Though the real news here is the addition of Philip Seymour Hoffman to the series. He steps in for Wes Bentley as Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Head Gamemaker tasked with killing off Katniss and the other victors. Regrettably, he doesn’t wear a silly wig or beard. I guess there’s only so much money the studio could drive up to his house.

In addition to last week’s news that Lawrence will also star in the previously-titled American Bullshit opposite fellow Russell Get-a-Long Gang Members Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale, The Hollywood Reporter reports Hollywoodily that the actress and director will also work together on The Ends Of The Earth. The film is based on the true story of an oil tycoon who looses all of his fancy belongings (nice boots and cattle skulls probably) after he is caught in an affair.

Too bad that George Clooney punched Russell in the face on the set of Three Kings. This film would be the step in the right direction to getting an oil-centric trilogy out of those two.

Well, this thing has gradually gone from good to great with the likes of Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Louie C.K., Jeremy Renner, and most recently, Jennifer Lawrence.

It’s hard not to get excited about this cast, director, and premise, which is exactly why Mark Wahlberg is checking his phone like a a fourteen year-old Asian girl, wondering if he’s in a dead cell zone or something because there has to be a good reason why Russell hasn’t called him yet.

I find it very sad that media makes up bogus stories about women fighting in this industry. Filming The Help was the most amazing experience and yet, that is the film Im most asked about in regards to “fighting on set”. Why do we support the myth that women are competitive and cannot get along?

I think all of the actresses recognized this year have given incredible performances. But more important, they’ve all shown themselves to be filled with generosity and kindness. I’ve done two photo shoots with Jennifer Lawrence over the years and have found her to be utterly charming and a great talent. I’ve told her how beautiful her film work is.

Please don’t allow the media to perpetuate the myth that women arent supportive of each other. Everytime an actress is celebrated for her great work, I cheer. For the more brilliant their performance, the more the audience demands stories about women. With support and encouragement, we help to inspire this industry to create opportunities for women. And as we all know: a great year for women in film, is just a great year for film xxjes

Amy Adams, on the other hand, had better watch her back.

To the credit of the parties behind the trailer, we’re all pretty excited that at least this film isn’t about gay vampires. Or regular vampires. Or former presidents that are vampire hunters.

So here you go. Your criticisms have been heard and noted. And put into a mock trailer.

You DO have a voice.

Over the weekend, I saw The Hunger Games. I thought it was a very fun film. I read the book and sort of enjoyed it for what it was. The film had a lot of ground to cover, so the film is paced a little too quickly to savor – it is the type of film that is experienced more than watched. The casting was inspired, with Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Stanley Tucci, Woddy Harrelson, and Elizabeth Banks all nailing their supporting roles.

In the starring role, Jennifer Lawrence was able to carry the film effortlessly, but the actor/character I would like to discuss for the next three pages or so is Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta Mellark. I’m normally not one for male teen heartthrobs (normally), but time makes fools of us all. I think I love Peeta, and I’m wrestling with what “love” means more than I have at any other time in my life. It’s not an enviable position, but it’s where I find myself.

I can’t say that I romantically love Peeta Mellark ¬ that would be ridiculous. But I do want to dedicate the rest of my life to ensuring that he never feels any pain and is sheltered from all evil in the world. I don’t know why this is the case. I read the book and appreciated Peeta as the baker’s son who risked physical injury to give Katniss some burnt bread. He seemed like a nice guy, but he didn’t even manage to be my frontrunner in the Peeta-Katniss-Gale love triangle. He was just a dude in the story until Josh Hutcherson was able to dig his finely-manicured claws into the character.

I had never understood the infatuation with non-threatening, good looking male leads until now. And let me tell you, I get it. That damn boy cast a spell on me, and now there’s nothing I can do but post photos of him on Pinterest and doodle “Mr. Penn Hutcherson” on scrap paper until either he loses his looks (not likely) or I manage to get over him (also not likely).

They say if you love something, set it free. I love Peeta Mellark (or is it Josh Hutcherson?) so much that I want him to be with Katniss. My affection for Hutcherson’s selfless tribute knows no bounds. I can’t force this boy, this…man to act in anything but his best interest. While I’m confident that Peeta and I would make a great life for each other, perhaps in an artists’ colony in Santa Fe, I just don’t think I can offer him what Katniss can. Sure, Peeta and I could adopt, but I feel he deserves his own biological children.

