BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 4/13

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:30:56 PDT

Regina Spektor's latest album is headed to stores in June. - Billboard
William Hurt will join the cast of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood as William Marshall, the Earl of Pembroke. - The Hollywood Reporter
TNT won't renew Trust Me for a second season. - TV.com
It's confirmed: Zac Efron has signed on to play the title role in the planned live-action version of the '60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon show Jonny Quest. - ComingSoon
Ray Winstone, David Thewlis, and Anna Friel are set to join Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell in the crime drama London Boulevard. - Variety
Showtime has passed on the Tim Robbins drama Possible Side Effects, which may still be shopped to other networks. - TV Guide
Maggie Gyllenhaal will star opposite Emma Thompson in the Nanny McPhee sequel, titled Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang. - ComingSoon
Spoiler alert: Is George leaving Grey's Anatomy or not? - Entertainment Weekly

TV Tonight: Trust Me's Finale

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:30:45 PDT

You know what? I like Trust Me. So what if the ratings are low? So what if it doesn't get much buzz? So what if nothing much ever really happens? I like it. I like grabbing a blanket and some popcorn and watching Mason McGuire (Eric McCormack) and Conner Too-cool-for-a-last-name (Tom Cavanagh) snark at each other and eventually make some ads. I even like Sarah Krajicek-Hunter (Monica Potter), even though I think the whole point of her character is to be unlikable.

So - even if I'm the only one - I'm sad that Trust Me is airing its final two episodes tonight. While nothing's been set in stone about the show coming back, McCormack himself says it's not looking good - and he has the role in another pilot to prove it. Since tonight will probably be the end of our time inside RGM, then, I'm determined to enjoy it.

Tonight's two episodes, "You Got Chocolate in My Peanut Butter" and "The More Things Change," start airing at 9 p.m. (EDT/PDT), with the Mink Group still struggling to make up the missing money from losing Arc Mobile and Mason and Conner growing further apart. I hope that something brings them together by the end of the finale, though; this is one bromance that should go out on a high note. Will anyone else be watching? To check out a scene from tonight's episodes, just

Photo courtesy of TNT

Eric McCormack Lands Lead in ABC Pilot

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:30:17 PDT

I'm still enjoying Trust Me, but I have a feeling I'm one of the only ones - and so, apparently, does Eric McCormack. The star of the TNT show has just taken a leading role in a new ABC comedy pilot.

It's probably bad news for Trust Me - worse because The Hollywood Reporter actually calls the show by its old name, Truth in Advertising, in the story! The ratings were never great, but I was holding out some hope that they'd pick it up. This new ABC show is technically McCormack's second priority (if Trust Me gets renewed, he'd back out of this one), but it sounds like that's unlikely.

He's not straying far from Trust Me's buddy comedy roots, though: This show, which is still untitled, centers on "two friends who embark on very different lives." Dean, McCormack's character, is a heart surgeon whose wife (played by Jolie Jenkins) has just given birth to a baby; his friend, Seth (Reno Wilson), is a contractor with a newly empty nest.

What do you make of the news? Sad for Trust Me? Curious to see McCormack in a more traditional comedy again?

Source

Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh Want You to Trust Them

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:45:07 PST

Tonight marks the beginning of Trust Me, TNT's new series about two friends working at a modern-day Chicago ad agency. There's Connor, the free-spirited wild guy played by Tom Cavanagh, and then there's Mason, the slightly more uptight and career-driven man who gets a big promotion in the first episode - to be Connor's boss. It's not a particularly deep show, but I greatly enjoyed the two episodes I saw; one even sent me into a giggle fit on an airplane. So, that alone gives it the Buzz stamp of approval.

