2 months to go! Who's excited? I'm really liking Dakota Fanning's Jane. I'm very impressed with Taylor as Jacob. Looks like Kristin is overacting, as usual. I think the big disappointment is going to come from Ashley's Alice. Doesn't look like she put much effort into her lines.
I don't remember a fight scene with the Volturi, but there it is in the trailer. Jane did her thing, but aside from that, they were doing their best to provoke Edward, but he didn't want to start a fight that he wouldn't win, which would endanger Bella. We'll see how the wolves look in real time. They certainly didn't show much in this trailer. And, no mention of Victoria. I'm still mad about that whole deal.
I thought the first episode of "The Vampire Diaries" was good. We'll see how the next one goes. Can't wait for the new season of "True Blood" now that Mary Ann is out of the picture. More Eric!!
New "New Moon" trailer!! Awesome!! I think I'm going to end up liking movie-Jake better than book-Jake. Taylor is just too darn likeable.
Also, these little cuties will be on my daughter's Christmas list. Look how sneaky I am.
And, you'll be receiving this lovely little thing in the mail in a couple of months, as Hallmark releases it's line of "New Moon" greeting cards. Maybe I'll throw a "New Moon" party instead of a Halloween party this year. All the requisite licensed paper goods will be available at Hallmark. Anyone else gonna get in on a piece of "Twilight"? Where is the Limited Edition Edward Volvo?
I hereby apologize to anyone that ran out and bought The Vampire Diaries series after reading my last post. Sorry Trisha!! That will show me not to blog about something before I finish it.
The first two books (published in 1991) dealt with Elena falling in love with Stefan, but being attracted to his brother, Damon. The vampire brothers struggled against each other to see who would win her. This plot line worked for me. It wasn't too dark or gory, but had some elements of mystery and suspense. And any similarities to Twilight ended after the first book.
The third book got creepier, and frankly, a little unbelievable. (I know--I'm reading a vampire novel, not historical fiction, but she had a vampire possessing the town's dogs to attack their owners.) There was a lot going on and some of it was just too fantastic to be credible. And sometimes, she left things unexplained. (If a vampire can only change into one animal, how was Katherine able to be an owl, a kitten and a tiger?)
According to this interview, Smith originally only wrote the series as a trilogy, but bowed to reader pressure to write the fourth book in 1992. She shouldn't have. The fourth book was straight up scary. And that seemed to be it's main purpose. To scare, not to entertain. It raised several questions that were never answered. (How could Klaus be alive if Katherine said she killed him? Was Tyler killed?) Smith seemed to forget some of the things mentioned in the previous book, as there were several story line gaffes.
Then, there is the fifth book. Ugh. Published earlier this year, 18 years after the first book, the story picks up only days after the end of the last book. From the very first line, I was lost. It seemed like she was writing the story haphazardly, without bothering to explain what was going on. Some questions were answered later, many were not. (What was the point of Bonnie's midnight-backward-strange language-cell phone prediction?!) I found myself flipping back several pages to reread something that she referenced differently later. Again, many story line gaffes (Damon didn't have to ask Caroline to invite him into her house, as he had been invited in by her parents in the 2nd book), as well as typos (Dr. Alpert becomes Dr. Albert for an entire page, at one point.) And the most unbelievable plot lines possible. A guy that chewed off his fingers after being possessed, tree-men that tried to pull a girl's limbs off, tree vines that strangle victims, fox spirits that put people in "snow globes" and magic keys that give you anything you want. Yeah.
There was a lot of focus on sexual solicitation in this book, which didn't fit in with the themes in the other books, was very uncomfortable and didn't serve a purpose. Basically, it seemed like this book was written to capitalize on the recent vampire craze. Fortunately for Smith, the CW bought the plans to make the books into a TV series days before this last book was released. Unfortunately, she is planning to write two more books in this series. Don't waste your time reading these books! Or, just read the first two and I'll fill you in on what happens from there. (Someone dies, becomes a vampire, dies again, becomes a powerful spirit, then becomes a human with angelic powers. You follow all of that?) I'm sure the TV show will end up being better than the books, because, well, it can't go anywhere but up.
