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How Much New Moon Cash Will Rob and Kristen Get?
Lester Cohen/Getty Images
About New Moon: With all these pots of money the movie is earning, does the cast get to share in the windfall? At the very least will they gets cars or Rolexes or something? And are these kids finally A-listers now?
—Scarlett via the Answer B!tch inbox
As much as you may think that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart each deserve a brand new shiny Volvo for delivering all that magic over the weekend, as far as I know, they'll just have to settle for millions and millions of dollars.
As for a piece of the action and other perks, well...
Were Miley and Selena Told to Diss New Moon?
Gregg DeGuire,Chris Polk/WireImage.com
Why are people so up in arms about the comments Miley Cyrus made about not liking Twilight? I'm sure there are plenty more people out there that don't care for it either.
—LeAnn, via Facebook
Miley Cyrus—and fellow Disney pixie Selena Gomez—sure do dislike themselves some Twilight, yes they do. Miley told a radio station this week: "It's a cult. I don't believe in it." And Gomez then confided in Bonnie Hunt that when it comes to the Saga flicks, "I don't watch them."
Which is odd, because just this past June, she was asked about Twilight and said: "It was good. It was really good."
Hmmm.
What people are wondering here is whether Miley, and now Taylor Lautner's punkinhead of an ex, were compelled to say nasty things. Because no teenager is allowed to hate Edward Cullen. It is the Tween Code, and it must never be rent asunder. So, people assume, something sinister must be going on, and by "sinister," people suspect "Disney." Did the Mouse have a hand in this?
Well...
Will the Twilight Kids Have "Real" Acting Careers?
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images; Lester Cohen/Getty Images; Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images; George Pimentel/Getty Images; Noel Vasquez/Getty Images; Donna Ward/Getty Images
Do you think the New Moon kids are actually going to have careers after all the Twilight drama dies down? Or be taken seriously?
—Queen of Shoes, via Twitter
Well, because E! Online readers just love reading about how actors are jealous of other actors, or sleeping with other actors, or making little baby actors with other actors, let's do this right.
Let's put this in terms of other actors. Like who among the Twilight stars is really the next Matt Damon, who's the next Drew Barrymore and who's the next Keanu Reeves?
Behold a possible future for each New Mooner...
How Weird Are All Those New Moon Vampire People?
Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment
So what was the most interesting or weirdest answer you heard at your New Moon press junket?
—MDuncan, via Twitter
You mean I have to pick just one? On Friday I sat through an entire afternoon of Cullens, Volturi and Wolf Pack members, not to mention at least one guy with an English accent, leather jacket and stand-up hair.
I think any answer about weird/interesting things said there deserves a Top Five list. At least.
Here goes:
Can K.Stew Stop Paparazzi From Covering Her?
INFphoto.com
How can mags like OK! publish celeb photos without their permission? Kristen Stewart stated she's sick of herself in all the papers, can't she do something?
—Ana, Vancouver
As oppressed by paparazzi as your favorite Twilight stars may seem—barely able to sparkle in the sun, much less go out for a latte amid all that adoration—there is such a thing as the law.
In short, it protects freedom of expression—including news gathering and photography—from censorship by the rich or powerful. It may be stressful to be K.Stew right now, but it's not the media's job—nor, let's be clear, your job as a fan—to help her have a nice day. Especially given the profession she willingly chose and the wealth and influence it has afforded her.
So what can Kristen do, pinned down in Canada like she is? Behold, her own personalized siege strategy...
But What If New Moon Sucks?
Courtesy of David Strick/Los Angeles Times
What if New Moon is completely bad? Would that mean we never see Eclipse?
—Btny, via the Answer B!tch inbox
I could tell you it's unhealthy for anybody to look directly into Eclipse, for it can fry one's IQ as quickly as one's corneas. But apparently, even this flat-out scientific fact can't kill the Twilight Saga franchise—and I'm trying to help you!
More specifically, box-office analysts say, there are very few scenarios that would even put a fang scratch in this juggernaut—including the movie absolutely sucking. I'll let you decide whether that's good news.
But wait, you may say. There's an actual thing that can make Twilight go away?
What could it possibly be? Well, one guess...
When Did This Vampire Craze Start, Anyway?
HBO
Were people always this crazy about vampires, or did it take Stephenie Meyer's PG-rated and Alan Ball's basically NC-17 approaches to make people crazy?
—Eternal High, via the Answer B!tch inbox
Another question aimed at getting me to wax forth on Robert Pattinson. Fine. I've seen Wagnerian operas with more charm than that child. I've seen larvae with more melanin that that child. I've seen cinder blocks more fascinating than that child.
