Twilight Thursdays! Vol. 1, Issue 11

New Moon News

New Moon has ended its run and un/surprisingly broke some records!

Winding up with $296.6 million in 133 days, New Moon was the fourth highest-grossing movie from 2009 and ranks 34th on the all time grosses chart.

It also stands as the biggest teen romance and vampire movie on record, eclipsing the first Twilight for the title. New Moon impressed by building significantly on Twilight's turn-out, which was $192.8 million. When a predecessor is that popular, it has been historically uncommon for a sequel to surpass it. New Moon still holds the record for biggest single day with its $72.7 million haul on its opening day, Nov. 20, 2009, as well as the midnight showings record ($26.3 million). It also logged the third highest-grossing opening weekend of all time, $142.8 million, but has the distinction of being the most front-loaded blockbuster ever, making 48 percent of its total gross on its first weekend alone.

The greatest growth for New Moon came on the foreign front. It has pulled in $413.1 million thus far, more than doubling what Twilight made. That puts its worldwide total at $710 million versus Twilight's $385 million. New Moon's initial DVD sales, though, haven't trumped Twilight at the same rate: its first weekend reportedly sold an estimated 4 million units versus Twilight's 3.8 million. [boxofficemojo.com]

Wondering why the New Moon merch in Hot Topic seemed a little lack luster to their Twilight stock? Blame Wal-Mart:

But this year, the company decided not to sell the Twilight "New Moon" sequel because of an aggressive position on the property by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., McLaughlin said. Excluding "Twilight" and "New Moon," sales in stores open at least one year are flat.

Chips of Eclipse

Let's start out with some rumor control. You may have heard that there is some reshooting of key scenes in Eclipse because Summit isn't that happy with David Slade's work. Reshoots so close the release date of such a hotly anticipated film signal some major trouble. So, what is REALLY going on? Gossip Cop detects the truth:

A report that was widely disseminated earlier today made big waves by claiming that “key scenes” in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse need to be reshot in Vancouver, and speculated that the development indicated production on the June release was troubled.

Gossip Cop looked into it, and we have the exclusive answers.

First, regarding the implication that these reshoots were unexpected, an authorized rep for the studio tells Gossip Cop, “The reshoot was planned for months, like it is with the majority of films.”

Let Gossip Cop settle some other false rumors.

Contrary to today’s inaccurate speculation, “creative differences” have not led Summit to consider bringing in another director for the reshoots.

David Slade is 100% directing them, like he did the entire movie, and the studio is “very happy” with his direction of the film, which internally some say could be the best of the series.

As for the timing, speculation that there will be three rushed days of 18-hour shoots is incorrect. The Summit rep tells Gossip Cop that it’s a two-and-a-half to three-day shoot, and that “very little” actually has to be reshot.

But the biggest misconception concerned the specific scenes alleged to be those in need of a reshoot. The rep confirms to Gossip Cop, “None of the meadow or action scenes are being reshot.”

Asked to comment on today’s alarmist rumors, the authorized rep for the studio tells Gossip Cop, “Reports much like the one earlier today are ploys to drive traffic without any merit and without any support from the studio on what is actually going on or true.”

Wow! Check out these posters for Eclipse from France, Russia, & Germany!

Ashley Greene, David Slade, & Peter Facinelli got a preview of some Eclipse scenes and they're both giving it some thumbs up!

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Here's a preview of the Eclipse Calender and the Eclipse Oversized Wall Calendar:

In Eclipse there's a lot of discussion and comparison between Bella & Edward and Cathy & Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Since the unstoppable force that is Twilight has been...well, unstoppable, sales of Wuthering Heights have been on the rise too. The cover of the famous classic has been Twilightized

When Stephanie Meyer featured the literary classic, Wuthering Heights in her Twilightsaga, she breathed new life into Emily Bronte’s love story. Now, thanks to a new Twilight-esque cover re-vamp, sales of the book are booming. According to Britain’s Telegraph, Twi-hards in Britain have been flocking to their nearest bookstore in droves to buy the classic novel after Meyer made it the main character Bella’s favorite book in the series.

The lovestruck teen (played by Kristen Stewartin the hit films) is often seen quoting from the novel, comparing her love for vampire, Edward (played by Brit hottie Robert Pattinson) to Cathy’s passion for Heathcliff. It was a no-brainer when publisher Harper Collins announced last fall they were going to reissue the novel, with a gothic style cover similar to Meyer’s own books. Featuring the tag line “Bella and Edward’s Favorite Book”, the marketing ploy caused a controversy in literary circles at the time but it certainly seems to have worked — sales of the book have since quadrupled.

