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Blonde Charity Mafia: It's Like The Hills... In Washington, D.C.

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:31:49 -0700

L.A. isn't the only breeding ground for blond socialites with friendship issues: Lifetime has picked up the Hills-like "docu-series" titled Blonde Charity Mafia which will follow the lives of three of Washington, D.C.'s young, elite ladies. Citizen came across the casting call listing back in February, and it looks like the showrunners finally found their talent: Katherine Kennedy (pictured above), Krista Johnson and Sophie Pyle.

The Washington Post's TV columnist Lisa de Moraes writes about the show:

Lifetime gushed in its announcement that its hot blond chicks' "events are always a hot ticket; their dating lives are gossiped about; and sometimes merely their simple daily activities are chatter within the D.C. social set. Throwing these glamorous soirees every week, they are the young personalities of Georgetown and the darlings of the city's most fashionable clubs and hottest restaurants." . . . Then, remembering this is Lifetime and not Fuse, [Lifetime's senior vice president for reality programming Jessica Samet] added, "This absorbing series will pull the curtain back on the fragility of friendship among the beautiful, wealthy and powerful."

The lives of the young and wealthy seem to be endlessly fascinating for American audiences, and while I don't like every show like this, I must confess that I'm curious about this one. There's a kind of glamour to D.C. (sorta?), but it's vastly different than that of those glittery Hills.

Will you tune in for a Hills-ish show set in D.C.?

Source and source

Project Runway Rundown: Episode Six, "Good Queen Fun"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:30:47 -0700

The word that keeps popping into my mind when I think about this week's episode of Project Runway is "big." There were big, huge drag queens with big personalities, there was the return of that big Chris March laugh, the outfits the designers created were big and over the top, guest judge RuPaul is a very big person. . . you get the idea. And as the saying goes, bigger is better, so it's no surprise that this episode was a whole lot of fun! Maybe even the best one of the season so far — what do you think?

Honestly, I was in heaven once those drag queen names started rolling off of the ladies' tongues: Hedda Lettuce, Varla Jean Merman, Annida Greenkard, Acid Betty, Sweetie, etc. It was such a good injection of colorful fun into this season and most of the designers really stretched themselves to come up with something "theatrical," as Tim instructed them to do. I said "most," though, not "all" — so to chat about who soared in this competition and who utterly bombed,

Emmy Breakdown: Supporting Actress in a Drama

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:30:55 -0700

The 2008 Primetime Emmy Awards are fast approaching! Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be taking a closer look at the nominees in several major categories and offering my guesses for who's most likely to win in these Emmy Breakdowns. Today's category is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama; click "Start" to see my thoughts, and don't forget to vote at the end!

Tristan Wilds on Moving From Baltimore to Beverly Hills

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:15:49 -0700

One of the biggest reasons I'm excited for the new 90210 is the casting of Tristan Wilds. For two seasons on The Wire, Wilds played Michael, a tough and complex kid from the Baltimore streets. It was an incredibly nuanced performance from someone so young, one that had me hanging on his every word. When I heard someone that talented was making 90210 his new TV home as Dixon, the adopted son of Debbie and Harry Wilson (Lori Loughlin and Rob Estes), it made me take notice.

At the CW's party at the TCA press tour, I chatted with Wilds about making the transition from Baltimore to Beverly Hills. Here are highlights:

How did you find 90210 — or how did 90210 find you?
My manager called me and told me about 90210. I was a little skeptical about it, but I definitely wanted to show that I had a broader range than just Michael. Of course, when I went out for it, I found out that Dixon isn't really that much different than Michael. They both grew up with a really bad beginning — Dixon has been in and out of group homes his whole life, landed in Kansas, got into a little fight over something that got him in real trouble and that was going to send him to a juvenile detention center until the Wilsons came in and rescued him. They adopted him, so they saved him in a place where Michael really needed to be saved.

When you told your friends from The Wire that you were going to be on 90210, what did they say?
Actually, all they were saying was, "Really, you're on 90210? Wow!" They were all giving me accolades and all that. It was great.

What's it like going from a show like The Wire, which had a lot of acclaim but maybe not the viewers, to something like 90210 that has so much buzz?
It has so much buzz, and the way that we're shooting it — it's going to be edgy, it's going to be a little bit racy, but it's going to show the real lives of teenagers. Every character is a different aspect of teenagers' lives. I think that every teenager will be able to identify themselves with at least one character on the show.

To learn whether Wilds watched the original 90210 and what his experience was like on The Wire,

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:50:57 -0700

Fox has pre-season NFL football coverage
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS is new with Big Brother, has a repeat of CSI, and is new with Flashpoint
ABC has repeats of Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
The CW has repeats of Smallville and Supernatural
Bravo is new with the premiere of Tabatha's Salon Takeover
USA is new with Burn Notice
MTV is new with Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew
VH1 is new with the premieres of Glam God With Vivica A. Fox and The Cho Show
Comedy Central has repeats of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Late-night highlights include Will Ferrell on a repeat of Late Show With David Letterman on CBS and Tim Meadows on a repeat of Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS

What to TiVo: Wednesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:50:34 -0700

