When I was in high school, I discovered Anne Rice’s vampire novels and–pardon the pun–was bitten.  I can hardly remember all the details of the novels now, but I know how hard I fell for the romanticized  midnight lives of the tortured, and torturing soulless vampires Louis and Lestat (Claudia not so much).  In my 16 year old mind, becoming a vampire was the ultimate form of rebellion, and I dare say that if the opportunity had ever presented itself to me, I might not have been able to refuse.  a few years later, when the movie version was finally completed and released, my love affair with vampires began to tarnish, burned a bit by the harsh reality of the cold light of day:  the movie–pardon the pun–sucked.

That’s why I get all this Twilight bullshit, and I refuse to give anyone the gears about getting all hyped up about the second installment in the movie franchise of Stephanie Meyer’s novels.  I haven’t seen the first movie, but I have read the novel its based on, and liked it well enough.  If I could have identified with the character of Bella more, I’m sure I’d be thick in the frenzy over the whole thing like some of my 30-and-40-something friends who are all planning to abandon husbands and kids for the night and head out to the cinema to see a hunky Jacob Black transform into a wolf and Edward mope and brood about.

I myself have been getting into the HBO series True Blood lately, which has some echoes of all the other vampire tales that have come before, this time bringing the bloodsuckers out of the coffin and into society as a functioning, contributing minority.  What’s appealed to me is the crime/mystery novel story lines in True Blood, which–surprise!–is also based on a series of novels.  Those I haven’t read… yet.

So if you’re heading out to get in line for The Twilight Saga: New Moon tonight, have yourself a great night, and please drink blood responsibly.  For homebodies like me, you should definitely check out the pretty crackerjack soundtrack album that had to be rush-released a few weeks back.  I like to think it was because of the quality of the music rather than just the fact it was associated with the movie, but I know better.

MP3: Grizzly Bear “Slow Life” (from The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack)
Myspace: Grizzly Bear
MP3: Lykke Li “Possibility” (from The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack)
Myspace: Lykke Li