BellaSugar

The First Celebrity Relaunch of 2008: Britney Spears Curious Heart

BellaSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:00:42 PST

Although Britney Spears may not be making the best choices in her personal life, she sure hasn't skipped a beat when it comes to her fragrances. It seems like just yesterday that believe launched, and now we are already seeing something new from her. However, let's be clear about one thing. This "new" scent, Curious Heart ($49.50), isn't really new - it's a limited-edition version of her older juice Curious, with a tattoo-inspired bottle and a modified name.

Here's the gimmick: When you purchase a bottle, you receive a membership card which directs you to the website. There, you enter a password to become eligible to win various prizes each month. I'd say that's some pretty clever marketing from Britney's people - especially throwing the word "heart" in the title right before Valentine's Day. But with her personal life in disarray, I keep wondering whether this is enough to pique shoppers' curiosity.

Cannes Minireview: Killing Them Softly

Molly Goodson — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:21:14 PDT

Brad Pitt's gritty new project, Killing Them Softly (formerly titled Cogan's Trade, and based on a book of the same name), made its debut to the press at the Cannes Film Festival this morning. Considering the early hour of the screening and just how violent and drug-fueled it is as a film, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it overall. Pitt is at his best playing the ruthless assassin, and James Gandolfini can, of course, carry a mob movie.

Who's behind it? Like Sapphires and Lawless, it's another The Weinstein Company film here at the festival. Writer-director Andrew Dominik brings together an excellent cast of men to tell his story, including Ray Liotta in addition to Pitt and Gandolfini. With that much testosterone on screen, there's not much room for the ladies. In fact, there's barely a female to be seen in the film at all. At the center, there are two bumbling thieves, played by Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn, who shine in their own deeply messed-up ways - often seen sweating and using drugs. Pitt, who we have seen playing a ruthless assassin before, does it again, this time with slicked-back hair and a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he explains his preferred method of murder - "killing them softly," rather than listening to them plead.
What's it about? On paper, it's about a heist at a mob poker game gone wrong, but as both the director and Pitt spoke at the film's press conference after the screening, it's a much larger commentary on America's capitalist society. It's set in New Orleans against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis and election, with actual speeches from Barack Obama and Sarah Palin sprinkled throughout. As for the actual heist at stake, Frankie and Russell (McNairy and Mendelsohn) rob a poker game that was previously hit up as part of a scam put on by its own owner, Andrew (Liotta). Pitt's character, Jackie Cogan, is brought in by the larger mob bosses to assassinate the men. Wires are quickly crossed and it can be hard to tell who is working for whom, but with the crazy visuals and hilarious, sometimes unsettling, one-liners, it is a riveting watch. I, for one, was particularly amused by the scenes about Russell running a racket by stealing purebred dogs.
More important even than the story, however, is the feel of the film. It takes place and was shot in New Orleans, a city which Pitt is clearly comfortable in. It's not quite a love letter to the city - or to anything for that matter - like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but it still has that uniquely gritty and stylized New Orleans feel.

To read what I thought of the film at Cannes, just

What did I think? The performances, especially by Gandolfini, could start award-season buzz, depending on how and when Killing Them Softly is released stateside. While the film is not for the faint of heart, it's a thought-provoking watch. The humor and political commentary keep it from being a straightforward mob movie, therefore setting it apart from being the same story we've seen 100 times before. Plus, Pitt's swagger, Gandolfini's monologue expertise, and a pack of dogs are welcome at any movie for me. Watch out for the last line, though, it will stick with you.

Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company

The Vampire Diaries "The Ties That Bind": The Good, The Bad, and The Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:56:35 PST

It's a family reunion for Bonnie and her estranged mother on this week's The Vampire Diaries, but their meeting is less than magic (I'm sorry, I had to). They need her to open up one of Klaus's sealed coffins, but like most things on this show, they have to get through a bit of sticky business first. Meanwhile, Tyler recruits someone to help free him of his sire bond to Klaus so he can be with Caroline again, and Elena gets something off of her chest.

Even though there were no hot makeouts this week and not much major happened, it's still another entertaining episode with a lot going on. Ready to discuss? To get to the good, the bad, and the bloody, just keep reading.

Are You Joining a Gym in the New Year?

