The Crying ‘Games’

This chart from Movies.com summarizes the Finnick casting saga, including my scoop of Colton Haynes’ audition.

As part of a summer of healthy living, I have made it a goal to work out every day. Yesterday, I had my friend Patrick’s birthday party in the evening so I had to move up my work out a few hours. After completing my cardio, I was in the middle of my push-ups when I got the worst text I ever received. My friend Lauren shared the news that rumors were circulating that the role of Finnick Odair had been cast. And, it was not someone I wanted. For those of you who are not members of the Brian Tuft Book Club or live under a rock, Finnick Odair is a character in the second and third books of the Hunger Games series. He has also become the hottest casting property in recent history. A few months ago, I presented Colton Haynes as my pick, I also echoed the wide spread sentiments that Armie Hammer or Taylor Kisch would be fine as well. Other names thrown out included Lucas Til, Jesse Williams and Trevor Donovan, and while I did have my heart set on Colton, all of them became acceptable to me over time. So when Lauren sent me the news that the casting was a dark horse who’s name was never mentioned during the months of rumor mill churning, it came as a surprise. And, an unpleasant one at that.

While it’s hard to overlook that when he is half naked and dirty he does look like Finnick, his previous work makes me nervous.

This dark horse is named Sam Claflin, I know him from “Snow White and the Huntsman” the latest Kristen Stewart atrocity I suffered through. He played her best friend from childhood, who was the story’s Prince Charming. I don’t know if it was that he was playing fourth fiddle after an Oscar winner, Edward Cullens’s baby mama and Thor but he seemed very bland, kind of weak and most certainly didn’t register as a sexy Adonis. The entire role was pointless and didn’t do anything to make it to stand out. So my initial reaction has been very negative. While I was excited about them landing Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Jena Malone as Johanna, this role was the one I was the most excited about. So I feel like my knee jerk reaction of hating the casting of this film with the intensity of 1,000 Cinna made fire capes is to be expected. However, my reaction was similar when I learned of Josh Hutcherson’s casting in the series, and look how that turned out. I can only hope that the casting director saw something in Sam’s audition that I have not seen in his on-screen work thus far. Because, while I concede that some of the edits and changes in the film may not have been great. No one can convince me that the casting was not top notch. From Jennifer Lawerence and Josh Hutcherson, to Wes Bentley and the other 22 tributes. Every single one of those actors took the characters I imagined and made them real. As of press time, Sam Claflin hasn’t made an announcement, and Lionsgate remains mum as well. What should be pointed out is that the casting ofAmanda Plummer as Wires another tribute was confirmed yesterday, after the Finnick story broke so the lack of comment strikes me as odd. I guess only time will tell, and with each day we move closer to the Quarter Quell. Tick tock, tick tock Lionsgate.

The Year Without an Oprah

All of us raising a tequila toast to Oprah.

Today is the birthday of two of my favorite people, my sister Brittany and my dear friend Kate. I wish both of them a year of happiness, good times and good health. Today is also the one year anniversary of “the Oprah Winfrey Show” ending its 25 year run. One year ago, I was gathered around my television set with some of my best friends, drinking Moscow Mules and eating Garrets Popcorn as Oprah signed off. Her amazing last show was essentially a final sermon from the church of Oprah. Encompassing all the wisdom she had imparted on us during the run of the show. Since then Oprah has moved on to OWN and openly discussed and faced the struggles surrounding her freshman network. I was enraptured by “Behind the Scenes: Season 25″, so much so that a write in question I submitted landed me a guest spot on the show. However, OWN’s new Oprah shows “Oprah’s Life Class” and “Oprah’s Next Chapter”, have failed to draw me as a dedicated viewer. In the past year, there have been a few times I was sad that I didn’t have the daily “Oprah” show to tune in to. While I was a dedicated and almost obsessive viewer for the last season, I was a casual viewer for years prior to that. So I watched as Oprah covered things like Britney Spears mania, the Twilight explosion and the OJ Simpson case. So over the course of this year there have been a few times I wished Oprah was there to cover some of the biggest pop culture moments. Here are my top five moments where I missed Oprah.

