Oh, Finnick Odair. Please Be Dreamy. (Casting Rumors)

Fly Mockingjay! FLY!

EDIT: Sam Claflin (Pirates 4 and Snow White & the Huntsman) was tagged to play Finnick Odair. So, in short, this post is irrelevant. But! Take a look anyway at who we assessed should play the role. Also, there are copious amounts of Jennifer Lawrence love.

While the Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, has officially announced its next director, there is still much speculation on the casting of certain characters. Well, mainly one. There is a certain character in Catching Fire that drips of manliness and sultry sexiness. Yes, yes I am talking about non-other than the dreamy male tribute and victor from District 4:

Finnick Odair.

More Jennifer. Just because.

Now, I won't spoil too much of the book, but I will say that Finnick is the epitome of every girl and guys dream crush. Every woman in The Capitol succumbed to his overwhelming handsomeness, and well, his beauty was one of the contributing factors to his victory in the 64th Hunger Games.

Obviously handsome, but also tall, muscular, and athletic. Whew. To top of that package, he's described to have tan skin (the byproduct of being in the fishing district, 4) with bronze hair. He knows he's gorgeous, and he is extremely flirtatious. His voice has a "seductive purr" to it. Um. Yes.

While his physique causes everybody to swoon, his most stunning feature is probably... his eyes. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) He possesses deep sea green eyes, or rather, eyes the same color as the sea. Eyes that even hypnotize the un-swoonable Katniss (played by Jennifer Lawrence. *swoon*).

Many a-fangirl and guy has chimed in on their choices of hunky actors who should play the dreamy Finnick. It ranges from the established actor to the up-and-coming pretty boy to the just plain obscure. Now, it's my turn.

Another one. Deal with it.

While I said I wouldn't spoil too much of the book, I will say this. Finnick is not just a pretty boy. He's dangerous. He's ruthless. He's damaged... He carries the physical and emotional scars from killing fellow youth in combat. Whoever plays the seductive Finnick Odair must also possess the acting chops to present a character who can range from seemingly being indestructible to incredibly vulnerable.  As the books progress, Finnick becomes increasingly unstable from a pent up fear and worry that I will not spoil.

Ladies (and gentlemen), I give to you the best choices to play the alluringly gorgeous Finnick Odair.

Being Bond: Life After Bond

"The Name's Bond. James Bond."

Originally created from the mind of Ian Fleming back in 1953, the iconic and all-around dashing British spy James Bond has captured the imagination of young and old alike. From Bond’s witty one-liners to his suave escapes, managing all the while to keep his well-greased hair and pristine suits in perfect condition, the MI6 agent immediately won over audiences everywhere.

In the Bond film franchise, a franchise that has made as much as $5 billion US dollars, six actors have slipped into the role of the sophisticated Brit. From the original Sean Connery to the brief appearance of George Lazenby to the seemingly-never-ending tenure of Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton to Pierce Brosnan to the current Bond, Daniel Craig, all six men gave their own take on the charming spy. However, was “being Bond” a good thing for these actors? Or did it create an unwanted typecasting for them?

What's Wrong with My Horror Films?!

“I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud.” ~Stephen King

Seriously. What’s wrong with my horror films? The short answer: everything. From the one-dimensional characters to the flimsy plot lines to the smattering of gore from good-looking people, horror has become horrifically awful. Unfortunately, in the day and age of the slasher/torture porn flicks and remakes, the bloodier and the skimpier the outfits, the better. Not to mention, these films are dirt cheap to produce, and they draw a ridiculous amount of people who flock stupidly to go watch the trash.

Even this guy is confused.

Okay, maybe I’m being a little too harsh. Sure, some horror films capture the meaning of what it takes to be a “horror film.” But what IS a horror film? A quick glance at the all-powerful Wikipedia, “horror films” are “unsettling movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, disgust and horror from viewers.” Well... emotions such as “fear” or “horror” don’t really hit me when watching these abundant splatter films, but I definitely have my disgust-o meter short-circuiting. You would think that audiences can waste only so much time at the theaters watching the latest bimbos getting chopped and disemboweled after a romantic romp in the woods with their now-dead boyfriends. However, this, dare I say “logical,” thought process is quite the opposite. In fact, American audiences can’t get enough of the latest gore-nogpraphy. So, maybe the question of “what’s wrong with my horror films?” should really be: “What’s up with people wasting money on slasher flicks?”

Actor Profile: David Tennant

Personal Life

Tennant was born on April 18, 1971 in some area of Scotland. Actually, he was born David McDonald, but decided to choose “Tennant” instead (Brandon as a surname was his first choice. Just a small nugget of information.) Since the age of 3, he decided he wanted to be an actor. A natural thespian, Tennant performs on both the stage and the big (and smaller) screen, as he is an accomplished television star and an up-and-coming big screen actor. These skills were acquired when he studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He is unmarried, but is currently dating Georgia Moffett (who played Tennant’s character’s daughter in Doctor Who. Kinda creepy...). Tennant also has two siblings, a brother, Blair, and a sister, Karen. 

