Since much of the Twilight sequel, New Moon, takes place in Italy (the Volturi segments, at least), I decided to do a little Googling and learn about some vampire supersitions in Italy.

In March, the Associated Press reported that the remains of a woman believed to be a 16th Century vampire were dug up north of Venice in 2006.

Apparently, it was  an old Italian tradition to bury believed vampires with a brick in their mouth.

This is the first instance of actual archeaological evidence of real vampires. The remains were dated and the woman was believed to have died during a plague. There was another mass grave nearby.

I absolutely love Twilight, including all of the actors: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Nikki Reed and Peter Facinelli, to name a few. When I came across these photos online earlier today, I was really disappointed.

I’m sure that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are well aware of the social impact they have on teenagers these days. All they have to do is a quick Google search to see the hundreds of pages created in emulation and adoration of their Twilight work. I know that Stephanie Meyer certainly didn’t write smoking parts into her Twilight saga. Then why? Why do they have to be so irresponsible?

I’m a thirty-one year old woman who brazenly smoked throughout my twenties. I’ll admit, I loved it. Being a writer, I relished my guilty pleasure and even fooled myself into believing that I relied on smoking for my creativity. However, once I turned thirty-0ne, reality set in. A close friend of mine had her lung collapse, and was incidentally in a coma for eight days, before being diagnosed with lung cancer. She was only 33.

After that, I fought an uphill battle for months, and I am happy to say that today I am nearly six months quit. Each day has been a challenge, and I am so thankful for my successful quit that I would never go back. When I saw the cast of New Moon smoking, I couldn’t even believe it. Is it a hoax? Did someone mess with photos of the actors in order to create a scandal, or even mere disapproval? Are Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson simply unaware of the implicit responsibility that is tenuous to their success and that of the movie? Don’t they know that they are the latest teen role models? Are they merely Twilight smokers (those that only smoke at night)?

In any case, hopefully teenagers realize that only those who are blessed or cursed (depending on how you look at it) with immortality can safely smoke cigarettes. I know it may seem uncool for me to reiterate yet another anti-tobacco sentiment, but people gotta know. Especially in this economy, I’d rather spend ten bucks on some cool Twilight merchandise or even a blank journal than a pack of cigarettes.

Summit Entertainment officially announced the cast for the upcoming and much anticipated “New Moon” movie.

The original actors for the characters in the first movie will be rejoining the cast: Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, Rob Pattinson as Edward Cullen, Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, Ashley Greene as Alice, Peter Facinelli as Carlisle, Elizabeth Reaser as Esme, Kellan Lutz as Emmett, Nikki Reed as Rosalie, Jackson Rathbone as Jasper, Edi Gathegi as Lauren and Rachelle Lafevre as Victoria.

New actors will be playing the Volturi coven members and are as follows: Charlie Bewley as Demetri, Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius, Daniel Cudmore as Felix, Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus, Dakota Fanning as Jane, Cameron Bright as Alec, and Noot Seer as Heidi. Michael Sheen will play Aro, the Volturi leader.

The werewolve pack also features some new characters and actors, respectively: Graham Greene plays Harry Clearwater, good friend to Charlie and Quileute tribal leader. TInsel Korey will play Emily, Sam Uley’s fiancee.

“New Moon” will be directed by Chris Weitz, who won Academy Awards for “The Golden Compass” and “About a Boy,” and is now filming on location in Vancouver, BC and Tuscany, Italy.

For pictures of the New Moon cast, see the Photos page on this site.

When Robert Pattinson was recently asked what “Twilight” fans can expect from the upcoming release of “New Moon”, he answered, “be ready for something different and perhaps a little strange.”

Pattinson began production on New Moon this week, in Vancouver, Canada. “Twilight” the film should be a pretty tough act to follow, grossing $373.4 million from box offices around the world. Personally, I thought the book version of “New Moon” left much to be desired, compared to the series starter Twilight. But…we’ll see what the producer does with it! It will be difficult to wait until November.

Meanwhile, Pattinson is portraying Salvador Dali in “Little Ashes,” opening May 8. The film tells the story of the love affair between Dali and Federico Garcia Lorca, a poet.

When asked about his expectations of “New Moon,” Pattinson seems a little worried. He told Reuters,”The book of ‘New Moon,’ the majority of it is incredibly depressing. fObviously ‘Twilight’ was about finding first love and the difficulties of that, but ‘New Moon’ is really about loss and reconciliation, but the reconciliation isn’t completely full…It’s a strange story to have for a market that, I guess, wants to see a love story,” he added.

In spite of his worries (and mine, too), Pattinson said the entire cast and crew is trying their hardest to make sure that “New Moon” is as successful as “Twilight.”

Pattinson, a former model, is enjoying the newfound stardome and fame that “Twilight” has afforded him. Up until last year, he was a somewhat obscure actor whose biggest claim to fame was a supporting role in two of the “Harry Potter” films. Shocked by the routine stalkings by the paparazzi, Pattinson says, “It has turned into this crazy situation. I guess it has become a sort of phenomenon now which I really, really didn’t expect.”

When Pattinson gets a rare moment to himself, he escapes the chaos with his love of music. He plays piano and guitar, and two of his songs can be found on the “Twilight” soundtrack. As for the “New Moon” soundtrack, Pattinson reports that there are no current plans to include any of his music on it, but admits that he has become “obsessed” with writing new material.

When asked what actors he was influenced by, Pattinson recognizes Oscar winner Jack Nicholson, and he also says that he would love a job out of the spotlight. “I like any job where you can just shut yourself away from everybody,” Pattinson says.

“New Moon,” directed by Chris Weitz, is scheduled to open November 20th at a theater near you.