Also, we've been watching the first season of "True Blood". It is frickin' scary. I like the story line between Sookie and Bill and Sam, but the rest of it sucks, IMO. I prefer my vampires vegetarians, like the Cullens. I think I'm just going to give up trying to find something like Twilight, because it is suddenly obvious to me that it's popularity is due to the fact that it was new and special and there isn't anything else like it out there. The real draw to it was the impossible relationship between Edward and Bella. I also liked the fact that it didn't scare the piss out of me. I don't need the blood and gore--that isn't sexy. Edward...perfect, beautiful, Edward...is. Stephenie Meyer---write more Twilight!!!!
Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!! Ok, it isn't really my birthday, but it feels like I just got a great present!!
When I was done reading the Twilight series, I wanted to read more, of course. I started several books, but nothing held my interest like Stephenie Meyer's tales. Borders, like everyone else, was trying to cash in on the sudden interest in vampires, so they had huge displays set up showcasing other related young adult books. I took note of the following series:
I hadn't thought much about them for several months. I looked for a few of them at the local library, but they had waiting lists. On Tuesday night, we were in Half Price Books and I spotted the first two books in The Vampire Diaries, so I bought them...and read the first one that night.
I finished the second book last night and I'm hooked! They aren't as good as Twilight, but they are a nice time-waster until Meyer gives in and writes some more. There are some STRIKING similiarities to Twilight, but I suppose there is only so much one can imagine about vampires.
The characters aren't as developed as Meyer's, probably because these books are shorter. Meyer is very fond of building the back story and giving you everyone's history. It slows the books down in some places, but I was always grateful to have that extra information that gave the characters more depth.
Smith's books are darker and focus more on the supernatural aspect and a little less on the love story. The love story is, of course, the reason we loved Twilight. Smith's books are very sexy, though! Hot vampire brothers fighting over the same girl!! HE-llo!!! The "bad" vampire in these books does actually kill people and occassionally the "good" vampire does, too, though he prefers to be a "vegetarian" like the Cullens. While there hasn't been any SEX yet, there are a lot of innuendos and near nudity and you know the characters are totally thinking about it, whereas Meyer's books purposely shied away from that.
A lot of the vampiric lore is different from Twilight, but I will now point out that Smith's first book in this series was published in 1991. Only after the success of Twilight were they rereleased under the Harper Teen label. The series was on the New York Times Bestseller List, but I don't know if that was with the first printing or the most recent. And now I present to you, a passage that sounds an awful lot like the "meadow scene" from Twilight (chapter 13: Confessions).
The Vampire Diaries, "The Awakening", chapter 14:
"That's why you've been so distant with me, isn't it?" she said, holding out her hands to him. "Because you're afraid of what you might do. But there's no need for that any longer."
"Isn't there?" ... You think there's no reason to be afraid?... You don't know what I've thought about you."
Elena kept her voice level. "You don't want to hurt me, " she said positively.
"No? There have been times, watching you in public, when I could scarcely bear not to touch you. When I was so tempted by your white throat... Times when I thought I would grab you and force you right there in the school."
"There's no need to force me," said Elena. "I've made my decision, Stefan," she said softly, holding his eyes. "I want to."
He swallowed thickly. "You don't know what you're asking for." ... He was standing rigid, his face furious, his eyes anguished. "If I once let go, what's to keep me from changing you, or killing you? The passion is stronger than you can imagine. Don't you understand yet what I am, what I can do?"
She stood there and looked at him quietly, her chin raised slightly. It seemed to enrage him.
"Haven't you seen enough yet? Or do I have to show you more? Can't you picture what I might do to you?" He strode over to the cold fireplace and snatched out a long piece of wood, thicker than both Elena's wrists together. With one motion, he snapped it in two like a match stick. "Your fragile bones," he said.
Across the room was a pillow from the bed; he caught it up and with a slash of his nails left the silk cover in ribbons. "Your soft skin."
Huh, huh? :) ANYway, still good stuff. If you've read all of the series listed above, here is another list. It sounds like several of the series will be turned into television shows or movies, so that everyone can get their share of the vampire pie (not that I'm complaining.) I am going to check out the first season of "True Blood" and then the new season starts June 14 on HBO. And then, I will be counting the days until "The Vampire Diaries" comes to the CW this fall! I can tell there are already some changes made from the books, but it still looks pretty hot!! Check out the preview below and then tell me you aren't going to watch that. I predict that my sister will be over at my house at least once a week to partake in this joyous-ness. Now, if only I can get my mother interested....