Would Oprah & her book club love the lit-porn best seller?

5. With the exception of Dr. Phil, Suze Orman and Dr. Oz, Oprah’s famous creation was the Oprah Book Club. She covered classics like Dickens and modern best sellers like “Freedom”, but would the Oprah Book Club have covered “50 Shades of Grey”? The smutty best seller has been a talking point on every talk show and around every water cooler in the US. I would love to know see Oprah ask E.L. James about her knowledge of S&M. I would also love to hear Oprah’s take on Christian Grey.

I love this product… But, does Oprah?

4. Oprah’s Favorite Things was one of the annual traditions I looked forward to. There were some seasons during the 25 year run where I would only watch that one episode. While Oprah ended it on a high note giving everyone in the audience 2012 VW Beetles, I would love to have seen what Oprah would have served up this year. As I made my list this past Christmas and asked for face lotions, an iPad 2 and colored denim I couldn’t help but wonder, would Oprah approve? Maybe she could consider a Favorite Things Special for OWN?

1D did SNL and the Today Show… but little else.

3. Several things came back into style this year, but none bigger than boy bands. With One Direction on a path to global domination and the Wanted scoring a number one hit it is safe to say a new boy band age has begun. While the Wanted has scored an on air home with Ellen Degeneres, who gave them their first American television appearance, the boys in 1D have not done much TV. They did a “Today Show” concert and not much else. Oprah would have been a wonderful launch pad for One Direction, just as she was for the Spice Girls back in the day.

Oprah is the one person could handle the situation that was the Trayvon Martin press fiasco.

2. Oprah may be most well known for her splashy celebrity interviews and her affinity for giving people cars, but she also covered a lot of serious news items. The homophobia in Williamson and her live show the day of the OJ verdict are just a few that come to mind. But, this year when the news was rocked by Trayvon Martin’s shooting at the hands of a white security guard, I missed Oprah and her ability to shed light on these tough situations and unite her audience regardless of their skin color. While the news and press coverage at first was heavy, it thinned out overtime and no one seemed brave enough to ask the tough questions and speak up about this tragedy. Making the situation perfect for someone with Oprah’s tough but insightful on air persona.

Josh was charming on every show on television, but I would have loved to see him seated next to Oprah.

1. “The Hunger Games” was released this spring and the stars of the film Jennifer Lawerence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth hit the ground running crisscrossing the globe in promotional duties. But, one place they couldn’t hit was Oprah’s couch. When the movie became the third biggest opening weekend of all time, and the stars became overnight A-listers, it would have been a natural fit that Oprah be their first megastar interviews. Just like she covered “Twilight”, “Harry Potter” and every other pop culture phenomenon Oprah would have been the perfect place to discuss Jennifer, Josh and Liam’s life after the games. Although, Josh and Oprah on one stage might be too much for my little flaming heart.

Best of the BEST: A Look Back at BEST Blog’s First 100

100 Posts on BEST Blog. Can you believe it?

I have been watching my WordPress dashboard closely the past few days because with every post that I published I moved closer to the triple digits. And, it just so happens this is my 100th Post. Since starting BEST Blog as the Blog of Brian Tuft in September of 2009 I have published 100 blog entries about all sorts of my favorite things. Fashion’s Night Out, One Direction and “Glee” have all gotten their own posts. I thought in honor of this milestone I would share what the top five posts are in terms of traffic, response and reaction.

Karine Vanase and I on the set of “Pan Am”.

