New Moon/Comic-Con Presser

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This morning's New Moon/Comic-Con press conference began at 9:54 am -- almost a half-hour late -- inside a super-sized meeting hall within San Diego's Bayfront Hilton. The film's three stars -- Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner -- posed for photos and took questions from a throng of about 75 or 80 journalists. It was my first Comic-Con event, but I have to say that the most heartening aspect happened before it began.

The heart moment happened when MSN Movies' James Rocchi told me he completely agreed with my Twitter post this morning about Judd Apatow 's Funny People being "stunningly good" and "a kind of epic in the realm of selfish, scabrous, pissed-off comedian movies." I'll get into this in a subsequent post, but we both agreed it was a ballsy, mostly realistic and darkly funny film that never once took the manipulative, emotionally soothing way out.

Summit will open the Twilight sequel, a romantic triangle piece focusing on the mortal Bella Swan (Stewart), the vampire Edward Cullen (Pattinson) and a hottie werewolf Jacob Black (Lautner), on 11.20.

Lautner is clearly the most ambitiously press-friendly among the three. While Stewart and Pattinson did their usual usual -- i.e., giving answers that suggested they're a lot more complex and aloof and thoughtful than their participation in movies based on the Twilight series might suggest. It's the age-old "I'll do this but only if I can answer questions like Marlon Brando" routine. But Lautner, who has a bee-stung Beagle Boy nose , exhibited the personality of a publicist or a glad-hander. He clearly enjoys smiling and wants everyone to like him. He could be the next Regis Philbin if he wanted to go there.

If I was Lautner I would have the schnozzola re-shaped. I'm sorry but it's an On The Waterfront longshoreman's nose, or a nose belonging to a Russian wheat-farmer. If he'd come up through the ranks of old 1930s Hollywood studio system the moguls would have said "cute kid but fix the nose."

(l. to r.) Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson

Stewart was wearing her Joan Jett haircut (for her currently filming The Runaways) and looked, frankly, kind of rock-and-rollish herself with a kind of cigarettes-and-booze attitude with stress bags under her eyes. She's a fascinating actress, but clearly not someone who's looking for peace as much as truth, even if it scalds.

Pattinson also looked vaguely seedy and grubby, like he took a shower the day before yesterday. He was in a pleasant-enough mood with a grinning, self-effacing attitude and nice white teeth.

The Summit publicists made the photographers stand back from the talent table about twelve feet or so. Apparently they didn't want the actors to get all freaked out by a too-close physical proximity to the mongrelish paparazzi. (I'm certain it was the reps for Stewart or Pattinson who asked for the push-back; it sure as hell wasn't Lautner.) This isn't the way things are done at the Cannes, Sundance and Toronto press conferences but no biggie.

12:35 pm: In the hour since I posted my video of the New Moon kidz, my inbox has lit up with notifications that dozens of YouTube watchers around the world have watched it.

Skillet<< previous | next >>Comic-Con Whiz

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 23, 2009 at 10:52 AM

comment #1

BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey says ...

Can't wait for the Funny People review.

Christ, those photographers are awful. "Everyone to the LEFT!" Must be a surreal experience to go through that.

Posted by BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey at July 23, 2009 12:15 PM

comment #2

MikeSchaeferSF says ...

Damn, now I'm gonna have to see Funny People, I guess. So why are the TV spots, trailers and ancillary promo items (like the HBO making-of docu) so meh?

Posted by MikeSchaeferSF at July 23, 2009 12:15 PM

comment #3

erniesouchak says ...

Geez, give the kid (Lautner) a break! They would've made Dustin Hoffman get a nosejob, too, and THEN where would we be?

Posted by erniesouchak at July 23, 2009 12:21 PM

comment #4

byanyother says ...

Um, Lautner has a huge fan following - girls love him. I don't think he needs to appeal to seasoned, world-class film columnists.

Posted by byanyother at July 23, 2009 12:23 PM

comment #5

Stringer Bell says ...

I, myself, couldn't get into 'Yentl' because Streisand's beak was too bi too..

