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Why I Love . . . Zach Galifianakis

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:30:14 -0700

I really liked The Hangover, and the main reason for this is Zach Galifianakis, who consistently steals the show with his deadpan performance as Alan, a bizarre and sometimes slightly disturbing young man who joins his soon-to-be brother-in-law and two other guys in Las Vegas for a bachelor party weekend. What I know of Galifianakis is mostly based on his performance in The Hangover and his online videos (I especially like his music videos and his interview series Between Two Ferns). I've never seen him live, though I hear he's even more hilarious to watch in person.

In a recent interview, Hangover director Todd Phillips summed up for me precisely what makes Galifianakis's kind of comedy so effective - and so endearing:

And I think with Zach, I don't think anyone has it expect maybe Will Ferrell doing comedies right now, is the sweetest, most innocent eyes and face, so he can get away with so much. So much of the comedians we all love, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, there's a darkness to them, which is what we love about them, but you look at Will's eyes and there is no darkness in Will, and there is no darkness in Zach. It's just sweetness, so they get to get away with sh*t that no one else can get away with.

It's also just refreshing to see a new face amidst the same old comedic group we've been watching for years, and apparently Phillips had this in mind when he cast Zach: "I really wanted this movie to feel as real as possible and I really feel like we've been seeing the same ten faces in a lot of movies, not just comedies but movies, and I just thought let's shake it up."

Well, he shook it up! And once The Hangover comes out, I'm sure Galifianakis will score legions of new fans which will, awesomely, lead to that sweet and "innocent" face appearing in more hilarious projects. I can't wait.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Why I Love . . . Adam Scott

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:30:00 -0700

It's not that surprising anymore to wake up to the news that actor Adam Scott has another job. For years, he was one of my favorite "that guy"s in Hollywood, playing a brief love interest of David Fisher's on Six Feet Under (remember "happy holidays from the Fisher-Coopers"?) and popping up in small roles everywhere from Veronica Mars to Knocked Up to Art School Confidential.

But with today's news that Scott's been cast in HBO's The Wonderful Maladys as Sarah Michelle Gellar's character's ex, I figured it was time to take a broader look at why I'm loving Scott so much these days. It's not just that he keeps showing up in TV shows and movies I like - though that's true, too, starting with HBO's Tell Me You Love Me last year and continuing with Party Down this year.

It's that he might be my favorite Hollywood jerk.

I mean, not him, per se. I'm sure he's a very nice guy. But he's somehow able to play horrible people in a way that makes me squeal with delight even when I know I shouldn't be rooting for his character. I'm not sure there's anyone in Hollywood right now who does self-centered, righteous confidence better than Scott; it's something in his dry line delivery, and it makes me laugh (or, in the case of Tell Me You Love Me, squirm uncomfortably) every time.

In this recent interview, Scott talks about playing the ultimate jerk: Derek in Step Brothers. He mentions that Adam McKay and Will Ferrell created a character who was awful from the start, then encouraged him to be more and more horrible, the worst person he could imagine. Maybe it's scary that he's so successful at it, but it sure is fun to watch.

So, while there's no confirmation that Scott's character in Maladys is a jerk, my fingers are crossed. It just seems like that would be best for all of us.

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Why I Love. . . Privileged

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:36:34 -0700

The CW's funny little new Fall show Privileged is back tonight with a new episode (that guest stars Lauren Conrad as herself). But will anyone be watching?

So far, at least, the answer seems to be no: The show's dropped viewers nearly every week since its premiere, with just 1.9 million people tuning into last week's episode. And that's a shame, because this underappreciated gem just might be my favorite new show of the entire Fall TV season. What do I love so much about the show, you ask? Well. . .

I love. . . the writing, first and foremost. Some lines on this show make me laugh out loud, the characters are funny and interesting, and the plotlines are entertaining without going overboard into crazyland. (They can say things like "Judgey Judgerson" without making me roll my eyes.)

I love. . . our fearless protagonist, Megan. She's smart, funny, warm and optimistic. She's like that Type-A girl who annoyed me in high school because she was always so good at everything, except Megan is endearing because she's also honest and human. For all her perfectionism, she's still a twenty-something girl who took a not-so-ideal job (as a live-in tutor to some super rich girls) as a means to an end - not unlike a lot of twenty-something girls. And despite the job being not-so-ideal, she makes the best of it with a great attitude. She's a peppy person who can also be direct about her feelings, proving that girls can be sweet without being weak or doormat-y.

Why else do I love this show? Please, read more.

I love. . . that the set-up is pretty straightforward but still allows for interesting issues to arise. The two teenage girls are uber-wealthy, one of them is sweet and childlike (Rose), while the other is fiercely loyal but sometimes mean as a snake (Sage). In contrast, their tutor is not from a wealthy family and is constantly learning how to adapt to this way of life. Unlike some other CW shows, this one uses the differences in lifestyles to create actual conflict and make points about the characters.

