Archives for December 2011

MTV After Hours: Tom Cruise Mentions Robert Pattinson and Twilight

Remember that fun and quirky new series on MTV that Josh Horowitz does on MTV called After Hours? The one he did with Anna Kendrick was one of the first and a big hit. Well he just did one with Tom Cruise and Twilight gets a mention.

Breaking Dawn Plays a Role in Fandango’s Most Successful Year Ever

According to the press release from Fandango:

Fandango, the nation’s leading moviegoer destination, achieved double-digit growth in 2011, marking its best-performing year in the company’s 11-year history. The year marked record highs for Fandango, not only in ticket sales, but also in online and mobile traffic, advertising sales and the number of theater screens it represents across the country.

Among Fandango’s other best-year-ever results:

An 11% year-over-year increase in average monthly Web traffic, reaching as high as 25 million unique visitors per month. *
A 59% year-over-year increase in average monthly Mobile traffic, reaching as high as 9 million unique visitors per month. *
A 73% year-over-year increase in mobile ticket sales year-to-date.
Record-breaking mobile percentage of total traffic, with mobile representing more than 28% of all visits to Fandango. *
Record-breaking mobile percentage of ticket sales, with mobile sales for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, representing 22% of Fandango’s sales for the film’s opening weekend.
Ticketing footprint grew to more than 16,500 screens across the country, representing the wide majority of the marketplace.
Increased deployment of Fandango’s exclusive and paperless Mobile Ticket, reaching more than 1,200 screens this year. More than 1,000 new screens will offer this convenience in the next few months.
Record-breaking sales and largest percentage of tickets sold for a movie’s opening (19% of domestic opening weekend for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2).

Reader probably remember how Fandango partnered with Summit to reveal a personalized wedding invitation to Bella and Edward’s wedding coupled with a ticket sale alert. Definitely that marketing venture paid off!  What do you think they will come up with for part 2?

Year End List: Top Ten Iconic Twilight Saga Moments Pre-Breaking Dawn

Laura decided to try and tackle a top ten list this week for her regular Breaking Dawn column and discovered it was going to be harder than she realized.

It’s that time of year when everyone seems to be making a top ten list, so why don’t we jump into the mix too. The Twilight Saga has so many possibilities when it comes to top moments. I started out writing an overall Top Ten Twilight Saga Iconic Moments list taking into account all the Twilight Saga movies, but quickly realized I was going to have to totally rethink that idea because The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 has so many iconic moments just by itself. This was definitely destined to be a two-part idea. So for this week, let’s take a look at the Top Ten Twilight Saga Iconic Film Moments leading up to Breaking Dawn Part 1. Then, in my next column, we’ll examine the Breaking Dawn Part 1-specific ones.

1. The original Twilight movie has possibly the most iconic image of the series. It’s the moment where both Bella and Edward are entranced with each other right after Edward saves Bella from Tyler’s out-of-control van. For many fans who didn’t know anything about Twilight until they saw the films, that was the moment that hooked them. They became captivated by Robert Pattinson and/or the Bella and Edward love story right there during those intense few seconds.

2. One of the most parodied parts of the entire series is the infamous moment in the meadow of “Say it out loud. Vampire.” If you ask people who aren’t fans of the series for a Twilight Saga moment that stands out in their minds, this one is easily it. Even though we don’t get the romantic meadow scene as presented in the book, the scene is memorable to fans nonetheless. It’s the big reveal to Bella that confirms what Edwards is, and consequently it’s what drives the action forward from that point on.

3. The final iconic moment in Twilight is the prom with Edward and Bella’s dance at the gazebo. It’s the first truly prolonged, tender moment they have in the films. Iron and Wine’s song Flightless Bird: American Mouth underscored the sequence and became an instant fan favorite. It was now unofficially Bella and Edward’s song, the one that defined who they were to each other. So far, it is the only song to make a comeback on any of the soundtracks. It currently serves as the song at their wedding in Breaking Dawn Part 1.

Check out which other moments made the list on Movies.com (Their commenting system over there is VASTLY improved if you have had trouble before)

100 Monkeys Rock the UK: Video and Interview

The 100 Monkeys are on tour in the UK, here is what STV thought about the group in their interview.

First off it has to be said that this collection of multi-instrumental musicians are hard to define. The 100 Monkeys, made up of Jackson Rathbone, Ben Graupner, Jerad Anderson, Ben Johnson and M. Lawrence ‘Uncle Larry’ Abrams, delivered a set bursting at the seams with a quick paced mash of blues beats, soul sounds and rock-n-roll rhythms but with a modern fresh twist.

The result was, under the command of Rathbone, that the swaying crowd were well and truly “funkified” as the upbeat chords of opener Ugly Girl bounced around the room.

