GeekSugar

Quarterlife . . . May Not Have a Life

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:10:14 PST

Look, I'm great at suspending my disbelief for TV shows - I am an avid Lost viewer, after all. But the portrayal of the Internet and blogging in new show Quarterlife is just too much.

I was so excited when I heard that this show (which I'd never watched on MySpaceTV before) would feature the main character as a blogger - a lot of people have personal blogs nowadays, and I was hoping the show could explore the impact of a female blogger who blogs about her friends and personal life. Sadly, the show opens with the terrible line "Why do we blog? We blog to exist." Really?! What does that even mean? Dylan Krieger - the main character and blogger - has a MacBook. Our similarities end there.

For what I think about Dylan and the hilarious Internet portrayal,

Dylan is a self-absorbed, insecure voyeur who watched one too many episodes of My So-Called Life as a teenager and now suffers from tortured artist syndrome. Not a starving artist, of course, because Dylan is obviously a college grad from a nice, rich suburb. Her problems are as annoying as she is: She's upset that, as a recent graduate who's landed an amazing job as an editorial associate at a magazine, one of the ideas she spouted off in a (very common) moment of self-righteousness has been stolen by another employee. Dylan also suffers from "I'm a writer" syndrome (you know, where she can't stop saying it aloud so everyone knows how much better than them she is) and the illness in which one is convinced other people are not worthwhile unless they're artists.

Now, let's discuss the blogging. Dylan uses a MySpace-like profile on the not-so-fictional Quarterlife social network (which they dismiss as being "in beta," like that matters anymore). From her profile, she takes a video of herself and makes a video blog. I hate the word "vlog," but was anyone else annoyed that they never brought the term up? It also killed me when they said things like, "Are you upset that I blogged you?" At one point, one character says "You have my face all over the frickin' net!" Since when is it called the 'net? Since that Sandra Bullock movie came out?

And what about this weird importance they seem to place on blogging? All of Dylan's friends are very impressed that she has a blog on a social network site at a time when everyone and their mother has a personal blog. They are also very upset that she's saying personal things about them on her "blog" - what, do they think she's getting picked up on digg?

This show has tons of cred - as far as TV goes, Buzz reported that these are the producers of My So-Called Life (and the writing team includes Devon Gummersall, aka Brian Krakow), and as far as geekery goes (Macs and Final Cut Pro, oh my!), this show should have been a shoe-in to my TiVo schedule. Bitsie Tulloch, who plays Dylan, was even a cast member on Internet sensation lonelygirl15!

I'm really disappointed with this first episode, but I'm no quitter. I also remember the terrible pilots of some of my other favorite shows, so I'll give this a chance to find itself. And hopefully the writers will find themselves in front of a browser in 2008, figuring out "the 'net" for today's audience.

Website Of The Day: Your Truman Show

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:00:07 PDT

If you're interested in video blogging and lifecasting, but the around the clock Justin TV Network isn't your style, consider checking out Your Truman Show, a new personal video site that launches today. Obviously inspired by the 1998 wonder Truman Show, the site hopes to become the "place for personal videos on the web" and offers a free platform where anyone can share their life with the rest of the world.

The creators are asking for "your stories, your friends’ sagas, the compelling tales of the random people you come across everyday. True stories, fictional tales…and even quasi-fictional accounts of things that may (or may not) have happened."

Unlike the Justin TV Network, which was born out of now famous lifecaster Justin's antics, Your Truman Show seems as if it was created with women in mind and allows you to upload edited, controlled video. The site is clean white and gray (save for a small dose of pink) and doesn't overwhelm viewers with theatrics. Of course, you can always film your own videos with your camera and put them on TeamSugar. Hint. Hint.

To learn how to post your favorite sites to the Website of the Day group,

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group
Click "Create and Share!" on the left hand side
Choose "Blog"
Give your photo a Title
Leave the category as "general"
Change the channel to "technology and gadgets"
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day")
Click on the "Add Image" link below the "body" box
A popup window will happen - click on "Browse" to find your image on your computer
Once you have the image chosen, click "Submit"
The popup will show you your image, choose size: "normal" - if you want, you can give it a title (which will show up as a caption)
Click "Insert" and the popup will go away
Your "body" box will now have some text in it. Leave it as is. If you want to add some text before the picture telling me why you love the website, do it before the code that has appeared.
Click Submit

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Is Heidi Klum Trying to Make Seal Jealous?

