Eclipse! - the continuing story 6

Hi and welcome to discussions with Annie!

As Twilight’s third installment Eclipse approaches ever so slowly Twi fans, I’m finding slim pickings in the news department. However, although the news might be slim, there is news.

Kristen Stewart performed her civic duty and turned up for jury duty recently. Although not a major case I’m told Kristen, pictured here on the day, was proud to do her duty. And if she was proud of that, then we are proud of her charity work. Kristen is set to attend the opening of La Vida restaurant and lounge in Hollywood later this month, the proceeds of which will go to The American Red Cross who desperately need funds to continue their work in earthquake torn Haiti. E online has that story.

I don’t think Kristen and her supposed love Robert Pattinson will be seeing a lot of each other this year. Judging by the amount of movies they will be making and reports that they are focusing on their careers and putting their love life on the back burner. Or was that pressure coming from business and studio handlers. Beats me! I kinda feel sorry for them…kinda!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWQV6-QgGjI&feature=fvst  Remember me clip with Robert!  pic courtesy of Summit shows Robert in ingury makeup. Below left.

 Reel Empire say that director David Slade will have more Edward in Eclipse, when the movie comes out in June this year. Of course they will. In New Moon Edward leaves but in Eclipse he vows never to leave her side again. There will be plenty Edward in Eclipse…don’t you worry Twi fans. There will be plenty Jacob too for all the Jacob fans like me.

And speaking of Jacob, Taylor Lautner is to play Stretch Armstrong in a new Universal 3D movie according to MTV’s splash page. If this is true and memory serves Taylor will play a spy who gets exposed to a formula that causes him to stretch his body to great lengths. That’s supposed to hit the screens 2012.

Alex Meraz got himself into hot water saying on his twitter page that Taylor Lautner’s film Valentine’s Day was lame. I don’t think he meant it against Taylor but more for the amount of high profile actors they had in it.  A veritable who’s who of actors. Anyway I’m sure smart Taylor didn’t take offence.

Now back to Eclipse.

Eclipse! - the continuing story 6.

Now that Bella knows Jasper’s story she begins to understand his appeal and odd nature.  But whatever his past he will be invaluable when it comes to the newborns. Amazingly the Cullen family still have not made the connection and look to Italy for blame.

Edward has to go hunting to keep up his strength and leaves Bella out to the boundary line where Jacob is waiting. Edward is annoyed at the thoughts he reads in Jacob’s head but says nothing. Jacob takes Bella to his house and promptly falls asleep. When he wakes he suddenly realises how much time he wasted being asleep and his time with Bella has dwindled away. He must act now.

Exhausted from his night time vigil watching over Bella and Charlie as they sleep, Jacob begins.

“Bella I love you and I want you to pick me over him” he says. Bella is speechless and doesn’t know what to say. She also realises she has been mean to Jacob, wanting him around knowing he loves her the way he does.

“I love him Jacob, he’s my whole life”,  she says but Jacob insists she loves him too.

“Until your heart stops beating Bella, I’ll be here fighting”.

Bella protests but suddenly Jacob holds her face in his hands so tight she couldn’t free herself. And he stole the kiss he dreamed of so many times before. At first angry he crushed her lips with his but became gentle when Bella stopped resisting. She had hoped he would give up after she didn’t respond but he continued on more gently now. Finally he drew back after one final gentle kiss, eyes closed lost in the moment.

Jacob felt no pain when Bella hit him but heard the sound of bone crunching and looked at Bella surprised. She actually hit him and broke her hand doing it. It was almost comical to him. He felt no remorse for the kiss. Nothing could erase that from his memory. But worried now he took Bella home. She was angry with him and told Edward what happened. Within minutes Edward was there, angry.

He decides to take Bella to his father’s house to look at her hand. Jacob follows them out to the car despite Chief Swans insistence there be no fighting. Edward spoke so quietly it was almost a whisper. “I’m not going to kill you now because it would upset Bella”. He continues to speak, his voice velvety soft. Jacob is warned that if he ever brings Bella back damaged again or if he ever tries to kiss her again then Edward will  break his jaw for her.

Jacob is unperturbed and asks…”What if she wants me to?”. Edward says he won’t object. Bella says “You wish”, to which Edward replies “Yes, he does”. Annoyed at the fact that it’s galling to him that Edward can read his thoughts he concedes. Edward lets Jacob know that he will be fighting just as hard for Bella too. A standoff ensues and Edward drives away.

At graduation, Bella arrives dressed in the outfit Alice bought for her. It occurs to her that the visitor was following a set of rules laid out by someone who knew Alice could see events unfold. Careful not to touch anything the mystery vampire left with what he came for.

Explaining her thoughts to Alice, who then decides to keep it from Edward by reciting foreign languages in her head, they arrive at graduation in Chief Swan’s cruiser. Afterward they go to the lodge to eat. Finally Edward meets Bella again outside. He’s worried!

Charlie drives Bella to the Cullen House for the graduation party. Edward is waiting for Bella and by now he has learned about Bella’s thinking on the intruder in her bedroom. He explains the revelations to everyone and they weigh the options. The house is beautifully decorated and the guests start to arrive. Bella’s friends are curious about the Cullen house and thrilled to be invited to the party.

Other guests arrive that were not invited.

Nest time …An alliance is formed!

Take care Annie!

Eclipse! - the continuing story 5

Hi and welcome to Discussions with Annie!

Well Twifans, in just eleven days our beloved Taylor Lautner will be a man. Yep!  - he’ll be all grow’d up at the ripe old age of eighteen. Ok maybe not a man yet -  he can’t drive a stick shift (I’ll explain later  - read on) but a man in numbers anyway. Dear old Dad won’t have to traipse after him anymore. Yay!.

