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News Roundup, 9/4

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:30:00 -0700

U2 will join Megan Fox on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. - Rolling Stone
Bella Thorne will have a recurring role on the next season of Big Love. - The Hollywood Reporter
Tron: Legacy will be released on Dec. 17, 2010. - Coming Soon
Tyler Perry will write, direct, and produce an adaptation of the 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. - Variety
Up in the Air, Bright Star, and Life During Wartime are among the films that will be screened at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend. - Variety
Michael Jackson was laid to rest in a private ceremony last night. - The Hollywood Reporter
Susan Boyle is already topping charts thanks to preorders for her upcoming album. - People
Big Brother brought in big ratings for CBS last night. - Zap2it

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:30:59 -0800

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: Not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download. In addition to my picks below, you can also download the Watchmen soundtrack and Neko Case's album Middle Cyclone (check out my thoughts on all her new tracks here). Here are today's selections:

Bono's back: When I first saw the cover for the new U2 album, No Line on the Horizon, I hoped it wasn't an indication of the music. Because? Snooze. Now that it's out, we have our answer. It's not boring at all, but it's also not altogether unexpected. One reviewer summed up the album as a "well-crafted, classically-sturdy rock album with a modicum of invention and a good deal of familiar-sounding material that will appeal to the faithful." Standout tracks include "Magnificent" and "Unknown Caller."

A little jazzy, alt-country something-something: Fun fact time! Jesse Harris, a fellow with a new album out today, has worked with many a talented individual - including Bright Eyes - and even won a Grammy for writing the sweet Norah Jones hit "Don't Know Why." His music may be a little too mellow yellow for some, but I've enjoyed his work before and am eager to give his new tracks a spin. I'm digging the easy melody of "Watching the Sky,", and I think "The Fool" is really pretty.

More music to talk about, so read more.

You Had Me At "Oh": This new album from Seattle indie band Say Hi, aka Eric Ellbogen, might be one of the most interesting albums to hit my ears so far this year. If your iPod track rotation is feeling a bit stale, I urge you to work the following tunes into the fold: "Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh," "November Was White, December Was Grey," and "Elouise." Me? I've downloaded the entire thing.

Buzz News Roundup, 2/13

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:30:16 -0800

Jennifer Hudson and The Secret Life of Bees were big winners at the NAACP Image Awards. - Reuters
Columbia Pictures is bringing a time-traveling Jane Austen drama to the big screen, based on the British miniseries Lost in Austen. - ComingSoon
Director Christopher Nolan's next project has nothing to do with Batman: He'll direct an original screenplay he wrote called Inception, a sci-fi action film, for Warner Bros. - The Hollywood Reporter
John Malkovich will square off against Josh Brolin in Jonah Hex, the Warner Bros. adaptation of the DC Comics property. - Variety
Armie Hammer has been cast as Serena's new boyfriend on Gossip Girl. - E! Online
After playing Ozymandias in the upcoming Watchmen, Matthew Goode will join Amy Adams for the romantic comedy Leap Year. - Zap2It
Anne Hathaway will topline Twelfth Night in Central Park this Summer in the role of Viola. - AP
U2 will play five nights straight on Late Show With David Letterman in March. - The Hollywood Reporter
Peter Gabriel has withdrawn from performing at the Academy Awards, refusing to perform a shortened version of his nominated song from Wall-E, "Down to Earth." - Variety

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 12/22

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:00:31 -0800

U2's new album will be available five different ways - and that's not counting digital versions! - Billboard
Jennifer Lopez, Seth Rogen, and Amy Poehler are among the first presenters announced for the Golden Globes. - Zap2it
Hossein Amini will write the next Jack Ryan movie. - The Hollywood Reporter
Maria Bello will star in a new series for HBO about a woman whose husband's death drives her to a life of crime. - TV Guide
MTV has 16 new reality shows premiering between now and the Spring. - Variety
Warner Music has pulled all of its artists' music videos off YouTube. - Reuters
Ugly Betty has cast a new love interest for Betty. - Entertainment Weekly

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 2/20

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:30:51 -0800

Russian novelist Mikhail Bulgakov's book The Master and the Margarita will be adapted for the big screen, writes Hollywood Reporter.
ABC has announced return dates for its shows, including Grey's Anatomy; details are at The Futon Critic, or you can just check out my guide to post-strike TV.
Director David Yates will reportedly return to the director's chair for the seventh and last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, writes ComingSoon.
Variety reports that Kelsey Grammer will once again play Ebenezer Scrooge in the indie satire An American Carol.
U2 is back in the studio in Ireland to record their next album, Billboard reports.

According to ComingSoon, Harry Potter, 300 and Sweeney Todd lead the nominations for this year's Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films' Saturn Awards.
Monk has been renewed for a seventh season on USA, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
Variety has news that Tyler Perry's signature character Madea will get her own animated TV series for kids.
How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory will swap time slots starting in March, writes Zap2it.

Source

VH1 Counts Down the 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:30:15 -0800

Starting Monday, VH1 will be paying tribute to the eclectic music of the '90s with 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s, a countdown of hits from Nirvana to Hanson and everywhere in between. A while back, the network asked viewers to vote on their favorites from a pre-selected list of 100 songs, and this week-long special will reveal how those votes shook out.

