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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:30:04 -0800

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my picks below, you can now pick up Fred Claus starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti.

Hancock
Will Smith's Summer blockbuster has a clever premise at the heart of it: If we genuinely look at what life might be like for a modern-day superhero - especially one with rage issues - what challenges might this guy face? Smith manages to balance the humor of this role along with the badass superhero elements and the result is an all-around entertaining performance. I also think Jason Bateman who plays Smith's PR guy is a real highlight of the movie and reason enough to add it to your queue.

Special features include an unrated version of the movie with footage not seen in theaters, a stunts featurette, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Two more television gems up next, so read more.

Beverly Hills, 90210: Season 6
The farther we get into the new 90210, the more anxious I am to watch the original Beverly Hills, 90210 when I get the chance. I know for some purists the later seasons of the show got a little too nuts but I think the post-Brenda era (which includes Tiffani-Amber Thiessen as evil vixen Valerie Malone) is totally awesome in its own way.

Season six includes Donna's abusive relationship with that guy Ray, Brandon gets addicted to gambling again, and I'm pretty sure this is the season Kelly dabbles in coke. What's not to love?

Freaks & Geeks: Complete Series
Technically I'm not positive this special version of Freaks and Geeks is available on Netflix but I wanted to tell you about it anyway. For those of you who still yearn for more tidbits of your favorite McKinley High stoners, tough kids, bad girls, brains and dorks, this yearbook special edition of the complete series will probably do the trick.

In addition to all the original episodes, commentaries and special features of the regular complete series set, this special version comes with two bonus discs housed in a 40-page yearbook that includes exclusive photos, memorabilia and essays. These new features specifically include original cast auditions, a table read, Museum of Television & Radio Panel, deleted scenes and more.

Hancock's Still Saving the World in Japan

PopSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0700

Just when we thought Will Smith was all done promoting Hancock, he and Charlize Theron popped up in Japan today for yet another premiere. Charlize looked right on trend in her sexy lace dress. Though the movie has been bumped from the US box office by a few other Summer blockbusters, Charlize and Will looked more than happy to reunite again in Asia to keep hamming it up on that red carpet. Charlize is due back in Denver early next week, but there's always time to squeeze in some playful red carpet flirting with her costar promoting their superhero movie.

To see more of Will, Charlize, and those big smiles, just read more.

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Box Office: Hellboy and Friends Kick Box Office Butt

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:15:15 -0700

Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army won the weekend box office with an estimated $35.9 million, not only handily beating the current competition, but also surpassing the first Hellboy's opening weekend earnings ($23.2 million). Yippee! I'm happy for that ragtag group of superheroes.

On the other end of the spectrum was Meet Dave, which Variety described as "one of the worst opening grosses ever for an Eddie Murphy pic." The details are even more painful. Consider this: It cost $60 million to make Meet Dave and it only earned an estimated $5.3 million over the weekend. That's not a pretty picture.

Hancock remained a draw (fun aside: at the movie theater over the weekend, a group of young boys sped past me while one yelled, "Hurry up! I don't want to miss a single second of Hancock!"), coming in second place, followed by the 3-D action flick Journey to the Center of the Earth. Pixar's Wall-E came in at No. 4 followed by Wanted to round out the top five.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Sugar Bits - Hancock Is Number One

PopSugarUK — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0700

Hancock is top of the UK box office, with Kung Fu Panda taking second place. - BBC
A public health expert has criticised celebrity chefs for behaving irresponsibly by failing to observe basic standards of hygiene on their TV shows, specifically naming Ready Steady Cook. - The Telegraph
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves have named their son Levi because that is another name for the apostle Matthew, and their son was born at 6.22pm, which represents the actor's favourite verse in the book of Matthew in The Bible. - OK!
In other baby name news, Nicole Kidman's Dad, Antony, has explained that inspiration for Sunday Rose's name came from Sunday Reed (an artist's muse) and Keith's late grandmother, Rose. - People
Comedian Rik Mayall is due to receive an honorary doctorate of letters degree at Exeter University, and Sir David Attenborough, Jonathan Dimbleby and Ken Follett will also receive honorary degrees later in the week. - The Press Association

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Sugar Bits - Venus Wins Her Fifth Wimbledon Crown

PopSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:31:36 -0700

Venus Williams defeated sister Serena to win her fifth Wimbledon singles crown on Saturday, while Sunday Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer for the men's singles title. - AP
Hancock took the top spot at the box office this weekend raking in $107.3 million, making it Will Smith's eighth consecutive film to open at number one. Wall-E took second place, followed by Wanted. - BuzzSugar
The Bachelor's Andrew Firestone married Ivana Bozilovic in Los Olivos, California on Saturday. - Us Weekly
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's twins will be honorary citizens of Nice, the city's mayor announced Friday. - AP
As expected, Alex Rodriguez's wife, Cynthia, filed for divorce this morning citing emotional abandonment and asking for child support and primary custody of their two daughters. - TMZ
The Osbournes are coming back to TV to host a variety show on Fox, set in Los Angeles and aiming to premiere around Christmas. - Variety

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Hancock Is a Box Office Superhero

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:30:27 -0700

A surprise to no one (but still a delight to me, since I find this Will Smith movie to be pretty fun), Hancock won the crown at the box office over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. According to Variety, the movie "is the eighth Smith film in a row to open at No. 1 domestically, as well as his fifth - and most successful - Fourth of July outing." It is also Smith's second-biggest opening after the record-breaking opening of I Am Legend in December. Over the long holiday weekend (5.5 days), Hancock raked in approximately $107.3 million.

So, in case anyone doubted it before, Will Smith = box office gold.