The number four and five posts are the blogs detailing my visits to the “Pan Am” set. Last week, the news hit the web that the show had been cancelled by ABC. But, I don’t know how because the show has been a gold mine for me in terms of traffic. It seems that web surfers could not get enough of the stewardess centered drama, even visiting my blog to hear some behind the scene scoop and find out what the stars are like in real life. My third biggest post of all time is a much more recent one, where I detailed who I would cast in “the Hunger Games” sequel “Catching Fire”. I picked Colton Haynes and Mia Wasikowska as Finnick and Johanna. But, obviously my pull at Lionsgate is minimal, even if the official “Hunger Games” account follows me on twitter. The second most successful blog is my first post about “Pan Am” where I listed the reasons why I loved the series and why I thought my readers should give it a shot. Obviously it would seem like it fell on deaf ears since the series was cancelled. But, the entry drew and still draws steady traffic to my little site. It should also be noted that on the list of top search engine terms that bring people to my blog, Pan Am, Karine Vanasse and Colette all rank highly.

Trevor Donovan star of 90210, dreamboat, gay rights supporter and blog traffic magnet with me last year.

My top post of all time is one of my earliest posts but still one of the most popular ones I’ve ever published. In January of 2010 I posted about 90210′s newest cast member Trevor Donovan’s Teddy Montgomery. At this point Teddy was still a home wrecking ass wipe who was pretty much loathed by everyone until the end of the season where he was sweet to Silver as her mother died. In the time since that post went up the character came out of the closet as a gay man who hid behind womanizing ways to keep the truth a secret. This development made Donovan a real life gay hero. He has been honored by countless gay advocacy groups and has become arguably the most famous part of the show. A few months ago, I went to the Ripple of Hope Awards Dinner and got to meet Trevor. I told him how much I enjoyed and appreciated his work on 90210 and his work off screen with the gay community. He was just as handsome in real life, and as nice as he was dreamy. And, while I have posted about many other dreamy men I have loved like Darren Criss, Josh Hutcherson, Matt Bomer and Max Greenfield who is tomorrow’s subject. I think its fitting that my biggest post of all time is the one about Trevor,my original BEST Blog crush. I look forward to seeing who else and what else I will post about, here’s hoping the next 100 posts are as much fun and as successful as the first. Thank you s much for reading, and I hope you will continue to see what the future holds for BEST Blog.

Josh Hutcherson Makes It Even Easier to Love Him…

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I rarely revisit topics on BEST Blog, but after last week Josh Hutcherson has earned another post.

I rarely revisit topics on this blog, I think once I’ve given my views on things it’s better to move on. Unless they change, there’s no point in rehashing old things. That’s how dead horses end up getting beaten. And, as an animal lover I am unable to stand for the abuse of horses. Even if they’re previously deceased. But, I feel so passionately about this particular topic I need to revisit it. Last month when the Hunger Games premiered I posted about how charisma, talent and charm helped me go from being ambivalent towards Josh Hutcherson to really liking him. With “the Hunger Games” grossing 350 million dollars the entire cast has been in the media constantly. This has allowed me to know what Jennifer Lawerence wears to the airport, what Liam Hemsworth buys at Whole Foods and that Josh Hutcherson is the most awesome mother fucker to walk this earth other than myself.

First, I saw his indie slasher comedy and SXSW feature “Detention”. Initially after seeing the movie I was not a fan as it felt too all over the place. There was a thin explanation given about how the students were able to time travel, and a bit about a student being half-insect goes all but unexplained. However, with each passing day I came to think of the film more and more positively. I realized how many references Director Joesph Khan threw in from his years of music video directing. Then while telling a friend about the film I recalled how struck I was by the whip smart dialogue and fun on screen pop up graphics. But, the final nail in the coffin was that for days after seeing it I couldn’t stop thinking about the final scene where Josh Hutcherson and his on-screen love Shanley Caswell recreate the final dance from the 1987 classic “Dirty Dancing”, to a modern remix of “Mmm Bop” by Hanson. The film is currently in extremely limited release in ten US cities, but I think once the film is released on DVD and made available on Netflix it will find its audience. I feel with it’s sci-fi, slasher and comedic elements plus a witty commentary on the cyber generation that it will undoubtedly gain a cult following. If you are lucky enough to live in one of the ten cities showing “Detention” be sure to check it out.

