BuzzSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:30:48 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. In addition to the titles below you can now rent the Diane Lane thriller Untraceable, Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth, and Mad Money.

The Great Debaters
The Great Debaters stars Denzel Washington (who also directs), Forest Whitaker and newcomer Nate Parker in a movie that is maybe formulaic but also poignant and powerfully acted. As I pointed out in my review, the film borrows the the same elements of storytelling you find in underdog sports movies and inspirational teacher movies. However the film, based on a true story, is no less inspiring thanks to some moving performances.

The movie takes place in Texas circa 1935 when schools were segregated and economic times were hard all around. A group of young black college students work to become a debate team worthy of challenging Harvard. Washington plays the hard-driving debate team coach who encourages his students to succeed. You've definitely seen this all before in one form or another, but it's a great family rental with an inspirational message. The movie was honored earlier this year with an NAACP Award to boot.

Special features include deleted scenes and featurettes titled, "The Great Debaters: An Historical Perspective," and "Learning the Art: Our Young Actors Go to Debate Camp."

One more release to go so

Autism: The Musical
I have been curious about this documentary ever since it showed at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and I'm so glad it's out on DVD now, as I missed its airing on HBO a couple of months ago. The film has earned high praise and was even one of the Academy's 15 documentaries considered for an Oscar nod.

As Netflix puts it, the documentary follows "five autistic children as they develop and rehearse The Miracle Project, an original musical about autism." Between this flick and The Great Debaters I'd say you've got yourself a great family movie night here.

Special features include deleted scenes, a featurette called, "About Autism Speaks" and a filmmaker biography.

The Great Debaters Wins Big at NAACP Image Awards

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:08:18 PST

The Golden Globe-nominated drama The Great Debaters won big Thursday night at the 39th NAACP Image Awards. The NAACP, which uses the annual Image Awards to honor outstanding achievements and performances by people of color and individuals and groups who work to promote social justice, recognized the film with four awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor for Denzel Washington, and Best Actress for Jurnee Smollett.

Talk To Me also nabbed a couple of awards, including one for director Kasi Lemmons. On the television side, Grey's Anatomy won for Best Drama, while Tyler Perry's House of Payne won three awards, including Best Comedy. Alicia Keys won four awards in the music categories, and American Idol alum Jordin Sparks took home the award for Best New Artist.

To see a complete list of winners from Thursday's awards, just

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES

Motion Picture
The Great Debaters

Actor in a Motion Picture
Denzel Washington, The Great Debaters

Actress in a Motion Picture
Jurnee Smollett, The Great Debaters

Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Denzel Whitaker, The Great Debaters

Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Janet Jackson, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?

Directing in a Motion Picture
Kasi Lemmons, Talk To Me

Writing in a Motion Picture
Michael Genet and Rick Famuyiwa, Talk To Me

Independent or Foreign Film
Honeydripper

Documentary
Darfur Now

TELEVISION CATEGORIES:

Comedy Series
Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Actor in a Comedy Series
LaVan Davis, Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Actress in a Comedy Series
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Lance Gross, Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
Vanessa L. Williams, Ugly Betty

Directing in a Comedy Series
Ken Whittingham, The Office, "Phyllis's Wedding"

Writing in a Comedy Series
Ali LeRoi, Everybody Hates Chris, "Everybody Hates Guidance Counselor"

Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy

Actor in a Drama Series
Hill Harper, CSI: NY

Actress in a Drama Series
Regina Taylor, The Unit

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Omar Epps, House

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

Directing in a Dramatic Series
Seith Mann, Friday Night Lights, "Are You Ready For Friday Night?"