Michele Foley — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:05:42 PST

Getting in shape is always a popular New Year's resolution, which for some means joining a gym. Since Thanksgiving marked the beginning of the eat-your-heart-out season, January is all about new beginnings. Maybe your fitness routine never slowed down, or this month you've decided to put your oft-neglected gym membership to use. We're curious if any of you are embracing a new commitment to fitness by joining a gym this year. If this sounds like you, make sure to check out our tips for picking the right gym before you do, then hit the ground running with one of these seven treadmill workouts.

Hugo: 3 Reasons Why You Should See It - and 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn't

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:35:37 PST

Iconic film director Martin Scorsese veers off his beaten path with this week's Hugo. Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film tells the tale of a young orphan who is secretly living in a train station in Paris. He spends his days winding the clocks in the station, hiding from a villainous station agent, and trying to fix an automaton (a robot-like machine) left behind by his deceased father. Scorsese definitely packs magic into this film, but it's not exactly the children's fantasy film I was expecting. Before you head to the theater this Thanksgiving weekend, check out my reasons why this might be the film for you - and why you might want to avoid it.

Why you should see it:

The cinematography is stunning. With Scorsese at the helm, it's pretty much guaranteed that you're in for a visual treat, and Hugo is no different. His depiction of 1930s Paris in the wintertime is dazzling; the train station where Hugo lives and spends most of his time is enveloped in warm tones and rich colors, making the film look like a beautifully illustrated children's book come to life - which is exactly what it is.
The acting is superb. It's no surprise that a veteran like Ben Kingsley delivers a spot-on performance as a prickly man who fixes toys in the train station. His mysterious animosity towards Hugo and Hugo's desire to fix his father's automaton becomes the crux of the film, and Kingsley turns in a complex performance as a character with a secret. In turn, Sacha Baron Cohen provides comic relief as the station agent with a bum leg who is intent on having Hugo shipped off to an orphanage. However, it's the performances from young actors Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz that hold the film together, and both are impressive. Butterfield particularly does a wonderful job carrying the film; his big, curious blue eyes portray Hugo's loneliness, curiosity, and pain, and he brings his A-game to the film's most emotional scenes.
The story has enchanting elements. I loved the whimsical idea behind Hugo, and Scorsese captures all of these elements perfectly. From the automaton to Isabelle's fascination with storytelling to the Parisian setting, Hugo certainly qualifies as escapist entertainment that pays homage to the magic of moviemaking, on multiple levels.

To see the reasons why this movie might be a pass for you, just

Why you should skip it:

The 3D is nauseating. Part of the fun of Hugo is that Scorsese pulls out all the stops to capture the childlike wonder of Hugo and his world, but he has a little too much fun with it. In the opening sequence, Scorsese pulls us into Hugo's fascinating life behind the clocks in the train station by taking us through the twists and turns that are necessary to get Hugo up into the rafters. After a couple of minutes, the effect goes from thrilling to stomach turning, and it felt like a ride that I couldn't get off of.
It's too long. For a kids' movie, Hugo is awfully slow. Scorsese clearly wanted to lay out his story and develop it slowly, but Hugo's "adventure" isn't rife with enough twists and thrills to justify the run time (which is over 2 hours). Though there's an emotionally satisfying conclusion, it takes way too long to get us there, and the movie started to lose my attention.
It doesn't spend enough time on Hugo's backstory. About a third of the way into Hugo, the focus of the film is largely shifted away from the lonely young boy and onto the secret of Kingsley's character. Hugo is still there every step of the way, but the heart of the film is in Hugo's relationship with his deceased father and how he's been coping on his own since the tragedy. Unfortunately, we only get one scene between Hugo and his father (Jude Law). It's one of the most touching scenes of the whole movie, and I wish I could have seen more of their relationship and Hugo's upbringing before he became an orphan.

Now that you've been properly informed, are you planning to see Hugo?

7 Reasons to Try Interval Training

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:11:00 PDT

Interval training is the ultimate fitness mashup, blending the speeds of both the tortoise and the hare. The benefits of this workout - pushing your pace, then slowing down to recover just so you can push your pace again - will certainly motivate you to play with your speed. If you haven't already added them to your cardio workouts, here are seven benefits of interval training.

Whittle your middle
While cardio exercise is necessary to lose fat all over your body, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity interval training targets your waistline. Adding bursts of speed can help you lose stubborn abdominal fat, which is a boon for bikini season and your overall health. Having a waist size over 35 inches if you're a woman puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and some cancers. Curious how your middle measures up? Check your waist-to-hip ratio here.

