I think that the Hunger Games series does a good job when it comes to issues of gender. (Whether this is true or not is a post for another day.) And that makes it all the more disappointing that I think they seriously drop the ball when it comes to sexuality.

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So, what are your thoughts? Is this a case of erasure, Unfortunate Implications, both, or neither? How does it compare to experiences you've had with other series?

Panem's technological achievements include invisible forcefields, city-wide booby traps, disturbingly extensive camera networks, and the ability to change a landscape with the push of a button, among other things. So with all of this, I've been wondering...

Why the heck do they still need COAL?

It's just so odd to me that they'd rely solely on a nonrenewable, polluting energy source that's not super-easy to obtain, especially given how small District 12's working population is. The Capitol's way of life depends so much on electricity that it alone seems like it'd require more energy than the coal would provide. Are there energy producers elsewhere we don't know about? (I assume 13 has a reactor somewhere, but that wouldn't help places elsewhere.) Does coal only power the districts, while the Capitol itself has oil, solar panels, etc.? Is a fuel shortage partly why the districts don't have anywhere near the facilities that the Capitol does? Do they not believe in global warming even though the ice caps already melted? What's the deal?

Come over to my journal for the chance to win free books! Woo! :D

Hello not-dead-just-sleeping comm! I'm home with a fever, so I was browsing the news on Current and found this AP article about tiny spy planes made to look like birds or insects.

My first thought: IRL Jabberjays? Scary stuff.

So, I ask, in what other ways might The Hunger Games be predicting the future?

Over the course of all three Hunger Games books we never find out what Districts 5, 6 and 9 industries are. I once read somewhere that suggested that District 6's was medicine as their tributes in Catching Fire are morphling addicts, and I'm a fan of that theory. You could say oh it's because they're victors and special, yet Katniss wasn't able to easily get morphling for her mother (based on her surprised reaction to Madge bringing some over). I DON'T KNOW. I also think that one of the District's industries may have been oil.

So, the point of the post is, what do you think were the industries of Districts 5, 6 and 9? 

Also, I submit for your appreciation approval, my dream casting of Haymitch:

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Hello all, I bring an interview with Gary Ross, director of the upcoming film version.

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Also! For the first time I saw a Katniss suggestion from someone not from this community (I don't think) that I didn't hate! Hailee Steinfeld, 14-year-old actress currently receiving raves for her role in True Grit with Jeff Bridges.



What do you guys think? Personally I kind of love her.

I'm re-reading the first book and two things are bugging me about the feast. ( spoilers for that book onlyCollapse )

EW is doing their 2010 Entertainers of the Year issue, and... you know, I think I'm going to start a drinking game*. Also, SCollins talks a little about the movie--as usual, no real insight is offered, but I am glad to hear they're involving her in the process so much. (Click for a larger version)



*Actually, I am thinking of writing them a letter: "Oh my god, seriously, could you please do one article on THG that DOES NOT MENTION TWILIGHT would it honestly be that hard??" It's gone from a little exasperating/annoying to downright insulting. Not all heroines are the same person.

Entertainment Weekly has done another write-up on the series, or, as I like to call it, "Let's keep invoking Twilight, because that never gets old!!!"

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A friend of mine linked this article to me, and apparently it is My Job to bring in the movie cynicism around here, so here you go: Casting Katniss: Is Hollywood Whitewashing The Hunger Games?

I don't think it's possible to have enough backlash to stop them from filling all the major roles with Anglos. Even The Last Airbender, based on a series explicitly set in an Asian fantasy world, did exactly that (except the brown-skinned menace on the bad side, so hey, maybe they'll get a black guy to play Snow). Though I'm gonna lay it on the table right now and say I don't care what color eyes the actress they get for Katniss has. So there you go, Hollywood. Feel free to cast a brown-eyed actress. You have my okay. That should make things easier for you.

I find it interesting that they mention a lot of the European editions of the book showcase a very white model for Katniss on the cover, since the US is usually the place that takes all the crap for being full of racists.