#Events of the Week: ‘Hunger Games,’ ‘Trolls Band Together’ and More

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Trolls Band Together, The Crown, Saltburn and May December.

The Crown premiere

Elizabeth Debicki, Jonathan Pryce, Khalid Abdalla, Rufus Kampa, Fflyn Edwards, Ed McVey, Luther Ford and Meg Bellamy walked the red carpet on Sunday for the Los Angeles premiere of the sixth and final season.

Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes premiere

Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage and Jason Schwartzman attended the Los Angeles premiere of their Hunger Games prequel on Monday, with support from Olivia Rodrigo, who has a song in the film. On Wednesday, the cast attended another premiere event in NYC.

Saltburn premiere

Writer-director Emerald Fennell and producer Margot Robbie joined stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Carey Mulligan, Archie Madekwe and Paul Rhys at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday.

Next Goal Wins premiere

Taika Waititi debuted his new Searchlight soccer movie, alongside star Michael Fassbender and wife Rita Ora, in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Thanksgiving special screening

The Black Friday slasher film premiered at Quentin Tarantino’s renovated Vista Theatre on Tuesday with director Eli Roth and star Addison Rae.

Good Burger 2 premiere

Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell walked the carpet in support of their Paramount+ film on Tuesday in NYC.

Trolls Band Together special screening

Justin Timberlake reunited with *NSYNC’s Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone and co-stars Anna Kendrick, Eric André, Camila Cabello, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Ron Funches at a special screening in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Wish special screening

Chris Pine, Ariana DeBose and Victor Garber celebrated the musical comedy on Wednesday night in New York City.

Fargo premiere

FX hosted the Los Angeles premiere for the fifth installment of Fargo on Wednesday with creator Noah Hawley and stars Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Lamorne Morris, Richa Moorjani, David Rysdahl, Sam Spruell and Dave Foley.  

May December premiere

On Thursday, director Todd Haynes and writer Samy Burch were joined for the first time on the film’s press tour by stars Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton at the Los Angeles premiere.

Give Her FlowHERS Gala

SZA, Teyana Taylor, Brandy, Flo Milli, Jordyn Woods and Jodie Woods, Nova Wav and Monaleo were honored at Femme It Forward’s 2nd annual Give Her FlowHERS Gala on Nov. 10.

Godzilla Minus One premiere

Toho International held the U.S. premiere of Godzilla Minus One in Los Angeles on Nov. 10, with director Takashi Yamazaki and actor Ryunosuke Kamiki.

Gabriela Hearst LA store opening

Gabriela Hearst celebrated the opening of its Beverly Hills flagship at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Nov. 9 with Laura Dern, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Maria Sharapova, Mike D, Roda Ahmed, St. Vincent and Tallulah Willis.

Baby2Baby Gala

Baby2Baby, the non-profit organization that provides basic necessities to children experiencing poverty, hosted its annual Baby2Baby Gala presented by Paul Mitchell on Saturday, honoring Salma Hayek Pinault with the Giving Tree Award. The event, which raised more than $12 million, also welcomed stars including Channing Tatum, Kim Kardashian, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldaña, Jessica Alba, Hailey Bieber, Julie Bowen, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, Demi Lovato, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chrissy Teigen. 

Vulture Festival 

Vulture Festival returned for the 10^th installment of its pop culture extravaganza in Los Angeles over the weekend, with stars including Henry Winkler, Billy Porter, Sharon Stone, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Patrick Stewart, Matt Rogers, MUNA, Meg Stalter, Rachel Bloom, Josie Totah and Kaitlin Olsen.

Shari & Lamb Chop premiere

The documentary, which follows ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her beloved sock puppet Lamb Chop, premiered in New York on Saturday.

The Meteor’s Meet the Moment Summit 

The Meteor—a media company focused on issues of gender and racial justice— hosted its second annual Meet the Moment event on Saturday in Brooklyn with speakers including Ilana Glazer, Amanda Seyfried, Ziwe and influencer Allie Phillips.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s Gala

Michael J. Fox was joined by his family, celebrity friends, comedians and musicians at his annual “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s” Gala on Saturday in NYC, which raised $4 million for Parkinson’s research.

