'Twilight' Director Bumped From Sequel; We Size Up the Replacements

As hinted at two weeks ago and confirmed Sunday, director Catherine Hardwicke is done with the Twilight franchise, leaving a giant "Help Wanted" sign around the blockbuster's swoony, more wolfy sequel New Moon barely a year before its studio hopes to rush it into theaters. No problem, though — after a helpful consultation with Defamer HR, producers should be able to lock up a qualified helmer by the end of the business day.

Kristen Stewart: You Were Poked By Robert Pattinson. poke back|remove

We make no guarantees as to the authenticity of the blurry Facebook screencaps to land in our inbox this morning, allegedly belonging to sumptuously becoiffed Twilight dreamcake Robert Pattinson, working under the alias "Randle Patrick McMurphy." (Ring any bells? 10th grade English students? Anyone? Anyone?) In one exchange, he laments the life of a newly minted Hollywood It-pire ("everybody are such tossers. the bottle does me fine. the girls in this town are quite odd, you know...") and responds to a query of "get Kristen yet?" with a bloodless, cad-like, "you know I did. You're the one person I've told this to but, she wants me more than that twat of a bf that stalks her every move around me."

Whatever Happened to 'Twilight,' Anyway?

We weren't kidding yesterday when we expressed relief at teen-sex romp The Reader having supplanted Twilight as the movies' hottest new youth movement. Still, after Twilight's massive 62% box-office plunge in its second week of release, and with the only the random, pot-gorging snapshot of Kristen Stewart to replace that long-running plague of EW covers, we can't help our sniffling, lonely-ish concern at the edge of the black hole where Twilight used to be. But thankfully, we've found the one place in the world where the vampire romance remains a holdover — and how!

Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Cherry Bong!: Kristen Stewart To Play Joan Jett In 'The Runaways'

THR reports Twilight star/stoop stoner Kristen Stewart will play Joan Jett (c'mon, everybody: "I! Love! B.C. Haze! So put another gram in the hash pipe, baby!") in a biopic about the most badass all-girl band that ever lived—The Runaways.

Kristen Stewart Partakes Of Ancient, Vampire-Summoning Herb

We're now beginning to get a more complete picture of why Twilight star Kristen Stewart seemed a little glassy-eyed and distracted on a recent Late Show with David Letterman appearance, responding to the increasingly annoyed host's questions about the film with non sequiturs like, "You know what would be so choice right now? S'mores!" More »

'Twilight' Stars to Suck $24 Million Payday For Sequel

Twilight's record-breaking opening gross was downgraded to a measly $69.6 million on Monday, which nevertheless failed to deter Summit Entertainment from officially nudging the sequel, New Moon, into the pre-production queue. That was the easy part, though; paying its young stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart a reported $12 million apiece for the second film (and possibly a third) — and locking in director Catherine Hardwicke for millions more — is where the mess might arise. More »

Who Will Replace Our Retiring Movie Stars?

Every movie star everywhere is quitting! In today's case of old Clint Eastwood it makes sense, because he's, y'know, old and his directing career has been a lot more illustrious than his acting career has for the past decade or so. But the once-promising, now-squandered Joaquin Phoenix? Baby mill Angelina Jolie? Nicole Kidman?? If they leave, then what are we to do? Find new movie stars, I guess. Trouble is, there aren't really any good, young understudies waiting in the wings. But there might be some! We'll take a look at who could replace these four retiring (or maybe semi-retiring) actors after the jump. More »

David Letterman Sinks Fangs Into Charisma-Challenged 'Twilight' Star

It's tough to really follow an act like Emma Thompson being bitten in the neck by a terrifying foxpire, only to later foam at the mouth and sprout orange fur as she joins their immortal, chicken-preying ranks. But come on—18-year-old Twilight star Kristen Stewart didn't even try on Late Show last night. What we're trading in here is not your garden variety stuck-up Hollywood ennui, however, but a sort of starlet savante social ineptitude that can swiftly put both audience and host on edge. (See: Farmiga, Vera.) We blame both parties for this mini-trainwreck, however, as Stewart is hardly a neophyte to the Hollywood scene—that was her cowering next to Jodie Foster in Panic Room—and Letterman should know better than to use his verbal flaying-knives on a chick who has the air of that cutter in the corner of your homeroom. Nothing really good could come of that—though there's no denying the brilliant scarlet splatter of "Let's hope it's Berlin." [Late Show]

Kristen Stewart Will Read Next 'Twilight' Book as Soon as the Check Clears

It's increasingly difficult for us to find supporting evidence for the "Stars: Just like us!" meme that sustains us in our windowless dungeon HQ, but Twilight star Kristen Stewart may yet hold us over for the rest of the year. The young actress confides in a new interview that even she can't figure out the intense appeal of the teen-vampire romance saga — but she can apparently spot the appeal of never doing Bella Swan again as long as she lives: More »

Echoes of Sobs, Shrieks, Ticket Demands Hang in Air on Morning After 'Twilight' Premiere

A cultural state of emergency was declared last night in Westwood, where those bulging queues outside the Mann Village became a full-blown tween riot commemorating Twilight's world premiere. Braver souls than we ventured into the shrieking maw of the beast, passing along word of a vampire-romance circus, black market and — God help us — an unofficial sequel announcement from the carpet. The whole bloody recap, after the jump: More »

Twilight's Last Gleaming: If you're not reading this from the line outside the Mann Village, here's what you're missing: Nikki Finke reports that Twilight fans are piling up in Westwood by the hundreds, camping out in anticipation of tonight's premiere event. The accompanying photo was published last night; any readers nearby who have a clean shot at the tent city sure to have emerged in the interim are encouraged to send a photo. There's only a week of hype remaining — every precious second counts. [DHD]

Leaked 'Twilight' Footage Nearly Drowned Out By Italian Shrieks of 'OMG!'