Fox has repeats of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Bones
NBC has 2008 Olympic coverage
CBS is new with Greatest American Dog and has repeats of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY
ABC has repeats of Wife Swap and Supernanny and is new with Primetime: Crime
The CW has repeats of America's Next Top Model and Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious
MTV is new with Run's House and Buzzin'
VH1 has I Want to Work For Diddy
TBS is new with Tyler Perry's House of Payne
Bravo is new with Project Runway and Shear Genius
Comedy Central has repeats of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Late-night highlights include Kevin Costner on a repeat of Late Show With David Letterman on CBS and Jamie Denbo on a repeat of Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS

Would You Want to See a Veronica Mars Movie?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:32:52 -0700

Today EW is reporting that Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas recently met with Kristen Bell to discuss the possibility of bringing Veronica Mars to the big screen. He's a very busy man these days, that Rob Thomas, and he says he'd have to wait until his new shows are off the ground before he could concentrate on a film version of VM, but he reportedly said, "as soon as I have any free time, that's my top priority." Kristen Bell seems to be on board for it, though she doesn't like to think about VM too much because, she says, "it really does make me sad." At the mention of a possible movie, she smiled and said, "We'll see." What do you think of this news? Crazy awesome, or just kinda crazy? And if you would like to see it, what kind of plot could you envision for this?Photo courtesy of The CW

Would You Want to See a Veronica Mars Movie?

Yes! Of course! As soon as possible!

No, the series ended, just let it rest in peace.

Perhaps. I'd like to see what the plot would be, etc.

Other (I'll tell you below)

Emmy Breakdown: Supporting Actress in a Comedy

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:45:53 -0700

The 2008 Primetime Emmy Awards are fast approaching! Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be taking a closer look at the nominees in several major categories and offering my guesses for who's most likely to win in these Emmy Breakdowns. Today's category is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy; click "Start" to see my thoughts, and don't forget to vote at the end!

What to TiVo: Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:50:51 -0700

Fox has repeats of House and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS has repeats of NCIS and Without a Trace and is new with Big Brother
ABC has repeats of Wipeout and Wanna Bet and is new with Primetime: Medical Mysteries
The CW has repeats of Beauty and the Geek and Reaper
MTV has Making the Band and From Gs to Gents
VH1 has Brooke Knows Best
Lifetime is new with How to Look Good Naked
Bravo is new with Million Dollar Listing
ABC Family is new with The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Comedy Central has repeats of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Sci Fi is new with Eureka
Late-night highlights include Shia LaBeouf on a repeat of Late Show With David Letterman on CBS, and Rainn Wilson on a repeat of Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS

HBO Documentary Tonight: Helen Thomas, in Her Own Words

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:34:22 -0700

"You might incur some wrath from the powers that be, but so what?" — Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas has had the unique experience of covering every president since JFK from the front row of the Beltway press corps. She began the tradition of ending each presidential press conferences with a signature "Thank you, Mr. President." Fittingly, this is the title of a documentary about her career that will premiere on HBO tonight.

Thomas first came to my attention as that feisty lady asking President Bush some seriously tough questions about the war in Iraq. I also fondly remember her participation in the controversial Stephen Colbert bit at the 2006 White House Correspondence dinner in which he jokingly referred to her as "Doubting Thomas."

When I heard HBO and Rory Kennedy (daughter of Bobby Kennedy) were doing a documentary on her life, I pried the screener DVD from my friend Citizen's hands (though she later asked me for my take) and hunkered down to learn about being a woman in a male-dominated field, how the heck she earned that position in the first place, the toughest questions she ever asked a president, her perspective on journalism today, etc. To see what I thought of the doc and to view a trailer,

Mad Men Rundown: Episode Four, "Three Sundays"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:31:59 -0700

After last week's episode of Mad Men, there has been lots of discussion about that scene in the restaurant between Don and Bobbie (you know, That Scene) and what it means for Don's character. My feeling was that this was the beginning of Don becoming dangerously unhinged, and after this week's episode I'm even more convinced. I would not be shocked if he became increasingly violent as this season progresses.

But Don's not the only one whose world is unraveling; it seems that many people in the Sterling Cooper universe are reaching their own breaking points. With the slow and deliberate pace of Mad Men, I find myself becoming more and more on edge with each episode, as though watching a storm slowly gather, and waiting for lightning to strike.

To talk about the chilling, funny and interesting new developments from this week's episode,

TV Preview: Alan Ball's Next HBO Show, True Blood

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:30:03 -0700

At Comic-Con, I was lucky enough to catch some footage of True Blood, Alan Ball's (Six Feet Under, American Beauty) HBO adaptation of the book series by Charlaine Harris, and I was hooked. Now there's a trailer for the series, which premieres on HBO Sept. 7, so we can all discuss the show: whether or not it looks to be of the same caliber as Six Feet Under, how distracting the Southern accent attempts may be, how smitten we are or are not by Anna Paquin in this role, etc.

In the series, Paquin plays a telepathic waitress in a Louisiana town who meets a vampire when he walks into her bar and she discovers she can't read his mind.

Have you read these books? Does the show look like it will do the book series justice? To watch the preview for True Blood,

Yvonne Strahovski on Playing a Nerd and Pining for Chuck

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:15:31 -0700

It's slightly unnerving to talk to Yvonne Strahovski after watching her for a full season on Chuck. She's proven herself so adept at spying, knife-throwing, and other forms of physical intimidation that it seems wise not to make any sudden movements.

