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Buzz News Roundup, 8/17

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:28:07 -0700

"American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks' first album is due in November, the Associated Press reports; her first single, "Tattoo," will be released Aug. 27.
Variety has news of Djimon Houndsou and Dakota Fanning signing on to star together in a thriller titled Push.
ABC has set dates for two relatively high-profile TV movies, the latest Oprah movie and an adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun, Zap2it reports.
According to Billboard, Jamie Foxx will star in another musical biopic, titled The Soloist.
TV Guide reports that the remaining episodes of "The Nine" are now streaming online, if anyone still cares.
The Washington Post explains why Ryan Seacrest is "hosting" the Super Bowl.
There's yet another new hero: Bratz star Janel Parrish is joining the cast of "Heroes" to play the head cheerleader at Claire's new school, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
Billboard reports that Amy Winehouse continues to cite "ongoing health issues" as she cancels another event: the V Festival in the U.K.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Bad Idea of the Week: Canceling the Canceled Shows

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Here's the story of this TV season in a nutshell: Networks put on new shows. Networks cancel new shows. Networks promise to bring back the canceled shows so dedicated fans can get some bit of closure. Well, now we can add a new step to the process: Networks cancel the canceled shows again, further frustrating fans who had waited months for the supposed resolution and now are unlikely to get it at all.

ABC got into the act this week, canceling "The Knights of Prosperity" and "The Nine" for a second time after just two episodes each. They must have taken a lesson from Fox, which moved the date of the final two episodes of "Drive" several times before finally deciding against putting the episodes on TV at all.

In all these cases, the presumed reason behind pulling the show yet again is low ratings. But how could the networks have expected anything else? We viewers take risks when we make time for new shows, and when they get pulled mid-season, that chips away at our trust and makes us less likely to return. With me so far? Then read more

Only the most dedicated fans of the canceled shows are likely to even know that the remaining episodes have been slipped back on the air, as they arrive with no fanfare and little, if any, promotion. And quite a few fans, having been burned by the network the first time around, are unlikely to make time in their schedules for the burn-off episodes; even I, a big "Knights of Prosperity" fan the first time around, only remembered at the last minute to TiVo one of last week's two new episodes, and I haven't even watched it yet.

That still doesn't justify the networks' yanking of shows a second time around. It's pretty obvious that if the shows had been getting good ratings to start with, they wouldn't have been canceled in the first place. Naturally, episodes of an irrelevant show that air long after the show was last broadcast will do worse. Any network executive who believes otherwise is, frankly, delirious.

But having the shows pulled a second time is just an insult to the dedicated fans who did make an effort to find the show again- and that makes viewers even less likely to commit to new network shows the next time around. I'd like to see shows get to finish their full runs on the air a la "Studio 60." But if the networks aren't fully committed to letting them burn every one of the unaired episodes on TV, I'd rather see the series go online or to a DVD. When they pop back on TV only briefly, we just feel the rug being pulled out from under us again.

TV Tonight: "The Nine" Returns

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:30:00 -0700

One of the shows I most looked forward to last fall was "The Nine," ABC's serial drama about what happened to nine people who were held hostage during a bank robbery. The show premiered to positive reviews, and I was absolutely sucked in by the tension-filled pilot. But viewers didn't stick around to watch the mystery unravel - even I found myself letting unwatched episodes pile up on my TiVo - and the show was pulled in November after just seven episodes.

Tonight, fans of the show will finally start getting some measure of resolution when "The Nine" returns to its old 10 p.m. Wednesday time slot. Six more episodes are scheduled to air, though I'm not sure if we'll ever get to find out what really happened inside that bank. Most of the cast members have moved on to other projects - Tim Daly to "Private Practice," Chi McBride to "Pushing Daisies," Dana Davis to "Heroes" - so there's really no chance of the show being resurrected. But at least it's getting to finish out its run on TV, even if it's just a summer burnoff. To watch a preview of what the show was all about, read more

Buzz News Roundup, 7/6

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:58:37 -0700

ABC's canceled serial thriller "The Nine" will air six more episodes starting in August, says the Futon Critic.
The makers of Indiana Jones 4 are insisting on not using any CG effects in order to maintain the style of the older Indiana Jones movies, reports the New Haven Register.
The Los Angeles Times says fans of "The Black Donnellys" are sending crackers to HBO, hoping the channel will pick up the series.
Variety brings news of a Dirty Dozen remake written by Zak Penn whose credits include X-Men 2 and Fantastic Four.
Billboard reports that Miley Cyrus' (a.k.a. Hannah Montana) album is beating out Kelly Clarkson's and is topping the Billboard 200 chart.
Joan Baez, the Shins and Donovan are among the artists recording "Little Boxes" for the third season of "Weeds," Zap2it reports.
According to TV Guide, Lara Croft will be getting her own online animated series, with Minnie Driver as Croft's voice.
"Everwood" alum Stephanie Niznik will star in The CW's "Life is Wild," writes the Hollywood Reporter.

