Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009

'Twilight' fever supports the blind in Tri-Cities

By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer

A strange sort of fever started spreading through the Tri-Cities just before midnight Friday.

This fever struck mostly girls in their teens, although women in their 30s and 40s were susceptible too. Males mostly were immune, unless a girlfriend, wife or daughter was a carrier.

It wasn't a virus, this fever. It was no influenza pandemic, but an infectious enthusiasm sparked by the latest film entry in the increasingly popular Twilight series.

"I want to go see it," said Kelsey Shibley, 15, of West Richland. "I wish I could go at midnight. I really want to see it."

Shibley was one of more than 100 girls, moms -- and a few guys -- who gathered at the Red Lion Hanford House in Richland on Friday to celebrate the film's opening and help raise money for the Edith Bishel Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

New Moon is the second film in the Twilight series based on the books penned by Stephenie Meyer, and if Hollywood could measure the film's success in the sheer decibels produced by screaming teenage girls, then the flick featuring teen vampires and werewolves prowling around Forks is a sure-fire hit.

The film set a box-office record for midnight screenings when it opened in 3,514 theaters with a per-theater average of $7,476.

Summit Entertainment estimated Friday that the film had earned $26.3 million after opening early in the morning.

That would topple the previous midnight record, held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It earned $22.2 million this year. The Dark Knight from 2008 is third with $18.5 million.

Paul Dergarabedian, a box-office analyst for Hollywood.com, said the midnight start "portends an opening weekend that could be one of the biggest of the year."

Maria Weis of Benton City and her 18-year-old daughter Megan were at the Columbia Center mall in Kennewick on Thursday night before the film debuted, and said the mall was filled with women and girls buzzing about the film.

"All the ladies were talking about it," Maria Weis said.

Although not die-hard Twihards, as Twilight fans have been dubbed, Maria and Megan Weis attended the Bishel Center's New Moon party Friday to help support the nonprofit, and to get a glimpse what all the fuss is about.

"I think it's kind of ridiculous everybody gets so crazy about it," said Megan Weis, who has seen the first film but has not read the four Twilight books. "But it's a cool fantasy story."

Maria Weis said she liked the wholesome tone of the story of star-crossed lovers Bella Swan, a human, and Edward Cullen, a vampire. Despite being about vampires and werewolves, there's little sex and violence compared to other Hollywood fare.

"It shows good moral character," she said. "Even if they are vampires."

It was the Bella-Edward love story that drew Shibley to read all four books in the series, but the plot really took off in her view when young werewolf Jacob Black entered the picture and became a rival for Bella's affections.

Many Twilight fans are divided by their proclaimed allegiances to "Team Jacob" or "Team Edward," depending on which of the two hunks they'd like to see Bella choose.

"I'm on Team Jacob," Shibley said. "I am a fan of Jacob. ... I would choose Jacob because he seems more like a typical guy. He seems more down to earth."

When asked her thoughts on Taylor Lautner, the young actor portraying Jacob Black, who's poised to become New Moon's break-out star, Shibley had just three words.

"Oh my god!" she squealed. "I would do anything to meet him."

Not all Twilight fans are teenage girls. Just ask Israel Rios, a 17-year-old Pasco boy who indulged his inner "fanpire" by getting an Edward Cullen makeover at the party Friday night with glittering face make-up, vampire teeth, and a moussed-up hairdo.

Rios said he read the first two books but found them a little too slow-moving to continue with the series. But he thought the party sounded fun and looked forward to seeing New Moon at midnight.

Although wearing vampire teeth for the night, Rios said he'd rather be a werewolf if he had to pick.

"They're a lot cooler," he said. "And the vampires seem to be scared of them."

* The Associated Press contributed to this report.