Was Jennifer Lawrence too well fed for 'The Hunger Games'?

It can't be all victory tours and dessert buffets for "The Hunger Games": The film has some critics making controversial statements about star Jennifer Lawrence -- specifically regarding her weight.

The film tells of a malnourished North American nation, Panem, under the control of a sleek and excessive capitol city, with the participants in the annual fight-to-the-death Hunger Games depicted as skin-and-bones teenagers clawing for survival.

Some folks find that Lawrence looked a little too well-fed to play the bow-toting Katness Everdeen.

"A few years ago Ms. Lawrence might have looked hungry enough to play Katniss, but now, at 21, her seductive, womanly figure makes a bad fit for a dystopian fantasy about a people starved into submission," said Manohla Dargis of the New York Times. 

A bold indictment, if you ask us, of a 21-year-old star who currently captivates the attention of impressionable young females and her same-aged peers in show business. But are the critical sentiments -- Vulture has a comprehensive roundup -- correct? 

On the one hand, the content adapted from Suzanne Collins' dark novels dictates that these oppressed citizens are in fact emaciated. But by all standards Lawrence is hardly overweight, though widely attributed with that dread celeb magazine buffer of "curvy." 

Chew the fat on this "Hunger Games" debate in comments. And if you need some photographic evidence, check out how Lawrence killed it on the carpet at the Los Angeles "Hunger" premiere. 

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Jennifer Lawrence attends a special screening of "The Hunger Games" hosted by the Cinema Society and Calvin Klein Collection on March 20 in New York. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

  

Jennifer Lopez's manager wishes for less 'obsessive' suitors

Plenty of people are enamored with Jennifer Lopez, but the diva's talent manager wishes the "nearly obsessive" types wouldn't try to court the "American Idol" judge.

While Lopez has been enjoying life after her split from husband Marc Anthony, taking up with spirited dancer Casper Smart, her rep Benny Medina says that menfolk tend to be super into Jennifer.

"The thing that I always sort of wished is that she would give herself time to just naturally meet someone," Medina told Vogue, for which Lopez serves as cover girl, "instead of having nearly obsessive guys pursue her."

Such a J. Lo problem. But if the actress and singer shares the sentiment (or doesn't), she's not saying either way.

"He’s a good egg," she said of Smart. "I don’t want to talk about it too much. It’s my private thing."

What isn't private is video below of her stunning Vogue shoot, the annual shape issue in which Lopez flaunts her curves and a radiant glow. New love or great bronzer? Watch and decide.

 

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Jennifer Lopez arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar party on Feb. 26 in West Hollywood. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

Melissa McCarthy: Not wafer thin, and not worrying about it

Sure, Melissa McCarthy would like to find herself wafer-thin one day, but for now the Emmy-winning "Mike & Molly" star says she has other, more important things to worry about.

Still, a girl can dream. 

"Yes, do I hope I wake up tomorrow and it's like, 'What's the matter with her?' I hope I wake up at like 94 pounds, but I don't think that's going to happen," McCarthy told Anderson Cooper in an interview that aired Monday.

Other things on her plate -- things that have her not worrying much about what she's putting on her plate -- include two healthy kids Viv and Georgie, a husband, her own clothing line and, well, a job.

"I'll keep working on the other," she said of her weight. "I just can't put any time to worrying about it." McCarthy, 41, says she's up and down, but much thinner than she was after her second baby.

This is also the woman who told Entertainment Weekly in October that she enjoys clothes so much, she would love the opportunity to be a hanger. "But I think I’m more confident than I've ever felt in my life." (Witness the dance-tastic "SNL" video below.)

Another star not worrying too much about working to lose weight? That'd be Hugh Jackman, who told NPR earlier this month that dancing in "Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway" had him losing about three or four pounds a night.

"We started a week ago," Jackman said. "Already they've taken my pants in three times."

Here at the Ministry, we're just sayin': Best. Seamstress. Job. Ever.

 

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Photo: Melissa McCarthy at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 2011 Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 12. Credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Pres

'Breaking Dawn' screenwriter talks Stephenie Meyer's weight loss

"Twilight" book author Stephenie Meyer is adored by fans for the vampire romance phenomenon she penned, but for weeks the Ministry has been admiring her new figure.

In early November, the author showed up at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood for a handprint and footprint ceremony starring "Twilight Saga" trio Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner -- and wound up turning a few heads herself with a slimmed-down silhouette. 

