BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 7/9

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:30:29 PDT

Nat is back! Joe E. Tata is returning as the Peach Pit owner for at least the pilot of the new 90210, writes the Associated Press.
According to ComingSoon, there is a modern remake of Red Dawn in the works.
Hollywood Reporter writes that Kinky Boots may be the next movie to be turned into a Broadway musical.
E! reports that Jeffrey Tambor is coming to Entourage as another fifth-season guest star.
Lil Wayne is once again topping the Billboard 200 list, Billboard reports.
NBC News is going to produce a big Baby Borrowers reunion special, writes Variety.
ComingSoon reports that the comic Elfquest will head to the big screen.
Katherine Heigl's husband, musician Josh Kelley, might be the latest star to start producing TV shows, Entertainment Weekly reports.

The Baby Borrowers: Interview with Natalie

LilSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:00:00 PDT

Would you let a teen borrow your baby to teach them a lesson in life? We talked to one mom who did. Natalie, a 31-year-old mother of four, offered up her youngest child, 6-month-old, Etta to be cared for by teenage couple, Sean (18) and Kelsey (18) on last night's episode of the The Baby Borrowers.

NBC's new show takes five young couples and thrusts them into the real world by giving them a house to live in, followed by babies, tots, school aged children, preteens, teens, pets and elderly people as charges. The series couldn't be more timely with magazine covers dedicated to Jamie Lynn Spears's transition from Nickelodeon star to new mama. And, it's the glamorization of teen pregnancy that is why Natalie, who had her first son at the tender age of 17, decided to volunteer (no one on the show was paid) her offspring. With a professional nanny following the couple, and the ability to watch them on monitors and intervene at any time, the mother helped Kelsey experience the realities - the sleepless nights and frustration - of motherhood.

Did you have any apprehension about handing your baby over to teenagers? Not really - I thought it was important to do the show and everything was in place as far as safety measures. So I wasn't in fear at all as far as their (Natalie's son, Benjamin appears in the second episode) physical well being and I think that I was on hand to ensure emotional well being for them. I went over and interjected at one point.

What was the breaking point that made you decide to interfere? Well, Sean got frustrated and then he cursed, and said, "Put it in the other room it's just gonna cry anyway". The fact that he cursed and was referring to my daughter as "it" was my last straw.

To hear about Natalie's own experience as a teen mom and how she believes teenage pregnancy is portrayed in the media,

read more. Did you relate to Sean and Kelsey's emotions and frustration as you were their age when you became a mother? Yes, I did and I told them it's perfectly acceptable to get frustrated and go in the other room and scream into a pillow or cry in the shower, but it's not acceptable to curse at or while referring to your child. And, at the age Etta was at - you're there to handle their needs because they can't do it for themselves and they just couldn't act that way. How did you feel about the overall experience - would you do it again? I'd do it again in a heartbeat. In light of the Time magazine piece about the pregnancy pact at Gloucester High School, do you think this show might change the teen's view of pregnancy?. I truly wish that this was incorporated in all of the schools. There's usually a focus on abstinence or sex education, but not so much the realities. More than just telling kids they could get a sexually transmitted disease, they should know that every single time they choose to have sex, condom or no condom, they still need to be prepared to have a baby as a result. If it's a decision that they are OK with and prepared for, then go ahead and do whatever you are going to do. I was one of those girls just like the girls that you are hearing about now. I got pregnant on purpose because I thought I knew it all and I wanted my parents to know that I could do it myself and I could be a good mother. What do you think about the way the media portrays teen pregnancy? It's really wrong. Everything has a happy ending. You'll have the baby and you'll move on and that's just not the reality if you're not from a prominent family. There's not always a mother to help or people to hand the baby off to. Does your story have a happy ending? Absolutely, my story has a happy ending in general and that my kids are all healthy. But I have a 13-year-old son who chooses not to live with me, but to live with his father and this is not one of those court cases where my son was awarded to someone else. He asked about two years ago to go live with his dad because I grew up with him instead of already knowing who I was as a person before I started mothering him. I got frustrated and when there were things that went wrong, I blamed it on him. It's hard because I was a mother doesn't mean that I was a good mother or that I was equipped to take care of him. So did you do this, in part, to prevent that from happening to other teens? It's good for teens who might be going down that path, but it's also good for their kids that are a product of these relationships because no one is out there advocating for them and they just happen to be born in these circumstances. My kids certainly didn't ask for it and I've put some emotional scars on them and I am deeply sorry for that, but I hope that at least I can help others from making the same mistake. “The Baby Borrowers” is moving to 9 p.m. ET on Wednesdays beginning July 2 with repeats of the prior week's episode airing before the originals at 8 p.m. ET. Check back soon for our interview with Kelsey.

