A lot of things were going on yesterday. Oprah was announcing the end of her daytime talk show. Sarah Palin was touring the country, promoting her new book and jabbing at Obama’s policies at every turn. Surely, Taylor Swift was walking around somewhere telling someone that she wasn’t dating Taylor Lautner.

But ask most any girl under the age of 16 (and their moms, for that matter) what November 20 meant to them, and they’d tell you one thing: “New Moon.”

At midnight last night, girls were lining up at theaters all around the world to catch the first glimpse of the sequel. Would it include all the important parts from the book? they wondered. Will the special effects be cool? Will there be enough Edward?

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit I was asking myself the same things as I walked into the theater. And in the end, I was not disappointed.

Catherine Hardwicke’s “Twilight” was lacking in these ways: there was stilted dialogue, awkward special effects and some funny scenes that weren’t meant to be funny. Director Chris Weitz transitioned the cold, awkward world of “Twilight” into a warm, emotional and dynamic “New Moon.”

Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg seems to have taken a little more time with this script, as the banter between the characters feels natural. She leaves the “lion and the lamb” quotes in the book where they belong.

The movie touches on almost every important scene in the book, which will please die-hard (or Twi-hard) fans. The movie moves quickly, giving about 15 minutes to process every intense emotion that Stephenie Meyer spent 100 pages talking about, so it can feel a bit rushed. But when you realize that the movie is over two hours long, you re-think that assessment.

The only part of the film that was seriously lacking was the wolf pack. Only two of the four have any serious build, and if you’re going to spend half the movie walking around shirtless, you need to at least get rid of the muffin top. Not to mention the fact that the wolf transformations are by turns incredibly realistic and incredibly…not. The wolves sometimes look fierce and other times, look like cartoons, which is a big disappointment if you’ve seen “The Golden Compass.” And there’s an unforgivable sequence where wolf pack leader Sam Uley jumps off of a cliff and you feel like you’re watching an animation from the “Tomb Raider” computer game you had as a kid.

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner have incredible chemistry. Kristen plays the broken Bella very well, and Lautner exudes the warmth of his character. Plus, he’s not bad to look at either. In the end, your heart breaks when he begs her to stay, and the most loyal Edward fans wonder if maybe they wouldn’t choose Jacob instead.

But in the end, the movie brings you back to Edward and Bella, as it should. It ends on a well-deserved cliff-hanger, leaving the Twi-hards squealing until next June, when the third installment, “Eclipse,” is scheduled for release.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (Media credit: KCSPresse / Splash News Online)

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner arrived in Paris on Monday and checked into a luxurious hotel before going out for a late dinner where they met up with Fergie, People reported.

They did a press event on Tuesday and got ready to leave for the next stop on their European “New Moon” press tour.

But Robert and Kristen were among the last to leave.

“[Pattinson and Stewart] were the last ones to leave the terminal to board the plane,” one photographer on the scene told People. “Out on the tarmac, he took her hand, like young lovers. They stopped and looked at each other, their plane, the scene. They seemed very calm, in love. They continued holding hands boarding the plane.”

Let the comments begin.

Enjoy.

See the best ones below.

Catch the rest at newmoonmovie.org

Photo credit: ralphy137, robpattinson.blogspot.com

Surprised they allow this kinda thing in Utah. (Media credit/Sky News)

The words “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” are even carved below their mugs.

The farmer used GPS technology to design the maze, which sits on a 400-acre farm that grows carrots, onions, cabbage, corn, pumpkins and other squash, according to Radar.

If you find yourself in Utah, the maze will be open to the public from September 24 until Halloween. It takes about an hour to get through it, but only minutes to fall in love with Edward or Jacob.

“New Moon” will be in theaters, and so will you, on November 30.

A new still released from “New Moon” shows Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson locked in a loving gaze.

“New Moon” is one of the most anticipated films of the fall movie-watching season, and you can bet that Blast is going to be all over it as we progress toward release date.