Katie Henry — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:45:36 PDT

Heidi Klum debuts racy new music video - People
Find out who ranks highest on Gwyneth Paltrow's friend list - Lainey Gossip
Adam Lambert makes chart-topping history - HuffPost Entertainment
Is John Mayer referencing Fifty Shades of Grey to pick up ladies? - The Superficial
Tara Reid has a new boyfriend - D-Listed
Bar Refaeli says men don't ask her out - JustJared
Tracy Morgan thinks Obama needs a tattoo - BuzzFeed
Irina Shayk gets to work in a bikini - Hollywood Tuna
Who has the top celebrity fragrance of 2012? - Pink Is the New Blog
Gillian Zinser dropped from the cast of 90210 - Zap2It
Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton party in Cannes - TooFab
Small fire breaks out at Kim Zolciak's home - ET Online
Aubrey Plaza has a romantic comedy idea for Ryan Gosling - The Frisky
Will Hulu's original programming change TV? - The Daily Beast

Kanye West Attends Kourtney Kardashian's Baby Shower

Lauren Turner — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:35:39 PDT

Kanye West as a guest and other details from Kourtney Kardashian's baby shower - Us Weekly
An up-close look at Eva Longoria's sexy Cannes dress - People
Watch Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield sing together in German - Lainey Gossip
Charlize Theron is already lining up her next project - HuffPost Entertainment
Find out what's really going on with the Jonas Brothers - D-Listed
What do you think of Shia LaBeouf's long, curly hair? - JustJared
The youngest celebrities on Twitter - BuzzFeed
Vanessa Hudgens and her sister have similar style - Hollywood Tuna
Why is Selena Gomez at a shooting range? - Pink Is the New Blog
Rihanna wears a see-through skirt and tube top to dinner - The Superficial
How What to Expect became a phenomenon - The Daily Beast
Joey Lawrence joins the Chippendales in Las Vegas - The Insider
Lady Gaga greeted by protests in the Philippines - Zap2it
Jenny McCarthy to return to Playboy at 40 - TooFab
See hot Chris Hemsworth in Florence + The Machine's new video - popbytes

Billy Bob Shares Details About His Marriage to Angelina Jolie

Katie Henry — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:50:44 PDT

Billy Bob Thornton claims he never felt good enough for his ex-wife Angelina Jolie - D-Listed
Ben Stiller and David Schwimmer get photo-bombed in Cannes - People
Michael Fassbender talks candidly about his Oscar snub - Lainey Gossip
Disco Queen Donna Summer has passed away - HuffPost Entertainment
Rooney Mara arrested on the job - JustJared
Zooey Deschanel's brother has A Siri commercial too - BuzzFeed
Hayden Panettiere tries out a boho look - Hollywood Tuna
Hilary Duff loves sharing photos of baby Luca - Pink Is the New Blog
Justin Bieber sticks up for Kim Kardashian - The Superficial
Ridley Scott opens up about Prometheus and Blade Runner 2 - The Daily Beast
Community finale will be full of 8-bit video game goodness - Zap2it
See Kanye West in new Keeping Up with the Kardashians promos - TooFab
Mel B return to Dancing With the Stars? - I'm Not Obsessed
Find out what freaks Carrie Underwood out - ET Online
Will there be another all-male finale on American Idol? - BuddyTV

Link Time: Could This Be Gisele's Sexiest Cover Yet?

Marisa Tom — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:46:22 PDT

This could be Gisele's sexiest cover . . . maybe ever? - HuffPost Style
Lady Gaga brings back the meat dress for Tokyo concert - Styleite
Olivia shows off her island wedding style and we're obsessed - Olivia Palermo
Must read: Tyra Banks's open letter to models - The Daily Beast
Meet Sofia Coppola's stylish niece Gia - Stylelist
Moda Operandi kicks off its first ever Australia Week with a fun video - Racked
Wishing we could visit the Hermès pop-up store in Paris - Style.com
Nordstrom tops consumers' lists for luxury department stores - Purse Blog
Fendi reissues its iconic baguette for its 15th anniversary - Fashion Indie
Karlie Kloss takes a steamy shower in McQueen with Olympic athletes - The Cut
Karl Lagerfeld explains his whimsical cruise collection - Fashionista

