angryroots: Flesh Hunters ( Fans Catch a Glimpse of Twilight Stars at New York Screening )

Flesh Hunters

Fans Catch a Glimpse of Twilight Stars at New York Screening

All hell broke loose on Houston Street on Thursday night: Barricades held back teary-eyed tweens outside the Sunshine Cinema, burly security men were not afraid to shove, and—last but not least—guests had to endure the trauma of turning their mobile telephones and cameras in before entering the theater. Why the fuss? Because the First Family of Vampire Cinema was in town, of course, here to attend the NYC unveiling of New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight series. "Robert, Taylor, and Kristen, who no longer even need last names," the film's director, Chris Weitz, said as he introduced the cast to his friends. For those who've been sleeping in a coffin for the last year, that would be Pattinson, Lautner, and Stewart.

"This might be the most beautiful screening I've been to," Weitz added. "I don't think I've ever seen a more glamorous audience watch a movie." Yes, the likes of Jessica Szohr, Taylor Momsen, and Jessica Stam all looked lovely this evening, even if all eyes were on the stars. Nearly the entire room sat swiveled in the chairs, focusing attention not on the screen but rather on a row near the back of the auditorium that was designated for the cast. And then, before the lights even dimmed in the theater, the troupe scooped up their darkened tresses and left.

Perhaps paparazzi flashbulbs act like daylight on vampires, because Pattinson and co. were still missing in action at the after-party. "Where are the bloody Cullens?" Agyness Deyn asked Alexa Chung. With Fergie, Ed Westwick, the Kills' Alison Mosshart, and Emma Roberts in attendance, there was plenty of eye candy to snack on. But that presumably wasn't enough to sustain the fans who stood outside The Box, apparently unaware of the advice of Pattinson. Earlier in the night, he joked to a friend, "Everyone knows this movie comes out in about four hours, right?" True, the first public screenings were at midnight Friday morning, but as any screaming, digital camera-wielding, die-hard Twilight fan will tell you, the movie is just the start. Pattinson may play an unusually abstemious bloodsucker in the series, but his admirers were looking for flesh.