The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

Stephenie Meyer is throwing us Twihards a bone. This is the first I've heard about the novella she wrote while editing the Twilight Saga before publication.

It's due out this June 5th.

Needless to say, I'm excited about it.

Stephenie's official statement

Go pre-order it on Amazon!!

"Hearing Damage" - Thom Yorke

Hello my little Twilight sweeties! I guess by now you've all gotten your cabooses out in droves to see Twilight: New Moon, like is expected of a true Twilighty fan!

And so, like me, I suppose you've got a hankering to see it again. AND you may just share my obsession for the soundtrack as well. In particular Hearing Damage by Thom Yorke. That sound has seeped into my subconscious and won't let me alone! It's also used in one of my favorites scenes in the movie.

Remember the Harry Clearwater heart-attack / wolf - Victoria fight / Bella cliff diving scene? I love, love, LOVE that scene. It's bad-assed and you know it. Especially the acrobatic  talents of Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) and the sky view of the flying / hovering crow. Too cool.

Anywayz, my point is, I found the song on youtube and I'm posting it here. And when I get more time, I'm going to create the New Moon soundtrack playlist and post it right here so you can come back and listen till your eardrums bleed.

Here's hoping you have a good sound system, now turn the volume clockwise all the way.
Listen on youtube.com here

FoxTrot "gets us"!

FoxTrot comic creator Bill Amend has tapped into the psyche of the average, obsessive Twilight fan. Here's to the Twi-Hards, forever redefining what it is to be a vampire, lol.

Click image to view larger

Howdy Fellow Twilighters!

Hi all! It's me! And not the narrative me that you've grown accustomed to over that past couple of months, ;)

I hope you are enjoying my story of Kate and David. The end of this lovely duo's journey is nearing! I had to break formation though and speak to you as a fellow Twi-Hard. If you've visited His Amber Eyes recently, you'll notice the countdown to the New Moon premiere in the right hand nav. Only 69 days left to go!!!

As the premiere nears, my story will wrap up and you'll see more posts regarding New Moon details and specifics - cast interviews, on set photos, video clips, trailers! Got to get the masses amped!!!! I feel it already, don't you?? What a wonderfully enticing year this has been so far, counting down to the end of our wait. I can tell you that I think New Moon is going to be ridiculously great!! We'll have to go see it twice as many times as we saw Twilight (right, Peggy? ;))

I know that I'll be torn between who I love best - Edward or Jacob. Just like when reading the book. You can tell from the newest video clips that the heat between Bella and Jacob.. AND Bella and Edward is going to be white hot!

So on to the real reason for this post: VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM NEW MOON! Yay!!!!

I, of course, have viewed it already and all I can tell you is I CAN NOT WAIT . . . !

Enjoy, friends :)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 'Meet Jacob Black' Preview in HD

Top 10 Ways to Pass Time Until New Moon Comes Out

I know we've hit a dry spell as far as all things Twilight. So allow me to present to you some Twilight inspired ways to fill your time:

1. While away the hours with The Twilight Board Game available at amazon.com or many other fine retailers for a measly sum.

2. Delve into the wonderful world of Forks, Edward, Bella and the rest of the gang by indulging in a little fan fiction! Read someone else's fantasies come to life or better yet, create your own!

3. Channel your favorite Twilight character long enough to fill out a personality test. The results might startle you! Go on, make Carl Jung proud!

4. Create a local Twilight book club where you can connect with other Twi-hards! You can discuss at great lengths how Edward could stand to be around Bella during her 'monthlies' (come on, you know you've wondered it!), how Charlie could possibly not want to know why things got really weird after Bella and Edward's honeymoon or why Edward's saliva didn't poison Bella during those steamy kisses.

5. Go to Joann's Fabrics and thumb through the catalogs for Halloween costumes, find elaborate patterns that most fit your vision of how the Volturi dress, and then MAKE them!

6. Try your hand at art. Sketch one of the Twilight characters and post it on a fan site. Or bake a Twilight themed cake.

7. Pick out something from the Twilight saga and find out as much about it as you can. Examples: Forks, Washington, Quileute Indians, the Spanish Influenza pandemic... You get the picture!

8. Have a Twilight pajama party. Invite your friends over for popcorn, tunes and fun (you could play your official Twilight board game) and then play Twilight at the stroke of midnight!

9. Explore alternative vampire movies (yes, there were vampire movies BEFORE Twilight...) Familiarize yourself with other myths. Some recommendations are: Fright Night (I & II), Underworld (1 - 3), Innocent Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Lost Boys... OR if you really want to bring the fear watch 30 Days of Night and Salem's Lot!

10. If you are the biggest, most daring Twilight fan in the whole universe, you may consider this one. Get a Twilight tattoo! Just be 100% SURE that is what you want to do. And if you've decided that your love for the big "E" is so pure and unparalleled that the only way to truly express it is by PERMANENTLY marring your tender Twilighter hyde, then have at it! Don't forget to upload pics of your tat to share with other diehard Twi-Hards!!

Have a GREAT holiday weekend, my little Twilighters!

Jackson Rathbone on Criminal Minds 'Conflicted'

Hi Twilighters! I was watching the Criminal Minds episode entitled 'Conflicted' Wednesday and boy was I surprised when I saw Jackson Rathbone! Criminal Minds is an excellent show that portrays a group of highly intelligent FBI agents who use profiling to identify serial killer 'unsubs' and catch them.

Jackson gave a stellar performance as Adam Jackson. He truly was excellent. I'm not just saying that as a biased Twilight fan. I was impressed and my first thought was that he really should have had more lines in Twilight (like in the book, hello). His character in CM, Adam Jackson, is a worker in a hotel in Fort Lauderdale during spring break 2009. Someone starts killing off hunky college dudes in the hotel where Adam works. The team travels south to figure it out.

Here's a link to the full episode in case you missed it!! Criminal Minds: Conflicted

Here's an interview with Jackson on the set of Criminal Minds. He talks about how he got the part, why he likes the show and other interesting tidbits. But invariably, the conversation gets turned toward talk of Twilight :)

Twilight, all mine!

Hi Twilighters. Did you all go out like good little obsessive fans and get your copy of the Twilight DVD? Me too!

I was really really lucky though. Because I have a friend (Peggy) who owns a school building. And in that school building is a projector and surround sound.

Well, the Saturday that Twilight came out on DVD, she invited me over to once again enjoy Twilight on the big screen. It was great! Like a private screening. The only thing that could have been better is if Rob had been there to hold me close during the scary parts. :D

We watch the special features included with the movie. We were in Twi-hard Heaven!

I've just gone out and got my copy of the movie. I know, I'm late. But better late than never. And even though I've seen the movie like, 5 (or is it 6?) times now, I am yet to get into my PJ's, snuggle up in my favorite chair, and devour every detail once again. This time, I'll pause on my favorite images (Edward), rewind my favorite scenes (baseball field, bedroom) and finally just absorb the movie on a level that wasn't possible in the theater. Then, I'll retire it to the shelf where it'll await the arrival of it's counterparts.

We were all anxiously awaiting the DVD release of Twilight, and now that we've gotten that, we can turn our attention to anxiously awaiting the movie release of New Moon and more Edward.

The Volturi and Other Thoughts

I admit it, Taylor is going to be a hot Jacob. So there! It's out there! Now, on to other meandering musings...

The New Moon release date is fastly approaching. Before we know it, the day will be upon us! My only concern is that all us die hard Twi-hards are then going to be without a tether of hope and anticipation to hold on to. Right now, just like most of last fall, we have a goal to focus on. We are happily waiting for that day when we will be out in droves to see the next movie adaptation in the saga.

I really hope, that when New Moon opens, we hear that they are immediately rolling right into filming for Eclipse. That way, we can all reset our odometers (so to speak) and again have something to cling to.

Scratch that last paragraph, I just read that the Eclipse start date for shooting will actually overlap New Moon's. Because of this, Chris Weitz will not direct Eclipse as production won't be finished soon enough on New Moon to allow him to direct the next in the saga. So, as in the style of the Harry Potter franchise, we'll see a separate director for each Twilight flick, at least on the 1st three. Who even knows if Breaking Dawn will ever make it to the silver screen. I read a quote by Stephenie Meyer herself that said it would be very difficult to customize Breaking Dawn for the screen, and therefore pretty unlikely that it'll occur at all.

