THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 2 OFFICIAL POSTERS



Exactly two months after the release of the official teaser of Breaking Dawn Part 2, Summit has released the three official movie posters.  

The posters feature Bella, Edward and Jacob, and simply feature the tagline "Forever", and the world-wide release date of 16 November 2012.

 

Only half of each face is shown, with focus seemingly on the difference in the colours of the eyes.

As with previous years, the official full trailer for the movie is likely to be unvailed at the MTV Movie Awards on 3 June 2012 - no official word yet, though.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE - CASTING RUMOURS

With The Hunger Games: Catching Fire earmarked to start filming soon, and extras being cast as we speak, the casting rumours for the new main characters are heating up.

Keeping in mind that blonde, fair-skinned Jennifer Lawrence was cast to play olive-skinned brunette, Katniss Everdeen, en brunette Josh Hutcherson was cast to play fair-haired Peeta Mellark, physical appearance of the actors doesn't have to be a deciding factor. 

This week Acting-Auditions.org has officially announced that the Catching Fire casting director is looking to fill the new character roles, the most important of which, I think, are:

Johanna Mason, female, sarcastic and often cruel victor from District 7.

Fan favourites include Naya Rivera (Glee), Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls) and Lyndsy Fonseca (Nikita).  I would love to see Lyndsy Fonseca in this role!

Beetee and Wiress, an older couple, dark hair, pale skin from District 3, very smart.  Fan favourites for Beetee include John Malkovich (Red), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) and Hank Azaria (Friends).  I think Jeff Goldblum might be perfect for this one.

As for Wiress, fan favourites include Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd), Winona Ryder (Girl Interrupted) and Jane Adams (Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind).  Personally I’d go for Jane Adams. 

Finnick Odair, male, mid-20′s, very handsome, tall, tan skin, bronze hair, green eyes.

Fan favourites are Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), Armie Hammer (The Social Network), Zac Effron (The Lucky One) and Garret Hedlund (Country Strong).  I’d also consider someone like Channing Tatum – that’s how I pictured Finnick.

As for Mags, there's only one choice, right?  Betty White!!!

Of course Plutarch Heavensbee, Head Gamemaker of the 75th Annual Hunger Games also has to be cast.  Fan favourites include Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeff Bridges, Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and Oliver Platt.  Personally I'd go with Oliver Platt.

No official casting news yet, but it will sure be interesting to see whether the studio will, again, fill the roles with relatively unknown actors, or whether they will bank on the success of The Hunger Games and reel in some big names.  

FIVE CATEGORIES OF PROMOTIONAL-AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Today I am going to share quite an old post with you -  old it may be, but it is still relevant, and still funny.  It is by Paul Hierbert on Flavorwire.  Here is an excerpt:

Against Promotional Author Photographs

Excellent authors avoid writing cliches. The problem is that some of these very authors do not apply the same level of vigilance when it comes to taking promotional photographs, whether they’re for magazine profiles or back-of-the-book biographies. In an attempt to look uniquely profound yet accessible, or convey some novel combination of deep thoughts with good times, a lot of writers end up looking exactly the same as their peers. It doesn’t matter if the authors are well-established or just scheduling their first panel discussion — all are susceptible to producing hackneyed images.

Since we don’t expect authors to be virtuosos in every medium, we thought we’d take a critical look at five categories of promotional-author photography as a warning for all future writers who want to break out of the formula.

1. The Sophisticated Photograph (aka “The My-head-is-so-weighted-down-by-great-thoughts-it-requires-additional-support”)

 

It’s the two-fingered peace sign of tourists. The “say cheese” of extended-family portraits. The pouty lips of Facebook users. The middle finger of punk rockers. Putting your fist under your chin does not come naturally to most people, but given the pose’s ubiquity amongst authors, it must be innate to those within the profession.

John Updike

2. The Office Photograph (aka “The Oh-I-didn’t-hear-you-enter-please-come-in-it’s-really-no-problem”)

 

Everyone likes seeing how art is made behind the scenes. This particular brand of promotional photograph provides the viewer with that indulgence. As you can see, some artists prefer the ascetic workplace, while others take the more cluttered approach. The overall concept, however, is usually not that revelatory nor interesting.

Malcolm Gladwell

3. The Comfortable Photograph (aka “The Torso-twist-with-arm-resting-on-back-of-couch”)

It’s important to writers that readers understand they are just like them, and that they, too, enjoy the pleasures derived from sitting on a couch. Who wouldn’t trust someone who likes a good couch sitting now and then? This strategy may have worked in the 19th century, but modern readers are more than aware that an author’s ethical discernment and creative prowess have little to do with an author’s attitude toward a piece of furniture capable of accommodating three to four people.



