You know that critics hate a movie when celebrity-friendly People magazine runs a negative review. The much-anticipated second film in the Twilight series, New Moon, opened to record-setting crowds at midnight yesterday. It’s sure to rake in a ton of money at the box office, but that doesn’t mean that non-fans will necessarily love it. Critics are saying it’s way too long at over two hours, too teen-focused and too dark. It’s probably loyal to the book, then, because Meyer’s New Moon really dragged in parts and was full of depressing naval-gazing. The film has an aggregate critics’ rating of 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t abysmal, but isn’t that good either. Here’s what people are saying about it.

Though the battles between good and evil vampires and between vampires and wolves generate excitement, mostly Moon is a stilted, soapy supernatural romance. – People

The cinematic equivalent of a Jonas Brothers concert, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is slickly packaged entertainment that’s nonetheless predicated on a creepy vision of teenage sexuality that is desiccated of, well, sexuality. *Two out of five stars – Times Online

New Moon offers few of the juicy, go-for-broke romantic pleasures of its predecessor, and the movie is so badly shaped that it’s hard not to blame Weitz as a director. – Salon.com

If the first instalment of The Twilight Saga was a celebration of teenage sulkiness, then this sequel positively drowns in it. – Digital Spy

The film is a major let down from the first one, which I found to be intense and powerful. There was such great chemistry between the characters of Edward and Bella in Twilight and that, to me, was completely lacking in the sequel. – BDKReviews

In “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” the boys preen way more than the girls. Robert Pattinson’s Edward has the stylish wardrobe, the eyeliner, the rouge, the lip gloss and the perfect hair, while Taylor Lautner’s Jake spends most of his time whipping off his shirt in the rain so his abs can sparkle. At the screening I attended, dozens of teen girls squealed multiple times at the sight of Pattinson walking in slow motion, Lautner flexing his pecs. The only thing missing was a cameo by the Jonas Brothers. In the meantime, Kristen Stewart’s Bella is now 18, but she wears no discernible makeup, dresses like a 12-year-old boy and has two moods: pouting and sullen. No wonder 14-year-old girls love these books and movies. The female lead isn’t threatening, and the boys are studly and always fighting over her. – Richard Roeper

[via Rotten Tomatoes, individual sources linked]

I love reading scathing reviews, and I could include more, but you can read them through Rotten Tomatoes if you like. The bottom line is that fans are going to go see this movie and that they’ll probably drag their moms, cousins, and friends along. I’m kind of iffy on it now that I’ve read these reviews and I might just wait for the DVD. This is part of my job and I write off all my movie tickets, but if the film is too long and lacks the appeal of the first one I’m likely to skip it. I have a short attention span and walked out of this year’s Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince because it seemed too boring.

Not that occasional decisions like mine will hurt ticket sales at all. This film will be a huge hit, and that’s why there’s absolutely no pressure on the Twilight filmmakers to put out a decent story. Director Chris Weitz seems to realize that he’s put out an inferior product for whatever reason. He told MovieMaker Magazine “Every time I make a movie I’m pretty much convinced it’s the last time I’m going to be able to do it and that really it’s a rather silly occupation to undertake.” Weitz seemed to be complaining about the final, unapproved edits to his film The Golden Compass, but he might have been talking about his more recent experience with New Moon. Filming guys taking their shirts off and swooning over a brooding girl might not be artistically rewarding, but it does earn a boatload of cash.

New Moon comments are from 1:00 to 1:30
In a recent radio interview, Miley Cyrus trashed all the New Moon hype ahead of the movie’s opening. She said that she doesn’t like it at all and that she wants nothing to do with it. It’s all too strange for Miley. Maybe she’ll convince a few Twihard tweens to step away from the sparkle.

With the release of “New Moon” just a few days away, “Twilight” mania seems to be taking over Hollywood. But at least one starlet wants nothing to do with the vampire craze. In a backstage interview at a show in Cleveland, Miley Cyrus told radio station Q92 that she’s neither Team Edward nor Team Jacob — in fact, she’s not even on team “Twilight.” The singer said that not only has she never watched the vampire flick, but she doesn’t plan to.

“I’ve never seen it and nor will I ever,” Miley told surprised Q92 reporter Nikolina. The starlet went on to elaborate on what exactly it is about “Twilight” that offends her.

“I don’t believe in it. I don’t like vampires. … I don’t like the wolf that pops out of the screen when I’m watching my TV at night. I don’t like it. I don’t want anything to do with it. I don’t like the shirts. I don’t like any of it,” she said.

