BuzzSugar

Rest In Peace, Sydney Pollack

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:30:46 PDT

Sad news to report today: Director and actor Sydney Pollack died on Sunday at the age of 73. He had been diagnosed with cancer nine months ago.

The hard-working actor and highly respected director is known for a variety of accomplishments. Older generations might recognize him as the Oscar-nominated director of Tootsie and the Oscar-winning director of Out of Africa. He also directed The Way We Were, The Firm and The Interpreter, among other titles.

In more recent years, he took on more acting roles, from Will's dad in Will & Grace to the boss at Michael Clayton's law firm in Michael Clayton to Patrick Dempsey's wedding-happy father in Made of Honor, along with many others.

Clayton costar George Clooney issued a statement about Pollack's death, writing, "Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act. He'll be missed terribly."

Source

What's Buzzworthy: Your Favorite Tearjerker Movies

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:59:28 PDT

There are many things that make me cry in movies, and some of them are just weird: applause, gospel music, truthful mother-daughter moments, sweet daddy-daughter moments... the list goes on. So for last week's Buzzworthy challenge, I wanted to find out which tearjerker movies you turn to for a good cry.

Like me, you guys seem to get choked up about some strange stuff, but I loved the variety of movies you bookmarked, from classic cry-fests to utter surprises. Here are my favorite Buzzworthy picks from BuzzSugar readers. Thanks for playing!

The Way We Were, bookmarked by JennyJen, who admits that just thinking about the movie could make her cry right now.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, bookmarked by Missyosigirl. This choice puzzled me until I read her explanation: "I don't know why this movie makes me cry... It's just that the realization of how good a relationship starts even though it's currently all f-ed up."

Terms of Endearment, bookmarked by Linda McP. I had to include this one: Not only is it horribly depressing but it's a transcendently good movie.

To see three more good tearjerkers,

Little Women, bookmarked by WhiplashGirlchild. Poor little Beth is right.

Hilary and Jackie, bookmarked by Carsandparties, who calls this movie about two sisters "totally devastating."

Stepmom, bookmarked by Swwonder.

If you're still not sure how to create a BuzzWorthy bookmark, don't worry: TeamSugar makes it easy to bookmark and capture anything on the Web that you consider "Buzzworthy." If you already have a "That's Fab" button on your browser's tool bar, you can use that to bookmark your Buzzworthy items. If you don't have the TeamSugar bookmarking button on your toolbar, you can learn how to get it by watching this video.

"Why Did He Cut Me Off?"

Tres Community — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I was seeing a guy at work for a couple of weeks and I really liked him. Unfortunately we ran into problems and I broke up with him after finding that he wasn't considering my feelings at all regarding a particular situation. I was and still am so into him so it was such a hard thing to do. When I broke up with him he instantly asked me to delete his number and said we shouldn't speak anymore. Since then, at work he has pretended that I don't even exist. The week before, he introduced me to his friends even though we were only a couple of weeks in! I feel so rejected and hurt. If we were friends, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much? I think I was falling for him, but my values were much more important and he didn't respect them. Why did he cut me off that way? Can anyone help?

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Host a Star Wars Party That's Out of This Galaxy

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:24:47 PDT

We're celebrating 35 memorable years of Star Wars today the only way we know how - a party! How to throw a party the likes no Mos Eisley Cantina regular has ever seen? Start with themed Star Wars snacks, decorations, the right music, and definitely the perfect costume. There's only one rule - be sure to watch at least one of the films from the original trilogy (or keep it on in the background). Get in on the festivities with our party musts.

Photo courtesy of Lucas Film Ltd.

Little Known Facts About Your Favorite Geeks

GeekSugar — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:19:41 PDT

A Happy Geek Pride Day to you! One of the many ways we're celebrating today, is a look at our favorite geek celebrities. How well do you know your favorite geeks? From online and off-line interviews, we found some interesting tidbits about these hot-and-nerdy celebrities. Get to know them a little better in the slideshow!

