New pictures of Eclipse Kellan Lutz (aka Emmett Cullen) at the premiere of the movie The Expendables. The event was located at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre yesterday (August 3).
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Kellan Lutz Attends The Premiere Of The Expendables!
New pictures of Eclipse Kellan Lutz (aka Emmett Cullen) at the premiere of the movie The Expendables. The event was located at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre yesterday (August 3).
Huffington Post: Robert Pattinson IS a Genuine Movie Star
The Huffington Post had an excellent article explaining why they think Robert Pattinson, (among others) are genuine movie stars and all have staying power -
Brent Lang of The Wrap just doesn’t get it. Plain and simple. In his provocatively-titled piece ‘Zac Efron and the Incredible Shrinking Teen Idol Stars‘, Land submits that the newest generation of young stars (Zac Efron, Robert Pattinson, Miley Cyrus, etc) have disappointed at the box office even as the numbers he uses fail to bear that out. Once again, a pundit has fallen into the classic trap: Because a movie star’s latest movie has failed to match up with his or her all-time best performances, said actor’s star must be fading. But it fails to take into account two obvious factors: not every film an actor makes is identical in appeal and marketability, and a star cannot be expected to top their previous best every time out of the gate.
As I’ve said any number of occasions, movie stars are worth certain paydays for certain projects.
The absurd idea that a small intimate drama starring a given actor should be expected to perform as well as a crowd-pleasing genre picture is asinine. In fact, such expectations actually discourage actors from stretching or trying artier or more challenging works.The article was edited by KStewRobFans to contain only pieces that pertain to Rob. You can check out the FULL article here!
Sure Remember Me ‘only’ made $55 million worldwide (on a budget of just $16 million), but that means that $55 million worth of tickets were sold completely on the shoulders of one Robert Pattinson (quick, raise your hands if you saw that one for Pierce Brosnan or Chris Cooper….?).
Thus, quite obviously, Robert Pattinson shouldn’t be getting paid nearly as much for Remember Me as he did for Twilight Saga: Eclipse. He didn’t, so the film’s box office should not be judged on the same level.
Pattinson and Efron could spend their entire careers doing rip-offs of, respectively Twilight and High School Musical. The fact that they are instead making more challenging pictures, and still posting decent returns, means that they are absolutely bankable names on a reasonable budget
Star power isn’t opening something that is already highly appealing to a mass audience that has the benefit of your name on the poster. Star power is scoring a reasonable or better opening weekend for a film that has nothing to offer except your name on the poster. On that scale, Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, and Robert Pattinson are genuine movie stars.
[via Robert Pattinson Life]
More Eclipse Cast Members Attending The Teen Choice Awards, Plus Live Stream Details!
KStewRobFans has the latest deets on the 2010 Teen Choice Awards -
FOX and Ustream, the leading live interactive broadcast platform, have partnered to offer viewers an exclusive look at the TEEN CHOICE 2010 red-carpet action with a special live webcast airing Sunday, Aug. 8 (3:30-5:00 PM PT live/6:30-8:00 PM ET live) online at ustream.tv/teenchoiceawards/v3 and teenchoiceawards.com.
Voting ENDS on Friday, August 6th – vote for Rob & Kristen HERE
FYI- Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Alex Meraz, Justin Chon, Chirstian Serratos, Michael Welch, Charley Bewley & Kiowa Gordon have been added to the list of attendees – Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner & Ashley Greene were previously confimed
New Picture — Jackson Rathbone At The 2010 Teen Choice Gift Suite!
New picture of Eclipse Vampire Jackson Rathbone (aka Jasper Hale) at the gift suite for the 2010 Teen Choice Awards.
Jackson was photographed at the gift suite yesterday (August 3), then Teen Choice Awards take place on August 8, but air on August 9. You can get all the deets there!
[Source: JacksonRathboneSource.org]
Taylor Lautner’s Long Lost … Twin Sister?!