Before the gig 100 Monkeys sat down to talk to STV about their unique live shows and how they don’t let their busy lives get in the way of coming up with new ways to please their every growing troup of Monkey followers.
100 reasons to see Twilight’s Jackson Rathbone and his Monkey mates

Rathbone commented: “With any group of artists who come together to focus on one unified vision you really have to dedicated the time and energy for that and that’s not easy. All of us do have different jobs or different bands that we perform in or different avenues of the arts that we pursue. We have to take the time to practise, practise and passion are the two most important aspects of being a musician. There are five of us and we have five very different lives and it can be a chore some times but we make it work we have fun with it.”

The thing that makes 100 Monkeys so fun to watch is their energy and unpredictability, they play for the sheer enjoyment of making music and pleasing the crowd. So often we’re plopped in front of musicians who lazily deliver a performance that ebbs along giving gig-goers a fulfilled but formulaic few hours. This is not a characteristic of 100 Monkeys. Predictability was replaced by a tightly polished set that wandered across every sound on the musical spectrum.

Check out more including a video that we can’t embed on STV

Julia Jones Lends Support To Quileute Nation Move To Higher Ground Quest

We have covered the Quileuete Nation’s ongoing struggle to regain traditional tribal lands to enable them to build out of a Tsunami zone before. Now Julia Jones is lending her voice to the cause.

From the Quileute Nation:

In December 2010, Julia Jones was the “guest of honor” at the annual “Cherish our Children” event in La Push. The fundraiser benefits children from both the Forks and La Push areas during the holiday season. Her appearance resulted in a record setting year for the event.
This year, Julia once again shows her support of the real wolves of La Push by releasing a PSA on behalf of the tribe’s quest to move to higher ground.
Julia references the Quileute Tsunami legislation S636 (the Senate bill) in the PSA. The bill in the House of Reprsentatives is HR1162.

“The Quileute Tribe is so grateful to Julia for taking the time out of her busy schedule to film this PSA”, states Chairwoman Bonita Cleveland.
We are grateful to all the actors who have sent out messages of encouragement and support regarding our legislation. Tinsel Korey, Gil Birmingham, Kiowa Gordan and Alex Meraz have all reached out to the fans and we are so humbled by their efforts. Chaske Spenser submitted a statement to the Senate Commission on Indian Affairs when he appeared before the committee this past year. The fan sites have assisted with getting the message out that our tribe is in desperate need to move to higher ground and time is running out.”

We’ve all seen footage from Thailand and Japan where people have mere moments to react to a Tsunami. Please help by contacting your representatives to let them know how important this legislation is. It could literally be a matter of life or death for the children who attend the tribal school.

Interview With Breaking Dawn Soundtrack Artist Ryan from Sleeping at Last

Twilightish has a really great interview up with Ryan from Sleeping at Last.

So you’ve seen the movie. How did you feel about your song’s placement in the film?

Ryan: I was totally, totally blown away. With all film projects, especially something as secretive and big as Twilight they’re very careful with what they tell you in terms of what scene it will be in. Things change so frequently and they told me it might be in or around the wedding scene and it might be in the first love scene during the honeymoon. So when I saw it for the first time at the premiere it was insanely special. With TV and film placements you never know if your song will play for 7 seconds or if it’s going to be playing in the background from far away. There are placements that are like that and it’s still a huge honor but to be placed in a scene so special and that has no dialogue over it is such a dream come true for me.

How did you feel about the audience’s reaction?

Ryan: Oh my gosh, it couldn’t have been more amazing. I mean, the group of people at the premiere was so intense and passionate about Twilight so it couldn’t have been a better audience to see it with for the first time.

Since you didn’t see the film prior to writing the song, did you know what you wanted to write the song about? 

Ryan: I watched all 3 of the previous films back-to-back and I knew from friends who had read the story where the relationships were going and obviously I knew a wedding was going to happen so I wrote the song from Edward’s perspective. I tried to imagine what that might sound like; those relationships maturing and developing. I really liked Edward’s character. I was totally Team Edward from the first film on.

See the rest on Twilightish.

UK Superfan Reports: What Was the UK Breaking Dawn Premiere Like?

Many people are familiar with YouTuber and uber Twilight fan Emma , AKA Nutty Madam. We asked her to do a bit of a report on what the UK premiere was like and on being recognized by the actors and crew. Robert Pattinson had seen her videos and asked to meet her. Check out her reaction to that bit of news here.  So here is Emma’s report in her own words:

Deciding to go to the UK Breaking Dawn Part 1 Premiere wasn’t hard, but the thought of having to spend 2, maybe 3 days sleeping on the street without having a shower and then meeting Rob and Taylor was too much for my brain to handle. Pretty early on I accepted that I might not get to actually meet the cast but that seeing them from a distance would be worth a trip to London and a night in a hotel.

Myself, Jen, Jess and Meg got to London on the 15th and spent a few hours wandering around doing touristy things like getting lost looking for a Nandos restaurant and running around in M&M world like kids on Christmas morning. We were on the way back to our hotel when we saw on Facebook that there were already 400 people at the venue. What the hell. why not just get up at 1am and head off at 2. We could secure our chances of meeting the stars and skip all that nasty non showeryness.

