This realization lead to a fun little project that looks at the evolution of Edward, Bella and Jacob and the growth of Rob, Kristen and Taylor.  Below are morphs of each of the Twilight characters as they appear in various forms in the Twilight Saga movie posters.  I hope you enjoy them, it’s amazing to see the evolution of these characters.  Feel free to share them and use them as you wish!

Bella Italia

Twilight author Stephanie Meyer had never been to Bella Italia when she picked it as the spot for Edward and Bella’s first date. But she did call owner Neil Conklin to ask about the menu before deciding on mushroom ravioli as Bella’s order.  Now the dish is the restaurant’s most requested item — it’s so popular that Bella Italia started selling a frozen version of the entrée online.

Sully’s Drive In

Twi-hards visit this burger joint from around the world.  One group of women even came to the restaurant with a life-size cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen. the saga’s leading vampire, and put him in a corner so he could watch them eat.

Reminds me of the Where Is Edward Cullen trip to Griffith Park

Miller Tree In Bed and Breakfast

In 2008, the chamber of commerce designated this “The Cullen House” because it matched the description in the books.  While vampires might prefer to eat bears, overnight guests here wake up to house specialities like apple pancakes.

JT’s Sweet Stuffs

So many people come to this specialty candy and ice cream shop wanting to talk Twilight that owner Janet Hughes started requiring her staff to read the series.  ”I have a copy that I give them,” she says.  ”They’re usually done reading the books within a day or two.”

Three Rivers Resort

In the series, there’s a “treaty line” that seperates vampire and werewolf territory.  All this resort had to do to earn itself a spot on the locally run Twilight tour was put up a sign that reads “Treaty Line.”  Now up to four buses a day stop at its restaurant-shop!

Pacific Pizza

When fans first started flocking to Forks, the chamber of commerce asked local restaurants to put Twilight-themed items on the menu.  Now six dishes here are named after characters.  Visitors are eating up the Swan Salad and Ed Bread—sales have jumped 25 percent.

In addition to the single page look at Forks food in Food Network Magazine.  Fellow Scripps Network station the Travel Channel also featured hot spots in Forks as part of its recent article titled Vampire Vacations.

The article discusses the same facts about Miller Tree Inn Bed and Breakfast and Bella Italia mentioned in the Food Network Magazine article, but also offers up this advice for traveling to Forks, WA:

Before the “Twilight” phenomenon, Forks, WA, was a quiet town that blended in with its Pacific Northwest neighbors. But the “Twilight” frenzy continues to keep pace, and the town has responded with plenty of tours of the spots described in the books and movies. There are a number of guided tours, but you can save some money and travel at your own pace on a self-guided tour. Visit the Forks Tourism Office for details on iconic “Twilight” spots around town and then check out to the Forks Community hospital at 530 Bogachiel Way (just don’t take Dr. Cullen’s reserved parking spot) and First Beach in La Push, home of the Quileute Nation and the “Twilight” werewolf community. There’s no shortage of “Twilight” paraphernalia around town as well as signs noting literary landmarks for those who haven’t memorized a map of Bella’s stomping grounds.

But if there weren’t enough it was discovered that a couple of the new characters to join the game also share strikingly similar names to Twilight personalities Edward Cullen and Jacob Black.  Take a gander at the screen shots below of the new Sims characters Edward Sullen and Jacob Slack.

The this is the first time the Twilight Saga has been loosely referenced as actual characters in a Sims game, it is not the first time we here at Where Is Edward Cullen have seen Twilight in the Sims universe.  Kristina’s character in the Sims 2 had an affair with Edward Cullen a couple years ago.

The first sticker is available to anyone who checks in to Abduction on GetGlue between now and September 23, the day the movie is released.

The second sticker will available September 23-25 during the films opening weekend.

The third and final sticker is available anytime after September 26

In a recent effort to raise money for charity, True Blood star Stephen Moyer decided to auction off what’s being called, “The Sock of Destiny”.  To put it more bluntly Moyer is auctioning off his “cock sock” that’s used to cover up his man unit during the filming of sex scenes.

