Musings For A Darkened Room

First off let me wish all of my readers a happy new year.  I hope you all had a safe and eventful New Years Eve.  I thought I’d start out 2009 with something fun.  As many of my readers know I am a huge fan of the Twilight books, the Twilight movie, and the Twilight Soundtrack.

I’ve had the Twilight Soundtrack since about a week after its release, and sadly it has only left my cars CD player for brief moments.  So I decided to post a fun little poll to see when my readers think the disc will finally leave my car CD player permanently.

For you Twilight fans I plan to continue various Twilight related posts, so keep an eye out in the coming months, especially with New Moon going into production shortly. I’m sure my first post will probably come when they finally announce whether or not Taylor Lautner will continue the roll of Jacob in New Moon.

For the rest of you, I’ll continue my SEM, Social Media, and various other rants as well. Thanks for your continued support in 2009. Happy New Year Everyone!

Though I’m an SEO by day, a lot of my creative work kicks in after hours when I focus on my college training in Graphics Design.  While my graphics design work has been much less focused since I graduated college, I still dabble in the art every so often.  My past skills have included turning my co-worker into a tranny whore for Valentine’s Day and the design and maintenance of the subculture website Dead Boy Productions.

More recently though I have spent a lot of my free time focusing on a couple of my most recent interests, the Twilight books and movie.  My first piece I actually developed before I even read the books.  It stemmed from an inside joke where I kept blaming Edward Cullen for everything negative that happened to a select few women at work.  The “I blame Edward” line became a standard in my daily conversations and resulted in a shirt.

The back of the shirt reads, “For making men seem like lesser beings by saying things like “You’re Exactly my brand of heroin”” Which is displayed on the cover to the book Twilight.

The shirt was homemade using a printed iron on transfer and the shirt was only worn once, but it was the first of two Twilight shirt projects I completed.  My second project and second shirt was designed for me to wear to the opening night of the film.  I had searched Hot Topic, Café Press and a few other sources for the perfect shirt but came up empty handed.  I decided to take things into my own hands and wound up creating a shirt with the design below and had it created for me through Café Press.

The sick masochistic lion design is inspired by a passage from the Twilight book where Edward and Bella recognize their love for one another. “‘And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…’, he murmered.  I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word. ‘What a stupid lamb,’ I sighed. ‘What a sick, masochistic lion.’ He stared into the shadowy forest for a long moment, and I wondered where his thoughts had taken him.”  The lion that displays in the background is very similar to the lion that appears on the Cullen family crest.  I incorporated it because it a) it is a lion and b) the sick masochistic lion quote is spoken by Edward Cullen.

The third Twilight project I took on was one of two Plurk timeline backgrounds that I developed for a couple close friends.  The first for Kristina Sanchez, an aspiring screenwriter and blogger who aided me in my Twilight Soundtrack revisited post and author of the popular 3 part Twilight series on my blog Debunking the Anti-Twilight Propaganda I, II, and III.

Kristina’s background features an image of Bella and Edward from some of the Twilight movie promotional material which I placed on a new background featuring a full moon shining over the forest.

The second Plurk background I developed was for fellow SEOer Audrey Seiberling.  For Audrey’s background I chose an image from one of her favorite scenes in the Twilight movie and removed Edward and Bella from the scene and put them in a new woodsy environment.

Clicking on either of the Twilight Plurk backgrounds will display the image in full size.  To see the backgrounds in action you can visit Kristina’s Plurk profile or Audrey’s Plurk profile.

It’s not often that I get to showoff my design talents and I have Graphics Design listed as one of my talents in a number of my social profiles, so I thought I would take the opportunity to show off some of my recent work.  They aren’t the major campaigns I was developing in college, but they keep my head in the game.

So this evening I was doing some research related to a question one of my readers left regarding the online availability of some of the songs from the Twilight Soundtrack, and came across something that I personally hadn’t seen publicized much previously.  Looking into it further it seems that it may have gotten a lot of smaller blog attention but none of the major Twilight blogs from what I can tell picked up on it.  Unfortunately since none of the major blogs picked it up I am having trouble validating the authenticity of it, but regardless I thought I would share.

It turns out that about a month ago Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the Twilight film, did commentary for the movie’s soundtrack on imeem soundsessions.  Catherine gives small 30 second introductions to each of the songs on the soundtrack and gives some back story on their origin as well as why and when they were used.  If you’re a die hard fan of the Twilight soundtrack or the Twilight movie you’ll enjoy this.  Even more interesting was that she mentions another song that isn’t in the film or on the soundtrack that she really wanted to use by The Cold War Kids.

Cahterine Hardwicke Twilight Soundtrack Commentary

One of the things I liked most about it was that it confirmed some of my assumptions that I made in my Twilight Soundtrack Review; including the use of Muse and Linkin Park based on their ties to the Twilight book series and Stephenie Meyers’ playlists.

So lately I have been getting a ton of visitors asking or looking for information on when certain songs play throughout the Twilight movie on my Twilight Soundtrack Review, so I decided I would do everyone a favor and give a rundown of what songs play when.  I’m going to go in order of the standard soundtrack first and then I’ll tackle any bonus or non-soundtrack songs at the end.  Again I must warn readers that if you haven’t seen the film or read the books there are definitely some potential spoilers in this since I mention certain events and scenes to identify when songs play.  So read at your own risk!

Muse - Supermassive Black Hole: One of the few songs during the film that gets much use is Muse’s Supermassive Black Hole which plays through the duration of the baseball scene where the Cullen’s take advantage of a thunderstorm to take part in America’s favorite pass time.

Paramore - Decode: The first of two songs written by Paramore specifically for the film, yet it’s the very last song heard in the movie.  Paramore’s Decode is not featured during the film and is the last song played during the credits.

The Black Ghosts - Full Moon:  The first song we hear in the Twilight film is Full Moon by The Black Ghosts.  As Bella is introduced and she begins her journey from Arizona to Forks this song is played.

Linkin Park - Leave Out All The Rest: Still a song that baffles me as far as lyrical context goes, Linkin Park’s Leave Out All The Rest is featured as the second song during the credits.  What’s most surprising is that songs during the credits usually carry some sort of lyrical meaning when you consider the movie’s storyline, but in my opinion nothing about this song fits Twilight.

MuteMath - Spotlight (Twilight Mix): MuteMath’s Spotlight plays for a pretty long duration of the film, but it’s in splices and you never really hear the main lyrics to the song.  The song first starts when Edward and Bella arrive at school together for the first time and continues through the scenes in the woods where Edward explains his family story.

Perry Farrell — Going All The Way (Into The Twilight):  Another Twilight soundtrack exclusive, Perry Farrell’s Going All The Way (Into The Twilight) is the first song featured at the dance when Edward and Bella make their entrance.

Collective Soul — Tremble For My Beloved:  The only song on the soundtrack to carry over from one of Stephenie Meyer’s original playlists is Collective Soul’s Tremble For My Beloved.  This song can be heard at the end of the van accident.  When Edward realizes what he has done and make’s eye contact with Bella the song begins and then he quickly makes an escape.  The only part of this song actually used is it’s intro.

Paramore — I Caught Myself:  The second track from Paramore is I Caught Myself.  The song plays in the dress shop in Port Angeles when Bella sits patiently as Angela and Jessica try on their dresses.  The version used in the film is much different than the one featured on the soundtrack and is not only played in mono, most likely to give the effect that it is being played in the store itself, but also sounds as though it has been slowed down.

Blue Foundation — Eyes On Fire:  The one song in the whole film that I feel fits the storyline perfectly, yet I feel was used at the complete wrong time.  Regardless, Blue Foundation’s Eyes On Fire plays after Bella hangs up the phone with her mom and her monologue begins where she talks about confronting Edward about the way he has acted toward her.  The song again only gets bits and pieces used, and you never really hear any of the actual lyrics.  I also want to take a moment to thank Blue Foundation for their mention of Musings For A Darkened Room on their Myspace Blog.

Rob Pattinson — Never Think:  One of two songs by Robert Pattinson that appear in the film, but the only one featured in the standard release of the soundtrack.  Rob’s Never Think plays in the background while Edward and Bella sit at the cafe in Port Angeles.  This is where Bella finds out that Edward can read people’s thoughts; except for hers of course.

Iron & Wine — Flightless Bird, American Mouth:  A simply beautiful song, which was actually suggested by Kristen Stewart who plays Bella in the film.  Iron & Wine’s Flightless Bird, American Mouth is the song which Edward and Bella dance to in the gazebo at the end of the film.

Carter Burwell — Bella’s Lullaby:  This song has more appearances and renditions in the film than I can track, but the most prominent when Edward and Bella scale the tree and when you actually see Edward play the piece.

Twilight Soundtrack Bonus Tracks and Songs Featured In The Film and Not On The Soundtrack

Rob Pattinson - Let Me Sign (iTunes exclusive):  The first of 3 iTunes exclusive bonus tracks is Rob Pattinson’s Let Me Sign.  This is an amazing track and starts playing right as Edward says to Bella, “I’ll make it go away” before he starts sucking out the venom.

La Triviata (iTunes exclusive): Performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, La Triviata plays when Bella goes to meet the Cullens for the first time and starts when Edward and Bella are heading up to the kitchen.  This is an iTunes exclusive track and is not featured on the standard CD soundtrack.

Claire de Lune (iTunes exclusive):  Claire de Lune is performed by the APM Orchestra and is of course played in Edwards room when Bella asks Edward what was in his CD player.  The song is clearly mentioned by title and original composer, so it’s a bit of a no-brainer, but I figured I would mention it anyway.

Radiohead - 15 Step:  This song begins playing at the end of the film after we discover Victoria is in the window at the dance watching Edward and Bella.  The song begins as Victoria turns around and heads down the stairs and the credits begin.  The song is not featured on the soundtrack and is not featured as a bonus track on iTunes.

I hope this helped some of you readers to identify what plays when from the Twilight Soundtrack.  If anything is unclear please let me know and I’ll do my best to clarify.  I also want to again thank Kristina Sanchez for her assistance in a Twilight related post.  The author of How To Be A Customer and a Twilight veteran; she has now seen the film 10 times in theaters.

