Breaking Dawn Trailer…..Duh Duh Duuuuuuuuunh!!

After dealing with all the heaviness of national publications attacking books we love and Summer Reading Programs starting all over the country, we all need a little bit of levity right now.

So…….here is the first trailer for Breaking Dawn Part One.*  I happen to be in the camp of people who adore Breaking Dawn (hey, Jacob got his happy ending, that’s all I wanted….I don’t care how gross it is) and the Twilight movies always make me happy, so I am super excited about this.

I really love the way it starts out with everyone receiving the invitations.  And the wedding itself looks gorgeous!!!  I just can’t believe they revealed so much of the plot.  I guess most people who will be seeing the movie already know what is happening, but still…..they could have left a little to the imagination.

I am really excited to see what the fancy pants director does with the impossible-to-adapt material in the book.  Is anyone else looking forward to it?  At least it will give me something to do after the last Harry Potter this summer.

Jen

*Sorry, I couldn’t get it to embed and I was too lazy to devote time to making it work.

 

Jen’s Review of Eclipse (Spoilers Ahead)

So I went to the midnight showing of Eclipse last night after working for 11.5 hours and doing 4 programs at the library.  I honestly didn’t know if I would even make it through the movie.  Luckily, Eclipse was FREAKING AWESOME, so I had no worries about staying awake (although I did rest my eyes for a bit while we waited in the theater for three hours).

I was a little nervous about the crowd in our theater because some of the people were exceptionally annoying during the wait.  There was a group of 5 Twilight Moms who literally stood in the center aisle for two hours.  We were sitting in the first row of the back section, so they were right in front of us.  I now know enough about all of their kids from their very loud conversation that I could buy them all Christmas presents.  I finally asked them to sit down because they were being rude and they looked at me like I was an idiot.  There was also an annoying girl who kept going to the bathroom and then shouting at the people behind us to tell them all how it was in there…….really?

But once the movie started, the crowd was great!  We all laughed at the right times,  screamed at the hottie werewolves and cheered after Bella finally said she would marry Edward (I could have done without that last one though).  There was one line that Jacob says as he enters the tent where the crowd just roared with laughter and then cheered…..it was a fantastic moviegoing moment.  I think Taylor Lautner has done a helluva lot for the Team Jacob movement.

Here are some of my favorite parts from the movie:

*The makeup and hair in this one is so much better than New Moon.  The vampires no longer look so pasty and Edward has thankfully lost his glossy lipstick.  Rosalie’s hair is fabulous compared to both previous films.  Thank God they finally got that right.  The only complaint I have is that Jasper’s hair is still hideous, but I guess that is to be expected.

*Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!  Billy Burke is phenomenal as Bella’s dad.  Everything he did and said got such a laugh.  There is one conversation between him and Bella that got almost as many laughs as the previously mentioned Jacob line.  I was a little upset when he was oringinally cast because he looks nothing like My Charlie (I always pictured him as kind of pot-bellied and balding) but now I know that he is perfect for this role.

*I LOVED Rosalie and Jasper’s backstories.  The final shot from Rosalie’s backstory is pitch perfect!

*I thought the battle was really well done.  The special effects that are used when a vampire dies are really great and there was a lot of cheering during the fighting, especially Edward vs. Victoria at the end.

*The training scene where Alice is fighting with Jasper might be my favorite scene in any of the movies.  It unfolds exactly as I remember it from the book and the two of them are SOOOOOOO adorable with each other.  Bravo Ashley and Jackson!

*Speaking of Jackson, I was really happy to see that he had a lot more to do as Jasper.  He was really funny and he did such a great job that I completely forgot how hideous his hair was for the last half of the movie.

*Another thing that was great about this movie was all of the scenes lifted right out of the book.  The other movies have stayed very close to their source material, but Eclipse seemed to have several conversations play out almost word for word from the book.  I love it when screenwriters do that!  And this wasn’t the cheesy “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…” crap, I mean things like the tent scene and the very last scene of the movie.  (TENT SCENE! TENT SCENE!)

*Did I mention the tent scene with Jacob and Edward is fantastic?  My favorite parts of the series are when Edward and Jacob hang out with each other, and the tent scene totally lived up to my expectations.

Look at us! We are all emotional and angsty!

There are a few things that disappointed me, but they were very minor.  I wasn’t a huge fan of all the extra newborn stuff, but I know it was necessary to move the plot along and explain what was happening without having scene after scene of exposition.  I also wanted more werewolves!!!!  But it could have been a 2-hour movie of nothing but werewolves and I would want more.  I could have done with a few less angsty looks between Bella and well, everybody, but I guess that is to be expected.

