The Hunger Games “Celebrities”
What does it take to be a Hunger Games celebrity? Well, we get it depends on where you’re from… and your definition of “celebrity”!
For instance, when you see an article out of Georgia about a “Local Hunger Games celeb”, who do you assume it is? A tribute? E. Roger Mitchell, aka Chaff, lives in Georgia, and our female morphling, Megan Hayes, is a native. Dayo Okeniyi has lived there and is currently filming in the state. Or a major behind the scenes player, perhaps? It’s got to be something like that!
Nope. This guy.
BFFLs with Captain Crunch and Captain Planet
He goes by *cough* Captain Chris. He is a firebreather. According to the local newspaper, he is a Hunger Games celebrity because he is the only firebreather featured in the Catching Fire trailer. We mean, it lasts almost a full second and you can’t see any defining features of the person behind it, but IT’S HIM!
We’re not saying that what el capitan doesn’t have some respectably dangerous flair to it, despite his ridiculous stage name. Firebreathing is awe-inspiring, especially considering that I’m still trying to overcome a fear of lit candles in my mid-twenties. But let’s not jump straight to “celebrity”! The shot made it into the trailer, but as fans who pay close attention to trailers often realize, not everything in the trailer makes it into the movie. If it does, it’ll likely be that same shot– two seconds from a distance.
Pretty much the only extra we noticed. Still not a celebrity!
It’s not that he isn’t great and we don’t appreciate his rare talent! He’s just nawt exactly someone that Hunger Games fans stand in the rain for three days for a chance to meet. They might might grab his autograph at a fair, if they’re already planning on attending for other reasons, the autograph is free, and they’re waiting for friends to finish up on that ride that always gets them sick.
We understand your pride in realizing that one of your own is in The Hunger Games, Douglasville Patch– I practically flipped when I realized my buddy made it into the first movie as an extra (that you can only really see when you pause the movie juuuuust right)– but slow your roll with the “celebrity” jargon!
Everyone involved in The Hunger Games is a talent. Some of them are daredevils, prodigies, artists, or gurus. They all deserve recognition, though most of their work goes unnoticed, sadly. But let’s not confuse talent with celebrity, especially in a world where most celebrities would much rather be recognized for their talent!
Now This Is Stuck In My Head! Damn You, Douglasville Patch!
The Girl With The Pearl
Campaigning for Coin: Joan Allen
It’s time for another round of Campaigning for Coin! This time up, we’re discussing Joan Allen, best known from The Bourne series, Mists of Avalon, and Pleasantville!
Joan Allen
Kait (The Girl With The Pearl): Joan Allen has essentially made a career out of playing women who range from “intense” to “total witch with a capital B”. But there’s a reason for that: She’s great at it! She’s had great roles in popular movies like The Crucible, The Notebook, and Pleasantville that make her a noticeable candidate, but it’s her taking on Pam Landy in the Bourne series that convinces me she’d be a great Alma Coin. Both characters require equal strength and subtle deception, which Joan pulls off without a hitch. She can make Coin versatile enough that she doesn’t feel like the stereotypical bad guy (which she isn’t!) and keep audiences on their toes. We certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if she were cast in the role!
Savanna from Hunger Games Fireside Chat: While I’m definitely aware of Joan Allen’s talent and fame, I’ve only seen her in a couple of things, so I hardly feel qualified to make a personal statement about her abilities as an actor. Yes, believe it or not, I’ve never seen the Bourne films or The Mists of Avalon or Nixon or Pleasantville. Or any of her other notable performances for that matter. (What’s wrong with me?) All that being said, however, I’d be totally thrilled to see her play Coin. She’s the right age and definitely has a great look for the role. Unlike Glenn Close and Tilda Swinton, Allen has a much softer appearance that would believably mask Coin’s ruthlessness (and certainly fool movie viewers who have not read the books). And as a Tony winner and Academy Award nominee, she’d also lend even more acclaim to an already much-celebrated cast.
In “The Mists of Avalon”
Lindsay from HG Girl On Fire: I’m thrilled Joan Allen is one of the actresses we are talking about here, because she is the exact person I was thinking of when reading the book. I think she’s an exceptional actress. I first took notice of her as the dysfunctional mother in The Ice Storm, but loved her role as an oppressed woman coming into her own in Pleasantville. It’s her role as Pamela Landy in the Bourne franchise, though, that really seals the deal for me on this one. She’s tough-as-nails when she needs to be. Ready to take on the man. She’s been nominated three times for an Oscar. To me, she looks perfectly the part. I think she’s been underestimated as an actress. She’s not so stunning it would throw you off to have her as your Coin, but also not unattractive. I’d love to see Allen, or someone of her caliber, take on the role.
