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Buzz Gift Guide: The Coolest Coworker

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:30:34 -0800

Welcome back to my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I thought up some stocking stuffer ideas and today I'm covering some of my favorite folks: Coworkers!

When I first spotted this "cassette tape" tape dispenser, I was immediately smitten, and I think a music-loving office mate might be, too.

Most things related to The Colbert Report crack me up and this dry erase board that lets people know whether or not they're "on notice" is hilarious (the list is started for you with things like "black hole at center of galaxy"). It's a good one for that coworker who sends you video clips of the show all the time.

Have a fan of The Office in your office? This kit is fun and will allow them to "Dunderize" their cube. And for the work buddies who love to quote Office Space, they can avoid a case of the Mondays with Milton's red stapler.

Finally, I read a great book titled Then We Came to the End back in June for my Buzz Book Club and although the subject matter (layoffs at an advertising agency) probably hits close to home for folks this year, it's not exactly depressing. In fact, I think it provides some comedic relief to a tense and difficult topic. It's a worthwhile recommendation for the bookworms in the office.

A few more ideas below, so scroll on through!

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris ($11.19)	The Tape Dispenser ($25.00)
Swingline Collectors Edition 747 Rio Red Business Stapler ($17.99 )	The Colbert Report: You're On Notice Dry Erase Board ($11.99)
The Office Dunderize Your Cube ($28.00)	Whatever It Takes Mug - David Bowie ($19.99)

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

Buzz Book Club: Then We Came to the End, The End

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:30:08 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! This week my June selection, Then We Came to the End, came to an end - and what an ending it was! This final section combined things that I'm frightened of (scary clowns) with a little bit of hope and some sharp final insights into the fear, apathy, and intimacy that make up modern work life. Plus, this was hands-down the funniest section of the book despite (or because of?) how twisted it was.

If you're new to the Book Club, this is how it goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post. In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

And stay tuned for the announcement of my July book club selection!

To discuss the final section of Then We Came to the End read more.

Tom really falls apart in this section, and yet what he does (shooting people with a paintball gun) is sort of hilarious. His conversation with Joe in jail seems like a pivotal moment: Tom tried so hard to be apart from the group by being outrageous, and it landed him in a bad spot; Joe, meanwhile, also stood apart from the group but just by being his normal self. What do you think is the book's ultimate message about group-think, individuality, and the workplace?
In this section, we learn the fates of most of the characters - Benny and Marcia are engaged, Jim is now a boss, etc. Which surprised you, and which seemed perfectly in line with what you were expecting?
Speaking of the characters: The book starts with the word "we" and ends with the words "you and me" - and we still don't know the identity of either the "you" or the "me." And yet, I feel like I know the character of the narrator so well. What do you make of that choice?
There's so much that's poignant about Hank's scenes at the end of the book, from the fact that none of his old coworkers remember him to the revelation that his book includes the chapter about Lynn that we read earlier. I found this to be moving and brilliant on Ferris' part. What did you think?
I could totally see this working as a movie (with the right director, perhaps). Could you see this being adapted for film? Who could you see playing Karen Woo, Benny, Joe Pope, Genevieve, Lynn Mason, Tom and the others?

Buzz Book Club: Then We Came to the End, Section Three

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:30:16 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! This week my June selection, Then We Came to the End, continues to be a potent mix of hilarious insights into the American working life and sad moments of souls being crushed. It's easy to see why this has been such a critically successful book: The tone is so spot-on.

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes if you're new: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in June). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Finish the book! We'll discuss the end next Friday, June 27.

To discuss the third part of Then We Came to the End (in which we read the chapter titled "The Thing to Do and the Place to Be" and the first two chapters of the section called "Returns and Departures."), read more.

In "The Thing to Do and the Place to Be," the narration suddenly switches from the collective "we" of the office workers to the mind of Lynn Mason. Why do you think Ferris wanted to tell Lynn's story in that way? Did the change in style work for you?
By this point, it's pretty clear that the book is far more character-driven than plot-driven. Some action does happen (Yop tossing the chair into the river, etc.), but for the most part, it takes a backseat to the new things we're learning about the characters. Are there particular characters whose stories are keeping you engaged with the book? Are you having a hard time caring about any of them?
This section taught us a lot about Joe, especially through his story about why he strives not to be a part of any group. Do you think that helps or hinders him in his office relations? And do you think, as Genevieve says, that "everybody's part of a group"?
I was struck by this passage: "Even with the best of intentions, it was impossible not to offend one another. We fretted over the many insignificant exchanges we found ourselves in from day to day . . . and next we knew, we had offended someone with an offhand and innocent remark." That seemed to sum up so much of the overly polite but subtext-laden conversation that takes place in offices everywhere. Could you relate to that - from your office work or otherwise?
As we are easing into the final section of the book, do you have any theories or ideas about what the title, Then We Came to the End, might mean?

