'New Moon' Pulls In Big Box-Office Numbers

#1 "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" ($140.7 million)

#2 "The Blind Side" ($34.5 million)

#3 "2012" ($26.5 million)

#4 "Planet 51" ($12.6 million)

#5 "A Christmas Carol" ($12.2 million)

The full extent of the "Twilight" phenomenon made itself known this weekend with the debut of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," the second installment in the supernatural romance franchise starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. There was little to no doubt that "New Moon" would emerge as this weekend's box-office champion, but perhaps no one was prepared for just how successful Summit Entertainment's "Twilight" sequel would be.

On Friday alone, "New Moon" managed to earn $72.7 million, surpassing "The Dark Knight" as the single best opening day in cinema history. A hefty $26.3 million chunk of that Friday change came purely from midnight showings, propelling "New Moon" past "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" with the highest-grossing midnight opening of all time. "New Moon" also debuted with the biggest November opening ever and the third-best opening weekend of all time, taking that distinction away from "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

To put the success of "New Moon" in perspective, the first "Twilight" film — which opened almost a year ago to the day — earned only $69.6 million in its debut weekend, demonstrating just how widespread the "Twilight" craze has become in only 12 months.

The audience for the "Twilight" films isn't just made of young women pining for shirtless screen time from Pattinson and Lautner, either — the movie's audience, while mostly female, was divided evenly between viewers under and over the age of 21. Apparently, there is no age restriction when it comes to falling in love with vampire and werewolf heartthrobs.

The success of "Twilight" won't end with "New Moon" either, as "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" launches on June 30, 2010.

Despite the unprecedented victory for "New Moon," credit must be given to some of the film's other competitors this weekend. "The Blind Side," starring Sandra Bullock, managed a second-place finish with an impressive $34.5 million intake. "Planet 51," another newcomer, earned fourth place with $12.6 million. Holdovers "2012" and "A Christmas Carol" also performed adequately under the pressure of "New Moon," winding up with $26.5 million and $12.2 million apiece.

Upcoming Releases

Warner Bros. unleashes "Ninja Assassin" next weekend to combat the formidable vampires and werewolves of "New Moon," while Buena Vista hopes to corner the comedy market with John Travolta and Robin Williams' "Old Dogs."

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1626826/story.jhtml

Taylor Lautner Never Had A Dream Like 'Twilight'

On "Oprah" last week, Stephenie Meyer repeated the story about how she got the whole idea for "Twilight" in a dream. That brings up the possibility that there's the potential for such great ideas lurking in the subconscious minds of people everywhere. And we wondered if the stars of "New Moon" also had some budding franchises coming to them in their sleep.

Taylor Lautner said that's not the case for him. "I'm not the best at remembering my dreams," he told MTV News on the red carpet of the "New Moon" premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night. "Or, I'll remember them in the morning when I wake up, but then I completely forget about them."

Regrettably, even the ones he does remember aren't anything like "Twilight." "Definitely not anything close to this," Lautner said.

Last Friday, Meyer told Oprah all about her dream, which eventually became chapter 13 of the first novel. "In the dream it was two people in a circular meadow, and one of them was a sparkly boy and one was just a girl who was human and normal and the boy was a vampire, which was bizarre," she explained.

Meyer also addressed the question of whether she'll continue the "Twilight" saga beyond "Breaking Dawn," which came out last year. "I might do something completely different — I've got to cleanse the palette," she said in bonus footage that didn't air on Friday's show. "I might come back to it. I did envision it as a longer series, but I wrapped up 'Breaking Dawn' in a way that I felt satisfied with."

By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Larry Carroll

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1626432/story.jhtml

Thousands cheer stars of 'Twilight' sequel in LA

Exactly 12 months ago, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were surprised to be greeted by throngs of eager fans of the novel "Twilight" at the premiere of the big-screen adaptation.

What a difference a year makes.

The actors unveiled the sequel — "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" — at the same location Monday night in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. But this time they knew what was coming.

"I'm not as scared as I was last year," said Stewart, despite a brief touch-and-go moment as she signed autographs. "At some point, the security guy said, 'This is very unsafe.' And I was like, 'Uh.' Other than that, everything was cool."

Pattinson, who plays vampire Edward Cullen in this latest adaptation of author Stephenie Meyer's popular series, said this year's crowd of thousands of screaming fans was larger than the 2008 turnout.

"And it seems different to me because we have done this world tour in the last week and it has just been unbelievable in every single city," he said. "It is about 10 times bigger than any other city in the world."

Some "twi-hards" __ as they call themselves __ arrived as early as Thursday afternoon to secure a place in line for tickets allowing them to watch the stars' arrivals on the red carpet. The 800 available tickets were all distributed by Monday morning, but the line still stretched for blocks well after lunchtime.

