EDM trio kick off explosive two-day fest at Miami Music Week with help from heavy-hitting openers like Thomas Gold and Calvin Harris. By Akshay Bhansali Fans at Ultra Music Festival 2012 Photo: Getty Images MIAMI — On Friday, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello — the trio also known as Swedish House Mafia — gave fans at Miami Music Week an event to remember. Their two-hour-plus spectacle at Grand Central Park featured stadium-style house music with a backdrop of pyrotechnics and fireworks. Add to that the dazzling graphics bouncing off five enormous LED screens, and it was clear that SHM had accomplished an impressive high mark that won’t be easy match on Saturday night (March 24), when the event kicks off its second day. MTV News caught up with the Swedes just before their set and they talked to us about the long road to their massively successful Masquerade Motel mini-festival. “We’ve done it again,” Angello raved. “For [us], to go out there and enjoy our own party, which is something like this [in scale], it’s amazing to be here.” Last year’s tented, single-day Masquerade party on South Beach “was amazing,” Angello added, “And the year before that was amazing; we’ve come a very long way.” Lined with palm trees, tall office buildings and residential apartments, Grand Central Park had the vibe of being isolated from the rest of Miami, and that made a party filled with 10,000 SHM fans feel intimate. But before the trio even took the stage, a spectacular lineup of opening acts did more than warm up the crowd. Asked about the all-stars preceding them, Seb, Ax and Steve beamed with pride. “We have NO_ID,” Axwell said of the Dutch duo newly signed to his Axtone Records imprint. “We just think that they have a really interesting sound, which is kind of like chunky-groovy-sexy house, so it complements what we are doing very well. Otto Knows is also here. “[Otto is] a young kid from Sweden, one of my really close friends,” Ingrosso chimed in. “He’s like my little brother. We are starting to make music and he just released his first single ever. “Thomas Gold is here,” Axwell added. “Alesso, a guy called Calvin Harris . “Yeah, I don’t know if you know him,” Ingrosso chuckled with a knowing nod to Harris’ accolades on the EDM scene and, most recently, for his work with Rihanna. “Yeah, he’s another guy we found,” Angello joked. “No, Rihanna found him!” Axwell laughed. “He’s always been very interesting and doing creative stuff. By the time the Swedes took their positions behind the decks, it was clear 10,000 screaming fans were ready to take the party to the next level. Just as they’ve done on their last two Stateside Masquerades, they launched into the organ-laden edit of Ax & Sebastian’s “Together”; they followed that with latest hit single, “Greyhound,” marking the song’s drop with a fireworks display. What followed was a clever series of mixes of some of the most popular anthems of the last six months. Among them were Axwell’s edit of Michael Calfan’s “Resurrection” mixed into Fedde Le Grand’s remix of “Paradise,” and “Antidote,” which was given a pyro burst. The crowd went mental when Dirty South and Usual Suspects’ “Walking Alone” was blended perfectly with SHM’s “Miami 2 Ibiza” “That’s right, Miami, it is straight appreciation for ‘Miami 2 Ibiza,’ ” Ax told the crowd. “We realize that are a lot of parties this week and we definitely feel honored that you’ve come to us this week!” SHM also treated fans to set staples, including “Troll” ; Nari & Milani’s “Atom”; Ingrosso, Alesso and Ryan Tedder’s “Calling (Lose My Mind)”; Deniz Koyu’s remix of “Dangerous”; and SHM’s remix of Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.” “Are you making new friends?” Axwell asked the partygoers. “Maybe some from the opposite gender? Maybe falling in love? For sure, we are falling love. The Swedish House Mafia loves you guys. Thank you for coming down!” But one of the most unexpected gems of the night came at the very end, when fans got to hear a cook-up Axwell told MTV News in our pre-set chat that he couldn’t wait to play: The SHM/Laidback Luke collabo “Leave the World Behind” (featuring Deborah Cox) was merged with Knife Party’s remix of Porter Robinson’s “Unison.” That mashup was received with a roar from the crowd as the high-energy dance party became another one for the books. NO_ID, Third Party and AN21 join Alesso and Calvin Harris as openers for Swedish House Mafia on the second (and final) day of the Masquerade Motel on Saturday. Miami Music Week is going down, and MTV News is on the ground! Check back all week as we report from EDM’s biggest parties, bringing the latest news from your favorite electronic dance music stars! Related Artists Swedish House Mafia