Carla from Mockingjay.net: Joan Allen is a legend, and I would be over the moon if she were cast as President Coin. Every role I’ve seen her play, even those characters that were not in any sort of position of power, demand attention the way I expect Coin would. But my favorite thing about Allen is that she can play characters that are perfectly polite– with an edge. I’m thinking particularly of her roles in The Notebook and Mists of Avalon as I say this, but even in her other projects I’ve seen that she can come across as perfectly diplomatic and no-nonsense, and with just a single gesture (a tightening of the lips, a narrowing of the eyes, a deepening of her tone) she can convey that she’s really not that agreeable. And there’s a layer of brattiness to her, but not in a way that makes her seem childish, but in a way that makes her come across as controlling and manipulative. And Coin needs that, in my opinion. Coin needs to be someone who can seem like a leader who has everything under control at first glance, yet have a subtle bitchiness to her that only becomes obvious when she’s around Katniss. And I’ve hardly seen anyone better at conveying such a trait than Joan Allen. She would be a fantastic choice for the character if you ask me, definitely one of my favorites on this list.
As Pam Landy in the Bourne movies
Kelsey from My Hunger Games: Joan Allen is an actress with many different faces. From the innocent but persecuted Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, a picture perfect housewife with a deep-seeded restlessness in Pleasantville, to the overbearing mother in The Notebook. But can she pull off the cold and calculating President Alma Coin in our beloved Mockingjay movies? To find out, we can take a look at her work as Pamela Landry in The Bourne franchise. Allen portrays a leader much like Coin, and what the two ladies share is a strong dedication to their perspective causes. On the outside they carry a strength and confidence that inspires people to follow them, and yet they both have their own agendas. I think Joan could pull off the role very well, and what gives her an edge is the wide range in her filmography. Allen’s kind of talent can give President Coin a well-rounded outer shell, in addition to bringing out her inner darkness.
Lee from The Hob: Joan Allen is an extremely versatile actress. Most recognizable as Pam Landy from The Bourne movies, Ms. Allen has already shown an affinity in genre work such as her portrayal of Morgause in the Mists of Avalon to voicing a Skyrim video game. President Coin has no moral compass, other than power – how to get it, how to keep it. She stops at nothing. Ms. Allen has shown she can play remote and commanding; appearing quiet and lethal as you would expect from a great performance of an actress playing President Coin.
What do YOU think of Joan Allen as Alma Coin?
New Gigs, and Social Networking
I don’t know if Jennifer Lawrence ever thought she’d have producer tacked onto her name just shy of 23 years-old, but apparently that’s what’s happening in the ladies life in the very near future. Yep, our Mockingjay (she’ll never not be the Mockingjay, I hope she knows that by now), it was announced today that she’ll be teaming up for the second time with her friend, I’m assuming they’re friends by now, I mean they certainly like to work together, so I assume friendship is part of their personal equation–Susanne Bier, as both actress and producer. Bier, if you’re drawing a blank, is the director of Jennifer’s forthcoming film Serena, y’know the second film that Jen co-starred in with Bradley Cooper. Also, if my memory serves me right, Jen’s the one who suggested Bradley to Bier in the first place, way to go, right? All right, here’s the skinny on this new film, which is titled The Rules of Inheritance, which is based on a memoir of the same title by Claire Bidwell Smith. It’s another deep character driven story, where dysfunctional people learn to cope, and thrive, at least that’s the gist of what I’m getting from what I’ve seen briefly written about it.
I’m not much of a non-fiction reader myself, so this one quite simply slipped my notice. I
Jen and Bradley in Serena
have to say I’m a little bit vicariously proud of Jennifer for taking this leap, some I think were worried that she’d suffer the post Oscar win curse, but that’s simply not happening. She’s working just as much as she was before she won that statuette, more quite possibly. And the caliber of the projects she’s taking on are by no stretch of the imagination, more, well– better. C’mon, a couple of years ago she was doing House at the End of the Street, which is not exactly the best suspense/horror film ever to be made– nope the king of suspense title goes to Hitchcock, and horror– I have no clue, I don’t watch horror films. Wait, was House at the End of the Street even a horror film? This just proves how much I know about the genre! I should take a bow for my ignorance, just imagine I’m curtseying right now, ‘kay?