I just can’t get over this picture!! I mean she really DOES look like Taylor doesn’t she?! I found this over at the hilarious blog Rob’s Closet,
If you are ever looking for a good laugh, and are OVER the age of 18, you seriously NEED to check out Rob’s Closet!
New Video — Robert Pattinson Singing!!!
Reuters has shared a new video showing several artists participating in Songs From A Room .. with .. ROBERT PATTINSON!!!
An exclusive new series of ‘pop up’ concerts taking place in living rooms across London is generating buzz for featuring new acts and surprise guests including actor Robert Pattinson and The Magic Numbers.Matt Cowan reports.The above video features only Robert Pattinson singing. If you would like to check out the whole piece you can do so here.
New/Old Pictures Of The Trio From The Eclipse Premiere!
New/old pictures of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner from the Eclipse premiere in June!
Water For Elephants Release Date: April 15, 2011!
Robert Pattinson’s new film Water For Elephants officially has a theatrical release date of April 15th, 2011!
[Source: BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Writers Guild Of America’s Interview With Melissa Rosenberg!
The Writers Guild Of America recently sat down with Twilight Saga screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg.
In the interview they discuss the script for Eclipse and what she finds most difficult when it comes to writing a script -
You’ve said you thought this current film, Eclipse, would be easy at first. Was that partially because you knew Breaking Dawn, your two-part adaptation of the final films of the Twilight series, was coming?
That was actually from the outset, separate from Breaking Dawn. Looking at the first three books, it seemed like it would be easier just because it had all this action. Of course, that was wrong. Thinking anything in writing is going to be easy is always…
A mistake?
Always a mistake. It is never easy. Writing is hard. If it wasn’t, everyone would do it, right?
True. So Eclipse has a lot of action, but it’s mainly in the third act.
Exactly.
Tell me what you had to do with those first two acts to lead up to that big conflict.Melissa also briefly speaks about Breaking Dawn, and talks about the hit show she writes for Dexter! Read the rest here!
It was about taking that threat and building on it to the third act conflict. The entire book is from Bella’s point of view, so anything that happens in the book, she hears about after the fact, [when] she’s not actually present. With the script, I don’t have that restriction. I could actually go away from her point of view occasionally, so I was able to build a few of those scenes that she hears about after the fact and invent a few to help build to this conflict, which, hopefully, helps to keep that sense of threat impending and growing throughout [the first two acts].
This Twilight phenomenon has happened really fast, but it’s also been, what, three and half years now that you’ve been ensconced in this?
Yeah. It was about two months before the strike.
In all that time, has your process for breaking down these books remained the same?
I’ve used the same system that I’ve had from the beginning. The only thing that’s changed a little is that I’ve involved Stephenie Meyer a little more in my process. I’ve used her as a resource more and more as I’ve gone along… and our relationship has developed over that time.
Eclipse DVD Available For Preorder In Germany, Plus Eclipse DVD Cover Revealed?
Eclipse 2-disc Fan Edition DVD is now available for preorder in Germany! The DVD will be released on December 24th.
We previously reported that it is now available for preorder in Australia, however no release date was given. No word yet on availability in other areas.
The above Eclipse DVD Cover is shown for the German edition. Can we assume that this will likely be the same cover across the world for the Eclipse DVD? Probably.
If you are in Germany — you can preorder your Eclipse DVD here!
Kristen Stewart Poses With Lucky For AnimalFair.com!
New picture of Kristen Stewart holding Lucky Diamond, a dog who is the face of AnimalFair.com. Lucky was rescued in 1999 and has been bringing awareness to the unfair treatment of animals by posing with many celebs along the way!
You can read the full story here!
[Source: AnimalFair.com]
Melissa Rosenberg Needs Your Help Writing Breaking Dawn?
Yes — you’ve read correctly! Twilight Saga screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg is asking the fans of Twilight to help her write some of the key scenes into the script for Breaking Dawn, via comments on her Facebook page!
According to MTV -
Have a thought or two about how Breaking Dawn, the final installment of the Twilight Saga, should play out on the big screen? Of course you do; what loyal Twi-hard doesn’t?
