With the Cannes Film Festival kicking into high gear this weekend, the Director and Principal Cast of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire held a Photo Call earlier today at Majestic Hotel.  Was it ever an extravagant affair!  Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Sam Claflin (just in Toronto this week) attended along with Director Francis Lawrence.   No sign of Josh Hutcherson however, as he’s in Panama filming the Thriller, Paradise Lost alongside Benicio del Toro.

See the amazing Display they set-up for the Film below:

It also has been announced that Covergirl will be partnering with the Film to release a limited edition Makeup Collection inspired by the Film!

eOne Films releases The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on November 22, 2013.

(Photo credit: Lionsgate Films/Getty Images)

There are few Celebrities I am as cosmically in-sync with as Lily Collins. I keep crossing paths with her, honestly not even intentionally! Remember last Summer when we first spotted her out and about with Jamie Campbell Bower (read here)?

Collins just wrapped a week of work on Rom-Com, Love, Rosie, in Toronto along with another burgeoning star in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘s Sam Claflin (read more here) with sightings ranging from Etobicoke to Downtown’s Roy Thomson Hall to Financial District.

Remembering me right away, she tells me “Nice seeing you again!”, sporting a slight hint of red in her locks. “Your hair! Looks great!!”, I tell her. “Aww, thanks!”, she says grabbing a few strands of it. Collins was getting ready to fly out and tells me “I think we’ll be back again for the Premiere later this Summer.”.

With a second The Mortal Instruments installment already green-lit for Production without the first even being released, Studio Executives over at Sony Pictures really are that confident in Collins‘ ability to clary – sorry, I mean carry – a Franchise on her own.

See my Snap:

eOne Films releases The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in Canada August 22, 2013.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Everyone loves Rajesh! Kunal Nayyar is a bona fide Household name thanks to his starring role on CBS Hit Series The Big Bang Theory and Toronto has the honour of hosting him as he continues filming on upcoming Comedy, Dr. Cabbie’s Meter’s Running. Starring alongside Adrianne Palicki (G.I. Joe) and Vinay Virmani (Breakaway), the Actor has been in Toronto this past month filming and wraps in just a couple days!

I spotted the Actor heading off to work earlier with his Crew, looking cool and casual.

See the Snap below:

TIFF 2014… or if they’re really quick, 2013, anyone?

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

This delights me so! After premiering earlier today at the Cannes Film Festival, Sofia Coppola‘s latest effort The Bling Ring, based on true events surrounding a group of Teens who masterminded the burglary of several Celebrity homes, debuts with plenty of praise! I admit, things were looking a bit iffy there with 2010’s plodding Somewhere.

Here’s what some of the Critics are saying about The Bling Ring:

“An unexpected pleasure” – The Guardian

“Sofia Coppola’s most provocative Film yet” – Entertainment Weekly

“The Parents are awful, the Teenagers are repulsive and the Celebrities are removed from reality, but no one gets away clean in Sofia Coppola‘s brilliant Movie” – The Wrap

“The acting is so authentic that it takes a while to differentiate the girls… As such, it will attain a certain stature itself as a Cultural Artifact but without stirring significant interest artistically or commercially.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“Though it lacks the name cast and self-consciously outre style of another recent girls-gone-wild opus, Spring Breakers, this lively and fascinating pic should score well with its target hipster demo…” – Variety

As an aside, we saw Coppola last week at the Met Gala in New York City with Marc Jacobs. More on that here!

Have you seen The Bling Ring‘s Trailer yet?  Watch it here.

eOne Films releases The Bling Ring on June 21, 2013.

(Photo/video credit: A24)

Go big or go extinct.

Could we ask for anything more?  Careful not to give too much away still, this brand new Trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim has just been released, focussing almost exclusively on the War between Monsters and Robots.  In a scintillating display of Action, Destruction and neon-lit Chaos, this Toronto-filmed Action-Adventure looks to deliver on every scale in a big way.

Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins Jr. and Idris Elba star.

Watch the Trailer below:

And while we’re on it, news has just surfaced that del Toro‘s next Feature Crimson Peak will begin production in Toronto July 2014.  Let’s roll-out the Welcome Mat for Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Benedict Cumberbatch and once again Hunnam!

Warner Bros. releases Pacific Rim on July 12, 2013.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros.)

“I suppose you’re wondering why I called you here today”, Ken Jeong says as he settles into his seat before a room of Journalists today on the rooftop of his über-chic Toronto Hotel. “I’m here today to update you on my Facebook Status: it’s complicated.”.

The youthful-spirited Funnyman’s Career has blossomed in recent years, becoming in his own right a Pop Culture Icon for his Role in The Hangover Franchise as the fearless, volatile and mostly funny, Leslie Chow. His brazen nude scenes forever have been ingrained in the Moviegoing Public’s Psyche, his remarks so funny  because well, they’re painfully true for the most part. Jeong is in-town to promote  the Finale to the Box Office record-breaking, Golden Globe-winning Franchise, also known affectionately to Fans as The Wolfpack Trilogy.  Without a wedding, this Installment has The Wolfpack on a goose chase to find  Mr. Chow from Mexico to Las Vegas.

