1. Gale or Peeta?
Peeeeeeeeeeeta. I think mainly because we see more of Peeta in the first book, so I grew attached to him. I also love how his name is spelled how Australians normally pronounce the name ‘Peter’.

2. Effie’s crazy style or sweet and simple like Cinna?
Effie’s style is quite fabulous indeed, and it’d be fun for a party or a special occasion. But as for every day, I prefer Cinna’s style.

3. Life in The Capitol or slug it out in the districts?
Slugging it out! The Capitol is way too extreme, I don’t think I’d be able to keep up. Plus, I would not enjoy or support the Hunger Games but I feel like I’d be forced to pretend to like them if I lived in the Capitol. The districts seem pretty cool anyway, I’d want to live in District 4 :)

4. Bread from District 11 or lamb stew from The Capitol?
Can I choose ‘bread from Peeta’? I LOVE LOVE LOVE BREAD. So clearly, bread from District 11. I swear I could live off of bread.

5. Katniss’ archery skills or Cato’s knife fighting abilities?
I feel like I want to cheat again and say Clove’s knife throwing skills. Seriously, how awesome was she?! But I’m not a cheater so I’ll say Katniss’ archery, because I would not be able to handle close-up fighting.

6. Peeta’s gift of camouflage or Rue’s gift of climbing?
Rue’s climbing! It just seems much more useful in the arena. You can climb to hide, to escape, to catch a squirrel maybe… And camouflage seems like it would probably only be used as a last resort, seeing as it takes a long time to do.

7. Become an Avox or get stung by a tracker-jacker?
OH GOODNESS. I don’t want to think about either of these, but I’d go with the tracker-jacker sting. At least it’s only temporary?

8. Join forces with The Careers or run for the hills?
RUN RUN RUN would be my first instinct, but it would depend on which District I was from. If I were from one of the Career Districts, I might stick with them just at the start in order to increase my chance of surviving the bloodbath, and to learn their weaknesses, then break off from them and try to survive. But if I were from any other District, I would not trust the Careers AT ALL.

9. Who’s cuter – Prim or Rue?
Hehe, Rue :) She’s adorable.

10. Run for The Cornucopia or run for the hills?
There’s no way I’d run too close to the Cornucopia (Again, unless I’m going with my pretend-to-be-one-of-them-then-run-away strategy), but I would want to try grab something, anything, from around the outside before bolting. Because I don’t think I’d survive the night without anything at all.

Leave a comment with your answers! Or do this on your own blog and let me know in the comments so I can check it out! :)

- Annie

So I have fallen behind a little bit with my posts.  Recently, I ran out of books from the library, so I decided to start rereading the Hunger Games Trilogy.  I also decided to do this so that when I watched the movie again, I would have a better base for comparison having read the books recently.  Anyways, I love The Hunger Games.  It is probably my favorite book currently.  Although I do not really hold the rest of the series in that regard.  I think as a whole series it really is a bit of a let down in the end.  Suzanne Collins sets a really high standard with the first book and the others seem to fall a little flat.

The Hunger Games is set in a dystopia where the people in the Capitol want for nothing while most of the people in the Districts are sick, starving, and struggling to get by.  The Capitol also acts in ways to continue to show their dominance over the Districts and to attempt to stem off rebellion like one that took place around 75 years earlier.  One main tool that they use in this regard is the Hunger Games.  This is an event that happens every year.  Each District is required to send two tributes, one male and one female, to the Capitol in order to battle against the other tributes in hopes of being the last person standing.  This person is then set for life and their District receives gifts until the next victor is crowned.

Obviously Katniss Everdeen ends up going to the Hunger Games after she volunteers in place of her sister.  Being from District 12 she is automatically a huge underdog.  However, her hunting prowess and the charisma of her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark, results in them being the last two tributes standing.  Believing a rule change would save them both, Peeta and Katniss teamed up, but in the end it was two good to be true and the Capitol wants them to battle it out so there is only one victor.  Katniss pulls out poisonous nightlock berries that they intend to eat at the same time resulting in no victor.  Immediately they are stopped and both declared victors.  This is considered a small act of rebellion by some Capitol officials and Katniss needs to watch her step to protect both herself and Peeta from their wrath.

