“Twilight” mania took a bite out of East Hampton this weekend when two of its highly sought-after stars, Jackson Rathbone and Edi Gathegi, performed at WordTheatre’s Pushcart Prize Benefit at Guild Hall on Saturday.

Gathegi said “This is my first real time” being in the Hamptons. Though, he does admit he stopped by for “a hot minute” on New Year’s Eve in 2004, but doesn’t count it as a real Hamptons experience. “It’s gorgeous here! I love it!” said Gathegi.

Gathegi flew that day from Italy and was leaving at 6 a.m. Sunday morning to head back to New York City, but called his stop in the Hamptons “a nice buffer. It’s beautiful here!”

His co-star and fellow vampire Rathbone drove five and a half hours from Philadelphia, where he is filming “The Last Airbender,” the highly anticipated M. Night Shyamalan action/fantasy film based on the Nickelodeon cartoon series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” in order to read one of the Pushcart Prize winning stories.

Rathbone provided the after-party’s entertainment by performing a six-song set with his 100 Monkeys bandmate, Ben Graupner. Rathbone joked during the intimate performance that they were “down three monkeys”. The fan girls didn’t seem to mind as they took pictures and video of his performance.

Ania Perrin, a teenage “Twilight” fan, said she made her mother buy two $100 tickets for the event just to see Rathbone because “he’s just like really hot. And he’s a good actor.”

Source.

GALLERY LINKS:
- WordTheatre: Pushcart Prize Benefit (x10)

And here is Susie’s review from the event and the performance by Ben G and Jackson! Photos she took are also in the gallery. And remember, do not post the photos without permission! Thanks!

All I can say is it was awesome – and bizarre – and hilarious…….and really, really bizarre!

First of all – Edi Gathegi is not only hilarious, but really sweet as well.  His reading was awesome.  John Heard – holy hell – I was literally laughing so hard it hurt, Brian Cox as well…….who knew a “table” could have so many meanings.

At the very end of the night (star closes the show right……either that or they put him there because they knew their driver would manage to turn a 4 hour trip into a 6 hour trip)…..Jackson reading “The Bank Robbery”.  I have seen so much of Jackson the monkey musician the past two months I really enjoyed seeing him do something different.  He channeled his inner Texan for the male voice of the story, and resurrected the “Amanda” falsetto for the female part…….any one ever doubt that was actually Jackson’s voice when he was “Amanda”…..no doubts – it was him – saw it live and in person.  He really is unbelievably talented.  He is the consumate performer who captures you and keeps your attention the entire time.  He uses everything about himself to bring you into to what he is trying to perform – which you might notice if you can get past the way his eyes seem to draw your attention.  Y’all know me – not a fangirl who is gaga over Jackson for his looks – but you can’t help but be drawn to him in a live performance.

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Added three pictures of Jackson from the event, thanks to the Backseat Cuddler.

And for those interested, here’s the story Jackson read during the benefit!

Jackson Rathbone (Twilight; The Twilight Saga: New Moon) reading “The Bank Robbery” by Steve Schutzman

GALLERY LINK:
- WordTheatre Pushcart Prize Benefit

Attended the benefit? Let us know! We’d love to hear your experience, see your photos, etc. If you want to send in anything, hit up the contact page to do so!

Finally, some news I’m sure a lot of you have been waiting for!

Monterey Media has picked up Hurt, a gothic thriller written and directed by Barbara Stepansky, for release on November 17th, 2009! Sending chills down your spine as the story unfolds, Hurt seizes its audience in a macabre web of terror before revealing its twisted core.

Source

Lovely new interview Jackson did with The Examiner.Com.

Jackson Rathbone is a triple threat. An amazing actor, singer, and writer. Women can only imagine what Jackson might be looking for in a woman. Some might think that any woman he might take a second look at would have to be drop dead gorgeous. Wrong. Jackson opens up about his favorite features about women, dating advice, and how to seal the deal for a second date with him!

Gabrielle: What are qualities you look for in women?

Jackson: I look for a woman with a sincere smile and a love of the arts. I love being able to go out on crazy dates, like breaking into zoos after hours, so a woman who has a sense of adventure… but I also love a calm night of jamming on a beach at midnight with a bonfire, whiskey, and friends… so a woman who can hang in any situation and not get too clingy if I’m playing some music and spending time with my friends and family.

GC: In your opinion, what do men really notice about women?

JR: The way she carries herself. Many times, my friends and I will notice a girl who is beautiful, but just looks miserable in her demeanor. It’s a turn-off. Life’s too short.

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2 in 1 post! First, here’s the full teaser trailer for The Last Airbender. Unfortunately, no Jackson in it.

Secondly, huge thanks to both Sarah and Kristy for their photos from the last east coast 100 Monkeys gig at the Chameleon Club this past Sunday! Also added about 200+ photos from the Croc Rock show provided by the amazing Theresa! Thanks to all three for their contributions. And don’t forget to check out Sarah’s and Theresa’s videos from the Chameleon Club and Crock Rock shows at the end of this post. You can view the rest of their videos via their youtube channels here and here.