Director Profile: Edgar Wright

Edgar Wright is one of the most exciting young filmmakers working today. His caffeinated, but literate visual style could take on Quentin Tarantino himself in a film reference contest. Yet Wright is not QT. Tarantino reveres his predecessors, speaks their language. Wright turns everything upside down, fast forwards over the dull bits, puts a punk soundtrack in the background, and manages to make a joke of the whole thing. No other filmmaker's visual language is as full of humor as Wright's. Half the jokes he makes are so intricate or bizarrely self-referential (or British) that they are lost upon audiences (or at least me).

Actor Profile: Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Stunning. Simply, stunning. 

Personal Life

This 25-year-old North Carolinian actress was born on November 28, 1984, and she took interest in performing on big stages through roles in ballet and acting. She hoped to be a ballerina one day, and she studied that and jazz dance. Eventually, she started to pursue an acting career, while keeping up her dancing. Fun fact: Winstead is a distant cousin to Ava Gardner. She also has a longtime boyfriend, writer/director Riley Stearns, with whom she worked with on a short film with called Stop/Eject. On July 22, 2010, Winstead announced her engagement with Stears. While they were joyously announcing this joyous occasion, I also wept, though not out of joy . . . Winstead loves to sing, but she never wanted to make a career out of her pipes. However, she was asked by Quentin Tarantino to sing an a cappella song when she was filming Grindhouse: Death Proof. Apparently it was heavenly, and can be found on the second disc of the Death Proof DVD or here on YouTube. 

Actor Profile: Michael Cera

Every character he's ever done.

Personal Life

Born on June 7, 1988 in Brampton, Ontario, Michael Cera was probably awkward from day one. Seriously, let’s be honest: His first two roles were in a Tim Hortons summer camp commercial and in a Pillsbury commercial where he poked the Doughboy himself. 22 years isn’t all that long, so most of his life so far has consisted of school and acting. Detailed personal facts are hard to come by when you’re looking for a 22 year old guy who’s best known as being “That one awkward kid in a movie I saw once…” Oh, and he plays guitar.

Actor Profile: Zooey Deschanel

Personal Life

Zooey Claire Deschanel (pronounced Zoh-ee Day-shuh-nell) was practically born into fame. Her parents were Caleb and Mary Jo Deschanel, a director slash filmographer and actress respectively. She was born in Los Angeles, California on January 17, 1980 and is of French and Irish descent. Her name, with its odd spelling of Zoe, comes from the main character of J.D. Salinger’s work Franny and Zooey, despite the fact that the Zooey in that book is a male. Because her director father shot many of his films on location, she spent much of her childhood traveling, which Zooey didn’t like. She’s allergic to dairy, gluten, and eggs, and spent quite some time as a vegan, before she decided her allergies made it too difficult to stay healthy. She attended a private preparatory school in Santa Monica, California with fellow actors Kate Hudson and Jake Gyllenhaal and dropped out of Northwestern University to pursue a career in acting. She is a talented singer, and can play the piano, banjo and ukulele. Her older sister Emily is also an actress; she plays the title character in Fox’s crime drama show Bones, which Zooey made an appearance in as a distant relative of Emily’s character, marking the first time the Deschanel sisters appeared on screen together. On September 19, 2009, a date that shall live on in infamy, she married Ben Gibbard, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, crushing the dreams of many innocent people. She is also the “she” in the band She & Him, of which M. Ward, who she worked with on The Go-Getter, is the “him.” The band has two albums, the appropriately titled Volume One and Volume Two. Her interests include jazz singing, fashion, and philosophy, and she shares an eerie resemblance with pop singer Katy Perry. To conclude, she’s basically the perfect person.

Emma Watson's Hair

Egads!

Now as anyone who is not currently living under a rock or in North Korea knows, Emma Watson got a haircut. And before anyone even says otherwise, yes, “it’s a big deal.” This female heartthrob has grown increasingly attractive since her debut as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. Originally, the thought of describing her as such would have been pretty weird indeed. Youth aside, she looked as her character was supposed to during that time: a bit awkward and nerdy and sporting a full load of incredibly bushy and unkempt curls.

Director/Producer Profile: Joss Whedon

I bet we'd be pals.

Personal Life

Joss was born on June 23, 1964, in New York City as the 3^rd son of a screenwriter and high school teacher. His two older brothers are Samuel and Matthew, and his two younger ones are Jed and Zack, both writers. Whedon spent 2 years at Winchester College, but graduated from Wesleyan University. He always loved writing and acting, and had a certain affinity for Monty Python. He is the founder of the production company Mutant Enemy Productions. Frankly, Joss Whedon is less of a director (or even producer) and more of a writer, but his works are such cult classics that he’s necessary to profile.

