While in Vangroover last weekend I went to check out "Bella's house" with some Twipals. We drove out to the sticks and there it was, the Swan residence--a very convincing façade built on what used to be an empty field.

The security lady there said we could go as far up as the barricade. 24 hours a day, she said, people come here and take pictures. Unless of course, they're filming--then you have to wait at the end of a long, dark dirt road, even if it's in the middle of the night. [That's probably why I'm too lazy to be a real set stalker...]

Window detail.

Front entry. The 2nd story window is where Bella looks out of the first time Edward gives her a ride to school in the silver Volvo. Swoon.

I've seen those wood-carved fishing bear statues before. Seriously, they sell them on the side of the road when you are driving out to the boonies in Washington State. There'll be some guy with his pickup truck, and an array of fishing bear statues he carved himself, in all sizes.

Just a tiny handful of the thousands who have been here already. The security lady hadn't even seen "Twilight" yet, so she said she wouldn't recognize the actors if they were in front of her face.
Those trees aren't real, isn't that cool? The trunk feels real, and the dirt around it is real, but the leaves are totally that fake plant stuff that they have in weird, cheap restaurants.

Just for comparison, here is the Bella's house set in Oregon, which was used for "Twilight":

As you can see, they've changed a few details. Bella's bedroom window is now a bay window.

See more of the old house at ReelzChannel.com.

@maliciousmandy1 has a full report on the previous day's setup of Bella's house, right here.

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The "New Moon" soundtrack is now available for pre-order on iTunes ($14.99 USD).

Since we still need to wait until October 20 for the album's release, it's a nifty little plus that they've included an immediate free download of Anya Marina's "Satellite Heart" when you pre-order the soundtrack. Here's a great fanmade video (via @Lorabell):


Marina announced on Twitter that "This one's for Bella." The lyrics hit home: "I'm a satellite heart/lost in the dark/I've spun out so far/You stop, I'll start/but I'll be true to you/no matter what you do." Yep, so very Bella in "New Moon" (wipes a tear). For more on this single and on Anya Marina, see HitFix.

The soundtrack's songlist will also include four exclusive bonus songs, including an original piece from Lupe Fiasco titled, "Solar Midnite." As with all the songs on the soundtrack, these bonus songs will be heard in the "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" movie and are previously unreleased. Looks like there is also a fifth extra (#20) that is included only with the pre-order.

The bonus tracks are:

16. Lupe Fiasco – Solar Midnite
17. The Magic Numbers And Amadou & Mariam - All I Believe In
18. APM Orchestra. - Die Fledermaus – Duettino: Ach, ich darf nicht hin zu dir
19. Death Cab For Cutie – Meet Me On The Equinox (Music Video)
20. Ulf Bastlein - Wandrers Nachtlied II, Op. 96, No. 3, D.768 (pre-order only)

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Check out the new official posters for "New Moon" that Summit sent out today!

Bella and the Cullens. Look how Edward is holding Bella...possessive much? Love it :)

See more stills and photos here.


 

You may have heard that Rob Pattinson's close circle of friends from London are rather musically-inclined; two of the songs on the "Twilight" soundtrack that Rob sings were co-written by his friends.

One of particular note is singer-songwriter Sam Bradley. This London-born musician--who moved to Vancouver, B.C., several years ago--co-wrote the song "Never Think" with Rob. This is the "Twilight" soundtrack song that plays in the background during Edward and Bella's dinner at the Italian restaurant in Port Angeles.

I had the pleasure of seeing Sam in concert this past Friday night in Vancity, where he played with his band The Men at the Venue nightclub. To be perfectly honest, I had not heard or seen Sam perform before, and I went to the show mostly out of curiosity. I had a couple of friends who saw his Vancouver show in May, and are now ardent fans.

I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased that Sam and The Men put on a great show! There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and it was quickly evident how much these guys love to perform and to interact with the audience. His songs ranged from acoustic to bluesy to folk rock, and included a couple of country songs (which I confess to like the least; sorry, I'm not a country fan!).

I respect how Sam never mentioned his association with Rob or "Twilight," even when introducing his song, "Too Far Gone," which is his version of "Never Think." Sam has a charming and fun stage presence, and I loved how he drank whiskey instead of water, hah!

A couple of photos I took with my iPhone:

Here's a video from the show, taken by someone a few feet in front of me:



He did a fantastic cover of Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm A-Coming," Loved the energy!


You want more Sam? Here you go:

• SamBradley.com - Get his new EP (released August 29, 2009), get on his mailing list, and see tour dates.
  
• See J-14's interview with him from June, where Sam talks about being part of the "Twilight" soundtrack, his friend Rob Pattinson, and his own music career.
  (via @TwiExaminer)
  
• Sam's recent chat with the Vancouver Sun, where he talks about moving on from the "Twilight" mania, and hoping to get a record label.
  

Follow @samueltwitt1 and his band @themenmusic, as well as @TwiSuperfan!

 

Okay, you've seen all three "New Moon" trailers, right? If you haven't, get yourself to my "New Moon" Trailers page and see them all! Then take this poll, and share your thoughts in the Comments.


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Charlie Bewley, who plays Demetri in "New Moon," talks to mybliss.co.uk about his favorite "Twilight" book, the red contacts, wanting Jasper's power, and Rob's fame.


And here he is making a Twifan's dreams come true, giving her a big full-on bite, whoa!
 

The latest Twicast person to join Twitter is @AshleyMGreene!


Her recent Tweets:


Follow @AshleyMGreene, and me too @TwiSuperfan!
 

The New York Times Travel section has a feature on how "Twilight" mania has affected the tiny town of Forks, Washington.

Over the last year or so, Forks (population 3,120) has morphed into a mecca for Twilighters, or Twihards as they are sometimes called. Visitors to this rainy town, whose main industries are logging and two correctional facilities, have more than tripled for the first eight months of this year, compared with the same period last year, according to the local Chamber of Commerce. Lodging occupancy is up, and local merchants sell little-vampire pacifiers and Bella and Edward action figures.

“You used to say you were from Forks and people would stare,” said Marcia Bingham, director of the Chamber of Commerce, referring to the “B.T.” (“Before ‘Twilight’ ”) days. “Now when they hear where you’re from, they’re breathless.”

The Dazzled by Twilight shop, where my friend @SaraKullen had to practically fight her way in through the throngs of shoppers just to get me a refrigerator magnet.


Sully's Burgers may be the only place on earth where one can get a pineapple-topped Bella Burger, which comes with plastic fangs.


It's not just Forks--other nearby locales that play a significant part in the "Twilight" books are also feeling the effects of TwiMania:

Port Angeles, Wash., a waterfront town northeast of Forks that is mentioned in the books, is another magnet. Neil Conklin, the owner of Bella Italia, which bills itself as the restaurant where Edward and Bella have their first date, says the place has sold 4,500 $17 bowls of mushroom ravioli this year, which is what Bella orders after Edward rescues her from some local hoods (he, of course, isn’t into solid foods), and the Port Book and News estimates that its business has increased as much as 20 percent, even though Bella never sets foot in the store, saying “it wasn’t what I was looking for.”

"Twilight" fans gather at First Beach in nearby La Push, home to the Quileute tribe.


See the whole article here.

If you want loads of info on travel to Forks, see my old post on Vampire Tourism.

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