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Tour of Terror 08

Page history last edited by Cleolinda 14 years, 4 months ago

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Summit Entertainment decided to go to unprecedented (in my memory, at least) lengths to promote the movie adaptation of Twilight, going to far as to send various cast members to publicity events around the world and then on an old-school Tiffany-style maul mall tour. (Sponsored by Hot Topic. Of course.) The whole thing was set to run for three or four weeks before the movie even opened.

 

Everyone laughed when I first started talking about TOUR OF TERROR '08. No one believed me. No one ever does.

 


 

International stops

 

Mexico City, Mexico

For some reason, the studio saw fit to send Robert Pattinson down to Mexico by himself, where he was mobbed at the airport and promptly attacked by a three-foot sombrero (video of which has since been reposted). Behold: the portrait of a condemned man.

 

 

 

Madrid, Spain

Seems to have gone off without incident. Or Robert Pattinson. Probably because he was still fighting his way out of that sombrero.

 

 

 

Rome Film Festival, Rome, Italy

Seems to have gone off without incident. Although not without photoshoots. Or bootlegs. Or a fugging. And Kristen Stewart recounted that

 

 

"We did a book signing in Rome that while we were leaving the building I couldn't get to the car. It was actually scary. I was being dragged by security. I wasn't even on my own feet. I was thrown into a van because if they hadn't done it I would've gotten… I was literally picked up and thrown into a van and then it shut and then the van just started shaking."

 

 

 

 

New York

 

Apple Store, Soho

 

COMPLETELY INSANE:

 

 

But that's just the effect Twilight star Robert Pattinson has on his rabid teen -- and adult -- fans, some of whom waited in line for more than 12 hours to be dazzled by the heartthrob during a Q&A session with Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke.

 

I've been to enough Twilight events to know what to expect: screaming girls -- lots of them. Though this wasn't my first time at the vampire rodeo, even I was worried about one young Twilight-hoodie-bedecked teen sitting behind me, who was shaking so violently I thought she might go in to convulsions. (Entertainment Weekly)

 

When the first syllables of "Edward Cullen" are announced, the room shatters into a jumping, pounding, cacophonous mania. Then he emerges.

 

 

"OH. MY. GOD!" says the girl on the second row.

 

 

"I LOVE YOU, EDWARD!!!" yells the girl next to her. (Vanity Fair)

 

And then two elementary school-age girls got on stage and asked to touch his hair.

 

 

 

 

Planet Hollywood, Times Square

 

Seems to have gone off without incident. Well, except for the cement drying too soon.

 

 

 

 

Total Request Live

 

 

Video of Robert Pattinson on TRL yesterday. Good luck getting to the stage alive, dude:

 

 

 

 

Remember: in case of fangirls, stop, drop and hobo. (LJ)

 

 

 

 

Hot Topic Maul Tour

 

The Hot Topic tour had three concurrent legs: Robert Pattinson doing signings in a different city every day; Jacob and the bad vamps ("Have you heard my new band, Jacob and the Bad Vamps?") doing signings together; and Kristen Stewart doing signings on Thursday and Friday. Another event for the next Tuesday was added, "featuring Nikki Reed, Taylor Lautner, Jackson Rathbone, Kellen Lutz and Paramore" (or, in Twilight parlance, Jacob, three Cullens, and the band from the Russell Brand Incident, who also have two songs on the movie soundtrack).

 

 

Day One: Riots.

 

 

Stonestown Galleria, San Francisco

 

 

So... in case you missed it, the previous entry was about a crowd of 3000 fans rioting outside a San Francisco mall over wristbands to a Robert Pattinson event tonight. (Number of fans expected: 200-500.) Well, it would have been tonight, except that the mall canceled it after the police showed up. (LJ)

 

I think this was the point when people started to believe me. As KCBS reported,

 

 

Police in San Francisco had to struggle to control a crowd of around 3,000 people who gathered at San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria Monday morning for the chance to see (Robert Pattinson). Police were forced to cancel the event, after the crowds grew out of control. (...) Around 200 to 500 people were expected to line up this morning to buy a wristband when the mall opened, that would allow them back inside the mall at 6 p.m. for a t-shirt signing at the Hot Topic store. Thousands showed up.

 

”After I got trampled I got back up there, but it was really scary cause I couldn’t breathe, because everyone kept pushing,” said fan Erica Martin. One girl reportedly had her nose broken as a result of being crushed up against the front doors to the mall. Another girl fainted because she was unable to breathe while being pressed by the crowd.

 

Clearly, no one had learned anything from Comic-Con. And then... it was un-canceled.

 

 

 

 

Stonestown Galleria, San Francisco (no, for real this time)

 

"Fans Of Actor Overwhelm Police At SF Mall":

 

"My mother sent me a text message," Pattinson told reporters just before the autograph session. "She said, 'are you okay?' There are people getting their noses broken! It's completely insane.'"

 

 

"I don't do anything but go to screaming sessions anymore," Pattinson said. "I don't know what my actual life is now."

 

Some teen girls cried after they held their posters out for him to sign.

 

Also, Twatlight got a signed poster (a few more details in the comments here); there was a second Twatlighter report as well, involving a smuggled video camera and a t-shirt with pictures of Pattinson's best friend, fellow actor Tom Sturridge ("Who's tha--OH MY GOD!").

