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Say What? Recession or No, Women Love Their Sex Toys!

TresSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0800

"[Y]eah, money's tight. If people are going to spend their dollars, they want to know it's a good product. People are staying home more, so we've directed more marketing efforts toward cheap date nights - for the price of a movie and dinner, buy a vibrator, stay home and have fun."

- Good Vibrations rep Jackie Strano, responding to a question about what the sex business is like during the recession. Good Vibrations is a popular woman-friendly adult sex toy store in San Francisco, CA.

Photo by Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera

Precious: A Dark Tale With a Hopeful Light

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

When Precious first caused rumblings at Sundance, I thought, "There is no way I'm seeing this film." There are certain things that I find uncomfortable to watch - pregnant teens, abuse, Mariah Carey. But I'm so glad I did. Because despite its drawbacks on paper, Precious provides a big payback to those who watch it. It's one of those few unforgettable films that stays with you days later - for better and for worse.

Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Precious follows the story of Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), an overweight high school student who is pregnant for the second time by her father and living with her abusive mother, Mary (Mo'Nique). She struggles at school, because on top of her circumstances, she's also coasted through the system without ever learning how to read. So after the news of her recent pregnancy reaches the administration, she enrolls in a special program to get her GED.

I realize that by now you're probably nixing this one as a weepy, formulaic melodrama, but hear me out. As you may have gleaned from my interviews with its stars, the film is indeed a hopeful story at its heart, so to see what I mean, read more.

Part of the story's positivity is thanks to Precious's new teacher, Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), and an almost unrecognizable Mariah Carey as her social worker, Mrs. Reiss. Both women reach out to Precious and uncover a girl with joy despite her abuse - but the tension at home with her mother continues to climb.

As you might expect, many of the scenes between Precious and her mother are incredibly difficult to watch, but the saving grace is director Lee Daniels. He weaves in daydreams during the most brutal scenes, transforming Precious into a movie star or a popular girl with a good-looking boyfriend. These diversions are how Precious copes, and like her aspirations, you begin to yearn for her happy ending, too.

Newcomer Gabby Sidibe portrays Precious with an understated realism that's remarkably convincing, and Mariah Carey delivers a restrained performance. But the real eye-opener here is Mo'Nique. As Precious's mother, she is raw, always spitting out vile words - and she is easily one of the most bone-chilling villains of the year. Mary truly believes that Precious deserves the hand that hits her due to her own mixed-up past.

After you leave the theater, Precious will have made an impact on you. You will feel uncomfortable in parts, you will cringe, and you may just hate it for putting you through the turmoil. But keep watching, because there is strength and spirit to be found even in the bleak subject matter - and perhaps a few award nods.

Christmas Comes Early to London With Premiere and Lights

PopSugarUK — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:08:23 -0800

Stars of A Christmas Carol Jim Carrey, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins literally lit up London last night at the world premiere of the film, which they combined with turning on the capital's Christmas lights! They were joined by Jenny McCarthy in a Holiday season appropriate red coat, as well as The Saturdays and The X Factor contestants, who were more popular than the film stars! Olly Murs, Joe McElderry, Danyl Johnson, Jamie Archer, Lloyd Daniels and John and Edward Grimes looked smart in their suits, while Stacey Solomon and Lucie Jones looked lovely in their frocks: FabUK has the lowdown on how to copy Lucie's style.

Jim Carrey also switched on Oxford Street's Christmas lights with Jason Donovan, and Peter Andre, The Saturdays and Taio Cruz performed for the crowds. Over at Regent Street, Colin Firth turned on the lights while Oliver!'s Jodie Pregner, the Noisettes and Daniel Merriweather took to the stage. Bob Hoskins did the honours over at St Paul's Cathedral, and was joined on stage by Little Boots, Faryl Smith and Spandau Ballet. Andrea Bocelli then led crowds to try to break the record for the world's biggest carol singing event. What a fun evening! Check out more pictures of the premiere and the lights plus the trailer for the festive film after the jump.

To see the trailer for the movie plus LOADS more pictures from the premiere and lights switch on, including Taio Cruz, Daniel Merriweather, Andrea Bocelli, Shingai Shoniwa, Jodie Pregner, Spandau Ballet, Joe Calzaghe, Kristina Rihanoff, Phil Tufnell, Konnie Huq, Livia Giuggioli, Nicola McLean, Chantelle Houghton and Faryl Smith, just read more.

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Images include: Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, Olly Murs, Stacey Solomon, Joseph McElderry, Lucie Jones, Danyl Johnson, Jamie Archer, Lloyd Daniels, John Grimes, Edward Grimes, Peter Andre, Jason Donovan, The Saturdays, Taio Cruz, Daniel Merriweather, Andrea Bocelli, Shingai Shoniwa, Jodie Pregner, Bob Hoskins, Spandau Ballet, Faryl Smith, Joe Calzaghe, Kristina Rihanoff, Phil Tufnell, Konnie Huq, Little Boots, Nicola McLean, Chantelle Houghton, Livia Giuggioli, Faryl Smith

Will You Tune In For MTV's "Ulalume" New Moon Special?

PopSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are in LA now gearing up for their many New Moon press appearances, and things kick off tonight with MTV's "Ulalume" special at 9 p.m. The program, which was taped a week ago, is set to include musical appearances from bands on the film's popular soundtrack and clips from Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, and Ashley Greene. Robert, Kristen, and Taylor Lautner will also make cameos introducing a new 20-second clip from their movie. So, tell us - will you tune in this evening?

Kristen Stewart Talks Twilight and New Moon With Seventeen

PopSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:30:12 -0700

Kristen Stewart is on many magazine covers in the runup to New Moon's release next month, from Interview to Allure and now Seventeen. She managed to take a break from working on Eclipse and hanging out with Robert Pattinson to sit down and chat about the whole Twilight phenomenon and what she's learned from her character, Bella. Here's more:

On Twilight's popularity: "I'm used to doing really tiny movies. But then it turned into a big deal. I mean, I know how obsessed the fans are - they love it, but we love it just as much!"
On learning from Bella: "You don't need to give reasons for the things you do - you just have to do what you want. And sometimes the thing that seems messed up to everyone else is what's right for you. You have to do it and not be ashamed of it."

Make sure to check out the full article and more photos when the issue hits newsstands on the 20th.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:30:36 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. Oh and even though it's not on Netflix, don't forget that Ally McBeal: The Complete Series is finally available on DVD today!

Year One

The comedy chops of Michael Cera and Jack Black weren't enough to make prehistoric comedy Year One a hit, but the movie still has some laughs, especially if you're fans of the two actors.

The gross-out humor definitely wore on me, but the funny supporting cast might make it worth the rental (Paul Rudd, Hank Azaria, and David Cross all make cameos) - if you can stand all the toilet humor.

16%

See two more new releases when you read more.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Anvil! The Story of Anvil became a surprising sleeper hit, thanks in large part to word of mouth (aka Twitter). The documentary centers around Canadian heavy metal band Anvil, who may have been little known to the public, but actually went on to influence other popular acts like Metallica. Metallica even shows up in the movie to talk about the band.

The movie was beloved by critics (check that Rotten Tomatoes rating!) and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

98%

Assassination of a High School President

Bruce Willis and Mischa Barton star in Assassination of a High School President, a comedy/crime caper set in a high school. The film made a splash at last year's Sundance Film Festival, but then kind of faded away when it came to a theatrical release . . . no matter, because it's on Netflix now.

I was intrigued by the trailer for this movie and will probably check it out, especially since it has Rocket Science's cute protagonist, Reece Thompson.

57%

Which movie will you be adding to your Netflix queue?

Buzz Quiz: How Well Do You Know Vince Vaughn?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:30:00 -0700

Vince Vaughn is Hollywood's funny guy with the razor-sharp tongue - vertically gifted, member of the Frat Pack, and all-around movie quote generator. (Seriously, how many times have you heard the line, "You're so money and you don't even know it?") You may be able to recite all of the popular Vaughn-isms, but are you a true fanatic? In honor of Couples Retreat opening this week, take my quiz and find out.

Take the quiz

Bradley Cooper Is Armed With His A-Team Assembled

PopSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:30:58 -0700

Bradley Cooper traded his blazer for a large gun yesterday while on the Vancouver set of The A-Team. Costars Liam Neeson and Quinton Jackson were also around, as work gets underway on the movie based on the popular TV series. Female lead Jessica Biel wasn't in on the action, as she chills out in LA while people speculate about her relationship with JT.

To see more photos of Bradley plus Liam and Quinton just read more.

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Stars on the Set This Week!

PopSugar — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:30:01 -0700

Along with an exciting week of new television, we also got peeks at the sets of popular TV shows and upcoming movies this week. From more shots of the secretive Eclipse set and brand new New Moon stills to new pics of Tom and Cameron filming Wichita, the stars sure were busy on set this week!

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Were There Mean Girls at Your High School?

TresSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Tina Fey captured the essence of high school girl-on-girl cruelty when she wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls. In the movie, Lindsay Lohan's character Cady describes how the queen of mean Regina George ruled her minion Gretchen, in addition to the whole school:

The meaner Regina was to her, the more Gretchen tried to win Regina back. She knew it was better to be in the plastics, hating life, than to not be in at all.

The New York Times recently stumbled upon the mean-girl phenomenon in the form of a "slut list" at a New Jersey high school. This list included the names of about a dozen pretty and popular incoming freshman along with crass descriptions.

It's safe to assume that every high school girl has experienced the competition and cattiness romanticized by Hollywood (don't forget Gossip Girl too!). But is the New Jersey "slut list" story closer to Hollywood or your own high school experience?