BuzzSugar

Box Office: Jumper Leaps Ahead

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:30:00 PST

Despite mediocre reviews (including my own) audiences were still game for director Doug Liman's sci-fi movie Jumper which earned the top spot at the box office its first weekend out. Whether it was the combined star power of Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen or the craving for an action flick this Presidents Day weekend, audiences put Jumper ahead of the rest by a long shot, grossing nearly $33.8 million, according to Variety.

The other big surprise over the weekend was the No. 2 spot which belonged to neither the rom-com Definitely, Maybe nor family friendly The Spiderwick Chronicles but rather Disney's Step Up 2 the Streets. In fact, The Spiderwick Chronicles slid in at No. 3 and Definitely, Maybe came in fifth, behind Fool's Gold which has earned an estimated $42 million since hitting theaters last weekend. Juno, the only Oscar nominee in the top 10, came in behind Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins at No. 7.

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Sequels, Part 2

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 04:33:10 PDT

Sigh. I can rant all I want, it looks like sequels are still where it's at these days. There was the recent rumor about a possible Austin Powers 4, then there was news of a Wall Street 2, and now the sequel party rages on:

The Terminator series will continue with Terminator 4 for which they have a script but no director in place. Thankfully, Arnold Schwarzenegger will not be starring because, oh yeah, he has a giant state to pay attention to.
I guess Step Up was interesting enough to warrant a Step Up 2 which goes into production in July. We should be getting closer to the top of the staircase now, right?
Jerry Bruckheimer has adamantly confirmed that this third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series will be the last! Hallelujah! Wait... what? What's that? A spin-off?! I repeat: Sigh.

Source
Pirates photo courtesy of Buena Vista Entertainment

Gwyneth Paltrow Parties With Jay-Z, Kanye, Chris, and More in London

Lauren Turner — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:59:51 PDT

London's DSTRKT club was the spot for Jay-Z and Kanye West's star-studded Watch the Throne afterparty last night. The rappers performed at the O2 Arena before meeting up with their famous friends to celebrate. Gwyneth Paltrow and husband Chris Martin came out for the bash, as did their pal Stella McCartney. Gwyneth and Chris's kids, Apple and Moses, got in on the fun earlier when they watched the concert with their mom. Rihanna also stepped out to party during an especially exciting weekend since her Battleship hit theaters on Friday. Kanye's girlfriend Kim Kardashian was on hand, along with her brother Rob, who had his girlfriend and Jay-Z protégé, Rita Ora, by his side. It was the second night out for the foursome, after they shared a double date at Zuma last week. Jay-Z and Kanye have three more shows in the UK before heading to Manchester.

My Green Heaven, Continued: Fried Green Tomato Parmesan

OnSugar Blog — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:14:08 PDT

We never would've thought of fried green tomato parmesan (that credit goes to Food Orleans), but now that the idea's entered our minds, there's only one real way to resolve our craving.

Because I love them so, I've written a couple of love letters to fried green tomatoes over the years: the fried green tomato caprese "salad" I made without remorse, and fried green tomato BLTs, a longtime favorite. Green tomatoes are so good when fried, I think a lot of folks never try them other ways, like in a salsa or gazpacho. I really, really want to use them in recipes like that. I really do! But when I think of them fried, I just can't resist.

It just so happens that fried green tomatoes work extremely well in a "parmesan" or a casserole of breaded, fried something (usually eggplant or chicken) layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. The tomatoes are a little tangy, so they add a lot of character to the dish, but they're also a lot easier to fry than eggplant, which always soaks up so much oil. The tomatoes stand up to frying and still soften without a lot of oil, so you actually end up with something quite a bit lighter here than eggplant parmesan. Which is a total lagniappe, if you ask me.

The recipe, and step-by-step photos, when you keep reading.

8 Things You Think Are Good for Your Money . . . That Aren't

LearnVest — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:03:23 PDT

You may be wasting money when you think you're saving. LearnVest shares eight of the biggest money misconceptions.

