BuzzSugar

What's Your Favorite JJ Abrams Series?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:43:07 PDT

Tonight's premiere of Fringe got me thinking about creator/executive producer JJ Abrams and his pretty stellar track record on television.

In the past decade, Abrams has created or co-created four shows (Felicity, Alias, Lost, and now Fringe) and executive-produced two others (Six Degrees and What About Brian). Many of those shows had ratings success and/or significant buzz, and all of them (well, except maybe Six Degrees) had vocal fan followings. While we wait to see how Fringe will stack up, which is your favorite of Abrams's series so far?

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Chelsea Clinton Kicks Off a More Public Life on TV

Annie Scudder — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:51:16 PST

Chelsea Clinton sat down with Brian Williams on his nightly Rock Center show to explain why she's leaving behind her "deliberately private life" for a journalism career. But before she got personal last night, Chelsea reported on former-educator Annette Dove, who has committed her life to helping impoverished children in Pine Bluff, Arkansas with hot food, tutoring, and someone to talk to.

After her inaugural "Making a Difference" report, Chelsea went on to discuss why she's putting herself out there for the first time. She said, "For most of my life, I did deliberately lead a private life and inadvertently led a public life." But after her grandmother, Dorothy Rodham, passed away in early November, she decided to change course. Chelsea explained that her grandmother had a core adage in life: that life is not about what happens to you, but about what you do with what happens to you. Chelsea said her grandmother had recently been "challenging me to do more with my life, to lead more of a purposefully public life. That being Chelsea Clinton had happened to me and that I had a responsibility to do something with that asset and opportunity."

See Chelsea's full segment below and tell us whether you're looking forward to more from her.

Announcing the 2012 Grammy Award Nominations

Rose Curiel — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:51:21 PST

For the second year in a row, the Recording Academy has given a hip-hop artist the most Grammy nominations. Last year, it was rapper Eminem with eight, and this year, Kanye West leads the nominees with seven chances at the golden gramophone, including a song of the year nod for "All of the Lights." West is also nominated twice in the rap album of the year category for his collaboration with Jay-Z on Watch the Throne and his own album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Brit crooner Adele wasn't far behind Kanye, picking up six nominations for her album 21, as well as a shot at song of the year with "Rolling in the Deep."

Bruno Mars also did well, racking up six nominations (that's down one from last year for those keeping track), while newcomers like Nicki Minaj and dubstep artist Skrillex are up for the best new artist category. See what other artists have a chance of walking away with a Grammy during the February 12 award show when you read more

How the American Airlines Bankruptcy Will Affect You

Emily Co — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:56:27 PST

There's always a feeling of confusion when a major retailer goes bust, but what we really want to know is what it means for us and how we'll be affected. American Airlines announced it was filing for bankruptcy this morning, which leaves loyal customers wondering what's going to happen to their miles and if it's going to be harder to book a flight with them. Here's a quick roundup of burning questions you might have:

Will American Airlines go out of business and stop flying?

When a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it doesn't mean it's going to close shop and disappear. It just means the airline gets time off from creditors to do some financial reorganization. Chapter 7 bankruptcy, on the other hand, would mean that business would close. American Airlines has not filed for that, and there seems to be no plans to do so. Airlines such as Delta, Continental, and United have all filed for bankruptcy and are now stronger for it after taking the time needed during the bankruptcy period to put their books in order.

Can I still use my miles?

Yes, the airline says that the frequent flier program will not be affected, and you'll be able to redeem and use your miles. In the past, airlines that have gone bust, such as Pan Am and Eastern, transferred miles to the airlines that purchased some of their assets.

What's going to happen to my flight?

You don't have to worry about the tickets you currently hold, according to Rick Seaney, the CEO of FareCompare, a company that helps customers find air travel deals online. “Tickets won’t be an issue because of the kind of bankruptcy they’re filing,” Rick tells Time. The airline has also said it will continue to honor tickets and reservations.

Read on to learn how you should manage your miles.

Emma Stone Gets a Little Help From Chanel For Her Latest Premiere

Katie Henry — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:48:13 PDT

Emma Stone stepped out in Brian Atwood stilettos and a beaded Chanel outfit for tonight's Beverly Hills premiere of The Help. Emma was joined on the red carpet by the entire cast of ladies, producer Nate Berkus, writer Kathryn Stockett, and director Tate Taylor. The film, based on Stockett's best-selling novel, takes place in the South and all of the stars couldn't stop raving about their wonderful time on and off the set tasting Mississippi's finest delicacies. Allison Janney and Viola Davis, who share most of their screen time with Emma's character, joked about bonding with Emma over pieces of pie and good old Southern cooking. Mom-to-be, Bryce Dallas Howard was also on hand for tonight's fete, and dished about developing a Southern accent for the role and what she's doing to prep for her second child.

