YumSugar

I Heart Food. So Do Babies.

YumSugar — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:43:31 -0700

This weekend, while I was at the Treasure Island Festival, I stumbled upon one of the best foodie shirts ever. The folks at Like Minded People have created the i {heart} food. shirt. Only, I prefer to read it as I heart chomping down on food. It's available in men's and women's sizes for $20 or as a baby onesie for $16 and a toddler tee for $18. I think it's great for adults, but think it's even better for the wee ones.

Joan Jett, Michael Shannon, and Floria Sigismondi Talk Runaways, Rocking, and Kristen

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:30:20 -0700

I've already gotten to tell you what I think about rock biopic The Runaways, with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, but now it's time to hear from the stars and the others behind the scenes of the movie. Pop chatted up Kristen Stewart on the red carpet in NYC, but we also have some choice words from its inspiration Joan Jett, costar Michael Shannon, and director Floria Sigismondi.

Joan Jett on the message of the film: Ultimately, to follow your dreams. That good old cliché of following your dreams, because I really feel that people beat down other people’s dreams constantly. I see it a lot with writers, when I talk to them about this. I guess a lot of writers must be told, "You’ll never make money that way, get a real job!" A lot of writers want to write . . . To me, I just think it’s really important to try and follow your dream. And if for some reason life takes you a different way, then at least you made an attempt.
Joan on first meeting Kristen: I met her last New Year’s Eve. She came up to see a gig and I kind of just dumped on her about The Runaways for several hours and asked her if she was going to cut her hair. She said yes, and I had great faith that she was going to be able to pull this off because she seemed very dedicated and genuine and authentic. We had a few weeks before filming started to spend some time, and she picked my brain.

To read Michael Shannon and Floria Sigismondi's thoughts, just read more.

Joan on the process of making the film: Working with the actors was great. They were brilliant. The whole process was brutal, but in general working with the actors was great.

Michael Shannon on working with so many young actresses: They’re all very nice people, and they’re all very nice to me. There’s no tension, really. Everybody was so focused on trying to do a good job, Kristen was constantly with Joan, trying to learn as much as she could and absorb as much as she could from her. Dakota was always practicing her moves and getting inside of Cherie’s frame of mind. It wasn’t a very social kind of thing.

Michael on whether the set was all work and no play: I always approached it in that way. I guess that makes me sort of boring. But you get paid a lot of money to show up and do this stuff, so I figured it should pretty much be all work, no play. I sort of wish I was more like George Clooney - sort of show up and crack jokes. But I was really intimidated by the prospect of playing Kim Fowley.
Michael on working with such vulgar dialogue: It was f-ing amazing. (Laughs.) Sorry. It was vulgar - I mean, I asked them if we could clean it up a little bit. But they said, "Well that’s not the way it happened." The bottom line is we’re trying to re-create something that actually happened, so we had to stick to those parameters. That’s the way they talked. They were comfortable talking to each other that way.
On meeting Kim Fowley with Kristen: My first day of shooting, I hadn’t met him yet. We did a scene and at the end of the day Joan and Kristen were like, "You should really meet him; you’re playing this guy." I was like, "Yeah, you’re right." So they set up a dinner. We had dinner at this Denny’s in the Valley, and he came with all these pictures and clippings, told me his whole life story in about two hours.
Floria Sigismondi on how Kristen got cast: It started with Art Linson, he’d worked with her on Into the Wild, so I saw her in that - the short amount of time she was on screen, she was so captivating. Her eyes just tell a lot. And when I think of teenagers, and these girls, too, teenagers don’t really sit there and express their feelings and talk - it’s all in the face. I really wanted someone who would emote visually, not talking that much. She’s got that kind of quality. So when I met her, I instantly knew I wanted her for Joan.
Floria on Dakota joining things: Dakota kind of became that age right at the time we started to cast, so I was writing and I hadn’t thought of her. When she was interested, I was really excited because of the fact that everybody’s grown up with her and that you would know how it would feel for a 15-year-old to do the things she did.
Floria on getting the girls ready to rock: We put them through some lessons, but [Kristen] already knew how to play guitar, but really just to have them kind of polish up - actually all the girls. And then Dakota, I actually put her in front of a live band to rehearse so she knew what it would feel like to compete against drums and big amps and really loud music.
Floria on Kristen’s transformation into Joan: I could see her change onstage when she was rehearsing with the girls - from the back, her body started to change, really, physically transform. And I think it was because she was standing like Joan does and getting that kind of arch in her shoulders and so that was really interesting to see.
Floria on how Joan’s presence on set affected Kristen: It gave her a comfort level that if she veered to something wrong, someone would say something. They had a close relationship.

