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Party Like a Capitol Star
In Chapter 6 of Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins writes of a lavish Capitol party that Katniss attends at President Snow’s mansion. We seen bits of it in the teaser trailer for the movie – you all know that part where the creepy guy touches Katniss’s feathery sleeve, right?
At Cannes, there’s a lavish Capitol party going on as well, thrown to celebrate the 75th Annual Hunger Games… or, you know, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Several people walk around in Capitol get-ups, bright neon drinks are being served, and Jennifer Lawrence is in attendance at this party on the beach.
The buzz around the party however is that there have been rumors surrounding possible footage from the movie to be shown. Whether that has happened, we haven’t found out yet, and if it does get shown, it will probably stay at the party (What happens in Cannes, stays in Cannes, am I right?).
Which makes us overwhelmingly jealous that we plebs aren’t there!
These are okay to drink
Some advice to everyone there? Don’t touch the clear drinks in the tiny-stemmed wineglasses.
Every time someone says Girl On Fire, DRINK!
Twiffidy
Insta-What?
Ah Instagram. The second I got a phone that could use it, I downloaded Instagram and started posting filtered pictures of food and silly pictures of my friends. Since then, Instagram has become a marketing tool for many, including YA franchises like The Mortal Instruments and yes, now, The Hunger Games. 
With the re-introduction of Capitol Couture a few months back came a Capitol Couture Instagram, and a couple of days ago, The Hunger Games itself got one as well, so far posting two pictures of the Catching Fire hardback, first the cover and then the first page of Part I, “The Spark”. Most intriguingly, though, was that both were captioned with the date May 14th, which is this Tuesday.
If a Lionsgate entity teases a date pre-movie release, fans tend to jump to the conclusion that it’s a trailer. Since the teaser trailer was just released and is only now in theaters, we’re willing to doubt that.
So what is that May 14th date about then? We’ve got stills, maybe we’ll get more? Maybe another poster? One of our favorite memories of the ramp-up to The Hunger Games movie coming out was the clever puzzle-hunt reveal of this poster, so maybe Lionsgate has something similar in store. Or even a resurrection of theCapitol.PN? Considering they’re posting pictures of the book, it might even have to have something to do with it.
Since the movie is a little over 6 months away, I’m not getting my hopes up for anything too big, but it’s exciting nonetheless. It’s great that we seem to be getting something new each month, keeping the fandom awake and so not dead.
Instagram is totally a Capitol thing
Twiffidy
Show me the money!
Just imagine.
You’re walking down a Capitol street, your bright pink mink coat wrapped around your dyed-blue shoulders and your heel-less shoes stomping up the way. You come across this shop with a dress covered with ruffles – I’m serious, even the ruffles have ruffles – and you decide you have to have it. You reach into your pocketbook and you pull out…
What?
Something that I’m always interested to know when it comes to futuristic societies in books, TV and film is what has happened to the money. Since Panem is located in North America, it’s widely accepted among the fandom that it is comprised of parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico. It would not make much sense for just the American dollar, Canadian dollar, or the Mexican peso to be used as the currency of the nation.
We know that the “currency” of District 12 is primarily in the form of trade – though in the movie Katniss does ask the lady who sells her the mockingjay pin “How much?”, implying some use of money – but it seems unlikely that it is that way across all the districts and even more unlikely for the Capitol. Not to mention that in District 12, the trade economy seems more or less de facto rather than Capitol-sanctioned, considering the Hob goes up in flames in Catching Fire.
So back to the scenario above. Do you hand over a card similar to our credit and debit cards? Has paper money at least in concept withstood the catastrophes that occurred prior to the formation of Panem, so you’re offering a bill worth 15 pans (15PN for short)? Is there a machine that scans your eyes or your fingerprint or a chip imbedded in your neck that links to a bank account?
We don’t know how the money thing actually works in Panem, but we know how the wealth does: the rich are über rich and the poor are devastatingly poor. Whatever the rich have, they have a lot of it, and whatever the poor have they barely have any of it.
Yo dawg that dress cost 2000 nemmies that’s outrageous
Twiffidy
Catching Fire-on Man 3
I was making plans with friends to see Iron Man 3 when it hit me: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire teaser trailer is being shown in front of it! The conversation went something like this.
Me: Guess what’s before Iron Man 3!
Friend: …The Great Gatsby?
Me: No! The Catching Fire trailer!
Friend: *eyeroll*
Sure, my friend was totally wrong about that (Gatsby comes out the next week), and sure, I can totally catch the Catching Fire teaser trailer online whenever I feel like it. But there is something awesome about watching a trailer on the big screen in a theater while you wait for a movie to start.
