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Justin Timberlake Raps Through the Years, but Doesn't Rush His Art

Molly — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:45:00 PDT

Justin Timberlake and Jessie Eisenberg buddied up for another screening of The Social Network at the School of Visual Arts Theater in NYC last night. Only Jesse made it to the afterparty to keep celebrating what is so far the most positively reviewed movie of the year. Justin was coming from an interview, which turned into a rap medley, with Jimmy Fallon to round out a huge week of promotion. Timberlake may claim to be "ridiculously stupid with computers," but he has proven to be smart when it comes to acting, as this role is garnering him and many of his costars early Oscar buzz. Still, JT is determined not to be pressured back into making music, which he joked about on SNL and told EW, "Does a painter make a painting because he has to make it by December 21st? No, he doesn’t. It happens when it pours out of him. That's how music is for me . . ." The Social Network hits theaters tomorrow, and Buzz is gearing up by taking a look at the real people behind the characters and what the actors have to say about the experience.

To see more photos of Jesse and Justin, just

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Eat Pray Love: Go Ahead, Indulge

Lauren Bradshaw — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 05:30:00 PDT

In the big screen adaptation of Eat Pray Love, Julia Roberts lends her charm to the role of Liz Gilbert, an author who journeys to three different countries to find herself. The moments where we see glimpses of Liz's frustration and her loneliness are some of the movie's strongest, but the character is often overshadowed by the bigger focus of the film: the scenery.

Indeed, Eat Pray Love is a love letter to travel. With one romantic setting after another, it's the sort of story that conjures up wistful dreams of adventures abroad and an appetite for life (and for food, naturally). For more on that,

Elizabeth's story begins in New York. Realizing that she's no longer in love with her husband (Billy Crudup), she requests a divorce, and sets out to be single - which doesn't last, and she soon jumps into bed with a younger guy (James Franco). But when confusion about her current situation sets in, Elizabeth decides to take a trip to find herself; first, she'll eat her way through Italy, then journey to India to meditate in an ashram, and then to Bali, Indonesia. It's on the last stop that she meets Felipe (Javier Bardem), a Brazilian who forces her to confront her biggest fears about love.

The supporting men turn in nice performances, and director Ryan Murphy gives every scene a lush, theatrical quality (not to mention, Roberts's immense wardrobe left me with a hankering for the Anthropologie catalog). Unfortunately, the film is lacking a bit of oomph. With a hefty run-time of two and a half hours, the story sometimes drags and the film itself doesn't move the audience as much as it seems like it should. In the end it's a satisfying film, though you might be better off reading the book if you're seeking inspiration.

If you'd like to review a movie you've seen recently, check out the Movie Reviews Group in the BuzzSugar Community. I may even feature your critique on the site!

Photos courtesy Sony Pictures

Leggy Julia Roberts and Newlywed Javier Bardem Bring Eat Pray Love to NYC!

Molly — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:00:00 PDT

Julia Roberts let her stems get all the attention in shorts and a tuxedo jacket at last night's NYC premiere of Eat Pray Love. Of course that famous smile played a big part too, and she flashed her grin and cuddled close to her leading man Javier Bardem. He looked dapper in blue, though there was no wedding ring adorning his finger. Julia's husband Danny Moder stayed off the red carpet as usual while Javier's new wife Penelope Cruz is busy filming Pirates in Hawaii. James Franco also missed the screening since he's shooting a movie in Vancouver. Director Ryan Murphy has been making the press rounds for the movie, including an interview earlier in the day where he talked about his other big project, Glee, revealing that Britney Spears will be making a cameo on her episode. Ryan also raised a few eyebrows discussing the movie's "controversial" pasta scenes and in case you missed it, read more from Julia and Javier about their highly anticipated project before it hits theaters on Friday.

To see more from the premiere, just

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Pics: George Clooney Plays Host at John Krasinski and Emily Blunt's Star-Studded Wedding!

PopSugar — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:55:00 PDT

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt are already headed off on their honeymoon after a stop in LA, but we're looking back at their amazing romantic wedding in Lake Como, Italy last weekend. Before saying their big "I Dos," George Clooney hosted a star-studded cruise for the happy couple Friday night. Matt Damon and Luciana shared sweet kisses while Meryl Streep provided some awesome celebrity sightings for their non-famous guests. George has Elisabetta by his side and the beautiful bride-to-be Emily danced the evening away. Click through to see all the photos from the special night!

Julia Shares the Spotlight With Another Roberts

PopSugar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

Julia Roberts was in NYC last night for the LAByrinth theater company's annual benefit gala in NYC, and she kicked things off by posing for photos with the organization's artistic director, Yul Vazquez. The new Lancome ambassador stayed close to Yul, but farther down the carpet was her young niece Emma Roberts. The Roberts ladies were joined by fellow females like Julia Stiles and Padma Lakshmi, but the guys were well-represented with John Krasinski and Billy Crudup. The evening was a fundraiser featuring celebrity charades - the company posted a few preliminary webisodes online to drum up excitement.

