Hunger Games mall tour LA

So, I went to the Hunger Games mall tour in LA, its first location. So I get to Westfield Century City mall at around 6am, thinking that I would have a chance to be the first one hundred, which means you get to be part of the meet and greet. What I saw however, was at the same time beyond and below my expectations. Thanks a lot Westfield Century City. =[ What I mean is this:
[actually, I couldn't find a picture but there are links below that might have some]
This is what the line looked like. So, I couldn't be the first hundred. What's even more ridiculous is the fact that I was sitting in the waiting area for HOURS thinking that if I left, I couldn't get back in, when in reality, the venue was so under booked that it only reached the thousand person capacity after (I'd say) 1pm. So, bored as hell, I sat on the ground, sleeping. At least they passed out posters and H2O water.

When the event inched closer, a dance contest commenced for people to win wristbands for the meet and greet. Fun right? Not really. Later, KIIS FM showed up with additional wristbands to hand out, and everybody went crazy. They encouraged people to scream at the top of their lungs and "dance" for the prizes. What they see as "fun" I felt as harrassment. My eardrums nearly shattered and I did not enjoy the girl jumping up and down rubbing her sweaty body against my back. And ladies, keep you hair to yourselves! I don't want your dirty rags swinging and whipping my face every fives seconds.

Hunger Games mall tour poster

And what was really stupid was that they kept saying "We got the last two wristbands here for you!" and everybody would scramble to get them, then after they'd whip out 50 more. And let's not forget the segment when they asked fans why they love the Hunger Games. "Yes, I just heard about this event and got here 5 minutes ago, but I LOOOOOVE the Hunger Games!" Bullshit. At least the singing was decent. Almost everyone the mic was handed to had pretty good vocals.

                            Hunger Games movie poster.                Hunger Games holographic bookmark.

Then things started getting intense as it neared 6:00. I was literally packed against people with no room to move. I couldn't see my feet, that's how close we were. And seriously, it was disgusting. I mean, where should I start? There were a couple of open packets of mayonnaise on the ground and it just made the bottom of your shoes slippery if you stepped in that spot. And who the heck wears high heels to this type of event? When she finally realized that high heels weren't going to work, she took them off and stepped into another disaster: chili cheese fries. Thank goodness that was all to my right, but it was gross to see her bare feet squishing the fries into the ground. Have you no shame?

Speaking of, keep you bags and belongings at your side people! There was a girl in front of me with her phone sticking out of her back pocket, and I (meaning anybody) could have stolen it during the frenzy. Another example of this type of unawareness was this girl with a should bag, who had her bag unzipped by a stranger and could have easily have her things stolen from the bag on her body. I even saw a full backpack on the ground, which seemed to belong to nobody, so, being short and unable to see, I stepped on it. I instantly grew 4 inches taller but later stepped down because I was moving past the backpack and closer to the barricade.

All hell broke loose when the actors came out. Screechy noises pieced by ears and everything just stank of B.O,. I couldn't get a breath of fresh air. Multiple arms reached up against my face and I struggled to hold my place as hundreds of sweaty bodies pushed the people in the from up against the barricade. Aside from the physical uncomfort, I was really annoyed by the "team" aspects of the movie. There are no teams, okay? It's not centered around the "love triangle" of the characters. It's about a girl just trying to survive for her sister. It's about survival, not whether Peeta or Gale is hotter. Ridiculous people. No, I do not want any "Peeta bread". 

One last thing, I saw a photo of Gary Ross signing a fan's copy of the book. Seriously?? Gary Ross had nothing to do with the writing of the book, so why would you even ask his to sign it. He is the director of the movie, something unrelated to the book (just roll with me). Likewise, Jennifer, Josh, and Liam shouldn't be signing the books either; they only portray the characters in the movie. I just don't understand how they can be so obsessive over these celebrities. Anyway, the Q&A was short and I couldn't really hear or see them over the irritating screams and goddamn posters blocking the view.


Right now there are various official articles out there about the event, which is pretty amazing since I initially didn't know it was such a big deal. I mean, I drove 30 minutes to get there while some drove 6 hours or even flew across oceans. Here's a link to this blog that I stumbled across which also gives an insider's experience to the event, as well as explain the "100 or 1000" people thing (among others) that I didn't bother to explain. And here's another perspective. This is a great explanation on the conflicts of rules setup. Oh, and I do have more pictures, but I don't think you'd be interested in the blurry ones. Everything you see was actually crazier than it looks. 


Thanks for reading!
It's 6 hours 'till bedtime; I say watch, don't wait.