“It’s crazy,” the “New Moon” hunk said. “But the fans help. They’re a big part of the motivation.”

Lautner credited a childhood karate teacher, who also played a blue Power Ranger in the hit series. The karate coach encouraged him to go into acting in the first place, he says.

He also evaded a question about his rumored love interest, Disney’s Selena Gomez.

“She’s a great girl,” he said, saying nothing else.

SAN DIEGO — Chris Weitz, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Ashley Greene debuted an exclusive clip of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” and what an exclusive clip it was. Showcasing the integration of Edward Cullen into the mostly Edward Cullen-less “New Moon,” the Bella/Jacob chemistry and Taylor Lautner’s smokin’ hot bod, let’s just say the Twilight fans got what they came for.

“I hope you guys are pleased when you see the results,” Taylor humbly told the audience before the clip was revealed. From the screams at the chest reveal (a shot with clearly only one purpose when filmed), they seemed to be.

Kristen Stewart admitted she unfortunately did not do her own stunts in the motorcycle scene that was shown. “Yeah, no,” Kristen replied when asked if she ever thought she would ride a motorcycle for the film.

Taylor, however, did every stunt we could get his hands on (that the insurance company said was okay) Chris Weitz said. “If Jacob is doing something impressive or dangerous in the film, it’s pretty much Taylor doing it,” said Chris. “And Rob just stood there looking good.”

It has been previously announced that Robert Pattinson’s Edward would be involved in the film version of “New Moon” more than he was in the book. He continually referred to himself as a supporting role in the morning press conference and again in the Hall H panel. From the clip shown, instead of just being a voice like in the novel, here Edward is a visual hallucination, telling Bella to “Stop” when she starts to ride the motorcycle and appearing in the road behind her when she is driving away — ultimately distracting her and causing her to crash (and Taylor to take off his shirt, etc. etc.).

“I’ve noticed you are very cold to the touch, with skin like marble and you glow like a diamond when the sun hits you,” Chris Weitz replied when asked if Robert Pattinson resembled Edward Cullen.

The visual and emotional look of Chris Weitz’s take on the saga looks a lot more interesting and less edgy than Catherine Hardwicke’s take to the first film. Ashley Greene even said Portland was a bit edgier than filming in Vancouver.

“I have been stalking Rob for the past 10 years,” Chris Weitz admitted when asked about coming to the film, saying he was excited to actually get to direct the film (though he had not read a “Twilight” novel before he was signed on).

“In spite of how glib I may seem, I really do appreciate the love the Twilight fans bring to this book,” he said.

The final shot of the film was taken in Italy, Stewart said, which was her favorite part of the Italy shooting. Robert seconded her saying the location they filmed at was exactly how he pictured it in the book.

Ashley Greene said she is most excited for the final showdown at the end of “Eclipse,” while Taylor said his is the sleeping bag/tent scene (DUH!).

“I can’t wait to actually get pregnant,” Kristen Stewart said.

“Actually, being involved in the cesarean,” Rob said after with a laugh. “I just can’t wait.”

“New Moon” hits theaters in November.

My favorite French Stewart impersonator’s jokes sadly turned awkward and stilted as soon as he hit the late-night circuit.  He looked like a five-year-old going to church in his trim black suits, and most of his skits were contrived, albeit well-conceived, but in the end, Jimmy’s magic was gone.

But, ladies and gents, Jimmy Fallon just might be making a comeback.  I laughed my way through this entire video that Jimmy made for his show in which he depicts Robert Pattinson and Daniel Radcliffe slamming one another with insults.  Make sure to watch it to the end for some out-takes which may or may not “bother” you.

Hopefully, Jimmy, this is a sign of more good things to come.

But if one Australian celebrity tabloid has it right — and we know how spot-on these tabs usually are — not only did Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson get it on, but she’s pregnant with his child.

