Imprinting?

This week, after referencing Stephenie Meyer's concept of imprinting, I was pretty much ridiculed. Eh, what's a Twilighter to do out in the real world? However, I have managed to have a civil conversation with one individual, and that led me to wonder how did Stephenie come up with the concept of imprinting?

I'm sure most of the older Twilighters have heard about imprinting occurring in nature and, like myself, decided that was probably the concept that inspired Stephenie's version. It would make sense, after all. The Quileute shapeshifters turn into wolves, which are a form of animal, and it's pretty safe to say that, while they retain their humanity, a bit of animalistic behavior edges its way into their personalities.

However, that assumption runs into some problems. You see, Stephenie Meyer's interpretation of imprinting doesn't exactly correlate with nature's interpretation.

I suppose I should define Stephenie's version first. Wikipedia was kind enough to put it into words for me:

"In the Twilight Series, "imprinting" is the phenomenon where a shape-shifter, after initially transforming, will be unconsciously drawn toward, and then unconditionally attached to a member of the opposite gender, although it is not completely sexual."

That is definitely spot on. Now, it's 9:30 at night and I'm a little sleepy, so I half-heartedly searched for the passage where imprinting is explained. Since I haven't found it, I'll just roughly explain it myself.

When Jacob's imprinting was described, it was said that every cable linking him to everyone else snapped and bonded to Renesmee instead, thicker than wire cables. It tied him to that one person. In general, imprinting connects the imprinter and imprintee. It doesn't have to be sexual, as we saw with both Quil and Jacob. Their partners are very young, and they could never even think of them romantically. They want to be there for them. They want to be whatever they need -- brothers, friends, confidants, mentors, protectors. Now, when Claire and Renesmee grow older, Quil and Jacob may have a change of heart. Romantic love may blossom. However, should either or both girls ever decide they want to venture down a different path, the boys will let them do so. The only thing imprinters want is what's best for their imprintees, and what the imprintees truly desire.

If we tried to apply this to our world's wildlife, most scientists would cry anthropomorphism. (I really hate that term. Science doesn't even have a solid foundation for animal behavior study, so to call anthropomorphism is to do so without basis.) In a way, I agree that this is probably not what imprinting means to real life's animals. Some animals are monogamous; others change partners yearly. So to clarify what science means by imprinting, I'll quote Wikipedia again:

"Sexual imprinting is the process by which a young animal learns the characteristics of a desirable mate. For example, male zebra finches appear to prefer mates with the appearance of the female bird that rears them, rather than mates of their own type (Immelmann, 1972). The famous psychologist John Money called it the lovemap."

Even further, Encyclopedia Brittanica says:

"The duration and time of onset of the sensitive period depend on the species and on the type of behaviour involved. Some animals imprinted to animals of another species will mate with members of their own species but, if given a choice, will prefer the animal to which they have been imprinted. Many species refuse social contact with any animal except the one to which they are imprinted. Male golden pheasants (Chrysolophus pictus) imprinted to humans will court females of their own species but immediately transfer this behaviour to a human, should one appear."

In a way that kind of sounds like Stephenie's version. The animal prefers the imprintee to everyone else. Still, it's not exact, and it got me thinking if there was another definition that Stephenie had used. So I went to Dictionary.com and found this:

"a mark made by pressure; a mark or figure impressed or printed on something."

I felt like both an idiot a genius when I read this. This is the default definition of imprint. I should have realized. To me, that sounds way more like Stephenie's version. Essentially, when a shapeshifter imprints, both their soul and the imprintee's have been impressed upon. They each mark each other's souls; that's what draws themselves to each other. IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!

Since finding this this afternoon, I've decided that a mark made by pressure is probably what Stephenie meant. It's entirely possible that she combined both ideas or that the psychological behavior of animals inspired her, but... Well, until she addresses this question, I guess we won't know!

What is your theory?

Eclipse Director Announced

I'm a frequenter of The Twilight Lexicon. In fact, I visit the website multiple times a day, so I pretty much get the news as it comes out. So when it was announced yesterday that a new director had been hired for Eclipse, I knew.

