Twilight is almost upon us, y’all … we are mere 3 days away from the movie’s official opening (well, 2 days away if you figure in the first midnight showings on Thursday) and anticipation for the film is reaching a fevered pitch. The movie had its official Hollywood premiere at Mann Village and Bruin Theaters in Westwood, CA last night where the principal stars were joined by their celebrity cohorts on the red carpet … oh yeah, and about 600+ “fanpires” who came out to shriek and scream for the arriving cast members, getting louder and louder until Robert Pattinson‘s arrival caused the excitement to go supersonic (poor R. Pattz even went “completely deaf”). Here are a few pics from last night’s premiere arrivals and some info about the night’s festivities:

Hundreds of shrieking fans — mostly teenage girls — lined the streets outside the Mann Village and Bruin Theatres on Monday for a chance to peek at the stars attending the Los Angeles premiere of “Twilight.” Some enthusiasts of the popular vampire literary series-turned-movie camped out overnight, while many arrived at dawn to secure a place in line. “I’m on basic motor functions right now,” actor Robert Pattinson, who plays sexy vamp Edward, said amid fans’ screams. More than 600 people were allowed inside special holding areas along both sides of the premiere’s red carpet. The self-proclaimed fanpires gawked, squealed and begged for autographs and photos with the stars. Others spilled out beyond the barricades and across the street from the premiere. Many held up handmade signs. Most just wanted face time. What question did they ask the most? “‘What’s it like kissing vampires?’” said actress Kristen Stewart, who plays human teenager Bella. Marie Sheranian, 16, and Brianna Matheson, 17, came from Simi Valley, Calif., to catch a glimpse of Pattinson, the 22-year-old actor who became a heartthrob after winning the role of Edward. The two “Twilight” fans created T-shirts professing their devotion for Pattinson and brought crates to stand on in hopes of seeing the actor’s face — or even the top of his hair — from above the crowd. “My heart is gonna explode,” Sheranian said from atop a crate. Not everyone in the horde was a howling teenage girl. Several teenage boys were sprinkled throughout the crowd. And there were even a few parents — including the founders of TwilightMoms.com, who left their children and husbands at home to attend the premiere. Pia Castillo said she came all the way from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to see the film’s bloodsuckers in person. “It’s shocking something I came up with could inspire all this,” said “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer. The red carpet was buzzing about possible sequels. Meyer has written three other “Twilight” novels. Pattinson said he signed on for the film thinking it would be part of a trilogy, and he knows a script for a second film has been written. Stewart said she originally heard the cast might reunite to film both the second and third sequels at the same time, but now they might be filmed separately. “It has to make a certain amount of money, like $150 million, to be able to afford the sequel,” director Catherine Hardwicke said. “So we really don’t know yet.”

LOL. I’d be surprised if Twilight didn’t make $150 million in it’s opening weekend, considering all this insane hype. But, more realistically, it prolly won’t make that much money in one weekend but I think it’s a bit silly to say that they’re not sure about future sequels … this movie will make more than enough to justify the sequels to come. I have to say, I’m so impressed that all of this crazed excitement has been generated by a book … once again, my spirit is heartened by the fact that all of this rabid fandom comes not from video games or pop star worship — all of this excitement comes from reading books. The naysayers have much to say about all this “silliness” over vampires but I am most taken by the fact that books have inspired this insanity. Kids are reading! I really do hope that Twilight exceeds all expectations. The more success that movies like this have, the more credence will be paid to the actual written word. It won’t be long now.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]