The New York Daily News reported that an “insider” quoted by Australia’s New Weekly said that Stewart was, uh, late, and “she obviously started to thinking that she could be pregnant. And because of the timing, she thinks Rob could be the father.” The tabloid also reported that Stewart had a friend buy her a home pregnancy test.

The magazine also reported that Stewart is getting hate mail from fans because she has an “official” boyfriend named Michael Angarano.

It is important to note that neither Stewart, nor Pattison, nor any of their spokespeople have ever gone on the record, at any time, ever, to say that the two are romantic with each other.

Also, there is no evidence that anything in this story is true. But you can’t get enough, can you?

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?

Pattinson, in New York filming his new movie “Remember Me” tried to run across the street to escape a large group of young girls when a passing cab clipped him, according to Boston.com.

The driver hit the brakes, and Pattinson was uninjured.

Pattinson gained renown for a role in “Harry Potter” but exploded in popularity after signing on to play the male lead, Edward, in the movies based on the Stephanie Meyer “Twilight” vampire series.

Take a look below, and tell us what you think!

Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) share an intimate moment

Laurent (Edi Gathegi) threatens Bella (Kristen Stewart) before the werewolves come and rescue her

Behind the scenes with Kristen Stewart and director Chris Weisz

The stars similarly presented a clip of “Twilight” at last year’s Movie Awards.

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is set to be released November 20, 2009.

Last year’s clip was of the climactic Ballet Studio scene. Blast Twilight fans, what clip do you think will be shown at this year’s Movie Awards?

“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.

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.

In the latest word on the series guaranteed to elicit delight, Borders will be offering an exclusive 2-disc DVD set this spring and holding midnight release parties at stores nationwide to push sales of the DVD, which comes out March 21.

The DVD set includes bonus special features, unique photo cards and special packaging.

The standard DVD/Blu-ray release will include audio commentary, trailers and promotional reels and extended and deleted scenes. The Borders-exclusive special edition will also feature over one hour of additional content produced by Borders, including:

• Cast interviews with Robert Pattinson (Edward), Kristen Stewart (Bella), Cam Gigandet (James), Edi Gathegi (Laurent) and Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria) that were recorded during Comic-Con in San Diego.
• Red-carpet footage from the global movie premiere in Los Angeles, including a never-before-seen segment that contains interviews with Kellan Lutz (Emmett); Ashley Greene (Alice); Nikki Reed (Rosalie) and the rock band Paramore, which contributed to the movie’s soundtrack.
• A re-edited version of the Borders Book Club episode that features author Stephenie Meyer discussing the phenomenon behind the “Twilight” saga.

The set will also include 10 photo cards with images of the cast.

It will sell for $29.99.

Borders will hold midnight release parties on March 20 for fans, with vampire-themed games and movie discussions.

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

About three things I am absolutely positive: first, I just saw Twilight. Second, there is a part of me – and I don’t know how minuscule that part might be – that thinks it was almost okay. Third, it was unconditionally and irrevocably hilarious.

So, all you little spider-monkeys, I did in fact just return from a late-night showing of Twilight (the one that all the embarrassed middle-aged moms went to) and immediately sat down to pen my thoughts on the matter.

In a word? It was hysterical. To borrow a trick from Ms. Meyer’s book (or rather her thesaurus), not only was it funny but it was a riotously jocular humdinger of a film.

First, let’s talk tech specs. The film’s cinematography viewed like a bad spoof of 300, only with more vampires, 98% less blood, and 99.9% more extreme close-ups. And when there aren’t a billion poorly-edited cuts between Edward’s face and Bella’s face, there was slow-mo. And a lot of it. At any moment during the baseball scene, for example, I expected some half-naked guy with a lobster claw arm to glide down from the treetops and ask to join the game. I mean, I have a hard time swallowing slow-mo in an action flick, much less in a film in which half of the scenes consist of the characters stretching out on a field to gaze into each other’s soul.