First Look: The Baby Borrowers

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:30:38 PDT

Ever since I proclaimed it a Bad Idea of the Week way back in March of '07, I've been utterly fascinated with NBC's show The Baby Borrowers, which is finally set to premiere next Wednesday, June 25. The show takes teenage couples and essentially asks them to become parents overnight, as they care for babies, toddlers, preteens, teenagers, and, eventually, senior citizens. (Why not toss in a 47-year-old in the throes of a midlife crisis, while they're at it?)

The show is based on a British series of the same name, and I'm told that over there, it was a pretty educational and informative show. But from watching the previews for the NBC version, I can't tell what kind of tone the U.S. version of the show is going to have. Am I meant to laugh at these crazy kids and their predicament? Feel sorry for them? Be angry on behalf of the actual families of the kids and adults they're caring for? Take it as a poignant appreciation of the life cycle? The moral still seems to be "hey, kids, life sucks" - and watching even a single episode of that seems like it would be more harrowing than entertaining.

The show was originally supposed to air back in February, when our own LilSugar got freaked out by the concept. But the premiere got changed to the Summer, and so I'm wondering: If you've seen the previews, how do you feel about the show? To watch a trailer and a couple of shorter clips, just

Here's What We'll Be Watching on TV This Summer

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:30:35 PDT

ABC, CBS, and Fox have joined NBC in releasing their Summer schedules in recent days, and while we're still waiting on The CW, this already gives us a pretty good sense of how the season will look. There's a lot of reality, of course, but at least one cool scripted series is also on the schedule. Here are some of the goodies:

Swingtown, the CBS series about '70s swinger couples, will finally see the light of day! It's scheduled to air Thursday nights at 10 starting June 5.
So You Think You Can Dance will be the centerpiece of Fox's Summer schedule again (yay!), following last year's pattern of performance shows on Wednesdays and results shows on Thursdays. The show will also have a two-night premiere starting Thursday, May 22, and continuing the following Wednesday.
NBC is touting this as its All-American Summer, thanks to the August broadcast of the Summer Olympics. Apparently, a big part of that is American Gladiators, which returns May 12.
The High School Musical reality show, now called High School Musical: Summer Session, will begin airing July 20, taking over both Sundays and Mondays for three weeks and ultimately airing on Mondays until the grand-prize winner is chosen.
ABC's two big reality franchises, The Bachelorette and The Mole, both kick off in May: The Bachelorette starts May 19, while the new edition of The Mole starts May 26.
Last Comic Standing, meanwhile, returns to NBC May 22.

As for other reality shows, there's a ridiculous-sounding crop in the works - many of which were in my spot the fake pilot quiz. To check out a list, just

Wee TV: The Baby Borrowers

LilSugar — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:00:00 PST

There's not a chance I'd hand my babe over to teenagers so they could play house with him in front of television cameras. Call me crazy, but I'd also never sign a consent form for my kids to go to Bonanza City and start a "kids only" pioneer town, though I admit the concept made for some pretty incredible episodes of Kid Nation and I was awed at a couple of those children.

So, I'm hoping tonight's episode of The Baby Borrowers also proves me wrong. To learn more about this new reality show,

read more. The premise of NBC's new show is to take five young couples and thrust them into the real world by giving them a house to live in, followed by babies, tots, school aged children, preteens, teens, pets and elderly people as charges, but this clip seriously scares me. Would you lend them your baby? Source

Bad Idea of the Week: "The Baby Borrowers"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 07:00:57 PDT

Some ideas are so jaw-droppingly bad, they make fun of themselves, and this new reality show from NBC is one of them. Called "The Baby Borrowers" and based on a BBC series of the same name, the premise involves five teenage couples being made to take care of babies, toddlers, pre-teens, and aging grandparents over the course of a month. I can't possibly be funnier than NBC's own press release, so here are excerpts:

As the five young participating couples are asked to literally grow up overnight, their journey begins when they are given a quiet suburban home and attend pre-natal classes as the "mother" wears a simulated "empathy" belly to prepare them for the arrival of their "baby."

When a real one appears at their door - courtesy of five real mothers who each entrusts her infant to one of the five couples - the fumbling new teen parents are in for three long, arduous days that make chilling out a distant memory. They must stick to rigid routines (under supervision), handle the feeding chores, diaper duty and crying jags that might be shared by both baby and teens.

Five real mothers are going to give their babies to some teenage fools surrounded by video cameras for three days? That sounds like a surefire way to irrevocably screw up your child. Could you imagine showing your son or daughter that video later? "Look, honey! That's when your fake mommy put Sprite in your bottle!"

There's a lot more, so

7 Money Tips For Couples Starting a Family

Business Insider — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

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

Middle-income parents will spend nearly $227,000 in 17 years for children born in 2010, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

But don't let that scare you - saving for a family can actually be fun if you know what you're doing.

