Tune in Tuesday (32) - Book Playlists Edition!

Tune in Tuesday is a weekly music feature hosted by the fabulous Ginger at GReads. As some of you may know, I am ridiculously addicted to music. One of my favorite things to do is share new and favorite songs with anyone willing to listen. Or not so willing. I'm not picky. Anyway... Each week you can post a song and share the love of music. So link up and join the fun!

I am extremely excited about this month's special edition of Tune in Tuesday. Why am I so excited about it? Well... it's Book Playlists Edition! Woo Hoo! This month is all about combining the awesomeness of books and music together. If you have a great idea for a book/song combo or there's an author playlist you simply adore, feel free to share it by joining the meme or letting me know in the comments. Let the fun begin!

The Hunger Games: 74th Hunger Games Tributes

As a follow-up to my Katniss and Peeta post, I thought I'd pay tribute to the Tributes! Though we know very little about most of these kids, they still play an important role in the story. So without further ado (as I've noticed I say a lot), here are the 24 Tributes in the 74th annual Hunger Games! (Warning! Major spoilers!)

District 1

Boy Tribute: Marvel (Jack Quaid) Though we don't learn his name until Catching Fire, we do know that Marvel is part of the Career pack (brutal, tough kids trained specifically for the Games). He kills Rue (see District 11 below) by throwing a spear into her stomach. Katniss kills Marvel by shooting an arrow into his neck and he drowns in his own blood. Marvel is the first conscious kill for Katniss. I don't know much about Jack or his acting ability, but he's the son of Dennis Quaid & Meg Ryan... odds are he inherited at least some of their acting skills, right? I'm excited to see if this happy lookin' kid can pull off a ruthless Career Tribute.

Girl Tribute: Glimmer (Levin Rambin) Glimmer is also part of the Career pack. She is described as tall, blonde and sexy. She's also not opposed to cheating, as she tried to sneak in a ring with a hidden bit of deadliness as her District token. When the Careers catch Katniss up in a tree, they camp out underneath. During the night, Katniss saws down a tracker jacker nest to drop on the sleeping kids. When the nest breaks on the ground, Glimmer is stung many times and does not survive. As for the actress, I've read that she has plenty of experience on television and she certainly looks the part. I don't envy her fate in the games, but I'm sure it will provide for an awesome acting experience.

District 2

Boy Tribute: Cato (Alexander Ludwig) Cato is one of the Careers and Katniss considers him to be her fiercest foe. He is described as being very large and strong, with a quick, fierce temper. Katniss was right to predict it would come down to herself (and Peeta) and Cato in the end. At the Cornucopia he was attacked and tortured by the muttations through the night. Katniss shot him in the head with an arrow to end his suffering. I saw Alexander in Race to Witch Mountain and The Seeker and I think he is a very promising actor. I can't be sure how well he can portray such a brutal character, but he certainly has the build to be intimidating.

Girl Tribute: Clove (Isabelle Fuhrman) Clove is also one of the Careers. She is strong, arrogant and especially skilled with a knife. Clove has dark hair and seems to take pleasure in killing the other tributes. She was able to overtake Katniss at the Feast and threatened to torture her slowly with her knife. After she bragged about how Rue died, Thresh charged in and took revenge on her by crushing her skull with a rock, thus saving Katniss. I have yet to see Isabelle's acting, but she is most well-known for her role in the movie Orphan in which she played a murderous little girl... so I think she can pull off a murderous teenager just fine. Right?

District 3

Tribute Boy: Name Unknown (Ian Nelson) This tribute was able to ally with the Careers because of his knowledge of electronics. He disarmed the explosives under the platforms (used to discourage Tributes from getting a head start at the opening of the Games) and used them set up landmines around the Careers' food pile. Katniss was able to trigger the landmines and demolish the food supply. When the Careers came back to find their food stash obliterated, Cato took out his anger on the District 3 boy by snapping his neck. Not much is known about Ian.

Tribute Girl: Name Unknown (Kalia Prescott) Not much is known about this tribute. She is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Not much is know about Kalia.

District 4

Tribute Boy: Name Unknown (Ethan Jamieson) Not much is known about this tribute. He is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Not much is known about Ethan.

Tribute Girl: Name Unknown (Tara Macken) This Tribute is one of the Careers. She dies from tracker jacker stings after Katniss drops the nest on the Careers. Not much is known about Tara, though I think I read somewhere that she has done stunt-work.

 District 5

Tribute Boy: Unknown Name (Chris Mark) Not much is known about this Tribute. He is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Chris has experience as a stuntman.