According to Nielsen Bookscan, the reissue saw sales peak at 34,023 in Britain over the last year compared to 8,551 when the book was published with the original cover back in 2005. Wuthering Heightsis now currently one of the best selling novels in UK supermarket Tesco as well as more traditional bookstores through out the country. [Tonic]

Breaking Dawn Bits

As discussed last week, Bill Condon seems to be the front runner in the race/campaign to direct Breaking Dawn. MTV had a chat with everyone's favorite psychic vamp about her thoughts on the matter.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

The only Breaking Dawn Bit that was confirmed last week by Melissa Rosenberg stating that fourth installment would definitely be PG-13. However, this revelation has upset some fans who feel that a PG-13 rating will hinder the film standing up to the book's more violent & more sexual themes. There's a petition going around that says [reelzchannel]:

It is understood that not only is Breaking Dawn rated R in the book, the director should produce a film that mirrors it's book in original form that is greatly loved by females (and some males) all over the world. Losing major details of the movie will definitely hurt the release of Breaking Dawn and disappoint fans everywhere.

We're all for fans speaking out and demanding what they want, but in this case, it's pretty pointless, thanks to Meyer's previous stipulation that all Twilight movies be rated PG-13. It's no lie that Breaking Dawn contains more mature themes and scenes than its predecessors, but we don't think even Summit would be stupid enough to go against the vampire queen herself, just for the sake of some extra blood and a glimpse of Robert Pattinson mid-skinny-dip.

What do you think? Should BD be PG13 or would you prefer an R rating? Let us know below!

An RPattz skinny-dip might be worth it! Rumor is he's bulking up for Breaking Dawn.

Twifun Time!

Oprah is calling all Twilighters!

Are you or your kids obsessed with the Twilight series? Have you or your kids read all the books, seen both movies and now you are counting down the days until the release of Eclipse? Have you already made plans for the release of the newest movie in June? Who’s your family’s favorite Twilight star…and why?

Why do you love the story so much? How has it impacted your life? What have you learned from the series and how has it made you a better person? Are you a housewife who’s started a fan club with friends?

Do you have a young adult in your family who’s been inspired to write his/her own stories? Has the romance in Twilight sparked the romance in your own relationship? Tell us how the Twilight series has inspired you or your family!

Please only write if you are willing to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Enter Here!

Kellan Lutz is the subject in Interview Magazine this month. Here's an excerpt.

MARK JACOBS: Hi, Kellan? Where are you right now?

KELLAN LUTZ: I am in my backyard in L.A. hanging out with my two dogs.

JACOBS: Who are your dogs?

LUTZ: Kola is a shepherd-husky mix I adopted from the Compton animal shelter. Kevin is the newest, most adorable member of our family. He’s a Chihuahua. I found him on the street when I came back from one of my trips.

JACOBS: You spent time on a dairy farm in Iowa while you were growing up?

LUTZ: Iowa is where the big farm was, where my grandparents lived. After my parents divorced, we would visit them. My mom would send me out to the pigpen, where we had these huge, huge pigs. I would stand there for six hours holding a hose, watering pigs. They’d dive in the mud and shake it off, and I’d go home covered in it. I loved the whole thing of getting wet and dirty and then getting in a warm bath.

JACOBS: You also have experience spraying crops and building silos. Are you aware of how this story reads in New York and L.A.? Anything involving uncontrived hard labor is irresistible to the style industry.

LUTZ: I’d rather do manual labor than sit behind a desk. And as my grandparents got older, I’d fly out there and help out around the farm. We’d tear barns down; we’d build barns. I’d rather be outside rolling hay or driving the tractors.

JACOBS: Then how did you choose Hollywood?

LUTZ: I have a lot of older brothers who messed up in different ways in my mother’s eyes. So I learned from all of their mistakes. I can’t go into detail, but while I was growing up, I always tried to make it a goal to relieve some of the stress my mother went through. I applied myself to school very diligently. I wanted to go out of state so I wouldn’t have to depend on my mother. And L.A., where my father lived, seemed to call to me.

JACOBS: Why acting?

