BuzzSugar

Box Office: Madagascar Wins Lion's Share of the Bucks

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:30:09 -0800

The animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was a big hit with audiences over the weekend, earning a whopping $63.5 million. In fact, it set some records and "narrowly scored the best opening of the year for a family toon, as well as the seventh best bow of all time." Madagascar 2 just barely surpassed Wall-E which brought in $63 million its opening weekend.

In the No. 2 spot came the Paul Rudd comedy Role Models that exceeded expectations with an estimated $19.3 million. High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Changeling, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno rounded out the top five followed by Soul Men, which opened at No. 6.

Picture courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Watch, Pass, TiVo, or Rent: Soul Men

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:30:32 -0800

This Friday's Soul Men features both the late Bernie Mac and the late Isaac Hayes, lending a bittersweetness to this comedy. What's more, the story follows two estranged musical legends (played by Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson) who pair up again for a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader.

Do you think you'll head out to theaters for this one, catch it later on TV or DVD, or pass altogether?

Source

Movie Preview: Soul Men

BuzzSugar — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:00:59 -0700

After seeing a few clips of Soul Men a little while ago, I was intrigued by this comedy starring Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac (it also includes one of Isaac Hayes's final performances), which is why I was happy to recently find an actual trailer.

Everyone knows that Jackson is perfectly suited for roles in dark comedies, but to see him as one half of a straight-up buddy movie is kind of unexpected and fun. He looks quite comfortable playing the straight man here. Of course, there are pangs of grief that come with watching this trailer, but it's also joyful to see Bernie Mac on the screen in a warm, bumbling, and funny role. He's the kind of comedian who makes me laugh just with his gestures and the inflection in his voice.

Needless to say, I will definitely be in line with bells on for this one when it hits theaters November 7. To take a look for yourself, read more.

Source

First Look: Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes, Samuel L. Jackson in Soul Men

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:30:46 -0700

I knew this movie was being made, but I wasn't paying a ton of attention to it, since there was nothing to check out yet. But now that I've seen a few clips of Soul Men, I honestly can't wait to see it. Sadly, these are now some of the final performances for both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, but the good news is that this movie looks great, and yes, soulful. It makes me happy for the two entertainers, may they rest in peace.

Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson star as Floyd and Louis, "two estranged soul-singing legends [who] agree to participate in a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader." Isaac Hayes appears as himself. In one brief clip, Hayes goes to wish Floyd and Louis luck backstage, and Jackson says, "Thanks, we're gonna need it," and then the clip ends right there. Of the three people in that scene, two died in the same weekend. It's a little spooky.

The video will just redirect you to MTV's site anyway, so click here to see all four clips of Soul Men.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 2/13

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:32:50 -0800

Tina Fey will host the first post-strike episode of Saturday Night Live

The New York Times

John Legend and Isaac Hayes have joined the cast of the comedy Soul Men, which includes Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac, writes Billboard.
ComingSoon has news that Wes Craven's first horror project since 1994 will be 25/8, based on the 1972 George Romero film.
Benjamin Bratt will star in a new series for A&E about an interventionist, while Timothy Hutton will portray a modern-day Robin Hood in the TNT series Leverage; details on both are at The Futon Critic.
Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Jason Leigh will star together in the indie sex comedy titled Spread, reports Variety.
Aretha Franklin is not pleased with Beyonce after Beyonce's Grammy intro referred to Tina Turner, not Franklin, as "the queen," the Associated Press reports.
Zap2It writes that Joel Surnow, co-creator of 24, is leaving the show to pursue other projects.
According to Billboard, this summer's tour will be the last for The Police.
Fox is remaking a Japanese TV show in which people must fit into shapes like human Tetris pieces, according to Variety.

Source

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

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:30:51 -0800

The wait is over! The Vampire Diaries returned this week, and even though I gave you not one but http://www.buzzsugar.com/7103798">two sneak peeks of the brand-new episodes, it's so much more satisfying to be able to sit down with an episode.