I love. . . that it's super-duper girl-powerific. One of Megan's main reasons for sticking with this job is because she sees a mentor in the girls' grandmother, Laurel (played by Anne Archer). She's eager to learn from this powerful and independent lady, but she's not so intimidated that she can't have a frank discussion with her. I'm fascinated by this relationship - how Laurel will help Megan, how Megan will impress Laurel and impact her life. The show also takes the time to insert little lessons on being a strong, modern woman. Megan explains what's frustrating about dismissing a strong businesswoman as a "ball-buster," and tells Rose why she shouldn't watch porn as a how-to guide for sexual techniques. It's got a message but without being all message-y.

I love. . . the friggin' hot guys. What girl would not want to have this trio of men to flirt with?! Add to these guys the family's gay chef Marco, Megan's no-nonsense confidant who, like Megan, has aspirations beyond working at the Baker estate. He's fast becoming one of my favorite characters on the show.

I know it's only been a few episodes but I'm already so attached to Megan and Co. It breaks my lil' heart to think about this show being canceled. Do you know what I'm talking about here? Have you watched Privileged?

Photos courtesy of The CW

Why I Love. . . Sarah Haskins

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:30:11 -0700

I love Sarah Haskins. I mean, I really love Sarah Haskins. She is my hero of the hour. Why? Because she skewers the ridiculous advertisements, movies, and TV shows that are aimed at women but too often seem like they’re aimed at imbeciles. And she does it all in the most hilarious, sarcastic way imaginable.

Current TV is home to Haskins's video series, Target: Women, in which Haskins takes a few minutes to dissect some of the media’s most baffling, off-base, or downright insulting female-focused content. Her points are totally on-, well, target, and they’re presented with plenty of irony and cynicism. Having seen one too many Yaz commercials that make my skin crawl, for example, it’s refreshing to finally hear a voice pipe up to call out the absurdity of stuff that's pandering to women. The format is not unlike that of The Soup, but a little more upbeat and with a more specific focus.

After the jump you can see some of my favorite videos, like the one about yogurt ("It’s the official food of women!") and the one about wedding shows (in which a thin woman is called a “chubster” in her wedding dress, among other things). Seriously, why doesn’t this woman have her own segment on The Daily Show already? Maybe we should start a petition . . .

Anyway, to check out Target: Women, read more.

Why I Love . . . Gary Oldman

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:45:22 -0700

The Dark Knight hype machine continues to be gigantic. But as big as it is, it can't promote all the greatness: Between the rave critical reviews the movie's getting, the box office success, and Heath Ledger's performance that established his Joker as one of the classic cinema villains of all time, a lot of other pieces that made the movie so great have been lost in the shuffle.

Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent, for one thing, was really brilliant and overlooked - and I keep forgetting that Gary Oldman is in the movie! That's a shame, since I love and respect him as an actor. So before all the hype dies, I wanted to share a little ode to one of the great (whom, yeah, I sort of have a crush on): Mr. Gary Oldman.

To see why I love seeing him pop up in movies, read more.

Actually, I'm not that surprised he's been a bit of a footnote to the Batman coverage because he plays a good guy in the movie. Oldman is actually very well suited to playing bad guys, and that's how I'm used to seeing him on screen. In The Professional he played a corrupt cop who's so very bad that I get chills just thinking about his performance. And his character in The Fifth Element is so over-the-top that I probably should have giggled at half the lines, but Oldman is so freakishly good that he managed to pull it off.

Besides just his performances, I've heard lots of little tidbits about Oldman over the years that have always intrigued and impressed me. For example, that's actually him playing the piano in one of the scenes when he portrayed Beethoven in the 1994 movie Immortal Beloved.

To me, he's a welcome presence in Hollywood because he's clearly focused on the craft rather than the flashbulbs and has always struck me as a class act. Instead of wowing us with tight abs, he morphs into every character he's been asked to play: a good cop, a bad cop, Dracula, whatever. So I'm glad he's part of a major blockbuster movie, even if he's not grabbing the headlines. He's definitely got fans out there, myself included, who will always be glad when he shows up in a movie.

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Why I Love . . . Greek

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:30:13 -0700

I've already admitted Greek is a guilty pleasure of mine, and many of you also came out and admitted that you too love this show. That got me thinking: What is it about this ABC Family series that is so addicting?

After all, Greek has some cheesy and predictable plot lines, is asking me to care about beautiful young people whose biggest concerns include smuggling beer into parties, and concludes most episodes with some tidy lessons about friendship, life, and college. Why are grown-ups like me drawn to a khaki-filled, cutesy show clearly aimed at the young'ns?

