"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is closing out its run in theaters and has pulled in $276 million here in the U.S., making it the fifth-highest grossing domestic release of 2009, and it has a chance to move higher on that list. Its worldwide total: $636 million. Now that the movie has been out for weeks, our "Twilight" experts Yvonne Villarreal and Denise Martin thought they would test your undead knowledge with a pop quiz.

1. When Bella gets a paper cut while opening a birthday present at the Cullen's home, which vampire attempted to drink her blood?

A. Jasper

B. Edward

C. Count Chocula

D. Alice

2. When is Bella’s birthday?

A. Sept. 1

B. Sept. 5

C. Sept. 13

D. July 4

A. Car stereo

B. iPhone

C. Camera

D. Garlic and holy water

A. To protect Bella

B. Change of scenery

C.They’re scared of Victoria

D. The Volturi are after them

5. In the movie, how old does Edward say he is?

A. 18

B. 107

C. 108

D. 109

A. May 7

B. Sept. 13

C. Oct. 17

D. Dec. 25

7.  What movie does Bella see with Jacob and Mike Newton?

A. "Face Punch"

B. "27 Dresses"

C. "Zombies Attack"

D. "Adventureland"

8. Why does Jacob keep away from Bella for two weeks after they see the movie?

A. He hated the movie

B. He just wasn't that into her

C. He is sick of her yearnings for Edward

D. He is a werewolf and is forbidden to see her

"TWILIGHT: NEW MOON" COUNTDOWN

Denise Martin, one of our "Twilight" experts, checks in with some thoughts on today's vampy edition of "The Oprah Winfrey Show"...

That certainly wasn't aimed at Twi-hards, was it?

After more than a year of forgoing all interview requests, Stephenie Meyer emerged to promote the upcoming "New Moon" movie on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Her pre-taped appearance aired Friday and yielded, for rabid "Twilight" fans, just one revelation not already known about her vampire series. For the second book, (the film version hits theaters Nov. 20), Meyer said, she originally had a different ending in mind.

"There was a different ending to 'New Moon.' Originally it was much quieter [and took place] in Bella's head," she said. Meyer changed it at the urging of her mom, Candy Morgan. She introduced the Volturi earlier, and — voila! — a Volturi smack-down jazzes up the end. Thanks, Candy.

Otherwise, Oprah and Meyer went over very familiar territory: "Twilight" came to Meyer in a dream; she imagined a hot vampire who was in love with a mortal girl; she wanted to know more; that dream became Chapter 13 of "Twilight."

"In the dream it was two people in a circular meadow and one of them was a sparkly boy and one was just a girl who was human and normal and the boy was a vampire, which was bizarre," Meyer said. "It was a passion and frenzy when I started writing."

And of course, there was a question about Robert Pattinson. His hygiene having often been called into question, Oprah wanted to know, "What does he smell like?" "He smells great," Meyer said. "Rob is hilarious. He is the funniest person. He's not at all like the Edward character. He's so different. He just doesn't look like anyone else, in a good way. He's very striking looking."

And that was about it. So what do you all think? Do you wish Meyer could have done, say, a more in-depth interview? Or talked more about the "New Moon" movie? Or, at the very least, told us what she's been up to all year? (I do!) Agree with me, or disagree if you must, below.

— Denise Martin

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Photo: Getty Images

Jevon Phillips takes a look at the curious (but market-savvy) decision to make a comic-book biography of Stephenie Meyer, the "Twilight" author. Will this be the bestselling comic book among female readers in 2009? I wouldn't be surprised one bit....-Geoff Boucher

There are only 42 days left until the opening of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," and Bluewater Comics is taking advantage of anticipatory giddiness by releasing another in its line of biographical comic books, this one dedicated to novelist Stephenie Meyer.

It's a bit of a twist in direction for the company that started by releasing political bios on the likes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. With post-election political fervor waning the company has movied on to Michael Jackson, and now, as part of the company's Female Force line, a double-sized one-shot on Meyer written by Ryan Burton and penciled by Dave MacNeil.

The book itself, with its sparse prose and greater emphasis on dramatic art, will not reveal much to fervent followers of Meyer's work and life. But for others it tells an abbreviated version of her life's story in a fun way -- through the words of a vampire who is very much pleased with the fact that "Twilight" has brought bloodsuckers back into style.

It is interesting, I suppose, to ponder perceived conflicts between Meyer's Mormon background and her success with tales of the supernatural but, of course, anyone who's read the books knows all of it is just a mask for the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob lovefest over Bella. If you're into Stephenie and the "Twilight" wave, you'll probably want to get this book because there could be tidbits you didn't know (i.e. - The first Twilight book was initially called Forks.). Through the good people at Bluewater, we've gotten a sneak peek at it, and here is the panel depicting the dream that led to her creation of this 'tween monster franchise.

The book also includes the history of Forks, Wash., -- the town where her stories take place. The addendum was informative and actually a nice bit of trivia for Twihards: Did you know that the city of Forks was almost destroyed by a fire in 1951? Makes you wonder if a vampire-werewolf skirmish spilled out into the public...or not.

-- Jevon Phillips

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Here's an excerpt from a great story by Susan Carpenter on today's front page of the Los Angeles Times. She went to Forks, Wash., to write about the impact of "Twilight"-mania on the old logging community that author Stephenie Meyer used as her setting in the wildly popular books series. The film adaptation is due in theaters on Nov. 21.

When the timber economy that had sustained this wet and distant place for its first hundred years came crashing to earth like an old-growth Douglas fir, people exhausted themselves trying to figure out what the future would hold. What would happen to the little town clinging to the western slope of the rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula with its single grocery store, one traffic light and 3,100 residents?

Nobody guessed anything like this:

Sydney Conway and two of her teenage friends, on a school holiday, got into a minivan and drove four hours -- to stare at the nondescript brick building that is Forks High School. There's a weathered wooden sign announcing it as "the home of the Spartans," but otherwise it looks like most other high schools in the country.

Sydney, Alexis Miller and Rebekah Hamilton got out of their van, stood in front of the school -- oblivious to the cool mist that was frizzing their hair and chilling their pedicured, flip-flopped feet -- and screamed, "Twilight!"

The Twilight Saga, as just about any teen girl could tell you, is the name of a mega-selling series of books by Stephenie Meyer set in a mythical version of Forks. The books chronicle the complicated love triangle of a human, a vampire and a werewolf. To say they are huge is like calling Harry Potter just a boy.

     

EXCLUSIVE

Heartthrob Robert Pattinson not only stars in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance, “Twilight,” out Nov. 21, he's contributed two songs to the film, one of which, “Never Think” will be included on the official soundtrack.

But the self-effacing Brit insists that the songs’ inclusion was wholly accidental; a mysterious third party slipped director Catherine Hardwicke a copy of his recordings without his knowledge and she opted to include them, surprising Pattinson when he turned up to see some early footage.   

“When I went to see the cut,” Pattinson said during an interview Wednesday afternoon, “she’d put these two songs in. They’re old songs, but one of them specifically, it really made the scene better. It was like it was supposed to be there. It’s strange because what was supposed to be at that point in the movie was a big orchestral film climax. Instead it’s this little song with acoustic guitar. I’m singing it, maybe that makes it different, but it’s kind of overwhelming. I hope it’s overwhelming.”

Although many actors try to work in film and television while juggling careers in the pop arena, Pattinson insists he won’t be one of them. “That’s what I was scared about, it looks like I’m trying to get a music career out of it or something,” he said. “I’ve never really recorded anything -- I just played in pubs and stuff –- and I really didn’t want it to look like I was trying to cash in. I hope it doesn’t come across as that. I’m not going to be doing any music videos or anything. Music is my backup plan if acting fails. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.”

Judging from the level of anticipation surrounding his first major starring vehicle, he might not have too much to worry about. On the music front, though, Pattinson will be sharing the soundtrack's track listing with Linkin Park, Muse, Paramore, Iron & Wine and Perry Farrell, among others.

-- Gina McIntyre

RELATED: Stephenie Meyer on music videos and mermaids

ALSO : 'Twilight' Countdown: Exclusive Robert Pattinson pic

- All 'Twilight' coverage at 'Hero Complex'

Photo: Kristen Stewart as "Bella," left, and Robert Pattinson as "Edward" are shown in a scene from, "Twilight." Credit: Peter Sorel, via the Associated Press and courtesy of Summit Entertainment.

Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times caught up with "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer on the set of a music video for Jack's Mannequin, the Orange County band. Stephenie has had a rough few weeks as her fans know, but she was all smiles by the sea.

Here's what Carpenter found out:

It was 1:30 in the afternoon Thursday, and a mermaid's tail was bobbing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast at Pt. Mugu. The shimmery, blue sea creature was playing siren to Jack's Mannequin singer-keyboardist, Andrew McMahon, in an upcoming video conceptualized by bestselling "Twilight" saga author Stephenie Meyer.

Meyer is being billed as the co-director of "The Resolution" video, even though "I've never directed anything," the 34-year-old author said on set, where dozens of fully clothed music and movie folk were milling around the Ventura County beach. "Clearly I have no experience. They're just running things by me."

Her impression midway through the shoot, which, in reality, was being shot by director Noble Jones: "It looks good. It looks the way I imagined it, so that's really cool."

What Meyer had imagined for the video was a mermaid who's also a stalker. Everywhere McMahon goes, the mermaid follows, flooding the landscape as the 26-year-old singer moves from ocean to desert to mountaintop, hauling his upright piano in the bed of an ancient Ford pickup. (Any similarities to the vintage red Chevy that heroine Bella drives in the “Twilight” books are purely coincidental, said director Jones; Meyer had written the video with a U-Haul in mind.)

Never mind that "The Resolution" has absolutely nothing to do with old trucks or with mermaids. When the band's frontman wrote the song last year, "it was sort of about my experience dealing with the cancer thing," said McMahon, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005 and later received a bone-marrow transplant from his sister. "It was me coming to some place of acceptance with the past and deciding maybe I haven't figured out what I'm trying to accomplish, but I know I'm looking for some kind of resolve."

Meyer wasn't aware of that story when she wrote the video's treatment. Mermaids, she said, are "a subject I've always been fascinated with. When I was letting my imagination run wild for this [video], there were several different story lines I came up with and this one I thought had the most visual impact."

As for the longstanding rumor that Meyer will pen an upcoming book involving such a creature, "I don't know if I will or not," she said.

You can read the rest of Carpenter's very intriguing piece over at our sister blog, the righteously rocking Soundboard.

-- Geoff Boucher

Photo of Jack's Mannequin singer Andrew McMahon and author Stephenie Meyer courtesy of Warner Bros. Records

RELATED: All "Twilight" coverage at Hero Complex

What a way to kick off the Labor Day weekend for "Twilight" fans.

In a note posted to her official website Thursday, author Stephenie Meyer tells her readers she has decided to discontinue "Midnight Sun," her planned retelling of "Twilight" from the teenage vampire Edward's perspective, after an unfinished draft was illegally posted and distributed on the Internet without her knowledge or permission.

If I tried to write "Midnight Sun" now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on "Midnight Sun," and so it is on hold indefinitely.

Meyer had originally made the only first chapter available on her site. Because the project is now virtually killed, she's made the incomplete draft available as well, but cautions that "the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes."

I rather my fans not read this version.... It was only an incomplete draft.... But to end the confusion, I've decided to make the draft available.... I hope this fragment gives you further insight into Edward's head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story. That's what inspired me to write it in the first place.

This has been a roller-coaster year for Meyer, who just completed a successful concert book series but has also had to answer for some of the backlash directed at "Breaking Dawn," the fourth and final installment of the "Twilight" saga.

But fans shouldn't fret: There's only three months until "Twilight" hits movie theaters.

As for Meyer, she's about to step behind the camera to direct a new music video for Jack's Mannequin's "The Resolution." The band is a favorite of the author's and appears on her online playlists.

-- Denise Martin

Related:

Good news "Twilight" fans: Santa's coming early this year

"Twilight": What does the "Breaking Dawn" backlash bode for the movie?

"Twilight": A snap judgment on "Breaking Dawn"

Well, it's no wonder that Edward and Bella got their happily ever after. Turns out Stephenie Meyer is the biggest of the "Twilight" fangirls.

And with ear-piercing screams from the crowd punctuating the night -- seriously, after every sentence, throughout the whole show, as if Meyer was a Jonas Brother -- that's saying something.

The 34-year-old author was giddier than most of the "Twilight" tweens that packed UCLA's Royce Hall Thursday night for the 'Breaking Dawn' concert, a sort-of mini book tour set to the acoustic sounds of alt rock band Blue October, one of the author's favorite bands. The Los Angeles appearance was the third in a four-stop journey for Meyer and Blue October front man Justin Furstenfeld.

"The music is a part of (my writing process)," Meyer said later in the evening. "I could not do without it."

Before she took the stage, Furstenfeld, dressed in all black, eyes circled in black eyeliner, opened with three songs, "Fairy Tale," "Ugly Side" and "Blue Skies," the last a new track from his band's forthcoming album "Approaching Normal." Shrieks pierced through each of the performances, but the singer didn't seem to mind, even playfully whispering to himself between numbers, "Please don't mess up." He seemed content to get lost in his own music, even while understanding that these girls who'd been listening to him for years (thanks to the play lists Meyer provides to each of her books on her official site) were probably reading meanings about tortured vampires and perfect teen love into each song.

Afterward, Meyer, truly one of the most eager girls in the room, appeared for some Q&A (all sent in by fans online and all of which the author had screened). Here are the highlights:

• Even though "Breaking Dawn" was billed as the last in the "Twilight" saga, Meyer may revisit its world in future works. "I don't know if I'm done with the Cullens universe. We'll have to just wait and see," she said. There are other stories and characters "waiting in the wings" that she'll write about first. (She later mentioned that Leah is a character that she'd like to continue to follow.)
• Meyer has known where Bella and Edward's story would go and end since the fall of 2003. In other words, disappointed or not, the ending of had been in the works for years. What's more, there are hints scattered throughout "New Moon" and "Eclipse" that spell out Bella's future pregnancy. "Oh it's all in there," she said with a laugh.
• Her favorite Bella and Edward moment happens in the last two pages of "Breaking Dawn." "It's the culmination of 2000 pages of getting there," she said. "The finally see eye to eye."
• She'll try to post extras and/or outtakes for "Breaking Dawn" on her website, as she's done with the other three books, but the truth is there just weren't that many this time. She does plan to put up bits of the book's original manuscript, "Forever Dawn," just so you can see how different it is.
• The chess-themed cover of the last book has special meaning: It's supposed to show Bella's progression from being just a pawn to "the most powerful player on the board."
• In Meyer's mind, Jacob and Renesmee get their happily ever after too, because as long as Jacob continues to phase into a werewolf he won't age. "They're both set up for immortality," she explained. (Charlie and Billy, however, still aren't speaking. "But I'm sure they'll get over it," she reassured.)
• Bella's "before car" in "Breaking Dawn," a Mercedes Guardian, does not actually exist. A Mercedes Guard does, but Meyer wanted to imagine an even more sturdy vehicle to protect fragile Bella.
• The author "burst into tears" when writing the moment when Edward calls Jacob "my son."
• The Volturi's human receptionist Gianna "didn't make the cut." Awwwww.
• Meyer has seen a rough cut of the "Twilight" movie -- and she's thrilled. "If I'd seen that in a theater, I would have bought another ticket and ran back in," she said.

Furstenfeld joined Meyer onstage for more music. Before he played the next song, Blue October's "Hate Me," Meyer told the audience that whenever she listens to it, "I can see Edward walking away from Bella in the meadow ... Watch! You're going to hear him walk way." A performance of another new track off of "Approaching Normal" called "My Never" chokes Stephenie up. Apparently, not for the first time. It's a Jacob song -- best enjoyed to page 355 of "Breaking Dawn," she said -- and "it's just going to make you cry." Here's footage from the Aug. 1 concert in New York's Nokia Theatre at Times Square stop:

"You totally need a happy ending after that song," a breathless Meyer said. "The good news is that this next one is one of my favorite Edward songs." The audience screams. "Sound of Pulling Heaven Down" is what she imagines the soundtrack for the moment at the end of "New Moon" when Edward recommits to his relationship with Bella no matter the cost.

And then the night was over -- and the stampede of hundreds began, racing to be first in line to get Meyer's autograph.

(The entire event was streamed live at iClips.net and EW.com, and that footage will eventually be available to view, but one crafty attendee happens to already have clips up from the L.A. show. But you didn't get it from me.)

-- Denise Martin

Related:

All 'Breaking Dawn' coverage

'Twilight' Comic-Con coverage

Can't get enough "Twilight"? Well, get in line.

"Breaking Dawn," the fourth novel in the Stephenie Meyer series, is the hottest property at bookstores this weekend, and the anticipation for the December film adaptation of the first book is intense. America, clearly, is bloodthirsty when it comes to romance.

If you're a major fan, you'll want to check out David Strick's exclusive photos from the set. They're part of David's Hollywood Backlot, the amazing (and hugely popular) behind-the-scenes photo collection of Hollywood on the job.

If you're not a major fan but want to get a bead on all of the hoopla, check out Denise Martin's primer on all things "Twilight," which you can find here. If you are newblood, though, beware, there are spoilers a-plenty.

Most of all, bookmark Hero Complex and keep checking back in. Denise will be covering "Twilight" for us in a big way and we have some very special and very exclusive surprises in the works. To see all of our "Twilight" coverage so far, click here.

Last night, Denise was at one of the many release parties for the fourth book. For fun interviews and video, check out her fan-centric report here.

-- Geoff Boucher

Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment.