This is an extended interview of the one from Sunday’s LA Times.

The family that slays together, stays together. At least that’s the case for the Cullen brood.

In “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which hits theaters June 30, Seattle is ravaged by a series of killings caused by an army of newborn vampires controlled by revenge-seeking bloodsucker Victoria. To combat the threat against Bella (Kristen Stewart) in this third installment of the franchise, the Cullens must band together and join forces with their sworn enemies, the wolf pack.

“The whole family is in a vulnerable position because of the love we have for Bella,” said Elizabeth Reaser, who plays matriarch Esme Cullen. “If she’s not OK, we’re not OK.”

In the past, we’ve seen the clan hit baseballs so hard that they can play only in a thunderstorm, to block out the sound. And we’ve watched the buttoned-up human imposters welcome Bella into their home as the human girlfriend of one of their own — the handsome Edward.

“This time around, you get to see their true vampire-ness,” said Peter Facinelli, who plays head vampire Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the series based on the bestselling books by Stephenie Meyer.

The film is being helmed by David Slade, the edgy filmmaker behind “Hard Candy” and “30 Days of Night.” And if the trailer is any indication, he’s definitely given the franchise a darker sensibility.

“The guys are going to bring their girlfriends to this one, mark my words,” said Kellan Lutz, who plays Emmett Cullen. “There’s a lot of fighting, a lot of cool stunts. It’s a little darker. The stuff I’ve seen so far is amazing. Amazing. The music is great. Everything is just really captivating. I’m excited to see it, and I’m excited for the fans to see it. The stunts are so cool. It was a bit weird, like for the main battle scene where the newborns come in. I mean, we’re looking at these cardboard cutouts as we’re acting, as we’re supposed to be head-butting creatures. So to see it live on the screen is so cool. And running on the treadmills to do the chase scene was awesome. We were being pulled by a truck going really fast to make it seem like we were running at vampiric speed. To see it on screen, it looks epic.”

What else can we expect from the pale-faced Cullen family (which includes the Hale siblings) this go-round? Here’s what the actors say audiences can expect from the story and their characters:

Facinelli: “For me, as Carlisle, it’s an exciting portion of the series. Carlisle is very compassionate and he has a lot of killing to do in this movie. I joke, after he kills the bad guys, he says he’s sorry in his head. And, you know, he’s calm and level-headed. He’s the rock of the family. He usually has a lot of information to draw from because Alice can see into the future and Edward can read minds. In this third movie, he’s not getting that information. Neither one of his sources are working, so he’s kind of flying blind.”

Robert Pattinson (as Edward Cullen): Snagging a phone interview with the brooding dreamboat — who was overseas shooting his latest film, “Bel Ami” — proved difficult. So what can we expect from the lovesick Edward? He promises to love Bella “every moment of forever,” as the trailer reveals. He’s still hesitant about her becoming a vampire. He’s determined to protect her from Victoria. And he’s vying with Jacob for her affections. Oh, the life of an antique teenage vampire.

Reaser: “Esme is still a vampire. She still wants to kill people all day long. It was interesting to get in touch with the vampire side of her in ways that haven’t really been explored. Her family is in danger and that brings out the mama bear in her.

Ashley Greene (as Alice Cullen): “Yeah, she’s delicate and prissy at times, but Alice gets a little edgier with each installment. And with these vampires messing with her family and the people she loves, you’re going to see a bit of her toughness. It’s a reminder to the audience that even though we restrain ourselves at times, we’re still vampires and we’re dangerous. You’re going to see the dark, dangerous side of Alice.”

Kellan Lutz (as Emmett Cullen): “You’re going to see a smile on Emmett’s face from start to finish. He just loves to fight. And there’s a lot of fighting. He sort of plays bigger in this one than the others.”

Nikki Reed (as Rosalie Hale): “You see a reason for her attitude. I think fans will feel for her. There was a bit of that in ‘New Moon.’ Fans got to see a bit of her sensitive side. Her sane side. Her logical side. And her desire to help her family. This time around, she is much more of a participant. She’s a survivor. This is her family. So if protecting Bella means protecting her family, she’s going to do it.”

Jackson Rathbone (as Jasper Hale): “You’ll get to see a little bit of the root of what makes Jasper so withdrawn and quiet in the Cullen family. Fans will get some of Jasper’s back story in ‘Eclipse.’ I got to wear the whole Civil War gear and everything. There’s a bit of the softer and darker side of Jasper in this film.”

