Interview With SILVER SERENADE Author Nancy Cohen & A Giveaway!

Source: thegalaxyexpress.net

The digital medium has played a significant role in keeping science fiction romance alive. This is especially true in the case of author Nancy J. Cohen. Writing as Nancy Cane, starting in 1994 she penned four science fiction romances, all released by Dorchester Publishing. They are CIRCLE OF LIGHT, MOONLIGHT RHAPSODY, STARLIGHT CHILD, and KEEPER OF THE RINGS.

Now, the author has another science fiction romance to offer: SILVER SERENADE is Nancy J. Cohen’s fifth science fiction romance and her first book with The Wild Rose Press. It’s out today in both print and digital editions.

But Ms. Cohen’s previous books won’t languish in oblivion. CIRCLE OF LIGHT and MOONLIGHT RHAPSODY are newly available in digital format from Belgrave House. Digital publishing options ensure we can re-discover the talents of some of the early SFR authors. To learn more about all of the above books at Ms. Cohen’s site, click here.

And here’s something I don’t recall seeing before on an author’s site: a “Cast of Characters” and a list of “Weapons and Warships” used in SILVER SERENADE. As Butthead is wont to say, “That’s pretty cool, Beavis.”

READ MORE HERE

Catching Up on a Classic – Asimov’s First Novel Pebble in the Sky

Source: wired.com

I was very excited to have the opportunity to review Isaac Asimov’s book, Pebble in the Sky. I have read a decent amount of science fiction and fantasy, including most of what Robert Heinlein wrote, and many many other books by authors such as Alan Dean Foster, William Gibson, Douglas Adams, Orson Scott Card, Madeleine L’Engle, Ursula K. Le Guin, Neal Stephenson, H. G. Wells, David Eddings and Roger Zelazny. But I had not yet read any Asimov. None. Zero. Not even I, Robot. This was a huge oversight on my part that I was glad to finally remedy. I thought it especially fitting that my first Asimov reading be his first novel.

Spoiler alert! In this review I won’t give away the ending or any major plot points, but I may give away a few too many hints for those of you who prefer no spoilers whatsoever.

READ MORE HERE

‘Victorian Vampire Stories’ not the ‘Twilight’ variety

Source: azcentral.com

Most vampires aren’t handsome, romantic or protective. They kill. When they rip out your throat, you die smelling corpse breath and terrified.

If you need proof, read “Dracula’s Guest,” a superb collection of vampire fiction – and non-fiction – from writers dealing with the undead.

Michael Sims has culled stories from the Victorian era to make a collection guaranteed to delight anyone who enjoyed Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”

Queen Victoria reigned from 1937 to 1901, but Sims stretched his selections to the beginning of World War I in 1914. He includes several non-fiction pieces reaching back to the 1700s.

In “Dracula’s Guest,” the vampires run from those who slowly drain the spirit – “Good Lady Ducayne” – from their victims to those who are frightening enough to give nightmares.

There is nothing seductive about the vampires in Aleksei Tolstoy’s “The Family of the Vourdalak,” set in Serbia, where family sentiment overrules the final warning words of grandfather Gorcha, and all the family dies only to come back and hunt an unwary suitor.

READ MORE HERE

Duck and Cover! The Unit is here…

Source: Orbitbooks.net

When the manuscript that eventually became THE UNIT landed on my desk, I was a little skeptical. I’m a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction but after having recently read The Road and playing Fallout 3 more than was strictly healthy, I wasn’t sure I was ready for the grueling, depressing grind of another story about the end of times. Oh, how wrong I was…

THE UNIT is the post-apocalyptic story I hadn’t realized I was waiting for. Unflinching, honest, brutal, tender, and, above all, humane– Terry DeHart’s debut floored me on the first read. It’s not that it’s not dark. It’s not that horrible things don’t happen to good people. But it does what so many post-apocalyptic stories fail to do, it reminds us of the essential humanity of every player in the story.

READ MORE HERE

The Unit and ‘Dracula’s Nest’ sound like awesome reads. What do you think of this book news?

Jon us in the forum to discuss!

Twilight Stars Get Major Raises for “Breaking Dawn”

AllVoices.com recently reported on the salaries for the stars of the Twilight Saga, citing what they were making in their original contracts and what they will reportedly bring home for filming “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn”.   Here’s how it breaks down:

Original Contracts:

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart:  $2 Million each for Twilight; $12 Million each for New Moon

Ashley Greene: $104,000 per minute

Jackson Rathbone: $121,000 per minute

Elizabeth Reaser: $194,000 per minute (she only had 54 seconds of screen time in New Moon)

Nikki Reed: $149,000 per minute (she had 5.04 minutes of screen time combined in Twilight and New Moon)

Kellan Lutz: $273,000 per minute

Breaking Dawn Deals:

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, & Taylor Lautner: $25 million each (for both installments) plus 7.5% of the films’ theatrical gross, which could result in a final payout of $41 million each

Ashley Greene: $1.25 Million per installment

Jackson Rathbone: $750,000 per installment

Elizabeth Reaser: $750,000 per installment

Nikki Reed: $750,000 per installment

Kellan Lutz: $1.25 Million per installment

Source

Kristen Stewart On Freedom “Twilight” Has Given Her

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Kristen Stewart, on the freedom the Twilight series has given her (i.e., she doesn’t have to worry about her next job). The Twilight Saga: Eclipse just passed $245 million; she plays a teenage stripper in New Orleans opposite James Gandolfini in Welcome to the Rileys (out in November).

“I’ve been given every opportunity,” says Stewart. “I couldn’t be in a more creative, free, easy position. Like I don’t feel like I have to do anything. . . .

“I have a clean horizon, and I can’t wait to get excited about the next project.”

More here

Wow!  I am blown away by the salaries that Rob, Kristen, & Taylor are getting.  It’s not that they don’t deserve them, but because they are so young.  I cannot fathom being 18 or in my young 20′s and raking in $41 Million!!  What’s even more amazing is the fact that they will make more from shooting the last two films than the budget for the first film.

The first story fits nicely with Kristen’s statement on having a “clean horizon” for choosing her next project.  When you’re sitting on a mountain of money and you aren’t worried about the mortgage, rent, or where your next meal will come from, there is a tremendous amount of freedom out there!

What do you think about today’s Twilight news?  Do you think that any of the other actors are still seriously underpaid for the upcoming shoots?  Join us in the forum and share your thoughts.

Defending the Education of Edward Cullen

Source: The Washington Post

After reading more than 200 comments written in response to Gail Collins’s article yesterday in the New York Times, I realize that this task has fallen to me. Someone has to set the record straight on the education of Edward Cullen, famous vampire.

Collins, in a piece titled “The Bad News Bears,” writes about Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston in particular and the concept of celebrity in general. As part of her column, she wrote:

“Not exactly ‘Wuthering Heights’ or ‘Jane Eyre.’ (‘Reader, I hung out with him.’) Not even ‘Twilight,’ although, like Levi, the perpetually teenaged Edward Cullen never managed to get through 12th grade.”

Because Edward Cullen can’t speak for himself, and because Robert Pattinson, the young actor who portrays Cullen, isn’t likely to come out and defend Edward’s intellectual heft, and because this blog is about everything involving education, (but NOT because any item about “Twilight” or “Eclipse” or Pattinson or the Cullens will generate valuable Web traffic in this sluggish July), I will right the wrong:

Edward Cullen not only managed to get through 12th grade once, but he did so many times, and actually spent enough time in college to go through medical school, twice, and come out with two degrees.

More here

Taylor Lautner As Stretch Armstrong and Rumors of Playing Wolverine

Source: mlive.com

Since the moment he removed his shirt in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” it seemed predestined that Taylor Lautner would become an action star.

That is starting to come to fruition.

