Thursday, October 29, 2009
Twilight Returns To Theaters
This was actually expected already coz summit entertainment already gave us a hint before:
by @Twilight: Are you planning on seeing the #Twilight / #NewMoon double feature?
how i wish i could watch twilight and new moon straight! lucky for those who got tix for the nov. 19th premier of New Moon... sigh! its too late for me.. if i only have my own ride, i will defo go there even only with myself! waaa! so excited!
Breaking Dawn Confirmed and Some ROBSTEN Arriving on LAX together
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Exclusive Twilight Interview: Eclipse's Julia Jones
Leah Clearwater's Julia Jones opens up on her "really good job," new opportunities and - yes! - working with Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
World, meet Julia Jones. Julia is one of the most sought-after new additions to the Twilight
cast, having just wrapped filming for Eclipse. Jones plays the complex role of Leah Clearwater, the scorned and lonely female in the La Push werewolf pack.
A 28-year-old, Ivy-educated Boston native, Julia Jones spoke exclusively with LimeLife upon returning to Los Angeles from the Eclipse sets in Vancouver. Here we kick off a highly-coveted two-week series where she shares the shocking story behind landing the part of Leah, the ways your life transforms when you've starred in the biggest film franchise in the world, and the inside truth about Twilight cast relationships.
Twilight and LimeLife fans, get in...
LimeLife: Julia, you've just played this amazing role in Eclipse and we can't wait to hear about it. First though, can you tell us from where else we might know you?
Julia Jones: Probably the most notable thing was that I did a recurring role on ER. I appeared in their final season [as Dr. Kaya Montoya], so it was pretty cool to be a part of something that great and large as it was closing. Everybody was appreciating it, so it was a good time to be involved.
LimeLife: We heard that there were open casting calls for Eclipse. How exactly did you score the part of Leah Clearwater?
Julia Jones: The casting director I've had a relationship with for a number of years. She actually just called us up and I went in and auditioned for the director David Slade and for her, and came back about a week later and read for some people from Summit and David again and some of the producers. And then I waited for about a month before I heard anything, and you're right, in that time they were doing huge casting calls and going up to Canada. I think they accepted tapes from anybody so really anyone in the world could put themselves on tape and potentially be seen by the casting people.
LimeLife: Okay, so basically you were tapped on the shoulder to audition for the biggest cinema craze of our time. What kind of relationship did you have with the Twilight series at that time?
Julia Jones: It's interesting because I hadn't read any of the books before I got the audition. I of course was aware of it, I have good friends who have been - I think "obsessed" is the right word - for quite some time. (Laughs.) Then when I got the call for the audition, I actually had a very serious visceral reaction. My heart started beating fast, it's a very unusual thing but I think on some level I think I sort of felt like I knew that this was going to be something important and probably life-changing.
LimeLife: Julia, you were cast with a pretty dynamic and somewhat complex character. Can you tell us about Leah Clearwater?
Julia Jones: Yeah, totally. First of all she's the only werewolf who's a female, which is in itself a very cool thing, but she has this complicated backstory where she is heartbroken because the head of the pack Sam Uley left her for her best friend and her cousin. So in addition to that she's dealing with all the changes that you have in your body when you become a wolf, and as a girl there's really nobody who knows what's happening to her - she's really alone and out there and heartbroken at the same time. And it makes her very angry and mean, and really she's just in a lot of pain and she doesn't know how to ask for help so she lashes out.
LimeLife: What did you bring to Leah's character? Did you relate to her?
Julia Jones: The heartbreak is a very universal emotion and most of us have felt that - I have. So that was clearly part of it. But also just being so caught up in what's going on in your world emotionally that you can't connect to the outside world, that's something that's a hard thing. Anytime you go through something dark and painful, it makes you want to just withdraw from the world, except you can't. I explored what that's like a lot when I was preparing.
One of the fun things that I got to bring to her was just being a tomboy and hanging out with the boys. I was always a huge tomboy growing up and I was always competing. I was the only girl in my football league, and they were so mean to me! (Laughs). And so a lot of that was easy to draw on.
Check back with LimeLife on Thursday for Part Two of our interview with Eclipse's Julia Jones where she will be talking about how Twilight has changed her life.
Chris Weitz steps out of his zone for New Moon
LOS ANGELES - The director behind "American Pie" and "About a Boy" wasn't the obvious choice to take on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," the second book in Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster teen vampire romance series. But Chris Weitz, who also writes and produces, sometimes with his brother Paul, had done a fantasy adaptation in 2007's "The Golden Compass" and felt a connection to the material. On November 20, "Twilight" fans -- and Summit Entertainment, which is releasing the film -- will determine whether he was up to the task.
