Twilight zone: Crowds turn out for vampire saga stars

Never underestimate the love the Beehive State has for the Twilight phenomenon. In fact, there's evidence to suggest that Utah's passion for LDS author Stephenie Meyer's best-selling, gothic romance tales may rival that shared between the two lead characters, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.

How else could you explain so many "Twi-hards" braving a cold, snowy fall storm just to get a glimpse of two of the stars from the newest movie spawned by Meyer's Twilight saga, "New Moon."

Stranger still, the stars who were at Fashion Place mall in Murray for a signing appearance weren't Robert Pattinson (Edward), Kristen Stewart (Bella) or even Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black). They were actually — gasp! — two of the villains in the new movie.

Actors Jamie Campbell Bower and Edi Gathegi, who play villainous vampires Caius and Laurent, respectively, were in town to sign memorabilia and greet their adoring fans.

As Bower observed, "people keep thinking that eventually this Twilight madness will die down, but it just keeps going and going and getting bigger and bigger."

He also says that interacting with the fans, "definitely makes it all worthwhile. That, and the paycheck."

Hi co-star, Gathegi, agreed, and noted that the supposed Twi-hard fan base is getting more and more diverse.

"At first, all you'd see were younger girls, but now there are just as many guys and older women at these things. It's universal," he said.

Those in attendance for the events Saturday afternoon and evening included 500 fans with wristbands that allowed them to get autographs from the two actors at Fashion Place's Hot Topic store location.

(Another 75 VIPs got to have their pictures taken earlier in the day.)

Among the autograph seekers was Tina Powell of West Jordan, who camped out overnight with her daughter to get a good position in the signing line.

"I'm not crazy and I'm not in therapy," Powell laughed. "I'm just a very enthusiastic fan of the books."

And as far as any disappointment about which stars showed up in Utah, Payson resident Cecilia Gonzalez said, "It doesn't matter.

"We're just here to get our hands on them," she joked.

Still, Bower seemed a little taken aback by the enthusiasm. After all, his character wasn't even in the first "Twilight" movie.

"I certainly hope I don't disappoint anyone," he said.

But Bower did appear in Tim Burton's adaptation of "Sweeney Todd," which happens to be Tooele resident Victoria Morgas' favorite film.

"And now he's in 'New Moon.' He's my new favorite," Morgas said. (Bower will also be seen in another fantasy movie series, as Gellert Grindewald in the next two Harry Potter films.)