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Album Stream: Mandy Moore's Wild Hope

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:44:47 PDT

Judging by the cover art for her new album, Wild Hope, you might surmise that Mandy Moore has transformed herself from teen pop-sensation into grown-up dream-folk girl - and you would be right. On the new album, which hits stores today and which you can now stream at AOL Music, Moore maintains the accessibility of her more bubbly hits while showing off heightened gravitas and a great voice.

Wild Hope uses elements of country rock and folksy ballads, complete with sparse piano, steel guitar, regal strings, and contributions from musicians like Rachael Yamagata. But the songwriting still fits snugly into the realm of pop, which I think is pretty cool. Maybe Moore can help expand the musical horizons of the fans who've been with her since the beginning. Give it a listen and tell me what you think.

Mandy's Stock is on the Rise

PopSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:37:27 PDT

Mandy was looking super cute as usual when she stopped by TRL this week to promote her new album, Wild Hope. Mandy's career is really on the up and up, there was even a rumor this week that she was going to replace Kirsten in Spider-Man 4! Mandy says, however, that's just not true, "It's some rampant internet rumour but I would never do it because Kirsten, it's her part and she's done such a great job with it. How can you fill those shoes? I wouldn't go anywhere near that." While we can actually see Mandy filling those shoes pretty well, we'll just be happy with her new album for now. She's just released her first music video, for Extraordinary, and while it's a little bit boring, the song is pretty cute!

To see the video for Extraordinary and more pics just

View 10 Photos ›

Source

Turtles Are Tortoise-ly Awesome!

Sara Yoo — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:00:00 PDT

The sight of a sea turtle gracefully gliding through the ocean or a tortoise contentedly munching on greens warms an animal lover's heart. But these visions may soon be distant memories. Today's World Turtle Day seeks to create awareness of the animal's vanishing habitats around the world and to draw attention to the inhumane treatment of turtles as pets and food sources.

Whether you're considering a turtle as a pet or simply encountering these shelled critters in day-to-day life, American Tortoise Rescue, the sponsor of World Turtle Day, hopes that we can all help in preserving and promoting our reptilian friends by observing a few easy guidelines.

Don't buy a turtle or tortoise from a pet store, as it increases demand for wild animals. Instead, contact a local animal shelter or turtle rescue to adopt a turtle in need.
Don't remove a turtle or tortoise from the wild unless it's sick or injured.
If you see a turtle or tortoise crossing a busy street, then pick it up to help it across, but point it in the same direction it was originally heading. Turtles are headstrong creatures: even if you point it in the opposite direction, it will eventually return to its previous course - and straight back into danger!

For a few more tips to celebrate World Turtle Day, just keep reading.

Kristen, Kirsten, Garrett, and Sam Hit Cannes With the On the Road Crew

Allie Merriam — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:39:13 PDT

Kristen Stewart and her On the Road cast mates gathered this morning for a photocall at the Cannes Film Festival. Kristen paired a white tee and black blazer with a pair of wild printed pants for the press session. She threw an arm around a Dolce & Gabbana-clad Kirsten Dunst for a series of girls-only pictures, then linked up with costars Sam Riley, Viggo Mortensen, Tom Sturridge, Garrett Hedlund, and Danny Morgan. Director Walter Salles was also on hand.Their movie just screened at the Grand Palais - make sure to check out our On the Road review.

Kristen's in France with the picture and her costars just ahead of her boyfriend Robert Pattinson's Cannes debut. He'll hit the Croisette himself with his David Cronenberg-directed Cosmopolis before the festival wraps up this weekend. Kristen and Robert aren't the only couple we're hoping to see making the rounds. Tom may have brought along his pregnant partner Sienna Miller, and Sam makes an adorable pair with his German actress wife, Alexandra Maria Lara. Kirsten was already hanging out with her boyfriend - she's dating costar Garrett.

The Words Trailer: Bradley Cooper Has Got a Story For You

Shannon Vestal — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:50:51 PDT

Get ready to bend your brain as you watch the trailer for The Words, starring Bradley Cooper as a writer. His character, Rory Jansen, suffers from writer's block until he has a breakthrough and finally produces a best-selling novel. The only problem is that he stole the story from former soldier (played by Jeremy Irons), who put his life story to words years before Rory finds his writings. As you watch the preview that doesn't really come across, because the trailer starts out telling Rory's story, paralleling it with Irons's character in flashback (played by Ben Barnes). And then, randomly, Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde show up, because apparently Quaid's character wrote Rory's plagiarism tale. Got it?

None of that is really clear as you watch, nor does it make sense as to why a cheesy, romantic-comedy-esque song comes on in the final moments. Let's hope the movie itself is far more coherent than this first look, because I know I won't be missing a chance to see Cooper and his baby blues as a struggling artist. The film comes out Sept. 21, and you can watch the trailer after the jump.

Buzz Blabber: The Vampire Diaries Finale is a Shocker

Lizzie Fuhr — Sun, 13 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

We're still reeling from the season finale of The Vampire Diaries, and it seems like lots of people had strong opinions about what this means for the show. But there were plenty of other topics that were making waves as well. Fifty Shades of Grey is still making headlines, and everyone gave their two cents on who should take on the coveted role of Anastasia for the film. And while we're sad to see Cougar Town leave ABC, it's been picked up for another season on TBS.

