Griselda's grisly end: 'Godmother of cocaine' shot dead in Colombia Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/griseldas-grisly-end-godmother-of-cocaine-shot-dead-in-colombia-20120905-25dg6.html#ixzz25YNfG7Nj

She lived as the "godmother of cocaine", ruthlessly ordering scores of bloody murders and violent revenge attacks as she plotted the course of Miami's infamous drug wars.

So it seemed only fitting that the manner of Griselda Blanco's death on Monday reflected the brutality for which she became notorious - gunned down in the street by a killer on a motorcycle as she left a butcher's shop in her hometown of Medellin, Colombia.

Blanco, 69, was credited with inventing the motorcycle ride-by killing during her years controlling southern Florida's fledgling cocaine trade in the late 70s and early 80s, an era in which she pocketed billions of dollars before being convicted of three murders, including that of a two-year-old boy. Detectives suspected her of dozens more.

"It's some kind of poetic justice that she met an end that she delivered to so many others," said Professor Bruce Bagley, head of the University of Miami's department of international studies and author of the book Drug Trafficking in the Americas.

"Here is a woman who made a lot of enemies on her rise and was responsible for the deaths of untold numbers of people. She might have retired to Colombia and wasn't anything like the kind of player she was in her early days, but she had lingering enemies almost everywhere you look. What goes around comes around."

Blanco, who was deported from the US in 2004 after serving almost two decades in jail in New York and Florida for racketeering and murder, became one of Miami's original drug gangsters as smuggled cocaine swept aside marijuana as the dealers' most profitable commodity.

She set up a distribution network across the US that netted her tens of millions of dollars a month, making shipments of more than 1500kg, and maintained her dominance by building an empire staffed with violent enforcers, who were well rewarded for following her orders to execute rivals, while leaving no witnesses.
She was also personally involved in developing creative methods to get cocaine into the US, even setting up a lingerie shop in Colombia that produced underwear for export with secret compartments.

Two of her three sons by her first husband were murdered after entering the family business.

Blanco became a widow three times, and remained under suspicion for the deaths of all three husbands. In one notorious episode in 1975 she confronted her husband and business partner Alberto Bravo in a Bogota nightclub car park over millions of dollars missing from the profits of the cartel they built together.

Blanco, then 32, pulled out a pistol, Bravo responded by producing an Uzi submachine gun and after a blazing gun battle he and six bodyguards lay dead. Blanco, who suffered only a minor gunshot wound to the stomach, recovered and soon afterwards moved to Miami, where her body count - and reputation for ruthlessness - continued to climb.

During her Florida reign of terror she was suspected of responsibility in at least 40 murders, possibly as many as 200, yet was convicted of only three - two drug dealers who crossed her and a two-year-old boy, Johnny Castro, the son of a former Blanco enforcer, who was shot twice in the head by hitmen as he travelled in his father's car.

Blanco's former lieutenant, Jorge Ayala, told police: "At first she was real mad because we missed the father, but when she heard we had gotten the son by accident, she said she was glad, that they were even."
She escaped the death penalty on a technicality when Ayala was discredited as a witness after being caught having phone sex with secretaries in the prosecutors' office.

Bagley said Blanco, who was shot twice in the head, was likely to become the subject of books or a Hollywood movie.

"She was a pioneer in the sense that she helped to forge and carve out the drugs trade in south Florida and used bloody tactics to do so," he said.

"The danger is she will be remembered not for her cold-heartedness and brutality but for being a woman entrepreneur in an emerging field dominated by men."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/griseldas-grisly-end-godmother-of-cocaine-shot-dead-in-colombia-20120905-25dg6.html#ixzz25YNnYKn4

Clint Eastwood Speech: Movie Star Talks To An Empty Chair

by  Luke Johnson

 

 

Mitt Romney probably hoped that surprise guest Clint Eastwood would make his day at the convention. Instead, the 82-year-old actor gave a rambling speech that was as disastrous as the botched bank robbery that he stopped in "Dirty Harry" while playing a jaded San Francisco cop.

Eastwood talked to an empty chair representing President Barack Obama.

