Celebrity Chatters

Hey Buzz Book Club readers! Welcome back! I hope you were able to round up a copy of Julie and Julia to read along with me. This is the section in which our writer gets down and dirty with some hard recipes to tackle. Can’t wait to discuss!

But first, a note about how Book Club goes if you’re new: Every week I’ll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in November). In these weekly Book Club posts, I’ll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don’t spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you’ll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read from the start of the chapter titled “Sweet Smell of Failure” to the end of the book! Even though we’ve got Thanksgiving next week, I’ll still post the last round questions on Friday — what better to discuss through your turkey haze than a book all about cooking, right?

To discuss the second section of Julie and Julia, in which we read from “The Law of Diminishing Returns” through “The Proof Is in the Plumbing,”

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In addition to the new episode of The Office that aired last night, this week also saw the start of a new round of The Office webisodes. This round features Oscar getting in a bit of trouble after making an outburst at work.

I really enjoyed watching Oscar and Andy on a business trip last week, and I’m glad they’re also getting some more face time in the new webisodes. That got me thinking: Which of the show’s supporting characters is your favorite?

Photos courtesy of NBC

Love for the sake of love is a story as old as the hills, but I couldn’t help wondering if it might be a bit misplaced in our modern times as I watched the screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s popular young adult novel Twilight. In this story’s world, if you’re the first girl the gorgeous, brooding guy across the cafeteria is suddenly interested in, you’ve accomplished something worth celebrating. You should not ask why, and you should return his desire for you with a devotion so intense you’re even willing to risk death. It’s all very dramatic and smacks of an old-fashioned tale of romance and danger. But rather than seeming antiquated, this kind of earnest, obsessive love story manages to be more or less universal enough for today’s savvy audiences.

Director Catherine Hardwicke (who knows from movies about teens, having directed Thirteen) smartly casts her leads with talented young actors (Kristen Stewart as the mortal teenager Bella Swan and Rob Pattinson effortlessly playing the self-loathing vampire, Edward Cullen) and centers her film on the slow, boiling passion that builds between them. However, Hardwicke is woefully negligent when it comes to special effects and seems hindered here by a tiny budget. In Meyer’s books, the intensity of Edward and Bella’s love for each other is matched by the amount of danger that one or both are in due to the vampire stuff. In this movie, the love soars while the supernatural intrigue never gets off the ground, and action sequences land with a hard, laughable thud, making for a somewhat schizophrenic viewing experience. To see what I mean,

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Welcome back to my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. We’re talking kids and teens this week, and since we’ve covered the boys already, today it’s all about the teen girls.

Teenage girls (I know because I was one) can be hard to shop for since the age lends itself to phases. So, as Heidi would say, one day a gift is in, and the next — it’s out. Today I’ve got some fun gifts that might satisfy varying tastes of entertainment-obsessed teens.

When I saw this hamburger phone I laughed to myself and thought of a few younger cousins who A) loved Juno and B) have a keen sense of irony. I’ve also yet to run into a young lady who doesn’t (secretly or publicly) enjoy those Traveling Pants movies, and this limited-edition gift set looks awesome. In terms of gifting a music-loving girl, I think it would be hard to go wrong with the Gossip Girl soundtrack.

Finally, I love giving books to my loved ones for the holidays and found some great ones for girls, including this book of personal essays by teenage girls and a career guide based on shows like Ugly Betty.

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

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!

Name the movie from which this quote is taken:
“They had forgotten the first lesson: That we must be powerful, beautiful, and without regret.”

• Fox is new with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and Don’t Forget the Lyrics!
• NBC is new with Deal or No Deal, Crusoe, and Lipstick Jungle
• CBS is new with Ghost Whisperer, has a repeat of The Mentalist, and is new with Numb3rs
• ABC is new with Wife Swap, Supernanny, and 20/20
• The CW is new with Everybody Hates Chris and The Game and has a repeat of America’s Next Top Model
• USA is new with The Starter Wife
• MTV has Jackass
• VH1 is new with Best Week Ever
• E! has The Soup
• Late-night highlights include James Franco, Bruce McCall, and the Allstarz on Late Show with David Letterman on CBS; Jay Mohr, Marjorie Johnson, and Scott Weiland on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC; and Kiefer Sutherland, Rachel Maddow, and Vampire Weekend on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on NBC

ABC has decided against ordering more episodes of Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money, at least for now, writes The Hollywood Reporter. The story continues:

Actively avoiding the c-word, the network left the door open for ordering more episodes at a future date, though that is considered improbable. The trio are still on the schedule for next week.

Pushing Daisies has wrapped production on its 13 episodes for this season, while Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone will be able to finish their initial orders. There’s no word on whether all of those episodes will air between now and when ABC’s midseason schedule kicks off in January, though.

Meanwhile, this makes it official that Life on Mars will air after Lost starting in January. Scrubs will also join the Wednesday schedule.

Deep sigh. It’s not like this is a shocking surprise for these shows (which all have gotten critical acclaim — especially Daisies — but have struggled in the ratings). But it’s still, you know, sad. Can we start the collective wailing in the comments?

Photos copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

Disney has made it clear that its future is so bright, we’re gonna have to wear (3-D) shades. From Robert Zemeckis’s version of A Christmas Carol to Pixar’s Up (which looks so cute!), Disney is all about the 3-D experience for the next two years.

This includes the re-release in theaters of a few oldies but goodies, including Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Producer Don Hahn says, “By going back to the original animation files, which have been carefully archived for 17 years, and using the separate background, effects and character animation elements, we’re able to come up with a fun and unique 3-D experience for existing and new fans of the film.”

What do you think of this idea? Are you just excited to see Beauty and the Beast on the big screen again, or would you go mostly for the 3-D aspect? Or does this not interest you in the least?

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