Now for the social networking news bits! A Star Squad 451 team member has deemed Twitter his new playground, or more like– his new tool for releasing news and trailer links. Liam Hemsworth joined Twitter! Yep, he did this while I was at Bed Bath and Beyond looking for a milk frother, and checking sheet sets for thread count. Again I’ll use the phrase, way to go– but this time it’s directed at Liam. Way to go, boy-o, you’ve just joined the 21st century!
Let’s all hope that Liam learns to be as adept at Twitter as his fellow Hunger Games constituents have, like Sam, Bruno, and Alan.
Them There Eyes
Campaigning for Coin: Tilda Swinton
It’s that time again, the time in which we examine yet another actress potentially in the role of the multidimensional President Alma Coin. This week the lady in question is none other than a Victor’s Village favorite, Miss Tilda Swinton of London, England!
Them There Eyes aka Rebekah: When I read Mockingjay the first time it was in the throws of needing to know what happens next above anything else, sometimes that included water, so when I was picturing the characters, like Alma Coin—all I saw was a woman with sharp features, cutting eyes, silver bobbed hair, a slender build, and a presence that screamed intelligence, cunning, and fortitude. It wasn’t until the second time I read that book that I realized I was picturing Tilda Swinton, or a version of her, the whole time. So, now I can say it without any qualms, I think Tilda Swinton is ideal for the role of President Alma Coin. She’s a fine actress who’s made a name for herself as a character actress above the need for fame, in fact most of her work has been supporting roles, like her work in The Beach, The Deep End, Vanilla Sky, Adaptation, Young Adam (one of my favorites), Constantine, Broken Flowers, Michael Clayton, Burn After Reading, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the impacting independent film We Need to Talk About Kevin, and most recently the critically acclaimed Wes Anderson film, Moonrise Kingdom. She’s of course most famous for her work in the blockbuster Narnia series as the White Witch, so obviously she knows how to play a quietly menacing character, but she’s not the kind of actress that people will go see a film just to see her, she’s an ensemble actress, the kind who thrives off the work, and the people she’s collaborating with. And to me she’s pleasant surprise to see when she shows up in films, even if sometimes her characters are not the most warm and fuzzy types. That’s another thing about Tilda, she never picks boring parts, and she never adhere’s to one genre, she’s open, and she always, and I mean always delivers. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s already worked with Francis Lawrence on Constantine, and her schedule, according to her IMDb page, is wide open. Debra Zane, casting director extraordinaire, please hear my shouts, call Tilda’s people ASAP!
Courtney/Tiffany from Welcome to District 12: Tilda Swinton is a top choice. Again, she often plays a position of power and her physical structure (specifically in her face) are straight edges. This goes very well with Coin’s description of her hair which is very precise. Those straight lines in her face says cold and calculating, making her a great choice for Coin. Let’s also not forget that she would go well with the other adult actors being an Oscar winner. We have no doubts about her acting ability, and her physical looks seals the deal. The only possible downer we could see in Tilda is that you’re not supposed to suspect what kind of person Coin REALLY is. What will newcomer’s opinion be of Tilda Swinton in this role? Will the audience assume she is not what she seems because Tilda Swinton is playing her? Much like the book, Coin’s “”alignment”" should be ambiguous to the audience.
Emily from Down With the Capitol: Tilda Swinton would be a brilliant casting choice for our President Coin. I am a huge Narnia fan and she wowed me with her performance as the White Witch in the franchise. It’s obvious to me that she would be able to pull off cold hearted and power hungry Coin. I have also seen her in Constantine (which Francis Lawrence directed) and thought she was great. She really has a knack for 
twisted, calculating characters—which Coin definitely is. In my mind, she looks the part. She’s the right age, has very unique, fierce looking features and definitely has those “eyes that could burn straight through you”. One of my biggest issues with this casting is that I want a seasoned actor, but not someone who would be too recognizable or would not be detachable from their previous roles. To me, Tilda Swinton fits the bill perfectly. My only concern is that she’s done the mega-hit book to movie franchise before and I don’t know if she’d want or need to do it again, but my fingers are crossed that Francis Lawrence is able to give her a call.
Adam from HG Fireside Chat: Tilda Swinton has always walked that tight rope between benevolent and menacing, whether it be in The Beach or — in what was a masterful performance — Michael Clayton. Coin embodies both of those characteristics, at first seeming to be the savior of Panem, but later, a ruthless commander with great ambition and chipped-away morals. Swinton possesses the acting chops, the look, and the complexity to deliver. She would be a mighty fine choice, capable of bringing a potent element to the Mockingjay films and, more specifically, to the ascetic stylizing of District 13.