It's been a busy month for the entire ensemble. Emma kicked things off last week in NYC, where she talked to David Letterman about her "boozeless" visit to the White House with costar Octavia Spencer. She then returned to LA over the weekend to present Taylor Swift with a neon surfboard at the Teen Choice Awards. Emma was drawn to the project as a fan of the novel, and said she's really proud to be part of a project with such a strong group of women, much like her mother and grandmother - stay tuned for more of what Emma, Viola, and the rest of the cast had to say in tomorrow's PopSugar Rush.

5 At-Home Fitness Tips From the American Idol Trainer, Marco Reed

Self — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:05:47 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

If you've seen the new svelte Jennifer Hudson (that's "J-Hud" to you) in Weight Watchers commercials, you know that the transformation from "hopeful" to "diva" can be a big change. And not just from a physical standpoint.

That's why - whether readying clients for class reunions, weddings, new jobs, new chapters, or performing nightly in front of millions of viewers - frequent American Idol trainer Marco Reed's GetBeyondFit program weighs stress management and stamina as heavily as body sculpting and nutrition.

Idol top-three finalist Haley Reinhart buddies up to trainer Marco Reed.

At this time of year, after American Idol has reached its stunning conclusion, and TV audiences are readying themselves to move onto other shows like The Bachelorette, Marco Reed's job is just beginning.

After the initial hoopla has died down, the show's producers recruit this go-to trainer to ready their new pop stars - like David Cook and Adam Lambert in the past - for album releases and solo tours. (Though Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart have not trained with Reed, they have been in touch.) An avid watcher of the show, Reed confesses, "I really enjoyed Casey Abrams and Haley. However, I would love to work with Lauren once the show ends. She has a sparkle about her, and I think she would benefit from my GetBeyondFit program."

But what makes that program so unique? And how can we get on board? To find out, keep on reading!

A Day in the Life of Zach Calkins, Quiznos Innovator

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:21:48 PDT

Zach Calkins is Senior Vice President of Culinary Innovation at sandwich chain Quiznos, where he tracks food trends and develops new products for the sandwich market. Here's what he did on Monday, July 18.

6:30 a.m.: I got up, made a latte, and let Hazy, my labrador, out. I started thinking about the day, what I had to get done. I fed Hazy, and was out the door by 7:30, heading downtown to the corporate office on my bike.

7:45 a.m.: It was a big product showing day in the office: I had to present to the team what we're going to be doing for September and October, based on consumer research and studies we'd conducted online.

If we're going to bring in a new product, our vendors need eight weeks to get everything made and into our 2,600 stores. Yesterday was the drop dead date. I finalized my recipes and the prep list for my team to get ready.

Keep reading to learn about the new menu items Zach's been creating for Quiznos.

5 Design Pet Peeves From Brian Patrick Flynn

Julia Walsh — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:35:00 PST

I'm not going to lie . . . I can be a picky girl when it comes to decorating. I have very specific ideas about what looks good, and what falls outside of that category, I tend to qualify as "poor taste." But generally, rather than focusing on those things, I support and showcase the design that I do love and do find in good taste.

Sometimes, though, I wish I had the - excuse my French - balls to tell it how it is. One person I can totally rely on for this is decorator extraordinaire Brian Patrick Flynn, aka Décor Demon. BPF recently bared his soul about his biggest decorating pet peeves in a chat with Blayne Beacham of This Photographer's Life, and I can't help but exclaim "Hallelujah" in response to his openness.

Here's what really ruffles Brian's feathers:

Sticks in a vase shoved in a corner.
Themes in kids' rooms.
"Art" bought at big-box retail stores.
Swag window treatments.
Leather rolled-arm club chairs in manspaces.

Brian does admit to supporting one look that may be on its way out: "Now, as much as I wanna be over the empty-frames-grouped-and-hung-on-a-wall-thing, I kinda still like it. In fact, I did it above my media room sofa using spraypaint in violet, plum, and bronze tones." Me, on the other hand, I'm more of a minimalist than BPF. I'd rather have an empty wall and wait until I can afford or find artwork that I love than hang empty frames in a cute arrangement, which to me only draws attention to what's missing. There, I said it!

