Here’s a nice fluffy story for us to scratch our heads over and blink twice. Apparently, Miley Cyrus ordered up a lovely p3nis cake for boyfriend Liam Hemsworth’s birthday party. Strange, right? I don’t even eat crap like that at bachelorette parties, but to each their own, I guess. TMZ has photos of Miley pretending to lick the cake, and the situation looks about as juvenile as one would expect. Maybe Liam wanted to see Miley lick a cake like that, or perhaps she and her friends have some strange sort of “cake prank” theme that endlessly amuses them. After all, Kelly Osbourne did present Miley with a Bob Marley cake for her 19th birthday. I’m guessing that Liam and Miley share the same sense of humor? Let’s hope so:

For her boyfriend Liam Hemsworth’s 22nd birthday, Miley Cyrus pulled out all the stops — from cute to raunchy!

First, the 19-year-old Hannah Montana star revealed that she gifted the Hunger Games hunk with a puppy named Ziggy, sharing a pic via Twitter early last week.

But when the time arrived to celebrate Hemsworth’s big day at Club Icon in L.A. last Saturday (Hemsworth’s actual birthday was Friday Jan. 20), Cyrus went another direction — surprising Hemsworth with a “Happy Birthday Liam” cake adorned with a p3nis.

Photos at TMZ show Cyrus, er, tasting the black-and-red, X-rated confection, the kind usually seen at bachelorette parties.

Last Song costars Cyrus and Hemsworth quietly rekindled their on-and-off romance in spring 2011.

A pal told Us Weekly that Cyrus is “crazy in love” with her man, set to become a superstar once Hunger Games hits theaters in March. “She wants to establish as much of a foundation in the relationship as possible.”

[From Us Magazine]

Hopefully, this story won’t devolve into a “Miley goes off the rails” theme. It honestly just looks like some harmless (albeit tasteless) dumb fun. Liam and Miley seem like a decent couple who are well-suited for each other right now. Sure, they probably won’t last forever, but they enjoy each other’s company both on the red carpet and during laid-back moments.

Also, check out Liam’s adorable dog in the below photo that was taken last year. It’s not the “Ziggy” referred to in the above article, but this is still a really damn cute puppy.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet

Here are some photos of Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth at last night’s People’s Choice Awards. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but… Miley Cyrus and Liam are one of the sexiest young couples in Young Hollywood. Like, I buy that they’re boning like bunny rabbits. And I kind of want to see it. This is not a bearding situation, and it’s not a show-mance or a fauxmance. These two actually adore each other, and they can’t keep their hands off of each other. It’s hot.

I’ve always been rather meh on Liam’s attractiveness – he seems like a lug, honestly. But ever since Liam and Miley got back together for a second go-around, and ever since Miley seems more low-key and more grown-up, I’ve liked them both so much more. I want to think he’s a good influence on her. I like to think that they just spend their days having sex and doing bong hits and watching TV. I like to think Miley is learning that her whole life doesn’t have to lived in the public sphere.

Anyway, Miley was wearing this David Koma dress, which I’m not crazy about. At least her tatas are under wraps, I guess. And the white looks pretty on her, but the weirdness in the skirt is bugging me. Also: Miley’s face looks slightly tweaked to me. But other than that, Miley and Liam make a very attractive couple. Miley is completely balls-out in love with him too – look at the way she looks at him. It’s sweet, but I hope she doesn’t get her heart broken.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

One of the overriding complaints thus far about The Hunger Games promotion is that the actors, as featured within promotional stills, don’t really appear to be starving, near-death subjects of Panem. They look too clean. Too airbrushed. Too healthy. Too Hollywood. Further worries arose with a series of lackluster character posters and a Vanity Fair spread that looked like pages ripped from a J.Crew catalog. Although Jennifer Lawrence, who portrays Katniss, attempted to distance this adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ acclaimed trilogy from Twilight Saga, the comparisons were inevitable. Not to mention those people (who may not have even read the books) who insist upon comparing Hunger Games to Battle Royale without a trace of irony. Bitches, please.