The story picks up where its mid-season cliffhanger left off - with Elena injured in a car crash and a creepy creature coming for her. But there were also amazing storylines picked up for not just Elena, but Bonnie, Jeremy, and Alaric as well, so to start talking about this week's episode, spoilers and all, just read more.

The Good

Finally, we got that Stefan and Elena alone time that Nina Dobrev mentioned at the TCA. It all starts when we revisit Elena's crash site, and the hoodie-wearing monster (which we now know is a vampire) doesn't get Elena, but Damon does, rescuing her from the car. I loved the gentleness with which he talked her out, even if he does kidnap her to Georgia for kicks immediately afterward. Baby steps. The whole interlude in Georgia is actually enjoyable, since we meet Bree, Damon's wronged bartender ex, and Elena lets loose and gets drunk with Damon. Nice to see her being less intense, less encumbered.
Poor Bonnie finds herself de-witched - she needs to "clear out" whatever is frightening her, so she goes to the tomb. And falls in. She falls into a tomb, you guys. Well, tomb adjacent, anyway. And there's a pentagram on the door, which gave me the heebie-jeebies like you wouldn't believe. It's such an effective and chilling scene too - you could hear, with Bonnie, the wails of the vampire souls trapped inside. Just the sentence Stefan says, "They're starved to the point of dessication," gives me the shivers all over again.
Hey, who's the nice-looking young man? It's Jeremy! Elena's formerly hoodlum little bro has found reasons to live besides sex and drugs, and it turns out he's both cute and very smart. He continues his research about the Gilbert family and finds a new love interest (Anna) and a lead . . . about vampires in Mystic Falls.
I appreciate that the show didn't just drop Lexi and Damon's murder of her; apparently, her friend Bree and boyfriend didn't forget it either. Bree sicks Lexi's still-despondent love on Damon, who nearly kills him, if not for Elena's desperate appeal.

The Bad

And the most shocking plot twist I wasn't expecting: Elena's adopted! It explains how she could be a Gilbert while Katherine was a Pierce, which brings me to the only thing that bothered me this episode. Why do Stefan and Elena assume that she has to be a direct descendant of Katherine? As in directly from Katherine's womb? Didn't she have family, siblings that could have either produced Elena generations later, or have married Gilberts at some point? Anyway, now that we know Elena is adopted, I'm assuming these ideas will occur to the teen detectives, but still. And frankly, isn't it weirder that Elena and Katherine look exactly alike, rather than just weird that they don't share the same last name when there's a resemblance?

The Bloody

I know Bree betrayed him and all, but did Damon really have to tear out her heart? With her blood pumping full of vervain, I get why he didn't bite her, but listen closely when I say: bleh, yucky, grody gross. He could have snapped her neck or something else far less icky.
Oh, Damon, come on, guy! He's in trouble for killing two men's lady loves in this episode alone; first Lexi, and now Isobel, Alaric's wife (and by the by, it seems Alaric is a vampire hunter, but not also a vampire himself, as evidenced by losing his ring but still being in the sun). In one glance we see Alaric realize two things: that Damon is a vampire, and the same one that fed on Isobel. He is very upset.

So, what did you think? Wasn't it nice that we ended an episode without Stefan and Elena breaking up? And once again, for as many little threads that were sewn up, there were as many brand-new threads of the story that I can't wait to explore. How do you think Katherine and Elena are related? Who is the hooded monster? Chat with me below, and to show your ultimate fandom, join the Hooked on Vampire Diaries group in the Buzz Community!

Photos courtesy of The CW

Precious Leads the 2010 Independent Spirit Award Nominations

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:08:25 -0800

Matt Dillon and Taraji P. Henson were up to announce the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards nominations this morning in LA, and the nominees are making me smile: Precious is represented in almost every major category, with nods for the director, actresses, screenplay, and film. And though they're yet to be released, both The Last Station and A Single Man won several nominations, which is only upping my anticipation for them. One thing I can't resist mentioning? (500) Days of Summer received nods for best feature and best male lead for Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

View 5 Photos ›

To see the full list of nominations, just read more.

