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New Social Media Game ‘The Hunger Games Adventures’ Coming To Facebook

Natalie Zutter — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:15:05 +0000

Lionsgate has done a pretty incredible job so far of releasing Hunger Games fansites to make fans feel like they’re really immersed in the world of Suzanne Collins‘ books: You could enter yourself into the reaping through TheCapitol.pn, and fashion site Capitol Couture is laid out like a real magazine, featuring designs from the movie as well as real-life inspirations.

And now, Lionsgate has added another site to the mix: The Hunger Games Adventures, a social media game over Facebook that allows fans to complete adventures and missions that will take them throughout the dystopian nation of Panem. The game won’t be launched til the movie’s release date of March 23, 2012, but they’re making it worth your while: It will be fans’ first chance to see the official map of Panem and how all twelve districts are laid out. Here’s a more detailed description of the game, from Business Wire:

Players will explore Panem and complete missions that will take them to each of the Districts and the Capitol where they will interact with the familiar characters from the book. With each mission they complete, they will advance their own storyline within the world. As the official game of the series, THE HUNGER GAMES ADVENTURES will be the first place fans can see the official map of Panem, and how the districts are laid out. Details for the Map of Panem will be rolled out in the game with a steady stream of chapter expansions as the game, and the world, reveals itself over time.

Because Collins never included a map in her books, fans have spent the last few years trying to figure out the layout of Panem, which covers what used to be North America. The most popular map used by fans has been this one by aimmyarrowshigh:

Furthermore, V. Arrow is writing The Panem Companion, an unauthorized guide to the world of The Hunger Games. It comes out December 2012; it’ll be really interesting to see a fan’s take on Collins’ world versus the studio’s. Although the studio might seem more official, really it’s just another interpretation since the final word is with Collins. (Though Collins is an executive producer on the movie, so there’s the authenticity you’re looking for.)

“What makes fans of The Hunger Games so amazing is the level of personal investment they have in the characters and the story,” said Lionsgate’s Joe Drake. “We chose [social game company] Funtactix to create this game because they bring the level of authenticity and quality to their movie-based social games that is crucial to fans of The Hunger Games.”

On March 23rd you’ll be able to access TheHungerGamesAdventures.com; for now, that link takes you to Lionsgate’s official Facebook page for the movie.

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American Idol Contestant Amy Brumfield Leaks Elimination On Facebook

Natalie Zutter — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:47:58 +0000

Recapping the first round of auditions for American Idol, Jamie reflected that the judges may have passed Amy Brumfield merely out of sympathy; she’s kind of an odd bird who lives in a tent in the woods. But now it sounds like we won’t have to worry about Amy’s fate; it turns out she hasn’t been competing on the show for the last month or so.

Starz Uncut spotted this post on Amy’s Facebook wall from mid-December 2011, where she talked about how good it was to come home. When a friend asked why she was home so soon, she responded, you guys should know i don’t work well with others…. group day i got eliminated.

Someone doesn’t know the pattern of American Idol; they’re still in the auditions stage, and nowhere near group day.

To make matters worse, Celeb Dirty Laundry pointed out, TMZ has obtained Amy’s police records. She’s been arrested six times in the past seven years, often because of intoxication; one memorable arrest came about when she was so drunk that she peed herself at a Baskin Robbins.

People are saying that this could be Amy’s chance to turn things around, especially since she blew the judges away with her rendition of Alicia Keys‘ “Superwoman” on last night’s episode, but I can’t imagine that she has any sort of future with the show now. Even if she were somehow lying, the producers wouldn’t look well on this breach of contract.

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Jenelle Evans’ Former Boss ‘Poisoned,’ Sexually Harassed, And Cyberstalked Her

Natalie Zutter — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:54:37 +0000

While looking up Jenelle Evans‘ quote about Leah Messer‘s rumored pregnancy, I stumbled into what exactly the Teen Mom 2 star has been up to since shooting wrapped… and it doesn’t look pretty. Jenelle seems to be involved in two simultaneous feuds with ex-roommate Hannah Inman and (more seriously) ex-boss James Duffy.

Let me just say, the first I’d even heard of Hannah was a month ago, when Jenelle declared that Hannah would be helping her write her memoir. Despite the big hugs in that post’s photo, as well as Jenelle tweeting Hannah Christian Inman fucking loves me more than you’ll ever know, I’m actually not so surprised to hear that they’ve had a massive falling-out. Those kinds of uber-passionate female friendships unfortunately often devolve into jealous possessiveness and name-calling.

Another interesting facet is that Jenelle wouldn’t have met Hannah if Jenelle hadn’t been working as the personal assistant to 40-year-old James Duffy. Hannah was living with him at the time, when Jenelle would come over to his house to package and ship the guitar necks that he made and sold on eBay.

Duffy sounds like a run-of-the-mill creeper: He would invite Jenelle and her best friend Tori Killem over for dinner and free drinks. During these boozy meals with underage girls, he would brag about how he hadn’t ever had sex with anyone over 25. Their business relationship abruptly ended when, Jenelle says, he offered “everything in the world to me ONLY IF i had sex with him” and she got out of there.

Somewhere in all that, Jenelle and Hannah broke up as friends because Hannah was always mooching off the MTV star. As Jenelle told Starcasm,

me and hannah are officially not friends anymore. she simply used me for money, fame, ciggs, food, a cell phone, etc. the reason i kicked her out was becuz she didnt get a job to help me with bills and invited random dudes to my house so she can have her way with them i guess… :/ other then that i told her to get her sh!t out, give me my phone back, and to please never speak to me again.

But when Jenelle went through the phone she’d given to Hannah, she found the girl talking shit about her. Then came a Twitter feud, though Hannah kept taking the higher ground with the old “I don’t even care about this anymore, get a life” argument.

But wait, there’s more. Remember those drunk dinners I mentioned above? Turns out Duffy took a bunch of photos and video of Jenelle and Tori horsing around drunk — and remember that Jenelle’s on probation — which he posted to his Facebook. He also claimed to have text messages from Jenelle’s old phone where she “thanked” him for having sex with her.

The most disturbing behavior, however, was what came later: Duffy allegedly poisoned the girls one night at dinner. He freely admitted that he had slipped some Spanish scorpion into their spaghetti as an aphrodisiac, but instead it made them vomit and black out. So many bad ideas here.

And finally, we come to the newest detail of this bizarre story: Duffy’s threats against Jenelle got so bad as to be labeled cyberstalking. Although Jenelle’s attorney wouldn’t clarify what the threats had actually been, the definition of cyberstalking includes threats of bodily harm and death, as well as threatening one’s family. Would it be too naive of me to believe that Jenelle pressed charges because Duffy threatened her son Jace?

Right now everyone’s in a weird Mexican standoff, with Jenelle having filed charges against Duffy but also the subject of charges from Hannah… who claims she’s not looking for fame but is just protecting herself against her former bestie. Wow.

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The Daily WTF: Facebook App ‘If I Die’ Records Your Final Message

Natalie Zutter — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:40:37 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree with Nerve that this Facebook app If I Die is pretty morbid, but it’s also downright offensive. The actual idea behind it is well-meaning; as the instructional video shows, If I Die gives you the chance to record whatever you want your final message to be, and then to choose a friend to help distribute it after your death. That way, you have control over the last thing your loved ones hear from you, whether it’s a joke or some advice.

But the video itself is disgustingly glib; the posh British narrator jovially points out that while you may intend to lead a strong and healthy life, “Death is right around the corner.” It’s offensive to those who’ve lost family members, whether after a drawn-out illness or in an instantaneous tragedy—people who weren’t concerned with the petty matter of what their friend’s Facebook said.

Our generation is the first to encounter the odd in-between sensation of having our friends’ digital lives survive long after their deaths. So we are the right population to market this app to; there’s just a much more sensitive way of doing so. Despite our joking (a human coping mechanism), death is not the minor inconvenience this ad makes it sound like.

I still visit the profiles of a kid from my high school who shot himself in the head, or my boyfriend’s father who died unexpectedly in 2010, and read the messages of love posted there. Yes, their families would probably have been grateful to receive one final message before losing these people with no warning. But for their sake, don’t make a fucking joke out of dying.

I’m sure that I’m overreacting, due to personal experience. And I know that every person is guilty of cracking a joke about death; how else would we deal with the inevitable threat of our own demise? I just think the video could have been a tad more tactful.

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The Daily WTF: Facebook Shower Curtain

Natalie Zutter — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:11:20 +0000

At first when I saw this shower curtain made to look like a Facebook profile (for your curtain…?), I thought it was old news. Then I realized that that is simply because the last five years have seen so many Halloween costumes running on the same gag, that it was hard to believe no one had thought of this for a bathroom decoration. It’s the lowbrow answer to the Dave Eggers shower curtain that made us say “wtf” last week!

But as Geekosystem points out, this isn’t the most practical purchase since you need two people to enjoy it—one to pose behind it, and one to see the joke. So… shower party?

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Teen Mom 2‘s Jenelle Evans Is Writing A Memoir

Natalie Zutter — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:50:07 +0000

Jenelle Evans is in the news for a big announcement, and thankfully it’s not that she’s pregnant again. (Although she’s joked about that.) On Monday, Jenelle posted the exciting new development to her Facebook fan page:

soooo… me and hannah are going to start writing my book. :] i have 3 journals we are going through and my autobiography i wrote in rehab!!! cant wait until its finished. starting it now. ♥

“Hannah” is her roommate, Hannah Inman—in the middle of this photo, with Jenelle on the left and fellow Teen Mom 2 cast member Kailyn Irwin (formerly Lowry) on the right. Hannah and Jenelle are often seen at parties together, and a few weeks ago Jenelle tweeted, Hannah Christian Inman fucking loves me more than you will ever know. So if anyone were to help Jenelle write this book, I guess it would be her.

Really, though, we’d be interested to read a book that Jenelle and mom Barbara co-wrote, but based on their contentious relationship, that doesn’t seem like it’ll happen anytime soon. She’ll have some competition with her buddy Kailyn Irwin, who announced in June that she’s also writing a book.

It’s definitely impressive that Jenelle drafted her autobiography while in rehab (she was released on June 9), and that combined with her journals — hopefully written during the tapings of 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom 2 – will give us some much-needed insight into this troubled girl.

[via Holly Baby]

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5 Facts About Megan Fox’s Older Sister Kristi Branim-Fox

Natalie Zutter — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:46:42 +0000

So Megan Fox, male fantasy incarnate, has an older sister. Back when we thought her name was Kristi Fox, we agreed that that was the ultimate stripper name. However, it would seem that the actress’ older sis goes by something more sensible-sounding: Kristi Branim (with or without the “Fox”; more on that below).

This is the best current photo we could find, from her Facebook; the original story that ran actually features Megan’s facialist Mindi Walters, who gets confused for Kristi a lot.

So, what do we know about this mysterious woman who’s only just started popping up in photos?

1. Kristi is 34, about a decade older than her famous sister.

2. She lives and works in the sisters’ hometown of Port Lucie, Florida. There’s a girl on Yahoo! Answers who claims that Kristi was the guidance counselor at St. Lucie West K-8 for some time and married the school’s coach. According to her Facebook, she currently works at Fort Pierce Central High School.

3. There’s been some confusion over her name; a couple of sites say that she’s known by the name Vivian Fox. Kristi must have an inkling that Megan’s fans are starting to learn who she is, because this past April she posted on her Facebook Wall, My full name is Kristi Michelle Branim-Fox, but I go by the name Kristi Fox.

4. Her experience as famous-by-association began in 2001 when Megan was 15, having just wrapped the Olsen twins direct-to-video feature Holiday in the Sun. The Palm Beach Post ran a profile on Megan, which included this photo of the then-blonde, mom Denise Tonachio, and Kristi (left) buying shoes at the local mall.

5. One of Kristi’s newest Facebook friends is The Hills star Lauren “Lo” Bosworth! What a world we live in.

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Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook Profile Hacked

Liana Maeby — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:39:20 +0000

It looks like the Facebook privacy gripes that have been plaguing the company have finally caught up with founder Mark Zuckerberg. Someone discovered a glitch in Facebook’s photo settings and went into Mark’s folders of private pictures. If you were expecting nude self-portraits or wacky party antics, I’m sorry to disappoint, but Zuck’s pictures are pretty tame. Still, they’re a rare glimpse into the zillionaire mogul’s life.

If I had a photo of myself with President Obama, I would definitely make it public.

With girlfriend Priscilla Chan, a UC San Francisco med student, in their Palo Alto home.

Mark has recently begun hunting and killing his own food, because he is a primitive man without modern conveniences.

“Halloween candy? But we want Facebook stock!”

(via BuzzFeed)

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Orphan Week Essay: Why I’m Thankful I’m Not Going Home For Thanksgiving This Year

Blair Koenig — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:17:51 +0000

This Thanksgiving, I’ll give thanks for food, friends, and family (not necessarily in that order), but for the first time in my life, I won’t be spending the holiday passing the cranberry sauce to my mom or watching my dad awkwardly carve the turkey. Instead, I’ll be spending it more than a thousand miles away in my adopted home of Brooklyn, and I couldn’t be happier.

The truth is, while I’ll miss celebrating the holiday with my family, I’m looking forward to avoiding certain things. And no, I’m not referring to the judgment cast by my grandmother for biting my nails or for not sitting up straight, nor am I referring to the always-hellish experience of holiday airline travel. (Last year I was assigned a seat that had no cushion. Just a raw, curved piece of plastic. Good times.) No, I’m referring to the even more harrowing experience of running into people I knew in high school around my hometown when I least expect it.

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Like most people, I’m friends with what seems like all of my elementary, junior high, and high school classmates on Facebook. And like most people, that doesn’t mean I actually want to know all of them anymore. It’s actually become a little more awkward to run into some people when I go home to Atlanta, because now I know things about them that I wouldn’t have necessarily known had Facebook not existed.

For instance, a girl I’ve known since third grade is always going on about attending anti-abortion rallies. It’s weird enough to read about them from my couch in New York, but it’s far weirder to run into her at the grocery store when I’m visiting in Georgia. Now that I know that’s something she’s into, I can’t push it to the back of my mind. It’s like everyone I see walks around with funny labels because I have such a compressed understanding of who they are now. For all I know, the anti-abortion rally girl has taken up watercolors and enjoys mountain biking, but because of what she posts on Facebook, I simply see her as Anti-Abortion Rally Girl and not as the person who taught me all the words to Cantaloop during P.E.

It happens all the time, and it feels unfair of me to label people like I do. I’ll spy a former chemistry lab partner across the bar and think to myself, “Ah, Mitch. Sports Guy. Is there a football game he hasn’t commented on in the last five years?” Or, “Hey, there’s that former cheerleader who talks about NOTHING but her kids on Facebook. Maybe I should avoid her in the checkout line.” I’m sure people do the same thing when they see me, but despite all of this, we continue to make half-assed conversation and exchange pleasantries as though we still have something in common other than graduating from the same high school. But most of the time, we don’t.

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Hackers Flood Facebook With Justin Bieber Porn

Jamie Peck — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:52:05 +0000

As you may have noticed over the past 48 hours, Facebook has grown lousy with dicks, boobs, and Justin Bieber ‘shopped to look like he’s interacting with dicks and boobs! In a widespread spam attack, pornographic (and in some cases violent) images have been spreading like locusts, descending upon people’s profiles like so many eager erections upon a gang bang. According to various sources, they’ve been particularly targeting the game Farmville, which is funny because fuck Farmville.

The most obvious culprit is hacktivist collective Anonymous, as they have discussed plans to attack Facebook in the recent past, and announced the creation of a Facebook-attacking “Fawkes virus” via Youtube just a few days ago. (The purported endgame of said virus is to “use this to its advantage against corruption.” Hmm.) However, no one from the group has taken credit for the attack as of yet, if one can be said to earn “credit” for such a thing.

For its part, Facebook is trying to respond as fast as it can, but as the system has no way of recognizing pornographic images, the speed of their response is highly dependent on the user flagging system. “Protecting the people who use Facebook from spam and malicious content is a top priority for us,” a company rep told ZDNet, “and we are always working to improve our systems to isolate and remove material that violates our terms. We have recently experienced an increase in reports and we are investigating and addressing the issue.”

Is this the END OF FACEBOOK? Who made all that Justin Bieber porn? And why isn’t it showing up in my newsfeed? We will report more details as this story develops.

(Via CNN)

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