Amie from HG Girl On Fire: If you’ve seen The Chronicles of Narnia then you know that Tilda Swinton has the rare and perfect ability to be insatiably evil while you can’t take your eyes off her every move. She was oddly comforting to Lucy Pevensie as she welcomed her into her cold arms, while have plans that would only benefit herself while being the end of Lucy and her brothers. She was the driving force of the Narnia film, bringing the white witch to life like never before on screen. This is an important quality the actress who plays Coin must have, while she is not considered evil, she has
Tilda as the White Witch
lost the ability to have human compassion like many other victims of the Capitol Dictatorship, which causes her to have little boundaries to how she chooses to he run her regime in District 13. Tilda had a calm yet unsettling demeanor, no matter how honest she is or how much she has your back, you know there is much more where it comes from and you are a afraid of what you must do to earn such loyalty from her. I can see her every move as Coin already, and that makes me nervous, because Coin is eerily predictable, a replica of a certain Capitol leader Katniss thinks is her real enemy, and soon realizes she has been mistaken. As far as Tilda Swinton’s look, her interestingly plain face and minor facial expressions remind me perfectly of Katniss’s description of her as “slush that you wish would melt away”. Tilda is beyond talented as an actress, and very simple like Coin. She can hide her true intentions behind her cold eyes with perfect grace, and Tilda Swinton would be my pick for our Coin for Mockingjay P1 and P2.
Carla from Mockingjay.net: I don’t think there’s any doubt as to why Tilda Swinton is part of this list; most people would recognize her from playing characters that are in positions of power and demand attention– from Archangel Gabriel to the White Witch– and out of her impressive repertoire, her antagonist roles particularly stand out to me. Even her real life traits, her appearance, facial features and tone of voice inspire one to think of a serious, highly intelligent and sofisticated mind. I have no doubt she can pull off a great President Coin if she’s cast. My only doubt is: would it be too much of a good thing? Coin would do anything for power, certainly; she was a
Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton
woman without scruples and we’ve seen Swinton play roles like that memorably. But I don’t want her to seem TOO calculating, TOO manipulative. To me, Coin has to have a certain appeal to the people as well; she wasn’t a good person, but she was a competent president, as far as the people of Thirteen were concerned. So in my head, Coin has to straddle the line between shady antagonist and straight-out villain, much like Donald Sutherland does as President Snow. And I think Tilda Swinton might come across as too unapproachable for that. I wouldn’t mind if she’s chosen, personally, because I do think she’s amazingly talented, but I think there are actresses out there who would portray this duality in a much more natural manner.
Jacqui from My Hunger Games: Tilda Swinton is mesmerizing. She’s fascinating. She’s avante garde and I love her. I love her for her work on David Bowie’s video for The Stars (are out tonight) and I love her because she slept in a box at the MoMa as part of an art installation. Tilda is a gender bender and she plays luminious, ambiguous characters to perfection. In her career she has played the archangel Gabriel in the oddball comic book movie Constantine, the White Witch of Narnia, an Italian housewife, a woman who watches men age backward in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button while sipping tea with them, the mother of a teenage boy who commits a high school massacre and a Virginia Woolf character. She’s also the new face of Chanel, is about to star in the sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer, then follow up with a vampire romance called Only Lovers Left Alive. There’s nothinig this woman can’t do and she could certainly pull off a President Coin that looks like a legitimate face of the revolution, while harboring cruel intent. She would be perfect and a huge coup for the franchise.
Lee from The Hob: Tilda Swinton would make a very interesting President Coin. Her acting range is vast – playing an Archangel in Constantine, to the White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia films, and contemporary fare such as her work in Michael Clayton – giving viewers confidence that any role she takes will be striking. Ms. Swinton becomes totally subsumed by the role she is portraying; cold, remote, and powerful. She always leverages the actors’ tools of physical and vocal attributes. Her President Coin would be frightening and riveting to watch.
The Power of Prim
We’ve all had some time to shimmer down and think about it, yet the opinions on the Catching Fire trailer are STILL largely positive! Let’s face it– We probably would have squealed and cheered for a trailer filled with LEGO characters when it was first released, so long as it was a trailer. But the fandom gets whiny and cynical after a while, most times. This trailer seems to have passed with flying colors, because whining is at a minimum!
Prim and her plait get tough!
