the woman who made this all happen -- a media shy, 49-year-old mother of two -- suzanne collins, has tv interview, but we get a rare insight to her and the inspiration from her publisher. >> i was flipping through images of reality television, there were these young people competing for $1 million. and i was seeing footage from the iraq war. and the two things began to sort of fuse together in a very unsettling way. >> reporter: katniss -- the fierce heroine at the heart of the story is a far cry from bella, often a damsel in distress. no vampires or wizards here. collins' trilogy is set in a futuristic dystopia where every year a tyrannical government forces teenagers to fight to the death on reality tv. collins explains she wants young people to think critically. >> what do you think about choices your government, past or present, or other governments around the world make? what's your relationship to reality tv versus your relationship to news? >> reporter: collins may shun the spotlight herself, but this mom and her news are about to be everywhere. dan harris, abc news, new york.

"hunger games from suzanne collins stars newcomer general ferns lawrence. >> in an unrecognizable futuristic war-torn america, they're forced to take part in a kill or be killed spectacle. unlike the twilight, this one will draw both young males and females. we'll have the historic opening. people have been lining up all over the streets to see it. >> yeah, i guess it's the next, big thing. >> i heard the books are sold out. >> i just don't have time to get into one more thing. >> i think you're right about that. >> all right, this one now comes to us from wjrnbc 10 news. >> a rescued baby seal made a triumphant return to the sea. after being rescued just before valentine's day, he suffered from infected wounds, possibly after a shark attack. but valentine got love in the form of medical care. >> you always like to see them go in and bye, bye. >> this is your first stop of the day today. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) there's no doubt in my mind that komen's funding helped saved my life. the 3-da

by suzanne collins... raked in 155-million dollars innits first ttree days at the theater.that's the third best films toobeat this record are "harry potter and the deathly hallows"... and ""he dark night."aa least 6- thousandd showings old outtin advvnce. coming up on the early edition... last week we were in the 70's and 80's...bbt this week... a different story.just hhw willlbe... next in yyur skywatch weather forecast. forecast. the car on the left was filled up with low detergent gasoline. while the car on the right was filled up with bp gasoline with invigorate. which helps clean and protect its engine so it can get a few more miles per tank than the car on the left. go a little farther with bp gasoline with invigorate. check out the latest collection of snacks from lean cuisine. creamy spinach artichoke dip, crispy garlic chicken spring rolls. they're this season's must-have accessory. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. ocean spray cranberry juice versus vegetable juice. first the cranberry. mm! tasty.

. >> i'm a huge fan of the books and of suzanne collins. and like that whole thing over there. >> reporter: the movie is an adaptation of the best selling trilogy, projected weekend of $100 million "the hunger games" to of top the "twilight" saga, it looks like a meal ticket for a hollywood starving for a new hit. i'm begatt shaaban in los angeles. marisa, "the hunger games" has a huge fan base. i'm ten pages into the book so i have a little reading to do but why are so many talking about this? >> there are so many themes that are resident, self-sufficiency, individualism, social tyranny, which is always resonant for anyone who has ever been to high school so it really has a lot of themes that resonate also in a recession, you know, she's a hunter, she's self-sufficient, individualism, so it has a lot of gravity and weight at this time. >> now we're talking about the level of weight that "twilight" had, maybe more and you were talking to me in the break this appeals to a broader audience. >> the "twilight" movie was at its heart a love tria

"the hunger games" from suzanne collins' young adult novel shows liam hemsworth as well as elizabeth bank, woody harrelson, stanley tucci and lenny kravitz. in an unrecognizable north america, contestants are forced to take part in a televised kill or be killed spectacle. hugely popular in book form, the reason it will set records is because like "the twilight" shears, it will draw both young males and females. have an historic opening with as much as $150 million and people are lining up to see this one. they did last night. >> i guess everyone that's read the book series feels like they have to see the movie. >> which is why you're going to see the movie. >> i'll see the movie then maybe read the book later, probably not. i can't lie. i'll just watch the movie. >> let me know how it is. >>> this come to us from wja wjar-nbc news where a seal made its return to the sea. they sent the harp seal back into the water after he was rescued from wounds from a possible shark attack. valentine got love in the form of medical care and now more than a month later he is fully recovered and he i

hunger games is based on the best selling trilogy by author suzanne collins. >>> as we told you earlier, suspended sheriff is going to court again today tonight at 5:00, we are tracking him on his first day as a regular citizen. and we are following his fight to get his job back. >>> thank you for trusting ktvu channel 2 news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. and we are here for you on ktvu.com and mobile ktvu.com. thanks for watching. have a great day.

