Official NEW MOON Photos

Wow, first the trailer, and now more official photos. I loved seeing them. My favorite is from above because I'm hoping/assuming it means my favorite scene from the New Moon book is actually going to be included in the film. It's the scene after the birthday party where Carlise is tending to Bella's wound and they have the discussion about God and whether its possible that the vampires can earn forgiveness and have souls. Love that scene in the book.

Anyway, I just had to post this. Peace. Out.

The NEW MOON Trailer and response

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD


OMG.

I've watched this thing more times than I care to admit (seriously, I need a life), and it's starting to grow on me. When I first saw this thing during the MTV Movie Awards, I was so excited they gave us a tease of Bella's birthday party. Loved those scenes. Loved Edward and Bella in the woods. Loved Laurent and Bella in the meadow. Then...Jacob transformed into this hideous CGI fake-looking wolf and I was like, "No! No! No!" That last shot totally ruined the trailer for me. But like I said, I was super psyched by everything that came before it. My worst fears about the special effects seemed to be confirmed. Chris Weitz has once again used awful CGI for the animals. I like Weitz, but the effects in "The Golden Compass" were retarded. But we'll see. Maybe it will be cleaned up a bit before the movie hits theaters. And if it's not, I'll just have to close my eyes everytime the wolves are on camera. :)

We have our big-screen Gambit - finally!!!

Gambit: "Who? To my friends, de name's Remy LeBeau. To my enemies, it's Gambit! You can go on ahead an' forget dat first name right about now."
- Uncanny X-Men #361

So I saw the new "X-Men: Origins: Wolverine" movie today. I would have seen it anyway because 1. I love the X-Men movies and 2. Hugh Jackman is hot as Wolverine, but I was literally chomping at the bit to see this one because someone finally wised up and gave us a big-screen version of Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, aka the most AWESOME X-man ever! Seriously. I have been so mad at Bryan Singer and the powers-that-be since the first X-Men movie because, for one thing, it didn't have Gambit, and for another, it had Rogue minus Gambit. Seriously. Where's the fun in that?

Rogue plus Gambit equals fun. Heck, just Gambit by himself equals fun. I have been a diehard Gambit fan since I was in high school and first discovered him as a cartoon character on television. I loved him and Rogue together on the freakin' cartoon show so much that it led me to actually buy comics with them in it to get more of 'em. Remy was my type of man in a nutshell. A sexy, wise-cracking bad boy with a good heart that melted when the right woman took notice. Mmmm, yummy.

I won't lie. I was disappointed in "Origins: Wolverine" because it just lacked that something the first two X-Men films had. I can't even put my finger on it. And truth be told, as much as I loved, loved, loved Taylor Kitsch as Gambit and now want to have his love child, I was disappointed he didn't have Gambit's trademark thickened Cajun-Creole accent. I mean, he barely sounded southern. I'm not sure this was because of Kitsch or because some smart-aleck producer or director decided he'd be best portrayed without it. I mean, come on. Get your act together, people. Gambit is proud to be Cajun! It was almost easy to overlook the lack of an accent though given the fact Gambit's role in the movie was very small and he had hardly any lines at all. Oh well. Hopefully next time. Hopefully next time we'll get to see Gambit plus Rogue on screen together and dump this whole Rogue and Iceman nonsense. Grrrr. Don't even get me started on the Iceman.

Anyway, overall, the movie was a must-see for any fan of comic books. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't great. I'll see it again though, if for no other reason than to see the awesome scenes with Gambit chunking cards at Wolverine, jumping off the roof with his staff and those eyes, oh those beautiful red eyes!

Did I mention I'll see this movie again, just because of Gambit? Thought so. :)

New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn news

This picture of the Wolf Pack was released this week, and I am still impressed. An hour or two of hot boys with their shirts off? If I wasn’t already chomping at the bit to see “New Moon,” this would have totally won me over — and I am not that big a fan of the wolves in this story! Not to mention, the preview clips Entertainment Tonight have been showing all week have me totally psyched! If you are as obsessed with the Twilight saga as I am — and even if you aren’t — be sure to watch Entertainment Tonight today for its exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the filming of “New Moon.” This will be the first time they’ve officially released interviews and on-set exclusives to the public. I’m sooo excited. Insert fangirly squeal here.

Onto the next major Twilight news of the week. Director David Slade has been officially announced as the director of “Eclipse,” due to start filming this summer! I was personally hoping the rumors that Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona would direct it would turn out to hold truth since his film “The Orphanage” was both stylish and effective in a way I think the story of “Eclipse” needs. But since I liked “30 Days of Night” (although not a lot of people did, mind you) and it was also a vampire flick — granted, a very violent, bloody and dark vampire flick — I am going to wait, wish Slade the best and see what happens. My only reservation is that both Catherine Hardwick and Chris Weitz have been very vocal about the fact they were fans of the books and respected the source material before they started filming, and I know a lot of “30 Days of Night” fans were angry with Slade because they felt it fell short of the graphic novels on which that movie was based. Hopefully he learned his lesson. Twilight fans don’t seem to be a very forgiving bunch, and he’d be wise to consider that before starting production. Got that, Slade? Good.