Things have changed between the Catching Fire book and the movie trailer, for sure, but there’s one change that has got us totally psyched. It goes a little something like this:
“You saved my life. You give me a chance.”
“Yes. To live.”
“No. To do something.”
And our reaction was essentially “WAIT… WAIT… IS PRIM A PROACTIVE CHARACTER NOW?! WHAAAAATTTTT? TEN POINTS, Y’ALL!” *various loserface dance moves*
Way back when, we admitted that one of the very few problems we had with the series was the characterization of Prim… or lack thereof. Katniss loves her little sister more than anything and constantly talks about how lovable and special and determined to make a difference she is, but we never really see her being any of that firsthand until she dies, which does take away some of the power from that moment. She’s more of a sidelined victim of circumstance, who keeps her distance and tries to make the best of the whole freaking country going to hell.
Annnnnd then we cuddle!
It looks like Francis Lawrence and/or Michael Arndt might have seen it too. (It’s not just meeeeee!) In a few short lines of the 2 minute trailer, Prim gets something you never really see her display in the books: Guts and determination. She won’t be a meek child who is simply thrown into these troubled waters. She’s choosing to dive in, against the advice of her own sister, at that! While they’re still in District 12!
To be clear, Prim probably would’ve become a Healer/ Doctor either way and that is a very proactive, conscious move that her character takes. But it’s nice to see her choosing the path instead of simply falling into it. It fleshes out her character. As an audience, we get to see that she really cares and is pretty fantastic… and not just because her older sister tells us so. And when she cares, we care!
Atta girl, Prim!
Sharing Is Caring!
The Girl With The Pearl
Suzanne’s Big Plans
It was a small blurb in USA Today, but it definitely caught our attention. During the Book Expo America, Suzanne Collins said that she plans to write another young adult series after she’s done consulting on the scripts for Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 (bonus confirmation that she’ll be involved with those scripts as well!).
It makes us excited but a little nervous to look beyond The Hunger Games, even though we’ve still got plenty of movies to go. Suzanne released a children’s book last fall, Year of the Jungle, but hasn’t released anything in the YA genre since Mockingjay. She said nothing else about her plans, so it opens up a lot of questions. Is she going to stick with the dystopian genre or go for something else? Will she stick with a female heroine? Will she even keep her first person writing style? Suzanne Collins is also known for writing The Underland Chronicles, which, while hitting on themes of war that exist in her other works, deviates in genre and point of view and has a male protagonist.
One of the pitfalls for her to avoid is the expectation that she’ll be writing another Hunger Games. It’s a lot of pressure for her to come back with another cultural phenomenon, but also, no one wants a re-hash of an already beloved series.
We’re looking forward to what’s next from Suzanne Collins. She’s a great voice to have in the young adult genre. What we like about her writing is that she helps start the conversation about tough issues like war for young people without coddling them or dumbing it down, and that’s important. There’s an intelligence in her writing that we are certain will be there in her upcoming future project.
Sorry for the rhyming title guys
Twiffidy
What About Haymitch?
It’s come to my attention over time that some characters in The Hunger Games trilogy 
just don’t get as much attention, and face it, as much love as the rest of them. Sure, Peeta’s got the whole artist with a heart of gold thing going on, and Finnick is the heartthrob with the sensitive streak a mile long, and Katniss is the Mockingjay and the heroine, but what about the trilogies resident surly drunk Haymitch Abernathy? Doesn’t he deserve some intense love, and scrutiny just like the three mentioned above? Well, I sure as hell think he does!
Where to begin with Haymitch though? Yeah, he’s a surly drunk, and an all around ass-hat half the time, but he serves a purpose, and he’s far from lacking in the brains department. However, sometimes I feel like the characterization of him as simply the drunk detracts from the reasons why he’s been plying himself with alcohol for the better part of his life. Haymitch is a victor, hard to wrap your brain around the image of him winning anything when he’s alcohol soaked likely 90% of the time, vomiting on himself, vomiting in public, and being showered off, whilst fully clothed, by a teenage boy he’s just met. Wow, the-teenage-boy-he-just-met bit makes it sound kind of pervy, doesn’t it? But that’s the thing, so much of Haymitch is just… strange, and unexplained.
