Coverage about the premiere

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Fans flock to `Twilight' premiere in Los Angeles
By DERRIK J. LANG – 1 day ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hundreds of shrieking fans — mostly teenage girls — lined the streets outside the Mann Village and Bruin Theatres on Monday for a chance to peek at the stars attending the Los Angeles premiere of "Twilight." Some enthusiasts of the popular vampire literary series-turned-movie camped out overnight, while many arrived at dawn to secure a place in line.

"I'm on basic motor functions right now," actor Robert Pattinson, who plays sexy vamp Edward, said amid fans' screams.

More than 600 people were allowed inside special holding areas along both sides of the premiere's red carpet. The self-proclaimed fanpires gawked, squealed and begged for autographs and photos with the stars. Others spilled out beyond the barricades and across the street from the premiere. Many held up handmade signs.

Most just wanted face time. What question did they ask the most?

"`What's it like kissing vampires?'" said actress Kristen Stewart, who plays human teenager Bella.

Marie Sheranian, 16, and Brianna Matheson, 17, came from Simi Valley, Calif., to catch a glimpse of Pattinson, the 22-year-old actor who became a heartthrob after winning the role of Edward. The two "Twilight" fans created T-shirts professing their devotion for Pattinson and brought crates to stand on in hopes of seeing the actor's face — or even the top of his hair — from above the crowd.

"My heart is gonna explode," Sheranian said from atop a crate.

Not everyone in the horde was a howling teenage girl. Several teenage boys were sprinkled throughout the crowd. And there were even a few parents — including the founders of TwilightMoms.com, who left their children and husbands at home to attend the premiere. Pia Castillo said she came all the way from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to see the film's bloodsuckers in person.

"It's shocking something I came up with could inspire all this," said "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer.

The red carpet was buzzing about possible sequels. Meyer has written three other "Twilight" novels.

Pattinson said he signed on for the film thinking it would be part of a trilogy, and he knows a script for a second film has been written.

Stewart said she originally heard the cast might reunite to film both the second and third sequels at the same time, but now they might be filmed separately.

"It has to make a certain amount of money, like $150 million, to be able to afford the sequel," director Catherine Hardwicke said. "So we really don't know yet."

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Shrieking masses descend on L.A. for the 'Twilight' premiere
Nov 18, 2008, by Carrie Bell

Source: EW.com

There were hundreds of people lining the Los Angeles streets screaming and chanting. There were homemade signs, punny slogans, and custom T-shirts. Attendees declared whose team they were on. There were moms and daughters, men and women, couples and singles. There were even a few people so overcome by emotion that tears were shed. They stood for hours, some for days, to make sure their opinions were seen and heard despite the harsh, ashy air quality caused by the numerous nearby wildfires.

I’m not talking about last weekend’s anti-Proposition 8 rally. No, this chaotic scene, which featured more black, less rainbows, was for the Nov. 17 premiere of Twilight, the epic love story of a high-school girl (Bella) and her vampire beau (Edward) based on the hit book series by Stephenie Meyer. While the two events had several similarities, I dare say the Twilight folks were slightly more fanatical.

“We drove from the Bay Area yesterday, got in line at midnight last night, slept out here, took the day off work, and stood all day in order to fulfill a dream to take a picture or get an autograph from the stars,” enthused Cyndee Sauceda, 40, who works in a law office. “And if that doesn’t work out, it will all still be worth it if we get to touch Kellan Lutz or Robert Pattinson.”

Pattinson & Co. obliged for the most part — posing for cell photos, doling out hugs, signing books, bodies, clothes, signs, pizza boxes, any surface that didn’t cause a black Sharpie to run. “I’m going to have to ice my autograph hand when I get home,” joked Taylor “Jacob” Lautner. Pattinson, Cam Gigandet, and a few other actors even did a victory lap to slap fan hands after they had completed their initial round of interviews and fan appreciation despite holding up the screening over 45 minutes past its scheduled start time.

“This is crazier and louder than I was prepared for,” said Pattinson (pictured with co-star Kristen Stewart), running his fingers through his trademark floppy locks and looking sharp-dressed goth in his fitted black suit. “With every week, the fervor and anticipation seems to grow. This is my life. People know my name and ambush me in public and try to figure out what hotel I’m staying at and ask me to bite them and want to touch my hair. I have accepted it as real now, but it still feels surreal.”

His leading lady, Kristen Stewart (in a chic Balenciaga mini-dress), arrived minutes after him, her wild swept-up-and-piled two-tone hair giving Pattinson a run for his money. They took their obligatory couples shots, still looking slightly uncomfortable together, as if they are in the middle of a marathon intense-off. Stewart's demeanor, per usual, was reserved, but she admitted that she’s fascinated by the fan devotion. “I’ve been to a lot of premieres, and none of them have ever been as big as this. Maybe if I had been alive during the days of the Beatles it would be different, but I have never been moved enough to camp out for someone or something. The fact that people did that for our movie is heavy. I just hope they think it was worth it after they see the movie.”

After witnessing the phenomenon first hand, I’m not sure it even matters if the final product is Oscar-worthy. (In fact, two Oscar winners, Jaime Foxx and Kim Basinger, used their influence to score the hot tickets for their obsessed offspring.) Hours in, I was still having to shout my interview questions at the top of my lungs because the “Team Edward” cries were being matched by the howls of the Jacob-supporting wolf pack. In this economic downturn, people had obviously spent a pretty penny getting there, getting takeout from local restaurants, decorating the windows of their cars, outfitting themselves in branded merch. “I’d hate to have to be the guy who has to clean all this up afterward,” Gigandet said, referring to the discarded water bottles, sunscreen and snack trash.

