Hunger Games Fireside Chat Podcast

Well, we've made it to the end of another year. And what a year it's been! Our first episode of 2012 was called "The Year of The Hunger Games," and that definitely ended up being a pretty accurate moniker. It's hard to believe everything that's happened over the last 360-something days! We kick off Episode 90 -- our last episode of 2012 -- by celebrating the end of Catching Fire filming. Woohoo! Adam and Savanna then share their Top 5 Hunger Games Moments of 2012 and play some short clips from past episodes that correspond to each of those moments. Our panelists will also share some of their  top moments of 2012. (Reminder: Don't forget to enter our The Hunger Games 12 Days of Christmas giveaway!)

In Episode 87 of Fireside Chat, after briefly weighing in on the news that the arena scenes will be filmed in IMAX, we will spend the rest of the show discussing all of the new Catching Fire set photos that sent the fandom into a frenzy this week. As you know, Catching Fire is now filming in Hawaii and will be there until December 22-ish. (FYI: We're currently linking to all the set photos on our website for those of you who haven't seen them.)  Some things we focus on include the arena outfits, the weapons, Jena Malone's hair, the missing mockingjay pin, and other little details that you'll spot if you look closely at all the pictures! If you haven't already, leave a comment on our website letting us know what you think about the photos. What things stood out to you? Do you feel more excited after seeing Jennifer, Josh, Sam, Lynn, and Jena in character? Any complaints? Any questions?

In Episode 85 of Fireside Chat, we spend the first half of the show talking about the Catching Fire logo and tagline, both of which were revealed before midnight showings of Breaking Dawn - Part 2 on Thursday night/Friday morning. For those of you who haven't yet seen it, the tagline is: Every revolution begins with a spark. The rest of the show will be filled with grab bag action, since we won't be doing an "Unscripted" episode this month. Update: We pulled the following topics out of our grab bag: - Cave/Marry/Kill: Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Katniss Everdeen (from Tess) - "In the first Games, when Peeta is running with the Careers, they kill the girl who started the fire below Katniss's tree. But her cannon doesn't sound, so they send Peeta back to finish her. Do you think he killed her? And if so, how?" (from Emily 414)

In Episode 84 of Fireside Chat, we kick things off by touching on an interesting bit of news that broke last week: The new X-Men movie, which was due to start filming in January, has now pushed production back to April. Will this give Catching Fire some more breathing room? Does this mean that Gary Ross could have directed Catching Fire? Will this interfere with the filming of the Mockingjay movies? We also weigh in on a recent article published by io9.com: "Could The Hunger Games Get Published Today"? We then launch our new series, Fireside Recs, and discuss Ally Condie's Matched trilogy.

Happy Halloween (a few days in advance)! It's time for our monthly "Unscripted" episode! We have no set plan or agenda in place for Episode 82. Instead, we spend the evening pulling listener-submitted questions, discussion topics, Crackpot Theories, What Ifs?, Would You Rathers?, and Cave/Marry/Kills out of our trusty grab bag. We choose topics from the grab bag (or “topic cornucopia”) at random and discuss, debate, and speculate! You're always welcome to send us a topic for the grab bag by emailing us or leaving us a comment at our website (HGFiresideChat.com).   Update: All the topics we pulled out of the grab bag are listed below! - Which Catching Fire tributes would you most like to have with you if you had to spend the night in a haunted house? (from Vaultmaster) - What would the Mellark bakery sell during Halloween? (from Tess) - Many people think that if Katniss didn't go into the Games, she would have eventually married Gale. Do you agree? Or were Gale and Katniss never suited for a romantic relat

In Episode 81 of Fireside Chat, we kick things off by weighing in on the news that Elizabeth Banks broke last week on her blog: Danny Strong is officially in as screenwriter for both Mockingjay films and has already begun work on them! Next, we discuss all the latest Catching Fire set photos (links can be found in the promo for Episode 81 at our website). We also talk about the differences we've already observed between this production and that of The Hunger Games. To conclude, we take a look at Vulture's recently published list of the Top 25 Most Devoted Fan Bases. The Hunger Games fandom was ranked #7. Do we agree with this ranking and their breakdown of the fandom? Is the average demographic really "[f]emale, teen, or teen at heart"? We discuss!