The folks behind the show must know they have some older fans, because they slip in some great little references designed to appeal to those of us who can drink legally. It's like making Spencer Grammer's character, Casey, a big fan of Frasier, or quick little lines like when a sorority girl told the Dean (played by Alan Ruck) that she thought Ferris Bueller's Day Off was like the Great Gatsby for a new generation - a joke that works best when you know Ruck played Bueller's best friend. But there's more to it than just its pop-culture cred. While the kids of Greek look like college students and concern themselves with sorority sister problems, they're acting out scenarios familiar to the adult world. To see why I think some primetime adult shows could stand to take notice, just read more.

The Greeks of Greek are, for the most part, a far cry from the hard-partying youth of Animal House. The elite frats and sororities in the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University are mini-training grounds for the best and brightest to secure themselves a place in the boardrooms and capital buildings of America. It's a high-stakes world where power changes hands on a regular basis, and by the time you might begin to wonder why you care if Casey will become Zeta Beta Zeta president, it's too late. You care - and you're on the edge of your seat.

The already likable, well-thought-out characters are made even more appealing by the show's often hilarious and clever dialogue (one department where many network series could use some help). Clark Duke, for example, is hysterical as a nerdy, Confederate Flag-loving Baptist who fronts a band called Darwin Lied. He could be the least-tolerant of the bunch, but he often comes out seeming the most compassionate. And I don't care how old or cool you are: No one is safe from Cappie (Scott Michael Foster) and his free-wheeling, movie-quoting charms.

When I think about how easy the Greek writers make creating genuine and believable (OK, a little cheesy, but still believable) friendships and motives for the characters look, it makes me wonder why the same can't be done for grown-up entertainment like Lipstick Jungle or Cashmere Mafia, which so often seem to be shoehorning their characters into situations that simply make no sense. Greek just gets it right.

And besides: When you give the actress who launched to stardom via her YouTube series Lonelygirl15 lines to the effect of "My roommate is an agoraphobe and never leaves our room. She's like, Lonelygirl15" . . . well, I'm sold.

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Why I Love, Oscar Edition: Sarah Polley

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:30:56 -0800

Even the dark strike cloud hovering over Hollywood can't dampen the annual awards season excitement about certain projects and actors (Juno! Daniel Day-Lewis! Atonement!). Yet, there's one woman enjoying an equally exciting year who has remained characteristically low-key about it all: Sarah Polley.

Polley has been acting for years, from the TV series Road to Avonlea to off-beat films like Dawn of the Dead and The Sweet Hereafter, and recently she's turned her sights to writing and directing. Her feature length directorial-debut, Away From Her recently earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. Julie Christie, the star of Polley's film, has already nabbed the Golden Globe and the SAG Award for Best Actress, and may just win the Oscar for her performance. Not too shabby for this 28-year-old's first time behind the camera.

There's more to love about this accomplished lady, however, so read more.

Accolades and serious talent aside, one reason I'm dedicating some space to this performer/filmmaker is how grounded and dedicated to her craft - read: not fame - she seems to be. This is particularly refreshing as she seems to have kept her head about her despite experiencing a high degree of success at an early age (I'm going to go ahead and admit here that I was addicted to Road to Avonlea when I was a little one). Doug Liman, who directed her in Go, spoke of her humility to the New York Times:

"I've offered Sarah a part in everything I’ve made since Go, including the female lead in The Bourne Identity, and she keeps turning me down,” he said. “She has a tremendous amount of ambivalence about this profession, but that makes her a better actress. She has no interest in seeing herself in a magazine, but she does have an acute sensitivity to real human beings. Even going out for lunch with her, it’s hard to scream, ‘Where’s my Diet Coke?’ when Sarah has just been incredibly kind to the waitress.”

Nice to waitresses? And she calls herself a movie star! Thankfully, despite her ambivalence toward show business, this multi-talented lady has plenty of projects in the works, and with all the attention her movie is getting this year, she'll have even more power to only work on what speaks to her. That can only lead to good things for all of us.

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Why I Love ... Connie Britton

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:07:54 -0700

Recently I was hanging out on the Hollywood Reporter's Emmy Awards clip site when I came across one of my favorite scenes from "Friday Night Lights." In it, Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) has enlisted his wife, Tami (Connie Britton), to throw a last-minute party for his entire team and their families, and not surprisingly, she's none too pleased. She's under a table, cleaning up someone's mess, when Coach asks her to come up and help him host. She tells him that her wifely duties are going to have to wait: When she's ready, she'll come up with a big smile on her face, but for now, she's going to stay under the table and be angry.

I love that scene because it shows off both sides of Tami Taylor: her charm and her toughness. That depth has made Tami one of the most believable, relatable women on TV today. In fact, the only reason that this post isn't called "Why I Love Tami Taylor" is that I believe Connie is Tami - and vice versa.