Luckily for me, Strahovski didn't seem at all interested in beating back the line of reporters who wanted to talk to her about the upcoming season of Chuck at NBC's TCA press tour party last month. In fact, she was strikingly sweet as she talked about playing a teenaged Sarah in an upcoming episode, bringing out the romantic side of her character, and training for those fight scenes. Here are highlights:

It's been a while since we've seen Chuck. What can you tell me about where we are when the new season picks up?
We pick up with the same sort of dynamic between Chuck and Sarah — they have feelings for each other, but of course they have a job to do. We do get a taste of what it might be like if Chuck wasn't the intersect and if Sarah didn't have to protect him. And then we get to see into Sarah's past in episode four, when Nicole Richie's character comes into the show. She was like the mean girl at high school and Sarah has to deal with that all over again. And it brings up a lot of demons for her because Sarah wasn't the cool spy chick that she is [now], that we all know her to be. She was a daggy, dorky, braces, bad hair girl, and to see Nicole Richie's character come back in her life, you know, it's tormenting in some ways.

Do you get to play the young Sarah?
I do.

What was that like?
I had braces, as the 17-year-old Sarah Walker, and that kind of brought back old memories for me, because I used to wear braces when I was 12, and having them back on, you know, the fake ones — it was really weird. It's amazing how much younger i look with just the braces on. We put a wig on, as well, and had bangs and brown hair. Sarah wasn't so confident when she was in high school. We see how she evolved into the agent that she is today.

More from Strahovski about the future of Chuck and her favorite fights, so

TV Tonight: The Hills

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:45:00 -0700

It's that time of year again. Another set of eyerolls, meaningful stares, and semi-contrived situations. Another heap of friend breakups, nightclub-hopping, and drama. Another season of The Hills on MTV.

As always, the trailer for the show makes things look pretty darn exciting (even though so often nothing ever really happens); we're promised jail time, Whitney in NYC, and more struggles between Lauren and Audrina. This time around, I've been pretty fascinated with the media reaction to the show: Entertainment Weekly gave Lauren Conrad the cover for a story about how different her life is from what we see on TV; Time said the whole show is staggeringly beautiful; and some other critics have admitted utter bafflement about the show's popularity.

So, let's talk about The Hills. Will you be watching tonight? Are you hooked on the show, and, if so, why? If you avoid it, what turns you off about it? To watch the preview and add your thoughts in the comments, just

What to TiVo: Monday

BuzzSugar — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:50:11 -0700

Fox has repeats of Prison Break and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS has repeats of The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, New Adventures of Old Christine, and CSI: Miami
ABC is new with High School Musical: Get in the Picture and has Bewitched
The CW has repeats of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill
MTV is new with the season premiere of The Hills
VH1 is new with I Want to Work for Diddy, New York Goes to Hollywood, and Luke's Parental Advisory
TLC is new with Take Home Nanny and Jon & Kate Plus 8
TNT is new with the The Closer and Saving Grace
Bravo is new with Date My Ex: Jo & Slade
ABC Family is new with The Middleman
Comedy Central has repeats of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Showtime is new with Weeds
Late-night highlights include David Duchovny and Black Kids on a repeat of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS and Chris O'Donnell, Larry Block, and Phantom Planeton on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS

TV Tonight: Roasting Bob Saget

BuzzSugar — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:00:44 -0700

What do you get when a raunchy, dirty, frequently inappropriate TV event meets one of the raunchiest, dirtiest, most inappropriate comedians of a generation? Awesomeness — and a stomach that aches with pain from too much laughter. And that's why I'm not-so-secretly looking forward to tonight's roast of Bob Saget on Comedy Central.

If you haven't heard yet, Bob Saget is a major dirty perv of a comedian. His shtick can be uncomfortable, but I've seen him do it live, and it's mostly pretty funny. He has the kind of mouth my grandmother would wash out with soap. It's hilariously strange given what a clean-cut father figure he was to those of us who grew up watching him as Danny Tanner on Full House, the role that made him a household name.

Anyone on Full House is a pretty easy target for a roast like this because the show was so wholesome. However, news spread this week that some off-color jokes about the Olsen twins may have crossed the line (Saget himself said those jokes went a little too far). But that tiny controversy aside (and, really, what roast worth watching doesn't stir up controversy?) the whole thing looks pretty hysterical.

Tonight's show will also be a bit of a twofer as "roast master" John Stamos does not escape ridicule either, as you can see in some of the preview clips I've gathered. The roast airs tonight at 10 p.m. EDT and PDT. To see the clips, including an absolutely wonderful bit from the legendary Cloris Leachman that literally made me spit my drink out in laughter,

This Week in TV Blogs

BuzzSugar — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

I've already given you some of my highlights from the week, but today, I wanted to check in with some of the Web's best TV bloggers to see what they were buzzing about. To see what was making headlines this week, just

What to TiVo: Sunday

BuzzSugar — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:50:20 -0700

Fox has repeats of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS is new with Big Brother 10 and has repeats of Million Dollar Password and Cold Case
ABC has repeats of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Desperate Housewives
The CW has repeats of Everybody Hates Chris, Aliens in America, The Game, and Girlfriends
AMC is new with Mad Men
Lifetime is new with Army Wives
MTV has The Hills Off the Record
VH1 has Brooke Knows Best and I Love Money
HBO is new with Generation Kill

Number Crunching: This Week's TV Ratings

BuzzSugar — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:00:49 -0700

All Olympics, all the time. That's pretty much the story for this week, as the 2008 Olympics dominated the ratings every night — and that's even with some of the major events airing after 11 p.m., when primetime ratings typically cut off. The "weakest" night was Wednesday, when the network averaged 27.2 million viewers.
Dogging it. Maybe it's just the Olympics talking, but Greatest American Dog has been struggling of late. This Wednesday's episode brought in 5.2 million viewers; its highest-rated episode earlier this Summer drew 9.5 million people.
Late-night lift. The Olympics are helping at least one other segment of programming: NBC's late-night shows. For example, the episodes of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien that aired after the Olympics' opening ceremonies were the highest-rated those shows had been in months.
Still flashing. One of the impressive notes for CBS this week: Flashpoint held up well even with the Olympics on, drawing 6.3 million viewers on Thursday.

