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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:30:32 -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. In addition to the titles below, you can also pick up Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson's romcom Fool's Gold and the complete Jericho series on DVD.

Be Kind Rewind
Director Michel Gondry is known for a bizarre brand of humor (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Be Kind Rewind delivers just that. It stars Jack Black and Mos Def as friends who have to recreate old movies because Black's character accidentally erases all the videos in Def's video rental store. They tackle classics like Ghostbusters and Driving Miss Daisy using hilarious dumpy props and less-than-special effects. Surprisingly, their remakes are a big hit with customers. I called it a must-see for fans of Gondry, and everyone else might enjoy how endearingly funny Jack Black and Mos Def are as they play off each other.

Extras on the disc include the trailer for the film and a featurette titled "Passaic Mosaic."

A movie and a TV show up next so

The Votes Are in: The Best New Cable and Network TV Series of 2007

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:30:00 -0800

I've saved the heavy-hitters for the very end of my Best of 2007 poll recaps. But now, it's finally time to reveal what shows you thought were the best new network shows and best new cable series of the year. Drumroll, please . . .

The Best New Cable Series of 2007: Californication
David Duchovny already got the nod for the year's best return to TV; now his show, Californication, is getting an honor from Buzz readers, too. The show was locked in a tight battle with HBO's Flight of the Conchords for the lead, with the rest of the votes pretty evenly spread between the remaining series.

I went with the dryly goofy Conchords — though, really, this poll just reminded me what a great year it was for cable. All of the series on the poll were renewed for second seasons, and I'm looking forward to watching them all again in 2008.

The Best New Network Series of 2007:
Gossip Girl
No surprise here: Gossip Girl has become one of the most talked-about series of the fall TV season, despite its meager ratings. The closest to catching it in the poll: Pushing Daisies with a solid 25 percent of the vote. Chuck held its own, too, finishing third.

As for me, I went with Daisies. Gossip Girl has filled my need for a soapy, sexy teen show that's also well-written — a guilty pleasure that doesn't make me feel too guilty. But Daisies gets points for creativity; its candy-colored world is like nothing else I've ever seen. If nothing else, those two shows prove that Wednesdays are the new Thursdays when it comes to must-see TV.

Photos courtesy of Showtime and The CW

The Votes are In: 2007's Best Return to TV and Show That Needs a Makeover

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:30:16 -0800

This year saw some big stars return to TV — and some returning shows start to flail. In this Best of 2007 recap, I'm revealing who got your votes for the best TV comeback of the year and which show most needs a makeover for 2008.

The Best Return to TV of 2007:
David Duchovny of Californication

This poll packed a ton of star power — Courteney Cox, Ted Danson, and Mary-Kate Olsen, to name just a few. But it quickly became a two-way race between Christina Applegate of Samantha Who? and David Duchovny of Californication. Duchovny trailed early, but he ended up with 37 percent of the vote — a dominant win.

As for me, I went the other way and voted for Applegate. I've really started to like Samantha Who? and it's been fun to see Kelly Bundy back on screen. Plus, how fun must it be to play Samantha's new, innocent side and her wild, devilish past self?

The Returning Show Most in Need of a Makeover:
Grey's Anatomy

The lesson from this poll is that all of the suggested shows could use a makeover! But Grey's Anatomy edged ahead of American Idol and The Bachelor to claim the dubious honor of the show that needs a makeover, stat! (Though it's worth noting the many suggestions that the only way to "make over" The Bachelor would be to cancel it altogether.)

As for me, I'm hopeful that a makeover is already under way on Grey's, so my vote went to Heroes. I've been disappointed in the start of this season, and I hope the show learns from its mistakes whenever it returns.

Atonement Leads Golden Globe Nominations

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:49:17 -0800

Atonement came up big this morning when the nominations for the Golden Globe Awards were announced in Hollywood. The film snagged seven nominations — three for the acting of stars James McAvoy,
Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan and four more for Best Dramatic Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Score.