So, one good thing about the rush to get the movies made is that Chris Weitz won't be directing. The down side though is that continuity and the feel of the movies may not jive. You know, with three different directors bringing to life three different visions, it could feel like a patchwork story of sorts.

I really hope Chris Weitz does the book justice. To me, New Moon's movie adaptation is just as important as Twilight's because this contains the definitive description of the werewolves and more importantly, the Volturi. So, how ever Weitz envisions the werewolves look, transitions and behaviors AND the look, feel and ambiance surrounding the Volturri is going to be the blue print for future movies. So, he'd better get that all very right. The next director for Eclipse will basically be forced to stick to Weitz's interpretation or else it will be confusing changing such memorable elements from New Moon. An example of what I mean is that if Weitz were to poorly cast the parts for the Volturi and the next director realizes this and tries to compensate by recasting, that would sorely screw up continuity and certainly annoy fans. Hopefully Weitz will not make such mistakes.

I mentioned that because it is seriously important to me that he get the Volturi right. I never envisioned the perfect actors to cast for the parts. But I do have specific feelings attached to those characters. For instance, when the Volturi first comes onto screen, this should have a profound effect on the audience. It should be both a terrifying and beautiful moment. As a viewer, I want not to be able to tear my eyes away from them but at the same time feel compelled to look away, like at the scene of a crime. It should instantly send chills down my spine. I want the entrance to be so glorious that I don't know where to put my eyes first. There should be thought put into every detail, down to the shoes on there feet, if they are wearing shoes. Clothing wise, Guillermo Del Toro's brand of fantasy/hellish attire comes to mind. The immaculate wardrobe worn by characters in Pans Labyrinth and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army seem right for Aro, Caius and Marcus.

I want to see piping and brocade and ancient, delicate fabrics. I want them to look as though they've been entombed and might fall to ash at any moment. The Volturi's appearance should belie the strength that is hidden by their false frailty. Scary and alluring.

For others vampires in the Volturi camp, I'd like to see a personal style for each character. They shouldn't all match, as a group. The three leaders should share a certain fashion, as they have traveled down through time together. You know how interesting it is to look at a band of gypsies, (in the movies at least, I've never actually seen a real band of gypsies unfortunately) so many shiny baubles and clamouring buttons? That's how I see the Volturi. As other vamps are acquired to serve the Volturi, the look should become a pot pouri of flavors.

If Chris Weitz can do that, then he can pull off the rest of the movie with ease. Now, about those werewolves... Don't get me started...

Twilight MOVIE REVIEW!!

My friends and I arrived at the movie theater at 11 pm last night, giving us an hour to get inside and claim our seats.

The parking lot was full.

We got inside the mall and there was a line outside the theater doors that span halfway through the mall. There were 200 or 300 people in the presale ticket line. (Sorry, no pictures allowed or I'd have gotten some). Luckily the theater staff had prepared and the line moved quickly.

There was a 30 minute wait for the concession stand. Inside each theater 2 or 3 ushers worked together to seat everyone. Kudos to the staff for their efforts. They really kept everything efficient, insuring everyone got a seat and got seated together.

There was a happy buzz in the theater and that hour passed quickly. Finally when the Summit Entertainment logo came onto the screen there were a few "Shhh!"s and then people clapped as the movie started. We all watched quietly and anxiously. My heart was literally racing.

...Then Edward made his on screen debut and everyone clapped. It was so much fun to share this special midnight showing with others who love the Saga as much as I do.

After that it was quiet except for lots of giggles (when Edward was onscreen) interspersed with 'ooohs' and 'ahhh's. And a couple of "I love you, Edward!!"s. It was a surreal experience.

Twilight was made on a small budget because Summit Entertainment took a chance. They saw making Twilight as a possible risk. Little did they know how very devoted the fans are. They took the chance because they wanted Twilight to succeed and had no idea if it would. They stayed true to Stephenie Meyer's vision and so, they deserve for it to succeed. And succeed it will. If Twilight lacks anything it's because production was strapped for cash. You can be assured though that New Moon won't be. When the money is counted after this opening weekend, there will be no doubt about the rest of the Saga being made into movies. Summit will be able to throw hoards of cash at the remaining three.

