BuzzSugar

Does Mainstream Success Ruin a Band for You?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:30:07 -0800

I picked up the March edition of Spin Magazine only to find Vampire Weekend on the cover and immediately thought, "Wasn't it about a minute ago they were one of my bands to watch?" I was far from the first to write about them, but I still figured it would be a while before they were on newsstands everywhere.

Vampire Weekend didn't spend much time on anyone's "favorite little unknown band" list and sped straight to the bigtime. But that kind of sudden spotlight can shine even on established artists - take Feist, who released a couple of albums to a small but devoted fan base before an Apple ad made her a breakout star. When your favorite musicians go mainstream, does it ruin them for you? Or are you generally happy for good little bands that make it big?

Source

Buzz Gift Guide: The Party Hostess

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:30:00 -0800

Got a friend who always loves to entertain? Don't forget to repay her for all those awesome nights with a little something special. I'm digging Alice in Wonderland tumblers which feel very Tim Burton-esque, a cute and functional Joan Holloway apron, and Cash Cab Trivia, which should create a heated game among her party guests. Or if she's like me and dreams of spinning on the turntables for everyone, DJ Hero is guaranteed good times.

Check out my picks, and then take a peek through all of my gift guides plus holiday coverage across the PopSugar Network!

Talking New Moon With Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:15:50 -0800

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner may be dominating the promotional circuit right now, but they're not the only cast members with something to say about New Moon. I had the opportunity to chat with costars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, aka Emmett and Alice Cullen, during their recent stopover in SF. They chatted about their characters, the vampire craze, and what it's like to be a "Twilight celebrity." Here are highlights:

On why so many people are crazy for the Twilight Saga:
Ashley: I think this film in particular is highly relatable. There are a lot of situations that people can relate to. The love story - everyone can relate to being in love or being in lust. You add the vampire, and it adds that next level fantasy. Vampires are mysterious and sensual and dangerous and unattainable. And everyone wants what they can't have. I think on another level that this came together at the perfect time. All the elements just fit, the casting was spot on, and we're in a difficult time right now with our economy. That's why you never have a drop in ticket sales because everyone wants an escape, and this movie is very much an escape from reality.
Kellan: It's a good escape but also it deals with so many situations, on so many positive notes. Just looking at it from the vampire coven to the wolf pack. It just deals with everyday issues just on bigger levels, in a way. And you have Bella as the keystone in many situations. You can just all relate from different countries to issues within the United States. It's easily relatable.

To read a lot more about working with three different directors and why they feel so lucky, just read more.

On how their portrayals of the Cullens are similar or different from the books:
Kellan: We got the jobs because we brought something new to it. You can interpret the characters each their own, but I think it's what we did alongside. Just like Kristen said - she's playing Bella but she's putting her Kristen spin on it, just like all of us are. And I think that's what's making it unique. We're still following the cheat sheets that Stephenie created by making the books, and there's Wikipedia. We have a lot of information to go off of. But I hope it's what I did in my audition that set it apart from the other guys trying out.

Ashley: I think it's mannerisms too. People do fall in love with this book, but I think part of it is that they always want more. You can't write out every human mannerism. You can imagine it, but seeing the emotion in someone's eyes and seeing them be affected it - it was kind of easy to give something to it, because we were just being people. We kinda just got lucky.
On how much more of the Cullens we can expect in the remaining movies:
Kellan: Realistically, we stick pretty close to the books. Obviously us Cullens would love to be in the books a lot more, which would mean we'd be in the movies a lot more. Talking New Moon, the scenes that the Cullens - except for Ashley, playing Alice who gets to go to Italy and be a main lead in the movie - us Cullens, we have to stick really close to the books, and the scenes that we're in are really crucial to the story, as you know - the birthday scene, the voting scene. I don't know, it was kind of a tease. Chris Weitz is such an amazing director, and for us, for myself - I only worked about a week on that movie. And it didn't even seem like I really got a taste for what it was.