So how did she do it?

"Honestly, watching what she eats, and exercise," franchise screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg told us at Monday's "Breaking Dawn" premiere. "Diet and exercise. And she looks fantastic." 

Based on the above photos, we'd have to agree (on the left, Meyer poses with Peter Facinelli at 2010's "Eclipse" premiere; on the right, she hugs Taylor Lautner at Monday night's after-party).

"You know, she had lost some weight when we filmed the wedding scene together," Rosenberg recalled of the on-screen matrimony of Stewart and Pattinson, "but then I saw her at the 'Breaking Dawn' junket and just thought, holy smoke."

Congrats, Stephenie.

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo credits: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Mariah Carey loses 30 pounds after delivering 'dem babies'

Mariah Carey's sweet, sweet fantasy of an impressive post-baby body has come true: The songbird has lost 30 pounds in three months, as revealed in a midriff-baring magazine spread.

Carey, who's been getting in the mommy swing of things, said she packed on pounds while carrying Monroe and Moroccan, her twins with husband Nick Cannon. "Dem babies," as she's called them, were born in April, and then in June she got serious about taking back her body.

"I gained an enormous amount of weight," she tells Us Weekly. 

"It was a huge blessing to be able to have the babies," Carey said, "but I felt trapped in my body because I couldn't move."

And it turns out, Carey didn't go the routes of a stringent, Paltrow-like, macrobiotic diet or a medieval-inspired fitness contraption. She's the new spokesperson for Jenny (aka Jenny Craig). 

Her regimen consists of a strict 1,500-calorie-per-day intake and three workouts a week -- not including chasing after the twins. Carey says she's proud of her efforts. What say you? Tell us in comments. 

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Mariah Carey announcing her new Jenny affiliation Wednesday at a press event in New York City. Credit: Charles Sykes / Associated Press

 

Carrie Fisher loses 50 pounds: Time to revisit the metal bikini?

Forget Princess Leia's "Star Wars" battles: Carrie Fisher has won the battle of the bulge. Writer and actress Fisher has gone and lost 50 pounds, now cutting a trim figure at age 54.

"I couldn't leave [the house] to go shopping ... I exhausted the alphabet on bra sizes, moved into like, you know, sanskrit. I did not know they had the bra size I ended up at," Fisher said Wednesday on the "Today" show.

"I'm still not probably gonna wear a lot of sleeveless things," she added. "I think after 50 there's a law."

Carrie, the daughter of showbiz legends Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, is the new face of Jenny Craig and swears by its meal plans: "I'm not the kind of person who would say so if it [weren't good]." 

When asked what her breaking point was -- head in the freezer eating fudge pops, eating the In N' Out 4X4 in her car, then going back in like nothing had ever happened -- she simply said, "The spark was that I weighed 3 million pounds." 

Fair enough. With her newfound confidence, Fisher considered revisiting her sexiest Princess Leia getup, from "Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi."

"I want to get back in the metal bikini and walk around the house like an idiot ... answer the doorbell like, 'This old thing?' ... I'll come out with a line of metal bikinis for women over 40," she said.

"It's for dignity."

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Helen Mirren, 66, tops Body of the Year poll in Britain

— Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Helen Mirren, 66, tops Body of the Year poll in Britain

Talk about a dame: Helen Mirren has the body of the year, according to a new poll out of Britain.

The 66-year-old Oscar-winner and wife of director Taylor Hackford came out ahead of Jennifer Lopez, Cheryl Cole and Pippa Middleton to claim the top spot in the eyes of 2,000 folks surveyed at the request of LA Fitness.

Photos: Helen Mirren and her hot bod

"It's great to see the public celebrating bodies of all shapes and sizes, and proving that you really can look fabulous over 40 and 50," a rep for the gym chain said. 

For the guys, David Beckham clocked in with the best physique, with Daniel Craig, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt on his heels.

While the win must be flattering for Mirren, the appreciation of her figure is nothing new. Her "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig in the show's most recent season touched on her oft-discussed shape -- and assets. 

Check out a clip below featuring Nasim Pedrad, Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg and Mirren's "magical bosom."

 

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Helen Mirren in June 2011. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press.

Jillian Michaels adds indoor cycling to her fitness-guru empire

The economy might be spinning, but Jillian Michaels is putting her money where her very vocal mouth is: "The Biggest Loser" alum is investing in an indoor cycling operation that puts the instructor front and center for everyone to see -- and hear.