In Episode 80 of Fireside Chat, we spend most of the show chatting about all the new Catching Fire set photos that popped up online over the last week (as well as some older ones that we forgot to discuss on Episode 79). Links to all of the photos -- which reveal the new Peacekeeper uniforms, some Capitol vehicles, the District 6 reaping, and more -- can be found in the Episode 80 promo at HGFiresideChat.com. We also give you an update on Victory Tour 2013 and go grab baggin'!

In Episode 79 of Fireside Chat, we kick things off by chatting about the latest filming-related updates: the newest set photos and extras casting calls, etc. We then discuss Jo Willems, the new cinematographer, and Danny Strong, who will -- allegedly -- be writing the scripts for both Mockingjay films (this is still a rumor at this point). To conclude, we make some "New Movie Observations" and talk about the sad Hob lady and Peeta's walking stick.

On Episode 78 of Fireside Chat, we spend most of the show talking about last week's MAJOR news: Lionsgate finally revealed the rest of the Catching Fire cast! We now know who will be playing Blight, Woof, Cecelia, the morphlings, and all the other unnamed victors. We also talk about the fact that the much-hyped Mystery Woman is actually Mrs. Everdeen. Do we think this was Lionsgate's original plan? Was the fandom foolish to get so overly excited about the unnamed female silhouette? To conclude, we play a movie-themed edition of The Sound of Hunger!

It's that time again! We weren't able to do an "Unscripted" episode last month due to the barrage of Catching Fire news, so this is well overdue. We have no set plan or agenda in place for Episode 77. We do, however, have a grab bag full of listener-submitted questions, discussion topics, Crackpot Theories, What Ifs?, Would You Rathers?, and Cave/Marry/Kills. We choose topics from the grab bag (or "topic cornucopia") at random and discuss, debate, and speculate! Update: The topics we pulled out of the bag are listed below! - What is/was between Haymitch and Effie? A love-hate relationship? Acceptance? Just love? Only hate? (submitted by Matilda) - Do you think Peeta isn't Mrs. Mellark's son? The books say that Peeta has two older brothers and doesn't mention Mrs. Mellark abusing them at all, because perhaps they are her only two blood sons? (submitted by Noelle) - What are the strategies that you feel Lionsgate is going to need to use to keep us all "connected" to this franchise over winter/spring of 2013? (

In Episode 76 of Fireside Chat, we kick things off by discussing the location of District 4, which was revealed last week through The Hunger GamesAdventures, the official social game for the Hunger Games franchise. Did YOU think District 4 would be located in the [former] Pacific Northwest? We certainly didn't! Next, we talk all about the set photos that exploded onto the Internet this past week, showing us that (a) Sam Claflin's hair is now bronze, (b) Jeffrey Wright is reading Mockingjay, and (c) this movie really is being made! To conclude, we pick some fascinating and amusing topics out of our grab bag and make a very "adventurous" phone call...

Happy Third Quarter Quell episode to us! In Episode 75 of Fireside Chat, we start off by talking about last week's "electrifying" news: We have a Beetee! After two weeks of no casting news whatsoever, we learned on Friday that acclaimed actor Jeffrey Wright (Source Code, Casino Royale, Syriana) will be playing our beloved Volts. Next, we help Ellie from Down with the Capitol make an exciting announcement that is sure to rock the Hunger Games fandom! To conclude, we pull fun and interesting questions and topics out of our trusty grab bag.

In Episode 74 of Fireside Chat, we kick things off by chatting about all the latest filming-related news: who's in Atlanta, when principle photography might start, what secrets the extras casting calls may reveal, etc. We also weigh in on Trish Summerville, who has replaced Judianna Makovsky as costume designer. How do we feel about this? Many have said that the costumes in The Hunger Games were a weak point. Do we agree? How might the costumes for Catching Fire change with a new designer on board? On a similar note, we recently learned that jeweler Dana Schneider, who created the mockingjay pin for the first film, will be crafting "pieces of jewelry for two other main characters." Who do we think these two characters are, and what pieces of jewelry will they be wearing? Lastly, we talk all about the exclusive Target, Walmart, and iTunes DVD/Blu-ray special features. To conclude, we pull a few fun topics out of our grab bag!