‘Hunger Games’ fever has us wondering about the prospects for Tim Burton’s adaptation. By John Mitchell Johnny Depp in “Dark Shadows” Photo: Warner Bros Everyone has “Hunger Games” fever , and it’s understandable; the film is absolutely everywhere, critics are saying it’s pretty good and star Jennifer Lawrence’s candid, funny interviews are a welcome change from the uncomfortable sit-downs granted by, um, some other YA adaptation stars when their films hit the big screen. Anyway, “Games” just crept into theaters, and talk of the sequel is already ramping up. Filming on “Catching Fire” is set to begin later this year, and a November 22, 2013, release date is already in the books. That got us thinking about our own little mini-obsession: “Dark Shadows.” While it’s nowhere near as fervent or large as “Games,” “Shadows” has a devout following too, and if the film is a hit at the box office, which seems quite possible if not bet-on-it likely, at least one sequel would be justified. And with an extensive catalog of 1,225 episodes, there is plenty of plot for, well, as many follow-ups as Tim Burton could come up with. But the approach the director has taken with the film makes us wonder if it’s the sort of thing that could sustain a franchise. Let’s talk this out. First, the direction Burton has chosen to take with the film has already divided fans . Over on MTV Movies Blog, we asked readers whether they liked the “Shadows” trailer , and the reaction was pretty much split down the middle. Just over half of those who voted (52.35 percent) were into the trailer, checking our “Love it! Burton knows what he’s doing” box. That leaves 47.65 percent of respondents who instead “Hated it! Burton is ruining everything!” It’s a pretty radical reinvention, to be sure, and the trailer reminds us most of the big-screen version of “The Addams Family.” “Addams,” of course, was a sitcom to start with, and all director Barry Sonnenfeld really did was turn up the volume on the weird. Much of the humor derived from people reacting to the macabre-but-good-natured family of weirdos, and the film was a hit — a big enough hit to merit a sequel. The “Addams” sequel didn’t connect quite the way the first film did, perhaps because the shtick that was so fresh the first time around had worn out its welcome. So even if it’s a hit, will people really want multiple “Shadows” films once the novelty has worn thin? The thing about (good) sequels is that they generally require emotional investment from the audience to be successful. We want to know what happens next with Katniss in “The Hunger Games.” There’s an entire mythology attached to Bruce Wayne in the “Batman” films. It’s hard to form that connection when the characters are hyper-realized and a little bit caricatured. And though there is a definite mythology to “Shadows,” Burton has opted to ignore it in favor of some brave, maybe even fun, stylistic choices he no doubt hopes will make the film unique and set it apart, both from the series itself and from anything else hitting the big screen this summer. But zany absurdity is hard to maintain across multiple films. By the time the second “Addams” movie came around, the crux of the joke — playing off other people’s reactions to the goth family — was a bit tired, so they had to put Wednesday and Pugsley into an awkward situation (summer camp) to try and keep it fresh. Had Burton hewed a little closer to his source material, this wouldn’t be a concern, but in taking such liberties with the style of “Shadows” he kind of backs himself into a corner when it comes to whatever comes next. He’d have to up the ante in some way for a sequel, but since he’s already operating so over the top, is that even possible? We’re super excited for “Shadows” but we’re just curious if — unlike “Hunger Games” fans — we should learn to quell our excitement that there may be more films coming. After all, maybe there’s a reason we only ever got one “Beetlejuice” ( hey, wait a minute … ). What do you think, “Shadows” fans? Did Tim Burton blow his shot at a franchise by making his “Shadows” so niche? Let us know in the comments below and tweet me @JohnMitchell83 with your thoughts and suggestions for future columns! Check out everything we’ve got on “Dark Shadows.