making sure i was on that course. >> rose: and where was suzanne collins when you were making the movie in >> suzanne and i worked together intimately during the prep. she came down to los angeles. i wrote a draft of the script and she read it and liked it and she came down to l.a. and we started kicking around ideas and it was one of those things where it was such a spontaneous conversation and we enjoyed each other so much that we thought this is ridiculous, we're already working together, let's make it official. so she and i did the final polish of the script together and locked ourselves up in a room. since i wrote "big" i hadn't had a writing part snore i was in a room with another writing partner which was fantastic and through the prep, auditions, things like that she was around and when i went off to make the movie it was... that was pretty much being in the woods. >> rose: "the hunger games," how hollywood brought a fierce and beloved best seller to the screen and what will surprise you about the movie. what will surprise these people who read this magazine about the movie? >>

lee cowan reports on the phenomenon that suzanne collins created. >> reporter: if you were looking for your teenagers this weekend, there's a good chance they were here, standing in a movie line somewhere talking about surviving in a postapocalyptic world. >> i don't even care if the movie suck, i'm just going love to it because it's awesome. >> there's 24 of us and only one comes out. >> reporter: the hunger game, based first of a bestselling trilogy, children killing children, all for the amusement of adults after a ferocious war that leaves north america in ruins. >> make sure they remember you. >> reporter: but the story has resonated, not because of the violent undertone, critics say, but because of its strong young characters, especially the heroine, katniss everdeen. >> it's a great story of good over evil and a girl who stands up for what's right. >> reporter: the book sold tens of millions of copies which had lionsgate films betting young adults would flock to the movie version, just like they did for "twilight" and the "harry potter" franchise. >> the excitement and nerver an

. >> reporter: the movie is a futuristic film, based on a best-selling book by suzanne collins. it centers around a complex 16-year-old, played by jennifer lawrence, who is put in a kill or be killed situation. >> the fate has pitted them against each other. >> reporter: the book, now a trilogy, are selling fast, according to the manager of oakland's walden pond bookstore. >> somebody circulates the first one around. somebody picks it up and reads a few pages. they're up until 2:00 in the morning. >> reporter: on the eve of opening night, hundreds of young people, young and old, want to be the first to see the movie, even if they have to wait in line. a lot of the folks you see in line, are carrying coffee cups because they've been in line for a very long time. there are 14 theaters in the movie complex. half of them are sold out. >> i am so excited. i can't wait. >> all the tweens are uniting tonight. >> i know. including me. tween times five. >> we can catch a 3:00 a.m. showing. >> anything to keep that mojo going, as cheryl was bringing in that story. >>> a lot of people wait

suzanne collins has never done a tv interview.are insight into her and the "hunger games" trilogy, in this video from her publisher, scholastic. >> i was flipping through images of reality television, where there were these young people competing for a million dollars. and i was seeing footage from the iraq war. and these two things began to fuse together in a very unsettling way. >> reporter: katniss, the fierce heroine at the heart of the story, is a far cry from the "twilight" saga's bella, who is often a damsel in distress. collins' is set in a future dystopia, where a tyrannical government forces teenagers to fight to the death on reality tv. collins, whose father served in vietnam when she was a little girl, explains in this interview that she wants young people to think critically. >> what do you think about choices your government, past and present, or other governments around the world make? what's your relationship to reality tv, versus your relationship to the news? >> reporter: collins may shun the spotlight herself. b

