BuzzSugar

Would You See a Stage Production of Thriller?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:30:52 -0800

Producer James L. Nederlander has reportedly acquired the rights to make a stage version of "Thriller," "Michael Jackson's iconic music-video spoof of horror films." The show will use music from the albums Off the Wall and Thriller. Nederlander says, "I love the idea of making 'Thriller' a musical. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has big secret, now what?"

I love the song "Thriller" and I somehow never tire of watching people do the dance (be it in the Thrill the World movement or 13 Going on 30 or anyplace else). As opposed to certain other musical news that doesn't seem to make sense, I think "Thriller" might make for a great stage show. What do you think?

Fergie, Akon, and Others Contribute to 25th Anniversary Thriller Album

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:30:00 -0800

Can you believe it's been more than 25 years since Michael Jackson's hit album Thriller was released? In November of 1982 the album made waves for hosting such wonders as "Billie Jean," Beat It," and, of course, "Thriller," though as Entertainment Weekly points out, not every track was a winner (anyone remember "The Lady in My Life"?). Still, the record continues to hold a proud place in music history as the best-selling album ever.

To commemorate the 25-year mark, Epic/Legacy has released a special edition of the album, featuring remixes and collaborations with Fergie, Akon, will.i.am, and Kanye. There's also a bonus DVD with music videos - including Jackson's first performance of the moonwalk.

This week Jackson released a video thanking fans for the success of Thriller. He added, "There is still much for to come for Michael Jackson," he said. "My passion for music has never stopped . . . It's my hope that Thriller continues to live on for each new generation to discover."

Do you think you'll check out this new edition? Or do you still have your old Thriller from way back when? You can see what you think of Akon's version of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" if you read more.

Buzz News Roundup, 11/30

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:39:25 -0800

PopSugar shares the news that Reese Witherspoon was the year's top-earning actress, followed by Angelina Jolie and Cameron Diaz.
The Kennedy Center will honor Steve Martin this Sunday, Dec. 2, reports Variety.
According to ComingSoon, HBO will make a Barry Bonds movie based on the book Game of Shadows.
Reuters has news that Keri Russell will join Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories, a fantastical family movie directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray).
The Hollywood Reporter states that John Cusack will go back to doing the psychological thriller thing as he joins the cast of The Factory.
The 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's album Thriller will be marked with a new edition of the set including remixes by Kanye West, Akon and will.i.am, writes Billboard.
It's a banner week for Elizabeth Berkeley: Fresh off winning a recurring role on CSI: Miami, she'll also be the host of Bravo's new dance show, according to Variety.
Pitchfork reports that Portishead will finally release a third album - 10 years after the group's last record.

Source

Start Your Halloween Right - With Thrill the World Videos!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:30:00 -0700

Happy Halloween, Buzz readers!

Last weekend I told you about the Thrill the World movement in which a whole bunch of people worldwide danced Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance at the same time in order to break the world record for the largest simultaneous dance. Now there are dozens of videos from the momentous occasion, bringing us lively group performances of the "Thriller" dance from every corner of the country - and from places like Toronto and Stockholm, as well.

I seriously can't get enough of watching random strangers do this dance, so after the break please enjoy some of my favorite videos from the day. It's just so fun and weirdly heartwarming to watch people do this dance. The power of the Internet! And Michael Jackson.

To watch some of the videos, read more

San Francisco:

Thompkins Square Park, NYC:

St. Louis:

Ayrshire, Scotland:

Photo courtesy of Damon Green

Thrill the World - For the Win!

BuzzSugar — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:00:00 -0700

Ever thought to yourself, "Self, I'd like to perform an iconic zombie dance with a mob of strangers at the same time everyone else in the world is doing it and break world records?" Well, today is your lucky day!

Allow me to introduce you to Thrill the World, a movement (so to speak, ha ha) in which mobs of people dressed as zombies will gather together at the same time today, Saturday October 27, 2007 to dance the "Thriller" dance - that is, the dance featured in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. The project is technically "a worldwide attempt to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the largest simultaneous dance."

Here in San Francisco the record-breaking dance will take place in Delores Park at 3:00 PM. In D.C. they're making a real night of it, called the DC Zombie Lurch and starting off with the dance at the Washington Monument at 6:00 PM followed by a group trek to Club Midnight.

For a full list of all the places taking part in this momentous occasion, check out the "Plan" section of the Thrill the World website. There are plans to meet up in all sorts of places, including Croatia, France, Honduras, Ireland, Sweden and New Zealand, among others.

Here's the best part: In case you don't know the dance by heart, instructional videos are provided. So you have no real excuse - put on some rags and go be a part of history! Why? 'Cause this is Thriller, Thriller Night!

Fracture: Broken In Too Many Places

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 04:20:31 -0700

In Fracture, Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is a cocky but likeable prosecutor on the rise. He’s about to go from being an assistant D.A. to joining a goliath corporate law firm - all chrome, glass and prestige. To top things off, his new beautiful boss Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike) has demonstrated an interest in taking him under her wing, in more ways than one. What could go wrong?