Frugalista. Recessionista. In the past few years, people have coined a lot of silly words describing women and their approach to money, but the thought behind each of them is the same: You care about your hard-earned dollars and want to make them stretch.

That's true of most of us: We scrimp, we pinch, we try to feed our proverbial piggy bank as much as possible. Yet sometimes, in our excitement to be financial overachievers, we overreach.

It turns out there are a number of things that sound like they'd be doing good things for your money, and make you feel like you're saving more . . . when, actually, they're having the opposite effect.

Paying Every Debt Equally

When you have multiple debts to pay off (a credit card here, a student loan there) you might feel like a rock star simply for keeping up with them all and dividing your attention in a lot of different directions. Which, in a sense, you are! After all, you should always pay at least the minimums on all your loans.

But, if you have extra money to pay down your debts, you’re doing yourself a disservice by dividing it equally. The debts with the highest interest rates grow the fastest, so you should focus your muscle on the most toxic debts first.

Read on for more.

5 Tricks to Get the Most Out of Your Outdoor Run

Shape — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:11:45 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to celebrity trainer Jay Cardiello for some help!

The weather is getting nice and you may have been bitten by the "run bug." To make the transition from indoor runs to the great outdoors seamless and safe, I compiled a list of my top five tricks to get the most out of your outdoor run. Whether you have had some success running on the treadmill, or you are completely new to outdoor running, there are two crucial factors that you must understand.

25 Most Deceiving Exercises (They Tone More Than You Think).

First, let's talk about a little guy named Newton. See, Newton has this law that states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Are you with me so far? Good. Well, with runners, the concern is what we run on. The harder the surface the greater the ground reaction force, which is basically the force exerted by the ground back onto the body (in this case, our little legs) that are in contact with it, is. To simplify this, surfaces like concrete and pavement will cause a greater reaction back into our joints and legs than an energy absorbing treadmill. This not only makes us work harder, but will tire us out faster and cause greater stress on our joints.

Are Your Workouts Causing Pain? How to Find Out.

Second, the treadmill is a flat belt that provides consistency with each step. There are no stones, traffic, or inclement weather activity that would cause you to be off balance or have to change your gait. Running outdoors forces the body to make constant small adjustments. That said, here is what’s going to make your outdoor run a successful one.

5 Unique Ways to Make the Most of Your Treadmill.

Learn how to make the most out of your outdoor runs after the break!

7 Strategies to Build an Emergency Fund

Kiplinger — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:15:32 PDT

Build up your emergency fund with these tips from Kiplinger.

You know you need an emergency fund - easily accessible cash to pay for unexpected expenses. Without one, you could find yourself looking around the house for valuables to pawn, racking up credit-card debt or maybe even considering a payday loan to cover the costs of an emergency.

But you may be wondering how you can find enough spare cash in your budget to set aside for a rainy day. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, I’m sure the thought of saving up enough money to cover six months’ worth of expenses (as is usually recommended) is especially daunting. The good news is that you don’t have to stash that much cash at once.

The key is to start setting aside a little each month to build your emergency fund. And that doesn’t require a big salary. After all, saving is a function of discipline, not income.

Here are seven ways to find enough money - and motivation - to create an emergency fund.

Save - don’t spend - your tax refund. About 75% of taxpayers received a refund last year, and the average amount was $2,913. A refund of that size can get your emergency fund off to a great start. Open an interest-bearing savings account and have the money directly deposited into it so you won’t be tempted to use it.

Pay yourself first. Rather than wait until next year for another refund to stash in your emergency fund, adjust your tax withholding by filing a revised W-4 form with your employer (see How to Adjust Your Withholding). This will put more money in your paycheck each month, and you can set that amount aside in your savings account so it can earn interest and grow. (That money won’t be earning any interest during the year if you leave it with Uncle Sam.) If possible, have your employer deposit the designated amount directly into your savings account so you don’t see the money in your checking account and aren’t tempted to spend it.

Read on for more.

Are Money Clubs the New Book Clubs?