But Miley knows she’s in the minority when it comes to teenagers and the “Twilight” phenomenon: “I feel really lame because everyone’s, like, so excited, and I’m like, ‘Don’t even talk about it.’ ”

Yet, as anti-”Twilight” as she may be, the “Hannah Montana” actress might just be forced to watch the series — if nothing more than for research. The singer recently signed up to work with “Twilight” producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey on “Wings,” a fantasy movie — which bears some resemblance to the vampire series — about a 15-year-old who becomes a fairy.

[From MTV via Us Weekly]

Miley also talked in the interview (above) about how she enjoys sightseeing. She said she’ll often go out alone to explore a new city and that she’s not afraid because she’s decent at disguising herself and keeping her head down. She also admitted she has extensions in her hair, and said she’s not coming back to Twitter. As for who she enjoys listening to, Miley likes The Killers, Bon Iver, and recommends Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page’s iTune playlist. For Christmas she wants a yellow Jeep Wrangler. Not like she couldn’t buy it herself.

As MTV points out, Miley definitely forges her own way and doesn’t follow trends. She recently admitted that she’d never heard a Jay-Z song despite name dropping him in her song “Party in the U.S.A.” Do you think Miley tries too hard not to be mainstream despite the fact that her career is just that? She loves Sex and The City, though, so maybe she just doesn’t like whatever’s aimed at kids.

Miley Cyrus is shown on the set of Sex and The City 2 on 9/16/09. Credit: AAR/Fame Pictures

Good news for all you grease-loving Twihards out there. Burger King is here to satiate your appetite – both literal and metaphorical. They’re doing a huge “New Moon” promotional tie-in that features all sorts of kids’ meal-esq products – but for adults. That means water bottles, to those of you hoping for a 32 cent Edward Cullen action figure. They’re also doing special New Moon crowns, New Moon-emblazoned gift cards (so you can buy the Meat’Normous omelet sandwich and other non-New Moon items while still looking at New Moon cast members), and six pack of BK Burger Shots that come with collectible cards featuring “stunning imagery from the film.” Stunning.

Here are your options:

• Edward, Jacob, Bella and group-themed BK® Crown Cards (reloadable gift cards)

• New Moon crowns will be available at BURGER KING® restaurants and online at www.bkcrowncard.com starting Nov. 16 through the holiday season.

• Team Edward or Team Jacob Eco-Friendly Water Bottles are available at BK.com.

• BK® Fan Pack Available with a BK Burger Shots 6-pack Value Meal starting Nov. 16 while supplies last. It includes:

• 6-Pack Value Meal

• “New Moon” collectible cards featuring stunning imagery from the film

• Exclusive offers for special “New Moon” merchandise from other “Twilight Saga: New Moon” retail sponsors like Hot Topic®, Torrid®, Toys R Us®, Café Press®, Borders® and MasterCard®.

• Hot Topic: $10 off New Moon Shirt

• Toys R Us: Free bracelet with any Twilight or New Moon Purchase

• Torrid: $10 off A purchase of $30 or more

• Borders: 30% off any one item in store

[From promo email]

Thirty percent off Borders is a pretty good deal, I wonder if it’s only for New Moon stuff? As long as you only have to buy the food – but not eat it – I could definitely go for that. Although I admit, those six little burger shots are super cute. And while I try to place health as my number one priority, it’s rare you find adorable food. I bet I could fit two into my diet plan. And I will absolutely by using my Team Jacob eco-friendly water bottle and wearing my Burger King Twilight crown when I browse for books. Seriously, I joke, but Burger King knows how to get attention and give people what they want. I can’t imagine any brand to jump on board with like Twilight. And it’s smart to appeal to teenagers and adults with your promotions, instead of just kids.

Plus, when you’re wearing your Twilight shirt from Torrid and your free Toys R Us bracelet while eating your six teeny tiny hamburgers, you’re going to look awesome. And that’s reason enough right there.

We were not paid to endorse this product and Burger King is not one of our advertisers as far as we know.

Here are Kim Kardashian and Katherine McPhee toting their “team” water bottles. Image thanks to StarTraksPhoto.com.

Sometimes I get a little obsessive with my Sparkles addiction, but he’s been annoying me lately. He’s actually been pissing me off so much I’ve started comparing him to Megan Fox - overexposed, vapid, verbal diarrhea, topped with crappy hair. So for the next week or so of New Moon’s promotion, I’m going to try to give the new kid, Taylor Lautner, some respect. I’ve been thinking the 17-year-old is a cutie for a while, but after reading some of his interviews, I’ve come to the conclusion he’s one of the sweetest kids around.