Posted by Stringer Bell at July 23, 2009 12:25 PM

comment #6

Sabina E says ...

oh for god's sake, Wells! He does NOT need a nosejob! I don't mean to sound like a pervy paedophile, but he is quite cute and I think he'll become even cuter when he gets older.

Um, Lautner has a huge fan following - girls love him. I don't think he needs to appeal to seasoned, world-class film columnists.

that one totally made me laugh out loud!

Posted by Sabina E at July 23, 2009 12:31 PM

comment #7

Marnye says ...

I agree about Taytay's pug nose. He is awful, plus add the small squinty eyes and the overdevelopped muscles for a 17 year old. I can't stand TL and his Hollywood media trained personality. Now Rob is a different matter, I love him, the most fascinating young actor today.

Posted by Marnye at July 23, 2009 12:47 PM

comment #8

Rich S. says ...

Jeffrey's recent obsession with Invasion of the Body Snatchers becomes more understandable now. The conciliatory tone of this post - dealing with the Twilight sequel, no less - clearly indicates that he has been compromised by the pod people.

Posted by Rich S. at July 23, 2009 12:48 PM

comment #9

joefilm1 says ...

A heterosexual, grown man telling a young guy to get a nosejob cracks me up to no end. You suggest this because you're his demographic? Trust me, the kid is fine just how God made him.

Posted by joefilm1 at July 23, 2009 12:56 PM

comment #10

Circumvrent says ...

+1 for Rich.

Posted by Circumvrent at July 23, 2009 12:57 PM

comment #11

Mark says ...

I had no prior knowledge that Jeffrey twitters. Good to know.

Nose jobs are typically a bad move. See the careers of Jacko (post 2nd job), Jessica Grey, and Ashley Simpson.

Girls and Gays love an ugly nose, and makeup does wonders on film. See Jessica Sarah Parker and Babs.

Posted by Mark at July 23, 2009 12:59 PM

comment #12

dave l says ...

Nobody should have a nose job for any reason except for breathing problems.

Posted by dave l at July 23, 2009 1:10 PM

comment #13

byanyother says ...

And for the record, Christ, he doesn't have an "ugly" nose - he's fucking gorgeous.

Posted by byanyother at July 23, 2009 1:11 PM

comment #14

televisiontears says ...

Wells, could I make a small request? Could you go to the floor and take lots and lots of pictures? I'm itchy with anticipation for pics of tubby fanboys in Halloween costumes with captions that might as well read "Look at this fucking asshole!"

Really glad you liked Funny People, btw. Gives me hope.

Posted by televisiontears at July 23, 2009 1:12 PM

comment #15

televisiontears says ...

Wow, I posted that, and right away the new post appeared.

Ask, and ye shall receive...

Posted by televisiontears at July 23, 2009 1:15 PM

comment #16

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

"I, myself, couldn't get into 'Yentl' because Streisand's beak was too bi too.."

I'm sorry but this is just about the funniest typo ever.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at July 23, 2009 1:58 PM

comment #17

LexG says ...

K-STEW FACE THE STEW!!!!!!

LOOOOOOOK. AT. HEEEEEEEER.

OH, MY GOD, SO charming, SO HOT, so perfection. Kristen Stewart is HUMAN PERFECTION and everyone reading this or watching that should be BOWING like the MIGHTY ZOD was before you commanding you.

HOW can you guys not be head over heels IN LOVE with K-STEW? She is HYPNOTIC, MAGNETIC, ENCHANTING, BEAUTIFUL.

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Posted by LexG at July 23, 2009 2:20 PM

comment #18

Scott Mendelson says ...

Mark, but you're dead-on. I'd also add Ashley Tisdale to the list where a seemingly unneeded nose job turned a super cute and unique face into just another random former kid star. She most definitely, as I call it, 'pulled a Jennifer Grey'.

Posted by Scott Mendelson at July 23, 2009 2:27 PM

comment #19

LexG says ...

Ashlee Simpson is a thousand times hotter with her fixed nose. She was pretty mousy looking with that hook, now she's way hotter than Jessica.

