Saturday, while much of Miami was glued to its TV screens to watch the U.S. play Ghana in the World Cup, hundreds of Twi-hards wrapped around the block outside of downtown's Gusman Center of the Performing Arts in anticipation of Twilight Night,'' a celebration of Eclipse, the newest addition to the supernatural-film franchise.
Twilight Night'' occurred in 12 different states, coinciding with the lunar eclipse. The event featured a fortuneteller, trivia games, photo stations, a band playing songs from the movie soundtrack, henna tattoo artists, and Twilight themed-makeovers.
For the uninitiated, Twilight hinges on a love triangle between the mortal Bella, vampire Edward Cullen and werewolf Jacob. Fans take their allegiances very seriously.
Those on team Edward got shades of icy blues while team Jacob die-hards were made-over with a browner, more wolf-friendly palate.
The highlight of the night was a viewing of New Moon, the previous film in the series, and a live appearance by Michael Welch, who plays Mike Newton, a human with a crush on Bella.
According to Summit Entertainment, the production company, approximately 200 fans with dark bottom eyeliner and homemade shirts -- one read Save Gas, Drive a Cullen'' -- gathered at 5 a.m. to get wristbands, which weren't distributed until 10.
While many got the wristbands and left, the true Twi-hards waited until doors opened at 6 p.m. Fifteen lucky fans of the hundreds in attendance were rewarded with one-on-one time with Welch.
How did the fans pass the time? Apart from vying chants of Edward,'' Jacob,'' and the occasional Bella,'' some devotees did arts and crafts. Stephanie Davis and Anita Goldberg, both 15, brought the materials to make posters for Welch and sketched his portrait. They also wrote a note to Jackson Rathborne, who plays vampire Jasper in the film, that they hope Welch will pass along.
I've told my parents that either I'm going to the Breaking Dawn premier, or I'm running away,'' Davis said.
Such dedication is not rare among the fans. If I hadn't had been able to get out of work, I would have quit,'' said Renee Vankuren, 32, who took off from her job as a waitress in Key Largo at 8 a.m. to get her wristband. ``There are tons of other jobs out there.''
Welch feels only gratitude towards Twilight fans, which he claims range from 90-year-olds to toddlers. ``But I think that could just be moms dressing up their kids.''
Welch is a part of the Twilight convention circuit and has even come to recognize a few fans that follow the conventions.
They are like Trekkies or Dead Heads, Phish fans or people who think Clapton is God,'' he said.
The Twilight phenomenon has certainly swept the nation, and the vampire and werewolf franchise has taken off. If you haven't done something with werewolves or vampires in the past two years, I want to say that you aren't a working actor,'' Welch said.
Fandago, the ticket selling website, announced that Eclipse is the top advance ticket-seller on its site this year and makes up over 52 percent of daily ticket sales. Most of the Twi-hards at Twilight Night'' bought their tickets as soon as they became available of May 14.
In spite of having to get up at 8:30 in the morning for school the next day, I will be at the midnight show,'' said Ashly Valines. ``I even shelled out a little extra for the IMAX.''
So how does the third installment of the Twilight saga compare to the others?
It is definitely the best yet, by far,'' Welch said to The Herald. I've always thought that Eclipse was the strongest story in the whole franchise. It has more action; it's a lot more fast-paced. I think it has something for the guys to enjoy as well who were dragged along by their girlfriends who maybe didn't love the first two as much as their girlfriends did.''
But if you're going to Eclipse on opening weekend and want good seats, you might want to get there early, if ``Twilight Night" is any indicator.
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