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Sideways Is Back, in Japanese Form

YumSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:00:18 PDT

If you were stoked to hear about the release of The Ramen Girl, wait until you hear about the next big foodie flick. Oh, wait - you may have already seen it. Twentieth Century Fox is creating a Japanese version of Sideways, the Oscar-nominated comedy about four friends road-tripping through California wine country that became a runaway hit in 2005.

Given wine's increasing popularity in Japan, Fuji TV, one of Japan's biggest film producers, thought the movie would be an ideal candidate for a remake. But for its new film, tentatively also called Sideways, the company made changes to the storyline.Rather than drinking their way through Santa Barbara wine country, the group meanders through Napa Valley, a wine region that is better-known among the Japanese. The movie's two main male characters - named Michio and Daisuke, not Miles and Jack - drive up to Napa Valley from Los Angeles. “You can’t do a road trip in California without going over the Golden Gate Bridge,” said the director of the remake, Cellin Gluck.

At first, Napa Valley vintners were not too enthusiastic about the film, given that the original's Merlot-bashing lines led to a plummet in sales of the varietal. However, the new feature doesn't knock varietals of any kind and successfully managed to shoot at local restaurants, as well as winemakers such as Frog's Leap, Beringer, and Chandon.

I'd never have guessed that the Japanese would remake a movie like Sideways, with its focus on a specialized West Coast winemaking region, but I can see how the comedy has universal appeal. Do you like the concept, or should Fox have simply dubbed the original?

Source

One-Sided Biking

GiggleSugar — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:00:00 PDT

They say, "If ain't broke, don't fix it." After watching this, I think they're onto something. Whatever works, man. (Thanks, i am bored!)

Gym 101: Strength-Training Warmup

Susi May — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:12:55 PST

A solid warmup sets you up for a solid workout. When it comes to prepping for strength training, an active warmup primes the joints and muscles, prepping them for the heavy lifting. Lauren, my Equinox trainer, introduced me to these moves, and after a little light cardio - for me, it's five minutes running on a treadmill at a 6 mph pace, but the elliptical or a little jump rope would work - Lauren has me do three out of these five moves. Mix and match the exercises however you please, or do them all for a very thorough warmup.

Rocking Lunge
Give an active stretch to both your hips and hamstrings with the rocking lunge. Start in a deep lunge with your right leg forward; you can even bring your left knee to the floor. Straighten your right knee to rock your weight back and onto your left foot to lengthen the hamstring. Flex your right toes as you rock into the hamstring stretch. Return back to your deep lunge and repeat for a total of 10 times on each side.

Toy Soldier
A walking kick, the toy soldier stretches out the back of the leg, both hamstrings and calves. Step forward on your right foot, and kick your left leg forward, bringing your left toes toward your right hand. Step onto your left foot and kick the right leg, bringing right foot toward left hand. Take 20 steps total.

Keep reading for three more moves.

From the Community: Beat Boredom With This 40-Minute Treadmill Workout

Fit Community — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:57:25 PST

Caught in a rut on the treadmill? FitSugar reader FitFabCities has created a 40-minute treadmill workout that is certain to get you excited about the gym again!

I'm not afraid to say it: I love the treadmill. I know, I know, my fellow runners out there probably gasp in horror at the thought of spending even 30 minutes "running but going nowhere," but I love it. I love staying dry, I love watching TV, and I really love being warm.

That said, I am willing to admit it can get a wee bit boring if every time you hop on the old treadmill, you hit your regular three to five miles. Well that's why I love this workout; you'll be changing speeds, inclines, even directions every minute, so there is no chance you'll get bored. After all, keeping your mind and body guessing is the best way to keep seeing results!

See this interval workout (and get a printable copy) after the break!

DODOcase Makes Room For the Kindle Fire

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:30:08 PST

If you've already got your hands on a Kindle Fire, but are still deciding on a case to keep it safe, might I suggest the new DODOcase For Kindle Fire ($45)? Just like its iPad, Kindle, and BlackBerry PlayBook counterparts, the Kindle Fire DODOcase protects your gadget from scratches and scrapes thanks to its strong bamboo casing and hardcover face that looks and feels just like a Moleskine notebook, complete with an elastic strap closure. Best of all, the cover folds back to prop your Kindle Fire up sideways so you can properly watch videos without having to hold it upright. You can even get it monogrammed for yourself, or for your Kindle-toting pals.

