‘Mockingjay’ back in action in Atlanta

Being a Hunger Gamer must make you hungry. Josh Hutcherson, who's in Atlanta filming "Mockingjay," No. 3 in the "Hunger Games" series, stopped by Two Urban Licks this week with a group of friends and did not get cheated. The crew enjoyed smoked salmon chips, brisket empanadas, Coca-Cola glazed lamb ribs, calamari and crabcakes. For an encore, they plowed through slow smoked chicken and New York baked cheddar mac and cheese. The movie, which started filming in Atlanta earlier this fall, took a brief hiatus so the cast could promote "Catching Fire," the series sequel that also was filmed in Atlanta. It's back in action now, and filming locations have included the Georgia World Congress Center downtown, the Pullman Yard in Kirkwood, a Rockmart cornfield, Sweetwater State Creek Park in Lithia Springs and a rural stretch off Elliott Family Parkway in Dawsonville.

Sandler tops overpaid list

Adam Sandler, who filmed "The Familymoon" with Drew Barrymore in Atlanta this summer, tops Forbes magazine's recently released list of "most overpaid actors." The actor was castigated for films including "Jack & Jill" and "That's My Boy," although Forbes' methodology involved budget vs. box office, rather than the films' merit. Sandler's summer ensemble comedy "Grown Ups 2" raked in "$246 million on an estimated $80 million budget, making it one of Sandler's best-performing films," Forbes noted. What did the viewing public get for their $246 million? Fart jokes, multiple puke scenes and lots of cleavage and crotch shots. Not all at the same time, mercifully. "Familymoon" (which started out being known as "Blended") filmed at a number of north metro Atlanta locations including downtown Buford, at Lake Lanier, the Mall of Georgia and a Lawrenceville Hooters.