Anyone expecting an alignment between his public and private personas just might be in for a  bit of a shock.  Jeong is demure and actually v. articulate  – an observation I made earlier in the day watching him greet some Fans on a morning stop of his Toronto Press Tour.  One Journalist tells him, “I admit I’m having a hard time reconciling Mr. Chow and Ken Jeong!“.  Even he agrees with her observation.

Many don’t realize that the Funnyman known also for his work on NBC‘s just-renewed Sitcom Community as Señor Ben Chang, abandoned a flourishing career as a Doctor over ten years ago.  “I actually keep in touch with some of my patients. They tell me, ‘I’m just so happy that you have an outlet because you’re so intense and serious most of the time'”, he reveals about his Doctor Days. “I never showed up in  Clownsuit. I’m not Patch Adams, that’s for sure.”.

Although maybe bordering inappropriate to make mention about Race, it is undeniable that Asian-American Actors are scarce in Hollywood today.  What Jeong has done with his Career as both a Comedian and an Actor has been nothing short of astonishing, paving possibilities for an under-seen type of Face in Film and Television.  He admits, “Chow is a Meta-Joke,  how he makes fun of the Asian Accent. All along, I was poking fun at Stereotypes and Archetypes in Movies.”.  He adds, “Chow is one of those Characters you can go as over-the-top as you want with but  still be within the confines of the Character.”.

I ask him about his own personal Comedic Heroes, being an Inspiration to many himself.  First and foremost he lists Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and David Letterman.  “For some reason they stick out. They’re Geniuses, which I’m not. They have a sense of fearlessness which I admire.”.  On his Contemporaries, he pays respect to the likes of Dana Carvey, Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen, pointing-out their endless commitment to scenes.  “Zach Galifianakis and I have been friends for over 15 years.  I’d say he’s the funniest Actor-in-work right now and that’s not only because we’re friends. When I’m having a bad day, I can just go on Funny or Die and watch Between Two Ferns“, he laughs. “I’ve worked practically with everyone in Comedy. Nobody makes me laugh like him.”.

His praise for Co-Stars isn’t exclusive to just Galifianakis.  He raves  from a genuine place about Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper also. “I can’t say enough good things about them. They are the three most ego-less diva-free Leads you could work with.  We’re low-key and really save it all for the Camera”, he recalls  his experience with the Trilogy. “There was a free-flowing of ideas. I felt by the third Movie, I could say anything and had no inhibitions – that is what I’m gonna miss most. This third Movie is the most fun I’ve had making any of The Hangover Movies.”.

Perhaps his most physically-challenging role to date, Jeong reveals that he conquered his greatest fear during the filming of The Hangover Part III. “I can say there’s a point in the Movie where Chow does a thirty-foot Free-Fall Drop with hundreds of gallons of water behind him.  I’m massively afraid of heights and worked for six weeks with Stunt Coordinator Jack Gill who week-by-week would desensitize me.”. After a short pause he proclaims, “Physically, that was the greatest day of my Acting Career!”.

Jeong might appear shyer in person than on-screen but he certainly isn’t shy about his deep affections for Chow.  In comparing Chow to his Chang Character on Community, he jokes, “Chow would eat Chang in a fight. He lives large. A Villain who can make me laugh is something I’m instinctively drawn to.”.

But is a Spin-off of sorts in-the-cards for our beloved Leslie Chow?  “I would love to do that, making sure it was a completely different thing from The Hangover. I have absolute confidence in it.”, says Jeong. “I quit my Dayjob to pursue Imagination and Chow is the widest spectrum of Imagination. I love that Character. He is the one Character I could play for life.”.

Warner Bros. releases The Hangover Part III on May 23, 2013.  Fans will savour  Chow‘s expanded presence in this emotional and fitting end to the iconic Wolfpack Trilogy.

See my Snaps of Jeong below:

Audio below:

In the meantime, we’ve got an official Signed Photo from Ken Jeong to give away, but only Fans of Mr. Will Wong on Facebook can enter!  Details here.

We spotted Jeong out and about earlier.  Click here for more on that!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Funnyman Ken Jeong has arrived!  The Actor/Comedian/Doctor was up and at ’em early doing Press today in support of the Grand Finale to The Wolfpack Trilogy, The Hangover Part III.   Having left an imprint on our collective Social Conscience with his performance as Leslie Chow in the Box Office record-breaking, Golden Globe-winning Franchise, Jeong has a hectic day ahead.  In addition to visiting KISS 92.5 earlier today, appearing on The Roz & Mocha Show, he also head down near the Waters, appearing at The Edge on The Dean Blundell Show also.