Buzz Book Club: Then We Came to the End, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:30:51 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! This week, my June selection, Then We Came to the End, took a turn for the dark. At the start of the book, I spent most of my time laughing, but in this section, I found myself doing a lot more cringing. If last week I thought it was "equal parts devastating and hilarious," this part was a bit more devastating - but I'm still completely hooked on the story.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read the chapter titled "The Thing to Do and the Place to Be" and the first two chapters of the section called "Returns and Departures." We'll discuss this section next Friday, June 20.

To discuss the second part of Then We Came to the End (in which we read to the end of the section titled "You Don't Know What's In My Heart"), read more.

This section had a lot of disheartening things in it - from the way Tom talked to Marilynn in the hospital to the horrid things someone is doing to Joe Pope. The first week, I laughed maybe 85 percent of the time and cringed the other 15 percent; this week, the ratio was nearly reversed. Did you find this section more awkward, or were you still chuckling?
The characters seem like insatiable gossips, so obsessed with knowing everything about the details of everyone's lives. But as we saw numerous times - from Carl's depression to Janine's lunchtime trips to the McDonald's - knowing a lot about someone is not the same as knowing them. Why do you think the characters need to know so much about people they might not care much about on any real level? And have you been in situations similar to that?
On a similar note, why do you think the "we" characters are so obsessed with picking apart Lynn and Joe (who, for the most part, seem relatively sane and well-adjusted)? Is it just an attempt to pick out weaknesses with anyone in a position of power?
The characters get worked up not just about people but about things - like the serial numbers on the chairs. What do you think is behind that obsession? Have you ever encountered similar obsessions in your office lives?

Buzz Book Club: Then We Came to the End, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:30:07 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! I'm really loving (and relating to!) my June selection, Then We Came to the End. Author Joshua Ferris' observations about working life in America are so sharp, and I'm really impressed with his ability to capture the essence of this world that most of us know so well. I'm finding it equal parts devastating and hilarious, which makes for a read I hate to put down.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read from the start of chapter three until the completion of the section titled "You Don't Know What's In my Heart." (Stop before you read the chapter titled "The Thing to Do and the Place to Be" - that will be part of the following assignment.) We'll chat about this second section a week from today, Friday, June 13.

To discuss the first section of Then We Came to the End (in which we read from the start of the book until the end of chapter two of the section titled "You Don't Know What's In my Heart"), read more.

First of all, how are you taking to the first person plural narration of the story (otherwise known as the "we" voice)? Do you find it at all jarring? Or did it make sense to you right off the bat? Have been at all preoccupied with trying to figure out who is, or is not, part of the “we”? Or do you think that’s utterly beside the point?
Already, there is so much to relate to in this book. I found this passage captured a certain mindset I'm certainly familiar with: "We believed that downturns had been rendered obsolete by the ingenious technology of the new economy. We thought ourselves immune from things like plant closings in Iowa and Nebraska, where remote Americans struggled against falling-in roofs and credit card debt." What about you? What passages so far nailed the way your office works or the way you view your job?
The book has a lot of obvious similarities to other office-related literature, film, etc. (The Office and Douglas Coupland books come to mind for me), but one thing that stands out is that the characters actually do like their jobs, at least sometimes. The “we” narrator reminds us in the midst of stories of corporate power trips and sushi rolls on walls that most of the time, the work is fulfilling and they’re happy to put in long hours to get something done. Is that a more accurate representation of work in the 21st century than the paper-pushing drudgery of something like The Office? Which work situation do you relate to more - or is yours somewhere in between?
It's probably fair to describe Tom Mota as "disturbed," but regardless, I can't help but crack up at his crazy antics. He's just so ridiculous! Which characters so far are you really enjoying, and why?