Ashley: In the third film, you'll see a lot more of the Cullens because it's all of us collaborating and then getting ready to fight this war that's coming up. In the second one, my character got a much larger role because Alice is the Cullen, other than Edward, that really embraces Bella and they end up becoming best friends. In the beginning, you see her throw this huge party for Bella, and then Alice is the one who does, in fact, come back for Bella when everyone else decides to skip town. Alice is responsible for dragging Bella over to Italy, and she and I the whole time are fighting to save my brother's life. And then of course we get held up by the Volturi and stuff like that. My character got to grow a lot, which is really cool. You get to actually see the relationship develop between Bella and Alice, where in the first one you didn't. The first one was very much about the romance and showing the audience why these two people are willing to die for each other.
On working with a different director on each film:
Ashley: Each director is going to be very different. They're artists as well, and I don't think any of them are quite the same. The books, when you read them, all have very, very, different tones. So I think it's highly appropriate that we switch directors each go. The first one is very much a romance and is a very scenic, beautiful film. And Catherine's really, really great at capturing that. She's very high energy and works well in chaos and stuff like that. And it was fantastic because we didn't quite know what we were getting ourselves into, and so it was nice to have her to guide us when we were freaking out a little bit. She was just so high energy, and it was really contagious. We were sad to lose her and move on to the second film, but then we got Chris Weitz and he's the complete opposite! But great as well. He's so giving and caring and collaborative and created this atmosphere that was kind of a safe haven for us. And it was really nice because we didn't know, switching directors, if they were gonna embrace us or if they had a completely different vision than what we created in the first one. It was nice that he was right there on the same page with us. And the second one is a warmer film, even from the color scheme. The first one is very blue tones, and the second one is much richer and warmer and I think he did a great job at capturing that. And we just finished shooting with David Slade, and I think he's highly appropriate as well. He just finished shooting 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, and they're both very dark, edgy films. And Eclipse is very much that. It's all centered around the anticipation and us getting ready to fight this huge war. We just finished filming, we haven't gotten to see much of it, but I think it's gonna be fantastic. He is, technically, the most advanced director. The angles that he shot and how he knows that tweaking something can affect a whole scene and the lenses. He was really nice to work with.
On coping with the fan effect and being a "Twilight celebrity"
Kellan: That's what blows my mind, 'cause I feel like it's really unearned in a way. The fans are making our careers. Without them, we wouldn't be working and doing the saga. There's so many times that trilogy books become a movie and the first one bombs, and then that's it. And you're always hopeful that you get to do them all. Especially since we're all in love with our characters. I love Emmett Cullen to death, he's my favorite character I've ever played. It's just so cool to have made it this far, and I think we all hope that we get to finish this series and do Breaking Dawn. This is such a blessing, it's every actor's dream to be part of something like this. It's not terribly hard either. We don't shoot halfway around the world; we don't shoot for a year of our lives. I know a lot of us have homes, we have pets, we have family. And it's really nice to shoot on the West Coast, either Portland or Vancouver, and have the chance to fly down if we need to. But it's definitely amazing to be part of something like this. And I don't think any of us knew how crazy it would be and how exhilarating it would turn out to be. Going to the premiere, really just, wow. I don't even remember it because I was really just starstruck by how many fans and signs and cameras. It felt like I was just walking through a strobe light room. It's amazing.

Ashley: I still think we can't really wrap our heads around what's going on and what's happening. We're still in the midst of filming and kept very busy from one film until the next. It's only these brief moments where you sit back and are actually able to take a breath where you go "Whoa. Wow. This is crazy." I mean, the amount of tickets they've already sold for New Moon - I'm pretty sure I can't even get a ticket if I tried to see my film in Jacksonville and it's mind boggling. We're just very lucky. I went into this film thinking "Oh my gosh, I got a job" and the it turned into the biggest break of my life. I think we all feel very blessed to be a part of this.
On how it feels to be part of Twilight fan fiction:
Kellan: It's an escape, in a way. We do live in a trivial time period right now. There's so much depression that it's kinda cool to be a part of something where people use it to be an escape. In a way that's kinda what Stephenie did -she had a dream and just elaborated on it. It became a huge success and it's really encouraging that people are doing the same and just making up this journey.