Now, I'm a little wary of this decision at the moment. I'm terrified that the end result will be a situation like X3: The Last Stand, where one director didn't have time, another backed out six weeks before shooting started, and another just effed up the script entirely. We've got about a year before Eclipse even goes into production. A lot could happen in that time frame.

I would say that I was excited at first, but I didn't know who David Slade was, so it really made no difference.

And then I started reading the comments.

Turns out, David Slade directed the movies Thirty Days of Night and Hard Candy, both of which I've seen. Now, I liked Thirty Days of Night, but I didn't think it was ~*amazing*~. Hard Candy, on the other hand...

Okay, for those who don't know, Hard Candy is about a young girl (played by Ellen Page) who meets an older man (played by Patrick Wilson) online and starts chatting with him. Later, the two decide to meet. He takes her back to his place, he wants to photograph her (he's a photographer), and generally, the audience is left thinking, "Oh shit. This guy's gonna rape and kill her!" It's revealed, however, that the girl is a vigilante, suspects this guy of being a pedophile, and tries to expose it.

I love Hard Candy, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to watch it again. In short, it involves torture, entirely enacted by the young girl. It got to the point where I actually felt bad for the guy, who was, in fact a creeper.

But nevertheless, it was a brilliant movie. It was shot in 18 days with a budget of under a million. The lighting scheme is fantastic. During the commentary, it was noted that they wanted to influence the mood with effects other than music, so very little was used. Instead, during an incredibly painful-to-watch scene, they use a track of scissor snippings.

Beautiful. Oh my god... I was worried about how things were transpiring, but I have complete faith in this guy. Chances are, it will be more reminiscent of Twilight -- instead of flashy, which I'm assuming is how New Moon will feel -- but... Wow... I can barely breathe!

New Moon Progress

This is pretty much a general update about my thoughts on how the progression of New Moon is doing.

In a phrase, I can sum this post up: I AM EXCITED! However, that one phrase does not contain all of appreciation that I feel, and it's not even half as witty as what you'll read if you continue.

I guess I should start things off by explaining my opinion when I first heard that New Moon was going to be written, shot, edited, etc. in under a year. Frankly, I was pissed. I saw this as a career stunt -- Twilight did so well and the fans are so dedicated that Summit can just slap together a movie, we'll be happy, and they'll make lots of money. From my vague understanding of film, I didn't think this was enough time. Basically, I recalled a comment I read somewhere that a film usually takes 9 months to be shot and created and all that jazz. Considering that New Moon was likely to have way more CGI than in the beginning (giant wolves, transformations, cliff diving scene, sparkling, etc.), 9 months was probably a little short, and eight months was just screwing with us.

Naturally, my impression has changed considerably.

Okay, so the casting pissed me off at first (and I'm still a little sore). Not telling Krys and Solomon that they might be replaced until they actually are? A pretty crappy thing to do. However, since then, they have put a lot of dedicated effort into this project. Dakota and Cameron? Genius. More authentic Native Americans/First Nations? BRILLIANT. It's all started to come together, and I've become very pleased with the progress.

Still, I'm shocked by how quickly this is all piecing together.

According to Christian (aka Angela), the humans are already done filming. Okay, yeah... They have a pretty small part to begin with, so that's understandable. Even so, I was shocked because it's only been a little over a month since production started.

Then I read at the Lexicon that, according to an off-hand comment made by Kellan Lutz, the Cullens may be done filming in Vancouver shortly. This is also understandable because their appearance is pretty minimal as well.

And then there was that clip from the ET special airing on Thursday. You know, the one where, for a split second, we see Taylor is his new wig hopping over the banister of a deck? Um... WOW!

Don't even get me started on this post, where the Lexicon comments on a recent filming sighting. Apparently, there was a scene that involved a pool, and the Lexicon speculates that, due to apartment-sized green screens looming above, this scene may have been part of the cliff diving scene.

O
M
G

Even better, the picture to your right was released a few days ago. Guys and gals, this is the wolf pack, buffed up and without shirts on and UGH! I was seriously dazed for a while... Sol, you could have done just as well as Chaske, but I can't say I'm entirely displeased. And seriously, those tattoos? Great for two reasons -- 1) Because that sets them opposite the Cullens, who have their crests, and 2) because that just adds to the cult vibe that Jake, Quil, and Embry all get. Sam starts this little group, they stick together, are pretty cryptic, and now they're all getting identical tattoos? GREAT DETAIL, GUYS!