Elsewhere in the top five box office hits, Wall-E stepped into second place over the weekend, followed by Wanted and then Get Smart. Kung Fu Panda rounded out the group in fifth place. Kit Kittredge came in at No. 8, performing less well than studios had hoped.

Within the indie market, The Wackness did exceptionally well in its per-location average, and the Dr. Hunter S. Thompson documentary, Gonzo, also "enjoyed a solid debut."

Next weekend will bring us yet another movie deemed "male-skewing" by Variety: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (though I not-so-secretly cannot wait to see it!). Overall (with the exception of Wall-E), it looks like next weekend's top five at the box office will be pretty "male-skewing" (Hellboy II, Hancock, Wanted and Get Smart, with The Incredible Hulk still not too far behind).

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Hancock: A New Kind of Superhero Movie

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:30:26 -0700

I'm not totally sure who the intended audience is for Hancock. The superhero aspect is campy enough for kids (and sometimes way too campy for adults), but there's definitely language that doesn't seem suitable for youngsters. Perhaps the teenagers will most enjoy the movie, though as an adult I liked it well enough and I certainly applaud what the story attempts to accomplish: tell a superhuman's story with the emphasis on the "human" experience. In a world overly saturated with superhero movies, this angle is actually pretty refreshing.

Also, it's a mainstream movie focused on a black superhero and I gotta say, it's about damn time.

Will Smith is Hancock, a modern-day superhero who's fallen out of favor with the public. For every good deed he does, he leaves a staggering amount of destruction in his wake. Hancock is surly, drinks constantly and has intense anger management problems. But when he saves the life of PR guy and general do-gooder Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), Ray offers to help Hancock turn around his image. He devises a strategy for making the public stop taking Hancock for granted, while coaching him on how to seem more like a hero and less like a careless drunk. As Ray spends more and more time with Hancock, his son Aaron grows attached to the superhero, though Ray's wife Mary (Charlize Theron) seems constantly suspicious of him. Ray helps Hancock change his image, but that's just half the story; Hancock's past includes many more secrets he didn't even know were there.

For more of my take on the movie, read more.

At it's most basic, the premise for the story is really clever. It's similar to the way Seinfeld manages to be funny while merely waxing philosophic about everyday things: If we look, quite seriously, at what it might be like for a modern-day superhero - especially one with rage issues - what challenges might this guy face? Might the public turn on him? Might he forget his strength and heave a whale into a boat? These would be real issues for a real superhuman, though to us they're just interesting and funny. Where the movie drags considerably is when it tries to be super dark, somber and overly dramatic.

Nobody is a better pick for this role than Will Smith. There are probably better comedians out there and there are guys who are good at being the badass. Smith, perhaps like his character, easily achieves a balance of two beings. He's a funny badass superhero.

And yet the best part of the whole movie is the relationship between Ray and Hancock. One of my favorite actors, Bateman is a funny guy on his own and within an ensemble cast, but when paired up with such a larger-than-life character, he's completely hysterical - and so is Smith. Like Bateman's former onscreen "son" Michael Cera, he plays the straight man like few people can: guilelessly, optimistically, truthfully. He's really just a good, normal guy trying to do his thing, and when set against Smith's great, off-kilter character, it strikes a perfect comedic balance.

It's a silly movie, for sure, and how much you like it will probably depend on your tolerance for silliness. It's not a masterpiece. But it is a pretty fun way to spend a couple of hot summer hours.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Hancock Swoops Into LA With Smiths Galore and More

Molly — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:01:00 -0700

After a trip around the world, Hancock hit LA last night with a high profile premiere. The Smith family is quite the red carpet pack now, perfecting the group pose for the camera - Jada was looking especially gorgeous in green - before Will was off to also pose with his costars. The next big movie star (at least in his head) Diddy was there as was Charlize nuzzling up to Stuart and Jason Bateman with his wife. Will looked overjoyed and recently talked about how great things are. He told Parade, "I feel like an athlete who has just caught my prime. I'm in the best physical condition of my life. I love what I do. I feel like this is truly the time for me to make my artistic sprint in my career." For now though, it's time to watch and see how his newest Summer blockbuster fares at the holiday weekend box office he made his own.

To see more from the premiere including the Smith family, Jason Bateman, Minnie Driver, Peter Berg, Chris Daughtry and others just read more

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Images include: Charlize Theron, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jaden Smith, Jason Bateman, Minnie Driver, Stuart Townsend, Tatyana Ali, Virginia Madsen, Will Smith, Peter Berg, Thomas Jane, Chris Daughtry, Justine Bateman, Amanda Peet, Queen Latifah, Tia Mowry, Willow Smith, Diddy, Tyrese

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This Week's Fab Favorite: Charlize Theron

FabSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:00:22 -0700

Every season a few items appear on the runways that you know are going to be superstars. Fall merchandise is not yet in stores - soon - but we are already seeing some stars wearing the aforementioned superstars on the red carpets. After all, celebrities who will help promote the house get first dibs. That being said, I predict we will see much more of this sharp Balenciaga LBD. I'm just glad the statuesque Charlize Theron wore it first. For the record, I am predicting Victoria Beckham will wear this one, too. At one of the Hancock premiere's, Charlize also chose to wear the decadent rhinestone bracelets that accompanied the slit-up-to-there dress on the runway. Man-eater shoes and slicked back hair toped off her power ensemble. I know we'll see more of this epic dress, just remember Charlize had first dibs.

To see more of Charlize in Balenciaga, read more.

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Are Will and Charlize Too Close For Comfort?

PopSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:30:33 -0700

The stars of Hancock continued their world tour in London yesterday, and Will and Charlize were looking especially friendly on the red carpet at the premiere. Will's no stranger to a little PDA, but this seems like a little much considering they're both happily attached to other people. What do you think - are Will and Charlize too close for comfort on the red carpet?

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