DALLAS — The Mitch Hansen band began as one of the “Twilight” saga’s first fan-made bands just after the release of Eclipse in 2007, and has grown steadily in popularity among Twilighters ever since, and Blast recently caught up with Hansen after his appearance with the band at TwiCon in Dallas, Texas earlier this July.

Blast: How do you think playing conventions has changed things for the band, do the people attending already know who you are?

MH: I think definitely the size of the convention will have some sort of bearing to that end. TwiTour is a little smaller and they do smaller conventions, and so not many people there had heard of us but I think we gained quite a few new fans, whereas TwiCon was pretty huge and we had quite a few people there who already knew who we were. I think we gained a handful of new fans there, too, though.

Blast: How did your songwriting change after Breaking Dawn came out and there wasn’t that mystery left anymore?

MH: When I read the first three, I didn’t have this notion of writing songs. But it’s funny, as I was reading Breaking Dawn, every scene or every chapter I would read I’d think “oh, that’d be a cool song, “ so yea, it was a lot different reading Breaking Dawn. The mystery was kind of gone, but she tied it up pretty nicely I guess in the end so it was fun to read.

Blast: So you have two CDs at this point: Twilight Hour and Endless Day?

MH: Yea. Twilight Hour is just me and an acoustic guitar and I actually recorded it myself in my walk-in closet in my bedroom. So yea, it’s pretty raw and rough and unpolished, but it turned out to be pretty good for what it really is. And then we got a record deal about a year after I recorded that one, and we polished up a lot of the songs from Twilight Hour and added a new song as well.

Blast: Was it after the record deal that you gained Brent and the rest of the band?

MH: Brent is my friend and guitar player in the band. He actually joined back in 2008, pretty early on. People started approaching me about playing shows and I kind of needed a little extra something to play live shows, and it turned out that Brent was really good at guitar and we got together and just kind of did the acoustic, coffee house, you know small club type thing for about 8 or 9 months. It was just he and I for a long time, actually.

Blast: Are you still playing coffee houses, or mostly “Twilight” related gigs?

MH: Oh yea, we still play a lot of local gigs around here in Atlanta. We do acoustic shows but now it’s more with the full band. So we do both, we do full band shows at clubs with the electric guitars and drums but we still do the acoustic stuff, too.

Blast: And are you still writing now?

MH: I’ve been writing songs since long before Twilight came out; it’s kind of hard to turn that off. Melodies are always popping into my head and whenever I sit down with my guitar, inspiration starts hitting, so yea, we’re always writing.

Blast: Do you have anything public planned with the release of “New Moon” in November, since everyone isn’t quite at the convention level yet?

MH: Sure, yea, there are a lot of casual Twilight fans out there, and we’re trying to reach them as well. We are playing a huge film release party in Salt Lake City for the twilight moms, actually. They’ve invited us to come up and play that and they’re expecting to have you know, three or four thousand people there. It’s kind of a more casual event than something like TwiCon. So yea, we’re definitely trying to reach out to those casual fans too. Our music is a little bit like that in itself. We’re not like, really overtly Twilight with our references “" well, except for one song we have called “Jacob Black” that’s pretty blatant. We try to keep the references to : “Twilight” pretty subtle and we did that on purpose because we didn’t want to alienate casual Twilight fans or casual music listeners even.

Blast: Do you think as a band you’ll eventually move beyond from “Twilight” inspired music to just Mitch inspired music?

MH: Yea. You don’t want to pigeon-hole yourself as an artist for you know, a fad “" a passing fad. As it stands right now, it’s really fun to do and people are into it, but yea for longetivy’s sake, we’d love to do some more mainstream type music. You know, inspiration comes from all over when you’re a song writer, not just one specific thing, but I think “Twilight” has a lot of cool themes and stories and I think there are a lot more songs to be written to that end.

Blast: Speaking of the stories in “Twilight” what point was the easiest to write songs for?

MH: Definitely the end of Eclipse has been the most written about as far as my songs go. That’s kind of when Jake takes off and Edward and Bella decide they’re going to get married. There’s also the big fight scene with Victoria and the newborns. So a lot of the story lines kind of came to a head at the end of “Eclipse” and so there’s like five or six songs that came from that specific time in the stories.

Blast: As “New Moon” is approaches, and even “Eclipse” are you trying at all to get onto the soundtracks?

MH: Yea, we’ve done a little light. . . I don’t know, we’ve shopped it around lightly to a few people and as it turns out, once “Twilight” was such a booming success, it’s just like everyone in the entire world is trying to get on the soundtrack for “New Moon.” So you know, it’s not as easy as it would have been if we had really tried last year to do it for the first film. But you know either way, if we get on a soundtrack or if we don’t, we’re just happy to do what we do. But yea, we’d love to be involved with one of the films somehow.

Be sure to check out Blast’s Mitch Hansen Band giveaway on YouTube to win free stuff from the band!

DALLAS — Blast has been talking about TwiCon, the nation’s largest fan-run “Twilight” convention for a long while now, and it’s finally come and gone. With 3,000 attendees, the convention centered loosely on standing in lines for specific events like photograph sessions with the cast, autographs and the question and answer session, but the cast, as well as other guests like Bobby Long, Marcus Foster and Sam Bradley, made sure it was all worth the wait.

Jackson Rathbone was probably the busiest cast member at TwiCon this past weekend, attending not only as the actor portraying Jasper in “Twilight” but as a part of his band, 100 Monkeys. They played a concert at TwiCon, and in downtown Dallas, to huge, adoring crowds. Blast was backstage before the TwiCon show, and got to see the boys getting hyped up, and Rathbone having a moment with his family before going on stage. Rathbone also wrapped up the convention with a private question and answer session on Sunday morning after his late-night 100 Monkeys concert Saturday night. Charming, and no doubt as tired as he could be in the same clothes he was wearing the day before, he was carefree as he joked with the crowd. When asked which musician of all time he would pick to play with, he chose Bach. “That would be awesome” Rathbone laughed. “He could be crazy on the piano and I would play some electric guitar. So yeah, Bach.”

Alex Meraz, the “New Moon” actor playing Quileute werewolf, Paul, had a private brunch event with about 250 lucky attendees. Sweet and honest, Alex answered questions, including how Stephenie Meyer approved of his casting and his advice to Taylor Lautner to lay off the weight lifting and weight gaining in between films.

Throughout the weekend, Blast’s favorite Brits became a fan favorite as well. Each took turns playing at the VIP party on Thursday evening, followed by Sage, a musician and friend of Nikki Reed. The sound situation wasn’t ideal, and the boys had to mic the guitars as if they were playing back at the open mic nights they met at years ago in London. The show was still great — intimate and endearing, and they all had more shows at Poor David’s Pub in Dallas during the weekend, and all performed at the Volturi Masque Ball event on Saturday night.

The cast Q&A session, though definitely too short, was hilarious. Between Peter Facinelli’s death defying act of jumping off the stage and running down the aisles of screaming fans and Jackson Rathbone’s snarky answer concerning Peter’s layered birthday acting method, the cast put on a great show. The session included all of the cast attending the convention: Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone, Alex Meraz, Kellan Lutz, Billy Burke and Christian Serratos. Questions were sent in by fans, and while some elicited humorous answers on their own, like when Kellan misheard the question and thought he had been asked “which werewolf would you eat” instead of “which werewolf would you be” a great number of the questions centered around how the actors “prepared” for their respective roles. And while preparing to play vegetarian vampires might have been a challenge in the beginning with “Twilight” most of the development wasn’t that drastic in “New Moon” and could have been answered with “I prepared for my role by going to acting school.” However, Rathbone instead started in on a very complicated technique of acting in order to make things more interesting: Peter Facinelli’s birthday technique.

“Peter told me” Rathbone began, “to get into the darker side of Jasper, I needed to pretend like people know it’s my birthday, but they forgot. Then he said that wasn’t dark enough, so I had to pretend it was my birthday, people knew, but then they threw a party for this girl instead. I thought she was my cake.” After pausing for a moment to allow for the uproar of laughter, Jackson finished saying, “actually, Peter has a book coming out and it’s called, “ËœHow to Act and the Birthday Technique.”

YouTube sensation Evil Iguana Productions (we discovered them!) was also attending the convention as special guests, and premiered their latest “Twilight” spoof, which was received with lots of laughter. While introducing the spoof, Craig Deering asked, “Why another ‘Twilight’ spoof?” to which Allen Murphy answered, “Do you know how many girls love ‘Twilight?!’” He’ right of course, considering at least 2,990 of the 3,000 attendees must have been female, and definitely love EIP.

Check back for more exclusive pictures and interviews from the TwiCon weekend.

DALLAS — Blast did TwiCon, the unofficial Twilight Convention, and we’ll have all sorts of coverage coming up over the next few days!

Here’s a Blast video of Billy Burke, “Twilight’s” Charlie Swan as he answers a question at TwiCon’s Q&A with the cast of “Twilight.”

With the anticipation leading up to the midnight release of the “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” movie, Blast can’t help but be a little nostalgic. After much deliberation and discussion with other avid Potter fans, we’ve collected the Top 10 moments leading up to, and including “HBP.”

It’s hard to compile a list of best moments while excluding “Deathly Hallows” but at least we know the best is yet to come. Beware, however, because there are definitely some major “Half Blood Prince” spoilers on the way.

10. Wizard Chess

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” took us into an intensely magical world, coexisting unknown next to our own. The game of life-sized wizard chess that Harry, Ron, and Hermione take on showed us how awesome, and how dangerous, this magic could be. We also get to see Ron take charge for the first time, proving that he has his own strengths alongside Hermione and Harry.

9. Ron, Fred, and George Rescue Harry from the Dursleys

Leave it to the Weasley twins to start off “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” with a bang. Always good for a laugh, the twins show that they’re also reliable when it comes down to it, and they’ve come to help their little brother Ron save Harry from the mistreatment he receives at the Dursley’s house via enchanted flying car. After pulling Harry into the car, they proceed to cause a flustered Uncle Vernon to fall out the window from holding onto Harry’s ankles. There’s something both satisfying and really hilarious about seeing the Dursleys get what they deserve.

8. Basilisk Battle *slight spoilers*

There are a ton of awesome things about this scene from “The Chamber of Secrets” most easily seen from the end of the series. First of all, those Basilisk fangs, or the knowledge of how they can be used, are going to be immensely useful to Harry later on. Secondly, Harry just unknowingly destroyed the first Horcrux — Tom Riddle’s (Voldemort’s) cursed journal. Not to mention that Fawkes came and saved the day bringing the Sorting Hat containing Gryffindor’s sword. Oh, the foreshadowing.

