moviesblog.mtv.com:

Forget the idea of retro-fitting old movies for 3-D, which sometimes reminds me too much of when Ted Turner thought it’d be a good idea to colorize classic films back in the mid-80s. Vampires are a much better trend. If you don’t believe me, just check out the mash-up video “Gone with the Wind with Vampires,” which takes the all-time top-grossing (adjusting for inflation) classic and tosses in a plot involving bloodsuckers. Rhett Butler as a Civil War-era Dracula? Or is he more like a 19th century Edward Cullen? Either way, it fits.

Here are five more classics that could be retro-fitted with vampires:

“Casablanca” (1942)
Never mind that WWII backdrop, this is now a story of a city in North Africa taken over by vampires. For the most part they let the humans there function normally, as long as the undead are kept moderately fed via regular donations (and gambling losses). But if the humans attempt to flee Casablanca, the deal is off and the rampant bloodsucking begins. Keeping things somewhat in check is the neutral Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), nightclub owner and intermediary, who deals directly and indifferently with the head vampire, Renault (Claude Rains). That is until the one human he cares about shows up.

More here

Lol this is hilarious, though it would kill my teacher to see one of his favorite classics like this . And I love how Dracula blends so well in some scenes.

What do you think of these vampire retro classics?

This OBS Speaks Out article was written by Anastasia Albom, a journalism student of OBS staff member Bertena.

Sasha Badreeva tells me, “Vampires are not real, but they are like a dream come true”. They may not be to everyone’s taste, but Vampires have got women, and fans like Sasha, in a frenzy. Despite these damned creatures of the night feasting on the blood of humans, many mortal women find them irresistible.

The infatuation with a Vampire seemed to be rooted in dark sadistic sexual thought that most would not even think of revealing. Then in stepped Edward Cullen.

The protagonist of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series is a tall pale and handsome new age vampire. He is a vegetarian, studies in the high school of a small US town and by the way does not sleep in a coffin, have an unconvincing Romanian accent or wear a tuxedo and cape. He even can’t get too close to a lover for fear of loosing control and killing her, which just makes women want, teenage girls, him even more.

The first Twilight film has grossed about £230million so far and Twi-mania has spread like wildfire, so much that the mortal Cullen, Robert Pattinson, is being hounded everywhere by women begging him to bite them as if that would do anything but be quite painful.

Of course now everyone’s feeling the vampire love with the trend growing from raunchy TV series True Blood and the increase in sales of vampire novels. Everyone seems ready to cash in on a woman’s vampire fantasy.

So what is it that makes vampires so appealing to so many women and, has cinema always made vampires seem attractive?

“There are three main themes in the way that women view Vampires” explains Bertena Varney, who is the advisor of Fantasy Book Club, which centres around vampire novels and writes for examiner.com, “as an escape, as a soul mate or as an erotic lover.”

Women who use them as an escape are independent and don’t need a man but have a longing to be used and to choose the path of loving a vampire. Mina from Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a good example of this. While being drawn to vampires as an erotic lover gives you someone with centuries of sexual experience that you can have for life.

Varney believes that women who see them as a soul mate are usually career women who for most of their lives and now they’re looking for that life-long partner. She says: “The vampire will love them for who they are and not offended by the powerful women of today. They will be there to support you and the best thing is unlike mortal men is that they will love you forever.”

The original vampire film from 1922 is the German silent film Nosferatu. It carries some of the most important scenes in cinema recognised even if you have not seen the entire film. It sees Count Orlak, Dracula, stiffly rising from his sleep on the ride he has hitched from Transylvania to Germany. The gruesome vampire with a crooked nose bushy eyebrows and protruding forehead are hardly the features of and modern eligible vampire. Dracula seems represented as an unnatural creature to be feared and you hardly feel envious of the pure young maiden he has chosen to lecherously prey upon. Hardly husband material.

However, fast forward exactly 70 years later and you have the next adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel with Hollywood’s finest Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Gary Oldman. The difference with this film is that it develops Dracula as a character showing him as a wolf that prowls the night and a polite handsome well dressed man that walks the day.

In recent cinema, Dracula and vampires in general have become creatures with different sides. While being a monster, they still have human qualities and are still being capable of loving, and something which a contemporary girl, like Mina, is ready to be with despite some setbacks. Bram Stoker’s Dracula also shows Dracula before he became a vampire with the women he loved and lost and as a vampire tries to rekindle that love with Mina.

