BuzzSugar

Love It or Hate It? '80s-Inspired Minimalism

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:00:00 PDT

Flashbacks to the '80s can be tough to pull off, especially when it comes to interior design. But I am strangely drawn to this photo of Fenton/Fallon's new jewelry showroom in NYC. The line's designer, Dana Lorenz, was inspired by the townhouse inhabited by Sigourney Weaver's character in Working Girl, complete with a Patrick Nagel lithograph and lip-smacking chair. Is it working for you?

The Results Are In: Recast Working Girl

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:40:59 PDT

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

I'm glad you were all as enthusiastic about recasting Working Girl as I was - it's such a great, classic film that I could watch over and over again. There were so many creative ideas it's hard to know where to start, but the first one that I got a huge kick out of was lilprisci's idea for Jeremy Piven to play Tess's boyfriend Mick.

I also think Baluk is right on with suggesting Vince Vaughn for the skeevy Mick as well; I can already see him in one of those dirty white tank tops yelling to Tess, "Babe! Wait! Don't run out on me. She doesn't mean anything to me!"

As for Tess, I think Reese Witherspoon, despite her all-American girl-next door charm, could pull off that role, as redsilkshoes suggested. When you think about it, Legally Blonde is a fairly similar plot: good-looking girl no one takes seriously who has the last laugh. I also loved Rancher'sGirl's suggestion for Penelope Cruz in that role because I think Cruz exudes a similar sex appeal as Melanie Griffith. And both Rancher'sGirl and paperdoll had the same excellent idea for Katharine: Halle Berry.

But as you know, I could only choose one winner and I went with the one whose idea for Jack Trainer I could not resist: congratulations, littlesnipsnap!

To see who littlesnipsnap chose, along with a new cast photo,

littlesnipsnap's cast list:
Tess McGill - Isla Fisher
Jack Trainer - Clive Owen
Katharine Parker - Mary Louise Parker
Mick Dugan - Will Arnett
Cynthia - Olivia Thirlby

Recast Working Girl and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:30:06 PDT

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

This week I thought of one of my favorite '80s movies: Working Girl. This is one of those inspiring movies that I occasionally turn on to feel a little more kickass on the job. Plus, Harrison Ford in his hey day is a dreamy sight to behold.

Who would you pick to play Staten Island secretary Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith), who gives herself a makeover - on the inside and on the outside - to be taken more seriously in a high stakes business world?

And of course we have the deliciously undermining executive, Katharine Parker (which is a hard recast for me to imagine due to Sigourney Weaver's flawless performance). And what about the handsome deal-maker Jack Trainer (Ford)?

Also, let's recast Tess's crappy cheating boyfriend Mick Dugan, originally played by a wonderfully sleazy Alec Baldwin. Finally, we have to find Tess her Cynthia (Joan Cusack) - the no-nonsense best friend and fellow secretary who cautions Tess about reaching too far beyond her lot in life.

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, August 19, complete with a "new" cast photo.

To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt,

Characters to recast
Tess McGill (Melanie Griffit)
Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford)
Katharine Parker (Sigourney Weaver)
Mick Dugan (Alec Baldwin)
Cynthia (Joan Cusack)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

Source

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:00:00 PDT

Check out this very funny clip of Mandy Moore guest starring on "How I Met Your Mother"!
Happy Labor Day weekend! This weekend check in with some dedicated onscreen working ladies with my movie night, featuring 9 to 5, Clockwatchers and Working Girl.
Take a listen to Jordin Sparks' new single "Tattoo" and tell me what you think.
In case you've forgotton, "Gossip Girl" is one of the CW's most anticipated new fall shows. You can find out all about the central characters here. Also, I'm convinced the music on this show is going to be awesome.
Check out my Fall Movie Preview that features the bad boys hitting the screens this fall (yup, this includes Clive Owen in Shoot 'Em Up). And speaking of boys, this trailer for Run, Fat Boy, Run (starring Simon Pegg and Hank Azaria) is hilarious.
If you could recast the sensational "Melrose Place" with new actors, who would you pick?
It's time to weigh in: What do you think of M. Night Shyamalan's movies? Who's to blame for the "Kid Nation" controversies: CBS or the kids' parents? Who should win the Emmys for Best Actress in a Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy?
Want to see Common looking gorgeous and Lily Allen in an astronaut suit? Check out the very cool video for "Drivin' Me Wild."

