Will You See Eclipse Today?

As you know, today is Wednesday, June 30th. Lots of things going on in Hollywood that bear mentioning. For one thing, everyone’s buzzing about this Forbes’ Celeb Power List (including us). Which is why, on this day I could be expressing my outrage over certain slights on that List, while wholeheartedly approving others who made the cut. Similarly, on this Wednesday, I could perhaps be commenting on the Hawaiian marriage of 36-year-old Brian Austin Green to his on-again, off-again doll Megan Fox, who’s all of 24. Also today?  I could conceivably add my two cents to Larry King’s announcement that he’ll be ending his long-running, iconic late-night talk show come fall.        Those topics I could address. But I shan’t. Because today in Los Angeles (and across the nation) Eclipse, the third installment of the Twilight Saga opens. And as an unabashed fan, that makes this day a long-awaited treat indeed. Admittedly, Twilight’s a guilty pleasure. And though I find it incomprehensible, I must acknowledge that the franchise is not for everyone. To be sure, there was a time when I didn’t know the first thing about it. I knew about the books, but I just lumped them in with other things I knew I would never read like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and all those ghastly, creepy Anne Rice culty (and oc-culty) vampire stories. Buffy?? Zero interest. When Twilight came out, I went to see it because I had interviewed director Catherine Hardwicke several times for my radio station, and I’d also brought Kristen Stewart in to promote a thriller she’d just done. I thought they were both very talented, and so I went with genuine curiosity. So far so good. I didn’t expect much, and sat in a theater among literally hundreds of shrieking tweens. The movie began, and about six minutes in,  I was totally and inexplicably hooked. That was all it took. It’s just a great story that’s really well lit with impossibly appealing actors.Within a few hours I had purchased the books, and within a few days I’d devoured all four of them. I watched clips from the movie on YouTube posted, I am sure, by children unable to stay at home without a babysitter. Then I watched as people I knew well and respected  — people as unfamiliar with the phenomenon as I’d been — admitted privately that “you know, it’s kind of a good movie”. The story works on a very basic level and its appeal is largely due to one simple fact: its heroine is not just an ordinary girl, she’s actually clumsy & awkward & stuck in a less-than-ideal school/home sitch. Everyone can relate. Then came New Moon. Which was not a terrible movie, unless you (and me, and every 14-year old girl in America, plus all their mothers) were into the central Bella/Edward story. In which case, it was kind of a disaster. So tonight? Part three. And I couldn’t be more excited. Will it be a good movie? Possibly. Will it be better than New Moon? Unquestionably. Will the critics like it? Probably not. Will their disparagement make one iota of difference to fans ? Nope. I predict it’ll do meteoric business. Now today, because it’s Eclipse day, let’s address other huge fan phenoms;  think back to those movies you absolutely couldn’t wait to see in theaters. Voice your choice in today’s featured poll and tell us which of these blockbuster movie franchises you were the most excited about seeing:

1) Twilight

2) Harry Potter

3) Lord of the Rings

4) Star Wars