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

Woody Harrelson was in a 2003 documentary called Go Further where he traveled around California by bike and psychedelic sustainable bus and spread the word about environmentally conscious living. The trailer is above and you can rent it on iTunes for $2.99, but I haven’t seen it yet.

Anyway Woody still has that bus, according to the Enquirer, and he brought it to the Baltimore set of his new HBO movie, Game Change, based on the book about the 2008 election. They call Woody’s bus the Mothership and it’s got dolphins, unicorns and rainbows painted on the side of it along with a cork floor and solar panels. Crew and castmembers, including Julianne Moore (she’s playing Palin) regularly party in the bus and down Coors Light. (Among other things I’m sure.) Ed Harris, who stars as McCain, isn’t down with the bus, but other than that old curmudgeon everyone seems to enjoy hanging with Woody and talking veganism and green living.

Here’s the report from the Enquirer, which I just love for the imagery it evokes.

“The mothership has landed!”

That’s what Woody Harrelson shouted as he and his psychedelic tour bus rolled onto the set of the HBO movie “Game Change” in Baltimore. And it wasn’t long before the bus became party central for the film’s cast and crew!

“It became THE place to hang out and let your hair down,” said an insider on the set. “Woody and the crew members congregated on The Mothership almost every evening after filming and polished off buckets of Coors Light.

“They would all get their buzz on and then it was off to dinner and a night of bar-hopping. His attitude all through the shoot was: ‘Let the good times roll!’”

The bus – which runs on hemp oil and is powered by solar panels – has become Woody’s main base when he’s filming a movie on location.

The floor is made of sustainably harvested cork and the outside is adorned with pictures of rainbows and unicorns…”

While regular visitors… included dozens of cast and crew members, including Julianne Moore on occasion, the insider says one person who didn’t drop in was Ed Harris.

“He was a complete stick in the mud,” the insider added. “Ed liked Woody but he thought everyone on the bus was crazy!”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, August 8, 2011]

Maybe Harris just couldn’t drink Coors Light. That stuff is swill. I want to party with Woody on the unicorn bus and I’d drink the crappiest beer to get the party started. It would be worth it. I’d be so baked out of my mind I wouldn’t notice anyway.

Here’s Woody filming Friends with Benefits with Justin Timberlake in July, 2010. He’s buff!

Photo credit: WENN.com

Patriotism is shown in all sorts of ways. Flying the flag, donating your time to a charity, or in Woody Harrelson’s case, shaving his head, with the help of Stephen Colbert. Watching this clip was the highlight of my month so far. Not that my month has been pathetic (okay it has, but irrelevant), but that this was so hysterically funny I actually thought I was going to choke.

It’s not funny simply because Stephen is shaving Woody’s head – though that’s still amusing. It’s because while Stephen’s shaving Woody’s head, they’re both singing the “Star Spangled Banner” – excellently. Harmony and melody done perfectly. I could only hear one minor imperfection at the very end. It was shocking. And all the while, Stephen is shaving Woody’s head, and doesn’t miss a beat or a hair.

Woody Harrelson appeared on the “Colbert Report” last night to promote his upcoming film “The Messenger.” The movie centers around an army officer tasked with delivering death notices to soldiers’ next of kin, and explores the psychological and physical toll of war. Harrelson, a pacifist, made clear that while he doesn’t support the war he wholeheartedly supports the troops. Colbert, who shaved his head while performing for the troops in Iraq, asked Harrelson if he too would go bald to show his support for our fighting men and women. “I wish there was more support to show,” Harrelson quipped as Colbert clipped.

[From the Huffington Post]

From what I gather, Woody isn’t visiting the troops. Colbert shaved his head when he went over to Iraq. Woody let Stephen shave his head just as a show of support – and let’s face it, some good TV. Frankly, if I only had as much hair as Woody does (did), I wouldn’t let anyone touch it unless I were actually planning to feel the desert heat. So big points for that. And who would have guessed both Stephen Colbert and Woody Harrelson have such lovely singing voices?

Here’s the clip, which is only viewable in the US.

Woody Harrelson is a totally crunchy hippie. He loves his tofu, he loves his solar panels, he loves surfing and Hawaii. It’s just the way he’s built, and I for one love it. Woody seems like a sweetheart (to me, at least, maybe not to the paparazzi). I get the feeling that Woody couldn’t be anything other than a crunchy hippie. It’s in his DNA or something. So it came a slight surprise to me to read Woody’s recent comments about why he turned vegan in his twenties. It wasn’t about hippie credibility or animal rights – the man just wanted to clear up his skin!

WOODY Harrelson didn’t become vegan just to protect animals — there was some vanity involved.

The star tells Maxim that he gave up dairy foods to help clear up his skin. “I was about 24 years old, and I had tons of acne,” he told the magazine. “I met some random girl on a bus who told me to quit dairy and all those symptoms would go away three days later.”