Nicole Zamora, 36, was sixth in line after getting to Westwood on Thursday afternoon. She and her three sisters wore "New Moon" T-shirts they'd made for the occasion and said they spent the weekend "reading, listening to the iPod and trying to sleep — anything to pass the time."

Christina Fuentes and four of her friends traveled from New Jersey for the "New Moon" premiere. The 24-year-old wore vampire teeth ("They just clip on," she said) and carried a homemade sign that read, "We flew in from NJ! We've been camping out for three days just to see you!" She pasted her airline boarding pass to the poster as proof.

Scores of other fans — mostly young women — crowded onto street corners near the Mann Village and Bruin theaters, site of the premiere. They sat on beach chairs, displayed homemade signs and wore T-shirts proclaiming their allegiance to either the handsome vampire played by Pattinson or his werewolf rival, Taylor Lautner.

Lautner, who rises to headliner status in "New Moon," said he was also amazed by Monday's fan response.

"It's the amount of passion," he said. "It's not normal."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ikMct4xzSJKE058n8CUlrHHx1SlAD9C16Q381

'New Moon' co-stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart get cozy following MTV Movie Awards

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart may not have been just acting when they accepted their MTV Movie Award for "Best Kiss" on Sunday night.

Spies caught the "Twilight Saga: New Moon" co-stars getting cozy on an intimate date at hip L.A. eatery Cecconi's following the awards show. The pair - who so far have claimed to be just friends - looked anything but as they held hands throughout the meal.

While Stewart has been dating fellow actor Michael Arangano for the past four years, her real-life boyfriend was nowhere to be seen as she chatted quietly with Pattinson. After the dinner, which ended around 11 p.m., a police escort brought the pair back to their West Hollywood hotel. Stewart, who at 19 is underage, stayed in, but man-of-the-hour Pattinson left his crush and headed to a late-night fete at Guy's.

Says an insider of the stars' budding relationship: "Robert is obsessed with Kristen and has been for a while. He likes that she's a cool, down-to-earth girl. Kristen never saw Rob as anything but a friend, but that seems to be changing."

One reason for Stewart's new interest in her co-star? He's been bulking up his already enviable bod.

"Taylor [Lautner] been training Rob a lot, and that's why he's got such ripped abs," "New Moon" co-star Kellan Lutz told The News' Nancy Dillon. "Rob's been working hard. He's trying to be the best Edward [Pattinson's character in the films] he can be."

Stewart and Pattinson also share a love of music. They both play the guitar, with Pattinson even contributing a song to the "Twilight" soundtrack.

Peter Facinelli, who plays Pattinson's vampire dad in the "Twilight" series, told us: "I love to hear Rob sing. He's got an insanely good voice. Sometimes we all get together and he gets on the guitar and starts playing and singing. He writes his own material."

He added, "Kristen has taken up the guitar for the movie she's doing [on Joan Jett]. Everyone's been carrying a guitar around."

What better way for Rob to profess his adoration for Kristen than a love song?

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/06/02/2009-06-02_pattinson_stewart_get_cozy.html#ixzz0HHgtU1Sy&B

Twilight leads way at MTV awards

Vampire drama Twilight took five trophies including best film at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles.

The film's Kristen Stewart won best actress while High School Musical actor Zac Efron scooped best male.

Heath Ledger, who died of an accidental overdose last year, won best villain for his performance in The Dark Knight.

Sacha Baron Cohen caused a stir when, dressed as his character Bruno, he flew in on a wire before landing on rapper Eminem and baring his naked backside.

The rapper, sat in the audience at the Gibson Amphitheatre, looked uncomfortable as Cohen - dressed in a skimpy angel costume - landed upside down on his lap after apparently colliding with an obstacle.

"Is the real Slim Shady about to stand up?" Cohen said.

Cameras then showed Eminem storming out - but it is not clear if he was in on the stunt.

Best kiss

British actor Robert Pattinson won the male best breakthrough performance for Twilight and also shared the best kiss award with co-star Kristen Stewart.

Accepting her best actress award, Stewart said: "The fans are the ultimate driving force."

Ben Stiller won the MTV Generation Award

Twilight also won the prize for best fight.

Ben Stiller, 43, meanwhile, picked up the MTV Generation Award - the ceremony's top honour - for his body of work, which includes films Zoolander and There's Something About Mary.

Presenting him with his award, actor Kiefer Sutherland said: "Ben, I have never had the privilege of working with you but when I see the remarkable consistency you display in your films... I see a consummate professional who commands the respect of his co-actors."

Ashley Tisdale won the female best breakthrough award for High School Musical 3: Senior Year while Miley Cyrus received the best song from a movie prize for The Climb, from Hannah Montana: The Movie.

And Jim Carrey won best comedy performance for Yes Man.