A few weeks back, McCormack and Cavanagh chatted with reporters about the show, which premieres at 10 p.m. after a new episode of The Closer. Here are highlights:

McCormack didn't want to be, say, the next CSI guy: Post-Will and Grace, "I didn’t want to be a cop, I didn’t want to say the word forensics, I didn’t want to be a lawyer or a doctor. I wanted a new, fresh setting. I wanted it to be real. I didn’t want to do a science fiction show. This setting, this script, these words, these characters and particularly this relationship, this friendship, just was just totally right up my alley," he said. "It’s written by guys that lived in this world and are very much living a friendship like this one."
They always knew who'd be Mason and who'd be Connor. "I was like, 'I know Connor’s got funny lines,' but - in terms of bringing myself to a series day after day, week after week, I’m just more drawn to Mason," McCormack said of playing the more serious of the pair. As for Cavanagh, "You kind of feel that this is exactly how it was supposed to have played out," he said, "because you know I like playing the guy I’m playing."
They both got their start in ads - and didn't hate it. Cavanagh said one of his first big jobs was starring in beer ads in Canada. "I think we shot something close to 11 spots, which was a blast because all I had to do was get the tag line out which was simply, 'If I wanted water I would ask for water,'" he said. "I got to improvise and I had a man's best friend - a dog that I riffed with." McCormack, too, did some beer commercials: "I did five spots with a girl and in every commercial I was trying to hit on her, but in every commercial we were different characters," he said.
They're thrilled to be working on cable. "This is not a knock on the networks," Cavanagh said. "One of the reasons that we’re here right now is because of what we did at the networks. At the same time . . . some of the best comedy of my generation - you know Friends, Seinfeld, Cheers - these are shows that didn’t fare well early on and then became the blockbuster shows of our time. [Knowing that] you’re at a place where you’re going to get your say is extremely comforting."

To check out a preview from tonight's episode, just

Photo courtesy of TNT

First Look: Trust Me

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:30:48 PST

Thanks to a little show called Mad Men, ad men have stepped into the TV spotlight, bigtime. Next month, the Don Drapers of the world will be getting a little competition from their modern-day counterparts when TNT launches Trust Me, a show about a Chicago ad agency starring Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh.

McCormack plays Mason, a creative director who's quick on his feet but occasionally insecure. He's a nice guy in a ruthless world, waiting for his inner go-getter to take over. Cavanagh plays Conner, Mason's more impulsive, unpredictable professional partner. Their relationship takes a crazy turn early on in the series, when Mason is promoted and becomes Conner's boss.

From the preview, I'm liking the relationship between Conner and Mason already - and McCormack, especially, looks adorable as always. Maybe it's just my inner Will and Grace fan talking, but I'm really rooting for this show to be good. To check out the clip, just

Photo courtesy of TNT

"Truth in Advertising" Series Comes to TNT

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:30:00 PDT

It's not "Mad Men" but it's pretty darn close.
According to Variety, TNT is in the process of creating a "pilot of ad-world drama" titled "Truth in Advertising." The story will focus on "a powerful agency in contemporary Chicago. [Eric] McCormack will play Mason McGuire, an exec who is better at the corporate side of the biz but is unexpectedly promoted to creative director. [Tom] Cavanagh is cast as Conner, described as McGuire's more emotional and creative counterpart."

Product placement will play a big role.
I was wondering about this project which sounds suspiciously like it might be simply trying to ride on the successful coattails of AMC's "Mad Men," until I read that there will be "commercials-within-the-show." These will fit within the story but also "offer opportunities for a new kind of product placement." Greeeeat.

Well, at least Eric McCormack is back at work on the small screen!
I love ~~Will Truman~~ Eric McCormack! I can't wait to see him on TV again. And it will be interesting to see if Tom Cavanaugh can be seriously serious on a regular basis in this drama.

Source

8 Myths About Sex Differences

The Good Men Project — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:00:49 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Today, Agustín Fuentes points out that when it comes to men and women, what "everyone knows" isn’t what science shows.

Everyone knows that men and women are really different. We think differently and act differently because we are wired differently. I mean look at our brains and genitals: they are just plain different. Right?

Wrong.

What if many of the things we assume about the biology of difference are not so different at all? What if it is not our “wiring” but the ways in which our bodies and minds develop and play out in society that makes us seem so unalike? Could it be that men and women are more similar than we think?

I Dumped the Love of My Life and Now She Doesn’t Trust Me

Yes, women give birth and lactate and men do not. And yes, men are, on average, slightly larger than women and usually have greater upper body strength. There are these basic biological differences between the sexes and they are important . . . but why always focus on the differences and not the biological, and behavioral, similarities? Ahh, that would be because of gender.