Buzz Book Club: Then We Came to the End

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:45:13 -0700

Hello Buzz Book Club readers! Between covering the ins and outs of the Sex and the City movie and reading Four Blondes as my last book club selection, I'm a little spent on the fabulous lives of women in New York City.

And while I'm excited for summertime, the truth is that many of us are stuck in an office during these sunny days. So, I thought a fun way to get us through the doldrums of gazing longingly out the window would be to commiserate with a hilarious book about life on the cubicle farm.

Introducing my June selection: Then We Came to the End: A Novel by Joshua Ferris.

The book has received all kinds of buzz and critical acclaim, so I've been excited to read it. Stephen King called it "hilarious" and the New York Times named it one of the best books of 2007.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: I'll announce a new book each month. Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in June). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To find out what Then We Came to the End is all about and to get the first assignment, read more.

The synopsis for Then We Came to the End reads:
"It's 2001. The dot-com bubble has burst and rolling layoffs have hit an unnamed Chicago advertising firm sending employees into an escalating siege mentality as their numbers dwindle. As a parade of employees depart, bankers boxes filled with their personal effects, those left behind raid their fallen comrades' offices, sifting through the detritus for the errant desk lamp or Aeron chair. Written with confidence in the tricky-to-pull-off first-person plural, the collective fishbowl perspective of the 'we' voice nails the dynamics of cubicle culture - the deadlines, the gossip, the elaborate pranks to break the boredom, the joy of discovering free food in the breakroom. Arch, achingly funny, and surprisingly heartfelt, it's a view of how your work becomes a symbiotic part of your life. A dysfunctional family of misfits forced together and fondly remembered as it falls apart. Praised as 'the Catch-22 of the business world' and 'The Office meets Kafka,' I'm happy to report that Joshua Ferris's brilliant debut lives up to every ounce of pre-publication hype and instantly became one of my favorite books of the year." (Brad Thomas Parsons)

The first assignment: Read from the start of the story until the end of chapter two of the section titled, "You Don't Know What's In my Heart." We'll chat about this first section a week from today, June 6.

House Rundown, "Teamwork"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

Prepare for a changing of the guard: This week's House marks a major shift for the medical team. House is back in charge after reclaiming his license, and the shakeups start. Cameron is out - but we already knew that was coming. In her place, a couple familiar faces return to the fold, which will hopefully distract House from last week's Lucas letdown. Throw in a porn star with a mysterious health issue, and you have a packed episode.

Ready for the breakdown? If you don't mind spoilers, read more.

The episode starts off with a special delivery - House's medical license. The guy was already pulling the strings despite his suspension, so the transition is easy. Still, I'm a little surprised that Foreman goes along with the takeover without making a peep.
After Chase finally came clean to Cameron last week about Dibala, she suggests that they leave the team to work on their marriage. They announce their departure to House - who, of course, spends the rest of the episode manipulating them to stay on board. Do you think he was right to meddle? Or should he have stayed out of it?
Really, writers? A porn star? I know they're trying to sex up the show, but it felt like a cheap ploy to me - not to mention a stretch when they draw parallels between Chase's Dibala dilemma and the porn star's own morality. Were you interested in his medical case? I wasn't that intrigued, but luckily there's plenty of personal drama among the doctors to keep my attention.
Thirteen returns - but not without some coaxing from House. After she tells him no repeatedly, he lures her in with the mysterious porn star case. The excitement of the challenge is enough to get her in House's office again for good. But what do you think will happen with her and Foreman? He implies that he's over her, but I don't buy it.
Guess who else is back? Taub! The doc swaps his plastic surgery practice to rejoin House's crew after some major prodding from House. (Of course his wife isn't happy with the decision, but no surprise there.) Are you glad to see Taub again?
Okay, so I was pulling for House and Cuddy, but the scene with Cuddy and Lucas at her place might have changed my mind - you've got to admit they looked cute on the couch together. Are you pulling for Cuddy and Lucas, or Cuddy and House?
House thinks that Cameron is quick to forgive Chase, because she actually blames House for the murder of Dibala. And she does. So with that, she says sayonara to her job and delivers a speech to House about how he's ruined Chase. She rips into him about how he doesn't care for the "sanctity of a human life" anymore, but she says it with pity - even kissing him on the cheek at the end. Next thing you know, she's packing her bags and leaving Chase, too. It felt sort of rushed, but I thought her monologue was completely riveting to watch. What did you think about her departure?

