“Whether you love The Hunger Games or just love survival, look at this book as an extension of the skills used by Katniss, her friends, and her enemies to stay alive in desperate situations.”

Summary: A great introduction to survival techniques for any fan of The Hunger Games. Creek Stewart teaches the survival techniques Katniss & company used in the arena and District 12, and he expands on other skills that would help you in any survival situation.

“Train like a tribute before you enter the Arena using this wilderness survival guide—you don’t have to live in Panem to put these survival skills to use. Experience adventure of life in District 12 by learning and practicing the survival skills used by Katniss, Peeta, Gale and their friends.”

Quick Review: Really great information; written for Hunger Games fans, but even non-Hunger Games fans (if they exist) will want this book if they’re ever stranded in the wilderness.

First Impression: This could be a great book for me. I know absolutely nothing when it comes to surviving outside my house, and who knows when I might need some survival skills.

My Review: You know that game ‘Desert Island,’ where you choose only 5 books/movies/items to be stranded with? Change that to ‘stranded in the wilderness’ and this book is one of my 5. I don’t normally read survival preparedness books, but this one was intriguing. I mean, you wonder if any of the stuff Katniss did to survive would really work or if Peeta would really last days in a ditch camouflaged as a rock (a much easier camouflage technique is given in the book for those of us with little to no artistic ability).

That’s what’s fascinating about books & movies about survival. It makes you think, would I be able to do it? Would I have that survivor’s mentality? Could I keep myself alive like Katniss? That’s the brilliance of this book. It gives you valuable information in a way that’s relatable. It uses The Hunger Games as a starting point while giving you a variety of survival techniques & tips.

For example, the author, Creek Stewart, shows us how to create Gale’s twitch-up snare:

“Gale’s famous twitch-up snares—Katniss thinks so highly of them that she gives Gale a bow and arrow in exchange for teaching her how to make and set these snares. And she’s right; these snares are a great way to catch small game, like rabbits, without expending a lot of time and energy.”

Seriously, the diagrams and instructions make it seem like even I could set up a snare.

Then, he goes past The Hunger Games to give information on how to use the hide of an animal in various ways, how to keep fish alive until you need to eat it, how to signal for rescue, and a myriad of other techniques.

I’m not too sure I could survive long without running water & electricity, but reading this book makes me believe I might actually be able to keep myself alive. I do have a sudden urge to practice starting a fire, or create a survival bag for my family (with this book inside), because as Creek Stewart says,

“If we take time now to learn survival skills that we might need later, the odds begin to shift in our favor.”

Favorite Part or Passage: Survival Mentality: Think Like a Victor – this is a great chapter to start the book. You could have all the skills you need, but if you don’t have the proper mindset, you might not last as long as you thought. It gets you thinking about why you would want to survive. Also in this chapter is a great quote about Katniss:

“I have a deep respect for Katniss. That girl is a fighter. She never gives up. Even after being burned, knocked out, blown down, trapped in a tree, cut, shot, broken, dehydrated, medicated, starved, deafened and mentally tortured, she still never gives up. Her will to survive often overcomes the seemingly unmanageable situations she finds herself in.”

For Fans of: The Hunger Games, Ashes (Ilsa Bick), survival books and apocalypse preparedness

You can buy this book on Amazon or at Creek Stewart’s website HERE. He also has a lot of tips and other books, such as his YA fiction novel, Rugosa, that’s coming out soon. Read more about Creek Stewart HERE.

And a huge thanks to the author, Creek Stewart, for sending us a copy of The Unofficial Hunger Games Wilderness Survival Guide to review!

Lenny Kravitz, along with Susan Sarandon, Berry Gordon Jr., and Diahann Carroll, will give viewers an insight into their work and lives. They’ll be featured in the June episodes of Oprah’s Master Class, on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

The acclaimed series “Oprah’s Master Class” featuring an unprecedented first-person insight into the brilliant minds of entertainers we love, respect and admire, returns with all-new episodes Sunday, June 2 (from 10-11 p.m. ET/PT) on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

June 2 (10-11p.m. ET/PT) – LENNY KRAVITZ

The multi-Grammy Award-winning artist, producer and actor Lenny Kravitz talks about how his mixed cultural background influenced his signature retro music style and how he challenged the industry with his unconventional image.  Raised in a biracial family (his mother is Roxy Roker known for her character Helen Willis on the hit 70’s sitcom “The Jeffersons” and father is Sy Kravitz NBC news producer of Russian-Jewish descent), Kravitz opens up about his upbringing and how his father’s infidelity affected him as a young boy.  Plus, he reveals more about his marriage to actress Lisa Bonet (“The Cosby Show”) and his relationship with daughter, Zoë.

Source: Zap2it

Next Monday, May 6, is the Costume Institute gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s the year’s biggest fashion party, and this year’s theme is “Punk: Chaos to Couture.”

Here’s a little about the gala and the possible attendees:

The Costume Institute gala is many things: It is a barometer of the famous and powerful, a critical fund-raiser for the museum, a testament to the muscle of Ms. Wintour, who is a chairwoman. But one important thing that it is not is a costume party. Some original punks are expected to attend, including Ms. Westwood (accompanied by the actress-model Lily Cole), but most, it is safe to assume, will not literally be wearing Mohawks or garbage bags while they are looking at mannequins dressed in the same. Will they?

While the museum will not confirm who will attend until Monday night, things do tend to leak. As usual, the star power will be overwhelming, and while things can always change, those rumored to be coming (spoiler alert!) include Jennifer Lopez with Michael Kors, Gwyneth Paltrow with Valentino, and Jennifer Lawrence and Marion Cotillard with Dior. Alexander Wang is said to be working on a custom Balenciaga look for Julianne Moore.

Some dates are sure to become talking points, like Debbie Harry and Nicki Minaj with Tommy Hilfiger, or the Fanning sisters, Elle and Dakota, with the Mulleavy sisters, Kate and Laura, of Rodarte. Joseph Altuzarra is bringing Allison Williams, Brian Atwood has Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Kane has Stella Tennant, and Peter Copping has Carolyn Murphy. Emma Roberts is attending with Diane von Furstenberg, Jessica Alba with Tory Burch, and Jaime King and Julianne Hough will be the guests of Topshop. Solange Knowles is coming with Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Kenzo. Gisele Bündchen is said to be trying on an Anthony Vaccarello. Riccardo Tisci and Rooney Mara, two of the chairpersons, are coming together, so presumably she will be wearing Givenchy. And there will be many, many more.

Read more about the event HERE.

Source: New York Times via The Hob

April 26-28, 2013 was the fourth annual Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2).

While not near the scope or impact of the San-Diego Comic Con or the New York Comic Con, C2E2 has solidified itself as the biggest convention in the Midwest and a summit for all things comics, television, movies, and pop culture.

Blacksparrow Auctions had an exhibit of multiple costumes from The Hunger Games as part of their tour through the states. In October, the costumes will be auctioned off at The New York Comic Con.

See some more costumes HERE.

Source: MovieViral

Woody Harrelson, along with Edward Norton went to Houston on Earth Day to check on the BioViper, a wastewater pretreatment system developed by Baswood Corp., co-founded by Harrelson and chaired by Norton. The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group bottling plant recently installed this system.

The two proactive environmentalists are helping DPSG jump on the green train and make one of the largest drink manufacturers a leader in modern environmental practices.

Source: Look to the Stars

Blacksparrow Auctions is having a giveaway of Hunger Games goodies on Facebook.

The grand prize for Blacksparrow Auctions’ Hunger Games Sweepstakes is a collection of two Hunger Games movie companion books and six posters. The books are The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion and The World of the Hunger Games, both by Kate Egan. The prize also includes character posters for Peeta, Haymitch, Rue, Cinna and Cato. Lastly, the prize will include a Catching Fire poster.

The sweepstakes ends on Sunday, April 28. To enter for a chance to win that cool prize pack, go HERE.

Source: Mockingjay.net

Tickets for the Off-Broadway production of A Family For All Occasions, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch) are now on sale. Broadway.com has the information on the drama:

Tickets are now on sale for the off-Broadway play A Family For All Occasions. The drama, written by Bob Glaudini and directed by Broadway veteran Philip Seymour Hoffman, is set to start performances at the Bank Street Theatre on April 25 with an official opening set for May 12.

The story centers around Howard (Jeffrey DeMunn), a man just wants to express himself, faced with a wife who is way past listening and teenage kids who prefer that Dad be rarely seen and never heard. When his promiscuous daughter’s latest suitor drops by with an odd devotion to family, Howard’s prayers seem to be answered, until his home life is thrown dangerously and irrevocably off-course.

Read more about A Family For All Occasions HERE.

Source: Broadway.com

When the teaser trailer came out for Catching Fire, one of the features that stood out were the amazing costumes. And that includes Effie Trinket’s dress. Now we know where it came from:

The frothy creation is from Alexander McQueen. Earlier today, the label confirmed via Twitter that Effie’s dress and matching shoes are from the label’s Fall 2012 ready-to-wear runway collection.

“The future’s usually shown as stark and cold. I wanted lightness, the sense that the dresses were hovering,” McQueen creative director Sarah Burton told Style.com when the collection debuted last March. Burton used voluminous shapes and patterns that would organically “explode” as the runway show progressed as a means of celebrating “a beautiful future, positivity, optimism.”

So what do you think of Effie’s outfit? See the rest of the article HERE.

Source: Entertainment Weekly