For a morning that was an all-Robert Pattinson fest (hey, not a bad way to start the day!) Dakota Fanning and Taylor Lautner (who was on "Late Night") opted to take the night shift on the talk show circuit on “New Moon” eve. So, for those of you who were waiting (im)patiently in line for the midnight showings, I’m here to catch you up on what you missed.
Dakota stopped by “The Jay Leno Show” to chat about “Twilight” madness (among other things) but before she hit the stage, there was a “New Moon” treat for viewers. Jay sent staffer sent Mickey Day to the L.A. premiere (lucky!) to report from the scene and gather all the information he would need to make his very own “Twilight” sequel. Mickey soon hit the red carpet to talk to the cast, beginning with an un-PC question to Taylor, asking “How does it feel to have brought millions of girls into puberty?” The always gentlemanly Taylor responded with a simple, “I think it’s the series and the characters.”
Eventually it was time for Mickey to debut his trailer for his very own “Twilight” follow-up, “Newer Moon.” Mickey played a vampire/werewolf/fairy hybrid that pined over a distant Kristen Stewart, and while he did look pretty darn good without his shirt on, I think I’ll be saving my money for “New Moon” instead. With that all said and done, it was Dakota’s turn to talk “Twilight”
Rocking a super cute beige mini-dress and sky-high heels, Dakota kicked things off by talking about her Teen Vogue cover. Sometimes it’s hard to forget Dakota is a high school student (she’s currently in her junior year) but the actress said she’s “happy to go back to that normal place” when she’s not working. When the almost 16-year-old isn’t being crowned homecoming princess, she admits she’s stalling to get her driver’s permit. Dakota joked she “lost all drive” to get the permit and Jay offered to give her lessons at the show’s outdoor track.
Before they shifted to “New Moon," or as Jay accidentally referred to it, “Twilight Moon." it was all about K-Stew and Dakota’s other collaboration, “The Runaways.” Dakota talked about being “rock stars for six weeks” and how she loved the 60s wardrobe. Jay (finally!) got to what we all came for, “New Moon” information! Dakota said she read the whole series (“you get lost in that world”) before signing on to the movies and was “real excited to be a little part of this whole phenomenon.” Just like she’d said on “Ellen” Dakota said it’s much more fun playing evil. She also agreed that Italy “definitely” has the cutest boys. What wasn’t so cute about Italy? A spider-infested hotel room she and her mom shared during the shoot.
Just like every other Leno guest must endure, Dakota had to earn her plug. Jay decided to give the high schooler a pop quiz, but not before she was completely engulfed in a fog machine. Even the most casual “Twilight” fan would have scored a 100 on Jay’s quiz, which included gimme questions like naming all the books, correctly identifying the series’ author and a multiple choice about the name of Bella’s mom (Nadya Suleman, Kate Gosselin, Madonna or Renee?) But, the easiest question came when Jay asked which character has the ability to inflict pains with their thoughts. The girl who brought Jane to life quickly remarked, “That would be sad if I got that one wrong!”
The evening’s second Team Jacob or Edward inquiry came with a brand new answer. Dakota, torn by the prospect of both boys, said she’s on “Team Volturi.” Speaking of the Volturi, Jay showed the clip of when we first meet Jane confronting an exasperated Edward and a worried Bella. While Dakota was charming as ever, I have to say, her interview with Ellen DeGeneres was simply more fun to watch.
What did you think of Dakota's time with Jay Leno? Did you get all the questions in the quiz right?
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