It merits mentioning that I’m a bit of a foodie, Peeta’s background as a baker, throwing around 100-lb. bags of flour all day long, really speaks to me. Hutcherson has breathed life into a character I felt tepidly about in the original book. But one look at him in the film, and I melted. Now, all I can think about is hopping in our Subaru and heading over to a bakery on a Sunday morning. We’d sit with our coffees and read the New York Times (him on his iPad, me with the paper version) while listening to The Fray’s “How To Save A Life.”

Also, I know I’ve already mentioned that Peeta’s past as a baker totally does it for me, but the thought of he and I making bruschetta with bread that HE BAKED just puts a smile on my face. Even if we weren’t having company over, we could just whip some up real quickly then watch a couple episodes of True Blood. It’s too good to be true, really.

I don’t like Twilight, I don’t like Zac Efron, but I would put myself in harm’s way for Peeta Mellark. I found myself jealous that I didn’t get a chance to eat the berries with him, spending the rest of my moments losing myself in his Hutcherson-tastic eyes and carefully mused hair.

I don’t know where the next two books will take Peeta – in fact, I’m scared to even read them to find he suffers in any way. (SPOILER) As readers of the book no doubt noticed in the film, Peeta manages to negotiate The Hunger Games withboth legs intact, an achievement that eluded him in the book. Upon realizing that future films may also be kinder to Peeta than Suzanne Collins was, I have decided to forego the next books (which I have heard weren’t that good anyway), and pretend that Peeta Mellark only exists in the movies, where he could never, ever, get bitten in the leg by giant hellhounds.

I leave The Hunger Games a much more confused and humbled man than when I entered it. I now harbor some unfamiliar platonic feelings for a fictional boy in a fictional deathmatch in a fictional dystopia. If the purpose of a movie is to get its audience out of its comfort zone and think about some unpleasant things, then, in my opinion, The Hunger Games is the most successful film ever made. Ever.

Granted, I haven’t “seen” any of these films. And there are undoubtedly dozens of solid films that are still under my radar. And those films will probably feature strong turns by both actors and directors. But whatever, that won’t keep me from examining some of the strongest, most notable candidates for an award, going on experience and some educated guesses.

So this may not be the most subversive or even “accurate” Oscar prediction, and you’re not going to find any under-the-radar films and actors here. But you will find more than a few safe bets from known projects. Judging by the slate for 2012, we could see a lot more “Hollywood” films fill the ballots in the 2013 ceremonies, which always proves to be more satisfying, provided the popular films are the good ones.

Best Picture

The Dark Knight Rises
Lincoln
Life of Pi
Django Unchained
The Great Gatsby

The one thing these films have in common is each one is helmed by a great director, with Nolan, Spielberg, Lee, Tarantino, and Luhrmann all showing up in widely anticipated and rather big-budget movies. My early call is that Lincoln, with the reputations of Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis behind it, will take the cake, with Life of Pi given a courtesy nod in this category. Nolan’s Dark Knight Rises could make a lot of noise if people lavish praise on the film for the scope of the production, but in the end, the heavier biopic will prevail.

Best Director

Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Christopher Nolan – The Dark Knight Rises
Marc Webb – The Amazing Spider-Man
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Ang Lee – Life of Pi

It seems a little odd to have two comic book films represented here, but going off of the early sizzle reel I’ve seen from Spider-Man, Marc Webb is masterful at bouncing from bombastic action sequences to touching moments between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Wes Anderson is back in our lives and hearts after the lukewarm reception of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and I think he could get a lot of legacy goodwill in this category. Spielberg’s Lincoln is no-brainer given the man and the subject matter, and I think he’ll be the one to walk away with the bald gold guy.