Writing in a Dramatic Series:
Shonda Rhimes and Krista Vernoff, Grey's Anatomy, "A Change is Gonna Come"

TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special
Life Support

Actor in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special
Wendell Pierce, Life Support

Actress in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special
Queen Latifah, Life Support

Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Kristoff St. John, The Young And The Restless

Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Christel Khalil, The Young And The Restless

News/Information, Series or Special
In Conversation: The Senator Barack Obama Interview

Talk Series:
Tavis Smiley, "Crisis in Darfur"

Reality Series
Run's House 4

Variety Series or Special
Celebration of Gospel '07

Children's Program
That's So Raven

Performance in a Youth/Children's Program, Series or Special
Raven-Symone, That's So Raven

RECORDING CATEGORIES

Album
Alicia Keys, As I Am

Song
"Like You'll Never See Me Again," Alicia Keys

Male Artist
Chris Brown

Female Artist
Alicia Keys.

Duo or Group
Eddie and Gerald Levert

New Artist
Jordin Sparks

Jazz Artist
Herbie Hancock

Gospel Artist
Kirk Franklin

World Music Album
Angelique Kidjo, Djin Djin

Music Video:
"Like You'll Never See Me Again," Alicia Keys

LITERATURE CATEGORIES:

Fiction
Blonde Faith, Walter Mosley

Nonfiction
Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, Don Cheadle, John Prendergast

Debut Author
The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir, Victoria Rowell

Biography/Autobiography:
Obama: From Promise to Power, David Mendell

Instructional
The Covenant in Action, Tavis Smiley

Poetry
Acolytes: Poems, Nikki Giovanni

Children
Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson, Sue Stauffacher, author; Greg Couch, illustrator

Youth/Teens
More Than Entertainers: An Inspirational Black Career Guide, Charles B. Schooler, author; Gary Young, illustrator

Source

Sugar Bits - Obama and Huckabee Win in Iowa

PopSugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:35:37 PST

Big win for Barack Obama last night at the Iowa caucus. He won with 38 percent followed by John Edwards and Hilary Clinton. On the Republican side Mike Huckabee beat Mitt Romney, despite the former Massachusetts governor out spending the Arkansas one by millions of dollars. Britney may have stole their thunder, but we bet both campaigns are still celebrating right now as they head to New Hampshire. - CNN
Pamela Anderson will be proceeding with her divorce from Rick Salomon after all, as she served him with divorce papers on Dec. 28. Not too shocking considering her solo NYE in that too-revealing dress. - Us Weekly

Natalie Imbruglia and husband Daniel Johns, of the band Silverchair, are separating after four years of marriage because they "have simply grown apart." So sad to hear this couple is "torn" apart! - Reuters
It looks like those twins J Lo is expecting might be a girl and a boy, as her friends are shopping for baby items in both blue and pink. Somehow we have a feeling that the wardrobe of J Lo's children will go beyond just blue and pink. - Page Six
Jay Leno was scolded by the Writers' Guild yesterday after the monologue he used on Wednesday's show violated their rules. He (a union member) admitted that he wrote it beforehand and did the same thing again last night. Sounds like he may not have much respect for the strike after all. - People
Some details in The Great Debaters, which claims to be based on a true story, were changed in order to make the film more compelling. For example, in the film Denzel's debaters face off against a team from Harvard, but they were actually from USC. Hardly seems like a scandalous lie considering other things Hollywood has fabricated in the past.- Page Six

Source

The Great Debaters: Good Story, Not-So-Great Film

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:28:51 PST

Even in a movie as formulaic as The Great Debaters, Denzel Washington manages to create a character who keeps us guessing. The truth-based tale of a debate team at a small Southern black college in 1935 borrows familiar elements from both underdog sports movies and inspirational teacher movies, but Washington's portrayal of the complicated debate coach is anything but clichéd. His performance, combined with equally subtle character renderings from Forest Whitaker and newcomer Nate Parker, makes this predictable movie worth watching.

Though its plot devices are very familiar, The Great Debaters, also directed by Denzel, benefits from an inspiring story and a unique premise. It's set in segregation- and Depression-era Texas, when middle-class blacks attended college even as lynching was still a fact of daily life.