Plenty to talk about in this week's episode, so sound off in the comments! I'm especially curious to hear your thoughts on Cuddy and Lucas, Thirteen and Taub's return, and Cameron's goodbye. And don't forget you can always head over to the House! group in community to talk about the show there, too.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Talking New Moon With Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:15:50 -0800

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner may be dominating the promotional circuit right now, but they're not the only cast members with something to say about New Moon. I had the opportunity to chat with costars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, aka Emmett and Alice Cullen, during their recent stopover in SF. They chatted about their characters, the vampire craze, and what it's like to be a "Twilight celebrity." Here are highlights:

On why so many people are crazy for the Twilight Saga:
Ashley: I think this film in particular is highly relatable. There are a lot of situations that people can relate to. The love story - everyone can relate to being in love or being in lust. You add the vampire, and it adds that next level fantasy. Vampires are mysterious and sensual and dangerous and unattainable. And everyone wants what they can't have. I think on another level that this came together at the perfect time. All the elements just fit, the casting was spot on, and we're in a difficult time right now with our economy. That's why you never have a drop in ticket sales because everyone wants an escape, and this movie is very much an escape from reality.
Kellan: It's a good escape but also it deals with so many situations, on so many positive notes. Just looking at it from the vampire coven to the wolf pack. It just deals with everyday issues just on bigger levels, in a way. And you have Bella as the keystone in many situations. You can just all relate from different countries to issues within the United States. It's easily relatable.

To read a lot more about working with three different directors and why they feel so lucky, just read more.

On how their portrayals of the Cullens are similar or different from the books:
Kellan: We got the jobs because we brought something new to it. You can interpret the characters each their own, but I think it's what we did alongside. Just like Kristen said - she's playing Bella but she's putting her Kristen spin on it, just like all of us are. And I think that's what's making it unique. We're still following the cheat sheets that Stephenie created by making the books, and there's Wikipedia. We have a lot of information to go off of. But I hope it's what I did in my audition that set it apart from the other guys trying out.

Ashley: I think it's mannerisms too. People do fall in love with this book, but I think part of it is that they always want more. You can't write out every human mannerism. You can imagine it, but seeing the emotion in someone's eyes and seeing them be affected it - it was kind of easy to give something to it, because we were just being people. We kinda just got lucky.
On how much more of the Cullens we can expect in the remaining movies:
Kellan: Realistically, we stick pretty close to the books. Obviously us Cullens would love to be in the books a lot more, which would mean we'd be in the movies a lot more. Talking New Moon, the scenes that the Cullens - except for Ashley, playing Alice who gets to go to Italy and be a main lead in the movie - us Cullens, we have to stick really close to the books, and the scenes that we're in are really crucial to the story, as you know - the birthday scene, the voting scene. I don't know, it was kind of a tease. Chris Weitz is such an amazing director, and for us, for myself - I only worked about a week on that movie. And it didn't even seem like I really got a taste for what it was.

