BuzzSugar

Movie News: Penn, Fiennes, Swinton, "Thor," and More

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:30:16 PDT

There's a lot happening in the film world today! So much so that some of the more intriguing projects are making up one whole post. Check out the film buzz in Tinseltown today . . .

What's Wrong With Virginia: One of Dustin Lance Black's next projects after winning the Oscar for penning the Milk screenplay will be directing Liam Neeson and Jennifer Connelly in What's Wrong With Virginia, which Black also wrote. In the film, "Connelly will play the charming but psychologically disturbed mother of a 16-year-old son. Her 20-year clandestine love with a sheriff (Neeson), who is running for the state senate, is tested when her son begins a relationship with his daughter."

This Must Be the Place: Speaking of Milk, Oscar-winner Sean Penn is in talks to star in Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino's first English-language feature film, This Must Be the Place. If finalized, Penn will play "a wealthy rock star who becomes bored in his retirement and takes on the quest of finding his father's executioner, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the US."

For news about Thor, a Shakespeare adaptation, more emotional dramas and an "embarrassing" comedy,

read more. Thor: Australian actor Chris Hemsworth (pictured, top left) is in talks to play Thor in Marvel Studios' feature film adaptation of the character. Set to open May 20, 2011 and directed by Kenneth Branagh, the story follows the Norse god of thunder as he "develops a protective affinity for humans after his father Odin banishes him to Earth, in order to teach him a lesson in humility. From then on, he's often seen wielding his massive hammer and fighting alongside the Avengers (comprised of Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America)." Coriolanus: The wonderful Ralph Fiennes will make his directorial debut with an adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus, "a study of the way power corrupts, set in the early years of the Roman Republic." Fiennes will play the lead role and he is now joined in the cast by William Hurt, Vanessa Redgrave, and Jessica Chastain. After the Wedding: Sound familiar? Danish director Susanna Bier's drama is getting an English-language remake with Tom Wilkinson and Camilla Belle now attached to star. The movie follows "an expatriate social worker who runs a Mumbai orphanage on a tight budget and receives a mysterious multimillion-dollar donation from a Western businessman." The director of the remake, Michael Caton-Jones, says, "It's a simple yet terrifically emotional story that asks us deep questions about our lives, families, and responsibilities." We Need to Talk About Kevin: Yet another Oscar-winner, Tilda Swinton, is lining up a new project. Based on the novel by Lionel Shriver, this movie will tell the story of "a smart, educated New York mother who does her best to raise a son she never wanted in the first place. He turns out to be extremely difficult and is at the center of the woman's marital breakdown before going on a killing spree at his high school with a crossbow." Terms of Embarrassment: Now this one sounds funny. Written by (and possibly starring) Rita Wilson, the comedy "revolves around a middle-aged couple who wind up attending the same college as their son." Source

Sam Mendes' "Relationship Comedy" Gets A Title - And Allison Janney!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:35:53 PDT

Update: As of Dec. 9, this movie is officially titled Away We Go.

This project already had so much going for it: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) directing, a script by Dave Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph playing the lead characters and Toni Collette recently cast in a supporting role. Now, the previously untitled "relationship comedy" has gotten a title - and Allison Janney!

In the tentatively titled This Must Be the Place, Janney will play "a loud, brassy, decidedly un-PC woman who admittedly has a few screws loose. She reunites with a former employee in Phoenix, where the expectant mother/employee (Rudolph) begins a tour of the country with her husband (Krasinski) to find the best place to raise their child."

Now, while I still can't wait for Mendes' adaptation of Revolutionary Road starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, I'm also insanely curious to see how he does with this comedic material and phenomenal cast. Also in Janney's future is a role in an Eddie Murphy movie A Thousand Words in which she'll play Murphy's boss, "a savvy, money-grubbing head of a literary agency."

Source

Adventures in Ingredients: Indian Bitter Melon

Camilla Salem — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:10:57 PST

To me, Berkeley Bowl is a sacred place worthy of a weekly pilgrimage. Perhaps the ultimate food-lover's grocery store, this massive Berkeley, CA, food emporium carries a huge selection of goods from around the world, and at great prices. I consider it a must stop for friends visiting the Bay Area, so why not share my adventures?

The most remarkable part of the store is probably the produce, which is clearly labeled to identify where each item comes from. The international and bulk sections offer never-ending inspiration, the meats and seafoods offer countless options and price points, and I always find myself mesmerized by fruits and vegetables from around the world that I've never seen before.

