Did you know? Jennifer Lawrence almost died on Hunger Games set

Jennifer's one "tough gal" said sources. PHOTO: FILE

Hollywood darling Jennifer Lawrence was almost choked to death by a fog machine while filming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay in Atlanta.

“It was horrifying!” showbizspy.com quoted a source as saying.

“Filming came to an abrupt halt when this fog machine broke and began spewing so much dense smoke during a tunnel sequence that Jennifer literally disappeared from sight — and everybody panicked,” the source added.

In the scene, Lawrence’s character leads people staging a mass rebellion through a long tunnel that suddenly fills with smoke.

When one machine malfunctioned, Lawrence and other actors actually started choking, and were unable to fight their way out of the blinding smoke. They could only be located by sounds of coughing and gagging.

“An assistant director screamed, ‘shut off the smoke machines, get those big fans running… and get Jennifer out of there!’” said the source.

“After several scary minutes, a rescue crew finally found the star and carried her out, hacking and gagging. Jennifer’s one tough gal, but she looked really shook up, and kept complaining she felt very nauseous — like she was suffering from vertigo,” the source added.

Get well soon Katniss, Panem needs you!

Real Madrid boss Ancelotti expects Xabi Alonso renewal

The Italian is confident that an agreement will be reached to keep the midfielder beyond the end of the season and backs Cristiano Ronaldo's bid for the Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident that the club will "reach an agreement" to extend Xabi Alonso's contract.

The 32-year-old's current deal is due to expire at the end of the 2013-14 season but a two-year extension is in the pipeline.

With club captain - but current second-choice goalkeeper - Iker Casillas's future also up for question, the Italian is in no doubt over the two World Cup winners' situations.

"Casillas's situation is very clear. He will play in the Champions League and in the cup as well," Ancelotti told the press. "As for Xabi Alonso, I think that we will find a solution and reach an agreement between the club and the player."

The Madrid boss also declared his certainty as to how quiet the January transfer window would be for his side, explaining: "There is nothing new regarding that. No players are leaving and we're not going to sign anyone. The window is closed for us."

Speaking after the Spanish side's winter friendly victory over Paris Saint-Germain, Ancelotti also lent his support to Cristiano Ronaldo's campaign to win the Ballon d'Or.

Asked if the Portuguese was the man for the prize, the Italian replied: "Yes, he's playing very well.

Mata would be more of a loss to Chelsea than Luiz, say Goal readers

The Blues duo have been strongly linked with a Stamford Bridge exit as they continue to struggle to hold down a regular starting berth under manager Jose Mourinho

Juan Mata would be a bigger loss to Chelsea than David Luiz should they decide to sell, according to Goalreaders who voted in Thursday's poll.

The duo have struggled for regular playing time under Jose Mourinho, with Mata making just 11 Premier League starts this season, while Luiz has started a mere nine league matches for the Blues this term.

Goal exclusively revealed on Thursday that Barcelona have made a renewed attempt to sign Luiz, with the Brazilian defender keen to discuss a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Mata, meanwhile, has been given the green light to leave should he not want to stay with the west London club, with Paris Saint-Germain having been previously linked with the former Valencia playmaker.

Mourinho's preference to play Oscar in the No.10 role has limited Mata's first-team opportunities in the 2013-14 campaign although 62% of Goal readers are convinced the club should keep hold of the Spaniard ahead of Luiz.

The former Benfica man has been in and out of the team in recent times, with Gary Cahill and John Terry often preferred at centre-back, although Mourinho did start the 26-year-old for the win over Liverpool in December, albeit in a holding midfield position.

Chelsea are currently third in the Premier League table after 20 matches and face Derby County in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

POLL OF THE DAY

TOP VOTE62.1%

Who would be more of a loss to Chelsea?

• 37.9%
  David Luiz
• 62.1%
  Juan Mata

Lewandowski not a guaranteed starter at Bayern, warns Elber

The Brazilian believes that the Borussia Dortmund attacker could face a tough task to secure regular first-team action at the Allianz Arena should be move in the summer

Former Bayern Munich striker Giovane Elber has warned Robert Lewandowski that he is not guaranteed a starting berth if he opts to leave Borussia Dortmund for the reigning Bundesliga champions.

The Poland international is widely expected to depart BVB for Bayern on a free transfer once his current deal expires at the end of the season, yet Elber has stressed that the 25-year-old could face a tough task to break into the starting XI at the Bavarians.

"A good player always fits in at Bayern, but the question remains how he will play. Bayern already have Mario Mandzukic, who also scores regularly. It remains to be seen where Lewandowski will fit in," Elber told TZ.

"It's always a risk for a striker to join Bayern. It's quite difficult when Pep Guardiola plays without a traditional No.9. 

"Then again, Mandzukic also had a difficult start and then started scoring again for Bayern and got his best form back.

"The same thing can happen with Lewandowski."

The Pole has netted 11 goals in 17 Bundesliga appearances so far this term.

Mandzukic not interested in Juventus, says agent

The Croatian attacker has recently been linked with a move to the Bianconeri, but his representative has stressed a transfer is not an option

Mario Mandzukic's agent has insisted that the Bayern Munich striker is not interested in a move toJuventus this month.

