BuzzSugar

Casting Call: "National Bingo Night"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:15:41 -0700

Hey, all you energetic risk-takers: A new TV show wants you. But it's not "Survivor" or even the return of "Fear Factor." It's bingo.

ABC's new game show, "National Bingo Night," is set to premiere May 18, and the network is looking for competitors willing to play "fast-paced, high-stakes bingo" in front of a live studio audience. I get the high-stakes part (after all, you can win cash and fabulous prizes), but fast-paced? Isn't the pace of bingo kind of glacial by design?

Auditions will be held in Nashville, Denver and Phoenix. Anyone want to go and report back? I'd love to know what the "bingoplex" looks like in person. For more details on the audition sites, read more

Denver
March 24
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
KMGH-TV
123 Speer Blvd.
(323) 845-3014
abcbingo5@gmail.com

Nashville
March 24
noon to 5 p.m.
Cadillac Ranch
305 Broadway
(323) 845-3015
abcbingo3@gmail.com

Phoenix
March 31
noon to 5 p.m.
Phoenix City Grill
5816 North 16th St.
(323) 845-3012
abcbingo1@gmail.com

Anyone wishing to submit their information in advance should e-mail their picture and a biography to one of the above addresses.

Source

Casting Call: ABC's "Fix My Husband" and More

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:43:03 -0800

ABC is looking for a few people who want to be famous. Or, actually, a lot of people who want to be famous. The network is now casting for more than a dozen reality shows, including current hits ("The Bachelor," "Supernanny") and new shows - some intriguing, others bizarre.

Among the new series: "Fix My Husband," in which wayward husbands will spend a week in a sort of good-man boot camp. The show promises "a custom storybook ending" for every participating couple, so I guess they're dreaming big.

The other shows all sound like variations on the same theme: financially strapped people with lofty goals compete to win thousands. "Dream Project" helps families find the "hidden treasures" in their garages and sell them on eBay so they can use the profits for good deeds. I mean, what makes for more exciting television than watching people sell things on eBay? Apparently, watching them pantomime how they'd act if they won $50,000: For another new series called "Easy Money," enthusiastic applicants have to demonstrate how they'd react if they won the grand prize. Finally, there is the even more generic "Dream On, America," where big dreamers compete against each other to convince viewers to make their particular dream come true.

So what do you think? Would you try out for any of these shows? Would you watch them?

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

In case you haven't heard, a little movie called New Moon came out this week. I showed you where you can find them next, and I gave you my review of the movie, quizzed you on the book, as well as an exclusive interview with Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene.
Robert Pattinson continues to make non-Twilight waves at the movies: the trailer for his drama Remember Me debuted, and news that Uma Thurman has been cast as his love interest in Bel Ami surfaced.
This week was a trailer treasure trove: there was Nicholas Sparks adaptation and Miley Cyrus vehicle The Last Song, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bridge's surefire Oscar bait Crazy Heart, and Edward Norton taking on a dual role in Leaves of Grass.
At least you'll save on tissues: Oprah announced that her talk show will go off the air in 2011.
I interviewed some of the funniest men in prime time: Eric Stonestreet gave me the scoop on Modern Family, while Joel McHale and Ken Jeong bantered about Community.
The reality TV winners were crowned! Irina ruled Project Runway, and Nicole is America's Next Top Model.
The holidays are here! I gave you a sneak peek of holiday episodes as well as more gift guide suggestions.
The BuzzSugar Community is the place to be to chat about everything pop culture, and as an extra incentive, you could see your community posts on the Buzz home page, like polkadot38's awesome Stefan Vs. Damon poll.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Bad Lieutenant: Good Cop Gone Nuts

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:30:49 -0800

Nicolas Cage has said, "There's a very fine line between Method actor and schizophrenic." In Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, he teeters that line maniacally, with an ever-increasing slur and crooked swagger. Cage plays Terence McDonagh, a detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating a drug-related murder and his personal threshold for cocaine and heroin.

The first news of Bad Lieutenant was puzzling: famously extreme director Werner Herzog re-imagining a 1992 cult movie, also called Bad Lieutenant, but shifting the action to New Orleans and casting Nic Cage in the Harvey Keitel role opposite his Ghost Rider costar Eva Mendes. Weird.