Fans of the books should now prepare to have all hope restored, for Lionsgate has released the first full trailer for The Hunger Games. The trailer does an excellent job of both satisfying fans of the source material as well as offering an altogether thrilling presentation of the story’s framework for those who haven’t read the novels. It also only details the first half of the story so as not to spoil too much of the action. Check it out, and then we’ll discuss:

CB and I both agree that this trailer looks fantastic. The voiceover by Donald Sutherland (as President Snow) gave me chills, and the grittiness of District 12 stands out in stark comparison to the clinical feel of District 1. The three leads (Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth) all fit the bill here, and the love triangle is significantly downplayed as well, which is the exact opposite of what I feared would happen. The supporting players all get their moments as well, with Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz at their mentoring best, and little Rue (Amandla Stenberg) peeking around a corner to break our hearts. While I’m not entirely satisfied with Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket (I thought she’d be a bit more vivacious), that’s not a huge complaint. Overall, this trailer is solid and should do a bang-up job at driving holiday-based interest for The Hunger Games before its March 23 release.

Movie stills courtesy of AllMoviePhoto

While I have read both the entire Twilight Saga and the Hunger Games trilogy and can attest to the inherent differences between the two, it’s also easy to concede to the similarities between target audiences when it comes to the movie adaptations for both franchises. While Hunger Games (based upon Suzanne Collins’ best-selling trilogy) is obviously based upon more complex and universal themes than those of Stephenie Meyer’s weepy Twilight vampire-werewolf romances, both of them appeal to a tween-age audience. Of course, Collins has widely stated that she got the idea for her books not from (as many have speculated) Battle Royale but from watching the footage of both the Iraq war and reality television. In the spirit of defending Collins’ works against Twilight-geared accusations, Jennifer Lawrence has been interviewed by Vanity Fair:

On How She Got Involved With The Hunger Games: “I had read the books before I even knew I would be auditioning for the movie, and was a huge fan of the material. Actually, my mom read them first and thought it was an incredible role and story. She did the same thing with Winter’s Bone, so she must be a clairvoyant, or just has really great taste. Katniss is an incredible character: she’s a hunter but not a killer, a 16-year-old who’s being forced into the arena. These kids are killing one another only because if they don’t they’ll die. It’s needless, pointless, unjustified violence. It’s heartbreaking. When I auditioned, I told [director] Gary [Ross], ‘I understand if you don’t hire me, but please remember that after Katniss shoots a bow and kills someone, her face cannot be badass.’ So there’s nothing cool about her. It’s not like she looks around the arena and goes, Yeah, I got this. I think she looks around helplessly, and thinks, I made a promise to my sister that I would survive; now I have to kill in order to do so.”

On Comparisons With Twilight: “I try not to think too much about it. Hunger Games is not Twilight, and while I hear the comparisons, it’s really premature to say that it will be the same phenomenon. I’m so proud of the work we did on the film-Gary and the entire cast and crew were amazing, and I can’t wait for it to be brought to life because I think it’s an important story. If it does become a crazy phenomenon, I’ll soak up my freedom now!”

[From Vanity Fair]

Naturally, I very much appreciate that Lawrence has read the subject matter at hand but would also be much more likely to understand her argument if, say, this interview hadn’t appeared on VF.com, which also (not coincidentally) features eight pages of very similarly-structured archives of Twilight-related promotional material. In addition, there’s also the matter of the above Hunger Games photoshoot, which appears to feature the cast members in advertisements for Abercrombie & Fitch clothing instead of a movie based upon a post-apocalyptic literary trilogy.

Further, I have to relent and accept arguments that Lionsgate’s marketing thus far of Hunger Games has been both airbrushed to the max and far too mass-marketed to be authentically believable in terms of the books themselves. AFter all, this film is supposed to portray characters that are both starving and in fear for their very lives. So why do the film stills look so bloody clean?