To see more of Julia and her pals, just

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Images include: Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles, Padma Lakshmi, Kristen Wiig, Billy Crudup, John Krasinski, Sam Rockwell, Tom Colicchio, Yul Vazquez

Blake and Robin Have the Stars of Nine Supporting Pippa Lee

PopSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:45:00 PST

The leading ladies of The Private Lives of Pippa Lee hit the red carpet in NYC on Saturday evening. Blake Lively didn't address rumors she's going into business with Victoria Beckham as she smiled for the cameras, while her boyfriend Penn Badgley mingled with fellow Gossip Girl actor Chace Crawford behind the scenes. Robin Wright Penn, meanwhile, showed off her new dark hairdo as she posed alongside Julianne Moore and Keanu Reeves. The film's writer and director, Rebecca Miller, brought along her husband Daniel Day-Lewis. He, in turn, was accompanied by a few of his costars in Nine, like Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard. Both films hit the box office in the coming weeks, but it looks like the two casts have nothing but support for each other.

To see more from the bash, just

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Images include: Andrew McCarthy, Bart Freundlich, Billy Crudup, Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, Daniel Day-Lewis, Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Penn Badgley, Robin Wright Penn, Shannon Elizabeth, Sophia Bush, Zoe Kazan

What Book-to-Movie Changes Have Bugged You?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:30:07 PDT

In adapting a book for the big screen, adjustments are obviously necessary and often understandable - except when they're quite frustrating. Earlier this year the news came out that the My Sister's Keeper filmmakers were changing the end of the story for the film version, causing a bit of apprehension for fans of the Jodi Picoult novel. In my opinion, the change made sense for the film, but I also understand the loyalty people feel toward the source material.

Today there's more casting news for the film adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love (Billy Crudup will play Gilbert's husband) and the description of this character doesn't quite mesh with my memory of the book. Here's more:

Crudup will play Steven, who is married to Gilbert ([Julia] Roberts). His hopes to have children are dashed when her quest to get pregnant leaves her feeling she is not living the life she wants. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery around the world.

Granted, it's been a while since I read Eat Pray Love, but that's not how I remember her husband. I'd wondered if they'd include much of Gilbert's husband at all in the film, and I certainly didn't think he'd be painted as such a heartbroken victim. From reading the book, I didn't get the sense that he was much of a victim at all and it seems more than a little unfair to say that Gilbert "dashed his hopes" by wanting to do something for herself. Perhaps it's just an issue of wording within the news article, but it annoys me nonetheless.

Are there changes in film adaptations that have irritated you?

Source

Michael Phelps Cleans Up at the Star-Studded ESPY Awards

PopSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:00:01 PDT

Many celebs hit the red carpet last night at the ESPY awards in LA to honor the stars of the sports industry. Samuel L. Jackson was the evening's host, and he kept the audience laughing with his jokes about Twitter. Zachary Quinto took the stage looking dapper in his suit, while Miranda Kerr smiled for photos before the scary robbery at Orlando Bloom's house. Demi Moore was also on hand to present Michael Phelps with one of his five awards. It might not have been as snazzy as last year's Justin Timberlake's ESPY hosting gig, but the athletes and stars looked fantastic for the sports-filled night.

Michael wasn't the only one getting trophies - Hollywood's beloved Lakers won Best Team. Other presenters included Rashida Jones and Jeremy Piven, while funny men Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers watched alongside Billy Crudup. The festivities are set to air Sunday evening on ESPN.

To see lots more photos including Kendra Wilkinson, Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven and others just

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Images include: Andy Samberg, Jaime Pressly, Kendra Wilkenson, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps, Rashida Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Seth Meyers, Wyclef Jean, Shawn Johnson, Miranda Kerr, Billy Crudup, Condoleezza Rice, Zachary Levi, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Jeremy Piven, Marisa Miller, Olivia Wilde, Rob Lowe, Stevie Wonder, Will.i.am

Watchmen: Fun For Fans

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:30:33 PST

It's obviously difficult to adapt a beloved written (and, in this case, drawn) work for the big screen - and it’s downright impossible to make an adaptation that satisfies every viewer (or certainly every megafan). I truly enjoyed reading the comic book series Watchmen by Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore, and having seen the film adaptation, I don't dislike it. It's probably the best we could have asked for as far as adaptations go. And I know it's useless now to say that the work should never have been brought to film in the first place (though I do feel that way), so now that it has been made into a movie, is it any good? From a fan's perspective I say, sure, it's fine. But I don't have any other perspective to go by.

I have no idea how this movie comes across to someone who has never read the comic book series. I can't even pretend to be unbiased about this - as a fan, just seeing these characters come to life is incredibly exciting. But as a standalone movie, I can admit that it's probably not great. Essentially, it's made for the fanboys (and fangirls) and other viewers may not understand or like it. It's campy, sometimes resembling a silly soap opera, and truthfully I am hard-pressed to remember any distinct images or scenes from the movie, just a few days after seeing it. It's certainly temporary entertainment, and for some it may be frustrating to watch. For more about the movie and my take,

The opening credits (which I got to see at Wondercon, awesomely) are perhaps my favorite part of the whole thing as we hear Bob Dylan's "The Times, They Are A-Changing" and go through a series of slow-motion images of what's been happening politically over the Cold War years, along with images depicting the rise and fall of masked vigilantes in the US. Originally revered as society's helpers, by the 1980s masked crime-fighters have become hated, and people want their good ol' police officers back protecting them. One "mask" is the dark outlaw Rorschach, who still wears a mask of ever-shifting ink blots over his face. Now in 1985 New York City, Rorschach notices that someone has been murdering former masked avengers one by one and he becomes determined to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, tensions between the US and the Soviet Union are reaching a boil and nuclear war seems imminent. The movie strings together several different stories of the various former crime-fighters while simultaneously increasing the threat of nuclear destruction within the US-Soviet conflict.