Stephenie Meyer according to mygloss.com does not mind how many parts Breaking Dawn will be shot in, as long as the end result is what’s best for the series and Summit Entertainment agrees. According to her Entertainment weekly interview -  say mygloss.com - Stephenie has given the strongest hint yet that she may return to the saga. She left the series when a leaked draft of Midnight Sun  - the Twilight story written from Edward’s point of view - was found on the net. She has not returned to it since and the book was never finished.  She says…

“I’m not working on anything new Twilight-related now, and probably not for a while. But there’s still a possibility that I’ll go back and close some of the open doors.”  (pic courtesy of mygloss.com)

The first Director’s cut of Eclipse is ready says it’s director David Slade. David - according to reelempire.com -  took to his twitter page to let the fans know. As you probably already know, a director’s cut is not the movie you see in the theatres but it may end up on a DVD as bonus material. Does this mean a trailer will be on YouTube soon?

Zac Efron and not Robert Pattinson will be the next Spidey in the upcoming Spiderman 4 say entertainment and showbiz. Is this true?…I have no clue. But I hear Tobey Maguire recommended Zac. Nice!

Taylor Lautner’s recent purchase of a beautiful Audi R8 according to celebrity-gossip.net  stalled when the seventeen year old couldn’t get used to the “stick shift” - that’s “gear stick” to you and me - when out and about in LA.  Yep!…she’s a sophisticated lady Taylor, you have to treat her gently. You can’t just slam her into “Drive”  and take off…you have to say “Please” first.  Real drivers change gears ya know!…but I guess you do, since your learning to drive one. Still if you can tame this powerful black beast, then vampires are no problem eh!. What can I say…go Taylor!

Robert Pattinson has been immortalised in another unique way. According to E-online, a comic book about the actor called “Fame Robert Pattinson” will hit the shelves next month. The issue, written by Kim Sherman and drawn by Nathaniel Ooten, with the cover created by Juan Mar Studios, delves into the star’s music, modeling and of course, those dreamy roles he played in the Harry Potter and Twilight movies.

Ok enough waffle. Let’s get back to the story. Now where was I …oh! yes.

Eclipse…the continuing story 5

Edward collects Bella from the boundary line, after the council meeting and he takes her home. That night as Bella slept in Edward’s arms, she was dreaming she was outside in the cold, wet and windy night. She had complained earlier about the vampires and the wolves out in the cold protecting her, but Edward had said “It’s only cold to you, Bella”.

She was on First Beach…the wolves and the vampires she loved were fighting each other. She cried out and tried to run. In her hand she now noticed, was a sharp silver blade drenched in blood. She drops the blade in horror and wakens. As always Edward was there in the darkness beside her. His very presence a comfort to her.

The next morning she noticed the crumpled Wuthering Heights book where Edward had dropped it onto the floor the night before. Curious as to why Bella loved this book so much he began reading it again, Being a forever 17 teenager, Edward had matriculated a lot and was familiar with all high school preferred reading. Bella picked up the book at the place and page where Edward had left off. His change of heart towards Jacob now understood in the words….

“And there you see the distinction between our feelings: had he been in my place and I in his, though I hated him with a hatred that turned to gall, I never would have raised a hand against him. You may look incredulous, if you please! I never would have banished him from her society as long as she desired his. The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his heart out, and drank his blood! But, ’til then- If you don’t believe me, you don’t know me, - ’til then, I would have died by inches before I touched a single hair of his head!”

Alice announces a graduation party. Bella, knowing how tenacious Alice can be, gives up without a fight. Alice also announces that Bella is getting her graduation present and that she loves it. Bella realises that graduation is only one week away, June 4th. She is shocked at how the time has slipped away from her and that she is now out of time.

The time to say goodbye to everyone she loves. Soon she will be a vampire and too dangerous to be around humans. Bella wanted to be a vampire because it meant being with Edward forever. But panic sets in now and Bella’s mind zones in on the implications. She is only slightly aware of the people around her.

It takes a lot to make a vampire impatient. They have great stillness inside. No beating heart to pound out the seconds. But here at the house, Bella stares out the window and time passes. Edward finally asks what she is thinking. When she tells him how the graduation had crept up on her and that she didn’t know how to say goodbye. Edward tells her she is not ready and no threat of death would make him turn her until she was absolutely and completely ready.

“You don’t want me to be a vampire” she says.

When Edward says no and explains it is the most selfish thing he will ever do even if he lives forever. She smiles. She was worried he wouldn’t like her when she was no longer soft and warm.

He laughs now. How silly!

 He would miss her blushes, her beautiful soft brown eyes, her beating heart. “The most significant sound in my world”  he says. Edward explains that he will still love her once she is turned and that he wouldn’t have to be careful of not killing her. Edward once human, has human concerns. He worries if Bella wants immortality more than him. For a moment he looked down frightened at what her answer might be. She surprises him now by laughing.  “There is no point to forever without you”.

Jasper.

The rising deaths in Seattle brings the Cullen family and Bella together again. Edward mentions more than once that Jasper is the right person to talk to because of his knowledge of newborns. Bella is confused. Jasper, always on the fringes of the family seems now to be central. He shows Bella the crescent shaped scars that criscross his skin by the thousand. She touches the one on her wrist and begins to understand.

Jasper begins his story by telling Bella of the southern vampires at war with humans and each other and kept in line only by the Volturi in Italy. He tells of Benito, the first to use newborns to wipe out the competition and gain control of the most populated area of humans. Other covens created their own newborns to protect themselves. The Volturi came and wiped them out beginning with Benito and his followers.

Jasper was from Houston,Texas and joined the Confederate Army in 1861. He wasn’t even seventeen but tall enough to get away with the lie of being twenty. He became the youngest Major in Texas, not even acknowledging his real age. On the way back from a task, Major Jasper Whitlock met three beautiful women, one of whom turned him into a vampire.

Maria, his maker, was building an army to get her territory back and trained Jasper. But she knew newborn strength waned after a year so she worked quickly. She put Jasper in charge of the others and his ability to calm made the newborns work well together. She grew fond of Jasper. They fought wars, Maria grew greedy.

Eventually Jasper grew weary of the bloodshed. A newborn, Peter, who survived long enough to become friends with Jasper began a change in him. Peter escaped by fleeing with a female meant for execution.

They meet again years later and Jasper leaves with them to enjoy a more peaceful life. But even that didn’t last and Jasper left unable to clear his now constant depression. He finds Alice who had been waiting for him and a new happier life begins.