Ok, so I have been reading tweets about "New Moon" for months, but it would seriously be a full-time job to follow each and every link or check every fansite. I told myself that I didn't care and I didn't need to see any of the set photos. I told myself that I could wait for the movie and I didn't need any photos to spoil it beforehand. Turns out, I lied...to myself.
I wasn't expecting much from the trailer, but it was great. So, now I want to see it all. Right now. Because November is just too far away. I remember when I was so excited for "Twilight" and I watched the trailer a dozen times a day. Giggity!!!!!
I nearly cried when I saw this montage from the Italy set. If you've read the book, you know why this particular scene is so important. OME!!!!
No doubt you've all seen this by now, but by embedding it in my blog, it is now easily bookmarked for me. I've watched it half a dozen times already and read the frame by frame analysis.
I'm impressed. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure a trailer this early would be any good, but it wasn't bad. I'm especially pleased with the wolf. We all knew that element would be crucial and I think it looks pretty good. What we've seen so far appears to be very close to the book, so that is fabulous. Taylor looked hot. Rob's hair looks better. Not too shabby. Hooray for Chris Whats-His-Name!
BTW...Catherine Hardwicke really thinks she is the bomb. I would disagree, but whatever. Glad to see Kristen drop her award...what was she wearing?! She and Rob couldn't look more disdainful. I suppose it could be insecurity and shyness that comes off looking like disdain, but they are actors. They could act a little more humble. ANYway...off to Bedfordshire.
Earth Day is April 22 so I thought I'd put together a "little" mention about that. (It seems impossible for me to write a short anything.) I remember talking about Earth Day in elementary school and getting excited about participating in something that people all over the world were involved with at the same time. It somehow made me feel globally connected. (I didn't travel far outside my hometown of 400 and these were the days before the internet.) I remember that we had a little parade up to Main Street and I "reported" on it for our short-lived faux news channel. In a class of 17 children, we didn't have the resources that kids in the metro area have now. (And we had to walk to school uphill in 2 feet of snow, barefoot.)
Back in 1988-ish, Earth Day was a nice thing to talk about, but it didn't have the urgency that it does today. I remember our main concerns being oil spills and cleaning up litter around waterways. Boy, if those were the only things we had to worry about today. Now, every day during the summer, I have to check the Air Quality Index to see if my child will be allowed to go outside at recess. Oh, and by the way, the arctic ice that helps cool the Earth is melting faster than expected and a new study shows that it could be completely gone in 30 years, so get ready for a heat wave! Ugh.
Last year, we bought her this book, It's Earth Day! by Mercer Mayer at Wal-Mart. We've always loved that author and this seemed like a good way to introduce environmental responsibility. In the book, Little Critter finds out that the polar ice is melting, so he embarks on a mission to help save the polar bears by recycling, etc. We decided that this was an easy, albeit not entirely accurate, way to engage a then two-year-old in discussions about conserving energy. So, whenever she runs the water too long, stands with the fridge open for several minutes, or forgets to turn a light off, we chime, "Anna, we need to save the polar bears!" This is a cause she can get behind. Who doesn't love polar bears?! I saw this link this morning that the Arctic nations are taking steps to help save the polar bears. The KC Zoo is supposed to be getting a polar bear exhibit in the next couple of years, so that is exciting!
We observed Earth Hour on March 28 and it was surprisingly fun, as we played some board games by the fire with champagne (for me), while I Twittered on my new iPhone. We had explained to Anna that this was another way to help the polar bears and she even insisted on going to the bathroom in the dark. She actually got upset when we used electricity instead of flashlights the next morning. My heart swelled with pride last night as she picked up one of Roy's empty pop cans (that he leaves all over the downstairs) and brought it upstairs to put in the recycle bin.
Last year, we bought adorable organic cotton t-shirts from Wal-Mart and they have new designs this year for the whole family, including a maternity version. These range in price from $4 to $6. We had to get ours fairly early last year because they were selling out, so get there soon. This year's designs were all "inspired by" celebrities, including Keith Urban, Jewel, DemiLavato, Beyonce and Gavin Rossdale.
Some other ideas I use: recyclable toothbrush, canvas shopping bags for $1 and recycling other plastic bags at grocery stores, Starbucks cup that gets you 10 cents off every time you use it, save leftover fast food napkins to use at home, take old catalogs to Anna's school to use for art projects, Ideal Bite, "An Inconvenient Truth", "The 11th Hour".
