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What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:48:20 -0700

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download.

Return of the King: The new Jay-Z album, The Blueprint 3, was supposed to be released on Friday but a leak prompted a last minute to move to today (which is why it may not be showing up on iTunes yet). The earlier release date is good news for fans, because this album is amazing. I've been listening to it nonstop, and during my first listen, I was surprised at how each song seemed to just get better and more epic.

I realize I'm gushing, so let me back it up: instant hits "Empire State of Mind" with Alicia Keys and "So Ambitious" with Pharrell are soulful groovers, while "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)" and "On To the Next One" reassert Jay's self-proclaimed reputation as the Best Rapper Alive. (Update: the album is available to buy and stream on Rhapsody right now).

Go independent: Yo La Tengo's latest album, Popular Songs, promises some new sounds from the moody band, and I'd already gotten into preview song "Periodically Double or Triple". It's not the only upbeat track that hooked me; I want to listen to "Nothing to Hide" on repeat. Finally, the bonus track is a Carole King cover, "You've Got a Friend", and provides that slow, sweetly haunting feeling Yo La Tengo is known for.

Listen in on one more new download when you read more.

Let's jam: I know there's still a lot of you Phish-heads out there, and a listen to their newest, Joy, transports me back to my college days. I'm instantly sucked in by the lively Ocelot, and it's hard to not to comply with the lyrics of the appropriately named title track "Joy": "we want you to be happy". Oh, and don't worry, the band hasn't lost its affinity for epically long songs - there's a thirteen minute track, "Time Turns Elastic".

Buzz News Roundup, 7/24

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:30:46 -0700

Radiohead and Bon Iver will be among the contributors to the New Moon soundtrack. - HitFix
David Cronenberg will direct a film based on Don DeLillo's novel Cosmopolis. - ComingSoon
In Treatment producer Warren Leight is moving to FX's Lights Out, a drama about an aging boxer. - The Hollywood Reporter
TBS has ordered 20 additional episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne. - The Futon Critic
A symphony orchestra will tour the country this Fall, playing music from Star Wars. - AP
Phish will play a three-day Halloween festival on the grounds of Coachella. - MTV
Amazon's CEO has apologized to Kindle users for deleting George Orwell's novels. - AFP
HBO will air a mega-concert featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, U2, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Wonder. - New York Post

IMDB and WireImage

Buzz News Roundup, 3/11

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:30:47 -0700

Universal Pictures is headed to Austin this weekend to give South by Southwest attendees a sneak peek at Sasha Baron Cohen's movie, Bruno, at the event's Fantastic Fest. - ComingSoon
Ridley Scott has cast Scott Grimes, Kevin Durand, and Alan Doyle as the Merry Men in his Robin Hood movie. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, and Jesse Williams will join the cast of The Cabin in the Woods, a movie written and produced by Joss Whedon. - ComingSoon
CBS is reportedly considering canceling Cold Case and Without a Trace. - TV.com
Police said Monday they confiscated about $1.2 million in illegal drugs and more than $68,000 in cash, and arrested 194 Phish fans during last weekend's three-night celebration of the band's return to the stage. - Billboard
Sean Penn is in talks to star in the gritty drama Cartel. - Variety
Fox will air an internationally produced medical series called Mental this Summer. - The Hollywood Reporter
Disney has moved up the nationwide release of The Princess and the Frog from Christmas Day to Dec. 11. - Variety
Danny Devito is planning to direct Crazy Eddie, the biography of electronics salesman Eddie Antar. - Zap2It

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 10/1

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:31:07 -0700

Showtime has set January premiere dates for the final season of The L Word and the Diablo Cody series The United States of Tara. - Zap2it
Michael Sheen is the latest to join Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie. - Variety
Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green is writing an animated comedy pilot for Fox. - TV Week
Hilary Swank is set to star in the dramatic film Betty Anne Waters. - ComingSoon
After four years apart, Phish has reunited. - AP

TV legend Norman Lear is working on a pro-wrestling drama for HBO. - TV Guide

Red Tails, the WWII action adventure about the Tuskegee Airmen which George Lucas will produce, has found a director in Anthony Hemingway. - Variety

The CW is developing a series based on Batman's sidekick Robin titled The Graysons. - ComingSoon

Oh yeah, actors could still go on strike. - Hollywood Reporter

Photos courtesy of Showtime

IRS Says Scammers Are Reaching For Rebate Checks

SavvySugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:09:22 -0700

While you already know when you're going to get your rebate check, some scammers are doing their best to get in their way of you and your check finally coming together. The IRS just issued the top 12 tax scams - usual suspects like phishing and hiding income offshore made the list, but this year scammers have been trying to squeeze money from the economic stimulus rebate checks.

The bad guys gather other people's financial information by convincing them it's the only way to receive their rebates. Imposters are pretending to be from the IRS and calling, sending emails, or going door to door in attempt to gather personal details. Remember that you don't need to fill out anything besides your 2007 tax return to receive your check - the IRS has made this much clear in its YouTube public announcement.

Source

Bro vs. Douchebag: Is There a Difference?

TresSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Listening to Phish. Wearing popped collars. Playing ultimate Frisbee. Flaunting the number of chicks bagged.