Harrelson added, “By God, she was right.”

[From Page Six]

I love that he took random advice from random girl on a bus. I totally believe that. As far as veganism clearing up a person’s skin, I’ve actually heard that before. I’ve never really seen it in practice though – most of the vegans I’ve known in my life don’t have great skin. Although, to be fair to veganism, I think the bad skin might have had more to do with all of the “I’m too high to wash my face” nonsense. That being said, I’ve known a lot of vegetarians who have had great skin, so maybe there’s something there.

Woody Harrelson was involved in several altercations with a persistent paparazzo at La Guardia airport earlier this week. While I remembered Harrelson attacking the photographer twice in the longer video initially posted by TMZ (It’s since been removed and replaced by two shorter videos which don’t show the extent of the harassment inflicted on Harrelson), Liz Kelly at The Washington Post’s Celebritology says there were three incidents. She made a good point that I didn’t consider, though. Kelly snotes that from the perspective the photographer films the attacks we didn’t see what happened and can only take the guy’s word for it. The photographer is annoying to say the least. He follows Harrelson and repeatedly shouts his name and asks obnoxious questions even after Harrelson breaks his camera and scuffles with him. It’s clear the photographer is deliberately trying to provoke Harrelson, although this is a common tactic of paparazzi and Harrelson could have chosen to ignore it or alert the Port Authority police instead of resorting to violence.

In response to the incident, Harrelson has issued a creative statement that doesn’t deny his part in the incident while making his feelings about the photographer known. He says he had just wrapped a zombie movie and mistook the guy for a zombie:

The TMZ photographer filed a complaint with police claiming the actor damaged his camera and pushed him in the face at La Guardia Airport, according to an airport spokesman.

“We’re looking into this allegation and if it’s warranted, we’ll turn it over to the proper authorities,” said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Ron Marsico.

The photographer, who was not identified, captured the encounter on a small camera after his larger one was broken.

Harrelson, who is being sued by another TMZ photographer for an alleged assault in 2006, did not deny his involvement.

“I wrapped a movie called ‘Zombieland,’ in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character,” Harrelson said in a statement issued Friday by his publicist.

“With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie,” he said.

[From CNN]

Many of you defended Harrelson’s actions by saying he was provoked. It’s true that he was provoked and that the paparazzo was in the wrong, but so was Harrelson. We don’t know exactly what he did to the photographer but the guy claimed that Harrelson punched him in the eye and we did see him break a camera. Celebrities have to deal with ridiculous paparazzi all the time and most of them chose to ignore it. I’m not saying this type of harassment is justified, but neither is violence. The guy certainly acted like a zombie by not giving up once he was attacked. Those zombies just keep on going until they get to the brains.

Woody Harrelson is shown at the Semi-Pro premiere on 2/16/08. Credit: PRPhotos

Woody Harrelson was involved in several altercations with a photographer at La Guardia airport on Wednesday night. TMZ has the video. (The current video on TMZ is shorter than the one posted yesterday, which showed much more footage of the photographer heckling Woody and continuing to follow him after he was attacked.) You can see Harrelson’s wife Laurie Louie in some shots but she tries to stay away from the scene as her husband gets enraged.

Harrelson never should have become physical with the guy and violence is never justified unless it’s self defense, but you can see as the scene unfolds how Harrelson got so worked up. The photographer heckles him repeatedly, shouting his name over and over and asking asinine questions about marijuana use and if he’s wearing hemp pants. (Again – it’s hard to see this from the current video, but the one yesterday made the scenario much clearer, showing the photographer following Woody after at least two separate altercations and continuing to shout at him.) Woody first grabs the photographer’s camera, throws it to the ground and runs away with it, coming back to get in a scuffle with him. The guy continues to follow him and shout his name, saying “Woody, you assaulted me, Woody, Woody” etc. and Harrelson eventually comes back and lashes out at him again. The hapless photographer then continues to follow Woody, talking about how he was assaulted and how he was punched in the eye. Woody eventually finds his car in the parking lot and drives away.

There is no excuse for resorting to violence. That said, why did the guy follow Woody after the first incident and again after the second incident? He should have backed off, filed a complaint about his broken equipment and talked to the police. As it is, it really looks like he was deliberately provoking him. This doesn’t mean he “asked for it” by any means just that he wasn’t too wise about how to deal with the situation. Maybe it all worked out like he was hoping, though. His footage was worth a lot more money and he’ll probably sue Harrelson for millions. The photographer has filed a complaint with the Port Authority police, which is probably the first step toward a civil lawsuit. Ca Ching!

This is not Woody’s first paparazzi attack. In 2006, he choked a photographer out in LA, and was sued for it in a case that is still pending.

Woody clearly has some anger issues, and it’s probably going to deservedly cost him at least tens of thousands in settlement money.

