BuzzSugar

Announcing the, Um, "Winners": The 2009 Razzies

BuzzSugar — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:50:38 -0800

On the day when we celebrate Hollywood's finest, let's also take a moment to celebrate its worst. The 2009 Razzies were presented on Saturday, dinging The Love Guru with the title of Worst Picture and putting three separate awards in Paris Hilton's hands.

Hilton was named both Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress, plus she nabbed a share of Worst Screen Couple for The Hottie and the Nottie. Meanwhile, The Love Guru ended up with three total awards as well, adding Worst Actor and Worst Screenplay to its haul. Amazingly, The Happening emerged unscathed, despite its four nominations.

To check out a full list of (dubious) honorees, just read more.

WORST PICTURE
The Love Guru

WORST ACTOR
Mike Myers, The Love Guru

WORST ACTRESS
Paris Hilton, The Hottie and the Nottie

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Pierce Brosnan, Mamma Mia!

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Paris Hilton, Repo: The Genetic Opera

WORST SCREEN COUPLE
Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore, The Hottie and the Nottie

WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIPOFF, OR SEQUEL
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

WORST DIRECTOR
Uwe Boll, 1968: Tunnel Rats, In the Name of the King, and Postal

WORST SCREENPLAY
The Love Guru, written by Mike Myers & Graham Gordy

WORST CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Uwe Boll

Source and Source

Box Office: Carell & Co. Outsmart the Guru

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:30:14 -0700

Looks like enough people were craving the silly fun of an updated Maxwell Smart story this weekend, making the Steve Carell-Anne Hathaway comedy No. 1 at the box office. The Mike Meyers comedy The Love Guru was expected to show Get Smart some stiff competition during the opening weekend for both movies. Instead, The Love Guru brought in $14 million to Get Smart's $39 million, and failed to crack the top three.

At No. 2 was Kung Fu Panda, which bumped the more recent Incredible Hulk to third place. The Love Guru came in fourth, followed by M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening.

This weekend the crown will most likely go to Pixar's latest (and much-promoted) project, WALL-E about a little robot with the saddest, most endearing "eyes" ever. The action flick Wanted, however, may entice that coveted young male demographic, and will probably do quite well for itself.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

The Love Guru: Oh, Hell No

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:32:19 -0700

I'm having a hard time with the old axiom "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" while figuring out how to share my thoughts on the new Mike Myers comedy (and by the way, that categorization is a stretch) The Love Guru. I have to be honest, I've been sitting on this for a few days now, and I'm hard-pressed to find a single decent thing to say about it. There is juvenile, there is crude, there is downright not funny. . . and then there is this movie.

In addition to the general unfunniness, watching The Love Guru is practically unbearable due to the desperation that permeates the entire film. It's hard to tell if Myers realized most of the shticks were lame, or if he felt that because he's Mike Meyers people will laugh, so he has carte blanche to go as low as he's ever felt like going. The camera is so close to his face for so much of the film, we see every bit of manic energy going into each line, and he uses this intense stare to practically will (or beg?) us to find it all hilarious. It's sad. And uncomfortable. Not even Justin Timberlake in speedos with a funny Canadian accent can salvage this attempt at humor.

If you're curious about what I found specifically mind boggling about this movie, read more.

Here's what's baffling to me: it's not like the world of self-actualization and New Age philosophies (not to mention the rabid celebrity followings these things can sometimes attract) aren't easy targets for comedians. I'm curious why Myers didn't create a ridiculous hybrid of these "gurus" as a way of perhaps poking fun at the self-help industry. Instead he goes way over the top into Indian culture and Hinduism, and if I wasn't reeling from the idiocy of the jokes I probably would have noticed that I was also offended. We're talking about Indians fighting each other with urine and eating "weird" foods that look like a man's scrotum, not to mention lame attempts at Bollywood-style musical numbers.

In the end, the worst crime committed by Myers is a strange, self-obsessed unwillingness to edit himself at all. In fact, he laughs at his own jokes three out of four times throughout the movie. And in an eerie twist, it's as if he knows we're not laughing because he drills many of the gags into the ground, I guess using some nutty rationale that the 90th time's the charm. For example, his greeting to all his subjects is the name of Law & Order actress, Mariska Hargitay. Everyone says "Mariska Hargitay" each time they greet each other and it's not funny. And then to prove to us that it is funny - Hello! Don't you get it? It's not a real greeting, it's the actress! Mariska Hargitay! - Mariska Hargitay herself shows up to greet Myer's character with a "Mariska Hargitay" and. . . nope, still not funny. Just annoying, now.

Whatever fine line Myers has walked in the past between base humor and staying true to the memorable (if absurd) character he's playing, he took a flying leap over it with this film and it's heartbreaking to see.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Ben Kingsley Is the Man of the Hour

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:30:36 -0700

Ben Kingsley has always been a man of many faces (and accents), but lately it seems like he's popping up in every movie (and every time with a different accent). I knew he was in War, Inc. with John Cusack, and in one of my Tribeca favorites, The Wackness. And then when I checked out the trailer for Elegy (which is mesmerizing only because Penelope Cruz is so smoking hot no matter what she does), there he was again!
In addition to these recent theatrical releases, Kingsley has four films in various stages of production and four more titles in pre-production.
To check out my guide to recent and upcoming films featuring man-of-the-hour Ben Kingsley, hit "Start."

View Slideshow ›

Movie Preview: The Love Guru With Meyers, Alba, Timberlake and More

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:30:00 -0800

Okay, I'm willing to give The Love Guru a huge chance based on the cast alone: Mike Meyers (natch), Romany Malco (Conrad from Weeds!), Justin Timberlake (dressed all funny and bewigged), John Oliver (hilarious British guy from The Daily Show) and Ben Kingsley (funny because of, you know, his Oscar-winning performance as Ghandi). Oh, and Jessica Alba's in it too.