Thundergong! Benefit Concert

On Saturday, Jason Sudeikis and his celebrity friends — including Brendan Hunt, Hannah Waddingham, Will Forte and Sam Richardson — raised more than $800k at the 7th annual Thundergong! charity concert in Kansas City. The event supports the foundation’s mission to provide prosthetic care, hope, and comfort to amputees needing financial support.

Paul Walter Hauser x ServeLA fundraiser

Paul Walter Hauser celebrated his 37th birthday and two years of sobriety on Saturday by raising money for ServeLA, a homeless mission that cares for the less fortunate in the Hollywood area.

Rustin tastemaker screening

Jeremy O. Harris moderated a NYC screening of the Netflix film with star Colman Domingo and producer Bruce Cohen on Saturday.

Fox Veterans Day 5K

On Saturday, Fox partnered with U.S. Vets for a special Veterans Day 5K run on the Fox lot in Los Angeles, where Kelly Rizzo ran and DS Jovon “Q” Quarles led the warm up. 

Lights! Camera! Ante Up! Celebrity Poker Tournament

Bryan Cranston hosted the “Lights! Camera! Ante Up! Celebrity Poker Tournament” on Sunday, which raised over $100,000 for the Entertainment Community Fund, with proceeds helping support film and television workers who have been affected by the work stoppage. 

DreamWorks Jr. Holiday Event

Ashlee Simpson Ross and children Jagger and Ziggy attended the Gabby’s Dollhouse Holiday Kickoff party with DreamWorks Jr. at The Grove on Sunday.

2023 Stars Asian International Film Festival opening ceremony 

The 2023 Stars Asian International Film Festival held its opening ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday, with a special screening of the film Monk and the Gun followed by a Q&A with Buhtanese director Pawo Choyning Dorj. The festival also held its gala dinner and charity auction on Tuesday.

Dolby x Ghetto Film School “New Voices. New Visions” workshop

Dolby and Ghetto Film School selected the winners of the “New Voices. New Visions” 2024 competition and brought the four selected filmmakers together in Los Angeles over the weekend. The filmmakers — Dwayne LeBlanc, Antonello Velez, and directing/writing duo Sarah Jean Williams and Luna Garcia — participated in a table read of their respective short films with the program’s mentor, Carlos López Estrada.

GirlsBuild Summit

Mayor Karen Bass and Academy Museum president Jacqueline Stewart took part in the Monday event for GirlsBuild, an initiative of LA Promise Fund that empowers over 60,000 young women in Los Angeles and fosters leadership and social change.

Maestro special screening

Lin Manuel Miranda hosted a NYC special screening of Maestro on Monday, followed by a Q&A with Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan and Matt Bomer. Also in attendance were guests Brian Cox, Mark Ronson, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Dianna Agron, JC Chandor, Noma Dumezweni, Grace Gummer, Cherry Jones, Michael Kors, Chloe Grace Moretz, Javier Munoz, Kathy Najimy and Patrick Wilson.

The Grove annual tree lighting

The 22nd annual Christmas at The Grove tree lighting celebration took place on Monday with performances from David Foster, Katharine McPhee and other special guests.

Unpack ‘24: The Trends in Travel event

Expedia Group hosted an intimate dinner to celebrate the launch of Unpack ‘24: The Trends in Travel on Monday, hosted by Antoni Porowski and Chef Kwame Onwuachi at Tatiana in New York City. Guests included Emily Ratajkowski, Anthony Ramos, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jonathan Van Ness and Joy Sunday.

A Thousand and One special screening

Gina Prince-Bythewood hosted a special screening of the film on Tuesday with writer-director A.V. Rockwell and producer Lena Waithe.

Nyad special screening

Stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster joined directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi at a screening on Tuesday.