And that brings me to the moment we were all waiting for, fans and anti-fans alike. I’m not going to lie, folks, I was bouncing on my seat in anticipation of the sparklies. Color me curious, but I was excited to see how they would accomplish that effect. Would they use lens flares? Glitter? Bits of cubic zirconia glued to the makeup caked on Robert Pattinson’s face? There seemed to be a lot of options, so the fact that they decided to use Pattinson’s natural (and profuse) perspiration is something of a letdown.

But to be fair, the effects aren’t all bad. After an hour and a half of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”-style soaring through treetops, the big throw-down at the end between James and Edward is actually pretty exciting. In fact, it almost made me appreciate Meyer’s choice of the ballet studio as the battleground in the first place, and on screen I actually winced at Bella’s injuries whereas in the book my reaction consisted of a dash of meh and decent dose of yawn.

And speaking of yawn, that’s a good description of the acting. Kristen Stewart definitely had her moments, but Robert Pattinson not so much. At times his performance is painfully stale and at others, particularly during his and Bella’s first meeting, it is overworked and over-acted. For most of the film, he comes off as either constipated or as a creepy prima donna, or perhaps as a constipated creepy prima donna. It seems to me though that it’s through no fault of his own; the writing is simply that bad. Lines that are passable in a book (”…and so the lion fell in love with the lamb,” for instance) cannot possibly be delivered in any way that makes them sound anything other than horrifically cheesy.

Which brings me to my absolute favorite line of the film, from the sparkle scene:

[CUE "DRAMATIC" MUSIC]
“…This is the skin of a killer.”

Take a minute to laugh, it’s okay. That’s the line that made me wonder if director Catherine Hardwicke had decided to spoof Twilight rather than adapt it; it was a line that I could imagine in a Cleolinda Jones recap and a line that I’m a little jealous for not having written myself. I mean, Edward, come on – you sparkle. “This is the skin of a killer?” It’s like saying “These are the eyebrows of a vampire!” or “Beware my shins, for they are murderous!” I have to wonder how many takes Pattinson needed for the line just because I would never be able to deliver it with a straight face. And frankly, that line sums up the film perfectly: it’s unintentionally ridiculous and takes itself way too seriously, as if it doesn’t realize that it’s actually a film about glitter.

Today we post our interview with Robert Pattinson from the Saugus Hot Topic event.

A review of “Twilight” by myself will be up Wednesday, November 19. Kellen Rice, one of Blast’s bloggers and a critic of the “Twilight” series, will have her own review up later in the week.

Expect a “Top 10 Things the Movie Did Right” and “Top 10 Things the Movie Did Wrong” on Friday, as to avoid spoiling the movie for anyone.

Until then, enjoy our video from the Saugus event with clips of Robert Pattinson himself.

BLAST: Where you prepared for the fact that there were going to be mobs at your last two events and they’d have to get shut down?

RP: No, not at all. It’s not even the last two anymore, it’s been all of them.

BLAST: Since Comic-con. I was at Comic-con, and I remember when you came out there were just cheers.

RP: It hasn’t died down at all. It happened in [Italy], it happened in Mexico. It’s completely ridiculous.

BLAST: What do people at home think about it? Are your parents laughing, thinking you’re the new George Clooney?

RP: Well my sister was. She was just thinking, “Oh, what road did you take?” They think it’s like completely ridiculous.

BLAST: Have you talked to anyone else who’s on tour, like Kristen or Taylor or anyone?

RP: I haven’t actually. Do you how they’re doing? [laughter]

BLAST: They have not had the same response that you’ve had. That’s why I was asking. Are they-

RP: Are they what? Are they pissed off? [laughter] Um, I don’t know. I haven’t actually asked them.

BLAST: The movie’s coming out in less than a week. Is there anything that you’d go back and change about it? Or prepare for it to come out?