"So Mr. President, how do you handle promises you've made?" he said to the chair. He then proceeded to rankle Obama for his administration's proposal to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in New York, a plan from which he later backed down, and plan to end the war in Afghanistan, for which Romney has endorsed the same withdrawal timeline.

"I think Mr. Romney asked the only sensible question, you know, he says, "Why are you giving the date out now? Why don't you just bring them home tomorrow morning?" Eastwood said.

The crowd cheered hard, creating the awkward spectacle of a Republican convention roaring for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from the battlefield.

Eastwood also jabbed Vice President Joe Biden, calling him the "intellect of the Democratic party." "He's just a grin with a body behind it," Eastwood said.

He attacked Obama for, of all things, riding in Air Force One. "You could still use a plane," he said, "Not that big gas guzzler you are going around to colleges and talking about student loans and stuff like that."

"I can't do that to myself," Eastwood said several times to the empty chair next to him, pretending, apparently, that the president was telling Eastwood to go f*** himself.

Eastwood, who praised Romney as a "stellar businessman," later said that he thought it was never a good idea for attorneys to be president, despite the fact that Romney, like Obama, has a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

"When somebody doesn't do the job, you gotta let them go," he said, gesturing to draw a finger across his throat.

Someone in the crowd shouted out "make my day!" to which he responded, "I don't say that word anymore."

He shortly obliged.

"Go ahead," he said, and the crowd boomed "MAKE MY DAY!"

The prolific actor and director clearly appeared to be showing his age in what was meant to be a big coup for Republicans, who landed him as their "mystery speaker."

But it was anything but a mystery that The Man With No Name would appear at the convention by afternoon, as the convention band rehearsed the impossible-to-forget theme to "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." Multiple news organizations reported that Eastwood would be the one.

It was an especially big get, since Eastwood had appeared to be endorsing the Obama administration's turnaround of the auto industry when he starred in a slickly-produced but ostensibly nonpolitical Chrysler ad that aired during the Super Bowl. No surprise that the president's campaign aides loved having the appearance that Eastwood was in their court. Karl Rove trashed it as an example of "Chicago-style politics" that used corporations to buy political advertising. Eastwood, who opposed the Bush/Obama auto bailout and the stimulus, didn't care, and said, if "Obama or any other politician wants to run with the spirit of that ad, go for it."

Eastwood's personal politics veer towards libertarian, or less charitably, are all over the map. He reportedly once said that his views were a mix between Milton Friedman and Noam Chomsky. He's pro-gay marriage ("I don't give a fuck," he said in a 2011 interview), pro-choice and pro-environment, but consistently a Republican. His views are almost identical to those formerly held by the man he endorsed, Mitt Romney, who was once pro-choice, pro-environment and pro-gay rights.

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Bill Cosby, Rihanna, Eddie Murphy alive and well

By: Kevin Brown

Bill Cosby (C) with band attend the 100th Anniversary of the Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows Celebration supporting the Motion Picture and Television fund and the American Comedy fund hosted by Bill Cosby at the Beverly Hills Hotel on June 15, 2012.

Credits: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for BHH

Everyone needs to just calm down because First Coast News, confirmed Thursday morning that Bill Cosby, Rihanna, and Eddie Murphy are alive and well. Their reported deaths are all among a string of death hoaxes that have occurred over the years.

There was nothing funny about the "R.I.P. Bill Cosby" Facebook page that surfaced and initiated pure insanity on Twitter. But according to Bill Cosby, this is the fourth time that he has "died". It never happened before and it didn't happen this time. Bill Cosby is alive and well.

Other celebrity death hoaxes have come in also. Eddie Murphy supposedly was killed in a snowboarding accident on Tuesday, Rihanna supposedly suffered a heart attack on Monday, and Bill Nye the Science Guy died over the weekend. All of these stories are not true.

It goes to show that idle hands—or minds—are the devil’s workshop. Whether people are bored or mischievous, these are not the first celebrity death hoaxes that have been reported. Jaden Smith was said to have died in a snowboarding accident in March 2011, Lady Gaga in her hotel, and Britney Spears in a car accident with Justin Timberlake in June 2011.