Best Actor

Bill Murray – Hyde Park on Hudson
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Leonardo DiCaprio – Great Gatsby
Sean Penn – Gangster Squad
Robert De Niro – Being Flynn

Everyone on this list but Murray and DiCaprio already have won their Oscars, and in the interest of appearing progressive (and not simply handing the award over to Daniel Day-Lewis, even though he’ll probably deserve it), they’ll bestow it upon Bill Murray, who’s distinguished career will come to a head with the most Oscar bait-y role he’s played so far. I think voters will be looking for an excuse to give it to him, but in this field, it’s a very tough call.

I’m hoping De Niro’s turn as a distant, homeless father in Being Flynn gets him out of the doghouse that he’s built for himself over the past decade. Sean Penn because, hey, Sean Penn, Leo because he’s just so damn handsome.

Best Actress

Blake Lively – Savages
Jennifer Lawrence – The Silver Linings Playbook
Sally Field – Lincoln
Toni Collette – Jesus Henry Christ
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Hysteria

Again, it’s hard to get too adventurous with these pics before the films have even been finished, so based on resume alone, I think we have a pretty strong group here. I think Field will be able to chew some serious scenery as Mary Todd Lincoln, and if she doesn’t get too terribly outclassed by her hubby, Mr. Day-Lewis, I think she’s the smart money here.

I think Hollywood wants to REALLY love Jennifer Lawrence, but seeing as how The Hunger Games is a little too mainstream for the snobs, she’ll get it in the David O. Russell film instead.

I’m also looking forward to Blake Lively in Oliver Stone’s The Savages, if only because she mastered a seedy role in The Town, and I’m eager to see her do it again as a beachy stoner. Toni Colette and Maggie Gyllenhaal because it wouldn’t be the Academy Awards without them, so why not both?

As you can tell, this has been a very scientific process, so let’s hear your thoughts in the comments if you’re feeling like yelling at us.

Here we see the softer side of the Girl On Fire as she interacts with her loved ones back in the Seam, and less of the girl who shoots other kids in the head with arrows. Which isn’t to say we don’t see more of the Games. There are a few glimpses here and there, as well as an emphasis on the Mockingjay pin. No tracker jackers to share just yet. But let’s assume they’ll be fully rendered by the time the film opens on March 23rd.

So, now that I’ve mentioned testicular cancer, who’s ready to laugh?

It does look like an impressive effort. We aren’t shown any kid-on-kid violence in this preview, but we are privy to the training sessions where children are taught the right way to decapitate mannequins. It’s all about your follow-through.

Meanwhile, co-star Liam Hemsworth provides a voice-over pep talk reminding her not to get killed. Then flaming trees fall before her at every step. Who is she hunting? Dragons??

The Catching Fire announcement was made by Joe Drake, co-COO of Lionsgate and President of its Motion Picture Group. Said Drake of the date:

“The magical thing about the Hunger Games trilogy is that the books have such a vastly broad appeal.  The stories truly offer something for everyone, and the period around the Thanksgiving weekend is such an opportunity for families and friends to make an event of going to the movies.”

So rip off a turkey leg and bring it to the theater with you. There’s no time to enjoy the holiday with your family. Kids are murdering each other and you have to see who wins.

Last year, Cooper was attached to the lead role of a former teacher who moves in with his mom after being institutionalized for depression, but was cast aside when director David O. Russell‘s best guy, Mark Wahlberg, showed interest. Wahlberg, however, now has to bow out due to a scheduling conflict. So, now Cooper is back and things are going to be awkwaaaard at the table read.

Robert De Niro, whose trailer accidentally fused to Cooper’s on the set of Limitless, will continue his recent trend of going only where Cooper goes. He’s currently in talks for an undisclosed role. Jennifer Lawrence will also star as a young woman who jumps from bed to bed after the death of her husband. That’s every ghost’s nightmare. (Deadline)

7 photosFelicity Jones

In the film Yelchin plays an American student who talks so goddamned low that you can’t understand a word of this trailer. He falls in love with his British classmate played by Felicity Jones as she’s the only one who can make out what he’s trying to say. Their relationship suffers when she violates her visa and must return to England. Looks pretty good if you’re into crying and sun-flare. Still though, speak up Yelchin! Sound guys can only do so much.