It was reported that the “Twilight” star is “excited” to begin filming on the movie “Stretch Armstrong,” where he would play the elongated protagonist. However, he admits that part of the fun is the character’s ability to stretch is “the worst superpower.”

Lautner has been rumored to play a younger Wolverine in an upcoming “X-Men” prequel. Whether or not this would be director Matthew Vaughn’s “X-Men: First Class,” currently in casting, has yet to be seen.

More here

Twifans Chat with Stephenie Meyer

Source: Twifans

Twifans has posted a transcript along with audio clips of a chat with Stephenie Meyer from the Stephenie Meyer press junket in which they discuss various topics where the “Eclipse” movie deviated from the book version.  They talk about angry Edward in the movie vs. the more restrained version in the book, the “wrong” Volvo, Bella taking off with Jacob on the motorcycle,  and her upcoming role as producer for “Breaking Dawn”.

[Twifans]: This is the only disruption in the force so far. The motorcycle clips. Where Bella gets on the motorcycle with Jacob. Our members wanna know, they don’t think that book Bella would have done that, would have ever hurt Edward like that.

SM: I have heard, I have read the comments, and I said the exact same thing. That was one of those days that I flew down. I’m like the way that this you know in the script I said the way that this is written her getting on the back of the bicycle is a direct response here “You lied to me, well I’m going with him” & we were able the day of, they cut down the clip that they played for MTV and stuff, we were able to soften it. We were able to get some lines in and you’ve seen the whole thing, so you know there’s a breakaway we tried to put in….her response to Edward, and then now it becomes about Jacob. “Why haven’t you called me?” We tried as hard as we could to soften, how that went down so it didn’t feel like, something “Well, I’m gonna go get on the back of his motorcycle” because I felt like that was NOT Bella at all & it’s not assertive, it’s rude. You know what I mean.

More here

Twilight Series Theories Chat with Stephenie Meyer

Source: Twilight Series Theories

The site Twilight Series Theories was also able to participate in the Stephenie Meyer press junket and they have posted the transcript of their chat with the author on the site.  They discuss topics from the infamous leg hitch to Freaky Fred (see the Bree Tanner novella for more if you’re unfamiliar with him), and more.  Click here to listen to the audio and/or read the transcript.

I can’t help but laugh at the fact that someone from The Washington Post defended Edward Cullen’s educational background or the fact that someone from The New York Times dared to compare him a self-absorbed d-bag like Levi Johnston.

I love the Stephenie Meyer press junket transcripts and clips.  I love knowing what she thought about the changes to what she originally wrote – whether she was as perturbed as the fans by certain scenes. I have to agree on Bella taking off with Jacob on the motorcycle in front of Edward.  She would have never done that and it was rather spiteful.

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum and share your thoughts.  We’d love to hear from you!

Elizabeth Banks to play Disney’s real life Tinkerbell

Elizabeth Banks is set to star in McG’s live-action Tinkerbell movie, Tink. Quick, everyone shout, “There’s No Such Things As Fairies!”, and maybe this pixie movie will die off.

more here

Green Lantern Heats up Comic Con

EW-1112-cover-comicconFanboys of the world, get ready to go green. As all of Hollywood (and many a costumed nerd) gears up for next week’s Comic-Con convention in San Diego, EW provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of next summer’s highly anticipated superhero movie Green Lantern.

Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot who becomes a ring-wearing intergalactic superhero in this massive sci-fi epic from director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale).

more here

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost On Set Interview PAUL

When director Greg Mottola’s Paul was filming in New Mexico last August, I was invited – along with a few other online journalists – to visit the set and watch some filming. With Paul written by and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, I’ll admit to being incredibly happy to be there since Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are two of my favorite films from the last decade. If you’re one of our few readers who hasn’t seen those movies, I need you to stop what you’re doing and buy them. Trust me, once you watch them both, you’ll understand when geekdom loves Pegg and Frost.

Even though both actors were busy on the set of Paul, we managed to get some time with them in the afternoon. They talked about making their first “American” movie, where the idea of Paul came from, how they were adapting to working with a CGI creature as a main character, working without Edgar Wright, and so much more. If you’re a fan of Pegg and Frost, you’re going to love the interview.

more here.

Ryan Reynolds is looking fiercely yummy. He has renewed my interest in that movie, lol!

What do you think of today’s movie news?

Twilight Twitter Sweepstakes – Win Autographed Script

Summit Entertainment has launched a new sweepstakes on their Official Twilight Twitter account, giving fans a chance to win a one-of-a-kind autographed script. The contest ends on July 28, 2010 and is open to residents of the US and Canada (excluding Quebec).

HOW TO ENTER: You must be a registered member of Twitter in order to participate in the Sweepstakes or win a prize. Membership on Twitter is free, and registration for Twitter can be obtained by logging on to http://twitter.com (the “Web Site”) and following the onscreen instructions to open an account. During the Entry Period members of Twitter may enter by logging in to their Twitter account and doing the following:

1. Become a “follower” of @Twilight. Important note: If your Twitter account is set to “protected mode,” your updates/responses may not be visible in Sponsor’s @Twilight inbox and may not thus be received by Sponsor unless you previously consented to permit Sponsor to see the your Twitter updates. @Twilight messages not received by Sponsor will not be entered into Sweepstakes.

2. Tweet the following message to Sponsor’s Twitter account “@Twilight”: “I’ve seen Eclipse ___ times! #SeeEclipseAgain” (note: where it indicates ___, insert the actual number of times you’ve seen The Twilight Saga: Eclipse). ONLY ONE (1) ENTRY INTO THE SWEEPSTAKES PER PERSON PER DAY WILL BE ACCEPTED.

All rules and terms here

Ashley Greene in Elle Magazine

Photo: Mark Pillai; styled by kate Lanphear

Ashley Greene is featured in the latest issue of Elle magazine and talks about playing Alice Cullen, fashion, and how “Twilight” has changed the lives herself and her co-stars.

The Jacksonville, Florida, native was still hostessing at the Belmont, a bar and restaurant in Los Angeles, when she got the call about Twilight auditions in 2007. Since then, she says, “I’ve gone from zero to 60.” For Greene, like costars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and Anna Kendrick, the vampire phenom has been “more than a big break,” she says. “Every one of us is working like a maniac!”

More here

Billy Burke Blogs About Album Success and Thanks Fans

Actor and musician Billy Burke has taken to his blog on his website to thank fans for their support of his recently released album, “Removed”.  The album has hit the Billboard Chart and is the number one bestseller on CD Baby.

Burke’s message to fans begins as follows:

There are few times in my life I can remember the anticipation of an event actually being outshone by it’s happening. I’m sure I’m not alone in recognizing that most times the climaxes we so fervently strive for, will pale in comparison to the dreamy visions we allow ourselves leading up to them.

The realization of this record showing up anywhere on a BILLBOARD CHART (this week #48 on the “Heatseekers” list) Much less becoming the NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER on CD Baby, the world’s largest online distributor of independent music, has left me in unfamiliar territory. I don’t know what the opposite of disenchanted is… but for the first time in a long while, that’s what I’m feeling and it’s pretty fucking great.

The upshot of this post is to exclaim in no uncertain terms that YOU who are reading this are directly responsible for the success this project is having. There is no ugly corporate monster pulling switches and manipulating the sales or promotion of this album. There’s no motive other than the desire to provide you all with some music that in turn, just happens to provide ME with an artistic outlet I’ve kept bottled up for more than a few years. In short, (and at the risk of sounding ridiculous) it’s just about LOVE, people. Love and music– the two undeniable, universal languages. It is solely the love and support that’s coming from all of YOU that is fueling this machine and with a portion of the album’s proceeds going to Vh1′s “Save The Music” program, we couldn’t be prouder or more ambitious to spread it as far and wide as we can.

