Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And where there’s money, there’s controversy. The Hunger Games is rolling in the dough at the box office, making more money than any other movie on its opening weekend not starring Batman or Harry Potter, but the controversy du jour has to do with race.

In the wake of some very disturbing, and very real, questions about race in America in the news, these Hunger Games related tweets went out over the interwebs last weekend:

“why does rue have to be black not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie.”

“Kk call me racist but when I found out Rue was black her death wasn’t as sad”

“why did the producer make all the good characters black”

“Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the little blonde innocent girl you pictured”

Where’s Jeff Foxworthy when you need him? “If you’re disappointed because your favorite Hunger Games characters are black, and you tweet about, you might be a red neck!”

Laying aside the fact that if you read the book it clearly describes Rue as being black, if you’re arguing that Rue’s death wasn’t as sad with her being black, yeah, I’ll take you up on your offer and call you a racist. And if you pictured Rue as a little blonde haired white girl, you clearly need to go back to Grade 3 and work on your reading comprehension.

At least the actress that plays Rue, 13-year-old Amandla Stenberg, hasn’t had to be exposed to the… Oh, f**k it! Of course it’s gotten back to her, and she’s been forced to release a statement:

As a fan of the books, I feel fortunate to be part of The Hunger Games family. It was an amazing experience; I am proud of the film and my performance. I want to thank all of my fans and the entire Hunger Games community for their support and loyalty.

Stay sweet Amandla. Don’t let the haters get you down. Maybe some words of support, from the girl that tried to kill you with a knife in the movie can cheer you up.

Kidding. Here’s what Isabelle Fuhrman (Clove) told EOnline:

I think Amandla was fantastic in it, and she’s so beautiful. She’s exactly how I imagined her to be.

I think it’s just terrible. She’s such an amazing actress and she’s so sweet. I guess people read things differently and imagine things different, but I think she was the perfect choice for Rue.

So people, I know where called Nerd Bastards, but maybe we can work hard on educating the actual Bastards.

Source: The Mary Sue

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Another day, another Hunger Games clip. Good lord, I’ve seen so many freaking clips these last few days that I feel like I’ve seen the whole movie. This really is starting to become a product of too much marketing. Anyway, this new clip features Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) bidding farewell to her hunting buddy Gale (Liam Hemsworth).

I really have no commentary on this scene. I’m sure Ms. Lawrence and Mr. Gale have met fan expectation and all, but I was far too giggly at how Jennifer is so easy to masturbate to, even when she’s all sweaty and distraught. Don’t you agree?

Maybe tomorrow Lionsgate will finally slip us fans a freaking scene from the games themselves. They’ve shown us everything else. Give us some teenage butchery right fucking now!

Directed by Gary Ross, the film also stars Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Amandla Stenberg and Stanley Tucci.

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Source: Moviefone

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It’s fucking crazy how popular The Hunger Games is. The book series, by Suzanne Collins has a fan base that rivals Twilight.  Here’s hoping those same fans come out in droves for the upcoming HG movie and dethrone Twilight from the box office. Gawd, how I would love that!

Lionsgate (which oddly enough, owns the Twilight films rights) is certainly pushing The Hunger Games to be a tour-de force. New clips and TV spots are being released daily. In fact, a new TV spot from The Hunger Games is now online and offers another look at the highly-anticipated March 23rd release.

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland this 30-second spot gives fans another quick look at “the games”. The spot also shows off a pivotal interaction between Cinna (Kravitz) and Katniss (Lawrence) shortly before the beginning of the 74th annual Hunger Games.

Check it out in the jump below.

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Source: Coming Soon

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The second clip from “The Hunger Games“ is now online and shows off Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss with Lenny Kravitz’s Cinna, her stylist for the 74th annual Hunger Games. Check out the video below.

The scene is very much like the book, but I have to say that Lenny’s performance in this clip has me even more excited to see the movie. The Cinna character in the books always seemed reserved to this NerdBastard, Lenny brings out Cinna’s burning desire to make a statement out in the open to enjoy.

Directed by Gary Ross, the film also stars Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland.

“The Hunger Games” arrives in theaters on March 23rd.

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Lionsgate is now airing two new TV spots for The Hunger Games, which feature glimpses of the many colorful characters, as well as key scenes from the celebrated book series. I’m sure fans will go all GA-GA over it. If it doesn’t, well… there’s always a US mall tour to look forward to. Yep, the makers of the Hunger Games are hoping to catch the attention of tweens and mall rats everywhere.

Seriously, a mall tour? That’s some 80′s boy-band marketing type shit (New Kids on the Block anyone?). While the tactic seems dated, it has been successfully used for the Twilight series. If it worked for that horrid franchise, why not another? ( Yes, I do have some specious hate for The Hunger Games, but I’m keeping my mouth shut on this one. It’s too hot to mock) Basically, the production company schleps actors around the US and dumps em’ off at a mall for autographs and awkward photo ops. It’s corny, but as an average mall goer myself, I’ll admit it’s always exciting seeing celebrities drop by while you’re eating cookies and yelling at kids to get off the escalator.

Check out the official press release after the jump to see if the cast of The Hunger Games is coming to YOUR mall. *queue up the song “Lets All Go to the Mall” by Robin Sparkles.

Oh, before you read the press release, here’s those two TV spots I promised you:

(more…)

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It’s getting to the point that you don’t even have to watch the Super Bowl to see all the ads anymore…

Like yesterday’s revelation of the Super Bowl spot for G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the 30 second spot for The Hunger Games has been posted in advanced of that other big game taking place in Indianapolis on Sunday night. Check it out for yourself below:

You’ll notice I didn’t leave any commentary about The Hunger Games trailer. Why? Well, we  said some rather unkind things about the franchise in an early post and we got smacked upside the head for it. Apparently,  insulting The Hunger Games  is the equivalent of shitting on baby Jesus’ eye.

The Gary Ross-directed adaptation opens in theaters and IMAX on March 23rd and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland

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Even while this NerdBastard was reading Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, I was thinking about how much this story would kick ass on the big screen. When stories started to trickle out about the production and then continued to trickle out bits and pieces here and there of casting, costuming, and locations, I thought, “Damn, can we get more than a one second clip?” The fan made shorts were all that got me through that period let me tell you.

Now with production and shooting well under way we’re still getting teased and fed crumbs much like these stills released this week. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing this stuff, I just want more than this painfully slow trickle.

It is nice to have some crystal-clear images of Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Rue (Amandla Stenberg), and others. Check out the gallery below. Anything jump out at you? It is our first look at Rue in costume I believe.

Head over to Collider for the super high-res versions of some of these images.

The Hunger Games opens March 23, 2012.

Official synopsis:

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 16 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.

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