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Critics Love Lost, Hate The Moment of Truth

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:34:08 PDT

The results of the latest TV Week critics' poll are out, and Lost has claimed a spot at the top of the list. Critics ranked the show first for the six months starting in January, beating out The Wire for the No. 1 slot. The show apparently won by a wide margin, claiming a spot in the top five on almost every list submitted.

Because of the writers' strike, it's even tougher than usual to compare this Summer's list with the Winter rankings that found Pushing Daisies at the top; that show didn't air a single episode in 2008, so it didn't qualify. But there were still a few interesting changes to note, including the jump of The Office from No. 8 in the Winter to No. 4 now. But 30 Rock came in at No. 3, leapfrogging over The Office for the first time to claim the title of highest-ranked comedy on the list. Three CBS comedies - How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and The New Adventures of Old Christine - also ranked in the top 25.

On the worst side, The Moment of Truth topped the list, prompting one critic to proclaim, "This is the worst in every category into which it can be fitted." I just have to feel a little sorry for poor The Return of Jezebel James, though - sure, it didn't come close to expectations, but was it really worse than Secret Talents of the Stars?

Also, one show managed to make both the best and worst lists. To see what it was - and debate the best and worst - just

read more. The show that managed to claim a spot on both lists was American Idol, which ranked No. 20 best and tied for No. 9 worst. BEST SERIES 1. Lost 2. The Wire 3. 30 Rock 4. The Office 5. Friday Night Lights 6. House 7. Battlestar Galactica 8. Breaking Bad 9. John Adams 10. (tie) In Treatment 10. (tie) The Tudors WORST SERIES 1. The Moment of Truth 2. The Return of Jezebel James 3. (tie) Quarterlife 3. (tie) Living Lohan 5. (tie) Big Brother 5. (tie) Cashmere Mafia 7. (tie) Secret Talents of the Stars 7. (tie) Farmer Wants a Wife 9. (tie) American Idol 9. (tie) According to Jim Photos copyright 2008 ABC, Inc. and courtesy of Fox

The Moment of Truth: Have We Lost Our Effing Minds, People?

GiggleSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:00:00 PST

The Moment of Truth is a new reality game show on Fox. The premise? One sucker takes the stage to answer a series of questions. When the truth is told, the sucker wins a whole bunch of moolah- but at what cost? A lady in Colombia admitted to hiring a hit man to kill her husband and won $25,000 for her honesty. What do we think she's going to spend that money on- a pony? The woman wanted her husband dead for Pete's sake! Anyway, here's some dude named Ray. He's a petty thief who resents his mother and likes pornography, but really loves his wife. . .

Buzz News Roundup, 2/1

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:30:10 PST

ComingSoon has news that Jesse L. Martin will play Marvin Gaye in a biopic titled Sexual Healing. James Gandolfini will co-star in and produce the project.
Variety reports on Josh Hartnett's next role in the martial arts action movie Bunraku.
Fox has ordered 13 more episodes of The Moment of Truth, Zap2it reports.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Emily Blunt will star in the immigration drama The Girl.
ComingSoon has the scoop on the Space Chimps video game, which will be based on the upcoming movie.
Jordin Sparks will sing the national anthem at Sunday's Super Bowl and Alicia Keys will provide pregame entertainment, the Associated Press reports.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, expect kinder, gentler ads this year, writes The New York Times.
Following her rejection on The Bachelor, DeAnna Pappas is the new Bachelorette; details are at The Futon Critic.

Source and Source

TV Tonight: The Moment of Truth

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:30:14 PST

The previews for The Moment of Truth, the new Fox series that premieres tonight after American Idol, have been making me squirm - and I think that means they're doing their job. The series features contestants hooked up to lie detectors while being asked personal, potentially humiliating questions - "Do fat people repulse you?" and "Would you ever cheat on your wife?" among them. Answering honestly means earning money, with those who answer all 21 questions truthfully going home with $500,000. Hey, they might not have spouses or friends anymore, but at least they're rich!

I've been curious about the Fox version of this show ever since the Colombian game show it's based on was yanked off the air amid controversy over the summer. Now, after relentless promotion (which included a Truth Booth in Santa Monica where passersby subjected themselves to the show's prying questions without money on the table), it's finally making its debut. But will it be good entertainment that reveals interesting things about our culture - or will it just be too uncomfortable to watch?

