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Seth Rogen Talks Monsters, Aliens, and Halloween

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:30:00 -0700

Tonight, NBC is airing a Halloween-themed follow up to last Summer's animated hit Monsters Vs. Aliens, Monsters Vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space. Seth Rogen, who voices the gelatinous jokester B.O.B. in the half-hour special, chatted on the phone with a few reporters about reprising his role. He talked animated films, Halloween, and even a little bit of the upcoming adaptation of The Green Hornet that he's currently filming with Michel Gondry.

On why he enjoys voicing B.O.B.: I enjoy it because, I mean, this is the stupidest answer - I enjoy it because it's fun. The character is funny and the directors are cool and the story is funny; to me it's like a very fun format to kind of improvise, and try to discover a character in a different way than physically doing it, you know. You've got to do it all with your voice, and I really enjoy that.
On dressing up for Halloween: I have a girlfriend now and I've entered the unfortunate world of paired costuming. It's not fun. I don’t recommend it. I always end up being the lamer half - it's like she's a dog and I'm a fire hydrant or something like that. It's never fun. So maybe I'm dodging a bullet this year.

To hear what Rogen said about The Green Hornet and what he loves about Halloween TV, just read more.

On his Halloween TV faves: I always liked The Simpsons' Halloween specials, personally. They were always amazing. I always looked forward to that on Halloween. And I watched TGIF sitcoms growing up because I was a nerd and had nothing to do on Friday nights, and whenever the sitcoms would do their Halloween episode, I always enjoyed that for some reason. That always spawned some good comedy.
On the pressure of making The Green Hornet: I will blame Gondry if it sucks. No, I'm just joking. No, we are all in it, you know. I will say, I take a huge amount of the pressure. I understand that. I understand that. I understand that it's my face on it, you know, when it literally comes out even if it sucks for another reason, people will blame me and that's why I have to be so involved - to try to make sure that it doesn't suck. But there's a lot of pressure. I understand that. I've been talking about this movie for years, and if it sucks, then no one will be more disappointed than me, believe me.
On improvising as a voice actor: You can actually improvise a lot as a voice actor. I mean, real people I think don't - and I didn't - understand how animation works really. The time consuming part is really creating the characters and the sets and the worlds. And aside from that it's not that entirely different than shooting a live action movie; the characters mouths are quite easy to manipulate once all the information is built into the computer. So you can improvise a lot and it doesn't matter really how far along they are in the process; they can just make the character say something different. Almost more than in a live action movie because of how slow the process is.
On whether he'll do more voice acting in the future: I really enjoy it and I mean, I've always been a fan of animation - yes, I would like to.

John, Jason and Judd Are STARS and Studs in the Night

PopSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:53 -0700

John Mayer proved to be the main attraction at last night's STARS benefit gala in LA. He cracked a few jokes from the podium, before whipping out his guitar to perform some of his new music that you guys are loving. He was rolling solo for the evening, despite the recent rumors about his romancing Rashida Jones that her publicist denied and of course the ongoing Jennifer Aniston reports. Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann were the evening's honorees, and funny guys like Jason Segel and Seth Rogen came out to toast the duo. There doesn't seem to be much news about Jason's apparent romance with Chloe Sevigny, but his How I Met Your Mother costar Josh Radnor is about to see some on-screen developments with special guest star Rachel Bilson.

More photos of the STARS 2009 gala so read more.

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Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:30:47 -0700

You must watch the How I Met Your Mother season four blooper reel! - PopWatch
The Cleveland Show is Sunday night's ratings winner; it's up 44 percent over the previous time slot occupier, King of the Hill - Movieline
Bored to Death gets the New York reality index - Vulture
Disney is getting ready to replace Johnny Depp in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie - MTV Movies Blog
Want to know much The Hills stars make? Maybe you don't - Defamer
George Clooney started shooting The American today, previously known as A Very Private Gentleman - Coming Soon
Seth Rogen uses his guest spot on The Simpsons to get back at the Entourage crew - Cinematical
Listen to another song from the New Moon soundtrack, "Satellite Heart" - MySpace
How Geek would wire Betty Draper - GeekSugar

Cameron and Seth Get Down to Work on The Green Hornet

PopSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:40:00 -0700

Cameron Diaz and Seth Rogen spent their Labor Day weekend hard at work on The Green Hornet in LA. They filmed a few serious-looking scenes on Saturday, though they shared a laugh as they reviewed some takes. Cameron even had a little wardrobe change, switching from her business wear into a chic blue dress. Seth and Cameron are just two of the film's leads, and they'll soon be joined by costar Ryan Reynolds. Ryan won the role after a rather public audition procession, and it'll be exciting to see him and his big muscles starring in this adaptation of the classic comic.

For more photos of Cameron on set just read more.

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James McAvoy Jumps Aboard Seth Rogen's Cancer Comedy

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:30:00 -0700

I know, I know - the words "cancer" and "comedy" don't exactly go together, but Seth Rogen and James McAvoy are ready to make us believe otherwise. The guys are set to star in a film adaptation of Will Reiser's novel, I'm With Cancer. Reiser also wrote the screenplay, which tells the story of his own experience battling and defeating cancer in his 20s. The movie will be directed by Nicole Holofcener, and Rogen will pull double duty as a producer.