BEST FEATURE
(500) Days of Summer
Amreeka
Precious
Sin Nombre
The Last Station

BEST DIRECTOR
The Coen Brothers (A Serious Man)
Lee Daniels (Precious)
Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre)
James Grey (Two Lovers)
Michael Hoffman (The Last Station)

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
A Single Man
Crazy Heart
Easier With Practice
The Messenger
Paranormal Activity

BEST MALE LEAD
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Colin Firth (A Single Man)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt ((500) Days of Summer)
Souleymane Sy Savane (Goodbye Solo)
Adam Scott (The Vicious Kind)

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Maria Bello (Downloading Nancy)
Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Two Lovers)
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)
Nisreen Faour (Amreeka)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Jemaine Clement (Gentlemen Broncos)
Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
Christian McKay (Me and Orson Welles)
Ray McKinnon (That Evening Sun)
Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Mo'Nique (Precious)
Samantha Morton (The Messenger)
Natalie Press (Fifty Dead Men Walking)
Mia Wasikowska (That Evening Sun)
Dina Korzun (Cold Souls)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman (The Messenger)
Michael Hoffman (The Last Station)
Lee Toland Krieger, (The Vicious Kind)
Greg Mottola (Adventureland)
Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber ((500) Days Of Summer)

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Sophie Barthes Cold Souls
Scott Cooper Crazy Heart
Cherien Dabis Amreeka
Geoffrey Fletcher Precious
Tom Ford, David Scearce A Single Man

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
A Serious Man
Sin Nombre
Treeless Mountain
Cold Souls
Bad Lieutenant

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
Big Fan
Humpday
The New Year Parade
Treeless Mountain
Zero Bridge

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Food Inc.
More Than a Game
October Country
Which Way Home

FOREIGN FILM
A Prophet
An Education
Everlasting Moments
Mother
The Maid

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
A Serious Man

IFC/ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Kyle Patrick Alvarez (Easier With Practice)
Asiel Norton (Redland)
Tariq Tapa (Zero Bridge)

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Natalia Almada (El general)
Bill Ross and Turner Ross (45365)
Jessica Oreck (Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo)

Cirque du Freak: An Unnecessary Addition to Vampire Entertainment

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:09 -0700

With Halloween just around the corner, October is the perfect time for movie studios to unleash their creepiest films, since we're all in the mood for a good scare. Combine with that the insatiable desire for vampire entertainment, and you've got Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant; a tween fantasy movie that plays out like R.L. Stein's Goosebumps novels on the big screen - but not nearly as scary.

Based on the book series by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak is the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), your typical 16-year-old boy trying to quell his high school boredom. Dubbed "Mr. Perfect" by his mischievous best friend Steve, Darren follows the rules, has plenty of friends, and does whatever his parents tell him to do - that is, unless Steve can convince him otherwise. The boys pick up a flyer for the Cirque du Freak and decide to check it out.

That's just the beginning though, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more.

Things go awry when Darren finds himself tangled up in the world behind the Cirque, particularly that of Larten Crepsley, a crotchety vampire who couldn't be bothered with a teenager. When Darren gets himself into a sticky situation, the only way he can bail himself out is by selling his soul to Crepsley, becoming his half-vampire assistant.

If you thought sorting out all the vampire lore in Twilight and True Blood was confusing, get ready for the most convoluted yet. In this story, a war is brewing between two breeds: the Vampanese represent the blood-suckers that are all for killing their prey, while the run-of-the mill vamps prefer to sedate, feed, and then letting their victims return to regular life. As a half-vampire who's reluctant to lose what little human qualities he has left, Darren obviously joins Larten Crepsley's team, while his best friend Steve joins the evil Vampanese.

As for the actual Cirque du Freak, the group of misfits and outcasts are more X-Men and less Carnivale. The crew includes unusual children who were abandoned by their parents (like "Snake Boy" and "Monkey Girl"), along with a few other vaudeville acts like the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and a woman who can regenerate her limbs (Jane Krakowski). Some are friendly, others are surly, but the cirque in itself is more campy than scary; little hideout is basically an island of misfit toys.

