FabSugar

The Origin of Guidos

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:16 PDT

The Jersey Shore gang is back tonight with season two of the fist-pumping show, forcing me to think deep questions, like "where did guidos come from?"

The g-word began as slanderous term for lower-class Italian-Americans, but the youth of New York and New Jersey embraced the term and made it their own in the 1970s.

Dr. Donald Tricarico, a sociology professor at the City University of New York, points to Saturday Night Fever as the movie that supplied the guido myth. Working-class Italian-Americans found an escape in underground dance clubs of the '70s. They created the leisure-meets-greaser look by maintaining their cultural identity while adding American status symbols.

Today's definitions range from "Italians who conduct themselves as thugs with an overtly macho attitude" to "a pejorative word to depict an uncool Italian who tries to act cool" to "a good-looking Italian guy" (compliments of Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino).

Probably the best explanation of "guido" is borrowed from Italian. Fred Gardaphè, professor of Italian-American studies at Queens College, points to the idea of bella figura. "It basically means, to put on a show so people don't know the real you," he said. "If you're poor, you make them think you're rich. If you're rich, you make them think you're poor."

Source: Flickr User Annie Mole

FABTV: Saturday Night Fever Dance Scene

FabSugar — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:23:22 PDT

There's nothing sexier than a man with moves. Dance moves, that is. So many people cite Saturday Night Fever as a favorite movie, but really, it gets kinda depressing towards the end, no? I guess they're just as romanced by the disco and the dance as I am. I do have an obsession with disco - what I would give for one night at Studio 54. What can I say, I love the night life. But back to Travolta. I have tried to memorize this dance routine, it's a goodie. Travolta had the looks and the bravado, but he also had the flexibility and the funk. Let's face it people, he gets down and dirty. Doesn't this make you want to go disco dance the night away? Go!

Movies For Those Who Love to Dance (or Just Watch It on TV)

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:30:40 PDT

Do you feel that, too? That giant hole in your Wednesday and Thursday nights that used to be filled with glorious dance (and Nigel Lythgoe)? It's just one week since the finale, and I'm already suffering withdrawal from So You Think You Can Dance. My backup dance show, America's Best Dance Crew, is also nearly done. So I thought I'd share some of my favorite dance movies of all time to get me through these tough times. To see some of my picks, hit "Start."

Photo courtesy of Fox

Fashion 101

FabSugar — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 12:00:22 PDT

Take the Quiz

Glee-Ful Highlights From Episode "Saturday Night Glee-ver"

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:49:48 PDT

It turns out that disco isn't dead after all - it's alive and kicking on this week's episode of Glee. In search of an assignment and a way to get through to a few of his troubled students, Mr. Schue finds the answer in the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. So what does that mean for us? A little Bee Gees, a little hustle, and a lot of white polyester.

As we get closer to McKinley High's graduation day, the seniors are getting more antsy about their future plans. Even Mr. Schue is starting to get worried about a select three - Finn, Santana, and Mercedes - because they don't have anything set in motion yet. Ready to break down all the big moments? Just

Disco isn't exactly my favorite genre (is it anyone's anymore?), but the episode kicks things off on a good note with a performance of "You Should Be Dancing." Even if it seemingly comes from nowhere, the number got my attention thanks to featuring the three best dancers - Blaine, Mike, and Brittany - in an upbeat number.
If you were missing Mr. Schue's sweet, sweet falsetto, then this episode provides a special treat. Not only does Will lend his pipes to "Night Fever," but we also get to sample some of Sue's moves. I know that Sue is on Team New Directions now, but something about her smiling and grooving out on the dance floor felt bizarre.
Mercedes uses a performance of "Disco Inferno" to prove that she's not just a wayward sheep: she's got big dreams of following in the footsteps of the likes of Mariah and Aretha. The only problem is that she's too scared to act. Luckily, Sam's there to be her white knight with an iPhone. He takes a video of her performing and puts it on YouTube, which gives her a much needed self-esteem boost. It also wins Sam a big smooch for being so supportive. It's about time those two crazy kids got back together!
My favorite performance of the night doesn't even come from the gleeks. It's courtesy of Wade (played by The Glee Project's Alex Newell), who worships Mercedes and Kurt. After he meets them, he decides to perform at Regionals as his female alter ego, "Unique." Oh, and did I mention that he's a member of Vocal Adrenaline? Kurt and Mercedes are conflicted about whether or not they should let Wade go through with it, but in the end he takes the bull by the horns and brings the house down with "Boogie Shoes." Jesse St. James is not pleased, but something tells me that Unique will be the new secret weapon of Vocal Adrenaline.
Mercedes isn't the only one with someone in her corner. Santana's dead set on becoming famous, but Mr. Schue is skeptical about how she'll get there. Brittany steps in to help, except for Brittany, "helping" means making a sex tape that's hilariously called "Two Girls One Cat," featuring Lord Tubbington of course. Santana's a little peeved, but I was surprised at how well she takes the news that everyone in school is talking about her. The whole mess gets cleaned up in no time, because Brittany and Sue have conspired to get Santana a full cheerleading scholarship in college. That's two gleeks who have gotten someone else to fill out college applications for them. Just once, I would like to see that happen in real life.
Rachel and Finn recover from their fight about the future, but Finn's still having serious doubts about whether or not he can make it in the real world as anything other than a competitive eater. He's basically convinced that he peaked in high school, but all it takes is one magical viewing of Saturday Night Fever to make him realize his dream of going inside the actors studio. He tells Rachel that he's ready to go to New York with her, and struts around to "Stayin' Alive" to show off his newfound confidence.

Though this isn't my favorite episode, the scenes for next week's Glee already have me looking forward to a whole lotta Whitney Houston. How'd you feel about the disco flashback?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Welcome to the World Katie Sugar. . .

DearSugar — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 08:14:48 PDT

I am so happy to be here in San Francisco to meet her! She's beautiful, and as Brian wrote on PopSugar, Pop and Katie are doing great! I wanted to share my take on the baby's arrival story with all of you dedicated and supportive readers.

I came to San Francisco from NYC on Wednesday morning for Sugar Publishing training. I was so pumped to find out that we were going to the Madonna show that very night in San Jose. What a concert - Madonna is #1! - and Katie loved it too. Pop's belly was a whole other show worth watching. Katie danced along and especially loved the Saturday Night Fever-esque disco version of Music. We made some great friends in front of us - all of who were willing to stop dancing and help POP make a fast exit if Katie just had to Vogue .
By 3:00am, Katie was getting restless and Pop was up for the rest of the night. She and hubby made a dash to the doctor at 10:45am. All of Sugar Publishing was anxiously waiting (trying to work on our training) in their kitchen.
By 4:00 it was GO TIME - and Pop was off to the hospital ready to Pop - in true POPSUGAR fashion. Only she could make labor look so easy. Angelina, eat your heart out.
I was at the hospital by 10:00pm to see the glowing, happy and best of all - healthy Sugar family. It is with great pleasure that I can report live from San Fran about this beautiful baby story. I feel so lucky to have been here for the big day! Congratulations POPSUGAR!