But in fact, Bad Lieutenant is Herzog's second surprisingly accessible movie in as many years, following 2007's Rescue Dawn. And Cage is brilliant in a role seemingly made for him, so read more.

The noirish, pulpy, desperate, and often hilarious film opens with a good deed: McDonagh dives into a Katrina-flooded jail cell to save a prisoner's life, in the process injuring his back and subsequently getting hooked on Vicodin and then far harder drugs.

As a degenerate cop in a washed-out city, Cage makes Denzel Washington's Training Day villain look like a Boy Scout. He slithers through the streets, confiscating drugs to snort with his prostitute girlfriend (Mendes), hooking up with a drug kingpin played by Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner, and fending off a rising tide of self-created trouble. "Being courteous is really getting in the way of my progress," he croaks before one of his more disturbing moral lapses.

In post-Katrina New Orleans, Herzog has found the perfect setting. He never lets the city look pretty or even charmingly decayed, and he populates it with iguanas and alligators and snakes and fish. At every turn, McDonagh is confronted by cold-blooded animals, as he careens between the call of duty and the cold-blooded instinct of his addiction. It's impossible to ignore the reptilian symbolism, and the effect is perfectly bizarre. Despite its darkest moments, Bad Lieutenant is a remarkably good trip.

Photos Courtesy First Look Studios

New Moon: Better Than Twilight

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:45:00 -0800

Let's be honest: for most of you, it doesn't matter what I - or any critics for that matter - have to say about New Moon, the incredibly anticipated sequel to last year's Twilight. The film started breaking box office records before it was even released, and audiences will flock to the theaters for weeks to come. On the plus side, a ticket to New Moon is a win even if you're not a Twihard - provided that you know what you're getting into.

New Moon is not incredibly acted, and it doesn't boast impressive dialogue or larger-than-life special effects. But it's not trying to be the Best Picture of the Year, so I can only critique it for what it is: a fantasy movie about a love triangle between a werewolf, a vampire, and a teenage girl. To see what I mean, just read more.

The movie picks up a few months after where Twilight left off. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is blissfully in love but she can't fight her insecurities about growing older than her perpetually seventeen vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). All Bella wants for her eighteenth birthday is for Edward to change her into a bloodsucker, but a close call with his brother drives Edward to break up with Bella and leave town instead.

The drama following Bella's abandonment is everything we remember from high school heartbreak, from Bella's night terrors to the glazed over look in her eye. The anguish and pain are easily seen on Stewart's face, and her innermost thoughts are revealed to the audience through letters to Edward's sister Alice that will never be sent. After months of moping, Bella finally starts to open up to Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a family friend. As Bella struggles to find hope in a life without Edward, her friendship is complicated by Jacob's romantic feelings for Bella and made worse when Jacob discovers that he's a werewolf (and an enemy to all vampires).

The surprise of the movie is Lautner's performance. We've seen and heard about those muscles countless times before, but he also packs enough charm and charisma into his Jacob that you truly see him as more than just Bella's unrelenting admirer / best friend. He presents himself as a viable suitor for Bella's heart, and it's hard not to root for him against Robert Pattinson's wooden (albeit handsome) Edward. Stewart and Pattinson have chemistry to spare in Twilight, but in New Moon, Bella's relationship with Jacob seems hopeful and comfortable while her scenes with Edward are mostly awkward and frankly not as much fun to watch.

The movie belongs to Stewart and Lautner, but their melodrama is balanced out by the characters who pad out the cast. Yes, we meet the wolf pack and the Volturi, but for the most part the Forks residents and beyond make for some much-needed comic relief. The downside is that while it's funnier than what you'd expect, not all of the laughs are intentional (a scene where Jacob's temper rivals that of The Incredible Hulk comes to mind).

It doesn't take more than a grain of salt to appreciate New Moon for what it is - a film that stays true to its origin and delivers the necessary elements to ensure that you'll be back when the next installment of the franchise comes our way.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Vampire Rom-Com: Inspired or Tired?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:30:33 -0800

Yet another vampire story is rumored to be coming to the big screen, but this time it's the ladies who are doing the biting. Krysten Ritter (who is normally relegated to the BFF role) is supposedly starring in a romantic comedy called Vamps.