The Cullen family stumble upon the realisation of a newborn army. Their thinking still lead them to Aro but Jasper’s logic tells him it can’t be. 

Next time… the graduation ceremony, meetings and preparations and the ever present problem of Jacob Black.

Take care…Annie  

Eclipse! - the continuing story 4.

Hi and welcome to Discussions with Annie!

Today is a good day to be human Twifans. Today we know that for some Hollywood A-Listers, their ivory tower has an elevator to the ground floor. They can come down to the level of us mere mortals and give up their time for the sake of charity and basic human need. Yes! I’m referring to the “Hope for Haiti” telethon held on January 22nd in LA which raised upwards of 57 million dollars. Big hearted George Clooney forged that together out of nothing and suddenly it was huge. If you were a English subject you’d be knighted by now George! [see all the pics at anorak.co.uk]

Some like Sandra Bullock and Leonardo DiCaprio showed just how big their hearts and their wallets really were by donating one million dollars. Some manned the phones. Some according to fashion.ie donated their designer clothes like Kellan Lutz.  Some recorded their piece for the telethon and some went to Utah for the film festival. But all donated something right?

So whether it was their time, their money or their clothes - Hollywood donated, we donated…did you? I bet you did  

Now before we continue on with the Eclipse story let’s take a look at some Twi news.

Our handsome Kellan Lutz lost out to 6′4″ Jason Mamoa for the part of Conan. Sorry dude! I guess some people don’t see what we see in you!

According to examiner.com Taylor Lautner (seen here at the telethon) will be participating the the 4th annual Direct TV Celebrity Beach Bowl next month in Miami, Florida along with other competitive types like Taylor’s former dad in My Own Worst Enemy Christian Slater. See that on the 101 network.

And eonline.com has the story that Kristen Stewart got her legs all bruised up learning to poll dance for her part in Meet the Riley’s. Seen below with co star James Gandolfini, Kristen who plays a sixteen year old stripper in the movie had to go to a real club that was both dirty and tough and train with real strippers.

 Robert Pattinson may be taking on the roll of Jacob (ha ha!) in the film adaptation of the book Water for Elephants. In it he falls in love with wife of animal trainer  (played by Sean Penn - maybe) Reese Witherspoon. That story on zap2it.com. It seems many of Robert’s films lately involve him being in secret love trysts with wanton women. Hmmm!  And just when he and Kristen Stewart plan to go public with their relationship. Yawn!

Now let’s get back to the retelling of the third installment of the Twilight Saga Eclipse. Ya know this started off as a two parter at best and now I seem to be lost in the story all over again. I think we will be saying in our ninties…when I was young I read a book about a vampire and a werewolf who were both in love with a girl named Bella. But first here’s the obligatory picture of Robert Pattinson.

Eclipse the continuing story 4…

When we left off last, Jacob and Bella were not on good terms. He had rescued her from a dreary long day at school with Alice watching her every move. It was fun at first, just like before when they were close, but then Jacob found out that within weeks Bella would be a vampire.

So when Bella arrives back at Charlie’s house upset because Jacob wished her dead. she had no intention of ringing Jacob like his “Sorry”  note asked. She was mad and besides the laundry was piling up. That’s when she noticed some of her clothes were missing. Chief Swan didn’t start the laundry so she was puzzled. Where was her pillow and her missing red top?  Within moments Edward was at the door in full protect mode and she had the answer. Bella was stunned to learn that unknown vampires had been to her house and taken her clothes. It all happened quickly then. Jasper and Emmett kept an eye on Charlie while Edward and Bella had a family meeting at his house.

Was it the Volturi? or just a curious vampire who picked up the scent and followed it. The Cullen family had no answers. Only the determination to keep Bella safe above all else.

The next morning Bella decides to forgive Jacob and calls him. Jacob is relieved and Bella, about to tell him of the phantom visitor, hands the phone to Edward’s outstretched hand. He quickly explains about the unknown vampire to Jacob and a truce ensues however tenuous. Edward leaves so that Jacob could come over. Jacob arrives and Bella is exasperated by the fact that he’s always hot and half dressed. “Does my being half-naked bother you?”  he asks.  Bella’s blushes give him his answer and he goes to check out her bedroom to see if he recognises the scent.

As they wash dishes together Jacob asks the burning question. How long exactly before she is turned? The word graduation made him close his hand on the knife he was rinsing and make a fist. Shocked by the sudden appearance of blood on Jacobs hand, Bella gets lightheaded but attempts to clean the wound only to find there isn’t one. Jacob heals fast too! Bella is reminded yet again of how ordinary she is.  But in Forks, Washington, being ordinary Bella Swan is a very dangerous thing.

Edward learns about Bella’s missing clothes and the real reason for all the deaths in Seattle. He admits Bella should be safe with all the werewolves however young and lets her go to the bonfire night at La Push.

Jacob is over the moon and agrees to meet her at the boundary line at six. Bella decides to bring back the bike Jacob fixed for her and Edward puts it in the trunk. When Bella worries about the reception she will get at the clifftop bonfire, she is immediately surprised by how friendly everyone is and accepting. Even Paul only jokes about keeping the vampire smell downwind. As Edward learns from reading Bella’s favourite book Wuthering Heights,  that you must love the thing your hearts desire loves. So too it seems the wolves are ready to protect with their lives the girl that Jacob Black loves. She is human after all for now and her life is their duty.

Bella is taken on a journey back through time as the Quileute tribe retell the story of how they came to be. She sees how respected Billy Black is and realises he is a tribal elder and this is a council meeting. Billy begins the story of the spirit warriors and the Quileute struggle to survive. Billy is passing on the Quileute legends to the young in the traditional storytelling way. As she sits amongst the ancestors of the great warrior Taha Aki Bella gets lost in the story.

It’s midnight and Bella realises she didn’t phone Edward. She also didn’t notice that Jacob had carried her to his car and drove her from the cliffs to the boundary line where a pacing Edward was waiting. Bella tells Jacob that the night was amazing. It meant everything to Jacob that his Bella was there that night. So much so that he becomes more proactive in his fight for her and subtlety goes out the window.

