BuzzSugar

Box Office: Audiences Book a Night With Couples Retreat

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:30:00 PDT

Well, the numbers speak for themselves - people love a Vince Vaughn movie. I was admittedly lukewarm about Couples Retreat, but that didn't stop it from cashing in at the box office. The ensemble comedy took in $35.3 million, making it the first big hit for Universal after a lackluster Summer. Last week's winner Zombieland dropped to No. 2 with $15 million, at No. 3 was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs with $12 million, and the double feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D followed behind with $7.6 million.

Rounding out the top five was the real champion of the weekend, Paranormal Activity. I had heard the indie was one of the most terrifying flicks in a long time, and now it's broken records by taking in over $7 million in ticket sales - even though it played in less than 200 theaters and only cost a reported $15,000 to make. Paramount expanded the release of this little-engine-that-could after an onslaught of online demands from fans. (Perhaps it deserves a spot on my scary movie bracket, too!)

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Take a Break With My Three Favorite Viral Videos Right Now

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:32:35 PDT

As everyone who's even somewhat familiar with the Internet knows, there's a new viral-video-of-the-hour well, pretty much every hour. Some are hilarious, some just so-so, but I've come across three lately that have made me laugh out loud. They're not new, exactly, but they're still so funny, no matter how many times I watch each of them. It's helping along this sluggish Monday afternoon.

First, there's a Toy Story 2 trailer set to the Dark Knight trailer. Hard to explain further than that, so just take a look. Then, a video with a similar idea: Bert and Ernie trying out gangsta rap (there's a metal version of this, but I prefer the rap one). And finally, the most recent of the three (and I think the most hilarious): the literal interpretation of the music video for A-Ha's "Take On Me" (hat tip to Giggle for that one). It's all after the jump, so if you have approximately six minutes to spend watching amusing videos,

read more. The Dark Knight/Toy Story 2 Trailer Bert and Ernie Try Gangsta Rap A Literal Version of "Take On Me"

50 Geeky Date Ideas For Valentine's Day (and Beyond)

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:30:10 PST

Coming up short for Valentine's Day date ideas? If you and your sweetheart are more of the geeky persuasion, simply hitting up an overpriced restaurant just won't cut it. We brainstormed 50 date ideas that incorporate science, tech, and video games, for a special Valentine's eve. But don't limit yourself - tackle these date ideas all year!

Bundle up, pack a dinner picnic, and head to the park for some stargazing.
Watch Contact (for the millionth time).
Go to a science museum.
Hit the natural history museum and check out your favorite dino bones.
Go retro - grab a roll of quarters, a slice or two, and hit the pizza parlor arcade.
Build your own planetarium with glow-in-the-dark stickers.
Catch up with the Doctor Who craze by watching the series from the beginning.
Throw a Star Wars party for two.
Whip up a batch of Cloud 9 mojitos (complete with mason jar glasses) and have a Battlestar Galactica marathon.
Visit Nerdy Day Trips and find geeky stuff to do near you.
Go to the planetarium.
Take a dream vacay to the Hobbit Hotel in New Zealand.
Spend a few romantic nights in the Hobbit House of Montana.
Visit the actual Lord of the Rings movie set.
Travel to the Chott el Djerid salt lakes in Tunisia, which were transformed into Luke Skywalker's home on Tatooine.

See the rest of the list after the break!

What to TiVo: Sunday

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:59:00 PST

8:00 Once Upon a Time (repeat)
9:00 The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

8:00 Survivor: South Pacific (new, season finale)
10:00 Survivor Reunion: South Pacific (new)

8:00 The Simpsons (repeat)
8:30 Allen Gregory (new)
9:00 Family Guy (repeat)

8:15 Sunday Night Football: Ravens at Chargers (live)

Kiddie Tablets: Let's Compare the Leapfrog LeapPad Explorer and the VTech InnoTab

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:32:18 PST

The iPad may be top on Mama's holiday wish list this year, but there's a good chance it's on her tot's too! Kids can't keep their hands off the tablets, leading two of the largest educational games manufacturers to create tot-friendly versions this year.

I told you about the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer ($100) when it first hit the market this Fall, and now I just finished playing around with the VTech InnoTab ($79) and can't help but compare the two units. Similarly priced, they are both designed for kids 4 to 9 years old, both run on four AA batteries (or, better yet, burn through them), and both are designed to educate as lil ones interact with their favorite characters. Though neither device runs as fast as an iPad (and neither offers a WiFi option), gadget-oriented kids can't put them down. See how the two hot holiday gift items compare!

Screen size
Both learning tablets have five-inch color touch-screen LCD display screens, though the InnoTab's appears to be more responsive to the finger touch than the LeapPad, which worked better with the included stylus.

Gadget size

LeapPad: The gadget's screen is surrounded by one inch of casing to protect it from drops and spills.
InnoTab: The product's screen comes packaged in a case that provides a two-to-four-inch border around the gadget, giving tots more room to hold it than its competitor. It is almost the same size as the iPad.

Activities and Games

LeapPad: The tablet comes with four free apps - Art Studio, Story Studio, Pet Pad, and one of your choice - to entertain tots. Additional cartridge games are $25 with downloadable apps ranging from $5-$25.
InnoTab: The tablet's PDA-like capabilities - a calendar that allows tots to plan their days and add in stickers, a clock to help learn to tell time, a stopwatch for timing kids, a world globe, etc. - are both fun and educational. They also give kids a sense of independence, turning to their devices for information much like mom and dad. The system also comes with an Art Studio. Additional cartridge games are $25 with downloadable apps costing between $5 and $8.