Anyone else eager to see how this show plays out? You can watch a preview clip if you

read more. Photo and video courtesy of Fox

First Look: The Moment of Truth

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:30:00 PST

Would you tell the truth about your darkest secrets if you could win $500,000? That's the central question of Fox's new game show, The Moment of Truth, which premieres in late January. The show asks contestants to answer a series of questions about their lives, from the relatively innocuous ("Do you really care about starving children in Africa?") to the deeply personal ("Have you ever cheated on your spouse?"). Those who make it through all 21 questions without lying go home with $500,000.

The series is based on a Colombian game show that became notorious earlier this year, when a woman admitted to hiring a man to kill her husband - and won $25,000 as a result. Colombian officials quickly stepped in and canceled the show, but it had already become a sensation, even prompting people to buy their own lie detectors. (Fox says its show won't ask about felonies, sticking to things that could be humiliating but not incriminating.)

This concept makes me very uncomfortable, but I've heard so much about it that I'll have to check it out come Jan. 23. What about you? To watch a preview, just

read more. Photo and video courtesy of Fox

What to Expect When You're Expecting Set Visit: Elizabeth Banks on Her Fake Bump and Personal Baby Joy

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:05:11 PST

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood will share the big screen in the upcoming comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, which follows different mothers-to-be as they prepare for the arrivals of their bundles of joy. Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Banks are among the famous ladies who strapped on fake baby bumps to portray different kinds of pregnant women, and Banks's character, Wendy, doesn't exactly have an easy time of it.

I visited the Atlanta set of the film last year, where Banks was shooting a climactic scene in which her character addresses all the woes of pregnancy - in an auditorium with a rather large audience. The hilarious meltdown, which you can see in the opening of the trailer for What to Expect When You're Expecting, includes harsh truths like "I'm calling it: pregnancy sucks." It was great fun to see Banks film the passionate speech again and again, especially since the funny lady mixed up her one-liners from one take to another. What was even more interesting was seeing all of the extras who played the audience members, since the group of women was a mix of actual pregnant women and women rocking fake baby bumps.

I chatted with Banks about her own experience filming the movie, and she revealed that she actually felt like she was in her own little movie, since she doesn't have much screen time with her costars. Banks was refreshingly honest about not having any parenting tips and also admitted that though welcoming her son, Felix, has brought her a great deal of joy, it hasn't changed her stance on how she feels about kids in general. Here's more of what Banks had to say about pregnancy and motherhood:

What inspired you to take this role?
Elizabeth Banks: I cried when I read the script. It has a really great ending: at the end of the movie, everybody has a baby! It really is just a very relatable story for everyone: anybody who is a parent, has considered being a parent, has a baby, whatever. It's just very universal, what happens in the film. We really explore so many great storylines and different paths to getting a child. I had a unique path to getting my son, so I understand how everybody's path to their child is different.

How does it feel to wear the bump?
EB: It's sweaty! [Laughs] I think it's probably a decent approximation; it weighs a good 10 lbs. The boobs weigh about 6 lbs. They are really unbelievable. It's fun. It definitely makes you sit and walk in a totally different way. As an actor, it's a great prop.

How did you change when you became a mom?
EB: I get drunk much faster and easier, and it's a big problem, so I can't go out very much. I find that I underestimated the amount of joy. I'm really learning about my capacity for joy through my son.

To see what Banks had to say about baby fever and her parenting tips, just keep reading.

How to Stop Keeping Up With the Joneses

LearnVest — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:15:16 PST

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

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like there are many money lessons to learn from The Real Housewives.

One spent a season building a $1.8 million mansion and driving around a $1,280-per-month Escalade, only to file for bankruptcy with almost $11 million in debt.

Shortly postbankruptcy, she dropped another $60,000 on a shopping spree so she could continue to fit in with those in her social circle.

Even if you don’t end up with millions of dollars in debt - or have friends who are millionaires - trying to keep up with the Joneses (or the Gorgas, in this case) can not only make you feel lousy about yourself, but also inspire bad spending decisions. We call this phenomenon “money comparisonitis.”

How Having "Comparisonitis" Affects Us

In our own lives, the dangers of gazing enviously at the Real Housewives’ spending sprees, our neighbor’s new car, or that family down the street who can send their kids to private school are not only the fact that it makes us feel bad, but that it literally distorts our view of reality.

