Anna Kendrick’s Twitter Verification
Posted by Ginger
Photo: Twitter: @AnnaKendrick47
Any time a new Twitter page for a castmember from the Twilight series pops up, there’s a whole process hat goes into making sure it’s real. Usually, this involves contacting representation for the castmember or the franchise, and this can take a bit of time.
Anna Kendrick (“Jessica Stanley” in the Twilight Saga) approached her entry into Twitter-dom a bit differently than most: for the photo box on her Twitter page, she posted a photo of herself holding a piece of paper with her Twitter account on it.
In a new interview with Kendrick, she revealed the mindset behind her clever decision.
“That might seem so silly, but I was really proud of myself for thinking of that! I saw a picture once of an actress holding a sign that read, ‘yes, it’s really me’, and I thought that was so clever, but in theory anybody could take that photo and copy it to their site. I don’t come up with many good ideas but that was a killer way to dispel the imposters and all the misinformation on the net.”
It was a great idea, to be sure, and it saved those of us who try to look into such matters a whole bunch of time!
Kendrick went onto talk about Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Twilight, and Up In The Air in the interview, so it’s worth checking out in full here.
David Slade in the running to direct ‘Hunger Games’
Posted by Ginger
Photo: Entertainment One
Not too long ago, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse director David Slades name was thrown around in the Wolverine 2 bin, and now an even more exciting possibility has been unveiled.
Deadline Hollywood reports that Slade is one of three directors being considered to helm the much-anticipated The Hunger Games movie, based upon the first book in Suzanne Collins’ best-selling Hunger Games Trilogy.
Based on Slade’s filmmaking resume (which includes Hard Candy, 30 Days Of Night, and, of course, Eclipse), helming The Hunger Games might be a great fit for him. Slade has a knack for hitting high-speed tension and danger, and the first leg of The Hunger Games is definitely just that. Also, he’d get the opportunity to tackle something new, since the story and characters in the Hunger Games series are quite unique.
Deadline also reports that a decision on the matter will be made “late next week.” What do you think of this possible move for David Slade?
A case for ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ star Xavier Samuel
Posted by Ginger
Amanda Bell of the Twilight Examiner provides supportive rebuttal for Xavier Samuel in response to an E! Online article claiming that Xavier Samuel’s career has amounted to nothing because he’s not as clamored-for as Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.
Photo: Getty Images
Over the past year and a half of doing this Twilight page, I’ve been increasingly cautious about involving it in certain mucky affairs– either because (1) it’s none of my business or (2) I don’t really care enough to voice an opinion about it.
A recent piece from E! Online, though, makes me want to speak up because I’m not sure it’s based on an accurate read of the fandom.
The gist of the question posed is: “Will Rami Malek be a big, famous superstar now that he’s attached to Breaking Dawn?” The answer being led to is a “no” (or a “maybe not”) based on the successes of Xavier Samuel (“Riley” in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) and Bryce Dallas Howard (“Victoria” in Eclipse).
Now, neither of these two has released a film since Eclipse, so there hasn’t been any real opportunity for us to check out their new movies just yet, but the suggestion is that Twilight hasn’t brought Samuel or Howard an influx of fans. “Fans just didn’t embrace them with the cult following that they did for the main cast in the first few movies.”
It may be fair to say that the fact that these two didn’t portray Bella, Edward, and Jacob – the central characters of the entire Saga – means they will never receive the sort of attention Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner have. And they probably won’t.
It may also be fair to say that North American fans aren’t going to hop the pond to Australia to catch any of Xavier Samuel’s former movies, most of which are only available there.
In Robert Pattinson’s case, a few of his former indie films (How To Be, Little Ashes, The Haunted Airman, e.g.) got the attention of his new fans and made their way to home entertainment in this region thanks to that interest. With Kristen Stewart, we’ve seen movies like The Runaways, Welcome To The Rileys, and The Yellow Handkerchief receive a new following from her increasing fan base. These guys have been in all three movies, and they are the absolute face of this film series, though, so comparing Xavier Samuel’s successes with these doesn’t seem very fair.
Still, that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening on some comparable level with Xavier Samuel. Like Pattinson, his movie The Loved Ones, which gained respect and attention based on its own merit of course, has received the interest of almost every fansite community dedicated to Twilight that I’m aware of. Whether it will receive U.S. distribution or not is yet to be seen, but you can guarantee there’ll be more eyes on Xavier Samuel for the rest of his career thanks to his involvement in the Twilight series. Also, various fan communities have come along since Eclipse which celebrate his career – just the same as what happened with New Moon and the wolfpack or Twilight and the Cullens at first.