In addition to the above-described promotional materials, Lionsgate has also just released eight character posters — among them is the Lenny Kravitz as Cinna poster for which I’ve been anxiously awaiting. However, I must admit that the end results are … sadly lacking. Presenting Katniss, Cinna, Effie, Peeta, Haymitch, Gale, Cato, and Rue:

Photos courtesy of Vanity Fair and Lionsgate

Liam Hemsworth is Miley Cyrus’s first great love. When they initially got together, it was an on-set romance that managed to last longer than some predicted. They were together for more than a year, and then, not surprisingly, they split. Most of us just rolled our eyes at Miley, and hoped that she wouldn’t go to crazy after the breakup. Then something weird happened – everything around Miley went crazy (like her father), but she didn’t. She kept her head down, kept doing her work, managed to keep a consistently lower profile, and suddenly, magically, Miley and Liam were back together. And for their second time around, it seems… different. Less famewhore-y. Less like an on-set romance between two young kids, destined to fail. It seems more like a real relationship, with give and take and growth on (hopefully) both sides. Us Weekly has a story on why Miley and Liam are making it work this time:

For Miley Cyrus, the secret to rebuilding her romance with Liam Hemsworth was learning how to relax.

“He wanted her to calm down and stop going out as much,” says a source close to the Australian Hunger Games actor, 21, who split with Cyrus after a year of dating and reuniting with her this spring.

So the singer, 18, focused more on a homebody lifestyle.

“Now they’re doing more things like game nights and having friends come over,” says the insider. “They have a lot of fun together!”

[From Us Weekly, print edition]

I like that Liam is teaching Miley the value of not partying, of not being a mess, of being quiet and low-key. I hope that this is a sign that Liam adores her as much as I think she adores him. I hope that this isn’t a sign that he’s controlling her and isolating her. You never know, but I do think his influence is probably overwhelmingly positive. Miley’s gotten a lot better, y’all.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame and Pacific Coast News.

The upcoming March 2012 release The Hunger Games is, presumably, every movie studio’s dream because it arrives with a premade audience. Yet the marketing team at Lionsgate has been tasked with a hefty challenge; that is, how to reach the target demographic without, you know, making The Hunger Games seem like standard Twilight fare to those prospective audience members who haven’t yet read the trilogy by Suzanne Collins? The answer, unfortunately, is that both goals aren’t simultaneously possible because both franchises appeal to the same age group, which is primarily made up of tweens and young adults. Hence the teaser clip that aired last night on the VMAs, which is a move straight out of Summit Entertainment’s playbook. Still, those who have read Collins’ applicable works will realize that The Hunger Games is practically disseration-level material compared to Twilight. Instead of watching Bella fawn over a sparkly, weepy vampire and give up her entire world for him, no questions asked, the audience instead will (presumably) be treated to a brave heroine who can not only hunt and fend for herself but also (gasp!) think independently as well. Any romantic storylines are truly secondary to the fact that Katniss is fighting for her life and, in turn, sparking a revolution in the country of Panem. Right, so let’s get on with that teaser clip, which features Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) in the arena while dodging fireballs and a voiceover from Gale (Liam Hemsworth):

CB thinks this clip is a bit of a letdown and wishes that Lionsgate should’ve waited until the movie shoot was further along so that the teaser clip would’ve contained some actual plot. Mostly, I’m okay with the clip because I feel just “teased” enough to want more. For those looking for hidden additional clues, however, the very end of the clip reportedly features a few notes from “Rue’s Lullaby,” which will be sung in the movie (by Jennifer Lawrence herself) to her sister-like friend in the arena.

Oh, and a few more stills have also surfaced since the last time we covered the movie and witnessed Peeta at the bakery. Below, you can see Gale at the Reaping and Katniss with a sling full of arrows. Of course, these are arena-grade arrows and not the ones that she used to hunt with back in District 12, but the filmmakers have obviously abandoned the “tunic” that was to serve as arena-based uniforms for all of the tributes. I’m sure there will be more book-to-movie changes that will surface before the movie releases next March, but hopefully they’ll all be minor enough that we won’t complain too much.

Movie stills courtesy of AllMoviePhoto

Lionsgate has released some new movie stills from the set of The Hunger Games, which show Liam Hemsworth as Gale, Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. These stills have already premiered in the most recent issue of EW, which is the lucky publication who has received a jump start on all of the new imagery for this movie. Initially, EW debuted sneak peeks at Lawrence as Katniss as well as the extremely airbrushed boys, and now we’re catching a glimpse of Katniss and Gale during their hunting time in the woods outside of District 12. Next up, here’s Peeta outside the bakery with that fateful loaf of burned bread. Wasn’t Peeta supposed to be younger during that part of the book? Ah well.

