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Link Time! 2/10

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:30:58 -0800

A report on Fringe from the New York Comic-Con. - The TV Addict
Um, Here's a 27-minute video of every curse word ever uttered on The Sopranos, in order. - BoingBoing
Check out a preview of a few movies slated to screen at this year's South by Southwest. - Cinematical
Want to rent Lauren Conrad's former Hills apartment? Now you can! - CasaSugar
The new video for Ladytron's "Tomorrow" is lovely and dreamlike. - Stereogum
Revealed: New Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince posters. - MTV Movies Blog
The lowdown on how to get a new Kindle 2 for your e-reading needs. - geeksugar
Executive producer Greg Daniels names his 10 favorite episodes of The Office. - Office Tally

Buzz's Gift Guide: Box Set Bonanza!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:30:21 -0800

Welcome back to my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I came up with some ideas for your coworkers, and today, I'm focusing on some splurge gifts for someone special: DVD box sets. These sets, whether a whole TV series or a collection of films, are pricier than the average gift, so they're definitely meant for that superfan who you know will cherish these DVDs forever.

I know many a Sopranos fan that would covet this giant box set that includes the complete series of the HBO show plus tons of special features - including creator David Chase and the cast talking about one of the alternate endings.

Fans of Freaks and Geeks will forever love anyone who gifts them this special "Yearbook Edition" box set. Also, the acclaimed series The Wire is available in its entirety now just in time for the holidays.

Finally, I personally would kill for this collection of films directed by Pedro Almodovar with eight movies including Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, The Flower of My Secret, and Bad Education.

Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection ($105.99)	The Sopranos - The Complete Series ($199.49)
The Wire: The Complete Series ($134.99)	Freaks & Geeks: Yearbook Edition ($129.99)	Amazon.com: Deadwood ($104.99)

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

Here's How the Sopranos Might Have Ended

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:30:07 -0800

The massive complete series collection of The Sopranos is now in stores, and along with it comes tons of special features that go in-depth about the show and its legacy - including that baffling ending.

In one of the special features, creator David Chase and the cast talk about one of the alternate endings: Tony raking leaves in his yard. The scene's actually in the episode, and when the script was distributed to the crew, it was the final scene - just in case something got leaked or left behind on a train where some eager fan or reporter might snap it up. In talking about it, Chase also shares a bit of his thinking behind the real final scene, including that he'd had the idea in mind for three years!

After the jump, you can check out the video, and I'm curious to know - would you have preferred this fake ending? Or do you think the real one worked better? Would you have been satisfied either way? To watch the clip, just read more.

Photo courtesy of HBO

Buzz Gift Guide: Hey, Daddio!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:30:36 -0800

Welcome to another one of my Buzz Gift Guides for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I tackled gifts for moms and today I've got some ideas for the original special fellow in your life: Dad.

I know a lot of dads (not just my own) who were sad to see HBO's mobster hit The Sopranos end, so I was delighted to find a whole collection of wines inspired by the show. You can choose from an old school Chianti called "Uncle Junior's Wine" and a Pinot Grigio inspired by Carmella ("light but tasty enough for a strong woman"), among others. If your dad's a fan of the show he'll probably get a kick out of these.

If your dad's a music lover he might enjoy this CD and DVD box set of Frank Sinatra singin' his hits in Vegas, a collection of Louis Armstrong's Christmas tunes, or Martin Scorsese's rock doc chronicling two Rolling Stones concerts, Shine a Light.

Of course, many dads would be thrilled to get this humongous set of James Bond films on DVD. And finally, while it's not exactly my favorite series, my dad really does think Two and a Half Men is one of the funniest shows on TV, so I'll be picking up the fourth season on DVD for his collection this year.

Shine a Light ($18.99)	Sinatra: Vegas ($63.98)
The Sopranos Wine ($24.99)	James Bond Blu-ray Collection Six-Pack ($111.95)
Two and a Half Men - The Complete Fourth Season ($28.99)	The Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters: Louis Armstrong & Friends: Music ($10.99)

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

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.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:30:00 -0700

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. This week's DVD selections are all TV series, though there are some movies coming out on DVD today, like the Kevin Costner thriller Mr. Brooks.

Veronica Mars: Season Three
VM fans, the wait is over! Season Three has finally made it to DVD and the 6-disc set looks to be a doozy. In addition to all the episodes that made up what turned out to be, sadly, VM's final season, there are a bunch of interesting extra features. There's a gag reel (natch), unaired scenes, cast interviews and set tours. Most interestingly, however, there's a featurette called "Pitching Season 4" in which Rob Thomas explains the idea he had for a new direction for the series - fast-forwarding years later with Veronica as a rookie FBI agent.

Two more new releases if you read more

The Sopranos: Season Six, Part Two
Continuing on the train of sad final seasons, today you can also find the second part of The Sopranos' sixth season, complete with that much-discussed final episode. In addition to the episodes that aired last spring (Episodes 13-21), you can hear commentary by some of the cast members and delve deeper into the music of show. There's also a featurette that goes behind the scenes of Christopher's horror film Cleaver. So the series may have been laid to rest but if you come away from the show with nothing else, don't forget: "Don't Stop Believin'."

The Company
It may not be the most fantastic CIA drama ever made, but this miniseries that aired on TNT over the summer is fairly compelling. Sure, a similar story is told in The Good Shepherd, but The Company does explore some different territory. The story follows the Cold War intelligence battle between the CIA and the KGB from the end of World War II to the fall of the Soviet Union. The performances of Alfred Molina and Michael Keaton are particularly absorbing.

Which Show Should Win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:30:00 -0700

My predictions are in for which show should win the Emmy for outstanding drama series. Now it's your turn. Which series do you think should win?