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West Nile epidemic 'worst in history' as virus infects 1,118 in America and leaves 41 dead

By Leon Watson and Daily Mail Reporter

America is in the midst of its biggest ever outbreak of West Nile virus, with four times the usual number of cases reported for this time of year.

Nearly 1,120 people have already contracted the mosquito-borne illness, up from fewer than 300 by mid-August in an ordinary year, and 41 people have died.

Medical experts believe the mild winter and very hot summer boosted the number of mosquitoes around, helping to spread the virus.

State of emergency: The Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito is associated with transmission of the West Nile virus

But it's still too early to say how bad epidemic will end up because most West Nile infections are reported in August and September.

'We're in the midst of one of the largest West Nile outbreaks ever seen in the United States,' said Dr Lyle Petersen, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Never before have so many cases been called in this early in the year and the number of patients are accelerating, with about 400 of them being struck down in just the last week.

Panic: 76-year-old William Mueller's death has sparked fears the virus epidemic may be spreading 

Almost half of the cases so far reported have come from Texas, mainly around the Dallas area.

Twenty-one people have died in the state this year, which is more than all other years combined. Four of the Texas deaths were reported on Tuesday.

Officials don't know why Texas is seeing so many cases, but it's alarming.
Last week, they started aerial spraying for mosquitoes in Dallas County. 

But it's too soon to measure the effect — it takes between three and 14 days for people to develop symptoms after being infected by a mosquito.

But infections were not restricted to Texas, with residents in 37 other states have also been struck down.

Mosquitoes pick up West Nile from birds they bite and then pass it on to people.
As well as weather conditions spurring on mosquito breeding, CDC officials are also looking into the possibility that the virus mutated, Petersen said. But so far they have no evidence of this.

The latest person to succomb to the disease was 76-year-old William Mueller from Illinois who died on Saturday, two weeks after being hospitalised.

Serving as president of Lombard Village, Mueller was described by his family as 'an amazing dad, husband and grandpa'.

'It is not clear why we are seeing more activity than in recent years,' Marc Fischer of the CDC told CNN. 

'Regardless of the reasons for the increase, people should be aware of the West Nile virus activity in their area and take action to protect themselves and their family.'

Preparing for action: An aircraft carrying insecticide is loaded with fuel before taking off to spray parts of Dallas County as part of the battle against the spread of the West Nile virus

Battle: An aircraft sprays insecticide over part of Dallas County 

There is no medication to treat West Nile virus, symptoms of which include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.

No vaccinations exist, either.

The Majority of cases have been recorded in Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
In Dallas panic has deepened since a judge declared the epidemic to be a public health emergency.

An aerial assault was launched on the blood-sucking insect population for the first time in 45 years in a bid to combat the spread.

Aircraft loaded with insecticide have sprayed parts of the north east of Dallas County, after the virus killed 10 people and left at least 230 more ill.

Although commonplace in other major cities, the efforts have provoked a debate in the Dallas area between health officials trying to reduce the risk of disease and residents concerned about the dangers posed by the chemical cloud drifting down from above them. 

New strain?: Officials are looking into the possibility that the virus mutated but so far they have no evidence of this

'I cannot have any more deaths on my conscience because we did not take action,' Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings said.
 
Aerial spraying is also being used elsewhere, including in neighborhoods in New York City and Sacramento, California, to combat the spread of West Nile virus.

Cases of West Nile Virus have also been reported in the Chicago area, with officials spraying the nearby town of Skokie with insecticide.

Two people have been taken ill with the virus in Skokie, while the Chicago suburb of Lake County has reported its first case.

Nearly half of all West Nile cases in the United States so far this year are in Texas, however, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

If the trend continues, 2012 will be the worst West Nile year in the southern state's history.

Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings, pictured with his wife Micky, has declared a state of emergency in his city

Parts of north Dallas are being sprayed with insecticide to combat the spread of the virus

A gravid trap (left), in a field near Spruce High School in Dallas, is part of the mosquito control efforts by the Dallas County Mosquito Lab. First Lieutenant Carol Calix (right) examines a mosquito through a microscope at the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine-North in Maryland (File picture) 

Byron Chism, mosquito technician at Dallas County Mosquito Lab, holds a trap while collecting mosquitoes

Covering up: Jenny Wegley is seen wading into waist-deep water to guide protective tarps over koi ponds at the Dallas Arboretum

Ponds' protection: The arboretum had crews out working to cover about 8,000 square feet of ponds with tarps to protect the aquatic ecosystems from insecticide that will be sprayed over the city from aircraft

The hot, dry weather has created ideal conditions for some species of mosquito.
The heat speeds up their life cycle, which accelerates the virus's replication process.
And during a drought, standing water can quickly turn stagnant when it's not flushed away by rain or runoff. 

Both the mayor and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins have declared a state of emergency and voiced their support for the use of aircraft to battle the virus. 

Yet even with the threat of infection, the spraying has sparked widespread opposition from people who fear the chemicals could be harmful. 

Because of the severity of the outbreak, the Texas Health Department is stepping in to oversee the effort and to pay for it. 

Research: Mosquito technician Daryl Beckwith looks through the mosquitos as local, state and federal officials are set to meet to discuss options for responding to the growing number of West Nile virus cases

Prevention: The mosquitoes seen in a laboratory will help researchers fight the disease's spread 

Sorting: These dead mosquitoes await sorting at the Dallas County mosquito lab

'This year is totally different from the experience Texas has had in the past,' state Health Commissioner Dr. David Lakey said. 'If it's nuisance mosquitoes, we ask the city or county to pay part of that.

But in the midst of this disease outbreak, it's easier for us to go ahead and do it.'
A national spraying company called Clarke was set to deploy two to five Beechcraft King Air twin-engine planes for three hours of spraying. 

Close eye: Mosquito tech Spencer Lockwood is seen sorting the mosquitoes beneath a microscope at the Dallas County mosquito lab

Critics have questioned whether the approach is scientifically proven to reduce West Nile cases.

But at least one study in California concluded that the odds of infection are about six times lower in treated areas than in those that are untreated. 

Still, some residents fear the chemicals could harm their children, pets and useful insects such as honeybees and ladybugs. 

Plans: Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings talks about aerial spraying to curb the spread of West Nile virus while standing before one of the Beechcraft aircraft being used to administer the insecticide

Target areas: A map of Dallas County highlights the areas that were planned to be sprayed by air on Thursday night

Chemical released from the planes, synthetic pyrethroid, mimics a naturally occurring substance found in chrysanthemums. 

The Environmental Protection Agency has said that pyrethroids do not pose a significant risk to wildlife or the environment, though no pesticide is 100 percent safe.
About eight-tenths of an ounce of chemical is applied per acre.

The insecticide's common name is Duet Dual-Action Adulticide. 

Dr David Lakey, commissioner with the Texas Department of State Health Services, speaks to area media about the spraying of mosquitoes in Dallas County

OUT OF AFRICA: SPREAD OF WNV

 

 
West Nile Virus (WNV) is found in both temperate and tropical regions, having been first identified in the West Nile region of Uganda in 1937.

It mainly infects birds and horses, and human infection is almost always transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.

Symptoms include fever, headache, excessive sweating), weakness,  drowsiness and, pain in the joints. Stronger strains of the virus can inuce nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
The most dangerous form can lead to unconsciousness, sometimes approaching near-coma, and death.

Up to 80 per cent of human infections do not show any symptoms.

WNV emerged as a distinct virus around 1,000 years ago, developing into two distinct forms. One has been transmitted in Africa and around the world, while the other has been confined to Africa - although it has been recently detected in horses Europe.

The label says it's toxic to fish and other types of aquatic life, and it contains distilled petroleum. 

Kelly Nash, who lives in Dallas and works for an environmental consulting firm, has questioned the move.

'One ounce an acre doesn't sound like much, but we will spray at least 2,000 gallons all over the city,' Nash said.

'A 2,000-gallon oil spill would be significant.

'I'm concerned that we're breeding resistant mosquitoes that next time will have Dengue fever or something worse.'

Harris County, which includes humid, mosquito-filled Houston, has used aerial spraying once a year since 2002, the year the virus was first detected in Texas. 

The county uses ground spraying first and moves to aerial spraying as the virus spreads. 

 'We can't be everywhere at all times,' Mosquito Control Director Dr. Rudy Bueno said.
'Aerial treatment is a way to supplement what we do on the ground.'
Most people infected with West Nile virus won't get sick, but about one in 150 people will develop the severe form of the illness.
Symptoms include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.
Jordan Conner, 14, spent eight days in intensive care with the most severe form of West Nile virus.
Her mother, Ebonie Conner of Arlington, said she doesn't approve of aerial spraying and wishes local leaders would do more to educate the community.
'We've been desensitized to West Nile virus,' Mrs Conner said.
'It's been ingrained in us that it affects older people and infants.
'I think they need to pass out insect repellent, mention it in back-to-school drives.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192303/West-Nile-virus-West-Nile-epidemic-worst-history-virus-infects-1-118-America-leaves-41-dead.html#ixzz24fNYE4U3

Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford LA-bound?

By Michael Silverman

Photo by Stuart Cahill 

 

WHAT’S THE DEAL? Although manager Bobby Valentine insisted before last night’s game he knew nothing of any potential trades, Adrian Gonzalez was scratched from the lineup, along with Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford.

The Red Sox [team stats] are not just cleaning house.
They are gutting it.

A proposed megadeal between the Red Sox and the Dodgers was in deep discussion last night according to a Red Sox source, a blockbuster that would send Josh Beckett [stats], Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Dodgers.

In exchange, the Red Sox would receive hundreds of millions of dollars in salary relief — more than 95 percent of the remaining money on the books of those four players — as well as five Dodgers who were, according to Fox Sports, major league first baseman James Loney and four minor leaguers: right-hander Allen Webster (a top pitching prospect), right-hander Rubby de la Rosa, outfielder Jerry Sands and second baseman Ivan De Jesus.

The deal was not consummated as of last night, but both Gonzalez and Loney were scratched from their starts.

As of last night, manager Bobby Valentine said that Beckett was still his starter tonight.
“(Pitching coach) Randy (Niemann) just asked me that and I could only tell him, to the best of my knowledge, yes,” said Valentine.

There were two possible hitches that could complicate matters.

The Dodgers were still reviewing the medical reports on the Red Sox — those of Beckett and Crawford, who just had Tommy John surgery, are critical. If those were cleared, the Red Sox would then have to present the trade to both Beckett and Crawford, each of whom has the right to veto the deal.

Heading into the wee hours last night, it was not possible to determine how either player felt about being traded. While there was no guarantee that both would sign off on it, the possibility existed that the Red Sox had received indications from each that a Los Angeles destination would be OK before the talks advanced very far.

The names the Red Sox are set to receive are not familiar to most but that is not the impetus behind the trade. The impetus is being able to clear as much as $271.5 million in committed payroll, a drastic slash-and-burn attempt by a Red Sox organization eager to return to the club to stable footing after losing its bearing the last couple of years.

A Red Sox source said last night that the Dodgers would be on the hook for “more than $260 million” of the remaining contracts of the four Red Sox players, which is nearly 96 percent.

A payroll restart would come as welcome relief for a club that has not won a playoff game since 2008 and has had a terrible track record of free agent signings, beginning with John Lackey and Mike Cameron after the 2009 season and then going hog-wild after 2010, when it traded for Gonzalez and signed Crawford. Three top prospects went to San Diego for Gonzalez, who in 2011 signed a seven-year extension worth $154 million through 2018. Crawford’s deal was a seven-year deal worth $142 million that ran through 2017, while Beckett re-upped in April 2010 for a four-year deal worth $68 million.

Beckett became persona non grata last offseason when he was the poster boy for the beer-and-fried-chicken debacle that was the backdrop for the club’s historic September collapse. His unapologetic and contrarian personality has not played well this year, nor have his pitching efforts as he has posted a 5-11 record and 5.23 ERA.

Gonzalez had a good first season, but only lately this season did he begin to approach the big power and batting average results the club desired. What’s more, when Gonzalez’ name and cellphone got dragged into the alleged Kelly Shoppach text to owners last month about clubhouse dissatisfaction, he likely drifted toward the outer bounds of the circle of trust within the ballclub.

Crawford’s first season was a bust, and while he tried to come back this year, a succession of unforeseen injuries completely hindered him.

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The Power of Practice

Rapper LL Cool J 'breaks intruder's nose and jaw in knock-down fight during burglary at his home'

By Daily Mail Reporter

Taking on the bad guys: LL Cool J, pictured here at the Grammys earlier this year, caught a burglar in his own LA home

He's used to catching bad guys in his role as a special agent on the hit TV show NCIS.
So LL Cool J certainly sprung into action when he encountered an intruder at his home this morning. 

The rapper and actor - who plays a special agent on TV police drama NCIS: Los Angeles - took down the suspected burglar at his Studio City house in Los Angeles after the mystery man entered the building in the early hours.

The suspected burglar suffered a broken jaw and nose in the 'knock-down, drag-out' altercation, police sources tell the LA Times.
 
Insiders revealed LL - whose real name is James Smith - detained the man until Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived minutes later to make the arrest. 

The I Need Love hitmaker is said to be fine following the altercation and nothing is thought to have been taken from his home. 

The suspect, described as a transient, is understood to have been taken to hospital.He was arrested on suspicion of burglary.

While LL was forced to take a stern stance with the stranger for his own safety, he recently showed off his generous side by paying for a meal for a group of five women who were on a girls' night out at Beverly Hills restaurant Mr. Chow. 

The lucky ladies had been speaking to the rapper throughout the evening and posed for photographs with him, and when they went to pay for their dinner the waiter informed the group that their new friend had already covered their tab.

TV role: The rapper plays a special agent on TV police drama NCIS: Los Angeles

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2192070/NCIS-star-LL-Cool-J-captures-intruder-home.html#ixzz24RArx29E

Sam Claflin cast as Finnick Odair for ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’

Posted by brandy

Sam Claflin in "Snow White and the Huntsman"

British actor Sam Claflin, 24, has secured the coveted role of past Hunger Games champion Finnick Odair in the hotly anticipated sequel “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” reports EW.com. 

Claflin is best known for his film roles in “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” as well as his small-screen breakthrough in the Starz miniseries “The Pillars of the Earth.”
Suzanne Collins’ best-selling young-adult dystopian book series “The Hunger Games” take place in a bleak, not-too-distant future in which North American society has collapsed and been replaced by Panem, in which every year two teenagers from each of the country’s 12 districts are summoned to the corrupt Capitol to participate in the deadly Hunger Games, a spectacle televised throughout the land.

Finnick, who hails from the seaside District 4, won the Games about 10 years before the events of “Catching Fire,” the second book in the series, and is drawn back into the spectacle during the special 75th annual Hunger Games, also known as the Quarter Quell. His initial Hunger Games success has turned him into a Panem sex symbol, but Finnick goes through considerable growth over the course of the second book as well as in the third novel, “Mockingjay.”

Lionsgate is planning to release three more movies based on Collins’ trilogy: “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” will open in theaters Nov. 22, 2013; “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1″ is set for Nov. 21, 2014, release; and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2″ following on Nov. 20, 2015.

“The Hunger Games” stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci and Toby Jones are planning to return for “Catching Fire,” which will be directed by Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend”).

Along with Claflin, Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Amanda Plummer, Lynn Cohen and Maria Howell have been added to the sequel so far.

Read the “Catching Fire” synopsis, which will contain spoilers for those who have not read the books or seen the first movie, after the break.


In the thrilling sequel “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) have barely returned home after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games when they are whisked away once again by the Capitol. Forced to leave her family and best friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Katniss is dispatched on a victory tour of Panem with Peeta, where rebellion is seething in all 12 districts. The Capitol is enraged and ready to strike back . . . as President Snow (Donald Sutherland) prepares the most diabolical edition of the Hunger Games yet. “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy that has over 36 million copies in print in the U.S. alone.

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