Catching Fire picks up when they are preparing for the victors tour where Katniss and Peeta will travel to each of the Districts for celebrations.  President Snow visits Katniss and informs her that she better convince everyone that she acted out of love with the nightlock berries and stem any uprisings that may be in the works.  He is mostly unsatisfied with her attempts and several uprisings begin in the Districts.

This year of the Hunger Games is the 75th which makes it a Quarter Quell which were determined when the games were established.  Quarter Quells happen every 25 years and have a special twist.  The first twist was that each District had to vote in their tributes rather than the typical reaping.  The second was that twice as many tributes would go.  This was the games that Haymitch Abernathy (Peeta and Katniss’ mentor in the games) competed in and won.  For the third Quarter Quell, the reaping uses only the pool of victors from each District.  This results in Katniss and Peeta going back into the arena.

In the end, there is a plot involving tributes, mentors, and game makers to begin a rebellion.  Ultimately, several of the tributes are able to break out of the arena.  Some are taken to safety by the rebels (Katniss and Finnick Odair) while others (Peeta and Johanna Mason) are captured by the Capitol.  This sets the scene for Mockingjay where the actual war takes place.

Related articles

• Hunger Games DVD Slays Last 2 Twilight Films In First Weekend Sales! (perezhilton.com)
• The Hunger Games Trilogy Has Now Outsold All the Harry Potter Books [Hunger Games] (jezebel.com)…..This article needs to be taken with a grain of salt as it only compares a limited arena for book sales.

Do I have your attention now?

Here’s how you can enter the contest:

TO ENTER, send the following details and include “The Hunger Games Contest” in email subject to Contest@tsgroup.com.sg : Name, NRIC, birth date, email, contact number, home address, 8-digit Board of Film Censors’ Certificate Number (found at the back of Blu-ray/DVD) & How did you know about The Hunger Games DVD/BD release.

All entries to reach TS Group by 30th September 2012.

For terms and conditions, visit TS Group website for more details. Do mention Hunger Games Singapore in your email to TS Group if you have gotten to know about The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-ray release through us. We will be very grateful.

May the odds be ever in your favour!

Many thanks to Typhoon Creations for the tip.

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is scheduled for release on 22 November 2013 in USA.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@HungerGamesSG) and Tumblr as well as ‘Like’ us on Facebook for the latest updates!

Katniss is like a “Bachelorette” contestant except she’s packing archery gear.

The Hunger Games (PG, 2 hours, 4 minutes): I’ve stopped telling my friends that I’m excited about seeing an upcoming movie. Here’s how it usually goes down:

Me: “Saw a preview for the new Jackass movie. Can’t wait to see it.”

Friends: “I know, right? You should read the book. The book is better.”

Book? Read? The reason I’m seeing a movie is because I don’t want to read. Who has time to read books what with Facebook and DVRs keeping us  informed? If anything, I’d prefer to read the script or a Wikipedia entry on the movie I’m about to see. Sheesh.

So, as I’m watching The Hunger Games, I’m beginning to wonder whether I would have saved time by reading Suzanne Collin’s 374-page novel by the same name. I bet I could have knocked out 374 pages in 124 minutes, but now I’m just bragging.

I can see why this yarn goes on for more than two hours (even the official trailer is more than four minutes long). The plot isn’t that complex, but it involves concentration: In a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem — which parts of it look a lot like North Carolina — reality TV has evolved into people killing one another for entertainment. It’s as intense as any Big Brother episode.

The storyline mostly feeds off a couple of good-looking kids, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who end up digging each other during the competition.

Like Big Brother, it has way too many characters. You’ve got Lenny Kravitz (Cinna) and Donald Southerland (President Snow). You’ve got a boozy Woody Harrellson (Haymitch Abernathya), jabberjays, tracker jackers, wolf mutts, rose-scented reptiles, monkey mutts.

That’s a lot to track. Imagine trying to keep up that kind of detail in a book. No thank you.