My personal love for trailers aside, having the Catching Fire trailer in front of such a huge movie like Iron Man 3 is a pretty big deal. The audience will have a much broader of a demographic than viewers of the MTV Movie Awards. It’s a far cry from putting the trailer in front of, say, Twilight (which I saw in theaters just to see The Hunger Games trailer on a big screen, that’s dedication), and while it’s still a blockbuster in its own right, it has a much narrower demo.
So as excited I am to actually see Pepper Potts finally (spoilers!) suit up, I’m still just as excited to see that teaser before it.
Now to win over the comic book nerds!
Twiffidy
Cut It Out
Jennifer at the GLAAD Media Awards
Sometimes it’s beyond me what passes for “news” on some websites.
Here, let’s have an exercise.
News:
Jennifer Lawrence cutting her hair? Yes, I’d say that’s news to us. Aside from the haircut being freaking cute on her, it signaled the end of filming for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as much as Francis Lawrence saying it at CinemaCon did. She won’t need to be Katniss again for at least several months (September, if rumors are to be believed — which we always urge to use caution when doing so by the way!) so she doesn’t have quite the restriction on her hair. That and X-Men: Days of Future Past is currently filming, so it could possibly be for that.
Not News:
Miley Cyrus tweeted that she liked Jennifer Lawrence’s new hair. One of the most annoying effects of the prevalence of Twitter is that celebrity tweets=news these days. And not the “hey I have an announcement” kind, more like the “this is my opinion on something mundane” kind.
Yes, Miley is somewhat tied to The Hunger Games since her fiance (according to Snoop Lion, ex-fiance?) plays a major character in the franchise. And apparently there were “rumors” that Miley and Jennifer are feuding (here we go again) for [insert made-up reason here], so the tweet was a shocker for everyone that cares, i.e. NO ONE.
So yes, this tweet sparked more than one article longer than a paragraph in length made up of mostly garbage. We like Jen’s hair, what do we care if X-celeb does too? It was nice, but it’s not news.
I want a tweet of Josh saying he likes Liam’s beard and have it be news
Twiffidy
One Day More
We’re almost there guys!
It’s a little crazy to think that we’re going to see the first real footage (10 seconds in the teaser teaser and a gif do not really count) of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire tomorrow. Months and months of speculation and worry and paparazzi photos and stills, and we’re finally going to get to see some of it in action.
And a whole 2 minutes and 30 seconds of it too, which is both really exciting and kind of worrisome at the same time. The trailer is being called a teaser, but typically teasers don’t run too much over a minute. 2min30 is the maximum length allowed by the MPAA, putting it in full theatrical trailer territory. The obvious worry about such a length for just a teaser is that they’ll show too much. But in the back of my mind, it’s been a year since The Hunger Games movie came out, and I’m kind of dying for as much as I can get to tide me over to the real ramp up to the Catching Fire release.
The Hunger Games fandom gets to wake up from their hibernation period and we’re sensing a return to the madness. Surely it won’t be 2min30 of Katniss walking around trees again (oh man, what if?), so HG fans, are you ready?
Tomorrow we’ll discover
What Francis Lawrence has in store!
One more daaaawn
One more daaaay
One day moooooooore!
Just imagine the huge chorus belting it out behind me
Twiffidy
HG Fireside Chat’s 100 Things To Do Before Catching Fire
Just like with the first movie, our friends at HG Fireside Chat posted a list of 100 Things to Do Before Catching Fire. Of course, I had to go through the list and pick out my favorites and some of the ones I’ve actually done!
3. Visit your local bakery and ask if Peeta’s working that day.
There’s a blond teenage boy that works at a bakery near my work, and in my head I call him Peeta. Maybe I’ll actually do this… and confuse the heck out of everyone that works there.
22. Sing Alexander Ludwig’s “Liv It Up” at karaoke.
Oh yes, I already do this. In my own personal karaoke room called my car.
35. Blame the Capitol when something doesn’t work properly.
36. Then credit Beetee when it’s fixed.
I have a lot of electronics, and they quite often give me trouble so this one is a snap. And of course I’ll credit Beetee the day my Blu-ray player decides it wants to connect to my wifi.
42. Put a “Victor’s Village” sign on your door.
WHY HAVEN’T I DONE THIS ALREADY?
68. Get your picture taken next to the first Catching Fire poster you see at your local movie theater.
You bet I’m doing this. And I’m still holding out hope for my huge Sunset Blvd advertisements.
76. Search everywhere for a purple robe with a fur-trimmed collar for when you become Head Gamemaker.
…Doesn’t everyone do this?
No luck still, but I’m keeping an eye out!
80. Watch a Phillip Seymour Hoffman film in which he has a full head of hair.
I have quite a few of his older movies on DVD, but I’ve always got a special place in my heart for Dusty.
90. Buy a friend a Hunger Games-themed creation on Etsy.
I’ve done this! Got my lovely friend Courtney from Welcome to District 12 a Katniss Everdeen devotional candle from Banana Leviathan for Christmas. Also got myself one too. (Sorry, she’s out of them.)