Source

What to TiVo: Saturday

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:50:37 -0700

Fox has repeats of Cops and is new with America's Most Wanted
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS has NFL pre-season football coverage
ABC has Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde and a repeat of Eli Stone
The CW has repeats of The Unit and 48 Hours Mystery
FX has Shallow Hal
MTV has The Hills: Top Ten Moments
VH1 has 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s
HBO has a repeat of Big Love
Late-night highlights include repeats of MadTV and Talkshow on Fox

Who Should Win the Emmy For Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:43:46 -0700

Cast your vote!

Who Should Win the Emmy For Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy?

Kristin Chenoweth

Amy Poehler

Jean Smart

Holland Taylor

Vanessa Williams

This Weekend's TV: Skins

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:38:56 -0700

Gossip Girl encountered its fair share of criticism about its sex, drugs, and other vaguely inappropriate content when it premiered last Fall. But frankly, the Upper East Siders have nothing on the cast of Skins, the British show that premieres Sunday on BBC America. This show takes the limits of American TV and stomps all over them — and that's even without the edited-out language and nudity.

Skins, which just wrapped up its second season in the UK, is the rare show about teenagers that's actually written by people who remember well enough what it was like to be one: The show's writing staff has an average age of 22. The main character is Tony (played by Nicholas Hoult, aka the little kid from About a Boy — just try to get your mind around that one), the hottest and most popular guy in town; he, of course, has a gorgeous girlfriend, Michelle, to go along with his status. And then there's Sid, Tony's nerdy friend, who enlists Tony's help in losing his virginity in the first episode and somehow ends up buying a large quantity of weed. Sid's maybe the most relatable character of the bunch, but the one I loved the most in the first episode was Cassie, a spacey, anorexic, drug-addled beauty who thinks everything in the world is beautiful — except, possibly, for herself.

My UK friends told me the show builds slowly but deserves all its buzz (and acclaim, including a prize at this year's Rose d'Or festival) by the end. The first episode left me wanting another, so it's a good thing that Sunday's BBC America premiere will have two episodes back to back starting at 9 p.m. EDT and PDT. To watch the US preview — and then the original UK preview, which looks oddly like an Abercrombie ad with more drugs and puking and is probably NSFW — just

What I'm TiVoing Tonight: Rock the Reception

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:30:04 -0700

Surely you've seen those YouTube videos of brides, grooms and wedding parties surprising their guests with choreographed dances at wedding receptions. I get a huge kick out of those videos, and to be totally honest I've always fantasized of doing this for my wedding, if/when I get married, so the TLC show Rock the Reception is fast becoming one of my favorite things in the world.

The half-hour show follows couples as they learn a choreographed dance to a song of their choosing and then surprise their guests with it at their wedding receptions. With the exception of some worrisome feuds between some of the engaged couples, it's all so completely feel-good, it actually makes me cry. Why? I can't explain it. But every time I see this show, I'm fine up until the moment the music changes and the surprise dance starts and we see the guests' confusion turn to glee (or stay at confusion). And then, for some crazy reason, I'm crying and smiling at the same time. This ever happen to you? It's weird. I can't help it.

So, I know what I'll be ~~watching in real time~~ TiVoing so I can watch after attending all my hip parties tonight. Have you seen this show? What do you think? To check out a video of one of the most impressive dances,

Some Steamy New Gossip (Girl) For Your Friday

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:30:15 -0700

Gossip Girl has already given us a lot to talk about from its season premiere trip to the Hamptons — and we're just getting started! There's a new set of clips around — not just promos but real, full scenes this time — and they're the juiciest yet.

Needless to say, they're way spoilery. Want to see what happens with Blair and Chuck (and Blair's new potential beau)? Oh, that's here. There's a little Serena, too, with some hint at what may or may not have happened between her and Nate. And speaking of Nate, he goes tumbling out a window in his boxers. So there's that. No Dan or Jenny just yet, but I suppose we'll see enough of them once the season premieres Sept. 1.

Can you even stand the anticipation? To watch, just

What If Dwight Schrute Controlled the Olympics?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:30:03 -0700

Despite the high-flying gymnastics and record-setting swimming, Dwight Schrute thinks the Olympics are for wimps. In this NBC promo for The Office, he takes down the decathlon and proposes his own, clearly much more taxing event: the Centathlon.

The Schrute-ified event starts out with normal enough events (side jump) then gets significantly more bizarre as the list goes on (hide-the-hamster! murder checkers!). My favorite part is the rendering of each sport in a little red Olympic-style icon; the one for "pain tolerance" is particularly awesome.