Well, good news—Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg wants to hear about it!
The scribe recently admitted to MTV that she’s struggling with the script for the two-part Twilight finale, which begins filming in the fall. Apparently, Rosenberg feels the script is in danger of becoming cluttered, due to the number of new characters she needs to introduce:
“It’s extremely challenging to introduce those new characters because you already have quite a slew of characters to service. The Cullen family is large, the wolf family is large, you have three leads … finding room for all of them is a challenge. For me, it is about pulling forward the ones that are essential and really making sure they have a presence.”
While Rosenberg hopes that all of the characters “will be there in one shape or another,” she’s throwing the floor—or at least her Facebook page—open to suggestions. And the screenwriter notes that she definitely takes fan input seriously:Here is our chance! You can leave your comments/suggestions on Melissa’s Official Facebook page.
“I ask people to really weigh in with what are their favorite scenes in the books, what’s important to them. And there generally seems to be a consensus about one scene or another. It’s really helpful for me and I’ll interact with them sometimes.”
You know what to do, Twi-hards.
[Source: MTV.
Breaking Dawn Bandwagon: Ed Westwick Wants In On Breaking Dawn?
PopSugar has a new interview with Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick. When asked about the Twilight movies, Ed jokingly replied that he wants in on the next one -
PS: Gossip Girl’s hot! We all love it.
Ed: Maybe if I had vampire teeth.
PS: Maybe you need to play a vampire with that other hot Brit.
Ed: We should play brothers. Me and Rob Pattinson should play brothers.
PS: In Breaking Dawn?
Ed: Is that the next one? I’ll put the call in. Let’s do it.
[Source: PopSugar.com.
USA Today Explores Why Louisiana Was Chosen For Filming Breaking Dawn!
USA Today has a new article explaining the incentives, and the reasoning why Louisiana has been the go to place lately to have movies/TV shows filmed. The Expendables, The Green Latern, The Last Exorcism, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button are among some of the movies that have been recently filmed in Louisiana. The extremely popular HBO show True Blood is also filmed in Louisiana.
Here is what they had to say about Breaking Dawn, and the tax incentives Louisiana is offering to gain such huge films -
Breaking Dawn, the fourth installment in the hugely successful Twilight series, films this year in Baton Rouge.Read more after the break!
We’re way ahead of the curve in the New Orleans region,” says Katie Gunnell, interim director of the city’s Office of Film and Television. “The city has seen an incredible bump in applications for 2011 as well.”
Across the state, work is consistent and year-round, despite hurricane season and blazing summer temperatures. “We’ve maintained 20 to 25 productions at any given time during the year,” Stelly says. “We’ve doubled for New York City, Los Angeles, the Northwest, basically Anytown, USA.”
“You can get an 1800s look, you can get a Parisian look,” says Todd Lewis, producer of The Chaperone. “You can get suburbs, you can get the country. It’s got a little bit of everything.” His movie, out next year, is one of several Louisiana-based films funded by World Wrestling Entertainment and featuring wrestling stars, in this case Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
The state offers the most competitive economic and tax incentives of any in the country. A system of financial perks was enacted after Hurricane Katrina destroyed $81 billion in property and killed 1,836 people in 2005.
“We approached it like a business, and it keeps (filmmakers) coming back, based on our reliability and stability,” Stelly says. “For every dollar you spend in the state, we’ll give you 30% back (in rebates). And we give you an additional 5% for hiring Louisiana residents on productions.”
Tax incentives can be sold as credits or used to offset personal or corporate income tax, he says.
“As things get more expensive, you have to go wherever you get the budget relief,” Lussier notes. “You can no longer use Mulholland Drive for your backwoods road movie.”
There is also the sense among filmmakers that they are helping an area that sorely needs a hand in bouncing back from one of the worst natural disasters in history.
“Louisiana has been through so much, and I’m glad to be able to make a film there,” says Nicole Kidman, who is shooting the 2011 film Trespass in Shreveport this summer with Nicolas Cage.