Oscar-winner Slumdog Millionaire came away empty-handed despite its six nominations.

Viewers of the programme, shown live on MTV in the USA, were shown previews of forthcoming films including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

'Twilight' Superfans 'Impressed' By 'New Moon' Trailer

The only thing better than watching a hot new video clip is sharing your thoughts on that video with friends. So naturally, when the "New Moon" trailer debuted at the MTV Movie Awards, we were eager to hear the opinions of Twilighters worldwide.

"Aahhhh!!! That was amazing!!!" wrote MTV user Minsen Brook on our site, clearly moved to the point of exclamation-point-key abuse. "I'm going to be an emotional wreck at the movies -- because I cried just watching the trailer!!"

"The fact that they showed, like, the most infamous scene of 'New Moon,' oh my gosh!" marveled popular "Twilight" vlogger Bailey "NoMoreMarbles" Gauthier, who served as a seat filler for the awards and watched the trailer premiere live in the Gibson Amphitheatre. "And Jasper just goes over [to kill Bella]. ... I must say, I was extremely surprised when [Taylor Lautner] turned into the werewolf. I was like, 'Whoa!' "

"I almost fainted when I saw Taylor shirtless," wrote xEmBx on MTV.com. "Can't wait for the rest of the wolfie boys."

"Oh my ... wow. I just have no words," exclaimed HarlequinTwilight. "I am dreading the breakup scene, because in the book, it's so harsh that it makes me cry, and if it's done correctly, I know it will break my heart all over again. Taylor looks ... Oh. Wow. My sister repeatedly rewound the trailer over and over to see Taylor, haha. But wow, he looks amazingly hot!"

Over at the MTV Movies Blog, M!chelle was similarly abusing her exclamation-point and caps-lock keys. "OHMYGOD! I am IMPRESSED! I am so freakin' excited," she wrote. "My mouth was open the whole entire sneak peek! November seems so long away!"

"This is probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen!" added BookloverbutMoviewatcher.

But despite the warm reception, some fans still found a few tidbits that raised "New Moon" concerns. "Everything is GREAT except the wolf ... it looks too much like a cartoon!" Little Hawk wrote on the blog. "It's almost like Little Red Riding Hood should come out and say, 'I like Twilight too,' as the wolf chases her. Summit, do something, please!"

"The first time I watched it, I was totally disappointed," wrote blog reader Jawaiiannative, saying the trailer exposed too many variations from Stephenie Meyer's novel. "At the party, the other members of the Cullen family hold Jasper back. In the woods, when Edward leaves Bella (*tear*), he was a lot harsher and totally didn't kiss her."

But overall, the positive vibes were definitely flowing toward the "Twilight" stars -- particularly Mr. Taylor Lautner. "OMJB!!! I was already a TEAM JACOB girl, but wow!!!" wrote blog reader Freakyvirgo. "I bet more will convert after this!! Taylor is sooo Jacob!!! The trailer was great."

"I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY JACOB," agreed Biridiana, clearly a Team Jacob member. "DAAAM HE SO YUMMY!"

"The trailer was AMAZING!!!" marveled Idontloveyou on MTV.com. "The paper cut scene is just like I imagined it in the book! Edward shoving Jasper across the room into the piano to protect Bella is AWESOME! Jacob's transformation IS MADE OF WIN! The special effects KICK MAJOR BUTT! I am SO excited! November cannot come sooner!"

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1612998/20090601/story.jhtml

'Twilight': From Unknowns To Superstars

One year ago, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and a handful of other "Twilight" stars arrived at the MTV Movie Awards and walked down the red carpet, with most of the world's press uninterested in speaking with them. In fact, they had to go back to the beginning of the carpet and start again, just so they could be properly introduced to those who didn't realize they were movie stars. Luckily, MTV had caught the "Twilight" bug early, eagerly did some exclusive interviews with the actors on the carpet and were proud to use the occasion as their coming-out party.

This Sunday night, Rob, Kristen, Kellan, Ashley, Cam, Taylor and others will return to Universal's Gibson Amphitheatre triumphantly, leading the evening's attendees with seven nominations. And when director Catherine Hardwicke recently showed us around her Venice home where it all began, she marveled at the difference 12 months can make.

"Pretty much, everyone was more or less an unknown when we cast them," she explained. "Now they've all blown up big, like, crazy."

Hardwicke has a seat on the aisle, stage right. And she's ready to do a lot of jumping up and down and shrieking if "Twilight" continues its rags-to-riches story at the MTV Movie Awards. "I think it's going to be different," she said of the reception she expects for stars like Pattinson on this year's red carpet. "Most people, now, know who Robert is. He's been at the top of the Star Meter on IMdB for a year now — he's really blown up big."

