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Buzz Gift Guide: Goodies For Gramps

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:30:06 -0800

Welcome back, folks, to the next installment of my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I suggested some fun gifts for grandma (after tackling mom and dad), and that leaves us with grandpa!

The first thing I thought of for my grandpa was the soundtrack to AMC's hit show Mad Men. I know he'd enjoy the collection of tunes by artists like The Andrews Sisters, Bobby Vinton and Rosemary Clooney.

A lot of grandpas might also appreciate some help with ditching the old rabbit ears and updating to a digital converter. This model looked pretty sleek and shiny to me, and you can even help him apply for a coupon!

If your gramps is squared away technology-wise then he also might appreciate this Alfred Hitchcock DVD collection or the complete series of Get Smart.

Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection ($83.99)	Mad Men: Original TV Soundtrack ($13.99)
Get Smart - The Complete Series ($109.99)	TV Converter Box ($59.99)

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

LG Product Name, or Alfred Hitchcock Film Title?

GeekSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:00:17 -0700

When I did my last quiz, Cell Phone or Perfume Name?, I think we both noted that the primary offender with their one-word, splashy names is LG.

The electronics company uses these names for their cell phones and other tech products to titillate and appeal to customers. You know who else did that? Alfred Hitchcock.

It seems like LG has been taking notes from the seminal horror-film director, but thankfully, there's no "LG Psycho" yet.

See if you can pick out which is which!

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Love It or Hate It? Sicko Shower Curtain

CasaSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:30:17 -0800

The Sicko Shower Curtain ($40) is a tribute to the infamous shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film, Psycho. A noir life-size silhouette of a "sicko" is sewn onto the back of a standard shower curtain to achieve its life-threatening look. I can't say that I'd actually hang this in my house, unless perhaps on Halloween, but it might make a nice housewarming gift for a die-hard Hitchcock fan. What do you think?

Frightful Friday: Psycho

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:27:33 -0700

To wrap up my Frightful Friday series this week, I'm taking a little trip back in time to when horror movies were all about suspense and Bosco chocolate syrup. Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 thriller Psycho is the perfect movie for a spooky fall night, its chilling story seemingly old-fashioned to us now for its lack of gore (or, "gore" by our modern standards). Also, that terrifying string score! It's up there with the theme music from Jaws as some of the most iconic and evocative of all movie music.

Psycho is also, in some ways, a very sad story. The character of Norman Bates is deeply disturbed, and if he weren't so murderous he'd be rather pitiable. Janet Leigh plays Marion Crane, a secretary who has just embezzled a bunch of money from her employer and is on the run. She goes to the Bates Motel to hide and its there that she meets the lonely, reclusive Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a young, handsome man who looks after the motel as well as his ailing mother... or so it seems.

Apparently, the initial critical reviews for this film were mixed at best, but after the overwhelmingly positive audience reaction to the film, critics re-reviewed it, publishing glowing reviews the second time around.

Final little bit of trivia for you: Psycho was the first movie to show a woman in just a bra and slip.

Link Time! 10/23

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:45:50 -0700

In his interview with MTV Movies Blog, Anthony Hopkins reveals that he's going to play Alfred Hitchcock, and he has Hitchcock's voice all figured out.
TV Squad tells us how to rate the Schrute Farms B&B on TripAdvisor.
Idolator watched The Next Great American Band so you don't have to.
Popwatch wonders who else is trapped in the closet with Dumbledore, with suggestions ranging from Ernie of Sesame Street to Wonder Woman.
TV Filter analyzes some common TV careers.
Cinematical's Retro Cinema post reexamines an oldie but goody: Interview With a Vampire.
Stereogum is among those mourning the demise of file-sharing site OiNK.
TV Cocktail looks into how the California wildfires are affecting TV shoots.
Check out Spinner's countdown of the craziest costumed musical acts, starting with - who else? - Marilyn Manson.
Give Me My Remote posts a video of Steve Carell on Monday Night Football.

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Buzz News Roundup, 6/27

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:00:22 -0700

Just when we thought it was gone, "According to Jim" is back from the dead for 18 more episodes, TV Guide reports.
Reuters is reporting on a remake of Hitchcock's 1927 movie The Lodger, this time as an "urban thriller set in Los Angeles" and directed by documentarian David Ondaatje.
Blood Diamond's Djimon Houndsou has been cast in the drama Get Some about an underground fight club, Variety reports.
Zap2It reports that Molly Shannon has signed on for a Lifetime original movie titled More of Me about a woman so busy she splits into three people.
Billboard tells us that for the first time since 1988, Bon Jovi takes the No. 1 spot on The Billboard 200.
Lots of casting news: Zap2it reports that Oliver Platt and Lauren Hutton will guest-star on "Nip/Tuck," and the Hollywood Reporter says Portia De Rossi will join them. The Hollywood Reporter also says Sofia Myles is the new female lead in "Moonlight," while DW Moffett is the new star of the CW's "Life is Wild."
NME gets word that Lily Allen has started working on her second album in New York.
I'm not sure if we really needed another online video site, but MySpace will launch one this week anyway, the New York Times reports.
Slate wonders: Did Die Hard spawn the greatest one-liner in movie history?