Wearing a three piece suit, fighting for equality, making homos swoon. All in a days work...

The other, and more serious reason to love Josh Hutcherson this week came when he was honored at the GLAAD Awards. When researching Josh for my initial post on him, I came to learn about his work with “Straight but Not Narrow”. A group dedicated to dispelling misconceptions about gay people to high school aged students. During the media’s inescapable coverage of “the Hunger Games” cast it was revealed Josh had lost two gay relatives to AIDS and was inspired by them to be active in the movement for LGTB equality. It was due to his work towards that goal and his involvement in SBNN that earned him the GLAAD Vanguard award. At first, I was nervous that the Vangaurd award might be a little premature. But, those feelings were dispelled after seeing Josh’s emotional, intelligent and heart string tugging acceptance speech. Calling for equality not just in marriage but in all aspects and even going as far as to discuss his hopes for his own children should they be gay, Josh pretty much made it impossible to not love him.

 

In addition to the GLAAD Vangaurd Award, Josh recently picked up LOGO’s “New, Now, Next Award” for Next Mega Star. So it seems that the LGTB community has just as much love and support for Josh as he does for us. I think at this point it would take a Michael Richards type racial tirade or personal attack from Josh himself to get me to not love him. Although, his rumored flirting with Emma Roberts is not winning him any points on the BEST Blog scoreboard. However, the buzz stemming from his indie films “Carmel” and “7 Dias en La Habana” will keep him in my good graces. Until their release, I will look forward to the good work I can expect from Josh onscreen and off.

The Hunger Games Sequel’s Casting Rumors Catch Fire

A fan made poster that I enjoyed from Tumblr.

“The Hunger Games” pulled a rare trifecta this week, with a number one selling book, a number one selling soundtrack and the weekend’s number one movie at the box office. It is safe to say that it is a phenomenon. And, while Lionsgate counts their money and sends an Edible Arrangements to Suzanne Collins my friends and I along with every other HG fan seem to already be thinking about “Catching Fire”. As a big fan of the book, I don’t feel comfortable discussing it too much. I feel like the book’s plot is so crazy, that reading it and experiencing it for yourself is part of the fun. But, in the course of the book’s events we meet a few new characters. And, just like the internet was ablaze with chatter over who was going to play Katniss, Peeta and the others, this new crop of characters is in the center of a firestorm of speculation. I figured I should throw my opinions out there to stir the pot and so that when official announcements are made, my picks were in writing ahead of time.

Kellan Lutz was my original pick, but the material and a reported ban on Twilight stars in THG made me look elsewhere.

One of the new characters is Finnick Odair. When we meet Finnick he is wearing sea weed and a tuna net, eating sugar cubes and cheekily hitting on our dear Katniss. Upon our first introduction to Finnick we are led to believe he is a sexy, shallow and one note Lothario. He is from District 4, which is where Panem’s fish originate so he is a skilled swimmer and deadly with a trident. When I first read Fire I imagined Kellan Lutz to be Finnick. Collins paints a portrait of a man who is incredibly sexy, very muscular and super cocky. But, as the rest of the story was told both in this book and later in Mockingjay we see the rest of Finnick unfold.

Colton Haynes would be ideal Finnick. Look at how good and how natural he looks in that water.

