Woody Harrelson Talks 'Catching Fire' & Francis Lawrence With HitFix

Woody Harrelson (Haymitch) is doing a bunch of press for his new movie Now You See Me, and inevitably the interviewer touches on Catching Fire (Yes!). Woody talks about Francis Lawrence as a director and a little about the movie: 

Well, there may have been no one, other than Lionsgate execs or something, more distraught than me when Gary Ross left. I was REALLY distraught because I love that guy. But I gotta say, Francis, he's fantastic. He's just a real gentleman, he's a super fun guy, and a great, great director. I mean, really knows what he wants, really understands action. Believe me, the whole Hunger Games franchise will not suffer from having him at the helm. He's just great. I haven't seen the second one so I better save these comments 'til later. But I heard it's great. 

Sam Claflin's Fiance Talks Finnick and 'Catching Fire' Fans

Sam Claflin's lovely fiance, Laura Haddock, talked to Empire Magazine (June issue) about Sam, his fans, and his new sex-symbol status:  

Professionaly, Haddock is presently juggling a number of future projects. Personally, though, the future is set - she's engaged to Sam Claflin, who will shortly best his parts in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Snow White & The Huntsman to go stratospheric as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire's revolutionary sex bomb, Finnick Odair.

"Sam being a pin-up is funny," says Haddock. "We have this big monthly session where we sit down with his fan mail, him with a big marker pen and me and his mum with a cup of tea, and he signs all these things that have come in. The other day he got a bracelet from this girl who's a fan of The Hunger Games. It had his district on it. And he put it on and took a picture of it and sent it to her by Twitter, which made her day. But he's not taken it off! He loves it!" She laughs. "Otherwise he gets all of these pictures of him, where he's looking all sexy and serious..."

And her point is? "Well he IS very sexy," she says. "But he's really not very serious. You know, he looks gorgeous in that film. But if you said that to him he'd say, 'What? Me? I'm from Norwich!'"

Here's the bracelet she was referring to in the article! Lucky @Tanyelala

Francis Lawrence Gives New 'Catching Fire' Details

Francis Lawrence, Jennifer Lawrence, and Josh Hutcherson on the Catching Fire set in Hawaii

The July issue of Empire Magazine has a brand new still of Effie and Peeta, along with an interview with Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence. Lawrence talks about the scope of the movie and the theme of the trilogy being the consequence of war:

The tone and scope of Catching Fire

“Everything opens up in this one … I think that without the second and the third book, the first movie would feel like a relatively small story, but the mythology opens up and the stakes ratchet up. You realise that this is about so much more than one person and that a whole country and a rebellion and loads of people’s lives are at stake.”

Revisiting the Games and Tributes

“Any time leading up to the Games you’re gonna go to the Capitol, go through training, go through the chariots and the interviews. So we had to be really vigilant about how to make those moments feel different. These tributes are like war veterans. One of the great things about all the books is just the theme of the consequences of war. All these people, and they how it all in different ways, have some form of PTSD, and the ones that you get to know, you start to see the cracks in their veneer. And once we got into the arena – ours is tropical so the geography was wildly different – it was easy.”

Thanks to The Hob.org for the details! 

New 'Catching Fire' Still from Empire Magazine

Chins up, smiles on! Check out a new Catching Fire still from Empire Magazine featuring Effie and Peeta! We'll get a HQ version up when it's available. 

Happy Birthday Lenny Kravitz

Happy Birthday to our Cinna and one of the coolest people on earth, Lenny Kravitz! 

Photos From Liam Hemsworth's Upcoming 'Paranoia'

Thanks to DesdeHollywood, we're getting our first look at Liam Hemsworth in his upcoming movie, the thriller Paranoia. Liam stars with Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford in the film, which comes out August 16, 2013. 

“In this high-stakes thriller, Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is an ambitious junior technologist trying to climb the ranks of telecom giant Wyatt Corporation. But after one costly mistake, Adam is blackmailed by ruthless CEO Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman) to turn corporate spy by going to work for the firm’s top competitor, which is run by Wyatt’s old mentor, Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford). Adam soon finds himself delivered into prepackaged success, living his fantasy life of old-world boardrooms, private clubs, exotic cars, and all the spoils of Manhattan bachelorhood. However, behind the scenes, he is merely a pawn in Wyatt’s power play, and must search for a way out from under his boss, who will stop at nothing, even murder, to gain a multi-billion dollar advantage.”

Elizabeth Banks at The Vital Voices Luncheon

Elizabeth Banks (Effie) was showing her charitable side at the Versace, Vanity Fair and Elizabeth Banks Luncheon Benefiting Vital Voices Global Partnership at the Versace store in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, May 22nd. 

Vital Voices identifies, invests in, and brings visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities. 

First Look: Lenny Kravitz on Oprah's Master Class

First Look: Oprah's Master Class

Grammy award-winning artist, producer and actor Lenny Kravitz (Cinna) talks about how his mixed cultural background influenced his signature retro music style and how he challenged the industry with his unconventional image. Plus, Lenny reveals more about his marriage to actress Lisa Bonet and his relationship with his daughter, Zoë.

Watch Oprah's Master Class with Lenny Kravitz on Sunday, June 2, at 10/9c on OWN.