What Would We Do Without Amazon........

As anyone who uses Amazon knows, they are running a contest that will give away a trip for you and a friend to the LA premiere of New Moon if you have a wishlist. Who here doesn't have a wish list, raise your hand?

While a paid for vacation in LA sounds like fun and the price is right, it is the other prizes I found interesting. So I started to check the regular pricing for said prizes and here's what I found.

The Twilight board game at $14.99 doesn't sound too bad. I loved board games when I was a kid, but then I haven't priced a regular old (not the super duper deluxe model) Monopoly game in a very long time, so who the hell knows what the price might be on it now.

For a mere $29.99 you can get a matching tobogan (hat) scarf and gloves emblazzoned with the Cullen crest in a really nice blue-gray color. Handy and useful if you live in an area that has cold weather. I live in Texas. Not since 1985 have we seen more than two days of what is considered cold weather. I grew up in Iowa. Has to get pretty darned cold for me to say it is cold. I have a feeling that these would go unused for me. Besides, my friend in Sydney sent me a lovely red and green striped South Sydney (rugby) scarf for my birthday several years ago. I dig it out when it gets that cold.

My least favorite of all the prizes: The Bella and Edward dolls made by Mattel. They're creepy. Now the Edward doll does have some of Edwards looks going on. However, Mattel got lazy with Bella. They merely recycled Barbie's face with brown hair and a toothless smile. Get over it Mattel. I'm calling you out. Why take the time and effort to do Edward pretty well and leave Bella looking like anything but Bella? Not that I would buy either of them. At $24.99 each, I can figure out a really good way to spend 50 bucks. I know, I know. No shipping cost. Don't care. Don't want them. Should I win (and of course with my luck I will--HA), I will gladly ship them to the first person who raises their hand.

What would a body do with them anyway? I had a Barbie as a kid (stone-age Barbie) and here's how I played with her. I undressed her. She spent more time naked than she did dressed because those damn tiny clothes where so bloody hard to get on. And her hooker heels wouldn't stay on unless she was propped up on her Barbie stand. What I found out later in life is, she was not anatomically correct. Neither was Ken.

My granddaughter wouldn't be impressed with these dolls either. She went through her naked Barbie and Bratz phase many moons ago. In fact they became her bath mates until they were so waterlogged they were useless. Besides they all were missing limbs reminding me of a monster movie attack. Ick!

I don't know. Somehow an Edward doll with out all his manly body parts is just wrong. I mean we know the Bella doll will have the same butt and boobs Barbie has, but Edward without his little man....come on. Just how much fun would that be? I tried for a time to figure out if Barbie and Ken would ever have kids. Hard to imagine that this Edward and Bella could ever make a little plastic Nessie. Oooo, another creepy thought. Double ick!!

I am more than willing to loose these two prizes should I win. Back off ladies. No one gets my plane tickets!!!

Things That Make You Chuckle......

An Indian internet tabloid confirmed yesterday that these two have purchased a 3 million dollar
love nest in West Hollywood and of course their source for this headline.....why the National Enquirer, of course. That bastion of Internet and culturally correct journalism. I'm convinced.
I just know that there is a three-headed baby somewhere in the United States.


Let's start by saying, huh??? These two are relatively bright kids. Say they are sharing a room at the hotel in Vancouver. So what. Age wise, they are two consenting adults and they can do whatever they damn well please. However, I know that if I were looking for a love nest, it would not be in West Hollywood. It would be up in the hills where there are big ass mansions and trees and relative privacy. Let's just say that this one makes me chuckle. Besides we all know if it were true, Twilight Lexicon would confirm it. It is their sworn duty to bring us all the inane truths about the Twilight people, is it not?


