FitSugar

Modern Dance at the Oscars!!! Pilobolus Moves

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:12:17 PST

Did you see the cool moves of Pilobolus last night on the Academy Awards? They're a modern dance company that has been making sculptural and shape oriented dances for years. Well if you didn't catch the show last night, here's a video of their Oscar performances. Their athletic dance style combines the flexibility of yoga and the strength of weight lifting. Trust me, Pilobolus is unlike anything you've ever seen.

Interested in seeing Pilobolus perform live, check out their performance schedule. If you've already seen them, and they've inspired you to move, classes are offered through the Pilobolus Institute (most classes and workshops are in Connecticut where they are based).

Taking risks (like standing on someone's shoulders to make a shadow image of an Oscar statuette) and trying new things is considered good for your mental health. The brain and the body both appreciate a challenge. Plus dance, especially the way Pilobolus does it, really works you out and gets you strong.

So if you are interested in dancing, try contacting local dance studios and movement centers to find out about other classes that might help you to discover a new way to move, have fun and exercise.

What to TiVo: Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:59:54 PST

8:00 Last Man Standing (repeat)
8:30 Last Man Standing (repeat)
9:00 State of the Union Address
10:30 Modern Family (repeat)
12:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live (new, with guests Elizabeth Banks and Ben McKenzie)

8:00 NCIS (repeat)
9:00 State of the Union Address
10:30 The Big Bang Theory (repeat)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (repeat, with guests Tina Fey and Jeremy Irvine)
12:37 The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (repeat, with guests Kristen Bell and Eddie Izzard)

8:00 American Idol (repeat)
9:00 State of the Union Address

8:00 The Biggest Loser (new)
9:00 State of the Union Address
11:35 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (repeat, with guest Janet Jackson)
12:35 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (repeat, with guests David Duchovny and Judah Friedlander)

8:00 90210 (new)
9:00 Remodeled (new)

Check Out the 2012 People's Choice Nominations Before the Show Airs Tonight!

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:02:20 PST

The People's Choice Awards are tonight, so now's your chance to get a good look at who's up for the trophies. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is dominating the movie categories, especially since there was no Twilight film eligible for this year's awards (though Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson still earned nods because they appeared in other movies). Vampires are still big at the PCAs, at least for the TV categories - The Vampire Diaries and its stars are all over this list. On the subject of the small screen, the awards have brought in another distinction for television: network shows and cable series are now separated (and fan favorite Game of Thrones pops up for its first season).

You'll be able to watch the results when the show airs tonight, and remember: we are LIVE from the red carpet and backstage throughout the show! The live show starts at 5 p.m. PST/ 8 p.m. EST, and you can watch us here.

To get the full list of nominations, just keep reading.

Lil Gift Guide: Great Gifts For 9-Year-Olds!

Rebecca M Gruber — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 05:53:04 PST

Nine-year-olds are quite the mature bunch! Gifts that let them try to exert their independence are a great bet for this age group.

The Logo Game ($19) is a must have for kids who pay attention to the ads on TV and the products in the grocery store! Fans of Dancing With the Stars or just those who like to dance in their rooms will love playing Just Dance 3 ($30). Consider Life of George ($30) Legos for the modern age. Kids build based on images they see and must snap a photo with an iPhone to see just how accurately they created it. Proving you're never too old to play with remote control cars, Air Hogs Hyperactives ($40) are made for adventurous kids. They may not be old enough for a cell phone yet, but kids will love having their music and games all in one place, and the iPod Touch ($190) does all of that!

The Muppets: Most Sensational, Inspirational, and Celebrational

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:00:32 PST

It would have been easy to make a new version of The Muppets that relied solely on nostalgia. Just having Kermit and the gang show up to sing some songs would have been fun, but cowriters Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller have done so much more than that. With a story that appeals to a new generation while still summoning up the magic of the classic characters, they've revived the franchise and created a funny, emotionally rich movie. The film follows Segel as Gary, a sweet everyman taking his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) and brother Walter (who happens to be a Muppet) on vacation to Los Angeles. Walter and Gary are huge Muppets fans, so they visit the old theater in LA, but they discover that it's a decrepit structure that's about to get torn down by nefarious oil magnate Tex Richman (Chris Cooper).

Walter and Gary want to warn the Muppets about Richman, but there's one big problem: the gang has split up, which means Gary and Walter have to track them down. Things get really fun as we're re-introduced to the Muppets in their new lives; some have important careers, some are down and out, some are in therapy. It's a clever way of bringing the characters up to date while also acknowledging that the Muppets aren't as popular as they once were. That kind of self-awareness is pervasive and very funny, and with so much humor and a ton of celebrity cameos, The Muppets is a wonderfully sweet comedy that's both loyal to Jim Henson's original intent and updated for modern audiences. To find out why I loved The Muppets, just keep reading.

