Track teases soundtrack album, which drops on March 20, ahead of ‘Hunger Games’ release on March 23. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Swift Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Taylor Swift ‘s other “Hunger Games” track, “Eyes Open,” has hit the ‘Net nearly a week before the official soundtrack drops. Whereas “Safe & Sound” is sparse and gloomy, Swift’s second “Hunger Games” soundtrack contribution is more epic and upbeat, at least musically. The lyrics still touch on many of the darker themes of the film, meaning that she sings about the loss of innocence and the need to stay strong in the face of adversity. “Yesterday we were just children/ Playing soldier just pretending/ Dreaming dreams with happy endings,” she sings on the track, which has been posted on Perez Hilton’s website . “In backyards battle with the wooden swords/ But now we’ve stepped into a cruel world/ Where everybody stands and keeps score.” The song is punctuated by big guitar riffs and a rock-inspired beat as Swift continues on the chorus, “Keep your eyes open/ Everybody’s waiting for you to break down/ Everybody’s watching to see the fallout/ Even when you’re sleeping, sleeping/ Keep your eyes, eyes open.” Lyrically, many of the tributes in the Hunger Games can relate to that need to be strong, but it seems to be particularly pointed at the story’s female lead, Katniss Everdeen, played by Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, who becomes the face of revolution in the beloved franchise. The full “Hunger Games” soundtrack drops on March 20, just days before the film opens on March 23. It features a wide array of artists, including Miranda Lambert, the Civil Wars (who also appear with Swift on “Safe & Sound”), Arcade Fire, Kid Cudi and more. “I immediately read the book in, like, two days and fell in love with it,” Swift explained about her love of all things “HG” when she sat down with MTV News during her “First” last month. “I fell in love with the characters, fell in love with the world that Suzanne Collins had created. I was just so immersed in it.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV First: Taylor Swift MTV Rough Cut: Jennifer Lawrence Related Artists Taylor Swift
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 .
Kristen Stewart should finally get to have some fun this November in Summit’s franchise-ending The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 , which sees heroine Bella Swan finally blossom into the hot lady vampire mom she was always meant to be. A new teaser reveals your first full look at Stewart as Vampire Bella flexing her new superpowers, making out with Robert Pattinson , worrying about the hordes who want to kill her baby — you know, the usual new parent routine. The clip, apparently taken from a Target in-store promo reel, reveals Stewart in full vampire mode: Red lips, amber eyes, pale skin, perfect eyebrows, bolder sense of self-confidence. The scene within shows Bella and Edward discussing their final challenge: Gathering enough support from the vampire community to prove to Michael Sheen’s head bloodsucker crew that their little half-human, half-vampire baby Renesmee isn’t an abomination of nature. That’s essentially what the conclusion of Breaking Dawn is about: Parenthood. Sigh. Compared to the teenage murder battles of The Hunger Games Bella’s undead domestic melodramas don’t sound quite as exciting anymore. [via Daily Mail ]
‘God, that was a high, high bar to set,’ Lawrence said of her character Katniss’ combustible costume. By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Jennifer Lawrence attends the world premiere of “The Hunger Games” Photo: Getty Images She is the Girl on Fire. The one who won the role from a field of Hollywood’s hottest actresses. She’s Jennifer Lawrence , the center of all the attention when she walked the black carpet at the premiere of “The Hunger Games” Monday night in Los Angeles. The night was the culmination of a storied journey, and Lawrence strolled the carpet with the confidence of the Hunger Games champion, but to the disappointment of just about everyone but Lawrence, she wasn’t on fire. “Was everybody disappointed that I wasn’t set on fire? God, that was a high, high bar to set. ‘Oh, darn it, she didn’t set herself on fire,’ ” she told MTV News’ Josh Horowitz. “That’s unfair. I don’t ever want to have to put myself on fire. Why am I constantly disappointing myself when I’m not putting my life in danger? That’s not right.” Fans, or tributes as they call themselves, camped outside the Nokia Theater for hours just to get a glimpse of the stars of their most anticipated movie. As a thank you, Lawrence went to meet the fans earlier in the day. “It was incredible, such support,” Lawrence said. “It was the least I could do. It was so nice of them.” But even with all the expectations of those fans and the pressure that comes with it, Lawrence insisted that she’s kept a pretty calm head through all of this. “You know me. I never fully absorb anything. I just get through the day,” she said. A bit of a rude awakening for Lawrence, she told MTV News that she found out on the carpet from a different outlet that her training for the next film, “Catching Fire,” begins earlier than she expected. “I’ve just been told from E! that my training schedule starts in June,” she said. “I thought I had a couple months off. I guess not.” But what lethal skills she’ll be taking on for her next appearance at Katniss Everdeen, Lawrence has yet to find out. “I don’t know. I have to go ask E! if I have to brush up on my bow or if we covered that last time or if I have to do agility again,” she said. Check out everything we’ve got on “Hunger Games.