Ashley: In the third film, you'll see a lot more of the Cullens because it's all of us collaborating and then getting ready to fight this war that's coming up. In the second one, my character got a much larger role because Alice is the Cullen, other than Edward, that really embraces Bella and they end up becoming best friends. In the beginning, you see her throw this huge party for Bella, and then Alice is the one who does, in fact, come back for Bella when everyone else decides to skip town. Alice is responsible for dragging Bella over to Italy, and she and I the whole time are fighting to save my brother's life. And then of course we get held up by the Volturi and stuff like that. My character got to grow a lot, which is really cool. You get to actually see the relationship develop between Bella and Alice, where in the first one you didn't. The first one was very much about the romance and showing the audience why these two people are willing to die for each other.
On working with a different director on each film:
Ashley: Each director is going to be very different. They're artists as well, and I don't think any of them are quite the same. The books, when you read them, all have very, very, different tones. So I think it's highly appropriate that we switch directors each go. The first one is very much a romance and is a very scenic, beautiful film. And Catherine's really, really great at capturing that. She's very high energy and works well in chaos and stuff like that. And it was fantastic because we didn't quite know what we were getting ourselves into, and so it was nice to have her to guide us when we were freaking out a little bit. She was just so high energy, and it was really contagious. We were sad to lose her and move on to the second film, but then we got Chris Weitz and he's the complete opposite! But great as well. He's so giving and caring and collaborative and created this atmosphere that was kind of a safe haven for us. And it was really nice because we didn't know, switching directors, if they were gonna embrace us or if they had a completely different vision than what we created in the first one. It was nice that he was right there on the same page with us. And the second one is a warmer film, even from the color scheme. The first one is very blue tones, and the second one is much richer and warmer and I think he did a great job at capturing that. And we just finished shooting with David Slade, and I think he's highly appropriate as well. He just finished shooting 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, and they're both very dark, edgy films. And Eclipse is very much that. It's all centered around the anticipation and us getting ready to fight this huge war. We just finished filming, we haven't gotten to see much of it, but I think it's gonna be fantastic. He is, technically, the most advanced director. The angles that he shot and how he knows that tweaking something can affect a whole scene and the lenses. He was really nice to work with.
On coping with the fan effect and being a "Twilight celebrity"
Kellan: That's what blows my mind, 'cause I feel like it's really unearned in a way. The fans are making our careers. Without them, we wouldn't be working and doing the saga. There's so many times that trilogy books become a movie and the first one bombs, and then that's it. And you're always hopeful that you get to do them all. Especially since we're all in love with our characters. I love Emmett Cullen to death, he's my favorite character I've ever played. It's just so cool to have made it this far, and I think we all hope that we get to finish this series and do Breaking Dawn. This is such a blessing, it's every actor's dream to be part of something like this. It's not terribly hard either. We don't shoot halfway around the world; we don't shoot for a year of our lives. I know a lot of us have homes, we have pets, we have family. And it's really nice to shoot on the West Coast, either Portland or Vancouver, and have the chance to fly down if we need to. But it's definitely amazing to be part of something like this. And I don't think any of us knew how crazy it would be and how exhilarating it would turn out to be. Going to the premiere, really just, wow. I don't even remember it because I was really just starstruck by how many fans and signs and cameras. It felt like I was just walking through a strobe light room. It's amazing.

Ashley: I still think we can't really wrap our heads around what's going on and what's happening. We're still in the midst of filming and kept very busy from one film until the next. It's only these brief moments where you sit back and are actually able to take a breath where you go "Whoa. Wow. This is crazy." I mean, the amount of tickets they've already sold for New Moon - I'm pretty sure I can't even get a ticket if I tried to see my film in Jacksonville and it's mind boggling. We're just very lucky. I went into this film thinking "Oh my gosh, I got a job" and the it turned into the biggest break of my life. I think we all feel very blessed to be a part of this.
On how it feels to be part of Twilight fan fiction:
Kellan: It's an escape, in a way. We do live in a trivial time period right now. There's so much depression that it's kinda cool to be a part of something where people use it to be an escape. In a way that's kinda what Stephenie did -she had a dream and just elaborated on it. It became a huge success and it's really encouraging that people are doing the same and just making up this journey.

Ashley: That's why people love it so much I think. You can take it and make what you want of it. Before the demographic was teenage girls, but now it's women of every age and guys are starting to get into it, too. It's because there is that element of fantasy. If you're 8 years old you look at it one way; if you're 80 years old you look at it another. I think it's fantastic that we can draw such a huge crowd. The other thing is - it blows my mind but people are making connections over this film and over this book. there are mothers and daughters and grandmas who can all sit and talk about the same story and all fantasize about it and I think that's a really cool thing. I think it's rare.

To see all of our Twilight and New Moon coverage, check out TwilightSugar!

Vampire Diaries "History Repeating": The Good, The Bad and The Bloody

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Dear The Vampire Diaries, I see your master plan now: it's to bring it every week now. Please continue to do so. Moving on, this week we learned more about Bonnie and her family ties, revealed Damon's master plan, and met the new mysterious, history teacher.

But that's not even half of the amazing things that went down, so to see the good, the bad, and the bloody from this week's episode, just read more.