The season finale of The Vampire Diaries has a wild twist

"I have to say that I like the idea of the reveal of Elena beginning her transition into a vampire, and I like the obvious twist has on which side she will lean in the perennial triangle. I don't think I am very keen on Elena actually *being* a vampire. It completely changes the whole dynamic of the show. I'll be really interested in seeing what they do with this going forward." - kaykayelle
"I think she will remember meeting Damon first. When Caroline turned she remembered everything that Damon had made her forget, so hopefully Elena will too. That is the only reason that I see for her telling him maybe if I had met you first." - dbaker6196
"I personally am not quite ready for Elena to be a vampire quite yet. It seems she really is though. Couldn't Stefan have saved both Matt & Elena at the same time from the car in the water? He is a vamp after all, doesn't he have super strength?" - mannylove

To check out who everyone thought should be cast Anastasia in Fifty Shades of Grey and more, just

Everyone's got ideas about who should play Anastasia in Fifty Shades of Grey

"I have to say, after seeing Dark Shadows, I'm convinced Bella Heathcote is perfect for the role. Perfect look, great acting skills and had me thinking 'She IS Ana!' for the whole time while watching the movie!" - glimmerbunny
"Emmy Rossum to play Anastasia . . . She has those eyes and that mouth." - Maria0803
"I think Alexis Bledel is a great match for Ana because she's a natural beauty and someone who could play an intelligent innocent woman, but I'm not sure if she has the wild side." - Carmansen

Fans are relieved that Cougar Town isn't dead yet

"Moving to TBS PENNY CAN!!"- Jasmine2683737
"So excited that TBS has picked up Cougar Town for Season 4!!!!!" - nickpirce
"Six seasons and a movie!" - Jason2680875

Photo courtesy of The CW

4 Details to Look Forward to in Pixar's Brave

Kelly Schwarze — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:16:16 PDT

The magic of Pixar's Oscar-winning films is in their ability to take seemingly ordinary story lines about childhood toys or a garbage-collecting robot and transform them into emotional narratives about love and life. The studio's upcoming Summer film Brave is its first foray into the familiar coming-of-age tale, this one as told through the experiences of a defiant teenage girl. Pixar's first female lead, Merida, is a princess with an affinity for archery in ancient Scotland who refuses to give up her freedom by submitting to an arranged marriage and sets off to change her fate.

Though the movie isn't due for release until June 22, 2012, we caught an unfinished preview of the first 30 minutes of Brave, and there's a lot to get excited about in this Pixar period piece. Here's why the film is worth the wait:

Pixar Technical Wizardry - Brave demonstrates the studio's technical prowess at its best. Merida's gorgeous curls (seen in the above picture) are no easy feat of animation. There's a reason so few of your favorite animated characters have big, curly hair - it's very difficult to create on the computer. Over 111,000 individual curls were hand-drawn for Merida's mane, which was then digitally rendered as 1.8 million strands. Pixar then had to create a physics simulator to mathematically control how the waves move in the wind and exist within gravity.
The Art - Without verging into awkward moments of uncanny valley, Brave has moments of startling realism amid its fantasy story line. The overcast skies and moss-covered landscape of Scotland have been painstakingly studied, drawn, and shaded to create a setting worthy of this new legend. By the time filming wrapped, 111,394 storyboard drawings were created, a number that far exceeds the preproduction that went into most other Pixar films.

Keep reading how the film's great for gingers and view the official trailer after the break.

American Idol: Was the Right Person Voted Off?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:48:29 PDT

Erika Van Pelt lost something more than her golden locks this week - the American Idol hopeful also said goodbye to her shot at instant stardom. Billy Joel week wasn't easy, and DeAndre Brackensick and HeeJun Han also earned spots in the bottom three. We know if mentor Jimmy had the final say, jokester HeeJun probably would have been sent home.

Unfortunately, it was Erika's rendition of "New York State of Mind" that failed to impress America, and as the judges chose not to use their save on her, (remember, Erika was one of their wild card picks this season) her time on the Idol stage came to an end. What do you think? Were the judges right not to save her? Was her exit imminent?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Sugar Shout Out: March Must Haves!

Brittney Stephens — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:55:00 PST

9 Signs You’ve Got a Bad Boss

LearnVest — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:15:42 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We wish we could mandate that all bosses go to boss school. Or that the ones who did get management training absorbed everything they were taught.

Fact is, there are a lot of bad bosses running amok out there, and most don’t even know that they’re the bane of your existence.

But the good news is, if you’re stuck under the thumb of a less-than-stellar superior, there are strategies for managing her particular strain of craziness.

Related: Learn How to Manage Your Boss

For expert advice, we spoke to Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s connection director and author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules Into Career Success, and Leigh Steere, cofounder of Managing People Better, LLC, a research endeavor that studies differences in management styles.

Here are nine signs your superior may not be, well, superior - and what do about it.

1. She’s Insulting

Feedback is a necessary food group in the office place. A good boss will explain why you didn’t meet expectations, as well as the changes she’d like to see next time. But then there’s the other breed: the manager who puts down your work . . . without supplying constructive criticism. Or worse. We’ve all been subjected to “yellers” in our time.

How to Manage Her: If she’s not forthcoming about why she’s not happy with you, you can take steps to prevent being berated. When you get an assignment, ask, “So what I’m hearing you want me to do is . . . ?” and be sure you’re clear on the instructions before you start. If she still lights into you and you don’t know what you did to deserve it, take a deep breath and ask. You might want to wait until her tirade is over and her mood improves, but a well-timed “I’d like to understand where I fell short, so it doesn’t happen again. Can you explain what you’d like me to do differently next time?” can work wonders.

Read on for more.