Moving on. Jackson Rathbone. Sweet, adorable Jackson and his famous band, 100 Monkeys. Is there anyone reading this that actually like their music or at least think that anyone of the Monkeys can actually sing? I've listened to several videos and frankly, in the shower these guys wouldn't sound that good and yet they are packing them into small venues around the country. Without Jackson this band is dead. And their play dates? I wonder how Jackson manages to do all the dates he has done and still make a movie? He's racking up the frequent flyer miles for sure. My Rob has been playing in one band or another for the last 15 years. Out of the six bands he has drummed for, only two were worth a damn. The rest of them were those screaming, growling bands of the 90's that were so popular and the people that came out to see them had these awful piercings and tattoos all over their bodies. I was always happy when he came home. At least I knew that he hadn't been mugged, knifed or shot. However, his Mustang was broken into twice during those years. The insurance company had him on speed dial for the number or claims he filed. Thankfully, his choice of music matured and he actually enjoys what he is doing now. Besides, he actually gets paid to do it.


Peter Facinelli and Billy Burke. I love these guys. They make me laugh. Anyone who follows them on Twitter knows what I am talking about. They both have quick minds and sharp wit. And dear Billy, he calls a spade a spade. I would, in a New York minute, sit down over a beer with these two and I don't even like beer. I somehow think that this would not matter and that by the end of the sit down I would be a beer convert. They are just so much fun.


Death Cab for Cutie. Good God. I've listened to the music and it is pretty darn good. I just hope that whatever they have done for the soundtrack is good. I just wish they had a different name. This one gives me the creeps. Kings of Leon just don't do soundtracks. Not in their nature I guess. They are good, but seems to me a little on the prima dona side. I have to ask myself, who wouldn't want to be on a soundtrack that is sure to do quite well, business wise? Well, boys, you will have tons of fans and sold out shows, because if you are good enough to please the lovely Kristen and Rob, well you just know they must be the cat's meow. So shell out those hard earned dollars for any and all things KOL! And as an aside, why is it that they are always playing a venue near the cast of Twilight? Hmmmm.......................


Was good to see the few pictures floating out from the Vancouver shoot of Eclipse. Noticeably missing........the hoards of New York fans screaming and running down the street chasing poor Rob. He looks much more relaxed in the pictures I saw yesterday. Hair has been trimmed, curly sideburns tamed and yes, I think he has had a brow shaping. Can't have Edward looking nappy. Must be Adonis-like at all times. However, if he was shooting in the T-shirt he had on, well that's kind of wrong. He's rich. And his sister dresses him. Looked a little tatty to me. Oh well, at least it was something new.


From my world to you, that's about it for now. Will have to really start to ride the internet wave to get more juicy not a bit of truth articles to read. We all need a hobby.

Weighing in on Victoria.....

After due consideration, I've decided it is time to weigh in on the Rachelle/Bryce debate. Not that anyone really gives a rat's rear end what I think, but I figure if you have something to say you may as well say it. It's relaxing to unburden.

Victoria, as she is written, is important to the first three books as a catalyst, but the third book was her time to shine. In the book, New Moon, she is a mention and a thought, but not much attention is really paid to her being. The movie, I think will dwell on her a bit more than Twilight the Movie did. I mean Twilight ended with Victoria. It stands to reason that she will be important. Of the three nomads, she's the one left standing after New Moon. The one left to avenge the others.

For this reason, it stand to reason that while Victoria was hinted at being behind all the upheaval in Seattle, we don't really see her until showdown day in the book. Right? But the movie script is going to expand on her activities and explore her new relationships with the newborns, especially Riley. This is going to have to be one of the meatiest villain roles to come along in awhile. What eager actress wouldn't want this part? Juicy, juicy, juicy. Evil incarnate. It's going to be great, I have a feeling. And it would have been a prime part for Rachelle to expand on her acting talents and to add to her resume the word versatile.

So I have a problem figuring out why any up and coming actress would jeopardize this opportunity by taking on other projects that will "overlap" with this movie. And who is to blame. I'm pretty sure that Rachelle is only partly to blame for what happened. I'd tend to think that it is her "people" wishing to keep their new famous fatted lamb fat, for through her projects come their paychecks and in Hollywood, isn't it about the money bottom line? The acting food chain. Agents and publicists. The actor, just a pawn. I can almost see the sleazeballs talking her into the little ten day shoot and sure they will work around you, after all Victoria is crucial to Eclipse, and isn't the opportunity to work with Paul Giamatti every girls dream, look at what it did for Bryce Howard? Indeed. The problem is, that while Victoria is central to the story line, whoever plays Victoria isn't necessarily a big deal.

