PopSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Tuesday means it's time to rev up your entertainment engine with new releases in music and new DVDs to add to your Netflix queue. I've checked out today's movie offerings and have some recommendations for the movies that are worth your rental time below.

This Summer's hit from Pixar is as tear-jerking as it is funny and light, and equally entertaining for kids and adults. Up is a story about an old man, voiced by Ed Asner, who attaches his home to balloons to escape his rapidly changing neighborhood.

I loved the emotional and original story, and wouldn't be surprised to see it nab a Best Picture nomination. The DVD has a ton of fun extras like cartoon shorts Partly Cloudy and Dug's Special Mission, and the expected making-of featurettes.

98%

See two more new releases when you read more.

The Ugly Truth

Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler play opposite each other in this romantic comedy that hinges on the notion that women want love, while men only want sex. I couldn't find much romance, though; in its place are cliches and some truly cringe-worthy moments.

But if you're one of the many who loves Gerard Butler, you may enjoy his boorish behavior. DVD extras include deleted scenes, two alternate endings, director commentary, and a gag reel.

15%

Spread

Ashton Kutcher is just a gigolo in the indie Spread. OK, maybe he's not exactly a gigolo, but it's pretty close - his character Nikki hangs around wealthy women like Anne Heche, exchanging good lovin' for a place to stay. When he unintentionally falls for a mysterious girl, his sugar mama ways are challenged.

Kutcher's role is more dramatic than what he usually takes on, and the love scenes are supposedly pretty steamy. Included in the DVD's extras are a feature called "The World According to Nikki," commentary with Kutcher (who also produced the movie), and deleted scenes.

13%

New Roles For Bradley Cooper, Isla Fisher, and JT!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:30:42 -0800

Today is packed with casting news for some of my favorite stars:

Isla Fisher's name is floating around for a new comedy titled Desperados. The story follows a woman who sends a nasty email to the new guy she's seeing after he goes MIA. after they have sex. I'm already a fan of Fisher, plus they're describing it as The Hangover for women - so you know I'm on board!

Speaking of The Hangover, Bradley Cooper is picking up a new gig. He'll be replacing Shia LaBeouf for Dark Fields, a thriller following a writer who ingests a few pills to better his career. What he gets is success, women - and a group of shady characters in pursuit. Comparisons are being drawn to Fight Club with Brad Pitt, so Fields could be just what Cooper needs to complete his ascent into leading man status.
Lastly, Justin Timberlake is in talks to voice Boo Boo, alongside Dan Aykroyd and Anna Faris in the live-action/CGI version of the classic cartoon Yogi Bear. You know how I feel about the live-action/CGI combo, but you've got to admit that picturing Timberlake as a fuzzy bear in a bow tie is kinda funny. Hope he brings the pic-a-nic basket!

I think my favorite of these three may just be Isla Fisher's, but which project are you most excited for?

Four Cute Tasmanian Devil Babies Born at the Taronga Zoo!

PetSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:10:47 -0700

These lil babes don't look much like Taz twinsies, but they are the real Tasmanian Devil deals! As the world's largest meat-eating marsupials, the famed cartoon character was inspired by the actual animals' ravenous appetites.

The babes are getting health checks, paternity tests and microchipped at Sydney's Taronga Zoo in hopes of protecting and checking up on this endangered species in the wild. The joeys look rather expressive (and so squirmy!) - what handfuls!

See more pictures of all four when you read more.

View 20 Photos ›

Traveling Sans Babies Has Its Advantages

babysugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:30:48 -0700

Look ma, no kids! Last weekend, mama got a break from pureed baby food, stinky diapers and bath time duty. The grandparents came to the rescue and watched my wee ones as I took off on a beach adventure with my hubby. While I missed the lil ones, there were certainly plenty of perks traveling as a childless passenger that I will never take for granted again.

Packing: For starters, instead of washing, folding and packing clothes for three people, I just tossed my clothes in a bag. Usually I skimp on my own wardrobe to ensure enough room for diapers and pajamas. This time, I packed extra dresses, a sun hat, more than enough shoes, and two, yes two, books!

Getting Ready: When the alarm went off, I showered, kissed the tots goodbye and walked out of the house. There was no race against the clock to clean, dress and buckle everyone. Also left behind? Prepared bottles, sliced fruit, crackers and a bag full of cartoon DVDs.

Getting There: When we pulled into the long-term parking lot, my husband and I jumped out of the car, grabbed the suitcases and ran to the shuttle. With kids, mama's got to unleash the car seats, strollers, and added baggage.

To see the rest of the reasons I look forward to adult travel and what bums me out, read more.

Security: Getting through security as an adult traveler is a breeze. It's as easy as taking off the shoes, putting the laptop in the scanner and walking through the detector. Add a toddler or two to the mix and mommy's tossing liquids left and right, de-robing wee ones, shoving car seats on X-ray machines and then putting it all back together again.