Got a need for speed?
The most obvious benefit, but still worth noting, is interval training will make you faster. Picking up your pace when training with intervals helps to increase your speed whether you run, bike, or swim. If you're working towards a personal record for an upcoming race, don't skip your speed work. Here are interval workouts for biking, swimming, and running. Triathlon anyone?

Keep reading to learn five more reasons to kick it up a notch.

Super 8: Beware the Hype Monster

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:28:17 PDT

I dare you to say that you're not curious about Super 8, J.J. Abrams's 1979-set film about a group of kids who witness a spectacular train crash. The film has generated a lot of hype for what it doesn't show in trailers and promos, and it's the mystery that's the big draw. The previews do reveal that something escapes the crash and then stalks and terrorizes a small Midwestern town, which Abrams uses as a premise for a sentimental, nostalgia-filled portrait of a group of boys making a movie.

Joel Courtney leads the charge as Joe, a sensitive boy who has just lost his mother in an accident. He and his newly widowed father (Kyle Chandler) are figuring out how to get along with each other without the woman of the house while dealing with their grief. Joe's group of buds help distract him from his home life, as they fill their Summer vacation by making a movie for an amateur film festival. When they're filming a climactic scene near the train tracks, they watch - and film - an intense accident that has some pretty distressing repercussions. With Steven Spielberg on hand as producer, Super 8 often feels like one of his classic sci-fi standbys, but it's just not quite as memorable. However, it's still a fun, heart-pumping ride (the train crash is one of the best action sequences I've seen in a long time). To find out what else I thought, just

The movie owes a great deal of its charm to its disarming young cast. They're wonderfully drawn: there's bossy director Charles, firework-loving Cary, hopeful actor Preston and wide-eyed Martin. Their all-boy dynamic is unsettled when they add a girl to the cast, and Alice (Elle Fanning) shakes up the production with her sophistication and impressive acting skills. She also represents an element of growing up; the boys are on the verge of discovering girls, but the movie doesn't push it any farther than the first blush of a crush. It's very innocent in that way; ultimately, Alice, Joe's mother's death, and the ensuing crisis become key factors in the boys' coming of age.

Abrams is a master of the creepy buildup. Mysterious objects show up in the train crash, the town's dogs run away, electronics go missing. Then, while you're trying to figure out what it all means, he brings out the thriller as the monster begins attacking unsuspecting townspeople. Unfortunately, Abrams isn't a master of follow-through, and there are many loose ends that never get tied up.

Super 8's other shortcoming is in its inability to choose a distinct genre; it wavers between coming-of-age tale, a monster movie, and then a family drama. But, this is still a highly entertaining movie. It's worth it to see for the buoyant sense of humor and the jaw-dropping, spine-chilling moments, even if it doesn't quite live up to expectations.

10 Celebrity Homes We'd Love to Live In

Julia Millay Walsh — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:15:00 PDT

I often write about celebrity homes here on CasaSugar; whether a famous face is selling or buying, redecorating, or was just published in a favorite shelter magazine, we're all curious about how the other 1 percent lives. Sometimes the intrigue stops right there: at curiosity. Other times, envy ensues. Wondering which celebrity homes still make all of your design-loving hearts go pitter-patter, I took to CasaSugar's Facebook page and asked the question, "What celebrity home would you most like to live in?" From Paula Deen's Savannah country home to Moby's California castle, your favorites ran the gamut.

Click through to see 10 celebrity homes, we'd love to live in - including my own favorite!

Curtis Stone on His New LA Eatery and Responding to the Haters

Susannah Chen — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 09:15:29 PDT

If you watch any amount of food television, there's a good chance you've heard of Curtis Stone. From Take Home Chef to The Biggest Loser, there's nowhere this attractive Aussie hasn't been. Currently, he's busy being host of Top Chef Masters and a judge on America's Next Great Restaurant. We took time to get to know the chef, who's busy as the new face of Great Grains.

Over the phone, Stone - who revealed he's opening a new restaurant in Los Angeles, and talked about the highs and lows of filming - was surprisingly grounded and impressively well-spoken. He also addressed naysayers' criticisms that he spends too much time on TV and not enough in the kitchen. Curious to see what he's got to say? Read more.