“The economy desperately needs the film business,” Lurie says. “And it’s fantastic watching people get employed. We hired a thousand people to be extras and put a couple of hundred bucks in their pockets, and that’s helpful to the economy. The film commission is among the most proactive I’ve ever seen.”
You can read the rest of the article here!
Paperback Edition Of Breaking Dawn Now Available, Plus Today Is The Second Anniversary Of Breaking Dawn’s Hardcover Release!
For those of you who have been waiting to obtain a copy of Breaking Dawn in paperback, today is your lucky day!
The much anticipated paperback version of Breaking Dawn hit shelves today!
The novel has been on USA Today’s 150 best sellers list for a total of 104 weeks! And was even listed on July 29 in the top 150.
Breaking Dawn was originally released as a hardcover on this day (August 3rd) back in 2008!
Happy 2nd Birthday Breaking Dawn!!
You can order yours here!
HitFix: Why Summit Entertainment Is Sticking To November 2012 Release Date For Breaking Dawn Part Two!
Gregory over at HitFix.com has written an amazing article explaining why Summit Entertainment is making the fans wait until November 16, 2012 to see the last instalment from the Twilight Saga franchise Breaking Dawn Part 2 -
After releasing both “Twilight” and “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” in November of 2008 and 2009, Summit made the seemingly smart move of moving “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” to a June 30, 2010 release date. This was because of both fervent interest from the franchise’s fanbase and the expectation that opening in the summer would allow for a larger gross due to the fact many teenagers would be out of school and able to see the film numerous times during the work week. Instead, “Eclipse” has grossed less than the previous chapter, “New Moon,” with only $288.1 million domestic and a total of $644.8 million worldwide so far. “New Moon” ended up with $296 million domestic and $709 million worldwide and it’s hard to see “Eclipse” matching that total as its grosses have slowed considerably. Considering “Eclipse” received universally better reviews than the previous two chapters and was the most action packed (i.e., male friendly) of the series this has to be something of a disappointment for Summit. Granted, there is no need to shed any tears as the studio and series creator Stephenie Meyer are still swimming in profits as the picture only cost $65 million.When you look at it that way, Breaking Dawn would be up against some pretty big movies in June/July 2012. And since Eclipse didn’t payoff like Summit expected it to, they need to go with what they know works.
Check out the rest of the article here!
Kristen & Kellan will NOT attend the Teen Choice Awards
After a TV commercial was released this week that stated Kristen Stewart and Kellan Lutz would be attending the Teen Choice Awards, the internet went crazy that the Twilight trio would all be attending. However, Gossip Cop has confirmed that Kristen will not be attending, due to filming obligations for On the Road.
There has been much speculation about whether Kristen Stewart will be joining Robert Pattinson at Fox’s Teen Choice Awards on August 9, which is being co-hosted by Katy Perry and the “Glee” guys.In addition, Kellan Lutz Spain states that they have confirmed with Kellan’s agent that he will not be in attendance either.
Gossip Cop inquired, and we finally have the answer…
Stewart will NOT be at the Teen Choices Awards.
A rep for the actress says, “She is away shooting On The Road.”
Twilight and Eclipse Soundtrack Artists Nominated for VMA’s
SourceSeveral of the artists featured on the official soundtracks for Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and/or The Twilight Saga: Eclipse have been nominated for 2010 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).
Hayley Williams, lead singer for Paramore (from the Twilight soundtrack), worked with B.o.B. on “Airplanes,” and the two have been nominated in several categories for the work (“Best Collaboration,” “Best Male Video,” and “Video of the Year”). Paramore, too, was nominated for “Best Rock Video” for “Ignorance.”
Also nominated in the “Best Rock Video” category are Muse (from Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse’s soundtracks) for “Uprising” and Florence + The Machine (from the Eclipse soundtrack) for “Dog Days Are Over.”