Walmart Offers Major Gaming Deals on Black Friday

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:36:58 PST

Some Black Friday deals can be underwhelming - how many $5 USB drives do we need? - but the sale Walmart just revealed for games and gaming equipment may just be enough to lure us out on Thanksgiving night. From 10 p.m. on Thursday night through all day Friday, Nov. 25, Walmart stores are offering huge door-buster sales to feed our video game hunger.

PlayStation 3 bundles and Xbox 360 with Kinect bundles are priced at $200 each, and the Xbox set comes with a $50 Walmart gift card. The standalone Kinect and game bundle is $100, as well as the blue Wii console. The games themselves are where we get to the good stuff. Recently released titles like Batman: Arkham City, Just Dance 3, and Battlefield 3 will retail for $28. Other games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Dance Central 2 are slated for an even lower price - $15.

Are you planning to shop early or stand in line this year to get these deals?

Why Footloose Is So Bad It's Good

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:30:00 PDT

It probably won't shock you to hear that Footloose is not a cinematic masterpiece, but you might be pleasantly surprised to hear that it's pretty enjoyable. The movie, a remake of the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, tells the story of high schooler Ren (Kenny Wormald), who moves from Boston to the sleepy country town of Bomont, Georgia. Even though he finds that the town has outlawed dancing, Ren can't keep his feet from busting a move - or his eyes off the reverend's daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough).

Footloose is basically the definition of guilty pleasure, which means it's as enticing to some as it is repellent to others. I had plenty of problems with the movie, but for each criticism, I managed to find a justification - and ultimately, I had a great time. Check out my reasons for why Footloose is so bad it's actually good.

The concept of banning dancing is completely outdated. There's a curfew and what seems like a general kibosh on having fun because of an incident that happened several years before, in which a car accident claimed the lives of a few of Bomont's teens. Since dancing was involved, the Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) puts forward a motion to ban any kind of dancing in public, which is obviously a super big buzzkill to the town's dance-happy kids. It somehow seems reasonable in 1984, but in 2011? Say it with me: "Really?!"
But . . . The remake is loyal to the original movie, using the same storyline, character names, even some exact scenes. Its devotion to the '80s flick and refusal to modernize it too much makes me appreciate it a bit more, because even though it's a remake, it still knows better than to mess too much with a classic.

See why else Footloose earned its way into my heart despite its problems, just keep reading

What to TiVo: Wednesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 The Middle (new)
8:30 Suburgatory (new)
9:00 Modern Family (new)
9:30 Happy Endings (new)
10:00 Revenge (new)
12:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live (new, with guest Rob Lowe)

8:00 Survivor: South Pacific (new)
9:00 Criminal Minds (new)
10:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (new)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (new, with guest Bill Clinton)
12:37 Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (new, with guest Jim Parsons)

8:00 The X Factor (new)

8:00 Up All Night (new)
8:30 Whitney (repeat)
9:00 Harry's Law (new)
10:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (new)
11:35 Tonight Show With Jay Leno (new, with guest Zooey Deschanel)
12:35 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (new, with guest Alan Cumming and Michael Phelps)

8:00 Ringer (repeat)
9:00 America's Next Top Model (new)

Real Steel: Real Predictable

Rose Curiel — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:30:47 PDT

When you sign up to watch a movie about boxing robots, chances are you want to see mechanical carnage, and plenty of it. In Real Steel, Hugh Jackman stars as Charlie, a man who makes his living piecing robots together and sending them to the ring, so the potential for spectacular robotic clashes is high. But when Charlie's estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) shows up on his doorstep, what you get instead is a predictable father-son story that's a swing and a miss.

The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when machines have taken over the role of boxers because humans are hungry for more gore. The premise is a bit hard to believe - how do bolts win over blood, and why would sports fans be more invested in a machine than a human? On that note, the film barely lets the audience begin to connect with the beat-up, underdog robot Max uncovers in a junkyard, paying more attention to the relationship between the boy and his dad. When Max just so happens to share his father's passion for robot boxing, the film establishes a convenient means for the pair to bond. To find out why else you can pass on a ringside seat to this film, just keep reading

What to TiVo: Wednesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 The Middle (new)
8:30 Suburgatory (new)
9:00 Modern Family (new)
9:30 Happy Endings (new)
10:00 Revenge (new)
12:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live (new, with guest Will Arnett and Jane Levy)

8:00 Survivor: South Pacific (new)
9:00 Criminal Minds (new)
10:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (new)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (new, with guest George Clooney)
12:37 Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (new, with guest Joel McHale)

8:00 The X Factor (new)
9:30 Raising Hope (new)

8:00 Up All Night (new)
8:30 Free Agents (new)
9:00 Harry's Law (new)
10:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (new)
11:35 Tonight Show With Jay Leno (new, with guest Tim Allen)
12:35 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (new, with guest Shaquille O'Neal and Evan Rachel Wood)

8:00 H8R (new)
9:00 America's Next Top Model (new)