the word of mouth is now spreading to the movie. >> you would think the author of that book, suzanne collinse spotlight basking in glory but she's nowhere to be found. where is she? >> she's at home. like many authors she's a private person. what's most important is words and books get out there. she doesn't need to get out there. she's letting the books and movie speak for themselves. >> we have a youtube clip about how she got the idea for the movies. >> the first inspiration came from a greek myth. when i was a child i was a fanatic about greek methology. this was one of my favorite myths. >> tell me a little bit about her. she looks like an ordinary person who wrote a hugely popular book and has a blockbuster movie to her credit. >> she grew up as an army brat. she wrote a hugely successful series for younger readers and wanted a challenge and decided to write this trilogy. >> it is a hard edged movie. not many parents realize what exactly the movie is about and that it involves children killing. explain to us if you can in a nutshell, what the movie is about so that parents know what th

. >> it's a series of books written by suzanne collins. >> i agree with you, creeps me out. >>> good morning. thank you for watching 9news now at 5:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. >>> i'm mike hydeck. the lovely monika santami is live on the road. she'll have traffic in a moment. >>> right now howard bernstein is here with weather. the roads are a little damp but will dry out soon. >> showers are leaving us south and east of town so we'll dry out the roads. this afternoon it will be late spring like, more like may, almost june as

suzanne collins. her own life helped shape the story's very dark landscape.c's dan harris with more on this. >> reporter: if you look closely during this frenzied hollywood premiere, you could catch a fleeting glimpse of her. the woman who made this all happen. a media shy 49-year-old mother of two. suzanne collins has never done a tv interview but we do get a rare insight into her and the inspiration for the "hunger games" trilogy in this video from her publisher, scholastic. >> and i was flipping through images of reality television where there were these young people competing for a million dollars. and i was seeing footage from the iraq war. and these two things began to sort of fuse together in a very unsettling way. >> i volunteer! >> katniss, the fierce heroine at the the heart of the story is a far cry from the "twilight" saga's bella who is often a damsel in distress. collins' story is heavy stuff. it is set in a futuristic distopia where every year a tyrannical government forces teenagers to fight to the death on reality tv. collins, whose father se

"the hunger games" is based on the first book by author suzanne collins. bundy, by the way, the gal from mirren today plays octavia a stylist that assists the main characters as they prepare for the competition. >>> and i saw it on opening night, thursday night or friday morning, depending, children loved it. the whole premise is -- is disturbing for me. so i had a hard time with it. >> the audience response -- >> the audience response was insane. >> this is a good weekend to watch a movie. >> yes, stay inside. rain all over the south bay right now. you can see it coming down pretty good around san jose. moderate rain up toward the tri-valley. this is going to be the story of the evening. pockets of light to moderate rain. and during the day tomorrow we'll see a slight chance of some thundershowers, heaviest rain coming in now through about 5:00 tomorrow morning. so, keep the umbrellas steady. >> you got it. thanks for choosing the bay area six. "giants clubhouse" is up next. we'll seu back h00.ergh at1:.00 1 >> the diamondbacks are the

suzanne collins is the author.eaders getting them to read. this carry ross directed gary ross. it is an ultra reality show. fighting against each other. a brave 16 year-old is saving her younger sister from the fate of nearly guaranteed debt. we care about this girl. what could have been through some has been replaced by a smart storytelling and great storytelling and a great pace! keeping the audience hungry. i'm sure everybody is going to be excited. >> definitely. >>jan: my week with marylan-marn monroe -- the descendants, the iadnverntures for tin tin . i ws relieved on how good it was will be right back >>janu: you can see the rain fall on the camera lens. how this is a live look at the san mateo bridge. the windshield wipers are on and light showers expected to be widespread for this afternoon. also increase in intensity with scattered showers expected tomorrow. taking a look at the stormtracker 4. it is widespread in the north bay. this yellow is indicating a moderate downpour. the peninsula is also getting

