BuzzSugar

Buzz In: What's On Your Summer Reading List?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:30:43 PDT

If ever there's a time to get serious about reading, Summer's it! Whether it's because of the longer hours of daylight or the relaxing vacations, lots of folks start stacking up on good reads during the Summer months.

There are some good new books out just in time for beach reading, too. For those of you looking for a little beach-themed escapism, you might check out a couple of this year's books that are set in the Hamptons: How the Other Half Hamptons and LoveHampton. I'm currently having a great time reading my June book club selection, but am definitely adding books that have been getting high praise like The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and the brand new David Sedaris book When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I also like to add nonfiction to my lists, even if it's something a little darker, like Kathryn Harrison's While They Slept.

So, what's on your Summer reading list? Do you prefer light and fun or do you tackle something more challenging when the weather heats up? Anything you've promised yourself you'll pick up and complete before Labor Day?

Source

The Oscar Nominations: Snap Judgments

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:24:33 PST

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and now that we've had time to digest the news, we have a few reactions to share. From the positive and excited to the slightly disappointed, check out our thoughts on the 2012 Academy Award nominations, and be sure to share yours too.

It's rare for a comedy to be able to compete with all of the heavy dramas of award season, especially an R-rated comedy, but Bridesmaids impressed us by not just nabbing a supporting actress nomination for Melissa McCarthy, but for best original screenplay for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Nice work, ladies!
We were happy to see acting nominations for Nick Nolte in Warrior and Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Both men have been left off a lot of lists (like the Golden Globes), but we're so glad that they pulled in Oscar nominations since these were two performances we felt strongly about.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo may have been passed over in most major categories, but its lead actress, Rooney Mara, was still recognized. The Academy seems to love its ingénues, and we're glad they chose Rooney for her brave breakout role.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has suffered from some bad reviews, but not from the Academy: it scored a best picture nomination and a nod for supporting actor Max von Sydow. We liked him in the role, but it's still a surprise to see the movie come up so strongly.
The Tree of Life was a similar surprise, since the Summer release had polarized reviewers and audiences and didn't seem to have much award season steam. But the movie still managed to join the race with nods for best picture and best director for Terrence Malick.

To read some more of my Oscar snap judgments, just keep reading.

15 Books to Read Before They're Adapted For the Screen

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:30:55 PDT

Summer presents an entertainment trade-off - there's not as much TV on, but there is time for other stuff you've been meaning to do, like my Netflix challenge, and reading. Whether you need beach reads or some more serious fare, I have a few recommendations for you to crack - and me being Buzz, they're all works that are currently being adapted for movies or TV shows. Check out your Summer reading list now!

Rewind: Award Season Is in Full Swing

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 03:05:00 PST

Award season is heating up with a series of nomination announcements, starting with the Critics' Choice list, the SAG award nominations and the Golden Globe noms, which we had plenty to say about.
Is it hot in here? We showed you the hottest shirtless pictures from this year's movies, including Ryan Gosling and Henry Cavill.
We supplemented your reading list by letting you know about 14 books you should read before they become movies or TV shows.
Pucker up! From the sweet to the sexy, we gave you the best TV kisses of 2011.
We debated whether Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 or Breaking Dawn Part 1 was the better film.
Tom Cruise does his best rock star impression in the star-studded Rock of Ages trailer.
We got an early look at 2012 Summer blockbusters with a host of trailer releases, including Men in Black 3, G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation, and Jack the Giant Killer.
HBO assured us that Winter is, in fact, still coming in the trailer for Game of Thrones season two.
Hot new posters showed up on the scene, like the dark one-sheet for The Amazing Spider-Man and the intense new poster for The Hunger Games.
We oohed and ahhed over the first pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio and friends in The Great Gatsby.

The Biggest Baby Naming Trends of the Year

BabyCenter — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:33:23 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Lindsay Weiss about the most popular baby names of 2011.

Drum roll please…Babycenter just released the results of its highly anticipated annual Top 100 Baby Names of 2011.

(Note: am I the only one whose heart starts pounding when I read this list? Don’t get me wrong, I love the names but my palms are sweating because I do not want to see my kids names on this list! Sadly, they are. Darn Kate Middleton…it’s all her fault.)

As Carolyn noted, there’s no surprise on the most popular names - Aiden tops the boys’ list for the seventh consecutive year while Sophia holds tight to the lead for girls for the second year in a row. But never fear, 2011 definitely yielded some interesting trends in naming:

The Anderson Cooper Effect
He’s got a new talk show and, apparently, a lot of ‘mini-Coopers’ too. While Cooper rose 3 percent to number 58 on the list, the name Anderson made a meteoric ascent, up more than 100 spots!

Fist Pump…Jersey Style
In addition, this year’s list reflects America’s obsession with the Garden State, as names like Nicole (Jersey Shore) make their way up four spots while Briella (Jerseylicious), Jacqueline and Caroline (The Real Housewives of New Jersey), and Kimberly (Jersey Couture) all experienced hair-raising leaps. And if that’s not enough, the name Jersey itself is up 16 percent!

Keeping Up With…Mason?
Another reality baby name star to take note of is Mason, Kourtney Kardashian’s son, who toddled up eight spots to claim the number three spot for boys. Not to be outdone, the first names of power couple Victoria and David Beckham are both on the rise as well as that of their newborn daughter, Harper, whose name is up an impressive 34 spots.

