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10 Memorable Movie Monarchs

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:30:21 PST

The Young Victoria hits limited theaters on Friday, with Emily Blunt as the 19th-century royal in her younger years. Blunt's already up for a Best Actress Golden Globe for her depiction of Queen Victoria, but she's not the first Hollywood star to don a crown. With that in mind, I give you my favorite movie monarchs of all time. Check 'em out!

TV Today: Paying Tribute to Deborah Kerr

BuzzSugar — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:30:00 PDT

Deborah Kerr, the classic film actress best known for romancing Burt Lancaster on a beach in From Here to Eternity, died last week at age 86. To pay tribute to Kerr, two different channels are showing some of her best-known films today.

First up is the Fox Movie Channel, which will air The King and I and The Innocents. They'll air at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the East Coast; elsewhere, check your local listings.

Then, Turner Classic Movies will present its own doubleheader of two Oscar-nominated Kerr roles, first that revolutionary turn in From Here to Eternity at 8 p.m. and then Separate Tables at 10:15 p.m. (Again, check your local listings.)

Don't have cable? Celebrate Kerr's life by renting the 1957 classic An Affair to Remember - complete with Cary Grant eye candy.

Source

American Idol Gets Ready to Crown a Winner and to Possibly Say Goodbye to Jennifer Lopez

Katie Henry — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:22:45 PDT

American Idol finalists Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips went out on a high note last night, with each hopeful singing their heart out for the judges, studio audience, and fans watching at home. Each contestant performed three songs, one chosen by the show's producer, Simon Fuller; one of their choice; and an original single they'll release should they win. Jessica kicked things off by belting out Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" followed by Celine Dion's "The Prayer," and she took her final turn on Idol singing her potential single, "Change Nothing." Phillip, who won the coin toss and chose to perform last, began his night with Ben E. King's "Stand by Me," followed it up with Billy Joel's "Movin' Out," and closed the show with his coronation song, "Home."

All eyes were on the finalists. However, Jennifer Lopez stole a moment of the spotlight in a sexy, asymmetrical see-through bodysuit. Jen will be back on the stage again tonight to perform her latest track, "Follow the Leader." It could be J Lo's final curtain call, as her future on the show is still undecided. Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery briefly spoke about J Lo's rumored departure from Idol, saying, "I'd hate to see her go. Whatever happens happens. She's got a lot going for her, so she'll be fine."

Beautiful on the Inside and Out: Get to Know Actress Serinda Swan

Jaime Richards — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:00:00 PDT

Canadian actress Serinda Swan, whose parents have both been involved in the business, started her career at the ripe old age of 3, but she got bitten by the athletic bug a few years after. "I had to actually leave the industry because I got heavily into gymnastics and I kind of looked like a little gremlin!" she says. "So it didn't really work anymore for the cute little cereal kid jobs; they wanted nothing to do with me, so it took a little while for me to get back into it."

But once she did, she came back with a bang. For the past five years or so, Serinda has appeared as one of the Sirens from Tron: Legacy, and as bounty hunter Erica Reed on A&E's Breakout Kings. Known for her mesmerizing, cool-toned eyes, Serinda is also making a name for herself through her charitable initiatives. Find out more about the dynamic star now.

Source: Source: WireImage, Getty, and Disney

Victoria Beckham and the Boys Go Along For David's Big Night

Allie Merriam — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:40:45 PDT

Victoria Beckham wore a dress of her own design to accompany her husband David to the annual Sports Spectacular benefit at LA's Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. The gala raises funds for the Cedars-Sinai Medical Genetics Institute, which researches genetic birth defects. The couple brought their three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz, along for the event, while baby Harper stayed at home. It was the latest fun outing for the Beckham boys, since earlier in the afternoon, David, Cruz, Romeo, and Brooklyn checked in at the Staples Center to watch the Los Angeles Kings take on the Phoenix Coyotes.

David was honored at the evening event for his work. On the press line, David spoke about his future with soccer. He said, "People always ask me what I want to do when I've finished playing, and they say, 'Do I want to go into management?' To be honest I've never wanted to go into management. I love coaching kids, I love working with kids. They're amazing people. They're amazingly truthful, young people, and that's what I love doing."

The entire Beckham clan is together on the West Coast after a busy period of travel for both David and Victoria. He stopped in Washington DC for an event with the president and first lady to honor the MLS-winning LA Galaxy team. David was then off to Athens and proudly helped transport the Olympic flame to London ahead of the Summer Olympics. Victoria returned for a long tour of Asia on behalf of her namesake collection. Things keep growing for Posh's business - Victoria Beckham will open her first store, possibly in Hong Kong, but more likely in London.

Game of Thrones "The Prince of Winterfell": What We're Still Talking About

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:39:38 PDT

It's hard to believe that there are only two episodes of Game of Thrones left, and this week feels like the calm before the storm. As Robb, Theon, Tyrion, and Stannis prepare for some serious battles, the ladies in all of their lives start making some moves of their own.