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Three ‘HG’ webmasters break down film adaptation for MTV News. By Kara Warner Josh Hutcherson in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate Did you know that “The Hunger Games” is finally out in theaters? That’s a rhetorical question — of course you did! We’ve all been following the hugely anticipated film since the beginning, and now we can bask in the glow of its predicted success and the general delight of fans everywhere , not to mention the very positive reviews . Now, MTV News turns to our most trusted “Hunger Games” experts to find out what they think about the adaptation: Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss “If anyone had any lingering doubts about whether our Oscar-nominated leading lady could do the role of Katniss Everdeen justice, those doubts took an arrow to the heart. There were a lot of standout moments in her performance — her soon to be iconic ‘I volunteer!,’ her emotional breakdown after the loss of Rue — but for me, the highest mark of Jen’s understanding of Katniss came at the end when ( spoiler ) she and fellow tribute Peeta are about to commit a double suicide on live TV. In that scene, everything we know about Katniss — her strength, her desire to protect the people she loves, her bravery and the first flicker of rebellion — show through. Unlike the lovelorn Peeta, who uses his final moments of life to appreciate the girl he loves, Katniss has eyes only for the Capitol, looking not at Peeta, but into one of the invisible cameras. This isn’t about love, it’s about survival, and Jen gets that.” — Shylah Addante, Down With the Capitol “Jennifer was fabulous! Every moment she was onscreen, which was a lot, was just phenomenal. She did a great job of showing how much Katniss cared about her family but was emotionally blank to everyone else.” — Jessica McKenna, The Hob “Jennifer as Katniss is beyond amazing. The depth in which she portrayed Katniss is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It was all about the subtle things Jennifer would do that made the biggest impact. Whether it was Jennifer visibly trembling right before the arena, getting this panicked look in her eyes when Prim’s name is called at the Reaping, her grief at the death of Rue or her look of defiance when giving the three-fingered salute to the people of District 11, I found myself feeling how Katniss must be feeling and left utterly speechless at Jennifer’s portrayal of this character. I’ve said it before, but I think it’s definitely worth saying again: Although this fandom doesn’t like to identify itself with teams, if I did have to pick, I would definitely be Team Katniss all the way.” — Sheila Cordero, HG Girl on Fire Josh Hutcherson as Peeta “Insofar as Jen is Katniss, Josh Hutcherson is Peeta. I believed everything he did was motivated by his character’s signature pure-of-heart naivet
Three ‘HG’ webmasters break down film adaptation for MTV News. By Kara Warner Josh Hutcherson in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate Did you know that “The Hunger Games” is finally out in theaters? That’s a rhetorical question — of course you did! We’ve all been following the hugely anticipated film since the beginning, and now we can bask in the glow of its predicted success and the general delight of fans everywhere , not to mention the very positive reviews . Now, MTV News turns to our most trusted “Hunger Games” experts to find out what they think about the adaptation: Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss “If anyone had any lingering doubts about whether our Oscar-nominated leading lady could do the role of Katniss Everdeen justice, those doubts took an arrow to the heart. There were a lot of standout moments in her performance — her soon to be iconic ‘I volunteer!,’ her emotional breakdown after the loss of Rue — but for me, the highest mark of Jen’s understanding of Katniss came at the end when ( spoiler ) she and fellow tribute Peeta are about to commit a double suicide on live TV. In that scene, everything we know about Katniss — her strength, her desire to protect the people she loves, her bravery and the first flicker of rebellion — show through. Unlike the lovelorn Peeta, who uses his final moments of life to appreciate the girl he loves, Katniss has