 

 

 

 

Dallas Galleria, Dallas

 

The initial line-up for wristbands seems to have gone without incident. Then we had three eyewitness reports from celticangel76, with pictures in which you can see four stories packed with fans peering down at a very overwhelmed Robert Pattinson, who fled after a fifteen-minute Q&A that no one could hear:

 

I'd say he was on stage no more than 15 minutes and then he was gone - nearly falling off the stage in his haste. As he passed close to some kids reaching for him he reached out and grabbed their hands and I'm surprised he didn't pull back a stump. And then he was gone and the crowd screamed some more. And the chick came back out on stage and guess what - you could hear her great now! Stupid sound techs. She said something about maybe getting an 'encore' and looked to one of the organizers who shook his head no. Honey that boy was making a run for the nearest car and gettin' the hell out of Dodge I guarantee it.

 

 

Orland Square Mall, Chicago

 

Hey, Dallas went pretty well! Surely Chicago will know what it's doing!

 

Robert Pattinson appearance causes increase in Orland Square Mall security: The Orland Park Police Department has geared up for the actor’s scheduled appearance early Wednesday evening at Orland Square Mall. In addition, the mall’s own security force is said to be "totally ready" for the expected hordes of tween and teen girls.

 

Except that the teenbarian hordes started lining up twelve hours in advance, and more than 500 people were already there, so... they just went ahead and started selling the wristbands.

 

Tickets Sell Out For 'Twilight' Star's Mall Appearance: Tickets for an appearance by "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson at the Orland Square Mall went on sale early and were gone within an hour. (...) Tickets had been scheduled to go on sale at 7:15 a.m., but so many people came ahead of time that organizers decided to begin ticket sales by 11 p.m. Tuesday night. By midnight, they were all gone.

 

That's not going to piss anyone off, right?

 

 

The best part about watching any of the local affiliate news videos is that you can tell that none of the reporters have any idea who Robert Pattinson is or why thousands of women would be beating down doors in cold nasty weather to see him. Fortunately, Hot Topic (or the studio) seems to have stepped up security for this event:

 

 

Not that anyone heard a word Pattinson said anyway:

 

Ten minutes of video from the gates of hell Chicago. MUTE IT FIRST. Three minutes in, he's still wandering around, laughing and flailing and covering his ears helplessly because no one will STFU long enough to let him say anything. Five minutes in, he's trying to talk but no one can hear him. And then, six minutes in, someone throws him a scarf (which his enforcers quickly confiscate). It's not even Hufflepuff colors. I don't even know. The only thing he said that I was able to make out was "What?" (LJ)

 

 

King of Prussia, Philadelphia

 

So Hot Topic said to hell with it--you're gonna line up twelve hours early, we can't be responsible for any of you dying of pneumonia or mob violence. Fine. We just won't set times for lines AT ALL. As of RIGHT NOW, it's every fan for herself:

 

 

There are two remaining locations for "Edward" appearances, King of Prussia in Philadelphia and Square One in Saugus, MA. Both malls have consented to allowing an orderly line form early, first come, first serve.

 

Here's how that went, from the Twilight spam I posted the day after:

 

 

VIDEO: Twilight fans crowd King of Prussia mall; 500 camp out for 'vampire' ("Upper Merion police estimated the crowd at 2,000. Eager to avoid the near-riot that canceled a similar event in San Francisco, authorities were ready for large crowds. But the chaos was controlled, thanks in large part to the presence of 30 officers")

 

Frenzy-free greeting for "Twilight" actor Pattinson in Pa (an expanded version of that last article: "(A) 19-year-old Lancaster resident was so overcome by his response that she could not hold back her tears and was still crying as she made her way outside the store. 'No, he didn't touch me, but he got really close,' she said rapturously")

 

 

Square One Mall, Boston

 

From the day's linkspam:

  

Fans Eagerly Await 'Twilight' Star In Saugus; VIDEO: Twilight Actor to Descend on Saugus. I'm assuming he will descend right after Twilight engulfs the land in darkness and blots out the blood-red sun. Then: the locusts.

 

 

 

Hot Topic Maul Tour (II)

 

Or, "Appearances by People Who Are Not Robert Pattinson."

 

 

Southcenter Mall, Seattle

 

Taylor Lautner, Edi Gathegi and Rachelle Lefevre ("Jacob" and two of the villain vampires) had an event in Seattle, but a whole day passed before we were even able to locate photographic evidence that it happened. Supposedly they were making daily appearances across the country as well, but... we didn't hear so much about those.

  

 

Fashion Square Mall, Scottsdale

 

Jacob and the Bad Vamps: " 'Twilight' movie fans wait for hours to meet cast members." Seems to have gone off without incident. Although not without slumber parties:

  

There were screams, smiles, and even tears as fans of the book "Twilight" grew anxious to meet the movie's cast. Many waited in line for hours, some got there at 7:30 Tuesday night and slept at the mall. "We laid down some blankets and had a big slumber party." They even called in sick to work and school waitng to meet a the cast of "Twilight".

 

 

Fair Oaks Mall, Washington D.C.

  

At the Mall, 'Twilight's' Future Looks Bright (aw, they sent Kristen Stewart and Nikki Reed out together because they're BFF! Way to use the buddy system, Hot Topic!) (LJ)

 

Unfortunately, the fans were not really focused on the two actresses:

  

And if Robert Pattinson, the actor who plays Edward, had been at this stop on the "Twilight" publicity tour? Why, then it would be complete chaos. Call-in-the-police chaos. This, by contrast, is controlled insanity, measured in deafening decibels.

  

"I would seriously be crying my eyes out right now," Nicole says, merely imagining an audience with Edward. "I would seriously jump over the table and hug him."

 

 

See also

 

 

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