The spot is one of several Office promos — maybe as many as five — that will be airing during the Olympics. I can't complain about cross-promotion when it's this clever. To watch Dwight explain the Centathlon, just

Variety's Women's Impact Report: Alexandra Patsavas

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:30:55 -0700

Variety has issued its annual Women's Impact Report, highlighting women who have made an impression at all levels of entertainment. Just like last year, the list includes executive powerhouses, household-name performers, and lesser-known talents. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be spotlighting some of the women whom I find particularly noteworthy. Today's pick: music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas.

I don't own a whole lot of TV soundtracks, but I do have several of the ones from The O.C., which sound more like mix CDs from my coolest friend than the soundtracks to a soapy teenage drama. I have expressed my admiration for the woman responsible for these compilations on a few occasions, as she has so smartly set music to some of the most popular TV shows in recent years. Grey's Anatomy, The O.C., Gossip Girl and now even Mad Men have all benefited from Alexandra Patsavas's great talent.

As Variety notes, several bands can certainly thank Patsavas for helping to get them into the spotlight: "Her power as a contemporary music tastemaker is acknowledged by producers, managers and label execs, as her savvy song choices have drawn attention to such previously little-known alt-rock and indie bands as Death Cab for Cutie, Phantom Planet and the Killers (via The OC); Snow Patrol, the Fray and Ingrid Michaelson (Grey's); and the Virgins (Gossip)."

This willingness to use newer or lesser-known bands (as opposed to going with musical selections that may be more "safe") is one of the things that makes Patsavas so cool. Patsavas told Variety, "I feel like I'm getting away with something all the time. Our producers are into really good music these days, and we are putting forward some very obscure and nontraditional choices. And I'm so happy about that." So are we.

Source and source

What to TiVo: Friday

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:50:07 -0700

Fox has NFL pre-season football coverage
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS has repeats of Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs and is new with Swingtown
ABC has Legally Blonde and is new with 20/20
The CW is new with Friday Night SmackDown
USA is new with Monk and Psych
MTV has Run's House
VH1 has repeats of America's Next Top Model
E! is new with The Soup
Late-night highlights include Ben Kingsley and Emmylou Harris on a repeat of Late Show With David Letterman on CBS

ABC's National Stay-at-Home Week: Brilliant or Baffling?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:35:29 -0700

I wonder if Hallmark will be picking up on this new "holiday" anytime soon: To promote its Fall shows, ABC has declared the week of Sept. 21 "National Stay-at-Home Week." Not coincidentally, that's the week that a lot of ABC shows premiere, including Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy. ABC's thought about the campaign (which will have advertising spots and an official website) is that people will be able to avoid high gas prices by plopping themselves on the couch each day — watching ABC programming to pass the time, naturally. The idea may be catchy, but there are a couple of problems: First, presumably people still have to go to work and school (though hey, if ABC wants to explain my absence . . . ). And second, couldn't people stay home and watch programming that's, you know, not on ABC? Watch the ad below and let me know: Is this ad campaign brilliant or baffling?
Source

ABC's National Stay-at-Home Week: Brilliant or Baffling?

Brilliant — it'll get people talking about ABC shows.

Baffling — it's just silly and won't make a big impact.

Other (tell me below)

Project Runway Rundown: Episode Five, "Welcome to the Jungle"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:30:33 -0700

On this week's Project Runway, Heidi told the contestants that they would be designing an outfit for a high-powered, glamorous woman. I loved that Blayne immediately thought of Hillary Clinton — and then groaned to the camera that the last thing he wanted to whip up was a neon pants suit. Lucky for him, the client was not a trail-blazing politico after all. In Project Runway-land, "high-powered woman" is usually another way of saying "stars in her own TV show — preferably on an NBC network."

The mystery guest was Brooke Shields, whose Lipstick Jungle character, Wendy, desperately needs a look that will take her from day to night. Did anyone else immediately flash to that '80s working-woman icon Day-to-Night Barbie?

While it wasn't the craziest challenge ever, I definitely was happy to sit back and watch the designers sketch and pitch their ideas to Ms. Shields. Plus, things always get interesting when designers are paired up, so I knew we were in for some highly entertaining television (and with Blayne's sketch among Brooke's choices, it couldn't have been boring). Another thing keeping this episode spicy: extremely colorful language all night, including Michael Kors calling one look "Slutty! Slutty! Slutty!" Let's discuss it together — just

Buzz In: What Are You Watching Instead of the Olympics?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:33:32 -0700

So there's a new estimate for how many people watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics last Friday — and it's double the original estimate, which was already mindblowing. Today, Nielsen said the total audience for the opening ceremony was actually 2 billion, a third of the world's population!

That's not all: Even the regular broadcasts have been drawing more than 30 million viewers a night for NBC (for reference, that's about even with this year's Oscars). And even though much of the women's gymnastics team final aired after 11 p.m. in most time zones on Tuesday, it's still estimated that almost 45 million people tuned in for the event, one of the highest-rated portions of the games so far.

But even here at Sugar HQ, there are some folks who aren't getting sucked into the Olympic hype. The problem is, there's just not all that much else to watch right now. Sure, Fox is repeating all of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Big Brother is on schedule, and most of the cable series are soldiering on as normal. But the rest of the schedule looks like a jumbled mess — an Eli Stone here, a Private Practice there, a couple of CSIs to round it out. So, if you're not watching the Olympics, what are you watching? Are you content with repeats? Have you turned to DVDs? Or is this a perfect excuse to turn off the TV altogether?