BEST TIME FOR A BATHROOM BREAK: According to RunPee.com, it’s 47 minutes into the movie, when Woody Harrellson blurts out: “Loosen your corset and have a drink.” Easy clue.

TAKE THE KIDS: Of course. Sure, some kids get bludgeoned, but you don’t see it actually happen. On the upside, it lessens the confusion … fewer characters to keep up with.

DATE MOVIE? If nothing else, you need someone riding shotgun to keep up with the plot if you have to get concession refills and/or take a bathroom break.

Happy Hunger Games!

TWITTER: @TheHungerGames | #HungerGames | Katniss

FACEBOOK: Fan page | Official page

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The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-Ray pre-orders are now available and set to release on 18 August 2012 in Singapore. “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is scheduled for release on 22 November 2013 in USA.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@HungerGamesSG) and Tumblr as well as ‘Like’ us on Facebook for the latest updates!

I still think the first book is the best in the series. Being introduced to all of the characters and the nation of Panem for the first time was a delight. And unlike the movie, the book allowed relationships between characters to develop at an excellent pace. For example, when Rue died in the book, I was legitimately upset because I had spent hours getting to know her. In the movie, it seemed as if she died as quickly as she appeared. Furthermore, the romantic confusion between Katniss, Peeta and Gale was incredibly well done. But one of my favorite characters in the book was Haymitch. While he originally came off as a drunken fool, he was later revealed to be quite intelligent and an invaluable resource for Katniss and Peeta to call on while trying to survive the Hunger Games.

Favorite Passage:

“One more time? For the audience?” he says. His voice isn’t angry. It’s hollow, which is worse. Already the boy with the bread is slipping away from me. I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go.”

Many fans consider Catching Fire to be the best in the series, but I’m torn. It did a wonderful job of picking up where the last book left off, while also further exploring Katniss’ relationships with Peeta and Gale. Moreover, it introduced new, memorable characters and killed off another important person in Katniss’ life: Cinna. And it took the Hunger Games arena to another level by turning it into a clock with a variety of surprises for the tributes. However, I still feel it lacked a certain something that the first book had; I just can’t put my finger on it. Either way, it was a terrific read, and just like the first book, my favorite passage was at the end of the book.

Favorite Passage:

“Katniss,” Gale says softly.
I recognize that voice. It’s the same one he uses to approach wounded animals before he delivers a deathblow. I Instinctively raise my hand to block his words but he catches it and holds on tightly.
Don’t,” I whisper.
But Gale is not one to keep secrets from me.
“Katniss, there is no District Twelve.”

I just finished Mockingjay today, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I know many fans were upset with how the series ended, but I wasn’t. In the beginning of the book, reading about Katniss becoming the Mockingjay and the face of the rebellion was fascinating. However, it seemed to drag a little in the middle, and then it picked up towards the end. I enjoyed the twist where President Snow revealed that the newly appointed President Coin was the one who ordered the final assault on the rebels that killed Prim. In the end, both Coin and Snow died, so I was happy. And considering the “romantic” relationship between Katniss and Peeta was the focus of this trilogy, I was perfectly fine with her winding up with Peeta instead of Gale, especially since his creation was used to kill Prim.

Favorite Passage:

“You love me. Real or not real?”
I tell him, “Real.”

Overall, this was a very enjoyable trilogy. If you like your novels packed with action, drama and romance, you should give these books a shot. And while you’re at it, check out the movie too; while it wasn’t perfect, it did the first book justice and has me excited for the sequel. To whet your appetite, I’ve included the trailer below.

We have received confirmation from Typhoon Creations, a subsidiary of TS Group, that The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-Ray will indeed be available on sale on 18 August 2012 in Singapore.

The special features in Singapore edition of The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-Ray will be the same as the USA edition.

The Hunger Games DVD cover art

However, cover art for The Hunger Games Blu-Ray will be different from the USA edition as they were going for a more “‘classic’ and ‘collector’s’ for the Blu-ray artwork.“

From left: USA edition, Singapore edition

The Hunger Games DVD will be retailing at S$26.90 and Blu-Ray™ at S$39.90 and the title is targeted to be released on 18 August 2012. For every pre-order of the DVD, a free Hunger Games notebook will be given. For every pre-order of the Blu-ray™, a free Hunger Games notebook and a Hunger Games premium (either Wrist Band or Mockingjay Bookmark) will be given. While stocks last!