In the first season of "Friday Night Lights," Britton has been a revelation, delivering the kind of layered performance that makes me wonder why she hasn't already won every award in the business. But that's not the only reason I love her, so read more

With her husband, Britton's Tami is sexy, loving, and yet honest about what she needs; with daughter Julie, she's caring without being overbearing; and with the high school students she counsels, she's tough yet sympathetic to their troubles. She has done what few actresses ever can: created a character whom I feel like I know, and whom I'd love to have as a sister, crazy aunt or trusted friend. In fact, Britton's Tami is the kind of woman I hope to be someday.

Britton has gotten the most notice for her dramatic work on "Friday Night Lights," but she has powerful comedic chops as well, as evidenced by her years on "Spin City." And, in fact, one of my other favorite "Friday Night Lights" moments involves Britton's humor: In the "Mud Bowl" episode, she and Kyle Chandler filmed a scene in a cow-filled field. At one point, one of the cows approached Britton, and she laughed and backed away, improvising the rest of the lines - and that take made it into the final cut of the show.

It was endearing and remarkably genuine - and those are exactly the words I'd use to describe Britton herself.

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Why I Love ... Felicity Huffman

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 May 2007 12:30:31 -0700

Felicity Huffman never ceases to amaze me. In a show as over-the-top silly as "Desperate Housewives," Huffman often brings an unexpected sophistication and seriousness. In Transamerica she gave an astounding, unparalleled performance as a man preparing for the final operation that will make him into a woman. And as of this Friday she's starring with Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan in Georgia Rule.

I was motivated to write my "Why I Love..." ode to Felicity Huffman not because of the upcoming release of Georgia Rule but because of this week's episode of "Desperate Housewives." As episodes of "DH" go, this one was pretty lame - boring storylines, ridiculous dialog, the works. Yet amidst the 2-dimensional writing and dumb plot turns, I actually found myself moved by Huffman's performance as Lynette.

To find out why, read more

Having fired her Sexy Sous Chef Rick, Lynette has to pretend it doesn't effect her that the one part of her day when she feels beautiful and desired is gone. She tries to keep a pleasant face for Tom, though her voice breaks just slightly when she's talking with him about having let Rick go from the restaurant. Then she goes into the bathroom and runs the water so Tom won't hear her crying in a surprisingly painful, lonely, private moment. It was startling to see a truly deep, beautiful performance on a show that's become overly campy, predictable and - let's face it - kinda empty.

Even this recent news that she openly admitted to having been drunk on the set of Georgia Rule endears me further to her. With talent like hers, I say let the woman have a drink from time to time. She also - presumably while sober - speaks warmly about Lindsay Lohan, fiercely defending her costar's abilities. This lady has beauty, spirit and grace to spare, which is why I love... Felicity Huffman.

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Why I Love ... Marcia Gay Harden

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 08:31:09 -0700

You may have seen Marcia Gay Harden in many films without knowing her name. Or, if you're like me, you've been an admirer ever since her stunning Oscar-winning role in Pollock. Whatever the case, it's high time to give this lady some props. I think she is up there with Virginia Madsen, Laura Linney, and Patricia Clarkson in the category of actresses who give subtle yet deeply riveting performances, where their extensive character analyses consistently come through.

Harden can currently be found in The Hoax playing Edith, wife to Richard Gere's character, Clifford Irving. Edith was German but had lived in Sweden, Spain, and London, posing a peculiar challenge when it came to mastering Edith's accent, according to the film's press notes. Harden watched videos of the real-life Edith and worked with a dialog coach to achieve the delicate balance of those influences.

Despite her con-artist husband's infidelity and illegal schemes, Edith retains an idealistic belief in him - and in their marriage. Her performance is heartbreaking, while at the same time lending incredible strength to a character someone else might have depicted as a doormat. In a cast full of excellent actors (Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, among others), Harden more than holds her own. To see what else I love about Harden, read more

She won an Academy Award in 2001 for her turn in Pollock, again playing a wife, artist Lee Krasner, whose own motivations are trumped by her husband's. Rather than be relegated to a background wife role, Harden pretty much steals the movie out from under Ed Harris.

The rest of her resume is just as impressive, specifically her role as the sympathetic but creepy Celeste Boyle in Mystic River and her pitiable performance as the uptight, lonesome woman who rooms with Julia Roberts' character in Mona Lisa Smile.

Thankfully, Harden's career is chugging along healthily; she stars in the upcoming thriller The Invisible and has five other films in various stages of production. She also just signed on to join the cast of The Christmas Cottage alongside Peter O'Toole. I can't wait to see her on screen again, in all of her thoughtful grace.

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