A number of recent reports suggested that the Serie A champions are considering making a move for the Croatia international, but Ivan Cvjetkovic has made it clear that a transfer is not an option for his client at the moment.

"Juventus? Mandzukic is fully focused on Bayern Munich. He has a contract for two more years after this season and he's feeling very good in Munich," the striker's agent told Tuttosport.

"Pep Guardiola really values Mario a lot and has shown just that in the first half of the season. 

"Mandzukic wants to stay at Bayern and defend the Champions League title."

The 27-year-old has been an integral part of Bayern's first team this season, scoring 10 goals in 16 Bundesliga appearances as of the winter break.

Higuain happy at Napoli despite Chelsea links

The former Real Madrid striker says that he loves plying his trade in Naples and enjoys the challenges of Serie A, despite speculation he could move to the Premier League

Gonzalo Higuain says he is loving life in Napoli despite rumours of a January move away from the Stadio San Paolo, with Chelsea rumoured to be interested in his services.

The Blues are keen to bolster an attack that has struggled this season, and Jose Mourinho is thought to be considering a swoop for a player that scored 48 league goals in three seasons under his stewardship at Real Madrid.

The Argentina striker, who was also the subject of intense interest from Arsenal after announcing his intention to leave the Santiago Bernabeu last summer, has scored 13 goals in 21 appearances for thePartenopei.

	CHELSEA LATEST
7/2	Chelsea are 7/2 with Paddy Power to win the Premier League

Despite his recent arrival, the 26-year-old  continues to be linked with a big-money January transfer to Stamford Bridge, but Higuain insists he is happy in Italy, saying that his experiences are helping him to develop as a player.

"For someone like me, who loves this sport, Naples is a wonderful place," he told Ole. "This is an incredible city where football comes first, followed by everything else. The fans live for football. Thank God they loved me straight away because the Neapolitans are very passionate and I find that enchanting.

"The Neapolitans have a special affection for Argentines. They are similar to us as well as having Diego Maradona in their hearts.

"In Italy, the game is more tactical, so it is harder to find space. I am sure my own game is improving by playing in Serie A."

Higuain insists that he has no doubts over choosing to join Napoli in the summer and is determined to win trophies at the San Paolo.

The 26-year-old remarked: "[Club president] Aurelio De Laurentiis convinced me straight away about his project with a top coach like Rafa Benitez. I want to help Napoli to grow and make history for this team."

What to expect from B-town in 2014: New directors, new pairs, big films

Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar will be seen for the first time together in Shaadi Ke Side Effects. PHOTO: FILE

Now that everyone is done with their New Year’s resolutions, let’s dive into things that will actually happen. Bollywood has quite a line up for fans this year, with new directors, on-screen romances and movies, according to the Times of India.

New directors

Sajid Nadiadwala will be making his directorial debut almost two decades after turning producer. His first offering under director’s hat will be Salman Khan-starrer Kick.

Samar Shaikh, who has worked as an illustrator on films like Chak De! India and Tashan, will be directing Bobby Jasoos, which will feature Vidya Balan as a detective.

Screenwriting duo Farhad-Sajid, known for masala films such as Golmaal and Chennai Express, will be working with Akshay Kumar, Tamannaah and Sonu Sood on It’s Entertainment.

After assisting KJo on My Name Is Khan, Abhishek Varman will now be sitting in the director’s seat for Johar’s next co-production 2 States.

New on-screen pairings

Salman Khan will be wooing Jacqueline Fernandez in Kick, for the first time, this year.

Saif Ali Khan will be co-starring alongside fresh faces this year, such as Ileana D’Cruz inHappy Ending and Tamannaah in Humshakals.

Tamannaah will be a recurring face this year. Akshay Kumar will be starring alongside the Southern import in It’s Entertainment.

Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma will be paired together for the first time in Bombay Velvet. The movie will see Sharma playing two characters, one of which is a jazz singer, and Kapoor will be a street fighter.

Farhan Akhtar is a lucky man! His leading ladies this year include Kareena Kapoor Khan inBombay Samurai and Priyanka Chopra in his sister Zoya Akhtar’s next film.

Arjun Kapoor has an interesting line-up of women in his films. He’ll be teaming up with Deepika Padukone for the first time in Finding Fanny, and will be romancing Alia Bhatt in 2 States.

Big Movies

Here are the top 5 Bollywood movies to watch out for this year

1.Gunday:

Starring Ranveer Singh & Arjun Kapoor, the film tells the story of the inseparable life of Bikram and Bala, who grew from being small time coal thieves, to becoming powerful mafia men.

2.Bombay Velvet:

The first of a trilogy, Bombay Velvet is the story of how the city became a Metropolis, set against the backdrop of love, greed, violence and jazz.

3.Bewakoofiyan:

The story of a couple’s survival through a recession in Delhi. The film sees a new pair on screen in the form of Sonam Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurana.

4.Gulaab Gang:

This feminism-fuelled Madhuri offering is based on a group of female Indian activists fighting against social injustice, clad in pink saris.

5.Humshakals:

Starring Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor for the first time in triple roles, this movie promises to be a riot