Eclipse Book Discussion: Preface

There are just (just...ha! Is it June yet??) 29 weeks until Eclipse opens in theaters. Coincidentally, there are 29 chapters in Eclipse, counting the preface and epilogue. Today, we are starting a new series at Eyes of Amber with a panel discussing the book Eclipse, chapter by chapter. The panel consists of Amber (Team Total Bella -- meaning she is very much our resident Bella, but not "Switzerland"), Kerry (Team Edward for (un) Life), and our guest panelist Sabrina (Team Jacob - like seriously).

You know me and Amber. Sabrina is a good friend of Amber's, and therefore a good friend of mine, despite her Jacob fetish. Sabrina read Twilight at Amber's recommendation, and enjoyed it as much as we all did. We wanted to include her to get the perspective of Team Jacob. Like us, Sabrina is an adult fan, meanting none of us are 12 (we totaled our ages...let's not go there), also a busy mom (between the three of us..there are 11 children yikes!) who enjoys the escape into the Twilight world.

We started with the Preface, including the Robert Frost poem "Fire and Ice". Read on for our discussion:

Kerry: I have to say, that the context of Fire and Ice makes for all kinds of fun interpretations when you apply them to Jacob and Edward.
Amber: very, very true, and so fitting
Sabrina: Oh yes. I also hold with those who favor fire
Amber: Well, you have the most obvious link...Jacob is fire, he's a toasty 108
Sabrina: mmmmmm
Amber: and Edward is ice...but also, you have the fire linked to desire and the ice linked to hate. With Edward...Bella is all fire, all desire. With Jake...she feels them both
Sabrina: True. And the idea of destruction is pervasive in this poem. Although it might make you think about the love triangle, that's not what the poem itself is actually about.
Amber: well obviously sweetie...I didn't think Robert Frost wrote poems about Twilight
Kerry: Really??
Amber: okay, give me your take, Miss English Major
Kerry: ooh! An English Major!
Sabrina: this poem gives a foreshadowing of the problems that the Cullens as a clan face.
Amber: if you're looking at it that way could the fire be the wolves and the ice the newborns/Victoria?
Sabrina: can the Cullens form a truce with the werewolves (fire), and can they defeat Victoria (ice and hate)?
Amber: I think it's safe to say that Sabrina and I are of the same thought process on that one. I like that much deeper meaning...far beyond Jacob and Edward
Sabrina: Well, a miracle has occurred here today!
Kerry: *marks day on calendar* With the Cullens and the Wolves working together, it's both forms of destruction, they were unstoppable by the newborns, so much so that Edward could sit out.
Amber: the joining of the two became a destructive force more powerful than either the fire or the ice alone
Sabrina: Good point.
Kerry: and fire and ice cancel each other out, without some sort of buffer agent, like Bella
Amber: ooooooooo
Sabrina: Very true
Amber: she enabled them to coexist
Sabrina: All very true. Back to the love triangle, too.... I kind of see Bella like two possibilities.
Kerry: I think it's a personality thing too, Jacob is very hot tempered and impulsive, maybe a little unpredictable.. Edward is calculating and inexorable, one he's on a course it's difficult to sway him. Fragile and strong at the same time.
Sabrina: I see her as what she would end like with Edward, and with Jacob. And to have one self, you have to destroy the other.
Amber: oooo ooooo ooooo ooooo You are both SO good!
Sabrina: LOL
Amber: I love the strong and fragile view of Edward and the two possibilities of Bella in order to have one, she must destroy the other...and in choosing the ice, she destroys herself as well....by ice
Sabrina: Yes
Kerry: Ok, I'm totally the over-analyzer, I 'll give you that, but to me, it makes the second sentence in the preface interesting. "With ice in my heart, I watched him prepare to defend me."
Sabrina: ... no, I like it....
Amber: hmmm
Sabrina: She always uses fire and ice comparisons for Edward and Jacob. I don't think that's an accident at all. I mean, Jacob is like his own personal sun, and Edward sparkles like ice...
Kerry: Ok, so it's not just me
Sabrina: Nope, not at all
Kerry: Stephenie Meyer does the peek at the end thing , whether its just a preface like this or Twilight, or a dream..Do you like the hint at the end?
Sabrina: Yeah... and the great thing about... well, nearly all of them actually, is that even though you technically know what's going to happen, you don't really know who the major players are. And so this preface is great because you have no idea who her protector actually is.
Kerry: right...is the enemy Victoria? is it the Volturi? is it the wolves? She mentions his family, but then, it could have been Emmett or Carlisle..
Amber: right...it doesn't say who her protector is, or who she is being protected from
ah...but the wolves are Jake's brothers
Sabrina: Or his brother wolves
Amber: okay...we've got to stop doing that
Sabrina: It almost sounds like she is being protected from the wolves .. right?
Amber: I'm not really sure that I thought of the wolves there as who she was being protected from
Sabrina: So, at the end, we know that Bella and those she loves faces death. But the audience has no idea where the battle lines are drawn.
Kerry: I guess I never saw the protector as Jacob or any of the wolves. I'm just that Edward biased ;)
Sabrina: ... well, based on the end of New Moon and the treaty... it very well could be that she is being protected from the wolves. Especially with the wolf howling at the end...
Amber: that is true
Kerry: and you don't know if she'll be changed in this book
Sabrina: Exactly
Kerry: I know my husband thought she was going to be changed in Eclipse.
Sabrina: I love it. Stephenie is such a genius.
Amber: sometimes it's hard to step back to the first time I read the books
Kerry: me too
Sabrina: It's easier when you wish things might have gone different.
Kerry: that's why this is kind of fun, trying to look at the story with fresh eyes again
Amber: aw...poor little wolf girl
Kerry: Instead of jumping straight to the leg hitch..
Amber: I guess the leg hitch has a different feel for the team jacob girls
Sabrina: ...the WHAT?
Amber: the leg hitch... you know...
Sabrina: no...don't know
Amber: OME!!!
Sabrina: Somebody care to explain??
Kerry: Team Jacob might not read that scene the same way...I can't wait until we discuss that chapter!
Amber: I can see how you would forget that part, being a wolf girl
Sabrina: Yeah, I'm in for a long road ahead with this book.I love Eclipse, but it's probably my least favorite of the books.
Kerry: I'm actually looking forward to your view, Sabrina, because I really haven't discussed the book with someone that wasn't Team Edward.
Sabrina: *reviews leg hitch* Yeah... I was like, oh whatever. Get over yourself and get it done already!
Sabrina: Oh, this is too fun.
Amber: Lets not get so dramatic wolfy.
Sabrina: I love tormenting you Edward girls.
Amber: I'm wondering if they'll be able to use anything of this preface in the beginning of the movie the way they did the first two
Kerry: maybe as a dream again
Amber: but it would give A LOT away
Sabrina: Not if they make it a montage of fighting groups and not show who is fighting who
Amber: hmmm I'm skeptical
Kerry: or just a close up of Bella all terrified with a rock in her hand
Sabrina: I hope they have her actually read the poem like the did the romeo and Juliet quote.