Amy Heckerling, the director responsible for Clueless, is attached to write and direct the story of "two young female vampires living the good life in New York until love enters the picture." I've always enjoyed Heckerling's work and am intrigued to see Ritter finally cast as a lead, but I'm wary of the premise; it sounds like it's just capitalizing on the recent craze. Plus, almost half of you said you were tired of vampire entertainment over the Summer.

At least this does have a unique angle by making the main vampires female for once, not to mention the much lighter tone it'll have. What do you think of this project - is it inspired, or just tired?

The Box: An Inadequate Package to Unwrap

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:56 -0800

I so wanted The Box to be a worthy successor to Donnie Darko, director Richard Kelly's first film and much-appreciated cult fave. Unfortunately, I didn't exactly get my wish.

The Box is a highly stylized, good-looking thriller, from the retro 1976 Virginia setting to the Barbie and Ken looks of leads Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. They play husband and wife Arthur and Norma Lewis, who run into a bit of a financial jam when a strange opportunity conveniently presents itself. A creepy, disfigured man (Frank Langella) offers them a million dollars if they push a button inside a box - but a stranger will die if they do.

Kelly has all the right elements and the creativity to give us a hip, entertaining thriller, but there are a number of blatant missteps that make the movie unsatisfying. To see more about what I mean, just read more.

Kelly puts his stamp on everything, namely the constant eerie atmosphere and the random sinister characters (apparently an old person standing still in the road is his trademark). Though many questioned the casting of Cameron Diaz and her requisite Virginia accent, there was a similar doubt when Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze were cast in Darko, and it ended up working. With Diaz, it's not that I would say that she nailed the part, but that the accent and greater aspects of the plot are very campy. And I like campy, but I don't know if that's what the film is going for.

If you're not taking it seriously, the movie is a pretty good time, with some frightening scenes and jumps. There are also many parts that are supposed to be creepy, but they're so labored that they come out as funny. Like, laugh out loud in the theater funny. I wouldn't call that a failure, I'd just invoke the term I used before campy.

The major problem the movie runs into is when it begins exploring these sci-fi and supernatural angles, which end up being red herrings. For instance, much is made of Arthur's job at NASA and Mars, which made me think we were in for a weird, wild sci-fi ride. I was ready to embrace something really out there (I'm a big David Lynch fan, after all), but you don't really get it. There are so many elements that are introduced but never followed to a conclusion, so you're left shrugging your shoulders when the movie ends. It's even more perplexing because the mystery of The Box itself is explained, but you're left with all these details that went nowhere, in retrospect. It's one thing to leave things open-ended, but you have to give the audience something to work with.

Honestly, if you're a Kelly fan, you'll probably find it enjoyable. But if you want complete resolution, I'd wait for the director's cut.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

SYTYCD's Brandon and Ariana Talk About Being Cut First

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:30:15 -0700

This week's ousted dancers from So You Think You Can Dance were the first to go since the top 20 were selected. Brandon Dumlao and Ariana Dubose got on the phone with a few reporters this morning, including me, to chat about how they feel after last night's elimination.

Brandon

On the timeline of replacing Billy Bell: I got the call on Friday at 11 in the morning and they told me that I was able to replace another dancer, and it was Billy, in this case. I got on a plane two hours later, it was an hour flight, I landed, got picked up, I went to the studio, found out Pauline was my partner in front of everyone, and then we went straight to rehearsal for Smooth Waltz with Jason Gilkisen. It was such a whirlwind; it was really crazy, but it was such an amazing experience.
On Russell being in the bottom with him: I was so surprised because Russell is of course a fan favorite, and I’m sure the judges love him too. When he was announced, I kind of knew in a way that I might have been going home, because he is amazing and this cast is amazing. Billy - his were such big shoes to fill that I felt it was unfair to take another guy’s spot. I was happy the way it turned out, because I didn’t think it was unfair for me to come in and take another guy’s spot.

To hear what else Brandon had to say and Ariana's thoughts on her dismissal, just read more.