"We were in Italy with him, and Germany, London. People all over the world are just crazy about him," she said of watching Rob's ascension to the top ranks in Hollywood. "So, [the Movie Awards] are going to be a lot of fun."

It's no secret that Hardwicke became a proud den mother on the "Twilight" set, watching over her young actors as she helped guide them from relative obscurity to superstardom. And although the director has passed the "Twilight" torch to others for the upcoming sequels, she's still thrilled to know that she gave Pattinson, Stewart, Lutz, Lautner and others their breakthrough roles.

"[That] for me is exciting, because it means there are a lot of actors out there now who can play interesting parts and will be given the chance to do something great," she explained. "Robert's small films and Kristen's small films are getting released now, and hopefully new interesting films will be made, because these two are very unique in their choices."

And if "Twilight" should win the big prize of Best Movie on Sunday night? "Oh, well, I don't think I have to give a speech," Hardwicke said tentatively, before being reminded that directors typically do at the MTV Movie Awards. "Well, that would be fun — but we'll see."

Instead, Hardwicke grinned, she's looking forward to hearing the possible acceptance speech of Breakthrough Performance nominee Pattinson. "If anyone has dealt with it well, [it's Robert]. He hasn't gotten a big head — he takes it with a grain of salt. He sees the absurdity and the humor in it," she explained. "He's great with that self-effacing Brit-thing; it's awesome."

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1612433/20090529/story.jhtml

Robert Pattinson Topless For New Moon

Our favourite vampire hunk Robert Pattinson strips for New Moon scenes.Twilight star Robert Pattinson has been spotted showing off his hot body on the set of the latest Twilight film New Moon.

The photos taken in the Italian city of Montepulciano show Pattinson and Stewart in a number of steamy embraces, resulting in Pattinson topless.

It’s safe to say with steamy scenes like this one, New Moon will certainly be upping the ante for the remaining Twilight movies.

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will be at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards this coming weekend where they will reveal an EXCLUSIVE preview of New Moon.

http://www.mtv.co.uk/film/twilight/news/122261-robert-pattinson-topless-new-moon

Pattinson has "Breaking" news for "Twilight" fans

Robert Pattinson, who shot to stardom in "Twilight" and is now filming the second and third movies in the franchise, confirmed Tuesday at the Cannes festival that there will be a fourth installment of the vampire franchise, based on the book "Breaking Dawn."

Pattinson told The Hollywood Reporter that he is committed to starring in the fourth outing but doesn't know when studio Summit Entertainment will begin production because of the actor's jam-packed shooting schedule.

Fans have been hoping for a movie version of the fourth novel from Stephenie Meyer's best-selling series, and Pattinson's commitment is the biggest fillip yet. The fourth book -- caution: spoiler alert -- centers on Bella and Edward's marriage and her subsequent pregnancy.

Dropping in at the Cannes festival on his way to the final four days of shooting in Italy for "New Moon," the second "Twilight" film, Pattinson said he will return to Vancouver in October to finish up "Eclipse," the third installment. In between, the British actor, who turned 23 last week, plans to star in the romantic drama "Remember Me," which Summit also is producing.

The script adaptation for "New Moon" beefs up his character's role considerably -- in the book, Edward is a "a voice in Bella's head," he said.

Said Pattinson, laughing: "You're playing a figment in Bella's imagination, so I was trying to do it in a 2-D way. I hope it doesn't translate onscreen as being boring."

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE54J0V820090520

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner To Present 'New Moon' Clip At MTV Movie Awards

Are you ready for a sneak peek at tomorrow's blockbusters today? Check out our new series "Behind the Screen" Sunday night at 11 p.m. on MTV for the broadcast premiere of the "Brüno" trailer, the very first visit to the set of Russell Brand's "Get Him to the Greek" and much more!

The star-gazing, OMG-generating, anything-might-happen madness that is the 2009 MTV Movie Awards has just shot into the celebrity stratosphere: "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will be presenting an exclusive, never-before-seen clip from their upcoming vampire sequel "New Moon" during the live broadcast.

Joining the "Twilight" trio will be a group of newly announced Hollywood presenters: Sandra Bullock, Dwayne Johnson, Sienna Miller, Channing Tatum, Danny McBride, Abigail Breslin, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Lennon and Sofia Vassilieva.

This high-powered crew will hook up with previously announced presenters Denzel Washington, Cameron Diaz, Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Vanessa Hudgens, Leighton Meester, Jonah Hill and Lil Wayne. Eminem is set to take the stage, where he'll perform music from his new album, Relapse, and Kings of Leon will perform live on MTV for the first time ever, rocking out with their hit song, "Use Somebody."

Heading into the Andy Samberg-hosted event on May 31 at 9 p.m. ET, "Twilight" leads all movies with seven nominations, including nods for Pattinson (Breakthrough Performance Male), Stewart (Best Female Performance) and Lautner (Breakthrough Performance Male).