According to IMDb, The Hunger Games is still currently filming and has a release date of March 23, 2012. In other words, there are many months left for Lionsgate to tease the living hell out of the fans with stuff like the cool (or, by some accounts, annoying) motion poster of a burning mockingjay pin. In the meantime, you can check out the film’s official website or its Facebook page. Hopefully, we’ll soon get to see some Cinna; that is, magic of the Lenny Kravitz sex appeal. I’ll be waiting.

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate and EW

Entertainment Weekly seems to have the upper hand on presenting official first glances at The Hunger Games actors in character. We’ve already seen Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, and now EW brings us Liam Hemsworth as Gale and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. Kaiser, CB and I were discussing this cover over email, and the general consensus is that Hemsworth looks nothing like himself here. Kaiser also points out that Hemsworth probably lost some weight for the role, and CB thinks that the angle of the photo might have something to do with it, but I’m also leaning towards a lot of stage makeup and a heavy-handed Photoshop artist. Maybe the absence of facial hair matters too? I don’t know.

As far as this first look at the leading men of The Hunger Games goes, I’ve got to admit being slightly underwhelmed. Based upon aesthetics alone, Katniss would have absolutely no trouble tossing Gale over for the strapping Peeta. Of course, it makes sense that a baker’s son would spend his days lifting heavy sacks of flour and also end up with enough nourishment to fill out those guns too. Gale, however, is sadly lacking here. Yes, he is the one responsible for feeding his family, but the book makes it rather clear that he and Katniss’ unparalleled hunting and trapping skills do keep them afloat, so Gale shouldn’t look quite that skinny, right? Perhaps I was just expecting him to have a bit more stature. If this EW cover accurely depicts the male eye candy of the movie, I will probably hold out for the Lenny Kravitz cover for some real sex appeal, but EW does have some words from Liam and Josh as well:

Two months ago, Entertainment Weekly revealed the first images of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, the teenage hero of The Hunger Games, based on Suzanne Collins’ blistering dystopian trilogy about children forced to fight to the death on national TV (and due out next March). In this week’s cover story, we introduce you to the devoted young men who fight for her.

We sat down wth Josh Hutcherson, the 18-year-old actor whom director Gary Ross fought hard to cast as the deeply decent Peeta Mellark, at a cozy diner in Asheville, N.C., where The Hunger Games shoot was mid-way through filming. His hair was dyed blonde; his newly pumped-up biceps could believably belong to that of a baker’s son. And while Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) understands fans’ hand-wringing online, he’s here to assure you that Lawrence will not in fact tower over him on screen. “Jennifer’s not two feet taller than me!” he says with his easy laugh. “If anything, maybe she’s a half inch taller.” And Ross assures devotees of the books that 21-year-old Liam Hemsworth, who’ll play Katniss’ righteous childhood confidante Gale, is more than just some Australian beefcake who starred in Miley Cyrus’ last movie. “On first glance he’s such a hunk that it’s easy to just sort of ascribe a hunk-like simplicity to him,” says the director. “But this is a phenomenally subtle actor.”

Although Peeta and Gale circle each other warily throughout the series, it turns out that Hutcherson and Hemsworth bonded hard during their six weeks together on set. So much so that Hutcherson brought Hemsworth along on a weekend visit to his hometown in Kentucky to relax with his family and sample his grandmother’s famous fried chicken. “I think it’s going to blow people’s minds when they see that Peeta and Gale are actually best friends in real life,” says Hutcherson.

[From EW.com]

Hutcherson must be kidding about blowing our minds because it’s nothing new when actors become friends on set. He’s really young though, and I’m probably out of touch when it comes to youth slang these days. However, it’s nice to see a guy with some modicum of talent move up from indie film to a studio pic, and (again, if the EW cover is an accurate portrayal) I think that Hutcherson looks better as a blonde. By the way, he’s dating Vanessa Hudgens, and they attended Coachella together. Don’t hold that against him.

