by Marnie Brodersen (Tue Sep 15, 2009)
Whether it's
something to be proud of or not, I'm a shameless pop culture junkie. I
might not be able to discuss politics at an extremely intellectual level, but
ask me where George Clooney had dinner this past week or what NBC's fall lineup
entails and, chances are, I know. That's why I was shocked when I was
caught unawares by this whole 'Twilight' mania. I was
driving in to work one morning, and I heard Ryan Seacrest on the radio, talking
about the absolute chaos Robert Pattinson was causing in Hollywood. He
plays Edward Cullen, Vampire Extraordinaire, in the ‘Twilight' films (the second
film in the series, ‘New Moon' will be released in November). The thing
is, I not only hadn't heard about the film coming down the pipe, but I had no
idea of the stir the books (by Stephanie Meyer) had caused, particularly in the
teen realm. Once I learned a little bit about the vampire series, it had
me wondering - is it really something that teens should actually be watching or
reading? One of my neighbors in L.A. admitted that her pre-teen daughter was
reading the books. Not having read them yet, I couldn't really comment on
whether that was appropriate or not, but I had my doubts.
I didn't jump
right into the mania, myself. In fact, I'll admit that I looked at people
my age who were heading to the film with scorn. ‘How could they be into such a
juvenile concept?' I thought to myself. Then I began watching HBO's ‘True
Blood,' a show about vampires, and I couldn't believe how much I loved
it!
So I finally
succumbed and watched the movie ‘Twilight.' I was instantly hooked. What's funny is
the fact that I didn't even find Robert Pattinson remotely attractive before
watching the film. In fact, I read somewhere that he doesn't shower much,
and cast mates even complain about how much the guy stinks. I mean, c'mon,
Dude, how long does it take a guy to shower?
After the movie, I decided I
wouldn't shower if I were him either. Personal hygiene seems almost silly
to consider when you're that good looking. Then again, I'm starting to think
I have a vampire fetish. I recently bought the first book ‘Twilight' and devoured it
as if my life depended on it. My husband laughed as I returned to the
store to buy ‘New Moon,' the
next book in the series, only days later. What is truly compelling is the fact
that the main character has to fight every instinct in his body to be able to
be with the woman he loves, and he's able to do so...at least in the two books
I've read thus far.
This brings me
back to whether these books and films are okay for teenagers, and even some
pre-teens. Since I actually don't have a teenager, myself, it's tough to
say. The romance does come with some physical feelings, naturally, but the
overall tone isn't one of a sexual nature. The only thing that might concern me
if I were the parent of a teenager is the ‘Romeo & Juliet' theme that runs parallel to the story. Both
the main characters, Bella and Edward, talk a lot about how much they wouldn't
want to live without one another, and in my opinion, the world doesn't need any
more teenage suicide pacts.
But apart from
that concern, I don't know if I could deny my child a look at love,
whether it involved blood suckers or not. The common element for females
is romance, and that relates to girls of every age. It's in the very fiber
of our beings to enjoy a good love story. ‘Twilight' has a wide appeal because it is the universal theme of
love conquering all.