First up, I was going to do this big thing about Taylor being on the December cover of Men’s Health, but the interview is non-existent, and the cover shot isn’t that awesome (he’s got his shirt on), so whatever. In case you want to hear from Taylor’s trainer, though, I give you “Sculpt a Monster 6-Pack: Taylor Lautner’s secret formula for big-screen abs”. The one so-so quote from Taylor: “My character continues to grow, so I’d like to pack on at least a few more lean pounds.”

Next up, there are a ton of New Moon-related articles and interviews with the cast over at MTV. Seriously, MTV is all over this. Which makes me feel really, really old. When discussing the whole “Team Jacob” versus “Team Edward” fan frenzy, Taylor gave his take: “It just depends on your type … If you believe in that friendship and you guys are friends at first and you develop this deep friendship and then all of a sudden fall in love later on, then you should be Team Jacob. But, if you believe in love at first sight, seeing that mysterious man in the corner, then alright, join Team Edward.” Damn, I would have been crushing on this kid so hard when I was twelve. He would have, like, totally understood me.

Next up, Taylor talks about how much he loves Kristen Stewart. This, I totally buy. Kristen totally saved Taylor from being fired, pulling whatever rank she had to forcibly “encourage” the studio to stay with Taylor. A few months ago Taylor and K. Stew did the cover of Entertainment Weekly, and they went on and on about how they adore each other. Kristen said at the time: “I love that kid… I would do anything for him. I would kill for him, literally. We have that relationship [like Bella and Jacob]. It’s lamely cute.” But alas, Kristen doesn’t quite like him in the romantic way, because she treats him like a little brother, telling him he “needs a little more growing up to do. You need to grow into your cojones.” Taylor response: “Okay…. I’m not sure if that was a compliment.” It wasn’t. Here’s MTV’s interview with the two:

Taylor Lautner is getting to know exactly how his co-stars in ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart must feel, as they are also continually hounded by the media. In a new interview he discusses working with his co-stars and how adjusting to fame is a challenge.

Lautner on working with Robert and Kristen: “Kristen is great, I have a lot of fun with her, we’re very close and the chemistry we have behind the scenes will be reflected in the movie. Rob and I are friends in real life, but when the cameras start rolling we loathe each other.”

When asked about his life changing with the ‘Twilight’ success he says, “The Twilight experience has given me a new life. My daily schedule has changed a lot, I’m very busy now. We filmed Twilight and when we were done, we started doing promotion tours and all these fun things. Until the movie came out we were able to rest and go home, but then almost immediatly we went back to film New Moon.” He adds, “Sometimes I’m afraid of going out, especially when there’s a lot of fans who want to come up to you, but I try to have as much fun as possible with the fame. Sometimes I have to hear a hat and glasses to go out and not be recognized. Depends on the day.”

[From The Examiner]

Sweet kid, yes? I love him. Would you like another reason to love Taylor and his squeaky-clean image? Robert Pattinson (Sparkles!) gave another crappy interview to MTV where he basically dashed the hopes of all the little Twihards. He’s talking about how Edward is a “jerk” and he says “I love Charlie — Bella’s dad’s — attitude toward Edward in this one; he never gives him a break about anything, he’s just constantly saying, ‘That guy. He’s just terrible for you.’ I guess the restraining order wouldn’t really be very good for anyone. But [Bella] could use a restraining order. I think if [Edward] wasn’t a vampire, and this was in reality, a girl’s parents would think he was an oddball.” Haha, way to glamorize stalking, a-hole.

Aren’t these pictures cute? Sparkles Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner have taken their New Moon promotional duties to Paris for interviews and this photo call. Sparkles looks like he just woke up, doesn’t he? And his rat’s nest hair looks… deflated. Limp, if you will. I hate myself for saying this… but Sparkles looks better with big hair. I’ve gotten used to see his hair really, really high and looking like a rat’s nest, and seeing him so deflated is a bit disconcerting. Poor Sparkles. But doesn’t Kristen Stewart look gorgeous? I love that dress! She looks very ladylike and Sparkles probably busted something when he saw her. And by “busted something” I mean “he sparkled in his pants”.

Meanwhile, a new interview with Pattinson was just released in New Magazine. I don’t have the complete interview, only excerpts, and I just have to say… this kid needs a publicist. Badly. Because he’s starting to come across as some Megan Fox type, a guy how can’t shut up about all of his issues. Pattinson’s big revelation is that he’s “manic depressive”. I put that in quotes because he hasn’t really been diagnosed as a manic-depressive, he just thinks he is. Or he’s just saying he is. Either way, I kind of feel like slapping him.

Robert Pattinson has shocked his legions of female fans by uncovering his dark side – the actor suffers bouts of manic depression.

