BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 2/22

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:29:46 PST

It's no coincidence: The West Wing character Matt Santos actually was based on Barack Obama, writes The Guardian.
Variety reports that Amazon.com will produce its first movie, The Stolen Child, based on the fantasy novel by Keith Donahue.
Zap2It writes about a new Lifetime movie titled Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal which will star Tatum O'Neal and Jenna Dewan.
TV Guide reports that Joshua Jackson won't appear on Grey's Anatomy after all.
According to Billboard, World Peace One, a not-for-profit global peace advocacy group, is hoping to bring top talent like U2, Madonna, Led Zeppelin, and Justin Timberlake to its series of international concerts, set to begin May 17.
Daniel Henney and Lost's Dominic Monaghan are the latest additions to the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, writes Variety.
Jesse L. Martin is out and Anthony Anderson is in at Law & Order, Broadcasting & Cable reports. Guess that's bad news for K-Ville.

Sundance Snapshot: Your Sister's Sister Puts the Fun in Family Dysfunction

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:05:00 PST

Director Lynn Shelton made her Sundance premiere with Humpday, and she returned to the festival this year with Your Sister's Sister. The film has a tiny cast - in fact, most of the scenes are between just three actors - but this little indie is one of the most memorable films I caught at the festival. Here's why:

Who's behind it? Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass make up the cast. Lynn Shelton (who also directed Duplass in Humpday) is behind the camera.
What's it about? Duplass plays Jack, a guy who's on a bit of a downward spiral a year after losing his brother. Jack's still close friends with his brother's ex, Iris (Blunt), who suggests that Jack spend some time in solitude at her father's rustic lakeside cabin. When Jack arrives at the cabin, he's surprised to find Iris's sister, Hannah (DeWitt), and when Iris pops up for a visit, a very tangled web is woven between the three characters over the course of a few days.
What did I think? This is a little gem of a film; all three actors turn in nuanced performances, making the complicated relationships between the three feel incredibly authentic. Duplass gets most of the laughs as Jack bumbles to keep the peace between Iris and Hannah, but it's Blunt and DeWitt that really shine as siblings that love each other through and through, but can't help pushing each other's buttons. The Seattle cabin setting also adds extra charm, and really makes the audience feel like you're trapped in the conundrum between the characters, isolated away from the rest of the world.

The Vampire Diaries "Our Town": The Good, The Bad, and The Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:15:48 PST

After last week's epic kiss, this week's episode of The Vampire Diaries is almost a little disappointing, except that so many other crazy non-Elena/Damon things happen. It's Caroline's birthday, but it's not all cake and tequila shots with her friends, and Stefan tries his hardest to be a baddie but just ends up looking like a jerk.

On the Damon and Elena front, she's still feeling bad for having Jeremy sent away, and Bonnie has some harsh words for the already guilty-feeling Elena. I'm ready to get down into it, so if you are too, let's deconstruct it into the good, the bad, and the bloody after the break.

6 Mistakes You're Making on Your Yoga Mat

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:07:07 PST

Yoga is supposed to be all about serenity and bliss, but there's no way you'll feel relaxed and at peace with the world if you're making these major no-nos on the mat.

Not connecting breath with movements: For every movement in your yoga practice, there is a breath pattern that goes along with it. For example, to start a Sun Salutation, you inhale to raise your arms up, and exhale to fold forward. Connecting your breath to your movements gives your yoga practice a sense of fluidity. This not only helps create a sense of calm, but the breath keeps you mindful, focused, and aware of each movement, which can help prevent injuries and improve balance.
Keeping your belly soft: Proper breathing in yoga involves bringing your breath into your chest, feeling your ribs expand and deflate with each breath. You can do this by drawing your navel in toward your spine and keeping your abs engaged, so when you inhale, you see your chest fill up rather than your belly. Aside from helping you breathe properly (which will help you with the first no-no), keeping your belly engaged also protects your lower back, which can prevent pain or injury.
Tensing when unnecessary: Clenched toes, scrunched shoulders (as shown above), and white knuckles aren't exactly the picture of relaxation, are they? I realize some challenging poses takes every ounce of strength and attention to hold for five breaths, but make sure to constantly scan your body for unnecessary areas of tightness. Make a conscious effort to relax the muscles that don't need to be working overtime.

Continue reading to find out what else you're doing wrong on your yoga mat.

The Best Time Investments You Can Make

LearnVest — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:15:57 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We all agree that time is more valuable than money.

At least, that’s what we say.

Then we turn around and spend hours watching bad TV we’re not even that interested in. Or 45 minutes on the phone with customer service fighting a $5 charge. Or years in a relationship or friendship we stopped feeling fulfilled by long ago.

But I’m convinced it’s not for a lack of good intent that we often end up treating time as our most fungible asset. (Hey, there’s plenty more where that came from, right? Well, not really . . . ) I think we simply get too busy to think about it, or don’t think we have the resources to make more time in our lives. We do have the resources, though. All it takes is a fresh look at how we really spend our days, hours and moments.

I’ve been thinking about time as a tangible asset not unlike money in many ways, and about ways to invest our time to yield higher returns - better memories, more hours well spent, even minutes that nourish us instead of fly by. After much research, experience and reflection, below are what I found to be the seven best investments you can make with your time. Think of these as blue-chip time investments that can’t go wrong - and that will yield high dividends for a more fulfilled life.