Finally, since the media seems to enjoy twisting and turning my hopes for a “Breaking Dawn” movie — one day it’s reportedly greenlit, the next day it isn’t, ugh! — I have decided to send Summit a letter begging them to go ahead and make the film already! The fourth book is my favorite, largely because I like the sci-fi elements, and well, I am Team Edward, by the way. :P *BD SPOILER ALERT* Stephenie Meyer seems to be worried that “Breaking Dawn” could not easily be made into a film because of certain scenes and the length/complexity of the story. My opinion? There’s nothing in that book that can’t be overcome. For instance, when Bella gives birth, the scene in the book is very vivid and gory with Renesme literally ripping her way out of Bella’s stomach as Edward helps tear her out. Did anyone see “Alien”? It’s already been done. No problem. Considering Renesme herself, I don’t understand why a large toddler or small child couldn’t be used for the role and then CG effects applied to move her mouth with a voiceover whenever she talks. I’ve seen that done plenty of times too. As for the length of the book, make the movie 2 ½ hours, cut out some of the middle book (it is only Jacob’s point of view, after all :p ), compress some of the ending and voila, you have your movie. It’s not rocket science. If they doubt whether people would be interested in seeing it, just look at the fervor over “New Moon,” viewed widely as the least popular book in the series! Fans are going crazy for information about it. ET’s website has crashed every day they’ve posted preview clips of tonight exclusive! Does that not tell you anything??

What I'm listening to:
Twilighters Anonymous podcast: At first I wasn't a big fan of this podcast, most likely because they were anti-Kristen Stewart as Bella until recently when they announced a change of heart and are, mostly, on Team KStew now. That open-mindedness combined with their wickedly fun sense of humor now has me listening to this one as soon as a new episode is released.

Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Switzerland?

Sorry for the absence of posts lately — I just checked and realize I actually have three whole followers for this blog! Whoa! Three! When did that happen? Just a friendly warning: I’m pretty certain my blog from now on will be dominated by Twilight and Superman, since I’m pretty devoted to these two fandoms more than any others. Of course, I won’t overlook Supernatural either, so you’ve been warned.

Speaking of Twilight, my topic for the week is Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Switzerland? I’d love to see your comments posted below about which team you fall on, especially since Team Jacob fans are coming out of the woodwork in preparation for the release of the “New Moon” film.

Which team am I on? Team Edward, of course!

Why? Here’s my logic. How could you possibly read “Twilight” without falling for Edward? And Edward in the movie? Dreamy. I know a lot of fans call him “the perfect man,” but I have to disagree. Edward has flaws — control freak, anyone? — and he has a pretty negative view of things until “Breaking Dawn,” not to mention, he is a vampire, so I hardly think he qualifies as perfect. But once he falls for Bella, it’s obvious he would do anything for the girl he loves. Plus, he truly loves and is devoted to his family and has a lot of old-fashioned qualities I find attractive. And Bella loves him so darn much, why wouldn’t I be on Team Edward? I know. I know. “New Moon.” Edward does something pretty horrible to Bella in the beginning of this book when he leaves her. Of course, he’s only trying to protect her, but did he really have to tell her he didn’t love her? Did he really have to tell her she wasn’t good enough for him? And the way he says it is so cold-hearted. Diehard supporters will argue it was the only way to keep Bella from following him. I know. But no wonder poor Bella sinks into a borderline suicidal state for the next several chapters. Stupid Edward bashed her self-confidence and made her feel the size of a crumb. At this point in the series, I was off of Team Edward and had defected to Team Switzerland (for those who aren’t aware of what that means, it means I didn’t want Bella with Edward, Jacob or anyone at that point. I was completely neutral). I almost stopped reading the book, but didn’t. This was a prime opportunity for Stephenie Meyer to convince me Jacob was the man for our Bella. I was open-minded. I actually liked Jacob in the first book and saw the potential. But by the time Jacob accompanied Bella and Mike to the movies halfway through “New Moon,” I was getting pretty irritated by Jacob’s immature, cocky attitude. Then he morphed into a wolf and became too arrogant for words. His constant and pushy claims that Bella loved him, she just didn’t know it yet grated on my nerves. She was still mourning Edward and needed more time and sensitivity from Jacob. Granted, Jacob was 16 years old and probably didn’t understand that. Thankfully, Edward returned by the end of the book and Bella and Edward had a shaky reconciliation that lasted through the beginning of “Eclipse.” But Jacob still loomed in the background. Bella’s BFF got on my nerves as his arrogance turned to outright jerkiness — seriously, tricking Bella into making out with you by telling her you’re going to kill yourself if she doesn’t crosses the line, wolf boy. Not that Edward was a patron saint either in this book. But at least Edward’s motives when manipulating Bella are always selfless. Edward wants to protect Bella. Period. Jacob only wants Bella and doesn’t care that her heart and happiness belongs with Edward. He’s determined to lure her aware from her true love, even after she punches him in the face and breaks her hand trying to send him the clear message that she’s not interested. Edward is clearly the more mature of the two rivals in “Eclipse.” And I know some ladies find arrogance a serious turn on, which is why I think Jacob has so many fans on his side, but I just can’t tolerate it. Sorry. I prefer self-sacrificing and devoted. That makes my choice easy. Team Edward, all the way. By “Breaking Dawn,” I’m firmly on Team Edward again, and thank God, Stephenie Meyer rewards me for it. Love that book. Love it.