LUTZ: In L.A., I was meeting people who were all actors. My mind started to open up to what acting was. I didn’t realize that Brad Pitt was a real person. I didn’t think he was a robot or a machine, but I thought you were just born into acting—that it’s a family tree, kind of like NASCAR. No one can just say, “Hey, I’m going to be a NASCAR driver.” They need to have some way in. Once I was in L.A., I realized anyone could do this. Why not give it a shot? I started going to a ton of acting classes, and I found I had a real passion for it, probably the biggest passion I’ve ever had in my whole life. So I decided to put school aside, put all my scholarships aside, put everything that I worked hard on for my mother and myself aside, and pursue this roller-coaster ride.

JACOBS: How old were you when you got the -Abercrombie & Fitch cover?

LUTZ: Eighteen. I was actually working in L.A. at an Abercrombie to make friends. I had no friends.

JACOBS: On the sales floor?

LUTZ: I was selling clothes. But I believe my personality helped, because I was the worst folder. I just couldn’t care to do it. I felt like I had ADD. I would just goof around and shoot rubber bands everywhere. Somehow the manager didn’t fire me, and I became a greeter, when you have to stand outside, you know, topless, and kind of finagle people into the store. Then Abercrombie had an audition, and my agency sent me out. I met Bruce Weber, and they chose me. I wasn’t the strongest, most fit, best-looking guy on that shoot, but somehow Bruce put me on the cover. I was just lying on the grass playing with this beetle, and they used that shot. I was still working at the store when the magazine came out two months later. I was just very lucky, and that opened up doors to acting.

JACOBS: Unlike some actors, you don’t seem to have a need to distance yourself from modeling.

LUTZ: It’s weird that the world sees modeling as a negative. It just blows my mind how many people think that because I was a model, I think I’m pretty and that I can use my looks to get ahead. I’m not pretty!

JACOBS: You really don’t think you’re pretty?

LUTZ: It’s funny when people say you have sex appeal or call you the next Brad Pitt. I just laugh. I’m not that. I don’t want to be that. “You’re a sex icon.” Why? Because I played a vampire in a movie? It’s all very unearned. If I had the best freaking abs in the world or if I looked like Brad Pitt does in Fight Club [1999], then cool, but I’m not starving myself. I eat what I want, and I’m not a workout fiend. My genetics are good, but they aren’t crazy He-Man style. I don’t get it, but I appreciate it. [laughs]

JACOBS: And sometimes you just like to go on a shirtless run with your dog, and people need to deal with it.

LUTZ: I don’t see why it’s special. I know a lot of people who run shirtless because they don’t want their clothes to get sweaty. I’m just a normal person. And I have four paparazzi who sit outside my house all day.

JACOBS: Your humility is charming, but do you ever look at other guys going up for a role and think, “I can destroy you with my good looks”?

LUTZ: I love competition. I thrive on it. I love being able to win the room over before even walking through the door. When I was going out for Twilight, I was a big guy, especially after Generation Kill. I was close to 200 pounds and just all muscle. The character description was a big, bulky fighter, a wrestler, a bear of a guy with a smile. I walked in the waiting room and I noticed nine other actors, and half of them were trying to do push-ups, and half of them were trying to be all tough. I chuckled to myself. I’m very perceptive. I love seeing guys out of the corner of my eye be like, “Great.” Because they see a guy walking in who totally looks the role. It’s funny. I don’t try to be cocky, but I’m just very confident because I know I did all of my homework. I also really love, love, love doing character pieces. I love wearing wigs to auditions, even though sometimes they don’t work. I love trying to play the not-confident guy, the guy against my normal character, because that’s when real acting comes into play.

Read the rest over at Interview Magazin e.

Did you hear (like I heard) that RPattz would playing the iconic Kurt Cobain in a biopic with the blessing of his widow Courtney Love? Well, we heard wrong! [blabbermouth.net]

Courtney Love, widow of NIRVANA frontman Kurt Cobain, shot down a widely circulated report on Friday (April 9) that "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson would play Cobain in a film about the rocker's life that Love is executive producing. Love's manager, Jonathan Daniel, told Spin.com, "That's an amazing story, and the first I've heard of any of this. They manage to fit pretty much everyone in Hollywood into an article without one fact check . . . "

The article, which originated in notoriously unreliable U.K. tabloid The Sun, also stated that Love wanted "Iron Man 2" star Scarlett Johansson to play her. Daniel hinted that wasn't entirely out of the question, saying, "Courtney likes Scarlett Johansson as an actress and as a person, so it wouldn't surprise me if she wanted her to play her. I'm not sure she knows who RPattz is, but he sure is cute."

Now for an ever stranger casting rumor: Taylor Lautner as PeeWee Herman!? [accesshollywood]

“Taylor Lautner’s playing Pee-Wee in the movie. That’s what I understand,” Paul Reubens, in character as Pee-Wee, joked to Access Hollywood on Monday.