Case in point: Indian bitter melon. I grabbed five or six of these a week ago in an effort to learn about new exotic foods. Knowing nothing at all, I selected these purely based on the fact that they seemed sort of reptilian and would be fun to photograph. As the days went on (and as the bitter melon sat in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator), I became more hesitant, not sure what I was thinking.

Finally, I braved up, opened my computer, and did a little research. As it turns out, Indian bitter melon, or karela, is a commonly cooked vegetable in Indian cuisine. It's described all over the Internet as an "acquired taste," and apparently soaking it in salt water helps to remove some of the bitterness. I found recipes for stuffing and sautéing with various spices. The health benefits of this strange vegetable are plentiful, particularly in managing diabetes, and typically, I can convince myself to like anything if it's good for me.

To find out what I did with these and what I thought of them, keep reading.

Uh Oh! Watch Out For These 12 IRS Audit Red Flags

Kiplinger — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:06:09 PST

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

The IRS audits only slightly more than 1% of all individual tax returns annually. The agency doesn't have enough personnel and resources to examine each and every tax return filed during a year. So the odds are pretty low that your return will be picked for review. And, of course, the only reason filers should worry about an audit is if they are fudging on their taxes.

However, the chances of being audited or otherwise hearing from the IRS increase depending upon various factors, including your income level, whether you omitted income, the types of deductions or losses you claimed, the business in which you're engaged and whether you own foreign assets. Math errors may draw IRS inquiry, but they'll rarely lead to a full-blown exam. Although there's no sure way to avoid an IRS audit, you should be aware of red flags that could increase your chances of drawing unwanted attention from the IRS.

1. Making too much money

Although the overall individual audit rate is about 1.11%, the odds increase dramatically for higher-income filers. IRS statistics show that people with incomes of $200,000 or higher had an audit rate of 3.93%, or one out of slightly more than every 25 returns. Report $1 million or more of income? There's a one-in-eight chance your return will be audited. The audit rate drops significantly for filers making less than $200,000: Only 1.02% of such returns were audited during 2011, and the vast majority of these exams were conducted by mail. We're not saying you should try to make less money - everyone wants to be a millionaire. Just understand that the more income shown on your return, the more likely it is that you'll be hearing from the IRS.

Read on for more red flags.

18 Ways to Save (at Least) $1 a Day

SavvySugar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:28 PST

It's true: the little things add up. As anyone who ever had a piggy bank knows, small everyday actions can help you save big. Hoping to create a financial cushion for yourself this season? Follow these 15 easy tricks to help you save at least a dollar a day:

Hold the milk. In your coffee, that is. If you regularly stop at the coffee shop on your way to work, order it black to avoid any extra costs.
Go generic. At the grocery store, pick the generic variety of different foods to save big on pantry staples.
Keep the change. Sure, sometimes it's annoying to have change littering your purse or jangling in your pocket, but you'd be surprised by how quickly those nickels add up.
Swap soda for water. If you can't give it up altogether, vow to sip water instead of soda during at least one meal each day.
Trade CDs with a friend. Hoping to add the latest Rihanna song to your workout playlist? Reach out to a friend and burn CDs for each other to gather new music for free.
Fuel up for less. Unless it's required for your specific car model, nix the premium gas habit and use gasbuddy.com to find the cheapest gas in the area.
Find free WiFi. Work in cafés or libraries with free WiFi. Not sure which spots offer Internet? Use the Free Wi-Fi app to scope out local places with wireless access.
Practice your sewing skills. Skip a trip to the tailor and learn to do the simple adjustments yourself, like shortening a hem or taking in a blouse.

Keep reading for more tips to save $1 a day.

Organize Your Life: 5 Apps For Family Organization

Kate Stahl — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:04:01 PST

Today's busy families need smart solutions to stay organized, and the first place we most often turn to is: our phones! You'll find a plethora of apps designed to help keep your life in check by tracking appointments and daily chores, and syncing grocery lists and family calendars with your spouse's and kids' phones. Keep reading for our five must-have apps (four of them are free!) to keep your family organized, and start downloading your way to a smoother schedule!

Old Dog, New Tricks: 8 Tips on Caring For Aging Pets

Sara Yoo — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:00:00 PST

As the parent of a 12-year-old Parson Russell Terrier, I've been fortunate to watch Lily age gracefully into her twilight years while maintaining much of her spunk and agility. But each day I encounter clear signals that she's achieved senior citizen status: the onset of cataracts makes her timid around now-blurry strangers, and bathroom breaks are a frequent necessity (or so our carpet has learned the hard way). We remember fondly the tiny creatures we welcomed into our homes years ago, but the reality is that their bodies and minds are changing, and so too must their lifestyles. Here are a few tips to help ensure that your geriatric animal pals stay healthy and happy.

Sit and be fit. You may notice that your furry friend is less active these days. Understand that - just like grandpa - your pet is feeling his age, but this development does not excuse him from exercise. For dogs, daily walks relieve stiffness and limber up arthritic joints, but be prepared to turn for home when he exhibits signs of fatigue. Keep his reflexes sharp with a game of fetch or catch-the-laser-pointer, but tailor sessions to his mobility and energy limits.

Read on for more tips.

Turkey Pot Pie

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:19:10 PST

Turkey pot pie is a necessary indulgence in the world of dieting and salads we all seem to be living in. Yoo Eatz gives us a straightforward, weeknight-friendly recipe for a comforting pot pie.

This holiday season came and went like the whirlwind it always is, and I sit here in the aftermath realizing that I have plenty of recipes to catch up on. So let's take a mini jaunt down memory lane to Thanksgiving, shall we?

Being the lucky recipient of my family's turkey carcass, I ended up with about 6 quarts of homemade stock, most of which sits in the freezer waiting for a chilly night when turkey noodle soup is a quick solution to the question "What's for dinner?" Unfortunately for the stock but quite happily for the rest of us San Franciscans, warm weather has taken up temporary residence in these parts, so soup has been on the back burner, so to speak. But back in late November when temps were still brisk in the low 50s (here, my East Coast friends may shout whatever expletives come to mind), comfort foods were definitely on the brain.

Purists will say that a pot pie must be just that: a pie complete with buttery, flaky crust on the top and the bottom. I get it (admission: I love Marie Calendar's frozen chicken pot pies dumped on a pile of hot white rice), but (1) who has time to whip up pie dough on a weeknight?, and (2) it's hardly a light meal. So I substituted store-bought puff pastry for the crust and focused on a rich, hearty filling for my turkey pot pie. For the recipe, read on.

Hi-Tech Living at the Stovetop

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:30:50 PST

Want to add a futuristic edge to one of the more relatively primitive parts of the house? At CES, luxury appliance company Thermador introduced the Freedom Induction Cooktop, which is the first full-surface induction appliance to let you cook on any part of the surface. Position cookware of any size and shape anywhere on the stove, and get started on that complicated Winter soup you usually have too little space to make.

All those pots and pans now crammed on the Freedom Induction Cooktop are controlled with a 6.5-inch color touchscreen display that powers the heating level, cooking time, recognizes the location of each pot on the cooktop, and instantly updates as pans are moved around the surface. Now, a stove is the last place you normally want a touch panel, but the induction heating ensures the surface remains cool, while maintaining the same power as an ordinary gas stove.

The Freedom Induction Cooktop will be available July 2012, and with a $5,000 retail price, we'll list it among our luxury dream home must-haves for now. At-home chefs, would a hi-tech kitchen appliance like Thermador's new stove make it to your wish list?

10 Low-Risk Ways to Earn More Interest on Your Savings

Kiplinger — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:15:30 PST

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

If you need a safe place to park your money now, you have a surprising variety of options to consider - even if the returns on some of them aren’t pretty.

Don’t expect rates to move up anytime soon. In response to the still-sluggish economy, the Federal Reserve has announced that it will keep short-term rates near zero through mid 2013 - and maybe longer.

We’ve listed the top spots for eking out interest on your savings, depending on your tolerance for risk and how long you can tie up your money.

Money Market Deposit Accounts

For your emergency fund - at least three to six months’ worth of living expenses - and any other savings that need to be safe and immediately available, look to accounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., such as money market deposit accounts. Each account is insured up to $250,000.

Money market deposit accounts generally provide checks and an ATM card for withdrawing cash or to use for purchases. You can also transfer funds electronically to/from a linked checking or savings account. You are limited to six transfers per month, not including cash withdrawals at the ATM. With yields on money market deposit accounts as meager as they are -- the average account pays less than 0.3% - rate-shopping is essential.

BEST PICKS NOW: With a $2,500 deposit, you can earn 1.10% in a money market account at Incrediblebank.com, although you’ll trigger a $10 maintenance fee if your balance drops below $2,500. Other banks with good rates include AmTrust Direct ($500 to open an account) and MyBankingDirect ($5,000 to open an account). Both are affiliated with New York Community Bank, and both pay 1.15%, but at AmTrust Direct you need to maintain a $10,000 balance to qualify for that rate.

Read on for more.