Check out the full list at HGFiresideChat.com in video and non-video form!
How many can you do?
Twiffidy
Smeffie Brinket
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. That’s what they say right? So when Tara Reid tweets a picture of herself in full-blown Effie Trinket, that must be a good thing.
Alongside the picture she tweeted that she was on set shooting an untitled movie produced by Jamie Kennedy (kind of makes me want to watch Scream. So here are some ideas on what kind of film they could possibly be making.
- A day in the life of a cosplayer at Comic-Con. How many people will ask to take pictures with her? Will she survive the extreme heat and the huge crowds? Will her makeup?
- An intense psychological thriller about Effie Trinket and her stalker-roommate. Soon she starts dressing like her, eyeing her jewels, making best friend collages. Before you know it, she’s wearing Effie’s wigs and plotting to replace her. For good.
- A mockumentary about YouTube makeup tutorials and the individuals who create them. This is obviously the finished look of an Effie Trinket tutorial that took countless hours and pounds of makeup to perfect.
- A spoof movie, probably a sequel to Epic Movie (not to be confused with Josh Hutcherson’s upcoming movie Epic), that will probably be lacking in the laughs.
I’m really not sure what kind of movie this will make an appearance in. But I guess the real question is… who knew Tara Reid was still around?
I’m punk rock prom queen
Twiffidy
Not Enough Fire
Scholastic, publisher of The Hunger Games trilogy, reported a loss this quarter, citing lower than expected sales of The Hunger Games books as part of the reason. Before it worries you too much here are some things to remember.
First off, don’t forget the Hunger Games fandom is still pretty dormant. We’re quite a ways before the busy period that ramps up to the release of the movie. We may have some hints of it coming back, but it isn’t completely in the forefront of the general public’s minds. No trailers (yet), not even a teaser, no hugely prevalent marketing campaigns, just ones that are mostly noticed by us, the superfans. But we’ve already read the books several times over, and most of us own copies so we wouldn’t exactly be the target for Hunger Games books.
Let’s not forget that the book-buying environment has changed. There just aren’t as many book stores as there used to be, so stumbling upon a display of the upcoming book-to-movie book doesn’t happen as much. E-books and online book shopping offers a different environment. Unless looking for specific titles, more often than not you get shown books according to your habits. It isn’t exactly like walking by a table and going, “Oh yeah I wanted to check this book out!” Believe me, I’ve fallen for that too many times to count.
Once Hunger Games promotion kicks into high gear, like when a trailer finally debuts and Catching Fire gets a bit of a cred-boost from Jennifer’s recent Oscar win, there may be a bit more interest in the Hunger Games books. Lionsgate seems to want to keep the events of Catching Fire a little close to the vest, focusing on the Victory Tour and debuting Capitol portraits with very little explanation of the victor-tributes’ roles in the movie. It may drive the more curious to buy Catching Fire books once there are hints of where the story could possibly go beyond the first movie.
I have hope that seeing more of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie will drive more people to read Catching Fire, the book. It’s my favorite of the trilogy to read. It’s still early to judge how well the books will sell in anticipation of the movie.
Now back to the silence
Twiffidy
Crack That Whip!
Possibly pre-whipping?
Last week, our dear Gale (fact: sometimes I find myself typing “Gale” instead of “Liam Hemsworth” and it’s NOT on purpose… except for this time) was in the Philippines promoting clothing brand Bench/, and during a press event, he talked very briefly about filming the infamous whipping scene in Catching Fire.
Did we seriously think they were going to leave that scene out? No. But is it nice to hear confirmation that it’s in there? Sure.
Fact is, the whipping scene and the aftermath of it is the majority of Gale’s involvement in Catching Fire the book. Except for a couple of scenes here and there (including a kiss and the ULTIMATE cliffhanger line at the very end, which of course are major), but he is mainly back in District 12 slaving away in the mines while Katniss and Peeta are being victors and victor-tributes and all that entails. We kind of have to leave Gale in the mines for most of the book, but since Gale is one of the three major characters in the series, his whipping scene is what reminds us that Liam Hemsworth is in this trilogy and has a huge part in it. That and maybe some cutaways to his character during the Quarter Quell (let’s limit those this time, eh Francis Lawrence?).
Now, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will need to be PG-13, so don’t expect any Passion of the Christ-esque scenes. We’re guessing it will mostly be done off screen or shown very quickly and briefly. Katniss and Peeta do come in at the end of it. But it’ll be there, and Katniss will be in hysterics (will she get hit with the whip though?) and so will we, or at least wince and screw up our faces a little.
So rest easy. We know of one horrific scene that will definitely be in the movie. Now for all the others…
When a problem comes along…
Twiffidy
PS
I’m sorry, but the Devo song got stuck in my head halfway through this post.