eyes only for the Capitol, looking not at Peeta, but into one of the invisible cameras. This isn’t about love, it’s about survival, and Jen gets that.” — Shylah Addante, Down With the Capitol “Jennifer was fabulous! Every moment she was onscreen, which was a lot, was just phenomenal. She did a great job of showing how much Katniss cared about her family but was emotionally blank to everyone else.” — Jessica McKenna, The Hob “Jennifer as Katniss is beyond amazing. The depth in which she portrayed Katniss is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It was all about the subtle things Jennifer would do that made the biggest impact. Whether it was Jennifer visibly trembling right before the arena, getting this panicked look in her eyes when Prim’s name is called at the Reaping, her grief at the death of Rue or her look of defiance when giving the three-fingered salute to the people of District 11, I found myself feeling how Katniss must be feeling and left utterly speechless at Jennifer’s portrayal of this character. I’ve said it before, but I think it’s definitely worth saying again: Although this fandom doesn’t like to identify itself with teams, if I did have to pick, I would definitely be Team Katniss all the way.” — Sheila Cordero, HG Girl on Fire Josh Hutcherson as Peeta “Insofar as Jen is Katniss, Josh Hutcherson is Peeta. I believed everything he did was motivated by his character’s signature pure-of-heart naivet
Kristen Stewart’s red eyes left one fan ‘speechless’ at the midnight premiere of ‘The Hunger Games’ in NYC. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Stacey Sommer Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in “Breaking Dawn – Part I” Photo: Summit Entertainment NEW YORK — At midnight Friday (March 23), fans had two things to be excited for: the premiere of “The Hunger Games” and the trailer for “Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” The full trailer made its debut ahead of “Hunger Games” and, in it, not too many big, action-packed reveals are made, but one thing’s for sure: Bella is in full vampire mode. “I think the ‘Twilight’ trailer was really interesting,” Esther Portyansky told MTV News at a screening in New York City. “Usually trailers are more about the plot, but I think the people that are gonna watch know what happens in the last one so it was more character shots and getting people’s attentions. Vampire Bella was very beautiful. I liked the red eyes.” The film has amped up Twilighters’ excitement for the November release. “I was so happy. I am so excited,” Elana Lerner said. “I saw the first part of ‘Breaking Dawn’ at 12, and I will do the second one again. It looks awesome. That last part of the trailer, where she looks like she’s about to pounce on that animal, was nice.” Joanna Cruz added, “I’m speechless. I really don’t know what to say about that. It was so quick. It didn’t even give what was going to go on in the movie, all we saw was the red eyes.” That tease was enough to whet Stephen Carrasco’s appetite. “It looks cool. I didn’t read any of the books, but I saw the films and I’m excited to see it,” he said. “It looks good. Those contacts are awesome, like work the red-eye thing.” With more trailers expected to drop before the premiere later this year, Carrasco wants to see “more killing,” and Portyansky agreed that she’d love to see more action. “The next ‘Twilight’ trailer, I think I’d like to see part of the showdown among the vampire coalitions, ’cause as much as the character shots are really good, I’m definitely looking forward to the action.” Directed by Bill Condon, the final movie in the “Twilight” franchise will hit theaters on November 16. A
In this week’s ‘Hunger’-focused episode of ‘Talk Nerdy,’ we compare the soon-to-be-released film to Suzanne Collins’ novel. By Josh Wigler Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate “The Hunger Games” are upon us at last. In the land of Panem, this would not be news worth celebrating. In our day and age of modern movie-going, however, the arrival of Gary Ross’ cinematic take on Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel is anything but bad. Indeed, “The Hunger Games” is more than “not bad” — it’s great. It might even be exceptional. In fact, I’m ready to call it: Respectfully, I strongly feel the “Hunger Games” movie is better than the “Hunger Games” book. Before you kill me, hear me out, and I’ll try to walk you through my reasons.