McAvoy will star as Reiser's onscreen counterpart, and I have to say that I'm excited to see him return to comedy. He first caught my eye as the wacky brother in Wimbledon (yes, I love that movie and will not be ashamed), but since then it's been mostly heavy stuff like Atonement and The Last King of Scotland. As for Rogen, I just hope he's ready to start answering a lot of questions about why he chose this project right after Funny People - back-to-back comedies about terminal illness?

PopSugar Rush Reviews Funny People, TwiCon in Full Effect, and Barhop to Starbucks?

PopSugar — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:45:00 -0700

Happy Friday! Welcome to the weekend edition of PopSugar Rush! Today Molly gives her 10-second review of Funny People - read Buzz's more in-depth one here. Also, get a peek at what's going down at Twi-Con this weekend and some fun news about same-sex penguins and Starbucks getting boozy. Plus, check out our first edition of Guess-Who Rush, the new video version of our popular Guess-Who feature on Pop. Watch it now!

Link Time!!!

PopSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:00:35 -0700

Seth Rogen opens up about getting rejected by Megan Fox - YouTube
Get Jen's makeup look from The Baster - BellaSugar
Cate Blanchett celebrates Australian Vogue's 50th - JustJared
Emma Watson descended from a "real" witch? - Pink Is the New Blog
Nikki Reed trash talks Robert?! - Lainey Gossip
Clooney's girl has a modeling past (NSFW) - Egotastic
Carrie Prejean to sue? - The Superficial
Rachel Leigh Cook steps out with her husband - Hollywood Tuna
Lady GaGa's not happy - Hollywood Rag
Ciara's sweet tweets - cityrag
Tyra Banks and her look of shock! - popbytes
Jon as Kate - D-Listed

PopSugar Rush Reviews Funny People, TwiCon in Full Effect, and Bar Hop to Starbucks?

PopSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:30:00 -0700

Happy Friday! Welcome to the weekend edition of PopSugar Rush! Today Molly gives her 10-second review of Funny People - read Buzz's more in-depth one here. Also, get a peek at what's going down at TwiCon this weekend and some fun news about same-sex penguins and Starbucks getting boozy. Plus, check out our first edition of Guess Who Rush, the new video version of our popular Guess Who feature on Pop. Watch it now!

PopSugar Rush Reviews Funny People, TwiCon in Full Effect, and Barhop to Starbucks??

PopSugarTV — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:25:00 -0700

Hear our thoughts on Funny People before heading to the movie theater this weekend, find out what Twihards are doing at their big convention, and what Starbucks has planned for its drink menu.

Funny People: Apatow Almost Gets It Right

PopSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:30:01 -0700

Before we get right into my thoughts on Funny People, let me preface by saying that I loved Judd Apatow’s first two films, The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. I would count both among the best comedies to hit Hollywood in the past few years, and I had full faith that he would hit another home run with his third directorial stint. I understand that he was ready to try something new and a get a little more serious, but looking back at his first two achievements I have to wonder: when the formula works so well, why mess with it?

Adam Sandler stars as George Simmons, a middle-aged comedian who's found fame and fortune thanks to a movie career filled with silly, Eddie Murphy-esque characters. His house is a palace, but George's selfish behavior has pushed away all of his friends and family. This leaves most of his social interactions with his personal staff, female conquests, and his fans. When George learns that he’s dying from a blood disorder, he decides to go back to his roots in standup comedy while taking on aspiring comedian Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) as his assistant. As George assesses what could be the end of a lonely life, Ira slowly becomes his closest friend and sidekick.

That's just the beginning, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more.

While George isn’t exactly the most likable character around, Adam Sandler does a great job of capturing his moody (and often downright mean) personality. The role is perfect for Sandler as it gives him a chance to shine as the effortlessly funny comedian we all know and love, but at the same time deliver a strong performance as an ailing man who is trying to change his life in the 11th hour.

Seth Rogen is equally impressive and perfect as innocent, puppy dog Ira. Rogen's no stranger to playing the everyman kinda guy, but this is the first time I feel like he's playing a role with no hint of sarcasm or arrogance. Ira could easily be mistaken for another lovable loser, but Seth shows that he’s so much more than that. There’s also something endearing about seeing Ira’s wide-eyed enthusiasm juxtaposed with George’s apathetic nature as they face the world of standup comedy as a team.

Beyond Sandler and Rogen, the film’s supporting cast provides a lot of life (and many of the laughs) to the story. Leslie Mann really brings out Adam’s sweeter side as Laura, George's "one that got away," and Eric Bana gets a rare chance to show his comedic chops as her bread-winning husband. Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman round out the group as Ira’s quirky and witty roommates. As an added bonus, Apatow and Mann’s daughters, Maude and Iris, are adorable as Laura’s kids.

As promised in the title, Funny People delivers jokes, and plenty of them. Granted, more than half of them are about the male anatomy and another large percentage are directed at Seth Rogen’s weight loss, but they're still there. The problem is that the laughs aren't free. George’s illness creates a dark cloud that hangs over the story, even when he learns that he has a good chance of pulling through. Apatow has your heart in his hands because everyone in the audience knows that there's a potential death scene lurking around every corner.

The movie has a lot of depressing moments, but what's even sadder is that the biggest takeaway of the film is the length. At over two and a half hours, the movie drags and is entirely too long. Apatow wanted to take his time to make his point, but by the end he had lost me and I just didn’t care that much about the film's final message.

Funny People has a lot to offer and isn’t terrible by any means, but it is hands-down my least favorite of Apatow's three films. I'd still give him golf claps, but there just isn't enough to earn a standing ovation this time around.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures