Author Suzanne Collins even worked on the last draft of the script, director Gary Ross tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Jennifer Lawrence in the Girl on Fire costume in "Hunger Games"
Photo: Lionsgate
Thanks to a recent sit-down with charismatic director Gary Ross, we've gotten a great glimpse into what we can expect from the big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' dystopian bestseller when it hits theaters on March 23.
When we asked Ross about his interaction with Collins, we were delighted to learn that he and the author had formed a close bond and ended up working on the script together and that Ross was completely impressed by the author's talents as a screenwriter.
"She wrote the last draft of the script with me," Ross said. "We collaborated. We were in a room together! We locked ourselves up in a room and literally wrote the last draft of the script together. It was a blast. I hadn't worked with anybody else as a team since Anne Spielberg on 'Big,' so just being in a room with someone was a phenomenal experience. Just having the electricity of two writers was great."
Ross went on to assure us and the millions of other "Hunger Games" fans that the movie version is as faithful as it could be, given the different parameters of the two mediums.
"It's very, very faithful in the literal sense, but it's even more faithful in the tonal sense. My job is to give you that same visceral feeling you felt when you read the book," Ross explained, adding that he wants audiences to experience the film from Katniss' perspective. "[I want you] to feel that same kind of urgency, feel that same uncertainty she feels, to feel uncertain about Peeta's motivations — that's essential."
Finally, we asked Ross if we should prepare for any major deviations in the movie from the book, and he said there is nothing to prepare for in that sense.
"Oh no. No, no, no. It's a faithful adaptation. There are obviously differences, because I'm adapting a book to the screen, but no," he said. "It's not like Peeta leaves the story or anything like that."
Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games."
For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.
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'He always wants there to be the soul in there,' Cruz tells MTV News about his 'Without You' collaborator.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias
Usher
Photo: Todd Williamson/ WireImage
<P>Usher is hard at work on his next album. Set to work with fellow hitmaker Taio Cruz, the two already cooked up some magic with their David Guetta anthem "Without You," and it seems they are hoping to recapture that spirit for Usher's follow-up to 2010's <i>Raymond v. Raymond</i>. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:717257" width="240" height="211"></div><p> "I saw Usher a few times, but I spoke to him at length at David [Guetta]'s house when we were in Ibiza [Spain]," he told MTV News in L.A. after his Jingle Ball set. "He has very specific ideas of where he wants to go musically and sound-wise." Given that Usher has never shied away from exposing a bit of himself in his music, while also keeping the party going, Cruz wants to make sure they can connect the mind, body and soul for this next release. "He always wants there to be the soul in there," he explained. "I'm kind of, not the opposite, but I'm always like, 'Let's get straight to the point and be really clear with the message and be simple.' "So we try to match those two worlds together: being soulful and, at the same time, catchy," he added. Cruz can't yet discuss what they're working on: Besides "Without You," he said, "Everything else is secret." Usher said he was drawn to the Guetta hit because he connected to it emotionally, explaining to MTV News recently what an important part that plays in his musical philosophy. "I think the world wanted a record like that. That [song] really spoke to the journey that I've actually been on in the last three years," he said. "Traveling all around the world, music sounds different. There's many different genres, and when you see R&B and pop and house, as well as electronic, come together, that's the reality of what music is." <div style="background-color:#000000;width:428px;"><div style="padding:4px;"></div></div></p>
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Celebrity mom Kimora Lee Simmons and other experts discuss balancing motherhood and business.
By Jocelyn Vena
<P>Now that Beyoncé has added a new job to her résumé — mom — there's a slew of potential new projects the pop-star mogul might add to her ever-growing empire. Gwen Stefani, Madonna and Victoria Beckham are just a sampling of pop stars who have managed to write a whole new chapter into their careers thanks to motherhood. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:724613.id:1676907" width="240" height="211"></div><p> These celebs have expanded their personal brands to include children's clothing lines, books, songs and movies and have even revitalized themselves in their image as super-glam supermoms. As Beyoncé looks to the future and her role as Blue Ivy's mama, mommy mogul Kimora Lee Simmons and Christopher Gavigan, who works with Jessica Alba on her Honest brand, talked to MTV News about the balance between parenthood and the business world. "I always tell people I'm not the glamorous Hollywood mom," said Simmons, who continues to expand her own fashion brand to include the Shinto Clinical skin-care line. "I'm not the kind of celebrity that lives in the spotlight. I'm famous from work that I do. I've always been in the business and raised my family in the business so it's like a second nature for me. I think that's the key is striking a balance. For me it's always about prioritizing." What's Simmons' advice for new celeb moms looking to follow her lead? "I think it's about choosing what you want and going after that. Do the best you can, but you don't have to be Superwoman." And Simmons isn't the only Hollywood A-lister trying to do it all. Alba launched Honest with Gavigan to give moms a place to find eco-friendly products for their babies. "Jessica is like every other mom. Every other mom is a major multi-tasker," Gavigan said of working with the star. "Jessica was very in line with everyone, the average mom and dad out there." "Find what you're passionate about and go do that," he advised to any future mom moguls. "You articulate that in a brand or in a way you feel from a business perspective that you feel you get your focus articulated in some meaningful or special way. A lot of it is partnerships and leveraging the greatest assets of each other." With all that advice in mind, some celebrity experts weighed in on what B just might do now that she is a mom. "I think it's going to come very naturally for Beyoncé to emerge as this celebrity mom, just given all the current existing brand extensions she has," said David Caplan, who has worked at <i>Star</i> and <i>People</i> magazines. "Having a child will give her legitimacy, obviously, to the moms, and clearly there's lots and lots of money to be had there. So, I think you will see her lend her hand in the baby arena, whether it's her brand extensions intentionally or just emerging as some sort of Hollywood celebrity mom icon, which happens sometimes with these celebrity mothers. "Whether it's intentional or not, I think she's definitely going to emerge as a celebrity mother icon," he continued. "And I'm sure she'll take advantage of that and invest in her brand." A suggestion from another expert fits right in line with the first move her hubby, Jay-Z, made when he dropped his track "Glory" just says after Blue's birth, which features his baby girl. "I think that this is a woman that has tried terribly hard to keep her private life private," HuffPost celebrity columnist Rob Shuter said. "I think it'll be the same with her baby. I can't imagine her doing a Bethenny Frankel move." <center></center> <i>How do you think motherhood will affect Beyoncé's career? Share your thoughts below!</i></p>
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