Clocking in at No. 1: Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." U2s "One" is next, then the Backstreet Boys with "I Want It That Way" at No. 3. Whitney Houston, Madonna, Britney Spears, Sir Mix-a-Lot, TLC, REM, and Sinead O'Connor all make appearances in the top 10, making for a list that sounds a lot like the soundtrack to my junior high dances.

Looking over the list again, I am impressed that it's so comprehensive, with entries from The Cranberries, Spin Doctors, Beck, Weezer, Counting Crows, and pretty much every other artist whose music I ever tried to tape off the radio during Rick Dees' weekly top 40. But I still can't believe there's no "The Sign." How can you have a Best of the '90s list without Ace of Base? A few of the other biggies that didn't make the list - "Gangsta's Paradise," "Just a Girl," "No Rain," "Whoomp! There It Is" - at least get a mention in this set of 50 songs that barely missed the cut.

Check out the full ranking of the 100 songs and let me know: What's right - and what's just horribly wrong? You can also see the top 25 when you read more.

1. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
2. U2 "One"
3. Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way"
4. Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You"
5. Madonna "Vogue"
6. Sir Mix-A-Lot "Baby Got Back"
7. Britney Spears "... Baby One More Time"
8. TLC "Waterfalls"
9. R.E.M. "Losing My Religion"
10. Sinead O'Connor "Nothing Compares 2 U"
11. Pearl Jam "Jeremy"
12. Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know"
13. Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang"
14. Mariah Carey "Vision of Love"
15. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge"
16. MC Hammer "U Can't Touch This"
17. Destiny's Child "Say My Name"
18. Metallica "Enter Sandman"
19. Beastie Boys "Sabotage"
20. Hanson "MMMBop"
21. Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On"
22. Beck "Loser"
23. Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue "Whatta Man"
24. House of Pain "Jump Around"
25. Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun"

What's Buzzworthy: First Albums

BuzzSugar — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Bookmarking all your old first albums for this week's Buzzworthy challenge seemed like it was a fun way to think back on those first few albums you chose as a hip kid (well, you probably thought you were super hip at the time!). It was often hilarious to peruse the titles you bookmarked, especially since I'd forgotten all about some of these musicians! Others (like The Backstreet Boys) continue to haunt us to this day with their "comebacks." Yeesh. Here are some of the albums that stood out to me, and after the jump you can check out a widget with all the albums that were bookmarked.

Debbie Gibson, Out of the Blue
firedancyr7's paragraph accompanying this Buzzworthy selection is hilariously familiar: "Imagine me as an 8 year old kid with a side pony-tail and HUGE earings that no 8 year old should be wearing with ripped calf length black tights under a hot pink ruffled skirt, two pairs of socks so the crazy colors on both could show AND my purple jellies that made me feel like I was wearing princess shoes. I would dance around the room singing 'Only In My Dreams' as if I had written the song itself. Don't you kind of miss that wholesome childhood pop?"

INXS, Kick
auroraforever clearly loved this album when she was younger. As she says, "I literally wore this tape out I played it so many times."

More great first albums if you read more

Grease
I'm pretty sure preteen girls still screech along to "Summer Nights" at junior high dances today. Sweet Tea says this about her bookmark: "The first album that I made my parents buy me...I wore out their first LP - I still know all of these songs by heart."

Counting Crows, August and Everything After
darkbeauty chose this album, saying, "I loved this album then and I still love it now."

U2, War
A woman of my own heart, Advah selected this title and writes, "I've been a massive U2 fan for over 14 years now, and I remember being incredibly proud when I managed to gather enough money to go and buy my very first album, which was War, to listen to on my very first stereo (which was actually my big brother's old stereo). I seriously love this album, it still sounds amazing, and I still get nostalgy goosebumps every time I listen to it!"

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FlashForward Breakdown, "Playing Cards With Coyote"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:30:30 -0800

After Al's tragic suicide on last week's episode of FlashForward, this week shows how the idea of "changing the game" has affected all the characters. Mark and Olivia start to find new hope for their relationship, Lloyd teaches Simon a lesson, and Aaron learns more about where his daughter has been for the past two years.

Ready to get into all the details? Just read more.

"The future can be changed": Al's death makes headline news when Celia gets her letter in the mail, instilling hope in Mark and Demetri - for a bit. Mark whisks Olivia off on a romantic getaway and things seem to be much happier between the two. But once they're back to regular life, they both get a reality check: Mark gifts her the lingerie she's wearing in her flash forward, and Aaron's reunion with Tracy makes Mark go back to believing that the visions may be set in stone.

The stars are aligned: Mark thinks he has a big lead when some footage shows up of a man he recognizes from his vision - a woman named Ingrid reports a crime and her phone images reveal a man with a tattoo of three stars on his arm. Thinking it's the same pern who breaks into his office in the future, Mark immediately dedicates himself to finding the guy. Using Ingrid as bait, Mark manages to take kill him, and rushes home to Olivia to tell her that they're going to have a second chance because he changed the game. But then - surprise! There's a whole crew of dudes with that tattoo. Um, seriously Mark? This never occurred to you? It's not like the guy has an unmistakable tattoo of Edward Cullen on his arm.