Fans will have a chance to see their beloved Mr. Chow at MuchMusic‘s New.Music.Live at 6:00 PM, followed by an appearance at the Red Carpet Advance Screening of The Hangover Part III, to be held at Scotiabank Theatre.  Other Celebrity arrivals are expected, so keep your eyes peeled and your flashes ready.

Billy and I had the pleasure of getting a Snap together – Sombrero included – with Chow at KISS 92.5 Studios and he was an absolute delight, a few Fans  giddy at the rare sight of him being in our City. “I appreciate all of this”, he tells me graciously, making time for Photos despite a beyond-packed morning. Fans will revel in the fact that Jeong has an expanded role in the Film, as Mr. Chow unleashes his fury on anyone who gets in his way of Fortune!

See a brief Video Clip of him with Fans below:

See our Snap:

Warner Bros. Canada releases The Hangover Part III on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

I will be sitting down with Jeong later today. Stay tuned for our Chat!

UPDATE: Just how awesome is this?

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Things undisputably are on the up-and-up for Sam Claflin. The 26-year-old British Actor who made a splash in Box Office Smashes Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Snow White & The Huntsman, soon after was cast in upcoming The Hunger Games Sequel, Catching Fire, in the coveted role of Finnick Odair.  Co-Star Jennifer Lawrence in fact also arrived on Canadian soil this weekend to begin work on X-Men: Days of Future Past, being spotted in Montreal Sunday night!

Claflin, arrived in Toronto over the weekend, to begin a few days only of Production on Rom-Com, Love, Rosie, opposite Rising Star Lily Collins, who practically is now a Torontonian after all the time she’s spent here this past year! The Film centers around a pair of Friends who are separated when one (Alex, played by Claflin) relocates with his Family to America and one remains in Dublin (Rosie, played by Collins).  “Can Friendship and Love survive distance and separation?”, we are asked in this Adaptation of  the popular Novel by Cecelia Ahern (P.S. I Love You).  Toronto of course, has been cast in the role of Boston, where part of the Story is set, with the remainder of Production taking place in Dublin.

It has just been announced that Lionsgate Films will distribute The Quiet Ones, a Poltergeist-Horror which has him starring opposite a currently-in-Toronto Jared Harris, with a release date set for April 25, 2014.  Meanwhile, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, also from Lionsgate Films (eOne Films in Canada), sees a November 22, 2013 release.

I spotted a redheaded Claflin, out and about earlier today arriving to work and he was awful nice to stop for a quick Snap, happy that I’m excited for Catching Fire.  He even signed a Photo for you my Readers, although that will be timed for later in the year. Stay tuned to Mr. Will Wong on Facebook for more on that!

See more Photos of Collins and Claflin filming Love, Rosie in Toronto here.

See my Snaps below:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/GQ)

Warner Music Canada and Elektra Records have announced today they will be releasing the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to eagerly-awaited Behind the Candelabra soon! Featured on the Soundtrack of course is Liberace himself, Michael Douglas, Peggy King, The BTC Orchestra and more.

Check Douglas out on The Liberace Boogie below:

Complete Tracklisting below

1. The Liberace Fanfare – The BTC Orchestra
2. The Liberace Boogie – The BTC Orchestra Feat. Michael Douglas
3. Carioca – The BTC Orchestra
4. Chopin Nocturne In E Flat Major – Randy Kerber
5. Tico Tico – Liberace
6. When Liberace Winks At Me – Liberace Feat. Peggy King
7. Why Do I Love You – Michael Douglas
8. Kitten On The Keys – Liberace
9. NOLA – The BTC Orchestra
10. Begin The Beguine – The BTC Orchestra
11. I Belong With You – The BTC Singers
12. Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4 – Idil Biret
13. Love Is Blue – Liberace
14. The Impossible Dream – Michael Douglas

Official Artwork:

Warner Music Canada releases the Behind the Candelabra OST on May 21, 2013. Pre-order here.

If like me, you’re excited about this latest Steven Soderbergh Film, find out how you can see it in Toronto at the Inside Out Festival here!

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music Canada)

#MRCHOWinTO. It’s a Hashtag, check it!  Beloved Funnyman Ken Jeong of The Hangover Franchise fame as you might have heard, will be in Toronto Wednesday and you too  have a chance  not only to see the sassy Mr. Chow in-person himself, but you have a chance to see this Finale in the Wolf Pack Trilogy before everyone else!  I just saw it today and couldn’t stop laughing. Also, Melissa McCarthy is just another level of amazing.

In addition to sitting down and chatting with Jeong Wednesday – which I’m absolutely delighted about – I’m thrilled to share the news that there will be Rush Line Tickets for this Red Carpet Special Advance Screening of The Hangover Part III, so line-up early at Scotiabank Theatre and good luck to you!  If you’re happy with just getting a glimpse of him, he’ll be at MuchMusic for New.Music.Live at 6:00 PM, prior to the Screening.

Have fun and send-in your Photos!

Warner Bros. releases The Hangover Part III on Friday, May 24, 2013.

(Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)