7. The Weasley Twins Leave Hogwarts

The twins: you’ve got to love them. Even though we didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing fireworks spelling “POO” floating into the sky outside Hogwarts, the movie version of “Order of the Phoenix” did not disappoint in regards to Fred and George’s epic send-off. Umbridge’s horror at the enchanted firework dragon chasing her out of the Great Hall and seeing that “W” traced into the night sky lightened the mood for a bit in a decidedly dark portion of the series.

6. Sirius Black Falls into the Veil

Ever since Potter fans met Sirius, they loved him. J.K Rowling herself once admitted she was a little concerned about the reception she would receive at killing off the much loved character. When Harry first discovered that Sirius was his godfather, it was impossible not to hope that Harry could finally have some sort of family; however, with Sirius on the run, Harry had to settle for long-distance communication with his godfather — not that it wasn’t valued. Everyone was crushed to lose him in “Order of the Phoenix.”

5. “EXPECTO PATRONUM”

Harry starts showing some serious skill here. Not only does he cast an extremely powerful spell, but he does it while watching himself and his godfather die. Not knowing that another version of himself is across the shore, Harry believes that his father has somehow saved him and Sirius from the mass of dementors, recognizing the stag-shaped Patronus. Of course, besides the enormity of the spell Harry casts, the scene in the movie “Prisoner of Azkaban” is absolutely and frighteningly awesome.

4. Rebirth of Voldemort

Oh, Snape! Voldemort’s return undoubtedly belongs somewhere in the Top 5 moments of “Harry Potter.” The movie lives up to the eerie descriptions written in “The Goblet of Fire” and seeing them come to life on screen was huge. Harry witnesses the return of his (and pretty much everyone else’s) enemy, made possible by his own blood. He then gets a good look at the identity of a few Death Eaters, confirming some long-standing suspicions, and fights the Dark Lord himself. Sure, he has a little bit of help, but his quick return to the Triwizard Tournament with the body of his fallen mate, Cedric, is more important than sticking around Tom Riddle Senior’s grave and fighting an impossible battle at the moment with You-Know-Who.

3. Sectumsempra: Harry shanks Draco *spoiler*

Unless you’re a self-proclaimed Slytherin, chances are you’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter have hated each other from the very beginning, and seeing them duel with no restrictions on screen in “Half Blood Prince” will be great (especially if you’re ready to see Malfoy put in his place). Of course, in the book, we know it gets a little out of control when Harry casts a spell he doesn’t understand, and cuts Draco wide open with some serious Dark Magic. He immediately regrets it, realizing he’s gotten in over his head, but the audience is still left with the thrill of knowing what Harry is capable of. This scene has some serious promise for the film.

2. Wizard Duel

Everyone has always understood that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore must be an exceptional wizard to be the headmaster of Hogwarts. What no one had gotten to see up until this point in “Order of the Phoenix” is Dumbledore prove it. Of course the duel was awesome to read about, but seeing Dumbledore and Voldemort duke it out on screen was out of this world. After all, Dumbledore is the only one Voldemort has ever feared, and this scene revealed exactly why.

1. Snape Kills Dumbledore *extreme spoiler!*

For those who aren’t expecting it, and for those who are, this scene on film is sure to be the most important moments so far in the “Harry Potter” series. For those audience members who haven’t read the books, it will be a huge blow, and we’re sure it will still be an emotional moment for those who have. Even if you know why it’s happening, it doesn’t take away the tragedy of losing Dumbledore, the most trustworthy, knowledgeable, and powerful wizard Harry has on his side. From here on out, Harry is more or less on his own.

We can only hope that “The Half Blood Prince” lives up to our wildly high expectations. What moments from the six movies out so far do you believe should be on this list?

While on an epic quest to discover the keys to creating successful web content and setting oneself up as an Internet star, Blast found two things: traditional media wishes it was as popular as online media, and our generation has little to no attention span.

Webisodes are hugely popular at the moment, and when Blast talked to Michael Buckley, from the “What the Buck Show,” Chris Hardwick, the host of the new G4 show “Web Soup,” and Christine Tse Kuecherer, from Take180.com, all three sources agreed that the success lies in the timing.

Take180.com creates Web series fed by viewer participation, like “Electric Spoofaloo,” but none are longer than 180 seconds. Christine Tse Kuecherer, Marketing Director at Take180.com, explained the reasoning for the time limit: “I think one thing we’re seeing with web video in general is that people may not have the long attention span that they might have with television. A great example is Hulu. They highlight Saturday Night Live skits and TV shows. That’s why we’re ‘Take180′ and nothing is over 180 seconds.”

The same concept applies to YouTube videos, and really any other content on the Internet. News ratings have plunged over the years, and it’s really no wonder why.

Michael Buckley blames the drop entirely on the Internet.

“I think people are just on their computers all day,” Buckley said. “They like to just read the little blurb, or they like to go online and see like a little one and a half to three minute video summary. They don’t want to watch thirty minutes, they just want ‘BAM BAM BAM.’ That’s what they want. Our attention span is so terrible anyway.”

While audiences don’t want to wait around to listen to all of the news, the web isn’t about to replace television as a whole any time soon. However, more and more television shows are beginning to produce their own webisodes and create extra content to keep their computer-loving viewers interested.

Kuecherer pointed out shows like “Heroes,” which have uploaded webisodes between regular episodes to keep fans coming back for more.

“TV is realizing that the web is a good way to get fans more interested “" they’re coming out with extra webisodes and back stories to create more interest,” Kuecherer said.

Buckley believes that TV will simply transform just a little more to cater to our culture’s growing need for speedy entertainment.

“Webisodes will probably be regular TV programming at some point,” he said. “The TV timeslots now are so strange, a lot of shows are like an hour and seven minutes or shows on cable channels are like 22 minutes, so I think that TV is going more the way of the web, and on demand. So I think it will definitely be an option to see five minute segments of all types of programming down the line.”

Television producers and writers have obviously noticed the trend, which can only explain the start up of a new spin-off of E!’s “The Soup” “" “Web Soup.” There’s enough interest in viral videos and webisodes online that now TV wants a piece of it too.

Chris Hardwick, tech expert and co-host of G4′s “Attack of the Show,” is now the host of the channel’s “Web Soup,” which is currently the top-ranked comedy podcast right now on iTunes.

Hardwick credits the web video craze to our culture’s descent into geekdom. “We’re coming back to that original definition of geek. A geek used to be a carnival performer who bit the heads of chickens and snakes, and now we’re back to where geeks put videos of themselves online where they’re biting heads off chickens and snakes. Geek culture is pop culture now. I had to suffer from it in grade school.”

And now he hosts his own show. “Take that, guy who stuffed me in a trashcan!”

“Web Soup” takes a critical look at viral videos and other random web hilarity out there with the intermittent appearance of guest celebrities like “Weird Al” Yankovic and the fill-in comedy sketch every now and then. The show won’t completely focus on videos, however.

“Someone had put a mixer online that was a soundboard of David Lee Roth,” Hardwick said. “If you can find it via the Internet, it’s fair game.”

Blast was fortunate enough to speak with Mike Welch, who plays the Twilight Saga’s lovable human Mike Newton, today about the hype around “Twilight” and it’s upcoming sequel “New Moon” his work with charity, and… meth labs?

BLAST: So how was shooting in Vancouver different from Portland?

MW: Vancouver is one of my favorite cities, not only to film in but just to be in. I’ve shot a few different things over there over the past 10 years. I mean, Portland is great, there’s some great poetry and a great book store up there, but Vancouver, there’s just something about the way the city feels… That’s just the differences in the city, the differences in the films themselves, I mean, totally different. By the time “New Moon” rolled around, we tried to keep it as big a secret as we could [our locations], but it was impossible because all it took was one person to spot Rob or Taylor on the street and in 20 minutes there were hundreds of people there and there was paparazzi there and you know, it was just much more of an ordeal.

BLAST: Speaking of Portland, are you going to be at the Twilight Vampire Baseball Event?

MW: Over the July 4th weekend? Yeah yeah, it’s for charity, it’s a Make-A-Wish event.

BLAST: And you’ve done charity work before. You did environmental charity right?

MW: I won some sort of environmental award for some reason a couple years back… I guess since I drive a Prius or something. I mean a made a couple of environmental videos.

The main charity I’ve been with is Kids with a Cause, and we’re a multi-cause charity, but the ultimate goal is to help kids in need. We started out as a local charity, visiting like, orphanages, burn centers, etc. Now we’re trying to go international and help kids that need some of the basic fundamental things in life so they can pursue their own happiness. It’s been very rewarding

BLAST: So there’s Team Edward shirts, Team Jacob thongs, even Team Tyler’s Van merchandise -”" any Team Mike stuff popping up?

MW: There has been a little bit of Team Mike that I’ve seen. I’ve seen a couple t-shirts, but it was mostly my friends making fun of me [laughs]. I do get people every now and then telling me they are on Team Mike.

BLAST: If you had to pick a side, would you really be Team Mike, or choose between Edward and Jacob? Or are you contractually obligated like I’m guessing Kristen is to be ambiguous?

MW: I actually… between Edward and Team Jacob, I’m actually Team Jacob. I like Edward, but I… and I think it’s more of a gender thing more than anything else. I think Jacob represents more of a practical relationship, so I’d go Jacob -”" but if there is a legitimate Team Mike that emerges, I will be happy to join it.

BLAST: Bella does some crazy stuff in “New Moon.” Did you do anything so daring in high school?

MW: You know, [laughs] one thing that I used to do was go into the local high school with my car with my friend in the passenger seat and do really lame donuts and stuff and every now and then I’d get into little shenanigans like that. The most dangerous thing I did as a kid was, my grandma lived in the senior center, well not a senior center, more of a neighborhood. [Laughs] This is just so lame I can’t believe I’m telling you, anyway, and kids weren’t allowed to walk around unattended so my cousin and I would just walk around and avoid security.

BLAST: That’s pretty bad ass.

MW: Oh now that I think of it “"- when I was a kid, I actually grew up in a mobile home and there was actually what I later discovered to be meth lab right across from me. My neighbor and I would play cops and bad guys and we would spy on them and follow them around and stuff because we knew they were bad, but we had no idea.

