TresSugar

Karen Gillan Dishes on the Doctor, River, and Fans

Kelly Schwarze — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:30:13 PST

With just about two weeks remaining until Doctor Who fans get their seasonal fix with the Christmas episode, there's a happy break in the Who absence, as Karen Gillan (who plays Amy Pond) spoke on all things Doctor to the Los Angeles Times.

Take a peek at Karen's perspective of her character's strange family tree and what she has planned for life after the BBC's popular sci-fi show. Warning: season six spoilers right ahead!

Return of the Ponds - "I have not read a single word of the next season. I know I am coming back, but that’s all I know, to be honest." In unison: Woohoo!
River Song's Reveal - "I did not know that River Song was Amy and Rory’s daughter until we got the script for that episode. Because if I’d known that, it probably would have changed the way we interacted with one another, River and Amy."
Karen vs. Amy - "I’m not anywhere near as sort of sassy and confident as she is. At all . . . But obviously there are bits of me in there, but it’s probably . . . bits that are a bit odder."

Find out Karen's strangest moment with a fan after the break.

Geek Shot: The Doctor Makes a Schoolhouse Call

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:33:01 PDT

Hold on to your sonic screwdrivers, because this story is adorable. The student body at UK's Oakley Junior School got a big surprise last week, as Matt Smith showed up for a Doctor Who viewing party. Four of Oakley's writerly finest entered into a script-writing contest sponsored by BBC earlier this year for a chance to see their three-minute episode of Doctor Who come to life. The students were planning on getting a sneak peek of the episode, but weren't expecting to see Matt Smith himself. Yet another reason to love Matt Smith.

The special episode will air on BBC Three this Saturday, Oct. 1, but you can get a better look at the visit (and the sci-fi-loving students) in a video on BBC's website.

This Might Be the Wildest Makeunder Show Ever

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:33:44 PST

I'm currently mesmerized by BBC Three's Snog, Marry, Avoid?, a makeunder reality TV show that promises to "transform the nation's slap [makeup] addicts into natural beauties." The show, hosted by Atomic Kitten's Jenny Frost and a bizarre CGI camera called POD, takes tanned, augmented, extensions-wearing ladies (and the occasional gentleman), makes fun of them, and then puts them in a more "reasonable" outfit with hair and makeup to match.

The show's extremely addictive, but it leaves me questioning why it's so imperative for these women to change, and why the mean jokes are necessary. Many genuinely seem to like the way they look and are self-aware about it. They know they're over the top, but it just so happens that the look is what they like. Check out model Laura Summers get "transformed" in the video below.

Techrevolutionary: Chimps-Turned-Filmmakers

PetSugar — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:10:21 PST

Eleven tech-savvy chimps at the Edinburgh Zoo aren't just playing with orange boxes, they're using special cameras inside to shoot their own footage. As part of a documentary airing on BBC on Jan. 27, The Chimpcam Project shows them experiencing video streaming, using touchscreen technology, and recording their world with these orange boxes. Since chimpanzees can't yet talk (in ways we can understand), I've created my own dialogue for the "film" - check it out when you start this tech-evolutionary slideshow!

Diaries of Victorian-Era Lesbian to Be Turned Into BBC Drama

TresSugar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:30:17 PST

The term lesbian was not coined until 50 years after Anne Lister's death in 1840, but the masculine girl from Yorkshire, England, was well aware of her sexuality from an early age. And as an adult, she lived in a surprisingly modern same-sex relationship.

Early on, Anne decided being different was not wrong or bad or a reason to change. At 13, she began her first relationship with her boarding-school roommate. Though she documented desires for a lifelong partnership in her diary, the relationship, like most first romances, did not last. Armed with the knowledge of "how to please a woman," she went on to have a series of relationships with women, which she always documented in code, marking her many orgasms with an X.

After her death at 49, her unusually understanding family hid her prolific diaries in a wall where they remained for over a century. They were found by chance during construction, and a local historian spent years uncoding the nearly four million words. Now the BBC is creating a costume drama out of it. Considering I can hang with any period piece, I can only hope this makes it to BBC America!

Source: Flickr User Camil Tulcan

All You Can Eat - Recession Buster or Fat Maker?