It's not even two months into production and I am absolutely pumped. I had my doubts at first, but maybe they will get this on the road by November 20th. What do you think?

Rob for Tokio Hotel?

First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS, NAOMI! If you've visited the Lexicon in the past day-and-a-half, you've likely seen this interview where the Lex talks to Naomi, who apparently mentioned the Twilight series to Tinsel Korey. Tinsel Korey? Why does that name ring a bell? OH YEAH! It's because she was recently cast as Emily Young!

If this interview doesn't sound familiar to you, go read it; and once again, CONGRATULATIONS!

Thoughts of a Twi-Hard is back to its regularly scheduled program.

So, I'm taking a break from reading this rad fic that Chloe (a fellow Taycober) recommended to me, and I decided to post about an obscure rumor. Now, let me repeat that:

THIS IS A RUMOR!

In fact, the source that's been quoted in saying this has taken the article down. Now, I pride myself in having integrity and not flustering the fans about alleged animosity between Taylor and Robert and such (In fact, I make it a point to poke fun at that crap as much as I can.), but silly little rumors like this are okay by me. I mean, if some poor fan out there gets their hopes up because of this article and is devastated if it turns out to be false, I'm sorry. I will give you my heart in place of your broken one.

I bet you're wondering what exactly this rumor is, right?

Well, according to BellaAndEdward.com and several other sources, a Czech website reported that Robert Pattinson -- our lovely Edward -- is a fan of Tokio Hotel. Now remember, I have no way of verifying this information. The article no longer exists on the website in question and is simply floating around on various blogs and TH and Twilight fansites. It's very likely this is a fabrication.

"Yeah, yeah," you're saying. "Fine. That would actually mean something to me if I knew who the hell Tokio Motel was." Um... Actually, it's Hotel.

THIS is Tokio Hotel.

Before you say anything, yes, I know that the second guy on the right looks like a chick, and yes, I did just say *that guy*. Before you ask me if he's gay, rethink that question: does it matter? If it does, Google it. I'm not here to verify the gays between the hets.

For the real information: Tokio Hotel is a German band that was founded in 2001 by twin brothers Bill and Tom Kaulitz, Gustav Schäfer, and Georg Listing. On Wikipedia, their sound is listed as a mix between pop rock, emo, teen pop, and glam rock. They aren't for everyone, but I think they're rad, and apparently MTV did too, because in 2008, they won the Best New Artist award.

Now that we've got introductions out of the way, I'm sure you're interested in that 'article' I mentioned earlier. Well, here it is:

Actor Rober Pattinson granted an interview and said that Tokio Hotel are great and the best option for the movie soundtrack "New Moon". In an interview with American magazine has shown that the actor is a fan of the band Tokio Hotel.

What do you think of the Twilight soundtrack?
Robert: Sountrack for the film I very good, Paramore are very talented ...

Who would you like to like the soundtrack to the next?
Robert: I like the band Tokio Hotel, have a good sound and lyrics, which are appropriate to the film.

A certain song?
Robert: One song I like and reminds me of the film, Rescue Me!

(Yeah, the grammar's a little off, but this was apparently the Google translation from Czech to English.)

I was absolutely stoked when I read this (And when I was under the impression that this was 100% legit. I'm questioning it now.) See, I'm a huge fan of Tokio Hotel. My obsession started about, oh, two weeks ago, and I can't get enough of them. (I've actually known about them for around two years, but I only decided to check into them last month.) And really, I feel like the Universe is giving me signs of, "HEY! I THINK THEY'RE GREAT TOO!" because I recently found out that a member of my FAVORITE BAND remixed a song of theirs, and now this? Twilight means a lot to me, and one of its actors likes them?

Well, probably not. It's kind of 50-50 right now whether or not this article is the real deal, but I can hope, right?

As far as the statement itself, whether Robert said it or not, I actually agree. Rescue Me is a beautiful song that would fit perfectly with the album. (So would Rette Mich, but I'm assuming the people at Summit and whatever would want an English version. Sigh.)