More here

Get a “Vampire Facelift” To Preserve Your Youthful Looks

Source: CBS News

A new cosmetic procedure may just “eclipse” its competition. They’re calling it the “Vampire Facelift.”

It’s not really a facelift, though, it’s an injectable filler called Selphyl (get it? Sounds like cell-fill). It’s generating lots of buzz.

It works by temporarily plumping up lines, much like its older cousins Juvederm and Restylane. But unlike the competition, Selphyl uses the patient’s own blood to do the plumping.

Twilight enough for ya?

First, an amount of the patient’s blood is extracted. Then, according to the maker, the platelets are separated from the red blood cells. The platelets are blended with a proprietary synthetic mixture and injected into your frown line.

More here

Robert Pattinson In “The Summer House” – Download on iTunes

A few years back, Robert Pattinson filmed the short film “The Summer House”.  The movie was released on iTunes earlier this week and is available in the US, Canada, UK, France, Ireland and Germany.  The price in the US is $1.99 for the download. Check out the trailer below.

I love the heartfelt emotion in Billy Burke’s post about the album’s success.  In case you missed it, he is donating a portion of the proceeds to VH1′s Save the Music program to help save music education programs.  He is also doing the promotion himself without a big corporate label behind the efforts.  If you haven’t taken a listen yet, check out his website.

Did anyone else think that the cape thingy that Ashley is wearing in her Elle shoot looks like the cape that Victoria wears in “Twilight”?   LOL!

So, is anyone game for injecting their own blood back into their face?  Seeing as how it has to be done on a repetitive basis like the other plumping treatments, I think that I’ll pass and do my best to age gracefully with topical products like my generations of women before me.

What do you think of today’s Twilight news? Join us in the forum and share your thoughts.  We’d love to hear from you!

“Eclipse” Costumes Get Their Own Security Detail

Articles of clothing worn by the Twilight Saga: Eclipse cast are on display in New Zealand, but the priceless objects are protected by their own security detail – you can’t even get close!

“The clothing has to be in shatterproof glass and be guarded by security – it is in such demand,” an event rep told Stuff.co.nz of the exhibit, which is on display starting next week through the end of July in Manukau.

Source: Hollywoodlife.com

Pop Sugar: Interview with Melissa Rosenberg

Pop Sugar has a new interview with Twilight Saga screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg in which she talks about what fans can expect to see in the next two installments with “Breaking Dawn”.

PopSugar: How did you feel about the decision to split Breaking Dawn into two movies?

Melissa Rosenberg: Relief, actually, because it was going to be quite a challenge to condense such a large book into one movie. That’s always the challenge with all of these and, more so, Breaking Dawn. Having a little more room to breathe is nice . . . on the other hand, there’s also the challenge of making sure there’s enough to fill two movies.

PS: We’ve heard there are some scenes you want to avoid showing on screen in Breaking Dawn. For example, Bella giving birth. Can you tell us why?

MR: That was a misquote. The childbirth — all the scenes, I feel — should be on screen. I think perhaps what I was referring to was, would we actually see Edward’s teeth through the placenta? I don’t think so. I don’t think we need to see that, and if someone needs to see that, I think they should take a look at that. [Laughs.] I believe it will be implied, but I don’t think we’ll see teeth in the placenta.

More here

“Breaking Dawn” To Film in Baton Rouge

Source: LSU The Daily Reveille

Baton Rouge’s film industry will gain some fresh blood this fall as the next installment of the “Twilight” saga comes to shoot in the capital city.

Summit Entertainment has announced it will be filming parts of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” in Baton Rouge and Vancouver, Canada, beginning in the fall.

Amy Mitchell-Smith, executive director of the Baton Rouge Film Commission, said Summit has been scouting locations and researching Baton Rouge for “well over a month.”

Summit is still deliberating what will specifically be filmed in Baton Rouge, Mitchell-Smith said, but the production will begin sometime this fall.

Mitchell-Smith said she couldn’t confirm specific dates, but she expects the project will remain in the city until spring 2011.

More here

“Despicable Me” Beats “Eclipse” In Weekend Box Office

Source: The Washington Post

The animated, moon-heist adventure “Despicable Me” outdoes the vamps and werewolves of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” to become the weekend’s No. 1 movie. “Despicable Me” raked in $60.1 million, opening way ahead of studio projections. Business for “Eclipse” dropped by about 49 percent, which is a less severe decrease than either the first “Twilight” or “New Moon” encountered on their second weekends. The third “Twilight” movie has now grossed $237 million in North America and $456 million worldwide.

More here

Photos of Taylor Lautner On Set of “Abduction”

Source: Radar Online

New photos of Taylor Lautner on the set of his current project, “Abduction,”  hit the Internet.  The photos show him clad in black jacket  and riding a motorcycle.   Abduction co-stars Maria Bello, Jason Isaacs, and Sigourney Weaver and is set to release next year.

Source: Pacific Coast News

And The Oscar Goes To…Kristen Stewart?

Source: SodaHead.com

SodaHead.com is among many sites speculating on Kristen Stewart’s potential for an Oscar nomination for her role in the upcoming release, “Welcome To the Rileys”.   In the film, Stewart plays a teenage runaway turned stripper in New Orleans.   Her co-stars include James Gandolfini and Oscar-nominee Melissa Leo.  We posted the theatrical trailer here on Sunday.  Here’s what SodaHead has to say:

The MTV review states that Stewart is “utterly fearless in ‘Welcome to the Rileys.’ That’s the takeaway from the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday afternoon. You can quibble all you want with her portrayal of a 16-year-old runaway turned stripper and prostitute. But you cannot walk away from a viewing and say the actress doesn’t fearlessly expose herself physically and emotionally, and doesn’t do so with astonishing maturity and believability.” And film.com says that “Stewart’s performance is electric.”

Oscar guru Sasha Stone at awardsdaily.com declares that “if Stewart is (in the) supporting (actress category) it seems all but certain she will be nominated for this.”

More here

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum and share your thoughts.  We’d love to hear from you!

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS JUNE 11TH: KRISTEN STEWART, NEW ECLIPSE CLIP, BREAKING DAWN & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR APRIL 22: KRISTEN STEWART, KELLAN LUTZ, NIKKI REED, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS PART TWO MAY 19TH: ROBERT PATTINSON, KRISTEN STEWART, ECLIPSE & MORE

First Look at New Twilight Spoof – “Vampires Suck”

Source: Examiner.com

We all saw it coming. Can’t say we all wanted it though. The guys who brought us ‘Date Movie,’ ‘Epic Movie,’ ‘Meet the Spartans’ and pretty much every other terrible spoof movie is now giving us the ‘Twilight’ spoof we could’ve predicted years ago.  The movie hits theaters August 18.

More here

Stephenie Meyer To Write About Mermaids?

In an interview on the black carpet at the premiere for “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer talks about possible topics for future books.  As revealed before in other interviews, she talks about the possibility of writing about mermaids in a different way as well as revisiting aliens and a fascination for time travel.   Only time can tell what’s next for her!

Dakota Fanning Talks About Her “Jane” Cutout

Source: MTV

It’s not quite so weird that the majority of the cast of “The Twilight Saga” have cardboard cutouts designed after them (a new version for each film, we might add), but what’s weird is what the fans do with them. But the real question is: when you’re an actor with a cutout made of you, how do you use it to your benefit?

“Sometimes my dad puts it out and you go downstairs in the middle of the night for some water or something and you’re like, oh my god, who is this person?” Dakota said with a laugh. “For the first month we had it, it scared everyone.”

More here

“Twilight” Not At Comic-Con This Year

Source: EW

Angry die-hard comics fans have something to be happy about today, though: Summit Entertainment has just released their Comic-Con schedule, and in a surprising move, the Twilight franchise will not be making an appearance on the panels.

