BuzzSugar

First Look: Welcome to the Captain

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:30:00 -0800

Sometime after last May's Upfronts, CBS quietly picked up a comedy series about an eccentric group of people living in a fabled Los Angeles apartment building. Good thing they got it: With The Big Bang Theory out of episodes, Welcome to the Captain will take over its 8:30 p.m. Monday slot on the network's schedule starting Feb. 4.

The show comes from writer John Hamburg, who made his name whipping out movies for Ben Stiller (including Zoolander and Meet the Parents). Since it focuses on a group of wildly different strangers, it's no surprise that the cast is equally eclectic: Jeffery Tambor, Raquel Welch, Chris Klein, and Freaks and Geeks alum Joanna Garcia are among the stars.

The show looks a lot different from the other CBS comedies: It's shot in a style more like The Office than Two and a Half Men. That, for me, is good news, though I know millions of people like their CBS comedies just the way they are. The bad news is that none of the clips I've watched so far have made me laugh out loud - but maybe it's the kind of show that needs a full episode to get into a groove. To watch a clip introducing the residents of The Captain, just read more.

Whip It: A Rollicking Good Time

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:30:56 -0700

Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, roller derby comedy Whip It, is not unlike the actress's persona: cute, fun, and with a whole lot going on.

Ellen Page stars as quiet 17-year-old Bliss Cavendar, whose mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants to make her the queen of small-town Texas beauty pageants. Bliss meekly goes along with the idea, her voice too small to tell her mom she hates the contests. But one chance visit to nearby big city Austin and everything changes. Bliss admires some intimidating derby girls, and after sneaking off to a match, decides to try out. What follows is a fast-paced, highly entertaining girl-power anthem.

To read more about what I did and didn't like about the movie, just read more.

The movie is perfectly cast; Page plays a shy teen easily, never giving up her sweetness even after she adopts the moniker "Babe Ruthless" and gets repeatedly knocked into the rink sidelines. The team who welcomes her, the Hurl Scouts, is a motley crew: Eve and Zoe Bell don't become much more than background players, Barrymore is an ebullient if minor supporter ("Smashley Simpson"), but team captain Kristen Wiig is one of the hearts of the movie. With a part bigger than the trailer implies, Wiig (I never get tired of the derby names: "Maggie Mayhem") emerges as a mother figure when Bliss's relationship with her own mom is strained. It's nice to see her playing straight for once, and besides Page, Wiig is really the only multi-faceted derby girl.

That's not to say that the derby girls aren't anything special. Beautiful, tough, and impossibly cool, maybe you wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley, but you'd definitely want to be invited to their party. Juliette Lewis looks every part the queen bee - aggressive and sexy, she'll push you in a locker before you know what hit you. And naturally, there's a love interest, musician Landon Pigg - but he's kind of an afterthought, which I liked. By not giving in to the cliche that a girl gets everything she wants when she finds her passion, it strengthens the movie's pervasive girl power idea.

The movie isn't just about derby; it's a coming-of-age tale too, and Bliss didn't come from a shaky foundation. Alia Shawkat (yay, Maeby!) plays the hilarious and supportive BFF who doesn't exist just to cheer Bliss on from the sidelines. She's got her own thing, and is too confident to be left behind when Bliss gets wrapped up in her new life - a refreshing departure from the typical best friend character. And Harden isn't merely a strict parent caricature; she may want something completely different for her daughter, but her caring nature shines through.

It's not all success on skates, though. Sometimes the portrayal of the derby world gets to be an overzealous glorification. Sure, it's an amazing outlet for a lot of people and one of the few contact sports that really belongs to women, but the movie pushes the sexualization of the players a little too far. It's already sexy that the women play such a powerful sport, so it's not really necessary to do close-ups of the actresses' bare flesh to show the bruises.

There are a few things you could criticize about Barrymore's direction; for instance, Shauna Cross's screenplay is really quite funny, but some of the actors' lines fall flat. Also, the roller derby scenes have such potential to be exciting, and they could have been even more epic. Then again, this is Barrymore's first outing as a director, and it's still what you would expect from her: a fun-loving, freewheeling confection of a movie with a killer soundtrack.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Buzz Battle: Kristin Cavallari as the New Face of The Hills

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:30:29 -0700

The editors here at BuzzSugar stand united in our undying love for all things pop culture, but we don't always see eye-to-eye on every topic. After checking out the premiere of The Hills, this morning's water cooler discussion quickly evolved into a debate about whether or not the show can survive with Kristin in Lauren's place.

In corner number one we've got editor B, who is ready to cancel her season pass to the show after last night's episode. In corner number two, we've got editor S, who couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Kristin to the show. We've both compiled our strongest arguments, so check out both sides of the story and weigh in for yourself when you read more.

