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Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:30:29 -0700

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music, and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! In the first season of The O.C., Oliver Trask (played by Taylor Handley) makes up a fictional girlfriend. What is the name of this faux girlfriend?
Note: A first name is sufficient!

What's Your Favorite OC-Related Piece of Entertainment?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:30:35 -0700

Bravo just can't get itself out of Orange County. The network that's already brought us The Real Housewives of Orange County - and its countless spinoffs - is preparing a new series about "hip and stylish" 18- to 25-year-olds in the OC. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Bravo wants folks who are independent yet still have "an 'involved' relationship with their parents." Cast members could be "attending college, finding their first apartment, starting a new business, still living at home, moving in with a significant other, or recently married or 'living an alternative lifestyle.'" (You know the producers are rooting for some alternative lifestyles.)

No offense to the actual Orange County, but mining the wealth of the OC for entertainment purposes just strikes me as very 2003. Still, some good stuff has come out of there, so I'm wondering: what do you think is the greatest show or movie to come out of Orange County?

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The WB is Back - Online

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:31:54 -0700

Who didn't love at least one show on The WB? Back in the day, it was the one network that spoke to my generation, with shows like Dawson's Creek, Felicity, and Gilmore Girls all reaching the ranks of must-see TV. But ratings dropped over the years, and in 2006, The WB and and UPN merged into the new CW; The WB was no more.

Until today, that is. As of now, the network is back as The WB.com, with full episodes and full seasons of favorite WB shows (and Warner Bros.-produced shows that aired on other networks). At its launch, the lineup includes the whole first season of Veronica Mars, 10 episodes of The OC, and a sampling of episodes from Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gilmore Girls, among others.

The site's also loaded with special features for folks who like to make their own videos, including a clip maker called the "Wblender," and a bunch of quizzes and games (I'm a little embarrassed to admit I just killed some time playing The OC Memory Match, which is just an online version of the childhood game Memory but with pictures of those pretty, pretty Orange County kids). The site will also be rolling out a bunch of original shows in the coming months, so to hear about those and watch a trailer, just read more.

TheWB.com has recruited Josh Schwartz, McG, and other big-name producers to create original online series for the site. Among the shows lined up:

Sorority Forever - from McG, this show is a mystery/drama set in a sorority house. It'll premiere Sept. 8.
Blue Water High - Up now, it's about an Australian surf academy.
Whatever, Hollywood - Up now, this show's about three best friends making online videos (how meta!).
Untitled Josh Schwartz Project - Schwartz and music supervisor extraordinaire Alexandra Patsavas are teaming up for a show set in the LA music world.

Here's a video taste of what it's all about. Do you think you'll check out the The WB.com?

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Variety Women's Impact Report: Stephanie Savage

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:30:49 -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: producer Stephanie Savage.

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 read more.

Savage explained her love for teens this way:

"Teens have a sensational narcissism and genuinely believe that their experiences are unique and can't be explained to adults. But we forgive them for their mistakes and naivete."

She certainly seems to know how to get into the teenage mind, what with the popularity (though not necessarily ratings success) of both Gossip Girl and The OC. Does Savage have any secrets? Not really, she said; she likes what she likes, and that just happens to translate into being strikingly hip.

Well, maybe it's not a total accident. She's also got a great career motto helping to drive her: "Show up, shut up and shine."

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Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:30:58 -0700

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! In Season Two of The O.C., what is the name of the comic book that Seth and Zach start?

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:30:00 -0800

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! On The O.C. what is the name of Seth's plastic horse?

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:30:00 -0800

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 now check out the Bratz movie on DVD, if you are so inclined.

The O.C. - The Complete Series
Okay, so this one's not so much to rent as to buy: the entire collection of DVDs from The O.C.'s four-season run can now be purchased in one massive collection - just in time for Chrismakkuh. The set includes the show's 92 episodes on 28 discs and two discs of bonus content.

In the immediate future, you can catch Melinda Clarke - a.k.a. Julie Cooper on tonight's episode of Reaper playing (who else?) the Devil's girlfriend.