The success of other vampire films before Twilight, such as Interview with a Vampire and Underworld also show beautiful vampires that are wrestling the monster within which women seem drawn to. These films pull women into the cinema because they use a Romeo and Juliet style plot which show star-crossed lovers trying to be together against all odds, which is so appealing.

But if vampires mean different things to women, what do female vampires mean to men? The answer is, not much. If you consider the Hollywood manly vampire films like Blade, it shows male characters armed head-to-toe in silver weapons ready to destroy the vampires, not love them. Also in the home-grown comedy Lesbian Vampire Killers- remember that flop- female vampires are seen as erotic lovers, but then the realisation that they could kill them quickly prompts the men to drive a steak in their hearts.

Now that teenage girls are under the spell, vampires have been ushered into the mainstream, but has this caused the original vampire story to be lost? Varney doesn’t believe it is wholly a vampire story. She says: “Twilight is basically a Romeo and Juliet story between a human and a character that says he’s a vampire.” Eventually, however, teenage girls will either move away from their vampire phase or continue into it.

“What will end up happening is that the young girls and teens will read another “vampire” book and decide no I don’t like it and go for romance or another genre or yes I do and continue with the traditional vampire stories.” She adds: “ Yes there is a vampire story out there for just about every teen, but vampires will always be a little main stream while still putting fear in you.” So for those looking for an age long relationship, your vampire soul mate may be out there.

What do you think?  Do you agree with the reasons cited in the article for vampires seem to be so appealing?

Top 10 Sexiest Vampires For Valentine’s Day

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend and that means expensive chocolates, teddy bears, and vampires. Vampires?! You might be asking yourself what the walking dead has to do with the most romantic holiday of the year? Recently, Hollywood has been capitalizing on the long running obsession that people have had with the creatures, and it’s probably because the majority of the ones we’ve seen have been ridiculously good looking. Sure, they’d drain you like a bowl of spaghetti, but we just can’t shake them.

So this Valentine’s Day curl up with your significant other and watch your favorite vampire flick that will hopefully feature some of the pretty men and women who made our list.

10. Edward Cullen – The Twilight Saga

Edward Cullen is the leading vampire in the Twilight series, and he drives women bat-sh*t crazy. I don’t know if it’s his emaciated look, or perfectly coiffed hair that turns heads but whatever it is it’s working. When it comes to dominating young women (and their mothers), this guy takes the cake. What’s not to love about a man who watches you while you sleep and constantly reminds you that he wants to kill you?

4. Louis de Pointe du Lac – Interview With A Vampire

Interview With a Vampire is one of those films that should be placed in the horror genre, but all the scary stuff is constantly overlooked because of its two leading stars. The film featured Tom Cruise (in his hottie days) as Lestat de Lioncourt and Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac. Du Lac was a victim of circumstance, and a sad soul who made you want to hug him despite the fact that he’d snap you neck at any moment. He was Emo, before Emo was cool.

1. Eric Northman – HBO’s True Blood

Our number one vampire pick isn’t just the flavor of the week, he is the real deal. “True Blood’s” Eric Northman’s not the conventional romantic or even perverse vampire we typically see on television and film. He doesn’t go and attach himself to any woman with a pulse, he’s particularly bored with the human race and only sees them as a source of food. So when it comes to his love life, you have to be a pretty special woman to catch his attention. His attitude may come off as a bit condescending but the fact that he’s a 6′4, Scandinavian Adonis helps us cope.

Read the rest of the list HERE

I just love the list that screencave came up with. I see some of my favorite vamps on here, I also like how they included 2 of the most sexiest, bad ass women vampires. Goes to show, hot vamps are not only guys, and that women can bring in an audience as well. I’m a little sad to see Edward Cullen as #10 on the list, he is way sexy than some of the others, like David from The Lost Boys. Maybe it’s more about the ‘fear’ factor, and an actual vampire, you know the bad ones we all grow up watching, maybe with that sense of danger and evil, they came across way more appealing than a sparkly, bronze-haired vegetarian.  

As you now this Sunday is Valentine’s Day and love is in the air, and what better example of love than some of our favorite couplings. This week’s poll is centered our favorite romantic couples in literature. All those perfectly amazing couples that us ‘normal’ folk are super jealous of, because we will never have such a relationship (bummer)! So tell us who you think is the best, most romantic couple.

“Choose your favorite literary couple”

         -Edward and Bella

         -Percy and Annabeth

         -Harry and Ginny

         -Romeo and Juliet

  -Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet

  - Catherine and Heathcliff

  -Clary and Jace

-Aishlinn and Seth

-Claire and Henry

-Katniss and Peeta

-Alice and Jasper

-Rose and Dimitri

-I love them all!!!

If you would like to discuss this more, and give your reasons why you choose who you did, please come join the fun debate on the OBS Forums.

You can VOTE right here on the News Blog, just look to your right >> and under “POLLS” is the question along with the answers, just click one and view the results!!

Also check back with OBS every Wednesday, and get to answer the “Poll of Week”!!

Want to view the results of our previous polls, like who was named the

“Which is your favorite Mythical Character?” “Who is your favorite Author?” or “Who is your favorite Vampire”? You can check them out HERE

Since it is February and the main theme is love, OBS is celebrating it bringing you some of the most memorable couples of the supernatural world. We’ll be starting with Twilight’s Bella & Edward; a couple that has captivated many readers. Wicked Lovely’s Aislinn & Seth, and since ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief’ is our Book Club of the month we will be featuring Percy and Annabeth. Enjoy!

Brought to you by OBS Staff member Katlyn.

Percy & Annabeth

How did they get together? They met at Half-Blood Hill and faced their first quest together.

What attracts them to each other? The camaraderie they share while getting through dangerous quests gives them a great foundation as a couple.

Why do they make such a timeless couple? Being demigods and battling for what they believe in, makes them a timeless couple.

What are some of the problems they faced because them being a couple? The fact that they are supposed to be enemies just because their parents are.

Bella & Edward

How did they get together? Bella moved to Forks, WA, in the second semester of her junior year in high school. Edward was also a junior. They met in Biology class where Bella’s scent was so addicting to Edward he almost killed her right there.

What attracts them to each other? The fact that Edward cannot read Bella’s mind made him want to get to know her. Also the fact that her blood is like heroine to him is highly attractive. Bella is attracted to Edward almost immediately, she senses that he is different and accepts him without a fault.

Why do they make such a timeless couple? The fact that they ’shouldn’t’ be together makes them timeless. They are hunter and prey always disrupting the balance of nature but somehow love pulls them through.

What are some of the problems they faced because of being a couple? The constant reminder of Bella’s mortality is a problem because Edward has to be careful not to physically harm her. Also, bringing a mortal into his world makes other vampires want her to hurt him and the Cullens.

For more of these characters and discussions HERE

What do you think of these couples? Do you have a favorite?

Remember to check back by the end of the month for our second couples’s edition.

The Twilight Saga books are some of the most popular and most recognized young adult book at the moment. Let’s take a look at the covers of the first book, Twilight, around the world!

Brought to you by OBS staff mamber Katlyn

Isabella Swan decides to move from sunny Phoenix, Arizona to rainy Forks, Washington to live with her father Charlie because her mother, Renée, has married Phil Dwyer, who travels a lot. The new girl in a small town, Bella attracts the attention of everyone around her, including Edward Cullen. Edward is stunningly attractive, and inhumanly beautiful, yet he is an outsider too. After a short disappearance from school he returns and talks to Bella, having seemingly forgotten their unfriendly first encounter.

On a morning like any other, Bella is nearly killed and Edward saves her. Afterwards she asks him how he got to her so fast from across the parking lot, but he replies that he was next to her. Knowing this to be false, Bella plunges deep into a world she never thought exited, in order to find the truth.

United States

The version of the Twilight book that is probably most recognizable, is the apple in hands (with Kimbra Hickey as the hand model). But after the release of the movie in 2008, the U.S. restocked their shelves with the movie version.

China

The original cover was used for one version in China while another is an anime version, with Edward and Bella drawn on the cover.

Czechoslovakia- Stmívání (“Dimming”)

I think this cover is really interesting because it captures the scarier angle of Twilight and Bella’s hesitation when she find out what Edward really is.

German
Bis zum Morgengrauen (“Until Dawn”)
or
Biss zum Morgengrauen (“Bite at Dawn”)

This one is interesting because it shows a painted picture of Bella which almost looks antique!

Japan

The Japanese version of Twilight was split up into three seperate books and I like the translation of all the Japenese covers. And they really got the “brooding” Edward face down pat!

“The Boy Whom I Love is a Vampire”           “Blood Tastes Sadness”

“The Vampire Family in the Darkness”

United Kingdom

Here is the front and back covers of the original UK version of Twilight. I think it is a different “take” on Bella, but overall not my favorite version.

View the rest of these covers on our forum HERE.

Which are your favorite and least favorite covers and why?

Which ones do you feel represent the story the best and worst and why?