Now that teenage girls have finally gotten over their fear of Twilight star Robert Pattinson's chest hair, they can go back to their regularly scheduled, quavery anticipation for the vampire-in-love drama, which comes out in just a few weeks. How intense is the want-to-see factor for the film? For a primer, just check out this excerpt of footage that just leaked from the Rome Film Festival, where the dialogue is no match for the Beatles-worthy shrieking from the audience that greets every single moment. Summit Entertainment's logo? "AHHHHH!" The first glimpse of Pattinson? "AHHHHH!" The arrival of a female supporting player who's maybe tenth-billed, at best? Screams, fainting, and revivals that can only be successfully administered by the Pope himself. We'd pegged this movie as The Dark Knight for girls, but even Bat-mania was never this loud. Clip above (be sure to turn down your volume). [Twilight]

'Twilight' Star Wonders If Her Co-Star Has Showered Since Wrapping Production

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'Twilight' Star Robert Pattinson Wonders Why You're So Afraid of His Chest Hair

It was the Entertainment Weekly cover that forever scarred Livejournal: a vivid tableau of Twilight actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, the former barechested enough to expose millions of teenage girls to their first confusing glimpse of chest hair. Though excitement for the cinematic adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's vampire novel had been building to a crescendo, one actor's decision not to wax could have destroyed everything; fortunately, the audience's distaste for even more hirsute werewolves kept fans firmly on Pattinson's side. Still, when we spied the actor on the red carpet for the VMAs yesterday, we knew we had to settle Chesthairgate (part two!) once and for all. Also, two bonus bits: Pattinson's thoughts on the latest, controversial Twilight installment and messy vampire babies! What more do you need to sink your teeth into? [MTV] More »

Livejournals Buckle Under the Weight of New 'Twilight' Developments, Reshoots

Though teenage fans of Twilight (the upcoming vampire drama that Summit Entertainment hopes will be its own Harry Potter franchise) were initially put off by lead star Robert Pattinson's chest hair, they've since come around in a major way. Not only has the latest book in the Stephenie Meyer series debuted to huge numbers, but the movie's cast was greeted at Comic-Con with the kind of devoted squeals not heard since the Beatles debuted a song recorded with both 'N Sync and New Kids on the Block. In fact, the fans have become so ardent about Twilight that they swarm each and every online news story to debate the only thing that really matters: who should the lead heroine bang, a vampire or a werewolf? More »

'Twilight' Star's Hairy Chest Frightens The Tweens As Alan Ball Preps Hotter, Cooler Vampire Series

Like it or not, it’s time to let go of any qualms you may have about welcoming a successor to Harry Potter’s tween-bewitching throne and embrace what will surely become the zeitgeisty-est franchise of the decade. Twilight is here, it’s a little bit queer, and don’t even try ignoring it. The dewy, sexy, hickey-adorned film version of the hugely successful books centered around hot teenage vampires has begun garnering its first feature stories in the glossies, and the millions of “fan girls” obsessed with the tales are mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore. The new issue of EW features the film’s two newbie stars on its cover, and the odd photo is setting message boards and fan sites ablaze with criticism from the series’ longtime devotees. And angry fans aren’t the only obstacle Twilight faces — too-cool-for-school Alan Ball has a vampire show premiering on HBO later this year and, unlike “powdered donut” Edward and “plain” Bella, his blood-suckers sit at the cool kids’ table... More »

‘Twilight’ May Look Sexy On-Screen, But The Only Action On-Set Involved 'Runny Noses' And 'Hail Globs'

As we noted last week, the highly anticipated Twilight franchise appears to be far steamier and sexier than the books’ tween fans may have expected. And a profile on the film in yesterday’s LAT suggests the series’ author Stephenie Meyer may be just as surprised. Described by the article's author as "chaste," the Mormon mother of three sounds like the near opposite of director and "troubled-teen expert" Catherine Hardwicke. But as the article reveals, no matter how hot and bothered we felt after watching the teaser trailer, the actual action on set wasn't putting any of its gorgeous cast members in the mood: More »

Will 'Twilight' Be The New 'Harry Potter'? And Why Do We Care?

With over 100 fansites, an author who's hot in an Anne Hatha-way and millions of books already sold, it's no doubt the upcoming Twilight movie franchise will be huge. But how huge? And why? And, more importantly, is Kristen Stewart hotter than Emma Watson? We'll leave that final point up to you (though we've already decided Twilight leading boy Robert Pattinson pales in comparison to Daniel Radcliffe and his treasure trail), but we've done some reading up on this vampire love story and we think that JK Rowling best watch her back. This kiddie tale has bite. More »