The “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” star is making a comeback with a new stage show in Los Angeles, debuting at Club Nokia in January – and he added that a pair of movies are in the works.

“There’s going to be at least two new movies. Most people don’t know about it, yet, including all the studios,” he laughed with his trademark “ha-ha.” “I’m sure there will be in my lifetime.”

As for the reason to resurrect his famous character, Paul said he just felt Pee- Wee calling. “I just got up one day and felt like I’m gonna come back, that was it,” Paul said. “I just felt like, ‘Not doing that much, might be fun to rehearse a show for weeks and weeks and weeks.’”

The fun isn't over! Check out Ricky Gervais, Christina Ricci, & Graham Norton talking some Twilight.

Christina Ricci talks about Robert Pattinson Uploaded by Innocenteyes86. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

Billy Burke has an album coming out in June. For prep, he got a manicure

You can check out a track from his upcoming album on his website BillyBurke.net

On April 9th, KStew turned 20. In Celebration, MTV dug up 20 interesting facts to share:

Pie in the Sky: Everybody knows that Kristen and Nikki Reed are totally BFFs. But did you know that the two of them kicked off their friendship over a shared love of ... pie? "Neither of us are the type of girls that meet each other and want to do our fingernails and go to the mall and get our hair done; I would go over to her house and watch movies with [Stewart's then-boyfriend] Mike [Angarano], and she was really into baking pies, and I'm really into eating pies, so it was a good balance," Reed told us once of their early days. "I mean, she eats pies too. But that sounds weird, because she's so small."

She Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby: Kristen was an oh-so-sweet baby girl when she entered the world on April 9, 1990. But who would have guessed that this face would someday become one of Hollywood's brightest stars?

Friends by Association: Die-hard Twilighters may know that the original film had close links to the 2005 movie "Lords of Dogtown," also directed by Catherine Hardwicke. According to Reed, who appeared in both films, she would've had a harder time trusting KStew if not for that film. "It was a pretty natural progression, because Mike and I did a movie together called 'Lords of Dogtown.' At the risk of sounding cynical, young actresses who have a healthy mentality acknowledge that other female actors can be a little bit weird, and it's hard to develop a relationship on a set when you're playing characters that either love or hate each other," Reed recalled. "I knew that Kristen had to be great because of Mike. I trusted her because I trusted him, if that makes sense."

Marvelous Night for a Moondance: In an interview last year, Kristen said that her favorite musical artist was Irish soul singer Van Morrison. Coincidentally (or not?), Van also happens to be Robert Pattinson's fave. "He's going to hate that I'm totally copying him," she laughed. Her favorite song? Morrison's 1968 song "Madame George," off his classic Astral Weeks album.

How to Make a Scene: Remember that now-classic moment in "New Moon" where Michael Welch and Taylor Lautner take Bella to see "Face Punch"? If it weren't for KStew (and, to be fair, Taylor), you never would have seen it. "Kristen and Taylor had to lobby to get this scene in. It wasn't originally in [the script], and I am forever indebted to them for that," Welch said. "That was my favorite thing to do, and it wasn't originally there — so Kristen and Taylor, thank you."

Before She Was KStew: Since she's been making movies for half her life, it sometimes feels like every stage of Kristen's existence has been captured on film. But for a really rare look at a KStew few have seen, check out these pictures of Stewart in grade school. What a cutie!

The Next Will Ferrell?: Everybody thinks of Kristen as a dramatic actress, but she did a lot of improvising on the original "Twilight" movie. "Every single scene, Rob, Kristen and I had to make sure we were on the same page," Catherine Hardwicke told us of the improv on the original movie. "Really, what an actor does, you have to be able to own those words. If you tell someone, 'You have to say this line no matter what,' it's going to come off really phony. ... We tried to finalize and connect with the words, make them her own, and in some cases we did have to change."

Stephenie's Stamp of Approval: Long before "Twilight" hit theaters, a teenage Kristen had left a lasting impression on Stephenie Meyer. "She's so young, but she's already had so much experience and she's so focused," the "Twilight" author told us after one of her first meetings with Kristen. "When I think about how I was when I was 17, I think, 'Wow!' "

It Runs in the Family: We don't know if it really was her first live interview, but when Kristen went on Ryan Seacrest's TV show in 2004 for "Catch That Kid," she certainly was a rookie. Bet ya didn't know Kristen's dad used to work production on the Seacrest show — look closely for the father/daughter resemblance, right around minute one.