In other words, we look at celebrities like the Kardashians or the wealthier people we know, and we try to emulate their spending habits. “You’re not being truthful with yourself,” says Susan L. Hirshman, president of She Ltd., a consulting firm focused on enhancing women’s wealth, and the author of Does This Make My Assets Look Fat?. “As they make more money, that allows them to live a certain lifestyle.” In other words, you have to face facts and spend in accordance with your own budget, rather than feeling entitled to live a certain way just because other people do.

Read on for more.

Top OMG Moments From Gossip Girl "Father and the Bride"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:57:58 PST

With Blair and Louis's royal wedding on the horizon, this week's episode is all about Blair's bachelorette party - and the men who can't let her go. Chuck keeps chasing the truth, Dan continues his behind-the-scenes role, and Beatrice ends her own game. Meanwhile, Nate cracks the code on the car accident scandal and partners up with Serena to take down the offender. Let's go over this week's top OMG moments.

Photos courtesy of The CW

George Clooney Jokes About Gosling's Globes No Show: "You Know What You Do in Thailand."

Molly Goodson — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:43:39 PST

George Clooney brought his charming smile, sense of humor, and girlfriend Stacy Keibler backstage to the press room after winning best actor in a drama at the Golden Globes in LA this evening. His The Descendants also took home best dramatic picture, so it was a triumphant night for George. In between his typical funny quips and jokes, George chatted about going up against his friend Brad Pitt this award season and what he thinks fellow nominee Ryan Gosling is getting up to in Thailand. Check it out:

On any award season rivalry or wagers with Brad: I’ll tell you quite honestly: the truth of the matter is, Brad is my friend. I've never felt competition with him. I've only felt a great deal of friendship and support from him and for him. We don’t wager. We don’t bet. We just look at each other and slap each other on the back and wish each other the best because he's a friend.

On why people connect to this film: Alexander Payne knows how to tell a story. It's a coming-of-age film for a 50-year-old. A lot of us have dealt with issues or people like that. I have people coming up to me all the time. I think it touches a lot of people like that.

On Ryan Gosling being a no-show: He's in Thailand or something, and you know what you do in Thailand. He wrote me a nice email this morning and I found out that he wasn’t able to be here. It happens, you gotta work. He's gotta make a living, he's a struggling actor.

On adopting dogs: I've always had dogs. I've almost always had them out of the pound. Seems like a good place. They have a lot of them. It brings me a lot of joy to do it and they seem like the happiest dogs in the game. I only have one, but he eats for, like, four.

On the honor of being nominated: Both of these films [The Ides of March and The Descendants] being nominated, was three years of work and three years of things that mattered to me. What I really remember and what I do this for is filmmaking. I love being a part of film. I know film history. In 1976 there was All the President's Men, Bound for Glory, Network, Taxi Driver and there was Rocky, which won. But I remember all five of those films. The acknowledgement is unbelievably nice and complimentary, but that’s not why I do it.

Memorable moments from tonight's Globes: Here’s two moments that really struck me: I am in awe of Sidney Poitier. When he walks out on stage and he’s there to present, and he gets the longest standing ovation, earned, I found that to be very emotional to everyone in the audience. And the other is Jane Fonda in that dress. My god. She looked great, didn’t she?

On Ricky's hosting: I thought he did a great job. I think tonight was a much tougher gig because there's so much build-up to it. It's almost like how rough can you go at that point. I thought he handled tonight like a proper good host, again. It was fun. People were expecting a lot of trash talk. He did what he does, and he does it well. He makes me laugh.

On Mitt Romney's anti-gay stance: Well I’m not much concerned until there is an actual nominee, but I think it’s the wrong side of history. I think everyone understand it's the last leg of the civil rights issue. It's certainly not the wedge issue it was in 2004.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "This Magic Moment"

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:30:26 PST

This week's episode of Grey's Anatomy picks up two weeks after the most recent episode, and a lot can happen in 14 days for some doctors. Meredith and Derek are settling into their life as full-time parents with Zola, and Bailey and Ben are back together in a big way. On the other hand, Teddy still hasn't come to terms with Henry's death, and Cristina is still suffering for it.

It's a very typical Grey's episode: a major surgery that's affecting all of the doctors (this time, it's conjoined twins), mixed in with some drama and a little bit of plot development. No major game-changers, but it's still a solid episode. Let's break it down when you