George Clooney and Stacy Keibler Show Love in Cabo With A Rod

Allie Merriam — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:15:06 PST

George Clooney and Stacy Keibler shared a hug yesterday in Cabo. The couple are off on a Mexican vacation with some of their best friends, including Cindy Crawford, Rande Gerber, and even Alex Rodriguez. ARod, who was just in Miami partying with Beyoncé Knowles, was seen enjoying the afternoon out in the sun with Stacy and an injured George. George and Stacy spent Thanksgiving together south of the border. She tweeted well-wishes to her followers, writing on the holiday, "Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving everyone. Let the holiday season begin!" The end of the year brings a new George movie to theaters. Reviews of The Descendants are great, and it seems likely George will get a belated present in early 2012 with an Oscar nomination for his leading role in Sideways director Alexander Payne's latest offering.

Little Daily Tricks to Wake Up Slimmer

Health — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:01:00 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Jessica Girdwain

We get it: you want to lose the jiggle but don’t want to blacklist your favorite eats, count every single calorie, or overdose on gym hours. The great news is, you can drop weight without dieting: experts say making small change-ups to your day is one of the best ways to lose.

We grilled health and fitness pros for the tweaks that will help your shape the most. Road test a few, and you could shed five (this week!), 10, or even 20-plus pounds without a whole lot of effort.

Health.com: Diet Tricks the Pros Tell Their Friends

Power up PB
"Buy natural varieties of peanut butter and pour off the oil sitting on top. Each serving will have 20 fewer calories and two to three fewer grams of fat. It’s a small difference that'll add up to a couple of pounds per year."
-Amelia Winslow, personal chef in Los Angeles and founder of the healthy food blog Eating Made Easy

Pop to It
"Skimping on fiber will make you gain weight. Forget the pretzels and go for a bag of low-fat popcorn. It has five times the fiber and only 90 calories for six cups, so it’s filling and satisfying.

A recent study found that when women doubled their daily fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams, their bodies absorbed 90 calories less per day. You could lose almost 10 pounds in a year!"
-Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss

Health.com: Fill Up on Fiber

Dance Your Butt Off
"Kick up your heels and go dancing with your girlfriends - or have a solo dance session at home. Fast-tempo dances are not only a blast to do, but in an hour you’ll torch 400 to 500 calories. That’s equivalent to light jogging on the treadmill, but it’s way more fun!"
-Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food: Lose the Fake Food and Kickstart Your Weight Loss

Keep on reading for great slimming tips!

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Share Sweet Glances at Breaking Dawn Fan Event

Allie Merriam — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 08:26:10 PST

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, in a Longchamp sweater, could hardly contain their affection yesterday at a Breaking Dawn Part 1 fan event in LA. The couple were next to each other for a sweet group hug, and they were also seen sharing sideways glances while answering questions from the crowd. Kristen and Robert are getting used to fielding questions about their work in the Twilight series, since the last few days have been chock-full of interviews. We snagged some time with them at Friday's junket, where Kristen said Rob's kind of helped with her British accent for Snow White and the Huntsman! Meanwhile, Robert was surprised his dog has a Twitter account and joked that Bear's not really allowed to use the Internet.

George Clooney Keeps His Leather Jacket on For a Descendants Press Day

Allie Merriam — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:03:34 PDT

George Clooney switched gears to promote his movie The Descendants at the London BFI Film Festival today. He was joined by costars Shailene Woodley and director Alexander Payne, who was the man behind other hits like Sideways and Election. This morning was dedicated to Alexander's project, but yesterday George focused on his own Ides of March. George and his leading man and woman Evan Rachel Wood and Philip Seymour Hoffman attended a photo call and premiere. On Tuesday, though, George has his real-life love, Stacy Keibler, on hand for the Paris screening of Ides. Stacy hasn't popped up yet at any of the UK events, but wherever she is, she's sticking to her exercise routine. She tweeted last night, "Challenge yourself during each workout. Try something new and exciting."

How to Say No at Work

LearnVest — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:15:44 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Some things aren’t hard to say no to, like dog-sitting your neighbor’s odious chow or signing anything in the hands of nonprofit logo-wearers.

But at work, refusing a request won’t just get you puppy dog eyes - from canine or wearer. You wouldn’t want to jeopardize your position with coworkers or bosses, but there are only so many hours in a day. Plus, saying yes all the time might give the impression that you’re a pushover.

Sometimes, you just have to say no.

“The worst thing you can do is overpromise and under-deliver,” says Great On The Job founder Jodi Glickman. “People are afraid to say no, so they’ll typically say yes and hand in shoddy work.” Glickman insists that doing a lousy job is worse than stating your reservations upfront.

Success coach Marilyn Suttle notes that once you’ve decided to say no, you should just be direct. “Don’t say things like, ‘I kind of wanted more time to complete the project,’ or ‘I guess I could try to fit in the extra work.’ Those phrases will get you bulldozed into a promise you can’t keep. You gain more respect from your boss and peers when you consistently deliver on your agreements. Find the courage to be clear.”

Read on to find out the right way to say no.