Joining the Pack

Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? Do you know the Cullens? What about the legend of the Quileute Tribe? What happens to vampires if they go out in the sun? If you don't know what I'm talking about, just stop reading now.

The Twilight Saga is a four book series by Stephenie Meyer that chronicles the love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob. Except Edward is a vampire. And Jacob is a werewolf. And Bella is a human.

I admit it. I am part of the Twilight madness. And I have brought at least three friends down with me. I blame it on my sister-in-law, who introduced me to the books a couple of years ago. At the time, I had never heard of the them.

Twilight, the first installment in the Twilight Saga, arrived in theaters in 2008. The second movie, New Moon, opened on Friday. I didn't get tickets to the midnight showing, namely because I didn't think I could get anyone to go with me (think again). And could I really stay awake until 2:30 am to watch a movie? (Yes!)

I won't make those mistakes again.

I bought four tickets in September, the day they went on sale, for the 6:45 pm showing on Friday, Nov. 20, a good 18 hours after the first showing.

We arrived at the movie theater an hour before the movie, and the line was already out the door. There were girls of all ages: young tweens and teenagers with their moms, groups of 30-somethings and even a few baby boomers. We entertained ourselves by debating whether a werewolf or vampire was a better match for us. Some girls were sporting New Moon t-shirts, and there was lots of giggling and "OMG's!" flying around (and not just by us). Once they opened the theater, we even saw a few fans running to secure the best seats. We did not run, although I think there was some shoving involved. I won't name names.

There was a sprinkling of testosterone...lucky males who (I'm assuming) were dragged to the movie by a female, a normally level headed wife or girlfriend who is now the equivalent of a squealing 14 year old girl. I'm wondering if this is similar to the old footage I've seen of the Beatles...like this YouTube video from 1963.

And was the hype worth it? You betcha.

The third movie, Eclipse, comes out in June 2010, and Breaking Dawn, the final installment, in 2011. You can bet I'll be there, and this time I won't have any trouble finding a few Twilighters to go with me...to the midnight showing.

If you're not sure if you're a Twilighter, visit this site.