I would like to see more wolves please...and why are you wearing a shirt?

Anyway, the movie totally kicked ass and I WILL be seeing it again multiple times.  I hope all of you Twilight fans rush out to see it and I think even some non-Twilight fans might like this one.

Jen

My Top Ten Young Adult Novels

I am fully aware that the following list will horrify most librarians.  There isn’t a real award winner in sight and every book has come out in the last five years (I didn’t actually check, but I am assuming that is true).  Also, they are really popular titles.

This is the list that I submitted to Persnickety Snark.  The post describing the poll does specifically say “favorite” books, which I took literally.  I completely understand that these are not the ten BEST YA books ever, but they are certainly my favorite.

Now, there is an absence of classics (no Judy Blume or anything like that) because I just didn’t read YA until I went to grad school!!  Also, the what most people consider to be the “best” YA book ever is one of the books that I loathe the most (stupid Holden Caulfield….I would totally punch him in the face if I met him on the street…..big whiner baby).

So without further ado, here are my favorite young adult novels…….you’ve been warned.

10.  Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock–I love this book even more now that I have read all three.  It feels like such a realistic story to me (even the this-could-never-happen final football game).  And I love that fact that it is set on a dairy farm.  I pretend now that all of the milk I drink comes from Schwenk Farm.

9.  Chalice by Robin McKinley–I think I am including this on the list because I felt so accomplished after I finished it.  It was tough going at the beginning, but by the end I was ripping through it to see what happened.  And the Master is totally one of my favorite guy characters ever.  He is smokin’!  (Okay, that is a really lame joke that nobody would get unless they read the book.)

8.  Unwind by Neal Shusterman–I love this book because it has a mind-blowing concept.  Not only that, but Mr. Shusterman knows what to do with it and doesn’t let the book lose steam at all.  Great plot, great characters.  Also, now that I’ve read this book, I look at certain kids and say, “Man, they would have totally been unwound…”  Yeah, I’m cruel like that.

7.  Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle–You might have noticed that most of these books (probably all of them) are ones I have mentioned on this blog before.  There are very few books I get more pleasure out of reading than this one.  I don’t think I need to justify it more than that.  JUBILEE!!!

6.  Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer–I literally kept thinking about this book for several weeks after I finished it.  It was so haunting and perfect.  Now that it’s already out, I am disappointed that there was a sequel about Miranda.  I really loved the vagueness of the first book’s ending (something I usually hate).  This book also caused me to eat lettuce for a month, even though I hate lettuce.

5.  If I Stay by Gayle Forman–I loved this book so much.  This is another one that made me really think.  I cared about the characters so much and cried though the last half of the book.  Oh, man this was fantastic!  Am super pissed that there is going to be a book two……really?  Sometimes people need to look authors in the face and say, “Hell to the No!”

4.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins–I totally had a conversation with this book while I was reading it.  Throughout the course of the novel I continually said things like, “WHAT!!!  OH NO!!!  DON”T DO THAT KATNISS!!!  Awwww, Peeta!  WHAT!!!”  I even did a little bit of talking the second time through as well.

3.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling–I like the sixth book better than the seventh book, but I think that the final one needs to be recognized on this list.  The HP books were such huge events in my life, and there was nothing better than getting on the phone with my sister and my dad after finishing this one.  Other books since the HPs have offered similar bonding opportunities, but none of them as strong as this one.

2.  Twilight by Stephenie Meyer–I will admit it, I love Twilight.  I adore the books.  I literally have to hold myself back from reading them every other week.  I can’t explain why I adore them, especially since I have so many problems with them (creepy stalker Edward, whiny Bella, etc.), but they will always have a special place in my heart.  (Moment of honesty here: I totally wanted to put Breaking Dawn on here in place of Twilight, but I was too embarrassed.)

1.  Forever Princess by Meg Cabot–This is my favorite young adult book because it is literally the perfect end to a wonderful series.  Meg Cabot knew exactly what her fans wanted and she gave it to them.  (Authors take note: we like this!!!!!)  I think I have read this book 4 (maybe 5?) times.  It’s my favorite because it is everything I want a YA novel to be: happy, frothy, funny, romantic, and with a happy ending.  I don’t usually go in for angst, drugs, dead people, or too much relationship drama (but sometimes I make exceptions: see above).

So there you go, that’s my list.  Just writing this made me want to run to my shelves and reread all of these books.  Then I realized that I only own six of them!  Eeeep!  To the bookstore!

Jen

P.S.  You may think from looking at this list that I place HP below Twilight and The Princess Diaries.  This is not true.  When taking the series as a whole, Harry Potter is always first for me, followed by Twilight and TPD tied for second.