Stacy Keibler Reveals That She's Living With George Clooney

Katie Henry — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:03:21 PDT

Stacy Keibler talks about sharing a home with George Clooney - Lainey Gossip
Howard Stern says he's "more wonderful" than Piers Morgan - Zap2it
Kourtney Kardashian celebrated at weekend baby shower - People
Taylor Lautner to star in Parkour movie - HuffPost Entertainment
Jessica Simpson's maternity line to launch this Fall - TooFab
Mark Ronson shares new stories about Amy Winehouse - The Frisky
Find out what brought Jennie Garth to tears - D-Listed
Is Jennifer Connelly planning for more children? - ET Online
Mandy Moore and Emmanuelle Chriqui team up for Tron - JustJared
Larry David joined Twitter - BuzzFeed
Justin Bieber dedicates a song to his mom on Mother's Day - Pink Is the New Blog
Katy Perry the dominatrix? - Hollywood Tuna
Rihanna shares sexy behind-the-scenes photos from her latest video - The Superficial
See who's coming to TV this Fall - The Daily Beast

18 Spring Activities to Get Your Geek on

Laura Marie Given — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:42:00 PDT

Whether you prefer to be in the kitchen or on the road, we've come up with several creative ideas to keep you busy this Spring. Looking for some new pastimes? From DIYs to nerdy day trips, we've got 18 fun, geeky ideas to get you through the season.

Have a documentary marathon: Not sure where to start? Check out Frozen Planet, a seven-part series from the team behind Planet Earth, to learn more about climate changes (and adorable animals!) in the Poles.
Become an amateur astronomer: Pick an especially clear night and look at the stars with the 5 Stars Astronomy Guide App. It's simple: hold your phone to the sky and you'll learn all about the constellation in front of you.
Host a Comic-Con party: Get your pals to dress up as their favorite comic book characters and go for bold, bright decorations. Keep your favorite comic-inspired flicks playing in the background and serve drinks in these Vintage DC Comic Tumblers ($125 for 6).
Try a coding class: Do a bit of research to find local coding classes at a community college. Sign up solo or invite your Internet-obsessed pals to join so that you can help each other learn the HTML ropes.

Keep reading for more geeky things to do.

Details on Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds's Family Dinner in Canada

Lauren Turner — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:42:43 PDT

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds dine with family in Vancouver - People
Why Rihanna doesn't get enough credit for her fashion sense - Lainey Gossip
How Justin Bieber has already started celebrating Mother's Day - HuffPost Entertainment
Julianne Hough bounces around in a bikini - Hollywood Tuna
How Gwyneth Paltrow helped Courtney Love lose weight - D-Listed
Andrew Garfield talks about his Spider-Man dream - JustJared
Listen to Jon Hamm freestyle rap - BuzzFeed
What do you think of Kate Beckinsale's hilarious political video? - The Frisky
Dustin Hoffman's good deed saves a man's life - Pink Is the New Blog
Did something happen between Alexander Skarsgard and Rihanna? - The Superficial
Meet the woman behind New Girl - The Daily Beast
Chris Colfer and Cory Monteith spill Glee details - Zap2it
Who wins in a bikini battle between Kim Kardashian and Halle Berry? - TooFab

See Lady Gaga's Latest Wig . . . Er, Dress

BellaSugar — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:01:00 PDT

Lady Gaga sported a purple floor-length wig . . . er, dress - HuffPost Style
Benefit Cosmetics is hitting the big screen documentary-style - Racked
Discover the two beauty must haves in Shannen Doherty's arsenal - Stylelist
Decode the far-out makeup and hair moments in the latest Rihanna video - Styleite
See the best and worst looks at the White House Correspondents' Dinner - The Cut
Go behind the scenes at the Urban Decay office - Refinery 29
And the winner is . . . see the star fragrances up for a FiFi - InStyle
The drugstore products makeup pros love - Real Simple
Mix up an easy detoxifying mask with bentonite clay - Makeup and Beauty Blog
Eight simple lifestyle changes that will improve your skin - Glo