Buzz News Roundup, 12/18

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:55:15 -0800

Now that Babel is up for a Golden Globe, everyone suddenly wants to see it - Variety
Giant media networks could be close to creating a YouTube rival - New York Times
"Desperate Housewives" is mulling a special male-centric episode narrated by Bree's dead husband - TV Guide
Happyness helps Sony Pictures break the annual domestic box-office record - Zap2It
Avril Lavigne will release a new album, The Best Damn Thing, in April - Billboard
TV execs explain the continuing decline of ABC's "The Nine" - Los Angeles Times
Pitchfork names the 100 best tracks of 2006 - Pitchfork Media
Sony plans a movie downloading service to complement its PSP - Variety
Now in high-def: "The Yule Log" show - Variety

Fall TV Preview: The Nine

PopSugar — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 09:23:27 -0700

What Happened In There? Tonight we will finally begin to find out as The Nine premieres at 10/9c on ABC. The show is based on the lives of nine complete strangers who are survivors of a bank robbery gone bad. Held hostage for 52 hours, only they know what went on inside the bank, but we will find out a little more each week. All we know is that each person's life has dramatically changed by the time they are set free.

Cutie Scott Wolf (Everwood, Party of Five) plays Jeremy Kates a hot-shot surgeon who is about to find out that his fiance, Lizzie Miller (Jessica Collins, The Ghost Whisperer) is pregnant. However, when they come out of the bank, they are no longer engaged and he still is in the dark about his unborn child. What Happened In There?

Other notable cast members include Kim Raver (24) as Kathryn Hale a young, ambitious Assistant D.A who is now questioning the authority under which she is so gainfully employed due to their handling of the hostage situation.

I was definitely intrigued by the end of the episode, but there were parts of the show that were slightly more dramatic than necessary and I am not sure we can handle that much drama back to back with Lost! On the other hand, it could be the perfect marriage. Stay tuned.

Penelope and Marion Have Just a Few More Nine Premieres

PopSugar — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:00:08 -0800

Two of the ladies of Nine, Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard, were in Paris last night for a premiere with costar Daniel Day-Lewis and director Rob Marshall. The film opens there in early March, though it debuted in the US last December just in time to make the 2010 Oscar nominations - the plan turned out well for Penelope, who's up for an award in the Best Supporting Actress category. Before the show on March 7, make sure to fill out Buzz's ballot with all your winner predictions and enter the running to win an amazing prize pack! Penelope took advantage of her time in France to do a few TV interviews, after spending time in Spain to attend the Goyas with Javier Bardem.

To see more Penelope and Marion, just read more.

View 20 Photos ›

Kate and Heidi's Aspen Run-In, Madonna Talks More Adoption, and We Review Nine and It's Complicated

Molly — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:30:00 -0800

It's our last PopSugar Rush weekend edition of 2009! Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Heidi Klum, and Seal shared a laugh when they ran into each other in Aspen yesterday. Plus, Madonna reveals that she has more adoption plans in the future. Our Watch, Pass, or Rent reviews for the week are for Nine and It's Complicated. Watch PopSugar Rush now, and happy holidays!

Are You Interested in the Smaller Awards of Awards Season?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:30:52 -0800

Now that awards season is fully revving up, all sorts of nominations are coming out, e.g. the Independent Spirit Awards announcement two weeks ago or tomorrow's Golden Globes list. (Check in early for that, as I'll be posting all of the nods). Just this morning, the Critics' Choice nominees were released, with Inglourious Basterds and Nine earning a record-breaking ten nods each.

I know that not everyone follows the Critics' Choice Awards or perhaps the American Film Institute's honors (which were also just announced), but I enjoy checking out their lists as a sort of sneak peek for the bigger name honors later in the season. While Inglourious Basterds hasn't been leading the pack for Academy Awards buzz, this news makes me curious to see if Brad Pitt and his rebels pop up again as the awards nods keep rolling in.

How do you feel about smaller awards programs? Do you check them out, or do you only really care about their more well-known, star-studded counterparts?

If you are interested in the Critics' Choice Awards, be sure to catch the official show when it airs on VH1 on January 15. But first, take a look at the full list of nominees when you read more.

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Nine
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
George Clooney (Up in the Air)
Colin Firth (A Single Man)
Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
Viggo Mortensen (The Road)
Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

BEST ACTRESS
Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria)
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones)
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)
Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon (Invictus)
Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
Christian McKay (Me and Orson Welles)
Alfred Molina (An Education)
Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard (Nine)
Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
Mo’Nique (Precious)
Julianne Moore (A Single Man)
Samantha Morton (The Messenger)

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Jae Head (The Blind Side)
Bailee Madison (Brothers)
Max Records (Where the Wild Things Are)
Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road)

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious
Star Trek
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTING
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
James Cameron (Avatar)
Lee Daniels (Precious)
Clint Eastwood (Invictus)
Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (A Serious Man)
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days Of Summer)
Bob Peterson, Peter Docter (Up)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell (District 9)
Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious)
Tom Ford, David Scearce (A Single Man)
Nick Hornby (An Education)
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker)
Dion Beebe (Nine)
Mauro Fiore (Avatar)
Andrew Lesnie (The Lovely Bones)
Robert Richardson (Inglourious Basterds)