Director Zack Snyder is very faithful to the written work (though he makes some decisions to make certain scenes bigger or smaller, like a particular sex scene that seems to go on for approximately forever). So any real issues one has with the story of Watchmen or with the characters are probably issues with the source material itself and not so much with Snyder's adaptation. That said, even having read the series, the movie is way more violent than I thought it would be. At times it's that cartoonish violence that's easy to take, but some of the gore is startling. In movie form it's just gruesome.

Despite this faithfulness to the material, though, there's a weightiness and a complexity to the written work that doesn't quite come through, leaving many of the scenes to fall flat and empty. The written work is expansive and complicated and multilayered - to pare it all down to a storyline people can understand (even in the lengthy running time of approximately 162 minutes) is an insanely massive task to take on. And in attempting to do so, some parts of the book simply don’t translate well. Dr. Manhattan (a physicist who has an accident in his lab, resulting in his becoming an all-powerful blue, glowy giant being), for example, comes across as just silly and in fact, I found myself at times bored or annoyed with him. His scenes with Laurie are even more tiresome.

Perhaps unsurprisingly (but no less satisfyingly), the best moments come from Rorschach. Aside from being a fan favorite in general, Jackie Earle Haley does a marvelous job making us care about Rorschach and see him as a disturbed man with a strong sense of right and wrong. He's pitiable and a little bit frightening, too. It's easy to root for Rorschach; it's easy for the audience to want to be on his side. We know that he's a bit messed up but somehow all the more likable because of it. And the dark electricity Haley brings to the screen in each of his scenes sets the character of Rorschach apart from the rest.

And maybe I'm easily amused, but the ever-shifting mask he wears is unendingly cool to watch.

See, that's the thing. As a fan, I forgive so much. I don't know how to recommend this movie to the uninitiated - I have no idea what it looks like, or if it's worth the nearly three hours in a movie theater. But as a fan I was going to go anyway, and short of total disaster, I was probably always going to think what I think: that it's cool-looking and super satisfying to see these characters come to life.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

BuzzSugar at WonderCon: Watchmen Takes the Stage!

BuzzSugar — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:30:07 PST

Saturday at WonderCon started with a bang: Watchmen director Zack Snyder appeared before an extremely packed house along with his cast to reveal about 20 minutes of footage from the movie, including the opening credits.

The conversation was lively and the footage very exciting. Of course, I can't give my final opinion till I've seen the movie start to finish, but based on what I saw this weekend, it's hard for me to imagine this film stumbling too hard. I'm a huge fan of the graphic novel, so I may be a wee bit biased - though it's hard to tell if that would make me easier or harder on the film. I guess I'll know soon, but to see my thoughts on the panel and more details about the clips,

The ballroom crowd went wild when, in addition to director Zack Snyder, most of the major cast members showed up on stage. They included Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, and Patrick Wilson.

After some chatting about the movie, Snyder announced he was showing us the first 20 minutes or so of the movie. The opening credits of Watchmen are astonishing and manage to cram in the history and back story of the movie's alternate reality, all set to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin."
We also got to see a scene of Rorschach (Haley) in prison that practically had the crowd on its feet by the end. I'll just say this: it's violent, it's kick-ass, and I think it's a taste at how satisfying seeing this graphic novel on the big screen could be.
A couple of funny moments: Morgan said that in approaching his role as The Comedian, he had to somehow make the character seem human in the midst of "killing, raping and pillaging throughout the world." Crudup said in order to make Dr. Manhattan seem distracted, he just thought of "walking on the surface of the sun and things like that."

If there's a sequel, it probably won't involve Snyder, who called such rumors "crazy talk" and added, "To me it seems impossible to even talk about. That's like a sequel to Moby Dick."
For the record, Snyder couldn't be cuter in person.
If the film does well it will almost certainly get a director's cut re-release this July. Currently, the movie is 2 hours and 43 minutes long, and the director's cut will be 3 hours and 10 minutes.
When talking about all the cuts Snyder had to make for the theatrical release, he mentioned the studio requesting less of two things: violence and Dr. Manhattan's blue, er, private areas.
Snyder also said that the companion story to the comic, Black Freighter, has been created as an animation and will be released on DVD a week after the movie hits theaters.
Dave Gibbons, the novel's illustrator, had nothing but kind words for the movie, saying "It's completely surreal" and "This is like the movie I saw in my head, and these are like the people I saw in my dreams."
Fun fact: Little Rorschach, whom we see in the opening credits, is played by Snyder's own son.