LA Times

LA Times

This new still was used in the new LA Times article, “‘Twilight: Eclipse’: Here’s the scoop with six new star interviews.” They all looked troubled and we can guess what (who) they are worried about. The artcle itself is the mini interviews we saw last week.

What do you think? Do you like the hair? The clothes?

I have one word: YUMMY!!!

More of the rest of the cast at:
Source via Pattinsonlife

The LA Times caught up to the entire Cullen Family, sans Edward, and asked them what we can expect from their characters in Eclipse. From what they say, it looks like we will be seeing a lot more of the Cullens – more of the Cullens as a family and more of the Cullens as vampires. Just what we have been hoping for!

Yvonne Villarreal, The Los Angeles Times

“The whole family is in a vulnerable position because of the love we have for Bella,” said Elizabeth Reaser, who plays matriarch Esme Cullen. “If she’s not OK, we’re not OK.”

In the past, we’ve seen the clan hit baseballs so hard that they can play only in a thunder storm, to block out the sound. And we’ve watched the buttoned-up human imposters welcome Bella into their home as the human girlfriend of one of their own — the handsome Edward.

“This time around, you get to see their true vampire-ness,” said Peter Facinelli, who plays head vampire Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the series based on the bestselling books by Stephenie Meyer.

What can we expect from the pale-faced Cullen family (which includes the Hale siblings) this go around? Here’s what the actors say audiences can expect from the story and their characters:

Facinelli: “For me, as Carlisle, it’s an exciting portion of the series. Carlisle is very compassionate and he has a lot of killing to do in this movie. I joke, after he kills the bad guys, he says he’s sorry in his head. And, you know, he’s calm and level-headed. He’s the rock of the family. He usually has a lot of information to draw from because Alice can see into the future and Edward can read minds. In this third movie, he’s not getting that information. Neither one of his sources are working, so he’s kind of flying blind.”

Reaser: “Esme is still a vampire. She still wants to kill people all day long. It was interesting to get in touch with the vampire side of her in ways that haven’t really been explored. Her family is in danger and that brings out the mama bear in her.

Ashley Greene (as Alice Cullen): “Yeah, she’s delicate and prissy at times, but Alice gets a little edgier with each installment. And with these vampires messing with her family and the people she loves, you’re going to see a bit of her toughness. It’s a reminder to the audience that even though we restrain ourselves at times, we’re still vampires and we’re dangerous. You’re going to see the dark, dangerous side of Alice.”

Kellan Lutz (as Emmett Cullen): “You’re going to see a smile on Emmett’s face from start to finish. He just loves to fight. And there’s a lot of fighting. He sort of plays bigger in this one than the others.”

Jackson Rathbone (as Jasper Hale): “You’ll get to see a little bit of the root of what makes Jasper so withdrawn and quiet in the Cullen family. Fans will get some of Jasper’s back story in ‘Eclipse.’ I got to wear the whole Civil War gear and everything. There’s a bit of the softer and darker side of Jasper in this film.”

Nikki Reed (as Rosalie Hale): “You see a reason for her attitude. I think fans will feel for her. There was a bit of that in ‘New Moon.’ Fans got to see a bit of her sensitive side. Her sane side. Her logical side. And her desire to help her family. This time around, she is much more of a participant. She’s a survivor. This is her family. So if protecting Bella means protecting her family, she’s going to do it.”

Robert Pattinson (as Edward Cullen): Snagging a phone interview with the brooding dreamboat — who was overseas shooting his latest film, “Bel Ami” — proved difficult. So what can we expect from the lovesick Edward? He promises to love Bella “every moment of forever,” as the trailer reveals. He’s still hesitant about her becoming a vampire. He’s determined to protect her from Victoria. And he’s vying with Jacob for her affections. Oh, the life of an antique teenage vampire.

I just can’t picture anyone else as Carlisle than Peter Facinelli, and sorry, but I certainly wouldn’t picture any of the 3 they picked!
Could you envision anyone else as Carlisle? Who?

ClevverTV

OMC! Time to change ID’s, Carlisle.
Jasper, call J. Jenks ASAP! The IRS is on to our beloved family.
This video lays it all out for the world to see-their holdings, how they got their fortune, even their Italian backers…

This is the funniest and most clever spoof on the Twilight Saga yet, and it is from Forbes. Whoever did this is a creative genius!