Several of the new presenters are also up for awards. "Get Smart" star Johnson will vie for Best Villain, McBride will battle it out for Best Fight (based on his "Pineapple Express" throwdown with Seth Rogen and James Franco), and Lennon will pucker up for Best Kiss (thanks to his lip-locking scene with Paul Rudd in "I Love You, Man").

For the first time in the 18-year history of the awards show, viewers chose the nominees for the Golden Popcorns. They can vote for the winners through May 27 by going to MovieAwards.MTV.com. Voting in the Best Movie category will stay open through the live telecast, so anything that takes place onstage has the chance to sway the eventual outcome.

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1611566/20090518/story.jhtml

'New Moon' Script Found In The Trash In St. Louis

A St. Louis beauty-salon owner found discarded copies of two scripts for films featuring Robert Pattinson, but instead of selling them to the highest bidder, she returned the pages to the studio. Now she'll be attending both premieres.

Casey Ray discovered the scripts for the Pattinson-starring "New Moon," the sequel to last year's vampire blockbuster "Twilight," and the upcoming romantic drama "Remember Me" in a trash can on the street, according to The Associated Press.

Ray was apparently waiting for her fiancé when she saw the scripts in the trash outside a St. Louis hotel, where actors appearing in the new George Clooney film, "Up in the Air," were staying.

Ray considered selling the scripts to a national tabloid but decided against it, according to her lawyer, Al Watkins.

"My client didn't really want to get paid," he said, adding that she was hopeful to keep the copies as collector's items.

Instead, Watkins returned the scripts to Summit Entertainment, the studio behind both "New Moon" and "Remember Me," which was originally titled "Memoirs." In return, Summit extended Ray an invitation to the premieres of both films. The studio will certify the authenticity of the scripts after the movies hit theaters.

"Summit doesn't comment on any of the deals it does," Paul Pflug, a studio spokesman, said. "We thank Ms. Ray for doing the right thing."

While there has been no definitive explanation for how the scripts ended up in the trash, one of the actresses in "Up in the Air," Anna Kendrick, is also in "New Moon."

A rep for Kendrick said the actress would never leave scripts lying around for anyone to find.

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1611163/story.jhtml

Robert Pattinson sheds "Twilight" image in film

"Twilight" fans fell in love with Robert Pattinson as a vampire who makes girls swoon. But in "Little Ashes," which opens on Friday, the actor explores a relationship that could reshape his heartthrob image.

Pattinson, who turns 23 this month, plays surrealist painter Salvador Dali at a youthful stage in his life when he had a sexually charged relationship with poet Federico Garcia Lorca.

Pattinson took the role long before he became a sensation with legions of adoring, young female fans captivated by his portrayal of vampire Edward Cullen in last year's global box office smash, "Twilight."

Industry watchers say the success of the movie, based on a popular book series by author Stephenie Meyer, was largely due to girls imagining they -- not the film's heroine Bella Swan -- were being wooed by the fanged Cullen.

Pattinson, who has said he is straight, told Reuters he doesn't believe "Twilight" fans will think differently of him for his character's sexuality in "Little Ashes."

"I don't really mind either way," Pattinson said of his movie choices. "I'm not really trying to appeal to anyone in particular."

The British actor said the romance between Cullen and Swan somewhat resembles the attraction between Dali and Lorca in "Little Ashes."

"In a lot of ways, the storyline is similar to 'Twilight.' It's about two people who, for various different hangups and terrible insecurities, can't in any way consummate their relationship," Pattinson said.

AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER?

Made with backing from companies in Britain and Spain, "Little Ashes" shows Dali forming a bond with Lorca (Javier Beltran), and evolving from a quiet student to the famously eccentric artist with his long, pencil-thin mustache.

Dali and Lorca kiss and swim in the moonlight, but the painter eventually spurns Lorca's advances.

In 1969, the painter told an interviewer that he had rebuffed Lorca's attempt at a sexual affair.

"I was extremely annoyed, because I wasn't homosexual, and I wasn't interested in giving in," Dali said at the time.

Yet the film portrays him as a willing, if emotionally conflicted, participant. Dali died in 1989 after a decades-long marriage to Gala, who served as his muse.

Cooper Lawrence, author of "The Cult of Celebrity," said Pattinson is an icon to young women because he seems like the perfect boyfriend.

"He's edgy but not too edgy, he's someone you can still bring home to mom, but he's a little down and dirty so you think he's cool. And he's so nonthreatening, and that's a big part of it," she said.

Many of his fans may not get a chance to see "Little Ashes" because initially it will screen in a limited number of theaters, mostly in big cities.