Ashley: That's why people love it so much I think. You can take it and make what you want of it. Before the demographic was teenage girls, but now it's women of every age and guys are starting to get into it, too. It's because there is that element of fantasy. If you're 8 years old you look at it one way; if you're 80 years old you look at it another. I think it's fantastic that we can draw such a huge crowd. The other thing is - it blows my mind but people are making connections over this film and over this book. there are mothers and daughters and grandmas who can all sit and talk about the same story and all fantasize about it and I think that's a really cool thing. I think it's rare.

To see all of our Twilight and New Moon coverage, check out TwilightSugar!

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:38:24 -0800

T.G.I. Tuesday! I've already sorted through the big DVD releases of the day, but now I have new songs to revive your iPod, Just take a look at these three albums. (And if you want to see your own music reviews featured on Buzz, submit them in the Music Review Group in the community!)

Music mash-up: Seems like everyone is releasing a holiday album lately - remember Bob Dylan's? Now, Tori Amos is trying her hand at the genre with Midwinter Graces. It's a big risk for Amos, who puts her own spin on classic carols. Traditionalists might cry foul when she mashes up "What Child Is This" and "The First Nowell" for "What Child, Nowell" or re-purposes "Silent Night" into a love song, but at least Amos is thinking outside of the box. The quieter songs work best, thanks to Amos's ethereal voice. I recommend "Emmanuel" or "Winter's Carol."

All over the place: Wale references Kanye West in the first track on his big studio debut Attention: Deficit, and the mention is fitting. Wale seems like a Kanye in the making, mixing in sparkly, bragadocious tracks with songs that raise controversial social issues (like "Shades," which tackles racism). He also brings in a long list of collaborators, including Lady Gaga (on the already-released "Chillin'") and Mark Ronson. As a result, the album jumps around like, as the title hints, a kid with ADD. You may recognize Wale from this year's VMAs, and he's undoubtedly one to watch. For now, download "Pretty Girls" and "Diary," which samples from one of my favorite films, Amelie.

See one more release when you read more.

A classic formula: Bon Jovi fans really love Bon Jovi, and on the band's newest release, The Circle, the rockers aren't afraid to deliver exactly what their followers want - even if it feels recycled. "Working For the Man" should appeal to those who enjoy pumping their fists along to songs like "Living on a Prayer," and "When We Were Beautiful" almost feels like a U2 copycat. The guys cover the regular themes there - love, leadership, the highway of life, etc. - so there are no big surprises. Still, as far as guilty pleasure Bon Jovi goes, it doesn't disappoint.

Glee-ful Highlights and Video From Episode "Throwdown"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0700

This week on Glee, we find out what happens when two teachers who can't stand each other stop being polite and start gettin' real. It doesn't take very long for Sue and Will to start arguing over how to direct the glee club (even fighting in their voiceovers), and Sue succeeds in turning the kids against each other in the process. Will's problems start to affect his life at home as Terri is still struggling to keep her pregnancy a secret (with the help of her wacky sister).

Now would be a good time to enter my Glee giveaway for a chance to hang out with one of the cast members, but if you'd rather dive into all the performances and drama, just read more.

One of my favorite performances this week is when all the kids sing "Ride With Me" as a group - even though they're not supposed to be seen together. I kinda loved that we get to hear them actually singing freestyle instead of the usual prerecorded in the studio stuff.
Sue has her hilarious array of one-liners as usual and wastes no time getting all offensive and dividing the club into "Sue's Kids" (aka the minorities) and handing over the rest of the students to Will. The chain of events are typical right up to the end, when Will finally gets through to her and they call a truce of sorts. But how long will that last?
Speaking of truces, the peace between Rachel and Quinn is already broken within minutes of this episode, and surprise - it's all about Finn! I was glad that Quinn finally gets her own solo while standing up for herself to Finn. I know we're supposed to hate her and root for Rachel instead, but she's growing on me - and I kinda think she deserves a better boyfriend. On the other hand, naming the baby Drizzle is kind of hilarious.
Quinn gets all worked up when Rachel and Finn are selected to perform "No Air," but I wasn't really feelin' the chemistry on this one. Need a refresher? Check out the video below.

