CasaSugar

If Money Weren't an Issue . . .

CasaSugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:00:52 -0800

Would you install a private screening room in your home with comfy chairs, recessed lighting, and a projection screen for watching movies?

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Found It! Gossip Girl Diamond Nailhead Folding Screen

CasaSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:00:25 -0700

In last night's episode of Gossip Girl, I couldn't take my eyes off of the diamond-pattern nailhead folding screen that Serena stands in front of. It's gorgeous, isn't it? A bit Hollywood regency, a bit classic, a bit masculine. I've been looking for a screen like this for ages, so I simply had to hunt it down. Wondering where you can buy one? Then read more.

It's the Faux Leather Divider ($379.99) in black with nailhead triple diamond outlines.

I'm also really loving the Four-Panel Full House Room Divider ($379.99), which is very similar. It's ivory instead of black and has an overlapping-squares pattern instead of diamonds.

Photo courtesy of The CW

Interview With Nancy Kanter: Mom in Charge of Playhouse Disney Programming

LilSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:00:50 -0700

When your child sits down to watch Playhouse Disney, you aren't the only mother in the room. Behind the screen, the script, and the concept, there's Nancy Kanter, Senior Vice President of Playhouse Disney Worldwide and mom of three. Though her children are grown, the television exec still has babies she nurtures from concept to creation - shows like Handy Manny, Little Einsteins and Imagination Movers. It's an exhaustive process that involves educational, curriculum and cultural consultants, focus groups of moms and children, research, feedback and reworking. Each social message and its delivery is carefully crafted since youngsters are likely to replicate what they watch in the real world. The Mouse doesn't just put things on air. We recently had the chance to chat with Nancy via phone.

LilSugar: Your job is in television, but you are also a mother. What's an acceptable amount of TV?
Nancy Kanter: It's always about the balance in your life and your activities with your kids. I don't think anybody would advocate that you put your kid in front of the television for endless hours on any given day. It's a family decision. There's no magic number. We target preschoolers children two to six on Playhouse Disney. Often our programming is the first TV experience that kids have. We are thrilled with parents that pay attention to what their kids are watching, and it's our responsibility to give them really well conceived, entertaining shows. And, in the preschool world to give them something that is of value developmentally.

LilSugar: What is the time from concept to airing a show?
Nancy Kanter: It can certainly vary depending on how well the initial stage of developments go, but it's usually between a year and a year and a half in development before we say this is in good enough shape to go ahead and make a pilot and present it. From the pilot stage to finally hitting the air, that's usually a year and a half to two years.

To see what Nancy said sets Disney programming apart and if there will ever be a collaboration with Sesame Street, read more.

LilSugar: What sets Disney programming apart from that of competitors?
Nancy Kanter: Disney is recognized and has certainly made a legacy out of strong storytelling, very strong, engaging and lasting characters, and that is something that we do outstandingly well and that we try to bring to every project. It's hard because of the expectation - if something has the Disney name on it, you're expecting something very special in the same way that families save up all year to be able to go to the theme parks. You walk through those gates, and you feel like you've entered something very unique and magical. That is what the Disney brand is about so we try and bring that to our stories and our series, and we do that in a way that is sometimes a bit different than anybody else. We also know for this age group, the learning piece is very important. We try to leave that in a way that feels very organic and a part of the entertainment rather than something that pops out and isn't part of the core.

LilSugar: You have history (as an executive producer) with Sesame Street. These days, every big name like Michelle Obama is making their way there. Will a Disney character ever be a guest star?
Nancy Kanter: Most of our Disney characters are animated so it's a little hard to travel them to the live action world of Sesame Street. And, they've never asked. If they do, we'll have to think about it.

©(Disney Channel/Adam Larkey)

Google Partnering With Sony to Dominate Your Living Room

GeekSugar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:30:46 -0700

If having Google in your office and on your phone wasn't enough, the web giant is now setting its sights on your living room. Google is partnering up with Sony to launch a web-based platform they're calling Google TV for you to surf the web and watch streaming TV right from your big screen.

Using the Android platform and a version of the Chrome browser, it is said that Sony will develop a line of TVs that integrates Google TV into the hardware, which will make surfing the web, and using social network apps like Twitter and Facebook as easy as flipping through channels. Google has already designed a prototype set-top box, but says the software is easy to build right into TVs, DVD, and Blu-Ray players as well.