We now turn to you, if you would like to comment on the poem and/or the preface. Next week we will dive in to the first chapter. I hope you will enjoy this as much as we will, I'm looking forward to some good banter and discussion as the different views come together. I'm hoping, personally, to maybe get something new out of the book. And I can't wait for June!

Remember to Set Your DVRs: Taylor Lautner on SNL

Here's a little promo tidbit for Taylor's appearance this Saturday, December 12th! I'm looking forward to seeing this, the skits are going to be hilarious!

Eclipse to Be Remastered for IMAX

The IMAX theater in Seattle is 60 by 80 feet.

60 by 80 feet of Edward, Jacob, and newborn armies fighting it out with the Cullens' and the wolfpack!

Oh my...

From Collider.com (Full press release there.)

Summit Entertainment has announced The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will be released in both conventional theaters and in IMAX on June 30, 2010. While the film was shot with regular cameras, IMAX is going to digitally re-master the movie with their proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology so it can be shown in IMAX theaters.

The movie was not shot with an IMAX camera, so it won't be the full effect of IMAX, but that won't stop me from seeing this beautiful piece of work.

Thanks to Robsessed

Jackson Rathbone Q&A at NewCon Nashville

We don't ever get enough Jackson Rathbone. It's not often that we get an interview or appearance, but he is always so charming and funny. Here is a video from New Con in Nashville. He talks about his character in The Last Airbender, stunts, working with Rob and his almost casting as Edward.

Twi-Theories Tuesdays: A Matter of Time

This post will contain book spoilers for the entire series. Go Read!

Have you ever stopped to think about the timeline for the series? It was always something I sort of knew about, but didn't think about in depth the first couple times I read the series. The series of crazy and scary events that our dear characters experience take place over a shockingly short period of time. Even more so, when you consider the timeline within the timeline.

The general picture? The entire series takes place in just under two years. Only TWO years. We meet Bella at the beginning of Twilight in January of her 17th year. By the time she is seducing the socks off of Edward by letting him read her mind, it's just after New Years, when she is chronologically 19. And all of that, from Bioward to BellaUberShield happens in that time.

