More From Comic-Con: “Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2” Panel

Posted on July 16, 2012 at 9:52 pm

It was the first last press conference when the cast of “Twilight” got together to talk to the fans and the press about the last episode and the journey that brought them to this moment.  Following their appearance at the enormous Hall H, with fans who had been camping out for days, the actors and author Stephanie Meyer met with the press.  Kristen Stewart told us about the transformation of her character, Bella, who has some major changes in store after she becomes both a vampire and a mother in the last moments of “Breaking Dawn, Part 1.”  She said her reaction to her new persona was, “I’m a sportscar; let’s break her in.  Even the way she walks into a room is different.”  As for filming the sex scene compared to the tender, if energetic honeymoon scene in the last one:  “We’re not even humans any more.  We tried and it was rated R, .  He was trying not to get his white paint on me and I was trying not to get my brown paint on him.”

Kellan Lutz talked about how his character, Emmett, has to battle Bella.  “To see the little things she would change was fun.”

They were all glad to be together again and enjoyed reminiscing about the earlier films.  Stephanie Meyer said that the first time she saw Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner they were in costume already and “they were all dressed up as my imaginary friends.”  They appreciated original director Catherine Hardwicke’s casting choices, and how well they held up as the actors had the unusual opportunity to create characters who have four times as long as the usual movie to explore their journeys.

When they made the first film, some of them were underage and they laughed that “we had some monitoring.”  The boys and girls stayed in different hotels. They laughed about their “cat classes” and said that like their characters, they felt they were surrounded by protectors, the cast and crew all looking out for them.  They especially enjoyed scenes where many characters were involved because “everyone has covers” (shooting the same thing over and over from different angles), so it meant they had more time together.  They laughed as they described the “dance-off” choreographed as a surprise treat for director Bill Condon by cast members Mia Maestro and Toni Trucks.  They were sentimental about the way “the fans have grown with us”

As for the last chapter, there are “a lot more vampires this time around.”  Jackson Rathbone says his character, Jasper, was “tweaked out, like a junkie going through withdrawal, but now gets more comfortable, more at ease.”  Nikki Reed said she finally got to smile — “a big deal! I look forward to having the audience root for Rosalie a little more.”  Ashley Greene says that Alice, always “lovable, friendly, upbeat, gets to act more vampire, gets more of an edge.”  Elizabeth Reaser said the events of the final film force Esme “into a different lifestyle.  She’s a pacifist forced to be a powerhouse.  She doesn’t have a choice; she has to betray her sense of herself in order to protect her family.”  Peter Facinelli laughed that the biggest change for him was instead of dying his hair blonde, he wore a wig.  And he joked about how much he will miss the woods–and the contact lenses.

Lautner said that in the final chapter it has” become less complicated.  Instead of a triangle, it’s a square.”  “No,” said Stewart, “it’s a perfect circle.”

 

 

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Festivals

Teach Kids Logic With These Terrific Cartoons (Free)

Posted on July 16, 2012 at 8:00 am

Brain Pickings writes about a terrific series of cartoons for kids that explore logic and ideas.  Even adults can learn a few things — and they may need to, as watching these will make kids very good at arguing!

 

 

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Shorts

Teaching Kids About “Stuff”

Posted on July 14, 2012 at 8:09 am

I like Kirsten Greenidge’s piece in the Boston Globe about what she did when her children had tantrums in a store.  She said she understands the appeal of “stuff.”  And she described how the seemingly harmless fun of posting photos on Pinterest can lead to an adult version of the gimmies.  She resolved to put her kids on a no-stuff diet until the next special occasion, even no free lollipop at the bank.  She is going to teach her kids to be more present in their interactions with things.

This is perhaps not the most fulfilling way to meander through life, this coveting, this curating of stuff. It is a means of focusing inward, of connecting to others through objects that are, when all is said and done, simply objects. They make poor substitutes for actual human interaction and connection.

Still, from the back seat, each kid howled. I had come between them and their stuff. I was altering their view of the world — a view that it is OK if your need for more objects affirming your place in the universe takes over your experience as a human being.

Over the weekend, my husband and I drove by what was once, in the days of VHS, a video store.  I told him that once, when our son was about 2, I stood with him on the sidewalk in front before we went inside and told him that we did not have time to pick out a new movie, so we were just going to go inside long enough to return one, and he should not ask me to stay.  Our son said he understood.  A man walking past us stopped to listen.  “That works?” he said incredulously.  It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of giving in to the “stuff” monster.  But it is a much greater gift to teach children to value what they have.

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Marketing to Kids Parenting Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Matte Painting Backgrounds — Before CGI

Posted on July 14, 2012 at 8:00 am

Years ago, my husband and I attended an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York featuring the spectacular matte paintings of Peter Ellenshaw, who created the enthralling background designs for movies from the futuristic “Things to Come” to Walt Disney Studios’ “Treasure Island” and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”  Before the days of computer-generated images some of the most imaginative and evocative settings on film were created by brilliantly talented draughtsman and artists.  Many thanks to Roger Ebert for directing me to this splendid collection of some of the best movie matte paintings, including Ellenshaw’s wonderful London setting for “Mary Poppins.”

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture
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