Here’s a reminder of what Liam Hemsworth usually looks like. So different!

Photos courtesy of Popwatch and Fame

At this point, I doubt Miley Cyrus even cares. People Magazine confirms that Miley and Liam Hemsworth have broken up yet again, after doing the breakup-back together crap a few months ago. He’s been in Australia for the past week or so, and he’s been photographed with various Aussie girls, and there are rumors that his family has become very anti-Cyrus. For Miley’s part, she’s got mama drama as Tish bangs her way through the hair bands of the 80s. So… yeah, Miley and Liam were in “different places”. Here’s more about the breakup from People:

It’s been a rough week for Miley Cyrus. As her parents Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus go through a public divorce, Miley also underwent a quiet split of her own.

Miley, who turns 18 on Nov. 23, is no longer dating her Last Song costar Liam Hemsworth, 20, according to a source. “Their on- and off-again relationship is currently off,” says the source. “But you never know with Miley and Liam. They could be back on at some point.”

Adds another source close to Hemsworth: “There was no drama. The relationship just ran its course. They were good friends first and remain friends.”

The pair met while filming the Last Song in June, 2009. They first split this past August only to rekindle their romance in September.

But lately the two have been living separate lives: Hemsworth has been in Australia, where he hosted the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and has been spending time with his family. Miley is currently in Madrid, preparing to perform at the MTV European Music Awards Sunday.

[From People]

My immediate thought was that this is just kind of relationship and family chaos that a Britney/Lindsay situation is born. You know when I think Britney really began to go off the rails? It was the breakup with Justin Timberlake, and his “selling her out” in a national interview. When did Lindsay Lohan go off the rails? When she was Miley’s age and she was making all the money and she was living by herself in the Marmont, and her parents had crazy drama. Roll up those stories and take a hard look at Miley. I feel for the girl, y’all. I kind of wish I was her friend, just so I could offer my life advice to her, face to face.

If it was anyone else, I would be calling “bullsh-t” and settling in for a nice nap. Instead, I’m forced to roll my eyes and mutter “Jesus, I bet this sh-t it true.” The National Enquirer reports that Miley Cyrus, still just 17 years old, is planning’ on gettin’ married to her on-again boyfriend Liam Hemsworth. A few months ago there was a lot of drama about Miley and Liam splitting up, and maybe he was cheatin’ and maybe Miley was too, and it was all very teenage and dumb. And then a few weeks later, they got back together. And now they’re preparin’ to get hitched, y’all! The worst part of the story (and the part that I really, really believe): Billy Ray is so excited! He can’t wait for his 17-year-old daughter to walk down the aisle. He thought he was going to have to trade ‘er in for a virgin cow.

Holy underage nuptials, Hannah Montana! MILEY CYRUS is not only back together with boyfriend Liam Hemsworth, they’re headed to the altar, say sources. What’s more, 17-year-old Miley’s proud papa Billy Ray Cyrus is thrilled, confide insiders.

“Billy Ray is all for the wedding…once she turns 18,” revealed a source close to the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer. “He thinks the world of Liam and sees a lot of himself in him. They’re both extremely protective of Miley – and they both have her best interests at heart.”

The happy pair are talking about a spring 2011 wedding, sources tell The ENQUIRER. The Aussie actor is 20, and Miley turns 18 on Nov. 23. The couple, who co-starred in the movie “The Last Song,” had split briefly earlier this year. But Miley, who was devastated by the breakup, begged Liam to come back to her…and doting dad Billy Ray got in on the act.

“A lot of people thought that somehow Billy Ray had gotten between Liam and Miley,” said the source. “That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Billy Ray wanted Liam to get back with his daughter almost as much as she did.”

[From The National Enquirer]

Of course, it doesn’t really matter what The Mullet has to say about any of this. Miley is the one in charge of everything in that household, so if she wants to get married, she’s gonna, y’all. I want to think Miley is smarter than this, but she’s probably not. This probably is her plan. And it’s going to be a catastrophe, y’all.

Photos courtesy of Fame.