Also getting a lot of attention from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association: Charlie Wilson's War, which snagged five nominations, including Best Musical or Comedy and acting nominations for Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Sweeney Todd, Michael Clayton, and No Country for Old Men were close behind with four nominations each.

In the television categories, cable series got a lot of love, including new shows Californication, Damages, and Mad Men.

I'll be back with my complete thoughts later today, but for now, you can check out all the nominees if you

TV Tonight: Season Finale of Californication

Molly — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:30:00 -0700

One of my favorite new shows this year has been Showtime's Californication. I must admit that I started watching it mostly because it was on right after Weeds, but I ended up loving the show's inaugural season (and, as much as it pains me to admit, it's so much better than this season of Weeds, sad). The show is not the kind of thing you want to watch with your parents, just a warning, but it's hilarious and smart and sassy. It's the kind of thing you wish all your friends were watching so you could talk about it the next day.

Coming into the finale, it's a mixture of anticipation and sadness since the episode will probably be amazing and then it won't be back for a billion years (or one, whatever). Will Karen really marry Bill? Will Hank figure out a way to call out Mia for stealing his book? So many questions and knowing the way Showtime does finales (um, do you remember the ends of seasons one and two of Weeds?) I have a feeling we're going to be left in the lurch.

To get us all ready for the finale, Showtime put together this half preview of the episode half retrospective on the relationship between Hank and Karen. It's a fun watch and to check out just

More "Californication" Coming for Showtime

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:37:39 -0700

Looks like David Duchovny's return to TV is for real: Showtime has ordered a second season of his new show, "Californication," after just four episodes.

The first episode drew in a decent 550,000 viewers, but the following three episodes have done better, and about 90 percent of the audience for "Weeds" is sticking around to watch the plight of Hank Moody. Ratings data also shows the series appealing equally to both men and women. A dozen episodes have been ordered for the second season, and The Hollywood Reporter is saying it will begin production in April for a premiere next summer.

I haven't seen the show since the first episode, but I just ordered Showtime this week, so I'll be catching up with my own little "Californication" mini-marathon soon. In the meantime, have any of you been watching? And is another season of Duchovny as Hank good news for you?

Photo courtesy of Showtime

TV Tonight: "Weeds" and "Californication"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Happy day! The return of "Weeds" — clearly a favorite here — is finally upon us tonight, as is the premiere of the highly anticipated David Duchovny comedy, "Californication."

I've chosen to remain blissfully unspoiled about the goings-on in the season premiere of "Weeds." I finished season two on DVD recently enough that the crazy cliffhanger still looms large in my mind, and I wanted to wait and see the resolution when everyone else did. (Granted, "everyone else" has probably either watched it online or downloaded those leaked episodes by now, but hey. It's the principle of the thing.)

I did check out the premiere of "Californication," though, in which Duchovny plays a sex-crazed, self-destructive novelist in a writing rut. My hopes were high for the show, but I ended up feeling a little disappointed, mostly because I felt like I'd seen everything done better on another series before. It seemed a bit like a paint-by-numbers version of a pay-cable show — a dash of expletives here, a shot of bare breasts there. Two things will keep me hanging around for at least a couple of episodes, though: 1) Duchovny himself, whose aloofness is amusing here, and 2) Madeleine Martin, who gets all the funniest lines as Duchovny's potentially screwed-up daughter.

To watch previews for both "Californication" and "Weeds,"

Check Out David Duchovny's "Californication"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:28:57 -0700

Based on just one brief video clip, I was excited enough about David Duchovny's new Showtime comedy, "Californication," to name it one of my top 10 reasons to keep your TV on this summer. Showtime has now released a longer, movie trailer-style preview for the series, and it's just made me even more excited to see the show for myself.

In "Californication," Duchovny stars as a self-destructive novelist who's managed to thoroughly wreck his relationship with his girlfriend and finds himself living a life full of drugs, drinking, and general bad news while not-so-secretly pining for his old, more stable situation. Duchovny looks to have a great touch with comedy, but my favorite part of this preview is Madeleine Martin, the young actress who plays Duchovny's daughter; she gets all of the best laugh lines in this clip. To watch for yourself,