BLAST: So has that ass shaking dance [from outside of the diner in "Twilight"] always won you the girls?

MW: Oh sure, that thing has followed me around like you wouldn’t believe [laughs]. No, nothing like that ever seemed to work in real life. I was similar to Mike Newton in high school — I hope I wasn’t that annoying — but that was my angle: “I’m the quirky guy, love me please.” But that never quite worked.

BLAST: So you said at some point they almost didn’t include the movie scene in New Moon? What’s that about?

MW: You know it’s a tricky thing when you try and turn a book into a movie because a movie is only two hours and there’s only so much you can fit in, but yeah, what they originally did was they took that moment between Jacob and Bella and put it in a different scene of the movie. Luckily Taylor and Kristen lobbied that scene for me to Chris Weitz saying it absolutely had to be in, and it’s a good scene. They weren’t really lobbying for me, it’s just, how can you not have that scene in there? Yeah, so I was really happy to hear that, and it was great for me because I got to do Mike’s best scene in the book.

BLAST: Any secrets from the “New Moon” set? Like maybe Justin Chon is really diva?

MW: Well I can tell you that Justin Chon actually has 3 nipples.

BLAST: You’re definitely making that up.

MW: Yeah. [Laughs] It’s funny, because that’s the thing everyone’s looking for, something to say, but these are pretty uncontroversial people.

BLAST: I guess that’s why pictures of the cast smoking cigarettes on set became some big scandal?

MW: Yeah, that’s about as scandalous as it gets.

Who wants to start this “legitimate” Team Mike already?

So it’s been common knowledge for a while that “Eclipse” the third installment of the “Twilight” saga, will definitely make it to the big screen; however, there has been some speculation about “Breaking Dawn” the fourth and final book.

Although it has been mentioned by the cast, and rumored around the Internet, Summit Entertainment has not confirmed anything yet. However, Summit recently sent out an open casting call for the roles of Seth and Leah Clearwater in “Eclipse” inviting actors and actresses to send in audition tapes reading the given scenes. The scenes clearly portray plot lines from “Breaking Dawn.” Are you thinking what we’re thinking?

Take a look at the casting call, as well as the scenes, and let us know what you think.

Looking for fame? Well, you’re in luck. Six Flags, Inc., in conjunction with MGM Pictures, has just announced their “Fame National Talent Search” a multi-city talent search in honor of the highly anticipated remake “Fame” that will give talented actors, musicians, singers, and dancers their chance at real fame.

Six Flags theme parks in San Antonio, Dallas, New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta and St. Louis will participate in the search beginning this July, giving competitors a chance to win a trip to the finals at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles. One grand-prize winner in LA will win a trip to Hollywood to meet with a major studio executive and talent agent, as well as $5,000 cash, and other various prizes from promotional partners.

Mike Vollman, Executive Vice-President of Marketing, MGM stated in a recent press release, “Partnering on a summertime talent search with Six Flags is the perfect opportunity for ‘Fame.’ Giving millions of patrons an opportunity for a real shot at fame in parks across the country will mean that one lucky winner truly deserves it.”

Set to release in September of this year, “Fame” directed by Kevin Tancharoen, will be a recreation of the original Oscar-winning 80′s classic of the same title that followed a group of talented students at New York City High School of Performing Arts over the course of four years “" the original “High School Musical” if you will.

Even before “Twilight” was ever made into a movie, fans have predicted and speculated on who they want to see portray each role in the saga. The most recent cast suggestion — Channing Tatum as vampire Riley — came from “Twilight” and “New Moon” screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg.

“Eclipse” the third installment of the “Twilight” saga will bring a few important new characters into the story, including the ravenous young vampire, Riley, who Melissa Rosenberg believes should be played by Channing Tatum. The 29 year old actor of “Step Up” and “Fighting” fame might have a lot to bring to the “Twilight” franchise, but Twilighters have someone else in mind.

Evil Iguana Productions’ Craig Deering has become a favorite of “Twilight” fans over the past few months after his role as James in EIP’s “Twilight” parody video, his appearance at the TwilightLive DVD release party in New York City and his upcoming appearance at TwiCon with fellow EIP member, Allen Murphy.

Twilighters are now showing their love for Deering by campaigning for him to appear in “Eclipse” as Riley. When HisGoldenEyes.com, one of the series’ most popular websites, ran a story on Tatum’s possible role in the film, the comment section was overwhelmed with votes for Deering to portray the character instead.

For example:

by amanda @ 01 May 2009 05:57 pm

by Blue @ 01 May 2009 06:04 pm

NO CHANNING! but I would see the movie five more times if Craig was cast! That would be seriously awesome and we know he actually can act… Summit should get on that pronto!

Hahaha I love Craig.

and

by ROLO @ 01 May 2009 06:05 pm

OME, Evil Iguana Productions? That would be so cool! Lol. I don’t know about Channing, I always thought of Riley as thin and lean, like a teenager for some reason. Plus, Channing reminds me of last semester’s health teacher. And that’s just … weird. Especially in that photo. Lol. =P

In that case, the buff Channing Tatum should probably step aside for the charmingly lanky Craig Deering.

Blast asked Deering himself what he has that Tatum doesn’t.

“I may not be able to swoon girls with my sweet dance moves or survive underground boxing” Deering replied, “however, I would bring a fresh approach to the character I am sure fans could appreciate.”

And the fans definitely do appreciate Deering already. Another comment on the story said “NO CHANNING! but I would see the movie five more times if Craig was cast! That would be seriously awesome and we know he actually can act… Summit should get on that pronto!”

Right now it is just another “Twilight” rumor going around, but Deering would be more than willing to make it a reality, as he said he would be “definitely all for it” given the chance to audition.

He gave Blast this heads up: “I’m actually planning a video campaign with two of my friends as a result of fans telling us we should audition, so they should keep their eyes on YouTube for that.”

And he just might be able to get Summit’s attention for that audition with enough fan support, which he has full faith in.

“The amount of dedication these fans have is amazing” Deering said, “and the amount of work they are putting into saying what they want is helping a lot.”

Has Deering got what it takes to step it up and beat out Channing Tatum for the role? Let Blast (and Summit) know what you think by leaving a comment below.

One of the greatest parts of literature has always been its ability to transport people into other worlds.

In an age where people have films and video games to do the imaging for them, a new type of literature is emerging to bring the characters and stories into the reader’s world for a change. Sean Stewart, Jordan Weisman and Cathy Briggs, the co-authors, illustrators, and creators of a book series with a fully functioning understand the need for this change and have fused the gap between books, technology and their audience with their novels “Cathy’s Book,” “Cathy’s Key” and the upcoming “Cathy’s Ring.”

The “Cathy” series is part of a new genre dubbed “interactive fiction” and comes complete with working telephone numbers, websites and e-mail addresses — bringing the characters to life in the reader’s world. “Cathy’s” author, Sean Stewart claimed, “This kind of interactive entertainment will surely be to the 21st century what film was to the 20th in terms of being the defining art form.”

From what Blast has seen so far, there’s a definite possibility for this prediction to become reality.

The idea behind interactive fiction was born in 2001 when Stewart was hired to be involved in a project building a fully functional online world surrounding the Stephen Spielberg movie “A.I.” The project, dubbed “The Beast” due to its dauntingly huge list of requirements, entailed creating the world of this movie so that even five months before it came out, people could go to the website, which was according to Stewart, “literally hundreds or thousands of web pages deep”.

“You’ll go to a person’s blog and it’ll look like a real blog, except in the future . . . it’ll have a link of where they went to school, which then has links for 60 or so departments, all of which are up and running. When you e-mail these people, they will e-mail you back. We’re going to create a world and actually let you touch it. Instead of watching what happens to Lucy when she goes through the wardrobe to Narnia, we’ll let you go through the wardrobe yourself and see and touch Narnia as much as you can.”

The problem was, once the movie came out and the project was finished, it was left for dead. Stewart found himself and his colleagues saying, “that was really cool but now it’s over and people can’t play anymore because it’s over,” so they had no choice but to move on.

In creating “Cathy’s Book” and the subsequent sequels, Stewart and Weisman wanted to make sure that people could come across the series five years later and still play along. Running Press is set to release “Cathy’s Ring,” the third book in the New York Times bestselling teen trilogy. Despite the approaching end to the series, people will be able to enjoy the interactivity for a long time to come. The co-authors also wanted to make sure that it could stand alone as any other book would without the addition of its real-life communicative capabilities.

“We built it with a very simple premise: if all you ever did was just read the words of the book, that should be a great experience and you should feel fully satisfied, that by itself, should work as a book,” they said.

And it does. The story on its own is compelling and relatable, yet wildly fantastic — ready to compete with any other young adult series out there, complete with immortal boyfriends, Asian assassins, and witty banter. However, despite the inherent fantasy of the plot, opening the book itself brings you into a strange false sense of reality.

The series’ illustrator, Cathy Briggs, had a lot to do with this. Each page’s margins are covered in sketch-like illustrations, as if the artistic Cathy Vickers — the protagonist — drew these doodles while writing in her journal. Each drawing carries significance to what is happening on the particular page, and every now and then there will be little scratched in commentaries about what is printed.

Needless to say, Stewart and Briggs had to work together on this one. Stewart explained the process, saying “Jordan Weisman and I will usually talk about what we’re thinking of doing in a book and then I will go off and write the book and then send in a manuscript and we’ll go through revisions. Then I’ll sit down and write down some ideas for illustrations.”

After jotting down the ideas, Stewart and Brigg would collaborate on what drawings to include on each page, and were definitely on the same page about one aspect of the illustrations: they should not interrupt the reading of the story.

“A lot of the doodles and illustrations should be in the background and a second read, not a distraction, but yeah, we worked quite closely on developing what those illustrations should be,” Brigg explained.

Stewart conveyed the same idea: “It works the same way that a soundtrack in a movie does”.

Even as a background, it is hard not to consider how time consuming illustrating every page of a novel could be.

“It was quite intense,” Brigg admitted. “My hand was definitely falling off by the end. Some of them look quite sketchy — very crude, almost — but even so, they take quite a lot of time.”

You might have noticed the “Cathy” similarity as well – it’s no coincidence, Cathy the character is based off of Cathy the illustrator.

