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

Meatless Monday: The Ultimate Vegetarian Chili

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:15:36 PDT

You've heard how meatless Mondays are good for the planet. Now, look to Cooking in Pajamas for a fast and easy vegan chili recipe.

Meatless Monday is back baby! It never actually went anywhere, I just kept forgetting to blog about it. In my quest to get healthy and lose a few pounds before my 20th anniversary trip in April, I have been testing out a plant based diet. I keep going back and forth on whether I want to include fish in my diet. I am thinking of limiting it to once or twice a month. While I decide, I am loving some of the vegetarian dishes I have made. For lunch yesterday I made a polenta pizza. . .a grilled slice of polenta topped with a slice of heirloom tomato, shredded mozzarella, garlic and basil.

This chili will knock your socks off. Not only is it healthy, it is a flavorful and spicy bowl of vegetables, beans, chiles, spices and wine. You can easily serve this to the die-hard meat eaters in your house, and it will be gobbled up.

This chili is also vegan, which means it contains no dairy products. If you are not into the vegan thing, feel free to top your bowl of chili with sour cream and sharp cheddar. The chili is quite spicy. As you see it has a jalapeño AND a chipotle chili. If you would like a more mild version, use half of the jalapeño with the seeds removed. Try not to cut back on the chipotle because it adds a deep, smoky flavor.

For her unique technique - which involves marinating tofu for extra flavor! - keep reading.

8 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Preworn Wedding Dress

Emily Co — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:47:27 PDT

Buying a wedding dress that someone has only worn once will help you save plenty of bucks, and although it sounds like a great deal, you need to be aware that there are some risks involved. To reduce the chances of a purchase gone wrong, make sure you ask the seller these questions before whipping out your credit card.

Dress Care: Ask the seller what her method of cleaning and preservation is. It’s better if she took it to a professional cleaner who specializes in wedding dresses to lower the risks of “invisible stains” that may show up when you take the dress to the cleaners. You can also ask whether the wedding was held (outdoors or on a beach) so you’ll have a better idea of the condition of the dress was put through. Reader Vanonymous suggested asking if the dress was kept in a smoke-free environment. It might be a good idea to ask if the dress was kept in a house with pets.
Legitimacy: Make sure you trust the seller before you make a purchase - you don’t want to be swindled. Ask for personal references if you feel that you need it or talk to the admin of the site if you're suspicious.
The Measurements: You and the seller might be using different measurement systems, so it’s very important to ask for the specific measurements instead of just the sizes. The bride may also have altered the dress, so you need to know what the measurements are post alternations.
Location and Return Policy: Where is the dress being shipped from and is delivery costs included? Will the seller pay for the mailing fee if you want to return the dress? There are very important things to consider when you’re buying a dress off the Internet.
The History: Find out when the wedding was to have a better gauge on the condition the dress is in. If it’s important to you to find out the story behind the dress, you might want to consider asking if the wedding led to a fairy-tale marriage or an unhappy divorce. If you’re the superstitious kind, you might want check with the seller about that.

For more tips, read after the jump.

Meeting My Sperm Donor

The Good Men Project — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:00:50 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Ben Sommer, conceived through alternative insemination, is a young man now and tells the story of deciding to meet his donor.

I grew up in a middle-class home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with two loving parents, both of whom are women. My conception was perhaps the most organized and scientific miracle of the modern American family - my architecture, the dream of dozens of individuals conducting their work across thousands of miles.

Objectifying Ryan Gosling

I was conceived through alternative insemination. A donor submitted his sperm to the Sperm Bank of California in Oakland (TSBC). Later, it was sent to the Fenway Community Health Center in Boston. Since opening its doors in 1982, TSBC has helped families without the ability to conceive on their own to birth over 2,000 children. Two thirds of those have ended up, like me, being raised in a lesbian household. TSBC is also the first sperm bank to offer a donor-identity-release program, which allows children of alternative insemination access to their donors' information when they turn 18.

I am not as much an oddity as you might think. As of 2005, some 270,000 children in the United States had same sex-parents. We are a generation that is just now beginning to come of age and able to share our stories. This is mine.

Growing up in a lesbian household was much like growing up in any other family unit, I imagine: vacations to Cape Cod, parents working late and sometimes not, play dates with a diverse group of friends.

I never gave much thought to that mysterious figure across the country. I never questioned the fact that I didn't have a father. As far as I was concerned I didn't need one. Is having two moms really all that different than having a mom and a dad? Parents are parents, right? I didn't see a difference at the time. My parents didn't either - at least at first.

They decided to conceive through a donor, in part, to avoid the complications that a third parent would bring. Asking a close male friend to donate, like some couples have done, can create unforeseen consequences. In the past, there have been custody battles between the donor and the parents raising the child. This was the case with a friend of mine, whose parents arranged donation from a male family friend. With a semi-anonymous donor like the man my parents chose, it would be clear who my parents were. And it was.

That's not to say that it was smooth sailing. "When we first learned you were going to be a boy, we really panicked," my mother told me recently. "Who's going to teach him to throw a ball? We didn't have many male friends. There was even basic stuff, like who's going to teach him to pee standing up. That doesn't come naturally."

Read the rest of the story below.

"I'm Stuck Between Two Guys"

Tres Community — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This week's confession comes from our anonymous Confession Booth group in the TrèsSugar Community. Weigh in with your advice below.

I'm fickle, I always have been. I have a boyfriend who is very nice to me, fixes things in my house, treats me well and is very devoted. He is not as social as I am, though, and we don't have very much in common. I tend to go out by myself a lot, or with friends, because I like to be around people while he would rather sit at home, though I've always made it a point to invite him.

I decided to quit smoking and started hanging around a place for ex-smokers as a support group, where I met this guy who works there. He shares all of my interests, we have a ridiculous amount of things in common, share a lot of the same beliefs and values and we never seem to run out of things to talk about. It's gotten to the point where I'll spend entire afternoons just hanging around and we're going out to dinner tonight with the two other guys who work there. We like all of the same things and he's very social and very comfortable to be around, very easy to talk to and I feel like he understands me better than the person I live with.

I feel completely dishonest because I can't bring myself to tell him that I'm living with someone and I'm hiding this friendship from the guy I'm with because I know there's more to it than a friendship. I don't want to act on impulse, but I really feel like I've met my match here, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. I care about my boyfriend, he's a great guy, I do love him, but I can't help feeling like this guy might be exactly what I'm looking for in a partner.

There's lots of cool stuff going on in our community - join it, check it out, share your posts or advice in the great groups, and maybe we'll feature it here on TrèsSugar!

The Vampire Diaries "All My Children": The Good, The Bad, and The Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:38:36 PST

The Mikaelson family is the focus of this week's The Vampire Diaries, as Esther goes forward with her plan to kill her own children, abominations though they may be. Elena spends much of the episode as a hostage in an underground hole, while Damon and Stefan scramble to save the girl they both love. There are a couple of shocking turns for two characters: one that's actually not that surprising in retrospect, and one I didn't see coming at all.

Generally, this episode doesn't feel as exciting as recent Vampire Diaries for me - except for a cute interaction between Klaus and Caroline. To get to all the good, the bad, and the bloody, just keep reading.

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.

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.