The Good

Bonnie's talisman/necklace is bringing her nightmares and visions of her ancestor Emily, who we learn was definitely Katherine's handmaiden back in the day. Her appearances are so creepy, but I was kind of digging that the scares were coming from a non-vampire source.
Damon and Stefan's interactions this week are brilliant. The role reversal, where Stefan takes on Damon's persona and Damon mocks Stefan in kind, are priceless. There even seems to be some genuinely affectionate times between the brothers, but was it just Damon's vulnerability/lack of strength due to avoiding human blood?
New characters for this show have tended to be pretty intriguing, and new teacher Alaric Saltzman is no exception. The dreamy Alaric, played by Legally Blonde's Matt Davis, has a shady past (dead wife who was almost certainly murdered) and every sign points to him being a vampire: the sun-protecting ring, the lingering exchange of Jenna not inviting him in. It's almost too obvious. If he is a vamp and not some other supernatural being, then what role does he play? I'm sure he must know the Salvatores.
Gratification! In one episode, we get two mysteries solved: why Damon came back to Mystic Falls and what's up with Emily and her necklace. The master plan - and Damon's reason for return - is Katherine. Specifically, to rouse her from the spell that left her trapped but unharmed (well, relatively unharmed, considering she was already dead) underneath the church 100 plus years ago. It's news to Stefan that Katherine didn't perish in the fire, but that's not the only revelation about her; the boys trade barbs about their last encounters with their shared first love, and they both end up wounded. I think Stefan is lying when he insists that Katherine compelled the brothers into loving her and that it wasn't real; why else would he have come out of hiding to pursue Elena?
One seed-planting I appreciated: The Gilbert family history. You know Jeremy's on the verge of discovering something big. I have my theories.

The Bad

Right about now I feel the need to introduce something I'd like to call Twilight Corner. It'll be where I bring up any glaring similarities The Vampire Diaries has to that other vampire story. This week, it's Stefan leaving Elena, telling her it's for the best. I smirked early on, when Stefan tells Elena that he's backing off from school, that it's the right thing to do; but I pretty much spit my water out at the end of the episode when Stefan tells Elena he's leaving to protect her while they're in the woods. Shades of New Moon! Generally, the show has distinguished itself from Twilight but that's waaay too close for comfort.

The Bloody

Damon swears off drinking human blood in a demonstration of goodwill to Stefan after killing Lexie last week. My my. Damon, showing repentance? What is this crazy fake world coming to? However, he doesn't maintain his new diet for long: he takes a big bite out of a possessed Bonnie after she, as Emily, destroys the amulet and Katherine over the Fells Church ruins.
OK, let's talk past bloody: We got more of the story of the history of Mystic Falls, including what sounds like an epic, ongoing battle between vampires and humans. It was no accident that Katherine was in that church, having been rounded up by the townspeople to be killed. And she wasn't alone; Emily sealed up the whole church, full of other vampires, who potentially could have been freed upon the town this week. Stefan accuses Damon of not wanting to free Katherine out of love, but revenge, rather; he nearly introduces an army of angry, ancient vampires on the ancestors of the people who exterminated them. Personally I think it was a little bit of both for Damon - love and revenge. He almost has his soul mate and a group of allies back in his life.
I'm counting Damon's broken heart as a casualty this week, as cheesy as that sounds. I just can't ignore how wrecked his face looks at the end of the episode. We went from seeing how inhumane Damon is just last week, to being confronted by an emotional man who faces a final loss of love. Ian Somerhalder, you're rocking it.

What did you think of "History Repeating"? Are you disappointed at all that Katherine didn't rise from the grave tonight, along with a crew of her nearest and bloodthirstiest? Do you even believe she's totally gone? And what about Jenna's situation - are both Logan and Alaric out to suck her blood? For more chatting beyond this week, join the Hooked on Vampire Diaries group in the Buzz Community!

Photos courtesy of The CW

Rob, Kristen, and Taylor Are This Week's Entertainment

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:56:22 -0800

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner have been posing for photo ops all over town - check out Pop's favorite promo tour moments - and it wouldn't be complete without an interview with Entertainment Weekly. In the cute interview, the costars quip about everything from Rob's attachment to his signature hair to Kristen's confession that she'd like to quit smoking to Taylor's obsession with hitting the gym for New Moon. There're also tidbits about Rob and Kristen's off-screen relationship and how Robert handles fandom. They're clearly a tight-knight trio, so check out the highlights below. If you can't get enough Twilight, keep the convos going in the Twilight Saga community group, and be sure to check back next week for my own interview with Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz!