Next time…Graduation party plans, newborns and Jasper’s story.  (All set photos courtesy of Summit Entetainment)

Take care Annie 

Eclipse! - the continuing story 3

Hi and welcome to Discussions with Annie!

This week Twi fans I hear all kinds of crazy news!  Why crazy?  Well - get this - Robert Pattinson has been rumoured to be the next Peter Parker (aka Spiderman).  All I can say is, if you believe that then your duller than a bent tuning fork. But of course you don’t. Twi fans are smart…they read.

Ok, so all this started when the current Spidey - Tobey Maguire- departed the franchise and Sony/Columbia  began looking for replacements. A director would be a good start, since they have none and the movie is said to start shooting in March. According to comicbookmovies.com Sony/Columbia have denied the Robert Pattinson rumour. Just as well, Robert would have been a disaster. He’s not an action hero. Pic by Getty.

And speaking of Robert Pattinson, both he and yes/no girlfriend Kristen Stewart have been rumoured to be joining the very charitable George Clooney on his telethon for Haiti set for January 22nd. The telethon named “Hope For Haiti” has attracted the generous and very wealthy Jolie/Pitt and Madonna heavyweights. Haiti as you know was hit by a massive 7.0 earthquake, killing - according to American networks 50,000 haitians or nearly 100,000 according to European news networks. I hope they do participate in the Telethon for the sake of using their fame for good. Go on Robert and Kristen, stand up and be part of the real human race.

Breaking Dawn still has no director. I wouldn’t want responsibility for that potato either. Who they eventually pick is anyone’s guess.

And Taylor Lautner is still making headlines with his personal life. This January 15th photo opposite shows him post Taylor Swift out to lunch in LA with Sara Hicks, Dad in tow. Just weeks before his eighteenth birthday, Taylor has lost the ability to have a normal life. I guess he chose it, but does he regret it?…probably not! Pic courtesy of celebgossip.com

Emilie De Ravin makes Robert (aka Tyler) smile in the movie Remember Me out April 2. This movie brought about the need for extra security for Robert when he worked on the set in New York. Even New York’s finest couldn’t keep the crazy fans off him never mind his own security.

Movieweb.com says that Kellan Lutz and Jason Mamoa are favourites for the remake of Conan. Wow! that would be way cool. Jason is very tall and has the moves, but I think Kellan has more muscle mass. What do you think? 

Now where was I on Eclipse…

                                 Eclipse - the continuing story 3.  

Bella goes to see Jacob and he’s delighted to see her. They go for a walk and Jacob asks Bella if she forgave Edward for leaving her in the forest. Bella, always protective and defensive where Edward is concerned states that there is nothing to forgive. Bella is so in love with Edward that he can do no wrong as far as she is concerned. Her father Charlie would have a different opinion.

Bella begins to retell the story of how events unfolded after she left a very upset Jacob at her house to fly to Italy and rescue Edward. She would face an angry Edward later when he finds out from Alice that she has snuck off to Jacob where he can’t follow. Jacob learns that Alice Cullen can’t see the wolves or their future and by just being with them, she can’t see Bella either.

Jacob recounts the story of how Victoria eluded them and of how Edward’s brother Emmett almost ran into pack member Paul, causing a territory dispute. Jacob also tells of how worried he was when he didn’t know Bella had gone to Florida and then thought Edward might have turned her.

Jacob ponders the road not taken.

If Bella had waited for him and not jumped off the cliff that day, Alice would not have mistaken that image for suicide and events might have unfolded differently. Bella might have been his. But Bella believes Edward would have come back anyway. She is now more sure of their love than ever. Edward is her life -  that much is clear to her. Jacob is disgusted and points out that Bella should look to her own species. Human.

Angry now, Bella shouts out , “I guess I’m stuck with Mike Newton after all”.

Jacob is hurt. He turns to look out to sea. “I’m human”  he says. “Your not as human as Mike Newton”  She replies, still angry. Jacob points out that he didn’t choose his werewolf life, to which Bella counters that Edward didn’t choose his vampire life either. Jacob repeats that it’s not the same. Everything he is, is born in him, who he is and what it means to be a tribe. Vampires shouldn’t exist he points out and besides he says, ” I am still human”.  To prove this he takes Bella’s hand and places it on his chest so that she can feel his still human beating heart.  It’s hard for Bella to stay mad at Jacob.  She sees his pain.

Jacob tells Bella about imprinting and about what happened to Sam and his former love Leah. Bella is exasperated to learn that Jacob like Edward, does not age. Until he decides to stop phasing he will stay young. He finds it interesting that Edward can’t read Bella’s thoughts.

They are friends now and agree to meet again as soon as Bella can sneak out. She drives to Angela’s house aware that she is being followed by an angry Edward, who drives on without stopping. They hash it out later in her room. Bella informs Edward that she is like Switzerland, Neutral. When it comes to werewolf and vampire feuds, she will not be caught in the middle.

But Bella’s safety is Edward’s main concern, so when Alice came to pick her up while he was away hunting, Bella realises she is being kidnapped for her own good. She rings Jacob to tell him she cannot meet him that Saturday. He is not happy. At the Cullen house Bella is safe with Alice, Esme and Rosalie. She goes to bed in Edward’s room where a big bed has been placed.

Rosalie knocks and enters. She tells her story and of how she would not have chosen the vampire life. She loves Emmett but wanted a human life with children. Bella is given a little insight into Rosalie’s resentment of her. She goes to sleep and dreams dark dreams.

Alice drives her to school the next day and Jacob rescues her from a long day at school without her Edward and being watched by Alice. She jumps on his motorbike and they speed away, only slowing down and laughing when they reach the Quileute line,  Just like they used to before Edward came back. Then Jacob finds out that Bella will be turned into a vampire in weeks and not years. He’s so angry he almost phases but controls it. Bella is stunned and frightened. Jacob is angry and hurt. He says she’d be better off dead. Bella rushes back to the Cullen house on the bike.

Later Edward tells her that he will not be mad if she goes back to La Push. She tells him that she doesn’t think she will be welcome anymore. He hears her voice break. He wants to kill Jacob.

Next time…more notes, newborns and babysitting across boundary lines.

Take care…:)

Annie.

Eclipse! - the continuing story 2

Hi and welcome to “Discussions with Annie”

OK, so when last I posted, we were going over the continuing story of The Twilight Saga Eclipse. Yes! Twi fans that’s way cool  (way cool I tell you!)  but I thought I’d share some teeny tiny gos I came across that was not rehashed to death first and to me anyway, was mildly interesting. So here it is!

Taylor Lautner’s 8 pack abs (so too 8 pack - count them)  are now commanding 7.5 million dollars per film. Taylor seen here leaving an LA gym is said to be getting (actually earning  was the word they used - how can you earn something you haven’t done yet?) the huge sum for the Tom Cruise film Northern Lights. It’s not clear if Tom Cruise will actually be in it.  This makes Taylor, whose eighteen Feb 11th, the highest paid teen in Hollywood today. Go Taylor! (pic ontheflix.com)

Robert Pattinson is set to be immortalised in a biographical comic book. The details are sketchy so I will not quote anyone til I know more. Robert seen below with Kristen Stewart December 17 is set to be very busy indeed this year. And what of the rumours about these two?…they go on and on and on and on…

Ashley Greene’s new horror flick Apparition, pictured below with co star Sebastion Stan is set to start shooting next month and finish around April 2010. Let’s hope it’s a success for her. Source: accesshollywood.com.

A Twilight Saga Eclipse script has been leaked!  Shock - Horror?, I say no. Getting to be a habit me thinks!. Check Google for that story.

And finally “Happy Birthday Alex Meraz”.  Alex below is 25 today and I’m sure celebrating in style.

So that’s what caught my eye today Twi fans. Now lets get back to the story.

        Eclipse..the continuing story 2.

When we left off last time Bella wanted to see Jacob but things between them were not good. Boundaries had been set and Edward didn’t want her to go, even going so far as to take a piece out of her engine to stop her driving.

Then Edward remembers the plane tickets his mother Esme gave to her as an eighteenth birthday gift. He initiates a conversation with Bella’s father Chief Swan, hinting that Bella needs to see her mother and not hurt Esme’s feelings by not using the tickets. Charlie reluctantly agrees but he’s not happy. If Bella ran off with Jacob Black into the night without a word he would not be upset. Charlie was very fond of Jacob. Edward was another matter!

Bella is not happy but Edward explains that she has been calling out her mother’s name in her sleep and the matter is settled. They go to Florida. When they return to a much relieved Chief Swan, Bella finds out that Jacob has been ringing every minute asking for her.

She calls and hears an angry Jacob. Why didn’t she call him? he asks. He tells her he wanted to talk to her but when she asks what about, he only tells her he just wanted to hear her voice. The sound of his deep voice brings back memories of their time together and she misses him. Her sunshine! When she tells him she will be at school the next day he hangs up. 

Bella was puzzled until it occurred to her that he wanted to find out if she was still human. 

He turns up at her high school the next day. Jacob is now 6′7″ and towering over the other students. Bella finds out that Edward has been keeping something from her and the real reason they went to Florida. Bella wants to know what’s going on and Jacob relishes sending Edward mental pictures of what happened after he left Bella behind distraught in the forest. Bella sees the suffering on Edward’s face. He is reminded of what he did to Bella.

Through Jacob, Bella finds out that Edward’s vampire brother Emmett crossed the Quileute line after evil vampire Victoria and instead of chasing her, the wolves defended their boundary and Rosalie defended her husband Emmett. Paul in werewolf form was ready to start a war there and then until Jasper and Carlisle calmed things down. As Edward can read minds and Alice can read the future, Jasper has a gift for calming any heated or upsetting situation. Just as well or the supernatural secret world of Forks Washington would be minus a few members. 

Jacob, Bella notices is no longer clumsy and has become more self assured. The bitter sarcasm he throws at Edward changes as he turns to Bella. The smallest hint of a smile is playing at the edges of his mouth. A smile she once thought was her sunshine. He tells Bella that he misses her and that maybe they could be friends again if she crossed over to the Quileute side of the boundary line and visited him. Under Edward’s restraining arms, Bella longs to hug Jacob but the principal comes out to disperse the students who are by now placing bets on a fight between Edward and Jacob, especially Mike Newton. Jacob gets on his bike and leaves.

Later Edward offers to update his offer to turn her himself ( a thing she really wants, but he doesn’t want to do because her humanity means everything to him) if she agrees to marry him first. A clever ploy considering Bella’s dislike of marriage. The one thing that would slow down her rush to become a vampire and stave off a war with the human protecting wolves.

Edward has to feed. His amber eyes are growing dark and he must hunt with his brothers. She will miss him but he leaves her a note on her pillow.

“I’ll be back so soon you won’t have time to miss me. Take care of my heart, I left it with you”

Bella goes to work at Mike Newton’s family business Olympic Outfitters to find she’s not needed. Struck by the fact that this unexpected event would leave Alice Cullen blind to her actions, she rushes to see Jacob before Alice could stop her and tell Edward. Jacob rushes to her, picks her up and spins her round in a circle before she could even say hi to Jacob’s dad Billy Black.

This would be the beginning of many meetings across the boundary line.

More next time on the strange love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob.

Take care    

Annie.

Eclipse! - the continuing story.

Hi and welcome to discussions with Annie!

“Happy New Year Twi fans!”

Today I will be recounting where the story left off in New Moon for Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black.  This may have to be edited to death or if I’m in a storytelling mood divided into several parts.

Eclipse is probably where Jacob - (formerly the one whose heart gets stomped on, on a regular basis and still does) decides to be more proactive in his misery and fight for Bella Swan. Does his persistence pay off?…

With that question in mind we begin where New Moon left off.

Eclipse! - the continuing story. 

Jacob’s dark eyes, framed in the shaggy body of his wolf form looked into Bella’s warm brown ones. There was no way to win now. He switched his gaze from Bella to Edward Cullen. The vampire had proven he was not above trickery to keep Bella. If he tore Cullen limb from limb now Bella would hate him forever. She would always love the stupid bloodsucker.