So, you ask, Summit made allowances for Cam's other commitments and shot his stuff first so that he could go on to another project. True they did. Two things are different though. Twilight was so low budget, locations weren't logistically impossible to change in what order it was shot and I would bet that Twilight's manic director Catherine Hardwicke wanted Cam. Not only that, who would have wanted the role should some concessions not have been made and Cam had said "Thanks, but no thanks." He'd have been replaced without a second look with what ever they could have found. Obviously, most in the industry didn't imagine what the movie would do. Otherwise one of the bigger studios would have picked it up to begin with. Right?

Enter Twilight's success, New Moon's anticipation and a third different director who may not wish to screw up his rehearsal and shooting schedules for an actress that doesn't necessarily have to be the one who brought the part to fruition. I have no doubt that had one of the central actors had scheduling conflicts, Summit and David Slade would have bent over and kissed their collective asses to accommodate simply because the people who have made this franchise as popular as it is, you and I, would have said "screw you", if you don't give us Rob, Kristen and Taylor, we won't go. But it wasn't Rob, Kristen or Taylor was it? Especially in Taylor's case as they didn't know if they wanted him back for New Moon. But he worked hard and the outrage at thinking they would recast him and Chris Weitz' backing of Taylor saved what could have been a major recasting faux pas.

Perhaps Summit and David Slade were just looking for a reason to recast Victoria and Rachelle gave them the small, albeit not unworkable reason to do it. Here's the thing. They didn't replace her with some nondescript unknown actress. They replaced her with an actor with a resume that any actress would die for. She's done some funky weird things that were just great. True, M. Knight Shamayalan had a lot to do with it, but still, the girl can act. So let's examine why Bryce said yes. First, she doesn't have to burn her acting candle at both ends to earn a living. She can make choices. Second, Eclipse will most likely be the movie of the summer season 2010. Third, it is always good to make choices that give you the most exposure and Eclipse will give her plenty of exposure. Fourth, she doesn't have to carry the movie as it is a supporting role. Fifth, since Victoria is finished off in Eclipse, she doesn't have to commit to any more Twilight movies. So she gets a paycheck and gets to go all evil and can walk away when filming is over. Ideal.

So, while I would have liked to have seen all characters played by their original actors, I'm sort of coming to the conclusion that I want to see this movie, even with Bryce Howard. I want to see what she will do with the role and how she will play Victoria. I'm willing to bet that it will probably be pretty good and I'm hoping memorable in that Heath Ledger villain kind of way.

Comic Con Panel 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5zyPFr-CQY

This first video of yesterday's Comic Con panel almost made me not move onto the other four posted by HallHcoverage. The reason I chose this one was it seemed to have a stable camera mounted to a stable tripod and not some shaky handed screamer somewhere near the back of the room using their cell phone camera. It's all about quality. No one wants to watch five people looking like bobble head dolls for 30 or 40 minutes.

So, the introductions start. One female, and I haven't a clue how old she was, standing near the camera operator started screaming with the first introduction. Not a squeal, a bloody scream every time someone was introduced. Rob is the last and well she'd been building up to the last intro for a couple of minutes so you can imagine. The video speaks for itself. Then came the OMG's from the screamer. OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG......Oh shut up please! At this point, I'm thinking this is going to be awful. However, several people around the screamer were speaking and I can't be sure they were speaking directly to her, but eventually she shut up. I don't know. Maybe the companion she had come with had bounced on her toes and told her to act her age instead of her IQ.

I look at the five of them sitting behind the table and the one thing that sticks out is Rob appears 2 inches shorter than Taylor sitting on his left. I'm wondering if someone sawed off the legs to his chair to give this illusion. In fact he looks shorter than Kristen as well. Ashley appears to be the tallest of the four actors. Go figure. Chris Weitz, however, looked as if he were perched on some sort of throne.

Then the questions start. Someone wants to know if Rob would seek future roles to expand his comic side. He said that he didn't really know if he was particularly funny. That he has one leg shorter than the other and that's why his gait is funny. Maybe that's why I think his ass looks like a girls when he walks away from the camera. Hell, maybe that's why women who have swingy asses, have swingy asses.