BEST ART DIRECTION
Dan Bishop (A Single Man)
Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg (Avatar)
John Myhre, Gordon Sim (Nine)
Naomi Shohan, George De Titta Jr. (The Lovely Bones)
David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco (Inglourious Basterds)

BEST EDITING
Dana E. Glauberman (Up in the Air)
Sally Menke (Inglourious Basterds)
Bob Murawski, Chris Innis (The Hurt Locker)
Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron (Avatar)
Claire Simpson, Wyatt Smith (Nine)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Colleen Atwood (Nine)
Janet Patterson (Bright Star)
Sandy Powell (The Young Victoria)
Anna Sheppard (Inglourious Basterds)
Casey Storm (Where the Wild Things Are)

BEST MAKEUP
Avatar
District 9
Nine
The Road
Star Trek

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar
District 9
The Lovely Bones
Star Trek
2012

BEST SOUND
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Nine
Star Trek

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek

BEST COMEDY
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
The Proposal
Zombieland

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Gifted Hands
Grey Gardens
Into the Storm
Taking Chance

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Broken Embraces
Coco Before Chanel
Red Cliff
Sin Nombre
The White Ribbon

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Anvil
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
Food, Inc.
Michael Jackson’s This Is It

BEST SONG
“All Is Love” - Karen O, Nick Zinner (Where the Wild Things Are)
“Almost There” - Randy Newman (The Princess and the Frog)
“Cinema Italiano” - Maury Yeston (Nine)
“(I Want to) Come Home” - Paul McCartney (Everybody’s Fine)
“The Weary Kind” - T Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham (Crazy Heart)

BEST SCORE
Michael Giacchino (Up)
Marvin Hamlisch (The Informant!)
Randy Newman (The Princess and the Frog)
Karen O, Carter Burwell (Where the Wild Things Are)
Hans Zimmer (Sherlock Holmes)

Nine: The Tinsel on Your Tree of Christmas Movies

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:30:29 -0800

It's impossible for Nine not to be compared to Chicago. Both are film adaptations of Broadway musicals, both boast all-star casts and both are directed by Rob Marshall. Even further, both casts are primarily made up of gorgeous women revolving around a leading man. Nine has plenty of glitz, glamour, and fun to make for a solid two hours of entertainment, but unfortunately it may be remembered as the film that's like Chicago, but not as good.

The film is actually based on a musical that's based on an Italian play that's based on director Federico Fellini's movie 8 1/2. Got all that? In Nine, Daniel Day-Lewis works his Italian accent as Guido Contini (based on Fellini), a famous director who's struggling to find inspiration for his much-anticipated ninth film. Pushing 50, Contini finds himself in the midst of a mid-life crisis and seeks escape from the adoring public and paparazzi that are everywhere he turns (not to mention his own cast and crew that are waiting on a script). Here begins Contini's self-reflection through the many women that have influenced him over the years: from his deceased mother (Sophia Loren) to his sexy mistress (Penelope Cruz) to his neglected wife (Marion Cotillard).

To find out what works in the film and what doesn't, just read more.

Like Italy itself, Nine has style, glamour, and passion bursting at every seam. From the costumes to the lighting to performances, there's plenty of the razzle dazzle that we all expect from a musical. The performances aren't half-bad either; it's refreshing to finally see Kate Hudson out of romantic comedy mode (and singing, no less), but Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard truly steal the show as the two principal women in Contini's life. Their characters are polar opposites - Cruz's Carla is fiery and dramatic while Cotillard's Luisa is quiet yet fierce - but it's impossible to take your eyes of either of the gorgeous and talented actresses.

I'm a bit more conflicted about Daniel Day-Lewis's performance. The actor blows my mind with his chameleon-like abilities (I was constantly asking myself if this was really the same guy who screamed "I drink your milkshake" just last year), but was he really the right choice to play Contini? Day-Lewis is fun to watch and charming for sure, but I couldn't help but wonder if the role would have been even sexier and spicier with original choice Javier Bardem as the lead.

As for the musical numbers, each one is wonderful and impressive in its own right. The majority of the numbers are solos as Guido and his entourage of women take the stage one at a time to tell their own part of the story, but that doesn't mean the ladies can't bring down the house all on their own. Particularly memorable are Fergie's tour de force "Be Italian" and Kate Hudson's over-the-top, music video-like "Cinema Italiano." When the ladies perform the sets are designed to look like the Broadway stage and I found myself on the verge of clapping after many of them. The problem is that the musical numbers don't totally gel with the rest of the plot; each time a song comes on we are taken out of the present-time plot to spotlight one of Contini's women, and I would have liked to see a more seamless transition.

The secret to watching Nine is to just sit back and enjoy the ride. There's plenty of sexy songs, watchable actors, and funny moments to make for a flashy, fun film.

Photos courtesy of The Weinstein Company