There is huge amounts of down time, too. The summer between the events at the ballet studio, and Bella's fateful birthday party. A few weeks between Jacob's motorcycle shenanigans and note passing, and two months-ish between Bella and Edwards last meadow frolic and the wedding.

Let's see what all they endure. The dates I give here are collected from the books, as well as the Twilight Lexicon's timeline.

Bella and Edward meet on January 18, 2005. Edward disappears for a week, and the day after he returns, we have the incident with Tyler's van (Jan. 25th). Our beautiful boy then decides he's going to ignore Bella for a month. All of February is covered in a single sentence.

Here's where it starts to get crazy. From the blood typing class, to the events in Phoenix, is only TWO WEEKS. The trip to Port Angeles, the meadow scene, the visit to the Cullens, the baseball game.

Let's skip to New Moon. The beginning is just a couple of days, and then we have the poignant "Months" pages (so beautifully done in the movie). Bella "wakes up" again in January, if only barely. We have some time here, the bulk of the New Moon content takes place over nearly four months, as Bella and Jacob bond, have their adventures, getting frantic again as Alice returns and they rush to save Edward in Italy.

Eclipse is always the one that boggles my mind. There's no significant downtime, or uneventful time, it all happens inside of a month and a half, and there is only a couple of weeks in between the end of New Moon and the beginning of Eclipse.

Breaking Dawn, again, a little bit longer, spanning from August to January, but still, what a few months! Wedding, honeymoon, pregnancy, transformation, and preparing for the Volturi's visit. And the emotional journey, the uncertainty of Renesmee's life, the adjustment to vampire-hood, and the shift in dynamics with the wolfpack, and Jacob, specifically.

I take from this a few things. First, how such brief periods of time can affect us so deeply. Life truly is about single moments, and single events. You never know which one of those moments and choices will change the entire direction of your life and set you on a course you never saw coming.

Secondly, it helps me understand some of the emotional turmoil in Eclipse. It's barely been two months since Edward's return, and life hasn't been remotely peaceful. Her best friend, and the man she loves are at war with each other, an entire army of vampires is after her, and she's still dealing with the aftermath of the deep depression she suffered in New Moon. Anyone who has dealt with that knows it doesn't go away, just because the situation appears to be fixed. It's no wonder she is confused, and making choices that might not be helpful.

I'm curious, do you think at all about the time frame when you're reading, is the short timeline as surprising to you as it was to me when I finally thought about it. Do the events seem to overwhelm the calendar?

Also, I would love to hear your ideas for future Twi-Theories you would like to see featured. They can be simple, like this one, or deep and complicated, or a character profile. Leave your suggestion in the comments if you have one.

Some Words on Eclipse from the Stars

I'm still debating how many more times I can get to the theater to see New Moon, and I'm already getting excited for Eclipse. During the press junket, the stars were asked about what we can look forward to in Eclipse. There are minor Eclipse movie spoilers.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Thanks to CBA

Taylor Lautner Photoshoot Outtakes

It's definitely photoshoot day for Eyes of Amber today. Here's a few outtakes of Taylor from the Men's Health shoot.

Don't make me upset...

Taylor is so buff, he uses weights for pillows.

See more at Lion & Lamb.

Empire Magazine Photoshoot Outtakes

This is another favorite of mine, so much so that I like the original picture of Rob and Kristen as my "Bella and Edward" picture, more than the Twilight poster. Empire released some outtakes recently, and of course, they're great. Some are even funny! And, of course, it's great to see Cam Gigandet and Rachelle Lefevre again!

The original, now in HQ!

Prom pic?

I spy still-scrawny Taylor in the back!

Okay, so Cam, Rachelle, and Taylor are all business here. What's so funny, Rob and Kristen?

Rawr! Tear him up, Kristen!

Noogie, incoming? Or a flip over the shoulder?

See more at Robsessed.

Alex Meraz Photoshoot

Well, hello Alex..

Pictures of Alex Meraz are always nice. I'm not sure what these are intended for, but Twifans.com has even more of them...

The truth straight from Chaske Spencer

Apparently there have been a lot of rumors swirling around Chaske and his time in rehab. While we haven't reported any of them here, I think if something is big enough for him to make a personal statement, then we should help him to get the word out. Here's an excerpt.

To all the wonderful, incredibly loyal fans:

For those of you that read that I was in rehab, I wanted to make sure you heard the truth from me directly. Yes it is true, that I was in rehab, however it was over 19 months ago, long before NEW MOON was even on my radar. It was a pivotal time in my life where I was lucky enough to have supportive friends and family to help me get healthy.

You can read the rest at his site.

The Eyes of Amber girls are big fans and absolutely loved his portrayal of Sam. "Jake's right, you're good with weird." I shall not reveal who it was, but one of the girls I was with at the midnight New Moon may have left saying that if she couldn't have Edward, she was Team Sam! Let's help Chaske get the word out and set the record straight. We congratulate him on his sobriety and the fact that he's willing to be so candid just shows what a class act this man is.

Paps: The Fans Fight Back “He Doesn’t Want This, Neither Do We”

We woke up this morning to a very unpleasant surprise. The obtrusive pap pics of Rob from last were the straw that broke the camel's back for a lot of us. We are thrilled to join up with Thinking of Rob to promote a fan movement saying enough is enough. And to be honest, we'd had enough of this a long time ago.

We are proud to be a paparazzi free site. We love Rob, and the rest of the cast just as much as the next person, but no one should be put through this kind of stalking. A celebrity owes us exactly what we pay them for.

Just in case you're confused, that means they owe us their time on the screen, the stage, the court, the field, etc. When they are "off the clock" they owe us NOTHING.

I have yet to grasp why the fact that someone is well known means that they should have no privacy. If someone treated your average citizen the way that celebrities are treated, they would be considered stalkers and peeping toms.

Due to recent paps pics of Rob that came out today and inva­sive ones taken before (chas­ing Rob while he’s dri­ving, tak­ing pic­tures of him from rooftops), the fans are stand­ing up and fight­ing back. We want the paps to know that we don’t want to see pics like these, so stop tak­ing them. Stop invad­ing his pri­vate life. Enough is enough. Because no per­son deserves this, celebrity our not. There are lim­its and you have gone too far. He doesn’t want this, nei­ther do we!

Here’s our way of fight­ing back, in less than 24 hours we were able to get 500+ pics of fans pos­ing with their arms over their face to show their protest. This is our way of say­ing leave him alone. We’re hop­ing this mes­sage gets across to the paps. Fans from all over the world sent in pics and trans­lated quotes.

Check out all the great fans and other sites working together to spread the message! Thanks again to ToR for starting this campaign.

***NOTE*** Apparently there is some misunderstanding here. We were never intending for anyone to believe those are pictures of Rob. And yes, those are my "short, fat, ugly fingers" that bring this blog to you, along with Kerry who is pictured at the top. I encourage you to go to the Thinking of Rob post and read all about the campaign.
We agree that the best way to fight the paparazzi craziness is to stop posting their vids and pics. That policy has been in effect here at Eyes of Amber for quite some time. We appreciate your support.
If you would like to contribute to the campaign, you may still send your pics in to ToR at thinkingofrob@hotmail.com.

Rob's thoughts on having children...

This is one of my favorite interview clips to date. He always does so well in Japan.
We all know Rob can be quite the joker. I hope for his sake, saying that his child will agree with everything he says is a joke. Otherwise, the adjustment to being at the center of all the Twilight fame will seem like a walk in the park compared to the rude awakening actually raising a child will be.

Thanks to Robert Pattinson...Who? for the clip.

Kerry saw Sam & The Men in Seattle!!

These are the pics that she's sent me on her phone! Sorry I missed you guys!




****Kerry here. This was an amazing show! This was my first time getting to see Sam and the Men perform live, and I'm so glad I went! They did most of my favorite songs, including Too Far Gone, Whiskey, Passport and Sea Blue, as well as a number of others I wasn't as familiar with, but every bit as good. 45 minutes of Sam just wasn't enough though! More Sam Please!

Afterwards, I did get a quick moment to talk to Sam and the guys and get a few posters signed. Yay! My big accomplishment for the night? Forming complete coherent sentences! Go me! Sam is very sweet, as are the rest of The Men. I managed to get a picture of the four of them. Unfortunately, all I had was my phone for a camera, so that's why the quality sucks. But it's them. Honest!


The first opening act, Elizabeth and the Catapult, were also very very good. Elizabeth has a beautiful voice!.

The headliner was Justin Nozuka, who I was also unfamiliar with. I wasn't able to stay for the full set, as my evening out was about to turn into a pumpkin, but also enjoyed, he definitely had quite the following in the crowd, also. I have to say though, no one beats Sam, I think, even if I had been unfamilar with all three acts, he still would have been the highlight of the evening.

Thank you, Sam, for the music and the laughs, I had a blast!