More here

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Release Date Not Yet Set for Summer 2012

Source: MTV

In June, Summit Entertainment announced that “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” will be released as two separate films, with the first part arriving on November 18, 2011. Though no release date for the second part has been announced, the conventional wisdom has been that the second part would follow in the summer of 2012.

Not so fast. Summit distribution chief Richie Fay told MTV News that no such decision has been made and that the studio is still exploring multiple release dates, not just ones in the summer.

“We’ve targeted a number of dates, and we have yet to determine when it will happen,” Fay said. “We haven’t even determined that it will be the summer. It’s still the source of discussions.”

More here

While I’m sure that if I sat through the entire “Vampires Suck” movie, I’d be wishing that I could get that hour and a half of my life back, I have to admit that there are some funny scenes in that trailer.  The wolf pack dancing to “It’s Raining Men”…good one!!

What do you think of Stephenie Meyer’s thoughts on writing a book on mermaids?  Do you think that she should branch out or stick with vampires and aliens?

What would you do with a cardboard cutout of yourself?  Would you actually display it in your home?

In probably our biggest Twilight-related story posted today, we’ve learned that Twilight will not be a part of this year’s Comic-Con.  Did anyone already have plans to go?  What are your thoughts on Twilight being a part of the convention?  Are you among those who feel that it doesn’t belong in that venue?

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum and share your thoughts.  We’d love to hear from you!

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS MAY 8TH: ROBERT PATTINSON, ECLIPSE STILLS, BREAKING DAWN AND MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS JUNE 11TH: KRISTEN STEWART, NEW ECLIPSE CLIP, BREAKING DAWN & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 13TH:CAST INTERVIEWS, BREAKING DAWN, & MORE

David Slade Thanks “Eclipse” Fans

In a note posted on the official Twilight Saga Facebook page, “Eclipse” director David Slade thanks fans of the film.

When you put your heart and soul into something as intense as the duration of a film production, you become completely lost in it. You focus on doing your very best to get it right each day and you work on this for so long that you assume an ownership of it.

When shooting The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, I always felt an awareness of how many people this film would reach and as a result, knew that this film did not just belong to myself, the producers and the studio, but more so, to all of you, the fans of The Twilight Saga.

At the end of the day, after all the hard work is done, all that’s left is the film itself, and your overwhelmingly positive and supportive responses have made me feel like we must have done something right. As a filmmaker, this is a rare and strange feeling of connection with an audience of which I will never forget and I thank you all for it.

DAVID SLADE

JULY 2010

Twilight Cast Members Pick Favorite Vampire Stories

from Examiner.com:

e ‘Twilight Saga Eclipse’ cast have been answering lots of questions, but a new video released to the media only hours ago gets personal, fang wise. The cast was asked to pick their favorite vampires and werewolves of the movies past. The answers might surprise any Twilight fan as it wasn’t just about the films of yesterdays but also one selection that could be seen today and technically isn’t a movie (it is a series).

More here

MTV: Taylor Lautner Talks “Breaking Dawn”

In a recent interview with MTV, Taylor Lautner talks about “Breaking Dawn”, saying that he’s glad that the book will be split into two films.  He also talks about the imprint with Renesmee and working with director Bill Condon.

Lautner on the two-film split:

“I definitely think it was the right thing to do, for the movie and for the book. It’s hard enough to condense 500 pages into a script, but to condense 800 and everything that’s going on in Breaking Dawn, it would have been impossible.”

Star Salaries: Twilight vs. Spider-Man

from newsinfilm.com:

The fourth installments of Summit Entertainment’s Twilight saga and Sony’s Spider-Man franchise have negotiated vastly different salaries for their principal players.

The newly-announced webslinger, Andrew Garfield, is banking just $500,000 for the first film in the rebooted series, according to Deadline. The Marc Webb-directed restart is intended to scale the series back from Spider-Man 3’s massive $250+ million price tag to a mere $80 million budget for the 3D 2012 release, starting with the lead it seems.

Garfield’s contract includes a deal for the first film with options for two additional Spider-Man movies, when he’ll see his pay increase to $1 million and $2 million for the second and third respectively.

NY Magazine’s Vulture is reporting Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner will make $25 million base salary against 7.5% of the theatrical gross, or $12.5 million a movie plus their cut. That means once the revenue for parts four and five is split among the investors, exhibitors, and the studio, the trio of rising stars will easily take $40 million each. That is, if the two Dawn movies are as successful as the one New Moon — clearly a conservative estimate.

More here

Relationship Expert On the Twilight Love Triangle

from mercurynews.com:

“Twilight’s” Bella Swan may be juggling vampire and werewolf love, but she’s actually facing some very human relationship issues.

What to do when you’re at the apex of a love triangle? Can you smooth over jealousies and keep everyone civil?

We took our questions to one of the nation’s best, Carolyn Hax, whose advice column is syndicated by the Washington Post and runs in this paper.

Q: In “Eclipse” Bella loves her best friend, Jacob, like a brother, but he’s looking for romance. Is it naive to try to keep a friend just a friend, even if the love is lopsided?

A: It’s not completely naive, because sometimes one friend gets over the romantic feelings, or the other friend develops them. There has to be a Plan B, though.

If nothing changes, then remaining close can encourage false hopes, which would be selfish on Bella’s part; it’s not uncommon for people in her position to hang on to love-struck friends because they enjoy the attention and the security these friends offer. A true best friend will understand Jacob is pining, and vulnerable, and will make his feelings a priority.

More here

Seattle PI Interview: Robert Pattinson

from seattlepi.com:

For the third installment of my four interviews with the cast and filmmakers of Eclipse, the third movie in The Twilight Saga, I sat down with Robert Pattinson to discuss his role as Bella’s jealous vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, and the future of the franchise. He’s always been a spacey interview, prone to very un-Hollywood answers, and he didn’t disappoint.

CH: Edward is considered a romantic hero, but he’s also very possessive. Not exactly a positive trait. Three movies out of five into the series, how do you feel about that, and has Edward changed much since Eclipse?

RP: Yeah, I mean in the first two movies, earlier on in the story, were just caused by his desolation from reality. So when he finds one thing to hold on to, that’s where the possessiveness comes from. I think as the series goes on, he accepts more and more that he’s part of the contemporary world. I think all the things that were deemed to be flawed before start fading away. I mean, that’s how I’m trying to play him. I think he’s coming out of his shell a little bit in Eclipse, so hopefully by the end of Breaking Dawn, I’m hoping he’ll be basically a normal 17-year-old guy. Just a little bit pale.

CH: Did you enjoy working with director David Slade (30 Days of Night) on Eclipse? The series has taken on a new director with each movie, so do you have to explain to each a bit about who your character is?

RP: It’s interesting. After doing Twilight, the first one, everyone had very specific ideas. Everyone was butting heads the entire time, and you can kind of feel it in the movie. It’s a different energy where everyone’s like, “No, this is what it’s about.” Then, when Chris Weitz came in for New Moon, he basically came in with the opinion that he liked the first one, he liked what the actors were doing, so just follow along that road.

Then when David came in he was like, “I want to do everything completely different, not do it like the first two.” So we talked about the character development and consistency from the two, and he was like, “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just do something completely different,” which is good because then it’s challenging. It’s easy to get stagnant if you play the same character and luckily I’ve kind of felt, I don’t know … I guess in New Moon I felt like I was developing something a little bit deeper. And then with Eclipse I felt like I was doing a completely different movie, and a completely different character in a lot of ways. So, yeah, it was nice and challenging.

More here

I love how David Slade felt about the film belonging to the fans as well as the professionals involved in the creation of it.  It almost makes me feel like I had a hand in the process with the respect that they give to the fans.

What do you think of the cast members’ picks for favorite vampire and/or werewolf movies?  I thought that it was funny that Taylor picked a werewolf movie – and a good one at that.  I don’t know how many times I watched “Silver Bullet” when I was younger.  No many how many it was, I’m sure that my younger sister watched it twice as much as I did!