New Voices Speaker Series

Ghetto Film School and Madison Wells hosted the fourth annual New Voices Speaker Series on Tuesday with a discussion from Jacqueline Coley, Carlos López Estrada, Brenda Song and Anna Diop in Los Angeles.

New York Public Radio Gala

Roy Wood Jr. hosted New York Public Radio’s annual gala on Tuesday, which honored The Tow Foundation in NYC.

The Killer screening

Netflix held a special AMPAS screening of The Killer on Wednesday, followed by a Q&A with director David Fincher and star Michael Fassbender, moderated by Rian Johnson.

Eileen special screening

On Wednesday, Neon hosted a special screening event for Eileen in NYC with Anne Hathaway, Thomasin Mckenzie, Marin Ireland, director William Oldroyd and writer/producers Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel.

Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas Holiday Celebration

Hallmark kicked off its Christmas celebration at The Grove on Wednesday with Lacey Chabert, Scott Wolf and Luke Macfarlane.

Love Island Games watch party

Peacock hosted an exclusive Love Island Games watch party in Los Angeles on Wednesday hosted by UK and USA fan favorites including Cely Vasquez, Courtney Boerner, Deb Chubb, Justine Ndiba, Kyra Green, Zeta Morrison, Toby Aromoloan, Carrington Rodriguez, Jack Fowler, Johnny Middlebrooks, Raymond ‘Ray’ Gantt, Stephane ‘Steph’ Blackos, Imani Wheeler and Curtis Pritchard. 

HollyShorts FYC event

Alta Global Media hosted an FYC Best Live Action screening on Wednesday, presented by HollyShorts Film Festival, featuring Darren Harou Rae’s NISEI, Lloyd Lee Choi’s Closing Dynasty and Alden Ehrenreich’s Shadow Brother’s Sunday.

Off-White and Farfetch Beat party

On Wednesday, Off-White and Farfetch Beat hosted a dinner and party in LA to celebrate the launch of the new _LOGIC collection. The evening kicked off with a seated dinner that welcomed notable friends of the brand, followed by a party featuring music by DJ Kitty Cash and Drew Byrd. 

Toteme dinner

Swedish fashion house Toteme held an intimate dinner at the Chateau Marmont rooftop on Wednesday, co-hosted by stylist Karla Welch to celebrate the brand’s arrival on the west coast and opening of the upcoming flagship store on Melrose Avenue. Guests included Laura Harrier, Olivia Wilde, Michelle Monaghan, Lykke Li, Courtney Eaton and Alexandra Grant.

Tommy Davidson’s 60th birthday 

Marlon Wayans, Cedric The Entertainer, Craig Robinson, Bill Bellamy, Kid from Kid ‘n Play, Chris Spencer, Mark Curry, Tisha Campbell, J Anthony Brown and Alex Thomas were among the stars who celebrated Timmy Davidson’s 40 years of laughter and 60th birthday at his historic surprise party on Wednesday. 

GQ Men of the Year party

GQ global editorial director Will Welch, Jacob Elordi, Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott and Tom Ford co-hosted GQ’s annual Men of the Year party on Thursday, with a star-studded guest list that included Andrew Garfield, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo, Aaron Paul, Travis Scott, Henry Golding, Jon Hamm, Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, LaKeith Stanfield and Seth Rogen.

Through Her Lens conversation

Tribeca and Chanel today hosted a “Through Her Lens” conversation exploring the importance of empowering women in film on Thursday in NYC. The evening featured welcome remarks by Tribeca co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal and a talk with Patty Jenkins and Zazie Beetz.

End Well

End Well’s annual symposium, “End Well 2023: It’s About Time,” took place for the first time in Los Angeles on Thursday, hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown, with speakers including Amanda Kloots, Tig Notaro and Harry Hudson. End Well is a non-profit founded by Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, dedicated to reshaping the conversation around all things end-of-life including grief, loss and caregiving.

Twin Love premiere

Brie and Nikki Garcia, AKA The Bella Twins, celebrated their new Prime Video dating show in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Cypher premiere

Rapper Tierra Whack walked the carpet on Thursday in support of her Hulu film Cypher.