BuzzSugar

What to Download: New Music This Week

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:30:03 PDT

If you're in a "love stinks" type of mood, then I'd urge you away from today's new music offerings: both releases are from duos that are together in real life and in song, and their happy tunes will have you smiling and humming along. Check out the tracks that I've decided are the most downloadable.

Jenny & Johnny, I'm Having Fun Now
The lowdown: The romantic relationship between Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice has yielded a breezy collaboration album of sweet tracks to make you forget that Summer's ending.
Choice tracks:
"Big Wave"
"Scissor Runner"
"Just Like Zeus"
Download this album if you: Want to feel vicariously in love and drive around with your convertible's top down.

The Weepies, Be My Thrill
The lowdown: The folk-pop couple returns with their first album since becoming parents, and the influence shows. Full of tracks that are simplistic, upbeat, and oddly comforting, think of it as kids' music for adults.
Choice tracks:
"I Was Made For Sunny Days"
"Add My Effort"
"Please Speak Well of Me"
Download this album if you: Like happy melodies that you can clap to.

Album Review: The Sex and the City Movie Soundtrack

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:30:00 PDT

I was lucky enough to take an advance spin of the new soundtrack for the Sex and the City movie and I immediately thought of good times with girlfriends. In aggregate, it's not entirely a get-up-and-shake-your-booty kind of mix, but just a cool bunch of songs about love and friendship. I think it would be quite perfect for the background music at a hip wedding shower actually.

The soundtrack is packed with a bunch of recognizable names, like Jennifer Hudson, whose tune "All Dressed in Love" is a cute, uptempo disco anthem that reminds me of the exuberance found in "It's Raining Men." Morningwood's (ha! That name!) "New York Girls" is not my favorite, and if I were in charge of finding a good retro-rock vibe for the album (or the movie) I would have gone with Franz Ferdinand or even the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. That and the smooth techno beats in "I Like the Way" by Kaskade are the kinds of tracks mixed between better songs that give the whole thing the "background music" vibe I'm talking about.

To check out who else is included and the rest of my thoughts,

I love The Weepies' sweet little "All This Beauty," as well as the lovely and intimate cover of "How Deep Is Your Love" by The Bird & The Bee. And I'm always glad when Jem shows up on soundtracks, as she tends to do (The O.C., Six Feet Under) and her song "It's Amazing" fits right in with the rest. As does India Arie's cover of "Heart of the Matter" (featured in the trailer) which is a pleasant take on Don Henley's hit.

One song that sticks out like a sore thumb is Fergie's "Labels Or Love," which thankfully comes first so you can skip over it and not worry about it randomly rearing its ridiculous head in the middle of an otherwise great album. It's just a little too Fergalicious for my taste and makes me feel like I've accidentally wandered into an Abercrombie & Fitch store at the mall. Finally, there are some oldies but goodies in there that I thought were interesting, like the Run-D.M.C. and Areosmith duet "Walk This Way" and a nice Joss Stone-Al Green duet of the classic "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" (uh-oh! Foreshadowing?).

The album will be released on May 27.

Now Is Good Trailer: Dakota Fanning Has Jeremy Irvine on Her Bucket List

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:00:00 PST

Dakota Fanning is all grown up now, which means it's time for her requisite weepy teen romance movie. In Now Is Good, Fanning plays 17-year-old Tessa, who learns she is dying of leukemia and sets out to do "as much as she can as fast as she can." That includes doing drugs, breaking the law, and a relationship with Adam (Jeremy Irvine), a boy who is sweet enough to stand by her side and help enrich her final experiences. Oh, and did I mention that Fanning has a British accent?

Though the movie looks like a ton of others you've seen before, I'm still enjoying getting used to seeing Fanning as an adult actress. Plus, I'm glad to see War Horse's Irvine popping up in more films, since he seems like one to watch. Watch the trailer and see for yourself when you

Photo courtesy of

The Office, "Goodbye Michael": Best Lines of the Night

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:09:42 PDT

Well, that's a wrap: Michael Scott has left the building. This week is Steve Carell's final episode of The Office, and it's touching and appropriately sentimental. It didn't make me as weepy as I thought I'd be, but I did feel a certain amount of closure, which actually may be better. In "Goodbye Michael," Michael lies to everyone about his last day to avoid the pain of the goodbye. Everyone believes they have one more day with Michael, but it's his really last day - and no one suspects anything, except for Jim, in a lovely scene between him and Michael.