Gisele Opens Up About Pregnancy, Birth, and Returning to Work

babysugar — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:05:03 -0700

We already know about her bathtub waterbirth that didn't hurt a bit and how safe she felt during delivery. Now, in her first US interview, Gisele Bundchen graces the April cover of Vogue with a photo shoot showing off her six-week-old son, Benjamin, and her post-baby body. She also discusses how she kept her weight gain to 30 pounds, how the baby got his name and who was at her side during the birth – her husband, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, her mom, and a friend from Brazil who served as a midwife. Here are the highlights:

On keeping out of the public eye: “I felt like my pregnancy was a sacred moment for me. I stayed in Boston and I didn’t work apart from the contracts I have, and then I only let them use my face.”

On staying in shape while pregnant: “I did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week. I think a lot of people get pregnant and decide they can turn into garbage disposals. I was mindful about what I ate, and I gained only 30 pounds.”

On her baby’s name, Benjamin Rein: “I wanted him to be called River because I wanted something always flowing, immortal. My husband said, ‘There’s no way we’re going to call him River.’ But my father’s name is Reinoldo, so it’s a homage to him. And it’s like water.”

On having a big family: “I’m so lucky to have my little munchkin, and I have two because I also have John.”

On returning to work for the first time: “I got to the studio and I felt like I was E.T.-whoa, what’s going on? Hair and makeup? I hadn’t looked at myself in a mirror for a month and a half… Usually, as I walk through the door into that atmosphere, I already feel different. There’s a button that goes On and I’m On. And when I go On, there is almost no me; there is just a character who is doing all this. This time it wasn’t like that… For the first time, I think I actually saw me-the inside-instead of the persona.”

On the secret to getting through each day: “The first is wake up in the morning and be grateful you are here, alive and healthy. And the second is: Give.”

Source: Patrick Demarchelier/Vogue

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Gisele Shares Her Post-Baby Body and Son Benjamin With Vogue!

PopSugar — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:04:37 -0700

Gisele Bundchen is back from her modeling hiatus with a big appearance on the upcoming April cover of Vogue. The accompanying photo shoot also features the supermodel posing in her bikini, but the most exciting part is that she brought adorable and naked baby Benjamin along! Gisele opened up to the magazine about how she stayed in shape during her pregnancy, her new skincare line and discussed what it's like working again as a new mom. She said:

On naming their son Benjamin Rein: “I wanted him to be called River because I wanted something always flowing, immortal. My husband said, ‘There’s no way we’re going to call him River.’ But my father’s name is Reinoldo, so it’s a homage to him. And it’s like water.”
On staying in shape while pregnant: "I did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week. I think a lot of people get pregnant and decide they can turn into garbage disposals. I was mindful about what I ate, and I gained only 30 pounds. I think it's muscle memory."
On keeping out of the public eye: "I felt like my pregnancy was a sacred moment for me. I stayed in Boston and I didn’t work apart from the contracts I have, and then I only let them use my face."
On her first time modeling post-birth: "I got to the studio and I felt like I was E.T.-whoa, what’s going on? Hair and makeup? I hadn’t looked at myself in a mirror for a month and a half… Usually, as I walk through the door into that atmosphere, I already feel different. There’s a button that goes On and I’m On. And when I go On, there is almost no me; there is just a character who is doing all this. This time it wasn’t like that… For the first time, I think I actually saw me-the inside-instead of the persona."

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Japanese School Tells Students How to Find and Keep Spouses

TresSugar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:45:57 -0800

Well, this is certainly one way to find a husband! Unfortunately, it's unlikely any students will find romance at Japan's Infini marriage prep school because it teaches men and women to become marriage material separately - they learn how to sit, walk, and endear themselves to the parents of potential spouses.

And it is men and women: the average age of students is 30. It's mostly women, but that's not because men aren't registering. They just aren't showing up when the premarital wedding bells ring. I don't blame them! In class, students must go on pretend dates, and instructors then critique their performances.

"Before, people would find it easy to get married because families and society would connect them in some way, sometimes pushing them to get married," said Etsuko Satake, the Infini marriage school's principal. "But nowadays, people have too many choices and cannot seem to make up their minds."

Does this seem like the right lesson or a bad message?

Source: Flickr User LeeLeFever

Jessica Sings, Doesn't Brush Her Teeth, Is OK With Her Tummy - Details From Her Private NYC Show!

PopSugar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0800

Jessica Simpson was a busy bee in NYC yesterday, starting with a stop by The Late Show to talk about The Price of Beauty and, of course, her well-publicized love life. She was then off for a private show hosted by iheartradio, where she belted out "Who We Are," the new song you guys feel so-so about. Jess also screened the first episode of her show, which was actually hilarious and showed her in top Newlyweds form - think happy ending jokes after a Thai massage and eating bugs and you'll get the idea. Her BFF Ken Paves was there to show his support, and he even shared his drink with Jessica during the screening. Post performance, Jessica took the stage for a Q&A with fans and touched again on her love life, as well as her hygiene regimen and Heidi Montag's body image. She said:

On being OK with her body: "I can sit here and have my stomach hang over - it's a great thing!"
On her oral hygiene: "I don't brush my teeth . . . No, really! I just use Listerine. And sometimes I'll just use my sweater."
On John Mayer: "In John's case, I think he was trying to make a joke. But it wasn't a joke - I don't accept it. I really find it very disappointing. Those are intimate details that you don't want the world to know. He gave away my game! I'm like the good girl, and then the bad girl sometimes! I'm like, that's my game! Maybe in his mind he was thinking he was giving me a compliment, but . . . he wasn't."

To see more photos of Jess and read what she has to say about Heidi Montag, her own crazy beauty antics, and a future in TV production, just read more.

On Heidi Montag "The media puts so much pressure on women to feel beautiful, and when you're in a place of purpose and people are listening to you, that's a challenge - like, do you feel beautiful or not? Are you going to let the world take over you? Are you going to feed into what people think is beautiful or are you going to find it yourself? So I don't really know anything about her . . . I know that she had lots of plastic surgery!"
On the craziest thing she's done to look more beautiful: "My sister's husband Pete was having a birthday party, and we were at my parents' house, and it was a whole Star Wars theme. Everyone was going as Princess Leia. So I was like, 'You know what, I think guys will dig it if I show up as Chewbacca. If I have on some like, full on facial hair.' . . . We made this dress out of a rug, but I thought I'm like a hot Chewbacca."
On going into TV production: "There are things I feel in my heart can be successful . . . There are ongoing projects that I have - fun ideas, but I can't talk about them yet!"

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Assisted Living: Decorating PartySugar's New Digs

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:00:00 -0800

PartySugar asked the Assisted Living group for help decorating her new place:

Hey readers! I just moved and need to start decorating my new place. I have tons of white walls and am open to affordable and creative ideas. The bad news is, I can't paint because I don't own the place. I took a bunch of photos of the space now. It's a studio. I'm going with brown as a base color and pink, turqioise, and green as accents. I've also included photos of my inspiration board. Think Moroccan-inspired prints, leopard, and lots of textures. How should I decorate?

With her inspiration board and limited budget in mind, I've rounded up a few products that might help PartySugar achieve the look she's going for. I also have a few suggestions for her to keep in mind while she's shopping. Want to see my thoughts and offer your own?

Group Therapy: My Boyfriend Wants a Threesome

Tres Community — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:00:13 -0800

This question comes from Group Therapy in our TrèsSugar Community. Feel free to add your advice in the comments!

Recently my boyfriend told me that he wants to have a threesome with another woman. He said it's "just something he's always been curious about and has never done before." Personally, I have also been curious about this, however I don't like the idea of doing it with my boyfriend so much. When I was single, it was something that was on my mind, but now I'm not sure how I feel about it anymore because it's someone I care about as opposed to people I'm not in a relationship with. He is very serious about doing this and I don't know what to do. I tried putting it off by saying that neither of us really know any women who would be up for it -but he still brings it up and wants to start looking for someone together.

I'm really torn because it is something I would do, but I wouldn't want the woman to have him to herself in any way. I am not a jealous person and I know I am an attractive woman and am 100 percent confident in myself, yet I still feel like it might be a bad idea. He claims that all he wants is for him and I to have intercourse and for her to be there to watch or do things to me. Maybe the both of us give him oral. Or he wants to watch the two of us together. But in the heat of the moment, I don't know what would happen. I do not want him to have sex with her and I have made this very clear to him. He says he wouldn't do that. But I'm nervous. He really wants to do this.

To see the rest of the dilemma, read more.

I feel pressured because I'm younger than him as well. I am 20, he is 26. He says that it's just a threesome and it's something he just wants to try. He is making it sound like it's not really a big deal, but to me it's more than just sex. I feel like he might not care about me the way I care about him. We have an amazing sex life, so I cant understand why he wants to do this so badly. I would really love to hear about anyone else's experiences in similar situations? I need advice badly.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it, anonymously, to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community. Maybe we'll feature your content on TrèsSugar.

Lil Community: Did Anyone Regret Not Finding Out the Gender?

Lil Community — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:00:53 -0800

This post was submitted by Beaner in The Pregnancy Posse group.

Hi all. I'm almost 16 weeks pregnant with our first baby, and my hubby and I are overjoyed. In about a month, we have the big appointment where we can learn our baby's gender (if he or she cooperates). It's very exciting, but the thing is, when we first found out I was prego, my husband wanted to find out if the little one was a boy or girl, and I was adamant about not finding out. Now that it's getting closer to the time when we can find out, he's changed his mind and wants to keep it a surprise till the big day, but now I'm leaning toward finding out.

I guess I'm just feeling like if we don't find out at our next appointment, then we'll have to wait another five months or so. I'm also thinking about how much fun it will be to decorate the nursery, make a baby quilt (that's not just cream-colored), and start picking up some baby dresses or baseball hats. I still love the idea of keeping it a surprise until August, when he or she is born, because really, when do you get to have such a huge surprise like that in your life? Plus, about 98 percent of the other pregnant women I know all know what they're having, and it seems so few people are waiting until the big moment when the baby arrives. So I'm wondering if there are any moms out there who regretted not finding out, and if waiting the full nine months was really tough.

P.S. This is a photo from our 12-week ultrasound. Our little one is already doing yoga, just like his or her mommy.
Talk about motherly things on your mind at The Pregnancy Posse group over in the LilSugar Community.

Alice in Wonderland: A Fun Trip, but Lacking Muchness

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:30:00 -0800

Towards the opening of Alice in Wonderland, a young Alice lays in bed as her father leans in to tell her a secret. She's been having odd dreams about a rabbit in a waistcoat, and questions if she's losing her mind. He responds by telling her that crazy people are the best kind. I'd venture even further: in this film, crazy is king.

Alice in Wonderland feels like a story that's tailor-made for Tim Burton's directorial touch. Where else can you shrink ten sizes smaller with just a sip of a drink? In this new re-telling, a now 19-year old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is about to be engaged against her wishes. That is, until she spies her old furry friend the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen).

Chasing after him, she once again ventures into the world known as Underland (which she once fondly referred to as "Wonderland" in childhood). Seeing the new landscape, we immediately empathize with Alice's mix-up. This land is not the Disney-riffic place that many of us think of, but a bleaker setting where the Mad Hatter's tea party is in the middle of a wasteland and lopped-off heads float in a moat around the Red Queen's castle.

It should go without saying then, that this film is not for tiny tykes. Older children and adults, however, may find stuff to like - particularly the performances. For more on those, read more.

Helena Bonham Carter nearly steals the show here as the Red Queen; her huge, heart-shaped head sits atop a tiny body as she shouts "off with her head" like a bad tick. Alice infiltrates her castle in order to retrieve a sword that controls the kingdom, and put it into the benevolent hands of Red's sister the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). Thus, Alice becomes a Joan of Arc heroine, and this story is ultimately about her finding her own gumption, aka her "muchness" - with some help from the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), naturally. Depp delivers his usual silly shtick, breaking into a jig or a brogue at the drop of a, er, hat; but he also has tender scenes with Alice that depict the Mad Hatter as Alice's alternative father figure. It's these interactions that give the film heart in the midst of the chaos. It's also something I would have liked to see more of.

Where the film misses its own "muchness," however, is perhaps in the collaboration of Burton and Disney. The film is a little too dark for Disney, but a little too slicked out in CGI and 3D for Burton. I'd be curious to see where Burton would have taken the story if left to his own devices. Instead, the film we get builds up to a battle climax that takes a page from Lord of the Rings. It's still entertaining, but to me, the treasure to be found in Wonderland is its characters - and for a story that lends itself to such an array of delightful possibilities, we don't get to play with them nearly enough.

If you'd like to review a movie you've seen recently, check out the Movie Reviews Group in community. I may even feature your critique on the site!

Photos courtesy of Disney