Two more new-on-DVD selections, so read more

Waitress
Finally! If you've been reading Buzz fairly regularly, you'll know I've been anxious for this movie to come out on DVD so I can add it to my library. It was one of my November Must-Haves as well as one of my suggestions for gifts to give your mom this holiday season.

Keri Russell plays Jenna, a pie-making waitress who finds out she's pregnant by her not-so-nice husband (Jeremy Sisto). Then she meets her hunky gynecologist Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) and everything suddenly seems a bit brighter. Cheryl Hines plays Jenna's hilarious and loyal friend.

This was sadly the last film writer/director Adrienne Shelly completed before her untimely death last year, which lends a bittersweet quality to the whole thing.

The Namesake
Though this is certainly a case of the book being superior to the movie, the film version of The Namesake by director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair) is lush, beautiful and stirring. Kal Penn, in an extremely non-White Castle role, plays Gogol, a young Indian-American who was named after his father's favorite author.

The film weaves together both Gogol's story as a child of India-born parents in America, and the story of Gogol's mother Ashima (Tabu), a woman who finds love in her arranged marriage, but struggles with the cultural differences she finds in the States. Most of all, the film is gorgeously shot. For more of my take on The Namesake check out my full review.

A Parody Of A Parody Of "The OC"

GiggleSugar — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 01:00:00 -0700

For those of us who aren't in the know, here's the 411: In a super dramatic season finale of "The OC," Marissa shot some dude. SNL was humored by how this all played out and did a darn funny parody of this scene. Low and behold, someone came along and created a parody of this parody using a scene from the popular 90s sitcom, "Step By Step." Bullets, food...it's all the same in the end, you know?

Interview: Josh Schwartz of "Gossip Girl" and "Chuck"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 23:48:09 -0700

Right now, Josh Schwartz is one of the busiest guys in television. The creator of "The OC" has two must-watch shows on the air this fall, "Gossip Girl" on the CW and "Chuck" on NBC. At the TCA press tour this summer, he took some time to talk with me about teen shows, James Bond and the wonders of Rachel Bilson.

So, big year for you.
Yeah, it's been a big year. The end of "The OC" and two new shows - it's been a pretty exciting and emotional year.

Let's take "Gossip Girl" first. How did the idea come about to grab those books and work with them?
Those books were at the CW. And then from the CW, I got a call about them, and I read the first one, and I said, "You know, this could be something really great." And I called Stephanie [Savage, his co-creator and former "OC" writer/producer] and I said - I was already developing "Chuck" at the time - and I said, "If you'll do this with me, I'm all in." And so she was down. So I read the books. They have this crazy following, and it seemed like a great opportunity. And I also liked the idea of doing a show like this at the CW, at a time where there weren't a lot of these kind of shows out there. It reminded me of the glory days of the WB when I was in college.

Is there a heritage that you see for where "Gossip Girl" came from?
Definitely - those early years of "Dawson's," "Felicity," "Buffy," that whole period of stuff. "The OC" was definitely a part of that tradition as well.

Where did "Chuck" come from?
Chris Fedak, whom I co-created the show with, we went to film school together at USC. He pitched me the concept, the idea of an average guy getting secrets downloaded into his brain. I thought it was a really cool idea, and I thought it could also be really funny. And I had been wanting to do something that had some genre elements to it after "The OC." The first stories I ever wrote as a kid were, like, James Bond stories in my journals in summer camp, so I've always loved that world. I also really wanted to write about people in their 20s and what they're going through, but it's really hard to do a show about people in their 20s. It becomes a lot of navel-gazing, people complaining about their lives. But if a guy in his 20s is complaining about his life because he was almost killed by a ninja the night before, now you've got something.

Lots more from Schwartz, so read more

How is it that you manage to find these people who America might not have known before and America just falls in love with? My office is obsessed with Rachel Bilson -
Well, Rachel's pretty damn adorable.

Yes, and it continues! There's Zachary Levi [of "Chuck"], there's these girls [of "Gossip Girl,"] it's through all of your stuff.
Well, first of all I work with great casting directors - Patrick Rush cast "The OC," he cast "Chuck," he recommended the casting directors for us for "Gossip Girl." I've got a type, what can I tell you, and I've just been really fortunate to find people who - when you know, you know. When they walk in the room and they bring it to life in a way you never imagined, it's really an exciting moment. I take it really seriously, because with TV, it's everything. I love writing for the actor and tailoring the part for them and letting that evolve.