These later developments take the character into deeper territory, and while I love Kellan, I am not sure he has the dramatic abilities to portray the heavier elements. In the discussions I’ve had I have heard Grant Gustin, Armie Hammer and countless others mentioned. The two people who I would throw my weight behind are Taylor Kisch of “Friday Night Lights” and “John Carter” fame. From those I know who watched FNL, I’ve heard Taylor has the chops for the role and with his history of modeling we know he has the torso for Finnick. The other pick is a bit of a dark horse and was suggested by my friend June, “Teen Wolf’s” Colton Haynes. From what I have seen of “Teen Wolf” he could handle the role. Plus his Abercrombie and Fitch ads will show you he not only has the body for Finnick but also seems like he would be totally comfortable talking to Katniss in a net and leaves. While I feel Kisch is a safer pick, Haynes is closer to the Finnick I imagined. Plus, I like Colton and think this project would boost his profile.

Kristen Bell discussed her passion for the series a few weeks ago on Jimmy Kimmel.

Our other character in need of casting is Joanna Mason. We meet Joanna in this book, but she is mentioned in the Hunger Games novel. Katniss tells us about watching Joanna, a girl from District 7 in an earlier games. She cried and appeared cowardly in the weeks leading up to the games, but as the tributes lessened Joanna revealed her true nature as a cold blooded killer who wields an ax and takes no prisoners. As with Finnick, this character has a dual nature so the actor cast has to be able to nail the weakling side and the tough killer side. Some of Collins writing may be clunky, but her ability to tell stories and develop characters is magical.

With her chic style and sweet face, Mia Wasikowska could nail the seemingly weak but lethal Joanna Mason.

Kristen Bell has been campaigning for the role of Joanna since I can remember. While I love that she is a big fan of the books, even admitting to throwing a HG themed birthday party. I am not sold on her as Joanna. Other names I have heard are Naya Rivera and Anna Kendrick but, my pick would be Mia Wasikowska. She has proven herself a wonderful actress in “Albert Nobbs” and “the Kids Are All Right”, plus we know she can do a blockbuster after her work in the $1 Billion grossing “Alice in Wonderland”. I think she is someone who could absolutely pull off the weak coward side of Joanna and also be a total bad ass who is a thorn in Katniss’ side.

Sadly, my pull at Lionsgate is minimal and as of yet they haven’t asked me for my take on whoever they’re thinking about. But, I wanted to share my opinions and hopefully get a good debate going on who will eventually step into the roles alongside Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence. “Catching Fire” is scheduled for a November 2013 release and according to my dream BFF, JHutch, is expected to start shooting this summer. So hopefully we will have a casting scoop soon. I feel like these two characters are such a huge part of the story from here on out and think the pressure is on. The world will be watching Lionsgate, so may the odds be ever in your favor.

April Cruels Day

Yesterday was Sunday, April 1st. For me it was the day of recovery after staying out until 4 am celebrating my birthday. While we were not out drinking or singing Cee Lo in Korea town we were out late regardless. When I finally woke up, I decided to check my phone before heading to 5 o’clock mass. It was the standard missed calls and twitter activity. Except for one thing.

I had a notification saying that Josh Hutcherson had followed me on Twitter.

It was too early for me to remember what day it was when I saw this on my timeline.

Holy shit. Now, aside from being the star of the number one movie in the world Josh Hutcherson has recently sky rocketed into the B Tuft A list. He stands alongside Oprah, Adam Levine and Gwyneth Paltrow as people I jokingly refer to as “my best friend”. While I have met all of these people more than once I doubt they refer to me in a tone as gregarious.  Needless to say I was pretty excited, until I went to view his profile and saw that it was a fan’s twitter. The real Josh spells his twitter tag as JHutch1992, I was being followed by JHuthc1992.

The person running the Twitter account told me it was not an April’s Fool Day prank and that the day was merely a coincidence but this was hands down the cruelest thing to happen me on 1/1 since those people said an In & Out was opening in Union Square. The internet does breed cruelty and allow people to bully one another.

Oh well, maybe this will all be a hilarious moment when the real Josh Hutcherson does follow me after we hang out and go to an LA Galaxy game. Until then it sucks.

The Kid is Alright

Lets be real, when you read the Hunger Games THIS is what Peeta looked like to you.