Flying: Ahhh... mum is seated, got her best book in her lap and her ear buds plugged in tight. She may even get to enjoy a glass of wine and a movie. If she's got baby with her, she's got someone tugging on her shirt, begging for a story, snack or a movie. Let's not even discuss diaper changing in the lavatory and keeping a screaming child quiet while other passengers glare at her.

Now that I sound like an ungrateful mother, let me tell you all the ways I missed my children terribly before I even left the house. The night before I left my babies with my parents, I took loads of pictures of them so I could stare at them on my camera during my trip. I also had to cuddle and love them to pieces. I snuck into my daughter's bed and cradled her before I finally crept into my own bed. I would have jumped in my son's crib if I didn't think it would wake him up. When I arrived at the airport, I ogled other tiny travelers wishing mine were with us. And, at the risk of sounding pathetic, I'll admit that I listened to the Dragon Tales soundtrack on my iPod because it made me feel closer to them. In the end, they had a terrific time with my parents and I'm 100 percent positive I am a better mother after a reinvigorating relaxing trip.

Do you have tips for traveling with or without the kids? Join our Mommy Club group and share your stories and tricks.

Sugar Shout Out: Learn to Make Peach Popsicles

PopSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:58:00 -0700

Artist Shows True Consequences of Brutal Bugs Cartoons

CitizenSugar — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:00:36 -0700

Ah, Saturday morning. That blissful time formerly devoted exclusively to cartoons, though what happened? Cartoon Network, did you have to ruin everything? Even though Bugs, Daffy, and their pals might not be standard pancake breakfast companions anymore, given this new less-than-appetizing art show at London's Aquarium gallery, that might be a good thing.

You know how Elmer Fudd was always hunting ducks, and Daffy's bill was constantly getting blown to the back of his head? Artist James Cauty does - and he's re-imagined all of the faux-cartoon violence, with realistic gory consequences. The artist says, "People have been saying since the 60's that cartoons should show the consequences of violence, or kids will get the wrong idea. It's very difficult to shock kids these days - you have cartoon characters being shot in the head and walking off cliffs, so we have decided to replace them with something more realistic."

That realism includes a work showing the cat Sylvester having taken a bite out of Tweety, with a generous amount of blood, and Tom the cat chopping Jerry the mouse into small pieces in a pool of . . . Jerry's insides. Is this appropriate for kids? To see what the artist says, read more.

The idea for the show came from just such a kid - his own son. He says, "The idea actually came from my 15-year-old son, who suggested I do some artwork showing what cartoons are really like by showing their real consequences." In his estimation, it's fine for kids: "I'm a parent myself, and if I saw pictures like that I would think of something kids would really love, because it's no-holds-barred violence." The gallery owner says so far kids have gone bananas over it. "Kids were very excited by it all, which is interesting because art is never normally aimed at children. It should be a very successful show, and will raise lots of questions about violence in the media and in our culture."

Interview with Imagination Movers: Disney's Amazing Dad Band

LilSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:00:27 -0800

Disney's hottest dad act, the Imagination Movers encourage friendship, creativity, and thinking while they get kids up off the couch. You may assume this is just another example of the Mouse's Midas touch, but it's more. The four friends (three of which are fathers to a combined nine children) have a back story beginning in New Orleans that will have parents pushing their tots in front of the television as the band's message is genuine. Rich Collins (Mover Rich) explained, "We weren't four guys that went and auditioned and got put on a show. There's history that makes us what we are." I had the opportunity to sit down with the foursome (Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche, and Scott "Smitty" Smith) recently in San Francisco. To see how Hurricane Katrina altered their lives and led them to become male role models on the Disney channel, read more.

lilsugar: How did you guys go from being an architect, a firefighter, a teacher and a journalist to having a kid's band?
Dave: We wanted to make quality music for kids because we had children who were steeped in the whole world of entertainment and a lot of what we saw was cartoons and puppets. We brought it back to what we had grown up with - Mr. Rogers and Captain Kangaroo. Mr. Rogers had just passed away and we thought there was a void and decided to take a shot at doing something about it. So we got together - four goofy dads who had an idea and here we are years later and it's turned into something that is of value.
Scott: Actually, the initial idea was local in New Orleans and then low and behold what we created resonated with people and we were tenacious about its development and were fortunate that Disney came and saw us at Jazz Fest. We played our set and started talking about doing a show together and had this concept and that's how it was born.

lilsugar: Did you guys quit your day jobs as touring and doing a show must take up the majority of your time?
Dave: When we started it was a hobby. We'd put the kids to bed and meet. At first, it was in my built out attic room and we'd be there from like nine at night until 12 or one in the morning a few days a week and brainstorm and work. Then, the music took on a life of its own. We made three independent CDs and a DVD and started playing shows. The business needed attention so Rich was the first one to quit and make the full time leap. Then, three years ago Katrina came. Once that happened we lost three of our four homes and Smitty was a firefighter.
Smitty: I still am a New Orleans firefighter, I'm just on leave of absence.