That was a crazy game of poker: Feeling guilty about that whole deadly experiment thing, Lloyd sends out an email to a few colleagues saying "We have to take responsibility." Of course, Simon isn't pleased about Lloyd's plans to go public and wants to settle their argument over a game of Texas hold 'em. There's plenty of trash talking from Simon, who thinks that he and Lloyd are gods for the impact they've had on the planet. He tosses around ideas of fate (was anyone else thinking about Lost's Charlie and his fate finger tape?) and just when Simon thinks he's sitting pretty, Lloyd turns the tables with a sleight of hand. (Some U2 lyrics come to mind here). Somehow I still don't think Simon is going to make it easy for Lloyd to publicize what they've done.

Reunited and it feels so good? Tracy is back at home with Aaron, but she's not exactly the same girl that went off to war. She's lost her leg in combat and suffering from PTSD, which she's reluctant to discuss with her dad at first. Feeling confident from his flash forward, Aaron encourages Tracy to open up about what happened overseas. She finally reveals that her near-death experience was an ambush from Jericho, a group of military contractors that she ratted out after seeing something she shouldn't. Tracy is paranoid after living a life on the run for two years (and is not at all pleased when Aaron talks to Mark about her situation). Though keeping track of all the different characters and their separate story lines is getting confusing, I'm liking this new development in Aaron's story.

Other plot points:

Janice tries to quit but Stan won't let her. As she continues to contemplate Al's death and her vision, she starts looking into sperm donation - does this mean those are tears of joy in her flash forward?

Ingrid says that she remembers one of the shooters saying "QED," which is also brought up during Simon and Lloyd's poker game.

Ingrid and her bird collection can be added to the list that already includes the crows and the bird crashing into Fiona's window.

So, is that Simon strangling Nicole in her vision? Creepy. I'm wondering if she finds out his secret and tries to intervene.

How'd you feel about this week's episode? Any new theories on what's going to happen over the next few months? Let's get the conversation going!

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:38:24 -0800

T.G.I. Tuesday! I've already sorted through the big DVD releases of the day, but now I have new songs to revive your iPod, Just take a look at these three albums. (And if you want to see your own music reviews featured on Buzz, submit them in the Music Review Group in the community!)

Music mash-up: Seems like everyone is releasing a holiday album lately - remember Bob Dylan's? Now, Tori Amos is trying her hand at the genre with Midwinter Graces. It's a big risk for Amos, who puts her own spin on classic carols. Traditionalists might cry foul when she mashes up "What Child Is This" and "The First Nowell" for "What Child, Nowell" or re-purposes "Silent Night" into a love song, but at least Amos is thinking outside of the box. The quieter songs work best, thanks to Amos's ethereal voice. I recommend "Emmanuel" or "Winter's Carol."

All over the place: Wale references Kanye West in the first track on his big studio debut Attention: Deficit, and the mention is fitting. Wale seems like a Kanye in the making, mixing in sparkly, bragadocious tracks with songs that raise controversial social issues (like "Shades," which tackles racism). He also brings in a long list of collaborators, including Lady Gaga (on the already-released "Chillin'") and Mark Ronson. As a result, the album jumps around like, as the title hints, a kid with ADD. You may recognize Wale from this year's VMAs, and he's undoubtedly one to watch. For now, download "Pretty Girls" and "Diary," which samples from one of my favorite films, Amelie.

See one more release when you read more.

A classic formula: Bon Jovi fans really love Bon Jovi, and on the band's newest release, The Circle, the rockers aren't afraid to deliver exactly what their followers want - even if it feels recycled. "Working For the Man" should appeal to those who enjoy pumping their fists along to songs like "Living on a Prayer," and "When We Were Beautiful" almost feels like a U2 copycat. The guys cover the regular themes there - love, leadership, the highway of life, etc. - so there are no big surprises. Still, as far as guilty pleasure Bon Jovi goes, it doesn't disappoint.

Link Time: Watch Kris Allen's Video For "Live Like We're Dying"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:39 -0800

Kris Allen's music video for "Live Like We're Dying" is here - Music Mix

Jemaine Clement says that he and Bret may not return for Flight of the Conchords because they're dads now - Vulture

New Moon's Jamie Campbell Bower thinks Tim Burton should direct Breaking Dawn - MTV Movies Blog

Watch Jay-Z and U2 perform "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" in Berlin - Pitchfork

Five Mad Men spinoffs that would be great ideas - TV.com

Jim Carrey's new website may freak you out - MTV Movies Blog

JJ Abrams is directing and exec-producing the pilot for his show Undercovers for NBC - Coming Soon

Top Chef Masters is cooking for the cast of Modern Family today! - Steve Levitan's Twitter

This week's Parks and Recreation brings up an interesting relationship issue - TresSugar

Stephen Frears reunites with his High Fidelity screenwriter D.V. De Vincentis for Lay the Favorite - Cinematical