The Twilight hunk often endures mood swings and although he doesn’t have an official diagnosis, he’s convinced he suffers from the condition, also known as bipolar disorder.

Pattinson insists the problem, which is characterized by intense feelings of depression followed by swings of extreme happiness, often only shows itself when he is in a relationship.

He tells Britain’s New magazine, “You over-analyze everything – you analyze how if you say one thing, someone likes you, and if you say another, they don’t. You begin to experiment on people, which isn’t good for real life. I don’t think I’m very romantic any more – just manic depressive.”

[From New Magazine via Contact Music]

Now, here’s the thing. I could totally accept if Pattinson really was manic-depressive, if he had a real diagnosis. And it’s no laughing matter – true manic-depression is a very, very serious condition. And that’s just it – if Pattinson really was a manic depressive, I have doubts that he would be able to function. It sounds a lot like Megan Fox’s comment “I think I’m a borderline personality – or that I have bouts of mild schizophrenia.” I hate when these young celebrities throw around terms that don’t get.

On a lighter note, Sparkles also talked about how he’s dirty all the time. Gee, what a prince, right? Manic depression and he doesn’t shower or wash his clothes? Sign me up!

Robert Pattinson stinks. Literally.

The sought-after Twilight actor — romantically linked to Kristen Stewart, his face adorning the bedroom walls of millions of fans — warns would-be suitors to keep their distance or risk a certain aroma.

In an interview posted by UK’s New! magazine, Pattinson says that he rarely changes his clothes. “These jeans are a few days old,” he says. “But the top is probably fresh because it gets to the point where even I can’t stand the air around me. I don’t know, my personal hygiene – it’s so disgusting!” He explains that his constant travel schedule pares down his wardrobe quite a bit.

His career, if anything, has dampened his mojo: “Acting ruined my seduction techniques because you start to think everything is a ‘method.’”

Not that he isn’t still obsessed with women: “A lot of my ambitions are tied up with wanting pretty girls to like me,” he says. The self-deprecating Brit adds, “any girl I’ve ever really wanted to go out with in the past, I’ve always lost to someone else!”

[From Us Weekly]

Oh, for goodness sake. Take a valium and do some laundry. It’s not that f-cking difficult. And you know what? Sparkles has probably been living in hotels for months, and the hotels would easily wash his clothes for him! He’s so lazy, he won’t even call someone and have them pick up his stuff. Ugh.

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are shown at the Crillon Hotel in Paris, for a New Moon photo call on November 10, 2009. Credit: Eliot Press @ Bauer-Griffin.

So far, Taylor Swift was my favorite host of Saturday Night Live this season. She was absolutely adorable, funny, charming, talented, with a healthy dash of total dork. I have to admit – she did a better job than Gerard Butler, and you know I love everything he does. There were two standout moments in during the show, and both of them were all Taylor. The first highlight (for me) was her opening monologue (video above). Usually, you tell just how painful the evening is going to be just be how badly the host eats it during their first few minutes.

Instead of biting the dust fast, Taylor chose to strum her guitar and play a lovely, hilarious little ditty called “Monologue”. This song was excellent! Taylor sang/joked about her ex-boyfriend Joe Jonas (“You might think I’d bring up Joe Jonas, that guy who broke up with me on the phone, but I’m not gonna mention him in my monologue. Hey Joe, I’m doing real well. Tonight, I’m hosting SNL. But I’m not gonna brag about that in my monologue. La la la. Ha ha ha. La la la.”) She references her boyfriend Taylor Lautner, mouthing his name, winking and blowing him a kiss. And of course, she mentioned Kanye: “You might be expecting me to say something about Kanye and how he ran up on the stage at the VMAs. But there’s nothing more to say, ’cause everything’s OK. I’ve got security lining the stage.” Damn, I wish Jason Sudekis was my bodyguard. That man can wear a suit.

The second highlight (in a great night) was the spoof of Twilight called “Firelight”. I can’t even describe how awesome Taylor was as Kristen Stewart/Bella. The gist of digital short spoof was that instead of falling for a sparkly vampire, Bella falls for one of “The Franks”, or Frankenstein. I’m still laughing out loud with the whole “I might accidentally choke you to death” joke:

Taylor also did a kick-ass Shakira impression and a so-so Kate Gosselin in “The View” spoof. Another favorite was the “Parents are bad drivers too” skit, for which Taylor still dazzled in some awful headgear.

In one more piece of Tay-Tay news, on Friday Taylor Lautner sort-of confirmed that he and Swift were dating. When asked about her, he told phalanx of reporters that “The very funny thing is that all of you have seen every single move I make, so I guess I can leave that up to you to decide.” Lautner also answered questions about the possibility Swift would write a song about him: “That’s a scary thing. I don’t know if she has. I have no idea.”

