BuzzSugar

Edward Norton Developing Barack Obama Documentary

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:32:24 PDT

Edward Norton and his production company are developing a documentary about Barack Obama. Directors Amy Rice and Alicia Sams have been shooting footage since 2006, before Obama's declaration of candidacy when Norton and his group of collaborators approached Obama and he welcomed the idea. They've been steadily filming ever since.

According to Variety, "Norton said the motivation behind the film was not to glorify its subject." The idea for the project came after Obama gave a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which struck him as exciting, fresh and unique. For more of these insights from Norton,

What to Rent: New DVDs This Week

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:30:00 PST

Breaking Dawn Part 1

Twilight's star-crossed lovers Edward and Bella (Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart) tie the knot in this installment, but their idyllic honeymoon is interrupted when they discover that vampires can, in fact, impregnate humans. Bella is willing to do anything to protect the life of her baby, Edward will do anything to save Bella, and Jacob tries to keep his wolfpack at bay. The movie goes quickly from cheesily romantic to surprisingly graphic, but the film is very loyal to the book. DVD extras include a six-part making-of documentary, a wedding video, a Jacob featurette, and a commentary track with the director.

25%

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

Harold and Kumar (John Cho and Kal Penn) reunite for this holiday-themed sequel, the third part in their drug-fueled comedy series. This time, the guys have grown apart (Harold is now a husband in the suburbs while Kumar is a slacker in the city), but Christmas Eve hijinks force them to work together and grow close again. The boys - and Neil Patrick Harris - are as raunchy as ever, but this installment is as funny as the original, and festive to boot. DVD extras include deleted scenes.

69%

See one more new release after the jump.

4 Reasons Why The Purity Myth Piques Our Interest

Tara Sharp — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:00:00 PST

Feminist blogger Jessica Valenti's documentary The Purity Myth is available on DVD, and the flick exploring the virginity movement is on our must-see list. The film is adapted from Jessica's best-selling book of the same name, The Purity Myth, that looks into our country's obsession with virginity and how women are defined by their sexuality. Watch the trailer above to learn about the movie, and let us know in the comments what you think. Here's why we can't wait to see the documentary:

Feministing cofounder, author, and "poster girl for third-wave feminism" Jessica Valenti is behind it. Jessica is funny, frank, and smart, and she's already proven with her book that this is an important and interesting topic - we can't wait to see it come to life.
It explores the whole cultural phenomenon of virginity with clips from TV shows, celebrities, and movies. It's about recognizing how we're fed the information that puts purity and virginity on a pedestal, and the bigger issue, which is why women are valued based on their sexuality.
We get a behind-the-scenes look into the religious supporters of the virginity movement and the often-creepy purity balls. We can't help but be appalled and interested in why these people believe what they believe.
We see the reality of how this virginity movement affects politics. It's important to be reminded that this isn't just crazy people being crazy. The idea that women are defined by whether or not they have sex is serious, and if we don't take action there are serious political implications that will affect our rights as women.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom Wants to End Miss Representation of Women

Annie Scudder — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:10:27 PDT

You've heard of the pay gap, but do you know about the leadership gap? As more women than men get college degrees and fill managerial positions, we're still not filling the halls of Congress or the seats in boardrooms.

Actress and former San Francisco First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom thinks the mainstream media's portrayal of women contributes to the leadership gap, and she makes this case in her documentary Miss Representation, which airs tonight on OWN at 9/8c. I spoke with Jennifer, and here's what she told me about the movie:

TrèsSugar: What inspired you to make this film?
Jennifer Siebel Newsom: I recognized the inequities in our society and that women are still so underrepresented in leadership spheres. We hold three percent of media positions of clout, we are three percent of fortune 500 CEOs, 17 percent of Congress - and we're 51 percent of the population. In the real world women are making incredible strides and the media continues to depict women as arm candy and second fiddle. Our stories aren't as revealed and rich and deep in mainstream media and there are often disparaging images of women or limited images of women. So I want to right that wrong and confront that injustice.

TS: Who are the worst offenders?
JSN: It's some of the reality TV. It's some of the news media or pundits getting away saying sexist remarks about female politicians. It's studio films. TV's getting better. It still has ways to go, but a lot of the alternative outlets on TV have created stories around strong female characters.

TS: Is there anything that gives you hope?
JSN: I think independent media is a bright spot. I'm really curious about OWN, Oprah's new network. There are more responsible media outlets and since women are 86 percent of consumers I want to encourage women to consume from those media outlets, to support the good guys.

To find out what Jennifer thinks about Disney princesses and to see the powerful trailer of Miss Representation, read more.