For "Gossip Girl" and "The OC," what is it that got you into this glamour-soaked, alcohol-filled teen world?
I don't know, because I am not that guy at all. I'm like, Providence, Rhode Island, you know, bar mitzva-ed at Temple Beth El. I don't know how I got here. But you know, I remember being a teenager extremely vividly, and the emotional traits of being a teenager are universal regardless of where you grew up or how much money you had. And so it's an opportunity to continue to tell those stories, get to relive those years for myself and maybe make amends or do things I didn't have the cojones to do at the time. But also, I love writing for this audience. They're so passionate. When you're a teenager and you connect with something, you connect with it in such a profound way. As you get older, you have shows, you like them, you watch them, but you don't live for them the way this audience can live for these shows, so it's a blast. And these worlds, whether it's Newport Beach or the Upper East Side of New York, are heightened enough that I think they bring in people who wouldn't necessarily just watch a show about teenagers hanging out. It adds some stakes and some fantasy to that world as well.

And then is "Chuck" more you, more your experience?
Yeah, it's similar in the same way Seth Cohen was my way into "The OC." It was a real collaboration with me and Chris, but in my head, it was like, "What if I became James Bond?"

A big part of "Gossip Girl" is: How do we stay true to the books and what people love about the books but also find our way into the world as well? Dan Humphrey, Penn Badgley's character, and the whole Humphrey family is a big part of that for me. But I also wanted to figure out how to write for women characters as lead characters. "The OC" was so principally about these two brothers in Seth and Ryan, and Sandy and Ryan. and the chance to write really complicated young women at the heart of the show was something I really wanted to do as well.

You mentioned staying true with "Gossip Girl." We've already gotten readers saying, "That looks really good, but Jenny is not supposed to be blonde." Are you prepared for that level of scrutiny with that show?
We are. We work really closely with the Alloy people, and Cecily [Von Ziegesar] who wrote the books, and she's given us her blessing. Not everything is going to be literal, but hopefully the spirit of the book, people will feel has been faithfully rendered in television.

How are you managing your time with the two shows?
I work with really great people, and I know what my real responsibilities are, and I try to make sure I'm available for that. But right now, both shows work on such different parts of my brain that it really isn't like I'm burning out on doing it because jumping from one to the other is jumping into two different worlds, two different tones.

Is it sort of like, girl show, boy show?
You mean, am I cross-dressing?

Yes, that's exactly what I meant.
[laughs] I mean, they're two very different shows, and I think they could appeal to different audiences. They're both shows that I would watch, so I'm hoping that they're both shows that a lot of people would watch, even though they seem very different. When "The OC" came on, people said, "You know, guys don't watch these kinds of shows." And I was like, "Well, I would watch it!" And guys did watch. In this case, the word "girl" is in the title, which might be at first a little bit of a roadblock for some guys, but you know, part of my job is to make sure that the male characters feel dimensionalized enough that there is something for them - besides, of course, the very lovely ladies. Which, you know, doesn't hurt.

Because clearly you have a lot of free time right now, what else are you working on?
I'm supposed to be rewriting this movie to direct for Paramount called Looking for Alaska, which is a young adult novel about teens in boarding school. I've got to get back to that, as soon as I can find some time.

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June Handbag Giveaway!

FabSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 10:54:01 -0700

Just in the lick of time we have another handbag to giveaway! Feast your eyes on this Summery white leather Exeter bag by Tylie Malibu. It retails for $550 and you may recognize the brand from The O.C. Season 3 when Summer wore a similar style. If you haven't yet gotten a white hot bag for Summer now is your chance; and I love the subtle studs on the zipper pulls as well!

To enter just leave a comment below - one comment per person please - and we will do a random drawing on Friday, June 29th at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. And seriously ladies, one comment per person - duplicate comments will be deleted. See this girl? This could be you! Good luck!

Hey! Did you all see last month's winner tarynpaper in the Look Book with her Andrea Brueckner? Fun fun.

For official rules click here.