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TV Tonight: America's Best Dance Crew

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:30:00 -0700

Man, I would be so much more excited about tonight's showdown on America's Best Dance Crew if Fanny Pak were still in the competition. I admit I was somewhat of an erratic viewer of ABDC this Summer, but week in and week out, the thing that kept me coming back (or at least watching the old episodes I'd TiVo'd) was the Pak. And yet somehow, my favorite crew headed home last week, a combination of viewer votes and tough judging. Sigh.

Still, I'm trying to get myself pumped up for tonight's final battle between SoReal Cru and Super Cr3w (the winner will be revealed next week). On paper, this would seem like SoReal's competition to lose: They've never once appeared in the bottom two, even though the judges haven't always been on their side. But I like Super Cr3w, a group of b-boys who've shown their versatility. And I'm glad that being down to two crews — and getting rid of the insanely long pauses before eliminations — will mean a lot more dancing in this showdown.

Anyone else still watching this Teen Choice Award-winning show? Fellow Fanny Pak fans, how are you coping? And did any of this season's crews hold a candle to the JabbaWockeeZ? To watch routines from both remaining crews (warning: the videos play automatically, so be prepared!), just

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:50:16 -0700

Fox has pre-season NFL football coverage
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS is new with Big Brother, has a repeat of CSI, and is new with Flashpoint
ABC has repeats of Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
The CW has repeats of Smallville and Supernatural
Bravo is new with Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
USA is new with Burn Notice
MTV is new with Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew
VH1 has Brooke Knows Best
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Late-night highlights include Meryl Streep, Aaron Eckhart, and Randy Travis on a repeat of Late Show With David Letterman on CBS and Sir Ben Kingsley and Idina Menzel on Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS

First Look: Greek's Second Season

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:32:37 -0700

Is it bad that some of my favorite moments during The Secret Life of the American Teenager come when ABC Family airs the promos for the upcoming new season of Greek? I've made no secret of my love for this show, and the first season ended on such a high — and suspenseful — note that I'm more excited than ever for it to return this month.

Could my ever-growing Greek obsession have anything to do with the news that Lauren Conrad's joining the show for an episode, or the fact that the cast was absolutely adorable partying together each other at the TCA press tour? Possibly. But mostly I just think Greek has a lot going for it: a great mix of humor, drama, self-awareness, and on-point pop culture references deployed at exactly the right moments. I can't remember the last time I got invested in a show so fully and so fast — and I watch a lot of TV.

Plus, this is just a great promo. There are boys in cheerleading skirts. There are hugs and tears. And there's a boy — but who? — opening the door at the end for one very nervous-looking Casey. Anyone else have a big circle around Aug. 26 on your calendar? To watch the promo, just

Variety Women's Impact Report: Stephanie Savage

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:30:49 -0700

Josh Schwartz gets most of the credit for The OC and Gossip Girl, but Savage, his co-producer, should get a ton of credit for Schwartz being a phenom in the first place. As the Variety profile points out, she was working for McG's production company when she "plucked Josh Schwartz from obscurity" and gave him a chance to run The OC.

That move made Schwartz a household name, but Savage has stayed more behind the scenes. Still, it gave her a boost as well: With Schwartz's help, she segued into writing, and now she carries a lot of the weight for Gossip Girl when Schwartz is looking after Chuck. She told Variety she loves writing about teens; to see what she had to say about them, just

ABC to Make Maid in Manhattan TV Series

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:30:05 -0700

Apparently, this is really going to happen: ABC plans to make a TV series based on the Jennifer Lopez movie Maid in Manhattan. The Hollywood Reporter has more details:

The hourlong dramedy, which is getting a put pilot commitment, is not a remake of the hit feature. . .The lead in the TV version will still be a young Latina from the Bronx working at a Manhattan hotel who tries to make it in the world. But the series will focus mostly on her relationships with co-workers.

Writer Chad Hodge apparently connected with the idea for the show, saying, "I imagine being a writer in Hollywood is often very similar to being a maid in Manhattan." Somehow. . . I doubt that.

Jennifer Lopez has been "very involved, providing 'a fountain of ideas,' Hodge said. 'She will be very integral in the pilot and series.'" The network figures this series will be a good one to pair up with Ugly Betty because, as the article puts it, Betty "also centers on a hardworking young Latina in New York with big dreams."

I'm all for the hardworking young Latina-driven TV shows, but Maid in Manhattan? Seriously? Huh.

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First Look: The Starter Wife, The Series

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:30:09 -0700

As Fall gets closer, I'm finding myself looking more and more forward to watching more of The Starter Wife, USA's 2007 miniseries that's now getting another shot on TV as a regular series. They've already made a few changes that I can fully support (giving Debra Messing's character, Molly, a new love interest who is definitely not Sam the homeless guy, for one), and some of the things I liked most about the mini — including Judy Davis as the acerbic Joan — are staying put.

We got to see a couple of clips at the TCA press tour, including one funny moment where Molly's having a crisis about being a writer (Joan suggests Molly would be awesome at collecting urine samples). I don't think that particular scene has turned up online yet, but I caught a promo with some new footage while watching the Olympics the other day, and it still gave me a good feeling about the series. It is weird not to see Peter Jacobson as Kenny Kagan, but I'm liking the addition of Hart Bochner a lot.