The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-Ray pre-orders start from 1 August 2012 at the following outlets below:

• TS
• HMV
• Gramophone
• VideoEzy
• Arts Brothers
• Veegoo
• Kinokuniya (they are running their own advanced sales)

Lionsgate has also released The Hunger Games special features trailer and behind the scenes clip with Jennifer Lawrence on Katniss Everdeen. Full list of The Hunger Games special features can be found here though it is subjected to change.

Will you be pre-ordering it? If so, will you be pre-ordering the DVD or Blu-Ray or both?

‘The Hunger Games’, rated PG13, was released on 22 March 2012 and DVD and Blu-Ray pre-orders are now available. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ is scheduled for release on 22 November 2013 in USA.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@HungerGamesSG) and Tumblr as well as ‘Like’ us on Facebook for the latest updates!

No sooner had he done that, it was time to go. Cinna said,
“Hold hands”, they mustn’t have heard but when they held hands, they looked at Cinna and he nodded in approval. The doors closed and Effie and Haymitch were there in an instant as the TV screen flickered on. The whole of Panem was watching this, Cinna thought to himself and he heard the crowds roar when District 12 is announced.
“You’ve done it! They love the costumes!” whispered Effie into Cinna’s ear softly, he whispered back saying,
“It’s not me who made the crowds roar, it was Katniss and Peeta”

When Peeta and Katniss returned from the chariot, Portia ran to them and hugged them both. Then she ran to Cinna, hugged him and gave him a high five,
“We did it Cinna! The fire worked!”
“Whose idea was it to hold hands?” asked Haymitch.
“Cinna’s” said Portia
“Ah! The perfect touch of rebellion!” Haymitch replied, giving Cinna a pat on the back. They all returned to the house, twelfth floor, and they retired to bed.

Cinna couldn’t sleep however, he already finished the interview outfits long before he even met Peeta and Katniss but the outfits fitted perfectly but something was still bothering him. He went to the rooftop but the wind was too strong and he was forced to go back inside. He made his way along the corridor to the kitchen but when he opened the door, he froze in his tracks, somebody was there. They must have known that somebody came in because they froze still too. Cinna then said in a low whisper,
“Hello? Who is it?”
“Oh, Cinna! It’s you!” said the familiar voice of Effie.
“You couldn’t sleep either?” asked Cinna.
“Yes. I mean I can’t sleep every year when it’s the games. I always feel a strong bond between me and the Tributes. Then they die, get killed. I’m especially close to Peeta and Katniss, they are so nice.” replied Effie sadly.
“I feel the same way Effie.” said Cinna, feeling a stab of pain and sadness.
“I wish the Dark Days ended the Capitol’s ruthlessness. And you know the worst part of this? They want me to be their main woman. Fashion forward, always smiling at the bloody deaths. We are all pieces in their Games. I don’t want to be like that though, controlled by the Capitol.” said Effie. Cinna nodded and he thought about what she said, he heard Peeta say the same thing to Katniss
“I don’t want to be a piece in their games”
Cinna then said,
“Let’s sit down Effie.”
They sat down and Cinna said,
“Told ya District 12 isn’t THAT bad.” as he gave her a hug. Effie felt tears pricking her eyes. She met somebody who cared about her, like the greatest friend. Cinna was thinking the same.
“I know everyone laughs at me in District 12. They don’t like me, anyway why should they? I condemn their children to a certain death.”
“You mustn’t think that Effie. I feel that there will be change from the games and as long as you stay with district 12, you’ll be fine. You’ll have great friends there. Real friends.” said Cinna as he stroked Effie’s hair until she fell asleep.

The Olympic Opening Ceremony is usually a pretty impressive spectacle without flaming costumes, but do you think having Cinna on board could give Team USA an edge?

Before The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence was known mostly for indie fare, like her Oscar-nominated turn in Winter’s Bone.