True Blood Bites: "Soul of Fire"

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:54:44 PDT

This week is the last episode of True Blood before the season finale, and we get the big witch/vampire showdown. Things seem wrapped up on that front until the final moments reveal that there's a lot more trouble on the way. Meanwhile, Sam is determined to avenge his brother's death, and as one relationship dissolves, another looks like it's on the verge.

Sookie's fairy background also asserts itself in a couple ways, as she uses her powers against Marnie, and one of her fairy brethren resurfaces in town. Let's break it all down into superlatives, spoilers, and all, when you

Best one-liner: Antonia revolts after Marnie kills one of her own followers, Casey, for trying to abandon ship. The witch's spirit comes out of Marnie for a moment, or as Lafayette so eloquently puts it: "Marnie just puked a b*tch out." Marnie is stronger than Antonia, and she performs a binding spell to trap Antonia inside.
Saddest maker/child spat: Bill negotiates with Marnie for Sookie's release by agreeing to the witch's request: that he and Eric kill themselves. Pam won't have it, and she fires on the Moon Goddess Emporium with a rocket launcher. The spell prevents the shot from landing, and it backfires, leaving Jason badly burnt. Jessica goes to his rescue, feeding him her blood once again. Even though no one inside the emporium is harmed, Eric is furious at Pam for putting Sookie in danger, telling her to get away from him before he kills her.
Best zombie impression: Marnie puts a spell on the vampires, compelling them to walk toward the deadly fiery ring to their death like some leather-clad extras from The Walking Dead. Sookie hears Jason's thoughts and stops the spell with her fairy powers, so Marnie decides it's time to kill the telepath and surrounds her in a circle of fire.
Timeliest use of the family gift: Jesus and Lafayette use the body and blood of Casey for a counter spell in a back room. Jesus warns his boyfriend that they're about to go to a dark place, which is correct, because his creepy monster mask comes back. It's effective, and while Jesus is possessed, he separates Antonia from Marnie, halting the protection spell and the fire around Sookie.
Yuckiest return to form: After Jesus disarms Marnie, the vampires make their move, snarling with glee. Marnie's foolish minion, Roy, tries to block Eric, but it only makes him an ideal target. The vamp snatches Roy's heart out of his chest and then sips from it like a bloody juice box. Bill's elimination of Marnie is far simpler: he fills her full of traditional bullets. Dingdong, the witch is dead.
Best modern Romeo and Juliet: Jason admits to Jessica that even without her blood in him, she's all he can think about. He says he still feels guilty about Hoyt, but the goo-goo eyes they make at each other suggest that this love story is so on.
Best villain vanquishing: Sam goes after Marcus to exact his revenge for Tommy's death, and he and Alcide find Marcus, Emma, and Debbie at Alcide's. They interrupt Marcus and Debbie's sketchy were-seduction, and Sam and Marcus fight to the end with their bare hands. Sam is about to let Marcus go without killing him, but Marcus isn't as honorable, grabbing a gun and shooting wildly around the room. Alcide takes his chance and leaps on Marcus, choking him to death.
Weirdest breakup speech: Marcus isn't the only thing that's dead. Before he leaves the scene of the crime, Alcide dumps a devastated Debbie. It's about time this relationship imploded, but Alcide's words to her couldn't be odder, as he says things "I share flesh with you no longer." It's a bit more dramatic than "It's not you, it's me," but it does the trick.
Most unexpected sex scene: After tangling with Terry last week, Andy finds himself lost in the woods and mildly disoriented from withdrawing from V. When a fairy, Morella, stops him in his tracks, she wastes no time in putting the moves on him. But after they do it on the ground, and Andy finds his way home, Arlene convinces him that it was all a hallucination.
Most irritating cliffhanger: Don't celebrate Marnie's death too soon. After Lafayette soothes his boyfriend for being their savior, they drift off to sleep in their leopard-print haven. It's all just so peaceful . . . until Marnie's spirit floats up over Lafayette, and she dives in. Three possessions in one season? Can't a sassy line-cook catch a break?

Except for Lafayette's possession, the witch storyline feels mostly resolved, so I'm curious about what the big conflict in next week's season finale will be. With the random appearance of a fairy, I'm guessing more are probably on the way and we'll come full circle to the season premiere. What did you think of this week's episode? Are you excited about the finale?

Photo courtesy of HBO