BuzzSugar

Movie Night: Mother's Day Special

BuzzSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 11:55:26 PDT

In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday May 13, spend a movie night with these great, interesting moms.

Pieces of April
Katie Holmes is surprisingly cool and down-to-earth as April, a young woman who's hosting her family's Thanksgiving dinner at her New York apartment. April dreads and resists the event, having been estranged from her mother for years. Yet now her mother is terminally ill, and this Thanksgiving may be her last. April has help from her boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke) in preparing the meal, but everything still manages to go awry and April finds support in unexpected places. Though the subject matter is heavy, the story is actually humorous and redemptive. The ever-great Patricia Clarkson plays April's ailing mother as pitiable, human and very funny.

Two more if you

Thirteen
This may not seem like standard Mother's Day fare - it's certainly no Steel Magnolias, say. But the bond between the teenage daughter and her mother by the end is so achingly beautiful you'll feel a surge of gratitude towards your own mother (or mother figure) for having helped you through those extremely difficult years. Holly Hunter plays the harried mother of a thirteen-year-old "good girl" Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) whose life spirals out of control when she befriends the popular, reckless Evie. Evie introduces Tracy to a variety of risky behaviors, from tongue piercings to drugs to casual sex. It's a startling look at the dangers teenagers often have to confront and the challenges these pose for modern-day parents.

Laurel Canyon
In Lisa Cholodenko's indie sleeper from 2002, Frances McDormand plays the archetypal irresponsible mom, who embarrasses her own kid but seems impossibly cool to his friends. Jane (McDormand) is a successful record producer with a hip pad in Laurel Canyon and a string of hot young boyfriends. But her hard-partying ways don't sit well with her very responsible son Sam (Christian Bale), who has just finished his residency and gotten engaged to a proper young lady named Alex (Kate Beckinsale). When Sam brings Alex home to mom, his fiancee is seduced by Jane's exciting lifestyle, and Sam's relationship with his mom takes on a new dimension.

Pieces of April photos source
Source

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.

What to TiVo: Saturday

Maggie Pehanick — Fri, 04 May 2012 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 Shark Tank (repeat)
9:00 Hancock

8:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (repeat)
9:00 Person of Interest (repeat)
10:00 48 Hours Mystery (new)

8:00 UFC: Diaz vs. Miller (new)
11:00 The Finder (repeat)

8:00 Escape Routes (new, season finale)
9:00 The Voice (repeat)
11:30 Saturday Night Live (new, with guests Eli Manning and Rihanna)

5 Exercises to Ditch Arm Flab Forever

Shape — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:07:15 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to celebrity trainer Jay Cardiello for some help!

Ah, that infamous area along the back of your arms, the nemesis of so many women. How do you tackle the jiggle? First, I want to tell you what not to do, as people are often tempted to take the wrong course of action. And that is the concept of spot reducing, or lowering fat stores in one specific area of the body. It is essentially impossible to accomplish and should not be a part of your fitness regimen. Fighting arm flab requires more than just spot treatment!

In order to tone the backs of your arms, which is where your tricep muscles are, you have to remember this: specific exercises to increase your lean muscle mass will get you results, but you must also decrease your fat intake without risking too much muscle loss. (Sound familiar? Have you managed to lose fat, but still carry some extra bulk around the tricep?) So, to lose the wiggle and jiggle, be sure to eat a healthy balanced diet with proper nutrients; get at least six to eight hours of sleep so that your body can repair, recover, and build muscle; and consistently maintain your exercise program. And be sure to incorporate these five flab-fighting exercises into your workout routine.

The Ultimate Abs and Arms Workout

See Jay's arm workout after the break!

13 Spooky Facts About Friday the 13th!

TresSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:25:00 PDT

Thirteen has been an unlucky number since at least 1700 BC, when ancient Babylonia omitted the number 13 in its list of laws. Its association with Friday is a more recent phenomenon. Take a peek at these 13 historical facts relating to the superstition. Are you feeling unlucky today?

American Reunion: A Yearbook of Bad Memories

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 03:05:00 PDT

In 1999, a raunchy comedy called American Pie became an instant high school movie classic boasting the tagline "There's something about your first piece." That line feels truer than ever upon the release of American Reunion, the third sequel in the franchise. The film tries to capture the humor and spirit of the original film, but all it does is make you wish the Pie films had quit when they were ahead.

Thirteen years after graduation, we find Jim (Jason Biggs), settled down with former band geek Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). Their once-spicy sex life has dwindled following the birth of their first child, and he's mostly lost touch with his former BFFs Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas). To remedy the situation, the foursome vows to have a boys' weekend back in their hometown for their high school reunion. Of course, the weekend becomes a disaster complete with binge drinking, surprise sexual encounters, awkward moments with former classmates, and a relentless amount of incredibly obnoxious one-liners from Stifler (Seann William Scott).

To find out what else feels stale about American Reunion, just

Getting caught up with Jim and the gang might have been more fun if there hadn't been two more Pie movies between the original and this one; we already have a good sense of where the characters have been and how they've evolved (or haven't, in most cases). Plus, you can garner what's happened to each of them in the first ten minutes, and after that you're just trying to watch a bunch of 30-somethings relive their glory days. We already saw this movie, and it was called Grown Ups.

