BuzzSugar

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:30:27 PDT

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music, and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! Before it burned down and became a gift shop called Over Our Heads, what was the name of Mrs. Garrett's bakery on The Facts of Life?

Facts You Never Thought You'd Care to Know

GiggleSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:02:00 PDT

Have you ever wondered what the world's most recognized word is, or which book is most often stolen from public libraries, or why Donald Duck was banned in Finland? No? Now that I've brought it up, though, aren't you kinda curious? Watch and wonder no more. (Is it just me or is the average age of peep's "first time" in the sack a little shocking?)

The Results Are In: Recast "The Facts of Life"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:46:05 PDT

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

With this week's recast challenge for "The Facts of Life", I actually wish the show could be made again with these new actors! My favorite ideas were the ones submitted for the character of Mrs. Garrett, like jpullman813's suggestion of Kathy Najimy, LaLaLaurie06's idea of Kathy Bates and Jane Fonda, as put forth by leeluvfashion and Hollisterbabe01.

I also thought Kaycee Stroh would be perfect as Natalie, as ddene5713 and SugarySweet022 suggested. And finally, Martha MacIsaac from Superbad is a great pick for Jo, as posited by brainstormchaser. Overall, though, my favorite recast list this week comes from rinxy! To see who rinxy chose, along with a new cast photo,

read more rinxy's cast: Blair - Amanda Seyfried Tootie - Raven-Symoné Natalie - Nikki Blonsky Jo - Amanda Bynes Mrs. Garrett - Caroline Rhea

Recast "The Facts of Life" and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:16:45 PDT

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

Oh, how I miss Tootie, Blair, Jo and Natalie! And Mrs. Garrett, always at the ready with her witticisms and kindly advice. I know nothing and nobody can replace the comfort and joy that the original cast of "The Facts of Life" provided, but if you could recast this beloved sitcom in this day and age, who would you pick for the central characters?

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, September 11, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt,

read more Characters to recast: Blair (Lisa Whelchel) Tootie (Kim Fields) Natalie (Mindy Cohn) Jo (Nancy McKeon) Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) The BuzzSugar t-shirt Source

Home According to the Bronte Sisters, in Fact and Fiction

Elka Karl — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:31:00 PST

While the Edwardian era is all the rage at the moment, due to Downton Abbey, the 19th century was pretty fascinating as well, thanks in part to its fantastic literature. The Victorian era produced an amazing number of fantastic romance and horror novels, and one family that contributed greatly to the literature of the time was the Brontes. Sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne produced an impressive body of literature, both poems and fiction, which are still being used for films today - in fact, the latest adaptation of Jane Eyre is still one of my favorite films of 2011. Another adaptation of the novel Wuthering Heights screened at Sundance, so we can only hope that we'll have another chance at seeing Heathcliff on the silver screen soon.

Take a look at some images from the Brontes' real-life home, now the Bronte Parsonage Museum, as well as some scenes from Jane Eyre that capture the decor of the era.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "All You Need Is Love"

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:27:29 PST

It's Valentine's Day in Seattle, which means the doctors are scrambling to get their romantic plans together on this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy. Callie plans a special surprise for skeptical Arizona, while Mark tries to get out of babysitting duty so he can take Julia out on a date. Derek and Meredith, on the other hand, just need to find somewhere to go for a little, uh, "alone time."

On the other end of the spectrum, Lexie is having a "woe is me" moment as she pines for Mark, and Jackson and Karev are also left dateless. No one's in hotter water than Owen is, though: he and Cristina contemplate some big questions about the future of their relationship, and Teddy has some choice words for him when Owen tries to rekindle their friendship. Ready to break it all down? Just

The Vow: Channing Tatum Is More Memorable Than the Romance

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:30:00 PST

It's no accident that The Vow's release date coincides almost perfectly with Valentine's Day. The film promises the kind of epic love story that many of us, like it or not, are more amenable to getting swept up in at this time of year: a man tries to make his wife fall in love with him again after a horrific accident leaves her with no memory of the last four years, or of him. Channing Tatum is endearing as Leo and though he has chemistry with Rachel McAdams's Paige, it almost goes to waste due to the film's lack of focus and uneven plot.

For starters, having a stranger for a husband is just the beginning of Paige's problems. Sometime in the four years she's lost, she went from being a preppy law student to a free-spirited artist. Naturally, when she wakes up, she wants an explanation for why she doesn't talk to her family anymore, what happened to her pretty boy fiancé (Scott Speedman), and why her hair is so "weird." It's understandable that she's a little different from who she used to be, but a complete life transformation is a bit hard to swallow - both for Paige, and for the audience.