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos Live From ‘The Hunger Games’ Red Carpet Premiere MTV Rough Cut: Jennifer Lawrence
Taylor Swift’s “Safe & Sound” isn’t her only contribution to the Hunger Games soundtrack. The money-making country star continues to dole out the jams of District 12 with “Eyes Open”, a power ballad that’s more heavy and certainly more rock-focused than we’ve ever heard from Swift before. Listen to a one-minute preview of her new … More » Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Idolator Discovery Date : 11/03/2012 19:47 Number of articles : 2
Today in horrifying reboot news comes the stuff of past and future nightmares: “Michael Eisner’s The Tornante Company will finance and produce the development of a feature film based on Garbage Pail Kids , the trading card line published by Topps.” Viral video/shorts helmer PES will direct based on the terrifying 1985 trading cards, which were previously adapted into one of the worst feature films of all time featuring the most disgusting child characters ever created who scared an entire generation of youngsters into not judging their freaky looking but well-meaning peers by their looks alone. Or something. So… yay? [ Deadline ]
With The Hunger Games just two Fridays away from blowing up the box office, it’s about time you get acquainted with the YA phenomenon launched by Suzanne Collins bestselling novels. So for the next ten days, Movieline will be counting down to The Hunger Games with a new feature every day to prep you for the dystopian sci-fi saga. Let’s start things off with a look at a newly unveiled clip featuring Josh Hutcherson ( Bridge to Terabithia , The Kids Are All Right ) as golden boy Peeta, who declares his love for Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss on national television. Cue the collective swoon in 3, 2, 1… Ok, a bit more setup: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are the two teenaged tributes from District 12, set to battle to the death against 22 other youngsters in the annual Hunger Games. In advance of their battle royale each tribute appears on Caesar Flickerman’s ( Stanley Tucci ) talk show to wow potential benefactors whose coveted gifts — food, medicine — can help during the Games. During his turn in the hot seat, Peeta reveals a secret that takes Katniss by surprise and affects their fate. More importantly, it’s the first extended look at Hutcherson as Peeta, charming and confident and working those puppy dog eyes so hard you hardly remember Tucci’s sitting across from him in a ridiculous blue ponytail. Get More: Movie Trailers , Movies Blog [via MTV ] Get more on The Hunger Games , in theaters March 23.
‘Jen has some of Katniss’ qualities in her,’ Amandla Stenberg told MTV News of the ‘Hunger Games’ leading lady. By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss Everdeen, though not every fan agreed prior to the actress’ casting almost a full year ago. Was her hair dark enough? Was she young enough? These were the nitpicky details that some readers of “The Hunger Games” latched onto, but based on increasing buzz about the film’s fantastic quality, those worries should be out the door by now — and if they’re not, Amandla Stenberg is here to convince you of Lawrence’s worthiness. “I think they’re kind of similar,” Stenberg, who plays fan-favorite tribute Rue in the film, told MTV News on the “Hunger Games” red carpet in Los Angeles on Monday. “Jen has some of Katniss’ qualities in her. She can be kind of sarcastic, and I think Jen has that same sense of humor.” Stenberg certainly had plenty of chances to see for herself just how much Lawrence and Everdeen have in common. As Rue, the young actress spent most of her screen time opposite the Oscar-nominated “Winter’s Bone” actress, playing her first ally in the deadly competition. Indeed, Rue is at the center of what may very well be the most anticipated scene in the film for “Hunger Games” readers. “I want fans to be happy with it,” Stenberg said of her all-too-crucial spoiler-heavy scene. “But being on set though, even when we were shooting such a serious scene, everyone was lighthearted and having fun. We tried to keep it a little happy on set.” For Stenberg, it wasn’t hard to stay happy, considering that she had read “The Hunger Games” a whopping four times before even landing the part of Rue. As a fan of the books, Stenberg admitted that she was pretty nervous going into the audition process, even though she clearly nailed the tryout in the end. “I went to [director Gary Ross’] house covered in mud with leaves and twigs in my hair and everything, so I looked like Rue,” she recalled. “I think I made a good impression, because it went really well. I was very nervous though because I didn’t hear back for a couple weeks, but then I got a call from my agent saying I got the part. I started screaming and running around!” Related Videos Live From ‘The Hunger Games’ Red Carpet Premiere MTV Rough Cut: Jennifer Lawrence