Like always, I've recounted the funniest lines from the episode - with an emphasis, of course, on Michael's lines. To see what they are, just

"All the channels are going to be different there. I'm not going to be able to find my shows. They are not going to start improv at Level 1!" - Michael, finally freaking out about what moving is going to mean
"I'm not saying I'm Superman, but let me just put it this way: if I were shot in the head, I'm pretty sure everything would be fine. I'd almost welcome it." - Deangelo, on his ability to overcome anything after being obese
"As a person who buys a lot of erotic cakes, it just feels good to be represented on one." - Phyllis, in response to Meredith's suggestion of an erotic cake for the farewell party
"A little cover-up on your Adam's apple will make it look smaller, which will make you look less look a transvestite." - Michael's final advice to Gabe
"I wish I knew who my birth mother was, so she could just tell me who to choose." - Erin, trying to figure out if she should go back to Gabe or date Andy
"They say on your deathbed, you never wish you spent more time at the office. But I will. Gotta be better than a death bed." - Michael, as he's departing Dunder Mifflin

Of course, one of the best moments of the episode can't be quoted. Resigned that he's not going to get to say goodbye to Pam, Michael leaves for the airport, and he pulls off his microphone (itself a monumental event). Pam rushes up, they hug twice, and we don't hear what they say, but it doesn't matter. Like the promos promised, it's perfect. What did you think of the final Michael Scott episode? Were there any lines you loved besides these?

Photo courtesy of NBC

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Trailer: Get Your Tissues Ready

Becky Kirsch — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:42:55 PDT

If The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the "feel bad movie of Christmas," then Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close may be the "feel sad movie" of the holiday. Based on the best-selling novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, the film follows a bright young boy named Oskar (Thomas Horn) who sets out on a quest to find the lock that matches a key left behind by his father (Tom Hanks), who died in 9/11.

If the premise itself doesn't sound weepy enough for you, add in images of people of all different ages and races, images of Sandra Bullock crying, and a U2 song to set the mood. The trailer makes the film seem almost generic in the way it seems to be making a statement about embracing life and love, but I'm going to overlook that for the stellar cast and original story.

The film opens on Dec. 25, but give the trailer a look when you

Glee-Ful Highlights From Episode "Blame It on the Alcohol"

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:29:59 PST

Now this is the show I fell in love with last year! Glee has all the right moves this week: entertaining performances that fit nicely into the story, the kids getting up to typical (OK, slightly exaggerated) teen mischief, and Mr. Schuester showing that he's only human (without steering too far into creepyville).

The latest "epidemic" to sweep McKinley High is underage drinking, which prompts Principal Figgins to declare Alcohol Awareness week. To help scare the students into sobriety, he enlists Mr. Schue to get his glee club to perform a song about the dangers of drinking. Rather than take the assignment to heart, the gleeks decide to explore the benefits of drinking instead. It kept me laughing and entertained from Principal Figgins's first mention of "the wet devil" to Santana asking Mr. Schuester what he'll live for if he can't drink. More of my favorite highlights and one-liners when you