RP: No, I wouldn’t change anything about it. I mean, if I was doing it now, knowing it was going to be this audience, I think I probably would have done it differently. I’m not sure how. But I think, at the end of the day, it’s a good thing I went into it thinking it’s a small thing because it essentially is. It’s a small story, it’s an intimate story, and I think it comes across as being very human rather than being a big epic thing, which I think no one would have really appreciated. I think it looked very organic when you look at it. I hope people aren’t expecting to be like some like, “Waah!” like some like huge, you know, “E.T.” thing, because it’s really not. It seems very personal. The book is very personal. Hopefully, hopefully, you know, it will live up to its hype.

BLAST: In previous interviews, you [and Kristen] said that producers said, “Don’t take it so seriously, make it more of a teen flick.” Did you guys make it more of a serious movie or is it going to end up being more of a [teen movie]?

RP: I think the fans of the book would be kind of upset if it was too too serious, because it’s not exactly “War and Peace” or something. I mean, it’s funny. I had Catherine give me a copy of the book with all the instances where Edward smiles and jokes and stuff. They were all highlighted, because I was so determined to make him like the most depressing character in the history of fiction. I think that’s the point. You don’t know how something is coming out, you don’t get in the edit room or whatever. So no, it’s good how it turned out. I think the beginning is how I wanted it to be, and I think it’s better. No girl would ever think the perfect guy would be some kind of manic-depressive.

BLAST: Depends on the girl.

RP: Well yeah. If I was a girl, I’d love it. I love manic-depressive girls. But you know, I don’t really.

BLAST: Are you prepared for the girls out there to be like, “Rob, will you go to prom with me?” because I’ve had a couple say that’s what they’re planning on asking.

RP: When is prom?

BLAST: May? Something?

RP: Well, that’s quite a long way off.

SAUGUS, Mass. — The teenage girl came out of the Hot Topic store, eyes glazed with a silly smile on her face. Her mother ran up to meet her, just as the words started tumbling out of the daughter’s lips.

“He talked to me,” she gasped, as her mother smiled along but tried to calm the teen down.

“She has epilepsy,” the mother explained, “and I don’t want her to seize.”

Then she scooped up her daughter and hurried away, without giving her name, to make room for the next giggling girl.

Fan dedication: defined.

She was just one of hundreds who flocked to the Square One Mall north of Boston on Friday. The object of their fanaticism wasn’t one of the Jonas Brothers or Miley Cyrus, but rather a soft-spoken, spiky-haired Brit named Robert Pattinson.

In the words of one indignant passerby who was turned away from shopping at the barricaded Hot Topic: “He isn’t even famous.”

Though Pattinson, 22, may not be a household name yet, to the fan community of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire “Twilight” series, (and hardcore Harry Potter fans who remember he played Cedric Diggory) he is second to none. Playing the lead male character Edward in the upcoming vampire film “Twilight,” the fan hysteria has reached peak heights.

“At first I thought maybe he wasn’t as good for Edward, but now I think he’s perfect,” said Selys Rivera, 14, of Worcester. “He’s completely perfect for Edward. He’s amazing.”

Pattinson, along with co-stars Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Edi Gathegi and Rachelle Lefavre, is headlining the Hot Topic-sponsored movie tour to promote “Twilight” in the final days before the film’s release on November 21. The Saugus event was Pattinson’s third and final stop on the tour after the event scheduled in San Francisco was canceled after fans mobbed the mall.

Pattinson, Stewart, and the trio of Lautner, Gathegi and Lefavre toured to 13 cities across the U.S. from November 10 through November 15.

“[The hysteria] hasn’t died down at all,” Pattinson told Blast in a brief interview at the Saugus Hot Topic. “It happened in [Italy], it happened in Mexico. It’s completely ridiculous.”

Here in Saugus, the crowd was much tamer than the events in San Francisco and Chicago. Wristbands were given, starting at 9 p.m. Thursday, to the first 500 people who bought the Hot Topic official “Twilight” tour T-shirt. The Saugus police were no-nonsense about the event and were a steady presence around the mall throughout the night.

