BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 5/16

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:30:28 -0700

Did you ever read R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books? Now there's going to be a movie version of the series, Variety reports.
Billboard has the rundown of this year's BET Awards nominees; T. Pain leads the pack with five nominations.
Hooray! The hilarious Rob Corddry has finally landed a starring role, in the action-comedy Project A, which will be produced by Ben Stiller, ComingSoon writes.
According to Variety, we'll see an English-language remake of the Chilean movie Pretendiendo in which "a beautiful woman . . . dons a fat suit to shield herself from any more romantic upsets."
American Idol's Taylor Hicks is headed to Broadway as the Teen Angel in a production of Grease, Billboard reports.
Zap2It writes that George Clooney will star in an adaptation of the non-fiction book Men Who Stare at Goats.
The Wall Street Journal claims that if ratings don't improve for the CW, the network may be doomed.
ComingSoon reports that Danny Glover will reprise his stage role in a big screen adaptation of Master Harold... and the Boys.
Check out the colorful pictures of the grand opening of the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios in the Orlando Sentinel.

Buzz Interview With the Cast of Precious, Part 2: Lee Daniels

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:30:17 -0700

Last week I shared with you my interview with Precious actress Paula Patton, but now it's time to hear from the director himself, Lee Daniels. I asked the Sundance-award winner - the film took home the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize - how it feels to hear Oscar buzz, and what it's like when Oprah is on your speed dial. Plus, he opened up to me about how the movie helped him overcome from his own dark past. Ready for his incredibly candid responses?

On all the hype surrounding Mo'Nique's performance: I'm not the least bit surprised. It's magic onset. People are talking about this buzz, but she and I laugh it off, because we got a movie made, and there were no arrests! Seriously, the cops came, but they didn't shut us down. They said, 'OK, we'll give you five minutes.' There were no arrests, and no one got in any trouble, so for us, the win was finishing the film.

To hear more from Daniels, read more.

On how he felt when Oprah and Tyler Perry jumped on as producers: Tyler calls and says, "Hey, it's Tyler." Huh?! Oprah calls, "Heeeey." It's crazy! It gave me hope that people would see the film.
On the Oscar buzz: Why do people say that? What happens if you don't?! Then your feelings are so hurt. You teeter on wanting so desperately for it, but dare not dreaming for it, because your feelings are so crushed if it doesn't happen.

On why he wanted to make Precious: To heal. Some horrific things have happened to me [in my past], not only at home, but outside of my home life, [like] being openly gay. Being gay is nothing like it was when i was a kid - back in my day, you were literally stoned, a dislocated arm, teeth knocked out. So I try to see the light often. It's hard, because we all have hard lives, and some of us have it harder. What I like to find is people who have had lives just a little harder than mine [like Precious] so I can feel that mine wasn't as bad as it was.
On what he learned from making the film: I look at [the film] as a process. This was not a beautiful journey, because I learned so much about myself. I had been holding on to so much anger from the past, and it was making me an ugly person. It was making me judge people like Precious, because of who I was. How sad was that to find out at 50, that I would've lived such a better life if I had just let go of the hostility. [But once I let go] it felt beeautiful! Liberating!

I was so moved to hear Daniels talk about his own healing through the film - hopefully, it will have the same effect on others when it arrives in theaters next week.

Before the release, I'll be running my interview with Gabourey Sidibe, the newcomer that's making headlines for her Precious performance. Be sure to check back for that later - you're going to love her.

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate and Source

Gerard Butler - Love Him or Leave Him?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Gerard Butler has had a rough couple of weeks - critics panned his film Law Abiding Citizen and his appearance on Saturday Night Live didn't win rave reviews either. On top of everything else, there are rumors about him and Jessica Simpson getting cozy floating around. There is some light at the end of the tunnel though: he just announced in an interview that he'd be joining Shakespeare's Coriolanus with Ralph Fiennes for his next film.

It's nice to see Butler take on a project with some serious acting teeth. While he's always easy on the eyes in romantic comedies like P.S. I Love You or The Ugly Truth, I've never really liked the films themselves. (The possible exception being The Phantom of the Opera, since you know I love movie musicals!)

Maybe you disagree with me though? Law Abiding Citizen did take No. 2 at the box office, and I know that several of you liked the movie despite my review. So what do you think of Gerard Butler - love him or leave him?

Buzz Interview With the Cast of Precious, Part 1: Paula Patton

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:30:27 -0700

The buzz about Precious has been building ever since it swept awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival. (I even put it on my list of Fall movie picks.) Now with its release around the corner and Oscar whispers beginning, I sat down with some of the stars and the director himself. The film is based on the novel, Push, which follows a pregnant sixteen-year old living with her abusive mother. Despite the film's dark subject matter, every cast member I spoke to brought up the story's healing and feel-good power.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be bringing you their interviews. First up: Paula Patton, who plays Precious's teacher and mentor, Ms. Rain.

On the film's unexpected success: "We thought it’d maybe be on Netflix or in my mother’s living room! And then Lee called me in the beginning of the year and said, 'We’re going to Sundance.' That was it for me. That was an award to be able to go and be part of the selection, and then it just steam-rolled.”

For more of what Patton had to say, read more.

On her response to those who think the film is going to be depressing: "I understand saying, 'I want to see it, but I don’t want to see it right now, because I don’t want to go there.' It’s not like that. I say it’s like buying a ticket to a roller coaster ride. You laugh, you cry, you scream, and at the end of the ride, you’re left shaken, but with your heart more open. What’s beautiful about this film is that it breeds love."
On what she learned from Precious: “I think we’ve all judged a Precious. What this movie tells you is, don’t judge, because you don’t know their story. I think when we made this film we all had to admit our own racist feelings, our own prejudices, and deal with them head on.”

On newcomer Gabourey Sidibe: “So many actors will have worked their whole life and never achieve what [Gabby] achieves in this film. It’s remarkable. She’s not Precious. She’s like, ‘Paula, oh my god, did you see The Hills?' She’s such a girly-girl and loves to be happy. It's a difficult thing when you have a character that’s talked about the way she’s talked about - you're fat, you're ugly, you're stupid - that it took someone as smart and as confident as Gabby to play her and not be affected by it.”
On the inspiration for her character: "[My mother] was a public school teacher for 35 years, and she was one of these teachers that went above and beyond the call of duty. She would bring students back to the house, help them pay for books, and be supportive. When I decided to do this role, I was like, this is for my mother and for all the teachers out there who are like her.”
On what's next for her: “I just finished a comedy with Queen Latifah. I went from [a character] who has dedicated her life to helping others to someone who is the most selfish human being on the planet. I call her a gold-digger with a heart of gold. It was so much fun to explore a different character and flex those comedic chops!”

Are you looking forward to Precious? I'm dying to see it and Patton's film with Queen Latifah now!

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate and Source

Buzz In: What Did You Think of the Ugly Betty Season Premiere?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:30:00 -0700

The fourth season of Ugly Betty kicked off this week, with a two-hour premiere on Friday night. ABC hasn't exactly been heavily marketing the show, and many - including me - are worried that the new time slot could be a death sentence. I was happy to have Betty back in my living room, and I'm already loving the new work dynamic between her and Matt. Plus, I was excited to see more of Justin, and while I think it's high time for Betty's braces to come off, I'm glad they didn't dive right into the makeover we all know is coming.

So what are your thoughts on the premiere? Did you come back to Betty on Friday nights, or are you throwing in the towel?