Cha-Ching!!!!  I knew that Rob, Kristen, and Taylor would be set for life as a result of doing the Twilight films, but I had no idea as to how much they were making.  Wow!!  Seeing the comparison to the new Spidey really puts things into perspective and, as the article notes, there was a good reason for Ashley and Kellan’s people to hold out for more money.

The relationship advice on the love triangle is actually a very productive way to counter some of the negative things that many people have to say about the Twilight Saga.  Rather than bash the books, use them as a learning tool for what not to do.  It’s a great launching pad for mothers and daughters to have some heartfelt conversations on dealing with boys.

Robert’s revelation on David Slade telling him to do something different with Edward in “Eclipse” was very interesting.  I’m glad that he did because this version of Edward was much closer to how I imagined him in the books.  IMHO, it was a good call on David Slade’s part!

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum and share your thoughts.  We’d love to hear from you!

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JULY 1:BILLY BURKE, CAST APPEARANCES, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 8TH:SOUNDTRACK, ROBERT PATTINSON, BREE TANNER, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 19TH:NIKKI REED, DAVID SLADE, MELISSA ROSENBERG & MORE

Twilight Saga Stars On TV

Tune in tonight to catch Taylor Lautner on David Letterman, Dakota Fanning on Jimmy Kimmel, and Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser on Lopez Tonight.  Check your local listings for times and channels.

Collider Interview with Billy Burke

from Collider.com:

Billy Burke is a compelling and critically acclaimed actor whose credits span both television and feature film. In the phenomenally successful Twilight films, he plays Charlie Swan, the Forks Chief of Police, who is also the father of Bella (Kristen Stewart), a young woman torn between her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and her werewolf best friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

The latest installment, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, sees Bella and Charlie sharing some highly memorable, touching and funny father-daughter moments, which the actor said he really enjoyed filming. In this exclusive interview with Collider, Billy Burke talked about working with the talented Kristen Stewart, how he could never choose between Team Edward and Team Jacob, his thoughts on the baby in Breaking Dawn and how he’s looking forward to working with Bill Condon.

Since you hadn’t been familiar with what the Twilight saga was when you auditioned, was there a point that you read the books to get the background on your character, or did you just go with what was in the script?

Billy: It’s pretty wildly known by now, with all the interviews that I’ve done, that I’ve never cracked one of the books. I am not a big reader, to begin with. When I read the script, I realized how oblivious Charlie was to everything else that was going on around him. Everything that I really need to know is in the scripts. Everything else is information that I don’t want to bog myself down with. That way, the movies are fresh to me. When I see them for the first time, I’m getting entertained and I’m getting a surprise. I didn’t see Eclipse until everyone else did, at the premiere.

One of the things that stands out about these films is the very real relationship between Bella and her father. Do you have a favorite scene between the two of you?

Billy: I remember working on the kitchen scene, where Charlie inadvertently tries to talk to her about sex and protection. That was actually quite fun. We had a good time with that.

Do you think that Charlie is more Team Jacob than Team Edward, when it comes to Bella, or do you think his feelings toward Edward are gradually changing, over the course of the films?

Billy: First of all, Charlie would never play that game. He would never play the team game, nor would I. I have no interest in that. But, he’s obviously got a bent towards Jacob. Jacob is the son of his best friend and he looks at him as a good kid who’s a clean, strong influence. He still doesn’t know that much about Edward, but obviously there’s something weird about him. Charlie would always bend towards Jacob.

More here

Anna Kendrick Tweets About New Harry Potter Trailer

In Anna Kendrick’s most recent tweet, she jokes about buying a ticket to see “Eclipse” just for the new Harry Potter trailer.

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” Sets New Box Office Records

In addition to setting a new record with $30 million in box office receipts on it’s opening night, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” broke another record with a $68.5 million take on its first day, breaking the opening record of $62 million set by “Transformers 2″.   The film also beat “The Dark Knight” record of $67.2 million for the biggest summer opening.

Source

Entertainment Weekly Interview with Melissa Rosenberg

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg talks about the difference in writing the “Eclipse” script from the other two, working with Stephenie Meyer, and working with David Slade.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did writing Eclipse compare to the last two books?

MELISSA ROSENBERG: For me, Eclipse was my favorite book of the first three, for sure. The triangle comes to a head and that creates some really tense conflict, which is always good when you’re trying to write scenes. This is the third act of the story because Breaking Dawn goes off into completely new territory. That, and the huge battle we build to throughout the movie, was compelling. What was funny was Eclipse ended up being the hardest to write. That big battle happens in the third act, so it was all about pulling some of the conflict and danger forward to lace throughout the story. It became quite the challenge. But in the end, it was quite fun because I got to fill out some of the mythology, such as the character of Riley, the newborn army, Victoria, and everything that was going on that you can’t do in the book because it’s from Bella’s point-of-view.

Was there conferencing with Stephenie for those scenes?

Oh yeah.

More here

MTV Interview with Bryce Dallas Howard

In a recent interview with MTV, Bryce Dallas Howard talks about the pressure of playing Victoria in “Eclipse” and compares the “passionate” Twilight fans to the Spider-Man fans.

“People, myself included, have stayed up at night reading the ['Twilight'] books over and over and over again, and watching the films over and over and over again, and really loving it so, so intensely. Whereas ‘Spider-Man,’ people are sentimental about it, they love it and are into it and that kind of stuff,” she said about the different types of fans. “['Twilight'] is passionate.”

The Rise and Fall of the “Twilight” Empire

from tor.com:

Last night was the release of Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight franchise. Theaters were packed; Team Edward/Jacob loyalties ran high; anticipatory squeals filled the air.

The movie that unfolded wasn’t worth any of it.

This has gone beyond cinematic “worth” in the context of inscrutable teen tastes, or a shift in the zeitgeist, or any of the other trends that set their intended audience alight while mystifying everyone outside their demographic. This is about a two-hour movie that has to pull its bookend voiceover into the film to explain plot points it never shows, as the camera pans over a lengthy establishing shot of a forest.

More here

I love the interview with Billy Burke and his assessment of Charlie’s affinity for Jacob over Edward.   He does an amazing job of playing Charlie in the movies and I’m looking forward to his new show on TNT with Angie Harmon.

Anna Kendrick’s tweet was just too funny not to share.  It’s nice to know that there are stars who get just as psyched over that stuff as we do!

What did you think of Melissa Rosenberg’s interview?  If you’ve already seen “Eclipse”, would you agree that having Stephenie more involved in the scriptwriting process this time made for a better film?  Her absence is so obvious in the first film IMHO.

What do you think of the tor.com review of “Eclipse”?  It’s a given that there will be haters out there who will have nothing nice to say whatsoever.  I will agree with them on a few points – there is a disconnect in cohesiveness when you compare “Eclipse” to “Twilight” and it has always bothered me that Jasper did not speak with his Texas drawl until after the first film.  I have always said that Catherine Hardwicke and Melissa Rosenberg overlooked a great deal of plot and character development within the first film and I think that has had an impact on the second and third films.  However, Summit knows that their target audience is fans of the book and they are obviously catering to us and hoping to draw in additional fans and potential readers of the books.  I honestly don’t think that they are all that worried about the bad reviews when they are shattering box office records left and right.

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum to share your thoughts.

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 13TH:CAST INTERVIEWS, BREAKING DAWN, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR MARCH 4TH
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR MARCH 30TH: NEW STEPHENIE MEYER NOVELLA, MTV AWARDS, BILLY BURKE

‘Passage’ author Justin Cronin is the hottest thing in fang fiction

Source: kansascity.com

Justin Cronin is having a moment.