It’s almost here!  At 12:01am I will be enjoying the film Twilight, a film which I have been anxiously awaiting for the last couple of weeks.  I have been counting down the days until the films release this week by posting a new Twilight related post each day.  On Monday I introduced guest blogger Kristina Sanchez, an aspiring screen writer, author of the blog How To Be A Customer, and die hard Twilight fan.  Kristina has since generously given us some amazing insight into Twilight and why so many of the people who are against it are wrong.  Yesterday we took a break from Kristina’s posts so that I could share with the world my Breaking Dawn soundtrack, but today Kristina is back with her third and final post in this series. Again be reminded that if you haven’t read the complete Twilight Saga that there are some spoilers in this so read at your own risk! If you didn’t catch the first two be sure to head over and read Edward Cullen: A Thin Line Between Abusive Teenage Boyfriend and the Perfect Man and Bella Swan: Human Heroine or Pathetic Wallowing Weakling?.

And So The Lion Fell In Love With The Lamb

When it comes to the Twilight haters I hear the word “unhealthy” being tossed around more than curse words in a Kevin Smith movie. Watch a few nightly news specials and everyone’s got a degree in pop psychology these days.These complaints are generally broken down into three categories.

When Edward Leaves

Is Romeo and Juliet not taught to every high schooler? Quick break down of Shakespeare’s classic: He’s a horny, fickle teenage boy and she’s a moon-eyed, besotted teenage girl. They over dramatize themselves into an early grave taking a couple of others with them.

Where Shakespeare’s tragedy is the very essence of teenage, human love, Twilight portrays perfectly the deepest and most pure of loves. As any perfect thing, that love is entirely fictional. Like the vampires and werewolves that grace its pages, a love like the one they share very simply does not exist on this mortal coil. In this mindset, when you reevaluate Bella and Edward’s actions while apart, their choices seem reasonable and obvious.

First Edward as, being fictional already, his feelings are more easily explained. Meyer’s describes her vampires as being forever frozen not only in age but in personality as well. As such, for them to experience the bond of love is for them to undergo a change that is etched into the core of who they are, changing them permanently. Unlike humans, whose hearts can heal with time, a vampire who loses his mate cannot be healed. Imagine the utter agony that is a freshly broken heart, and then imagine that the pain will never lessen, never dull - and you can live forever. Also, don’t forget that for a vampire, every single memory is as fresh as the moment it happened and they cannot even seek the relief of sleep. Death is really the only thing you can ask for.

Then, Bella comes under fire for her “pathetic” reaction to Edward leaving her. We’d all like to believe that we can be strong during a break-up but more often than not, this is when we’re at our weakest. What we must understand about Bella is that the love she feels for Edward will not dim or change because it was never a normal, human love. In addition, she’s lost not only Edward but an entire family, an entire other existence she’d wanted to be a part of. That would be devastating to anyone.

The level of their obsession for one another

Ironically enough, Bella and Edward were probably the biggest fans of this particular complaint during the early days of their association. Throughout the series Meyers takes very obvious pains to thoroughly define a “normal” love and then to set them apart from that. Look at the evidence: Bella resists marrying Edward through 2 books for no other reason than the fact she knows how it will be perceived. “…aren’t you going to say that I sound exactly like every other infatuated teenager since the dawn of time?”
She asks her mother after she’s finally agreed to marry him.

And then the whole Jacob situation was Bella dealing with a normal, human love, and a fairly ideal one at that. Yet as easy and wonderful as it would have been, Bella grieves the loss of that love for a single night where she would have gone to her grave feeling the hole Edward left inside of her. Yes, Bella and Edward are illogically obsessed with each other - but they also exist in a world not bound by time and other things that keep our lives in a constant flux of change. Because their time-line is infinite, they can put each other at the focal point of their existence.

Their unhealthy relationship

I’ve heard this one tossed about a lot with nothing to back it up - probably because there isn’t much of anything to find. We’ve already debunked Bella’s subservient behavior (snort) and Edward’s abusive, controlling side, so what else is there? Bella and Edward are somewhat ideal. Yes, they both make mistakes, but in general they are entirely open with each other, always affectionate, able to compromise and for chrissakes, they didn’t even have sex until after they were married. Perhaps they were referring to how unhealthy it is to be around a person who is constantly on the verge of murdering you, but this is more a plot point than a dangerous idea for even the most impressionable of minds.

Believe me, it took me a long time to understand the reasons why I love this series with the passion that I do. You won’t find a harsher critic than I, so I can understand and accept the fact that anyone could dislike this series. But in an age where so few people - young and old alike - pick up a book, words like unhealthy, pathetic, weak, abusive and controlling should not be thrown around lightly and without understanding. A friend of mine once told me, “I can’t stand Eminem’s music but I can appreciate the beauty of his talent and the artistry of his words.” It was to his credit that he tried to see the appeal so he could be firm in his distaste and the reasons for it. Dislike Twilight if you please but take the time to understand it before you turn someone away from what could be, as it most certainly was for me, a beautiful experience.