Hot off the announcement of Bree’ Tanner’s backstory,  I know you all want to chime in on who you would like to know more about.  MTV listed their choices. I totally agree about Carlisle. Oh there are so many things I’d like to know so much more about, who knows where to begin!

Jasper Hale

Sure, we get his back story in “Eclipse,” but the man is the most tortured of all (yes, Edward, all) of the Cullen clan. Not only does he have the hardest time controlling his need for human blood, but we also are dying to read from his perspective how it feels to want to kill Bella every time she walks into the room without unconditional love holding him back. It would also be fun to see where he and Alice run off to at the end of “Breaking Dawn” from his perspective, because that was one of the biggest WTF?! moments of the series.

Jane

The Volturi only actually pop into the story a couple of times during the course of the “Saga,” but those few times are some of our favorites. We’d love to see the shenanigans the Volturi get themselves into over in Italy from their perspective, plus how they feel when they see the Edward/Bella dynamic for the first time. Plus it gives Dakota Fanning a chance to star in her own spin-off movie.

Jessica Stanley

We didn’t really start loving Jessica’s character until we saw Anna Kendrick’s portrayal of her in the films, but OME if she isn’t one of our favorite parts of the movies. Maybe Anna should be the one to pen this spin-off to incorporate some of her signature snark, but we would love to see Bella’s story through one of the humans’ point of view. Because, for anyone on the outside who doesn’t know something supernatural is going on, that has got to be one of the weirdest love stories to watch play out ever.

Quil Ateara

Except for the fact Jacob was miserable during the second section of “Breaking Dawn,” we liked how the story was told from a werewolf perspective. Though Quil might seem like the most uninteresting of the Quileute tribe at first glance, that’s kind of the point. Bella and Bree are both pretty bland on the surface, but that makes it easier for the reader to take up that consciousness on their own. Plus, Quil was one of the last to become a werewolf and isn’t bogged down with daddy drama like Seth and Leah Clearwater, which makes it easier to read his story and understand.

Carlisle Cullen

This wouldn’t be a spin-off, this would be an epic. Carlisle has one of the coolest storylines in the book, and it stretches back for a really long time. Some of his storyline is told in the novels, but we have no issue reading 2,000 pages to see it all from his perspective. For some crazy reason, we don’t think you fans would have an issue either.

If you click on the photos, you can just read the article.  It covers Facinelli’s former and present roles, especially Dr. Cooper.  (Their assessment of Coop’s “charm” is bang on.)  As for the future, Peter has written a Hallmark movie called “Mulligan” * and another for himself to star in called “Loosies”** , which is to start filming in June.

Backstage Magazine March 25-31, 2010

Scans from PeterFacinelli.com

*Peter’s TV-film “Mulligan,”  will star is wife, actress Jennie Garth. The movie air on the Hallmark Channel; no date has been set.

“I finished writing it and then she read it and said, ‘Hey if you ever make this I want to play this.’ And I said, ‘We’ll see. Maybe you’ll come in and audition for it,’” Facinelli said with a laugh.

**He also wrote and will star in the romantic comedy “Loosies,” about a pickpocket in New York who has commitment issues and learns from a one-night stand that he’s a father-to-be.

Info from SFGate

Moviefone got a chance to interview Peter Facinelli at the New Moon DVD Release Party at the Union Square Best Buy on Friday night.  Is he a prettier version of Brando with a smaller nose?? You decide.

How did you get stuck with being here? Did you draw straws with the other Cullens?
I won it in a raffle! We put our names in a hat and mine was picked. No, actually, I was out here doing press for ‘Nurse Jackie’ and they asked me to do it and I said, “Sure, it sounds like fun.”

Do ‘Twilight’ fans quote anything to you most often?
“Whose going to want you now?” [Laughs] No, actually, I get asked to say, “Animal attack.”

Read the whole interview here

Chris Weitz, director of New Moon, chatted with People Magazine about Eclipse! Here’s what he had to say about the tent scene, the script, and more!

Chris Weitz, who directed New Moon, the second installment in the Twilight series, says he has read the script for this summer’s third installment, Eclipse – and that one scene in particular is a scorcher.

“I’m looking forward to the sleeping bag scene, I gotta say,” Weitz tells PEOPLE. “That’s going to be very steamy.”

Click to read the full interview with Chris Weitz.

If you have been watching the Remember Me stuff, you’ll love this clever video! Congrats to TennisElyGirl. It is the Remember Me trailer with Twilight characters and scenes. Soooo cool.
Here’s the actual Remember Me trailer, in case you want to re-watch it.