His new vampire thriller, “The Passage,” published earlier this month, is a best-seller. The unfinished manuscript sold in a bidding war to Fox 2000 for $1.75 million. And Stephen King called during Cronin’s interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to tell him that he’s a fan.

The story takes place not far into the future, where a U.S. government experiment goes wrong, causing the end of civilization as we know it. The test subjects escape and are now vampires on a killing spree. The one person who may be able to save the world is a young girl named Amy, who has mysterious powers.

Cronin talked about vampires, his inspiration for “The Passage” and readers’ reaction to his book in a recent interview.

Q. Why vampires?

A. Vampires were really sort of the vehicle for what I wanted to do, but I always liked vampire stories. I grew up on a steady diet of vampires. There’s a sense that vampires are the monsters of the moment. There’s a lot of vampire novels, television shows, movies, but the truth is they’ve never gone away, and every generation reinvents the vampire narrative to suit its anxieties and tastes.

Any details about the book becoming a movie?

The film was purchased by Fox 2000 for Ridley Scott’s production company. The screenwriter is John Logan, who wrote “Gladiator.” That’s kind of a powerful team that they’ve assembled. I just can’t wait to see what they come up with.

READ MORE HERE

Have you read ‘The Passage’? How did you feel about it?

Join us in the forum to discuss!

More from Open Book Society

• BOOK NEWS FOR JUNE 25TH, THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES AND VAMPIRE ACADEMY.
• COMIC BOOK NEWS FOR JUNE 29: FANGIRLS IN STARWARS
• COMIC BOOK NEWS FOR JUNE 23 : SUPERMAN FACTS

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” Releases Tonight At Midnight!

Tens of thousands of fans will be lining up with their tickets in hand for tonight’s midnight showing of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”.  The film opens worldwide tomorrow!

Elizabeth Reaser on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”

Vampire mom Elizabeth Reaser made an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night to promote “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”.   Introduced by Kimmel the “Angelina Jolie of orphan vampire adoption,”  Reaser jokes that she’s looking forward to “getting fat” and “getting color” during her break before filming starts for “Breaking Dawn” .   They talked about the “unspoken rule” of staying out of the sun and how producer Wyck Godfrey called Nikki Reed last summer after seeing photos of her on the beach in Greece.

Elizabeth Reaser – Part 1

Elizabeth Reaser – Part 2

“Breaking Dawn” Scouting Locations in Louisiana

The website On Location Vacations has posted a video featuring Wyck Godfrey stating that he and Bill Condon will be scouting locations in Louisiana and that filming will begin in November.

Bree Tanner Novella Reaches One Million In Sales and Donations to The Red Cross

from examiner.com:

At last count, sales for Stephenie Meyer’s The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella were up to 700,000 plus units sold, and now Little, Brown Books (of Hachette Book Group) has announced that the novella has sold over one million copies – resulting in more than a million dollars in donations from the company to the American Red Cross.

Ever since the announcement that Bree Tanner would be hitting shelves, we’ve known that the American Red Cross’ International Response Fund would receive one dollar from every physical copy of the book sold, and the organization’s Senior Vice President, David Meltzer, issued his thanks to Little, Brown Books, Stephenie Meyer, and, of course, the fans for the aid that this “awe inspiring and humbling” “generosity” has done to “help the American Red Cross respond to international crises, prevent life-threatening diseases, prepare for disasters overseas and provide support to help those in need around the world.”

More here

Is There A “Team Bella”?

from hollywoodnews.com:

On June 27th, MSNBC published an article about the small “Team Bella” fan base, along with some rather unfavorable remarks about the Saga’s main character, Bella Swan. While the journalist noted a few Bella fans in the online space, she went on to provide several examples of why there isn’t a “Team Bella” like there is a “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob.”

What the author failed to notice is there IS a Team Bella and its presence is loud and proud. Nearly anyone who is a Kristen Stewart fan (and you can find droves of them on Facebook and Twitter) is also on Team Bella. It could be said that while most “Twilight” fans are on either Team Jacob or Team Edward, they are ultimately on Team Bella because they are looking out for her happiness when choosing either the vampire or the werewolf.

More here

Justin Chon At “Twilight Night” In Phoenix

Justin Chon, who plays human Eric Yorkie in the Twilight films, surprised fans at “Twilight Night” in Phoenix last night.   Sporting some very blonde hair, Chon answered fan questions, telling fans he was on “team werewolf” and that he’d love to have Edward’s power.

Kristen Stewart on “The Late Show with David Letterman”

Kristen Stewart paid a visit to “The Late Show with David Letterman” last night to promote “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”.  During the interview, they talked about her pet wolves, actually dog/wolf hybrids.  Fans were also able to see Kristen with lighter-colored hair and wearing a black one-shouldered dress, much like the white one she wore for last week’s premiere.

I am so excited about tonight’s midnight show!  Are any of you attending the midnight showing where you are?

It was good to see Elizabeth Reaser on Jimmy Kimmel.  It seems like she gets overlooked in so many things and I loved the introduction that he gave her.

What do you think of “Breaking Dawn” filming in Louisiana?   Seeing how they will be filming in November, the climate is much more hospitable than the Pacific Northwest at that time of year.  I do wonder what they will do for outdoor shots since the landscape and scenery is so different, though.

It is amazing that the Bree Tanner novella has sold one million copies in less than a month, but it’s not surprising.  Have you read it yet?  If not, it will definitely give you some insight into the scenes that feature the newborns in the film.

I love Kristen’s wolf-dogs!  I wish that I had a big enough yard to have pets like that.

Are you psyched about the release of “Eclipse”?  Be sure to visit our forum after you’ve seen the film to give us your fan review.

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum and share your thoughts!

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR APRIL 22: KRISTEN STEWART, KELLAN LUTZ, NIKKI REED, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS JUNE 11TH: KRISTEN STEWART, NEW ECLIPSE CLIP, BREAKING DAWN & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 13TH:CAST INTERVIEWS, BREAKING DAWN, & MORE

Meet Twilight’s Newest Vampire, Xavier Samuel

Aussie actor Xavier Samuel, who plays newborn vampire Riley in “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” recently spoke with Dose.ca about becoming a member of the mega-successful franchise.   Here’s an excerpt of the interview from The Vancouver Sun:

Q. Was it intimidating to step into a huge franchise?

A. I think if you thought about it too much you’d drive yourself crazy. I just kind of focused on doing the best job I could do. And what eased that was everyone I met and worked with were just so down to earth and focused on doing a good job also.

Q. What was it like working with David Slade?

A. I think he’s done such an amazing job. He really got a good grip on the darker side of the book. He did a film called Hard Candy; did you see it?

Q. The opening scene with you is intense. It definitely sets the tone for the rest of the movie.

A. Yeah, it was intense to shoot it, too. We were down at the docks and they had these rain machines and it was really slippery. It’s a great introduction to the character.

More here

New Harry Potter Trailer to Show Before “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”

Warner Bros. has confirmed the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will make its debut at screenings of Eclipse when that film opens on June 30. This is not, repeat, is not, the same trailer anxious fans saw during the MTV movie awards. If you aren’t a Twilight fan, you’ll have to wait to see the newest Potter trailer online on Monday, June 28.

Source

Nikki Reed’s Little Brother Interviews Her On the Black Carpet

Nikki Reed’s little brother, Joey, had a question for the star on the black carpet during the premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” on Thursday night.   Check out the video from MTV below.

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” Now 2010′s Top Advance Ticket Seller

from Entertainment Weekly:

Well, here’s at least one record The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will break. Fandango confirms to EW that Eclipse is now the year’s top advance ticket-seller on its site. More than 52 percent of daily ticket sales are currently Eclipse, and the movie has been among the Top 5 in ticket sales every day since May 14, when tickets first went on sale. MovieTickets.com also confirms Eclipse now tops its advance-seller list for 2010, as first reported by Deadline Hollywood, and that the movie is currently accounting for more than 50 percent of all daily ticket sales there as well.