Don’t miss the ‘Hunger Games’ red-carpet premiere tonight at 8:30, streaming live from MTV News! By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Josh Hutcherson in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate As the countdown to “The Hunger Games” grows shorter and shorter, fans have been craving as much of the tributes as they can possibly get. Luckily, we have a brand-new exclusive clip from the upcoming movie. Soon after they are chosen for the games, the tributes from District 12, Katniss ( Jennifer Lawrence ) and Peeta ( Josh Hutcherson ), go through the public relations wringer, including a broadcast interview with the eccentric TV personality Caesar Flickerman, played by a very blue-haired Stanley Tucci . In this exclusive clip, Peeta sits down to answer a few personal questions from Caesar before heading into the arena. Similarly, the cast and crew of “The Hunger Games” will have to face the judgments of the diehard fans of the book, when the film finally comes out on March 23. MTV News’ Josh Horowitz spoke with Lawrence about her reaction to seeing the finished film and how fans have treated her during the lead-up. “It was really good. It didn’t surprise me, which was good. During filming, I really liked everything what I was seeing. I liked everything that Gary was doing. Then I saw it, and it was all there,” Lawrence said. “It’s always hard for me watching because I think I am a horrible troll and I’ll never work again. Overall, I think everybody else in the movie is fantastic, and I think the film itself is really good.” Life has changed significantly for Lawrence since scoring the highly coveted role, not for the better in some cases. “I get photographers hiding in my bushes,” she said. “We’re way past autographs. We’re into being stalked and followed.” Other than the paparazzi, the response has been generally more positive for Lawrence. “Everyone’s been really nice fortunately. I mean, the movie’s not out yet, so we’ll see.” MTV News goes live from the “Hunger Games” red-carpet premiere tonight! Tune into our live stream from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. ET as Josh Horowitz catches up with the stars and asks fans’ burning questions! Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Jennifer Lawrence
Three days into SXSW and the biggest winner so far has been Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s geek-pleasing meta-horror pic Cabin in the Woods , which Lionsgate releases in April. But also in town in search of a SXSW buzz bump is Lionsgate/Summit’s Ethan Hawke -starring haunted house pic Sinister , which debuted as a “secret screening” Saturday night – not the most spectacular secret title possible, especially in contrast to hopeful speculation for a sneak Avengers or Hunger Games debut, and not entirely secret , but fine enough. Sinister , set for release in October, stars Hawke as a novelist so desperate for inspiration that he moves his family into a house whose former inhabitants were recently murdered; he discovers mysterious Super 8 snuff films but begins to lose his grip as the spooky supernatural truth behind the killings emerges. The early consensus here is that Hawke’s performance is impressively moody and the scares effective, but Sinister remains within the constraints of the haunted house subgenre, for better and for worse . But would Sinister have made a great festival secret screening if not for its pedigree? Screenwriter C. Robert Cargill (AKA “Massawyrm”) is a contributor to Ain’t It Cool News, which hosts the annual secret screening sidebar, director Scott Derrickson ( The Day the Earth Stood Still , The Exorcism of Emily Rose ) has at least some genre cred to his name, and producer Jason Blum is one of the masterminds behind the recent wave of modestly-budgeted hit horror acquisitions, having produced the Paranormal Activity films and last year’s Insidious . Cabin in the Woods may have earned the more effusive praise but Sinister seems poised to reap greater benefits from its SXSW debut, considering that it wasn’t on anyone’s radar beforehand. Now instead of being that one movie that sounds like a quickie studio Halloween release, it can at least claim to be that one movie that sounds like a quickie studio Halloween release that played decently to the early birds. We’ll see in seven months if Sinister can play to audiences this well and garner Lionsgate/Summit their own PA / Insidious -style hit. Read more from SXSW 2012 .
