BuzzSugar

Link Time! New Moon Breaks Midnight Sales Records

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:30:38 -0800

New Moon tops Harry Potter and The Dark Knight for its midnight showing ticket sales - PopSugar
Is Taylor Kitsch taking an early departure from Friday Night Lights? - Ausiello Files
Top 10 star-crossed lovers in film - Rotten Tomatoes
30 Rock's Judah Friedlander talks about his hat collection and his plans to save NBC - TV.com
Steven Spielberg and Stephen King team up to frighten the bejesus out of us with Under the Dome - MTV Movies Blog
Vampire Weekend debut their new video for "Cousins" - Stereogum
Jason Segel sings about how he wants to give you his phone number - and bed you - TresSugar
Imogen Heap writes songs for Zach Braff - Spinner

Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:45:28 -0700

DJ AM's reality show, Gone Too Far, will air on Oct. 12 - Vulture
Californication has been renewed for a fourth season - The Hollywood Reporter
Liam Neeson will join Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks in The Next Three Days - Cinematical
Check out Vampire Weekend's new song and upcoming tour dates - Pitchfork
Take a sneak peek at this week's episode of Glee - Pop Watch
Get the look: An Education's fab frocks - CasaSugar
James Franco is calling his upcoming appearance on General Hospital "performance art." - MTV Movies Blog
Relationship advice from the cast of Couples Retreat - Rotten Tomatoes

Buzz News Roundup, 8/8

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:48:47 -0700

The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Martin Scorsese is in talks with HBO to direct a dramatic pilot titled Boardwalk Empire. Scorsese is already a producer for the upcoming show about Atlantic City gamblers in the 1920s.
According to Variety, Pineapple Express had the best Wednesday opening ever for August. The comedy took in $12.1 million.
Regis Philbin is following in the footsteps of Britney Spears and is set to appear on the second episode of the upcoming season of How I Met Your Mother, Entertainment Weekly says.
The reunited Police closed its tour, the last live show ever for the band, last night in New York, reports Billboard.
The AP reports that Philip Seymour Hoffman is slated to direct a play in London later this year. The play, Riflemind, is about a rock band reuniting after a 20-year split. Sounds a lot like The Police!
Reuters reports that Hollywood producer Bernie Brillstein died last night of lung disease at the age of 77. He was best known for his work on The Blues Brothers and Happy Gilmore fame.
Pitchfork has the scoop on the soundtrack for the upcoming Michael Cera film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Vampire Weekend is collaborating with a member of Devo for the project. Awesome.

Source

This Just In: NME Thinks America Is Cool Again

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:30:51 -0700

Bad news, Buzz readers (and America): Apparently, we have all been suffering from a crisis of uncoolness for some time now. And the worst part is we didn't even know it (or, at least, I didn't)! This is all according to the British music magazine NME - but there's good news, too, since NME has now managed to find 25 American bands that are making us cool again!

To quote the press release, the new issue is celebrating "the 25 American acts who are whipping up a storm on both sides of the Atlantic - signaling the re-birth of the US music scene!" Which is good, since I've had nothing to listen to for years now when I want to support the good ol' US of A!

Sarcasm aside, I'm glad the magazine is recognizing some great bands that started here - but this is kind of dramatic. I mean, did you know our music scene had died? I thought things were going pretty well, even before Vampire Weekend showed up.

Anyway, I may not agree with NME's sensational declarations, but I am OK with these bands representing America's fine musical taste abroad. I'll share the list of bands after the jump, but I'm also curious what acts gave our friends in the UK such a sour feeling about American music before now. If they really thought we were suffering, they could have just asked, and I would have been happy to point them to some great music!

To see the 25 bands that have helped us reclaim some cool points and let me know your thoughts, read more.

Vampire Weekend
Lil Wayne
Glass Candy
Kings of Leon
MGMT
Spank Rock
TV on the Radio
Boy Crisis
Black Kids
Holy Ghost Revival
The Hold Steady
Fleet Foxes
Amazing Baby
Jay Reatard
HEALTH
The Cool Kids
Black Lips
Yo Majesty
White Denim
Telepathe
Iglu and Hartly
Chester French
Girl Talk
TheDeathSet
Grace Jones

Source

Music Video: Vampire Weekend, "Oxford Comma"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:30:48 -0700

"Oxford Comma" is one of my favorite songs off Vampire Weekend's self-titled album because it's catchy and laid back and perfect for summertime. The lyrics are funny, too, what with the rebellious stance the band takes on caring too much about Oxford commas (otherwise known as the serial comma. . . sorry, that was nerdy).

Anyway, the video for the song is cool and they shot it in one long, single take (took them 17 tries). Also, it could just be the font style, but this video kinda feels like a Wes Anderson film. To check it out for yourself, read more.

Source

Record Store Day: Time to Celebrate the In-Store Purchase

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:30:46 -0700

As much of America learned Wednesday night from a caller's question on American Idol, this Saturday is Record Store Day, a time to celebrate independently owned record stores and, as the organizers put it, "the culture and unique place that they occupy both in their local communities and nationally."