Recast Rear Window and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 12:20:50 -0700

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. Starting this week, we're sweetening the pot: From now on, the reader who submits the best cast will win a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the 1954 Hitchcock movie Rear Window, so I thought I'd see what you guys can come up with for this one. Blending nail-biting thriller with a romance between two beautiful people, Rear Window shows what happens when "Jeff" Jeffries, a freelance photographer with a broken leg, becomes obsessed with spying on his neighbors. Through Jeffries' telephoto lens, the photog and his well-dressed girlfriend (played by Grace Kelly) become convinced that Lars Thorwald across the way has murdered his wife.

If you were recasting this stellar movie for the modern age, who would you choose in the main roles? Leave your entry in the comment section by end of day TODAY, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, April 3, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more

Characters to recast:
L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart)
Lisa Carol Fremont (Grace Kelly)
Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr)
Detective Thomas J. Doyle (Wendell Corey)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

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How to Get the Hitchcock Heroine Look

BellaSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:00:09 -0700

Fans of Alfred Hitchcock's movies will enjoy this LA Times piece that breaks down the archetypal Hitchcock heroine (though, if you allow me to be a film geek, I'd argue that Hitch didn't have any real heroines, but that's neither here nor there). Check out two of the ways to get the quintessential look:

Hitchcock's favorite coif was a tight, coiled-up do in a shade of brut Champagne. Typically, those severe buns would unravel as the character encountered obstacles such as dementia, amnesia or a savage attack by crows.

For one more suggestion, read more

Use a swath of red lipstick, and nothing more. Hitchcock women never over-accentuated their features. This fall, the crisp, crimson kiss of lipstick has replaced the glossy pout. Pick a color that will leave a dramatic lip print.

Now, not every Hitchcock woman wore red lipstick. The director didn't just slap red lipstick on his actresses for the heck of it; his "good" female characters wore cool, barely-there makeup to minimize their sexuality, while red lipstick blatantly signified sex (which, in Hitch's world, means trouble). For instance, in Vertigo, the idealized Madeleine has light pink lips and blonde hair; but as "imperfect" Judy, she has red hair and red lips.

I'm so fascinated by Hitchcock's women because he made sure they were coiffed and dressed to a T-creating an extremely idealized version of what he thought women should be. "You know why I favor sophisticated blondes in my films?" he once said. "We're after the drawing-room type, the real ladies, who become whores once they're in the bedroom." Well, there you go.

Who's your favorite Hitchcock blonde? And are there any other quintessential Hitch hair or makeup looks that you can think of?

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What's in a Cell Phone Name? Quiz Roundup

GeekSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:04:29 -0800

Think you're a cell phone and pop culture master? Test your knowledge on one of my quizzes below, and see if you can identify what names are cell phones and what names are for things like Britney Spears songs, Hitchcock movies, and energy drinks!

Cell Phone Name or Britney Spears Song?	Cell Phone Name or Gum Brand?	Cell Phone Name or Alfred Hitchcock Film?
Cell Phone Name or Ladies' Razor?	Cell Phone Name or Perfume?	Cell Phone Name or Sports Drink?

Sugar Bits - Minnie Driver Gives Birth to Henry Story!

PopSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:30:35 -0700

Minnie Driver gave birth to a baby boy named Henry Story Driver last Friday in LA. The father has not been revealed but will have an active role in Henry's life. - lilsugar
Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks, and Paramount Pictures are being sued for allegedly copying Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window when making Disturbia. The estate of the man who wrote the short story Hitchcock's film is based on filed the lawsuit. - AP
Alec Baldwin confirmed that Oprah will guest star on 30 Rock. - Extra!
Lil Wayne ended up backing out of his scheduled performance at Fashion Rocks after he refused to go through security and let his bag be checked. - Page Six
Jerry O'Connell apologized to his wife Rebecca Romijn for referring to her as "huge" on the Conan O'Brien show and clarified his statement. - People
Former UFC champion Evan Tanner was found dead in a desert near San Diego yesterday. Cause of death is undetermined. - TMZ
Mischa Barton has signed a deal to start a line of hair accessories with designer Stacey Lapidus. - WWD

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