BuzzSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:30:00 PDT

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. This week's DVD selections are all TV series, though there are some movies coming out on DVD today, like the Kevin Costner thriller Mr. Brooks.

Veronica Mars: Season Three
VM fans, the wait is over! Season Three has finally made it to DVD and the 6-disc set looks to be a doozy. In addition to all the episodes that made up what turned out to be, sadly, VM's final season, there are a bunch of interesting extra features. There's a gag reel (natch), unaired scenes, cast interviews and set tours. Most interestingly, however, there's a featurette called "Pitching Season 4" in which Rob Thomas explains the idea he had for a new direction for the series - fast-forwarding years later with Veronica as a rookie FBI agent.

Two more new releases if you

The Sopranos: Season Six, Part Two
Continuing on the train of sad final seasons, today you can also find the second part of The Sopranos' sixth season, complete with that much-discussed final episode. In addition to the episodes that aired last spring (Episodes 13-21), you can hear commentary by some of the cast members and delve deeper into the music of show. There's also a featurette that goes behind the scenes of Christopher's horror film Cleaver. So the series may have been laid to rest but if you come away from the show with nothing else, don't forget: "Don't Stop Believin'."

The Company
It may not be the most fantastic CIA drama ever made, but this miniseries that aired on TNT over the summer is fairly compelling. Sure, a similar story is told in The Good Shepherd, but The Company does explore some different territory. The story follows the Cold War intelligence battle between the CIA and the KGB from the end of World War II to the fall of the Soviet Union. The performances of Alfred Molina and Michael Keaton are particularly absorbing.

TV Tonight: "The Company"

BuzzSugar — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 13:30:25 PDT

Here's the bad news: I didn't love the first installment of TNT's "The Company" the way I expected to. The two-hour segment, which airs tonight, seemed a bit jumbled, covering a lot of ground without a good hook to pull me in. The good news is that there was enough compelling content in the first episode that I'm still planning to check out the other two.

Broadly speaking, "The Company" tells the story of the CIA in the Cold War. More specifically, it focuses on two friends (played by Chris O'Donnell and Alessandro Nivola) who are recruited from Yale into the CIA, a third friend (Rory Cochrane) who ends up working for the KGB, and an American intelligence expert's quest to uncover a KGB spy within the CIA.

The book by Robert Littell on which the series is based weighs in at almost 900 pages, so I suppose it's no surprise that the miniseries (which will air in three two-hour segments) also plows through a lot of material. But what did surprise me was how disorganized the whole thing felt, so to hear more about that and see a video of Chris O'Donnell talking about his role,

The screener copy of "The Company" that I received came with a poster-sized chart of who's who, breaking down which characters work for the CIA, which work for the KGB or other intelligence agencies, and which are (or at least appear to be) civilians. And thank goodness; part of the idea of "The Company" is that you don't know who's really working for which agency, but I thought the first two hours contained too many characters with too little context.

Beyond that, "The Company" doesn't seem to have a coherent identity thus far. Is it a story of three college friends who end up working on opposing sides of the Cold War intelligence effort? Or is it a story of one man's lifelong quest to track down the KGB's mole within the CIA? I also had to roll my eyes at the "love story" portion of events; those who fall in love seem to do so in about 10 seconds, and of course all of the main characters' relationships are with people who could jeopardize their jobs and their lives. (One of those women, a ballerina who seems to do nothing but dance 24/7, is particularly grating.)

The first hour certainly had its good points, though. I mentioned I'm a sucker for spy stories, and there's some great code-cracking, phone-tapping and allegiance-switching here. Alfred Molina delivers a strong performance as a CIA agent nicknamed "The Sorcerer" who mentors O'Donnell's character and thrives on the danger of his job. And I hope Cochrane gets more screen time in future installments; his character, a conflicted Russian-born, American-bred spy, has more depth than anyone else so far. Overall, "The Company" looks to be a mixed bag - but fellow fans of spy stories still might find it worth a try.

Source

First Look: "The Company"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:33:39 PDT

Sure, on the surface, I'm a pop culture-obsessed, concert-going, movie-watching maven. But behind it all, I'm really just a nerdy, somewhat spy-obsessed gal. So TNT's new miniseries, "The Company," easily earned a spot on my list of reasons to keep the TV on this summer.

The three-night, six-hour exploration of the history of the CIA, which premieres this coming Sunday, Aug. 5, has an excellent pedigree. Based on an acclaimed novel by Robert Littell, the miniseries is directed by Ridley Scott and counts Chris O'Donnell, Michael Keaton and Alfred Molina among its cast. I have high hopes that this miniseries - like "Mad Men" - can be not just a great period drama but a great drama, period. I'll share my thoughts on the first episode later this week, but in the meantime, you can check out
this tense trailer and a sneak peak from the first episode.

Photo courtesy of TNT

Chris O'Donnell Is In Good Company

Molly — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:18:12 PDT

Chris O'Donnell was looking almost as dreamy as his Circle of Friends/Mad Love days last night at a screening of his new TNT miniseries The Company in LA. Chris hasn't had excellent luck on TV series in recent years (either written off or all together canceled), but I do love seeing those baby blues back on the small screen. This new show which premieres August 5, is produced by Ridley Scott and centers around the double lives of Cold War Era CIA agents. It sounds interesting, but anything that helps keep Chris in our living rooms for at least a little while longer is fine by me.

To see more pics from the screening, including Michael Keaton, Natascha McElhone, Dana Delany and lots more just

View 19 Photos ›

Source

Images include Alessandro Nivola, Alfred Molina, Catherine Bell, Chris O'Donnell, Michael Keaton, Rory Cochran, Caroline Fentress, Ricardo Chivara, Natascha McElhone, Dana Delany, and Gregory Cruz

The Cheapest Starbucks Secret Menu Drinks and Other Savvy Hits!