Most of the cast and crew were trying to live in the moment and not count their chickens, so to speak, though some tentatively admitted that they’d love to see the saga’s other chapters on the big screen. Director Catherine Hardwicke was matter-of-fact when asked about sequel plans. “It is going to depend on the numbers," she said. "The fans have to really come out in force if they want to see a second movie, because that book will be twice as expensive to make than the first because of the werewolves and special effects. Realistically, this one has to make $150 million to make the financiers think it is worthwhile. If this crowd is any indication, I have high hopes, but I’m also not uncrossing my fingers.”

So, PopWatchers, who's ready to finally see this movie? How far would you go to catch a glimpse of Pattinson in the flesh? Or maybe you can't even read this because you're already camped out somewhere for a premiere...?

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'Twilight' Premiere: Robert Pattinson Loses His Hearing, Taylor Lautner Gets An Indecent Proposal
'I left my brain at the door,' Pattinson says of shrieking fans surrounding the red carpet.
By Larry Carroll

Source: MTV Movie News

WESTWOOD, California — The nightclub-and-movie-theater-packed neighborhood nestled between Brentwood, Hollywood and UCLA has always served as a playground for excitable young adults, head-turning celebrities and couples looking for love. But never before have all three groups collided quite the way they did Monday night (November 17) when Bella, Edward and a few thousand of their closest friends stormed into town.


"I have no other words but 'bizarre,'" grinned "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson, walking down a snaking red carpet of shrieking fans a dozen deep at the premiere of his movie, which opens Friday. "I left my brain at the door. It's completely insane. You never expect it. ... I'm completely deaf!"

For this week's (possibly last?) "Twilight" Tuesday, MTV News had access to the carpet, movie and afterparty — putting the cherry on top of a year of coverage that has seen the small film grow from cult status to certified blockbuster. In addition to Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and others, author Stephenie Meyer walked the red carpet, mingling with a who's who of young Hollywood that included Demi Lovato, Aly Michalka and Frances Bean Cobain.

"You work so hard on something for so long, and I'm actually really proud of it, and this is what you do it for," Stewart said, looking out at a sea of black "Twilight" T-shirts, homemade signs and waving Sharpies. "The tears, to see people crying in front of you, is pretty alarming. I just want to give them a hug." (See what experts are expecting "Twilight" will bring in on opening weekend, and make predictions of your own, in the MTV Movies Blog.)

Check out photos of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and many more at the "Twilight" premiere!

Walking through Westwood, one could spot several cars with "Twilight or Bust," "Team Edward" and other messages written on the windshields, their out-of-state plates signaling how far many had traveled for a chance to meet the film's young stars.

"I came by last night and saw everyone hanging out; it was fun," marveled director Catherine Hardwicke, who made several fans' weeks by getting out of her car Sunday evening and visiting with the die-hard Twilighters sleeping on the sidewalk. "People were camping out. ... People are so excited. It's awesome."

While one sign promised free earplugs for RPattz if he stopped to say hello, another begged him: "I'm 16 years old and have never been kissed. Will U B my first?"

"It's kind of great, because we're all in the trenches together, and now watching someone take off is a cool thing," Cam Gigandet (James) said of Pattinson and the other "Twilight" stars who are suddenly being inundated with scripts. "I had an idea that [the fans] were a small, committed group."

Not anymore, judging by the packed barricades across the street. Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria) and Billy Burke (Charlie Swan) were among those who went out of their way to sprint off the carpet and over to the shrieking throng. "I think it's absolutely amazing; their commitment is astonishing," laughed Lefevre, who revealed plans to soon take a much-needed vacation, and then said she'd only harbored RPattz-like affection toward one celebrity in her life: "Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block."

But if you think Pattinson was the only "Twilight" star earning shrieks last night, you may have chosen the wrong side in the "Team Edward" vs. "Team Jacob" battle. "I think I'm dreaming, and I keep telling people to pinch me," said an adrenaline-fueled Lautner, not yet 17 years old and already having fans twice his age throw themselves at him. "[An older woman] told me she was wearing 'Team Taylor' panties and [said], 'If you want, you can sign them.' Luckily, my publicist was there to save me!"

"That's not OK. That's illegal!" marveled Ashley Greene (Alice) when she heard Taylor's tale. "But it is a good feeling to know people love you this much."

"I've never seen anything like this," added Michael Welch (Mike Newton). "I mean, I think we all had a thought or sense that this could be possible. But this is truly a dream come true, and I couldn't be more grateful."

Inside the Mann Village Theater, the stars gathered to watch the completed film — several of them for the first time. After Edward and Bella put the finishing touches on their romance (at least, until the sequels), the crowd walked through Westwood to the nearby Armand Hammer Museum for a fancy afterparty in an outdoor courtyard. Attendees were greeted with martinis, then lined up for a buffet and a desert stand featuring chocolate-chip cookies on lollipop sticks.

Lovato and Perry Farrell worked the crowd, while Oscar winner Kim Basinger sat over in the corner and took it all in. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Larry David watched several 16-year-old girls with autograph books running past him, perhaps imagining the plot for an upcoming episode. The longest line of the evening, however, was the procession coming toward Meyer, asking the author for her autograph and engaging her in conversations about whether Edward's sparkle was the way she had imagined when she wrote the book.

Lautner posed with fans, tirelessly snapping pictures with them all. Peter Facinelli (Carlisle) was overheard complimenting Solomon Trimble (Sam) on a job well done. Gigandet was still hearing his name shouted by fans across the street when he was leaving in his limo, and security was summoned at least once to the tightly packed corner of the party, where a sea of well-wishers crowded around Pattinson and actress Camilla Belle as they partied with friends.

"I'm very, very happy," Pattinson laughed, marveling at the evening. "But it's very, very frightening."

www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1599586/story.jhtml

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ROB AND KRISTEN ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS ON EXTRA:
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