Now, on to the action! I am going to give you my opinions and conjectures. But I am going to try very hard to not reveal anything that would spoil the experience for those who haven't seen it yet.

This movie was good. Catherine Hardwicke is a fan of the saga and you can tell because she did a phenomenal job making Twilight. The movie has the feel of a stage production. It didn't feel like a big Hollywood movie. It had an aura of realism, it was kind of 'gritty'. The acting was good with a shining performance by Billy Burke as Charlie Swan. He's obviously an acting veteran, very natural and charming. Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan) gave an okay performance, over embellishing at times. Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) was wonderful, if at times awkward (intentional? Maybe). Peter Facinelli (Dr. Carlisle Cullen) did a very good job. For me he was not physically what I imagined for Dr. Cullen. But his acting was convincing and I found I believed him as the good doc very soon into it. Taylor Lautner was surprisingly believable as Jacob Black. For those of you who read my previous post, you'll know I was not in favor of Lautner playing Jacob (my Jacob!). Also I have to mention that still photos do not do Jackson Rathbone (Jasper Cullen) justice. He truly is a strikingly beautiful individual and pulls off Jasper wonderfully. He was intimidating and alluring. All the other actors I've not mentioned by name were fine, but I do not want to run on about every single performance. Just believe that no one sucked!

My favorite scene in the movie was the baseball scene. It was exciting and fun. It also did a great job of familiarizing the audience with the Cullen family. You should know that my favorite scene in the book is the meadow scene. The reason it wasn't my favorite scene in the movie is because, well, it really didn't exist. It was kind of represented but I'm disappointed that more emphasis wasn't put on it because it's a pivotal point in the book. The movie's 'meadow' scene happened quickly and like, right behind the Forks High School (???). That ruined the 'enchanted private Edward place' feel for me. I guess he did take her up the mountain first but it just didn't feel right. I have to mention the 'sparkly Edward' scene. When he stepped into the sun with his shirt open, he looked exactly how I'd imagined. His skin looked like diamond encrusted vinyl. He didn't refract rainbows of light though, but that's ok. And I'm surprised and completely happy that they opted not to wax Robert Pattinson's chest for the scene! Although I doubt many teen Twilighters will feel the same.

I also enjoyed the heated first kiss scene between Bella and Edward (duh). Although, the danger of being that close to Edward didn't translate well, which subtracted slightly from the intensity. It could've been done a little better. Even so, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's on screen chemistry was palpable. Every scene was great, don't get me wrong. I'm just keeping it real :) You'll love every minute of it! I just wanted to point out some ups and downs so you'll know what to expect.

The scenery was breathtaking. Rainy spanses of woods and mountain ranges and stormy seas abound. I had to mention that because like I've said in the past, the surly climate of Forks, WA was every bit as prominent a character as the humans were.

Now I'm going to give you the 411 for the overall feel and intentions of Twilight the movie. There is some incongruity to the scenes and some things completely changed. But not enough to detract from the quality of the story. A lot of scenes felt rushed. I think it was like that so Catherine Hardwicke could get as many things from the book into the movie as possible. It kind of feels like a Cliff's Notes version of a much longer movie. Things that were revealed slowly over time in the book had to be hurried to be succinct. Otherwise, the movie would have been three or four hours long. Which, lets face it, would have been absolutely wonderful for all of us but impossible on the budget of $40 million. You have to overlook that and enjoy the movie for what it is: the physical incarnation of our beloved, special world created by Stephenie Meyer. Who by the way shows up briefly in one scene, so keep your eyes peeled!

In conclusion, Twilight is a great movie that lives up to my expectations. And my recommendation is that if you've enjoyed the books, any of the hype surrounding the movie or anything remotely connected to the Twilight Saga, do not deprive yourself of the opportunity to get out there and be a part of something big and special. Go! Revel in the camaraderie surrounding the release of the biggest thing since Harry Potter. Be a part of it! Do us Twilighters/Twi-Hards proud! I'm really glad I did.

My movie rating for Twilight as a Twilight fan: A+
My movie rating for Twilight as a discernible movie goer: A