Keep reading to see how the products compare in other categories.

Where to Find the Best Black Friday Toy Deals

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:25:41 PST

Get your running shoes on and stash some energy-boosting snacks in your diaper bag because Black Friday is here and it's starting earlier than ever. Never mind the 5 a.m. wake-up call on Friday morning - this year the deals are starting on Thanksgiving Day, or even earlier! We've used our supersleuthing skills to uncover the best deals out there. So gather your gift lists, enlist a family member to watch the kids, and map out your shopping strategy! To see the amazing deals, just keep reading.

Hugo: 3 Reasons Why You Should See It - and 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn't

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:35:37 PST

Iconic film director Martin Scorsese veers off his beaten path with this week's Hugo. Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film tells the tale of a young orphan who is secretly living in a train station in Paris. He spends his days winding the clocks in the station, hiding from a villainous station agent, and trying to fix an automaton (a robot-like machine) left behind by his deceased father. Scorsese definitely packs magic into this film, but it's not exactly the children's fantasy film I was expecting. Before you head to the theater this Thanksgiving weekend, check out my reasons why this might be the film for you - and why you might want to avoid it.

Why you should see it:

The cinematography is stunning. With Scorsese at the helm, it's pretty much guaranteed that you're in for a visual treat, and Hugo is no different. His depiction of 1930s Paris in the wintertime is dazzling; the train station where Hugo lives and spends most of his time is enveloped in warm tones and rich colors, making the film look like a beautifully illustrated children's book come to life - which is exactly what it is.
The acting is superb. It's no surprise that a veteran like Ben Kingsley delivers a spot-on performance as a prickly man who fixes toys in the train station. His mysterious animosity towards Hugo and Hugo's desire to fix his father's automaton becomes the crux of the film, and Kingsley turns in a complex performance as a character with a secret. In turn, Sacha Baron Cohen provides comic relief as the station agent with a bum leg who is intent on having Hugo shipped off to an orphanage. However, it's the performances from young actors Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz that hold the film together, and both are impressive. Butterfield particularly does a wonderful job carrying the film; his big, curious blue eyes portray Hugo's loneliness, curiosity, and pain, and he brings his A-game to the film's most emotional scenes.
The story has enchanting elements. I loved the whimsical idea behind Hugo, and Scorsese captures all of these elements perfectly. From the automaton to Isabelle's fascination with storytelling to the Parisian setting, Hugo certainly qualifies as escapist entertainment that pays homage to the magic of moviemaking, on multiple levels.

To see the reasons why this movie might be a pass for you, just

15 Web Sites For Finding Deals Online

Kiplinger — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:59:08 PST

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

We've tested and picked 15 Web sites we think are easy to use and will help you save money all year. Even if you don't end up buying online, it never hurts to find the best deals on the Web before you hit the stores. Then you can comparison shop and make better choices. We also list three smart-phone applications that will help you get deals in stores. Take a look:

Find deals

If your number-one goal is to score deals, start by checking out sites that do the bargain hunting for you. Deal sites scour the Web for discounted items - saving you both time and money.

Our favorite deal site still is dealnews, which has a team of deal hunters keeping their eyes on a million products at more than 2,000 online retailers. Plus merchants and the site's visitors tip them off to bargains. The deal hunters hand pick the best deals among the thousands they get daily and update the site at least 200 times a day, says Dan de Grandpre, founder and chief executive of dealnews.

The site also bans stores with poor customer service. Plus, you can sign up for e-mail or RSS alerts for products or stores you're interested in and get gift ideas from the site. Dealnews also has added a local deals section to help you find discounts at brick-and-mortar stores near you.

GottaDeal.com is another great source of deals. You may find some here that you won't find at dealnews (we did recently).

A reader favorite is Slickdeals.net, a user-driven deal sharing site. It features a few deals on its homepage daily, but its forums are where you'll hundreds of deals posted daily.

Read on for more great deal websites.

Behind the Scenes on a Pixar Short Film

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:28:57 PDT

We introduced you to Pixar's Canada production facilities, now meet the studio's first animated short release, Air Mater, which is included on the Cars 2 DVD released today.

Even though a Pixar short is at most six minutes long, the production time in crafting the expert animation style that sets the studio apart from other animated films is much longer than a fan would expect. From story concept to final release, a film like Air Mater takes about one year to complete, with four to six of those months budgeted for crucial technical steps like character drafting, creating painstakingly detailed background animation, and final rendering. According to Pixar Canada's creative director Dylan Brown, each second in a film is made up of 24 single images created by hand.

Expect the studio to continue to turn out these "three bite gourmet meals" films, the quick snapshots into the lives of our favorite Toy Story and Cars characters. Check out the Air Mater trailer for the truck's first foray into the world of aviation, and think of how at 40 seconds long, this clip includes well over 900 separate images!

No TV or Video For Two Years? Tube Dangerous For Kids Under 2, Say Pediatricians

Yahoo Shine — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:33:38 PDT

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Yahoo! Shine:

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a stern warning to parents: TV is bad for kids under 2. And not just some TV shows, all moving screens with pictures.

That means "Yo Gabba Gabba", but also the football game playing in the living room or the Youtube clip buffering on your iPad.

A statement on the AAP website stops short of calling the glowing moving images on your iPhone that transfix your baby what it sometimes appears to be: kid-crack.

"The Academy is concerned about the impact of television programming intended for children younger than age two and how it could affect your child's development," says a statement on the AAP website. "Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food and other products to toddlers. Any positive effect of television on infants and toddlers is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interactions are proven." Keep reading for the rest of this story.