Emmy Breakdown: Outstanding Drama Series

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:15:00 -0700

In the weeks leading up to the 2007 Primetime Emmy Awards, I've been looking at the nominees in some major categories and trying to predict who's most likely to win in these Emmy Breakdowns. Today, it's time for my final breakdown: Outstanding Drama Series.

"Boston Legal" - I've said it before and now I'll say it again: It baffles me that "Boston Legal" got nominated instead of "Friday Night Lights" - or, heck, even instead of "Lost," which ended its season on such a high note. It's a fine show, but it's not one of the five best dramas on TV. But this is about who will win, not who should win, and the fact that "Boston Legal" got four major nominations this year tells me that voters really like it. Still, I think it will only end up in the middle of this pack, mostly thanks to a certain mobster drama. Chance of winning: Low to moderate.

"Grey's Anatomy" - "Grey's" had some wonderful highs last year, and I still count the "Six Days" episodes (which revolve around George's father's illness) and "From a Whisper to a Scream" (in which Cristina tells the Chief about Burke's tremor) among the best dramatic TV I saw all season. On the other hand, there was the ferry arc, which ended with such a whimper that it almost made me give up on "Grey's" altogether. If the show pulls itself together, it can and should win an Emmy one day - but not this year. Chance of winning: Moderate.

For the other three nominees and their chances, read more

"Heroes" - "Heroes" jumped two major hurdles just to get nominated in this category: the bias against new series, and the bias against sci fi. That means something for this series, and if the quality stays high in its next season(s), it's a show I see getting an Emmy one day based on the strength of the ensemble. But this year would be too much, too soon. Chance of winning: Low.

"House" - I'm glad to see "House" nominated in this category. Until I started watching the series closely last year to recap it for Buzz, I'd always thought of it as just Hugh Laurie's show; now I see what the other cast members bring to it and how well the series as a whole is put together. I'm just not sure this season had the sort of big, blockbuster episodes it would need to contend for the win right now. Better to root for Laurie to win the acting award, I think. Chance of winning: Low to moderate.

"The Sopranos" - And finally, we've reached the elephant in the room. Does anyone really think there's any way this award won't go to "The Sopranos"? No matter how much ratings dropped off in the last season, and no matter how unsatisfied some people were with the way the series ended, this series had a massive impact on American television. It's only won the outstanding series award once before, but I would be beyond shocked if it didn't get recognized this one last time. Chance of winning: High.

"Boston Legal" and "Grey's Anatomy" photos copyright 2007 ABC, Inc.
"The Sopranos" photo courtesy of HBO
"House" photo Source
"Heroes" photo Source

"Lights," "Heroes," "Sopranos" Headline TCA Awards

BuzzSugar — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 13:05:52 -0700

The Primetime Emmy Award nominations may have been all the talk among TV critics last week, but that didn't stop the group from giving out a few honors of their own.

The TCA Awards, presented Saturday night, shared some things in common with the Emmy nominations - lots of love for "The Sopranos," "Heroes" and Alec Baldwin - but the critics also gave top honors to "Friday Night Lights" and Michael C. Hall of "Dexter," both of whom were snubbed in the Emmy voting. "Friday Night Lights" won for Outstanding New Program, while Hall was recognized for Individual Achievement in Drama.

I'm told there were a couple of funny "Sopranos"-related moments - one when David Chase used a cryptic Beatles reference to joke about the finale, another when Alec Baldwin expressed his dismay at "The Sopranos" ending "because now I won't be able to be on the show." To see the complete list of winners, read more

Program of the Year
"Heroes"

Outstanding Achievement in Drama
"The Sopranos"

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
"The Office"

Outstanding New Program
"Friday Night Lights"

Individual Achievement in Drama
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"

Individual Achievement in Comedy
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Children's Programming
"Kyle XY"

Outstanding News and Information
"Planet Earth"

Outstanding Movie, Miniseries or Special
"Planet Earth"

Heritage Award
"The Sopranos"

Career Achievement
Mary Tyler Moore

Source

"24" Drops Like a Stone in TV Critics' Rankings

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Twice a year, a bunch of TV critics submit their lists of the best and worst shows of the season so far, tracking which shows are on the rise and which are tanking. The results of the latest poll were just published in TV Week, and maybe the biggest surprise is "24"'s huge decline - from No. 4 on last summer's list of best shows to No. 2 on this summer's worst list. Critics seemed mostly to berate the series for not living up to its own standards, something you've also mentioned. TV Guide's Michael Ausiello points out that this news came on the same day that "24" had to delay production for the seventh season after Fox scrapped the planned storyline.

"Grey's Anatomy" also took a tumble in the critics' poll - albeit a much smaller one - from No. 4 on the winter list of best shows to No. 9 on the summer list. "Lost," on the other hand, moved up from No. 6 after the fall portion of its season to No. 2 after that intense season finale.

The best overall show in the summer poll was "The Sopranos" - even after the controversial finale - while the worst was "October Road." Check out the full list, then let me know if you think the critics got it right. Or, to see the top 10 best and worst, read more

Best Series

"The Sopranos"
"Lost"
"Friday Night Lights"
"The Office"
"Ugly Betty"
"Heroes"
"30 Rock"
"The Shield"
"Grey's Anatomy"
"The Tudors"

Worst Series

"October Road"
"24"
"The Real Wedding Crashers"
"The Black Donnellys"
"The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll"
"Tyler Perry's House of Payne"
"Nancy Grace"
"Sons of Hollywood"
(tie) "On the Lot" and "The Wedding Bells"

Photo courtesy of Fox