“Twilight” fans started lining up for the much-anticipated movie’s premiere at noon yesterday - 12 hours before showtime! Our own Laura Casey was on hand last night for the fun that included a bridal shower group, 20-something fans and legions of tweens and teens. Our favorite line from the fans? Pittsburg resident Kelli French’s description of hunky vampire Edward’s appeal. The guy’s a gentleman, she says. He opens car doors, pays for dinner, lavishes attention. “I am,” she says, “looking for my own vampire.”
Oh ouch! As we mentioned earlier this morning, “Twilight” is going to do just fine at the box office, no matter what those pesky reviewers say. But Times reviewer Randy Myers just weighed in and … well, here, we’ll let Randy tell you:
“‘Twilight’ - aka ‘I kissed an Abercrombie & Fitch bloodsucker and I liked it’ - should be slapped with a special parental warning: Drop the kid off at the cineplex, then flee like a vampire dreading daylight…”
Meanwhile, check out this “Twilight” slide show, including photos from the movie’s glitzy L.A. premiere, and the near-riot when the movie’s star, Robert Pattinson, came to the Bay Area.
Summit Entertainment is counting its vampires before they hatch. They’re already lining up Twilight’s screenwriter and stars for two sequels. Denise Martin, the LA Times’ entertainment blogger, quotes Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke as saying the movie will have to gross $150 million or more for the studio to consider a sequel. Um, honey? This is the “Hannah Montana” demographic. You guys are going to make more money than a counterfeiter. The Times sent a reviewer to the movie critics’ preview last night — we’ll post that review later today — and we’ll have staff on hand for the midnight spectacle tomorrow night, so check back Friday morning for the lowdown on that.
The misty forests of the Pacific Northwest, the haunting, romantic story of a vampire and his love — the shrill buzzing of an alarm clock after too few hours of sleep. It’s all well and good to buy tickets for the midnight premiere of the hottest vampire movie in years, but heading off to homeroom with three hours of shut-eye is a bit of a bummer. And parents are feeling more than a little conflicted about letting their tweens, the core audience for Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling “Twilight” series, stay out till 2 a.m. or later on a school night. We talked to a handful of parents about their plans for tomorrow’s midnight hour - go? stay home? - for a piece that ran in the Times and Trib this morning. Now it’s your turn! Punch a button on the poll or click “comments” and weigh in.
A spokesperson at Hot Topic at Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco confirmed that the “Twilight” event is back on. Earlier in the day, the autograph session with actor Robert Pattinson (Edward) was canceled because of safety issues. A few injuries were reported when 3,000 mostly teenage girls lined up outside the store to buy a T-shirt that would guarantee them a meet-and-greet with the actor this evening.
Store personnel were still able to sell the T-shirts and distribute bracelets, so the actor issued a press release saying he would make the appearance to autograph posters only. The scheduled question-and-answer session was canceled. For more on how the day’s events unfolded, see our earlier blog entry.
When I posted last week about the scheduled “Twilight” event in San Francisco, I lamented the fact that fans had to line up at 6 a.m. for a signing that wasn’t scheduled until 6 p.m. Turns out that should have been the least of my concerns. This morning, more than 3,000 fans, mostly teenage girls, packed the Stonestown Galleria mall in San Francisco outside the Hot Topic store where Robert Pattinson (Edward) was scheduled to appear for a signing tonight.
Apparently, the mob scene quickly got out of control with one girl allegedly suffering a broken nose and another an asthma attack. Police canceled the event, reportedly at the behest of the actor and his public relations team, which were concerned for Pattinson’s safety. The first 500 customers who bought special “Twilight” T-shirts were supposed to receive a bracelet guaranteeing them a chance to meet and have Pattinson sign a poster during a signing from 6-8 p.m. at the store.
This doesn’t bode well for other upcoming “Twilight” events. Based on the popular tween/teen vampire saga by Stephenie Meyer, the “Twilight” movie opens in theaters on Nov. 21. Monday’s signing in San Francisco was supposed to be the first in a series throughout the Pacific region. Representatives for Hot Topic did not return calls Monday afternoon about whether the remainder of the tour will continue. Some fans had traveled from as far as Hawaii for the signing. Now, I can’t help but wonder if the midnight screening of the movie also may encounter issues.
Here’s a chance to be your kid’s best friend, so long as you don’t mind a really, really early wake-up call. Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward in the highly anticipated “Twilight” movie, will be at the Hot Topic store in San Francisco on Monday, Nov. 10. The first 500 people to purchase a Twilight Tour T-shirt from the store will get a wristband (limit two per person) guaranteeing them a place in line to meet “Edward.” The actor will sign a poster and then hang out briefly to answer questions about the movie, which is in theaters Nov. 21. (And sorry, no cameras are allowed.)
Pattinson will be at the Hot Topic store from 6-8 p.m. at Stonestown Galleria, 3251 20th Ave. So, why the early wake-up call? Turns out the store will allow customers to start lining up at 6 a.m. — no earlier. Considering the actor won’t appear until 6 p.m., I’d say 6 a.m. is early enough. Then again, my “Twilight”-crazy 11-year-old stepdaughter likely would say no hour would be too early.
If your house is like mine, the countdown to the “Twilight” movie has been underway for a while. The popular tween/teen book series is about to hit the silver screen. And if your young ones are driving you crazy with anticipation, Fan Trips has a roundup of preview events. Just be prepared to pack your bags — and shell out some serious money.
It was a long night of literary revelry as fans crowded bookstores to celebrate the release of “Breaking Dawn.” At Rakestraw Books last night, Chrisi Haslam 16, of Danville (pictured above) literally jumped for joy after bookstore owner Michael Barnard began handing out Stephenie Meyer’s newest book during a Vampire Prom. For details on other East Bay book parties, just scroll down to last night’s marathon blogging session. Did you and your family attend a “Twilight” saga party? Click “comments” and tell us how it was!
Just not into the romantic vampire thing, but you love the idea of that Potteresque shared literary experience? Christopher Paolini’s third book, “Brisingr,” in the Eragon series comes out Sept. 20 and we hear local bookstores will celebrate with dragon parties…
At last, sleepy people tumble out of bookstores, clutching the new 768-page book with the distinctive, white chess piece on the cover. And even before they get to their cars, they crack open the cover of Stephenie Meyer’s “Breaking Dawn” and begin to read:
“No one is staring at you, I promised myself. No one is staring at you…”
