Talia Soghomonion - Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner - In Their Own Words

In the fall of 2008, when I attended the screeningof Twilight I had no idea what to expect. I had vaguelyheard of Stephenie Meyer and her successful run on top of theNew York Times Bestseller List. I was aware that it was gearedtowards teens and young adults hence my disinterest but had noidea it was the love story between a vampire and his high schoolsweetheart. As the movie began to play, I noted that it looked morelike an art house film: the colours, the way it was filmed, thevirtually unknown actors, the pace and the general ambience. Thatwas at the beginning. I remember thinking, That vampire looks likeJames Dean and Why is he out in plain daylight? About threeweeks later, as I found myself sitting across from that unlikelyvampire, he answered that question: Well, its always cloudy inForks, Washington. Rob Pattinson was wearing jeans and a shirt,his hair disheveled, his face unshaven, his accent British. Andthat laughter it would become his trademark during interviews.Maybe it was his nerves, or maybe he was just really excited aboutthe film that proved to be his big break. At the time, hispublicist had better things to do than stay in the room with thejournalists, in case one of them got out of line and asked thewrong question. (A year later Are you dating Kristen? wouldbecome the taboo inquiry.) As for Kristen Stewart, she appeareddistant at first, but she was in reality a shy 17-year-old whoselife was about to change drastically. There were a couple of dozenfans outside their Paris hotel in November 2008. On the sets of thesequels, fans would gather and watch from afar, hoping for aglimpse. And almost one year after the releaseof Twilight, when the cast returned to promote NewMoon, there were hundreds of Twihards outside the palatialLe Crillon hotel in Paris. Patiently waiting behind the barricadesto catch a glimpse of the young stars, whose Mercedes limousines were parked and ready to takethem to the premiere later that evening. Their Lumix digitalcameras ready to immortalize the moment. Security checking to seeif those entering the hotel were on the list. Some screaming,please tell Rob I love him! as I made my way in. And inside wasmayhem. Overnight superstars, the actors were now protected and thequestions monitored, especially as speculation of a real-liferomance between Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart was everyonesfavorite topic du jour. When I pointed out to Rob the devotion ofthe fans standing outside in the cold, he was seemed surprised atthe hysteria Twilight elicited: Yeah, everywhere in theworld. Its crazy. Its absolutely crazy. And theyre all fanaticalas well. All of them are shaking and crying. And its not justteenage girls. As for Kristen, she too found it crazy. Thesepeople are absolutely obsessed with Edward Cullen, Bella Swan andJacob Black. The vampire romance also appeals to women in their30s, 40s and beyond. Some feminists accuse it of feeding into theprincess and knight in shining armor fairy tale. The belle saved bythe beau. Barbie and her Ken. I say, just take it for what it is: afantasy novel and an original story that encouraged young teens toread 500-plus page books. And thats a huge testament to StephenieMeyer. The movie adaptations allowed The Twilight Saga toreach a whole new audience as it became a global obsession and, acultural phenomenon and changed our perception of what a vampireshould act or even look like. Everyone wanted to date a vampire,especially if he looked like Rob Pattinson! And yes, everyonewanted that bit of romance in their lives, too, some fantasy intotheir modern lives. But to Meyer its simpler: Its a vampire bookfor people who dont like vampire books. (School LibraryJournal, 10/01/2005) Basically, it is for people who dontwant to be scared witless, but want to see a romanticized versionof a seductive, young vampire. It is perhaps Kristen Stewart whobest describes the series when she was discussing NewMoon: [The movie has] vampires, werewolves, too, so thatmakes it even more exciting. Robert Pattinson is just so cute. Sois Taylor Lautner. Thats what I would tell someone who doesntknow about the movie yet. Twilights success also spawneda new generation of supernatural and vampire TV shows andliterature where they are not necessarily the bad guys. The sagahas also inspired other writers, and the latest sensation is E.L.James Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, whose twoprotagonists, Anabella Steele and Christian Grey, were modeled onBella and Edward. The story is set in Seattle, not farfrom Twilights Forks. But while Twilight is richin material and grips the reader, E.L. James' trilogy is badlywritten supermarket checkout mommy porn. Twilight hasoften been criticized for drawing an unrealistic picture of love ingeneral, of Bellas devotion to Edward and her willingness tosacrifice herself for him. In Fifty Shades of Grey,however, there is the disturbing element of an emotionally abusiverelationship, and the books erotic content fails to conceal it.While Stephenie Meyer is busy with the film adaptation of TheHost and plans to write two sequels, she has not dismissedpenning a fifth Twilight novel should the producers of thesaga request it. But it would be interesting to do a prequel anddevelop the stories of the Cullen family members further thanin Eclipse. This book is a collection of interviewsconducted through the years with the Twilight trio Kristen Stewart, Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner as well as aguide to the basics about the films, its three stars, the sagasauthor and everything in between.

Vampires: ACultural Phenomenon

The world is a vampire, sings Billy Corgan in the SmashingPumpkins hit Bullet With Butterfly Wings. And indeed it is.Vampires are omnipresent: at the movies, on TV and at everyHalloween party ever since Bela Lugosi began to portray thesaber-toothed bloodsucking Count Dracula on the silver screen inthe first half of the 20th century. And while vampiresare traditionally scary creatures, they have become more humanizedand less demonized with the advent of Twilight and othersupernatural sagas. It all began with Bram Stokers gothic novelDracula, published in 1897. Like all sinister beings,vampires have a dual nature, charming and seductive in appearancebut amoral and deadly in reality. They are the bad boys parexcellence, but bloodsucking killers. Yet people love them,simply because there is no real imminent danger involved peoplelove to be scared, and horror continues to be one of the mostpopular genres of literature and film. It provokes a thrill similarto a rollercoaster ride. But the modern-day phenomenon of vampiresprovides a thrill of a different kind as it combines humanemotions, especially romance. The traditional vampire sleeps in acoffin, never goes out in plain daylight, even if the sky isovercast, and doesnt spare its victims a good pint of blood ishard to find. It cannot be denied that The Twilight sagahas largely contributed to making vampires more human and likable.Edward Cullen and Bella Swan are a modern-day Romeo and Juliet,battling the odds and evil forces to be together. As for the Cullencoven, Stephenie Meyer depicts it as vegetarian. Desiring to livein peace with the common mortal, the Cullens have renounced humanblood and feed on wild animals instead. The father figure, CarlisleCullen (played by Peter Facinelli), is a compassionate doctor whowants to help humans. There is also a lot of self-restraint inTwilight, whether in vampirism or sex. Edwards desire tobite Bellas neck can be compared to a carnal urge. The Cullenfamily also leads a comfortable life, living in a spacious houseand driving sports cars like Mercedes-Benz, Jeep Wrangler and Volvo. Norefurbished hearses for them! The success of