Somebody gets up to ask a question and then next thing we here is her breaking out in a little song. She wasn't bad either. Can't remember the question now. Then the idiot from yesterdays early press conference is back with fake teeth in his mouth telling all there that he is mistaken for Rob a lot. Next question please.

They were then asked about the most memorable part of this shoot. Taylor hated the 12 hour shoot in the rain with no clothes on. Okay, who would love it? Then they all commented on the difference in working with Catherine Hardwicke and Chris Weitz. The consensus boils down to she is manic and he is calm. Of course they used way more words and time to say this.

They all had some good answer to the question what they are looking forward to in the next two movies and none of them repeated themselves, but Kristen's "actually being pregnant" and Rob's "filming the Cesarean section" were really pretty funny.

Now onto those posted today sneak peek videos that hit you tube and what it means to the poor fans who paid their way in, fought for a place and had their reward spoiled by the fan who, against the rules, video taped it anyway and posted it to you tube. TS, TS, TS. Summitt can have it pulled if they want, but someone tell me, why they would want to? It is the best advertisement for right now. Not every human being can spend hundreds, nay perhaps thousands on planes hotels and the whole Comic Con experience. There is some sort of convention in Dallas next month and I looked at the prices. I live here and would have loved to have taken my granddaughter, but not at those prices. Who the hell is getting rich off this stuff anyway? They were told, according to an SM recommended website, that if filming were done there would be no clips next year. Uh, by this time next year isn't Eclipse suppose to be out? Big woo. If you don't want it filmed and put up on you tube, don't show it in the first place. And don't post the you tube videos on your website and then take the high road of righteousness concerning breaking of the rules. Morons. One, they weren't that good, but two they were oh, so welcomed. I was getting tired of replaying that little teaser that's been around for two months.

My little group of older fans are headed to New York in the fall for the premiere there. They are making a vacation out of it. They hope to see Rob and Kristen and Taylor and may have to stand in a windy November street to do it, but they are going to have real fun. No camping out in the cold. They actually will have hotel rooms that they will use because their joints can't take all that other crap. And they are going to tour the city. A real vacation and a movie. Now that's the way to do it. To my ladies, I salute you and know that you will have the times of your lives. And not one of them will take a video camera into the theater, tape the whole movie and load it to you tube. If they are going to be arrested for piracy, they could definetly find something else to pirate. And they know what I mean.

For Christ's Sake Summitt..........

It is pretty bad when the director that you have hired to direct a motion picture has to step into the street and shoo off the paps and other people just to get a scene made. What the hell are the rest of these "movie people" doing to earn the money they are making and I have an idea that they are being paid well? For all the good they are, perhaps they should all be standing sipping lattes and receiving pap bribes for the privilege of making one man's life effing miserable.


While they are shouting more inane questions his way, Rob to his better judgement, keeps his head down. If we could read his mind, we would probably hear an endless slew of obscenities that would put most sailors to shame. Or better yet, he would be imagining these idiots as trained monkeys attached to an organ grinders leash and dancing around trying to get a better view of the poor bupkus.


All this bother will make Rob really anxious to do another movie for Summitt, won't it? I'm guessing it won't once he is done with his obligations to Summitt. With his success, perhaps more major studios will be bidding for his time and talent. MGM, WB, Universal line up quickly and start feeding him scripts he will do and guarantee his safety and to a greater extent, his privacy.


I like seeing what all the Twilight actors are up to, but I have to admit that sometimes I am an uncomfortable voyeur when looking around the Internet for different things and this video is no exception. And who is the broad that calls him a jerk at the end because he won't look up? Sister, you are the freaking jerk. Tell you what, lady, we will put you in a glass closet, set it in the middle of the intersection at 42nd and Broadway in Manhattan, lock the door, throw away the key and see how you feel in a couple of hours as the entire world stares at your happy ass, points at you, shouts out "Hey, Lady!" while a rabid bunch of photographers descend on you to take your picture from every angle and shout stupid questions in your direction and then expect an answer that doesn't begin "Leave me the F---K alone you mindless pieces of horse manure!"