Muse also picked up a “Best SFX (Special Effects)” nomination for the song, and Florence + The Machine got nominated for “Video of the Year,” “Best Art Direction,” and “Best Cinematography.”
Finally, The Black Keys (Eclipse OST contributors) received a nomination for “Breakthrough Video” for “Tighten Up.”
New PSA for Stand Up 2 Cancer featuring Dakota Fanning
Full press release regarding the organization and the latest PSA after the break!
For Immediate Release
YOUNG HOLLYWOOD BANDS TOGETHER TO STAND UP TO CANCER
NEW PSA STARS KRISTEN BELL, CLARK DUKE, ZAC EFRON, DONALD FAISON, DAKOTA FANNING, ANDREW GARFIELD, JOHN HEDER, VANESSA HUDGENS, LOGAN LERMAN, ZACHARY LEVI, WILLIAM MOSELEY, OLIVIA MUNN, AUBREY PLAZA, NAYA RIVERA, SOFIA VASSILIEVA AND AARON YOO
“Change the Odds” PSA to air on Stand Up To Cancer broadcast on September 10th
Watch Now on Stand Up To Cancer’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwC87ZKF1dQ
(Full Embed Code at End of Release)
AUGUST 4, 2010 (Los Angeles / New York) – More than a dozen of Hollywood’s young stars – a cast including Zac Efron, Dakota Fanning, Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens, Logan Lerman, Kristen Bell, Jon Heder, Aubrey Plaza, Zachary Levi, Sofia Vassilieva, Clark Duke, Olivia Munn, Naya Rivera, Donald Faison, Aaron Yoo and William Moseley – have joined together for a new public service campaign called “Change The Odds,” in support of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), an initiative raising critical funds for innovative cancer research. The SU2C “Change the Odds” PSA launched online today and will be featured on the upcoming SU2C broadcast event on September 10th. To access the video, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwC87ZKF1dQ
Co-directed by Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer, Untitled Spider Man Reboot) and Rich Lee and produced by Laura Ziskin and Pam Williams, the “Change The Odds” PSA calls on younger audiences to join the SU2C movement for those they love and the future of their generation.
“Change the Odds” puts cancer into perspective as a disease everyone must stand up to. Through eight vignettes, the odds of several scenarios that are quite low, like becoming an astronaut (1 in 13,200,000) or getting trapped in an elevator (1 in 24,528), are contrasted with those of being diagnosed with cancer. In the United States, one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes.
“It is important for young people to be aware of the scope of the problem and the odds that they may face, both for their own future and for their loved ones,” said Ziskin, co-founder and executive producer of the Stand Up To Cancer telecast. “This piece is about how it is never too soon to take a stand against these devastating and epidemic diseases. Theirs may be the generation that gets us to the finish line. We are so grateful to all the young stars and to Marc Webb and Rich Lee for joining our cause so brilliantly.”
The PSA sends viewers to standup2cancer.org/changetheodds, where compelling content from featured talent and important facts about cancer will educate young people about ways they can reduce their cancer risks, including wearing sunscreen, quitting smoking and adding anti-cancer foods to their diets.
“We want to communicate that each and every one of us can play a part in changing the odds of getting cancer in our lifetimes, especially the younger generation,” said Webb. “Seeing these young stars get involved makes me so proud to be a part of the Stand Up To Cancer movement.”
Stand Up To Cancer will return to primetime TV on September 10, 2010, at 8PM EST & PST / 7PM CT. The one-hour fundraising event will be simulcast live and commercial-free on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, Discovery Health, E!, MLB Network, The Style Network, VH1, HBO Latino, Showtime, TV One, G4 and hosted by network news anchors Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Brian Williams.
The primary goal of SU2C is to raise funds for groundbreaking translational research to accelerate the delivery of new therapies to patients, getting them from the “bench to the bedside” as quickly as possible. SU2C brings together scientists from different disciplines across various institutions to work collaboratively, rather than competitively, at a critical time in the field of cancer research.