In Episode 73 of Fireside Chat, we open the show by addressing last Wednesday's EPIC (but not entirely unexpected) news: Sam Claflin was cast as Finnick Odair! Finally, after over a MONTH of rumors and speculation, it's now official! Finnick Watch 2012 has officially ended and Hunger Games history has been made. We share our opinions of Sam and this casting decision and also talk about what fan reactions have been like thus far. After getting all of our Sam/Finnick feelings out, we revisit the non-exclusive DVD/Blu-ray special features and discuss them all in-depth now that everyone has had a chance to watch them. NEXT week, on Episode 74, we'll take a look at the special features that can only be found on the Target, Walmart, and iTunes editions of the movie. We cap off the show by pulling a few fun topics and questions out of our topic cornucopia!

In Episode 72 of Fireside Chat, we begin by discussing Stephanie Leigh Schlund, our Cashmere! This announcement came last Tuesday and was -- tragically! -- the last bit of casting news we received all week. Next, we share our midnight DVD release party experiences since several of our panelists were able to interview some of the cast members at their Walmart appearances. Adam was lucky enough to interview Amandla Stenberg at Toys 'R' Us in Times Square on Saturday, so we talk about that, too! We spend the rest of the show talking about the Hunger Games DVD itself. Our main focus is all of the incredible special features, so make sure you watch them before you listen! That said, we only talk about the "standard" special features found on every DVD/Blu-ray: Game Maker, The World is Watching, Letters from the Rose Garden, Controlling the Games, A Conversation with Gary Ross and Elvis Mitchell, Propaganda Film, and Marketing Gallery.

In Episode 71 of Fireside Chat, before getting into the meat of this week's show, we begin with a brief news roundup and chat about Jennifer Lawrence's pay raise and the revelation that both Mockingjay films will be shot back-to-back. We also give you a quick, spoiler-free DVD preview since we were lucky enough to get an advance copy (if you haven't yet read Savanna's special features review, check it out on our website). We spend the rest of the show weighing in on all of the casting news from the last week: Meta Golding as Enobaria, Bruno Gunn as Brutus, Alan Ritchson as Gloss, E. Roger Mitchell as Chaff, and Maria Howell as Seeder. It's raining tributes! Hallelujah, it's raining tributes!

In Episode 70 of Fireside Chat, we kick things off by talking about Lynn Cohen, our Mags! This casting announcement came last Thursday (8/2), and we're pretty darn excited about it. We also spend some time discussing the latest news concerning filming locations and schedules. (In a recent interview with Ryan Seacrest, Josh Hutcherson not only confirmed that they will indeed be filming in Atlanta, but also that he'd be flying to Atlanta to start shooting in about two weeks.) We also address the Oahu rumor and The Idiom, which may or may not be the working title for Catching Fire (get ready for some extras casting information!). Lastly, we weigh in on the "steamy" Crackpot Theory and impossible Cave, Marry, Kill that we skipped last week!

In Episode 69 of Fireside Chat, we begin the show by discussing and analyzing the first official map of Panem, which was released through the Facebook game The Hunger Games Adventures. Additionally, in honor and in celebration of the London 2012 Summer Olympics (which officially opened this past Friday), we challenge ourselves and our panelists to assign Olympic events to our favorite Hunger Games characters. 

In Episode 68 of Fireside Chat, we kick things off by recapping the 2012 Teen Choice Awards, which aired on Sunday night. How did The Hunger Games fare? Next, we welcome the amazing Amanda Plummer to the cast! We learned last Tuesday that Amanda will be playing Wiress, and we couldn't be more excited about this news! (We also briefly discuss Jena Malone, who we learned has been OFFICIALLY cast as Johanna -- see Episode 66 for a full discussion of Jena). We then turn our attention to Sam Claflin, who is rumored to have been offered the role of Finnick Odair. Who is Sam Claflin, and why are so many fans divided when it comes to the possibility of him playing Finnick? Lastly, we chat with YouTuber extraordinaire CassJayTuck about her love of the series and a certain lovesick baker that has taken up residence in her home.

In Episode 67 of Fireside Chat, we kick things off with a Comic-Con recap from Natasha, an admin at TheFandom.net. Next, we talk all about our new Head Gamemaker, Philip Seymour Hoffman! What will he bring to the character of Plutarch Heavensbee? Do we think the role of Plutarch might be changed for the film? And what might Plutarch LOOK like (hair, costume, etc.)? Also, since we now know the release dates for Mockingjay: Part 1 and Mockingjay: Part 2, we talk about where they might split the book and why splitting it was such a smart decision.