Tribute Girl: Foxface (Jackie Emerson) Foxface is actually a nickname that Katniss gives to the wily-looking female Tribute, thus her real name is unknown. Foxface is an amazing competitor, though she never utters a single word throughout the book. She stays hidden away from the other Tributes, sneaks bits of food from others (but not enough to tip anyone off) to stay alive, and even outfoxes (heehee) the landmine setup at the Careers' camp. She is described as being petite with bright red hair and fox-ish features. It is unknown how deadly she truly is, but Katniss is unable to bring herself to trust her. Foxface dies when she pilfers some food from Peeta and Katniss, including poison berries gathered (unbeknownst) by Peeta... making her Peeta's (accidental) kill. She is the second to last Tribute to die. Jackie is a newcomer to acting, but there's already a buzz about her. I know I am definitely looking forward to seeing Foxface brought to life on the big screen and I believe Jackie will do a wonderful job.

 District 6

Tribute Boy: Name Unknown (Ashton Moio) Not much is known about this Tribute. He is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Ashton is a freerunner and has appeared in a few television shows.

Tribute Girl: Name Unknown (Kara Petersen) Not much is known about this Tribute. She is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Kara is an experienced stuntwoman.

 District 7

Tribute Boy: Unknown Name (Sam Ly) Not much is known about this Tribute. He is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Not much is known about Sam.

Tribute Girl: Unknown Name (Leigha Hancock) Not much is known about this Tribute. She is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Not much is known about Leigha.

District 8

Tribute Boy: Unknown Name (Samuel Tan) Not much is known about this Tribute. He is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Not much is known about Samuel.

Tribute Girl: Unknown Name (Mackenzie Lintz) This Tribute starts a fire on the first night of the games, near the area where Katniss has tied herself up in a tree for the night (much to her chagrin). Her fire attracts the Careers and they attack her. Unfortunately for her, her initial attacker did not successfully kill her, so Peeta (who was with the Careers) went back to put her out of her misery. Mackenzie is a new actress and I have heard she's one to keep an eye on.

District 9

Tribute Boy: Unknown Name (Imanol Yepez-Frias) Not much is known about this Tribute. He is the first to die at the Cornucopia. While fighting over a backpack with Katniss, Clove throws a knife into his back and kills him, thus saving Katniss. Not much is known about Imanol.

Tribute Girl: Unknown Name (Annie Thurman) Not much is known about this Tribute. She is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Not much is known about Annie.

District 10

Tribute Boy: Unknown Name (Jeremy Marinas) Not much is known about this Tribute, but it is mentioned that he has a crippled leg. He dies the morning after Katniss allies with Rue. I assume he was killed by the Careers, though it make no mention how he died. Jeremy has experience as a stuntman.

Tribute Girl: Unknown Name (Dakota Hood) Not much is known about this Tributes. She is one of the 11 who die in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Not much is known about Dakota.

District 11

Tribute Boy: Thresh (Dayo Okeniyi) Thresh is described as being very strong and intimidating. He is very large in stature and build and has dark skin. He refused to join with the Careers and remained on his own. Not much is known about how or where he survives during the games, but he is one of the last five remaining in the arena. It is assumed that Thresh dies at the hands of Cato - possibly as revenge for killing Clove - but the details are not mentioned. Dayo has some acting experience, but little is really known about him as of yet. He looks pretty much how I imagined him... he's so big! I'm sure Dayo will do a great job as the silent but deadly Thresh.

Tribute Girl: Rue (Amandla Stenberg) Rue is one of the youngest Tributes at 12 years of age. She is described as having dark brown hair, eyes and dark skin. She is small, making it easy for her to quietly climb around in trees like a little bird. She is most fond of music and loves to sing to the mockingjays. Rue reminds Katniss of her little sister, Prim, which endears the little Tribute to her almost immediately. Eventually Katniss and Rue form an alliance and they come up with a plan to destroy the food pile belonging to the Careers. It is Rue who sets the decoy pyres so Katniss can get to the stash without the Careers being present. This little Tribute runs into trouble before she can light the third pyre when she gets ensnared in a net and then pierced through the stomach with a spear by District 1 Tribute, Marvel. Katniss kills Rue's murderer and then sings a lullaby to her until she passes away in her arms. After Rue has died, Katniss covers her body with flowers to honor her friend. Amandla can most recently be seen as young Cataleya in the movie Colombiana. I think Amandla is simply adorable and she's pretty much exactly how I pictured Rue. She has that sweet innocence about her that I associate with her character. I'm sure she'll do a fantastic job.

District 12

Tribute Boy: Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson)

Tribute Girl: Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)

Check out the Katniss and Peeta post for more information on these two. Love them!








I know there is a lot missing about some of the actors and/or characters, but I will try to update as I come across more information. Also, should "official" photographs be released of the kids, I will update the images as soon as I can. I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about the Tributes and actors portraying them. I look forward to seeing how much of the Tributes we get to see in the movie!