J.K Rowling



4. The Smoker Photograph (aka “The You-can’t-be-bad-ass-by-doing-what’s-good-for-you-and-your-children”)

Only rebels smoke, and only rebels have the courage to say what needs to be said in an oppressive society. So the writers who opt for The Smoker Photograph hope you believe. But if all writers are rebels, isn’t that a new kind of conformity? The paradigm has shifted.

Hunter S. Thompson

5. The Hand-To-Face Photograph (aka “The Face-alone-is-boring-and-therefore-not-enough”)

A distant cousin to The Sophisticated Photograph, The Hand-To-Face Photograph is employed by authors who require that their entrees be accompanied with garnish. Their intent seems to be clear: a subtle flourish with the hand will set me apart from the rest. But as the record shows, this type of photograph only reinforces them as authors, and sets them apart from accountants, cashiers, marine biologists, and others who would never pose like this.



Oscar Wilde

 Check out the complete article here.  It's well worth your time :)

J.K ROWLING'S NEW BOOK DETAILS REVEALED

Little, Brown Book Group has released details of J.K Rowling's upcoming novel!  The new novel by J.K. Rowling is entitled The Casual Vacancy, and will be published worldwide on Thursday 27th September 2012.

The Casual Vacancy:
When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.  Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.  Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems.  And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.

J.K Rowling

NOW READING: A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE - A STORM OF SWORDS 1: STEEL AND SNOW ~ GEORGE R.R. MARTIN

The month of May is slowly bringing the winds of winter.  What better time to start reading the next installment of George R.R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series?  Winter is coming...

Blood runs truer than oaths.  The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud as winter approaches like an angry beast.  In the northern wastes a horde of hungry, savage people steeped in the dark magic of the wilderness is poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown.  And Robb's defences are ranged against the South, the land of the cunning and cruel Lannisters, who have his young sisters in their power.  Throughout Westeros the war for the Iron Throne rages more fiercely than ever, but if the Wall is breached, no King will live to claim it.

REVIEW: CATCHING FIRE ~ SUZANNE COLLINS

Six months have passed since Katniss and Peeta defied the Capitol by walking out of the Hunger Games arena as joint Victors. Since watching Katniss lavish attention and kisses on Peeta, Gale is keeping her at an icy distance. Since realizing that Katniss was acting when pretending to love him, Peeta ignores her completely. Lonely, dejected and guilt ridden Katniss prepares for the mandatory Victors’ Tour six months after the last Hunger Games, six months prior to the next. Unwilling but resigned to her fate, Katniss expects the whole business to just go by in a miserable blur so that she can return to her life. What Katniss doesn’t expect, however, is finding President Snow in her new home on the morning of her and Peeta’s departure. Somehow he knows the truth – that Gale is not her cousin as the press reported, and that Katniss and Peeta aren’t a couple. The girl who publicly defied the Capitol and made them look foolish cannot be allowed to remain unpunished – the people of Panem just might start thinking they can do the same. With a subtle rebellion rising, President Snow makes it clear that if Katniss doesn’t want to see her mother, Prim or Gale harmed, her job is not only to convince the world that she and Peeta are indeed madly in love (the only justifiable excuse for defying the Capitol), but it is also her job to defuse the rising rebellion she unwittingly triggered. The question is, having seen the total suppression of the people of Panem first hand, with hatred for the Capitol building in her day by day, does she really want to stop the rebellion? Even if it means certain death, will Katniss instead choose to become the symbol of the rebellion?

I literally cannot say any more without completely spoiling the book for first time readers. The storyline as it flows from here is completely unpredictable with surprise following surprise.

Catching Fire, the second installment of the Hunger Games Trilogy is no less exciting than the first. While fan favourite supporting characters such as Cinna and Caesar Flickerman make comebacks, interesting, colourful new characters are also introduced which gives the trilogy new life.  However, Katniss (and the reader) still never knows who can truly be trusted, so the level of suspense doesn't lessen this time around.  The love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale becomes more developed as the trilogy continues, and it is impossible to predict who Katniss will ultimately end up with. Suzanne Collins once again did a fantastic job of creating and expanding the world of Panem. She once again keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. With a full blown rebellion threatening the Capitol, no character is safe.

The film version of Catching Fire is already in the works.  At this point we know that the first draft of the script has been completed, and that Director Francis Lawrence (Water for Elephants, Constantine, I am Legend) has officially been given the gig to take over the helm from Hunger Games director Gary Ross. Filming is earmarked to start anytime around August 2012, and Catching Fire has already been assigned a release date of 22 November 2013.

Catching Fire is followed by Mockingjay, the last book in the Hunger Games Trilogy.

Product information:
Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Number of pages: 391

Publisher: Scholastic

Year: 2009

ISBN: 9780439023498

ISBN-13: 9780439023498