Thousands of fans wait days for glimpse of ‘New Moon’ heartthrobs at LA premiere

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Fan frenzy at LA premiere of ‘New Moon’

LOS ANGELES — “Twilight” fans have taken over the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Thousands of fans filled the streets near UCLA on Monday, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite undead stars attending the evening premiere of “New Moon” — the second film in the “Twilight” vampire saga.

Some “Twi-hards” — as they call themselves — arrived as early as Thursday afternoon to secure a place in line for tickets allowing them to watch the stars’ arrivals on the red carpet. The 800 available tickets were all distributed by Monday morning, but the line still stretched for blocks well after lunchtime.

Nicole Zamora, 36, was sixth in line after getting to Westwood on Thursday afternoon. She and her three sisters wore “New Moon” T-shirts they’d made for the occasion and said they spent the weekend “reading, listening to the iPod and trying to sleep — anything to pass the time.”

Christina Fuentes and four of her friends traveled from New Jersey for the “New Moon” premiere. The 24-year-old wore vampire teeth (”They just clip on,” she said) and carried a homemade sign that read, “We flew in from NJ! We’ve been camping out for three days just to see you!” She pasted her airline boarding pass to the poster as proof.

They were number 313 in line, she said.

The weekend warriors were rewarded with appearances by some “Twilight” stars.

“Less than an hour ago we saw Peter Facinelli drive by on his Harley, looking hot,” said 19-year-old Kelley Metoyer, referring to the actor who plays the vampire patriarch in the series. Metoyer had camped out with six friends since Friday.

Scores of other fans — mostly young women — crowded onto street corners near the Mann Village and Bruin theaters, where the premiere will be held. They sat on beach chairs, displayed homemade signs and wore T-shirts proclaiming their allegiance to Team Edward or Team Jacob — the handsome vampire (Robert Pattinson) and his werewolf rival (Taylor Lautner).

Michelle Cueva carried a sign identifying her group as the “Twi-hard Grannies.”

“We’re representing a different generation,” said the 38-year-old, who recently became a grandmother. She and her two friends said they “planned for a whole year” and took a vacation day from work to be part of the excitement, arriving in Westwood at 5 a.m. Monday.

“You see it on TV, but to see it in real life, it’s crazy,” she said. “It’s worth it to have taken the day off.”

Elizabeth Rios, 20, came to the “Twilight” premiere last year and won a spot on the red carpet. This year, she was on the sidewalk across the street from the theaters.

“This is like three times as crazy as last year,” she said.

But not everyone was excited about the “New Moon” premiere.

“I’ve never seen so many Gothic 12-year-olds in all my life,” grumbled one man as he tried to make his way through the crowded street.

“New Moon” opens Friday.