He's doing a job he is getting paid for. He wants to be left in peace to do that job without you and your friends and the paps making him uncomfortable as if he were a show pig up for auction that someone had stamped USDA Grade A on his curly tailed ass. He can't get a meal out without someone buzzing his where abouts, where once again the paps gather to either attack him when he comes out, or pay one of the restaurant bus boys to tell them what he ate and how much did he drink, and who's the female he was with and what were they doing when no one was watching. If the paps could get away with it, they would hire one of the previous mentioned bus boys to follow him into the men's room with a tape measure to find how how big "IT" is. There will come a time when the guy will need a body guard just to take a piss.


And now he must go to San Diego. It's expected and in his gracious way, he will comply. However, his experience will be much better if he doesn't have to be swarmed by the screaming multitude. Just for this fact I have to say, I'm glad I won't be there. Won't have to be. Someone will let the Internet voyeurs in on what happens. Somehow, I can't imagine it will be pretty.

What is it about this cast?

I've come to the conclusion that this cast has a chemistry that is lacking where other ensemble casts are concerned. Instead of trying to make an Academy Award winner, they all went out and had fun, got their paychecks and went about their business, probably figuring that this was going nowhere.

However, what if money had been no object? Different director, different cast, different outcome.

Suppose Martin Scorsese had directed this? What would his cast have looked like? Imagine this? Leo and Kate as mom and pop Cullen. Tom Hanks as Charlie Swan. Daniel Day Lewis as Billy Black. Hey! He once played a Mohican. I'll leave the picks for the younger cast members to you. Dozens of actors could have filled the bill. I predict, however, the movie would have gone straight to DVD. Why? Because it would have lacked, shall we say, sparkle. All great actors and a great director who probably would have over thought all their roles and how the movie should have been. These actors would have been falling over one another trying to seal that AA nomination. It would have been silly. After all, this movie was all about the teens. It could have been so screwed up.

Instead the finished product was a fresh twist on the Hollywood heavies. Was it a grand movie? No. Was it entertaining. Yes. An award winner in the Slum Dog Millionaire way. No. Good in an indie way. Oh, yeah. The heavy critics whined that it didn't represent the book and they are kind of right. However, as a ground piece for what was, at the time, a possibility of the coming movies, it works. This franchise needed more money to do the next movie justice and they got it. We now expect that these next movies will follow the books more closely. I also expect that each subsequent movie will make more money than the last movie. I only hope that the different directors don't try to over think their direction. The books are what they are. Stick to the script.

The cast of Twilight gave us faces to go along with the names from the book that we had come to love. Re-reading the books is a bigger pleasure because the imagination now has something to lock onto. My hopes are that all step up their game in this second movie, especially Kristen Stewart. Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking Kristen. However, what she brought to Bella, she has brought to her other female characters over the years. Her best performance ever had to be as Jodie Foster's daughter in Panic Room. Otherwise, she's pretty much been the same, breathy, stuttery female character. Her performances in Twilight and Into the Wild could have been interchangeable. We will just have to wait and see what she does as Joan Jett. I'm truly hoping that she doesn't hold back.

That's my take on it. Thanks to the studios that passed on this one. Thank you Summitt for being such skin flints. Otherwise, Twilight could have been a disaster. As it is, some very talented young actors and very talented character actors will be seen again. And again.

And we really can't wait.

Edward VS Steven

Ever since the movie Twilight was released and certainly now that New Moon is in post production, I've seen more and more mention of movie vampires and who was the best movie vampire. Yet, I have never heard Jude Laws name come up in any of these comparisons.

Yes, Jude Law. Frankly, I'd even forgotten about this 1998 release, The Wisdom of Crocodiles until I saw it on one of the movie channels the other day. I saw it many years ago. Can't remember if my son Steven had rented it (he's a big fan of horror movies) or it had been on television, but I did remember it.