Last month Pattinson's "Twilight" co-star, Kristen Stewart, appeared in "Adventureland," also a low-budget film in limited release. It made $16 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices.

http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE5457D620090506

Vampires vs Slumdog for MTV award

Teen vampire film Twilight has taken the lead with seven nominations at this year's MTV Movie Awards.

The film, based on the Stephanie Meyer book, is up for best movie and male breakthrough performance for its star, British actor Robert Pattinson.

It competes with Slumdog Millionaire in four categories, including best kiss. The Oscar-winner has six nods in all.

The awards will be hosted by Saturday Night Live star Andy Samberg on 31 May in Los Angeles.

Twilight, the story of a passionate romance between a mortal girl and an enigmatic vampire, is also nominated for best female for star Kristen Stewart, best fight and best song - for Paramore's Decode.

Taylor Lautner will also go up against his co-star Pattinson for best breakthrough male.

Slumdog Millionaire, a rags-to-riches story set in the slums on Mumbai, is up for best movie, male and female breakthrough performances, best kiss and best song - for AR Rahman's Jai Ho.

Its final nomination comes in a category for the most surprising scene of the year, for a sequence in which a young boy escapes from an outhouse to meet his movie idol.

Public vote

Other nominees for the "golden popcorn" trophy for best movie include High School Musical 3: Senior Year and comic book epics The Dark Knight and Iron Man.

Heath Ledger has been nominated in the best villain category

Kate Winslet, who won an Oscar for her role in The Reader, is up for best female performance, along with Angelina Jolie for Wanted, Anne Hathaway for Bride Wars, Kristen Stewart for Twilight and Taraji P Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The nominees for best male performance include Christian Bale for The Dark Knight, Robert Downey Jr for Iron Man, Shia LaBeouf for Eagle Eye, Vin Diesel for Fast & Furious and High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron.

Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Oscar for his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, is also nominated in the best villain category.

For the first time, awards organisers are allowing MTV fans to choose the nominees, as well as vote for winners.

Votes can be cast on MTV's website until 27 May for all categories except best movie which will remain open until 31 May, when the show will air live in the US from the Gibson Amphitheatre.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8033185.stm

Third Twilight director is named

Hard Candy director David Slade has signed up to make the third film in the Twilight series of Vampire movies, due out next summer.

Stephenie Meyer, the author of the books that the film franchise are based on, praised Slade in a statement as a "visionary filmmaker".

American Pie director Chris Weitz recently began filming New Moon - the sequel to Twilight - in Vancouver.

The first film was a huge success with both UK and US audiences last year.

Twilight, which was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, topped the US box office in November after taking $69.6m (£46.2m) on its first weekend - record opening takings for a film by a female director.

Teenage actor Taylor Lautner will return in his role as mysterious Jacob Black in New Moon - due for release in November - and War of the Worlds star Dakota Fanning will also join the cast.

The books and movies follow the love affair between a teenage girl and an immortal vampire.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8013872.stm

'Twilight' sequel 'New Moon' casts Michael Sheen as Aro

Michael Sheen, the actor best known for playing Tony Blair and David Frost in the Oscar-nominated films The Queen and Frost/Nixon, has been added to the cast of the Twilight sequel New Moon. He'll play Aro, the leader of the Volturi, director Chris Weitz confirms to The Daily Mail. The actor was "aggressively" pursued, Weitz added. "Michael's role is so important because he's the head of all vampires. Aro is, on the surface, a very gracious and friendly vampire, but beneath that he is a tremendous threat." Sheen should be at home in the fantasy realm: He played the Lycan (or werewolf) Lucian in the Underworld films.

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/04/twilight-new-mo.html?iid=top25-%27Twilight%27+sequel+%27New+Moon%27+casts+Michael+Sheen+as+Aro

‘New Moon’ Finds Its Wolf Pack!

Check out the official cast members who will play wolves in the highly-anticipated movie New Moon. Also, the first teaser poster came out.

The wolves are now complete. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Summit Entertainment has cast Native American actors Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Tyson Houseman for The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Spencer is Lakota (Sioux), Pelletier is Cree-Metis, Meraz is Purepecha (Tarasco), Gordon is Hualapai and Houseman is Cree.

The five actors will join original cast member Taylor Lautner in portraying the wolf pack in New Moon, in which the pack defends humans against vampires. I guess Vanessa Hudgens didn’t win the female wolf’s role.

And of course, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson will be back reprising their Twilight roles as Bella and Edward. Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke will be replaced by Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy, The Golden Compass) in New Moon.

Twilight Saga: New Moon is set for a November 2009 release.

Here’s a movie art of the Wolf Pack:

Pictured clockwise from lower left in the above photo are Alex Meraz as Paul, Tinsel Korey as Emily Young, Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley, Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, Tyson Houseman as Quil Ateara, Bronson Pelletier as Jared and Kiowa Gordon as Embry Call.

