1. A lease is not good enough

A lease is an important document, but it's limited in its focus. A lease typically specifies legal obligations between a landlord and the tenants as a whole, focusing on rent collection and length of term. A roommate agreement, by contrast, is a document between tenants. It can cover issues a lease cannot, like how to split up utilities, how to pay for groceries, and whether someone can keep an overnight guest.

2. You can avoid miscommunication

By making a roommate agreement, you have a chance to make sure everyone is on the same page. It is a good time to bring up any personal preferences.

Here are a few important issues that should be discussed.

How to split rent, utilities, groceries
Level of cleanliness and required chores
Policy for overnight guests
Whether to allow smoking, firearms, etc.
What happens if someone moves out

While it's impossible to specify every issue, discussing house rules early helps avoid surprises. And if a serious issue ever happens, you will at least have something written to help make your case.

Read on to see samples of roommate agreements.

Happy 75th Birthday, Yves Saint Laurent

FabSugar — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:40:36 PDT

Today marks Yves Saint Laurent's 75th birthday. The designer passed away in '08 due to brain cancer, but time has proven that his fashion legacy will always remain. The French designer started his career at the early age of seventeen and grew to become one of the most influential fashion designers in the world. Yves began designing at the house of Dior at the early age of 21 and went on to create his own label YSL, in 1962. He created numerous iconic fashion trends including Le Smoking suit, also known as the women's tuxedo. Take a moment to pay ode to one of the greatest of all time and view our tribute to the famed designer in the slideshow.

Coveted Crib: Jason Statham's Glass House

Julia Walsh — Thu, 26 May 2011 03:05:00 PDT

Actor Jason Statham may be known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Revolver, and Snatch, but his claim to fame should be his killer architectural taste. Objection! Statham's modern, 2,281-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath Los Angeles home was recently listed on the market for $2.75 million, and it's nothing short of sexy. Reminiscent of the famed Phillip Johnson "Glass House," with floor to ceiling panes of glass and posts and beams throughout, the architecture provides a sleek and handsome base for minimal, midcentury furniture, expansive sectionals, and landscaping by acclaimed architect Jay Griffith.

Click through to take the tour!

Collard Greens

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:16:39 PDT

If you've ever doubted the deliciousness of dark, leafy collard greens, OnSugar blogger Fresh Tart is here to reassure you with a new recipe. Try it, and you'll never feel the same way about collards ever again!

I've been meaning to post this recipe since the holidays, when I brought this dish to my aunt Mary & uncle Bruce's house for Christmas Day. Time flies . . .

Actually, time doesn't fly in Minnesota between December and March, so I'm not sure what my excuse is. But no matter, here it is.

Collard greens, for you (we) northerners, require longer cooking than say Swiss chard, spinach, or kale. But that's what makes collards amazing - a slow simmer allows them to bathe long enough in smoky, porky broth to emerge . . . smoky and porky. And meltingly tender.

Irresistible. Doubters, trust me.

Get the recipe when you keep on reading.