In this EW exclusive clip of a behind-the-scenes feature from the upcoming Blu-ray release ofThe Hunger Games, Lawrence discusses her fears about signing onto a popular franchise film, her advice from her mom, and why a good script is a good script, no matter the size of the movie.

As the video is not embeddable, please visit Entertainment Weekly to watch it.

Updated with YouTube version.

Meanwhile, ‘The Hunger Games’ DVD and Blu-Ray are available for pre-order from Gramophone.

‘The Hunger Games’, rated PG13, was released on 22 March 2012 and is now available in all cinemas islandwide. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ is scheduled for release on 22 November 2013 in USA.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@HungerGamesSG) and Tumblr as well as ‘Like’ us on Facebook for the latest updates!

“Hey I’m Cinna!”
“Katniss”
“I’m sorry that this happened to you and I’ll help you in any way that I can”
“Most people just congratulate me.” Cinna looked into her eyes,
“I don’t see the point in that. So about your costume for the tribute parade. They dress the tributes in clothes representing their district and so Portia and I have come up with a unique idea. We will set you both on fire.” he said and smiled to himself remembering what he said to Effie before the reaping coal, even though it is as black as the night, when set alight can burn brighter than the stars in the heavens. Katniss was just about to leave when Cinna said to her,
“I promise that I will help you in any way.” and he gave a small nod to Katniss as she was leaving.

Portia came in as soon as Katniss left.
“So you’ll be designing this afternoon?”
“Yeah”
“Then what should I work on?” asked Portia.
“You can work on.… makeup!”
“Aww thanks Cinna, you know how much I love makeup!” And as Portia was leaving hurriedly, Cinna shouted after her,
“Something to do with fire but not very much… and nail art for Katniss”
“Okay” shouted Portia in her usual squeaky Capitol accent as she ran down the corridor. Cinna shook his head at Portia, smiling at his work colleague and he started heading towards his studio.

He opened the door and saw his cosy studio, white walls, covered with various framed designs and hangers with some of his creations. In the corner stood a sofa that had all kinds of materials neatly arranged on it. Cinna sat at his white desk and started working on Katniss and Peeta’s parade costumes.

A few hours passed when Cinna was startled by a knock on his door. He stood up from his desk and opened the door and there was Effie with a bowl of fresh, chocolate covered strawberries. Cinna invited her in. She looked around the studio, admiring his work and finally said,
“Don’t you ever get lonely, you’ve been working hours!”
“I don’t get lonely, the materials, clothes and my pencil and paper keep me company,” He saw Effie’s face, he knew she thought she wasn’t wanted and so added, “But once in a while I like a bit of real company!” and he smiled at her.

For the next hour Cinna sat next to Effie as they talked, sharing the strawberries.
“How did you know what my favourite food is Effie?” Cinna asked
“Well its actually my favourite food too so I thought that you might like a treat. We’ve been sitting here for over an hour! I’ll have to go. Goodnight, tomorrow is a big, big day!”
Cinna looked at Effie, again she only had little makeup and no wig.
“No Effie… don’t go please. I need company. Just stay on the sofa and I will work, we can talk too and if you get tired, you can just go to sleep here, I can give you something comfortable to wear and have my duvet. I can sleep under my blanket on the floor and…” he was broken off with a kiss from Effie.
“Ok. just let me get into something more comfortable. The Capitol dresses are just so unpleasant!” Cinna gave Effie a pair of leggings and a shirt, showed her where the bathroom was and then sat down and finished off the design.

“Are you finished? It’s amazing!” said Effie as she came back into the room.
“Yeah, just need to sew it. Could you get Portia?” Effie left in an instant and Cinna got the material for Peeta’s costume ready.
“Hey Cinna. What do you want me do do now?”
“Sew Peeta’s costume together using this design.” said Cinna, handing Portia the material and the paper with the design. Portia, once again, ran out of the studio screaming in a Capitol voice,
“Okay!! Bye!”
“So do you want me to leave as well?” asked Effie.
“You can stay. I’ll be sewing. Sorry if the machine’s too loud though.”

And as Cinna got to work, he started talking to Effie. When he was putting the finishing touches he asked Effie,
“What do you think? Effie?” he looked at Effie who was now lying down on the sofa, fast asleep. Cinna shook his head and smiled as he finished sewing a protective cloak that would be set alight by the fake flames. He got up and switched the main light off, leaving only a small light. He got two pillows out, one he put on the floor, then he gently lifted Effie’s head and put the second one there. Next he got a large duvet and covered Effie with it. Then he got a large blanket and covered himself as he lay down on the floor and quickly fell asleep.

Cinna was woken up in the morning by Effie who was shaking his shoulders gently,
“Hey Cinna! It’s almost ten O’clock! Today is the Tribute parade!”

The reaping arrived and all of district 12 stood and watched in almost silence. People betting on who will get picked and whose odds are in their favour, regarding the age, merchant or Seam. Effie was always disgusted whenever she saw people placing bets on the fate of a child, she thought to herself that if she had her own child, he or she would be in total protection from their mother and not treated like an animal.
“Welcome, welcome” she began
” to the district 12 reaping for the 74th annual Hunger Games, may the odds be ever in your favour. “Ladies first!”

Effie looked into the crowd and saw Cinna there, he smiled at her when their eyes met and he gave her a reassuring nod. Effie’s hand hovered above the glass ball with thousands of slips of paper each with a girls name. The person I pick is condemned to a certain death. I hope it’s not a twelve year old… Her hand plunged in the glass ball, rummaging around the sea of paper slips, she chooses one,
“Primrose Everdeen” she read in a loud clear Capitol voice. A twelve year old approached the stage and everybody didn’t look happy
oh you’ve done it real good Effie . She shut her eyes, hoping that this was all a nightmare. A twelve year old that looked like she was from a merchant family (blonde hair blue eyes) who wouldn’t even stand a chance of surviving was slowly walking towards the stage with two peacekeepers at her side. As all this was going on, a sixteen year old pushed past the peacekeepers and gasped,
“I volunteer” she regained her breath,
“I volunteer as Tribute”
Effie was quite taken aback by the girl’s reaction, it was obvious that the dark haired, grey eyed Seam girl had nothing to do with Primrose Everdeen, who was being taken away by peacekeepers and screaming her head off,
“No Katniss, you can’t, you can’t go!! Katniss!!”
Effie was confused by that time and she started mumbling about how both tributes need to be picked before any volunteers come up. The mayor then said,
“Oh give it a rest Trinket, just leave it”
When Katniss got up to the stage, Haymitch got up onto the stage and said something quite unintelligent. An insult to the Capitol, Effie thought.
“Now it’s time to pick our boy tribute,” exclaimed Effie, trying to straighten her wig which tilted towards one side after Haymitch gave her a hug. Reaching into the big glass ball, she hovered over it, hoping a young boy won’t get picked.
“Peeta Mellark!” Effie said as she opened a slip of paper with that name. She was relieved to find that the boy was just about the same age as Katniss, but also feeling sorry because only the other week, she was visiting District 12 and she went to the bakery. The Baker’s son, Peeta Mellark served her. Such a nice boy, she thought, so kind and caring, Peeta Mellark.

After the reaping, Effie went down to her hotel and washed off all the makeup from her face and neck. She removed that ridiculous wig and let her long dark blonde hair cover her shoulders. She then carefully got changed into a more comfortable dress. After she was ready, she sat on her bed, pondering.

A sharp knock broke her trail of thoughts and as the door opened she saw Cinna there,
“Hey Effie! Just come to tell you that we are leaving for the train in an hour but before we leave, do you wanna just chill with me, I have nothing to do so I was wondering…” Cinna had his eyes glued to the ground but then lifted his head and saw Effie there in her yellow dress, no makeup and no wig. He thought she looked stunning.
“Wow Effie, you look really nice, you should wear only a bit of makeup and no wig next time you’re out in public”
Effie looked at Cinna questioningly, wondering if the new stylist was genuine about his remark or mocking her appearance.
” I couldn’t possibly, I mean, the fashion in the Capitol is like that, and I’m considered to be the height of Capitol fashion, I don’t like it myself but I have to.”
Cinna saw the sadness in Effie’s eyes, nodded and then said,
“The Capitol doesn’t own you Effie, you should just be yourself.”
Effie stared at Cinna in disbelief, suddenly she felt she was in danger of crying, Cinna saw that and sat next to her and gave her a hug, thinking that Effie was right as well, she is the height of Capitol fashion and the Capitol fashion isn’t the most pleasant. He wanted Effie to be herself, as she really is.