He returned his gaze to Bella. Even now, he could not hate her. She chose Cullen over him and that rejection should have burned her out of his heart. But it made no difference. He loved her still.

Not wanting to show the bloodsucker his pain he turned and disappeared into the forest.

Time passed for Bella, Edward and Jacob.

For Edward, time was a lesson in patience learned over five of Bella’s current lifetimes and yet he did not look a day over seventeen, which of course was what he was, in human years. But in vampire years he was 109.

For Bella, time was a drag…a frustration compounded by the fact that she was a grounded teenager and only allowed to see Edward at school and for a measly two and a half hours per day after that. Under the watchful eye of her father Chief Charlie Swan, she did her homework, read college application replies and waited impatiently to see Edward’s beautiful face again.

Edward was always on her mind…well, except for that small part of each day she kept aside for Jacob Black.

Jacob whose crossed out words in a note gave evidence to his dark mood. Angry words replaced at the bottom of the note by the simple admission that he “missed her too”. If time was a lesson in patience for Edward and a frustratingly slow process for Bella - it was agony for Jacob. Being a werewolf, Jacob’s private thoughts were open to his wolfpack brothers. They teased him. (I imagined Paul here as being particularly relentless).

No matter what he tried to do , his love for Bella Swan only seemed to grow and with it, the agony of not having the thing you love. But Jacob would be presented with opportunities he would take full advantage of in his quest to convince Bella they were more than friends.

At this point Seattle is fast becoming the murder capitol of the country. The deaths were really caused by “newborns” - fresh vampires created by Victoria and her new lovesick sidekick Riley.  The newborn vampires had the single purpose of keeping the “good” vampires - the vegetarian Cullens -  busy while she takes her revenge out on Edward for killing her mate James. 

How?   By killing Bella!

Bella’s father Charlie decides to release Bella from house arrest on condition she spend more time with her friends-meaning Jacob. Unaware of the existence of vampires and werewolves in Forkes, Chief Swan thinks Bella is avoiding Jacob and hurting his feelings. But what really happened was, after Jacob returned Bella’s secret motorbike to her house, causing Charlie to freak out and ground her, they fell out and the hatred between the vampires and werewolves intensified. The fact that Bella intended to become a vampire herself by getting bitten by one -  thus breaking the ancient Quileute Indian laws that protected humans - made matters worse and a  war was imminent. 

As Jacob was bound by wolfpack laws which naturally didn’t favour vampires and Bella’s love of Edward constantly left him on the down side, his pack loyalty and growing jealousy drove a wedge between him and his beloved Bella. He stopped taking her calls and his brothers bore the brunt of his misery.

But Edward was jealous too and even though he was sincere when he thanked Jacob for looking after Bella when he left, he also wished Bella would stay mad at Jacob for getting her into trouble with her Dad. But he knew she would not. Bella had grown close to Jacob after he left and he hated that she missed him and her father thought of Jacob like family. 

Edward worried about the treaty between the vampires and the Quileute Indian tribe, of which Jacob is a direct descendant. He warns Bella that if she crosses over onto Quileute land to see Jacob, he cannot protect her or follow. Also it transpired that Alice, Edward’s gifted sister could not see Bella when she was with a werewolf and would not know if she was in danger. Edward is adamant she stay away but Bella wants to see Jacob…she owed him that much. 

NEXT TIME… Boundaries, plane trips and the problem of Jacob Black.

Take care,

Annie    

In between New Moon and Eclipse!

Hi and welcome to Discussions with Annie!.

Dec 22nd - “Happy Holidays Twi fans!…I’m taking a few days break to visit family and get some study done. When I come back…”ECLIPSE” - the continuing story of Bella, Edward and Jacob and where they left off in New Moon. Take care Annie

As life gets back to normal for most of us, we look to The Twilight Saga Eclipse and wonder what director David Slade will make of it. For someone who originally made fun of the first movie Twilight and then was asked to direct the third, we can only wait and see. I will be doing a recap of what Eclipse is all about soon and I can only hope that Mr. Slade will do it justice. New Moon was my favourite book and it was ruined by Chris Weitz in my opinion. I do not have as vested an interest in Eclipse and perhaps that’s a good thing. I will see it from a fresh perspective. Let’s at least hope he keeps a close eye on the editing.

Now if you’re fed up with all the “kid” photos of Taylor Lautner out there and I am…just remember that most of his fans are twelve year olds. But…just in case your not…(twelve that is) - here’s some up to date ones in this clip. :)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIHrwXoPxvs 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zua6vg4AHCk TL on Jay Leno. 

And this is Taylor at the SNL studio for the show he hosted last night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldXyF3rr2HE Looks like the show went well for the former four time world martial arts champion - Go Taylor. As I mentioned before Taylor is rumoured for the role of Max Steel. According to fanbolt.com Taylor would be playing the part of Josh McGrath, an extreme sports enthusiast who gets infected with nanobots. The movie as yet has no director or timeline so when or if it gets made is anybody’s guess.

Chris Weitz recently came to the aid of Samantha Tumpach when news broke that the young woman was arrested November 28th for recording just three minutes of New Moon as part of her recording of her sister’s birthday. ABC news spoke to Weitz about it who said  ”There’s a difference between trying to protect a films copyright and prosecuting someone who clearly seems not to have any intention towards video piracy“. She was later released  without charge. Well done Chris Weitz.

And finally just some pics I like. Photos courtesy of igossip.com, Vanity Fair, Summit Entertainment and USA Today

I hope you liked them.

Take care,

Annie  

After New Moon!

Hi and welcome to Discussions with Annie!

Unless you’ve been grounded for the last two weeks with no tv or internet, or if you’ve been really bad - no phone (ouch!) you probably already know by now that New Moon has been a runaway success. Hooray!…

Well not hooray if you directed it, or were one of the top three stars in it (because you did a crap job!) or…had anything to do with the editing or writing of the screenplay (…because you did a crap job!) but hooray because it was a great sequel in written form and should have been a success.

