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King Lear Movie Gets Keira, Gwyneth and Sir Anthony

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:38:01 -0700

Get ready for another Shakespearean film adaptation
Recent news coming out of the Cannes Film Festival (courtesy of the UK's Telegraph): there will be a new big-screen adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, this time starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Keira Knightley and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Daddy's Little Girls
Sir Anthony will naturally assume the role of King Lear, while Keira will portray his daughter Cordelia. According to the article, "Gwyneth Paltrow is tipped to take the role of Regan, Lear's treacherous middle daughter. His eldest daughter, Goneril, is yet to be cast." Could this be another Oscar-earning project for Gwyneth? According to the Academy she does well with Shakespeare stuff.

Competition already?
As the Telegraph points out, there have been tons of adaptations of Lear, and this newest film will be "judged against a Channel 4 adaptation, to be screened this Christmas, based on the recent and highly acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production starring Sir Ian McKellen as Lear and Romola Garai as Cordelia. The play made the headlines due to McKellen's nude scene, which will be retained for the television version." So the Channel 4 version has nudity, but does it have the "epic battle sequences" that this latest adaptation promises? Nudity and battles aside, I'm curious to see this version of Shakespeare's play.

Source and source

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! Name the play on which "My Fair Lady" was based.

What's Buzzworthy? Irish Writers

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 07:51:25 -0700

Hooray for St. Patrick's Day falling on a Saturday this year! In addition to watching Irish movies and partying with Yum and PartySugar, I thought now would be a good time to consider the works of some great Irish writers.

I have some old standbys, like Frank McCourt, who wrote Angela's Ashes, and Maeve Binchy, author of Circle of Friends. For this week's Buzzworthy challenge, I'd love to find out which Irish writers are your favorites. They don't have to be novelists or memoir-writers either: Oscar Wilde was Irish, and W.B. Yeats is one of the world's greatest poets - in my humble opinion.

Using BuzzSugar's cool Buzzworthy bookmarking tool, just find the books you love on the Web, bookmark them as Buzzworthy, and tag or title your choices with the phrase Irish writers. Then, I'll post the readers' favorites next week.

To find out how to create a Buzzworthy bookmark, read more

Don't worry: TeamSugar makes it easy to bookmark and capture anything on the Web that you consider "Buzzworthy." If you already have a "That's Fab" button on your browser's tool bar, you can use that to bookmark your Buzzworthy items. If you don't have the TeamSugar bookmarking button on your toolbar, you can learn how to get it by watching this video.

Play Our Brand New Holiday Movie Faceoff and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:30:14 -0800

There's no denying it now - the holiday season is officially upon us, which means it's time to dust off those decorations, blast those merry tunes, and cuddle up to watch festive movies. Everyone has a favorite, whether it's a classic like It's a Wonderful Life or the always-hilarious Elf. There are tons of great ones, and now we're pitting them head-to-head in our brand new faceoff game! Spend some time playing, and you'll be eligible to win an amazing prize package of holiday favorites! Just click here to get started!

The winner will receive the ultimate Holiday movie collection courtesy of Warner Home Video! It includes the upcoming new release Four Christmases as well as favorites How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Peanuts a Charlie Brown Christmas. That’s not all – your collection will be completed by three spectacular Holiday movies boxed sets – the Holiday Comedy Collection: DVD 3-Disc Box Set: Includes "Elf / National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation / Fred Claus", the Holiday Family Collection: DVD 3-Disc Box Set; Includes "A Christmas Story / Happy Feet / The Polar Express", and the TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Holiday: DVD; 2-Disc Set; With Sleeve; Includes "A Christmas Carol / Christmas In Connecticut / It Happened On 5th Avenue / The Shop Around The Corner."

Just be sure you're logged into your PopSugar Community account to be entered, so if you're not already a member, register now. To read all the official rules, click here. Now what are you waiting for - play now! The more you play, the more entries you have to win! Don't forget to tell your friends to join in on the fun.

Buzz-Worthy Video: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Mellows Out

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:30:41 -0800

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, so you know I was pysched to watch him play host on SNL this weekend. And boy, did the guy come prepared. He kicked things off with a ridiculously impressive singing-and-dancing performance of "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singin' in the Rain, but my favorite skit of the night was "The Mellow Show." Hosted by Andy Samberg as Jack Johnson and featuring Bill Hader as Dave Matthews, the guys poked fun at some of the music industry's most notoriously laid-back guitar strummers.

JGL fit right in as Jason Mraz, complete with fedora. Check out the video below for even more of Gordon-Levitt's singing skills, and be sure to keep watching for a cameo by Dave Matthews himself! To see it, just read more.

What Artist (Living or Dead) Would You Want to See on Tour?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:30:29 -0800

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band recently played the final show of their tour in Buffalo, but is it the last time we'll see ever them? Springsteen sure made it sound like a goodbye saying, "The E Street Band has come thousands of miles tonight to be here one last time - for a little while." I'm wondering exactly what "a little while" means . . . Was this possibly their swan song?! I would've loved to have been there. They reportedly played for three and a half hours, so I'm sure it was an epic show.

It got me thinking about all of the acts I'd like to catch someday before they go the way of the E Street Band - and a few I wish I could see (at least in a dream world), e.g. Neutral Milk Hotel before they split, the original Weezer lineup, and the most obvious, The Beatles.