BBC News is reporting that 20 year-old Jamie Campbell Bower has been cast as Volturi vampire Caius for “New Moon.” The British actor’s first big screen credit was Anthony Hope in Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd.” Bower might just get along great with “Twilight’s” leading man and fellow Brit, Rob Pattinson. Bower is also a musician and last year he had a small part as a rock star in Guy Ritchie’s “RocknRolla.” Maybe we’ll see a Pattinson/Bower collaboration on the “New Moon” soundtrack?
In the book, Caius is described as having shoulder-length, white hair and “paper-thin skin.” An outspoken member of the Volturi leaders, Caius threatens Bella’s life and forces a decision that shapes her future with Edward. He is also the only one of the Volturi leaders that does not possess a special gift beyond normal vampiric abilities.
If Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, comes to the screen, the calculating Caius would likely be called on again as he plays a big role in the showdown between good and evil.
News on the casting of the Italian vampires for “New Moon” continues to trickle in. Last week, I reported that Canadian model Noot Seear was chosen to play the sexy vamp Heidi and the role of uniquely gifted Jane went to Dakota Fanning earlier this month.
What do you think? Are you surprised Chris Weitz has tapped a 20 year-old to play one of the ancient vampires?
Update: I wrote this under the impression that it would be used on MTV Movies Blog again. They didn't end up needing it so I posted it here because it was already written. I will not attempt to make this a "Twilight" news blog.
That's right. I just got my first by-line on MTV Movies Blog! I am bursting with excitement! Leave a comment on their blog and tell them that I need to write more stories!! :)
Now available....Anchorman's Sex Panther cologne. "Illegal in nine countries. It's made with bits of real panther, so you know it's good. They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time."
I'm going to make an effort to beef up my blog so that it is macho friendly. I'll scour the internet to find you the best guy stuff, so you don't have to.
Seriously, internet surfing is a full-time job. I'm just waiting for the paycheck.
The line is originally from "Star Wars: A New Hope", but when they repeated it in "Twister" it just cracked me up because it was kind of random. You can really use it for any occasion. "That's no moon...that's a big poopy diaper!" or "That's no moon...that's a Dulce de Leche cheesecake and I'm going to eat it all!" See?
That's right. I admit it. I'm a Twilight nerd and proud of it. Rockin' out my Team Cullen t-shirt and my Twilight necklace. Check out the red eyes....Oops, I'm a naughty vampire.
Anna and I made lamb and lion cookies for the DVD release party. They were more defined before they were baked...they just look like blobs now. I blame the 3 year-old.
I had fun with the girls Saturday night, but as usual, I was busy drinking and forgot to take pictures. Shout out to Carrie, Denise, Hilary and Amy! We had leftover black vodka from our Halloween party, so Roy used to that to make screwdrivers. It looked so cool in Martha Stewart, but it just ends up looking gray when we do it.
Speaking of Halloween, here's me as Glampire, holding my bloody pinaghoulada. What Martha didn't mention was that the corn syrup runs down the glass and onto your hands, which will then be dyed red for the next 2-5 days.
A-n-y-w-a-y, I bought the 2-disc DVD from Borders and I was not impressed by the Borders exclusive extras. There was a yawn-fest of a book club Q & A with Stephenie Meyer. Dear Lord, I couldn't wait for that one to end. I love Steph, but maybe the tween girls could have come up with some more original questions than, "Like, is Edward real?" Of course, if I ever met her, I probably wouldn't be able to form a coherent thought either. She's a rock star!
As far as the special features, the deleted scenes had been all over the internet, so I'd already seen the majority of them. There were a couple that should have been left in, but then there was the blasphemous travesty where Bella trips Edward and he bites her finger in jest! As if! There was no need for Catherine Hardwicke to introduce the deleted scenes. We found ourselves giggling because she has one of those personalities where you aren't sure if she's on drugs or if that is just how she normally acts. Kind of like Joaquin Phoenix.
Roy has a Ferrari room. I'm thinking I need a Twilight room. Ooohhh! I just had a thought! I could decorate the guest room just like Edward's bedroom. Unfortunately, there won't be a bed, so it would negate the whole "guest room" and so it would just be a shrine to all things Edward. That wouldn't be at all creepy.
So, I wanna hear from you. Did you celebrate the DVD release? Did you like the special features? Do you have a lot of "Twilight" memorabilia? How much do you want for it? Just kidding--Don't answer that last one.