Yesterday we got our first look at Liam Hemsworth’s Gale and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta via Entertainment Weekly. Today, EW has a few more looks. First, we see Peeta looking sullen at his crappy baking job. Then, there’s Hemsworth’s Gale with Jennifer Lawrence‘s Katniss. I’m mostly impressed that we haven’t been subjected to any shirtless pictures yet. But we can likely expect some flimsy excuses for getting the guys to disrobe. “Oops. There’s breadcrumbs on my shirt. Better remove it and step into this dramatic lighting.”

The film focuses on Wahlberg’s character, an institutionalized teacher who returns home to live with his mom, hoping to win back his ex-wife. During his stay at home, he befriends a neighbor girl (Lawrence’s character) who has her own set of problems she’s contending with.

It’s believed that Blake Lively, Rachel McAdams, and Anne Hathaway all had expressed interest in the coveted role. Jennifer Lawrence is currently keeping herself busy with The Hunger Games, which is actually going to be four films, because, hey, four films will make more money than three, right? After that, this should be the next project on her docket. She’s shown some serious dramatic chops in Winter’s Bone, so this should be right in her wheelhouse. She’ll just have to remember not to giggle when Wahlberg acts all exasperated. (Deadline)

With the Twilight Saga beginning it’s wind down and Harry Potter having taking its bow, it’s good to see another epic franchise ready to rise from the ashes. The film opens March 23rd, 2012, but you can stare at this poster until then. First one to blink is a total puss.

This is the best prequel ever, because it actually tells a story. It’s not just setup, although there’s plenty of that too. The characters are actually different at this stage of the story, not just younger imitations. Xavier (James McAvoy) uses his telepathy to pick up babes, and has a cocky swagger that’s in no way reminiscent of Patrick Stewart. Mystique as a child is sweet and heartwarming, and once she grows up to be Jennifer Lawrence she’s a lovely lady, not yet the cold, hard edged Rebecca Romijn version.

Kevin Bacon Shows His Skills In New ‘X-Men: First Class’ Trailer

The superpowers get to be delightful at this stage because they haven’t totally become burdens yet. The kids get to train and experience the joy of discovery, like the best parts of Spider-Man and Iron Man. It’s just plain awesome, Azazel teleporting humans to the sky and dropping them, Magneto turning a knife into a boomerang or turning barb wire into snares. It’s beautiful and tragic too. Spoiler alert, but not all the mutants grow up to be X-Men, especially not the ones who don’t have well known comic book names.

The film really emphasizes the practical uses of mutant powers. Xavier even comments that his telepathy is being blocked, like, “Oh well, it’s not working right now so I can’t help you today. Maybe I need to call tech support.” It’s momentous, triumphant, powerful and still debates all that important philosophy. It totally invalidates the prologue of X-Men: The Last Stand but something tells me no one will mind that.

I love the way Matthew Vaughn shoots. He creates Hitchcockian suspense, only instead on knowing there’s a bomb under the desk, we know that Magneto is going to bend some metal. But will it be the gun or the coin or all the metal in the room? Vaughn’s camera captures little details that make the scene feel real, like Magneto’s reflection in a gold bar.

3 photosThe January Jones/Emma Frost Underwear Shots We’ve All Been Waiting For

More obvious details make the world feel even more real than the Bryan Singer films. Yeah, it’s a period piece, but using the period details grounds the film where X2 will still feel generically modern long after 2003. So they play “Palisades Park” in a go-go club and the fashion is disco. Just showing Mystique brushing her teeth gives her a real world context.

First Class is this year’s great comic book movie, up there with Spider-Man 1 and The Dark Knight, maybe somewhere in between them. (Sorry Green Lantern, it won’t be you this summer.) It’s the summer movie I’ve been waiting for. Actually, it makes me realize I might have been settling for others before this.

Assuming the films are good and have something epic to showcase, I’m all for it. But let’s be careful that this doesn’t become the norm in Hollywood. I’m perfectly content with Alvin & The Chipmunks capping it as a Shrillogy.