This generous, yet outrageous act raised $1,650.00 for Gulf Aid via an eBay auction, and it got me wondering what sort of money Robert Pattinson would get if he did the same thing.  With Melissa Rosenberg confirming that sex is being written into the script, one would only assume that Rob himself would wear a similar garment during the intense love scenes between him and Kristen Stewart.  I would imagine that Rob Pattinson, having what I would perceive as a much more widespread audience, would raise significantly more money for the same item.

What do you think a Robert Pattinson “Sock of Destiny” would go for?  And which one of you ladies out there is going to go start up a petition to have Rob auction it off if he indeed wears one?

Our ticket into all the Twilight events. And it had all sorts of handy pockets too.

So, one might ask themselves…what could be better than a seven day cruise to Alaska. About a year and three months ago – I found the answer. A seven day cruise to Alaska WITH A TWILIGHT CONVENTION ON BOARD.

When I first signed up for Twi-Cruise Alaska, Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz were attached. Somewhere in there, they dropped out. As did Alex Meraz. We ended up with Michael Welch, Chaske Spencer and Jodelle Ferland as guests. One wolf, one vampire, one human. Hot. I’m all for it! I was especially happy about Mike because I’ve head some pretty amazing stories about him at conventions.

But, I do get ahead of myself.

Day 1: Seattle, WA 8/8/2010

So, we left from Seattle. I didn’t get a chance to go on the pre-cruise trip to Forks, but I heard it was a blast. Sigh. I have yet to go to Forks. SO CLOSE, and yet so far. Oh, well. What kind of dork wanders through Sea-Tac airport nostalgically (After being at Long Beach airport at 4:45 in the morning no less?)? Oh right, me. Why? Because I was imagining Edward half dragging Bella out to meet his family at the end of New Moon.

What? I was about to go on a cruise with 500 Twilight fans. Bite me.

That first night, we all met in the big auditorium at the front of the ship. Of the nearly 2,000 passengers on the Oosterdam, around 500 of us were there for the Twilight convention. They’d given us these nifty little pouches that were our ticket into all of our events and then…they introduced us to our hosts…Edward and Alice.

Zomg. Okay, let me just say I love Fake Alice. But Fakeward. Holy crap y’all. He was smarmy, he’d OBVIOUSLY read all the books (and seen all the movies) and he… well, obviously you knew he wasn’t Rob, but when you caught him coming toward you on the boat… your heart just stopped a second. And he knew it. He would give the customary Edward Cullen smirk and say, “Ladies.” Unf. The photos just do not do him justice my darlings. He was a real highlight of this cruise. The boy refused to drop character too. It was awesome.

Day 2: At Sea

We got to meet the actors on Day 2 because we did the photo shoot. I did a kind of gasp. Michael Welch? Yeah, Mike Newton is hot in person. Chaske is adorable, and FUCKTALL. And Jodelle? She’s just as sweet and pretty as can be.

We also had trivia…which I lost (which made me sadfase because I NEVER lose trivia). That afternoon we were all regaled by the true tales of the Quileutes by Quileute elder Chris Morganroth. Turns out Stephenie got a few points wrong. Hehe. Chris was an absolute delight and would have spoken for five hours if they’d have let him. He does tell stories in La Push around a bonfire. I’m hoping to catch up with him on First Beach someday.

That evening…wow. What a treat. It was 80′s karaoke night. There are some talented fans among us. Favorite moment of the night – aside from the Mike moments, which I’ll get to – was when one of the cruise organizers went over to Fakeward and hung a glowrod from his neck. He stared at it. He stared at her. He deadpanned, “I already sparkle…what more do you want from me?” Bwah haha.

As we got started who came up on the monitor but Michael Welch. He was, apparently, feeling seasick because he told us if he hurled we needed to get that on YouTube immediately. Then he proceeded to perform Space Odyssey by David Bowie. And when I say perform…I mean, he PERFORMED IT. I thought he was going to cry. Later on that night he performed Bohemian Rhapsody so enthusiastically, he actually split his pants. You can see it at the end of this video. Note, I did not take the video. I was sitting front row and to the right…and I apparently suck at taking video. Frealz.