More here

Highlights from “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” Premiere

If you missed the live streaming of the premiere on Thursday night, you can catch the highlights in this video from MySpace including black carpet interviews with the stars, David Slade, and Stephenie Meyer.

Even though the new Harry Potter trailer will be online on Monday, I can’t wait to see it on the big screen on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning! I can’t believe that the debut is just a few days away!!!

So…Eclipse is the biggest advance-seller of the year.  Do you already have your tickets?  If not, do you plan to buy them ahead of time?

The more that I read and hear from Xavier Samuel, the more I’m looking forward to seeing his portrayal of Riley.  Reading the Bree Tanner novella has really given me some insight into what was happening in Seattle and what we might expect to see in the movie.

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum to share your thoughts.

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR MAY 22ND:WOLF PACK, ECLIPSE CLIP, ROBERT PATTINSON, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 8TH:SOUNDTRACK, ROBERT PATTINSON, BREE TANNER, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS JUNE 11TH: KRISTEN STEWART, NEW ECLIPSE CLIP, BREAKING DAWN & MORE

Robert Pattinson Is Bothered By the World Cup

Jimmy Fallon recently featured a new installment of his “Robert Is Bothered” sketches.  In the latest video, Robert is bothered by the World Cup.

Twilight Cast on Jimmy Kimmel’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”

Jimmy Kimmel’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” special aired last night with most of the cast in attendance, fan questions, a special screening of film for fans, and a parody featuring the cast of “Jersey Shore”.

The show included stories from the set and Jimmy making fun of the anatomically incorrect Jacob and Edward action figures.  Robert also shared a little secret about the CGI wolves and what the MPAA censors wouldn’t allow them to have.  In addition to all of the eye candy on the screen, the special also included an exclusive clip from the film.

If you missed it and didn’t record it, you can watch the full episode online here.

Exclusive Clip

“Friggin’ Twilight” Parody

Ashley Greene On “Jimmy Kimmel Live”

After the primetime Twilight special aired last night, Ashley Greene made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show.  During the interview, she talks about crashing a website by posting a picture of Rob’s autograph and some of the fan mail that she receives, including the owner’s manual for a car that a fan wants signed and returned to him.   They also discuss the “war” between Harry Potter fans and Twilight fans.

Ashley Interview Part 1

Ashley Interview Part 2

Melissa Rosenberg Is “Deep In the Middle” of the “Breaking Dawn” Script

from MTV:

“I’m deep in the middle of it,” Rosenberg said of her progress on a script. “I’ve been working on it for several months now and it’s a bear, but it’s exciting.”

Rosenberg, who has written the screenplays for all three “Twilight” films, also revealed that the “Dawn” adaptation is proving particularly challenging because of the sheer number of characters and the dense mythology behind it all.

“One of the biggest challenges, it’s really true with all the novels, but probably more so with this one, is it’s really thick with mythology, there are a lot of characters,” she said. “The characters expand with the arrival of Carlisle’s friends. It’s really about who do you pull forward, where do you focus?”

More here

Mormon Imagery Runs Deep In “Twilight”

from The Salt Lake Tribune:

As the film’s “Twi-hard” fans get ready for the third “Twilight” installment, “Eclipse,” to open in theaters Wednesday, few are likely to recognize the religious references in the film based on the novels by Stephenie Meyer, herself a Mormon.

“People make up all these Mormon references just so they can publish ‘Twilight’ articles in respectable publications like The New York Times,” actor Robert Pattinson (Edward, the film’s central vampire character), told Entertainment Weekly . “Even Stephenie said it doesn’t mean any of that.”

It’s possible that Meyer never set out to weave LDS imagery into the ‘Twilight’ background. Yet intentional or otherwise, it’s hard to ignore:

• The story’s teenage heroine, Bella, avoids coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco — not unlike the Mormons’ “Word of Wisdom” health code. Bella also advises her father to “cut back on steak,” much like the LDS teaching to eat meat and poultry “sparingly.”

More here

Taylor Lautner Talks About Carrying Kristen Stewart During Filming

from Entertainment and Showbiz: 

Taylor Lautner who plays a second fiddle to the striking Robert Pattinson in the Twilight Saga has uttered his tale of ordeal of carrying the slender beauty Kristen Stewart during the shooting of the third Twilight instalment “Eclipse”.

The werewolf who roams under the name of Jacob Black has finally decided to outdo the vampire portrayed by Rob, the heartthrob of the millions. The scene which demanded the actor to carry the vampire’s lady love Bella in his arms left him panting for breath as the scene was shot from different angles.

Lautner had asked the producers to drop the idea of attaching a harness with him and in an urge to show his muscular power, had taken on to lifting the stunning actress on his own.

More here

Did you watch the Jimmy Kimmel special?  I thought that Rob telling about the censors not permitting genitalia on the CGI wolves was absolutely hilarious!  I just about fell off of the couch watching the “Friggin’ Twilight” spoof.

What do you think of the assertion of Mormon imagery in the Twilight books?  Personally, I’m of the camp that Stephenie Meyer didn’t do anything deliberately to push any religion in particular but it’s hard to not write about what you know.  I don’t know that I buy into the belief that Bella avoids caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco for the reasons claimed in the article.  How about because she’s responsible and the daughter of a police chief for one good reason?   The cooking and housekeeping comes into play because her mother was irresponsible and if she didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done.  I see these things as just plain ol’ common sense and practical, much like Bella’s character.

What do you think of this installment of Twilight Saga news?  Join us in the forum to discuss.  We’d love to hear from you!

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JULY 1:BILLY BURKE, CAST APPEARANCES, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 8TH:SOUNDTRACK, ROBERT PATTINSON, BREE TANNER, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 13TH:CAST INTERVIEWS, BREAKING DAWN, & MORE

Watch “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” Premiere Coverage Live

If you are not among the fortunate fans who will be in attendance for tonight’s red carpet premiere in Los Angeles, you can watch the live, streaming coverage online beginning at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT.  Click here to watch.

Robert Pattinson Related to Dracula?

from The Associated Press:

Robert Pattinson isn’t the only famous vampire in his family.

Genealogists say the 24-year-old “Twilight” star is related to Vlad the Impaler, widely cited as the inspiration for the main character in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”

Researchers at Ancestry.com discovered that Pattinson and the Transylvanian leader (real name: Vlad III Dracula) are connected through their relationship to the British royal family. Prince William and Prince Harry are Pattinson’s distant cousins; Vlad the Impaler was their distant uncle.

More here

Twilight Stars Surprise Fans

from ABC7, Los Angeles:

Four of the stars of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” decided to surprise their fans. Peter Facinelli, Billy Burke, Julia Jones and Jackson Rathbone appeared outside L.A. Live at the screeching delight of hundreds of fans.

For more than an hour, they handed out all sorts of goodies connected to the movie’s marketing, and they also mingled with the fans of the movie franchise that left many of them astounded.

More here

LA Times Cheat Sheet For “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”

The folks over at the LA Times have put together a cheat sheet for fans and newbies to outline who’s who, the actors’ favorite scenes, and what they think that their characters will be up to 100 years from now.

Kristen Stewart on her favorite scene:

“There were two scenes that just were very important to me and they happen one after the other,” Stewart says. “It’s when Jacob and Bella kiss and then she goes and talks to Edward about it. It was just so different from anything that I’ve played in this series so far. The movie is so very much about ultimate devotion, so to stray from that was just weird and cool and sort of makes the relationship between Edward and Bella a little bit more real because now she’s seen another side and she can actually consider something else for five seconds of her life.”

More here

Love at First Bite – A Cookbook Inspired By the Twilight Series

from The Vancouver Sun:

Let’s get one thing straight. Stephenie Meyer, bestselling author of the Twilight vampire romance novels, is not related to Gina Meyers, author of a new cookbook about all things edible in Twilight. One has a name that ends with an s. The other? No s.

