Yesterday we learned that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has been fired from any future directing duties of any of the forthcoming Twilight Saga films (which many Pink readers were happy to learn) and today we get to see pics of Hardwicke with Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart smiling pretty for the cameras at a photocall for the film which took place at the Hotel Crillon in Paris, France last night:

I must say … it really looks like Catherine is being a good sport in these photos. I bet it’s difficult for her to continue to promote the film after learning her fate from the movie studio. That being said, she worked really hard on Twilight and I can understand why she would want to do everything she can to make her film as successful as possible. Good on her for keeping her head held high.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

A few weeks ago we saw new pics of Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson out and about after dark with a mysterious ladyfriend who was speculated to be his new love interest. As of yet, we don’t know for sure if R. Pattz and that mystery chick are really knockin’ boots or not but we do now know that Kristen Stewart (his Twilight costar) IS happily attached to a real life boyfriend. Here are pics of K. Stew and her actor boyfriend Michael Angarano — who you may recall played Elliot, Jack McFarland’s son on Will & Grace — making their way thru LAX Airport together earlier this week:

Okay, I kinda love this pairing. I really like Michael Angarano as an actor … he was pretty amazing on Will & Grace and I even liked him in Sky High and Forbidden Kingdom. He may not be as flawlessly perfect as the fictional Edward Cullen in the Twilight books but I think, in real life, he makes an excellent young boyfriend for the Kristen Stewart. Honestly, I think they look great together … I hope we get to see more of this supercute couple out and about in the future.

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

After enjoying a record-breaking stellar opening here in US theaters, Twilight is about to take the UK by storm. The film’s protagonist star Kristen Stewart and Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke were among the guests on hand at the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square in London, England last night for the UK premiere of their film:

Teenage fans braved the cold to catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson at the premiere of his new fanstasy film Twilight. The 22-year-old English actor plays vampire Edward Cullen in the film, which has been touted as the “girl’s answer to Harry Potter”. He was joined on the red carpet by co-star Kristen Stewart, who plays his teenage love interest Isabella Swan. Stewart, 18, arrived at the West End Vue Cinema in London’s Leicester Square wearing a single-strap blue dress, apparently unconcerned about the bitter temperatures. Twilight is based on the series of books by Mormon housewife-turned-author Stephanie Meyer which have sold around 14 million copies across the world. The film, which raked in £24 million ($35.7 million) on its opening day in the US last month, is expected to catapult Pattinson – who played Hogwarts pupil Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter films – to international heart-throb status. Pattinson was raised in Barnes, west London, and first trod the boards in Guys and Dolls at his local theatre group seven years ago. In Twilight he stars as Cullen, a 108-year-old vampire who looks like a teenager and wins the heart of Stewart’s character when she moves to his hometown of Forks, Washington. The film, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, opens in cinemas in the UK on Dec 19.

Something tells me that Twilight mania is going to hit the UK about as forcefully as it did here in the US … especially considering that Robert Pattinson is a native Brit. Lest you think R. Pattz was not in the hiz last night for the UK premiere of the film, I do have a very special photo of the lad on the red black carpet last night. After the jump, check out a pic of Pattinson with a few new friends … (more…)

After grossing approximately $7 million dollars in midnight screenings alone, Twilight went on to gross $35 million dollars in just its opening day yesterday (the movie only cost $37 million to make). At the rate that the movie is making money this weekend (the estimation is that it could make somewhere in the area of $75 million over Friday, Saturday and Sunday), it is deffo on track to not only be the #1 movie at the box office but is sure to make enough money to ensure that the sequel, New Moon, can be made. As a result of all this money-making at the box office, the movie studio sent out a Thank You letter to fans which, supposedly, comes from principal stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson themselves:

Bigger than the latest Indiana Jones. Bigger than the biggest James Bond. That’s how big Twilight was yesterday. The $37 million vampire flick, expected to have a killer opening day, had a monster opening day, grossing an estimated $35 million, Exhibitor Relations reported. One-fifth of that gross, or $7 million, came from Friday midnight screenings. The box-office tracking firm said a $75 million Friday-Sunday gross was now a possibility. Going into Friday, $60 million was considered the movie’s best-case scenario. When the counting’s done, Twilight’s Friday take may rank as the 14th or 15th biggest opener of all time, having surpassed the debuts of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($25 million) and Quantum of Solace ($27 million), to name two recent blockbusters.

Oh yeah, this is pretty much what I expected. Despite the negativity and some bad reviews, I was fairly confident that the rabid Twilighters out there would ensure that this movie enjoyed a boffo weekend at the box office. Did anyone really doubt that New Moon would be made? C’mon, now. Alls I know is that the Twilight Saga franchise has officially gotten underway. There will be loads of tween vampy angst to be had in movie theaters for years to come. You have been warned.

So … how much of this weekend’s box office take do y’all think will be repeat business? Have any of y’all seen (or plan to see) the movie more than once this weekend?

[Source]

Twilight is almost upon us, y’all … we are mere 3 days away from the movie’s official opening (well, 2 days away if you figure in the first midnight showings on Thursday) and anticipation for the film is reaching a fevered pitch. The movie had its official Hollywood premiere at Mann Village and Bruin Theaters in Westwood, CA last night where the principal stars were joined by their celebrity cohorts on the red carpet … oh yeah, and about 600+ “fanpires” who came out to shriek and scream for the arriving cast members, getting louder and louder until Robert Pattinson’s arrival caused the excitement to go supersonic (poor R. Pattz even went “completely deaf”). Here are a few pics from last night’s premiere arrivals and some info about the night’s festivities:

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.”

LOL. I’d be surprised if Twilight didn’t make $150 million in it’s opening weekend, considering all this insane hype. But, more realistically, it prolly won’t make that much money in one weekend but I think it’s a bit silly to say that they’re not sure about future sequels … this movie will make more than enough to justify the sequels to come. I have to say, I’m so impressed that all of this crazed excitement has been generated by a book … once again, my spirit is heartened by the fact that all of this rabid fandom comes not from video games or pop star worship — all of this excitement comes from reading books. The naysayers have much to say about all this “silliness” over vampires but I am most taken by the fact that books have inspired this insanity. Kids are reading! I really do hope that Twilight exceeds all expectations. The more success that movies like this have, the more credence will be paid to the actual written word. It won’t be long now.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Last week I posted a few photos of Twilight stars Taylor Laughter (Jacob) and Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria) at an in-store appearance at a Hot Topic store in Seattle, WA and today we get to see a few pics of Twilight protagonist Kristen Stewart (Bella) at one of her only two in-store appearances at a Hot Topic store at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, Virginia (she also appeared at a Hot Topic at Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ). It would appear that K. Stew wasn’t all that excited about meeting and greeting the throngs of rabid Twilight fans who queued up to meet her:

In her defense, they have been runnin’ the poor girl ragged over the last couple of weeks. Just this weekend, she met up with some of her co-stars in Toronto, CA to make an appearance on Much Music there.

But, thankfully for Kristen, she has been allowed to return to her home in SoCal for a hot minute … here are pics of her grand arrival back home yesterday:

But, no rest for the weary, I’m afraid. The Hollywood premiere of Twilight is this week and with the movie opening in theaters on Friday, I’m sure she still has much promoting left to do.

Don’t forget to get your entries submitted for the Twilight Prize Pack contest I’m runnin’. Click HERE for deets on how to enter … you’ve got one week left to participate :)

[Photo credit: Splash News, Bauer-Griffin]