A Trip to Marrakesh: Design Tips, Stories, and Inspiration From Maryam Montague and Her Phenomenal New Book

Elka Karl — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:00:33 PDT

Moroccan design and decor may be a popular decorating trend, but for Maryam Montague, the woman behind the beautiful and popular blog My Marrakesh and the new book Marrakesh by Design, it's much more than that: it's a way of life. When Maryam isn't working at her main occupation as a human rights and democracy specialist, she's writing and photographing for her blog; managing her shop, Red Thread Souk; and hosting visitors at Peacock Pavilions, her home and a boutique hotel in a Marrakesh olive grove (which she and her husband designed, built, and decorated).

Maryam recently traveled back to the United States as part of her book tour, and we were happy to catch up with her in LA, where she was presenting at the Legends of La Cienega event at the La Cienega Design Quarter. Keep reading for some of Maryam's thoughts on decorating with Moroccan inspirations in mind, details on her book's genesis, and other fabulous quotes from this always-inspiring woman.

The Family Dinner - How Often Does It Really Happen in Your Home?

Lisa Horten — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:13:15 PDT

Like all good intentions (especially those pertaining to parenting, it seems), the family dinner is a concept that's great in theory but difficult in execution. If your kids are little, then you're likely to be walking a tight line between dinner and bedtime. Then, as they get older, sports practices and after-school activities get in the way. And that's not even factoring in Mom and Dad's professional, social, and otherwise time-consuming obligations.

Anyway, we "get it," so we're hoping you'll share . . . Exactly how often does your entire family sit down and eat dinner together? Let us know in the poll below, and share your additional thoughts, frustrations, tips, and tricks on the matter below. No judgment - we promise!

Eat These Foods, Get Shiny Hair

Real Beauty — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Real Beauty.

Glossy, healthy strands require way more than 100 brushstrokes a night! See how to get 'em naturally with eats recommended by Cynthia Pasquella, certified clinical nutritionist, SoCal Cleanse founder, and gorgeous, shiny blonde herself.

More stories from RealBeauty.com:
Don't Forget Your Beach Beauty Essentials

Source: Thinkstock

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!

Shawn Johnson Talks Weight Loss and Learning to Love Her Body

espnW — Fri, 25 May 2012 03:05:26 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson is blogging for espnW throughout her training for the Olympics in London this summer. Follow hers other Olympic hopefuls' journeys on espnW.com.

Four years ago, I was standing on an Olympic podium, wearing a gold medal, and still thinking to myself how I could have been better. It had nothing to do with my performance - it was all how I looked. Back then, I always felt like I could have been a few pounds lighter. But the irony is, when I look back at the pictures, I look unhealthy and too thin. It's easy to get into a trap as an elite athlete, because you're made to feel that you're never perfect, that you can always be better. That's how you improve in your sport, but it's also tough because you aren't satisfied with yourself ever - it's second nature not to be. I'd always think, "Just get a little stronger, a little lighter," until it was completely ingrained in my mind.

Shawn Johnson takes us inside training camp

It's easy for people to blame gymnastics for this mentality, but I feel like the sport has improved a lot. The horror stories we heard from generations ago (think Joan Ryan's infamous book Little Girls in Pretty Boxes), you don't hear at all anymore. But I do believe it can improve further and that good nutrition could be a key to all of this, if it were only taught at a young age. Many gymnasts go into the elite level at 13 or so, and a 13-year-old isn't going to go to the library to read some book on nutrition! She needs to be given the right information on how to eat well. Otherwise, it's not until she's out of the sport that she realizes the damage she's done to her body by not eating enough over the past 20 years.

Shawn Johnson in the driver's seat

I see all the success we have as a country where the gymnasts aren't 100 percent healthy, and I imagine how amazing we could be if we were doing it in the healthiest way possible. I don't think it's a failure on anybody's part; the education just isn't there right now, and it's just not thought about in our sport. My parents have told me since I was little, "You're given your body for a reason. It's OK to be different. Being unique is a good thing." But I always struggled to believe it. I'm stocky, muscular and short, and I wanted to be thin and flexible so bad! My mom would say, "You're not made that way, and you're not going to become that, so you have to learn to accept and love the body you're in." Well, some people are born with that appreciation, and some people have to work really hard to get there. Put me in that second camp.

Read on for more on what Shawn Johnson has to say about body confidence and how she feels in her gymnastics leotard.