Here are some really adorable pictures of Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner leaving Alice & Olivia boutique in Los Angeles on October 28, 2009. Photo credit: WENN.

Oh. My. Sparkles! Vanity Fair has given the every man, woman, teen and tween Twihard something very special – a December cover devoted to Sparkles himself, Robert Pattinson. Don’t judge Vanity Fair by the cover shot they chose – Sparkles laying back on some kind pillow, looking vulnerable and perturbed, and slightly horny. VF also put up an epic slideshow (seriously, they describe it as “epic”) that you really should look at before Vanity Fair’s site crashes from all of the damp Twihards. I’m not being judgy – some of these gorgeous Bruce Weber pictures are making me hot, too. The photo shoot looks like it took place on some gorgeous, rugged, deserted New England coast town. Maybe Maine? Maybe somewhere on Long Island? Wherever it is, it’s lovely. Here’s VF’s interview excerpt – Sparkles denies the Kristen Stewart rumors! NO!

It’s been exactly one year since Twilight, the teenage-vampire book series turned film franchise, became a worldwide phenomenon, launching brooding, reluctant star Robert Pattinson into the celebrity stratosphere. Not since Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic era has there been a young actor so rabidly hunted by teenagers and paparazzi alike—enough that mere sightings of him with his co-star and rumored paramour Kristen Stewart make for international front-page news. For the cover story of Vanity Fair’s December issue, contributing editor Evgenia Peretz interviews Pattinson, Stewart, and a host of Twilight insiders for an intimate profile that describes how he landed the role of Edward Cullen, distills the essence of his appeal, and explores his discomfort with the hormone-fueled frenzy he inspires among his fans.

Peretz, who, as it happens, profiled DiCaprio in 2004, follows the Byronic British actor from the Comic-Con convention in San Diego to the Waldorf Towers in New York City, as he prepares for the November 20 release of Twilight’s sequel, New Moon. There are no wild nights out at clubs—even if he could go out without being mobbed, Pattinson would prefer to curl up with a good book.

Rather than working his way through supermodels, Pattinson, who’s been living out of three suitcases for the past year, has been feeling overwhelmed, self-conscious, and guilty. “I’m trying not to drown,” he says in his hotel room at the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel, which is littered today with beer bottles, old scrambled eggs, a half-eaten Twix bar, and a dirty pair of jeans on the living-room floor. And he notices that he hasn’t made his bed. “Oh, God. Sorry about that.”

“I’m unbearably self-conscious about stuff,” he admits. To the point where, while filming scenes before the army of New York paparazzi that has been following him around, he is terrified that his “ass crack is showing.”

Raised outside London in a small village, with a wavering desire to be either a musician or an actor, Pattinson is painfully modest about his talent and looks, and eternally confused by his fans’ devotion.

Despite the fact that he is an exquisite beauty—with perfectly formed red, red lips and a face that might have been dreamed by the Romantic poets—he thinks he resembles “a cartoon character.” One of his legs is longer than the other, which makes him look, he assures you, “like an idiot.”

He’s sure he’s driving people crazy by constantly talking about how he can’t leave his hotel room. And he sees his inability to relish his fans’ reverence as his own shortcoming. “I guess I’m not the type of guy cut out to do a franchise,” he says. “I’m not much of a crowd person.”

Pattinson’s first role in a major film was a bit part in Harry Potter, which ended up bringing him to the attention of Twilight’s producers. But if he had his way, he’d stick to playing awkward, tortured outsiders.

[Pattinson’s director from the indie film How to Be, Oliver Irving,] recalls, “he’d make his eyes water and get himself all worked up … slapping himself and doing everything he possibly could to make him feel ill,” while passersby wondered what the hell was the matter with this guy.

When you play a weirdo, he explains, “You can always have an excuse… He’s a weirdo!”

But Pattinson’s behavior was far from antisocial during the filming of Twilight. In the evenings, director Catherine Hardwicke remembers, Pattinson was “always drunk,” entertaining Stewart and other members of the cast in his hotel room with his guitar. A “nervous attraction” was brewing offscreen.

“What Rob and Kristen had is a multitude of feelings for each other. Complex feelings for each other,” says Hardwicke. “It was what we needed. Complex, intense fascination.”

Pattinson, for his part, says of Stewart: “She’s influenced how I’ve done all the Twilight stuff. It’s quite nice to have someone who is genuinely indifferent to the whole spectacle of everything.” For the record, however, Pattinson says the rumors of a love affair are false: “It doesn’t make any difference what you say [to the tabloids]. I’ve literally been across the country [from Kristen], and it’s like ‘Oh, they were on secret dates!’ It’s like ‘Where? I can’t get out of my hotel room!’ ” Stewart is even more emphatic: “It’s so retarded,” she says. “We’re characters in this comic book.”