With Bryce Dallas Howard, the situation was a little different. As noted in the piece, Howard has been in the entertainment industry for years, and most of us have seen at least one of her movies before. Her start in the Twilight Saga film franchise was rocky, but over time she was accepted, praised, and even adored by a lot of fans of this series. Still, let’s leave the question of whether Bryce Dallas Howard is going to be a superstar thanks to Twilight off the table because there are many other factors to be considered with her case.
In my opinion, Xavier Samuel likens to some of the other actors who’ve portrayed villains in this series – Jamie Campbell Bower (who he’s joined, by the way, in Anonymous) and Cam Gigandet, for instance. They are well-liked and their work is followed by the Twilight community. Are they the front and center namesakes of the franchise? No. But has their Starmeter risen since being a part of the series? Absolutely.
That appreciation might not be as ravenous as with Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene, and others referred to in the piece as examples of the “Twilight Star-Makin’ Machine,” but those actors have had years now to nurture our interest – via charitable work, appearances, new films, and more. Xavier Samuel hasn’t quite hopped on the Twitter train or joined the convention circuit, but likely a majority of the millions of Twilight fans out there know his name.
To say that there has been a “rise-and-fall of potential heartthrob Samuel” is a bit inflamed, and I don’t think it accurately portrays the respect that Xavier Samuel has gained from being a part of this series. Whether or not Rami Malek will be a big, shiny superstar thanks to Breaking Dawn is a separate issue, and I don’t disagree with the suggestion that maybe he won’t be the next Robert Pattinson; but picking on Xavier Samuel to prove the case is unnecessary and potentially incorrect.
Twilight Saga Board Games & Scene-It Bundles
Posted by Ginger
The board games for Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse from Cardinal Games are being packaged up and re-released at a much lower price: $30 for the whole set.
You can pre-order the board game bundle now!
Also up for grabs is a trilogy of the DVD-based Scene-It board games. A new trilogy of the DVD Scene It games is clocking in at the same price!
[thanks FreezeBurn~TwilightGirlForever!]
Taylor Lautner Wins $40,000 Settlement
Posted By Tai
Taylor Lautner would be $40,000 richer today — if he weren’t donating the money to charity.
The Twilight actor, 18, reached a settlement with McMahon’s RV Friday after the California-based company failed to deliver a trailer to the set of Abduction by June 21.
“McMahon’s RV has agreed to settle its dispute with Taylor Lautner. McMahon’s RV will pay $40,000 to Lautner, which Lautner will donate to The Lollipop Theater Network, a children’s charity with which he has a long-standing relationship,” Lautner’s attorney Robert Barta tells UsMagazine.com exclusively.
Adds Barta: “The Lollipop Theater Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing movies currently in theaters to children confined to hospitals due to chronic or life-threatening illnesses. The Lollipop Theater Network works with hospitals nationwide, including the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas.?”
Though TMZ claimed Lautner suffered from “emotional distress” over the incident, a source tells Us that simply wasn’t true.
“This was never a suit about money. It was to hold someone accountable,” the insider says. “Taylor never ordered a customized RV — it was a used RV which needed simple safety-related repairs. There was never any diva behavior. ‘Emotional distress’ is an automatic checked box on a fraudulent claim.”
Reps for Lautner could not be reached for comment.
Ashley and Kellan cover Women’s/Men’s Health South Africa
Posted By Tai
Here are some gorgeous covers for the South African issue of Men’s & Womens Health magazine featuring both Ashley Greene and Kellen Lutz on the covers:
30 Seconds To Mars Bring Robert PATTERSON Into Their Interview
Posted By Tai
Here is a video featuring the group 30 Seconds to Mars (and I think that’s Jared Leto, not sure) who bring in their special guest, a cut out of “Rob Patterson” as they call it:
Interview with Anna Kendrick
Posted By Tai
Twilight fans have known about Anna Kendrick since day one of the franchise (she plays Bella’s school pal, Jessica) but the rest of the world is now catching on.
Last year, she delivered an Oscar-nominated turn opposite George Clooney in ‘Up in the Air’; this week we’ll see her in Edgar Wright’s cult feature, ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs the World’. Now 25, the actress is clearly destined for the big time, with many A-list actors lining up to work with her. Not bad for someone whose dream as a young girl was simply to sing and dance…
Michael Doherty: First of all, belated happy birthday, Anna. Having just reached 25, it must be very gratifying that you’re still able to convincingly pull off teenage roles?