The new trailer for The Love Guru looks silly in the Austin Powers kind of way, though less charming and less humorous. Still, I have sorely missed Mike Meyers in recent years and it's oddly comforting to see him back in action. According to IMDB, Meyers plays a guru who travels to the U.S. in the hopes of breaking into the self-help business. "His first challenge: To settle the romantic troubles and subsequent professional skid of a star hockey player (Malco) whose wife left him for a rival athlete (Timberlake)." The Love Guru opens June 20. To check out the trailer and tell me what you think, read more.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 10/24

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:31:09 -0700

USA Today has the first photo from Mike Meyers' next comedy The Love Guru.
David Chase talks - sort of - to the Associated Press about the finale of The Sopranos.
Juno writer Diablo Cody has yet another project in the works: a supernatural comedy titled Jennifer's Body that will star Megan Fox, writes Hollywood Reporter.
In a super-slow week for album sales, Bruce Springsteen topped the charts again, Billboard reports.
The Futon Critic has a slew of ABC scheduling updates: Men in Trees is moving to 8 p.m., October Road is coming back in November, and Dance War starts in January.
The Zac Efron movie 17 just got a lot cooler with the addition of Leslie Mann (Knocked Up) to the cast, as ComingSoon reports.
Champion tennis player Maria Sharapova is pitching a drama about female tennis players to the CW, Variety reports. Hey, anyone else remember Phenom?
According to ComingSoon, Billy Bob Thornton will join Shia LaBeouf in the thriller Eagle Eye.
Zap2it has introductions for the new cast of The Amazing Race.
Billy Ray Cyrus has landed himself a movie role in the family drama Flying By, writes Hollywood Reporter.

"The Daily Show"'s John Oliver Joins Love Guru Cast

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 10:26:52 -0700

I just love this guy.
John Oliver is one of the greatest, funniest, dead-panniest parts of "The Daily Show" so I am thrilled to see that he's been cast in a real movie!

However...
Said movie is The Love Guru, in which Oliver will star alongside Mike Myers, Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake. In addition to Oliver, Meagan Goode and Ben Kingsley have joined the cast.

What are they all doing in this movie?
Good question! Oliver has been cast as a gentleman named Dick Pants, a "manager whose goal is to get the Love Guru on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' to settle a rivalry between his client and Deepak Chopra."

Kingsley, who's been making odd choices lately, is playing "Guru Tugginmypudha, the ashram leader who teaches the title character (Myers) how to love himself and how to wear a chastity belt."

Meanwhile, Goode is playing a woman named Prudence who trades one hockey boyfriend (Romany Falco) for another (Timberlake).

So...
There's no shortage of cheeky names and silly premises, but I'm probably still going to see this - especially now that Oliver's climbed on board.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 8/10

BuzzSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:15:07 -0700

According to ComingSoon, Jessica Alba will star alongside Mike Meyers in the comedy The Love Guru.
The Thor movie is a go, and Stardust director Matthew Vaughn is attached as director, Variety reports.
Billboard states that Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light is being delayed until 2008.
The AP reports that some of the rocks that made up the facade of the fictional Satriale's Pork Store in "The Sopranos" will be sold for $25-50 apiece.
Reuters says Alec Baldwin will join Kate Hudson and Dane Cook in the romantic comedy Bachelor No. 2.

Meanwhile, Patrick Swayze is joining Forest Whitaker and Jessica Biel on the set of Powder Blue, reports ComingSoon.
E! Online is reporting that Miley Cyrus will be performing songs as both herself and her character Hannah Montana while she's on tour.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Salma Hayek is set to produce and star in an untitled Disney romantic comedy.
Harvey Keitel is in talks to replace Mandy Patinkin on "Criminal Minds," Reuters reports.
According to Variety, Anne Hathaway has been cast as the lead in the comedy Dancing with Shiva.
Variety is also reporting on the live-action Voltron movie that has just been greenlit, and will be based on the 1980s cartoon series.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Looking for some fresh picks to add to your Netflix queue? I've got you covered. Just take a peek at these three new releases coming out on DVD today.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra

Many of you said that you weren't psyched to see the slick action update on the classic toy in theaters, but perhaps you'll feel differently now that it is available to watch at home. G.I. Joe has that loud, flashy, blockbuster appeal which can make for a perfect weekend rental - even if it's pretty much mindless entertainment. (Plus, I know how much you love Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum!) Bonus: If you're a CGI geek, the special two-disc version includes a behind-the-scenes look at the special effects.

37%

Two more new releases when you read more.

I Love You Beth Cooper
Hayden Panettiere stars as the title character - the hottest girl in school and long-time crush of the film's nerdy hero, Denis. When Denis wins class valedictorian, he uses his graduation speech to profess his love to Beth. Lucky for him, the act of courage works in his favor, and Beth shows up at his house. You can pretty much guess what happens from there - her boyfriend is not pleased, threatens to beat Denis up, etc. - but the DVD features an alternate ending to spice things up. Critics panned its release, but if you're a devotee of the teen sex comedy genre, then this is one to put on your viewing checklist.

14%

Food Inc.

Ever wondered where the meal on your plate really comes from? Food Inc. is a documentary that breaks down America's food industry step by step - from the farms where it's produced, to the big brother-like companies that monopolize it, to the supermarket. It's an interesting - albeit frightening - insider's peek that is packed with expert info. (Even my health guru, FitSugar, gave it her stamp of approval.) Consider this your brain food for the week - but if I were you, I'd refrain from eating while you're watching it.

97%