Saturday, May 29, 2010

How did this happen!

I don't follow celebrities. Until now. About a year ago, I picked up the Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire Mysteries after seeing the first season of TrueBlood on HBO. My reading habits are very broad, but for entertainment it's gotta be fiction. So often I would buy a book and not be able to get passed the first 50 pages. Recommendations from my brother had a better success rate. I can't choose books very well. This series had my attention, completely.

The Southern Vampire Mysteries (SVM) was also my first foray into audiobooks. I consumed all nine books in this series over a month.
It was an all consuming experience. Now I only do audiobooks.

After finishing the ninth book I was desperate to find that level of interest.

Twilight was already a couple of years into it's madness. But it was for Teens, right? I avoided that series as long as I could. But I could not find anything to fill that gap left from finishing SVM. I bit the bullet and gave Twilight a try. It was just as addicting. I consumed all four Twilight books in about 14 days. I had yet to see the movies and had not even heard of Kristen Stewart.

I watched "Twilight" when it came on Showtime earlier this year. Kristen did not fit the mold of the type of women that usually attract me.

But that scene when Edward returns to biology and begins talking to Bella, she looks at him and bites her lip. She was beginning her addiction to him. And that scene did something to me. I kept playing it over and over, fascinated with the facial expressions she was making. I have been hooked since. In the weeks to come, I learn the actresses name and read all the positive and negative hype. She is unlike any actress I have ever witnessed. There is so much more to this. Primarily, this obsession has been about her, but I cannot deny the other side of the phenomenon, her co-star. Bella with Edward on the screen seemed SO REAL. As I learned more about Kristen I am convinced that her talent is very rare and I would have noticed her at some later point in her career. But what she and Robert created left me speechless. Honestly, I have never considered the chemistry factor between two actors before. I could not have cared less about Angelina/Brad. Meant nothing in my world. Did not pay attention to that kinda stuff. Only women think of such BS, right?

Well this is all very new to me.

Enough for now. Bye.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

4 comments:

  1. Hey Dano. Good to see some of you male shippers come forward.

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  2. So glad to "meet" you, Dano. I introduced myself to you in a comment earlier today, but I'll say it again: It is such a relief to encounter someone as articulate, supportive, and male as you are in this somewhat disproportionate fandom. Please keep sharing your thoughts and observations, as Kristen and Rob need more conscientious and expressive folks like yourself in their corner. I'm 31 years old, and I fell into following Kristen and Rob in a very similar fashion as you. I wrote about it just this week in my Pro-Kristen (and Rob and other cultural icons) essays called Musings On Other. All I know is that both Rob and especially Kristen break every mould ever laid before them, and I feel very protective and proud about the grace, dignity and authenticity with which they have traveled their paths. They have both earned my utmost respect and admiration. Thank you again for your words. Please keep writing. Best, Kj

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  3. Cannot understand this feelings these 2 actors from TW create in me also.
    But since I am more K fan. I agree.
    I wish her all the best.
    Hope you continue w/ this K blog.

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  4. Well done for speaking up and thank you. This is the first comment I have ever made. I have never followed any actors or music hype before Twilight. As a well respected enterprise mentor, I have used the Twilight saga with a few clients...helped their marriages and business relationships...truly fascinating. I devoured the books last year 2009, after the Twilight movie was literally put in my lap and told must watch. As a grown woman, I thought I would watch for my teenage son's benefit. I was so taken with the freshness and powerful use of communicating teen relationship openly and effectively; the solid music from first movie; good camera use and movement of body gestures, little smiles and giggles (that are all trademarks of each character now) Truly fascinated with many elements....Stephanie Meyers knows gentle love and loving family values...this is very solid in her writing and I believe the world needs a little love in it and sense of family that this saga offers. She broke the archetype mold that the vampires are bad mad creatures, not able to have any restraint, respect for any living thing, that they only know to use, abuse and leave. Stephanie haswritten down to earth, sincere tension that all relationships and life bring and so innocently wove through the saga with a little hint of dark, forbidden adventure. This has be a good resource for me as a mum for humility with my sons current relationship, the books reminded me what it was like at that age with this inner-depth and drive. I am so impressed how this series has opened up so many real hearts and sense that this sincere loyalty and genuine behaviour, without facades, is actually possible on a larger scale. I then followed both Kristen and Rob to watch speaking interviews, how they evolved and handled this phenomenon and am truly impressed and so pleased that we have a couple of modern day role models who do not need to flaunt their private life for their ego or power kicks. My sincere congratulations goes out to two forgotten heroes in all of this....HERO #1: Catherine Hardwick !! [Twilight director] She picked the very first cast-members, took risks wove an organic thread through the first installment had fun with it and this loose style fits today's environment and Rob and Kristen, rest of the casts style and relaxed attitudes. Taylor Launtner fresh and good decent person has brought balance and humility as do the whole cast Catherine and she and Stephanie chose fabulous live music. The solid foundations of he first installment and Catherine's clever use of little nuances of looks and real freedom for connection...very different to soppy love or abuse of characters in some way that usually happens in movies.
    Stephanie has truly broken many norms and brought in strength of character and decency and committed family support...ie Cullens all support one another with compassion and decency. Stephanie has done a good job in her writing of real values. This had family love and teen-lust-tension attraction with real depth to it. Both Kristen and Rob think and seem to live with this same depth.
    HERO #2 Melissa Rosenberg [the screenwriter for all movies] has been the same person the whole way through and she must be doing something right, as teh cast can deliver and not cripple a good read like movies usually do. I do believe that 12months between the two movies for Breaking Dawn is too long.
    Cutting a long comment short....Go for it Dano...enjoy your obsession, it continue to bring your heart alive and foster the qualities, permission for others to come out and speak up too and a decency you recognise of yourself in all of this! Cheers Jules

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