Even Forbes Can’t Escape the Twilight Phenomenon

I learned the other night from the Colbert Report that Forbes’ list of the 15 richest fictional characters was recently released.  I vaguely remember hearing about this  list in the past, but I’ve never paid attention.

This year I decided to check it out, and it is very interesting.  Coming in at #1 is none other than Carlisle Cullen.  Heeheehee!  I guess it does make perfect sense, since he has Alice to help him out.  The thing that made me laugh really hard was reading about how the list was put together.  Apparently people from Forbes study the character’s source material to discover the extent of their wealth.  I get a big kick out of imagining people from Forbes pouring over the Twilight series.  *Giggle*

I think the list itself is pretty great.  Anything that includes Scrooge McDuck, Richie Rich, several superheroes, two classic tv characters, Mr. Burns, and Lucille Bluth is okay in my book.

Only the vampire is richer than me!!!

Jen

What Fictional Names Are Your Favorite?

I just read this little post on EW that linked to the newest update on popular baby names.  Apparently, parents are naming their kids after their favorite characters in books, tv shows, and movies.  Pretty soon the world will be teaming with Sookies, Bellas, and Renesmes.  *Shudder*  If you actually name your child Renesme, I’m sorry but I can’t be your friend.

I do not plan to have kids, but I always notice cool names when I am reading and think, “Hmmm, that would make a good name for a pet.”  I have my two cats right now, but in the future I hope to have another hamster, a dog and maybe two more cats.  I am obviously not opposed to using fictional character names since I have a cat named Hermione and had a hamster named Buffy (may she rest in peace).

Here are some of the names I am holding onto for the future.

Jacob Remus for a dog (from Twilight and Harry Potter)

Toot and Puddle for two cats (from the Holly Hobby picture books)

Rochester or Chester for short for a hamster (from Jane Eyre)

Dug for a dog (from Up)

Temp for a hamster or cat (from Gregor the Overlander)

Some of these names are kind of out there, but I figure that I am allowed a little more freedom with my pets than people are with their kids.  (Seriously, if you name your kid Renesme, they WILL hate you.)

What fictional names would you use for your children/pets?

Jen

RIP Buffy

So, Yeah…..There’s a “New” Twilight Book Coming Out

So, Stephenie Meyer has written a 192 page novella (since when has almost two hundred pages been called a novella????  Is there a real definition for what that word means???) about Bree from Eclipse.  Most of you (even some of you Twihards) are probably saying “Who the hell is Bree?”  Well *SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER* Bree is one of Victoria’s minions who chooses not to fight the Cullens so is spared by Carlisle the pure of heart, but is then executed by the Volturi anyway.

Why would I want to read a book about a girl who is just going to die???  Which isn’t really a spoiler becuase the title gives it away.  I mean, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner does kind of give away the ending.

Now I am a huge Twilight fan.  I love Stephenie Meyer’s books.  I am just not a real big fan of Stephenie Meyer herself.  She went on and on and on about how she wanted to distance herself from Twilight and she needed to do something different after what happened with the Midnight Sun debacle.  Well, apparently she was ready to come back, but did she go back to Midnight Sun???  Nope, she decided to write a stupid book about a character no one cares about.

What really makes me mad is that she has the first twelve chapters of Midnight Sun written…..in Twilight there are only 24 chapters and an epilogue.  That is only about 240 more pages since the books are basically telling the same story.  That means she could have easily finished Midnight Sun in the amount of time it took her to write this 200 page book (now I know that different books take more or less time to write, but this is just an example).

So she was ready to go back to Twilight, but she didn’t go back to Midnight Sun, even though her fans are DYING for it.  You know why?  Because she is still all pissed off that the chapters got leaked.  Well, she can’t blame anybody but herself for that.  She willingly gave out copies to people and one of THOSE people leaked the book (or lost it and then it got leaked, who knows).  She shouldn’t punish her fans because her friend screwed up.

Anyway, rant over.  One good thing about the book is that some of the proceeds will go to support Haiti.  Then it will be available online for free a few days after it goes on sale (why?  who knows?).  I think I am most mad at the fact that I will go out and buy this book so I can put it on my shelf with the others.  And I will read it, and I will love it.

But the whole time I will be wishing it could be Midnight Sun.  Also, think about how much more money she could have made for Haiti if she’d finished THAT book.