The hour flew by so quickly as Cinna started talking about fashion, he found out Effie liked his work, he appreciated that a lot. And so they sat next to each other as Cinna showed Effie his notebook.
“Quarter to Effie, time to be off!”
“But Cinna! My makeup!!”
“I’ll do it quickly, sit down, your usual style?”
Effie nodded and Cinna went to work and in no more than five minutes, he had Effie looking like a Capitol citizen again, not forgetting the wig!

When they were on the train, they arrived earlier than the tributes to get things organised. Haymitch was there already and so was Portia. They all got their business sorted and Portia nodded to Cinna.
“Ummm…Effie? I have to go. Katniss can’t see me until we reach the Capitol and I’ll be in the salon. See ya then”
and he kissed her on the cheek.
“Yeah sure. See ya!” replied Effie as she gave him another quick kiss.

“OooOOOooo! A boyfriend Effie?” mocked Haymitch after Cinna and Portia left to their rooms. Effie gave Haymitch a quick slap on the face and was about to say something when Katniss and Peeta came into the room.
“Hello Katniss! Hello Peeta!” exclaimed Effie in her Capitol accent, “Go make yourselves at home in your rooms as it is an overnight journey. Haymitch and I will be waiting for you at the table.” And as the tributes left, Effie talked to Haymitch how he should have manners and behave and stay sober… That continued for most of the train ride. Then came the Capitol.

Effie went inside Haymitch’s house, retching at the smell. She bravely got some clean clothes out of Haymitch’s wardrobe. She got Haymitch to wash his hair and get changed and while Haymitch was in the bathroom, Effie sat and shook her head at what the Capitol did to Haymitch. Ever side he won the Games almost 25 years ago, he couldnt sleep without a knife in his hand, fearing the nightmares of the bloody deaths, drinking, therefore helped him cope. She remembered when she was much younger and she saw Haymitch, a nice boy, she thought because she wasn’t interested in boys at that time, being only four years old. However, if she was a bit older she would have openly admitted she had a crush on Haymitch. The alcohol came, and when Effie became an escort, she was given District 12, and met Haymitch, a disgusting man in his thirties who obsessively drank. She felt sorry for him but got very disgusted when Haymitch did just about anything.

After pondering on that, she turned her attention to Haymitch’s housekeeping skills, dirt and grime on every square centimetre. Then the drunk staggered out of the bathroom…
“You look… ummm… decent?!” Effie said, still keeping up her authority as a high-ranked Capitol citizen.
“Then let’s get going!!”

They arrived at the Justice Building half an hour before anyone else and so Effie left Haymitch in the meeting room while she made her way to a small cafeteria, where she bought a sandwich and scoffed it down, remembering to have good manners even so. She saw the time then went back to Haymitch, hoping the rest have already gathered.

In fact Effie was almost ten minutes late and everybody was waiting for her, she ran into the meeting room in her high heels, out of breath. Everyone laughter at her, no one harder than Haymitch, but a young man, about her age stood up and softly said,
“You OK, Miss Trinket?”
Effie replied saying all was perfect and started mumbling that today was a big, big day until she sat down.

