The Grey opens in theaters on Friday and it serves up a hearty dose of America’s favorite gruff Irish action star Liam Neeson manhandling a bunch of blood-hungry wolves in the snow-stormed wild. But little do people know, this isn’t Liam’s first run in with the feral canines. Check it out:

Here’s your last “Finer Feed” of the year. As always, I have plucked the top news items from my Facebook and Twitter feed. I know you will enjoy.

I did it. I survived The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. It was everything I was expecting and more. I was expecting melodrama and received that times 10.

Essentially, the movie is everything the trailer delivers and is in line with the previous teen romance-infused three movies. Edward (Robert Pattinson and Bella (Kristen Stewart) get married, they fornicate and then she gets pregnant with a halvsy baby (the birthing scene is gory fun). As for Jacob (Taylor Lautner), he gets jealous and takes off his shirt — but only once.

Then there’s this really odd “mental” conversation between the CGI’d wolves. Fans of the books will understand, but the execution of the scene was damn funny (keep in mind, it wasn’t supposed to be).

That’s pretty much it. The movie radiates with the hormonal love triangle of Edward/Bella/Jacob, the wedding, the overhyped sex scene, the gory birth, and is a 117-minute set-up to the grand finale. I am sure it will be just as soap operatic, cheesy, and full of moments for me to inappropriately laugh — which basically means Twi-hards will sink their teeth into it and suck up every last drop of vampiric angst.

Acclaimed director Bill Condon has managed to keep the tone of the entire franchise with part one of the finale — but perhaps the movie needed something else. The movie needed an injection of Condon’s Dreamgirls. The music fit in VERY well with the Twilight and would have provided for a monumental Dreamgirls/Twilight crossover event.

Here is an idea of how the music would have fit into the story and what characters would sing the songs:

“Dreamgirls” (Bella, Alice, and Rosalie): The trio would sing this while getting ready for the big wedding to make Bella feel pretty. Even though the song would be used for Bella’s big day, Alice (Ashley Greene) and Rosalie (Nikki Reed) would switch off for the lead because they are encouraging Bella to feel dreamy.

“One Night Only” (Full company): This is a high-production number and it is more than suitable for the wedding reception scene. Edward would start it off and then lyrics can be dealt evenly to the Cullen family and secondary characters (Bella’s high school friends). I envision a HUGE dance sequence led by Jasper (Jackson Rathbone).

“It’s All Over” (The Cullens, Bella, and Jacob): This where the first moment of crisis happens: Jacob shows up to the wedding and talks to Bella. When Bella tells Jacob that she and Edward are going to boink on their honeymoon, he goes ballistic. Jacob would, of course, be taking Effie’s part while The Cullens and Bella intervene and argue with him.

“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” (Jacob): This is Jacob’s moment to shine. This is where he makes sure that Bella knows that he is here to stay.

“Love You I Do” (Bella and Edward): To add some levity to the previous musical numbers, this jaunty tune would be turned into a duet as Bella and Edward galavant around Brazil on their honeymoon. As opposed to the Dreamgirls version, this one will have a slower, instrumental variation that will play during the headboard-breaking fornication scene.

“Move” (Leah): Now is the time to put some focus on the werewolves. Since Leah (Julia Jones) is the only female in the group, she deserves a moment to take the spotlight and express herself in regards to being dumped by Sam (the son of a bitch imprinted on someone else!). The lyrics are perfect for her to sing as she leaves his pack to join Jacob’s.

“Family” (The Cullens): A heart-warming song to be sung when the family finds out that Bella has gone preggers.

“Steppin’ to the Bad Side” (The Wolfpack): After finding out about the news about Bella’s pregnancy, they are out to get that baby! Led by Sam (Chaske Spencer) the Wolfpack performs a rousing rendition (with an intense dance sequence) of this song as they prep to invade the Cullens’ home. This is the Wolfpack’s moment to howl!

“I Am Changing” (Bella): Bella will take this finale number on her own. It is her diva moment. Because of the bloody birthing scene and what is ABOUT to happen to her (fans will no where I am going with that), the lyrics are appropriate in more ways than one. The power ballad is a bit soft, but it be a cliffhanger. It will leave room for what is to come in part two!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 opens in theaters today. click here to read complete Twilight coverage.

You’ve heard Robert Pattinson talk about it. And you’ve heard Kristen Stewart talk about it. Now it’s Taylor Lautner turn to give us some quick soundbites about The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1…without being shirtless:

After a teasing buzz for the trailer for the trailer for Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, the FULL theatrical trailer for the two-part franchise finale of angsty, brooding vampires with Mormon undertones has finally hit the web. Check it out:

There are plenty of talking points in regards to the trailer, but the main one is Bella (Kristen Stewart) getting romantically (yet violently) boned by Edward (Robert Pattinson) and then going preggers with a baby vamp that has an abnormally accelerated gestation. The baby is also destined (spoiler alert) to have a horrendous name (Renesmee) AND she is imprinted by Taylor Lautner‘s bare-chested Jacob (that’s not as exciting and erotic as it sounds).