Gender is a powerful reality; it is the perception and expectation of differences between males and females and it shapes both our bodies and our society. Gender differences are real and important, but they are not hard wired or even static. There is no biological or evolutionary mandate that only women really care for babies and show emotions, or that males are the best at economics and politics and prefer beers and skirt-chasing to domestic bliss. These are patterns of gender roles and expectations that shape the ways we look at our biology and behavior. They influence the way we expect the world to be. It is the strength of the societal myths about sex that fool us into thinking that men and women are so different by nature.

So let’s bust some of those myths.

Gender and sex are the same thing.

Sex and gender are interconnected, but not the same thing. Sex is a biological state that is measured via what chromosomes you have (XX or XY, usually) and aspects of your body and physiology. Gender includes the roles, expectations and perceptions that a given society has for the sexes. Most societies have two genders on a masculinity-femininity continuum. Some have more. We are born with a biological sex, but acquire gender. There is a ton of individual diversity within societies and sexes in regards to how sex and gender play out in behavior and personality.

There is an extensive body of data demonstrating this, but people interested only in specific differences between men and women choose to ignore it.

Male and female genitals are totally different.

Most people think that male and female genitals are about as different as can be: penis=male and vagina=female. But even this basic dichotomy is not quite correct: the genitals emerge from the same mass of embryonic tissue. For the first six weeks of life the tissue masses develop identically. At about 6-7 weeks, depending on whether the fetus has XX or XY chromosomes (usually), the tissues to start to differentiate. One part of the tissues begins to form the clitoris or penis and another forms the labia or scrotum. Another area begins to form into either the testes or the ovaries. This means that physiologically, male and female genitals are made of the same stuff and work in similar ways.

Male and female brains are different.

If there were really deep seated differences between male and female human behavior and biology they should show up in the brain. The genitals start in the same place and end up looking different, the brain does not. Our brains are pretty much the same. Male brains are a bit bigger than females’ (like their bodies) and females’ brains stop growing earlier than males (as with their bodies). However, whatever one may believe about other organs, in the case of healthy brains, size really does NOT matter one iota. There also might be a few differences in a small part of the brain called the straight gyrus (need more testing in this one). Other than these minor aspects there are no consistent and replicated reliable differences in male and female brains; it is a human brain . . . but how we use it is another matter.

Hormones make the difference.

Everyone thinks that males and females have different hormones . . . testosterone for men and estrogen for women. Nope, all the actual hormones in males and females are the same: there are no male-only or female-only hormones. Both men and women can get a flood of testosterone when they get into a fight or take part in an exhilarating sports match. Both men and women can get a flood of oxytocin and prolactin when they pick up a newborn baby. There can be differences in the levels, patterns, and impacts of some of these hormones in male and female bodies, but individual variation is often more important than the variation between the sexes.

Keep reading for the rest.

Jane Krakowski Says Jenna Would Play Anastasia in Fifty Shades of Grey

Annie Scudder — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:10:25 PDT

30 Rock's season finale aired last week, and it's official that the next season will be its last. We caught up with Jane Krakowski, who plays Jenna Maroney, the narcissistic actress engaged to her male impersonator. In addition to her work on 30 Rock, Jane's using her comedic talent for Best Night Ever, an upcoming vignette series for NBC. She'll star alongside Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic. We had a chance to talk to Jane, and she reflected on what she's learned from 30 Rock and even took a guess at what Jenna would make of the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. Read on.

TrèsSugar: The S&M erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey is a bestseller and being made into a movie. Do you think Jenna would find it tame?
Jane Krakowski: I'm sure Jenna is buying the rights already to play the role. Everybody's reading that book. I haven't read it yet, but I see it in everyone's hands.

TS: Have you learned anything from your 30 Rock character over the years?
JK: I think my big lesson is to probably not do anything that Jenna does. So whatever she does, do the opposite. You might be better off. But that's the fun part about playing someone like her. You can be as outrageous as possible and get away with it within our structure that is TGS and 30 Rock, so there are so many things that the character has done over the seasons where I'm like, "Really? Are you sure we're going to be able to do this and get away with this?" And in that world and the blanket that is Tina Fey's genius it always seems to be alright. I will trust her wherever she sends me.