Robert Pattinson on his hair in Eclipse: I swear to you I’ve never experienced anything like this. It's every single day. In Twilight, they wanted me to have extensions down to my hips.
Kristen Stewart: He's a liar. He doesn't remember. He's remembering how they made him feel, but they were just, like, down to here [pointing to her shoulders].
Pattinson: So I told them, "Look, that's just not going to happen." I said, "It looks like this already – I'll come to set like this." I sound so stupid, but in a lot of ways the hair is 75 percent of my performance, so in the second one I said, "Listen, I need to tone down the hair. Let's make it a little more real, a little bit more . . . Method.” [Laughs] And then in the third one, I'm doing fight scenes and there's a strand going down my forehead and they're like, "We need to do it again because no one will recognize you! No one will know who it is!" I'm like, really, is my face that generic?
Stewart: They want proof that you're doing your own stunts, man!
Pattinson: I have to look like the poster at all times. Just in case they want to use any clip for the trailer. Any clip at all! There were about five people in different departments who, because of my forelock, ended up in tears.

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EW: How are you all coping with living in a fishbowl?
Pattinson: It really depends on the mood. When I met you last year [before Twilight came out], I was doing interviews very sporadically and I never got recognized. Now it's like anywhere I go there's immediate recognition. So there's more of a responsibility . . .
Stewart: I don't mind working every day. It's just, suddenly, I have this other role. And that's really disappointing. All I'd like to do is go outside with a book and figure out what to do with the day. And if I can't do that, then I'm just going to sit in my hotel room on my balcony and chain smoke. [Pauses] I'm going to stop smoking. I'm not such a good smoker, anyway. It's not in my bones. I'm gonna drop it.
Pattinson: The three of us have been working for two years [straight]. It does feel like your day has a shape just as soon as you wake up. I just forget what it's like when you're free.
EW: Taylor, you're the only one who almost lost a shot at the sequels. Do you have a different relationship with fame because you had to fight for your job?
Lautner: No, I kept my eye on the prize 100 percent of the time. I was motivated. I wasn't even thinking about anything else.
Stewart: Thank God you got the job. I wouldn't have wanted to deal with you if you didn’t. After all those months of working out!
Lautner: I just wanted to focus on what I could control, and I worked really hard.
EW: You mean in the gym? Because I see your abs everywhere these days.
Lautner: Yeah, the gym was a major part, but I really studied the books and the character, too. And it all turned out good.
EW: Kristen, it must be nice to watch the guys' appearances get obsessed over for a change.
Stewart: Seriously, it's a trip to sit back and look at the sexual objectification of these dudes. I've never been asked to do any of this stuff.
EW: You guys are lucky. You clearly all dig each other.
Lautner: The amount of time we have to spend with each other – if I didn't like these two, it would be exhausting.
EW: Rob, you made Remember Me this summer, between sequels. Was that the set in New York, where you were knocked into a cab by hordes of fans?
Pattinson: That was completely made up. I was walking across the street, and there was one cab going about one mile an hour and it nudged my leg. The story ended up being how I got hit by a cab because of a mob of screaming fans, [but] it was 4 o'clock in the morning and there was one person there – a paparazzi. . . . And then there was another time – apparently they said on the news that I had a drug overdose. The security guy saw it on TV, and I wasn't in my room, and he was like, "Uh-oh!" It's just so weird. I wake up and my room is too messy to order room service, and so I end up eating a pack of M&M’s for breakfast – and it takes me about five hours to find it. That's my first five hours of the day. [Laughing] And then you see the news and think, "Who cares if he had a drug overdose? It would probably make him more interesting!"
EW: Kristen and Rob, why do you think people are so obsessed with the state of your off-screen relationship?
Pattinson: Good question. That's a little thing I have to think about every day.
Stewart: Maybe it's just my personality, but I'm never going to answer it. I probably would've answered it if people hadn't made such a big deal about it. But I'm not going to give the fiending an answer. I know that people are really funny about "Well, you chose to be an actor, why don’t you just f---ing give your whole life away? Can I have your firstborn child?"
EW: You don’t think just saying, for example, "Listen, we dated for a few months, it was weird, we're better off as friends" would end the speculation?
Pattinson: No way.
Stewart: People are deeply judgmental and I'm not strong enough. I would love to be like, "I don't care what anybody thinks." But I'm a very private person. And think about every hypothetical answer: "Okay, we are. We aren't. I’m a lesbian." I've thought about this a lot. There's no answer that's not going to tip you one way or the other. I'm just trying to keep something. If people started asking me if I was dating Taylor, I'd be like, "F--- off." I would answer the exact same way."