NEW YORK — Anyone can hear the talent and potential of Bobby Long on his MySpace or his iTunes single “Left to Lie,” but there is no way to fully understand how far this boy will go until seeing him perform live. There’s something about his humble, apologetic humor that endears him to audiences, and something about the honesty and vulnerability of his music that captivates and moves them as well. The contrast in the two makes for an absolutely great performance. One minute the audience is giggling in response to Bobby’s impression of Justin Timberlake (his version of “Cry Me a River” may or may not have been better than the original) and then next they are completely silenced by the haunting lyrics of a new song.

Blast Magazine got to witness Bobby Long perform live three times in New York City this week and sit down with him for an interview.

The last time Blast spoke with Bobby, things were just beginning for him. “It was just after the premiere so I was just realizing what stuff was like,” he said, “but it’s been great, it’s just grown and grown … since Christmas we decided to come to America, and this is what’s happened.”

Long has been receiving a lot of attention lately, in part due to the release of his first single, “Left to Lie,” on iTunes. The first day the song was out, it climbed the charts. “It was really cool. It went up to No. 8 on the Folk chart which was really great because it didn’t have any advertising at all, just word of mouth, really. Just being up on that list with all these incredibly famous folk musicians — not like lightly famous — but these incredibly famous folk musicians and having my name there as well was just really, really good feeling. Really unbelievable though, as well.”

With all this great publicity, Bobby was still surprised to find that he’s already being recognized.

“One girl called my name out in the street — that was weird, and it scared the hell out of me. She just yelled ‘Bobby!’” 

Long’s first gig in the U.S. was in a charmingly shady dive of a bar in Alphabet City, Manhattan. With a maximum capacity of about 150 people, the venue filled up pretty quickly and had to eventually turn some away. Once Long arrived, the room was lined with women (and a few men). Some pushed up against the windowed wall, some crammed almost up to the low stage, face-to-face with Long, himself.

“It was a little bit overwhelming,” he said of the crowd, “but it’s just nice. People coming to my shows.”

His set included most of his MySpace songs, as well as his single “Left to Lie.” He also introduced a few new songs such as “Who Have You Been Loving,” which will appear on the demo CD and “Two Years Old,” which Long said he hopes to release as his next single on iTunes.

“I like that one a lot. It’s kind of annoying. I wish it was on the CD, but I wrote it literally last week and on the plane over here I was learning the lyrics.”

Long also played two shows at Arlene’s Grocery, a great venue, which was larger and still packed. When asked if he would play even bigger venues still on his tour this summer, he said, “to be honest, as long as people show up, I don’t think it matters where you play.”

And it seems that wherever Bobby Long plays, people are going to show up.

While in the states, the Brit has been in “endless meetings,” with magazines and music labels.

“To be honest at the moment I think the ball is in my court,” Long revealed when asked whether or not he thought he would be signed by the summer, “and there’s no need for me to rush into anything. If I find the right person then I’ll sign tomorrow.”

For now, he just plans on finishing up this mini-tour of the states, continuing to go solo (although he has played a few gigs with a pianist called Alex Starling back in London), and embarking on his full blown tour of the U.S. this summer.

He’ll meet up for a few gigs with Sam Bradley and Marcus Foster over the course of the tour. “At the same time I think we want to keep our stuff quite separate.”

To hear Bobby’s music or find out about tour dates, check http://www.myspace.com/musicbobbylong and check out his single “Left to Lie” on iTunes.

Something pale white and ice cold has allegedly been lurking the halls of Boston Latin, a prestigious Massachusetts exam school, and it’s not just the Bostonian students and faculty. In attempts to quell rumors and comfort parents, the headmaster of Boston Latin sent a notice out to all students, faculty and parents, stating that rumors involving vampires had spread through the school and that no one’s safety had in fact been in jeopardy. Notice that the administration never actually denied the presence of vampires at the school.

Fans of “Twilight” know what this vague, reassuring statement means: The Cullens are currently living in Boston. There is no other way to explain this situation. Obviously no one is in danger because they would never feed on human blood, and in fact, they are actually protecting Boston Latin from bad vampires. After all, the Volturi (the evil vampire equivalent to the mob) is from Italy and might be interested in a school named “Boston Latin.” Obviously, the police are still way off track, looking to “goth” students as possible sources of the rumors. We know better. If you want to find the vampires – look to the wealthy, good looking students who keep to themselves.

For now, Cullen clan, you secret is safe with us.

On a side note, it is actually refreshing to see that students these days are becoming more creative, because honestly, rumors about vampires are way more exciting than teen pregnancy.

As April approaches, bringing Bobby Long and Sam Bradley to US shores, more details have been finalized concerning their tour. Not only will Bobby Long be in the States this Easter, but he will also be touring the country later in the summer after appearing as a musical guest alongside Marcus Foster at the eagerly anticipated Twicon “Twilight” convention, in Dallas.

Blast Magazine will have the chance to speak with Long again this April, so if you have any burning questions, go ahead and submit them below. In the mean time, Bobby’s manager, Phil Taylor, passed this message along:

“Bobby has several US labels looking at him right now. It would be a huge help if any one who is not already a “friend” of Bobby’s on MySpace would send him a request as soon as possible so that the numbers go up. As ever
you can stop in and say hello at www.myspace.com/musicbobbylong.

Bobby is in the process of making a DVD which will include the video for “Left To Lie” interviews and several other tracks recorded live in Soho, London.

The single “Left to Lie” will be available on iTunes in the next two or three weeks.”

Here is the completed list of dates:

April 13: Lakeside Lounge NY.
April 14: Arlenes Grocery NY 21+
April 16: Hotel Cafe LA 21+
April 17: WHISKEY A GO GO 18+ (EXTRA SHOW)
April 22 and 23: Lindsey Bar Nashville 21+
April 23 and 23: Lindsey Bar Nashville 21+ (EXTRA SHOW)

July, August and September Gigs Proposed and Booked:

July 29: Twicon Film Event Dallas BOOKED
August 1: Twicon Film Event Dallas BOOKED
August 2: Austin Room 710 BOOKED
August 3: Phoenix
August 4: Phoenix
August 5: LA
August 6: LA
August 7: SAN FRANCISCO VENUE ON OFFER
August 8: SAN FRANCISCO
August 9: Portland
August 10: Seattle
August 12: Hi- Dive Denver BOOKED
August 13: The Loft, Colorado Springs BOOKED
August 15: Memphis
August 16: Nashville
August 17: Nashville
August 18: Atlanta
August 19: Tampa
August 20: Miami
August 27: Detroit
August 28: Chicago
August 29: Washington
August 30: Boston
September 3: New York
September 4: New York
September 5: New York

You’d have a lot of be fired up about if you were Hayley Marie Norman this year. An up-and-coming actress, Norman has and will continue to show her diversity and talent as an actress in 2009, including roles in the TV series “Crash,” an upcoming film “Nephilim,” and “Fired Up,” which is in theatres now.

“Fired Up,” released on February 20th, is a teen comedy about two high school jocks who decide to ditch football camp to join the girls at cheer camp, is Hayley Marie Norman’s first major film, and might have been as fun to film to make as it was to watch.

“Filming was so fun because before we started, we got to go to cheer camp for a month,” Norman said on preparing for the film.

Although she didn’t have any previous experience with cheering, Norman found the situation a little ironic: “It’s so amazing how things have come full circle – I had to choose between cheer camp and acting and I always felt bad about having to choose.”

Just as brutal as any cheer camp could be, the actors had to begin doing stunts on the very first day; nevertheless, joined by professional dancers and cheerleaders, the cast somehow came out of camp (and filming) unscathed.

“We all did come out with tons of bruises,” she said, “but how did nobody get seriously hurt?”

Despite Hayley’s obvious sense of humor, she can hang with the best when it comes to drama. Proving herself in a recurring role on the TV series “Crash,” a spin-off of the Oscar-winning film, Hayley will have a chance to show her talent in a second season.

As far as what can be expected for the upcoming season, Hayley only said, “you never really know what’s going to happen, but my character is definitely a bad girl.”

In Hayley’s next project, an action flick titled “Nephilim,” she will portray an angel.

“What it really boils down to is good versus evil,” Norman said. “All of the biblical stories you hear about are personified by these characters in the movie.”

Hayley also has her eye on a future book to movie adaptation: “The Garden of Last Days,” set to release in 2011. “I’m going to start lobbying for it now,” she laughed.

With her recent successful and upcoming projects, Hayley Marie Norman is definitely seeing opportunities open up to her, and will most likely continue to do so in the future. She’s in love with the art, and will cause audiences to fall in love with her as a result.

“I honestly feel really blessed to be in the position I’m in. I love working, I love making movies, I love becoming a family with the different casts and crews you work with – it’s so fun for me,” Norman said. “It’s really my life right now, it’s sort of my business, and besides that I’m really down to earth girl.”

After countless rumors have been spread about who might join in the next “Twilight” film, “New Moon” (including Madonna), one new cast member has finally been confirmed.

Dakota Fanning has now officially joined the “New Moon” cast to play the evil young vampire Jane.

As usual, some Twilighters are ecstatic, some furious, and some ready to go along with whatever comes their way; however, this development is far less controversial than some other changes to the saga over the past few months, including a new director, the whole Michael Copon/ Jacob situation, and the loss of Solomon Trimble as Sam.

Of course, the rumors continue on, predicting that Fanning might join Twilight’s Kristen Stewart in the upcoming Joan Jett biopic, “The Runaways”.

“New Moon” is scheduled for theatrical release Nov. 20.

Who would have thought this time last year that Robert Pattinson would be presenting at the Oscars?

“Twilight”, with the help of millions of screaming girls, has brought Bert a long way. He was in surprising demand to be interviewed considering the superstars present at the event, and one channel even cut away from an interview with the “Slumdog Millionaire” kids to show him posing for pictures along the red carpet. That’s a big deal because those kids were an adorable favorite for the night.

It was a pleasant surprise, no doubt, to thousands of girls out there (and probably his managers as well) to see that his beloved, trademark locks are growing back in quickly for the upcoming filming of New Moon in March. Wearing a classic black tux and skinny bow tie, Rob showed us he really can clean up well. He even shaved off most of the surprisingly sexy hobo beard he had forming.

After walking the red carpet, which was much calmer than I’m sure he’s used to, being free of fangirls, Rob could be seen sitting almost directly behind Mickey Rourke during the show (note: Rob Pattinson had a better seat than Tina Fey who was about two rows behind him. How did that happen?). Rob took the stage with Amanda Seyfried from “Mama Mia!” to introduce a montage of what Romance looked like in film in 2008. After a few lines, and a few chuckles from the audience, it was hard not to wonder what happened to Rob’s accent. Was he channeling Edward Cullen to dazzle the audience? It just might have worked.