The Hunger Games: Katniss and Peeta

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a HUGE fan of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. When I found out Lionsgate was going to make this beloved novel into a movie, I was... apprehensive. Since that initial announcement, I have been like a rabid fan, devouring anything and everything I could about the film; I had to be sure they were going to do the book justice. I've seen some wonderful book adaptations (The Lord of the Rings) where I could tell those involved in making it treasured the novel like I do. I've also watched some devastatingly awful books-to-film (City of Ember) where it seems as though they just wanted to make a quick buck and thought this particular story would do. Of course, there are those adaptations in which the book and movie are quite different (The Lightning Thief), but it worked for me and I enjoyed it  nonetheless. In the case of The Hunger Games movie, I'm not so sure I would be satisfied with anything less than a wonderful, accurate, dedicated translation from book to film; I would be crushed if they ruined this story.

As news and images have leaked out about the film, I've become more and more excited. I was going to wait until the tributes had all been cast to share images & my thoughts, but then I decided I would rather wait until we had some "official" images of Katniss and Peeta... just to avoid all the "he's a brunette!" "she's a blonde!" "she's too old" "he's too old" comments. Well, the time has finally come because Entertainment Weekly has come through again with an exclusive look at Friday's cover featuring... wait for it... Peeta! And Gale, too... but PEETA! Now that we have official photographs of Katniss and Peeta, I feel as though I can move ahead with my movie gushing... so let's get started!

I'm sure those of you who are HG addicts like I am are already well aware of the May issue of Entertainment Weekly in which the image of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss was debuted. Needless to say, I searched high & low (thank you Barnes & Noble!) for this particular EW edition. I don't think I have to mention how nervous I was to find out a 20-something, blonde actress was going to play one of my favorite heroines of all time: 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen. I tried to keep an open mind but, even being a visual person, I was still unsuccessful at imagining Jennifer as Katniss. Katniss has the grey eyes and dark hair of those in her neighborhood (the Seam), olive skin tone, and a small frame. Jennifer Lawrence didn't fit the bill in any of those categories; she seemed very womanly to me... and tall. She may not be exactly what I pictured Katniss to look like, but after seeing this image on EW, it became a little easier for me to deal with. Now does Jennifer have the acting chops to pull off the character personality and whatnot? I'm not sure, as I  have yet to see Jennifer act in anything. I've decided to reserve my final, pre-release judgement of her as Katniss until I've watched one of her movies... if that makes any sense. I can only hope that she's able to portray Katniss in all her strong, self-reliant, complicated yet wonderful glory. 

(oh pic-editing skills... I need to work on you! meh.)

So, as you might have guessed after my bit of gushing, I absolutely love Peeta. I have always preferred the boy-next-door, nice guy type as opposed to the rugged, bad boys most girls seem like. Always. Peeta is about as "nice guy" as you can get. The first time I read The Hunger Games, I instantly fell for him. I'm not afraid to admit it, Peeta is totally my literary crush (yes, I'm aware I'm a dork & I don't care!) and if there are any "real" guys out there like him, please send them my way! Really. *sigh* Moving on... Peeta is the kind of guy who will do anything and everything for the one he loves. His smarts, self-deprecating humor and sweet temper make him absolutely adorable; not to mention he certainly has a way with words. He really is an all around good guy. Sure, he can be fierce when called for, but as he says in the book, he refuses to let anyone turn him into someone he's not. I like that. I like it a lot. When I heard that Josh Hutcherson was cast as Peeta, I was strangely okay with it. I know there's such a thing as hair dye and contacts (Peeta is blonde and blue-eyed while Josh is, well, not) so that wasn't an issue. He was also pretty close to Peeta's age (Peeta is 16, Josh 18) and they had roughly the same, stocky build. Everything seemed quite close to being on point... except for the height. I was worried Josh was too short! I know, I know, triviality and all that. But still! I worried he was too short to play Peeta to Jennifer's Katniss. I read any and every article that talked about Peeta, hoping to get even the tiniest bit of evidence that this was not an issue. Thankfully, I believe I have found that reassurance... especially after seeing the upcoming cover of EW. I mean, look at it! That's my Peeta! I am ecstatic about getting more news and images as it gets closer to the film release. Bring on the trailer!

Wondering how I was reassured about the casting? I read what author extraordinaire, Suzanne Collins, had to say about it! I figured if she was totally behind and excited about the actors chosen to play my favorite characters, then I should be too. I absolutely trust her judgement. I mean, she did write Peeta and Katniss after all, right? Right. One of my favorite things Suzanne said during the EW exclusive interview (also with director Gary Ross) was:

"...People may get thrown, say, by the color of an actor’s hair or maybe something physical, but I tell you: If Josh had been bright purple and had had six foot wings and gave that audition, I’d have been like “Cast him! We can work around the wings.” He was that good."

Isn't that great?! Check out the interview for more gushing and to see the bonding between Gary and Suzanne over the whole movie-making process. I love seeing directors really involve the author of the book they're adapting to film. With such an amazing start, I think we're going to be in for a treat when the film finally gets released March 2012. I'm so excited!

Stay tuned for more cast images and thoughts!

UPDATE: Check out my tribute to the Tributes!