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:00:15 PDT

Taybarns restaurant is introducing a new dining concept to the English - all you can eat. It's nothing we haven't seen in the United States. We have all-you-can-eat baked potato and pizza bars, endless breadsticks and salad, and the kind of buffets that would make Elvis weep if he was still kickin' it in Vegas.

The Taybarns message is clear: "Enjoy as much as you like, as many times as you like. All for one fixed price!" That fixed price gives you a 111-foot counter filled with pizza, Chinese food, carving stations, fry stations, desserts, and more. The English are going crazy for the buffet-style chain, and while neighboring restaurants continue to close, Taybarns is on the up.

During tough economic times, giving people the most bang for their buck seems like a smart business model, but at what cost? As reported by the BBC, not everyone likes Taybarns. They think the chain encourages unhealthy eating habits and will cause England's collective waistline to expand.

It's a common argument, and one that's been batting around in the US for some time. Is it the fault of (insert any fast food giant here), or does the responsibility fall on the individual? Does walking into Taybarns rob a human of their free will, and why isn't healthy food more accessible to the masses?

Papa John's Founder Tells Customers Not to Overeat Pizza

partysugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:00:10 PST

Late last week, the founder of Papa John's pizza chain, John Schnatter, warned customers against eating too much pizza. The unexpected advice was given during an interview with BBC's Radio Four program in the UK. Schnatter got himself into trouble when he said:

Pizza's actually healthy for you if you don't eat too much of it. You can't eat five or six slices but if you eat one or two slices it's very nutritious.

The BBC presenter, Adam Shaw, was quick to respond pointing out that he's not sure Papa John's "investors would want to hear you [Schnatter] tell people don't eat too much of our pizzas." Although some may see this as a horrible slip, I think Schnatter is responsibly representing the everything-in-moderation diet. Perhaps, if the creator of Garden of Eatin' blue corn tortilla chips had warned Oprah not to eat an entire bag, she would not have gained the weight.

What do you think of his comment? Was it wrong for him to state the truth because it could negatively affect the sale of pizzas?

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Flashback: The Young Ones

GiggleSugar — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Wow. I haven't thought of this show in ages. The Young Ones was an '80s BBC comedy about four unlikely roommates - a punk rocker, Vyvyan, an anarchist, Rick, a short guy who wore sunglasses all the time, Mike, and my favorite, a hippie named Neil. In this episode, Neil (poor thing, he always made tea and food for his meanie roommates), displays typical problem solving skills when he discovers the lentils he wants to cook are trapped behind precariously organized plates and bowls in the cupboard. How will he get to them without breaking everything? And will Vyvyan be of any help? Let's see. . .

TV Today: Get Spaced on BBC America

BuzzSugar — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:00:30 PDT

For all you folks who are huge fans of the Simon Pegg-Jessica Hynes comedy Spaced, you've probably already ordered or put at the top of your Netflix queue the new series DVDs, which are releasing this upcoming Tuesday, July 22. For everyone else, BBC America is awesomely running marathons of the show today, starting at 3:00 p.m. EST.

According to EW, those of you holding out for the DVDs will certainly not be disappointed, as they feature "uber-geeky, super-amusing, very informative commentary by Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Matt Stone, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt, Diablo Cody, and of course show creators-stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, and director Edgar Wright."

In the meantime, I'm going to make my TiVo work overtime today with both this marathon and the Mad Men one. Yippee!

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Which British Monarch Deserves the Failure Crown?

LibertySugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:00:21 PDT

While Americans only have 43 leaders to rate historically, the Brits have many more centuries of eccentric monarchs to discuss and criticize.

British historians want to figure out which monarch was the biggest failure. King George III didn't make the list, since I guess the Brits can't decide whether to thank or blame him for losing the American colonies.

Here are the credentials of the top three royal losers. Who should take the crown as Britain's worst monarch?

Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1567) aka "Mary Queen of Murder Plots " - Her involvement in the murder of her husband forced her into exile in England. Once there, she was imprisoned for 19 years, and eventually executed for plotting to kill the Queen of England.
Edward II (1307- 1327) aka "King Pay Back's a Bi*ch" - After losing a war with Scotland he imprisoned his estranged wife. But, his wife got the last laugh, as her army later imprisoned him and forced him to abdicate the throne for incompetence.
George IV (1820-1830) aka "The Playboy Prince" - Known for his excessive lifestyle and womanizing, he married his cousin to clear his debts. He went on to ban his estranged cousin/wife from his coronation.

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