It is both a hostile and fitting backdrop for a determined team of college debaters: the graceful Samantha (Jurnee Smollett), who aims to be a lawyer; well-read but angry young man Henry (Parker); and the optimistic and overachieving 14-year-old, James Farmer Jr., played by the improbably named Denzel Whitaker (no relation). We get the requisite scenes of Tolson's tough training techniques, as well as a budding romance, family drama, and plenty of impassioned speeches as the Wiley College debaters handily defeat a string of opponents. After a victory over the much larger Fisk, Prof. Tolson sets out to get a match against Harvard, who eventually extends an invitation.

Unfortunately, the script isn't as smart as I would have liked it to be; the supposedly brilliant debaters aren't given very poignant lines to work with. But, particularly because the story is based on fact, you can't help but get caught up in the characters' astounding ambition and victory over seemingly impossible adversity. Of course, the phrase "victory over adversity" should suggest that this isn't the most original movie ever, but it's a fitting feel-good drama for the holidays.

To see the trailer and more clips from The Great Debaters check out movies.ivillage.com.

Source

Denzel Knows the Power of a Good Debate

PopSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:33:32 PST

Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker showed off The Great Debaters in NYC last night. Newlyweds Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman were also in the house but there was no sign of Oprah this time around. In the movie, Denzel plays a professor who helps get a debate team started at all-black Wiley College in Texas in 1935 and apparently he was still feeling his character's spirit this week. On Tuesday it was announced that he had donated $1 million to re-establish the debate team at Wiley. Sounds like Denzel's new movie can still teach us a lesson, even many decades later.

More pics including Candice Bergen, Jill Stuart and Cady Huffman so just

View 30 Photos ›

Images include: Cady Huffman, Candice Bergen, Denzel Washington, Denzel Whitaker, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Missoni, Jill Stuart, Jurnee Smollett, Liz Lange, Marshall Rose, Nate Parker, Pauletta Pearson, Sondra Nielsen, Sharon Jones, Zuleikha Robinson, Harvey Weinstein, Georgina Chapman.

Source

Movie Preview: The Great Debaters

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:26:01 PST

Right as everyone's buzzing about Denzel Washington's award-worthy turn in American Gangster, we get a trailer for The Great Debaters, another movie that has Washington's magical charm all over it. Add to that an inspirational historical plot fraught with race tensions, and a tight-looking cast - which includes another Oscar favorite, Forest Whitaker - and you've got the makings for a huge Hollywood success.

Washington plays Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at the all-black Wiley College in Texas in 1935. He helps form the school's first debate team which goes on to challenge Harvard's team in the national championship.

Weird sidenote: One of the young actors in this movie is actually named - and I'm not kidding - Denzel Whitaker. He's not a relative of either Denzel Washington or Forest Whitaker, though he was named after Denzel. Weird, right?

To watch the heartwarming trailer for The Great Debaters which opens December 25,

Source

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!

Zoe Saldana on Her Style Guru, Not Being a "Pink Girl", and More at the Cosmo Latinas Launch

Chi Diem Chau — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:43:50 PDT

With her supporting family in tow, Zoe Saldana celebrated her cover on the first issue of Cosmopolitan Latinas last night at the Press Lounge in NYC looking gorgeous in a frothy mauve Elie Saab Couture dress, Bottega Veneta clutch, Brian Atwood pumps, and Irit Design jewels. Between her infectious smile and down-to-earth personality, it was hard not to fall in love with the beautiful actress. At the event, the actress let us in on her style secrets, not being a "pink girl," and why she loves being in her 30s:

On where her style comes from: "My stylist Petra Flannery, she is my must have. I work so hard and I am nonstop that sometimes taking time to think about what I am going to wear is overwhelming. She is one of my closest friends and her taste is exquisite. I literally just show up at her door and if I have time, I love just staying with her one entire afternoon and see what I've been missing, like all of the collections in Paris, New York, or London. Petra Flannery is my go-to, my must."
On her organic style process: "I will say no to certain things; I am not a pink girl. This [dress] took years for Petra to get me to wear - feminine, pretty colors, and pastel. I always want things to be hard and poignant and sometimes, you need these things because they mellow you out, you know? They really help you feel so great."
On three words that describe her style: "Unexpected, emotional, and weather-oriented."