Courting the Counterculture: Lots of parents have been quick to label their kids "punks" over the years, but with Kristen, it's actually true. When she was 13 years old, she wore a Clash tee to the premiere of "Catch That Kid." Last year, Kristen broke out a Minor Threat shirt for her "New Moon" whirlwind tour of Comic-Con. All of this led, of course, to her recent acclaimed role as '70s punk Joan Jett in "The Runaways." Who says punk rock is a bad influence on kids?

KStew Was Bullied: Now that she's rich and famous, if anybody gives Kristen a hard time, she could just hire a bodyguard to beat them up. But even KStew has admitted that her high school experience sucked, saying in one interview: "When I was there, I was never the type of girl to be walking around talking about acting, so I didn't get a lot of hassle until someone found out. I was trying to play it down, but I definitely got, 'Oh, she's such a bi---.' They'd never spoken to me, but instantly they were like, 'You are so rude.' I am not rude."

Here, Kitty: To film her 2007 horror flick "The Messengers," Kristen spent half the year in the desolate area known as Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. To break up the monotony while spending all those days on a giant, empty farm, she kept her cat Max in her trailer.

The Other Bella: Kristen had better watch her back: At least one other "Twilight" actress has expressed the wish that she had landed KStew's role — and it's one who has an Oscar nomination under her belt. "It seems like I got shortchanged, doesn't it? Bella is such an amazing character," Anna Kendrick once said in an interview — all in jest, of course. "I don't think it's possible to read these books and not want to be Bella."

Cry, and She Might Hug You: When Rob makes grown women cry, he flashes that charismatic British smile of approval. Kristen, on the other hand, said things are different when you're a girl. "I think guys are a little bit more collected," she told us once. "But the tears, to see people crying in front of you is pretty overwhelming. I just want to give them a hug and be like, 'It's OK.' "

Wise Beyond Her Years: To most people in that age bracket, there's a huge difference between being a teen and someone in their mid-20s. But not only does Kristen act like someone much older, she also gives advice like she is. "I love Kristen; she's a badass and she's cool," beamed Alex Meraz when we asked him about her recently. "I've really enjoyed spending time with her, talking with her. She gave me some advice on what to expect about fame and whatnot. ... I'm 24, [but she's] a bit younger than me. I'm married, I have a kid, so I feel a bit older — but still, you can learn something from everyone. Kristen's only 19 but has a lot of experience in the industry, so I've learned things from her."

Without KStew, There Would Be No Weitz: According to "New Moon" director Chris Weitz, he likely wouldn't have directed the second film if Kristen weren't the star of the franchise. "The vampire thing isn't really what appeals to me about this series of books; it's the characters. And it's Bella especially and the chance to work with these young actors and — to be honest — with Kristen especially," Weitz told us. "I think she's extraordinary."

She's Prone to Giggle Fits: Like any red-blooded American teen, Kristen has always been prone to cracking up. According to Ashley Greene, there have been plenty of times on the "Twilight Saga" sets where the two girls have spent time between takes getting silly. "There was a lot of that; a lot of giggling and laughing during 'New Moon,' especially in Italy," she told us once during an interview. "It was me and Kristen; we were kind of like the only girls, and so there was a lot of girly giggling going on."

Where's the Beef?: Kristen has worked closely with many directors through thick and thin — but when one filmmaker had the audacity to steal her hamburger, KStew developed a beef. "At the premiere party [for 'New Moon'], I had been really, really hungry," Chris Weitz told us of a past transgression. "And I thought that Kristen had left a hamburger behind, whereas it was her intention to return to it. And when she came back, I had consumed it entirely." The director would later joke that his mock feud with Stewart was the reason she hadn't done a commentary track on the "New Moon" DVD — but as far as we can tell, they're just playing around.

The Eyes Have It: It's only the vampires in Forks that have to wear those uncomfortable contacts, right? Not true. Out of devotion to Bella Swan, Kristen's naturally green eyes have been covered up for the filming of the "Twilight" movies with contacts.

Don't Tell Stephenie: Sure, the "Twilight" books have made her a household name. But KStew is never one to kiss ass — which is why we're not surprised that when she is asked to name her favorite book of all time, it doesn't involve vampires, werewolves or anything most of her contemporaries would have read. Instead, Kristen professes her love for the words of John Steinbeck in "East of Eden," a 1952 novel about the drama of two families. Coincidentally, the book was made into a classic film starring James Dean — who draws frequent comparisons to one Robert Pattinson.