What I'm going to do is embed a YouTube video of the song with the lyrics, since there is no official video. Listen to it; read it; tell me what you think! And I hope I'm talking to at least somebody. Please, somebody stumble upon this blog and tell me what your opinion is. I'm desperate for some reader interaction!



Personally? VERY Bella to Edward.

Twilight Release Party? Not For Me!

So everyone seems to have had a blast this past weekend because they got to attend a fabulous release party.

Now, when Kaleb Nation posted a blog about how a Twilight star could be coming to my town, I scoffed and called him a liar. Seriously, who was going to stop by Rapid City, South Dakota when they're a part of a huge franchise? Um... Maybe Amber the Waitress? I'm pretty sure even the guy who played the teacher was too famous for that. So I didn't expect to see anybody cool from the movie at my Borders.

However, I did expect to go to a party.

My best friend Christianna dragged me along with some other people over to Borders a little earlier than planned. She was going to finish the latest House of Night novel and I would read up on the Twilight Director's Handbook (or notebook or whatever; not as interesting as I anticipated) while we waited.

We did wait...

For an hour...

And then a woman announced over the intercom that there would be no Twilight release party, sorry for the confusion. When asked about this, she said it was only the big corporate stores that were being involved. I was devastated.

Before we left an hour later, though, we were told of a party over at Hot Topic. Um, okay. Let's just go there instead. So we traveled to the mall down the street and waited in line for a half-hour. Robin (one of the workers) took a picture of me and said that I should sign up for the autograph of Taylor Lautner. I was ecstatic.

We were one away from the door. The woman at the front asked if the people before us had their invitations. They produced them promptly. That set off alarms automatically. "Invitations? Hm... Well, maybe that just means you get special privileges..." We get there next, she asks, and we reply that no, we don't have any invitations. Her response was an awkward, "Um... Oh... Well... I can't... let you in... then..." We stood there for a second, not comprehending what we had just been told because this woman obviously doesn't speak English. We can't go in? But... But... TAYLOR LAUTNER AUTOGRAPH! MUST HAVE! I!

Once we realized we'd just been shafted ("But you can still buy the DVD at midnight!" "Eh. We don't have any money."), we found we were still allowed to have cake and punch, took some, and sat on the floor like rejected puppies.

That's what I get for not being a mall rat anymore.

I'm Baaaaack! (And the Wolf Boys Have Been Found!?)

It's been a little over a month since my last post. No, I didn't forget about this. To be honest, I became re-obsessed with X-Men, and it's pretty usual that I can deal with only one obsession at a time. However, I'm going to try to balance out the two. Rogue can live with Bella and vice-versa.

I thought a great way to approach this blog's reestablishment would be to talk about the recent casting of the wolf pack. If you haven't figured it out yet, I am obsessed with the pack. I'm usually a vampire fan, but the Quileute's stole my heart in Twilight, and I was really excited to find out that they'd cast most of the wolves.

Before the excitement came a bit of heartbreak, though. I've been a supporter of Solomon and Krys since the very beginning, and I was rooting for them to be cast again as Sam and Embry respectively. Via the Team Solomon Facebook Page, I was directed to an interview where Solomon finally told us that he was not going to be back as Sam. Every part of me was devastated. Summit said that all of the cast was back on. Sooooooo, what? Sol and Krys were never really part of the cast? I mean, okay, the actress that played Amber the Waitress was technically part of the cast, too, and I'm pretty sure she won't be back, but there's a difference between her and our two boys: her part never shows up again; Sol and Krys were playing characters who appear throughout the series.

Still, I will respect the decision to re-cast them. There's nothing we can do now. Maybe it was, according to speculation, an attempt to bring in hunkier actors. Maybe it was just that they didn't want to pay Sol and Krys to fly out to BC. Whatever the reason, it's happened, and I'm sure all of the actors -- including the replacements -- are just lovely.

NOW ON TO MY PERSONAL ASSESSMENTS! (Taylor Lautner not included)

Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley
This is definitely the one that hurts the most. Solomon just looked like Sam to me. Not only that, but he worked his butt off for the part and cut his hair. Anybody who's read or heard this kid speak about his hair knows that's a frickin' big deal. So naturally since I've got my mind on Solomon, my idea about Chaske playing the part is going to be skewed.