1. Invest in “Life-Extending” Time

Investing time in caring for your health is an obvious one that will certainly yield you more time, literally - in days, months, if not years tacked on to your life. Yet we often take our health for granted until we experience a wake-up call. Proactively invest your time in your health by eating well, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep and regularly seeing your doctors. Invest heartily in those non-physical markers of well-being as well: emotional, mental and spiritual health - you will reap many hours of well-lived life from them. Learn the habits of the Blue Zone people, from the regions in the world where people live the longest. Some common lifestyle traits they share? Building in natural movement and activity, lowering stress and being part of a faith-based community.

Read on for more great time investments.

One-Stop Shop For Every Kind of Techie in Your Life (YAY!)

Sponsor — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:00:22 PST

Let's face it. We are living in a digital world, and the people on your holiday gift list are digital girls (and boys). That means they're only wishing for one thing: gadgets to further their lives of techie luxury, of course! Enter the Seagate fleet of storage devices (and the gift of peace of mind!). Check out the GoFlex Satellite, GoFlex Home, GoFlex Slim, and GoFlex for Mac in the slideshow!

5 Reasons Not to Bash Your Ex on Social Media

Lizzie Fuhr — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:00:59 PST

Last weekend, Kat Von D wrote a public note on her Facebook page provocatively titled: "Thank you, Jesse James." Certain aspects of her personal note conveyed a message of healthy healing. With that said, there were more than a few stinging comments that seemed a little out of place for someone coming from a place of "love and light."

After a breakup you might have a genuine desire to move on, but any sort of public bashing, whether it's honest or not, is an open ticket for outsiders to misconstrue your words. Openly criticizing an ex on any form of social media is a bad idea; here are five things to remember before you bash and click.

It's not going to make you feel any better. For a hot second you may feel like you've accomplished something, but at the end of the day, bashing your ex on social media is going to do nothing but stir up hurt feelings from the past. Whether you're a public figure like Kat or not, a public bash is an open invitation for your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to give their opinion on your heartache. At the end of the day, the only person who can really make you feel better is you.
It's always better to take the high road. I get it. Your heart is hurt and you want to bring that pain back to your ex. The truth is the bashing or cruel words are not going to do anything but hurt you more. Fixating on your lost love will only make you feel more hurt. No matter how dirty your ex did you, no matter how much you feel he messed up your world, it's always better to keep your nasty thoughts to yourself and take the high road.
If you genuinely need to make peace with yourself, Facebook is not a place to do it. Facebook and Twitter are wonderful ways to connect with people we care about and share information in a whole new arena. But there's nothing worse than opening your stream and seeing people whining or complaining. It's just not the right forum for this kind of conversation. If you're really upset and not sure where to turn, call a close friend or family member. This is always the better option.

Keep reading for two more reasons to rethink bashing your ex on social media.

Paul Walker Talks About Being Shirtless and "Accidentally Sexy"

Annie Tomlin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:05:40 PDT

Forgive us for stating the obvious, but Paul Walker is a good-looking man. This is no surprise to anyone who's seen his blue eyes in films like The Fast and the Furious, and the sight of him running shirtless in the new Davidoff Cool Water ad campaign just drives the point home. But if Walker, 38, is even remotely aware of his sex symbol status, he definitely doesn't let on. While talking with him in Malibu recently, we found him to be a completely down-to-earth guy. He loves to surf, calls Budweiser one of his favorite beers, and geeks out over Audubon field guide apps - and he just happens to be the new face of one of the world's best-selling men's fragrances, too. Read on for the interview.

Miranda Kerr Rocks Her Bikini Top, and Less, For Harper's Bazaar Australia

Allie Merriam — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:02:59 PDT

Miranda Kerr covers Harper's Bazaar Australia's November issue with the eye-catching headline, "Here's to You Mrs. Bloom." Inside the magazine, Miranda wears a variety of outfits, including a bathing suit, bikinis, and, in one photo, just a towel draped around her head! The supermodel isn't shy about showing skin in publications, and she recently had to don a variety of ensembles, both minimal and well-covering, during Paris Fashion Week. Her young son, Flynn Bloom, was in Paris while she walked in shows ranging from Dior to Chanel, and Orlando Bloom's own stay was cut short when he had to go to London to do press for The Three Musketeers. On top of all the modeling, there is still time for Miranda to write her Kora Organics blog. Her latest post is a tribute to the late Steve Jobs. She wrote, "There are people in this world who have a huge impact on the lives of others. Steve Jobs was one of them. His vision, passion, and dedication serves as a great reminder as to what is possible when we choose to believe. May you rest in peace Mr. Jobs, you changed our world in the most incredible way."

Three Women's Rights Activists Win Nobel Peace Prize

Annie Scudder — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:10:08 PDT

This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three women "for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work." Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman to be democratically elected president in Africa; Leymah Gbowee, who fought against the use of rape in Liberia's civil war; and Tawakkul Karman, a pro-democracy leader in Yemen, share this year's prize of $1.5 million.

Tawakkul Karman becomes the first Arab woman to ever win the prize. The prize committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said oppression of women is the "most important issue in the Arab world" and explained, "We have included the Arab Spring in this prize, but we have put it in a particular context. Namely, if one fails to include the women in the revolution and the new democracies, there will be no democracy."

As for the two winners from Liberia, a country created for freed American slaves in 1847, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 72, became the first freely elected woman in Africa in 2005, after her country's brutal civil war. U2's Bono reacted to her win, calling her "an extraordinary woman, a force of nature, and now she has the world recognize her in this great, great, great way." And the third woman, Leymah Gbowee, heads Liberia's Women For Peace movement, and has worked to stop brutality against women and to increase their voting and participation in democracy.

Of all the Nobel prizes, the peace prize has been awarded to women most frequently. However, men still dominate the laureate list, as out of 101 individuals who have won, only 15 have been women. This year's award makes a statement that the committee does believe that women are invaluable to peace around the world.