The Royal and the Political
Keeping the reality show stars in check is the royal duo William and Kate, whose names are both on the rise along with Harry and Pippa, whose name is up a whopping 45 percent. Moms also looked to politics, as evidenced by the rise of inspirational congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ name, as well as the names of the Palin, Obama, and Clinton daughters.

Superheroes…Real and Fictional
Additional inspiration for this year’s crop of top baby names came from superheroes, with names like May (Spider-Girl) swooping up 98 spots and Peter (Spiderman) climbing 22 spots. NASCAR and nature also left their mark on this year’s list, with names like Matt (Kenseth) and Kyle (Busch) on the rise along with Summer and Storm.

Do any of these trends resonate with you?

P.S. full disclosure: I may need to get pregnant (with a girl, please) in 2012 so I can name her Pippa. Who wouldn’t love to squeeze the cheeks on a little Pippa?

More great stories from BabyCenter.com:
6 ways to stretch your holiday dollars
Homeless by choice family: cool or lame?
Don't tell me about your sleeping baby
9 Hanukkah craft ideas for kids
5 reasons my baby won't start solids - ever

Pilates Moves For Your Arms and Core From Kim Kardashian's Trainer

Self — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:18:48 PST

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

If you're a novice like me, you might not realize that there are many different kinds of Pilates. And those incarnations are not defined as "hard, very hard, and nearly impossible."

Celebrity trainer Sara Kapuchinski just opened her new LA studio i heart fitness xo, where she teaches West Coast-style Pilates to a revolving A-list clientele including Khloe and Kim Kardashian, Christina Ricci, Modern Family's Sofia Vergara and Glee's Romy Rosemont.

Kapuchinski started out as a weekend trainer, whose day job was as an A & R executive in the music industry. Soon, she realized that teaching fitness felt more personally satisfying. "Music was fun, but I was more gratified training people," she recalls. "After sitting at a desk from 9 to 5 and staying up 'til all hours, I was experiencing a lot of neck and back pain. And, like most people, I was amazed that classic Pilates did the things that it was supposed to do: my posture improved, I lost inches in my waist and my neck and back pain basically disappeared."

After a bit of investigation, the trainer found that Pilates on the West Coast, which is heavier on cardio, was more her speed: "Pilates is so great for your body, for your core (that mysterious thing), but a lot of times you leave a class feeling like you need to sweat. I wanted something that was a bit more cardio-driven without having to go take a Boot Camp."

Read on for three of Kapuchinski's heart-pounding Pilates moves!

How to Prevent Packing on the Pounds This Fall

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:47:29 PDT

Fall is hands down my favorite season, but the change in weather and daylight can throw your health and fitness routine out the window. Don't let the cooler season get the best of you. Here are tips to prevent weight gain in Autumn.

Make Time to Move
Goodbye to the lazy days of Summer and hello to the busy hustle and bustle of Fall! Between work, the holidays, grocery shopping, errands, etc., it's easy to push exercise to the bottom of the list. It should be just as much a priority as any other appointment you have. On Sunday night, mark your weekly workouts in your calendar so you don't make excuses to skip out.

Be Inspired by Colder Temps
Put away the shorts and tank tops and get out the pants and long sleeves. Or buy new Fall gear to motivate you to move in the cooler temps. You might find you actually prefer exercising in the Fall to working out in the heat.

Keep reading for more tips on how to prevent weight gain this Fall.

Play Battle of the Books and Win Big Bucks

TresSugar — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:20:53 PDT

In TrèsSugar's Battle of the Books faceoff, we've pitted some of the most influential books against each other. Pick which one you'd rather read, and we'll find out what's top shelf.

Finding titles to add to your Indian Summer reading list not incentive enough? We'll be giving away a $500 grand prize each month - you must be logged in, and you'll be entered once every time you play. (Check out the official rules here.) What are you waiting for? Get choosy!

5 Gadget Carry-On Essentials

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:13:45 PDT

Summer is waning, but you can still hit the road for a much-needed vacation. Whether they're flying near or far, tech addicts will want to keep these gadget essentials near to them in their carry-on luggage.

iPad or Tablet - If you have the luxury of spending upwards of $500 on a tablet, it's probably the only gadget you'll need to tote during travel season since it can hold your ebooks, surf the Internet, and keep you connected.
eReader - If you're sans tablet, pack up your favorite ereader. Whether it's the latest Kindle or the new Nook Simple Touch, you can read the entire Game of Thrones series without all the paper weight.
Compact laptop - Though the MacBook Air is arguably the most popular lightweight laptop out there, there's plenty of compact PCs to choose from as well. We're big fans of the HP Mini 210, and the Samsung Series 9 is sleek and chic as well.

See the rest of the list after the jump

How to Fix Summer-Ravaged Hair

Allure — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 PDT

We're excited to present this story from Allure:

As if the hot air from our turbo blow dryers and the scorch of our flat irons weren't enough, the summer heat adds that extra sizzle that will put almost any head of hair over the edge. Then there's the salt water and chlorine-in other words, our hair takes a serious beating by September. We recently spoke with hairstylist Kerrie Urban, the hair expert behind the Allure Beauty Product Finder, to help us rescue our hair for the fall. Parting with those beloved inches can be tough, but getting a good, healthy trim should be on the top of your list. “Cutting off the dead ends and refreshing your hair style can do wonders,” says Urban. See her other tips when you keep reading.