The film isn't boring, but it's not exactly packed with pizazz either. Director Paul Weitz was sure to stay on the safer side of the movie's PG-13 rating, rarely pushing the envelope on what could have been a much creepier film. John C. Reilly is always reliable for a good performance, and he has some great comedic timing as the voice of brutal honesty to Darren's naivete. Massoglia gives decent performance for a newbie, and even reminded me of a young Emile Hirsch at times. That said, the movie is also packed with confusing subplots and some truly corny dialogue that evoked collective groans from the audience.

If you're looking for a fun movie to get you into the Halloween spirit, this might do the trick. Just make sure you're in a tween state of mind.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Beyonce, Lady Gaga Dominate the 2009 VMA Nominations

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:40:08 -0700

The video that launched a thousand YouTube copycat videos, Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" is, of course, all over the list of 2009 MTV Video Music Award nominations. Beyonce's got a bit of competition, however, in Lady Gaga, who ties her for the most nominations this year (they each earned nine nods). Beyonce said she is "excited and honored" to be tied with Lady Gaga, and that she's "spent so much time watching all the great versions [of 'Single Ladies'] people created all around the world. It's beautiful to feel you touch people and bring a song to life with a video."

As for the men, Kanye and Eminem have nominations aplenty, though it looks like Coldplay's video for "Viva La Vida" and Green Day's "21 Guns" will also be recognized. You can now vote for your favorite nominees here, and tune in Sept. 13 when Russell Brand hosts the VMAs for a second consecutive year. To check out a full list of nominees, read more.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Lady Gaga: "Poker Face"
Eminem: "We Made You"
Kanye West: "Love Lockdown"
Britney Spears: "Womanizer"

BEST NEW ARTIST
3OH!3
Lady Gaga
Kid Cudi
Drake
Asher Roth

BEST MALE VIDEO
Eminem: "We Made You"
Kanye West: "Love Lockdown"
Jay-Z: "D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune)"
T.I. featuring Rihanna: "Live Your Life"
Ne-Yo: "Miss Independent"

BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Lady Gaga: "Poker Face"
Taylor Swift: "You Belong With Me"
Kelly Clarkson: "My Life Would Suck Without You"
Katy Perry: "Hot 'N Cold"
Pink: "So What"

BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO
Eminem: "We Made You"
Kanye West: "Love Lockdown"
Flo Rida: "Right Round"
Asher Roth: "I Love College"
Jay-Z: "D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune)"

BEST POP VIDEO
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Britney Spears: "Womanizer"
Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester: "Good Girls Go Bad"
Lady Gaga: "Poker Face"
Wisin y Yandel: "Abusadora"

BEST ROCK VIDEO
Coldplay: "Viva La Vida"
Kings Of Leon: "Use Somebody"
Green Day: "21 Guns"
Fall Out Boy: "I Don't Care"
Paramore: "Decode"

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Britney Spears: "Circus"
Ciara featuring Justin Timberlake: "Love Sex Magic"
AR Rahman & Pussy Cat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger: "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)"
Kristina DeBarge: "Goodbye"

BEST DIRECTION
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Lady Gaga: "Paparazzi"
Green Day: "21 Guns"
Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester: "Good Girls Go Bad"
Britney Spears: "Circus"

BEST EDITING
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Britney Spears: "Circus"
Miley Cyrus: "7 Things"
Coldplay: "Viva La Vida"
Lady Gaga: "Paparazzi"

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Gnarls Barkley: "Who’s Gonna Save My Soul"
Lady Gaga: "Paparazzi"
Eminem: "We Made You"
Kanye West ft Mr. Hudson: "Paranoid"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Coldplay: "Viva La Vida"
Green Day: "21 Guns"
Britney Spears: "Circus"
Lady Gaga: "Paparazzi"

BEST ART DIRECTION
Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Britney Spears: "Circus"
Lady Gaga: "Paparazzi"
Gnarls Barkley: "Who’s Gonna Save My Soul"
Coldplay: "Viva La Vida"