Day 3: Scenic Cruising in Glacier Bay

That day was pretty light, Twilight-wise. I saw Twilight that morning with a few of the people on the cruise and I hit up the vending room when it became apparent that I needed something to put my papers in while I was waltzing around the ship looking at glaciers. They had some amazing totes and necklaces. So cute! One of my friends got a great Cedric Diggory tote (Oh, Cedric Rob) and I got the one pictured. Sigh. So lovely. There was a talent show that night, but I think I fell asleep early. I heard it was fun though.

Day 4: Juneau

I’m trying not to talk about the actual trip that much, but the cruise was amazing. Glacier Bay was simply astounding. Juneau was great. There was a costume ball that night, but again I didn’t attend. I didn’t have a dress. I felt weird about going in jeans.

Day 5: Sitka

Sitka was great, but in Twilight news, that was the night of Family Feud. Guests were chosen at random to be on teams. Since Edward and Alice wanted to play, guess who came down to host? Mike! He was awesome. He entertained the crowd through some technical difficulties and gave Edward crap whenever it was his turn. The boy is charming. Totes. Jodelle came down and played with us too. She was cute. She whined when she had to be on Team Werewolf.

My favorite question of the night? The question was Top Five most dangerous things Bella ever did. One of the answers was getting knocked up by a vampire. Darling Fakeward raised his arms victoriously. It was hilar.

Day 6: Ketchikan

My birthday! Edward and Bella’s anniversary! Sadly, I didn’t get to ask Edward why he was cruising AWAY from Bella on their anniversary because that night…I was drunk. Yeah. What?! It was my birthday and there was a pub crawl. However, I heard the costume contest was fab. That DAY was the Q and A with the actors. The questions had been sent in prior. A couple of things we learned – Chaske is honest! He admitted to not having read the books (“I’m 35 and male…they weren’t in my demographic) and he admitted that he didn’t even see Twilight until he was on the plane to Vancouver. He also said that he was confused when he met Rob and he was speaking in a British accent. LOL. Mike did his bow-chica-bow-bow dance and Jodelle talked about how she knew Cameron Bright and worked with Kristen on The Messengers.

Day 7: Victoria 8/14/2010

I missed the screening of New Moon because…well, you know, I’d been up late getting jiggy with it on the dance floor. I totally argued with this big, buff sailor dude about Team Edward vs Team Jacob. He said Jacob was hotter. AS IF.

Ahem, anyway. That was autograph day. Chaske was totally adorable in his reading glasses. He also had a laptop out on which he was playing music for 500 Days of Summer. Bonus points Chaske. All of them signed Happy Birthday on my friend’s photos as it was her birthday, even though they weren’t technically supposed to (so sweet!). I got pictures with Fakeward and Fake Alice finally! Fakeward loved my T-shirt. He says he can’t get enough of them. “I have quite a large ego for a vampire!”

We had Jeopardy that afternoon which, as hosted by Alice and Edward, was hilarious. Edward actually collapsed to his knees on the stage at one point because the category was anagrams and Rosalie Hale became Is a Real Hole. He nearly died. Then, he cleared his throat and put on his brood face again.

All and all, it was fantastic. The actors could not have been more friendly (even when we all stared a little bit when we ran into them on the ship), the actual cruise was just…amazing, and the fan events were so much fun. Definitely an experience I will treasure forever.

Helpful Links:

Twi-Cruise Alaska

Twi -Cruise Italy 2011 – You can sign up now. Looks like the pre-trip is in Volterra! Sadly, I will NOT be attending that cruise…but Fakeward will! He promised not to run off to Volterra to die. He says he has no reason to this time. The people who put together this cruise, Cruises, Cruises, Cruises Inc. were really amazing. What a great line up. What fun. Do attend if you can.

Fakeward - otherwise known as Brandon, apparently. He’s funny. I love his pictures. Especially the ones of him “hunting” in Alaska. You can see the other Cullen impersonators there.

No, I don’t consider my Twilight obsession a problem, thank you very much. It’s more of a boy problem. I’m caught in a triangle between two men. Now, it’s not what you think, because neither of them know I exist, but still. I like to consider myself a one man type of gal. But, alas, I just can’t decide.

Just who is my top guy, Robert Pattinson or Jackson Rathbone?

Really, they’re crazy similar, right down to the fact that Jackson, who plays Jasper Hale in case you didn’t know, was Catherine Hardwick’s second choice for the role of Edward Cullen.