Actor Profile: Meryl Streep

Pure class.

Personal Life

Meryl Streep. Wow. Well, she was born in Summit, New Jersey, on June 22, 1949. Streep has 2 brothers, Dana and Harry. She graduated from Bernards High School and received her B.A. in Drama from Vassar College. Streep also got her M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama. Her 1978 marriage to Don Gummer resulted in 4 children: Louisa, Grace, Henry, and Mamie. She is recognized as possibly the most talented and well respected actress of our time; her grace and class is apparent in everything she does. Streep has an incredibly accomplished career in both film and theater, not to mention her honorary degrees from Princeton and Harvard.

Director/Producer Profile: Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo is not amused.

Personal Life

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on October 9, 1964, del Toro first got into film when he studied special effects and make-up with Academy Award winning make-up artist Dick Smith at around age 8. 8 years were spent as a special effects make-up designer, during which time he founded the design company Necropia. He would later make his own production company: The Tequila Gang. Del Toro married his high school sweetheart, Lorenza Newton, and they live in Wellington, New Zealand with their 2 daughters, Mariana and Marisa.

Actor Profile: Ryan Reynolds

This... had so much potential...

Personal Life
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on October 23, 1976, Reynolds had four older brothers to deal with. He graduated from Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver, and attempted to go to Kwantlen College. However, he only lasted a few months before dropping out to pursue his budding acting career. Although YAMB does not recommend this as a life choice, it certainly did pay off for Reynolds. In 2002, Reynolds was romantically linked to fellow Canadian, singer Alanis Morissette. Soon after breaking off an engagement with Morissette, Reynolds began dating actress Scarlett Johansson. The two would tie the knot in 2008. Wow. Talk about “power couple.” 

Actor Profile: Ellen Page

Beautiful, cute, or sexy?
Yes.

Personal Life

Ellen was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on February 21, 1987. She went to Halifax Grammar School until 10^th grade, attended Queen Elizabeth High School for a bit, and graduated from Shambhala School in 2005. Page liked to play with action figures and climb trees as a child. She still lives in Halifax with her dog, Patti and is known to walk and talk in her sleep. For some reason, I’m really not too surprised.

Actor Profile: Anna Kendrick

Pretty, and in a movie with
George Clooney. Swooning galore.

Personal Life

Kendrick was born on August 9, 1985 in Portland, Maine. She was driven to acting as a child by her high energy level and outgoing personality, initially focusing on theater. Most of her life was relatively “normal”; she was an honors student at Deering High School, and a fair amount of stage acting eventually led her to the big screen.

Actor Profile: Viggo Mortensen

En kjekk fyr. (That's "one handsome guy" 
in Norwegian)

Personal Life

Viggo was born in New York City on October 20, 1958, although his parents met in Norway. (Seriously guys, Norway. Super awesome. ) As a child he lived in Denmark, Venezuela, and a few Argentine provinces. Their family remained there until Viggo was 11. His parents then divorced and he went with his dad to Copenhagen, but they eventually came back to New York. After pursuing a career in truck driving back in Denmark after high school, he came back to America in order to act. At his graduation from St. Lawrence University, he refused to wear the robes since they were made by sweatshop workers. (Let me just come out and say how awesome this guy is.) He has a son, Henry, with his ex-wife Exene Cervenka. Viggo can speak English, Danish, Spanish, Norwegian, French, Italian, Catalan, and Swedish. He is also a poet, musician, photographer, and painter.

Director/Producer Profile: Peter Jackson

Good facial hair.

Personal Life

Jackson was born on October 31, 1961 in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand as the only son of 2 British immigrants. He grew up as a film enthusiast, but has no formal training; most of his knowledge is from personal trial and error.  King Kong and The Lord of the Rings have been passions of Jackson’s for many years. In 1993, he and others founded Weta Digital, a digital visual effects company used extensively in his films. He continues to live in New Zealand with his wife Fran Walsh, who is a screenwriter and producer, and their two children Billy and Katie. Most of the filming for his movies takes place there. Jackson is known to make cameo appearances in nearly all of his films.

Actor Profile: Emma Watson

Um. Yes, please.

Personal Life

Emma was born in Paris on April 20, 1990 to 2 British lawyers. Following their divorce at age 5, she moved to Oxfordshire with her mother and younger brother. She did all sorts of non-professional acting as a child up until her big role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. As she grew older, she started to show an interest in fashion and modeling, working for both Burberry and People Tree. She is rather intelligent, as evidenced by her straight A’s on her GCSE exams in 2006 and her admission to Brown University. Emma has 1 brother, 3 half-brothers, and 2 twin half-sisters.