Editor B: Let me start by saying that I am not a Cavallari hater. I thought she was adorable and entertaining on Laguna Beach. The problem is that her sassy, bad-girl attitude doesn't make her unique anymore. Now she just seems like one of those girls that peaked in high school and never got over it. LC may not have been the most dramatic character on the show, but I appreciated that she kept it real instead of blatantly starting fights five minutes after walking into a party.
Editor S Rebuttal: By replacing LC with Kristin, The Hills just flipped the script. Within ten minutes of this week's premiere, there's a screaming match (Audrina had to be held back!). The show hasn't seen action like this since Lauren hollered that Heidi knew what she did outside of a nightclub ladies room in season three. Last night, no one stared at each other with emotive eyes and pregnant pauses. They talked, they flirted, they yelled. Thanks to Kristin, The Hills is fun again!
Editor B: Her valley girl voice is annoying me more than ever.
Editor S Rebuttal: Have you ever heard Spencer's voice? Hasn't stopped me from watching yet.
Editor B: It's hard to root for a protagonist that you repeatedly want to kick in the shins. I used to think Stephanie and Audrina were whiny, but now I can't blame them for leaving the show.
Editor S Rebuttal: After four seasons of feeling sympathy for LC (someone's being mean to Lauren, someone's lying about Lauren, someone's hooking up with Lauren's maybe boyfriend), it's refreshing to root for a live wire. Kristin's not sympathetic and she doesn't need your sympathy. There's only so many female friendship dilemmas you can go through, and The Hills has gone through them - really, is it a big deal if Lauren hangs out with Lo more than Audrina?! I'm sick of smeared mascara and tearful conversations; I'm ready for stilettos and scheming.
Editor B's closing argument: I'll give her a few more episodes, but I have a feeling that this show is a sinking ship and KCav is the captain. With LC gone, it's like back-to-back obnoxious scenes featuring Kristin and Spencer. There's only so much a person can take!
Editor S's closing argument: Did you see the previews for the coming season? Kristin will get put in her place by Jayde and the catfights are only starting. If the rest of the season is as juicy and action-packed as this week's episode, then I have my new Tuesday night destination for guilty, mean girl pleasure.

So whose side are you on?

Cold Hudson to Warm Welcome: Captain Sully Goes Home

LibertySugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:01:18 -0800

Far away from New York City's frigid Hudson River, US Airways pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger received a warm welcome from his small-town in Northern California. This weekend's celebration included a marching band, patriotic music, and a plethora of American flags.

While the pilot, who managed to land a bird-struck jet in the Hudson River without any casualties, didn't say much, local politicians including the mayor and US representative shared the spotlight to deliver speeches of praise. As for Sully, he kept a modest tone saying:

It was circumstances that put this experienced crew (in charge) of that plane on that particular day. We were simply doing the jobs we were trained to do.

Do you want to hear more from Sully?

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Honor Flight Takes WW II Vets to See Their Memorial

CitizenSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:15:39 -0700

This rarely happens: A story on CNN this morning had me crying in my cereal. The story followed a group of WW II veterans on an escorted VIP trip to DC to see the WW II Memorial.

As those honored by the newest memorial on the Mall are getting up in years, it was a chance many of them never thought they'd have to see it. And the looks on their faces were just . . . almost indescribable. In my personal quest to make Memorial Day about more than just a day off, I investigated a group making these trips possible.

Honor Flight, an organization founded in 2004 by a retired Air Force Captain named Earl Morse, takes veterans on a safe, free trip to see their memorial. Funded almost completely by individual donations, the organization has a trip taking off from Alabama this week. One of the men going said “They just treated us like kings. I’ve never been treated better. It got me so excited about going, I can’t hardly stand it.” A hallmark of the experience are the enthusiastic welcome ceremonies greeting the veterans at the airports. One who took a recent trip said modestly of the fuss, "we didn’t deserve it, but we’ll take it." To see the organization's plans and how you can help, read more.

Honor Flight has 4,000 veterans on their waiting list for a trip. They're accepting applications for guardians, volunteers, and donations. According to their site,

"In 2007, approximately 1,200 World War II Veterans died every DAY. In another 5-10 years almost all of our WWII Veterans will be gone. This trip is their “last hurrah,” the last time they will be recognized as the conquering victors that collectively and literally saved the world."

They've got big goals for '08: transporting 12,000 veterans and expanding from hubs in 30 states to all 50. Though their online donation service wasn't working for me this morning, there's an address and all kinds of emails and phone numbers - I just couldn't be more delighted about this heartwarming organization. I'd love to volunteer. What about you?

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