Woody Harrelson is shown at the airport in Berlin on 2/7/09. Credit: WENN.com

Woody Harrelson lives a peaceful life on the Island of Maui in Hawaii with his partner, Laura Louie, and their three daughters, Deni, 15, Zoe, 12, and Makani, two and a half. After nearly 20 years together Louie and Harrelson decided to make it official by marrying on Sunday in a small outdoor ceremony near their home attended by friends and family:

The couple, who have been together for 20 years, tied the knot in front of a small group of family and friends, including actor Owen Wilson, Willie Nelson and Sean Penn. Alanis Morissette sang at the ceremony.

Harrelson’s rep tells Us, “Woody Harrelson and Laura Louie were officially married yesterday on the island of Maui. The ceremony was attended by family and friends. The couple have been together 20 years and are the proud parents of three daughters.”

The private wedding took place near Harrelson’s home in Kipahulu, Maui around 4.30 p.m. local time. An hour later a large cheer could be heard by nearby hikers.

Before the wedding, there was a Hawaiian chant and blessing by the Hawaiian minister. Louie, 43, wore a white wedding dress, while 47-year-old Harrelson wore cream-colored slacks and an aloha print short-sleeved shirt.

Harrelson fell in love with Louie in 1987 after meeting her on the set of Cheers.

[From US Weekly]

It sounds like a beautiful and meaningful ceremony and one that wasn’t entered into lightly considering how long they’ve been together. I wonder what motivated them to get married after all this time. My husband and I were married at the end of the year too, and we were able to take advantage of tax benefits for the entire year that we otherwise wouldn’t have had if we waited a few weeks more. It sounds unromantic but it did save us thousands of dollars that we were definitely able to use as a newly married couple. Congratulations to Harrelson and Louie!

Photo is from 2004. Credit: PRPhotos

Owen Wilson seems to be doing a good job of moving his life forward and in a positive direction this last year. After his suicide attempt last summer it seems like Owen really embraced a healthy, more balanced and happy lifestyle. And with the exception of a brief dating relapse with ex-girlfriend Kate Hudson, Wilson seems to have kept his life remarkably together.

Now he’s moving closer to best bud Woody Harrelson, who lives in a very peaceful sounding eco-friendly development in Hawaii.

Owen Wilson is saying “aloha” to island living. When the 39-year-old actor spent a week visiting good pal Woody Harrelson in Maui starting on August 7, he fell in love with the tropical paradise — and the environmentally friendly lifestyle. Woody lives in a completely solar-powered, sustainable community featuring organic farming. “It’s 100 percent green living,” says an insider. “Owen likes it so much that he made an offer on a home there.” Owen’s 2004 film, The Big Bounce, was set in Hawaii.

[From In Touch]

It sounds really peaceful. Owen has lived on several beach front properties and seems to have a powerful and healing bond with the water. And living close to one of your best friends can only be a good thing. Hawaii is also a pretty laid back, live and let live kind of place. It seems like Owen will fit in really well there.

Here’s Owen in Malibu on August 4th. Images thanks to Fame.

In early July of 2006, Woody Harrelson grabbed a paparazzo by the neck and br when the guy wouldn’t stop taking photos of him out with a group of women. Most of the exchange was caught on videotape and posted to TMZ shortly afterwards. There were visible scratches and broken skin on the back of the photographer’s neck.

The photographer filed a criminal complaint at the police station, and the LAPD said they were investigating the incident but not much more was heard about it.

Right before the two year statute of limitations runs out, the photographer is predictably suing Harrelson. Along with claiming that 46 year-old actor choked him and broke his camera, he also says Harrelson ordered his bodyguard to attack him. The photographer wants a whopping $2.5 million:

Woody Harrelson has been sued for $2.5 million by a paparazzo who accused the actor of assaulting him and breaking his video camera two years ago.

According to a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Josh Levine was filming Harrelson in Hollywood late one night in June 2006. He alleges the Academy Award-nominated actor choked him, broke his video camera and ordered his bodyguard to attack him.

Levine’s suit says he still has mental, physical and emotional pain from the encounter. He is also suing the unidentified bodyguard.

Harrelson’s publicist could not immediately be reached for comment.

[The Associated Press via Huffington Post]

It seemed pretty obvious to me at the time I assumed at the time based on his aggressive behavior that Woody was cheating on his wife, who had just given birth to their third daughter a month before. Why would he get so upset at being photographed unless he was up to something? (Update: as many of you mentioned, I made the assumption that Woody was cheating based on the way he objected to being photographed. There was little basis for this and I should have phrased it better.)

The photographer definitely deserves compensation for his injuries and broken equipment, but $2.5 million? I see this being settled out of court for five figures, and that’s probably what the victim is hoping for too. It’s not like a jury is going to be incredibly sympathetic toward a paparazzi photographer, even if Harrelson was clearly in the wrong.

Woody Harrelson is shown at the Semi-Pro premiere on 2/19/08, thanks to PRPhotos.