The day is an attempt to raise awareness about the value of the in-person perusing and purchasing experience that is currently in danger of extinction as the existence of many independent stores is threatened by the download. All kinds of fun stuff is planned for Saturday, including exclusive track releases from bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend, Built to Spill, and R.E.M. and in-store performances and events occurring all over the country.

I've asked you before what your first album was, and I'm guessing most of them were purchased in actual stores. Do you get nostalgic thinking about that experience, and are you worried that the little record store down the street could close down? Do you ever buy your music in person anymore?

Tons of people, from famous directors to music legends, have weighed in on what record stores mean to them. To check out some of my favorite quotes and watch a clip of Regina Spektor talking about why she's excited for Saturday, read more.

Ben Harper: “Independent record stores are much more than the name suggests. They are an international community and platform where music has an outlet and an opportunity to grow over the long term, in a way that sincerely connects with community and culture. They are also a magnificent mob of highly opinionated musical bandits which I am proud to call my pals!"
Peter Gabriel: "I was introduced to lots of great music through my local record store. It was a place where people knew music and they knew me, and could make great suggestions and discoveries. Whether it is in the physical world or on-line, the value of a great and knowledgeable record store has not gone away."
Norah Jones: "It’s important to keep indie record stores alive because their unique environments introduce music lovers to things in a very personal way."
Nick Hornby: "Yes, yes, I know. It's easier to download music, and probably cheaper. But what's playing on your favourite download store when you walk into it? Nothing, that's what. Who are you going to meet in there? Nobody. Where are the notice boards offering flatshares and vacant slots in bands destined for superstardom? Who's going to tell you to stop listening to that and start listening to this? Go ahead and save yourself a couple of quid. The saving will cost you a career, a set of cool friends, musical taste and, eventually, your soul. Record stores can't save your life. But they can give you a better one."

Source

Does Mainstream Success Ruin a Band for You?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:30:07 -0800

I picked up the March edition of Spin Magazine only to find Vampire Weekend on the cover and immediately thought, "Wasn't it about a minute ago they were one of my bands to watch?" I was far from the first to write about them, but I still figured it would be a while before they were on newsstands everywhere.

Vampire Weekend didn't spend much time on anyone's "favorite little unknown band" list and sped straight to the bigtime. But that kind of sudden spotlight can shine even on established artists - take Feist, who released a couple of albums to a small but devoted fan base before an Apple ad made her a breakout star. When your favorite musicians go mainstream, does it ruin them for you? Or are you generally happy for good little bands that make it big?

Source

Band to Watch: Vampire Weekend

BuzzSugar — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:00:39 -0800

Vampire Weekend doesn't sound like their name suggests. There's nothing the slightest bit spooky or goth-y about the music made by this foursome of ex-Columbia University students. Instead, their songs are joyful and upbeat, with Afropop-inspired swinging instrumentation backing smart lyrics.

The group made a splash with an EP last year, but this looks to be the year the foursome could really hit it big, with a self-titled album set to hit stores next week. The first track on the album, "Mansard Roof," is already available as a digital download from iTunes - and it recently led to me embarrassing myself by dancing rather enthusiastically on a street corner while waiting for the light to change.

Several more Vampire Weekend songs are streaming at the band's MySpace page, but I'd suggest getting acquainted with them by watching a couple of music videos. To check them out, just read more.

"A-Punk":

"Mansard Roof":

Source

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Vampires, vampires, everywhere! The stars of New Moon got candid for EW, and there's even a romantic comedy about female bloodsuckers in the works.
Need help keeping all your vampires straight? Check out my slideshow where I break down the classic myths in Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries.
New Moon's not the only movie to get excited about - check out these new trailers for Kick-Ass and Date Night.
James Franco's appearance on General Hospital is just a few days away - check out this sneak peek of his guest spot.
We said goodbye to another amazing season of Mad Men. What'd you think of the finale?
Out with the old in with the new: meet the next class of med students on Scrubs.
The holiday season is inching steadily closer. Check out my gift guides for kids, teenage boys and teen girls if you need some help with your shopping list.
Have you checked out the Buzz Community yet? Your content could be featured on BuzzSugar so get the creative juices flowin'!
The votes are in! Check out who snagged nominations for the 2010 People's Choice Awards.
Heading to the theaters to see 2012 this weekend? First, test your John Cusack movie knowledge!

Rachel Bilson Spills on HIMYM, Weekend Movie Reviews and Charlize and Piven Talk About Matt

Molly — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:29:14 -0700

It's time for the Weekend Edition of PopSugar Rush! We've got exclusive video of Charlize Theron, Jeremy Piven talking Damon and David Arquette talking Coco last night. Also, Rachel Bilson chats about HIMYM and Kristen Bell dishes about charity looking super cute. Add in some weekend movie reviews of Amelia, Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant and more! Watch the PopSugar Rush Weekend Edition now!