Plus, there’s a wedding, more werewolf rivalry, Volturi bullying, and what seems to be a honeymoon in Sandals Jamaica.

It’s basically Knocked Up with a vampire twist.

In any matter, nothing has really changed for our favorite coven of vegetarian vampires…hopefully pregnancy will make Bella sound less constipated.

I love how they are making the movie look like a Harlequin Romance Novel/tobacco/dated cologne/”Come visit Forks” ad.

[Source: Yahoo Movies]

Thank God I was lucky enough to see it beforehand (yes, I am gloating). I thank God even more that I didn’t have to go through the Twi-hard fueled opening night of tweens who actually think these characters are real – but that’s part of the appeal about this Twilight pandemonium, right? It’s all about the fans. The franchise is 75 percent fandom, 25 percent substance.

I try to claim that I have to watch these movies because it is my civic duty as a pop culture journalist. But I didn’t have to read all four books. I didn’t have to get the special edition DVDs as soon as they came out. I didn’t have to interview Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz when they were in San Francisco. I didn’t have to have an exclusive one-on-one interview with Robert Pattinson when he came to the city to promote the first movie. I didn’t have to watch New Moon whilst writing this blog post.

Yes, I am a fan. I refuse to be called a Twi-hard. That just sounds dirty – just like the term “imprinting.”

Nonetheless, Eclipse picks up where New Moon left off (obviously). The evil crimson-haired Victoria (now played by a girl that looks like Ron Howard’s daughter) is still hunting for Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) blood. But this time, she brought some friends. She created a new vampire named Riley (Xavier Samuel) and he is instructed to create an army of newborn vampires (the most dangerous kind) in order to search for our awkward heroine and destroy her. This prompts the wolves and vampires of Forks to band together and protect the oh-so-important Bella. All the while, Jacob (Taylor Lautner) copes with his shirt deficiency and Edward (Robert Pattinson) tries 101 different ways to give us brooding looks. And both are constantly comparing the girth of their love for Bella.

The book was probably the best in the series – and the movie is just as good. Why was it so good? I am glad you asked:

1.) New director, more extreme close-ups: New director David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) totally “lifted” this movie and gave it a cooler point-of-view. He kept with the tone of the movie, but made it – how should I put it – more entertaining. The ratio of cheesy romance scenes to vampire-shattering action scenes was much appreciated. And the numerous close-ups were very intrusive and oddly enjoyable.

2.) Vampires with more interesting storylines: We finally get to see why Rosalie (Nikki Reed) is such a scathing bitch towards Bella. Her backstory is probably the most emotional and speaks volumes for her character – and it actually gives her character. We also get to see what makes Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) tick as well. It’s so nice to not make it all about Edward and Bella.

3.) Learning the dangers of codependency: Bella and Edward probably have the most codependent relationship in cinematic history. This could be a problem further down the road – especially if they are going to be together forever. It’s a good instructional on how NOT to be when in a relationship.

4.) New characters, new accents: We get introduced to new wolves (Seth! Leah!) and of course the new baddie Riley. But more importantly, the Cullen patriarch, Carlisle (Peter Facinelli a.k.a. Mike Dexter) suddenly develops some sort of a British accent. And Jasper develops a very Dixieland deep-fried Southern accent that gets heavier and heavier throughout the movie. I developed a Scottish accent while watching the movie.

5.) The much anticipated tent scene: Fans will know this pivotal scene from the book that included Jacob, Edward and Bella. And if the story went a different route, it could’ve totally been a Brokeback Mountain moment for our main characters.

6.) Jessica’s valedictorian speech: Bella’s self-absorbed human gal pal Jessica (Anna Kendrick) gave one of the best valedictorian speeches I’ve ever heard!

7.) The cheese grater engagement ring: Spoiler alert: Edward proposes to Bella. Actually, it’s not really a spoiler since it is shown in one of the trailers. And in the last movie, he says he wants to marry her – but whatever. When he busts out the ridiculously large ring, my friend sitting next to me asked, “Why is he giving her a mini cheese grater?”

8.) Taylor Lautner covers up: Spoiler alert: there are moments when Jacob is wearing a shirt. Three scenes, I think.

9.) More Volturi!!!: I like seeing Dakota Fanning as Jane, one of the evil royal vampires. I like it when she tortures people with her torturous power. I just like the entire Volturi clan because they wear cloaks and are fancy.

10.) The most entertaining character in the entire Twilight franchise: Charlie (Billy Burke), Bella’s dad. He’s cool.