“We got here at about 9 p.m. yesterday and we were there like all night long,” said Attleboro resident Amanda Pease, 20. “We only left to go to Starbucks.”

At 5 p.m. Friday, a crowd of a couple hundred girls had gathered around a stage that was set up for Pattinson to speak to the fans for the question and answer portion of the event. Some had camped out for more than 20 hours just for the chance to meet their beloved “Edward,” while others had arrived only moments before to wait around until Pattinson spoke at on the stage.

A security presence was felt. A barricade was set up like a moat around the stage to protect Pattinson from the overzealousness of any rabid fan-girls.

Half are standing, and half are sitting. But they all look comfortable preparing to see their beloved “Edward” and have him possibly answer one of their own questions.

Scattered among the crowd you can see the lucky few people with their special “Twilight” t-shirts that signify that they will be one of the 500 who get to see Pattinson in person and get an exclusive poster signed by him.

The crowd this afternoon is tame compared to uncontrollable scenes reported in San Francisco and Chicago earlier.

This isn’t really the mob scene we were expecting, but it’s still early.

Blast met Pattinson this afternoon at a photo shoot in Boston and we’re here at the Square One Mall. Blast will bring you more, including a special TWILIGHT EXTRA issue of Blast Magazine featuring our Twilight coverage, movie review, interviews, photos and more!

I like him cause he was in Goblet of Fire and I’m a big huge Harry Potter fan, so I already resent Twilight for stealing the fall spot from Half-Blood Prince.

Anyway, the plot for Twilight sounds pretty intriguing so I’ve finally decided to sit down and read it starting this weekend. I like vampires so it wasn’t too tough of a decision.  However I was told not to expect anything like Dracula.

So I’ll be posting my opinions and stuff as I go along.  I’m hoping this book turns out to be one I read at every spare moment in the day. I’ve been told it’s that gripping.

Oh, and if anyone has any opinions on how I should approach this let me know.

I asked a friend of mine today and she told me to get in a romantic mood.  I was also promised action so I’m hoping for a little of that.

I’ve been following some of the mob stories here on Blast about the crowds of females showing up to some of the Twilight events.  I’ve never heard of anyone going that crazy over a book, mind you the crowds are probably more for Pattinson than anything to do with the book.

But I will have to admit I don’t know one guy who has read any of the novels.  But, I want to read it.  So I’m going to.

“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.

Keep your browsers on Blast because this Friday we will be interviewing “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson! Until then, enjoy the pics:

All of these pictures are the property of Summit Entertainment.

In a week and a day, Blast will have posted their one-on-one interview with “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson.

Boys, you may call this a “girly” book, based on the thousands of 14-year-olds and their mothers who make up a large portion of Stephenie Meyer’s fan base.

But Ben from IGN.com has found a new reason for men to read the four book long Twilight saga.

Do it for the chicks.

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”

When asked what they could possibly be waiting for outside the entrance to the convention center’s massive Hall H entrance, the reply was unanimous.

“Twilight.”

They would wait 16 more hours.

“Twilight” was released in 2005, and has spawned two sequels: “New Moon” and “Eclipse.” Collectively, the series has sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide.

Taylor Lautner, who plays the character Jacob Black in the upcoming movie adaptation of the books said, “The fans are the driving force behind this thing.”

The series tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan, who meets the intriguing yet elusive Edward Cullen upon her arrival at Forks, Wash. Edward, as well as the rest of his family, turn out to be a secret coven of vegetarian vampires; they don’t kill humans. Bella and Edward’s inevitable love is doomed from the beginning as her being a human draws various “bad” vampires to come and kill her. In “New Moon”, a second love interest is introduced in the form of Jacob, Bella’s best friend who just happens to be a werewolf.