headed out to raise theater at town square to see the film it's based on a series of books by suzanne collins and stars jennifer lawrence just josh hutcherson and liam hemsworth moviegoers were more than pleased with it. so all the tweens and jenny her show went to go see the midnight showing last night i'm just really just jealous because. i wanted to see. what happens with these movies and i guess that there is the same thing with harry potter is that you know certain charities organizations try to kind of join in and so there's one called the hunger oxfam want to launch a campaign called hunger is not a game to support one of their campaign to make food aid more efficient and lines gates is saying no and they said they're trying to piggyback off their motion picture and causing damage to lionsgate and our marketing efforts i mean it seems to me they're just trying to raise awareness and using this as an opportunity to do so awareness about a subject that's very serious but i thought the letter online that lionsgate wrote oxfam some of these other charities that said please take any mention

. >> reporter: the movie is based on suzanne collins' best-selling book trilogy.re are 23.5 million books in print in the u.s., and advance ticket sales have already broken records. this film is expected to bring in $100 million by the time it opens later this month. that's 30 million more than the first "twilight" movie in its opening weekend. >> unlike "twilight," it isn't a pure young fantasy romance. it's a dark book. it has these terrible scenes of violence. >> reporter: and unlike bella in "twilight," the damsel in distress, katmiss, the female lead character in "the hunger games" doesn't need anyone's help to survive, certainly not boys, which has girls loving her. >> she's such a warrior, and it shows you that, like, girls don't have to be pretty or whatever. they just have to be smart, and they have to be fierce, and they have to have like a goal and then fight for it. >> reporter: obsessed fans counting down the days and each passing minute -- >> three, two, one. >> reporter: -- until the games begin. abbie boudreau, abc news, los angeles. >> several day

reporter: "the hunger games," based on the first of a best selling trilogy by susan collins -- by suzanne collinsat leaves north america in ruins. but the story has res nature, not because of the violent undertones, critics say, but because of its strong young characters. especially the 16-year-old who is a girl that simply stands up for what is right when something is wrong. >> the book sold tens of millions of copies. which had lion's gate films betting they would flock to the theater. >> the amount of talk and chatter for the hunger games, it is a true phenomenon. >> facebook, twitter, youtube, even iphone games were all key in the film's marketing. >> the timing of the box office success is itself unusual. fans like lily green, who stood in line for one of the first midnight showings, says she couldn't have waited another day. >> i was shaking with excitement. i juan sure if i was shaking because i was cold, excited or on a sugar high. > >> reporter: so far it has hollywood riding pretty high too lee cowan, cbs news, los angeles angeles. >>> thank you for watching 9news now at 6:00 a.m. i'm a

it is based on suzanne collins trilogy. there are 3.5 million books in print in the u.s. and advanced ticket sales have broken records. this film is expected to bring in $100 million. by the time it opens later this month. that's 30 million more than the first "twilight" in the opening weekend. >> unlike "twilight" it isn't a pure young fantasy romance. it is a dark book. it has terrible scenes of violence. >> reporter: and unlike bella in "twilight" the damsel in distress, she doesn't need anyone's help to survive, certainly not boys. it has girls loving her. >> she is a warrior, and it shows you that girls don't have to be pretty or whatever. they just have to be smart and they have to be fierce and they have to have a goal and to fight for it. >> reporter: fans are counting down the days and each passing minute -- >> three, two, one. >> reporter: until the games begin. abc news, los angeles. >> looks pretty good. >> certainly does. >>> let's get to leigh and check on our weather as we kick off the workweek. >> a little rain as you run into that in eureka. but southern

it is based on the best selling trilogy by author suzanne collins already setting records. >> wow. >>let's go to sal for a look at traffic. >>> we are looking at san francisco, and i remember the last time we tried to show it to you, it kind of moved away and the system as mark mentioned just moved through and traffic looks good approaching the 880 split. traffic looks good here as well. the fog or rain or whatever it was, fog has not moved through as of yet. at the bay bridge toll plaza, it is backed up, metering lights are on, let's go to mark. >>> we are taking a live look, we have cloudy skies, some fog and drizzle and with that be extra careful with the wet roadways. not a lot of coverage to show you, even if you are not covered you can have wet roadways in fact santa rosa is reporting some light rain. we have a bunch of missing images and because of satellite is broken. we are watching that throughout the day and you can see the clouds with sprinkles pushing through the bay -- pushing through the bay area. also, watch out for dense areas of fog especially coast side as well. bec