What we know about him is this: Haymitch won The Hunger Games when he was 16 years-old, and he didn’t win by accident, he won by cunning, drive, fortitude, physical strength, and agility. And then there’s that The Capitol likely systematically killed off everyone in his family, including his girlfriend after he won said games. He has very few friends, but he is friends with Chaff a victor from District 11. Me thinks that Chaff and his brand of friendship is likely drinking though, lots of drinking, like black-out-drinking-I-don’t-know-my-name-anymore drinking. Sadly, this drinking
Haymitch in Catching Fire
buddy theory has also prompted other theories that Chaff and Haymitch were also fuck-buddies. Me, I–I’d rather not go there. Also, he’s unmarried, and apparently has no children, ’cause you know– you don’t have to be married to have children. He’s a slob, but that should already have been figured out from the whole vomiting-on-self-problem. Wow, this guy is just a mess, how is he still breathing by the time Katniss and Peeta are unceremoniously dumped in his lap?
So, that’s what we know, or what we think we know. Here’s what we think, or many of us think, aside from the people who believe Haymitch and Chaff are sometimes sex partners: He’s got a raging case of PTSD, which is untreated, undiagnosed, and therefore the effects of being in The Hunger Games are just as fresh as they were when he was 16 years old. Also, he’s quite literally destroying him self from the inside out, because he self medicates with copious amounts of alcohol, i.e. he’s not a drunk by the sheer luck of a horrible genetic proclivity for addiction. Although all bets are off if Suzanne Collins comes out with a prequel about Haymitch, and it turns out his family has a history of substance abuse. He isolates himself on purpose, because The Capitol kills anyone who seems to get close to him emotionally His sense of humor is another way in which he isolates himself, because it’s cutting, dry, and more often than not his jokes and/or quips are at another persons expense. What else can I say about Haymitch, other than that he sometimes gets the best lines in all three of the novels? Oh, I know! That Gary Ross’ directional choices vastly changed the layman’s view of Haymitch thanks to him taking most of his knock-out-drunk behavior out of The Hunger Games film?
Let’s all hope, and pray that the Haymitch of the novels shows up a bit, or a lot more in Francis Lawrence’s renditions of the rest of the series, am I right– or amiright?
Them There Eyes
Going Oh So Capitol
Batten down the hatches, fashion lovers! The capitol has got some new color for you!
So fresh and so clean, clean!
Last year, Capitol Couture launched… and almost immediately went *phhhhhwumph* as it fizzled into the abyss. We got a couple new Effie stills, a press release about nail polish, and periodic photos of really cute designer shoes and accessories. Something very similar happened with The Capitol.pn currently under construction!) So yeah, that ridiculous sound effect I just made up is LEGIT.
With Catching Fire on the horizon, Capitol Couture has returned WITH A VENGEANCE! There are actual issues this time around, the first of which has a so-foreign-it’s-fancy name, Chroma Nouveau! More than that, there are multiple sections to the issue that you can actually browse through! With input and looks from tons of different fashion experts and designers! We knew something was coming, with the big Capitol Couture style launch party and all the fashion being released, but this added EVEN MORE to the visual fiesta!
We get it if you’re not a fashionista. I can barely dress myself most days! In fact, I wore tan pants and striped socks to work today (while training a new person, no less!) But if the stuff in here can lasso my interests, you might just love it. If not, click on to the entry page just to make flowers float across your screen when you move your mouse across the title. Hours of entertainment, right thurrr!
This rancher’s booty is more than that amount of cow will allow!
The Capitol Looks are super haute couture and impractical, but that’s what makes them such a spectacle. Because if we mere human beings tried to wear them, it would probably end in a death… or at least a fiery car crash. Trish Summerville, the costume designer for Catching Fire, is even on hand to explain why one of Effie’s outfits hit that level of outrageous. We’ve also got Victory Tour District Looks, aka the Capitol designers interpretation of each district, for 8, 9, and 10. TheCapitol.PN says I belong in District 10 so… ‘CUSE ME, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SQUEEZE MY ASS INTO THIS?! I’ll wear leather, but dear lord, THERE ARE LIMITS! I wouldn’t cut it for a day in The Capitol!
Character-wise, Effie Trinket is the focal point of Capitol Couture once again. All’s well and good with that, as Elizabeth Banks is all about the insane Effie fashion, but can a reader get some variety?! Cinna, Portia, the damn prep teams?! They’re all fashionistas, so let’s get them some “kinda-silly-fake-interview” Internet fame too!
Overall, we’re taking Chroma Nouveau as a sign of good faith for Lionsgate. They could do very little in the viral marketing department and skate by on the massive success of the first movie, but we’re seeing even more effort here. Color us impressed! (Chroma refers to color. Get it? Get it?!) The ultimate test? If it stays that way!
YOU KNOW YOU MISSED ME!