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO
Death Cab For Cutie: "Grapevine Fires"
Gnarls Barkley: "Who’s Gonna Save My Soul"
Anjulie: "Boom"
Cold War Kids: "I've Seen Enough"
Chairlift: "Evident Utensil"
Bat For Lashes: "Daniel
Major Lazer: "Hold The Line"
Passion Pit: "The Reeling"
Matt & Kim: "Lessons Learned"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: "Heads Will Roll"

BEST VIDEO (THAT SHOULD HAVE WON A MOONMAN)
U2: "Where The Streets Have No Name"
Dr Dre: "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang"
Beastie Boys: "Sabotage"
Bjork: "Human Behavior"
Radiohead: "Karma Police"
George Michael: "Freedom"
Foo Fighters: "Everlong"
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: "Into The Great Wide Open"
OK Go: "Here It Goes Again"
David Lee Roth: "California Girls"

Vampires and Models Start the CW's Day at TCA

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:30:46 -0700

It's CW day at the TCA press tour, where panelists wearing sparkles abound. The network has spent the morning launching its new shows, starting with The Vampire Diaries and The Beautiful Life. Read on to learn more about the CW's take on models and vampires - and see lots of new photos of both shows.

First, The Vampire Diaries: Not surprisingly, many of the questioners wanted to know why vampires are such a craze right now. Nina Dobrev, who plays the nonvampire Elena, probably had the line of the panel with her explanation: "There's something about a man who lurks in the dark." Co-creator Julie Plec added that you want to believe there's just a lot going on behind those deep, soulful vampire eyes - "and in real men, you don't often get that."
Paul Wesley, who plays vampire brother Stefan, said he's seen Twilight but has tried to stay away from emulating the performances. "If there are similarities to Robert Pattinson's character in Twilight," he said, "So be it."
Ian Somerhalder wasn't in Pasadena for the panel, so co-creator Kevin Williamson talked about his character - Stefan's brother Damon - in his absence. "He has an agenda, and it's big and it's huge and it goes beyond Elena," Williamson said. And contrary to stereotypes, Damon's a happy vampire: "He tap-dances through life - oh, let's kill this person!"
Plec noted that there's a whole process on the show for how somebody becomes a vampire: "There's an actual choice element when you are reborn," she said: feed or die. She said there will be flashbacks to 1864, so we can see what made the now-mild-mannered Stefan choose to feed.
For fans of the books: Plec and Williamson said they'll follow the first three books in the series quite closely and then branch out. After the panel, Dobrev said things happen fast in the show, with new revelations coming quickly in the first couple of episodes.

To hear some highlights from The Beautiful Life, just read more.

On the panel for The Beautiful Life - which only some of the cast could attend because of shooting schedules in New York - Executive Producer Ashton Kutcher said the show will draw some stories from his own experience of being discovered. But even though one of the characters is a farm boy from Iowa, he said his own story was closer to that of Sara Paxton's character, Raina, who becomes a hot new thing nearly overnight. "There are lots of stories about young adults becoming adults in an industry that puts the 'next big thing' on a pedestal," he said.
In response to questions about Mischa Barton, Kutcher said she's currently shooting in New York and "was never unavailable for a day of work." He said he was happy to have her on board as a relative veteran in a cast of newcomers. "Her sort of navigation and guidance for the rest of the cast - I think it's essential," he said.

Corbin Bleu said he understands some of what his character, Isaac, is going through: Isaac was a successful child model now having trouble transitioning to the adult world, a question he's been confronting himself post-High School Musical. In a very not-High School Musical twist, Bleu said Isaac will encounter "a sugar mama" who helps him pursue his musical career in addition to modeling.
Elle Macpherson, who will now be a regular on the show, said it's important for her that the show portrays the modeling industry in an authentic way and "is not a manufactured, dramatized version."

Stay tuned to see what the Melrose Place folks had to say!

The Vampire Diaries

View 10 Photos ›

The Beautiful Life

View 9 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of The CW