Photo courtesy of CBS

Movie Night: She Works Hard for the Money

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:26:52 PDT

In honor of the upcoming Labor Day weekend, let's take a moment and honor those cinematic ladies who, as Donna Summer would say, "work hard for the money." I know there are plenty of movies to choose from for this category, but I'm narrowing my list for this Movie Night to just three. So this holiday weekend, curl up in solidarity with some of your onscreen working sisters.

Nine to Five
This tale of office revenge is perhaps the most satisfying ever - especially because it features three fed up ladies getting back at "the Man." Dolly Parton has big hair and bigger boobs, and pairing up her Southern charm with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda makes for some hilarious hijinks as the three disgruntled ladies exact revenge on their clueless, rude, sexist boss (Dabney Coleman). This movie makes me cheer.

Two more films, so

Clockwatchers
This 1998 movie depicts the soul-crushing monotony of corporate life so accurately it both makes me cringe and comforts me to know that others experience the same thing. Toni Collette plays the shy, quiet Iris who keeps a journal and narrates the film with her inner monologue. The plot description is this: "She begins her first day as a temp for the nondescript Global Credit Association by waiting in a chair for two hours. This sets the scene for her (mis)adventures with the other 'corporate orphans', Margaret, Paula and Jane. Led by Margaret, they find subtle ways to lessen the ennui of corporate oppression. The tension escalates when the new permanent hire, Cleo, enters the picture." The superb cast (especially Collette and Posey) and the careful direction make for a true-to-life and funny look at the friendships and culture in office environments.

Working Girl
If you haven't seen this movie which features whispy-voiced Melanie Griffith and some of the largest glasses this side of 1988, you can often catch it on weekends on networks like TNT. The story follows Tess McGill (Griffith), an executive assistant in a company riddled with piggish men - and a conceited, ruthless female executive named Katharine Parker (Sigorney Weaver). When Katharine breaks her leg and is bedridden, Tess pretends to be her wheeling-dealing boss - and turns out to be a better Katharine than Katharine is. Between Working Girl, 9 to 5 and countless others, it seems revenge is a common fantasy among office workers, no?

9 to 5 poster source
Clockwatchers image source
Working Girl image source

15 Pieces That Are Perfect For Memorial Day - and the Rest of the Summer, Too

Brittney Stephens — Sat, 26 May 2012 07:55:05 PDT

As the unofficial start of Summer, Memorial Day gives us a chance to remember our fallen soldiers, relax with family and friends, and bask in the notion that more festive holidays are right around the corner. Since the long weekend is fast approaching, we thought it more than necessary to round up some of our favorite party-perfect pieces for the holiday - and even better, they'll work well for the rest of your Summer celebrations too. Whether you're headed to the beach, a barbecue, or a fun brunch with the girls, we've got you covered. Just click through to see and shop 15 pieces to help you make your way stylishly through the long weekend.

Jennifer Garner Sticks Close to Seraphina as Violet Finishes Up Her First School Year

Katie Henry — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:38:17 PDT

Jennifer Garner gave 3-year-old Seraphina Affleck a piggyback ride into the Brentwood Mart yesterday. The girls picked up a gift and coffee to go and then headed on their way. Later in the day, Jen spent one-on-one time with her eldest daughter, Violet, after school. Jen's been on a break from acting since giving birth to Samuel earlier this year, though she's making her debut on the Internet in a new short film. Jen stars with Alfred Molina in the Youtube feature Serena. Their 12-minute film documents a complicated relationship between a serial liar, played by Garner, and her priest, Molina.