The Girl With The Pearl
Campaigning for Coin
We’re starting a new series, and it’s called Campaigning for Coin! Over the next several weeks fan-site reps from all The Hunger Games fan-sites will weigh in on different actresses in the role of President Alma Coin of District 13. Starting off the series we have the silver haired Miss Glenn Close, a fan-favorite to some. Read on and see what everyone thinks of the idea of Glenn Close as Alma Coin.
Them There Eyes aka Rebekah: I’ll be blunt, Glenn Close is far from my favorite choice for Alma Coin, but is she the worst choice out there? Far from it. Glenn brings everything to the table that would be required of an actress in a role like Alma Coin, but to me it would be flat out type casting. See, Glenn is known for playing tough ladies (Damages), scary ladies (Cruella de Vil), and oh yeah– creepy and/or weird/crazy ladies (The World According to Garp, Fatal Attraction, Stepford Wives). I’d even say she’s made a career of it. Personally I think taking on a role like Alma Coin wouldn’t be challenging for her at all, and if I was Glenn– I’d want to play a character that’s not something I’ve technically done before. Aside from that, logistics get in the way as well, as she’s just signed on for another franchise just this week, Guardians of the Galaxy. So, I’d go so far as to say that adding The Hunger Games franchise on top of that would be incredibly taxing on a lady who’s over 15 years older than Alma Coin is supposed to be, and if you’re a regular reader of my work on Victor’s Village, you would know I’m not a proponent of casting an older actress in this role. Glenn Close? I’ll say it loud, and clear, I don’t think it’s going to happen. Next!
Arianna from Down With the Capitol: Honestly I’m all in for Glenn Close as Coin. I never thought of her until her name was brought up for this project. She could most definitely play the part as Coin aka an evil woman in power, especially after playing parts in movies 
such as Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians and her role as VP in Air Force One. She also has the perfect Coin look which is a bonus. Glenn would only add amazingness to the already stellar cast we have.
Amanda from HG Girl On Fire: This is actually a hard call for me. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind what so ever that Glenn Close could pull this role off. I think she could, and she would extremely well. I think she has proven her acting chops time and again especially with this type of role. One of the things I think is very important for the role of President Coin is that the actress not be too likeable, and be able to pull off being the “bad guy.” I want to be happy when we get to the end, and (spoiler alert) Katniss murders Coin, which in this scenario I don’t think would be a problem, especially when I picture that scene in Fatal Attractions where she’s boiling the pet rabbit. My one and only problem is that Glenn Close does not fit the mental picture I have of Coin. I pictured her as being younger with darker hair, but with that being said I think with hair and makeup that would be and easy fix, and I’d rather see someone who could play the role very well, and not concentrate on looks so much.
Savanna from The HG Fireside Chat: I adore Glenn Close and think she’s immensely talented, though I haven’t seen much of her recent work. I loved her as Queen Gertrude in the 1990 film adaption of Hamlet, and her performance as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard is just…magnificent. To say the least. But for some reason, I’m not too into the idea of Close as Coin. Maybe it’s because she’s too big of a name and too recognizable. Honestly, I’d rather see a lesser-known actress have a chance to take on the character and have it become a career-defining role. That being said, Glenn Close can do absolutely anything, and if she were to be cast as Coin, there’s no doubt in my mind that she would be phenomenal. She does the cold, hard, calculating thing very well and would certainly be a believable leader. The best thing she has going for her, in my opinion, is her powerful, almost magnetic presence; whether she’s onscreen or onstage, it’s impossible to not be drawn to her.
Crystal from Mockingjay.net: I’m not the biggest fan of Glenn Close. I know, I know, she’s got a stack of Oscar nominations, but that doesn’t mean I think she’s consistently a great actress. I’ve already seen her play an executive office role in Air Force One and for those of you that haven’t seen it, she was pretty awful while I thought Harrison Ford, Halle Berry, and Gary Oldman carried off their silly cliche action roles off rather well. I need someone who makes me feel like withering into the floor and an actress who has been in Mars Attacks! is just hard for me to take seriously. She’s got the hard look, but for some reason I’m just not confident she’d pull it off with the right amount of cold Coin swagger.