As in the landmark 2008 broadcast, this year’s SU2C telecast will feature live performances by legendary recording artists and stars from film, television and sports, presenting content that provides viewers with insights into cancer. The star-studded SU2C television special builds continuing public support and donations for cutting-edge cancer research that translates at a rapid pace from the laboratory to treatments and technologies benefitting patients. One hundred percent of all donations received from the public will go directly to cancer research.
The 2008 telecast was viewed in more than 170 countries and helped raise over $100 million. More than $83 million has since been committed to five multi-disciplinary “Dream Teams” of researchers from more than 50 institutions, as well as to 13 young innovative scientists who are undertaking high-risk yet potentially high-reward projects to end the reign of cancer as a leading cause of death in the world today.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Stand Up To Cancer’s scientific partner, is responsible for administering the grants and providing scientific oversight in conjunction with the SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., institute professor at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
CHANGE THE ODDS EMBED CODE – cut and paste in browser to share video on your website:
About the Stand Up To Cancer Initiative
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) — a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)3 charitable organization — raises funds to hasten the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. In the fall of 2007, a group of women whose lives have all been affected by cancer in profound ways began working together to marshal the resources of the media and entertainment industries in the fight against this disease.
Stand Up To Cancer will return to primetime TV on September 10, 2010, at 8PM EST & PST / 7PM CT. The one-hour fundraising event will be simulcast live and commercial-free on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, Discovery Health, E!, MLB Network, The Style Network, VH1, HBO Latino, Showtime, TV One and G4.
The SU2C founding members include Laura Ziskin, executive producer of the Sept. 5, 2008 broadcast and the upcoming one, who is a cancer survivor; Sherry Lansing, chairperson of the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Board of Directors and founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation; EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen; Katie Couric; EIF Senior Vice President Kathleen Lobb; Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; nonprofit executive Ellen Ziffren; and Noreen Fraser, founder of the Noreen Fraser Foundation (NFF) and a cancer survivor. SU2C was formally launched on May 27, 2008.
Major League Baseball was the founding donor to contribute to Stand Up To Cancer. Other major SU2C supporters include Sidney Kimmel, the country’s largest individual supporter of cancer research, Amgen, Bloomberg Philanthropies, GlaxoSmithKline, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Wallis Annenberg & The Annenberg Foundation, Alliance for Global Good, Milken Family Foundation, Philips Electronics, Steve Tisch, The Island Def Jam Music Group, Comcast and many others. In addition to ABC, CBS and NBC, SU2C major media partners include AOL, Condé Nast Media Group, eBay Inc., Facebook, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Hearst Corporation, Los Angeles Times, Meredith Corporation, The New York Times Company, Time Inc and WebMD.
About the Entertainment Industry Foundation
Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that serves as the collective philanthropy for the television and film businesses. EIF has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues.
Media Contacts:
ID PR
Chet Mehta 323-822-4871 cmehta@id-pr.com
Sheri Goldberg 646-723-3800 sgoldberg@id-pr.com
Kristen Stewart NOT To Attend Teen Choice Awards
The latest press release from the TCA includes newly announced Twilight guests who will be in attendance which includes Kiowa Gordon (Embry), Charlie Bewley (Demetri), Justin Chon (Eric), Alex Meraz (Paul), Bronson Pelletier (Jared), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper), Nikki Reed (Rosalie), Christian Serratos (Angela), and Michael Welch (Mike).
{via Gossip Cop}
And Let the 'Eclipse' Pre-Ordering Begin!!!!
The DVD version of Eclipseis already for sale on pre-order...even though there isn't a release date! Talk about getting a jump on things. Maybe those Aussie's are hardcore Twi-hards. "Even though there is NO release date known as yet for the Eclipse DVD, Sanity now have the option to pre-order both the one disc & two disc versions via their site. As soon as the official release dates are known for Australia, UK & the US, we will of course let you all know. If you wish to pre-order now, all you need to do is click on either of the highlighted links above!"
This tiny bit of news is exciting considering we are going through major Twilight drought until the filming of Breaking Dawn begins.