The Hollywood Reporter: Why did you want to do a "Twilight" movie?
Chris Weitz: The tonality of the movie, which has a lot to do with heartbreak and longing, depression and reunion and ecstasy -- these were emotions that struck a chord in me. I really loved the cast; Kristen (Stewart) and Rob (Pattinson) both are exceptionally talented. And I wanted to get my hand back in the game. There were a lot of things in this movie that I knew how to do: a combination of telling a character-based story but also handling special effects and working with young actors.
THR: And adding another genre of film to your resume?
Weitz: It gets a bit boring to be in a particular zone. I like the idea of switching genres and different types of stories to keep things interesting. But it might be the way to become unmemorable as a director, I suppose. There aren't that many dilettante directors who get remembered. John Ford did all kinds of movies. Billy Wilder did too, but they get remembered for one particular kind.
THR: So how do you want to be remembered?
Weitz: I'm not sure. I don't think I have to be remembered. I'll be dead anyway. (laughs)
THR: How much did you interact with Stephenie Meyer?
Weitz: A lot; we've had a real good collaboration. Crucially, she approved me as director, and she didn't have to. We had some discussions that were very important -- my convincing her that I didn't want to take her baby and run away with it, or tell a story that was counter to the spirit of what she was trying to tell. I see myself, in the last few movies I've done, as adapting literary properties into film, so that's how I treated this one. We got along like a house on fire.
THR: What kind of suggestions did she give you?
Weitz: It would normally be me e-mailing her and running things by her when I felt I was on the edge of getting a detail wrong, everything from the powers of a given vampire to the look of a particular scene or what she imagined a location looked like. And sometimes, when I felt that I was creating something new within the framework she had set up, making sure she was aware of it and that it didn't make her sick.
THR: For example?
Weitz: A good example is the headquarters of the Volturi. The oldest vampire family lives in Italy, and it was important to me there be nothing in their surroundings that reeked of any other vampire movie. So the interiors are done in a very classic Renaissance style and are very crisp and very bright, which you would not normally expect from a vampire movie.
THR: Speaking of Italy, how have you dealt with the problem that the heartthrob is gone for most of the book?
Weitz: There are two heartthrobs in this movie, not just Rob but Taylor Lautner. Part of the point was that Edward was away. Readers of the book know this and appreciate it. The story is about loss and heartache; he is present as an absence. Bella is always thinking of him and affected by him. His return to the film is really powerful and made more so by not having millions of "back at the ranch" scenes. And the middle of the movie is sustained by Kristen's amazing performance and by Taylor doing a lovely job as her best friend. There are people who would like nothing more than two hours of Rob Pattinson standing there, and I sympathize with them. But I think they'll appreciate getting him back after the second act.
THR: So you didn't alter the story at all?
Weitz: No. We didn't want to shoehorn him into the story. I did alter the visuals of the story in the sense that in the book, Kristen's character has aural hallucinations -- she hears his voice -- and we've built in a very beautiful subtle effect so that we see him as well. But those are brief, if impactful, moments. A lot of the film is sustained by her loss and Taylor's character bringing her back to life.
THR: How much do you interact with the Twi-hards?
Weitz: Quite a bit. I don't have an online, direct relation with the fans; I was too busy making the movie. But I sort of feel as though every bit of footage I get out is speaking to the fans in a way. I've only addressed the fans directly twice: at the very beginning, when I said, "Don't worry, I'm going to take care of this book," and then to address an insane rumor that all the Volturi were naked in their introductory scene. But I listened to what they have to say by checking in on the Internet. I didn't do it that much while we were shooting because I didn't want to get swayed one way or another; it would be like a politician just going by the polls. But now that the footage is complete, I kind of enjoy just checking in various sites and seeing what they like.
THR: What is your favorite "Twilight" blog?
Weitz: I don't really have a favorite. All the blogs are, in a really delightful and noncompetitive way, poaching and linking to one another's material. So if something is on one blog, it's very likely to be on another blog as well. I think it's great that there are fan sites that are not there to make money but to express enthusiasm for these books and the movie and they are happy to share information with one another.
THR: Is it true you have an offer to direct the fourth "Twilight" movie?
Weitz: No official offer has been made. The fans have been enthusiastic about the footage and the trailer, and the studio responds to that by feeling good about me. We'll have to see how people feel about the entire movie, not only the studio but the fans, before the verdict is out whether I direct No. 4. David Slade is doing a great job on the third film, and by the time that comes out, he'll be the flavor of the moment.