The stars of The Twilight Saga New Moon have had their faces plastered on every surface and been interviewed on every show. No matter where you are in the world you cant help but find the actors on some show or other, laughing and being silly and entertaining. While Summit Entertainment is laughing all the way to the bank, the stars are getting the maximum exposure, making sure the world (and any director with a new movie to shoot) doesn’t forget who they are and maybe keep the job offers coming in. Pic: Examiner.com

No chance of that happening to our top Twilight trio. Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are the hottest …er stars (oops! nearly said actors then lol!) on the planet and if any studio wants a big budget movie to be a huge success they gotta court these guys and beg on bended knee… no grovel on their bellies to have them in their movie. Actually if they’re any good at math, they’d probably want a low budget movie to be a huge success.

At this point I’d like to correct someone who corrected me in the comment section a while back. An “Indie Movie” is a term originally used to describe a small independent movie not under the thumb of a big studio. 

I know, I know “Geez Annie, can you write shorter sentences please, I’m getting blurry eyed”.  Oh! well fine. Here is some other news.

 Deadline.com reports that Paramount Studios has confirmed exclusively that they have hired Taylor Lautner for the Max Steel role. The author of this report states: “I’m told Max Steel will be a four-quadrant popcorn movie in the spirit of Iron Man about a 19-year-old extreme sports junkie recruited by a secret agency after an accident infects his body, leaving him with superhuman powers.What do I think? I say yes, yes, yes. This is a role Taylor could do, no problemo. He’s super fit and the right director could make a tough guy out of him. Go Taylor.

You must go see Anna Kendrick in “Up in the air” out now in LA and everywhere else soon after. By all accounts her performance is intelligently funny and well worth the price of the ticket. what a fine actress she is turning out to be. Alongside George Clooney, the Jason Reitman directed movie is a must see. Anna who was one of the youngest actors to receive a Tony award for her work is showing her creativity and skill in her movie choices. I for one am delighted with her success. Pic: Examiner.com

Robert Pattinson has been to see Bobby Long play at the Hotel Café and the two pals left together afterwards. Pic by Celeb-gossip.net December 4th. 

So Twi fans, not much in the way of news or gossip out there. Same ol’ stuff floating around. I recommend renting out the following if your in a romance kind of mood. These are some of my favourite movies for a girls night in or some alone time in front of the tv.

The Notebook, Hope Floats, The Magic of Ordinary Days, Pride and prejudice, Becoming Jane, The Outsider and Sweet Home Alabama. Mind you do your studies first Ok? Ok!

I will be looking at Eclipse soon and getting into the third book for a return look at the characters and how the story plays out for Bella and Edward and poor Jacob. But for now…

Take care,   Annie  

New Moon hits a home run!

Hi and welcome to Discussions with Annie!

First of all a big “Thank You” to all you Twi-fans who posted a comment for or against  my review of The Twilight Saga New Moon. I know I did not get around to you all, but I do read them and find your different points of view interesting. I’m studying for exams but I check back as often as I can. As always Twi-fans, you and your opinions are always welcome here! 

I’m wondering if I should change the name of this blog to Eclipse now that New Moon is out. What do you think? Maybe not. Anyway from what I can gather, the younger Twi-fans loved the movie, with most of the criticism coming from the older movie fans (and by older I mean - not ancient - but also not in the 12 to 19 year old bracket) like myself who are also Twilight fans but for whom the movie was not a true representation of the second book in the series. In other words…a sad disappointment!

I take back, not one single word  of what I said in the review. I remain unrepentant. I saw a shadow of what this movie could have been. Like my friend and fellow blogger Mac says…”…reading New moon made my heart ache”. I felt no emotion what so ever watching this movie. And the ingredients were certainly there.

The joy of first love. The agony of betrayal and heartbreak so profoundly felt in a teenage girl, it nearly destroyed her. The healing touch of a growing friendship. Living with supernatural secrets. Loyalty, burning jealousy, the excitement of discovering your something other.  Thrill seeking, fence mending, unbelievable hope and joy and finally the realisation that things have changed forever and that lines crossed now can never be retraced.

My favourite book ruined by actors who thought they were so deep, so totally “with it”  they didn’t have to invest in the emotional interpretation of the parts they played. A director who totally fragmented a beautiful story…or was that the fault of the script writer?. It was like pages were ripped in half and the film was made from fragments. This alone would put any writer off publishing their work.

New Moon is going to out do Twilight, I was right about that, when I said that during the summer. And what of Eclipse and Director David Slade?…we wait and see!

Twi -news 

New Moon has made over 140 million dollars in it’s opening weekend according to boston.com and 258.8 million worldwide so far. All thanks to the loyal fans who revisit the movie over and over.

I read somewhere today that Robert Pattinson’s Aunt Diana Nutley told of how he introduced Kristen Stewart to his parents whilst promoting New Moon in Paris. Aw! How sweet…so what’s the big secret then?

Speaking of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, both they and Taylor Lautner actually tweeted on Twitter recently. They each in their own words thanked the loyal fans for making the film New Moon such a success.

For those of you who don’t already know this and how could you not?…The third installment of The Twilight Saga - Eclipse will open next summer June 30th 2010. Also the news that the movie database IMDB has recorded an unusual occurrence. The top five actors on their IMDB STARmeter are all from Twilight, with Taylor Lautner taking the top spot. Source: hollywoodtoday.com.

And Taylor Lautner is “Picky”  according to Kristen Stewart. She says the New Moon hunk is so set in his ways he never tasted sushi before he met her. According to nydailynews.com when asked about whether he was in a relationship with Taylor Swift or not, he answered “possibly” and then gushed about how amazing she was. Taylor who will be hosting Saturday Night Live  on December 12th will have to be a bit more chatty if he is to make conversation with his guests on live tv.Lol!

And finally the sad news (to me anyway) that Chris Weitz will not be retiring. He will forego his books and surf board to direct “The Gardener“, the story of an LA immigrant who seeks to protect his son. From what, I don’t know. Read that story on collider.com.

Pics courtesy of Examiner.com.

Check out Mac’s blog at www.twilightmovies.org

Take care.