“Snow is the autocratic ruler of Panem who uses the violent Hunger Games as a way to maintain control”

4 photosLet’s Have A Look At January Jones’ Boobs And Some Other ‘X-Men: First Class’ Stuff

4 photosLet’s Have A Look At January Jones’ Boobs And Some Other ‘X-Men: First Class’ Stuff

The Hunger Games slaughters its way into theaters March 23, 2011. (Lionsgate’s Twitter)

Best known for his roles in W., The Mist, and Infamous, Jones looks like he’ll be breaking through big in the next few years. Fanboys everywhere will see him this summer as the villian Armin Zola in Captain America: The First Avenger (seriously, can this guy go anywhere without Stanley Tucci?), and to have a role in The Hunger Games will raise his profile significantly. This is great news as Jones is a terrific actor, but sad news for Clint Howard. Looks like Hollywood has a new “Whoa, Is That That Guy’s Face???” Guy. (Deadline)

Below are some sneak peaks into the developing set of The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. The shooting is taking place in Shelby, NC, so if you’re a resident, just find the big “District 12″ lettering and it’ll lead you to Tween Hollywood History in the making. You can also catch a ride on the District 12 coal train, which is a lot like the soul train, only there’s more teen killing involved.

Meanwhile, Screen Junkies already reported that Lenny Kravitz was likely to be cast in The Hunger Games, but now the official word is that he’s playing Cinna the stylist. A girl’s gotta look fabulous before she gets shot at? Yeah, that actually sounds about right.

Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games is directed by Gary Ross. (The Hob, The Playlist)

Sweet Tea is based on a novel called Goodbye to the Buttermilk Sky by Julia Oliver. The script, on the other hand, is by C. Gaby Mitchell, who also wrote the script for Get Low, which starred Spacek. Here’s Jennifer Lawrence on what it’s about:

“It’s a drama but it’s kind of a down south love story drama, about a mother who gets married young and meets another man and starts thinking that maybe she made a mistake.”

So this movie is basically designed to appeal to your mom in the same way that Get Low was designed to appeal to your dad. I can’t wait! (EW)

Check out new preview stills below of Lawrence as Katniss in The Hunger Games. It’s the movie based on the book, that based on tween enthusiasm, is going to be huge. Yesterday, Screen Junkies posted the first-ever Katniss still, and these are clearly from the same photo shoot. Totally digging the bow and arrow. Quiet, deadly, can kill from long distances. Very classy. Everything’s always guns and swords, guns vs. swords or guns with swords attached to them, so this looks like a nice change o’ pace.

The Hunger Games hasn’t actually started filming yet, but the Gary Ross directed adaptation is aiming to hit theaters with its arrow March 23rd 2012. (The Film Drunk)

Click To Embiggen

Earlier today, a leaked (and unconfirmed) cover of Entertainment Weekly gives us our first look at Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist from the upcoming film adaptation of The Hunger Games. Here she is in what we will assume is an official image:

I like the look, but have recently developed a pretty intense crush on Lawrence, so I’m by no means objective here. The uniform also looks like the karate outfits, or “gi” from the Cobra Kai dojo, which is awesome in a very different way. Lawrence is looking slender and bronzed compared to her Oscar-nominated turn in Winter’s Bone. Compare:

Both images of the same actress, playing two characters that are hell-bent on survival. One with a bow and arrow and sexy uniform, the other with wind-blown cheeks and a pocket with a dead squirrel in it or something.

At 3:30 PDT, we will have more pics of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, as well as confirmation that the above picture is real and official, so circle back then.

It’s official: Woody Harrelson has joined the cast of The Hunger Games, the endlessly-buzzed about Lionsgate adaptation of the first in a series of popular, dystopian tween novels by Susanne Collins. Harrelson will play Haymitch (“Hey, Mitch…’sup?”), the drunken winner of the 50th Annual Hunger Games, which took place over 20 years ago. Is Haymitch just a code name his character chose, in place of Woody Boyd? Does The Hunger Games take place in the “Cheers” universe? If so, I’m way more interested. Also, if so, which year did Norm win?

The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross and starring Jennifer Lawrence, hunts people in theaters March 23, 2012. (Hollywood Reporter)

Anyway, here it is, with what appears to me to be a lot of footage from yesterday’s Beast trailer. If you don’t understand what Mystique is about by now, maybe the X-Men movies aren’t for you.