TS: Who is your favorite couple on the show?
JK: Well of course I'm thrilled Jenna has taken one step toward being humane by getting engaged. Although, Paul being a wonderful man it's (still) the most narcissistic wedding that could possibly happen, because she's marrying a male impersonator of her. I've always enjoyed Liz Lemon's relationships. I loved when Michael Sheen was on the show. I really adored him. I think her current relationship with the character of Criss is really a great one.

TS: In your latest role in NBC's TV vignettes series titled Best Night Ever, you play a tarot card reader. What would you hope the cards hold for Jenna?
JK: Wow. I sort of wish the tarot card reader would tell me that 30 Rock is not ending after 13 episodes next season. We found out that it's official that we're only going to be doing 13 more. It's been the greatest experience.

You can watch our interview with Jane below and also find out why she's excited about her new role in Best Night Ever.

"I'm Not Sure What I Want Anymore"

Tres Community — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:30:54 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I am having a hard time making some big decisions in my life right now. My boyfriend and I are currently long distance, but we were together for over two years before that. After he moved, we stayed together for a while and then broke up for a few months because of the distance and unclear future. We got back together at the end of last year and have been trying to make things work since then. We're both aware that we need to be in the same city to make things work, and I started making plans to accomplish that. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to leave. Or rather, I'm pretty sure I don't. I love where I live, I am lucky enough to have an amazing job with advancement potential, and if I do move, I'll be giving all of that up and starting over.

To add another layer, our relationship is not without its issues. When we were in the same place, there was a fair amount of drama, and in the time we were broken up, I was with someone else, and this has caused trust issues and hurt feelings. In spite of this, we love each other, and I want to marry him and start a family. I know that because of his ties to where he is living now, he will not move, so it's up to me to go there, and not vice versa. I told myself that the move was something I was willing to do so we could be together, but that I wouldn't do it without knowing he was really in it and wanted the same future I do.

Recently, though, I've been feeling like I don't want to move at all, and wondering why I should be the one to do it if we both want the relationship to work. I guess I'm just trying to figure out if I should end things and hope that we can remain friends, or if I should suck it up and move for a future I hope we'll have.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

"I Snooped and Found Something . . . Now What?"

Tres Community — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I'll try my best to make this short. I really appreciate any and all advice here, I am so stumped on what to do.

My boyfriend and I have been together for about three months now. I'm 24 he is 28. We met at work, and were not really friends before we started dating. So basically I have some trust issues because I don't really know much about his dating life before we got together, other than the fact that he was kind of a player.

We have an interesting relationship. Most of the time we are great, have a good time together. He told me he loved me first, probably about two months in. That was a big deal for him because he had only said it to one girl before, and they dated for five years.

A couple weeks ago we had a bad string of fights about all sorts of things, but the past couple weeks have been great with no problems.

I'm not really sure how much of this back story is relevant, but there it is anyway lol.

So back to my trust issues.... I snooped in his phone last night because I just had a bad feeling. I know it's totally wrong and an invasion of privacy, but I couldn't help it. Anyways, I found something. A text conversation between him and another girl from last Saturday late night / Sunday afternoon.

This conversation happened when he was away at a bachelor party all weekend on a boat with a bunch of guys. I was under the impression that he didn't have cell phone service out there, so seeing that he was talking to anyone was kind of a shock, because I didn't hear from him until Monday, only one little text on Saturday.

He initiated the convo, asking for her to send him a video. She responded that her boyfriend probably wouldn't like the type of video he was trying to get her to send. He then asked her for a picture of her boobs the next afternoon. Thankfully she didn't send one. The whole convo was only around 10 texts, and in it he also made a comment implying that he didn't have a girlfriend.

I don't want to be conceited, but I'm an attractive girl. This girl he was talking to is really not that pretty and also pretty white trash.

Also I'm not a prude, we have a great sex life and see each other all the time, so it's not like he's missing anything in that department. I had actually sent him a naked picture two days before this, so why would he go asking another girl for the same thing?

I'm so confused. I really don't know what to do in this situation, so please if anyone has been there, let me know how you handled it. I really want to trust him deep down, and don't think he's actually cheating on me, but this is definitely not ok behavior. What do I do?

Thanks for any help!

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.