Emma is nowhere to be found this week, but there's plenty of tension between Terri and Will to fill in the gaps. Terri blackmails her doctor into conducting a fake sonogram for Will's benefit, which reminded me just how ridiculous that entire storyline is. (Really? We're supposed to believe that Will has never seen Terri change her clothes since she started wearing that fake bump?) It was almost too heartbreaking when Will's eyes well up at the end. Can't the truth just come out already?
Sidenote: is anyone else ready for the inevitable episode where Tina starts to gain confidence and overcome her stutter? It's a bit of overkill at this point.
Sue drops a big bomb at the end of the episode when she nails Quinn for being pregnant. (Oh. Snap.) I have to admit that while Avril Lavigne isn't my favorite artist, I did like the spin the club put on her "Keep Holding On." Or maybe I'm just a sucker for when they perform in matching outfits. Video below!

What'd you think of this week's episode? Did you miss Emma? Are you ready for Quinn and Finn to call it quits? Sound off in comments and check out the Glee Club in the BuzzSugar Community!

Buzz Blabber: Where to Talk About TV's Most Recent Episodes

BuzzSugar — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 07:00:42 -0700

Fall TV is in full swing, and my DVR is already filling up so fast it's making my head spin! It can be tough to watch all the shows in real time, but it's never too late to discuss this week's juicy tidbits - here's a roundup of all our coverage of the latest episodes.

Mad Men	Gossip Girl	90210/Melrose Place
So You Think You Can Dance	Glee	FlashForward
The Office	The Vampire Diaries	Grey's Anatomy

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:30:32 -0700

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download.

Queen of the dance floor: I pretty much murdered my cassette of Madonna's greatest hits, The Immaculate Collection, which came out in 1990. Now, with Celebration, her third hits compilation, Madonna brings the party again. The title track is an upbeat dancer, but what you really want are her older songs that are mixed in with more recent hits, including "Hung Up," "Music," "Vogue," "Into the Groove," "Don’t Tell Me," and "Like a Virgin."

Divas are doing it for themselves: Even if your tastes aren't Mariah-level mainstream, you probably won't be able to escape most of the singles off of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel for the next few months. Mariah wrote and executive produced the entire album, which includes her stalker jam "Obsessed" which has already been getting lots of airplay. If you tend to like her pipes more on ballads, look out for "H.A.T.E.U." and "I Want to Know What Love Is."

See one more release when you read more.

Alt rock out: Paramore sprung on the scene last year with prime placement on the Twilight soundtrack. Since then, they've been nominated for a VMA, and today they release their third album, Brand New Eyes. The first single, "Ignorance," is a hard rocker, while the slower, bittersweet "All I Wanted" will please devoted fans and new listeners. I also predict "Brick by Boring Brick" will go places.

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:30:32 -0700

Still rockin': I was surprised when I heard that Pearl Jam was releasing an album exclusively through Target this past Sunday - huh?! - but Backspacer is a solid, mature showing from the heralded band. The songs are full of introspective lyrics, like an older and wiser Eddie Vedder reflecting back on his life, but most of the tracks are fast-paced with a tinge of punk sound. While a bit of head-banging is fun, I've always preferred Pearl Jam's ballads like "Black" over their heavier stuff, so I'll be downloading "Just Breathe" and "The End."

Still waters run deep: Yesterday, we got word that indie artists Sea Wolf made it onto the New Moon soundtrack; now comes their sophomore full-length effort White Water, White Bloom, a mellow album of romanticism. (Perfect for Edward and Bella, no?) Every track has gorgeous storytelling imagery, as singer-songwriter Alex Brown Church constantly weaves in water themes (as his album title and band name hint). The result is something dreamy and lush to listen to on a lazy, sunny day. My favorite tracks: "Wicked Blood," "Dew in the Grass," and "The Orchard."

One more up next, so read more.

Child's play: Those neon outfits, those tight pants, that Freddie Mercury falsetto - everyone knows Mika is a bit outrageous, and his latest album is just as super-charged as his debut. Reportedly inspired by his own adolescence, The Boy Who Knew Too Much is full of that rebellious teenage attitude with the standard Mika dance fever. From the island music of "Blue Eyes" to the nursery rhyme-ish ditty "Toy Boy," it feels light and fizzy, like pop music on Red Bull - and it's just as addictive. You'll either love it or hate it, but as for me, I'll be downloading "We Are Golden" and "By the Time," where he collaborates with Imogen Heap.