it's based on that best selling novel by suzanne collins. the young stars of the movie include jennifer lawrence and josh hutchinson. it's in theaters march 23rd. >>> it's a novel opportunity for budding fashion designers and the culmination of a dream for one supermodel and businesswo n businesswoman. >> this is the kickoff. elle mcpherson told news 4 about why she wanted to produce and host the new nbc show fashion star. >> you know, i've wanted to create a show in america that is about the retail business, about building brands, the business behind selling clothes. i've seen a lot of programs about how to make clothes, but never how to sell them. i've been working on this idea for quite a long time. finally seeing come to fruition as executive producer has been a great milestone for me. >> this is a milestone for mcpherson, and a whole new way for viewers to interact with the program. the designs let you see -- that you see on the show will be available in stores the very next day. mark barger has more from behind the scenes of "fashion s

suzanne collins wrote the hunger games and the trilogy.he source material, they get a great script. if you get a great script, you will get a great director. if you get ross, you will get the actors he has in this movie. again, it's an art and a science. we feel like we have the right combination here. >> michael, jpmorgan has a report on you guys and calls you the little studio that could. one of the things they are citing is the balance sheet side of your story. a conservative approach despite the fact that you have branded films and tv exposure. what's the strategy on how quickly investors can grow. how aggressive will you be? >> we think we have been telling the street for a long time. when my partner came over 11 years ago, it was a big library with the overhead. when you flip the light switch, you cover a lot of overhead. we will delever if things go according to planned. we bought summit on the acquisition. rod freeman and what happens is the twilight franchise will be a generator and the risk is the last twilight was not going to w

"hunger games" is based on the bestselling trilogy by author suzanne collins.e hungry for it. >> i read the book and you know who recommended it to me, steve paulson. and he busy on -- but it's a fascinating story. very compelling. let's check in with sal now. i'm not going to dash off and see the movie tomorrow. >> no, you can probably wait. not going to be making a line to see it. >> no. >> let's look at the commute now, you can see san francisco some of that weather moving in, and it's been drizzly, a really rainy and someone drove out to our newsroom here saying it's pretty wet in the east bay as well. windshield wiper weather throughout. so please give yourself plenty of time to get to work, little more time than you might think. also this morning we're looking at the bay bridge toll plaza from emeryville, backed up for a 15 to 20-minute delay. on 80 westbound we have slow traffic from richmond as you drive out towards the berkeley area because of earlier problems. 7:24. let's go to mark. >>> like a wet sponge over the bay area now, the clouds, the mist an

movie came and saw and conquered, "the hunger games," the best seller by the american author suzanne collins. the hunger was very much in evidence this weekend with fans giving this science fiction thriller the third highest grossing north american weekend ever in history. let's take a look at the big number in question. here it is, "the hunger games" took in an estimated $155 million in the u.s. and canada, making it the best performing non-sequel in history. it also took more cash than any other movie outside the peak summer season. well, the weeks ahead and of course the sequels to come will probably tell us whether viewers will have had their fill or whether one will be watching these "hunger games" and leave them salivating for more. >>> let's look at how the european markets are faring. we're about two hours into the opening session. this is where we stand, bit of a mixed picture with some slight gains in the london ftse, to the tune of two-tenths of 1%. really, the stock markets seem to have gone south, the cac 40 started out in more or less negative territory and even the dax has now

the movie is based on suzanne collins' bestseller the first in a trilogy a futuristic story about teenagerselected to fight to the death on television in their ruins of what was north america. you see the stars everywhere all over the magazines. >> it may be the next "twilight." i have seen the previews. it's pretty incredible. >>> time now for a look at what's coming up later on "cbs this morning." charlie rose live for us in new york. good morning to you, charlie. >> good morning. we go one on one with prince harry, what he is slowly coming to terms with and how he wishes he was not always a prince. interview you will only see here on "cbs this morning." also, this married priest with children serving in roman catholic parish all over the country. meet one of these fathers who is actually a father. when we see you at 7:00. >> are you a hoop fan? you have your brackets filled out? >> i do. i'm just filling it out waiting for you. [ laughter ] >> i'm a little sad because duke is in with kentucky. and kentucky looks very strong. and they obviously when they think of the blue devils have reve