Gary Ross may have been an unexpected choice to direct The Hunger Games , but his quest for the gig was no less obsessive than the fervor of the novels’ fans; it took him exec-stalking across the Atlantic, involved elaborate custom-made storyboards, and inspired him to make a video of actual Hunger Games fans and their love for Suzanne Collins’s sci-fi series. (Besides, who else could’ve brought on Steven Soderbergh to direct second unit on one of the film’s big scenes?) Sure, Ross had been Oscar-nominated four times before (for writing Big , Dave , and Seabiscuit , which he also co-produced), but his resume was so far removed from the realm of dystopian teen science fiction that some fans were wary of what he’d do to the beloved franchise. He learned about the books from his children, both teenagers, pored over the first book himself, and decided at 1:30 a.m. that he needed to be the one to direct the big-screen adaptation. So what was his first move? Stalking, of course. “When we met directors, before I had met hardly anybody, he came to London – I was there working on another movie – and he pretended he was there for Wimbledon,” recalled producer Nina Jacobson, who optioned Collins book in 2009 before ultimately taking it to Lionsgate after fielding offers from multiple studio suitors. “We went out for breakfast and had an amazing conversation and it was very clear that what he loved about the book, and what mattered about the book, were the characters and the themes, and that he really got it. He got it at the most fundamental level. I had known him for a long time, but from that point on I was very mindful of how insightful he was about the material and how much he understood what it was really about.” Ross had never before had to audition for a directing job, he told Movieline earlier this month, so he went all out in his official pitch presentation. Commissioning multiple concept artists (“More than I’d had on the actual movie,” he quipped), Ross constructed elaborate storyboards depicting the look and feel of dystopian Panem, which he and production designer Philip Messina describe as “retro-futuristic.” But at the centerpiece of his presentation was a video he’d shot consulting young fans of the books discussing what themes spoke to them most in The Hunger Games . That video helped sell Jacobson. “He had this video that he had done of his kids and their friends, and what those kids loved about the book,” she recalled. “He could really appreciate from a fan point of view what it is that makes these books so moving – the idea, which was even inside his original conversations, that Katniss’s relationship with Rue is the thing that opens her up to the possibility of trusting Peeta. The deeper character and thematic lines in the material, he understood from the beginning, but he also had a sensitivity to what spoke to kids.” Once he landed the job, Ross pulled in notables in many fields to help achieve his vision, including composers James Newton Howard and T Bone Burnett, Clint Eastwood’s DP Tom Stern, and editors Stephen Mirrione (a Steven Soderbergh regular) and Juliette Welfling ( The Diving Bell and the Butterfly ). He also tapped an old friend to help out with one brief, but key, scene that he couldn’t shoot himself. Enter Soderbergh, who stepped in on second-unit duties and operated the camera himself on [SPOILERS] a riot scene that breaks out in District 11 during the Games. [END SPOILERS] Judge for yourself if Ross was the director for the job when The Hunger Games hits theaters March 23. Meanwhile, Ross is set to direct the sequel, Catching Fire , with Simon Beaufoy scripting. Read more on The Hunger Games . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Interviews and Profiles Outer Alliance Podcast interviews Jennifer Pelland. Chomu Press interview with Quentin S. Crisp (video). Bastard Books interviews Myke Cole. John Scalzi’s The Big Idea: Peadar Ó Guilín. [SFFWRTCHT] A Chat With Author Tad Williams. Chuck Wendig interviews Nathan Long. Keith Brooke interviews James Lovegrove. The Debut Review interviews E.C. Myers. SFWA (Cat Related posts:… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : SF Signal Discovery Date : 15/03/2012 09:52 Number of articles : 2
Nicki Minaj is writing two books as part of her dream to run an ”empire.” Minaj, who already has her own nail polish range, a shade of M.A.C. lipstick, and is planning a fashion line … now wants to add author to her resume. When asked if she would ever consider writing a book, she tweeted: ”Wrkng on 2 books actually… ” On creating an empire, she told Allure magazine: ”I never thought about music as just being the end-all, be-all. I always looked at it like a business, something that I could create an empire out of. So that’s why I’m only about to put out my second album and I’m already thinking about this.”
