Hot Twilight Flick Even Gets Congressional Shout-Out
July 1, 2010 — -- In "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is torn between her family, her best werewolf friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), and her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).
But in reality, the forlorn Swan should have something to smile about.
Her new movie already is setting box office records. It grossed $30 million from midnight opening screenings Wednesday. And screaming "twihards" are expected to clamor for the film this holiday weekend.
Still, Swan slumps through "Eclipse" with a furrowed brow. Her father prefers that she spend more time with friends like Black, but Swan would rather persuade Cullen to "change her" from a human into one of his kind.
Cullen gives her an ultimatum: If Swan marries him he'll make her a vampire. Without spoiling the plot, fans should be delighted when Bella's dream becomes more of a reality in the third installment of this franchise.
Teenage angst aside, Twilight movie mania has reached such a fever pitch that even Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan's world is colliding with the fictional realm inhabited by Swan.
This week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, said to Kagan, "I keep wanting to ask you about the famous case of Edward vs. Jacob or the vampire vs. the werewolf," to which Kagan laughed and responded, "I wish you wouldn't."
For Swan and Kagan, two women currently saturating our television airwaves, this week could be pivotal. Swan's film could keep breaking box office records this weekend, and Kagan soon could become the fourth woman Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history.
Teenage girls worship Swan, sleeping outside of premieres in downtown Los Angeles and crying in the presence of Stewart, the actress who plays her.
Suffice it to say, Kagan doesn't have the same teenage fan base. But popularity aside, surrounded by images and sound bites from both women, who should impressionable young girls choose to emulate?