From a biased point of view, Chaske looks all wrong. While the picture was loading on the TwiFans social community, I was thinking, "Why the hell is an asian playing the part?" Yeah, yeah. I know the argument: Native Americans are descended from Asia. Still, when I saw his eyes, the first thing that came to mind was Korean. That hardly matters, though, since I'm an ethnically uneducated white girl. I'm just hoping that all of the other ethnically uneducated white girls will be able to see my point of view so that I don't sound like such a douche. (I realized my mistake once the picture loaded completely, by the way.)

Anyway, since I don't like the look of him from the very start, I decided to take a more professional approach and look at his IMDB page. For all of those who were worried about the Dakota casting starting a trend, don't fret. Chaske seems to be, like most everyone else, a relatively unknown actor. He's been in only four projects, most of which seem to be television episodes (though he was apparently the lead in Skins). The guy's so well under the radar, there's no other information about him.

Which is why I just Googled him. The first article about this Native actor is very intriguing, and I find myself really liking Chaske. He's very humble and remarks about some of the mistakes he's made while acting. He's a Guns 'N' Roses 'fanatic'. He's even hoping to branch out of the Native stereotype.

Okay, let me get one thing out before I'm flamed: there's nothing wrong with having some pride for who you are. I enjoy watching movies that focus around traditional Native American roles. (Pocahontas and Imprint come to mind.) Still, I think it gets a little old when every Native actor you see is playing a nature-connected, talking-in-riddles, many-moons-ago character. Are Native Americans not capable of being spiritual and traditional and integrated into contemporary society? Do they all lecture you about the dying trees and dance around bonfires? Their culture is definitely interesting and I love it, but there is more to a Native actor than just his or her ancestors' customs. They are people just like us. I feel like a lot of movies and television shows create such spectacles out of them, like they're almost alien. It's ridiculous.

Back to Chaske: I approve.

Tyson Houseman as Quil Ateara
Oh. My. God. HOW CUTE! At first, I was taken aback by the almost nerdiness of Tyson, but he's so ADORABLE! He is definitely not how I pictured Quil, but I'm extremely excited to see him with Claire in Breaking Dawn. That scene is going to be SO epic. I can actually picture Tyson being the sweet, caring guy that will do anything for this little girl, no matter how ridiculous.

Now, this guy is even more unknown that Chaske. Tyson doesn't even have his own IMDB page. I did find a resume of sorts. It appears that New Moon will be his first television and movie production, but he's been on stage quite a few times -- The Laramie Project and Romeo & Juliet being just two of the shows he's done. It also looks like he has a pretty good grasp on training, and he likes to snowboard. Awww! CAN I HAVE HIM!?

Approve.

Alex Meraz as Paul
I'm just...going to stare and giggle like a little infatuated school girl, okay?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm done.

First of all, I don't really have an opinion of Paul. However, somebody over on the TwiFans social network commented that he would be perfect because he has a menacing look to him, or something like that.

Alex is certainly the one getting most of the attention out of the new pack cast. Girls everywhere are fanning themselves (and with good reasons). He also seems to be one of the most experienced thus far. On his IMDB page, Alex's filmography lists five productions he's been in, one for which he was nominated for an award. True, most of those parts don't even have names (a common theme being warrior and dancer), but he's making his way up on the charts.

Little else is revealed on his IMDB page (except that he's 5'11", was born in '85, is from Arizona, and likes to paint), so I turned to Google yet again to fill in the gaps. The only really useful link on the first page ended up being his MySpace. What we learn from there is that he's highly artistic (and rather inclined to paint the female form) and trained in martial arts. Who wants to see a fight between him and Taylor? ;D

Approved.

Kiowa Gordon as Embry Call
This kid is the least known of them all, apparently. There is one picture that was available, and it was used in a collage.

Like with Chaske, I'm a little biased when it comes to the fitting of actor to character for this part. Krys didn't have any lines, but I'm a firm believer in sticking with the actors you choose. However, I'm not as torn as I am with Chaske because holy crap, Kiowa is fucking CUTE! Man, if he had gone to my school, I would have been crushing on him.

