I witnessed a performance by a military band and was pleasantly surprised when they performed Andrew Loyd Weber’s Phantom Of The Opera.

delicate scented flowers

The story is a beautiful one. Somewhat like the beauty and the beast. A young man, abandoned at birth because of his deformed face spends his life in hiding.

He falls in love with lovely Christine whom he wins over with his beautiful voice and charisma as he hides is disfigurement behind a mask.

Words alone can’t do this movie justice. Here are scenes from the movie. The music heightens the emotions – the romance and tragedy as it unfolds.

That’s Gerard Butler singing. Wow.

*spoiler* Here’s the final scene

Wednesday’s midnight showing of eclipse broke box office records, grossing an estimated 30 million.

Twilight saga’s new moon came in second at around 26 million.

By 2nd July, Eclipse brought in $68 million. Will the momentum continue?

Critics have blasted Eclipse. Some calling it a stinker. It’s tomato rating is 50%

But hey, the guys would hate it. What about the ladies?
Here’s a review by a gal.

This is where Bella flees from Victoria, the vampire, who is out for revenge. Edward killed Victoria’s mate, so Victoria intends to take Edward’s lover’s life in return. What’s the human girl surrounded by blood thirsty vampires to do?

Then again, aren’t all vampires bloodthirsty?

Anyway, newborn vampires are more blood thirsty than regular vamps and Victoria’s created an entire vampire of them.

The feud between vampires and werewolves have gone on for generations. A treaty keeps them from killing one another. The two camps let by Edward and Jake have to unite if Bella is to live.

Then there’s the love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob.

And the hunky werewolves. Read the werewolf cast did push up competitions to stay in shape between takes.

Though some ladies prefer pale, mysterious vampires.

Which camp do you belong to? The wolves or the vamp?

Scenes from Twilight:Saga New Moon

I like this one. Jacob Black, scooping heart-broken Bella into his arms as she mourns the loss of her Edward.

Best friends or lovers? Jake still holds the torch for Bella. With Edward leaving Bella for her own good, Jake’s love for Bella will keep her going.

Unrequited love?

She loves him dearly. He is her sunshine.. and best friend.

Bella with Edward, the love of her life. Her choice. To continue her life as a human or let her heart stop beating as she joins him as a vampire.

Jacob Black is the younger guy who has a crush on Bella Swan. Though Bella loves Jake as her best friend, Jake hopes for something more. Problem is.. Bella’s in love with a vampire. A revolting creature in the eyes of Jake.. who happens to be a werewolf.

Here’s an on set interview with Taylor Lautner, a.k.a. Jacob Black.

Are you team vampire or team werewolf?
Do you prefer your guys cold or feverish?

Here’s an interview with the cool vamp and the hot wolf.
Presenting Rob and Lautner at Eclipse.

What does Bella think? I mean Kristen Stewart?

Here’s an interview with Kristen 1 week before the premiere.

Here’s Kristen’s fashion sense at the black carpet premiere of Eclipse.

Another interview. This time with Rob Pattinson and cast at the Eclipse premiere.

Here’s an interview with Rob Pattinson at the LA premiere of the Eclipse movie.

When you are in love, you’d find that your lover is all you live for.

Head over heels in love. Logic is the first thing that vanishes.

Is it love or lust?

Would you fight the physical lust to stay pure? Keep your virginity and hold out for something amazing when you are finally wed to each other?

Sounds old fashioned?

While most teenage guys seem too eager to have sex with their other half, forever 17 year old Edward Cullen had values that may be termed by Victorian by some. Actually, Edward, a vampire was born during the Victorian era, brought up with these values which had him holding his lust in check, for the sake of his bella. Not just blood lust, but no matter how intimate they were, he held his iron resolve not to go all the way.

He wanted to keep Bella virtuous.

In a world where some people are laughed at for their virginity, the Twillight saga speaks otherwise. The romantic leads, Edward and Bella, through Twillight, Eclipse and New Moon, though madly in love, never went all the way.. (uh oh.. does that count as an Eclipse movie spoiler or a New Moon spoiler?)

While most romance tales have the lovers jumping on each other, Twillight is a movie where abstinence is a virtue the romantic hero holds on to.

Eclipse Movie spoiler: In the bitter cold, Edward, being a vampire was unable to protect Bella from the cold. His skin was like ice. His love rival, Jake, a werewolf was the opposite. Jake’s skin’s like fire.I

Out in the snow, Bella Swan, the human girl caught between her vampire lover and werewolf best friend could very well freeze to death. That leads to the tent scene where Jake comes to her rescue.