When I wrote last week about my Hunger Games experience, I mentioned that Josh Hutcherson was not my pick for Peeta Mellark. Which is true, but doesn’t really cover it. Truthfully, after reading the Suzanne Collins novel, I had imagined Peeta to be closer to Weed’s star Hunter Parrish. When I was just about finished with the book, the casting went public and the image I had built for 250 pages was ruined by a Lionsgate Press Release. A quick search of ONTD! to find out who Josh Hutcherson was made things worse. According to ONTD! he was 5’7 and Vanessa Hudgens post Zefron slam piece. I was livid. I actually said that I was going to skip the movie altogether.

Then the thaw process began, I went to an event for Godspell the Broadway musical that Hunter Parrish is currently the star of. After the event I got to meet him so I told him how I had envisioned him as Peeta, and while he was very thankful he was also super awkward. Not just with me, but with all of the other fans and well wishers. I wasn’t expecting him to present me with a loaf of burnt bread or anything, but I guess I was expecting him to be a little charismatic, a little charming… a little like Peeta. A few weeks later, my friend Lauren got the news that Good Morning America was holding a fan event for the trailer’s premiere. The first official trailer for the Hunger Games would be premiering on the jumbo-tron in Times Square, and Lionsgate would be there, as would Josh Hutcherson. It goes without saying, if you know me at all, that I went to this event.

Josh Hutcherson and I at GMA. Excuse my face, I was mid-laugh over something charming Josh had said.

I went and was so ready to be critical. I was so ready to meet Josh Hutcherson and come up with a laundry list of reasons as to why he should not be Peeta. And then I actually met him. And, he was so charismatic, and funny, and charming, and stylish. He was wearing a jacket that I own! That’s how fucking stylish he is. Obviously this interaction paired with my first glance at the Hunger Games movie adaptation meant I was officially on board. But, over the course of the press tour starting with that trailer premiere and leading up to the film’s release I went from totally anti-JHutch to thinking that he is so awesome that I kind of want he and I to be best friends. From the charming interviews I’ve seen, to his work with anti-homophobia foundation Straight But Not Narrow and of course his flawless portrayal of Peeta in the movie I think he is just about the greatest. I’m even able to overlook that rust colored suit he wore to the THG LA premiere and his horrible boho inspired Coachella outfits. I am still coming to terms with the fact that he willingly starred in Journey to the Center of the Earth 2. I mean come on Josh, even Brendon Fraiser said no.

Regardless of previous career moves, at this point I have a good feeling about Josh and where is he headed. Aside from filming Catching Fire this coming year, he will release three films not set in Panem. “Detention”, a slasher comedy that he produced, a remake of “Red Dawn” and one that I can actually see being both a success and a decent film “Carmel”. Let’s be real, a comedy horror film starring Dane Cook? That sounds like a marketing nightmare. The remake of Red Dawn has had several release dates before its current one. But, with Josh’s profile being so hot right now both could actually turn out to be modest hits. The latter one “Carmel” will also be helped but actually has its own appeal. In it a young art student played by Josh, turns to the world art forgery to survive after his mother slips deeper into drug addiction. It co-stars Lauren Bacall and Alfred Molina. If all of these films are released when they’re scheduled, Josh could be this year’s Jessica Chastain. Without the Oscar nomination.

Regardless of how this year plays out, “the Hunger Games” buys Josh a few years of front page fame. Just ask Josh’s “Zathura” co-star Kristen Stewart. She has made years of unwatchable crap and still gets the cover of Vogue because of “Twilight”. But, Josh is much more likable than Kristen so hopefully things will work out for him. And, if by any chance Josh sees this, please feel free to contact me! Let’s hang out. I promise not to be too cruel about the Coachella headbands. LOL JK. I will be. But, its part of my charm.