Head over to This Photographer's Life to hear more of Brian's opinions on everything from ceiling fans to the color beige to wall decals!

Courteney Cox Shares About Her Split From David in Harper's Bazaar

Allie Merriam — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:16:24 PDT

Courteney Cox is front and center on the April issue of Harper's Bazaar, which will be available on newsstands on the 29th. The Cougar Town star posed for photographer Terry Richardson in the accompanying spread, and opened up all about her personal life for the article written by Anamaria Wilson. Courteney, who was recently off in Hawaii working on her show in a variety of bikinis, spoke a great deal about her separation from husband David Arquette. She touched on how shocked she was about his revealing interview with Howard Stern, what she's looking for now, and addressed the rumors she's seeing her costar Brian Van Holt. Courteney said:

On David talking too much about their relationship: "You can’t really get mad at David because he’s not a malicious person. He was dealing with things the best way he could. And don’t get me wrong, he was on a show for entertainment. David is smart, and David is also a showman. He knew what he was doing. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I don’t think he’ll be doing more Howard Stern any time soon. He’s not out to harm. But I’m his biggest protector. I can’t help it."
On what she wants that she didn't have when married: "I think it’s more about needing just a kind of peace and stillness. I’m kind of all over the place, and I need grounding. I want to be calm. I want to change a lot. I want to live not outside but inside. It’s nothing with David; it’s just what I’m searching for."
On rumors she's now dating her Cougar Town costar Brian: "He's a really good friend of mine, so I don't care. It just doesn't matter. He's a great guy, and he's definitely been a part of my support system."

Emily Henderson Answers Our Questions on Secrets From a Stylist, Decorating With Animals, Fave Colors, and More!

Elka Karl — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:05:00 PST

It's no secret that here at CasaSugar we're big fans of Secrets From a Stylist's Emily Henderson. With impressive redecorating skills (check out how she redecorated Ian Brennen's house in the premiere episode), a savvy eye for flea market finds, and charm to spare, I have no doubt that her new show Secrets From a Stylist will be a huge hit. You can watch the first episode online here, and then tune into HGTV Saturday night at 9 p.m. for the next episode.

Even though Emily was crazy busy shooting the first two seasons of her show, she still took the time to sit down and answer some of my questions about her decorating style, tips for CasaSugar readers, and her new show.

CasaSugar: What’s one of your favorite projects you’ve worked on so far in the series?

Emily Henderson: It’s honestly super hard to choose from. There are some that I have more sentimental attachment to because I got close to them, so they stand out a lot more than others. One of them that I just finished was a guesthouse that I had actually rented from my friends when we first moved to LA, and seeing it transformed and giving them a new back house for their new family was pretty special. She was nine months pregnant when we shot the episode and ended up having her baby the last day we were supposed to shoot, so we ended up coming back for the final reveal a couple weeks later, and I got to meet the baby on camera. Totally surreal, but really special.

CS: What colors are inspiring you right now?

EH: Clearly I'm a huge fan of blue - indigo, navy, jade and French. All of them really, as well as ochre and aubergine. Or maybe I just like saying "aubergine." But I've realized more and more that while I LOVE those pages in magazines that are all white rooms with white furniture - they look so clean and fresh and sophisticated. For me, I actually want to hang out in a room that has a lot of color and pattern. The color palette that is driving me nuts in a good way is peacock blue and ochre, with a lot of brass accents. The combination of warm and cool tones is engaging and unexpectedly inviting.

CS: We recently ran a poll to see what animals people were interested in decorating with this year. Any animal accents calling to you? What animal artwork or decor draws you in?

EH: You know what's funny is that I actually have had to back off the animal sculptures. I love them and always have, but I started noticing that they were in every episode - all different of course. Porcelain swans (episode one), huge silver gazelles (episode two), brass deer (episode three), you get the idea. They are sculptural, come in many different finishes, and are so much more fun to style with than pottery, although I do have a pottery addiction as well. But as much as I love cats, I haven't gotten on the cat sculpture bandwagon yet, perhaps in 2012. Or maybe never. Cats and clowns I tend to shy away from, while horses I can't get enough of.

Keep reading for tips on redecorating on a tiny budget and her favorite new piece of furniture!