[From Vanity Fair]

I’m still not buying this whole “we’re not dating, that’s retarded” thing. I think they can’t keep their hands off of each other. I think he adores her, and she’s fallen pretty hard for him too. And I think the studio needs to sell Kristen and Taylor Lautner, and they told Sparkles and Kristen to be low-key, which they probably would have been anyway.

Oh, and I love the “ass crack” line. Sparkles is funny! I love him. Sigh… I’m such a closeted Twihard. Swoon!

Photos from Vanity Fair via Cover Awards

Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Sparkles. But this sh-t is getting to be too much. Sparkles (or shall I say, Edward Cullen) has been voted the favorite moive vampire of all time. That’s right… Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Dracula only came in fourth. Ugh. I’m ready to quit this bitch.

The poll was conducted by Pearl and Dean, which is a British chain of theatres. So my guess is that the majority of those polled were British teenaged Twihards? If so, those girls need a damn vampire education. There is no way that Sparkles could even be worthy of holding Gary Oldman’s cape, much less outrank Oldman on this or any poll. Here’s the Telegraph’s report, with the top ten – oh, and Gary Oldman not only came in fourth, it was a damn tie! With Tom Cruise!

Twilight star Robert Pattinson’s character Edward Cullen has been voted the favourite movie vampire.

Pattinson, 23, gained 38% of votes in the survey of more than 3,000 cinema-goers, ahead of the the follow-up to the modern-day thriller, New Moon, which hits cinemas next month.

Christopher Lee’s chilling portrayal of Dracula came second, with 15% of the vote going to the star of the 1958 Hammer Horror film.

One in 10 of film fans (10%) voted for Wesley Snipes as Blade, putting him third.
The online poll was conducted by Pearl and Dean at www.pearlanddean.com.

Kathryn Jacob, chief executive of Pearl and Dean, said: ”People love to be scared witless, particularly at this time of year.

”And Edward Cullen being voted firm favourite movie vampire is testament to the fact that people still enjoy a good bloodsucker.”

Max Schreck’s portrayal of skeletal Graf Orlok in the atmospheric, silent masterpiece Nosferatu, one of the best-known screen representations of a vampire, came ninth.

His ranking for the 1922 film shows film-goers enduring fascination with the undead. Kiefer Sutherland’s role in tongue-in-cheek 1987 teen fantasy flick The Lost Boys came seventh.

Here are the top 10 favourite movie vampires, the film they appeared in and the percentage of votes received:

1. Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson): Twilight – 38%
2. Dracula (Christopher Lee): Hammer Horror Dracula films – 15%
3. Blade (Wesley Snipes): Blade – 10%
= 4. Lestat (Tom Cruise): Interview with the Vampire – 8%
= 4. Dracula (Gary Oldman): Bram Stoker’s Dracula – 8%
6. Selene (Kate Beckinsale): Underworld – 7%
7. David (Kiefer Sutherland): The Lost Boys – 6%
8. Santanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek): From Dusk till Dawn – 4%
9. Graf Orlok (Max Schreck): Nosferatu – 3%
10. Dracula (Bela Lugosi): Dracula – 2%

[From The Telegraph]

Why doesn’t Gary Oldman get the respect he deserves? I mean, I’ve heard the rumors that he’s a bastard in his real life, but the man can act. And his Dracula kicked ass. I also think Bela Lugosi was a much better Dracula than Christopher Lee. And Tom Cruise’s Lestat blew. And Wesley Snipes… seriously? Wesley Snipes is ranked higher than Gary Oldman! NO! That’s enough from all of you British Twihards, thank you very much. We’ll be sending Sparkles back shortly.

Here’s Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (not pictured) spotted out at Pinky’s bar in Vancouver on October 3rd. Images thanks to INF Photo.

Jessica Biel is making a smart strategic move in the wake of all the tabloid-driven rumors of her relationship trouble with Justin Timberlake. She want to go out and give interviews, but she doesn’t want to talk about her relationship. So what’s a girl to do? Start promoting her films four months ahead of schedule, beg for jobs on films that don’t want her, and try to look like a humanitarian.