To see why The Vow may not be the love story you're expecting, just

read more. Watching Tatum and McAdams play off each other is what keeps the movie engaging, and Tatum is particularly sympathetic. Though Paige is the one who has suffered the trauma, it's even more difficult to watch Leo quietly suffer as the love of his life continues to slip away in favor of the life she actually remembers. Leo represents a life that the new Paige is enticed by but can't imagine: he's goofy, laid-back, and immensely committed to her. But Paige can't come to terms with a life she doesn't feel part of, and instead reverts back to her former self. The sincerity and sweetness that Tatum brings to Leo are reflected in flashbacks of his life with Paige and in his current attempts to win her back, but the film isn't the epic romance that it's packaged to be. In fact, it's more depressing than it is joyful; not only are most of the characters in pain throughout the film, but with the exception of Leo, most of them are downright irritating. Paige's family and friends couldn't be more stereotypically conservative, which only makes Paige's decision to stay with them all the more frustrating to watch. As the film goes on, the love story starts to take the backseat to her family issues, and the crux of the film rests on a subplot that's both lame and contrived. The Vow is certainly watchable, thanks to the intrigue of the premise, and the mystery of how Leo and Paige will (inevitably, of course) find their way back to each other. But the film tries too hard to manufacture extra drama out of Paige's memory loss, when all the audience really wants to see is a love story to get swept up in.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Fat-Proof Your Life

Health — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:06:06 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Maridel Reyes

It's true that there are certain times in your life when extra poundage seems to appear out of nowhere . . . and settle on you. In fact, experts have honed in on the exact moments when you're most vulnerable to weight gain.

"Life transitions, having a baby, and going through menopause cause many women to pile on pounds," says Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate!: The 50 Most Common Diet-Derailing Excuses and How to Outwit Them. "But with planning and prep, you can stay thin."

We asked top experts for their strategies to help you ward off weight creep - and even shed pounds - at these tricky stages. Solutions ahead.

Getting married

Heavier ever after? It can be the flip side of wedded bliss: "Six out of 10 of my clients come back heavier after the honeymoon," says celebrity fitness and wellness guru David Kirsch.

Health.com: 25 Diet-Busting Foods You Should Never Eat

Young newlyweds pack on an extra six to nine pounds in the five years after getting hitched compared to singletons, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And most of that gain happens in the first year of marriage.

"Couples start to mirror each other's eating habits," explains Albers. "You might be matching him calorie for calorie without realizing it."

Learn how to keep the pounds down postmarriage and in the mommy years, after the break.

Would You Want to be as Successful as Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg?

Emily Co — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:34:15 PST

Many of us look up to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg as a role model because she's one of the most successful female business leaders of our time. She's consistently ranked by Forbes as one of the most powerful women in the world and she's estimated to be worth a cool $1.6 billion. She's the face of women trying to crack the glass ceiling, and with so many glowing praises showered on Sandberg, I was surprised to see career blogger Penelope Trunk make the bold statement that "very few women want to be Sandberg." Trunk explains:

"Sandberg wants to be a role model for women who want big, exciting careers. But here’s the problem: women don't want to be Sandberg. It’s no coincidence that the number one woman on the list of self-made millionaires is Oprah. She has no kids and no husband. She’s fascinating, nice, and smart. But few of us would really enjoy her life.

Sandberg and Oprah represent extreme choices in life. The things they give up are not things that most women would want to give up in exchange for the wild career success they could have . . . You can't have small kids and a startup if you want to see your kids."

Everyone has a different definition of what it means to "make it." In fact, success for many women doesn't mean climbing the corporate ladder; it's having a good work-life balance, according to a More magazine survey. The Facebook executive may be one of the wealthiest women around, but her intensive job may leave her with less time to spend with her two kids and husband. What about you - would you want to be as successful as Sheryl Sandberg?

What Is Twig Tea, Anyway?

Camilla Salem — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:45:16 PST

Alicia Silverstone claims that twig tea, also called kukicha, cures just about everything. And we've been noticing it appearing in more and more stores (we also saw it a few times at the Fancy Food Show). But what's the deal with all of the hype?

Twig tea is essentially a Japanese blend of the tough stems, stalks, and twigs from the Camellia sinensis plant. These bits usually get discarded, but when they're saved, toasted, and steeped in water, kukicha is formed. The flavor is nutty and slightly creamy, and since most of the caffeine is stored in the leaves of the plant, you won't get the same buzz from a cup of this stuff as you would a cup of green or black tea, so this is a great option for anyone trying to eliminate caffeine from his or her life. Its alkalizing properties and low caffeine level also make it a beverage of choice for the macrobiotic diet.

Kukicha tastes deliciously rich and toasted, which is the perfect way to start your day (in fact, there is a quality about it that reminds me of a good cup of coffee). Steep your twig tea in freshly boiled water for four to five minutes. Have you ever tried it?