After less than 2 hours sleep, we found ourselves huddled up on a cold street at 2.30am. We were told that we’d be let into the pens at 9am. At 4am we were told to move up in the queue and at 6am we were moved yet again. Time dragged but the German film crew who were filming me for a feature kept us a little distracted. when it finally turned 10am the crowd control let us into the centre, freezing cold and exhausted. The red carpet was huge, with an entire section outdoors and another section at the top of an escalator indoors which was where we were placed. I remember turning around in awe – a coffee shop right behind us! Hot coffee! BLISS!

The day went by quite quickly after that. We secured a good spot at the barriers and decided to stay put for fear of losing it. At 3pm the pens were closed and the red and white carpet was laid out for the stars. Rob, Kristen and Taylor were scheduled to arrive at 5.45 but by the time they got to us it would be much later because of the length of the carpet.

There was a little screen just above us that finally showed Rob, Kristen, Taylor, Bill and Wyck arriving. That’s when it started to seem real. Up until then it was exciting, sure but when you realize you’re in the same building as your idols, it seems more definite. I remember being tired and having sore feet and wishing I was at home and then when I saw them coming up the escalator, it didn’t matter anymore. The first person to walk past was Wyck Godfrey. We screamed his name but he didn’t see us and he went into the premiere. No time to be disappointed because Bill Condon was making his way towards us! He was unbelievably friendly! He gave me a hug and asked me what my real name was, so that he could sign my autograph book “To Emma, The greatest TwiHard ever! Bill Condon”. Cue tears of joy!

Finally, after 16 hours of waiting, we caught sight of Rob, Kristen and Taylor. Wow. So strange to finally see them in the flesh. While holding back tears, I remember being told that they were going to go for interviews on the stage and then make their way around us to sign. After 3 hours of being pushed, squashed and having people screaming in my ears, not to mention 3 years of waiting, I was finally going to meet Robert, Taylor and Kristen. It was weird seeing Wyck Godfrey run towards me at that exact moment. I knew who he was, obviously but when he ran over and high fived me, telling me that he loved my reaction videos, I was gobsmacked. Surely this day couldn’t get any better?!

I didn’t notice Taylor making his way down the barrier until the girl next to me screamed his name in my ear. He was maybe 10 feet away so I got my phone ready to get a picture and took the lid off my pen to get the autograph. He made his way down the line and signed all the various items people were waving at him and then he got to me and signed my book but before I could ask for a photo, the screamy girl caught his attention and I missed my chance. I could have cried right there. A woman whose name I cannot for the life of me remember came over and asked if I’d gotten a photo with Taylor, I said no and she walked right up to him and said “You Need to meet Emma!” He turned around and grinned at me, before asking me if he could have a photo with me. With ME. WHOAH.

No time to recover, Kristen was on her way over. She didn’t stop to talk and there were no photos allowed but she did catch my eye and smile at me, I’d like to think she almost recognised me. Moment over, Rob was metres away. The screaming went up another level and I was close to tears again. He signed and just like before I didn’t get a picture but that amazing woman, I think she was an agent, saved the day. I feel awful but I can’t remember exactly what happened in that moment. I remember him saying he thought my videos were funny and we took a photo but thank God for all the cameras and people recording cause I’d never have been able to recall it otherwise. Big moment doesn’t even come close.

All the fuss died down and, crying, we made our way out of the centre to the train station. It didn’t really sink in, what had happened until I had a phone call from STV the next day asking me to do a reaction to footage they had. 40 seconds of a Rob interview from 2 days before the Premiere. Nothing special, just Rob saying he had seen my videos, thought I should be in the movies and wanted to meet me. Perfect ending to a perfect few days. Is it November 2012 yet?

Robert Pattinson Squares Off Against Johnny Depp: Votes Needed!

In their ongoing E! Celebrity of the Year battle, Robert Pattinson took out Taylor Lautner in the last round. Let’s hope that Taylor comes back in one of the wildcard slots next week! However what’s more important right now is that Robert Pattinson is currently squaring off against Johnny Depp and needs your vote to clear into the final round on the men’s side where he’ll face either Ryan Gosling or Ryan Reynolds.

Go vote! The ultimate winner gets to pick a charity that will received $25,000 from E!, so the voting is really important here as charity dollars are at stake!

Also don’t forget to vote on the ladies side for Kristen Stewart who is currently squaring off against Emma Stone.

Joe Anderson’s (Alistair in Breaking Dawn) The River to Debut February 7

Joe Anderson who plays Alistair in Breaking Dawn Part 2 can be seen in ABC’s The River on February 7.
It’s a mid-season replacement series. I was able to see the first episode at Comic Con this summer, and I can tell you that I was definitely on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. He plays the son of a missing wildlife adventurer.

Robert Pattinson’s Radio Heart Interview with Toby Anstis

Robert Pattinson visited the UK’s Toby Anstis’ radio program to chat about Breaking dawn and future plans. Recorded by @Ninnie_89

Via RPatzNewsUK