And so it begins … the principal cast of The Twilight Saga: New Moon were on hand for an in-store appearance at the Hollywood & Highland Complex here in Hollywood, CA to kick off a nationwide mall tour that will take various members of the cast in various incarnations to malls around the US so that fans can press the flesh with their fave Twilight stars … and to hear live music from bands like Deathcab For Cutie, Anya Marina, Band of Skulls and more. A horde of rabid Twilighters filled the open-air mall last night just to get as close to Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Kellan Lutz and Kristen Stewart as possible … behold:

The scene was electric outside of Los Angeles’ Hollywood & Highland open-air mall on Friday evening. A huge line snaked out into the streets, and much of the crowd looked strikingly similar: gaggles of teenage girls (plus guys, moms, dads, and little ones) in black T-shirts emblazoned with five key words: The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Awaiting them inside? Autographs and a Q&A with the film’s supporting cast, plus courtyard performances from four bands who contributed to New Moon’s excellent soundtrack: Band Of Skulls, Sea Wolf, Anya Marina and, to close it out, Death Cab For Cutie. In other words, this was the Hot Topic-sponsored New Moon mall tour. One of the first fans to the stage screamed to no one in particular, “Oh my God! This is the coolest thing ever!” And for the crowd that braved the odds to get there – camping out at the mall on Halloween eve to buy the shirt that would grant them their entrance – it truly seemed to be. The coolness began when Twilight heartthrobs Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner paid a surprise visit. On stage, opening with their bluesy “I Know What I Am,” U.K. three-piece Band Of Skulls burned through a set that ran just shy of 20 minutes and channeled bits of the White Stripes, Black Sabbath, and the Black Keys. An apropos performance of “Hollywood Bowl” prefaced the closing song – their garagey New Moon contribution, “Friends,” which was met with squeals at an octave previously reserved for the likes of the Beatles. Indie folk-poppers Sea Wolf followed, delivering a cello-swathed selection of songs whose titles were matched to the event: “You’re A Wolf,” from 2007’s Leaves In The River, “Turn The Dirt Over” and “Wicked Blood,” both off of the just-released White Water, White Bloom, and the at once bouncy and autumnal soundtrack piece “The Violet Hour.” Both were impressive, but Anya Marina, whose “Satellite Heart” is one of New Moon’s most captivating moments, stole the show. “What’s up Hollywood? Are you guys having fun?” the grinning singer asked to a chorus of shrieks. “Well, we want to have fun with you.” She meant it. Marina was the only musician to engage the exuberant crowd – at one point leading them in a “Team Jacob” vs. “Team Edward” cheer-off – and it paid off. Her ubiquitous hits “Vertigo” and “All The Same To Me” were extremely well-received. Another surprise, mostly lost on the audience, was regular Morrissey collaborator Alain Whyte manning guitar, especially shredding on “Afterparty At Jimmy’s.” At the other end of the spectrum, Death Cab For Cutie greeted the incredible mania with zero banter and two songs – New Moon single “Meet Me At The Equinox” and Narrow Stairs highlight “Cath…” – well-performed, but over far too soon. The band said their thanks, unplugged and walked off. Before the ensuing melee caused by the rush to see Pattinson and Stewart up close, we asked one fan if she had a favorite band on the soundtrack. “I don’t really listen to this kind of music,” said Carmina, backed by an army of self-described “Twi-tards.” “But I like it now!”

Not since Tiffany took the US by storm with her mall tour back in 1987 have mall tours been this hot. To be honest, anything attached to The Twilight Saga franchise will generate huge interest … you throw in the actors themselves and you could sell anything at a high premium. Lord, this is just the beginning of the fervent Twilight melee that is about to be unleashed upon the world. The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens in theaters in just a few weeks … I don’t know that we’re quite ready to handle the onslaught … but it’s comin’ nonetheless.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Earlier today we saw photos of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine … now we get to see K. Stew with her other Twilight co-star Taylor Launter promoting The Twilight Saga: New Moon at a photocall press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mexico City, Mexico yesterday afternoon:

Yeah, there is a decidedly different feel to this set of photos as opposed to the photos of Kristen and Rob in HB mag. Kristin is back to rockin’ the tom boy look in these pics … plus, you can feel that she and Taylor are just friends. These Twilight kids have a lot of promo left to do in the coming weeks … this is only just the beginning. I wonder where they’re off to next.

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

Yesterday we saw photos of Robert Pattinson making his grand arrival in Tokyo, Japan where he will be for the next few days promoting his new film The Twilight Saga: New Moon. We also learned yesterday that Taylor Lautner would be in Mexico doing the same promo work there. Today we get to see photos of R. Pattz and Tay Tay in their respective countries doing their respective duties for the film they are currently promoting … separately:

I suspect that as the time grows closer to the film’s release in theaters, these actors will also grow closer in their promo duties. Surely R. Pattz and Taylor Lautner (and others) will be together for the NYC and/or LA premieres of the film … but for now, they are being far flung to the ends of the Earth to spread the promo duties. Team Edward or Team Jacob … take your pick … and choose your hemisphere.

[Photo credit: Splash News, INFdaily]

Another day … another public hook-up for Young Holllywood’s hottest new couple Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner. As you may recall, Taylor² have been completely inseparable all week long and that inseparableness continued as the pair were spotted enjoying an afternoon of shopping in Beverly Hills, CA together … here are a few photos:

Okay … seriously now … enough with the cuteness, you two. You gotta love that Taylor Lautner is happy to just sit there like a good boy while his ladyfriend Taylor Swift does some shopping … this is something that couples do for one another. Unless Lautner is her gay BFF, I can’t imagine that he would want to just tag along while Swift shops for clothes if he weren’t gettin’ something out of the deal. Again, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the possibility that all these public outings are the machinations of a very effective publicist but, on the real, I tend to believe that these two are not just faking it for publicity purposes … and are very probably more than just friends. I’m curious to see where the Taylor² tour will take us next.

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

All week long we’ve been following the exploits of new couple Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner as they have been popping up all over SoCal in one another’s close company … and at last, Taylor Swift is talking about it. Swift paid a visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday for the ep which will air today and was asked by Ellen about her burgeoning (and public) new relationship with Taylor Lautner. Here is a photo of Swift’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and an excerpt from her interview:

Ice hockey? Sure. Tonsil hockey? Not so fast! When it comes to Valentine’s Day costar Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift is choosing her words – and well-timed giggles – carefully. The 19-year-old singer sat down with Ellen DeGeneres for an interview that is set to air Thursday, and found herself on the hot seat. After establishing that Swift shares scenes with the Twilight hottie in the upcoming romantic comedy, DeGeneres shows a picture of them kissing. “What’s happening there. Is that part of the movie?” asks the talkshow host. Swift confirms it’s an on-screen smooch, but later gets chided for playing “coy” when pressed on whether Lautner is a “good kisser.” DeGeneres was also armed with a shot of the two at a recent hockey game. “Is that part of the movie when you all go to some kind of game together?” DeGeneres asks. “Is that part of the movie too?” “I really like hockey a lot and it turns out so does he,” Swift responds. “Wow, So you just ran into each other?” DeGeneres counters, incredulous. Sounds believable enough, right? Swift just laughed.

Hahahaha … cute. It’s smart of Swift to play coy about her relationship with Lautner. Keep in mind, not only does Taylor² have a new movie to promote together (Valentine’s Day) but Swift will also be hosting Saturday Night Live very soon … and all this talk of her creepin’ around with Lautner is a publicist’s WET DREAM! That is not to say that this coupling has been staged for publicity but, well, in Hollywood anything is possible (there are even reports that Swift will do a skit with Kanye West, the a-hole who ruined her MTV VMAs this year, when she hosts SNL in a couple of weeks). I, personally, choose to believe that Taylor² are close, close friends and are hanging out a lot these days because of a mutual admiration for one another ;) The couple stepped out for another date last night, too. After the jump, check out Taylor² out on the town again last night …

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Earlier this month we learned that Taylor Swift would be among the real life musicians who will appear in animated form in the new video game Band Hero and last night she was spotted at a photo/video commercial shoot here in SoCal for her appearance in the video game. As you may recall, players of Band Hero will be able to play as Taylor Swift (and others) in the game. Here are a few pics from her shoot last night:

You may also recall that we have been seeing much of Taylor Swift just this week alone. First she and a friend showed up at the Staples Center to watch a LA Kings hockey game. Then she and a friend were spotted creepin’ into a hotel in Beverly Hills, CA together. And, it turns out, that the friend she’s been hanging out with all week long tagged along to her photo/video shoot last night. After the jump, check out a few photos of the friends together last night …

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Brace yourselves, Taylor Lautner fans. According to the man himself, if he had his way … he wouldn’t be shirtless in movies anymore! This upsetting sentiment comes from a new interview with the lad where he bemoans the fact that his nekkid physique overshadows his, ahem, acting ability and, therefore, he would prefer to remain clothed in future films. Um … yeah:

Garnering more attention from the media ever since he bulked up in order to reprise his role as Jacob Black in “Twilight” sequel “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”, Taylor Lautner has vowed to never appear shirtless in future film projects. He is quoted by Showbiz Spy as saying that he is afraid his muscular body will draw people’s attention away from his acting skill, which is much more important than his physical appearance. “I worked hard to get in shape for this role,” Lautner explains. “My motivation was the movie and the fans, but I don’t want to become known as just a body. If I had to choose, I would never take my shirt off again in a movie, but I guess that’s not very realistic. I certainly won’t be asking to do it, though.” Previously, Taylor Lautner told reporters at Teen Vogue’s 7th Annual Young Hollywood party in L.A. that he actually feels uncomfortable with his muscular body. “It’s so uncomfortable knowing that so many people are seeing pictures of me shirtless,” so he said. “It’s weird. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

Aww … poor little wolf. To be honest, I can appreciate that Lautner prolly feels embarrassed by all the attention his shirtlessness has brought him but, in all honesty, there would be zero attention (and, hence, zero $$$) if it weren’t for all the shirtlessness. Robert Pattinson was the only hunk getting any of the love from Twilight fans … until Taylor decided to fight messy hair with chiseled abs … now he’s getting a whole lotta attention all on his own. It comes with the territory, I’m afraid. Taylor should be careful not to bite the hand that feeds him … if he decides to make a career based solely on his acting abilities he might have to go back to making movies like THIS.

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