How are you feeling about this miniseries-turned-real-series at this point? To check out the clips, just

What to TiVo: Wednesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:50:59 -0700

Fox has repeats of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Bones
NBC has 2008 Olympic coverage
CBS is new with Greatest American Dog and has repeats of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY
ABC has repeats of Wife Swap and Supernanny and is new with Primetime: Crime
The CW has repeats of America's Next Top Model and Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious
MTV is new with Run's House and Buzzin'
VH1 has I Want to Work For Diddy
TBS has Tyler Perry's House of Payne
Bravo is new with Project Runway and Shear Genius
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Late-night highlights include Charlize Theron, Richard Belzer, and Motley Crue on Late Show With David Letterman on CBS and Julie Chen on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS

One of These 14 Women Will Be America's Next Top Model

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:31:30 -0700

It feels like only yesterday we were congratulating Whitney on becoming the first plus-sized winner of America's Next Top Model. But the "cycles" of the Tyra Banks show just keep on going, and today brings our first glimpse of the 14 women who will start vying to be America's next Next Top Model on Sept. 3. The show begins that day with a two-hour premiere, where we'll be introduced to the models of cycle 11. But why wait? To see Bella's predictions for makeover day, head over here, and to meet the models, just hit "Start."

Buzz In: What Are Your Favorite Classic TV Lines?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:30:42 -0700

To honor the 60th anniversary of the Emmys this September, the producers are planning to have stars recite some classic TV lines from the past six decades during the awards broadcast. The lines include "Live long and prosper" and "Good night, John Boy," and Ricky Gervais, Alec Baldwin, and Doris Roberts are among the stars on board.

That got me thinking about what classic lines I'd like to see included. News of the Hawaii Five-O remake makes me think "Book 'em, Danno" deserves a spot, and I'd throw Knight Rider's "Hello, Michael" in there, too. I'd love for some more modern lines to make it into the show, too, like some of my favorite TV catchphrases. In particular, I think I could die happy if Steve Carell walked up to the microphone, said "That's what she said," and then calmly walked offstage.

What are some classic TV quotes that you think deserve a turn in the Emmy spotlight?

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Hawaii Five-O: Oh, No, Not Another Remake!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:39:47 -0700

Who needs original ideas when you can revisit the hits of the past? From Knight Rider to The Streets of San Francisco, that seems to be TV's strategy these days — and now we can add the classic cop show Hawaii Five-O to the list. The long-running TV show is going to be remade at CBS, with the fictional Hawaiian police department now being run by the son of one of the original cops.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the idea to remake the show came from the network to Criminal Minds executive producer Ed Bernero, who's "such a big Hawaii Five-O fan that he has the iconic theme song from the show as his ringtone." The show will pick up with Chris McGarrett, the son of original cop Steve McGarrett (played by Jack Lord), running the unit.

The original Hawaii Five-O ran for 12 seasons, and — like Miami Vice and Starsky and Hutch — it was originally supposed to be made into a feature film. The movie is stil listed as being in production, but it's apparently been stalled for a while.

Bernero said he's "not trying to reinvent" the original show. The classic theme song will be there (albeit possibly updated), while the show will keep a version of its famous "Book 'em, Danno" closing line. The original was a little before my time, but from what I've seen in reruns, I can't say this is a show I've ever felt a strong desire to revisit. What about you? To watch the original intro, just

First Look: Raising the Bar

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:30:00 -0700

I'm curious about Raising the Bar, TNT's newest drama series, for a variety of reasons. One is that it comes from Steven Bochco, the legendary executive producer of LA Law and NYPD Blue who knows his way around a legal drama. Another is that it's yet another TNT show with strong female characters, including Jane Kaczmarek as a tough, no-nonsense judge. And a third is, well, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, now and forever Zack Morris to me, who has a seriously long, seriously funny hairdo.

The show, which is about two teams of lawyers — public defenders and district attorneys — working in New York City's justice system, premieres on Labor Day, but I've rounded up a couple of clips that give us an early glimpse. In one, we see Jerry Kellerman (Gosselaar), a passionate public defender, and Michelle Ernhardt (Melissa Sagemiller), a district attorney, battling wills. In the other, the actors on both teams introduce us to their characters, interspersed with plenty of clips from the show. Do you think Raising the Bar can transcend the generic legal show? Is Gosselaar's hair awesome or awful? To check out the clips, just

Gossip Girl Went to the Hamptons, and All I Got Were Photos

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:30:16 -0700

Judging from the massive number of photos the CW has released in the past couple of days, I can say with certainty that the following things happened when Gossip Girl went to the Hamptons for its season two premiere:

Croquet was played.
Red wine was served.
Red wine was spilled, specifically on Dan.
Dan got all writer-ly by the light of a fire.
He also almost missed a bus.
Blair rode bikes with a potential paramour.
They also had heated conversations.
As did Nate and Serena, as well as Serena and Dan.
Lots of people wore white.