Ben Affleck and Jen have a few more months to enjoy time at home with the family, including baby Samuel, before they return to work this Fall. He's starring in and directing the CIA thriller Argo, due out in October, and Jen shares the big screen with Joel Edgerton in Disney's The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which is set for release in August.

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!

Shawn Johnson Talks Weight Loss and Learning to Love Her Body

espnW — Fri, 25 May 2012 03:05:26 PDT

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

By Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson is blogging for espnW throughout her training for the Olympics in London this summer. Follow hers other Olympic hopefuls' journeys on espnW.com.

Four years ago, I was standing on an Olympic podium, wearing a gold medal, and still thinking to myself how I could have been better. It had nothing to do with my performance - it was all how I looked. Back then, I always felt like I could have been a few pounds lighter. But the irony is, when I look back at the pictures, I look unhealthy and too thin. It's easy to get into a trap as an elite athlete, because you're made to feel that you're never perfect, that you can always be better. That's how you improve in your sport, but it's also tough because you aren't satisfied with yourself ever - it's second nature not to be. I'd always think, "Just get a little stronger, a little lighter," until it was completely ingrained in my mind.

Shawn Johnson takes us inside training camp

It's easy for people to blame gymnastics for this mentality, but I feel like the sport has improved a lot. The horror stories we heard from generations ago (think Joan Ryan's infamous book Little Girls in Pretty Boxes), you don't hear at all anymore. But I do believe it can improve further and that good nutrition could be a key to all of this, if it were only taught at a young age. Many gymnasts go into the elite level at 13 or so, and a 13-year-old isn't going to go to the library to read some book on nutrition! She needs to be given the right information on how to eat well. Otherwise, it's not until she's out of the sport that she realizes the damage she's done to her body by not eating enough over the past 20 years.

Shawn Johnson in the driver's seat

I see all the success we have as a country where the gymnasts aren't 100 percent healthy, and I imagine how amazing we could be if we were doing it in the healthiest way possible. I don't think it's a failure on anybody's part; the education just isn't there right now, and it's just not thought about in our sport. My parents have told me since I was little, "You're given your body for a reason. It's OK to be different. Being unique is a good thing." But I always struggled to believe it. I'm stocky, muscular and short, and I wanted to be thin and flexible so bad! My mom would say, "You're not made that way, and you're not going to become that, so you have to learn to accept and love the body you're in." Well, some people are born with that appreciation, and some people have to work really hard to get there. Put me in that second camp.

Read on for more on what Shawn Johnson has to say about body confidence and how she feels in her gymnastics leotard.

Milla Jovovich Tells Us Her Cannes Highlight During a Night With Heidi, Alec, and the Hiltons

Allie Merriam — Thu, 24 May 2012 05:20:41 PDT

Last night was a busy one for many celebrities at Cannes. Milla Jovovich was decked out to make the rounds, starting at the Chopard and L'Oréal bash at the Hotel Martinez. She mingled at L'Oréal with fellow brand ambassadors Luisana Lopilato and model Natasha Poly. We caught a moment with Milla at the soiree, and she spoke about what her favorite part of the festival has been. Milla said, "The last two years I brought my daughter, so it's all about getting my work done and getting back to bed to sleep with my little girl. She was all day at the beach - loves it, loves it. She met a little friend here. They're best friends now - in the whole world - after one day together." Milla and her husband Paul W. S. Anderson are the proud parents of 4-year-old Ever.

The next stop on the party agenda was de Grisogono's Glam Extravaganza at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in nearby Antibes. There, Milla caught up with celeb pals like Heidi Klum, Alec Baldwin and his fiancée Hilaria Thomas, Adrien Brody, and the Hilton sisters. Both Nicky and Paris are making the rounds this week. Nicky, though, has her new boyfriend in town, too - we spotted her out on a dinner date with new guy James Rothschild, an English banking heir. Make sure to stay on top of all our Cannes coverage by following PopSugar on Twitter and see which celebrities are at Cannes!