it's based on the trilogy of books by suzanne collins about a deadly reality show held in post apocalypticmerica. so 3:00 a.m. screenings are being shown which are selling out fast. they have already sold out 2,000 shows, the most ever for a non-sequel. i read all three books and i can't wait! >> are you going to the 3:00 a.m. show? >> that's going to be good. >>> all right, also good right now is that skycam in san francisco. we do have clear skies. we'll let you know how long the sun will be shining before some big time rain in just a few minutes. >>> the playoffs are right around the corner. the sharks are swimming in deep water but that's not good news. the pressure is on. we also go down to the farm where the consensus number one pick for the nfl draft showed off his skills. it was quite a show. we'll bring that to you next on xfinity sports desk. d-pressurizes so you can breathe. a fast, non-drowsy antihistamine plus a powerful decongestant. allegra-d. d-fense against allergy congestion. [grunting] (sir can-a-lot) whoa! hello, madame. sir can-a-lot. crusader of flavor. i wanted to ma

it is based on suzanne collins trilogy. there are 3.5 million books in print in the u.s.e travel areas tomorrow morning. otherwise we will look for a big cool down tomorrow. temperatures are running as much as 10 degrees cooler thanks to those cool northwesterly winds that will start to pick up. 63 for san rafael, 62 san francisco, livermore 67. you will see san jose will only warm to 65. not as many 70s as we experienced. watsonville, 67. remember a very weak cold front will bring us a chance of showers overnight monday and early tuesday morning. and then behind it some very strong winds. we are looking at very cold air mass settling in on tuesday with daytime highs only in the midto upper 50s. we will start to warm things up a little more on thursday and friday. and then another chance of rain may move in next sunday. >> thank you, leigh. >>> let's talk to shu and he will have more on the latest edition of the a's. >> the kid from cuba is going from making nothing to $8 million a year. quite a boost. 26-year-old cuban outfitter arrived today in phoenix. he practiced wit

suzanne collins wrote on the "the hunger games" facebook page that she was quote really happy with theovie. she says jennifer lawrence is extraordinary at the young heroine katniss. >>> coming up in just a moment, annie yu celebrating texas independence day. >> she's taking us to a barbecue joint for a little bit of fun and the two step. ♪ . >>> and more newsic, 15-year- old jack -- music, 15-year-old jackson guthy is in town for a show tonight but first he has stopped by the studios to talk about his debut cd and to perform for us, we'll be right back. ♪  the droid razr by motorola, now with amazing tools like the hd station. share your pictures, stream hd videos and movies. all on your tv. or connect your 4g lte droid razr to the lapdock and unleash its massive computing power. even seamlessly video chat. all powered by the 4g lte droid razr. droid razr by motorola, just $199.99. and back for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon. >>> our annie yu has been learning more about texas independence day from hill country barbecue m

and suzanne collins wrote the sci-fi trilogy and found the inspiration because of channel flipping. seeing a reality show to seeing soldiers in iraq war and so she did this on purpose to really shock people and to really get people to truly think about the world that we're creating. take a listen to some reaction. >> i think this movie would be better if they put a little more into character development, understanding the relationship between peeta and katniss would be great. >> sad at some points. funny. >> like i want to go back and i want to see it again. >> hey "world news now." go see "the hunger games." >> it was great! >> so there you go. we should all go see "the hunger games." but here's the surprise. i gave this film just 3 1/2 stars just because i really think they should have been more careful about promoting who should be seeing this film. >> that really took away for you, the violence. >> yes, i feel that young children and young teens who might not understand this powerful message that collins is putting out there, they are just going to be seeing young kids fighting