On the eve of his move, he agrees to take on one more case for the D.A.’s office. Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins), who we see spying on his cheating wife and then shooting her in the head, has signed a confession admitting to his crime. It should be an open and shut case, but the hotshot prosecutor with a 97 percent conviction rate soon finds himself mired in a trap set by the sociopathic Crawford.

A courtroom revelation renders Crawford’s confession inadmissible, and Beachum soon discovers that they cannot find the gun used in the crime. “If you look closely enough,” Crawford says, taunting Beachum, “you can find that everything has a weak spot where it can break, sooner or later.” Unfortunately, Fracture suffers from too many weak spots, so

In spite of top-notch stars, Fracture abounds in flaws: The film drags, lacks an original story, and derives its main characters all too obviously from The Silence of the Lambs. In addition, moments that are supposed to be suspenseful - like when Beachum races to the hospital with a court-order to keep Crawford from pulling the plug on his comatose wife - are so badly paced that you forget what’s even going on.

The romance between Beachum and his new, seductive boss seems to come out of nowhere, and it doesn’t make sense that someone in as high a position as Nikki would jeopardize her job just to sleep with a new employee, however handsome. The film also stumbles during moments intended as comic relief, since the movie hasn’t done its job in setting the proper tone these moments were meant to disrupt.

But the biggest disappointment of Fracture involves what could have been a promising rapport between Gosling and Hopkins. Gosling is one of the few actors who can smirk and act cocky and still have you rooting for him; he plays it off as youthful exuberance. His elastic face is as expressive as a silent film star’s, and he has a magnetism that almost makes his boss’s seduction make sense.

Gosling deserves a better sparring partner than Hopkins, who seems to have simply walked from The Silence of the Lambs set without leaving character. Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter shtick is getting old. His arsenal of sociopathic tics - the nostril flaring, the reptilian slow-lidded closing of the eyes - isn’t bordering on self-parody; it fully inhabits it.

Although Fracture had promise, you just feel like you’re wandering around in familiar territory, none of it surprising or compelling.

Movie Preview: Notes on a Scandal

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 12:45:03 -0800

Iris director Richard Eyre again teams up with Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal, a psychological thriller about loneliness, lust, and betrayal. Cate Blanchett co-stars as a schoolteacher named Sheba who has an affair with her 15-year-old student. Sheba confides in Barbara (Dench), who harbors more-than-friendly feelings toward Sheba, and Barbara then uses her knowledge of the affair to manipulate their friendship. Creepiness ensues. Opening nationwide on December 27, the movie is getting Golden Globe attention, so check out the trailer below.

Jake Gyllenhaal May Be Thrilling Audiences With Source Code

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

It seems so long since we've seen Jake Gyllenhaal on screen (2007 in Rendition, to be exact), so I'm glad that we're about to get a lot more of him. Next month we'll catch him in Brothers, then in the Spring all buffed up in Prince of Persia - and he won't be slowing down. Gyllenhaal is in talks to star in the sci-fi thriller Source Code.

The geeky-titled flick is about a soldier (ostensibly played by Gyllenhaal) who "wakes up in the body of an unknown commuter and is forced to live and relive a harrowing train bombing until he can determine who is responsible for it." These days it seems like Gyllenhaal is balancing his more emotional roles (like in Brothers) with some aggressive action flicks. I don't mind - whatever the genre, I'm just happy to welcome him back to the theater.

Link Time! Simon Baker Scores Surfer Role

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:40 -0800

Simon Baker attached to surfing drama Breath - Coming Soon
Eddie Murphy to star in R-rated animal comedy The Misadventures of Fluffy - Movieline
Anvil! The Story of Anvil and Capitalism: A Love Story both left off of Oscar documentary shortlist - Cinematical
Get a look at next week's annual Slapsgiving on How I Met Your Mother - PopWatch
All Songs Considered: The 50 most important recordings of the decade - NPR
Susan Boyle breaks Amazon's record for global CD pre-orders - Lifeline Live
Could Lost's Nestor Carbonell be Khan in the Star Trek sequel? - Moviefone
True Blood's Stephen Moyer signs on for thriller The Caller - MTV Movies Blog
Remember Chandler's awkward relationship with Thanksgiving? Share your own stories with Très - TrèsSugar
Interpol is prepping an album for next year - Pitchfork

Movie Preview: Ed Norton and Ed Norton in Leaves of Grass

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

That double Ed Norton in the title is not a typo; Leaves of Grass stars the talented actor in a dual role, as polar opposite twin brothers.

As twins, Norton really goes for it - one twin, Bill, is straight-laced, while the other, Brady, is a mulleted hick with a heavy Southern accent. I've missed Norton's presence, but I'm wondering if this is going to a be an amazing acting opportunity or an embarrassing diversion for him. Joining him in the cast sans outrageous accents is Keri Russell, Susan Sarandon, and Richard Dreyfuss. It's a little hard to tell the tone of the movie from the trailer; it's been described as a comedic thriller, but I can't tell if it wants to be Adaptation or Joe Dirt.

To see the trailer, just read more.