…and here’s one more reason to grow on:

11.) Tolerating Bella: Bella is probably my least favorite character — maybe it’s because I can’t understand why everyone feels the need to protect her as if she is hoarding the last donut on the face of the Earth, but in this movie, she was semi-tolerable! There were no nightmare-induced constipated screams, delusional romantic overtures recited through clenched teeth or flaccid stares! Bravo!

Love is love. Vote no on Prop 8.

The day that The Twilight Saga: New Moon came out in theaters is going to be known as the day that the loudest, collective tween squeal was heard around the world.

In the second installment of the lovelorn book-to-movie vampire franchise, Bella (Kristen Stewart) is faced with a loss and a gain. Her vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) breaks up with her in the woods and leaves her to sob in her angsty self-pity because of a near-death incident at her birthday party, while Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) is the BFF beefcake russet-colored shoulder for her to cry on.

In turn, the love triangle is officially cemented and it introduces werewolves, acts of self-masochistic desperation, a trip to Italy, evil vampire royalty and even more romance that made me roll my eyes and giggle with delight.

In the beginning of the movie, Bella turns 18 years old, which makes her think, “OMG. I am going to get really old and eventually wear orthopedic shoes while my boyfriend is going to remain hot like a Euro indie band member.” We all know where this is leading. She wants to become a vampire. This is basically a set up for the third film, Eclipse.

Jacob (looking like a member of a God-awful ’80s hair band – he looks much better with short hair) gives Bella a birthday gift. A dream catcher. This gift is the perfect way to describe this highly anticipated movie. It’s a mystic piece of iconic art that holds meaning to a culture. It has a purpose and is very beautiful at first sight. However, the more you look at it, the more it becomes a kitschy novelty gift found next to tacky turquoise jewelry at a gas station somewhere in the middle of Arizona.

That said, the movie is a cinematic dream catcher: corny, yet endearing.

New Moon wasn’t my favorite book of the series. It was one long-winded syrupy set-up to the more adventurous and dangerous third part. However, director Chris Weitz and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg turned Stephenie Meyer’s novel into something semi-tolerable – even if it did have an enormous amount of romantic gag-worthy one-liners and gratuitous shots of shirtless guys.

The movie is what Twilight should have been. It is more thoughtful, less cliche and had less of a saccharine-infused soul. Most of all, it has a bigger budget (take note of the yellow Porshe in the Italy scenes). The cinematic style makes up for its occasional lack of substance. The warm, sepia-toned palette contrasts with the first film’s cold and icy hues. It made me look past those Edward “the friendly ghost” hallucinations and Jacob’s “you don’t want to see me angry” tough guy swagger. Lautner’s boyishly button-nosed face did not quite match up with his attempt to be a wolf boy who steals catchphrases from big green short-tempered Marvel superheroes.

Stewart as the stale and sorrowful Bella wasn’t exactly the greatest thing in the movie – and she’s in a lot of it. Bella is such a Debbie Downer. Her mouth has the inability to crack a smile and it seems like her emotional switch is constantly set on depressed. On the other hand, if Bella is supposed to be a girl who sounds constipated all the time and has exhausting co-dependency issues, then Stewart did a bang up job.

As more bare torsos and emotional constipation flashed on the screen, familiar feelings from the book started to float to the top. The three main characters got whiny, needy, ridiculous and most of all, irritating. But they are teenagers – what do you expect? This is exactly why it will be a hit with this generation. It shows that teenage love is the same no matter what your supernatural species.

The introduction of the wolf pack (played by the bohunk, skin-baring quartet of Tyson Houseman, Kiowa Gordon, Alex Meraz, and Chaske Spencer) livened up the screen for a refreshing break from the soap opera. Towards the end, the Volturi, the malicious arbitrators of vampire law, came on the screen and reinvigorated my interest. With Michael Sheen as the ominously snide Aro and Dakota Fanning as the petite and creepy Jane, there was no choice but to pay attention. Plus, there is a certain joy one gets when evil people try to ruin other people’s happiness. I think I do that everyday.

New Moon made up for what Twilight didn’t accomplish. In other words, it was better. Between the movie and the book, the movie is the lesser of the two evils. Once you tell yourself that this is geared more towards teens and less towards overthinking, impatient adults, then the movie will be worth your 131 minutes. Grade: B

For more of my ‘New Moon’ coverage click here

Cupcakes, of course.

The folks at all-vegan Sweet Avenue Bake Shop in Northern New Jersey have created some tasty New Moontreats for all of you who are either in the Team Jacob or Team Edward camp.

Finally, girls can live out their fantasy by sinking their teeth into Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner without getting arrested.

There is a lot more room for crass jokes involving cream, licking and anything orally suggestive – but I’m not gonna touch that. Just keep your moaning to a minimum when eating these Twilight confections.