Just like Tyson, he doesn't have an IMDB page. I also didn't get much from Google, but I managed to find out that he might be 18 and from Arizona. Hmmmmm.

APPROVED!

Bronson Pelletier as Jared
I also don't really have an opinion on Jared. As far as Bronson, he's a cutie. :)

Looking up his IMDB page, his filmography currently includes (without New Moon) two other television shows. It also has a little trivia, like he enjoys snowboarding in Alberta and is of Plain Cree descent. The kid's off to a good start so far. He's been nominated for three awards -- 1 Gemini and 2 Leos.

Google offers little more. So, with not a lot of information, I'm really antsy to see how he'll do!

Approved.

And then we get to another Quileute member:

Tinsel Korey as Emily
This choice is definitely a fan-favorite. Since shortly after Twilight's release, fans have been questioning questioning which actresses should play Emily and Leah. The fans were pretty much set for Tinsel to play Emily and Q'orianka Kilcher to play Leah.

We got our wish.

By far, Tinsel is probably the most experienced Native actors to be cast. Not including New Moon, IMDB lists that she has been involved in 18 projects, often reappearing in episodes of television shows.

She also gets the most useful links out of Google. Tinsel's official website tells us quite a bit about her. She's been a performer since day one, singing and acting for as long as she can remember. She worked on "Into The West" with Chaske.

Here is also a link to her MySpace music page. Maybe she'll make it onto the NM soundtrack... :3

APPROVED! APPROVED! APPROVED!

In closing, all I have left to say is THANK GOD MICHAEL COPON DIDN'T GET IN!

The Jonas Brothers and Twilight? (And a few personal updates)

Wow... It has been two weeks exactly. I apologize for the lack of updates. No, I haven't forgotten about this thing. I've actually been moving and resting in bed because I'm sore and sick. I'm actually still sick, but I've decided it's time to stop hiding from the virtual world. It's not like you guys can catch anything I have.

Anyway, on to better things.

Some of the latest Twi-buzz is that the Jonas Brothers want to be on the New Moon soundtrack. A snippet from the MTV article says:

"The movie was obviously a huge success, and if they asked us to be a part of [the sequel], that would be great,” Nick Jonas said when we caught up with him and his brothers Monday, revealing that the trio are fans of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire franchise and would be willing to write a song for the “New Moon” soundtrack. “It would be really cool.”

“I haven’t seen it,” Joe admitted. “But I have heard it’s a great movie.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing it,” Nick added. “We’ve been a little busy, so it’s kinda hard to get the movies, but we’ll see it.”

I would say around one out of every thirty person approves of this match. There are definitely some JBro fans who like Twilight and vice-versa. However, most of us don't agree with this idea. See how I said us? I'm including myself in that group.

However, I have noticed that I disagree for different reasons, and I thought I'd explain.

Their Opinion
Issue One "OMG! They haven't even READ Twilight/New Moon!" Okay, okay, I'll give some credibility to this freak-out session. They did say that they would be willing to write a song for New Moon. That means they should kind of read the books to know what they're talking (singing?) about. However, this isn't always necessary. Artists who wind up on soundtracks aren't usually involved in the process. From what I understand, they sign over the rights for a use of a song and the movie uses it and puts it on a CD. It's not a difficult process. If the person in charge simply wants to take one of their songs and smack it on the DVD, you can't use this argument against them.

Issue Two "They don't SOUND right. I want more indie bands! Like PARAMORE and BLUE OCTOBER and LINKIN PARK!" This is the freak-out that most confuses me. What kind of 'indie' are these people referring to? Though I'm not all knowing in the realm of music, I know from personal experience that there are three basic forms of indie: 1) an independent label -- This is where the term is derived from and it is most correct of the three. My favorite band, AFI, could have been considered 'indie' when they were on Nitro. When they switched to DreamWorks for Sing The Sorrow and then Interscope for Decemberunderground, they were considered to have 'sold out'. (Ridiculous.) 2) sound -- This is one of the most common references and is multi-faceted, being applied to both music and video. Juno and Little Miss Sunshine are two movies that could be considered 'indie' because of their feel, but they were distributed by Fox Searchlight. Fox is definitely not indie. 3) popularity -- Or lack thereof. This doesn't just happen in the punk world. Sometimes artists that are relatively unknown and unheard of -- ones that don't get as much airtime and don't show up on MTV -- can be considered indie.