She greeted the usual Prep Team, Octavia, Flavius and Venia, joking to Flavius about wanting her favourite purple lipstick back. Flavius was a good friend of Effie’s, he was a bit older than her and therefore acted like a kind brother to her.
“And who are our stylists this year and hopefully, many more years to come?” asked Effie,
“This is Cinna, the head stylist and his work colleague, Portia.”
She greeted Portia and Cinna kindly, she was always friendly with the stylists, especially if they looked normal. All Cinna had was gold eyeliner that was carefully put on with a light hand. Cinna smiled at her warmly and genuinely thinking about how ridiculous the Capitol fashion was and how unattractive Effie looked. But Cinna always looked at the positive things in life and hoped Effie had a lovely personality. He very soon found out because as soon as the boring meeting finished, Effie took Cinna to a restaurant in the town square where they were setting the stage up for the reaping.
“So your first year and they give you this crummy district?” she asked him. He casually said,
“Miss Trinket, I wanted this district, to actually give it a chance plus coal, even though it is as black as the night, when set alight can burn brighter than the stars in the heavens”
Effie looked thoughtfully into his deep green eyes, wondering whether he was right or just a total idiot, there must be some truth in it, she smiled and used her normal, non-Capitol voice,
” I’m sorry, you’re right, give even the crummiest district a chance and by the way call me Effie”

And I just recently added another post of fan art just for Catching Fire! You can see it here

Katniss and Gale kissing, done by friedChicken365. I love Katniss’ reaction, just how I pictured it in the book!

Love this depiction of Gale, Katniss, and Peeta done by RohanElf. I love how they made the characters look older than they are, since going through such difficult times ages a person’s face. Great job!

Quick sketch done by Catching-Smoke of Peeta and Katniss sitting together as Peeta draws plants in a notebook. I think this is also the part when she briefly gets obsessed with his eyelashes, but no matter ^_^

Amazing water color painting done by AriesNamarie when Katniss and Peeta visit Rue’s district. Water colors are so hard, yet the detail is fantastic!

Super cute!! Katniss and Peeta in the snow (sadly at this point for the cameras). Still wonderful artwork done by YoriNarpati

Lovin this artwork by SimplyDelightfulx. Finnick Odair and Katniss Everdeen while he offers her a sugar cube for her secrets. Awesome scene

Yay! Drawing of Cinna by friedChicken365. This is how I pictured him too He gets a lot closer with Katniss in the second book.

The scene after Gale gets whipped and gets brought back to Katniss’ home is drawn here by SimplyDelightfulx. I absolutely love Katniss’ expression and Gale’s face too, so very well done!

This one is pretty cool! The scene when Katniss twirls around in her wedding dress and turns into the mockingjay, artwork done by papier-crane

And I had to save the best for last. A painting of Finnick Odair by alicexz. To put it simple…*drools* Very well done!

“That is the ugliest effing pin I have ever seen.”

Yep, that’s exactly how it went down between Cinna, Katniss, and President Snow!

]]> http://hungergamessingapore.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/the-hunger-games-dvdblu-ray-pre-order-now-available-from-gramophone/ Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:26:33 +0000 Vanora http://hungergamessingapore.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/the-hunger-games-dvdblu-ray-pre-order-now-available-from-gramophone/

Actual artwork might differ

The wait is over! We have just heard from Gramophone you can now pre-order The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-Ray online via Twitter.

Blu-Ray version of The Hunger Games retails at S$39.90 while DVD version of The Hunger Games retails at S$26.90.

The Hunger Games DVD comes with a free The Hunger Games notebook when you pre-order while The Hunger Games Blu-Ray comes along with a free The Hunger Games notebook and wristband OR Mockingjay bookmark.

Both items are applicable for free shipping within Singapore on Gramophone and will be shipped out on the release date, 18 August 2012.

Special features found in The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-Ray sold locally will be the same as the USA edition.

Visit Gramophone for further information.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Creations has stated they are in the midst of finalizing the details. Artworks,  premiums, pricing etc. are subject to change but they are looking forward to start pre-orders in the next two weeks. We will update all of you once we hear anything new.

If you see any other other retailers holding pre-orders too for The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-Ray. If you do see any other retailers holding pre-orders for The Hunger Games DVD and Blu-Ray, don’t hesitate to send us a tip via Twitter (@HungerGamesSG), Tumblr, ‘Like’ us on Facebook, or email us at HungerGamesSingapore@gmail.com!

‘The Hunger Games’, rated PG13, was released on 22 March 2012 and is now available in all cinemas islandwide. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ is scheduled for release on 22 November 2013 in USA.