So chime in and tell me: which artists (living or dead) would you want to see on tour?

Movie Preview: Ben Stiller Plays It Straight in Greenberg

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:30:41 -0800

I have a love/hate relationship with Ben Stiller movies. Over the years, I've grown tired of seeing him in the same everyman role again and again (with a few exceptions, like There's Something About Mary), but every now and then he throws a curve ball that pulls me back in. Greenberg already looks like one of the latter films.

The upcoming indie movie from The Squid and the Whale director Noah Baumbach follows Roger Greenberg, a middle-aged New Yorker who heads to LA and decides to "do nothing" in an attempt to figure out his life. The movie looks like it could be a tearjerker, but maybe that's just because LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" is playing in the background. (The band's James Murphy lends a few new songs to the movie). Rhys Ifans is Roger's best friend while Greta Gerwig is the woman he befriends and beds. If you're ready to see Stiller take a break from slapstick, check out the trailer when you read more.

Aziz Ansari Gets Three Thumbs Up From Judd Apatow

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:30:03 -0800

Am I asleep? Because this sounds like a match made in heaven - Judd Apatow (along with Universal Pictures) has just picked up not one, not two, but three comedies starring Aziz Ansari. The yet-to-be-written ideas were pitched by the Parks and Recreation star as well as Jason Woliner, who is on board to direct. So what kind of hijinks are in store? Here's the rundown:

Project No.1: For now, it's called Let's Do This, and it's about two guys who work for a motivational speaking company and a road trip. Sounds familiar, but still has potential to be very funny.
Project No. 2: In this one, Ansari will play an astronaut (already hilarious) who has to clear his reputation by heading back to outer space.
Project No. 3: The three projects are unrelated, but the third one is actually a spinoff of Apatow's Funny People, focusing on Ansari's character Randy.

When asked about the pitches, Ansari quipped, "We didn’t expect all three to work. We had a breakfast meeting with Judd and pitched them. We were like, 'Which one do you like?’ He wanted all three.' We are hesitant to say too much about our ideas. A few years ago, we announced our new idea about a film where the world ended in the year 2014. We have since had to stop developing this movie."

Are you looking forward to seeing Ansari join Apatow's band of merry comics? Which project sounds most promising to you?

Which Actress Should Play The Black Cat in Spider-Man 4?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:30:05 -0800

The rumor mill keeps churning about Spider-Man 4. Let's recap: First, word spread that Rachel McAdams would be playing new villain Felicia Hardy, aka The Black Cat in the fourquel - hearsay which McAdams later denied. Earlier this week Julia Stiles's name started floating around instead. And now Anne Hathaway is the latest to be added to the running.

Hathaway and Spidey seem like a solid pairing - she'll up the A-list wattage of the film, and I think a superhero blockbuster would be a nice addition to her resume. But what about Stiles? She's been in the Jason Bourne series, so she does have the experience of working on a mega franchise. Still, I just can't imagine her busting chops and throwing around kicks like Hathaway.

Neither actress is even confirmed yet, which means other ladies could still step into the roles! Let's discuss who you would like to see take on The Black Cat part -Stiles, Hathaway, or do you have another actress that you would cast?

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

It's Tuesday, so you know what that means - new DVD releases just in time for the Thanksgiving break! I've already shared some fresh music picks, but here are three movies to add to your Netflix queue for the weekend.

Funny People

Adam Sandler plays a comedian who tries to turn his life around and befriend a past love (Leslie Mann) after being diagnosed with a blood disorder; Seth Rogen steps in as his idealistic assistant. Both men turn in solid performances in Funny People, and there are laughs, even though this is way more serious than director Judd Apatow's previous work. One of my complaints in the theater was that it was much too long, but that's the good thing about DVDs - you can always hit pause and go back later.

The single disc version includes a gag reel and a feature commentary with Apatow, Rogen, and Sandler. (Normally I don't watch with the commentary on, but in this case, I might just tune in for their wise cracks.) The special two-disc collector's version is loaded with extras, including a 13-year old Seth Rogen doing stand-up!

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Two more DVD releases to check out when you read more.

Four Christmases

I love Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, and while they don't necessarily have any sparks in Four Christmases, they still serve up a cute comedy. The pair star as a couple stuck visiting four sets of relatives around the holidays - his mom, her mom, his dad, her dad. And while it's not the funniest or most charming film that either actor has done, I still had a few laughs, especially thanks to the supporting cast of quirky characters (Jon Favreau and Kristin Chenoweth in particular). Even if it doesn't stack up against the classics in my holiday movie faceoff, it's worth trying if you're looking to get into the spirit of the season.

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Angels and Demons

Tom Hanks fans have Angels and Demons to look forward to. The actor is incredibly long-winded in the follow-up film to The DaVinci Code, but at least he's no longer sporting that ridiculous bouffant hairdo. This time, Robert Langdon tries to save the Vatican from an ancient group known as the Illuminati. Personally, I was bored by the first half when I saw the film in theaters, but the second part is actually fun - so if you catch it at home, you may want to fast forward a bit to get to the good stuff.

Special features include behind-the-scenes featurettes.

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