Jen

At twilight, bats like to come out to take pictures of Pluto and make chocolate scultpures

What do the words twilight,  chocolate,  pluto,  twilight pictures,  and bat have in common?  Well, other than twilight and twilight photos, not much.  Well, I mean bats frequently come out at twilight (right?), and then if you consider that vampires were once thought to be able to take a bat shape….  And then I guess Pluto is made out of chocolate.  And it is a well known fact that vampires love making chocolate sculptures.  Hm.  I seem to have made the connection for you.  You’re welcome.  

No explanation needed.

But anyways, those words, besides being connected in the way I outlined for you, are the words most frequently searched for that leads people here.  Twilight doesn’t surprise me, as we have talked about Twilight frequently since we’ve started this blog.  I mean what with New Moon and Taylor Lautner having his shirt off for practically the entire movie, who could really blame us?  But chocolate, bats and Pluto?  I guess Jen (I think.  Possibly Jill.  As Jill is the Illinoisan right now.  But Jen was one too a while ago) did do that one post about Pluto, but when people do a google search for Pluto, does our website really show up that fast?  And chocolate??  Out of all the sites on the internet, why would you go to a site called NerdGirlBlogging to read about chocolate??  I guess people just see the name and assume that we must be high quality experts on these subjects.  Which we pretty much are.  But bats?  I’m sorry, when have we ever talked about bats??  I mean, besides yesterday when I put up a picture of a bat.  Bat has been a big search term for a while though.  So I just can’t figure this one out.

To counteract this, I am going to try to hit upon some new top search words.  Such as AVATAR, or JUSTIN BIEBER, or umm… umm… FLYING MONKEY BUTTS!  Yeah.. that’s it.  Hey, all I’m saying is, this is not just a twilight blog!  We are girls and we are nerds, and we reserve the right to geek out about anything and everything!  YEAH!

<3, lindsay

I’d Like To See Edward Try To Move Like This

Vodpod videos no longer available.

God bless Entertainment Weekly and their neverending obsession with everything Twilight related.  The upcoming issue of the magazine will feature Kristen and Taylor on the cover, which will be probably the 4th Twilight related cover this year and there hasn’t even been a movie or a book out yet!!!!!!!!!  I can’t tell if their editors are the ultimate fangirls or if they are just trying to reach out to the fangirls.  Either way I don’t care, because it leads to videos like the one above.

Ms. Stewart is her usual quirky self (*cough* probably on something *cough*) but the reason to watch is the wonderfulness of Taylor Lautner.  Not only is he not afraid to frolic in tall grass (BEWARE OF TICKS!!!!) but he can do crooked backflips!!!

I am soooooooo excited for this movie!!!  With all the hype surrounding Taylor before the release, he better be in the movie for more than 15 minutes, because I can totally see them condensing the whole first 250 pages into 20 minutes (10 minutes of course, being reserved for the infamous paper cut scene).

TEAM JACOB Forever!!!!

Jen

New Moon Cover…Aw Crap, I’ll Have To Buy It Again

Even though I already own New Moon, looks like I’m going to have to buy another copy just so I can look at the cover everyday.  Whilst looking at it, I will use my fingers to cover up Bella (who looks like she is trying to cry on her own shoulder) and the terrifying Edward Cullen “I’m Stalking You” Moon.

Or I guess I could just print off the picture and hang it on my wall.

Are those zombies in the background???

Jen

Pattinson Music

I must admit — and I know I will probably be banished to the ends of the earth for this — Robert Pattinson never really did it for me in Twilight. Don’t get me wrong. Yes, he’s certainly attractive, um, hello scene when he steps out of his car wearing those sunglasses, and yes, he’s British, so obviously the accent helps immensely, but I don’t know, usually he’s just too scruffy for me or something.  Plus I think I may have a secret thing for Emmett, which might have begun when I dressed as Rosalie for ICPL’s teen Twilight viewing.

HOWEVER

Oh. My. Gosh. How much do I freaking love Robert Pattinson’s songs “Never Think” and “Let Me Sign” from the Twilight soundtrack? Answer: SO, SO, SO MUCH!  And since I am a big music nerdgirl & a huge sucker for a boy with a guitar, the amazingness of these two songs alone make me love him. “Never Think” is my current favorite of the two because it’s so simple and beautiful with just the acoustic guitar and his voice. Of course, it’s kind of hard to understand what he’s saying, but whatever, he’s totally forgiven. And “Let Me Sign” is completely haunting and incredible.  Hands down the best haunting song I’ve heard since “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap.

So basically, I’m a Robert Pattinson convert thanks to these two songs. I need more!

*Gasp* I just remembered that Robert Pattinson plays “Bella’s Lullaby” in the movie, and according to what I read online, it’s actually him playing the piano!  Guitar AND piano?  Wow!

– jill