As for what this truly means for our favorite Upper East Siders — who's dating whom, who's the queen bee when we return to NYC, etc. — well, I've got nothing. But speculate with me, won't you, by taking a look at the pretty pictures? "Summer, Kind of Wonderful" airs Sept. 1, but you can get a glimpse right now if you

What to TiVo: Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:50:58 -0700

Fox has repeats of House and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS has repeats of NCIS and Without a Trace and is new with Big Brother
ABC has a repeat of Wipeout and is new with Wanna Bet and Primetime: Medical Mysteries
The CW has repeats of Beauty and the Geek and Reaper
MTV has Making the Band and From Gs to Gents
VH1 has Boyz N the Hood
Lifetime is new with How to Look Good Naked
Bravo is new with Million Dollar Listing
ABC Family is new with The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Sci Fi is new with Eureka
Late-night highlights include Maggie Gyllenhaal, Neil Young, and The Hold Steady on a repeat of Late Show With David Letterman on CBS, and Kiefer Sutherland and Kate Mara on Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS

Mad Men Rundown: Episode Three, "The Benefactor"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:35:00 -0700

Last week I mused that the soul of Pete Campbell was being set up as a battleground for the competing forces at Sterling Cooper, but I may have been a little premature, as Pete was nowhere to be seen in the latest episode of Mad Men. Boo. Even though Pete can be slimy and repulsive, that's a heck of a lot more interesting to watch than, say, Harry angling for a raise. Joan was also pretty much MIA last night, which only added to a sense of wanting this episode to be over so that we can get back to the good characters next week.

That said, last night was not without its fair share of slime, although the target of my revulsion came as a bit of surprise to me. Plus, we got a lot more Betty, which means we're inching closer to to knowing what happened between her and Don during the break between seasons — and also means we're probably closer to her ilicit affair with the horse guy (at least that's what I'm ~~hoping for~~ predicting). To see the rest of my thoughts on last night's episode,

One Billion People Watched the Opening Ceremony

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:33:25 -0700

Yes, that says "billion." With a B. And it's how many people worldwide are estimated to have watched Friday's opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics. That's 15 percent of the world's population!

Even more baffling numbers: At least 383 million people in China are believed to have watched the ceremony on TV. In the United States, the broadcast drew more than 34 million viewers, the most-watched opening ceremony ever for an Olympics held outside the country. In countries including the UK, Germany, Australia, and Italy, about half of the total potential TV-watching audience tuned in.

I was one in that billion, and I certainly was not disappointed. From the thousands of drummers moving in perfect unison to the unfolding scroll telling the history of China, the dancers who painted with their bodies to the boxes that formed patterns and cities, it was a huge spectacle. I'm not sure I even can pick a favorite part, though the constantly evolving painting (which was later walked over — intentionally — by every athlete who marched in during the Parade of Nations) and the globe with performers running in all directions would definitely be up there.

If you missed the ceremony, you can watch a large portion of the spectacle online or check out a gallery of still photos here. If you were also among the billion who watched, what were your favorite parts?

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Monday Pick-Me-Up: The Rock-afire Explosion Movie

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:30:38 -0700

Did you grow up in a place with a Showbiz Pizza? I missed this phenomenon (mine was a Chuck-E-Cheese's kind of town), but my boyfriend was raised on Showbiz and its animatronic band, the Rock-afire Explosion. Made up of a singing gorilla, a bass-playing bear, and many other lovable if slightly creepy characters, the band would sing rock and country hits of the '80s and earlier (plus, of course, "Happy Birthday" to the many kids who celebrated there).

The restaurants have since closed, but the Rock-afire Explosion lives on — most notably on YouTube, where the band has been reprogrammed to sing such modern hits as Usher's "Love in this Club." And the phenomenon isn't going unnoticed: There's a Rock-afire documentary in the works, slated to be released this Fall.

The trailer for this movie just has to be seen to be believed; even at that, I'd think it was a mockumentary if I didn't know better (the guy who says, "It was like being in rock-and-roll. It was exactly like being in rock-and-roll" just seems so earnest!). To relive the magic if you were a Showbiz kid — or if you want to understand your Showbiz friends when they reminisce about Billy Bob the bear — just

Shopping at the Buy More . . . I Mean, Visiting the Set of Chuck

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:30:00 -0700

My first instinct upon stepping into the Buy More was to reach for the brochure for the store credit card. Hey, maybe I could get even better deals at the green-and-yellow big-box store if I just got one of the store-branded pieces of plastic . . .

I pulled my hand back just in time — the brochures, like everything else, were props on the set of Chuck during my visit on the TCA press tour. But it was hard to convince myself we were on a set, not just a Best Buy or CompUSA that had given the Warner Bros. TV crew the go-ahead to film there that day. As much as the set of ER felt like a real hospital, the set of Chuck felt even more like a place I might go to pick up some new DVDs and an extra controller for my Wii.

"We went to a lot of Best Buys, a lot of CompUSAs," said Paul Marks, the Chuck producer who oversees the set. "Just so it looked as real as possible."

There aren't a lot of signs that the 17,000-square-foot store isn't real, so to hear more about it, just

What to TiVo: Monday

BuzzSugar — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:50:53 -0700

Fox has repeats of Prison Break and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
NBC has 2008 Olympics coverage
CBS has repeats of The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, New Adventures of Old Christine, and CSI: Miami
ABC is new with High School Musical: Get in the Picture, has repeats of Samantha Who?, and is new with The Mole
The CW has repeats of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill
MTV has The American Mall
VH1 is new with I Want to Work for Diddy, New York Goes to Hollywood, and Luke's Parental Advisory
TLC is new with Take Home Nanny and Jon & Kate Plus 8
TNT is new with the The Closer and Saving Grace
Bravo is new with Date My Ex: Jo & Slade
ABC Family is new with The Middleman
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Showtime is new with Weeds and Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Late-night highlights include Will Smith on a repeat of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS and Robert Downey Jr. and Amy Smart on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS