More USA Today photos

We all figured more pics would surface from this interview in USA Today....ROB...effing HOTNESS!!! (as usual!)

Source: Twifans

USA Today with Rob, Kristen & Taylor

From USA Today:

By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY
CHICAGO — Dashingly disheveled Robert Pattinson has an infectious, high-pitched laugh that would never do for his seductive vampire lover-boy, Edward Cullen.
Buff-and-polished Taylor Lautner is pocket-size compared with the looming stature of his werewolf counterpart, Jacob Black.

Casual yet cool Kristen Stewart can be a real chatterbox, unlike her moody Bella Swan, the high schooler in a romantic tug of war between these two supernatural objects of teen desire.

Lucky girl, right? "Yeah, but that's in the movies," Stewart says about bringing to life the modern-day Gothic heroine from the insanely popular Twilight book series (85 million copies sold so far). "I'm just the ultimate fan. If you read a story and you like it andconnect to it, it probably means you've inserted yourself in the story, and I get to do that on the most glorified level possible."


MORE: All things 'Twilight'

Hollywood fantasy regularly blends with everyday reality for these three blazing-hot rising stars. It has taken a while for a cultural navigator like Oprah Winfrey to zero in on the heat behind the literary-spawned phenom. But on this early May morning, Twilight fever is raging at Harpo Studios as the actors file into the backstage area after taping a show that aired Thursday. The occasion? Eclipse, the third chapter in an already billion-dollar worldwide franchise that arrives June 30.

The actors are unfazed by the shrieking adoration of a largely female audience, many in black Twilight T's — Team Edward and Team Jacob are duly represented — and all handpicked for their passion for the epic movie series based on author Stephenie Meyer's four-part saga.

"It's so nice sometimes, preaching to the converted," says Pattinson, 24, the London-born overnight sex symbol and primary reason for the screams. Thanks to his devoted worshipers, he has been elevated from a little-known Harry Potter supporting player to one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in less than three years. They were out in force the night before at a Winfrey-sponsored screening of an unfinished print of Eclipse. Afterward, a firestorm of fan Tweets rife with "OMGs" gushed about the much-anticipated sequel to 2008's Twilight and last year's New Moon.

Once Stewart, 20, painstakingly signs Winfrey's guest book and Lautner, 18, stops practicing his grape-tossing parlor trick, the castmates settle into a buttery leather sofa to talk about such topics as the iconic moments that are re-created in Eclipse, run-ins with other celebrities and what the post-Twilight future holds.

The fame game

But, first, the pain of fame that comes from being on the paparazzi's most-wanted list is addressed. When New Moon opened last fall, barely a day went by without seeing a headline about Lautner and country cutie Taylor Swift or speculation on whether Pattison and Stewart are a real-life couple.

Although, lately, the frenzy has calmed somewhat, judging by the number of Twilight-free magazine covers at grocery checkouts. "I don't know if this is the actual reason why, but we have gotten better at hiding over the last year," Pattinson says.

"That's totally the reason," Stewart concurs. "They just make up a story to go along with the pictures. If they never get the picture, there's no story. We are just good hiders now."

Such subterfuge includes neither confirming nor denying that they are in a relationship. Yet there clearly is some sort of special connection between the two, what with their playful teasing and personal asides. Let's just say it wasn't Lautner who placed a hand on Pattinson's leg during a portion of the interview.

But all three take their Twilight-related duties to heart, whatever they might require. Stewart even leaps up in a panic at one point, fearing she misspelled a word in her salutation to Winfrey. She checks the book: "Believe — ie or ei?"

"I before e except after c," Pattinson responds. She checks. "Oh, yeah," she says with a triumphant fist pump.

Pattinson laughs. "I almost spelled Oprah wrong. I almost wrote Opera."

The actors are keen to know how Eclipse played to the crowd at the screening and are pleased to hear that every element has been heightened: the horror, the romance, the three-way interaction among their characters, the touches of humor that often come at the expense of Edward and Jacob's rivalry — especially after they forge a testy alliance to save Bella from a roving gang of rabid newborn vampires.

Stewart says of Eclipse's positive early reception: "It is a well-oiled machine at this point. We have had a lot of time to establish what this thing is about and a lot of time to consider it. And they gave us so much more money this time. So that is exciting."

Pattinson, looking bemused, quickly clarifies her statement. "For the film. The budget."

Stewart is chagrined. "Oh, my God. No, no. That didn't even occur to me. They gave us so much more money to make the film look good!"

The leads did get raises — Stewart and Pattinson are taking home a reported $7.5 million each plus a percentage of the gross, Lautner gets $5 million — while the production's price tag grew to $65 million, still modest compared with similar franchises.

Yet the few extra bucks seem to have paid off, especially with the effects. Even Lautner's CG wolf alter-ego is more adorable than in New Moon. "Yeah," says the actor, sheepishly. "It was very cuddly. I don't know if that's what we were aiming for."

He waffles over the wisdom of sharing an anecdote about the scene in which the vicious horse-sized beast sweetly nuzzles Bella and she scratches his ear. After a little coaxing, he relents.

"That day I came on set and put on this tight gray spandex suit ..."

"There is dialogue and I talk to him," Stewart explains. "I said, 'How am I going to do this without Taylor?' " So instead of the actress pretending that a massive computer-animated wolf was nearby, Lautner volunteered to be its stand-in.

"Basically, it looked like a Teletubby," he continues about his outfit. "I had this circle on the face but everything else was covered. It was weird. But, yeah, I stood there and would literally bend over ..."

"I would actually pet his head," Stewart adds.

Pattinson, meanwhile, struggled with Edward's rather formal proposal to Bella, which reflects the fact that although his vintage vampire looks 17, he hails from the turn of the last century.

"I was dreading the day it was coming," he says of the scene that was held until the very end of the shoot. "The first time I read the script, I thought, 'This is impossible.' " References to "promenades" and sharing "iced tea on the porch" as Edward explains how he would have courted Bella in the old days especially stuck in his throat. "It's so earnest. I finally convinced the producers that you can play it with a bit of awareness of not being a fictional character. I'm not trying to be part of a Gothic novel."

When Pattinson finally watched it, however, he was pleasantly surprised. "It seems different when you see it."

Their profiles have grown with each film, and celebrity status does afford them the chance to mingle with their own idols. Although, more often than not, the other stars are the ones bedazzled as they request autographs for their Twilight-crazed kids.

"I took a picture with Ron Howard last year at the Oscars," Pattinson recalls. "I thought it was the funniest thing. I asked, 'Is it for your kids?' He said, 'No, it's for me. I want to have it on my phone.' " Making the situation even odder: Howard's daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, is in Eclipse.

Alas, Pattinson has yet to run into his favorite, Jack Nicholson.

Stewart pipes up: "I have."

Pattinson: "What? When did you meet?"

Stewart: "At a screening for Into the Wild," her 2007 coming-of-age drama directed by Sean Penn. "He was exactly like you think he would be."

Pattinson, sounding peeved: "You never told me that."

Lautner joins in. "I didn't meet him but I sat next to him at a Lakers game."

Pattinson, utterly exasperated: "What?"

Life beyond 'Twilight'

Next subject. The three are actively trying to ward off post-Twilight typecasting by doing solo projects in between. Stewart and Pattinson, both bookworms and drawn to art-house fare, earned OK reviews but underwhelming ticket sales for their two recent releases, the girl-band bio The Runaways and the romantic melodrama Remember Me.

But they continue to be in demand for more mature roles. Stewart is psyched to be a part of a big-screen version of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, which starts shooting in August. Pattinson recently wrapped his work on the London set of Bel Ami as a 19th-century social-climbing rogue opposite Kristin Scott Thomas, Uma Thurman and Christina Ricci. Does he bed all three?

"Yes, but they're not like typical love scenes at all," he says.

Adds Stewart: "They're all a little weird. A little edgy. And a little nude." Chuckling ensues.

Meanwhile, Lautner — a natural athlete who played a high school track star in the box-office-topping ensemble comedy Valentine's Day— seems to be angling to become the next big action hero with upcoming roles in the thriller Abduction and Stretch Armstrong, a 3-D adventure based on a toybox muscleman

Did he ever own one of the dolls, whose limbs could be pulled and elongated like taffy? "I don't remember having one at my house, but I totally remember stretching that sucker."

Then there is the next Twilight feature, Breaking Dawn, opening Nov. 18 next year. The fourth and presumably final book is so jammed with life-altering events — a wedding, first-time sex between Bella and Edward, a grotesquely painful birth — that there has been talk of doing two films back to back. And it might even be in 3-D. But the actors can confirm only their involvement.

What has been decided is that Breaking Dawn's director will be Bill Condon, the filmmaker behind Dreamgirlsand Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Chicago.

Have they met Condon, who already posted a letter on Facebook reassuring fans of his appreciation of the material and that the film most definitely will not be a musical despite his résumé?

Lautner nods yes.

Pattinson: "When did you meet him?" Lautner: "One day." Stewart: "Did you have a meeting?" Lautner: "No, no." Pattinson: "I literally met him three nights ago."

Stewart, in a mock snit: "Well, he obviously doesn't want to meet me."

USA Today chats with Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning

From USA TODAY:
Me: Well, since we're at South by Southwest, one thing a lot of people want me to ask is what music you're into right now.

Stewart: Right. I listen to The Shins and Radiohead and Interpol. And we saw Band of Horses last night, and that was awesome, because they're, like, my favorite band right now. I love Camera Obscura and Jenny Lewis. I'm just pumping 'em out -- I never do this! I'm always like, "Oh, I don't answer that question."

Me: It's a hard one.

Fanning: I really hate that question. It scares me, it makes me nervous. Because I think people judge you a lot on the music that you listen to.

Stewart: It's so defining. Which is why people want to know, because it does say a lot about you.

Fanning: They want to categorize you.

Me: Well, those are good. And you saw Band of Horses, I almost went to that show.

Stewart: And Broken Social Scene. You seriously missed out. The chick from Metric came out and played one song with them. A long, anthem-y-type thing ... it was awesome.

Me: Oh, well. OK, next question! This is from Lauren: Would you ever consider being in a band yourself?

Fanning: I don't think so. I can only sing or perform if I'm playing a character and able to hide behind that character, so I would be too afraid to do it as myself.

Stewart: I love music so much. I play guitar, and I love playing it with my friends. But I hate the idea of something that's mine ... I'm used to making movies and having people take that from me. But to have my thing be somebody else's experience right now ... I could never be in a band. I feel the same way. I could only ever do that playing someone else.

Me: So you're not going to release an album?

Stewart: Oh, no.

Me: Here's one from Lynn: How much did the costuming, makeup, etc. help in the process of channeling these awesome female rockers?

Fanning: I think it helped me a lot, just because Cherie's costumes are so out there and unique to her. Even the way the clothes were made back then, just because a lot of the stuff was vintage -- just that feeling was really cool to have. I loved getting to see a picture of her and then look like that. I've always wanted to play a real person, so it was neat for me.

Me: Julissa asks, if you were to form the ultimate rock band, with musicians from today and of the past, who would you include?

Stewart: Oh, no. I answered the music that I listened to! I can't even begin to try to make a band in my head. (Laughs)

Me: Do you have an all-time favorite guitarist?

Stewart: I don't. I really actually don't. It would take a really long time for me to think of the kind of band I'd wanna make, how they'd complement one another ... it's too loaded.

Me: Well, let's move on to one from Tom: What's the coolest stuff you've gotten from fans?

Stewart: I got a really cool jacket once. And I was freezing, so I really needed a jacket. That was really nice.

Fanning: I always get really cool gifts from Japanese fans. They always send me really cute things you can't find in America. They're usually Hello Kitty, and I love Hello Kitty, so ...

Stewart: You do?

Fanning: Yeah.

Stewart: OK. That's so funny. (Laughs)

Fanning: And you know, like stationery stores that have the walls of pens and things like that? I love that kind of stuff ...

Stewart: You are Japanese.

(A publicist tells me we have a minute left)


Me: Caro wants to know if you watch your own movies.

Stewart: I kind of wish that we'd went to (the Austin Runaways screening).

Fanning: We've seen it five times.

Stewart: But I wish we went to that one because we heard it was really great, it was a real audience. It wasn't movie people. Some actors are like, 'Oh, I don't watch the movie.' But I have to see what happened. I have to see what we did.

Fanning: I look forward to it.

Stewart: Yeah, me too. I have to see everything done. But usually it's hard for me. And it's hard for me to watch this, too -- like, there are parts that make me wanna kill myself. But I love the story so much. And I love the music. So I like to watch it.

Me: You know, most of the questions I got for this interview were from women, which I think is great. What do you think about that, and have you noticed a difference between the Twilight fans and Runaways fans?

Stewart: They're both widely female, which is unique in the business because everyone says -- and it is true -- there's not a whole lot of material for a female-driven audience. I would say they're kind of similar ... It's empowering to read these stories. I feel like both of them are very bold girl stories.

Me: Thanks, guys.

Robert Pattinson on the cover of USA Weekend

Robert Pattinson lets his golden eyes shine as he graces this weekend’s cover of USA Weekend.
The 23-year-old actor chatted with the mag about his iconic character Edward Cullen, musical adventures and what’s to come after the Twilight series is wrapped.

Check it:
On escaping through his music: “It’s nice to have a bit of artistic or creative endeavor that isn’t so pressurized. So many people have an opinion, especially when you’re doing the Twilight movies. Making this movie, it’s almost as if people have become more concerned with what the fans want the more successful it becomes. The first one seemed more relaxed than this one, and that one wasn’t particularly relaxed. But it’s nice to do music where no one’s too concerned with what I’m doing with it. It’s kind of a relief.”

On his character, Edward Cullen: “In some ways, he’s more relaxed being around humans, and at the same time, he’s competing a lot more with Jacob [played by Taylor Lautner] so he has a lot more petty emotions rather than just thinking in these absolutes like he did in the first two. I’m just trying to keep it interesting for myself as well.”

On what life will be like after Twilight: “I’ve just been so tightly bound. I did another movie in New York over the summer, and it was so tightly bound to Twilight. You have huge groups of fans and paparazzi and stuff, and it was a tiny little indie. It still felt like I was doing a Twilight movie in a lot of ways. It’ll be interesting to see how I’ll feel about the whole thing a couple years after it’s all finished.”

USA Weekend appears in newspapers nationwide.Read more: Just Jared Jr.

Robert Pattinson #1 on Celeb Heat Index

The USA Today reports that Rob has beat out Brad Pitt for the #1 position in their Celebrity Heat Index, saying:

After a steady rise, the 22-year-old Twilight star has hit No. 1 on USA TODAY's Celebrity Heat Index, which measures media exposure. Pattinson is only half of the centerpiece cover image on the current issue of OK! and made No. 1 only on PopSugar.com's list of top stories, but he makes enough appearances in other outlets (TV, online and print) to put him ahead of the pack for the first time.

Pattinson was No. 3 on the index for April, and USA TODAY noted that his star was on the rise as photos from the set of the Twilight sequel, New Moon, began circulating.

And if paparazzi shots weren't enough, Entertainment Tonight aired official behind-the-scenes video from the set on TV and online.

So, we all knew he was HOT and getting HOTTER! But, his Twilight Saga co-star, Kristen Stewart, comes in at #3, so she is on the rise, as well.