The new comedic drama What to Expect When You're Expecting isn't based on the most likely source material.  Sure, the book of the same name by Heidi Murkoff has consistently topped bestseller lists since first being published in 1984.  In three subsequent editions since then, it has sold almost 15 million copies and become the go-to handbook for modern pregnancy.  That's what makes it an unlikely movie: it's a self-help text, a practical guide filled with information and tips on the different stages of pregnancy and early childhood.

The film version, Kirk Jones and co-written by Heather Hatch and Shauna Cross, incorporates Murkoff's applicable advice into a narrative feature by telling five interconnected stories of pregnancy, each with their own couples and circumstances.  That means What to Expect When You're Expecting stars a sprawling ensemble cast, including Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Rodrigo Santoro, Chris Rock, Brooklyn Decker, Matthew Morrison, Anna Kendrick, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ben Falcone, Chace Crawford, Rob Huebel, and Joe Manganiello.

IAR Managing Editor Jami Philbrick attended the press day for this Lionsgate release in Los Angeles, where Murkoff and Jones, along with much of the all-star ensemble cast, enthusiastically discussed the book, making the movie, drawing from real-life experience, and working with lovely, talented ladies.

Synopsis: Inspired by the perennial New York Times bestseller of the same name, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING is a hilarious and heartfelt big screen comedy about five couples whose intertwined lives are turned upside down by the challenges of impending parenthood. Over the moon about starting a family, TV fitness guru Jules and dance show star Evan find that their high-octane celebrity lives don't stand a chance against the surprise demands of pregnancy. Baby-crazy author and advocate Wendy gets a taste of her own militant mommy advice when pregnancy hormones ravage her body; while Wendy's husband, Gary, struggles not to be outdone by his competitive alpha-Dad, who's expecting twins with his much younger trophy wife, Skyler. Photographer Holly is prepared to travel the globe to adopt a child, but her husband Alex isn't so sure, and tries to quiet his panic by attending a "dudes" support group, where new fathers get to tell it like it really is. And rival food truck chefs Rosie and Marco's surprise hook-up results in an unexpected quandary: what to do when your first child comes before your first date? A kaleidoscopic comedy as universal as it is unpredictable, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING finds humor and uplift in all the unexpected trials and triumphs of welcoming a child into the world. The film stars Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Falcone and Joe Manganiello.

Well that was dramatic.  After co-writing and directing The Hunger Games, easily the biggest movie in Lionsgate's history and his career, Gary Ross has decided not to return for the sequel, Catching Fire.  Ross himself, who made the first film a critical hit in addition to a commercial juggernaut, released a statement making it official.  While early reports cited difficult negotiations, the director explicitly denies that this was not the case, and instead says, "I simply don’t have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make because of the fixed and tight production schedule.'

Lionsgate looked to the horizon with The Hunger Games, spending the last year playing to the novel's considerable fanbase, first by ensuring that every part of casting was a big deal, then by consistently reminding everyone that the film was on the way and was gonna be huge.  Today, the adaptation of the first novel in Suzanne Collins's dystopian trilogy opens nationwide, and it looks like The Hunger Games will live up the commercial hype.  According to Lionsgate, the film earned an estimated $19.7 million at midnight screenings already.

On the eve of its release, The Hunger Games is enjoying the kind of critical reception that most movies can only dream of and is preparing for an opening weekend that distributor Lionsgate and pretty much everyone else in the nation are expecting to be massive.  Anticipation amongst fans of the novel by Suzanne Collins and the moviegoing public at large is at a fever pitch.  The Hunger Games is everywhere at the moment.

Set in the futuristic dystopia of Panem and focusing on an annual twenty-four person death match between young people is televised for entertainment and as a reminder of governmental power, The Hunger Games could have easily become just the kind of slick entertainment that it subtextually criticizes.  Instead, it's a smart, thrilling science fiction film with smartly drawn characters and a subtle, knowing depiction of a world out of whack.

That The Hunger Games turned out as such can be largely attributed to director Gary Ross, and his effective choices are reflected by his unexpected cast, from lead Jennifer Lawrence through supporting players Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, and Wes Bentley.  At the Los Angeles press junket for the film, IAR was lucky enough to sit in on roundtable interviews with Ross, as well as Banks, Kravitz, and Bentley.  All four were eager to discuss the source material, the film's development, outlandish makeup, their leading lady, and preparation for the first sequel, Catching Fire.

Opening in theaters on March 23rd is the highly anticipated new film The Hunger Games, which is based on the extremely popular novel of the same name by author Suzanne Collins. The film was directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit), and stars Academy Award-nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) as the story's hero Katniss Everdeen, as well as Josh Hutcherson (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song), Woody Harrelson (Rampart), Elizabeth Banks (Man on a Ledge), Lenny Kravitz (Precious), Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), Toby Jones (My Week With Marilyn), Wes Bentley (There Be Dragons), and Donald Sutherland (Klute). 

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had the pleasure of sitting down with actor Wes Bentley to discuss his role as Seneca Crane in The Hunger Games. The actor discussed the new film, his pivotal role, getting the part, his character's unique facial hair, the inspiration he gained for his role from watching reality television, director Gary Ross' vision for the film, and the brilliant world that author Suzanne Collins has created. 

At this point, does The Hunger Games really need an introduction?  The sheer ubiquity of promotion for the film, combined with its ecstatic critical reception and the general anticipation surrounding it, suggest that no intro is necessary.  You know the basic story by now: in the future, the totalitarian society of Panem enjoys an annual survival competition that pits twenty-four young people from the nation's twelve districts against one another, with only one allowed to survive. The first book in Suzanne Collins's trilogy of dystopian novels became a bestseller with an appeal far beyond its young adult classification, and Lionsgate has been expertly hyping the film adaptation for months.

A year ago, the talk was all about casting.  Specifically, it was centered around who should play the three central characters in the trilogy: heroine Katniss Everdeen and her fellow District 12 residents Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne.  Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar nominee for her work in Winter's Bone, won the role of Katniss, while Josh Hutcherson of The Kids Are All Right and The Last Song's Liam Hemsworth signed on to play Peeta and Gale, respectively.

With anticipation for The Hunger Games reaching a fever pitch, all three young thespians were happy to talk about the film at the Los Angeles press conference.  IAR was lucky enough to participate in roundtable interviews with Lawrence, Hutcherson, and Hemsworth.  In the midst of a huge promotional push, the actors were happy to talk about the novels, the film, their physical training, and the seeming inevitability of sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

The fourth official clip from The Hunger Games has arrived online.  It's a quick one, clocking in at well under one minute, but it is the first to focus on the relationship between Katniess Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne, played respectively by Jennifer Lawrence and Gale Hawthorne. 

The last two weeks have seen the first two official clips from The Hunger Games, Lionsgate's much-hyped adaptation of the bestselling novel by Suzanne Collins.  With the nationwide release just around the corner this month, the clip parade continues as new one-minute snippet from the film has appeared online.

If you saw this week's The Hunger Games clip introducing Lenny Kravitz as Cinna and wondered just who Cinna would bet on in the eponymous survival competition, then there's a new TV spot that answers your question unequivocally. Hint: It might just be Katniss Everdeen, the heroine played by Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence.  In addition to answering that crucial question, the TV spot also shows off some new imagery from the Capitol and a teeny tiny peek at the actual games, which have been largely kept out of the marketing.