Eva Longoria Does Dinner With Eduardo Ahead of a Special Night With the President

Allie Merriam — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:22:50 PDT

Eva Longoria and Eduardo Cruz had a date night yesterday at her LA restaurant Beso. She had the evening off from shooting the final season of Desperate Housewives, which kicked off on ABC a few weeks ago. Her last episodes as Gabrielle Solis will air through 2012, and so far, things on the show have been as dramatic as usual. Eva was mum about her and Eduardo's outing on Twitter, but he's been sharing his thoughts on many things on his own page. He just posted a quote from Albert Einstein that read, "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the the universe." Eva, who recently topped a list of TV's highest paid actresses with Tina Fey, has been busy with other projects. She produced a documentary called The Harvest, out on DVD yesterday, about underage migrant workers. Eva's also getting political and is one of most famous attendees to have RSVP'd to the first-ever national Latino gala for Obama, being held on Oct. 24, at the home of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith.

James Beard Awards Kick off With Book, Broadcast, & Journalism Awards

Katie Sweeney — Mon, 09 May 2011 09:38:53 PDT

The best of the best of the nation's food world glitterati are in New York this weekend for the industry's Oscars, the James Beard Awards. Although the main ceremony doesn't take place until later this evening, the events kicked off on Friday with the announcement of the book, broadcast, and journalism awards.

A huge congratulations is in order for our friends at the San Francisco Chronicle; they took home the prize for best food section of a general interest publication. To check out the full list of winners, which includes Alton Brown and Top Chef: All-Stars, keep reading.

Gloria Steinem's Best Quotes on Being a Woman

Tara Sharp — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:12:00 PDT

Feminist journalist Gloria Steinem has been in the news lately: last week with her comments against new NBC show The Playboy Club, and then last night her HBO documentary Gloria: In Her Own Words aired. The social and political activist has been an icon for women's rights, having been deeply involved in abortion issues, women's equality, and sex education. Now read some of the powerful words on womanhood Gloria has shared over the years and on last night's show.

4 Exciting Moves Maria Shriver Can Make Post-Arnold

Annie Scudder — Wed, 18 May 2011 12:05:56 PDT

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his love child have captured the attention of the world this week. Sad details about the affair continue to emerge, as pictures of the mistress flash across newspapers and websites everywhere. In her undoubtedly heartbreaking family breakup, Maria Shriver, the other half of the toppled power couple, has a chance to triumph.

Some are asking who Maria should date next. Tim Robbins? Alec Baldwin? While it would be fun to see JFK's niece hook up with a high-profile liberal after decades with a Republican, I doubt she's even thinking about a new love connection as she tries to stay strong for her kids. Still, with the public's goodwill behind her, Maria's next move could be her best yet.

In her 2008 book, Just Who Will You Be?, Maria discussed her reluctance to quit her successful journalism career at NBC to become first lady of California. She wrote, "You've got to be kidding! That's not me! I didn't grow up wanting to be first lady of anything!" Over the years she said she came to peace with being first lady and believed it helped her find her own voice. Maybe this next life stage will move her further along that path. Based on her experience so far, below you'll find four potential projects Maria could take on post-Arnold.

Tribeca Takeaway: The Bang Bang Club

Allie Merriam — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:30:56 PDT

This year's Tribeca Film Festival kicked off in NYC last night with the star-studded premiere of Cameron Crowe's The Union. Screenings commenced this morning for a handful of other movies, and today I was able to check out Ryan Phillippe's The Bang Bang Club.

Who's behind it? South African filmmaker Steven Silver both wrote and directed the piece. It's his first feature after a long career in documentaries - he wrote Gerrie & Louise, based on the life of a colonel in the South African Defense Force, and directed the Emmy-nominated story of a Jerusalem bus bombing in 2002's The Diameter of the Bomb.
What's it about? Phillippe heads a cast that includes Taylor Kitsch and South African actors Neels Van Jaarsveld and Frank Rautenbach. The four men play photojournalists at a Johannesburg newspaper who head into townships to document the communities' violence during the height of apartheid and in the run-up to the country's first democratic elections in the early '90s. Malin Akerman plays their editor, Robin Comley, who serves as a mentor, then love interest, for Phillippe's Greg Marinovich. The four men come to be known as the Bang Bang Club for their work, which goes on to win Pulitzers and bring them great acclaim at a high price. Along with Robin, they play as hard as they work. The film raises questions of what exactly the role of a photojournalist is - to document, to help those suffering, or, somehow, do both?

To see what I thought of the movie, just

Justin Bieber Shares His View on Sex - Cute or Could Have Done Without?

PopSugar — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:14:34 PST

Justin Bieber, clad in a leather jacket, was photographed by Terry Richardson for the March issue of Rolling Stone. The singer is out promoting his documentary Never Say Never, which he premiered last week and has since gone on to enjoy an impressive opening weekend. The 16-year-old pop star went on to chat about more than just the movie inside the magazine, also touching on topics like politics, abortion, and sex. He said of sex, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them. . . I think you should just wait for the person you're. . . in love with." It's a rather personal comment from Justin, so tell us - do you think his quotes are cute or could you have done without his thoughts on the matter?