Hungry For More…

I am not sure when exactly I decided to get into the Hunger Games. A film adaptation had been announced and the argument raging on the internet over who should step into the roles of Katniss, Peeta and Gale intrigued me. Then one day, while I was buying some books off Amazon I added it to my cart. Within hours of its arrival, I was deeply immersed in the world author Suzanne Collins designs. A few hours after that, I was ready to make myself a Nightlock and Yogurt parfait over my idiotic decision not to buy books 2 and 3 when I ordered the first. I then suffered for days as my order processed and shipped from Amazon. Do you know how hard it is to try and read Anderson Cooper’s memoir when all you want to do is find out what is going to happen to Peeta Mellark? My obsessive and constant tweeting about the books sparked a wave of new readers in my friendship circle. My friend Anne went first, then my friend Lauren, then my friend Kathleen, and then… you get the picture. As I was about 100 pages shy of finishing the first book the casting officially went public. I had envisioned someone darker for Gale, I wanted Hunter Parrish for Peeta but Katniss was just right.After I finished Mockingjay last summer, it felt like the wait for the movie version of the Hunger Games was forever away. And, after months of waiting, its finally here.

Liam and I at Good Morning America. Team Gale has never looked so appealing.

Leading up to the film’s midnight release there was a press blitz of crazy proportions, so avoiding spoilers, clips and sneak peaks was nearly impossible. But, I wanted to leave it all a secret until midnight. Thanks to the press blitz, the opportunity to meet our favorite tributes was ours for the taking. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth were all set to appear on Good Morning America leading up to the film’s release. I went to meet Liam and Josh and have to say the both of them were ready and excited to greet the crowd of fans. Jennifer seems like she’s going to need some time to adjust to her new super star status. The most amazing part of going to Good Morning America on Thursday was seeing the crowd and how it multiplied since Josh’s last appearance last Fall when he debuted the trailer. Back then, there were under two dozen of us, and Josh spent 10 minutes outside. On Thursday morning there was closer to 75 people, Josh was still as nice but had to manage his time a tad wiser.

Sara and I all done up as Katniss and Peeta. Luckily, it was not my first time dressed as a total flamer.

To further amp ourselves up for the release,my friend Sara and I decided to go all out and dress as Peeta and Katniss. I had figured the hype and craze was big enough to warrant such a decision. While the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, there were very few people dressed as citizens of Panem at the theater. The odds were in our favor though, as Sara and I were interviewed by Good Morning America and got the vote of GMA anchor Cameron Mathison as best dressed. After interviews, several photos opps and an eternity spent waiting for refreshments the movie was about to start.

My hesitation over Josh's casting was stupid. His Peeta was funny, sweet, charismatic and absolutely flawless.

Without giving too much away, I have to say the film was amazing. A gold standard for book to screen adaptations. Nailing the excitement, emotion and action of the book. Even a movie adaptation like the Help which was one of my favorites last year and was nominated for Oscars could learn from the Hunger Games adaptation. The screen writers take the story out of Katniss’ point of view and allow you to see the Games from every angle. Bringing you into the game makers control room, the living rooms in district twelve and everywhere in between. This change really fleshes out the universe that Collins built. There are also some new additions that really make the best of the characters you know and love. Game maker Seneca Crane becomes a major character, the brutish Cato is humanized and special attention is paid to make sure Catching Fire’s sparks are laid out for us. What’s so amazing to me, is that usually after an event film of this nature the afterward feeling is sad. But, in this case the feeling is elation and excitement at least for the fans I’ve spoken to. Even if you haven’t read the book series, I think the movie is worth checking out. If not for how excellent a story it is, you should see it because it is a pop culture moment right now and you don’t want to be left behind.

All in all, I feel lucky that the book series I obsessively talked several friends into reading is off to such a great start in the film world. While Catching Fire is set to be released on November 22nd, 2013. I am already ready to go see it now. Until then I will just have to monitor the progress of the film’s jump from page to screen. Speaking of… have they cast Finnick yet?