Rachel moves forward with her songwriting plans and invites Finn to have the first listen. They share a genuinely sweet moment - their first in awhile that doesn't end with Rachel trying to make a move on her ex - and it reminded me that these two had some pretty good chemistry at one point. I was half expecting Rachel's song to be a thinly veiled ballad about losing the quarterback, but the result is even better. I cracked up when Rachel gets to the chorus of "My Headband," and though we all know that she'll come up with something profound in time for nationals, for now I'll take the ode to accessories.
Finn convinces Rachel that she needs to let loose and live a little more so she can tap into her emotions as a composer. With her dads away on a Rosie O'Donnell cruise, Rachel throws a party for the glee club (plus Kurt and Blaine), complete with drink tickets and wine coolers. Of course, the restrictions are lifted after about 10 minutes, giving us good gleeks gone bad.
The party scene is absolutely hilarious, chock-full of slurred one-liners like Blaine commenting on how tall Finn is, and Rachel's first response to wine coolers: "It tastes like pink!" Finn points out that each member of the glee club embodies a different drunken cliche (stripper Brittany is kind of expected, but who would've thought Santana would be the weepy drunk?). When Rachel cozies up to Finn, he accuses her of being the needy drunk (wet blanket alert!), so she sets out to prove him wrong.
I somehow never thought about what a duet featuring Blaine and Rachel would be like, but this week we get our answer: amazing. After a spin the bottle smooch, they drunkenly take on "Don't You Want Me," which proves to be poignant for Quinn and Kurt as they eye their oblivious crushes with pangs of unrequited love. I'm hoping to see two of Glee's best vocalists paired up again, but their couplehood is fleeting, as Blaine realizes after a bit of introspection (and a kiss at the coffee shop) that he's definitely gay. There's still hope, Kurt!
The kids aren't the only ones experimenting with booze this week: Mr. Schuester's been feeling lost without Emma and Teri, so Coach Beiste suggests that he unwind with her at her favorite Western-themed joint. It doesn't take more than a couple of drinks to get the teachers on stage belting out "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," and one night of harmless fun quickly turns into bad behavior for Will. First he gets buzzed while grading papers (sadly I have a feeling he's not the only teacher who's ever done this), but things really get out of control when he drunk dials Emma - or so he thinks.
All of the drunken good times come to a breaking point when the kids perform at the assembly. (Principal Figgins gets in some quality screen time, but introducing New Directions performing "Tik and also Tok by rapper Key-dollar-sign-a" is priceless). Rachel passes out some homemade giggle juice to calm the nerves, and all goes according to the plan. That is, until Brittany's killer dance moves get to be a bit too much, and she starts spewing gray vomit all over the stage, and her fellow club members. The rest of the kids follow suit, leaving their classmates stupefied.
Sue mostly stays in the background of this episode, which is exactly how I like her. She delivers a few good lines, explains how she pushed her way to the top of Aural Intensity, and then disappears. However, she comes back for a grand finale at the end of the episode, revealing that Will had actually left her the drunk voice mail, and plays it over the loudspeaker. (Did anyone else catch the Grease reference as Becky plays the xylophone?) The message made me cringe more with each sentence, and it seemed like Emma feels a similar pain.
The episode ends on a moral note, as Mr. Schuester vows not to drink before nationals and asks the kids to pledge to join him. They're reluctant at first but are touched when Will offers to give them a ride any time when one of them has a relapse. Bonus points for no gooey closing number.

Did you love this week's episode as much as I did? Which performance was your favorite? Did you like hearing Coach Beiste show off her pipes? Leave your comments below, or take them over to the Glee Club group.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Children's Texts That Make Moms Cry

LilSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PDT

Grab a box of tissues and one of these books before putting your baby to bed! Children love a good read, but some of their favorite board and picture books are quite the tearjerkers for postpartum or weepy mothers. Love You Forever is the tale of how a mother's love for her son never ceases. The story ends with a role reversal as the grown man cares for his elderly mom.

Check out five other tear-jerking texts that sensitive moms might want to permanently shelve, when you

In The Kissing Hand, Chester Raccoon is nervous for his first day of school so his mama kisses his hand and tells him that he will feel her throughout the day. This tale of reassurance is one to which all parents can relate.
Billy Crystal may be best known for comedy, but his I Already Know I Love You, a tale of grandpa's eager anticipation for his grandchild's arrival, will get the waterworks flowing.
Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree may be about unconditional love, forgiveness and understanding, but many moms see it as an emotional look at a self-denying mother who wears herself out for the sake of her child.
Margaret Wise Brown's Good Night Moon is on most tots' bookshelves, but her Runaway Bunny about a mama rabbit who tells her bunny that wherever he hides, she will find him, may flood tear ducts.
In I Love You More, a mom and tot exchange reasons they love each other more and more. It's full of truths that hit readers in the heart.

Is there a text that makes you emotional?

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Day Two: The Democratic Party Unites With Hillary's Big Speech

CitizenSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:11:01 PDT

Dressed in radiant orange, Hillary Clinton, runner-up in the historic Democratic primary, owner of those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, brought down the house. The vibe in the air, in the city, and in the arena was one of unadulterated excitement.

Excitement that the candidate who made it so far in the race was here to lend her formidable prowess to the candidate to be, pride over what she accomplished, respect for how she did it, and a little bit of ownership over the memories. Regardless of who voted for whom, in Denver tonight, Democrats came together.

Hillary Clinton, long accused of splintering the party during the agonizing months of the campaign, successfully made the Democrats whole. With signs waving in the stands with "Unity" on one side, and "Obama" on the other, Hillary made even those who aren't Democrats proud to be part of the country that made her candidacy possible. The mood is ebullient and electric, weepy and thrilled. To some tonight, Hillary Clinton just became the new Bill. But that's just what I think - what about you?

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