Are these the traits of a bro or a douche? Is there a difference? While pondering this question, you might want to pop over to BroBible.com, a "brocial" networking site created by 24-year-old Doug Banker, a hesitantly self-identified "bro" who wants to redeem bro culture from being demonized as douche culture. (Sample post: "What's More Bro: Oral or Anal Sex?")

Last year when the site was still under construction, he had this to say about the distinction: "[A] bro is just someone who likes to go out and have a good time, who likes to stay connected to their group of friends while expanding their horizons. It’s not one of our goals to make the word ‘bro’ more positive. But yes, hopefully, that will happen."

So is there a difference between a bro and a douchebag? Does it matter? Do you wish those words would go away? Inquiring minds want to know!

January Skips the Bra, Drinks a Few Beers For GQ

PopSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

January Jones let down her hair during an incredibly sultry shoot for November's cover of GQ. In the interview she loses her Betty Draper veneer from Mad Men and opens up about her career so far and even an old boyfriend, speculated to be ex Ashton Kutcher, who was less than supportive of her acting career. She conducted the interview over a few drinks and talked about getting in trouble for chewing tobacco and playing quarters on a plane, her high school drinking records, beer pong abilities, and how she navigated Hollywood. January is refreshingly real and a little brazen, but perhaps the biggest testament to her acting is how she's very much not just her onscreen counterpart. Here are highlights:

On her ex boyfriend: "The guy I was dating when I first got to LA was not supportive of my acting. He was like, I don't think you're going to be good at this. So - f*ck you! He only has nice things to say now - if anything, I should thank him. Because the minute you tell me I can't do something, that's when I'm most motivated."

On the roles she's being offered: "I'd never really played a mom or a wife before and all of a sudden I'm getting all these lonely mom and wife offers. I don't want to get stuck."

On growing up: "I hung out with dudes in high school. We were the hippies-into the Dead, Zeppelin, Phish. I was a lifeguard at the water park, and I remember the day Jerry died. Over the loudspeaker, it said: 'Jerry Garcia has died. Everybody meet in the parking lot.' I probably shouldn’t say that-we were saving lives! But that was definitely a sit-in-the-chair-with-sunglasses afternoon."

To see what January says about her transition from modeling to acting and how she feels about Betty just read more.

On transitioning from modeling to acting: "You're like an object. They move you around. And I felt like, God, I'm miserable. I hate modeling. When I moved back to New York, the agency said I owed them $20,000. So I left the agency and then-very quickly-decided to go to LA and try acting. Without any training."

On Betty: "I don't have a lot in common with Betty, but I'm very protective of her. I just feel like she's trying really hard to make her life good, and make her marriage work, and it just seems hypocritical that when she slips up, people get mad. Because Don does it all the f*cking time."

Check out the whole interview here - it's pretty fun - and see more of her photo shoot on GQ's site.

View 2 Photos ›

Splurge of the Week: Kiehl's Body Cleansing Oil

BellaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:00:48 -0700

My skin has been going through an oddball itchy phase. Ever the hypochondriac, I became convinced that the cats had fleas. They didn't, so I thought, "Oh no, I've somehow picked up bedbugs!" (I hadn't.) After running through a mile-long list of potential itch-causers, I decided to switch body wash to one that doesn't foam up and potentially irritate my skin.

You could probably use a variety of washes, but I went with Superbly Restorative Body Cleansing Oil ($27.50). It has organic argan oil (the buzzed-about Moroccan oil) as well as a beta hydroxy acid. Since it's an oil, it doesn't lather up like crazy. Instead, it gently washes away dirt without leaving my skin dry. Plus, the softly earthy scent is sexy instead of traversing into a "I just followed Phish around for three months" funk. Most important: no more itchy skin. Win! At $27.50, it's more expensive than most body washes, but a little goes a really long way - and the ability to go to sleep without scratching my legs these days is pretty much priceless.

Ben & Jerry's Celebrates 31 Years With Free Cones

YumSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:30:23 -0700

If your weather's been unseasonably hot like it is here in San Francisco, you might be looking for ways to stay cool. Look no further than Ben & Jerry's, where tomorrow stores will be giving away free ice cream cones in honor of the chain's 31st birthday.

There's no coupon required: Simply walk into your closest B&J's anytime between noon and 8 p.m., scope out a choice flavor, and be on your merry way.

Now onto important decisions: Shall I stick with the classic Phish Food, or check out the newfangled Mission to Marzipan? What free flavor will you be hitting up?

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Recession-Proof Beauty: Free Fragrance Samples

BellaSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:00:21 -0700

We've already talked about which department stores give the best fragrance samples, but considering how high gas prices are, why leave the house if you don't have to? Fortunately, a few perfume promotions will bring the scents to your mailbox. You don't need to do much - just fill out a form online - and you'll get a goodie in the mail within a few weeks.

For three ways to score a sniff, read more.

You might remember my review of Escada Moon Sparkle. It's a fizzy fruity scent that works well for Summer nights. Request a sample at Escada's site and see whether you like it.

Sarah Jessica Parker's Covet can be tried for free if you fill out a survey.

Finally, you and a friend can each receive a postcard with a sample of Yves Saint Laurent Elle.

Even though you have to watch out for phishing schemes online, all three of these sites are legitimately connected with the fragrance brands. Supplies can run out, of course, but this is a pretty smart way to discover a new scent.