Anna Kendrick: Thank you very much and yes, it is very gratifying! I actually got downgraded from 19 to 18 for this film, so I don’t quite know what that says about me! I feel a little silly but as long as people can still buy me as a teenager, then I’m flattered.
In Scott Pilgrim . . . your character is modeled on the writer’s own sister, Stacy, whom you met before shooting started. Was that a bit weird or a bit daunting?
No, it was really cool. I was a bit nervous about meeting her but she is so lovely. She basically told me that the relationship between Stacy and Scott in the books is the real relationship she has with her own brother. She gave me her Stacy badge to wear from when she worked in The Second Cup, the coffee shop in the movie, so that was cool.
Between this film and the Twilight franchise, you’ve completely captured the fanboy and fangirl markets. I’m assuming it must be difficult for you to walk around any shopping mall in the States?
I don’t know! To be honest, they don’t really say very much in LA because they are too cool for school and don’t want to bother anyone. I do get little girls coming up to me in malls and screaming but generally people are discreet in LA and they will come up to me quietly when I’d be sitting in Starbucks say ‘FYI, congratulations’. That sort of thing.
Looking at your CV, you began life as a musical star and indeed were the second youngest [at 12] performer ever to be nominated for a Tony award on Broadway, for ‘High Society’. When are we going to see you in a musical on screen?
The truth is, I desperately want to do a movie musical but I have to be careful because desperation doesn’t always lead to good choices. I want to do a musical for the right reasons and not just because I’m anxious to perform in one.
At this stage in your career, how is the whole fame thing working out? Are you able to comfortably walk around or are the paparazzi starting to appear?
There was, like, a week around Oscar season where there was a paparazzo outside my house and it was terrifying. It was that moment when you realise, I thought this just happened to other people and yet, I can’t just go outside and say, ‘what the hell are you doing?’ Where I come from, my brother and his friends would beat you to a pulp if you were hanging around his little sister’s house. It was essentially a guy in his 40s stalking a girl in her 20s and in most places, that’s bordering on criminal activity. It was definitely really weird but, touch wood, they’ve left me alone after that. I also think that the more boring you are, the less they follow you, so all I had to do was to be myself for a week and they were like, this girl doesn’t do anything cool!
You did do something very cool with your Twitter page; photographing yourself holding your username (AnnaKendrick47), thereby negating the other 46 false sites in one fell swoop.
That might seem so silly, but I was really proud of myself for thinking of that! I saw a picture once of an actress holding a sign that read, ‘yes, it’s really me’, and I thought that was so clever, but in theory anybody could take that photo and copy it to their site. I don’t come up with many good ideas but that was a killer way to dispel the impostors and all the misinformation on the net.
Speaking of the net, there’s a story doing the rounds that you’re working on the new Tom Cruise movie: is that more misinformation or is it a runner?
No, that’s one of those stories that popped up and is now impossible to take down when it’s out there. The role in question is for Reese Witherspoon but she was not in town for the table read so they asked me to do it. I knew it wasn’t leading to a job but I was happy to be in that company. To be honest, the first rumour wasn’t that I was in the Tom Cruise movie; it was that I was being recruited for Scientology!
Read the article in its entirety here….
Baton Rouge Gearing Up For Breaking Dawn
Posted By Tai
Baton Rouge businesses are looking forward to the economic boom that the filming of Breaking Dawn is likely to bring from those directly involved with the film to visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite actor.
According to the local ABC affiliate:
“For confidentiality reasons, we can’t talk specifics about productions that we’re dealing with,” said Patrick Mulhearn, Director of Studio Operations at Celtic Studios.
“Well, there’s not too much I can say about the details of ‘Twilight,’” said Chris Stelly, Director of Film Industry Development with the Louisiana Economic Development.
While the movie’s publicist will only say the “when” for production kickoff is late this fall, a commercial real estate agent says one of his lease properties is where pre-production is in full swing.”
Both Melissa Rosenberg and Bill Condon(seen above) have been spotted in town from time to time. It’s been widely publicized that actual filming will take place in November and principal photography might be slightly ahead of that schedule. The actual filming is likely to be mostly indoors on a sound stage making getting a look at actual filming unlikely.
Similar secrecy surrounded Eclipse with only some outdoor scenes involving Xavier Samuel and Bryce Dallas Howard being spotted by fans waiting on sidelines.