See pictures of Zoe Saldana on the cover of Cosmopolitan Latinas, plus read what she has to say about her Oscars dress debate, and why she loves being in her 30s.

A Body Check That Won't Hurt: Tips For Proper Running Form

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:49:36 PDT

Running is all about stepping one foot in front of the other. Sounds easy enough, right? But if your running form is incorrect, you'll end up with aches, strains, and injuries that could prevent you from lacing up your sneaks at all. Make sure to avoid these running-form mistakes the next time you hit the treadmill, trail, or pavement.

Head: It sometimes feels good to close your eyes and relax your chin toward your chest, but don't keep your head down (or tilt your head up) for long periods of time. Prevent neck strain and encourage an open throat for easy breathing by keeping your head stacked over your spine. Correct head position also encourages a straight, upright stance, which makes you a more efficient runner.
Shoulders: Without even realizing it, you may be running with your upper back and shoulders tensed up toward your ears. (And you wonder why you have a pounding headache or aching neck.) Every so often, take a nice deep breath in and as you exhale, relax your upper torso and actively roll your shoulders back and down toward your pelvis. Do a self-check to make sure your shoulders are stacked over the hips. Hunching the upper body forward not only makes it difficult to breathe, it also puts pressure on your lower back.

I'm just getting started so keep reading to find out what the rest of your body shouldn't be doing while running.

What We Need to Talk About When We Talk About Sex and Feminism

The Good Men Project — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:00:00 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Lisa Solod, who came of age during the sexual revolution, explores what feminism means to this generation.

My mother married my father because, she told me in a rare moment of candor, she wanted to have sex with him. She was 25 and tired of pre-sex fumbling and stolen kisses. My father was, of course, far more experienced, having been in the Pacific Theater during World War II; far less discreet about his former life (and life in general) he told his daughters inappropriate tales of the women he had met on shore leave. One I particularly remember had her front teeth filed into points. Well into their marriage, each of them managed to be unfaithful and they finally separated (but not because of infidelity) after twenty years of marriage. Yet, for another dozen years or so they would hook up here and there, travel together, and, of course have sex. In a further revelation, my mother told me that the sex was the best part of her relationship with my father.

I came of age at the tail end but the real beginning of the sexual revolution (1971-1974). At that point, sexual liberation was inextricably tied to the rise of feminism. Having sex like men, i.e., without attachment, was part of our freedom. But too many of us got hurt. We hadn’t yet factored in the biology of mating and how really hard it was to have that much sex without any real commitment. Most of the women I know who grew up during those years had far more sexual encounters than they were ever willing to reveal to their husbands. Those of us who divorced then dived back into the sexual market with the same abandon. I am not sure we were all the wiser. I hear STDs are on the rise in the over 50 group, which doesn’t surprise me. We all were pretty practiced in birth control but we took it into our own hands, with the pill and the diaphragm. This was pre-AIDS. Barrier methods were not our methods of choice then. They are not, apparently, our method now, either.

Should a Man Stand Up For His Woman?

But those of us who grew up in the trenches of the sexual revolution know that feminism was about far more than women having the kind of meaningless sex with men that men had been having with us for eons. Feminism, which is still being parsed in the media as well as our own homes, still being debated and discussed and accepted and dismissed, was about being able to control (to the extent that anyone can) our work lives, our love lives, our lives as a whole. It was about being able to have a career, being paid equally well for that career, and making our own decisions about marriage and childbirth without having to merely capitulate to what society had set out for us. I, for one, was happy not to have to marry to have sex. I was thrilled to be able to go to college and think about a career without worrying that it might make me unmarriageable. I was ecstatic about the notion that I could make decisions for myself.

All those ideas I passed along to my daughter. But, of course, she had no need to wrestle with those notions as the women in my generation had. She lived in a society where (she thought) feminism was taken for granted. Women her age did not talk about marriage, either as an option or something to reject. They saw it as fact that women could do anything.

Read the rest of the story below.