Although it’s all rather confusing, Meyers admits she’s a huge fan of Meyer’s books.

That admiration — combined with the realization that, oh, thousands share her love for the books — spurred her into creating a new cookbook, Love at First Bite.

The cookbook features recipes inspired by characters, events and meals in the Twilight books: Werewolf Chow; I Dare You to Eat Pizza, Edward; First Love Chocolate Mousse; Edward’s Cornflake Chicken; Harry’s Famous Fish Fry.

More here

Kellan Lutz Injured By Machete During Stunt

from ContactMusic.com:

Kellan Lutz was left in agony on the set of his new movie after he was cut up by a machete during a stunt.

The Twilight star filmed a series of daring scenes for Deathgames, previously known as The Killing Game, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, and the actor was adamant he wanted to take part in the action himself.

Lutz was injured after he was struck by a large blade in a fight scene, leaving him with a nasty scar across his chest.

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Twihards Long for the Strong, Controlling, and Dysfunctional

from The Independent:

On June 23, Rob Weiner, a popular culture librarian at Texas Tech University, explained to Relaxnews that the fascination with vampires stems from “human nature to desire something bad for you.”

“In some ways vampires, like warmongers, are the ultimate evil (although there are some vampires who do have noble ideals). They can control anyone at will.  Perhaps the draw to vampires is the thrill to be controlled, the challenge to get the soulless to love, ability to escape to another world or, as Weiner states, the appeal is “to fall in love with someone strong, controlling, and frankly dysfunctional.”

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Entertainment Weekly Interviews Twilight Stars

In a recent teaser from an Entertainment Weekly interview, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson talk about her infamous rape comment.  The full interview, which also includes Taylor Lautner, will be in the magazine which hits stands on Friday, June 25.

You got a lot of criticism recently for comparing the intrusiveness of the paparazzi to rape. The comment got blown out of proportion very quickly, and you apologized.

STEWART: I’m so sensitive about stuff like that. That is the one subject that means a lot to me. I made one movie directly concerning it [2004's Speak], and I made another one where my character has a horrible history of rape [2010's Welcome to the Rileys]. I talked to a lot of people about it. I used the wrong word. I should have said “violated.” But I’m young and emotional. It’s just the way it goes sometimes. I probably shouldn’t say this, but I just feel like people got so excited once they saw that it was me. It was like, “Sweet! Let’s get her!” And then for the people to exploit it under the guise of being morally upstanding is disgusting — and it embarrassed me because I was a part of it.

Did you see it all unfold and then think, I have to issue an apology?

STEWART: No, I was in Korea when it all got bad. My publicist called me and said RAINN had issued this terrible statement.

ROBERT PATTINSON: Who’s Rain?

STEWART: You know, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

PATTINSON: None of those associations came out and gave a statement [criticizing Kristen] without being called upon by the media first — who were doing it specifically to get hits on their websites. That whole system of Internet journalists, where no one is called to account, is almost entirely about hate. All these people get away with doing it because they have no responsibility to anyone. All they need is to get a salacious headline and people click on it, because it’s easy. And it’s quite good being part of these Twilight films because you have to give so many interviews all the time, you can defend yourself. That’s the only way. All of us stick together, as well. There are so many little nerds behind their computers, on their little blogs.

STEWART: See, if I said that? Crucifixion. You can say so much more than me. It’s insane.

PATTINSON: That’s not true at all. When did I say anything [controversial]?

STEWART: You’re really good, but you could say, “I just took a s***on the Queen’s face,” and people would be like, “Oh, I love him! I love him!”

Source

Will you be watching tonight’s red carpet coverage?  By chance, are any of you attending the premiere?  If so, we’d love for you to write about your experience!

I think that it’s pretty funny that someone has worked to link Robert Pattinson’s lineage to Dracula.

I love how much the stars of the films appreciate the fans and how they went to visit the happy Twilight campers waiting for the premiere.  I’m always taken by surprise when I see Billy Burke not looking like Charlie.  In real life, he looks like the anti-Charlie.

Has anyone purchased the Twilight cookbook yet?  It’s on my list of things to get.  I wonder if there’s a recipe for grizzly bear or mountain lion in there.  LOL!

Do you agree with the Texas Tech librarian’s assessment of the fascination with vampires?  What are your thoughts?

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum and share your thoughts.  We’d love to hear from you!

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 13TH:CAST INTERVIEWS, BREAKING DAWN, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR MARCH 4TH
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR MARCH 9TH

Team Edward or Team Jacob – Have It Your Way at Burger King

from nytimes.com:

A promotional campaign for the third “Twilight” movie at Burger King takes advantage of the rivalry between “Twilight” fans enamored of the two main male characters.

The campaign, scheduled to get under way on Monday, supports a game that Burger King customers can play, which is linked to the next movie, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” due to be released by Summit Entertainment next Friday.

The game has two panels, one labeled “Team Edward,” after the vampire heartthrob, and the other labeled “Team Jacob,” after the hottie werewolf. In the campaign, dueling devotees of the two characters are seen marching into a Burger King restaurant, urging customers to play the game by scratching off the panel with their favorite character.

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Dakota Fanning, Xavier Samuels, and Bryce Dallas Howard Enjoy Being Bad Vamps

from hitfix.com:

In this video from HitFix.com, Twilight Saga “bad vamps” Dakota Fanning, Xavier Samuels, and Bryce Dallas Howard discuss how they enjoy playing the evil vampires in the films.   Fanning also talks about what it was like to get to reprise a character in a sequel for the first time.  They also discuss how to kill vampires within the Twilight universe of vampires.  Howard discusses the stunt work and working with the wires for the running scenes in the film.  Samuels talks about what it was like to film multiple takes of the scene in which the newborn army is seen coming out of the water.

Kristen Stewart “Excited” About Two Installments of ‘Breaking Dawn’

In a recent interview with MTV, Kristen Stewart shared her thoughts on the decision to split “Breaking Dawn” into two films.  She tells Josh Horowitz, “I’m really excited. I didn’t want to read the script that was just one [movie]. It would have lacked so much because you just couldn’t cram the story into one. At least that was my opinion, so I’m really excited.”

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Peter Facinelli’s Home For Sale

Break out your checkbook!  For a mere $5.9 million you can own Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth’s Hollywood home.  The home, originally built for Tex Ritter, has a 5 car garage and over 8,000 square feet.   Check out the full listing here.

Peter Facinelli’s New Movie

from thecelebritycafe.com:

twilight and Nurse Jackie star Peter Facinelli is going to star in the movie he wrote.

Loosies, written by Facinelli, is about a pickpocket in New York City who runs into a pregnant woman he had a one night stand with.

Vincent Gallo and Michael Madsen are also going to star. Michael Corrente is directing and producing with Chad A. Verdi and Glenn Ciano.

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As much as I love the Cullens, I’ve got to admit that it would be a lot of fun to portray one of the bad vamps.  To be able to cut loose of morality for a while and have an excuse to be bad seems like it would be a lot of fun.  *grins big evil grin*

OME!!!  I would kill for Peter Facinelli’s home.  I wish that I had an extra $6 million in the bank so that I could buy it!

Will you be taking advantage of the promo items at Burger King?

What do you think of today’s Twilight news?  Join us in the forum and share your thoughts.  We’d love to hear from you!

More from Open Book Society

• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS JUNE 11TH: KRISTEN STEWART, NEW ECLIPSE CLIP, BREAKING DAWN & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR APRIL 22: KRISTEN STEWART, KELLAN LUTZ, NIKKI REED, & MORE
• TWILIGHT SAGA NEWS FOR JUNE 13TH:CAST INTERVIEWS, BREAKING DAWN, & MORE