Twilight Coven Philippines

Some New Moon-related tidbits for y'all as the cast finishes up with rehearsals and leaves Vancouver to prepare for film shoots to start in the coming days.

On MTV News: Edi Gathegi, who reprises his role as Laurent, praised the new script and says the film will be "a lot more active [than Twilight]." It has to be, with werewolves and cliff-jumping, right? Except the latter will be accomplished by a CGI'd Bella, according to costar Kristen Stewart. Yes, no extreme sport-stuntwork for KStew (or her body doubles) this time around. Read the full stories here and here.

And speaking of my favorite Bella, reporters have been sneaking in New Moon-related questions in the middle of Kristen's "Adventureland" (which premiered in the U.S. yesterday) promotions. Youtube has some bits from MaximoTV and EXTRA. In an interview with E! Online, she also expresses her view of her second Twilight movie as: "I can’t wait to see how [Jacob] is able to pull [Bella] out, but he does. She’s like a zombie and he’s the light. It’s such a tragic story. It’s like, ‘That’s who I should be with, but I’m totally in love with the guy I shouldn’t be with.’ Girls are like that. It’s relatable." Of course, topmost on the things she's looking forward to is having Taylor back as Jacob and says they're all "very proud of him." More video interviews with Kristen can be viewed on the Access Hollywood site and IGN UK.

[minamic: I hope this means Kristen will be in her comfort zone with Taylor, and she'll be able to show us the wonderful actress that went into hiding because of her awkwardness with Robert. I'd really love to see how she'll be able to portray her character. New Moon-Bella, with all her emotional incapacities, should be an interesting challenge.]

KStew also addresses the rumors about potential Eclipse directors. "I don't know. I mean, as long as they get someone who's invested, as long as they get someone who cares." Read the article by AceShowbiz here.

A fan was able to chat with Peter Facinelli at the recent UK Twilight convention where he comments that Edward will have "better sparkles than in Twilight"! [Yey! *crosses fingers*]

RPattz was at an Arkansas Wal-Mart recently to promote the release of the Twilight DVD, where he relates his own thoughts about New Moon, and says that Edward was "the first time he has played a real masculine character." (You can search for vids of this visit taken by fans up on youtube.) Sadly, I think I read somewhere that he referenced his "unwashed hair" again at the event. Sigh. [Oh Rob. I fangirl you, but we really don't need to hear about that... Again. Jovan and I will wash your hair for you if you visit though.]

Director Chris Weitz was caught hanging out with the wolves, albeit while shopping for cars for his vamps. And, oh my, Taylor is looking mighty fine! Despite the height requirement, he is shaping up to be Jacob quite nicely, no pun intended. RPattz, better not let up on those weights you've just recently started lifting!

On a last note, we'd like to share Vanity Fair's awesome awesome AWESOME photoshoot recreating scenes from The West Side Story. And wouldn't you know it, Twilight enemies Robert Pattinson and Cam Gigandet landed minor roles as part of the Jets, supporting Ben Barnes' main hero, Tony. (Camilla Belle plays Maria.) [Wow. Ben, Cam, and Rob in one pic together! Sorry, Daene. Looks like this was dedicated to us angels. Hehe.] Unfortunately, it's just a shoot, and though Rob and Cam only get background duty, the slight glimpse of them having fun and letting loose is so worth it!

Besides, we can always wait for outtakes.

ExtraTV caught up with Rachelle Lefevre and Ashley Greene at the 8th Annual Awards Season Diamond Fashion Show Preview. Both said they were very happy to learn that Taylor Lautner would be back to reprise his role as Jacob Black in New Moon. Click here to watch the interview.

MTV has an interview with Jackson Rathbone from a recent concert of 100 Monkeys (Jackson's band). The actor said he's excited to film his scenes for New Moon, specifically, that pivotal scene in the first few chapters where Jasper gets really... ah... involved. ;) Click here to read the full story.

Inspire Magazine has a very cool interview with Solomon Trimble (Sam Uley in Twilight). We learn more about Sam's experiences on the set, his Twilight Fan encounters, and about the celebrity he really enjoyed meeting [Hint: I would have LOVED to meet this celebrity too. :p] Click here to read the full interview.

Times of the Internet has a short piece about Taylor getting the Jacob role in New Moon.

Publisher's Weekly has a report about the books that flew off the US shelves in December 2008. Most of them were children's and young adult books, and of course, the Twilight books were mentioned:

Children’s books proved to be one of the most recession-resistant segments of the book business this holiday season, with the Twilight series and the latest from J.K. Rowling leading the pack. Stephenie Meyer’s vampire books had the added distinction of being the hardest to keep in stock. At BookPeople in Austin, Tex., where getting enough copies of New Moon caused the biggest headache, “Meyer sales alone were actually 5% of our kids’ sales, which is staggering,” noted children’s book buyer Meghan Dietsche Goel in a posting on the ABC listserv.

From StephenieMeyer.com:

Good news about New Moon from director Chris Weitz:

I'm very happy to announce that Taylor Lautner will be playing Jacob Black in New Moon and that he's doing so with the enthusiastic support of Summit Entertainment, the producers, and Stephenie Meyer.

The characters in Stephenie's books go through extraordinary changes of circumstance and also appearance; so it is not surprising that there has been speculation about whether the same actor would portray a character who changes in so many surprising ways throughout the series. But it was my first instinct that Taylor was, is, and should be Jacob, and that the books would be best served by the actor who is emotionally right for the part. I think that fans of Twilight the book and the movie will be surprised by the Jacob Black that Taylor will bring to the screen in New Moon; and I'm looking forward to working with him and the rest of the cast in realizing the film.

very best

Chris Weitz

I'd just like to add that I was very much a part of this decision. My first priority was always what was best for New Moon — what was going to give us the best possible movie. I'm truly thrilled that Taylor was the one who proved to the director, to Summit, and to me that he is the best possible Jacob we could have. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he's going to bring to Jacob's character this year.

- Steph

Thank you to Mae for the heads-up! Go, Steph! Go, Chris!

EW.com is speculating that when Summit Entertainment announces some casting decisions for New Moon, possibly sometime this week, it may turn out that Taylor Lautner will still be Jacob Black. In addition, EW's sources say that nobody else has been approached for the role just yet:

Recently, there have been rumors that Michael Copon (The Scorpion King 2) and Steven Strait (10,000 BC) are jockeying for Lautner's spot. But you can chalk that up to empty Web noise: Reps for both actors say neither has been approached for the role. In fact, in what may shape up to be a triumph of the underdog, sources close to the production say that the simplest route would be to go with Lautner. EW has confirmed that the actor has not only met with director Weitz, but was even screen-tested for chemistry with Kristen Stewart. ''I'm very hopeful,'' a New Moon insider says of Lautner. ''We're not looking at anybody else.''

Click here to read the full article.

The Wall Street Journal has an article about Twilight entitled True Love Waits and focuses on how the Saga is changing teenagers' perception about love. [Link: Wall Street Journal]

Time Magazine asked Stephenie 10 questions about the Twilight Saga. Some of the questions are similar to those asked during the Breaking Dawn Concert Series, but it's fun to read the interview nonetheless. [Link: Time.com]

Blast Magazine is counting down their favorite Jacob and Rosalie moments from Breaking Dawn. [Link: Blast Magazine]

Finally, new photos of Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria and a behind-the-scenes from the Baseball scene are now in our Multiply albums. [Link: TCP Multiply Blog Post]