Point of interest – that means Kristen Stewart has kissed both of my guys. Jealous!

Anyway. Let’s talk about all the things I love about Rob and Jackson to see who comes out on top (that’s what she said).

The Hair

Rob: Who doesn’t know about Rob’s hair? I mean – it doesn’t matter what he does to it. Since he’s always running his fingers through it (and let us not talk about Rob’s fingers because I could stare at those for days), it constantly looks like sex hair.

Jackson: This boy is always playing with his hair but unlike Rob – for whom it’s a nervous tick – Jackson uses it as another extension of his eclectic style. When he had an odd cut while he was doing The Last Airbender he spiked it up into an insanely high mohawk.

Verdict: Tie – Whatever length, unkempt or slicked back, these boys do not know how to have a bad hair day. It’s ridiculous.

The Smile

Rob: Do you know what I love about Rob? He giggles. It’s utterly adorable. He smiles with his entire face. I love his grin. It was one of the best things about Eclipse – he actually got to use that gorgeous smile of his more.

Jackson: Oh, lord. This boy has the kind of smile where, were he to flash it at you, you would instantly do whatever he asked. What’s that Jackson? You want me to kill the president? Well, yessir. Coming right up. And on top of it, he does this little lip purse. You see it in Eclipse when he’s facing Emmett during training – “Don’t hold back.”

Verdict: Tie – Rob’s grin or Jackson’s lip purse. I just cannot decide.

The Accent

Rob : British. I could listen to him say bouffant, coccyx and nachos all fucking day long tyvm.

Jackson: Texas Twang. Low and deep and just beautiful. Don’t believe me? Try watching him live. Every time he speaks – I swoon.

The Music

Photo courtesy of Jenn Goetz

Rob: Now, generally speaking I am not actually attracted to Edward…unless he’s on that piano. That. Scene. Was. Hot. On top of his extraordinary piano skills, Rob, of course, contributed two songs to the Twilight soundtrack (voice: low, gravely, wonderful) and also wrote the guitar music, which he played, for Never Think.

Jackson:  With his band, 100 Monkeys, I’ve seen Jackson play guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, trumpet, electric ukulele and harmonica and sing. All in one night. Good lord.  ::fans self::

Verdict: Tie – They’re both insanely talented with their instruments (that’s what she said).

The Acting

Rob: Okay – first of all, I agree with his choices as Edward but, that being said, Twilight is just not the kind of movie you want to judge an actor on. Rob is amazing in that he tends to choose scripts that are very character driven. He’s amazing. He disappears into his roles completely. I’m sorry – if you can make me forget you’re 1) Edward Cullen and 2) Robert Pattinson – you are talented. Loved him as a nerd in Bad Mother’s Handbook, loved him as Salvador Dali in Little Ashes (PS – the boy makes kissing look HOT, man or woman), and Remember Me? Good lord. Powerful.

Jackson: Now – when I first saw Jackson it was in interviews and I didn’t know what to make of him. I mean, really, you cannot judge a good actor based off of a look of agony and “Oh, I think we can handle that.” Then I sat down to watch Criminal Minds. Holy. Crap. Y’all. If you have not seen Jackson’s episode of Criminal Minds: Conflicted, watch it. It’s stunning. Just. Stunning. I was literally staring at him gape mouthed. And thus…my Jackson Rathbone obsession began.

Verdict: Rob has a slight edge only because his roles are so character driven and accessible. Jackson tends to choose…odd roles. He’s utterly fantastic, but they’re hard to re-watch (especially Dread. OGOD DON’T MAKE ME RELIVE THE END OF DREAD).

Accessibility

Rob: Ha. The poor boy is mobbed everywhere he goes. Good luck with that.

Jackson: If you’re anywhere on the 100 Monkeys’ touring schedule, Jackson is easy access (that’s what she said). I’ve seen the boy five times in concert and talked to him once – and I’m pretty shy about these things. Most people who go to a 100 Monkeys concert can easily get a handshake, maybe an autograph and possibly a picture. Either way – you can get close to him. And believe me. You want to. He is utterly gorgeous up front and his entire band is talented. It’s a fun show no matter who you are. And Jackson has this way of engaging the audience. If you’re close enough – he will look directly AT you for a moment while he’s singing. And that my friends…that is… just… ungh.