And here’s the very first teaser poster of New Moon:

http://www.starmometer.com/2009/03/30/new-moon-wolf-pack-cast-members-and-first-poster-revealed/

Canadian Mounties Called in To Protect Robert Pattinson

When you have the biggest heartthrob of the year on your hands, you have to do everything in your power to protect him. Producers of New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight series, have called in some serious reinforcement to protect star Robert Pattinson from the barrage of female fans. They've hired Canadian Mounties! RadarOnline.com talks exclusively to the brave gentleman who is keeping the actor safe and sound.

While filming on the tiny scenic island of Tofino, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, producers enlisted the help of local cops Constables Brendon Baillant and Brandon Builziuk to make sure filming went off without a hitch. Not their usual cup of tea, the constables encountered their fair share over overzealous teens during the assignment.

"It was an unusual mission but our remit was to keep the fans off the set," Constable Baillant told RadarOnline.com exclusively. "Everything went well on the first day but then a group of teenage girls got a little too close when the filming moved to the Long Beach area of the island."

"They were totally miffed with us when we told them that they could not get any closer, however, their spirits lifted when Kristin Stewart came over to pose for a few photographs with them," he recalled. "It was raining really hard the whole time but the producers loved that because it helped to make their scenes much more gloomy and atmospheric too. This is a beautiful part of the world but when it gets cold and wet even a vampire would get the chills."

The two Mounties' services helped to raise over $3000 of sporting equipment for two local schools. The money was donated by the film's producers.

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/03/exclusive-canadian-mounties-called-protect-robert-pattinson

'Twilight' DVD Sells More Than 3 Million Copies On First Day

"Breaking Dawn" sold 1.3 million copies on just one memorable day. The movie adaptation of "Twilight" had a $70 million opening weekend in November. Now the juggernaut that is Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance franchise has continued its dizzying streak of commercial hits with the film selling more than 3 million DVDs on the first day of its release, according to distributor Summit Entertainment.

The hoopla began Friday night with a series of midnight events. Or rather, the craziness began hours earlier as young fans and their parents lined up at retail stores across the country to be among the first to take home a copy.

In Salt Lake City, 2,500 devotees braved lines, while 2,000 attended in Los Angeles and 700 showed up in New York. Several "Twilight" actors made appearances at the events, including Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen), Nikki Reed (Rosalie Hale), Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria) and Edi Gathegi (Laurent). Director Catherine Hardwicke held court in Dallas, even though she will not be helming the next film in the series, "New Moon." Not in attendance, however, were the film's biggest stars, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

The opening sales make "Twilight" one of the five best-selling DVDs of the last two years, joining blockbusters "The Dark Knight," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Transformers."

Now that Meyer's love story has conquered bookstores, box offices and living rooms, attention will only increase on the young-adult series that has already been swamped by media scrutiny, Internet gossip and a rapid fanbase with a seemingly insatiable hankering for all things "Twilight." Since 2005, the series' four books have sold 42 million copies across the globe and the "Twilight" movie has grossed more than $370 million worldwide.

"New Moon" has just begun filming in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is set for release in the fall. Last year may have been a good for Bella and Edward, but 2009 is shaping up to be even more impressive. And, of course, don't count out 2010, which will see both the DVD release of "New Moon" and the theatrical release of the third film, "Eclipse." Love them or hate them, those gothic lovers are here to stay.

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1607498/story.jhtml

It's every adolescent's fantasy: Meet a fascinating, remarkably pale member of the opposite sex, fall in love, then realize that he or she is a full-on, blood-guzzling vampire. At least, one has to assume this is a pretty common young-adult fixation considering the nearly back-to-back DVD arrivals of the massively popular "Twilight," on DVD ($33) and Blu-ray ($35) Saturday, and "Let the Right One In," a critically acclaimed but little-seen Swedish film -- released March 10 on DVD ($27) and Blu-ray ($35) -- that sinks its teeth into similar narrative territory.

"Twilight," the first movie based on Stephenie Meyer's enormously popular, Harlequin-esque series of vamp novels, has the more buzz of the two releases. The Twilighters -- a passionate, borderline-obsessive group of fans -- will undoubtedly clamor to get their hands on a copy of the special-edition DVD when it goes on sale tonight.

As directed by Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen"), the film stays pretty faithful to the book and, as such, plays at times like a cross between "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and a John Hughes teen flick. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. But viewers who have never sampled one of Meyer's texts may find themselves plagued by questions of the more traditional vampire-movie variety. ("Why isn't anyone breaking out some garlic? Can't that Edward dude turn into a bat?") Keep this in mind: "Twilight" is not "Dracula." It's more "Romeo and Juliet, if Shakespeare Shopped at Hot Topic."The DVD and Blu-ray releases come with a respectable helping of extras that clearly aim to please those aforementioned devotees. But not all the pieces succeed. The seven-part documentary "The Adventure Begins: The Journey From Page to Screen" spends too much of its 54-minute running time allowing cast members to explain character motivations.