Emily Co — Sun, 27 May 2012 00:15:30 PDT

Try the most affordable Starbucks secret menu drinks.
12 chores you can pay someone else to do.
Expert tips on making your email inbox less overwhelming.
9 ways to earn extra cash when money is tight.
The best travel deals this Summer.
Here's a better way to research the companies you want to work for.
Important things to know about paying for college.
How to continue saving money after you've booked and paid for the trip.
Ways to reuse your dryer sheets.
Things to keep in your plastic folder when traveling.

Natalie Portman and Aleph Hit the Slides During a Smiley Park Day

Lauren Turner — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:45:46 PDT

Natalie Portman and her son Aleph Millepied spent Wednesday afternoon at an LA park together. Aleph played in the sandbox and took a ride down the slide with help from his mom. Natalie had the company of her husband Benjamin for a recent couple's night out on the East Coast, where they attended the New York City Ballet's Spring Gala. It's an exciting time of year for the family of three since Aleph is nearing his first birthday. The little guy has had a fun year with trips overseas, traveling coast to coast, and the marriage of his parents in February. Natalie's been focused on family lately, but she'll soon get back to the big screen with news that she'll star in the western Jane Got a Gun.

Link Time: Cindy Crawford Knows How to Rock One Sexy Leather Dress

Marisa Tom — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:14:23 PDT

Cindy Crawford knows how to rock one sexy leather dress - Stylelist
What to pack for a long, sunny Summer weekend - Olivia Palermo
Does The Great Gatsby accurately depict 1920s style? - HuffPost Style
Jenna Lyons on J.Crew before Mickey Drexler: the company was "vanilla" - Fashionista
The Real World celebrates 20 years of reality, fashion, and more - The Daily Beast
Thoughts on Britney Spears's bright pink minidress? - Red Carpet Fashion Awards
This bag lunch benefit sounds like our cup of tea - Style.com
Celebs go for dark and dramatic this Spring - The Fashion Spot
Scott Schuman and Garance Doré on fashion show lurkers and more - Styleite
Michelle Obama and Beyoncé continue their love affair - The Cut

Forget the Flowers - Add Terrariums to Your Wedding Instead!

Guest Writer — Fri, 25 May 2012 03:00:41 PDT

Most brides are looking for beautiful ways to enhance their wedding's decor and to help it stand out from the crowd, and that's why terrariums are a great option for creating a beautiful, unusual impression on your big day. We talked to Katy Maslow and Michelle Inciarrano, owners of the Brooklyn-based company Twig Terrariums and authors of the new book Tiny World Terrariums about how - and why - terrariums are a great decorating choice.

Keep reading to see what Katy and Michelle have to say about making terrariums work as centerpieces or wedding favors at your celebration, as well as DIY tips for creating them yourself! Take it away, Katy and Michelle!

All book photos courtesy of Robert Wright

Secret Job Search Tip That Will Give You a Leg Up on Your Competition

Emily Co — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:54:26 PDT

Doing research on a company is one of the first steps to tailoring your job application and prepping for an interview. One of the more common ways people learn about the company is by googling it and seeing what kind of articles pop up in their search. Another way is to read the company's "FAQ" or "About Us" section. But if you rely on those sources alone, you will be only scraping the surface of the company. You'll also be reading the same things other competing job candidates will be reading. To get a leg up on your competitors, check out these little known sources:

10-K filing. It's very possible that the company you are applying to is public (which means it's trading on the stock market), and all public companies have to file a 10-K filing. The Form 10-K is basically an annual report compiled by companies that summarizes the firm's performance and backs it up with data. You'll be able to see information on where the firm is going, what they're investing in, their competition, and where the majority of their revenue comes from. You'll be able to discern the firm's strengths and weaknesses, which will be helpful when you're figure out what value you can bring to the company. You can usually find the 10-K document in the investor's section of the corporate website or the SEC's website.
Annual report. The annual report is a different document from the 10-K and is pretty much a summary of the 10-K findings with less numbers and details and is in a format that is easier for laymen to understand. Reading the annual report and 10-K filing will help you have a better sense of what direction the company wants to take and its future goals. Having this knowledge will make it easier for you to better align your answers with the company's goals.
Press releases. The press releases can be found in the "Press" section of the corporate website and are official documents stating company announcements. It's helpful to read these documents because they are usually up to date and you'll have a good sense of what kind of image the company wants to present and what's important to the company.
Competitor's documents. When you're done reading up on your dream company, be sure to check out similar documents on its competitor's website. This will help you learn more about the industry and help you come up with new suggestions that your target company will be interested in exploring. Companies are always on top of what their competitors are doing, so your hiring manager will be impressed to know that you've done your research.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Kiss at Her Cannes Afterparty

Allie Merriam — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:28:04 PDT

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart kissed late night yesterday in Cannes. The couple were at Le Baron's Cannes outpost celebrating the premiere of her new movie On the Road. Robert checked out the screening as well, but walked the red carpet solo. A Balenciaga-clad Kristen nonetheless had plenty of male company. She posed for pictures alongside leading men Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund, as well as supporting actors like Rob's BFF Tom Sturridge. We caught the movie yesterday as well - make sure to check out our review of On the Road. The movie is making waves because of some surprise topless scenes from Kristen. She didn't seem too caught up in the attention last night, though, as she spent time alongside Rob. It will be Robert's turn to debut a film tomorrow, as his Cosmopolis will be screened at the Grand Palais.