Kristen from MyHungerGames.com: Obviously, Glenn Close has had quite a bit of commercial success in family movies, including her hysterical take on Cruella De Vil in Disney’s live-action version of 101 Dalmatians—but let’s not forget the role that really made her a star: Alex Forrest in the 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction. If you haven’t seen this movie (and if you’re old enough to watch R-rated films) stop reading right now and go watch it. I guarantee you will never see a creepier interpretation of the sociopathic “woman scorned” character on film. In the interest of keeping spoilers to a minimum, let’s just say that Glenn Close plays a manipulative nut-job so well, she’ll make your skin crawl. That being said, I would absolutely LOVE to see Glenn Close as the ruthless, power-hungry Alma Coin. I think she has amazing range, and is beyond capable of convincingly portraying the cunning, unscrupulous leader of District 13.
Angie from TheHob.org: When I think of actresses that could portray our infamous
Air Force One
President Coin, Glenn Close does seem to fit the generic Coin mold. Glenn is a little older than President Coin, but I still think she could pull off the character. She possesses the “look” that President Coin should have: shoulder length gray hair, eyes that could bore into any soul, and a serious stature. What sets Glenn apart from the rest in my opinion is her previous role as Cruella de Vil in the 101 & 102 Dalmations movies. Glenn shows that she can play the role of a ruthless, selfish villain that truly only has one main objective. The characters are alike considering in both films they are willing to do or kill whatever or whomever they need to get their way – whether its puppies or medics or children.
Courtney/Tiffany from Welcome to District 12 : Glenn Close for Alma Coin is something we never knew we wanted until it was first suggested. She quite often plays a woman in power, like the Vice President in Air Force One, and can play a great villain, like Cruella De Vil in the live action 101 Dalmations movies. Some may argue that Glenn Close is too old, but we think that’s silly since the casting in The Hunger Games has not limited actors for their age. For example, Lenny Kravitz and Donald Sutherland are WAY older than the characters they play, yet they are fabulous additions to the franchise. We’re more concerned with the actor themselves than the age, provided that they are not on the extremes of the age scale. More than anything, it would be nice to round out The Hunger Games cast with yet another critically acclaimed actor. While never having won an Oscar, she has been nominated several times and has won everything else under the sun. We think Glenn Close has the look as well as the range to play good, evil, and a woman in power: All necessary traits to play Alma Coin.
Betcha can’t wait to see who’s up next!
Location Rumors
My oh my, the location scouting rumors for the Mockingjay films are running wild, and crossing boarders! Right so, here’s what’s up, or a refresher if you will– only a matter of weeks ago rumors surfaced that the Mockingjay films were slated to be filmed in Boston, Mass, Atlanta, Georgia, and Los Angeles, California. And then a couple of weeks later more rumors surfaced that Detroit, Michigan, and Paris, France were on the table. The latest, and the most detailed rumor however, is now that a Bristol, England housing project (estate), is also being considered. Holy globe-trotting Batman! I don’t know about you, but I certainly never thought that the final installments of The Hunger Games would take an international twist, so to speak.
Remember way back when rumors starting peeking out over the Internets about location scouts checking out properties in South Carolina, and the camera phone images gave us chills, because the made up company that was doing the scouting was calling its self Ludus? Exciting times, huh? Yeah, all the way back to 2011. Now though, now we’ve got more than over eager fans tripping up, and making crazy eyes at anything that resembles Hollywood types in our midst. I wonder what a location scouter even looks like to your average person? A stalker? A really attentive tourist? An OCD person in a rental car? Do they wear vests with lots of pockets, and deer stalker hats? Do they talk in air quotes? Like “well, Francis is looking for ‘this’” Whilst standing in a concrete alcove in a Bristol housing estate? I have no clue! But about the rumored locations, I know our resident Girl With The
Detroit for the Districts, and The Capitol
Pearl would be hell-a disappointed if Boston was taken off the table, and me– well I’d be disappointed for her. Los Angeles I think, or making an educated guess here, is probably still on the table, but likely not for location heavy filming, i.e. probably soundstage work. Detroit being one of the rumored locations actually greatly intrigues me, because Detroit has an Art Deco laden downtown, which ties in very well with the Brutalist styles established in The Hunger Games for the Capitol. And, well– Detroit has a lot of empty neighborhoods, abandoned downtown properties, and really not many people are going to kick up a fuss if Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, and whoever gets cast as Boggs and the rest of Star Squad 451, are running around playing commando fighters. Why? ‘Cause no one’s around most likely. Paris? That was a bit of a head scratcher at first, and then I remembered the tunnels that are infamous in that town, but that would be all kinds of morbid, and not at all how I think any of us, including Francis Lawrence and co. thought of the underground tunnels of The Capitol.
Whatever, just want ‘em to make some great films, and if they choose England– Sam can potentially sleep at home. Win for him!