Now, before we go any further, the draw of True Blood should not in any way be confused with Twilight's appeal. People love True Blood because they're almost guaranteed to turn on any given episode and see somebody half nekkid. But it's the utter denial of sexuality in the Twilight series that has made it one of the most successful vampire franchises ever.
Between its doormat heroine, its domineering, borderline stalker of a male lead, and their nearly nonexistent sex life, the franchise is prime fodder for the promise-ring crowd.
But neither of those series comes even close to being the first to mix vampires and sexual issues, not by far...
Is Vampire Diaries Totally Ripping Off Twilight?
Kimberly French/Summit Entertainment; Alan Markfield /The CW
I want to know how the CW can come out with a new show, The Vampire Diaries, that is such a blatant rip-off of Twilight? How can they get away with it?
—kLa, via the Answer B!tch inbox
Actually, if anyone has ripped off anybody in the whole overwrought melodrama high-school vampire genre, it's Stephenie Meyer. Her concept, whose freshness falls somewhere between a four-month-old cucumber and a shambling corpse, debuted in 2005. That's 14 years—years—after an author named L.J. Smith published the first in the Vampire Diaries series.
So will we see any lawsuits over this? Well...
What Happens to R.Pattz When Twilight Is Over?
New Line Productions; Peter Sorel / Summit Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox
What will happen to Robert Pattinson after all of the Twilight Saga films are done? You think all the obsessed fans will flee him?
—HannahPenton, via Twitter
"Flee," eh? Well, if there's anything a Twilight fan loves, it's overblown melodramatic wordage. Why merely wander off when you can tear through the woods as if being chased by a bloodthirsty high-fashion vampire?
Fans may love R.Pattz now, but kids also used to obsess over Orlando Bloom and Mark Hamill. The indicators for Pattz's future are not necessarily all that solid...
Can Twilight Saga Survive Major Recasting Drama?
Warner Bros. Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Summit Entertainment
Sign the petition to bring back Rachelle Lefevre to the Twilight movies! The series will die without her, and fans will protest!
—Twiharder
Right, right. Because when The Mummy franchise traded in Rachel Weisz for Maria Bello, the earth bled, and every Pope who ever lived rose up out of the ground and wept. Don Cheadle is replacing Terrence Howard in the upcoming Iron Man movie, by the way. Just in case you want to stage a sit-in outside the Marvel Comics building and give poor old Stan Lee a coronary.
Now listen. No series has ever died because of a recasting. Terrible directing, sure. But not recasting. In fact—here I go! I'm gonna say it!—the Twilight Saga just might be better off ditching Rachel Lefevre in favor of Bryce Dallas Howard, if history is any indication...
Is Robert Pattinson the Pop Icon of a Generation?
DZILLA/bauergriffinonline.com
In your opinion, is Robert Pattinson the biggest pop icon of a generation?
—FreakFlagFlyer, via Twitter
Let's put it this way: When I floated your suggestion past a historian who specializes in this sort of thing, he had to fight the urge to laugh. (Further evidence against your theory: I myself cackled freely, and the professor didn't try to stop me.)
"He doesn't even come close," says cultural critic Paul Levinson, professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University.
At the risk of crushing you completely, here's why, plus some examples of real pop icons:
Will Rob Pattz Ever Shoot a Movie Near My House?
DZILLA/bauergriffin.com
Why do so many movies shoot in Vancouver or outside L.A.? Where else are stars shooting outside Hollywood? Can I stalk Robert Pattinson in my hometown?
—PrincessM1021, via Twitter
If runaway production has benefited anyone, it's people of America's breadbasket. Or maybe it's the pinot noir basket. Lo, is that Harrison Ford scowling for the cameras amid the wild wine and coffee sippers of Oregon? It sure will be next month, when Captain Grumptastic joins Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell to shoot his next movie all up in there.
As for Robert Pattinson? Sigh. Fine.
Here's where you'll find him after New Moon wraps filming in Vancouver...
Podcasts
Is R.Pattz Really the Next Keanu Reeves?
- Yes, but Kristen Stewart is not the next Natalie Portman. All this and more in my new weekly podcast!
For real, Taylor Lautner = Matt Damon
- Pretty much an all-Twilight/New Moon episode this week. With some strippers thrown in. All in our weekly podcast.
Why Did Rihanna Wait So Long?
- Also: How "This Is It" duped you, why celebs lie and what made tweens call Miley Cyrus a bad influence! All in our weekly podcast.
Where Did Gerard Butler Come From, Anyway?
- Also: Aniston, Selena Gomez, Gitmo! All in our weekly podcast.