At the Vanity Fair after party, Pattinson could be seen chatting with fellow heartthrob Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. What some teens out there wouldn’t give to find those three in one room…

Note: Please do not save these photos and re-post them on your own website. We purchased the rights to use these photos on Blast.

There were two questions running through everyone’s mind at the‚  81st Academy Awards: 1. Who will take home the most awards — Slumdog Millionaire or Benjamin Button, and 2. Why is Philip Seymore Hoffman wearing that beanie?

Fashion has always been a huge part of the hype surrounding the Academy Awards and Sunday was no different. With Hollywood’s brightest stars walking the red‚  carpet in their finest, we can always expect to see some characters.

Best of the Evening

Taraji P. Henson

With a white, curve-hugging dress by Alberta Ferretti, Taraji keeps you captivated from head to toe. A stunning, sharp necklace contrasts with the dress as it softly unfolds into a train.
Anne Hathaway

This lucky lady actually got to wear two dresses at the Academy Awards tonight. Her red carpet dress by Armani kept with the neutral tones of the evening, fishtailing at the bottom with bright paillettes throwing light and intrigue into her look. Once on the stage with Hugh, you might have noticed she changed into something a little more danceable, but no less charming.
Angelina Jolie

Less is more. Angelina kept it simple and striking with a black Elie Saab gown, and green Lorraine Schwartz jewelry. There’s really not much to say about how this woman constantly keeps up her track record for being undeniably attractive. Not to mention the arm candy that never goes out of style – Brad Pitt.
Freida Pinto

Despite being part of the stand-out movie of the year, Freida could have been spotted anywhere on the red carpet with her deep blue, one sleeved John Galliano gown. She looked timelessly beautiful, which was fitting considering her diamond ring was 150 years old.

Penelope Cruz

Another neutral color, but by no means plain. Penelope’s dress was vintage, ruched, and brilliantly embellished. It’s hard to believe, but this dress has waited in the shop for Penelope for 8 years. We’re glad she found it again.

Hugh Jackman

He was just too brilliant to look anything but spectacular. It might have been the song and dance that blinded us, but his simple, sharp tux really looked great on a stage worthy of the old glamorous Hollywood.

Robert Pattinson

We can’t help but mention our new favorite Brit. In a classic old-school tux with a skinny bow tie, Rob showed us how well he can clean up. Not only did he shed a bit of his new beard, but also a bit of his British accent for presenting this evening.

Worst of the Evening

Jessica Biel

Although white might have been in this year, Biel missed the target with this shape-contorting block by Prada. With one of the best bodies in Hollywood, it’s a shame she decided to cover those curves up with this tiered mess of extra material.

Tilda Swinton

Why would such a dignified woman and actress dress in something that made her look like a cigarette? The black and grayish-white number by Lanvin left her skin looking even more pale than normal and reduced her figure to one hard line.

Mickey Rourke

It’s hard to say this is one of the worst when he’s donning a necklace in memory of his dear Loki, but alas, it’s true. His white Jean Paul Gaultier number definitely shows the gusto we expect from Rourke, not to mention the random chains and wicked witch of the west shoes that we should have expected, really.

Sarah Jessica Parker

This “barely mint” Dior Haute Couture strapless seems like a shout out to her recurring character Carrie Bradshaw. It definitely makes her cleavage “barely” avoidable, but in conjunction with her overstated makeup, leads us to remember that Carrie often wore some pretty ugly (though supposedly fashion forward) stuff.

Sophia Loren

It’s hard to put into words really – and it seems it must have been hard to put into fabric. A neutral, yellowish, puffy octopus inspired dress oozed around Sophia while sallowing her skin color and clashing with her hair.

Heidi Klum

Think origami inspired ’80s Jetsons and you’ve imagined Heidi Klum’s red Roland Mouret gown. Bold, yes. Tacky? Just maybe. Fashion forward? I guess we’ll see in a century or two.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

We saved the best for last. Sure, the tux was normal, but we kept getting distracted by the beanie. With sweeping locks falling from underneath the hat, we figure that maybe he’s trying out the young look we’ve seen so many of our heart throbs wear out on the towns, but at the Academy Awards? On Philip Seymour Hoffman. It just doesn’t add up.

Now let us know what you think. Were you as equally dazzled by our stars and starlets? Do you think Miley Cyrus deserved to be on this list in one way or another? Think the beanie was hot? Reveal your fashion highs and lows of the night below in the comment box.

Since publishing our last article about Bobby Long and friends, we’ve gotten a lot of responses from fans who were upset because New York and California were too far for them to travel to see Bobby play live, but professed their undying love in any case. This is your chance to prove that love, girls.

Blast just received this information from Phil Taylor, Bobby’s manager:

“Bobby Long is going to release at least two singles before he comes to America to play shows in April. He would like to say a huge thanks to the fans by letting them chose which song they want him to release first. This will be an acoustic track available from iTunes only. If enough people buy the song Bobby will chart in the US and in the UK. This will bring him to the attention of more fans and record labels – and speed up the delivery of a full album to you all!

If you would like to vote for a song please leave Bobby Long a Myspace message at www.myspace.com/musicbobbylong stating which of his own songs you would like to see released as his first single.”

You know what to do.

The Twilight Soundtrack has spent 12 straight weeks in the top 10 (settling currently at #5) and is about to break the record for the longest run in the top 10 since 8 Mile. For some artists included in the soundtrack, this might be old news, but for Sam Bradley, Bobby Long, and Marcus Foster, this could be a career jump starter, and we were lucky enough to talk to all three of them this week about their involvement in the Twilight soundtrack, their music, and their upcoming endeavors.

If you haven’t heard of them, these three Brits are friends and musical collaborators with Rob Pattinson, who performed their songs “Never Think” (co-written by Pattinson and Bradley) and “Let Me Sign” (written by Foster and Long) on the soundtrack.

Eager to get closer to anything Rob, Twilighters have shifted their die-hard gaze towards these three and have accidently stumbled into some really genuinely‚ good‚ music. Now before you listen, be aware that these aren’t the typical musicians you’d expect to gain worldwide attention from a teen phenomenon. We’re talking Tom Waits, Van Morrison, Jeff Buckley inspired music – not anything like the Disney pop Jo Bros or Miley Cyrus hits blaring in teen girls’ ear buds across the country (thank goodness). What makes Twilight so different from most teen phenomenons, and what I believe gives these boys so much hope, is the huge presence of twenty-something, even thirty-something fans that might have already grown up on this type of music. Either way, needless to say, the guys don’t mind the sudden influx of new fans.

“It’s put me on the map that’s for sure,” Long said. “I used to play 5 gigs a week for like 2 people because I always thought it was important to get an education in music and play for like nobody and learn how to play. Now all of a sudden. . .”. Now all of a sudden he has gone from around 50 plays a day on Myspace to around 700, and has girls screaming at his gigs in London – one girl even ran up to kiss him before being asked to leave. Unphased by his new audience, Long described the change: “Well, it’s nice. It’s really nice playing to people but it can be a bit uncomfortable. . . it’s not at the stage like Rob has it, though.”

At this point, it’s a good thing they’ve all witnessed Robert’s rocket to fame and how wild fans can be. “They’re insane,” Long laughed, describing Twilight fans, “but they’re funny and I think they’re aware they’re like that, so they have a sense of humor. But they’re all nice people”. Marcus recognizes how many of his new fans are Twiligthers as well; something hard to hide when they have profile pictures of Rob. “It’s crazy. I get lots of messages every day, it’s quite funny.”

Joking about the vivacity of the Twilight fans, and claiming he would never have‚ too‚ many fans, Sam stated, “if I was to be chased down by fans, that would be a good thing. It would be fun – I reckon I can run faster than them”. The three musicians even have a livejournal community dedicated to them – “land of dreamers”.

Just a year ago, none of them (not even Rob) could have expected they’d be talking about being overwhelmed by fans. Sam, Marcus, and Rob all went to school together in London and met Bobby by playing different venues when he came to London to study and do his music as well. “He was one of the guys playing at an open mic,” Sam said about meeting Bobby, “we looked at each other from across the room, our eyes met . . . and the rest is history”.

While Marcus has been playing for years, both Sam and Bobby have had late starts into musician-dom, not learning the guitar until 17. “It was something that just felt kind of natural,” Bradley said about playing. Long seems to have had a similar beginning: “I was just this shy, lead guitar player in like, grungy bands. . .I only starting singing about a year and a half ago, two years ago”. And thank goodness he did.

Despite their modest start, all three have big plans for the future.

Sam Bradley is in the studio all this week in Vancouver recording and then off to Paris to finish production for the rest of the month where he will meet up with Foster and Long to do back-up vocals.

“I heard about that,” Bobby said in reference to the collaboration in Paris. He didn’t hear it from Sam. “Someone else on Myspace told me”. Oh the wonders of the modern world.

“I just say it out loud and assume he knows it” Sam joked, proving their communication to be only a little strained from Vancouver to London with the help of loyal fans. Fortunately, Sam did e-mail Marcus to ask, and he’s confirmed he’ll be on board if he can get there.

Set on a tight schedule, Bradley has basically a month to get everything done. “I’m so tired, it’s been really good. We’re getting some really good stuff,” Bradley said in reference to the recordings. In addition to Marcus Foster and Bobby Long, Sam’s regular band will be playing on the album, and his sister will be providing some vocals as well. “It’s a mash of people playing, basically . . . everyone connected means something”.

As far as what can be expected on his new album, he stated, “there are lots of new songs, there are also some that have been on the Myspace but they’re different – it’s more professional.” Sam also disclosed that one fan favorite, and Sam’s personal favorite, “Sea Blue” will be appearing on the new album.

While in France, Bradley will also be playing at Kord Unplugged, right in the heart of Paris on February 12^th. “It’s going to be really intimate and really, really sexy,” Sam promised of the gig.

Currently working on a demo, Bobby Long is planning a trip to the states in April. This will be a crucial trip for Bobby, considering a great majority of his listeners are from the US (remember, Twilight was biggest here). He’ll also have the chance to meet with industry people and record labels. Arriving in New York on April 12^th, he’ll be playing at the Lakeside Lounge April 13^th‚ and Arlene’s Grocery on the 14^th. After that, he’ll be heading to Los Angeles, where he is still looking for venues: “we’re looking around, we have a few offers in LA but we’re looking for places to play on the 15^th‚ 16^th‚ and 17^th, so if anyone has any ideas. . .”.