The doc fares better when it reveals the mysteries behind the onscreen magic of, say, the baseball scene, which we see come to life with some grueling wire work and the tossing of Christmas ornaments, which sub in for the subsequently added CGI baseballs.

A featurette that captures the "Twilight" scene at last year's Comic-Con is, essentially, eight minutes of screaming and often inane Q&A. Discerning fans will be happier with the 10 extended and deleted scenes, each introduced with a personal message from Hardwicke, and the casual, sometimes engaging commentary with Hardwicke and film leads Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

For those who prefer their vampire films disturbing and strikingly gorgeous, allow me to introduce you to "Let the Right One In." Like "Twilight," it's about a mortal outcast (Kare Hedebrant) who develops a close relationship with a blood-sucker (Lina Leandersson). But in this case the gender roles are reversed and our protagonists are younger, each 12.

The imagery crafted by director Tomas Alfredson -- all that endless, pristine Swedish snow, not to mention the sight of the innocent Eli's mouth marred with blood from her latest victim -- embeds itself in the subconscious, even if the DVD's spare extras (just a featurette and some deleted scenes) aren't nearly as memorable.

"Twilight" may set young hearts aflutter, but the more sophisticated "Let the Right One In" is the vampire film more likely to make hearts race, then break.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-twilight20-2009mar20,0,5267154.story

Catherine Hardwicke And Edi Gathegi Teach Students 'Twilight' Secrets

On a random Tuesday at Santa Monica High School, groups of teenagers shuffle into the auditorium and find their seats. It's the type of moment that plays out every day across schools nationwide, but something is different: These students wear black T-shirts, point their cell phone cameras toward the stage and hold up signs declaring their love for Edward Cullen.

They've assembled on this day to study a very special curriculum — within moments, they erupt in cheers for professors Catherine Hardwicke and Edi Gathegi.

"I've been really good," beamed Hardwicke. We caught up with her for the first time in months, moments before a launch event for her "Twilight Director's Notebook: The Story of How We Made the Movie." "It's been fun to see all the response to 'Twilight,' and the excitement and everything — there's a lot of 'Twilight' love."

"We're here to promote her book," explained Gathegi, excited to reunite with his "Twilight" director. "It's going to be a book signing, she is going to direct a couple of scenes from the movie, there is going to be a band that's gonna play. I'm emceeing the entire event. We're just gonna have a good time."

When we visited the "Twilight" set a year ago and interviewed Hardwicke, the former production designer made frequent reference to "my little journal book," which never left her side. Soon after the film became a massive hit, Hardwicke was asked by Stephenie Meyer's publisher if she wanted to develop the book and now every Twilighter can buy their own copy.

"I think it's kind of cool," grinned Hardwicke, holding the colorful photo-and-design-filled tome in her hand. "I was so excited to put in all the neat little drawings that I did, and other people did [too] like our costume designer. And little weird notes and stuff."

Scattered throughout the pages are tips from Hardwicke to prospective filmmakers, photos of her scouting locations (and re-creating scenes as Bella), and sketches of how the characters were supposed to look — drawn before the actors were even cast.

"That looks like Billy Dee Williams right there," marveled Gathegi, flipping through the book and finding an early sketch of his character minus the now-signature hairstyle. "This is the original Laurent. I think Catherine and I both came up with the dreadlock idea, because I had always wanted to have dreads and I thought it would be a cool, sexy, different look."

"There were a lot of funny moments on the movie," Hardwicke explained, pointing out irreverent parts in the book about selling Kristen Stewart's shirt on eBay, visiting the real-life Forks Coffee Shop, or how to microwave Swiss cheese and make your own vampire flesh. "We tried to put some of the quirkier items in here."

After Hardwicke and Gathegi made their way through the evening's concert and Q&A, it was time for Tuesday's event at Santa Monica High School to get quirky. Some lucky students were brought onstage, and Hardwicke directed them in the scene from "Twilight" where evil vampires Laurent, James and Victoria take down Waylon Forge at the boathouse — as an added bonus, Hardwicke surprised the crowd with actor Ned Bellamy, who was more than happy to re-create his death.

"You guys know exactly the motivation of these vampires," Hardwicke explained to her young actors. "They want some yummy food, and this guy looks pretty good to them."

"I couldn't stop laughing," Gathegi said of the performance. "It was just so bizarre to see somebody imitating a scene that I was in. ... He looks nothing like me. But he was actually really good!"

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1607278/story.jhtml