Verdict: Jackson by a long shot.

Winner

None. Well, crap that didn’t help me any. Sigh. I suppose I will have to keep on admiring both of them.

Poor, poor me.

All Robert Pattinson images were gathered from edwardandbella.net and all Jackson Rathbone images were gathered from ifelthope.net unless otherwise noted.

Gratuitous Rob/Jackson action. Jackson interviews Rob – hilarity ensues:

We have since blocked the most problematic commenter, but discovered today that there were others in the past that we will be keeping an eye out for.  A handful of commenter’s in particular were impacted significantly by the impostors including commenter’s under the aliases of Techie, Bella, and Alice.  To further protect our readers and to open up a new line off communication for our community of fans and readers, we launched the Where Is Edward Cullen Forums.  Since its start yesterday evening the community already has 42 members at the time of this writing and 779 posts.  Not bad for only being a day old.

We are continuing to develop the community and have added some general guidelines, information, and a number of Twilight related boards to get the conversations going.  We hope our readers appreciate the steps we have taken to create a secure, fun environment for fans to interact without having to worry about impostors posting under their name.  Sign up today, and be sure to stop by the “Newborns” thread and introduce yourself!

But now it seems that another Twilight inspired teen trend has hit Texas, this time they are taking on the roll of the vampires.  Taking lead from the more traditional “cold ones”, a Rockwall, Texas teen has had fangs implanted.  The fangs, which are made using a plastic-like substance called composite, were implanted by local dentist Dr. Mary Courtin and are gaining even more interest from local teens.

While the fangs do not appear to be permanent it does have some dentists concerned, saying that the added tooth length could impact the patients bite.  A good idea or not, it seems that Texas is the place to be if you want to show off your individuality and love for Team Jacob or Team Edward.  The teens mother was not too fond of the decision, but said in an interview, “They want to look like who they idolize. And right now, ‘Twilight’ is it.”

Have you done anything out of the ordinary to show your love for the Twilight Saga?  Let us know!

I may or may not admit to being the subject of all of this list….

7. You know more about John and Kate, the Kardashians and Lindsey Lohan than you ever wanted to simply because you HAD to subscribe to all the gossip websites you normally hate – what if I missed a picture of Kristen or Rob?!

6.Your non-Twi-Hard friend says she wants a Team Jacob t-shirt just to but you and you buy it for her because you HAVE to support her supporting anything Twilight related.

5. When you’re buying said shirt you blurt out to the salesguy who 1)Doesn’t understand and 2) Doesn’t give a damn that you are NOT Team Jacob and you’re only buying this for your friend you swear to god.

4. The game “Who would you kill-fuck-marry” causes you emotional stress whenever someone uses Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, Rob, Jackson, Kellan or Peter (because – omg, I have to KILL one of them?!).

3.  You come back from your weekly trip to Borders and have the following conversation:

Me: Can you believe this bookmark was $5.00?! That’s insane! It’s a bookmark.

Co-Worker: You mean the bookmark you have in your hand and, I’m assuming, didn’t steal?

Me: Of course I didn’t steal it!

Co-Worker: ::blank stare:: … Never mind.

2. None of your friends, coworkers or family come running anymore when you scream. They just assume a new photo-shoot has leaked or it’s something else Twilight related. If they hear a thud they just assume it is Robert Pattinson/Jackson Rathbone/Peter Facinelli induced and call out “The abs are spraypaint!” instead of coming to see if you’re alive.

1. All of your non-Twi-Hard friends have made specific plans to be far, far away from you on the 19th, 20th and 21st, just to be safe. All of your ridiculously insane, obsessed Twi-Hard friends have made specific plans to be NEAR you on the 19th, 20th or 21st because “we need to squeal together!” By the way – you’re all in your late 20′s.

Any of these sound familiar? If they do – well my friend, you’re a Twi-Hard. Put up all your posters and gather up your best witty comebacks for the haters. You’re among friends. Need proof? Wear a Twilight related shirt out in public. I guarantee you that you’ll get a few knowing grins from closeted Twilighters – and probably a few high fives too.

Less than 6 days and 12 hours! Because if you won’t admit you’re counting – well I sure as heck will.