As far as I know, there aren't many indie bands on the Twilight Soundtrack when we take into consideration any one of these three definitions. For instance:

Blue October -- Are they on an independent label? No. They're on Universal Records, which also owns the rights to ABBA, Lindsay Lohan, and Nelly. Would you consider any of those artists to be 'indie'? (Although they also work on the label 'Brando Records', which is nothing I've never heard of.)Do they sound indie? That one is more subjective. I suppose I could understand if some people thought so, but I don't. They seem very pop-rock to me. How mainstream are they? Well, everybody I know has heard of them. Are they indie? Not by any of these standards.

Paramore -- Are they on an independent label? At first, I might have thought so. The label is called 'Fueled By Ramen'. Digging deeper, however, I learned that Fueled By Ramen is distributed by Atlantic Records, whose 'parent company' (whatever the hell THAT is) is Warner Music Group, which is one of the four major record labels. So, I want to say no. From what I understand, they are basically getting funded by Warner Brothers. Do they sound indie? Hahahah. Um, no. They are listed as emo, alternative pop/rock, power pop, and pop punk, and I think that's just what they are. How mainstream are they? Like with Blue October, everyone I know has heard of them. They're even on MTV! OMG! Are they indie? Probably not.

Link Park -- Are they on an independent label? They are listed as being on the labels 'Warner Bros' and 'Machine Shop'. I went to see if they were in the same boat as Blue October, but Machine Shop is just LP's personal record label that is part of Warner Bros. It appears to be a big. fat. no. Do they sound indie? Snort. Nooooo. They don't. They sound very metal, rock, rap, and hip-hop. How mainstream are they? Whether you love them or hate them, you just know who Linkin Park is. They're on MTV, your radio station, and movies. They're pretty mainstream. Are they indie? Not even close.

Muse -- Are they on an independent label? It looks like their most current label is Warner Bros. Oh, snap. WB is just suckin' up all of the great bands! So no, I don't think they are. They've been signed on to a lot of labels, though, so maybe. Do they sound indie? Well, they definitely sound more indie than any of the other choices. I guess it depends on what you think of when you imagine the sound of indie. How mainstream are they? Until Steph said that they were her OMG favorite band, I had never heard of them. Are they indie? Technically? No. If your definition of indie is based off of lack of popularity or the sound, then perhaps.

My Opinion
Issue One "I just don't like them." Most Disney stars rub me the wrong way. Okay, okay, I have some guilty pleasures. I LOVE Brenda Song and I LOVE Selena Gomez. I guess it's time to behead me now. But I just really don't like the Jonas Brothers. I'm glad that they are such great influences, and I actually don't mind Nick because I think he's rather inspirational with how he handles his diabetes, but I don't want to listen to them. I don't want them on my soundtrack. I just do not want them.

Issue Two "They don't have the right sound." Granted, I don't listen to them. I have heard a few songs because of my addiction to the Disney channel WHEN I ACTUALLY HAVE CABLE, but I don't think their cutesy, poppy songs would be beneficial to New Moon. As another commenter stated, New Moon is very emotional and dark and the JBros are just a little too poppy. However, they might be able to pull off a darker song. I don't know.

Issue Three "If you give a little, you actually give a lot." I believe Jaden Nation actually mentioned that in his latest vlog. If the Jonas Brothers make it on to this soundtrack, who's to say that Vanessa Hudgens won't be Leah when the time comes for the part? Disney kind of puts a stigma on their actors, which isn't fair. I've seen Shia in some pretty serious roles. However, I don't think that most of the Disney stars could pull it off. They overact, and it works for Disney, but it wouldn't for New Moon.

And that's about it. I've got a lot of things to do today, and I should have left by now.

Except that I just want to announce that I'm not a music expert. If any of the above facts are incorrect, please leave a *nice*, *friendly* comment correcting me.