GALLERY LINKS:
- June 21, 2009 – Chameleon Club
- June 14, 2009 – Croc Rock (x211)
- The Last Airbender ET Sneak Peek

So what do you guys think of The Last Airbender teaser trailer? Sound off in comments if you want!

Awesome new article/interview with Girlfriend director, Justin Lerner. In it, he talks a whole lot about the film and what type of character Jackson will play. I, for one, am super stoked for this movie. It sounds interesting. What about you guys?

Twilighters who find themselves on Team Jasper probably have only one complaint when it comes to Stephenie Meyer’s franchise: They want more of the peaceful-one-minute, violent-the-next vampire who attacks Bella and sets the “New Moon” plot into motion.

The actor behind Jasper Hale, is set to remedy that grievance with “Girlfriend,” a romantic drama that will find the actor leaving the world of vampires behind but continuing to play a character that viewers will find both trustworthy and potentially dangerous.

” ‘Girlfriend’ is the chance to see Jackson front and center as the kind of character where, at any moment, we’re not sure if there’s the potentiality to cause harm or to be a good guy, but in a more gritty, realistic indie film,” writer/director Justin Lerner said in a recent conversation with MTV News.

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A simple reminder to you Jackson lovin’ people, the trailer for The Last Airbender will be airing on ET tonight. Check your local listings for the time it’ll air in your area. We’ll be sure to post it here as soon as we get a video up.  In the mean time, here’s another interview from the little conference Jackson did. Since it’s basically the same as the others, here’s just a snippet.

“But as the films progress, you get deeper into the aura of that mythical world that you establish with the werewolves and getting more into the vampire society and their legacy. It keeps getting deeper. That’s the great thing about being in the TWILIGHT franchise: You get to grow with the story and have the characters develop. [When you’re an actor in a standalone movie], you only have two hours to develop your character. But when you have three films, you get six hours. It’s like you can go anywhere and everywhere. And that’s a blessing as an actor.”

Source.

Once again the lovely and super awesome, Susie, attended the last minute North Star Bar gig and provided us fellow Monkey Junkies with a great review and fantastic photos!

GALLERY LINK:
- June 18, 2009 – North Star Bar

North Star Bar – Philadelphia, PA – June 18, 2009

:::traveling back in time to June 17, 2009 – like noonish:::
The 100 Monkeys have added a show, tomorrow night – at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia.  Are they serious?  Do they think I have no life, and can just drop everything and run into Philadelphia for a show on a Thursday night!?!?!

::: Fast forward to June 18, 2009 – about 5:30ish:::

So, I load up the so-not-a-hybrid SUV, and my caravan of one – setting course once again into another interesting part of Philadelphia.  I am beginning to wonder if On-star keeps track of the places that I ask for directions to – because if they do, I am quite sure an AA sponsor will be showing up on my doorstep any time now, as the only places I have asked them to take me for the past month are bars!

Yes, it’s true – I have no life and on 24 hours notice I ended up at the North Star Bar to see the 100 Monkeys (again).  At least when I arrived I didn’t feel so pathetic for lacking any type of a social life that doesn’t involve these guys – the bar was already infested with Monkey junkies seeking a fix.  You gotta love a diehard – driving in from Maryland, Jersey, and little old me from Bucks County – we’ll always try our best to be there when the “monkey signal” goes up.  (Monkey signal: noun: email alerting monkey junkies to abandon their families and get their butts to the appropriate dive bar to jam out with the boys at the appointed time.  Similar to the bat signal – but way cooler.)
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Here’s our first look at the Cullen family for New Moon. It is the 2010 New Moon Calendar and (if you live in the UK) you can actually pre-order it now here.

We also have more photos from the Danger Danger and Croc Rock shows provided by the amazing Heather and Broken Sound Photography! Thanks to both for their amazing photos!

GALLERY LINKS:
- New Moon 2010 Calendar
- June 14, 2009 – Croc Rock (x76)
- June 13, 2009 – Danger Danger (x50)

Another interview has popped up from SciFiWire.Com. A lot of the same stuff has been reported in other articles, however there are a few new things which you can read below plus more at the source.

How does it feel going from one film franchise to possibly another with The Last Airbender?

Rathbone: I love being busy. I’m lucky enough to be working, and I like to keep working as much as possible. The way I feel is that there’s only 24 hours in a day, and I need at least 20 of them, so I only sleep four hours a night. I also have my band that I play with. Up here, whenever I’m working or when I am working on the Twilight movies, I work all day on the film and then I go and rehearse with my band all night.

What kind of music do you play?

Rathbone: It’s a band, and we travel together. We’re called 100 Monkeys. It’s old-school rock and roll. All originals that are blues- and funk-oriented. We like to have a fun show. We aren’t one of those bands that makes whiney music. We like to make music that people dance to.

Source.