Catelyn takes family matters into her own hands, Talisa finally seals the deal with Robb, and Osha's keeping a secret. As the tease for next week's episode reminds us, war is on the horizon, but let's get into this week's biggest moments when you

Catelyn sets Jaime free. Catelyn makes a decision of the heart and sends Jaime back to King's Landing under Brienne's watch. Naturally, Robb is none too pleased to hear about this, and calls his mom a traitor for negotiating with the Lannisters. So even if Jaime makes it all the way home (which I'm doubtful of, since he's weaseled his way out of the Starks' grip before), what's going to happen when Arya is nowhere to be found?
Robb and Talisa sitting in a tree. Robb's got a lot on his plate right now, what with Theon leading Occupy Winterfell and his mother freeing Jaime and all, but he's still got his flirtation with Talisa to keep him going. Their relationship gets taken to the next level after a deep conversation about life and death, and Robb adorably admits that he doesn't want to marry the Frey girl he's betrothed to. Talisa returns the sentiment and - after what feels like many minutes of trying to unlace Robb's shirt - they get busy on the floor tent. I love seeing Robb as the vulnerable teenager he really is under his kingly demeanor, but I have a bad feeling that his relationship with Talisa is not long for this world.
Bran and Rickon live (of course)! I wasn't really expecting Bran and Rickon to be the poor charred bodies that Theon proudly displays in the center of Winterfell, but I still breathed a sigh of relief when we see that they're safe. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the local farm boys who ultimately suffered Theon's wrath. Theon gets an earful from Yara, who essentially calls him a moron for killing the Stark boys, and he doesn't fight back - so does this mean he doesn't know who he actually ordered to death?
Arya and Jaqen go full alliance. With only one death order left under her belt, Arya starts getting clever with her pact with Jaqen. To get even more help from him, she asks that he help her escape - if not, she'll order his suicide. Since Jaqen knows that he's beat, he agrees and takes down the guards so that Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie can flee Harrenhal. But where will they go from here? And is this the last we'll see of Jaqen?
Cersei gets the upper hand (and then immediately loses it). During a standard round of sibling banter with Cersei and Tyrion, Cersei starts acting obviously smug about something. Tyrion bites and she tells him that she's learned about the whore he's been hiding, and she threatens to kill her if anything should happen to Joffrey in battle. Tyrion starts to sweat, but then - twist! - Cersei's apprehended the wrong woman, and Shae is still safe.

What'd you think of the episode? And with war brewing, who do you think will make it through the rest of the season?

Photo courtesy of HBO

Bill Murray Is Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Hyde Park on Hudson Trailer

Maggie Pehanick — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:37:33 PDT

Bill Murray takes on a presidential role as Franklin D. Roosevelt in the upcoming film, Hyde Park on Hudson. He's joined by Laura Linney, playing his distant cousin (and love interest?) Margaret Stuckley. Based on true events, the film takes place over a weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen of England came to visit the president at his residence in Upstate New York. It may sound stuffy, but you know it can't be a snooze with Murray leading the way.

It's refreshing to see the former Ghostbuster in a period role like this. He gives the wheelchair-bound FDR some spark without making a caricature out of him. I also like the Downton Abbey-esque way some of the story is being shown from the point of view of the maids and servers of the house. I'm not totally convinced I'm into it yet, but with a Dec. 7 release date, you can bet this is prime Oscar bait. Check out the trailer when you

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Game of Thrones "A Man Without Honor": What We're Still Talking About

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:07:13 PDT

There are only three more episodes left in the second season of Game of Thrones, and this week's episode feels like it's ramping up for an intense last few installments. But there's still a lot to talk about from this week, including a particularly nightmarish end scene and some hilarious banter between Jon Snow and his prisoner Ygritte.

The title of the episode, "A Man Without Honor," certainly feels apt, though I'd say there's definitely more than one man who shows his lack of honor this week. I'm ready to break down the big moments of the episode, though, so to see which scenes I can't stop thinking about, just keep reading.

Meet Baumkuchen, Germany's Glorious Cake on a Spit

Susannah Chen — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:12:11 PDT

I'm not much of a German food aficionado, but a few years ago, I read a New Yorker article about Germany's "king of cakes" that's been forged in my mind ever since. In the story, Mimi Sheraton embarks on a fervid quest for baumkuchen, a ringed, hollow cake that's made on a spit with layer after painstaking layer of batter, then iced with a coating of chocolate or sugar.

Source: Flickr User RuckSackKruemel

Her pursuit of the dying art led her to Lutz Café and Pastry Shop, which she proclaimed to be "the closest to Kreutzkamm's famous German bakery that I have found." When I was in Chicago last weekend, I made a trip to Lutz to see what the hype was all about.

Despite the busy street it's on, the Germanic bakery was quiet and unassuming, which allowed all of its baked goods to speak for themselves. Of course, I made a beeline for the baumkuchen. While Lutz makes its cakes on the premises, I wasn't able to see the rare spit machine in action. But I did admire the whole baumkuchen, over a foot tall, in their completed state; the sugar-glazed and chocolate-coated versions were treelike in stature.

Photo: Susannah Chen

But it was cutting into a cross-sectioned slice that truly revealed the cake's intricate construction: crepe-thin layer after crepe-thin layer formed delicate concentric circles, not unlike a California redwood. The composition factored into the texture of the baumkuchen, which was both springy and dense. Its flavor - mildly sweet vanilla with a almond aftertaste - called for a cup of coffee. As I left Chicago, I prepared to mourn my new breakfast ritual - that is, until I learned that Lutz ships across America, even overnight.

Have you ever tried baumkuchen?

Boulder, CO: A Food Mecca in the Rockies

Susannah Chen — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:12:12 PDT

Recently, I found myself with the prospect of being in Boulder, CO, for a long weekend. It was an opportunity that I seized faster than a dog would take leftovers. Aside from being home to the University of Colorado's flagship college campus, Boulder's also known for its food-centric, health-focused, and highly educated population - last year, it was even named America's Foodiest Town by Bon Appétit. I traveled with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty, curious to find out if this town at the foot of the mountains lived up to all its hype. Read on to see where my stomach led me in Boulder.