Steven Grlscz (don't ask me how it is pronounced. I figure if you gurgle that should be pretty close), is a vampire living in London. He's an artist and a ladies man. He feeds on women, but particularly women who become emotionally attached to him as he has found that the blood he needs to survive, must be blood that has love attached to it. The blood of troubled people makes him ill. It seems he can survive for awhile without feeding, but he has a whole set of other things he must concentrate on in order to stay alive.

I thought it would be fun to compare these two recent vampires of our modern age based on their similarities and differences.

Sunlight: It seems that sunlight has no effect on Steven at all. In fact he enjoys it. Doesn't turn to dust, or blister and peel at the sight of a sunbeam. He just looks like Steven. Boring.

Edward, on the other hand can be in the sunlight without torching himself, but he is all shimmery and quite beautiful. Resembles Michaelangelo's David if someone had decided to drown it in Elmer's glue and then throw golden glitter at it.

Breathing: Edward only needs to suck air in order to speak and sniff out scents. Otherwise, it isn't necessary to breath to remain dead.

Steven must breath in order to stay dead, go figure.

Sleeping: Steven must catch Z's. Problem is when he sleeps, he must wear a monitor that wakes him periodically to remind him to breath. Now, I wondered about this. Guess he suffers from sleep apnea.

Edward doesn't have to sleep. If he did that would spoil all those night visions of watching Bella sleep. Wow, that would have screwed the story up big time.

Skin: Steven has normal skin and since none of the ladies find him cold, I assume that it is pretty human normal. In fact he appears to be sporting a nice tan. Could be because he actually has blood that runs through his veins. This actually makes him a fragile little vampire as he can bleed to death. He is quick and strong, but still can die if someone clever enough comes along.

Edward is stoney and white as snow. Also quick and strong, he's pretty indestructible unless certain things are done to him. Ripping him limb from limb and starting a big bon fire are the only things that will kill him. Must be done by other vamps or Native America shape-shifting wolves.

Feeding: Edward can feed on about anything and stay relatively healthy. Of his own freewill he feeds on animal blood rather than human blood because he doesn't want to be a monster. This is a plus when living among humans. Don't draw attention to yourself that way.

Steven must feed on human blood especially the blood of the women he draws in who form an emotional attachment to him. However, this leads to problems with the police when his ladies turn up dead. If he doesn't feed, he becomes weak, his blood thins out, and he doesn't heal very well. Sleep apnea and a hemopheliac. Poor Steven.

Their undoings: Well, we know that it would be the end of Edward if Bella were to die. He just couldn't move on. Doing himself in would take planning on his part, but it could be done.

Steven has the same problem with a twist. He actually cares for the lovely Elina Lowensohn enough that he is torn about what to do. However, she is too much of a temptation and he is dying. So what's a guy to do?

Fangs: Thank God, two vampires without the awful fangs. I prefer my vamps without fangs. So much more appealing.

Artistic talents: All vampires have some sort of talent, don't they. Edward the musician and Steven the artist.

Anyway, for those of you waiting impatiently for the November release of New Moon, may I suggest The Wisdom of Crocodiles. For what it was, it was done very well. I'm a fan of Jude Law and the movie also stars Timothy Spall (Harry Potter's Wormtail) as the police detective who feels that Steven is more than what he seems. Some violent scenes, but not a blood bath.

Share with me your take on this movie.

What the world needs now.......

Yeah, yeah I know. The world is just chomping at the bit to see another blog site touting the Twilight book series and now the movie series. So why do it you ask? Because I am bored out of my mind most of the time. I've been retired for a year to help out more with my elderly parents. Spending a lot of time with the over 70 group can be depressing at times. So I need an outlet.

Money is in short supply and I'm still many years away from Social Security, so it's the pension I live on and for my immediate needs it is enough. However, I won't be tromping the continental United States and Canada seeking out exclusive anythings regarding Twilight or the people involved. Besides there is enough information out there as it is and that is what I will be commenting on. Be mindful that whatever I comment on is purely my opinion and I will welcome any and all comments as long as they aren't full of language I wouldn't use myself. Which means, just about anything goes. Be mindful also, that I tend to slant to the absurd and will comment on just about anything that I find the least bit funny.

So, if anyone out there is tired of the screaming girlie girls and just want to have some fun being as funny as you wish, welcome.