So, again I ask, what’s your team, and why? Don’t get me wrong. I have a new appreciation for Jacob thanks to cutie pie Taylor Lautner who plays him in the films. I didn’t hate his point of view chapters in “Breaking Dawn,” so I’m about to re-read “New Moon” and “Eclipse” to see if I like Jacob any better now that I know how the story ends. I’m not holding my breath, but we’ll see.

If you’re a fan of Twilight and have an MP3 player, I’m starting a new feature by adding podcast reviews to each post. Want to suggest a podcast (Superman, Twilight, Supernatural or anything else) for me to review? Post it in the comments and I’ll check it out. Until next time…

PODCAST REVIEWS:

Mind Over Matter: A Twilight Podcast — I have to give to the hosts of this podcast. These ladies are very animated and entertaining, but I’m afraid their podcast overall is way too immature and negative for me to enjoy. I listened to three scattered episodes to be fair and doubt I’ll listen to any more. On their last podcast, they complained about the movie and movie’s cast (I’m sorry, did they actually comment on Rob looking gay holding the apple? I thought that scene was a smart nod to the fans of the books), bashed other vampire books on the market (hello? Reading is good), and mocked fans who planned to attend the midnight release parties. I think these ladies are mostly fans of the Twilight books, and I even questioned that sometimes. I know I’m not going to agree with every fan out there, and these ladies are quite funny — but their humor just borders on the immature and seems too disrespectful at times, which turns me off. It’s a fairly high-rated podcast, so check it out for yourself. Maybe you’ll be of a similar mindset. This one’s just not for me.

Twilight Series Theories — This podcast is by far my favorite Twilight podcast out there. Sisters Kassie and Kallie are hilarious, and I think they’re around my age, which makes them more relatable. Unlike other podcasts on Twilight, this one is more intelligent and the discussions are both mature and stay on the positive side (never heard them say a bad thing about any movie cast member — many of whom they’ve met, by the way, lucky devils), they really bring up some interesting book-related topics and they’re very interactive with their listeners, which helps balance their opinions quite nicely. If you like Twilight — book or movie — then you definitely need to hear this podcast. I’d almost bet my next paycheck you’ll subscribe after hearing only one episode.

More "Twilight," WB puts DC superhero movies on hold, and "Smallville" returns

I'm totally psyched that "Twilight" is being released on DVD March 21. I was afraid it wouldn't be released until late April. The DVD cover looks awesome. Can't wait. You can pre-order your copy today here. As I've said before, I can't believe how much I liked this movie. Yep, I jumped right on that Twilight bandwagon without much effort and am officially a TwiHard, ladies and gentlemen. Now, I've read all four books by Stephanie Meyer, and I am eagerly awaiting filming for "New Moon" to begin, although, I have to admit it wasn't my favorite book in the series. I'm sure Kristen Stewart will have no problem pulling off a depressed and tortured Bella though, but I will never believe she actually falls for Jacob, even if Taylor Lautner is one cutie patutie.

Apparently Warner Brothers has decided to put a hold on all of its DC superhero projects for the time being. This means no new Superman film, no Wonder Woman film, no Green Lantern film, etc. etc. for a while. On one hand, I'm pretty P.O.'d. I mean, just make the next Superman movie already. Cast Routh. Get Geoff Johns to write a killer script. Make the movie. How hard can it be? Then again, projects tend to fail when they're rushed under pressure from money-hungry execs (i.e. "New Moon"?). Hopefully the next Superman film will be worth all of this turmoil.

Finally, "Smallville" is back with a new episode this week. I can't believe this season has been so awesome and it will probably be its last. Oh well. All good things must come to an end.

Twilight

OK, I feel almost stupid writing a post about this, but I am now officially a Twilight-aholic. Nope, I've never read any of the books, but I've seen the movie three times now. Loved it. The first time I saw it, I wasn't totally sucked in, but I kept thinking about the story of Bella and Edward, so I saw it again...and again. And I'll probably see it yet again. I suppose there is still a 14-year-old girl still living inside of me, after all. (Please, no jokes :->).

I've got to read the books. Which one is your favorite?