"The most important thing to understand is that your priorities are going to change and your spending habits need to change to reflect those changes," says Stuart Ritter, a financial planner at T. Rowe Price.

With Ritter and other financial experts' help, we'll help you prepare.

Invest in a 529 savings plan

Saving for your child's education is crucial to his or her success, and 529 plans are tax-advantaged college savings accounts that are available in all 50 states.

Most are free to set up, while some states require a minimum of $25 to open an account, says Adam Koos, a certified financial planner with Libertas Wealth Management. Anyone can contribute and take advantage of the tax benefits.

Open the plan before your child is born, says Ritter, and name yourself the beneficiary. You can change the name on the account once your child is born.

Read on for more.

Make the Skies a Bit Friendly With These Holiday Travel Tips For Families

BabyCenter — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:33:09 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Kristina Sauerwein about making holiday travel as smooth as possible.

No doubt you've noticed the tinsel, twinkle-light Christmas trees in stores and heard carols on the radio. Although it does seem early to get decked out for the holidays, the season is rapidly approaching and it is not too early to plan holiday air travel.

To help you avoid hassles and extra costs associated with holiday air travel, here are 10 tips from Christine Frietchen, Editor in Chief of ConsumerSearch.com, a site that helps consumers make informed purchasing decisions in everything from electronics to home and garden goods to health and beauty items to cars.

For booking air travel, start yesterday. This year is going to be tough for snagging the choice Christmas flights. With Christmas falling on a Sunday, there's already a scramble for Friday-to-Monday (or Tuesday) trips. Start looking and booking now.
Be as flexible as you can. It's hard during the holidays to be flexible, but if you can depart on Thursday, for example, instead of Friday, you can save $100 per ticket in some markets.
When booking flights with connections, be mindful of the connecting city. Winter weather in popular connecting cities like Chicago or Minneapolis can throw a big wrench in your plans. Though a nonstop flight might cost more, it could be worth it if the only connection options are dicey delay-prone cities.
Don't forget to check nearby airports. Although it can be a hassle to drive an extra 50 or 100 miles to a more distant airport, it can be worth checking. For a family, saving $50 per ticket will more than make up for the extra gas.
Check in at home. Most airlines now allow you to check in via computer or smartphone as well as print your boarding pass. If you don't need to check bags, that means you can head straight for the security screening line.

Keep reading for more holiday travel tips!

5 Baby Items You Should Always Buy New

Heather Dale — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:32:17 PDT

When you first have a baby, it's hard not to get swept up in the joy and excitement, and going overboard on purchases is usually a given. Granted, there are many items your baby doesn't really need, but there are a handful of products that are best to buy new. Here's what you should refrain from borrowing, or from buying used or secondhand to keep your baby happy, healthy, and most of all, safe!

Car Seats: I know a car seat may be the last thing you want to buy new for your baby, but here's why you should: car-seat designs are constantly changing and evolving. Older car seats may have been recalled (many are), or maybe it was in a crash or has missing parts. Even if a secondhand car seat looks perfectly fine, you don't want to take the chance and put the safety of your baby in jeopardy.

Here's what else you should always buy new.

Get Your Bank Account Ready For a Baby

Guest Writer — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:00:34 PDT

Editor’s note: The following is a guest post by Kimberly Palmer, the author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, and personal finance columnist at US News & World Report. Take it away, Kimberly!

Along with the cute outfits, nursery, and rocking chair, there’s one more thing to get ready for baby: Your bank account. Because along with being cuddly and adorable, babies are also insanely expensive. Just how much will one end up costing you? Well, according to the latest estimates from the Agriculture Department, middle-income couples (earning between $57,000 and $98,000) spend around $12,000 a year on their babies.

Luckily, parents don’t need to come up with all that cash at once. In fact, we often don’t even realize when we’re spending it, because it includes the fuzzier costs of moving to a bigger home and buying more groceries in addition to the more obvious ones, such as baby clothes and baby sitters. There are ways, though, to start priming your accounts for an extra family member in advance, so you don’t have to worry about bouncing any checks during your first years together. Whether you’re pregnant or your future baby exists only in your daydreams, here are some ways to start getting ready:

1. Figure out your work (or no work) plan. Babies often make their biggest financial impact on their parents’ earning potential, since new moms (and dads) frequently decide to scale back their work hours in order to spend more time with the new love of their lives. In this country, even a relatively brief maternity leave of three or four months is usually unpaid, which means new parents have to live off savings at a time when they’re also taking on more expenses.

Meanwhile, parents who continue working full-time take on the mega-cost of nannies or daycare, which can average well over $12,000 a year, especially in cities. One way to mitigate the budget shock: Practice living off one salary before the big birth day, and sign up for childcare flex spending accounts if your employer offers them, in order to take advantage of the tax benefits.

For more tips on how to get your bank account ready for a baby, read on.