Is Taylor Lautner Already Over?

He's been getting a lot of crap lately--why?

By Ted Casablanca, John Boone Mar 15, 2010 3:12 PMTags
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We chatted with Summit's Taylor Lautner-in-training, BooBoo Stewart—who appears as a member of the wolf pack in Eclipse—last week, and the similarities between BooBoo and T.L. are so obvious, we just had to ask if he looks to Tay for career advice.

"I get compared to him a lot," sighed the 16-year-old cutie guy. "And I think that's cool to be compared to someone who's doing so well, but I don't think I necessarily look up to him. My idols are more like Jackie Earle Haley, Heath Ledger and Mickey Rourke."

Yikes, looks like Boo has grander ambitions than simply becoming a teen heartthrob, huh? And maybe with good reason—Taylor Lautner backlash seems to be in full force right now.

Let's start with...

...what made Tay famous in the first place: Twilight.

To mucho excitement, the Eclipse trailer hit the Internet last week, and, as usual, Taylor stuck out as the weakest link among the cast. Sure, R.Pattz and K.Stew aren't quite giving it their all in the Twi franchise, but that's the problem—Taylor is, too!

And with as much effort as he's putting into the damn performance, Jacob's declaration of love to Bella comes off as—we say—more than a bit wooden. Plus, Tay has zilch in terms of onscreen chemistry with Kristen (but this isn't exactly anything new).

Could it be Tay's only saving grace comes at the end of the trailer: His abs?

Though, a way-sexy, washboard abdomen is Taylor's biggest problem. He's becoming nothing more than a pretty face—or in this case, a pretty tummy. The Daily Beast jabbed at Taylor, comparing him and his sculpted stomach to Jersey Shore's The Situation saying: "Lautner appeals primarily to 'little girls and gay men.' "

Oh really? Thought I was a gay man, too? Gimme R.Pattz, any day—I don't even care if he's combed his hair or washed his less taut tummy!

Gosh, we never expected T.L. to be the Twi kid most likely to nab an Oscar, especially with Anna Kendrick already getting a nom and Kristen and Rob developing projects that have award potential. But he seemed to have a promising career as a sort of Vin Diesel for the tween generation, right?

Poor Tay! He's trying so hard to come off as a seriously perfect stud muffin (à la his appearance at the Oscars) that it's getting annoying.

We don't hate the kid, but he's going to need a serious PR reboot if he wants to stick around for any successful flicks beyond the Twilight franchise. If T.L. takes some time to hone his acting chops instead of his six-pack and develops a less aggressive media strategy, then he's got a chance at lasting in H'wood.

And then maybe he'll finally get some respect from BooBoo.

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What can we expect from Taylor after Breaking Dawn? Peek into the Life Beyond Twilight gallery.