LearnVest — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:15:41 PDT

Money clubs are a great and fun way to stay on top of your finances. With friends supporting you, you can conquer the world and money issues! LearnVest shares how you can start one.

Thea, 31, a lawyer, lives in Brooklyn, NY. Although her friends are, in her own words, “bright, savvy, awesome women,” many felt lost financially - much like she did. “In fact, almost all of them knew someone else who was in the same financially adrift boat,” she says.

That’s when she got the idea to start a money group.

“The first meeting was held in my studio apartment in Brooklyn,” she told LearnVest. She served pizza and Diet Coke as the group of women took turns airing their money issues and goals.

The women’s issues ranged from needing to pay down credit card debt after an amazing wedding to wondering how to invest in a 403(b) retirement account that she’d left empty for years. “We left that meeting,” she says, “with the same sense of empowerment we often feel in other areas of our lives, but that was usually missing when it came to our financial life.”

Although the women are still working through their money issues and goals, it is, as Thea puts it, “easier to take a journey with a group of amazing friends.”

Are Money Clubs the New Book Clubs?

There’s a reason Thea’s personal experience was so meaningful. Just like book clubs or wine clubs - or book clubs that double as wine clubs - money clubs are groups in which you can learn interesting stuff, discuss it, and get support from like-minded friends. And maybe even add alcohol to put people at ease.

In fact, while they’re now becoming popular again, money clubs have actually been around for a long time. Many groups of women in cities across the US meet up informally, but Candace Bahr, founder of the Women’s Institute For Financial Education, or WIFE, formalized the money club concept, creating the organization’s trademarked version back in 2004.

Read on for more.

9 Easy Tricks to Maximize Your Wardrobe

LearnVest — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:15:31 PDT

Despite what you think, you actually don't need more clothes. The trick is to just maximize your wardrobe. LearnVest shares how.

Whether you live for shopping the latest trends or wish you could spend every day in your favorite pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, your clothes project a message about who you are.

The great thing is that you have the power to control that message entirely - as long as what you already own isn’t standing in your way.

From having a wardrobe that’s bursting with every item of clothing you’ve had since childhood to owning a ton of pieces that you never wear (the definition of wasted money), these are the ways your closet can stop you from being the most stylish version of yourself.

To cut through the clutter and help you get the most from the items you already have, we polled everyone we know - including all of the LearnVest editors, who are definitely invested in looking their best on a budget, and one fashion expert - to come up with nine easy, inventive ways for you to make over the closet you have without spending a ton on new trends.

At least one of these strategies will dramatically change the way you feel about getting dressed in the morning.

1. Follow the Rainbow

This strategy comes courtesy of LearnVest reader Erin Greenbaum, who has used this technique for years with great success. Every day for a week, make sure that your ensemble includes an item of a certain color: week one is red, two is orange, three is yellow, etc. This will encourage you to search through your closet and actually wear the pieces that have been languishing, unloved, underneath your go-to items.

2. First In, Last Out

In her new book, You Are What You Wear, Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner says that the majority of people wear 20 percent of their closet 80 percent of the time. There are variations on this “first in, last out” wardrobe strategy, which prevent you from wearing a few pieces nonstop.

Instead of wearing the same small percentage of your closet every week, do what Assistant Editor Alden Wicker does: after wearing an outfit, she hangs it in the most remote corner of her closet, which forces her to see only pieces she hasn’t worn frequently. If she’s totally uninspired by a piece staring her right in the face, she has to decide whether to consign it or not. Another approach (which might be better if you like to organize by item type - dresses near dresses, shirts near shirts) is to hang each item inside out after you wear it (assuming you don’t have to wash it immediately). This way, you can easily see which pieces you’ve recently worn and which items you may have forgotten about.

Read on for more.

Get Joan Holloway Hair Now

Miriam Lacey — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:54:00 PDT

Always wanted Joan Holloway's sexy bouffant? Here's your chance, then: Mad Men hair department head stylist Terrie V. Owen has provided step-by-step instructions for re-creating Joan's signature look at home. Ready to get retro? Then check out Owen's instructions below.