Annie  

The Twilight Saga New Moon! - A review.

Hi and welcome to Discussions with Annie!

It’s Saturday and it’s raining…and I’m depressed. No not because it’s a rainy Saturday, that’s life and life is something you roar at and say -  ” Come on, give me your best shot “.  No I’m depressed because I saw the New Moon movie last night and I was angry when I left the theatre. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. But first, let’s hear what other people thought of the movie. Check out the links below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS5vdSMhHvs Some U.S kids review the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Haq1DD8k4I A more organised review.

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/moviereviews A fantastic review of New Moon.

Now the theatre I went to was full. Not a spare seat in the house for any screen showing New Moon. I was surprised to see a large group of teenage boys taking their seats in front of me, but …ya know…school project maybe, or a dare.  Or they could have read the books. I wanted to ask them afterwards but they left quickly. The mood was excited as we all settled down to watch the movie. When it was over however , everyone was subdued and you didn’t have to be Edward Cullen to know what everyone was thinking. This movie was not what they expected. Summit Entertainment pulled out all the stops in every commercial way possible to get the fans into a spending frenzy. They promised a collective masterpiece but delivered fragmented mediocrity. I said months ago that New Moon will make more than Twilight and it probably will, but…was the end result worth the price of the ticket?

                 To be fair I should point out to any new and welcome visitors to my page, that this is my 120th article on Twilight related matters and I might have Twilight flu right about now. Also my opinion comes from the point of view of a lifetime movie fan who discusses the merits of movies and TV shows a lot. When I say our house is full of movies I’m being literal. I guess what I’m really saying is, I think I know what I’m talking about. Or at least I have an opinion.

ACTING: I will get to the point. The acting was terrible. Taylor Lautner of course could be forgiven for this because he is new to acting and for such a disciplined young man, emotions might be a struggle. No doubt he will get acting lessons because he works hard and doesn’t like failing. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were equally bad. Good actors draw from their own experiences however difficult to revisit. Really great actors know themselves very well, are well researched and have in spades a little thing called ‘talent’.  Not looks, not chiseled abs, (although in this shallow world they don’t seem to hurt a career) but raw talent. Marlon Brando reeked of raw unrefined talent. Others learned it and became masters. But let’s move on. The main acting was bad relieved only by the seeping malice of Aro played by Michael Sheen to perfection and the under utilised talents of Dakota Fanning, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Chaske Spencer and so on. Michael Sheen (below left) was a joy to watch compared to the three main stars. 

DIRECTING: Director Chris Weitz (right)should retire as he’s often threatened to do and read more books (ref: article in NYdailynews.com). I liked The Golden Compass but thought the ending was rubbish. He blamed the interference of studios heads for that,  (Ref: same article). About a boy was about his best work. He had no clue how to direct this adaptation of the second book. Sure, he was laid back and everyone loved him but sometimes you have to fight for your vision (provided you had one in the first place) and drag, kicking and screaming, the best out of the actors. For directing New Moon 5/10. For having anything to do with the editing of the movie - zero. Time to wax that surf board Chris, no offence intended.

SCREENPLAY: Now Melissa Rosenberg (right) wrote the screenplay for all the Twilight Saga movies so far. Whilst I had no beef with the first one (mainly because I saw it as a standalone movie first and to comment now would be unfair)  I think she should have stuck to the second book more closely. As for changing the dialogue - I hate that. How can the fans make this plain to Melissa Rosenberg?. We love the books, the prose, the dialogue…”Don’t change the words“. Leave stuff out if you must but make sure it doesn’t detract from the flow of the story but “Don’t change the words”. Write your own book if you want but don’t take away from a beautiful story by putting words in the characters mouths that they wouldn’t normally say. Script 5/10.

CGI: Oh boy! do I have a problem with CGI. The wolves with human eyes…backfired! They look far more menacing with their beautiful yellow eyes. However author Stephenie Meyer does give Jacob Wolf black eyes. If I were to change anything of Stephenie’s well crafted work it would be just that one thing. You know by the colour of the coat which wolf is which. The “Paul wolf” was ok but wolves don’t lift their paws as if begging for food like a dog. Your talking about a super predator here. Intelligent, organised, social, super senses and that teeny tiny fact that they split up and can run you into the ground over many miles and hours. No other predator has that stamina. Yeah, I like wolves, they’re all over my pc. When I saw the two yellow points of light in the trees and the steam from the wolf’s breath I thought, oh boy this is going to be good. But I was disappointed. They fought and ran, not like wolves but dogs or cats. The CGI movements didn’t ring true and were so fast you could hide a plethora of mistakes in there and probably did. I know CGI is hard work but immensely rewarding when you get it right. I felt it wasn’t right.

The Music: - didn’t fit at all, unlike Twilight which was absolutely perfect, the whole film was fragmented to hell and back. Nothing ran smoothly and the ending was awful. I repeat..I am a Twilight fan, I loved the books and read them each three times. I loved the Twilight movie. I thought Robert and Kristen couldn’t act but that Taylor was ok, and so was the rest of the cast. Kudos to Catherine Hardwicke. I enjoyed it. Taylor’s “whole ‘nother notch’ in terms of acting in New Moon was not reached but he is new to movies so I will be forgiving. Work harder on your acting TL, your abs are just fine. Yeah, I’m still Team Jacob!

The Cullen vampire eyes were much better the old way. You could relate to them, not like this movie where they are distant, even lovable Emmett seems wrong. “Worst acting ever”, the girl next to me said. I agree, sadly I do. No, I’m not an idiot, I know the feel of New Moon is different, as is Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. That does not excuse the bad acting, directing, bad sets - ( The meadow was a soggy hay bed and the flowers in Bella’s meadow were stuck down iris’s for God’s sake. They made millions and you couldn’t get someone to design a decent set.

I’m sorry if I offended any Twi fans. You have been kind about my work and good company but this is how I feel and I think you deserved better for your loyalty. Yeah I know…”It’s just a movie”. Gettin’ p*****d off about it won’t save the ozone layer or one single child. But still…Let me know what you guys think !

Take care,   Annie.