The Pie movies have always relied on objectifying women for laughs, but American Reunion takes it to a new level. The guys ogle teenage girls at the lake, where they're wearing thong bikinis and making out with each other in front of their friends, because according to the movie, that's what all high school girls are like now. It's not just the teens either: there's a full-on catfight between two of the female leads, and the weight gain of one of Stifler's former hookups is played for gross-out laughs that's not just unfunny; it's downright mean.

The best part about American Reunion is that it incorporates some awesome '90s hits like "My Own Worst Enemy" and "The Freshman," but even that only happens in the final 20 minutes of the film, when you're already so burned out on sight gags that you barely have enough attention span to notice the soundtrack.

The same goes for all the cameos: it's fun to point out the throwbacks to the original, and I appreciated that John Cho (aka "the MILF guy") has a much bigger role this time around, but it's not enough to justify a film that's overlong and over the top. It made me realize that when it comes to the Pie franchise, I've had my fill.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Why Does the Cost of Iced Coffee Keep Increasing?

Business Insider — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:15:42 PDT

Why on earth does your iced coffee keep getting more expensive? Business Insider shares the reason for the rising cost.

If you've ever wondered why your iced coffee costs more each year, Kurt Soller at New York Magazine's Grub Street has finally gotten to the bottom of it.

Adding ice to regular coffee may seem simple on its face, but a lot more is factored into the costs than the price of the beans.

Here's Soller's breakdown:

1. Many coffee shops skip the easy add-ice method and use a special cold brew, which involves pulverizing coffee beans with water and diluting it, ultimately requiring twice as much ground coffee.

2. The price of the clear plastic cups or compostable cups used for the drinks depends on the corn and petroleum markets because of their material. Overall, those cups can cost twice as much as the regular paper cups used for hot brews.

3. The increased use of straws and napkins increase the coffee's paper costs by about 20 percent, one coffee shop owner told Soller.

4. And lastly, the ice machine itself costs about an extra $12 per day.

In the end, shops wind up charging at least $3 per cup to meet their demands and turn a profit.

Now's a good chance to knock your caffeine addiction and save yourself an extra $20 per week, but if that's a little too extreme, here's another option: try signing up for a rewards card at your favorite coffee shop.

Check out these smart Business Insider stories:

The Best Alternatives to Paying For Cable

Focus on Quality Brands That Hold Up Over Time

Thirteen Things You Can Stop Wasting Money On

This Is the Most Expensive Drink You Can Possibly Get at Starbucks

Source: Flickr User Marco Arment

15 Salty Snacks Under 150 Calories

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:33:23 PDT

If you're craving something salty, don't reach for greasy potato chips. Here are 15 low-calorie healthy snacks that are sure to satisfy your salty desires.

Four-ounce snack-size container of low-fat cottage cheese: 81 calories, 459 mg of sodium
Salted cashews (16 nuts): 147 calories, 77 mg of sodium
One and a half cups of edamame in pods: 150 calories, 45 mg of sodium
Two and a half cups of oil-popped popcorn: 138 calories, 243 mg of sodium
A quarter of an avocado (80 calories, 4 mg of sodium) topped with one tablespoon salted sunflower seeds (47 calories, 33 mg of sodium): 127 calories, 37 mg of sodium

Continue reading to see 10 more salty snacks under 150 calories.

Could My Post-workout Snack Be Making Me Fat?

Shape — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:37:39 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to nutritional consultant Mike Roussell, PhD, for some help!

Q: Could my post-workout snack be making me fat? I've read that chocolate milk is a great post-workout drink, but is that still true if I just took a beginning Zumba class (or did a similar low-intensity workout)?

20 Foods That Can Ruin Your Workout

A: No, your post-workout snack is not making you fat. In fact, quite the opposite. The holy grail of nutrition is to be able to preferentially send the nutrients in your food toward your muscles for energy and repair and not to your fat cells. Exercise is the one thing that can do this. Exercise causes your muscles' cells to actively pull sugar out of your bloodstream and into your muscles with much more fervor than any other time of day.

Find out if chocolate milk makes the best recovery snack after the break!

Count Your Roses to Decode Your Valentine's Hidden Message

Colleen Barrett — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:38:28 PST

As old superstitions fade and Emily Post-like etiquette evolves, you're probably not counting the number of roses or orchids or hydrangeas you received today (or, like most people, didn't). But the number of roses a man once gave a woman held hidden meanings, so check out what your Valentine either intentionally or, more likely, unintentionally told you today.

One rose: Love at first sight, or years later "you are still the one."
Two roses: Mutual love and affection . . . so you may owe him two roses!
Three roses: The traditional three-month anniversary gift also simply means "I love you."
Six roses: Infatuation, or "I want to be yours."
Nine roses: A big jump up from six, nine roses symbolize eternal love or "I want to be with you forever."
10 roses: A perfect 10 means "You are perfection."
12 roses: A dozen is like picking the best heart from a Sweetheart candy box, it means "Be Mine."
13 roses: Thirteen may be a baker's dozen, but not so in love. Its meaning is actually disputed: Teleflora says it means you'll be friends forever, but several other sources, like Love Letter Box, say it means you have a secret admirer.
15 roses: Does he have a reason to apologize? Because 15 roses means "I'm sorry." If not, take it as credit for future remorse.
20 roses: The red starts to get excessive around 20, and supposedly that means "Believe me, I am sincere toward you." Usually, sincerity does not need to be proved with quantity, but that's just me!

People send more than 20. See what they mean below.