Jessica gave an interview to MTV where I think she was trying to promote her supporting part in the ensemble film Valentine’s Day. Which doesn’t come out for another four months, so… why is she being interviewed again? Ah, yes. Because she wants to beg for a job on the Twilight franchise. It’s not like she was asked to join the cast or anything, she’s just putting it out there that she’d like to work on them. Jessica says: “Well, I’m clearly familiar with the films. I haven’t read the books, but I haven’t seen any of the films yet so I’m not that familiar — I know the idea of what it’s about. I mean, maybe [I'd be in the next 'Twilight' film]. That would be lovely. I am not opposed to playing a vampire.” Hey, does everyone remember how she was in Blade: Trinity? Yeah… her career has gone from that to publicly begging for a supporting role in Twilight. Step down? Or step up?

Jessica is also trying to look like a humanitarian, a good celebrity hellbent on changing the world, unconcerned with what people may say about her personal life. Jessica has given an interview in Parade to promote her participation with the Dow Live Earth Run for Water (DLERW… worst acronym ever). It takes place in April of next year, and consists of “a series of 6km runs/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water) occurring over the course of 24 hours.” It sounds like a really great cause, but this interview isn’t that great. Jessica is not a very coherent spokeswoman for the cause:

Running for a global issue.
“The idea of really expanding the opportunity to raise awareness for this issue globally just seemed to make a lot of sense to me. Clearly, water is a major problem. Clearly, I feel passionate about it. But this particular event is amenable to everyone all over the world. Somewhere close to you, you can be a part of it. You can raise your own awareness and raise your friends’ awareness.”

Using her celebrity for something positive.
“It’s funny that this is an upside to fame because you don’t really feel sometimes like you deserve to be the face of something. It feels weird. But I think it is important to stand up for what you believe in and stand up for the world. I would never say that anyone should follow me or do what I’m doing, but this particular issue is so important because it affects the human race. So I would encourage anyone who has a voice to get behind something that makes sense for them.”

How she does her part.
“I’ve made little changes like turning off the water, taking shorter showers and being involved with causes like this. Talking to my family, talking to people in my life that aren’t as predisposed to thinking about these kinds of things or use the Internet, like my grandmother. And just really getting the word out there and really trying to live by that, even when it is so easy to go to the store and grab a bottle of water; I don’t do that anymore.”

Facing the toughest climb of her life: Mt. Kilimanjaro.
“It definitely is a scary challenge because you don’t know quite how your body will react at such high altitudes. But it’s fun, it’s exciting. I’m thrilled to go. It will be a mental challenge. I think it’s really going to be a wonderful experience to have climbed Kilimanjaro.”

Facing her (lack of) fears.
“I’m not trying to sound arrogant or anything, but I don’t really have a whole lot of fears. With different characters, you’re always exploring your vulnerability and insecurities. So I feel like I’m always tackling those kinds of things.”

Come on, there has to be something that scares you…
“OK, something I do have a fear of is swimming in the ocean–deep, deep in the ocean. I’ve never really done anything like that before and have kind of a fear of being way out there. Maybe someone will put on a swim one day and I’d love to face my fear, but I would be really terrified!”

[From Parade]

Raising awareness about global water issues is a huge deal, and it’s a cause other celebrities are involved with. My favorite is probably Matt Damon, who works with H2O Africa. The thing about Matt though is that he’s actually a really effective, educated advocate with a message beyond “um… talk to your family about, like, not showering so much or whatever.”

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a Twihard ever got the chance to interview Robert “Sparkles” Pattinson? Worry no more – for some advanced publicity for New Moon, Sparkles was interviewed by what I can only assume is a very young, very dedicated Twihard journalist from the Sydney Morning Herald (here for the full, hilarious interview). She interviewed in Paris, and the piece is called “Interview With A Vampire”. Original, eh? I think a better name for it would be “SPARKLES!!!” You know what’s even better? I can’t find the name of the woman/girl who wrote this sh-t. It’s like she was too ashamed of herself for a byline. As she should be.

The piece is full of wonderful little details for Twihards to pour over. Stuff like “he runs his hand through that tousled mop of his (a sign that he’s anxious)” and “Whenever he goes near the window to smoke, a crescendo of noise erupts from the street below.” Sparkles is playing with us too, playing the poor, vulnerable boy that we need to bring home and feed (whoops… that’s my fantasy): “It’s just a job and while it’s a job I love, girls scream out for Edward, not Robert. I still can’t get a date.” I expected the Twihard reporter to add, “He spoke with tears glistening in his eyes, his taut body drained of energy at the thought of another restless night filled with only despair rather than true love.” Too bad he’s nailing Kristen Stewart – although, to be fair, this interview might have been done a month ago or so, before K-Stew and Pattz were officially a couple:

Ask Robert Pattinson how he’s handling the global hysteria that now surrounds him and he says: “All right, I hope.” Then he runs his hand through that tousled mop of his (a sign that he’s anxious) and adds: “It’s still sort of new.”