The stars, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner describe the tent scene as intense. This is what Jake can give Bella which Edward cannot. Warmth. What she needed to survive that wintry night in the open. He had to use his body to keep hers warm. His love rival’s biggest nightmare.

Would Jake seduce Bella to go all the way? Would she lose her virginity to his love rival?

Lust or love?

If you love someone, you are willing to hold out for that person.

If you are in lust, who cares?

Is that your stand?

Is virginity to be treasured in this modern context?

Interestingly, both Rob and Kristen are said to believe in abstinence.

Even before Eclipse has been released, the next instalment of the Twilight saga is being shot.

With Robert Pattinson playing Edward Cullen, Kristen Stewart as Bella, both are real life lovers, having fallen in love on the set, according to Daily Mail : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1253104/Twilight-star-Robert-Pattinson-FINALLY-admits-dating-Kristen-Stewart.html

The focus falls on Jacob Black, played by Taylor Lautner, the werewolf love rival of Edward Cullen, as he fights for the love of his best friend.

Bella, torn between two lovers, protected by both, must be the envy of the countless female fans of both hunks.

A picture speaks a thousand words.

Rather than describe what’s in New Moon using words, I’d like to share these  You Tube New Moon videos with you.

This is the one I was telling you about earlier. Where Edward chooses to sacrifice his happiness for Bella’s wellbeing. Even if he can resist the smell of her blood, what’s to stop his clan from losing control at the scent of a single drop of Bella’s blood. Every moment she spends with the Cullens puts Bella in mortal danger of becoming someone’s snack.

Here, Edward makes the ultimate sacrifice.. and gives up Bella to his love rival, Jacob Black.

Unfortunately, neither Edward nor Bella can live without each other. Both head in the direction of Romeo and Juliet’s tragic end, if not for the intevention of…

Ok, I’m saying too much, but I couldn’t put that book down. Bet the movie’s gonna be fab.

Here’s where we see the Volturi – the vampire elite with no qualms about feeding on and then killing humans.

Boy meets girl. They fall in love. Problem is.. boy’s a vampire. Her blood smells like the most delicious meal on earth so he has to fight his urge to feed on her so that she gets to stay alive.

Girl has a best friend who happens to be a guy. She loves him as a dear friend. He is like sunshine too her. He on the other hand, is smitten by her. Another problem. He’s a werewolf.

Between the vampire and the werewolf, what’s a girl to do?

Therein lies the heart of the Twillight saga.

In Eclipse, Bella has to make a choice. Edward, the sexy vampire, or Jacob, her best friend who is in love with her.

Werewolves and vampires are traditionally bitter enemies. The feud has to end for both to survive. Linked by their love for Bella, Edward and Jacob would have to bring both clans together to ward off an even bigger threat..

An army of vampires.

Bella’s blood smells exceptionally sweet to vampires.. including the ones who have no qualms about feeding and killing their human prey.

The plot thickens with the love triangle intensifying in the midst of a looming war.

(Sorry I jumped ahead with my earlier post. Read all 4 books and kind of gave away what happens in the next book.. To be honest,
Stephanie Meyer rocks! I had to read the entire series once I picked up Twilight.)
Here’s a behind the scenes video with interviews.

Here’re the latest TV trailers

The vampire vs werewolf romance movie, Eclipse, based on Stephanie Meyer’s Eclipse has vampire lover, Edward Cullen and werewolf best friend, Jacob Black fighting over human girl, Bella Swan.

Who would win?

The vampire or the werewolf?

The book now made into a movie, explores the question.. who would a girl go for?

Her soul mate best friend, or wildly sexy, mysterious suitor.

Here’s a question to our sisters out there.

Who would get your vote?

You’ve probably heard the tale. Nice girl falls for bad boy, thinking that he will change for her.

Or good girl finds that dangerous vibes he exudes downright thrilling.

Smart girls stick to romance novels and movies for that bad boy fix.

That’s why vampire romances are hot. Girls swoon over Edward Cullen, romantic lead of the Twillight saga.. who just happens to be a vampire.

Actually, he is one of the good guys. He feeds on animals, not humans.. or at least, he’s abstained from human blood long enough to be considered ‘vegetarian’.

That said, he finds Bella’s blood extremely tempting, hence every moment his lady love spends with him puts her at risk of being his dinner.

In the Twillight world, vampires kill the humans they feed on.. otherwise they become vampires too. A fate good vampire Edward wants to avoid.

Back to the question. Why do girls find dangerous guys fascinating?

Probably because of fear/excitement/risk with that adrenaline rush.

That said, bringing her for roller coaster rides may give her that same effect. Or bungee jumping.

Maybe that’s why horror movies make great date movies.

Then again, maybe she’d come to her senses and appreciate the genuinely good guys around her.