THR: What really happened with Rachelle Lefevre being replaced for "Eclipse"?
Weitz: I don't know much more than everybody else as to why it went down. I think it was a scheduling conflict. I feel very badly for Rachelle, while at the same time I think that Bryce (Dallas) Howard is a terrific actress. She'll do a terrific job.
THR: That's a very PC answer. Are you getting coached?
Weitz: No, I seriously believe that Rachelle is very good and very talented and this is not the end of the world for her. I think she would have continued to be a great Victoria, but there are other roles in which she'll be terrific.
So Wrap-Up Party SANS Kristen Stewart Might be the Real Story?
• There were no signs of Kristen Stewart – but Robert Pattinson was still enjoying himself at a wrap party for Eclipse at the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park. The Brit star arrived with a small entourage, and stood with friends in a corner while an assistant-type brought him cocktails and food. "He looked good, relaxed and was really having a good time with his friends from the movie," a source tells us. Guests could enjoy a view of the beluga whales and music by Jackson Rathbone's band 100 Monkeys.
• Kellan Lutz may not answer questions about whether he's dating AnnaLynne McCord – but the two sure flirted like crazy in the BlackBerry VIP lounge at U2's 360 show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The Twilight star arrived with his brother and his brother's girlfriend but just before U2 took the stage they were joined by McCord, and the tight-lipped pair seemed super giddy as they horsed around and laughed together.
• Meanwhile, Ashley Greene was back in Los Angeles, where she got hair extensions at the Parlour on 3rd. The process took the Twilight star nine hours but she entertained herself with a book and her new pup, Marlow, who accompanied her to the salon. Greene also ordered a soup and salad with her stylist, and later showed off her new do at the U2 show.
Read the whole article here
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oh well, what can i say.. maybe she got another commitment back in LA? hehe.. no idea..
Kellan Lutz Compares 'Twilight' Films
'Each director is different,' 'Eclipse' star says.
With shooting on "Eclipse" winding down and the "Breaking Dawn" movie still unconfirmed, these may be the final days that Twilighters see any Cullens on a film set for a while. With that in mind, we wanted to make sure we caught up with one of our all-time favorite "Twilight" stars — Mr. Kellan Lutz — at least one more time.
In between his "Eclipse" duties, the Snuggie-loving actor sometimes known as Emmett Cullen sat down exclusively with MTV to discuss his thoughts on the "Twilight" movies, including comparisons of the various films' directors and his favorite scenes from "New Moon," due out on November 20.
MTV: What do you see as the biggest difference between the tales in the "Twilight" saga?
Kellan Lutz: What's the biggest difference? That's an interesting question. Because the books are already about different subjects. Stephenie [Meyer] wrote them with the Romeo and Juliet aspect, and then, each one has a different persona. It's a really cool concept. But as far as the directors go, each director is different. Catherine [Hardwicke] was very energetic, and she made this beautiful movie. Chris [Weitz] had this really cool, really laid-back [vibe], but has a great sense of how to do CGI and how to make these wolves look real and bigger than life versus just some computerized image. Then David Slade, with his action background and his indie style, just mixed the two. The movies are going to be unique in their own aspects, and that's what's really interesting — it's not the same director doing each one. We, as actors, got to see different styles of [directing]. So it doesn't feel old, ever.
MTV: What is your favorite "New Moon" scene?
Lutz: My favorite scene is probably anything that Charlie is in, played by Billy Burke. He just has this great comedic timing, and every scene [with him], I get a laugh out of. And there's just tons of action. That's the thing too, seeing the wolves actually fight each other and roughhouse. It's really interesting to see what Chris did.
MTV: Which of the new characters is your favorite?
Lutz: The Volturi boys. I didn't meet them in "New Moon," so now [I see them on the "Eclipse" set]. I didn't have the time to meet them when we were shooting "New Moon" because the shooting schedules were different. So, with seeing them, and finally meeting them on "Eclipse," they're really cool. It's interesting to finally meet them. It's so weird being an actor in something and not being a part of the whole cast feeling.
MTV: As the saga continues to film, do you feel like you're becoming more or less like your character?
Lutz: I've been my character. I feel like I've been Emmett since day one. I really loved the character when I first had the audition for Edward. I was like, "No guys, come on [let me be in the movie]." And then I asked them about Emmett, and something was already done with that, and then it came back [available again]. I just really like Emmett. He's a great, fun character to play. I'm always so happy to be on the set. He's not depressing, he's not complex. He's just the lovable bear type.
huhu.. can't watch the clip.. hopefully some1 from youtube will upload this clip.. =(