It’s almost 12 months since the first Twilight film was unleashed on the world. Twelve months since we clapped eyes on the sensitive, tortured and fiercely handsome vampire named Edward Cullen from Stephenie Meyer’s massively popular novels. Twelve months since Pattinson, the 23-year-old British actor who plays the red-blooded teenage vamp, became an international heart-throb.

“To be honest, I still don’t really understand what’s going on,” he says. “Like yesterday, I was having lunch down the road. We were in this place for a couple of hours and suddenly there was like 400 people outside on the street. It was just so nuts and it’s like that all the time now.”

If Pattinson hasn’t come to grips with the global hysteria by now, how will he cope when New Moon is released next month?

“When the second one comes out, then I’ll see how I am. Mostly I can ignore things to quite a big extent and kind of pretend they’re not really happening,” he says, sounding eerily calm. I just don’t take any of it seriously. It’s just a job and while it’s a job I love, girls scream out for Edward, not Robert. I still can’t get a date.”

Pattinson has been peddling this line for months. He won’t fess up to dating Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella. Perhaps he’s under studio instructions to appear single? It probably boosts ticket sales.

The real reason Pattinson is so calm is simple: “I’m not the lead in the second film. Taylor [Lautner] is.” He grins idiotically. “I appear in Bella’s dreams. So I’m in it but the focus is not on me. I just have significant moments at the beginning … and the end. So I’m more of a supporting role in this one, which is why I felt so free. I didn’t have to deal with any of the bullshit of the first one. I don’t have to hold the movie or worry about the fans. I think I did it better without all those pressures.”

Pattinson is extraordinarily beautiful. He’s been called the Johnny Depp of his generation and been crowned Sexiest Man on the Planet by Glamour magazine, Top Hunk by Entertainment Tonight and Hottest Actor by Rolling Stone. Like Depp, he has the same asymmetrical beauty, the same gorgeous man-boy face. He’s 185 centimetres tall, lean and he, too, exudes a masculine femininity. Depp also started out as a teenage idol before he began furiously deconstructing that image. Ditto for Pattinson.

“After Harry Potter I could have done a lot more teen movies,” he says. Instead he starred as a young Salvador Dali who has a bromance with poet Federico Garcia Lorca in this year’s Little Ashes. “I had to do all these hardcore gay sex scenes, when I haven’t even had a sex scene with a girl in a film yet… I’m lining up so many different films so it’ll be harder to just label me the vampire guy.”

Before Twilight, Pattinson was on the verge of quitting the acting game in favour of music. “With acting, a lot of the time you’re doing scenes you don’t really relate to and you don’t really know why you’re being cast half the time,” he laughs. He “understood” music. He’s been playing the piano since he was five. He composes and sings. It’s second nature. Acting isn’t. He still feels “awkward in front of a camera”.

Pattinson has a lovely voice and performed two songs in Twilight – something he now regrets. “When the first film came out I felt like a complete tosser,” he says. “It looked like I was trying to be cool or something, like Eminem. You know, be in a movie and then do a song for the soundtrack. But I didn’t look cool, I just looked ridiculous.”

Pattinson’s lack of self-confidence is staggering yet endearing. Compliment his singing and he’ll change the subject. Compliment his performance and he’ll tell you you’re bonkers. But he’ll stick to acting for now only because he’d “starve to death” as a musician.

But now he has to go. A plane is waiting. He yawns and looks tired. So how does he unwind? “I don’t really need to do stuff to relax or get away because all my interests are part of my job,” he says. “Like I’ll watch movies to be inspired to do other movies. I read books to be inspired. I listen to music to be inspired to write music. Everything I do is to create something.”

Pattinson’s next film is Unbound Captives. He met Jackman in Japan recently for a little bonding ahead of the film. “We went karaoke singing,” he laughs. “We were singing Abba songs, it was pretty funny. It was sort of an Abba song sing-off, you know, last man standing.”

Who won? “I think he did, only because he can drink more than me and still sing in tune. He’s a cool guy and I’m really looking forward to that film.”

[From the Sydney Morning Herald]

The Twihard reporter also notes that Sparkles “chain-smokes during the interview” and that he runs out half-way through their meeting. So Pattz leaves the hotel room (where the Twihard reporter was probably getting undressed) to see if he could get some cigs off the hotel staff. The reporter notes: “When the French hotel staff, who are normally cool, calm and collected, lay eyes on him, they turn into an adoring mass of autograph-seeking fans.” Chuckle. Seriously?

Robert Pattinson is shown at Comic-Con on 7/23/09 and the Teen Choice Awards on 8/9/09. Credit: WENN.com