Kristen Stewart Interview: Vampire’s Girl Turns Rock Rebel
With the three films released so far – Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse – Stewart has won the hearts of legions of teenage girls as Bella, who becomes entwined in a passionate, unorthodox Romeo-and-Juliet-style romance with the handsome vampire Edward Cullen, played by British heartthrob Rob Pattinson.
The four-book series has sold
17 million copies, and there are more than 350 fan sites devoted to the stories, so the burden of expectation was high, and casting the right couple in the leading roles vital.
“It’s just surreal to be a crucial part of a machine like this,” says Stewart. “I’m sort of the vessel. These girls are obsessed with Edward through me. If I wasn’t right, I’d be persecuted and put on a cross.”
A little over-dramatic, perhaps, but it is an exciting and somewhat difficult time for the 19-year-old actress, who tries desperately to maintain her privacy while keeping fans of the Twilight saga happy. At the same time, she is reaching for roles that take her beyond the teenage romance genre.
So far, she seems to have succeeded remarkably well. Between Twilight movies (a final one, Breaking Dawn, is being developed), she has found time to star in two vastly different movies. She plays a troubled teenage prostitute in Welcome to the Rileys, which was produced by Ridley Scott and his brother Tony and directed by Ridley’s son Jake. It had its debut at the Sundance film festival this year.
The other film, The Runaways, which also debuted at Sundance, is creating a major stir with its story of the groundbreaking all-girl rock band and its gritty depiction of the 1970s Los Angeles rock scene.
The Runaways released five albums before breaking up in 1979, and their story is the stuff of rock mythology. Their tough, sexy, jailbait style inspired a wave of female rockers and paved the way for other all-girl bands such as the Go-Gos and the Bangles.
Stewart portrays the band’s bisexual leader, Joan Jett, who was executive producer of the film and whose black hair and lean, punk look earned her fashion-icon status.
“It was tough because I only had a really tiny window of free time, but I wanted to make the movie. And I didn’t want to get any older because I’m already older than Joan was when she was in the Runaways,” says Stewart. “I just crammed it in, and hoped that it would work. And it did. It’s nice to switch to movies like this between Twilights, but I’m excited to go and do the next couple of years of Bella’s life.”
She arrives for our interview looking elegantly sophisticated in a black mini-dress with her dark hair pulled up behind her head in a bun. Yet she confesses: “When I dress up, I have to have a lot of help. I was in a T-shirt until a few minutes ago.”
Like the teenage Joan Jett, Stewart has a sullen, almost surly look, which proves to be misleading, because she willingly attempts to answer questions, thinking carefully before she speaks but sometimes finding herself unable to articulate her thoughts.
“It’s impossible to always get across what I’m trying to say, but, if I just stay honest, then I’m not going to look back on any of these interviews and wonder what I was trying to do or be,” she says.
“I’m asked all the time in interviews about who I am, and I know a few people my age who have a strong sense of self, but I couldn’t say I know myself and sum it up and give it to you in a little package. I don’t know myself at all yet.”
It was probably inevitable that Stewart would find a career in some form of showbusiness: her father is a director and producer, her mother is a scriptwriter, and she was brought up in Hollywood, where, in true fairytale fashion, she was spotted by a talent agent in a school Christmas play when she was eight. She landed bit-part television roles, and when she was 12 she was cast as Jodie Foster’s daughter in David Fincher’s Panic Room.
She worked steadily in movies of varying quality, ranging from the poorly-received Cold Creek Manor to the underrated space fantasy Zathura.
The sudden arrival of fame with Twilight is something she is still trying to cope with.
“I’m 19, and, being a public figure, I’m supposed to present myself in a certain way, but it’s hard and you’re never going to be able to tell people who you are through the media,” she says hesitantly. “It’s sort of impossible. It’s much easier for a guy to say what he wants and not to be cute and funny all the time, but, if you’re a strong sort of woman, you’re just, for lack of a better word, a bitch.
Read rest of article here…
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