If you do have any suggestions – feel free to leave them below in the comment box. Also, according to Sam, he “better be playing” in these gigs as well, so if you’re a fan it could be a great chance to see them both.

As far as New Moon goes, Bobby revealed that there were a few songs that he wrote with Marcus around the same time they wrote “Let Me Sign” that he thinks could be appropriate for the next Twilight installment, if they are asked to contribute.‚  Although they have talked about recording “Let Me Sign” themselves, Bobby and Marcus aren’t exactly how to work it out. “We don’t know whose album we’d put it on. Like, we kind of wrote songs together last year and that was one that we kind of gave to Rob. We preferred the other ones actually . . . maybe Rob can keep that one,” Marcus laughed.

Marcus, hoping to broaden his fan horizon from just Twilighters, will have another song featured in an upcoming movie. Starring Christopher Walken and Sharon Stone, the “Five Dollars a Day” soundtrack will include “Make it Easy”.‚  Foster also has an upcoming gig in Brighton on February 6^th, but has had his focus elsewhere for a while: “At the moment I’ve just been doing a lot of recording, and concentrating on that and also I’m trying to get a band together as well so I’ve been kind of waiting to get the right kind of group of people”. All this recording however, does mean he’ll have new songs to upload on his Myspace in the near future. This might come as bad news to all the fans that have grown to love the current songs listed there, but Marcus is excited about the change: “I’m actually quite tired of them at the moment, like, I’m looking forward to changing them in a week or so”.

This summer, all three are hoping to tour the states together. “We had this amazing plan at the start where it was going to be US and go to Vancouver and rehearse and then get a car and then just drive down to America,” Bobby said laughing before revealing the more practical reality: “we’re just trying to get visas”.

The styles of their music vary slightly, as is to be expected with individual endeavors, but their musical collaborations are seamless. Their personalities obviously contribute to their charm, with Sam’s humor, Bobby’s sweetness and Marcus’ general mystery, there’s a strong balance between all three that makes them fascinating to listen to. And then, of course, let’s not forget the accents.

Whether there is more Twilight action to be expected or not, Sam Bradley, Bobby Long, and Marcus Foster are at the dawn of their careers. All three were very adamant about how much they appreciate the support and love they receive from their fans, so if you want to help along the chance that they might be able to tour in your city this summer, the best way to help that along would be to show your support at Bobby’s gigs in New York and Los Angeles this Easter.

Be sure to check out their Myspace pages:‚ 

Sam: www.myspace.com/sambradley06

Bobby:‚ www.myspace.com/musicbobbylong

Marcus: www.myspace.com/marcusfoster

The Boston Ballet, one of the leading dance companies in North America, returns to the Citi Wang Theatre this February with the annual performance of “The Nutcracker.”

The Ballet looks to have an impressive winter/spring season ahead under the leadership of the Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen.

“Our 2009 season is a noteworthy demonstration of the broad range of styles our Company excels in, and audiences will be exposed to a rare program line-up offering a rich history lesson of the art form and cutting-edge contemporary choreography, in addition to one of the great classical story ballets,” said Nissinen.

The season will commence with Jia Kylian’s “Black and White” program, which will make Boston Ballet the first company other than Nederlands Dans Theatre to perform the program. Including music by Mozart, Webern, Bach, and Reich, the five-part ballet plays with space, shape, and contrast to create what the Boston Globe described as a “dazzling” performance that challenges and enlightens.

George Balanchine’s “Jewels” will follow in late February, a three-part ballet that first opened in New York in 1967. “Jewels” provides a brief history of classical dance showcasing ballet’s French origin’s, Russia’s imperial influence, and Balanchine’s own style. The work emulates the elegance of 19th century France and is set to music by Gabriel Faure, Igor Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky.

“The Sleeping Beauty” — an audience favorite since 2005 — will open in April. Nissinen has reunited David Walker’s sets and costumes for this version of the ballet, which originated in the Royal Ballet. Set to Tchaikovsky’s brilliant score, “The Sleeping Beauty” is a fairytale of good, evil, and true love.

Boston Ballet’s “Ballets Russes Centennial Celebration” will conclude the spring season — a retrospective work paying tribute to the centenary of Serge Diaghilev. “Ballet Russes” became one of the most influential ballet companies in the 20th Century, known for its unparalleled technique and artistic collaborations. The program includes “The Prodigal Son,” “The Afternoon of a Faun,” “Le Spectre de la Rose,” and “Le Sacre du Printmps.” To compliment Boston Ballet’s program, “Ballet Russes 2009,” an eight day dance film festival will run May 16-23 in association with Boston University.

Tickets for season ballets can be purchased by phone at 866.348.9738, online at www.citicenter.org, or in person at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM box office, located at 270 Tremont Street in Boston’s Theatre District, open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Prices for season ballets start at $25. Discounted group tickets (10 or more) are available by calling Boston Ballet’s Group Sales at 617.456.6343. Rush tickets are available. Contact the Boston Ballet box office at 617.695.6955 or visit www.bostonballet.org for details.

On January 29, Friendship Home will be holding “The Groundbreaking Gala,” a fundraising event open to the public in hopes of being the final push to raising enough money to break ground on the Friendship Home facility.

Friendship Home will be located in Norwell, Mass. and aims to provide a safe environment for individuals with developmental disabilities to receive respite care and educational programming. Current programming includes recreational, social, and educational opportunities for adults with disabilities, but with the completion of the new facility, Friendship Home will be able to provide not only day and evening activities, but also overnight accommodations. Once completed, Friendship Home will be a two story, 12,600 square foot facility able to accommodate adults with disabilities for up to two weeks, giving them a safe and stimulating environment while providing respite for their caregivers.

The significance in a facility like Friendship Home is that most services for people with developmental disabilities drop off around the age of 22, since school programs provide a lot of help up until that age. Friendship Home, however, focuses on adults.

“It actually was started by two women, Wilma Goodhew and Joan Mullare, who are both parents of adult children with developmental disabilities. They spent a lot of time being very involved in advisory committees and parent support groups and through conversations with other families facing the same challenges, they decided to build a facility for programs and respite so if families had other things to attend to, their kids could have a safe, fun place to go” explained Lauren Payne, the Executive Director of Friendship Home, Inc., concerning the history of the group. Originally called The Friendship Club, Goodhew and Mullare’s community of friends would meet together for about four hours at a time, cooking meals, doing crafts, and participating in community service projects.

The fundraising event January 29 will be from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston. To purchase tickets for the event, which will be $100 a piece, visit www.friendshiphome.net.

Donated prizes for the event include a ride in the Goodyear Blimp, 4 Red Sox tickets and dinner with Time Rice, tickets to the U.S. Open, a trip to a vacation home in Nantucket, a signed guitar, and many others. Doris Buffet will also make an appearance, since part of the reason for the event was based on a challenge she set for Friendship Home.

“If we raise $450,000 by February 1st, she’ll give us an additional $250,000, which will allow us to finally break ground” Payne said.

The Sunday comics have always been the best, though in an increasingly paperless world, we often forget that the comic section even exists.

Now there’s a new comic strip to look forward to every Sunday without having to buy a paper: 6 or 7 Popes, a webcomic developed by You & What Productions, a group of college students mostly from Emerson University. Chaz Formichella and Matt Durman, the founders of You & What, came up with the comedy group for a speech class and through developing it, came up with “6 or 7 Popes”.

“We were actually talking about another idea. . . and in brainstorming ideas for that, we started talking about the Pope. We thought we could probably come up with 6 or 7 different popes, and really liked the sound of that, like what could they be — space pope, chocolate pope?‚  Well why is it 6 or 7? Well 2 of them would have to work together,” Formichella explained.

The popes live in an elaborately planned out universe where each pope represents a different world. There are five regularly sized popes: Birthday Pope, Chocolate Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, Space Pope and Ape Pope, and two tiny popes, with their own tiny subplot, that sometimes have to combine their powers to create one slightly larger pope. It all starts at a Popes of the Universe Convention, which suffers a surprise attack, leaving only our characters to fight for justice and Catholicism across space. Speaking of space, Space Pope happens to be a woman, making a statement on progression — maybe the sky’s the limit?

A few popes didn’t make the final cut; for example, Roomba Pope, which according to the comic combines “cleanliness and Godliness” in this bit.

Cleanliness is next to godliness

Every comic strip will contain the same popes, but there will be no continuous plot to save the world. “Each strip is a little window into the “6 or 7 Popes” world, so they don’t really build on each other. Eventually, and I don’t know when, we are going to put together a script and a plot for something big – like a graphic novel or maybe just a long series that we put online where we go into the actual story going on around the webcomic, sort of the origin story,” Formichella said enthusiastically.

For now, You and What will simply be trying to get out a strip a week while dealing with school and winter break. “It’s going to be weekly, we’re trying our hardest to keep it weekly since we’re all away from school right now. We’re trying to have one up each Sunday.”

With the ambitious goal of having a strip planned, drawn, and published each week, a lot of the work lies on You & What’s lone artist, Nick Mcgee, the only member of the group who doesn’t currently attend Emerson. Admitting to the pressure, McGee said “it is actually really hard at the moment. I’m kind of starting to find myself a routine to make sure I can get out all this artwork and do what I do all the time. The most stressful part is that I’m doing it all by hand.”

McGee explained his involvement in the project: “I met Matt, who was roommates with a guy I worked with at the time, and he said he had a project and found out I was an artist”. The guys meet once a week to write out the strip and revise it, though Chaz and Matt have a few back stocked just in case, and Nick scratches out a rough draft in pencil. “I just use pencil and marker and then we scan it in and Steve Donovan puts in all the text,” Nick explained. While his artwork is truly impressive, he’s actually new to comic-style illustrations.

“This isn’t necessarily the type of art I do – I haven’t actually done any comics before. I’ve done more serious work so this is my first time doing something comedy based with a group that’s producing something on a regular basis,” he said.

You & What Productions is growing, surpassing the numbers of their beloved popes to 8 or 9 members: Chaz Formichella, Matt Derman, Ed Reed IV, Nick Mcgee, Gaby Dunn, Steve Donovan, Charles Pieper, John Barrett and their most recent addition, Gregory Goodness. “6 or 7 Popes” has only been out for a month, but keep an eye out for updates each Sunday and future projects coming from You & What Productions including a podcast coming out this spring.