Posted by LexG at July 23, 2009 2:58 PM

comment #20

Wrecktem says ...

Remember, Wells is the dude who called James McAvoy's nose a "bee-stung honker" and later compared him to W.C. Fields. Perhaps Wells was raped by Jimmy Durante when he was a kid.

And Kristin Stewart looks like a 14 year old tweaking Hollywood runaway. Lex has jumped the shark with his idiotic frothing.

Posted by Wrecktem at July 23, 2009 3:06 PM

comment #21

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Jeff, how "well" do you know your readers? The mentions here and at MCN seems like a naked grab for eyeballs.

Outside of DBT Punk, does anyone else here really care about the Twilight films? I told my wife I would get the DVD if she wanted and the response was "meh."

Posted by Deathtongue_Groupie at July 23, 2009 3:08 PM

comment #22

LexG says ...

TWILIGHT RULES.

And, Wrecktem, how am I gonna "jump the shark" with something I've been "frothing" about for well over a year?

Posted by LexG at July 23, 2009 3:17 PM

comment #23

Wrecktem says ...

Because it's old, man! Wank over something new. Kristin Stewart is old hat and looks like a 1987 crack fiend from Ohama. There's gotta be someone fresh and legitimately hot that's more worthy of you pumping a rope.

Posted by Wrecktem at July 23, 2009 3:56 PM

comment #24

LexG says ...

Kristen Stewart's beauty is the wellspring from which we flow.

A few years back she did a movie called SPEAK (after Panic Room/Catch that Kid era but pre-Messengers, Into the Wild, In the Land of Women...)

Anyway, her performance in SPEAK is BRANDO-LEVEL and I called right then and there that someday she'd be the biggest female star in the world very soon, and that she'd be a Johansson-level hottie. I was right on both counts.

K-Stew has a good head on her shoulders and in twenty years will still be spoken about with the same reverence we have for Jodie Foster to this day.

Posted by LexG at July 23, 2009 4:00 PM

comment #25

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Because you jumped the shark a year ago?

At least.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at July 23, 2009 4:01 PM

comment #26

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

"Anyway, her performance in SPEAK is BRANDO-LEVEL

K-Stew has a good head on her shoulders and in twenty years will still be spoken about with the same reverence we have for Jodie Foster to this day."

For those that didn't get the notice: the weekly LexG kegger party (population: 1) has been moved up to Thursday afternoon.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at July 23, 2009 4:04 PM

comment #27

renorambler says ...

Speak is a very good book and a pretty good film. She was quite good in it.

Posted by renorambler at July 23, 2009 5:34 PM

comment #28

byanyother says ...

Lex G., ew. Just ew.

Posted by byanyother at July 23, 2009 5:36 PM

comment #29

moviemaniac2002 says ...

Dragged to by my daughter, I still fondly laugh at
the riotous showing of "Twilight" we attended on
its opening weekend..
A packed house of girls aged 7 to Early-30's.....madly texting each other all through the
film.....mild vocal appreciation for Pattison...but let me tell you....loud, unison, vocal swooning for
Lautner....and they knew exactly how they wanted their Lautner...reacting to his shoulder length locks, one girl screamed from the back of the theater "Haircut!!" and the crowd laughed in
agreement so adamantly....Summit execs must have heard them.

Posted by moviemaniac2002 at July 23, 2009 8:56 PM

comment #30

TM says ...

I think the reason Lautner is so media friendly is because he knows he was almost fired from this gig. There was a lot in the press about how Summit wanted him replaced and then backed down. So he probably feels he has to overcompensate by bulking up and being a media whore -- anything to hang onto this gravy train.

Posted by TM at July 24, 2009 3:20 PM

comment #31

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I have to see the FUNNY PEOPLE

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comment #33

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comment #39

mehrantmax says ...

Excitement is building for me and 50+ of my closest friends. We're all awaiting the start of Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart's joint Comic-Con press conference for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." We all know that if we don't cover the heck out of this press conference, we won't have any chance to write about "Twilight" at this Comic-Con.open marriage

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comment #40

mehrantmax says ...

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