On Nigel's offer of coming back for season seven: I did not expect him to say that. I really thought that that was my only chance to be in the top 20, and I wanted to make the most of it, so for him to propose that to me and let me come back for season 7, if that’s possible, that’s really crazy. Right after I got cut, I went and got into some ballroom classes and took some more hip hop. I’m ready and I’m going to keep taking classes if I can come back next season.
On whether he thinks he may have done better if he'd originally been in the top 20: I think I might have had a better chance just because the judges would have known I’d set the same standard as everyone else, because when I did the waltz they kept saying "you didn’t have enough time," "you didn’t have enough time," because they knew I’d replaced Billy. So I feel like I would have done a better job, and they would have seen I’d done a better job, and would have taken that into consideration with the results. But I’m really happy the way I did and I'm really happy the way everything turned out, because this cast is so amazing; I can’t pick who’s going to win - everyone is going to do so well.

Ariana

On her next plans and whether she'll pursue a career in L.A.: Actually, I’m more focused on New York. I want to dance on Broadway. I also sing and act, and I was singing and acting and dancing before I even auditioned for the show, so the show was just really another path for me. So I’m going to head to New York for a little bit and audition for shows and commercials and movies and just see what happens.
On rumors she could replace Noelle, who was injured this week: I have not heard from Noelle; I hope that she’s doing well. Noelle and I come from the same studio, so honestly I would probably feel a little funny about taking her place. I mean, who doesn’t want a second chance, but honestly I wouldn’t want to be eliminated again.
On her predictions for the season six winner: Honestly, it’s a crap shoot - forgive my language there. Everyone’s fantastic and I don’t think you can count anybody out; it’s going be a week-by-week thing.

Photos courtesy of Fox

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

Glee-ful Highlights and Video From Episode "Throwdown"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0700

This week on Glee, we find out what happens when two teachers who can't stand each other stop being polite and start gettin' real. It doesn't take very long for Sue and Will to start arguing over how to direct the glee club (even fighting in their voiceovers), and Sue succeeds in turning the kids against each other in the process. Will's problems start to affect his life at home as Terri is still struggling to keep her pregnancy a secret (with the help of her wacky sister).

Now would be a good time to enter my Glee giveaway for a chance to hang out with one of the cast members, but if you'd rather dive into all the performances and drama, just read more.

One of my favorite performances this week is when all the kids sing "Ride With Me" as a group - even though they're not supposed to be seen together. I kinda loved that we get to hear them actually singing freestyle instead of the usual prerecorded in the studio stuff.
Sue has her hilarious array of one-liners as usual and wastes no time getting all offensive and dividing the club into "Sue's Kids" (aka the minorities) and handing over the rest of the students to Will. The chain of events are typical right up to the end, when Will finally gets through to her and they call a truce of sorts. But how long will that last?
Speaking of truces, the peace between Rachel and Quinn is already broken within minutes of this episode, and surprise - it's all about Finn! I was glad that Quinn finally gets her own solo while standing up for herself to Finn. I know we're supposed to hate her and root for Rachel instead, but she's growing on me - and I kinda think she deserves a better boyfriend. On the other hand, naming the baby Drizzle is kind of hilarious.
Quinn gets all worked up when Rachel and Finn are selected to perform "No Air," but I wasn't really feelin' the chemistry on this one. Need a refresher? Check out the video below.

Emma is nowhere to be found this week, but there's plenty of tension between Terri and Will to fill in the gaps. Terri blackmails her doctor into conducting a fake sonogram for Will's benefit, which reminded me just how ridiculous that entire storyline is. (Really? We're supposed to believe that Will has never seen Terri change her clothes since she started wearing that fake bump?) It was almost too heartbreaking when Will's eyes well up at the end. Can't the truth just come out already?
Sidenote: is anyone else ready for the inevitable episode where Tina starts to gain confidence and overcome her stutter? It's a bit of overkill at this point.
Sue drops a big bomb at the end of the episode when she nails Quinn for being pregnant. (Oh. Snap.) I have to admit that while Avril Lavigne isn't my favorite artist, I did like the spin the club put on her "Keep Holding On." Or maybe I'm just a sucker for when they perform in matching outfits. Video below!

What'd you think of this week's episode? Did you miss Emma? Are you ready for Quinn and Finn to call it quits? Sound off in comments and check out the Glee Club in the BuzzSugar Community!