For the August 2 release of  “Breaking Dawn,” Meyer’s fourth and final book in the series, distributors have printed more than 3.2 million copies; more than half the copies of the rest of the series now in print, and a record first-printing for “Twilight” publishing company Little, Brown and Company.

“Breaking Dawn” will answer the big Twilight questions: Who will Bella choose, and will she become a vampire?

Meyer’s saga has become a cultural phenomenon, though this year is by far its biggest yet. In addition to the release of “Breaking Dawn”, a movie adaptation of the novel will be released December 12 starring Kristen Stewart as Bella and Robert Pattinson as Edward.

This year’s San Diego Comic-con hosted a special event Thursday to promote the upcoming film. Meyer, director Catherine Hardwicke, and some of the movie’s cast attended the panel. Waiting anxiously for them were thousands of screaming fans, though only about 6,500 were admitted to the hall.

“I saw the book as a film before I saw it as a book,” said Meyer of her excitement for the “Twilight” movie.

The Comic-con event was the first experience the cast had of the true intensity behind the “Twilight” fan base, and it was clear from their faces and the nervous hitch in their responses that none of them were prepared for the thousands of girls, women and even men who were screaming their hearts out for the characters that had captured their hearts.

“I fell in love with ["Twilight"] just like you guys did,” said Hardwicke to the audience. “I wanted to see Bella and Edward living, breathing. You know we tried to do the best we could [for the movie].”

Stewart said that, as a “sappy, sensitive girl”, she took the role of Bella to try to depict the “perfect-but-not-perfect-but-perfect-in-its-ideologicalness love” felt between Bella and Edward.

“Bella and I are really different if you get inside my head,” said Meyer, who said she gets just as frustrated with Bella’s decisions as the rest of her fans. “I’m actually a lot more like Edward.”

Meyer was able to confirm that a song by Muse; her favorite band and some of the inspiration behind the series, had been signed for the movie soundtrack, while Hardwicke confirmed that two songs written by Robert Pattinson will be included in the soundtrack of the movie, and that his spontaneous piano playing during filming might be used as Bella’s Lullaby.

The three “bad vampires” were a large part of the panel; Cam Gigandet as James, Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria and Edi Gathegi as Laurent.

“I wanted to be a part of [Bella's] world in every way I could,” said Lefevre. “If that meant I had to terrorize her than so be it.”

Trailers and clips of the film, especially the extended “ballet studio scene” aired at during the panel, show the movie version of “Twilight” focusing more on action than the novel did. This is good news for Gigandet, Lefevre and Gathegi because that means more screen time for them before their inevitable deaths. For Gigandet, his comes at the end of the first movie.

“We don’t actually die because you’re stuck with us on DVD forever,” joked Lefevre.

Fans have been initially hesitant about how the cast compares to the characters, and none have felt this sting more than now-”Twilight”-golden-boy Robert Pattinson.

“I just wanted to play [Edward] because he’s the hottest vampire in the world,” said Pattinson with a laugh, causing a deafening scream from the crown.

“[Vampires are hot] because that’s how I write them,” Meyer added, which turned the screaming into a deafening roar.

Although movie adaptations of “New Moon” and “Eclipse”, the second and third novels in the series, have not yet been confirmed, the idea that the “Twilight” fan base will not cause “Twilight” to be a box-office smash, regardless of the quality of the film, seems nearly impossible.

“I would love to be in [a sequel]. Love to,” said Gathegi .

“So would I,” said Gigandet wistfully.

More to come later, I promise.

Released in 2005, Stephenie Meyer’s novel Twilight follows the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) as she moves to the new town of Forks, Washington and unsuspectingly falls in love with vampire (Robert Pattinson). The third installment of teen series booted the last Harry Potter novel out of the number one spot on the New York Times best seller list three weeks after its release.

We will lovingly keep you up-to-date on the countdown to December 12 and the release of Twilight the movie. For now, enjoy this: