Nikki Reed talked to MTV about Rosalie’s motivations in Breaking Dawn.
Vampires Suck: Fan Opinion
August 19, 2010
So far the critics are all panning the Vampires Suck movie that spoofs Twilight. One sample review from the Washington Post reads:
“Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer — the writer-directors who have participated in a parade of movie-genre parodies, including “Scary Movie,” “Date Movie” and “Meet the Spartans” — have set their comedic crosshairs on the most obvious of targets: the hugely successful film franchise based on the novels by Stephenie Meyer, all of which have already been dissected, debated and, yes, satirized ad nauseam. Before it even makes its first Team Edward/Team Jacob joke — a gag that involves a bunch of tween girls bashing one another in the head with shovels — “Vampires Suck” already feels burdened by the weight of the numerous “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and MTV Movie Awards sendups that have preceded it.”
Now in general, critics have never liked the Twilight movies, but they have been enjoyable to fans. So, did you see Vampires Suck? As a Twilight fan do you agree with what the critics had to say or not?
Twilight Dominates Glamour Magazine’s Sexy Men List
August 19, 2010
According to the press release via AHN:
“Robert Pattinson is sexier than Taylor Lautner, but only by a notch, according to 50,000 women who participated in U.K.’s Glamour magazine poll. The vampire and the werewolf of “Twilight” beat out 48 other heartthrobs in the Sexiest Men of 2010 survey.
While Pattinson, 24, isn’t new to the list, in fact he was at the same top spot last year, Lautner, 18, is, and so is the rest of the top five – “Vampire Diaries” star Ian Somerhalder and “Twilight” stars Xavier Samuel and Kellan Lutz.
With the exception of Lautner, who plays werewolf Jacob in the film series, the sexiest men alive in the top 5 all play vampires.”
The trend is illustrated even further right now with Robert Pattinson battling Ian Somerhalder on the EW Sexy Beast 2010 poll.
Looking forward to next year, there are a whole lot of new vampires about to make an appearance. Whoever, in our opinion, plays Garrett is going to make an HUGE splash in much the way relative unknown, Xavier Samuel, did in Eclipse.
So which of those guys tops your personal list? Pel is wondering how it is that Jackson Rathbone and Peter Facinelli got missed!
Did Eclipse Merchandise Not Make a Splash?
August 19, 2010
Hot Topic, one of the biggest retailers of Twilight Saga licensed gear is reporting a hefty loss: According to Business Week:
“Fashion retailer Hot Topic Inc. said Wednesday that its second-quarter loss nearly doubled from a year earlier and topped what Wall Street expected.
The company lost $6.3 million, or 14 cents a share, in the three months that ended July 31, compared with a loss of $3.2 million, or 7 cents a share, a year earlier.
Quarterly revenue dropped 5 percent to $150 million from $157.8 million in the previous year. Sales at stores open at least a year fell 6.4 percent.”
Previously, Hot Topic sales were notably boosted in an otherwise lackluster economy by Twilight, but once New Moon rolled around there were a lot more vendors in the market, notably Walmart, and things we’re the same.
Now this next part isn’t very scientific, but it’s based on our observations on fandom dress, tweets and emails,and our own general impressions. For New Moon there was a solid six month roll out in Twilight Saga gear starting just after Comic Con footage debuted, through the New Moon release, and well into Christmas. There was lots of hype and PR. Everyone wanted New Moon gear and there were lots of places to get it.
For Eclipse, we barely noticed when the new merch came out in mid-May, and as of today there’s barely three pages still being shown. In general, for Eclipse, there was no months in advance, huge fanfare on merchandise or anything else for that matter. Given how there were no set visits by any outlet (fan or professional) no one had anything to talk about, other than pure conjecture, to build the buzz. By the time Mid May hit there finally was actual PR with the actors and any merchandise literally got Eclipsed by the actual stars.
For Eclipse, in our opinion, not many things really that had that “wow factor”. We’ve seen lots of fans at conventions, and most aren’t coming in wearing Eclipse shirts. Frequently they’ll buy something on site, but they didn’t have it ahead of time. Most are wearing New Moon merchandise or things they’ve made on their own or gotten at CafePress. Plus, the economy being what it is, buying more Twilight merchandise may not be realistic for many people.
There are two items we think that should have been a run away hit don’t seem to be making a dent on the convention circuit either, and that’s the Bella’s bracelet and Bella’s engagement ring. We haven’t seen lots of folks decked out in the Bella NCEA jewelry. Now we’ll admit we are kind of biased. We prefer the version that was made by Infinite Jewelry that Stephenie Meyer had a direct hand in rather than the ones produced by NECA and sold via Hot Topic and other places like Amazon. Take the ring for example. For relatively the same price you can have something designed by Stephenie Meyer that is impressive without being HUGE, with quality, sizable stones and have an option to upgrade into real gold or real stones. On the NCEA version (see side by side comparison above) you have a ring that is really wide and takes up the space from the bottom of your hand to your knuckle, doesn’t have a yellow gold option, and as one of our readers put it “It looks like a shower head”.
So as a potential buyer of Twilight gear, what’s your take? What products do you have? What products do you wish were available, and what do you think accounts for the sales dip? Who knows, maybe some buyers will read this and gain consumer insight.
Final Day to Vote EW’s Sexy Beast and Edward/Rob is TIED With Damon/Ian
August 19, 2010
It’s been ramping up to this ever since EW started this year’s contest. The only real challenge Edward Cullen as played by Robert Pattinson received before this was when he was pitted against Jacob Black as played by Taylor Lautner and Emmett Cullen as played by Kellan Lutz. Edward/Rob pretty much obliterated all other match-ups. It’s now down to the bitter end and Edward/Rob is up against the only other person to dominate his side of the bracket and that’s the Vampire Diaries’ Damon Salvatore as played by Ian Somerhalder.
So with two hot vampires making it to the final round. The votes are in a dead heat and they have been that way since they opened two days ago. The poll closes at midnight tonight. Get voting and make sure your favorite wins!
Alphie is being torn apart because she loves them both. She’s been know to get this misty look in her eye about Ian, and she just about passed out when there was a rumor (sadly untrue)that he’d been cast in the Host movie. As for her Edward love…well..you’re kind of looking at it. Without her this website wouldn’t be here.
So vote, people! VOTE!
100 Monkeys Interview: Ben Graupner
August 19, 2010
A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to interview Ben Graupner (second from the left, we watched as this photo was taken last year) from 100 Monkeys. He answered some really fun questions like who would your ultimate jam session be with and he told us a little about a new instrument he was working on. He also dished out on a new instrument that Jackson Rathbone brought back from South America and how they are incorporating it into the act.
The Monkeys recently released Live and Kicking and have been touring around the US. To order Live and Kicking or find a tour stop near you check out 100Monkeysmusic.com They also have some pretty cool stuff in the Monkey Mart.
We will also be giving away a Live and Kicking CD. So tell us what your favorite 100 Monkey Song is in the comments and you will be entered to win. This contest will close on 8/21 11:59PM EST.
Lexicon Staff Position Opening!
August 18, 2010
We get asked all the time, “How can I work for the Lexicon?” And we usually say, “Well, all the positions are filled!” Today, I’m changing my answer! If you would like to “work” for the Lexicon, we are in need of help with the character bio section in filling in some of the missing pieces. So here is what you need to do if you would like to help us out and get the Lexicon up to date with all the Twilight related material out there.
The first thing we need is for you to finish a bio as a sample of your work. Take a look at Leah Clearwater’s bio found here. Fill in information from Breaking Dawn in the personal history section on Leah’s bio. Remember that this is a SUMMARY and not a page by page detailed account. Also remember to cite the chapter where your information can be found. If you found something in chapter 12 of Breaking Dawn, you would write (BD12) after the relevant sentence. Save your work as a word document. It MUST be in a word document and not just a cut and paste into the body of an e-mail. No Google docs either, please. It must be sent as an attachment to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Your work will be reviewed by the Lexicon admins and we will choose the person who we felt did the best job.
The next thing that we want to establish is that you have been a member of our community in some way for a while. We need you to tell us what your screen name is on our message boards and/or what name you post as on our blog. If you could send us a few links pointing out where you have commented on the blog in the past or on the message boards, that would be very helpful! Why are we asking for that? Well, we’d like to give this position to someone who has been actively using the Lex and participating. We have nothing against lurkers or newbies. We’d just like to find someone who is used to us and knows how our community works.
If you are chosen to help us out, you will be asked to work on several other bios, most of them Quileutes and/or Volturi members with a few humans here or there. Then, as your time permits, you will be expected to submit completed bios on a regular basis. Some bios will need just Breaking Dawn information, while others will need Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. You will need a copy of both books handy. One or two bios a week would be fantastic! You will not be responsible for actually uploading the information to the website. That’s my job! So no coding knowledge will be needed. If you can type and attach it to an e-mail, you can do this job! You will be permanently credited on the Lexicon for your work.
(And before someone asks, because Bree Tanner is kind of a long one-shot and a separate beast from the other books, I will be doing the bios that are heavy on the information we learned from Bree Tanner. Thus, if you don’t own a copy of Bree, this shouldn’t be a problem.)
That’s it! If you are interested in the job, then send in your work by Sept. 13 to be considered. We will make a decision by Sept. 18 and let everyone know who our new temporary staff member will be. We aim to have everything updated as quickly as possible.
We appreciate all the support everyone has given us over the years. You all rock!
Breaking Dawn Casting and the IMDB
August 18, 2010
We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about casting for Breaking Dawn. Can fans audition? What company is involved? Should resumes be sent out? Is the info on the IMDB accurate? So, here’s a rundown of the latest:
Facts:
- Filming will take place in both Louisiana and Vancouver
- Production Weekly confirmed the dates of the filming in Louisiana
- Confirmed dates can change slightly due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances
- We can’t help you get cast. If we had any influence on production Edward would be driving the right car and Alphie and Pel would be playing the Volturi wives while trying not to drool on Michael Sheen.
- Not sure how to break into the business? See Lana Veenker’s blog, there is good advice there and it’s free! Also see her advice on scams! If anyone tells you that you need to pay them money to get into a Breaking Dawn audition they are lying!
Unknown:
- What specific roles will be needed. In other words will some vampires be combined such as the Jessica/Lauren of Anna Kendrick’s character or the Eric/Ben of Justin Chon’s character.
- Will there be an open call for extras. (See past history)
- Will there be an open call for other parts. (See past history)
- Will they have an open call for Renesmee (in our opinion the part would be at least twins just to deal with child labor laws)
Past History:
- The original movie had vast calls for extras the others did not.
- The only open calls for speaking roles were for Native American/First Nations actors. Every other part, you needed to be in the business, with experience with an agent.
- We will publicize open calls as we have done in the past.
Now onto the IMDB. It’s like wikipedia, anyone can edit it. The day after Kristen Stewart was officially announced as Bella, the IMDB read that Emily Browning was rumored to play the part. A few months ago someone replaced Tinsel Korey’s name as Emily with actress Brenna Lee Roth, and Edi Gathegi popped back up on the Eclipse cast list. In a practical joke that had fans scurrying for the hidden meaning, Andrew of TwiSource decided to list that the tagline of New Moon was “Somewhere Bella’s Stove Is On.” So when you see things up their don’t put too much stock in them. Until a film actually starts filming the info up there isn’t always solid.
Now if you want solid extra casting info here’s something, it’s not Twilight, but it does potentially involve seeing Taylor Lautner. Check out this info if you are in the Pittsburgh area.
EDITED: Amanda Bell (The Twilight Examiner) just verified that Xavier Samuel is not in Breaking Dawn though the IMDB seems to think so. We just verified that the name Renesmee is unchanged in Breaking Dawn. There was rumor today that her name was changed.
Blowout Sale at the Quileuete Nation Store
August 18, 2010
This just in from the Quileute Nation:
The Quileute Nation and the Quileute Store are excited to announce a liquidation sale on Quileute Days Gear. Prices on 2009 Quileute Days t-shirts are cut more than 50% while supplies last (prices exclude shipping and handling). Quileute Days is the annual festival celebrating Quileute culture and heritage, held in Late July.
Attendees of past festivals include Tinsel Korey (Emily) in 2009, and Gil Birmingham (Billy Black) in 2010.
Supplies are limited, so hurry to http://www.quileute-store.com to purchase your t-shirt now! The shirts can be found under the link for “Quileute Days Gear.”One of the four styles of shirts is pictured to the left.
While at the Quileute Store, also be sure to check out other authentic Quileute and “Twilight Saga” inspired merchandise!
We are also thrilled to be presenting for sale 2010 Quileute Days t-shirts! The shirt’s back design portrays a traditional Quileute dancer designed by Quileute local artist and carver, Dave Jackson, Jr. Quantities and sizes are limited, so be sure to check out our new offerings today!
Fan Art and Creativity
August 18, 2010
In one of the recent Stephenie Meyer fan junket interview tracks released, Stephenie talked about seeing some amazing fanart. She references a quilt made by the folks over at the Twilight Quilters Coven (see interview and quilt below).
Twifans.com: (LTT & Twifans) ask Stephenie Meyer TwiMerch & TwiRoom by twifans
We get to see fan art a lot at the Creation Entertainment Official Twilight Conventions. They have a regular Twilight centerpiece contest.
More recently we’ve been seeing fans bringing in art they have created, and then they have the actors sign the artwork. One recently really stood out at the Boston Twilight Convention by fan PunchyAddison. It caught both Pel’s eye and Alex’s Meraz’s because it wasn’t just one piece, it was a series. See below.
You can see the entire gallery here.
Now if all of this is sparking your creativity, Twilight Axiom has a weekly fanart contest. Check out the details on their site and see if you’d like to apply!
So what’s your favorite fanart that you have ever seen?
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