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Chris Weitz Wishes He Could Cut the Frolicking Vampire Scene From New Moon

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:17:58 -0800

Twilight fans still have a few months to go before Eclipse hits theaters this Summer, but they'll flock to the stores in a few weeks to pick up copies of New Moon on DVD on March 21. There are a few editions featuring all kinds of bonus features, and I was lucky enough to chat with director Chris Weitz on everything from his favorite scene, to Rob and Kristen's relationship, to what he wishes had ended up on the cutting room floor.

There are lots of different editions of the New Moon DVD. Which bonus features are you particularly excited about? I'm excited that my voice will finally be heard! For me, the fun thing was doing the commentary with Peter Lambert, my editor, because it kind of re-created the atmosphere in the cutting room. Peter's a really funny guy, and we were able to delve into not only the behind-the-scenes moments, but to explain why certain things were shot or cut together in certain ways. So that, for me, was the most fun.
When you go back and watch it again, are there things you'd like to change if you could? I would like to never have shot Rob and Kristen running through the forest and Kristen's just turned into a vampire. Because everybody always laughs and it makes me feel terrible. [Laughs] I would have shot it a different way so it wouldn't get that response. But otherwise, I'm very happy with things.
You must get lots of questions abut Rob and Kristen. Do you laugh it off or are you totally sick of hearing about it? I'm somewhat clueless - when you're the director, you're kind of like the school principal. Nobody really tells you anything. You really have no idea what's going on. I'm the last person who would know about this kinda stuff. I'm sure you could get more from reading the paper.

To see what Chris had to say about Breaking Dawn and his favorite scenes in New Moon, just read more.

What was your favorite scene to shoot in New Moon? I'm very fond of the memories that a lot of the scenes invoke in me. My favorite scene is probably somewhere between the very last scene, and the cliffhanger that it's left on, and the scenes in Italy. Just the experience shooting those scenes was so magnificent. We were in this beautiful hillside town in Tuscany, and going home to fresh-made pasta every night, and surrounded by thousands of fans of the series while we were shooting it. I know I'll never experience anything like that ever again.
We still don't know who will be directing Breaking Dawn, but what's your take on the rumors that it will likely be two movies, possibly in 3D? 3D seems to be the new thing that everything has to be. I think the good thing about 3D is that it can lend tremendous depth to a picture, and really make it extraordinarily lush, visually. And also that it gets people to go out to the theater. Film directors want people to see things in the theater, on the big screen, at least the first time. So that's a good thing. As for the book being broken up into two films, I think it's a good idea. There's so much material in the final book that I think it's warranted.
How would you direct Breaking Dawn? Very carefully, because I think that you want to deliver the fans a faithful version of the book that they love. Yes, there's a lot of extraordinary goings-on. So it'll have to be done carefully.
How do you think the movie franchise has been affected by using different directors? I think it's good for it, because I think there's a tremendous amount of coherence thanks to a very strong cast, who care about getting their characters right. And I think that the fans' interested will be un-dimmed, and I think it's interesting to see the different visual approaches, different stylistic versions, different choices that different filmmakers take.
Are you excited to see Eclipse, or will you inevitably be thinking about how you would have done it differently? I'm really excited to see it. I'm very excited to see it. I'm sure he's done a really great job. I think that he's, amongst other things, a much better action director than I am. So I'm really keen to see the action sequences. I think that there are a lot of things that I would have been very daunted by the prospect of shooting, which he will have taken in stride. I'm excited to see it whenever I can.

TiVo Announces Premiere, Premiere XL Boxes in NYC

GeekSugar — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:37:00 -0800

TiVo introduced its newest lineup today in NYC: the Premiere ($300) and Premiere XL ($400) boxes, which will both be available in early April for your media consuming needs. One of the main differences between TiVo's Series 3 boxes and these new Series 4 units is the shiny new HD flash interface (Flash? Isn't that going the way of the pager?), which utilizes larger HD screens to bring you all kinds of media in one place: cable TV, movies, music, and web.

The new boxes are smaller than previous models but aren't lacking in power - the Premiere will come stocked with a 320GB hard drive capable of up to 45 hours of HD recording, while the Premiere XL will host 1TB of storage and up to 150 hours of recording time. Alongside the new boxes, TiVo also released a QWERTY Bluetooth keyboard remote for easy button mashing.

To hear more about the TiVo Premiere and Premiere XL, just read more.

TiVo announced deals with Pandora for Internet radio streaming
Swivel Search allows you to search TV, Internet, Netflix, Amazon On Demand, Blockbuster On Demand, and YouTube for specific actors and keywords
Onscreen disk space meter shows you how much room you have left in storage
THX sound certified
Comes with one Ethernet connector, two USB 2.0 ports, and E-SATA support for external storage
WiFi enabled with a $90 attachment

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Scared of Chatroulette? Try Chatroulolz and Catroulette

TresSugar — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:00:03 -0800

Chatroulette, the rotating chat room that wheels out a new person to talk to or stare at with just one click, doesn't seem to be going away.

Why would it? It's like a computer screen into the most sad and awful and weird aspects of humanity. Chatroulolz screen-caps society's spiral downward with photos of people using Chatroulette. Whether they're covering their face, completely naked, or dressed as the Jonas Brothers, it is addicting, disturbing, and totally NSFW. Want something safer? Try Catroulette! It features cats, in totally nonsexual positions (so far), chatrouletting.

Mario Batali Heads Back Into Kitchen With Eataly

YumSugar — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:30:34 -0800

With 15 restaurants, eight cookbooks, a travel food show, and a silver screen debut under his belt, world-renowned Italian chef Mario Batali is making a return to the kitchen. This Summer, Batali will open the first US location of Eataly, a colossal food emporium based in Turin, Italy. The 60,000 square foot greenmarket and food center, which will be near Manhattan's Madison Square Park, will have a meat restaurant, a fish restaurant, a pasta and pizza eatery, a vegetable-driven restaurant, a panino bar, and a brewpub on the roofdeck. The most significant point to note, aside from the project's sheer scope, is the fact that, for the first time since he opened Otto, Batali will design the menus for all six restaurants.

Much like Tom Colicchio, who has spent more time cooking in the last year with Tom Tuesday Dinner and Colicchio & Sons Tap Room, Molto Mario admitted he's missing the time spent in the kitchen. I love the idea of a celebrated chef coming full circle and embracing the sheer joy of cooking. Do you think Batali and other celebrity chefs can still cut it in the kitchen?

Tech Idea I Need to Steal: Tori and Dean's Dining Room TV!

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:00:36 -0700

Not only was I super jealous of LilSugar's one-on-one interview with Tori Spelling last week, now I'm jealous of Tori and her flat-screen-TV-in-the-dining-room setup (part of the home remodel they did on their show, Home Sweet Hollywood).

I may be a total prude about not allowing a television in the bedroom, but in the dining room? Heck yeah. Especially for the nights when you're alone and just want Spaghettios and addictive reality TV.

I have neither a dining room nor an extra flat screen TV, so not only is Mrs. McDermott my '90s TV idol, she's my TV-displaying idol too!

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Haggling For Hotel Rooms With a Little White Lie

SavvySugar — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:00:44 -0800

Reading the rate for a room during your travel research may seem as fixed as the very print on your computer screen. However, let's think of that number as an "average." You've already compared apples to apples, scoped more savings . . . and called the hotel directly to hone in on a better price?

Well, wait right there. Instead of asking for a break outright, consider switching your story. Let's consider a hypothetical situation in which you've booked a room (that you know it is still refundable) but you would rather stay at a smaller hotel with higher posted rates. When calling this location, let them know that you have a cheaper rate at a different resort, but that you'll book with them if you can get a discounted price, free night, or even an upgrade. Independent hotels and local chains can often offer more flexibility since they get hit harder with the recession and feel more of a pressure to fill rooms.

Get one more tip when you read more.

Another call I've made is to a boutique hotel I had been dying to stay at - and offered to book (and pay for) my trip in full, in advance. They matched the lowest rate at the larger chain probably because there was a guarantee I wouldn't cancel 48-hours beforehand, and then I waited 'til I arrived to let the true bargaining begin.