Preparing for a battle to the death in which the odds are most definitely not in her favor, Jennifer Lawrence’s Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen feels utterly alone, trapped within the deceptively cushy confines of the Capitol. Thankfully, she has at least one key ally on her side: Her stylist Cinna, played gracefully by rock star-turned-actor Lenny Kravitz , who discovered only after being cast that he’d be sharing the screen with one of his daughter’s close friends. “I asked, ‘Who’s playing Katniss?’” Kravitz recalled to Movieline. “‘It’s Jennifer Lawrence.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, she was just in my house cooking breakfast!’” Their previous friendship (through daughter Zoe, who co-starred with Lawrence in X-Men: First Class ) helped lend a natural rapport to scenes between Katniss and Cinna , moments that evoke the stalwart tribute’s hidden fears and anxieties on the eve of The Hunger Games ’ death Olympics. For Kravitz’s part, his take on Cinna is at once subtle and fresh; cast on the strength of his acting debut in Lee Daniels’ Precious , he lends Cinna unexpected warmth and complexity and breathes confident life into one of the books’ most beloved supporting characters. Kravitz spoke with Movieline about the call from Gary Ross offering him the part of Cinna, the all-night reading sessions that caught him up on Suzanne Collins’ page-turner, and why, in this age of media oversaturation and reality TV fame, The Hunger Games rings scarily true. (Also discovered: Lenny Kravitz totally watches Hoarders .) Revealing the real-life inspirations for his take on Cinna – described in the books as a gold-eyeliner wearing fashionista who is also the most “normal” person Katniss encounters in The Capitol – Kravitz answered Movieline’s burning question about Cinna and his intentionally ambiguous sexuality, a question that’s led to much discussion of Collins’ more subtle commentaries on modern culture. Is Cinna gay? [ GALLERY: Jennifer Lawrence & Co. shine at the Hunger Games premiere ] So, you weren’t familiar with the books beforehand and only heard about them when you got the call for Cinna? Yes, through Gary Ross – I had no idea. Did you know Gary beforehand? I had met Gary once at a dinner, a random dinner. He and I had a conversation about film in general, and I was completely taken by the fact that he had written Big and it was his first thing, off the cuff – ‘Oh, I’ll write this movie called Big …’ But that was it! I’d met him once at a dinner. Never saw him again, didn’t have his phone number. How did he track you down for this phone call? I’m in the Bahamas, recording my album, and I’m in the booth somewhere. The engineer knocks and says, ‘There’s a Gary Ross on the telephone.’ I had kind of forgotten, you know? I pick up the phone and he’s like, ‘It’s Gary! Remember, we had dinner…’ I was like, ‘Oh! Gary Ross . Cool. What’s up?’ He said, ‘I’m doing this movie called Hunger Games and there’s a character called Cinna. If you want it, you’ve got it – just tell me. You won’t have to audition.’ I’m sitting there like, what? But in the back of my head I’m thinking, who’s Cinna and what’s Hunger Games ? I had no idea what it was. So I said, ‘Thank you, I’m sure I’d want to do this but – I don’t know what it is, so let me get the book.’ I was in the Bahamas in a small town, not a lot of internet around, so I’m with my iPad trying to get a signal to download this entire book… and I began to read, began to read, and at the end of Chapter One I thought, oh shit – I can’t put it down. I’ll just read another chapter. It was at night and I had been working all day so I’m tired and I figured I’ll make a chapter or two before I put it down, but I couldn’t. I was like, wow, this is a really good story! So I called him the next day and said, ‘I’ll be there.’ Your scenes in the film are mostly comprised of just you and Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, and you two share a great chemistry together. But you had already known her prior through your daughter Zoe, who was also in X-Men . What was your relationship like with her before making the movie together? She used to come over, and I’d go to London and see them. I mean, I fell for her the day she walked in my house. This girl is family. She’s so funny, such a joy to be around. She brings sunshine to any situation. And obviously it was a plus to find out, because when I told Gary I would do the movie I asked, ‘Who’s playing Katniss?’ ‘It’s Jennifer Lawrence.’ And I was like, ‘Wow – she was just in my house cooking breakfast!’ Did Gary know about this connection when he called to offer you the part? Did he know? No, he didn’t know. I told him and he said, ‘Really? Well, that makes it even better because there’s going to be a natural chemistry already.’ That definitely was a plus. Did you read the whole book in a day? At night, and then the next day. Quickly. I could not put it down. What a great opportunity! And the fact that he’d called me – he said he’d seen Precious and he thought that Nurse John and Cinna, even though they’re completely different characters, had similar characteristics as far as being nurturing and all that. Certainly, they do. When it comes to Cinna, though, maybe given the fact that he’s a fashionista some readers of the books infer that he’s gay, even though his sexuality remains ambiguous. Right, they assume. And that was a question: How far do we take it? If we had gone the outrageous route, it would have been just another stereotypical statement. Immediately I’m thinking science fiction, crazy costumes, this sort of possibly effeminate costumes. I started thinking Chris Tucker in The Fifth Element , because I didn’t know where Gary was going stylistically. Then when I got to the set I thought, this is really smart. The look of the Capitol and the way everybody dressed, it was real – it wasn’t this outrageous costumey stuff. There were a lot of outrageous colors and big statement, but there were a lot of old things and new things mixed, just like it is now. We’re in 2012 and we’re still wearing clothes that look like clothes. We’re not wearing silver space suits with helmets and all that… well, some of us are. [Laughs] Did you take inspiration in terms of Cinna’s style or carriage from any real life figures? I thought about Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford, who are both very inspiration design characters for me. And both of them are kind of right down the middle and very classically dressed, not say, like a Galliano or someone who is more outrageous and flamboyant in dress. That was the way we decided to play him and I think that was definitely the right choice. So then: Is Cinna gay? I have no idea. I have no idea. I played him right in the middle, and one of the inspirations is a friend of mine, actually, who I grew up with. He’s bisexual and you could think he’s gay, you could think he’s straight, you’re not really sure. It’s very subtle. You wouldn’t know it, but Cinna’s speech patterns and the way he enunciates was kind of based on this person that’s just a friend of mine, who I thought was a good example. It’s worth noting that the way you play Cinna, what stands out a bit more than in the books is that he comes off as more of a strategist than a stylist. Was that an important element to highlight? Most definitely. When people think at first, ‘So, what is Cinna?’ I play a stylist, but it’s hard to just say I play a stylist. What does that mean? He’s not that, he’s trying to help Katniss make an impression and he’s trying to save her life, and he wants people to like her because that’s part of the game. So that’s a good word, strategist. Given how much of a stark contrast he is to most people in the Capitol, more sensitive and grounded and restrained in his sense of style, it feels as if he’s infiltrating Capitol culture. Right. He’s clearly on Katniss’s side, doesn’t agree with the Capitol groupthink. No, he’s doing his job, trying to stay alive and do his thing and not get on the bad side of the government… How much of Cinna’s backstory did you cultivate with Gary or Suzanne Collins in terms of where Cinna comes from, even if that backstory isn’t included in the film? Not a lot, really. I just thought about him as being a person who’s been there for a few years; he hasn’t been there forever, he’s not that old, and he’s one of those people that kind of wishes or wants to break out and it’s not the time, necessarily. So he’s going to keep things even but he’s going to show his talent, he’s going to be fierce about it – he’s making these fire costumes and all this stuff – and he obviously is talented and likes using his talent. I’m sure he’s cared about everybody that’s come his way over the years, but now he’s met this girl that he really sees something in, and she’s the biggest underdog there is, and he’s going to do his best to help. Do you see a contradiction between the wariness in the books of mass media and the dangers of entertainment as a means of cultural control, and the fact that the Hunger Games movie is a now studio franchise involving hundreds of millions of dollars that will likely dominate pop culture when it comes out? Especially given your unique position as a successful recording artist, how do you view that fine line? It’s a very interesting time we live in. You know, it took me a long time to join this party of Facebook and Twitter and reality TV – I mean, I still don’t really watch it, but sometimes when I’m on the tour bus late at night trying to bring my brain back to a neutral place I’ll flip past these shows, and when I stop it’s because I’m really blown away that I’m watching this… that it exists . There’s a show for people that don’t know how to throw away their garbage! Or guys who have a pawn shop. Last night I was flipping channels for a bit before I went to bed and there was a show for guys in prison and how they function in prison and all their secrets! This one guy’s making moonshine liquor and they’re getting him to show us and it’s like, my god, what’s going on? Well, some of those shows are amazingly insightful, but then you have the other kind of reality TV shows… You have the bad behavior being glorified, and they’re becoming role models. Kids, everybody just wants to be famous now. I mean, I grew up saying I wanted to be a musician. Did I want to make it and be famous? Why not, sure. But I never said I wanted to be famous, I wanted to be a musician . Now it’s just all about fame. They’re showing everything. It’s quite interesting, but I think the movie is trying to show us where we are. We’re not yet in arenas killing people, but it happened thousands of years ago. Could it happen again? How much is it going to take to keep quenching our thirst? Look at where we are now. How’s it going to be a hundred years from now? People are going to be numb. That’s the great thing about the novels; it’s a young adult series and could be dismissed on first glance as a children’s property… But it’s not! That’s what’s so interesting. That’s why I think this is going to be very successful. The Hunger Games is in theaters March 23. Read more here. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