Michaels will help open a new branch of the New York-based fitness outfit Flywheel Sports next month in Chicago -- there's a branch in Boca Raton, Fla., as well -- as the company takes a ride into the national arena.

The trainer said she was lured by "the authenticity and athleticism behind the brand."

Flywheel gives each rider real-time stats on the bike, allowing for in-studio competition among riders and Web-based access to individual performance over time. "I wanted to be part of the most innovative and effective indoor cycling program," Michaels said.

She'll take an inaugural ride Aug. 9 in Chicago alongside Flywheel co-founder Ruth Zukerman. Much like Michaels, Zukerman is seen as a guru of sorts by fans: The former stay-at-home mom got into the biz as she worked through a crushing divorce, now passing along her determination to her students.

(Any bets on who'll win that "in-studio competition"? The Ministry is not playing favorites at this point -- mostly because we're too intimidated, and concerned about revealing that possibly dusty low-tech recumbent bike lurking in the dining room.)

Alas, despite those bikes-versus-Jet Blue lessons of "Carmageddon," Flywheel for the time being remains a sort of fitness unicorn in Michaels' hometown.

Not for long, however: Rumor has it the company is determined to roll into L.A. next year. Maybe in time for Carmageddon, Round 2?

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-- Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Fan Sandy Johnson with Jillian Michaels at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April. Credits: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

'Amazing Spider-Man' trailer: Garfield clearly hit the gym [Video]

Andrew Garfield's "The Amazing Spider-Man" trailer hit the Web on Wednesday with the brooding British actor creeping into the darker Spidey role -- and costume -- of Stan Lee's beloved comic book character. 

Utters a svelte Garfield: "We all have secrets: The ones we keep and the ones that are kept from us."

Goodbye, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst; hello, Andrew and Emma Stone! Watch the trailer below.

In the Marvel reboot, "The Social Network" star plays Peter Parker and Stone plays lady love Gwen Stacy. As a child, Peter is sent by his parents to live with his aunt and uncle, and quite a bit of out-of-place, who am I? soul-searching appears to ensue. And after a sneaky trip to a lab, he transforms into the web-slinging, building-leaping arachnid superhero we've come to know. 

Hero Complex: Wall-to-wall Comic-Con 2011 coverage

"I related to Peter Parker so much because I felt like someone else inside," Garfield told Entertainment Weekly. "I loved the comic books and the animated TV series and I even dressed up as Spider-Man as a kid."

Director Marc Webb (how appropriate is his last name?!) seems to be following the same story line from the Sam Raimi-directed films, but with a darker tone.

"Ultimately what this movie is about is a kid who grows up looking for his father and finds himself. And that's a Spider-Man story we haven't seen before," Webb said.

Rhys Ifans will play the role of Doc Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard, one of Spider-Man's arch-enemies.

The film hits theaters July 3, 2012. Yes, nearly a full year from now. Thank you, Comic-Con.

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— Nardine Saad
Twitter.com/NardineSaad

Photo: Andrew Garfield. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Jonah Hill: Losing weight isn't a 'fun endeavor,' but it's important [Video]

Those who follow Jonah Hill on Twitter might have noticed over the last couple of months that the actor's avatar has changed frequently -- and that in each new profile photo, Hill has appeared progressively thinner.

On Saturday, the comedian turned heads at BAFTA's "Brits to Watch" event when he showed up to the black-tie event looking dramatically more svelte.

Hill, who said he was unsure of how much weight he has lost, revealed that he'd recently begun working out and changing his eating habits because he "thought it was important to be healthier."

"It's not fun," he said of his efforts. "I wouldn't say it's the most fun endeavor I've ever took on in my life -- but it's important. And I'm enjoying it. If I eat something unhealthy now, I kind of feel a little weird and my body hurts."

Hill scored an invite to the glitzy event in downtown L.A. courtesy of MGM, one of the financiers of his upcoming film, "21 Jump Street," a big-screen reimagining of the TV show that premiered in 1987 starring Johnny Depp and Holly Robinson Peete.

"I thought it was completely a unique experience," he said of the get-together attended by BAFTA president Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. "Of course I'd want to meet them. I've never met a prince or a princess before. I met Prince -- the singer."

-- Amy Kaufman

Twitter.com/AmyKinLA