lilsugar: When you lost your homes, did you go stay with family and then reconnect later?
Rich: So the flood came and the three of us lived in one neighborhood (Smitty lived in a drier part of town) so our houses got completely flooded and were under eight feet of water for weeks and our office, Mover stuff and instruments - it was all gone. So we were all in our cars with the kids and the cat and the computer and a few pieces of clothing and a couple of pictures you saved and we were literally refugees, but it's funny. It's not funny really, but there was a day or two after when we were all holed up in different cities and hotels and things and we started communicating via text because we had a show booked that next Saturday in Dallas. And, so I was like - can you get there? Can we do this show?
Dave: I was sitting on the steps of a hotel in Houston, my kids were in bed and I'm exhausted outside with my wife and we're texting because that's the only way you can communicate. I looked at my phone and it was Tuesday or Wednesday and he's like so are we still playing Dallas Saturday? Saturday, I was in Dallas. We realized what else are we gonna do? We will have a hotel room there. I don't know if I have a job, I don't know where anybody is, and there's a small fee out there and I've got an obligation. Not knowing where anything was or where money was gonna come from, we went. People loaned us instruments.
Rich: Scott bought some replacement suits - I was wearing my old glasses. We were like refugee performers - so a bad thing happened and that's kind of a symbol for what happened in the bigger picture. We were totally thrown off of our routines, but quickly realized that there was this huge community of Movers fans in New Orleans and around the south who reached out to us to ask if we were okay. And to let us know, "your music was in the car and kept our kids feeling safe and please keep doing what you're doing". It was this outpouring of support. Doing the Movers gave us this safe harbor and in a bigger sense, it is what allowed us to pull ourselves up out of the storm. This is maybe getting a little too grand, but we managed to get the deal with Disney and bring the production of the show to the city. It was the lifeline for us and for our families to get the show going, but we're now employing more than one hundred people for seven months at a time when we do the show. It's a huge boost for the local film community.

lilsugar: No matter what happens, you're staying in New Orleans?
Smitty: New Orleans is a small town, we grew this thing from nothing. People would tell us that this was their sense of normalcy and for us this became the thing we rallied around to lift ourselves up.
Scott: The one guy who didn't lose his home, Smitty, penned the lyrics to the song, We Got Each Other which was probably the first recorded song in New Orleans after Katrina and was on our Eight Feet album.
Dave: You might lose your tangible things, but you've still got your family and friends and support.
Smitty: I didn't lose my house and none of my family died or anything, but as a fireman, for two weeks straight we banded together and relied on one another for our lives. That was part of that song too. It was pretty tough, but I think out of all that, here comes this good thing.
Scott: Our lives turn on a dime. We were professionals working jobs and then we were standing in line for welfare or to get food stamps. It was just a real experience.

Courtesy of Disney

Sugar Bits - Madagascar Sequel Tops Box Office

Molly — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:30:10 -0800

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa scored the top spot at the box office this weekend, earning $63.5 million and winning the record for best opening of the year for a family cartoon. Role Models came in second with $19.3 million. - BuzzSugar
William Balfour, the main suspect in Jennifer Hudson's family slaying, will remain in custody as the investigation continues. His current girlfriend revealed William admitted to being connected to the killings. - Chicago Tribune
Michelle Monaghan gave birth to a baby girl named Willow Katherine White last Wednesday. It is her and her husband Peter White's first child. - Entertainment Tonight
Evan Rachel Wood spoke out about her breakup with Marilyn Manson and said they are taking a break to concentrate on work, despite reports that they have been angrily fighting. She also denied that she is now dating Mickey Rourke. - People
Partially nude photographs of Disney's Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon leaked on to the Internet after her laptop was stolen, and she is pursuing legal action over the theft and distribution of her private pictures. - TMZ

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Daily Tech: The BlackBerry Storm Is Ridiculously Good Looking

GeekSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:00:44 -0700

Some pictures of Vodafone's BlackBerry Storm have been released, and with the full- screen clock and the landscape mode virtual keyboard you can't help but think it's sexy. - RIMarkable
You know those crazy gadgets that you only see in cartoons like the suction cups that let you scale a wall? Well some of them have actually been brought to life by inventors. - Cracked
T-Mobile's G1 user guide is now available to download so you can learn all about the phone's features and functions. Forewarning, it's 48 painful pages long. - Gizmodo
Wanting to plan a geek-tastic getaway? Did you know that there's actually cruises specifically for geeks? I think I'll be saving up for the Carnival Video Game Cruise myself. - Trendhunter
I always get a kick out of vintage ads about technology. The pictures are always so perfect, and the text is usually downright disturbing, which you can't help but laugh at. - Unplggd

Giggle Links

GiggleSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0700

Twenty pictures of animals riding on other animals. - Best Week Ever
U2, literally. - Stupid Videos
If advertisements were truthful. - Holy Taco
Xtreme Mothering. Brought to you by Angelina Jolie! - Defamer
Everything you like about porn, without all the sex. - eBaumsworld
Eleven of the dumbest things cartoons have taught us. - Blog of Hilarity
The six most annoying Facebook groups. - Cracked
Fifteen words that sound dirty, but aren't. - Lemondrop