So MTV named Twilighters the collective Woman of the Year, and in all honestly, Blast Magazine can see why. This year we’ve covered Twilight mobbing in from San Francisco to Chicago, cast appearances, and the way Twilighters band together to get things done – and Twilighters have definitely made themselves known. It is safe to say that Twilighters have beat out Britney Spears in creating a buzz this year and they didn’t even have to shave their heads!

So as we say goodbye to 2008 and Blast’s second year, we would also like to thank the Twilighters out there for always checking out the Twilight news at Blast and passing it on. If it wasn’t for the Twilight Lexicon and Hisgoldeneyes.com posting news from Blast, I personally wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be Blast’s coolest (and only) intern. But as our entertainment editor and fellow resident Twilighter once said, “we want people to know that Blast is about more than Twilight and beer,” so continue to check us out for all your pop culture news and don’t forget to spread the word.

If you didn’t catch the acceptance speeches on MTV, here are a few Women of the Year, and one slightly disgruntled male Twilighter accepting this great honor through video submission.

Here is my submission, that MTV linked to in their Twilight Tuesdays blog:

With Christmas behind us and New Years upon us, now would be a good time to learn from holiday travel mistakes and not let the past repeat itself next year. Traveling at this time of year is always hectic — it should come as no surprise. Yet, somehow every year, thousands of people find themselves stranded or stressed out needlessly. There are three major mistakes that, if avoided, could remedy holiday headaches for everyone.

1. Underestimating Mother Nature.

Even if there’s no inclement weather canceling flights at the airport you’re departing from – flight cancellations always create an elaborate domino effect that can delay perfectly unrelated climates. Of course, this year no one was safe since Hell apparently froze over and snow even whitened Las Vegas and L.A. Arriving with plenty of time and knowing your options for wait lists and flight changes won’t always mean you’ll have trouble-free travel, but it’s the easiest way to help ensure you’ll get where you need to go.

2. Not Keeping the Kids Entertained.

What, you didn’t notice the tiny little punches at the back of your seat accompanied with “Are we there yet?”s and desperate cries to go home? Sure, not all kids are tough to travel with, but if you’ve got a full car or a long flight, you’ll be saving your sanity (not to mention all the people surrounding you) if you make sure to bring plenty of things to keep the kids entertained. There are a ton of easy solutions here: coloring books, crayons, books, etc. Thanks to technology, there are loads of even more effective tools, such as handheld DVD players, iPods, and the Nintendo DS. Now, if you’re lucky enough to be on an airline that provides it, wireless networking technology from D-Link allows air travelers to enjoy digEcor’s portable, lightweight in-flight entertainment players that provide passengers with a wide selection of movies, TV shows, music and games. With all of these gadgets, however, don’t forget to bring enough headphones and batteries to last you.

3. Not Understanding Travelers Insurance Needs or Coverage.

According to a new national survey on travel insurance issued by Trusted Choice and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”), millions of Americans have no clue when they might already be covered or where they might have gaps while on vacation. Big “I” President & CEO Robert A. Rusbuldt says ” The good news for consumers is that homeowner’s insurance policies may cover lost property, car insurance policies often offer the option of rental coverage, and medical policies usually have clauses that explain where and when you are covered”. Whether the airline loses luggage containing gifts, you’re renting a car, or doing daredevil ski jumps abroad, it’s going to help a great deal to know if you’re covered for any or all of these things beforehand.

So maybe while you’re toasting to the New Year (and then riding home with a designated driver‚ – don’t make another huge travel mistake) you might make a resolution to help yourself and all other travelers in the coming seasons by learning from your, and everyone else’s, travel mistakes.

Looking for a great place to rock around the Christmas tree this holiday season? Not looking to do it alone? Well, Forbes.com has unveiled its list of the 40 cities where you are statistically bound to find someone to meet you under the mistletoe.

Boston, home of Blast, was ranked lucky 7. Just barely beating New York City. To determine the rankings, Forbes looked at 40 of the largest cities in the US and ranked them according to “coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and number of singles”. Although some categories might leave you a little skeptical (“coolness” was determined by a poll that simply asked “Among the following U.S. cities, which one do you think is the coolest?”), the rankings are pretty interesting. Boston seems to fit rather fairly into the number 7 slot with a population of 4,058,570, with 29.09 percent of it being single.

Amongst the the criteria for ranking was online dating and Sam Yagan, owner of OkCupid.com and CrazyBlindDate.com which has a “chapter” in Boston, would have expected Boston to rank higher.

“It surprises me a little bit. I thought Boston would rank higher, just because there are so many young singles there and it’s such an easy place to be out and about,” Yagan said. Boston is one of the most popular cities on OKCupid.com for people between 18 and 34 he explained.

“The colleges absolutely have something to do with it. People who are in school are always dating – they are living in a dating bubble -there are lots of opportunities to get together, whether it’s parties or research around campus, and they have much more flexible schedule,” Yagan added, “On the other hand, the nightlife does tend to end a little early.”

That seems to be the main downside to Boston. Young adults are willing to stay out all night, but don’t really get that opportunity with Boston’s early bedtime – unlike New York, Las Vegas , and Miami, where the nightlife never ends. Boston’s saving grace in this category is its people. The night might end early, but the quality of the company might be a little higher than in other cities according to the polls.

“I’ve been single in both cities [Boston and New York] and I run a dating sight which also gives me insight,” Yagan said, “and I think that obviously NY nightlife goes much later, it’s usually 4 o’clock before most places think about closing, but Boston is more accessible and more casual. They’re not worried quite as much about what you wear, and in NY people are more focused on flaunting their wealth.”

Michael Winter, promoter for Saint one of Boston’s popular clubs, agrees. “As far as the people go, our people [Bostonians] tend to run clubs all over the country. Our people tend to be a lot more street smart and book smart. If you go to Vegas, a lot of the nightclubs there are run by Boston kids. I think we have a smarter breed … most of these kids have college degrees to boot. We’re a lot more real.”

Bostonians are apparently a lot more cultured, too, ranking second only to Los Angeles in the ranking’s categories. The Theatre District, array of musical groups and venues ranging from The Boston Symphony Orchestra to The Paradise have a lot to offer in the way of cultural diversity.

As Mark Twain once wrote, “In New York they ask ‘how much money does he have?’ In Philadelphia, they ask, ‘who were his parents?’ In Boston they ask, ‘how much does he know?’”. Boston is a thriving city of culture and colleges and a great place to meet other singles if you’re willing to spend a little quality time in a library or cafe rather than the discos.

Even though “Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince” was delayed to July, Potter fans will still get to see their favorite wizard on the big screen on its original release date.

Of course, it’s only a trailer, but we have to work with what we’ve got.

The HBP trailer will be played before the upcoming film Twilight, which moved from its original December release after the announced HBP delay.

At least we can be sure from this trailer that “The Half Blood Prince” will be well worth the wait.

Hundreds of Twilight fans were upset early Wednesday morning when they were turned away from Orland Square Mall in Chicago. Many came prepared to wait in the cold rain for hours, but that wasn’t necessary – mall security decided to sell the wristbands and t-shirts needed for entrance into Rob Pattinson’s presence early to avoid the same sort of fiasco that San Francisco fans experienced, but therein created a fiasco of their own. Wristbands that were not to be passed out until 7:30 that morning were gone by 2 AM.Liz Waters, who we’ve talked to before about her website twilight20somethings.com, was one of the many turned away this morning.

“It was only 1:15 and all these people were arriving and were so excited because there was no line and they thought they were first – but it was already sold out. There were people that had driven 10 hours to get there, and got there at the specified time, and were turned away.”

Security was strict in making sure all of the twi-fans left the premises, telling them that they were trespassing on mall property. Waters was confused by the mall’s change.

“We were told that we could start lining up at 4:30 and that anyone camping out before hand would be arrested. Instead, they gave wristbands to the people camped out at midnight and turned away the people following the rules.”

While anyone can attend the Q & A session with Rob later tonight, only those lucky 500 fans will be able to meet him or get a poster signed.

Michael Crichton, award winning author and filmmaker, best known for his work on “Jurassic Park” and the television series ER, died Tuesday in Los Angeles, after a private battle with cancer. He was 66.

Mr. Crichton’s success began with his first novel, and his first bestseller, “The Andromeda Strain,” which was published in 1969 while he was still in medical school at Harvard University. It was adapted to film by Universal three years later.

Although he didn’t stick with medicine, his experiences had a hand in the creation of ER, and science and technology were integral parts of his fiction. Some of his most popular works include: Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Prey, State of Fear and Next.

“Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand” his family said in a statement.

From the very start, the exciting nature of Mr. Crichton’s novels easily translated into screenplays, which led him to co-write, direct, and produce the adaptations of many of his own works and even get involved with other screenplays, such as Westworld in 1975 and Twister in 1996.

One of the most well known writers in the world, Mr. Crichton’s works have been translated into 36 languages. He even had a dinosaur named after him “" the ankylosaur, or the Crichtonsaurus bohlini.

He was a loving husband and father to his wife Sherry and daughter Taylor, and leaves behind a science fiction legacy that many will fall short of meeting.

A private funeral is planned.

And you were worried we wouldn’t tell you exactly where and how to get your chance to meet the Twilight cast.

Hot Topic just released the names of the malls the cast will be visiting. Now, before you scroll down, there are a few conditions. To meet Rob Pattinson or Kristen Stewart, you must be one of the first 500 people at the store and buy the $30 Twilight Tour T-shirt to get a wristband. For Taylor Lautner, Edi Gathegi, and Rachelle Lefavre, you need to be one of the first 750 people. No cameras will be allowed, but you can get one autograph on a poster Hot Topic provides.

If you’re thinking you might have to sleep outside of the mall the night before, you’re probably not far off.

For more information, visit http://community.hottopic.com/buzz/default.asp

11/10 – San Francisco, CA at Stonestown Galleria with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/10 – Seattle, WA at Southcenter Mall with Taylor Lautner “Jacob,” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/11 – Dallas, TX at Dallas Galleria with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/11 – Denver, CO at Park Meadows Mall with Taylor Lautner “Jacob,” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/12 – Chicago, IL at Orland Square Mall with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/12 – Scottsdale, AZ at Fashion Square Mall with Taylor Lautner “Jacob,” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/13 – Philadelphia, PA at Plaza at King of Prussia with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/13 – Houston, TX (Location TBA) with Taylor Lautner “Jacob,” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/13 – Fairfax, VA at Fair Oaks Mall with Kristen Stewart “Bella”

11/14 – Boston MA at Square One Mall with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/14 – Minneapolis, MN at Mall of America with Taylor Lautner “Jacob,” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/14 – Paramus, NJ at Garden State Plaza with Kristen Stewart “Bella”

11/15 – Miami, FL at Shops at Sunset with Taylor Lautner “Jacob,” Edi Gathegi “Laurent”

There’s something different about the Twilight fandom. Sure, you have the tell-tale signs of a cult following, considering the thousands of websites and forums dedicated to the books and film alike, the uprising of unofficial conventions, and the 6,000 screaming teenage girls crowding Comic Con waiting for a chance to see their characters come to life. But if you look a little closer, there are more than just a few thousand vampire loving teenyboppers (or as we call them in the Twilight community, “twiboppers”) running this fandom.

Twilight seems to attract a huge age range, mostly girls and women from around age eleven to forty. There are Twilight twenty-somethings, Twilight moms, and Twilight teachers and there are tons of Twilight sites out there that deal with some real-life issues: hisgoldeneyes.com’s Carlisle Would Approve campaign to donate blood, twilight20somethings.com’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month shirts, and twilightnovelnovice.com’s Election ’08 buzz.

Tiffany Truitt, a middle school teacher, created Novel Novice Twilight: a blog that originated from a Twilight Club she started in her school, but has become a hub for communication not only between fans, but educators as well.

“Our site is a place where Twilight fans can not only get the latest news, gush about their favorite characters, create videos to support Team Edward or Team Jacob, but a place where education is spotlighted. The Twilight series helped me to build strong relationships with my students, it encouraged reluctant readers to dive into an epic, and I am proud to call myself a Twilighter.” Truitt states on the website.

With the release of Twilight looming closely around the corner, you’d think that fans wouldn’t be able to think about anything else. Truitt and Novel Novice Twilight help keep things in perspective. Although a great deal of Twilight’s fans aren’t quite at voting age yet, Novel Novice has had a full blown “Edward versus Jacob” campaign running complete with mud-slinging political ad videos. This campaign does not only attempt to help underage fans feel like part of the election-mania, but to also encourage fans of age to get into the voting mood.

Election News for November 3rd on NNT also included facts about the United States Electoral College and a link to information on both Obama and McCain. Educational and unbiased.

So give Twilighters some credit. They’re a huge online community, and it seems like they’re starting to realize how to use their obsession for good.

Oh, and, don’t forget to vote.

If you’re counting — and we know you are — there are only 20 days left until Twilight is released in theaters everywhere. (16 if you’re one of the lucky ones going to the premiere in California)

Thought you couldn’t get more pumped about the movie? Think again.

Hot Topic is hosting a Twilight Tour in November, bringing cast members to their stores across the country to promote the release. The tour dates and locations have just been confirmed -”" check them out! One of the stars just might be coming to your mall!

11/10 – San Francisco, CA with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/10 “" Seattle, WA with Taylor Lautner “Jacob” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/11 “" Dallas, TX with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/11 “" Denver, CO with Taylor Lautner “Jacob” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/12 “" Chicago, IL with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/12 “" Scottsdale, AZ with Taylor Lautner “Jacob” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/13 “" Philadelphia, PA with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/13 “" Houston, TX with Taylor Lautner “Jacob” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/13 “" Fairfax, VA with Kristen Stewart “Bella”

11/14 “" Boston MA with Robert Pattinson “Edward”

11/14 “" Minneapolis, MN with Taylor Lautner “Jacob” Edi Gathegi “Laurent” & Rachelle Lefevre “Victoria”

11/14 “" NY/NJ with Kristen Stewart “Bella”

11/15 “" Miami, FL with Taylor Lautner “Jacob” Edi Gathegi “Laurent”

Bummed because you can’t get to any of these locations? Don’t worry, some of your very own Blast Magazine reporters will be there in Boston and Virginia. We’ll bring a little Twilight back to you.

We’re sure you’ve heard of “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe. You’ve probably even heard that famous line: “nevermore”. What you might not have heard is the rendition given by The Simpsons during one of their yearly Halloween specials.

Click here to view it, and them complain to them that their videos don’t embed in Internet Explorer.

Published in 1845, Poe’s dark poem is pretty daunting. We might not say things like “surcrease” or “beguiling” anymore, but I think you’ll find Homer and Bart make this poem a little bit more accessible. Even though Lisa tells Bart “Don’t worry Bart, you won’t learn anything” you just might learn a thing or two yourself.

The Raven
By: Edgar Allen Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`’Tis some visitor,’ I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door –
Only this, and nothing more.’

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; – vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow – sorrow for the lost Lenore –
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore –
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door –
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; –
This it is, and nothing more,’

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,’ said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you’ – here I opened wide the door; –
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!’
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!’
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,’ said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore –
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; –
‘Tis the wind and nothing more!’

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door –
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door –
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,’ I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore –
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!’
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.’

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning – little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door –
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as `Nevermore.’

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered – not a feather then he fluttered –
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before –
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.’
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.’

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,’ said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore –
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of “Never-nevermore.”‘

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore –
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.’

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
`Wretch,’ I cried, `thy God hath lent thee – by these angels he has sent thee
Respite – respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!’
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.’

`Prophet!’ said I, `thing of evil! – prophet still, if bird or devil! –
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted –
On this home by horror haunted – tell me truly, I implore –
Is there – is there balm in Gilead? – tell me – tell me, I implore!’
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.’

`Prophet!’ said I, `thing of evil! – prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us – by that God we both adore –
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore –
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?’
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.’

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!’ I shrieked upstarting –
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! – quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!’
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.’

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted – nevermore!

Fangirl squeals could be heard across the nation Saturday as it was confirmed that two more special guests will be attending TwiCon, an unofficial Twilight convention in Dallas this July.

Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, who play Emmett and Alice Cullen will be at the convention.

Other special guests so far include Mike Welch (Mike Newton), The Bella Cullen Project, Evil Iguana Productions, and Kaleb Nation – the “Twilight Guy”.

Bailey Gauthier, or “NoMoreMarbles” on Youtube, is one of four partners making up the newly formed TwiCon Partners, LLC. Bailey and partner Becka Grapsy work with Becky Scoggins and Jordan Bressler, of BresslerScoggins Literary Management, a publicity and marketing firm. Bailey admits there are a lot of challenges in organizing a large convention.

“The hardest part about the convention getting started is just that it’s the first one and therefore there’s a lot of ‘first time’ stuff that’s got to be done that won’t necessarily be done for cons after this,” Gauthier said, “like building rapport in the industry and just over all having to set the foundation for future events. Not only with professionals involved but with the fandom as well.”

TwiCon has a 2,000 ticket sell-out limit, which they hope to reach. Considering the 6,000 screaming Twilight fans that swarmed Comic-Con in San Diego this past summer, selling out doesn’t seem unlikely when stars like Lutz and Greene are already being announced so far in advance. Even though other conventions might occur closer to home, it can be expected that a number of fans will pass those up and make the trek to Texas for Twicon.

“We are different just in sheer size,” Gauthier said. “There are events that are specifically fandom based, and then there are‚ others that seem to be more geared toward‚ getting autographs and meeting the stars. TwiCon brings both elements together, not only are we trying to line up an amazing special guest list‚ of those involved with‚ the movie, but we are also bringing together‚ fandom icons as well, such as well-known Twilight inspired bands,‚ fan sites, and bloggers.”

“We are fan-run but are managed by a professional firm, so we have a great blend in how we do things, with a balance of fan passion and professional organization,” Gauthier said.

For more information, or to register for Twicon, visit http://www.twicon.org.

If this poem sounds familiar to you, it is probably for one of two reasons (maybe both):

1. You took an advanced Literature course at some point in time.
2. You watched the season premiere of “Heroes”.

If it’s the second one — don’t feel bad.

However, just in case you feel left out now because you thought Dr. Suresh had just come up with this brilliant ending narration by himself, I’ll share a little bit of background information about the poem. “The Second Coming” was written in 1919 in the wake of World War I by William Butler Yeats, an Irish poet who won the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in 1923. Also, line 3 of this poem inspired the title of Things Fall Apart, a critically acclaimed African novel written by Chinua Achebe.

THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Apparently Robert Pattinson has discovered the secret to quick success in film.

Pattinson, 22, previously best known as Cedric Diggory in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, and soon to be best known for his leading role as the dazzling Edward Cullen in “Twilight”, stars in “How to Be” – an independent film currently showing only at film festivals.

Pattinson plays Art, a socially awkward failing musician going through a quarter-life crisis. Despite the departure from his typical supernaturally attractive characters, fangirls still flock in the thousands to see Rob play a normal guy (sub-normal, even). Twilight fans have been a big portion of the audiences viewing the movie on selected screens around the world.

One devoted Twilight follower, Liz Waters, the creator of twilight20somethings.com, traveled from Indiana to Kentucky for the showing of “How to Be” at the Derby City Film Festival in Louisville, Ky. on October 11. She was not the only one making a trek to solely see “How to Be” — as tickets went on sale the week prior to the showing, the directors of the festival recognized the special interest and advertised a possible second showing of the film if demand was high enough. Liz claimed that many of the audience members were decked out in Twilight gear, which actually caused speculation from the festival directors that they had only come to see Rob’s “pretty face”.

For some, this might have been the case. Some probably came because they hoped Rob would be in attendance, like it has been announced that he will be in Austin, Texas on October 18. Some might have merely come because they had heard he called into the Rhode Island Film Festival and wanted to be in the same room as his voice. Unfortunately for those hopefuls at the Derby City Film Festival, Pattinson actually called the New Orleans Film Festival for a phone interview instead, which occurred on the same night.

Waters says, however, that she was not there to simply drool over her favorite Brit. “One of my favorite aspects of the movie was that there was not one single trace of Edward Cullen in Robert’s performance. … It is roles like these that allow us viewers to see how versatile and brilliant he truly is.”

While her comment may sound a bit biased, Pattinson is receiving recognition for his performance from more than just Twilight’s rabid fan base. He received his first international film award at the Strasbourg Film Festival: Best Actor in a Feature Film.