It’s every book lover’s fantasy: finding yourself face-to-face with your favorite character, able to have a conversation, shake their hand… wait in a ridiculously long line to get their autograph?

Maybe it’s not exactly as you imagined it would be, but it’s pretty darn close, and for thousands of Twilight fans, it’s a dream come true.

I spent an entire weekend at an Atlanta Twilight convention doing double-takes every time Edward Cullen, my favorite character in Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling series, walked by with his golden eyes and sparkling skin. It didn’t help that he walked hand-in-hand with the fictional Bella Swan and was followed by Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale… what’s a fangirl to do? Talk to their mom, of course!

No, Esme Cullen wasn’t at the convention, but Emily Hindi was. Wearing a button proclaiming herself to be the one and only “Hillymom,” Mrs. Hindi graciously granted an interview with her daughters Hilly and Hannah, creators and stars of The Hillywood Show, who masquerade as Bella and Alice at Twilight conventions across the country.

Mostly recognized for their hilarious Twilight parody video, which has reached nearly 2 million views on YouTube, the Hindi sisters are celebrities in their own right… but you wouldn’t know it from talking to them. Extremely humble and grateful to the fans for their success (even in the midst of non-stop travel and endless autograph signings), Hilly and Hannah are a breath of fresh air in a fame-hungry world.

It all started a few years ago when Hilly entered AOL’s “Be a Red Star” contest and came in third out of nearly 100,000 video entries. Though disappointed with the loss, Hilly trudged on, armed with a brand new camera and the support of a handful of fans who had seen her entry. Fifteen webisodes and several film parodies later, The Hillywood Show is a phenomenon of talent and humor. When their Twilight parody hit the web, their popularity soared, hitting a home run with the unstoppable force that is the Twilight fandom.

Parodies are nothing new to movie fans, and Twilight is no exception. YouTube alone is littered with parodies of the vampire flick, but The Hillywood Show is something special. The incredible costumes and make-up alone hint at a Hollywood-sized budget, not to mention the fantastic cinematography and editing, so it comes as a shock to many to discover that the entire show is written, directed, edited, and produced by Hilly and Hannah themselves. Funded entirely by the girls’ personal incomes and done on a single camera, one can only imagine what The Hillywood Show could become with a full production studio at their fingertips.

As I spoke with Hilly, Hannah, and co-stars Jacob Jost and Drew Lorentz (who play Edward and Jasper, respectively), I was struck by their attention to detail even when they aren’t behind the camera. Drew’s black contacts reflected the fictional Jasper’s constant vampire hunger, while Jacob’s golden gaze dazzled the girls in the autograph line just like Edward’s would. On the night of the convention’s “Vampire Ball,” Jacob was even coated in sparkly body glitter as they mimicked the now-infamous Entertainment Weekly cover. It is this dedication and creativity that has earned The Hillywood Show their well-deserved success.

I learned quite a bit about The Hillywood Show in my five minutes with them. Here are a few facts every Hillywood fan should know:

• Hilly and Hannah’s grandmother, a professional seamstress, makes most of their costumes.
• Jacob has known the Hindis for years and jumped at the chance to play Edward Cullen when they offered it.
• Drew started as an extra on the show’s Sweeney Todd pieces and eventually ended up as Jasper in the Twilight parody.
• Hilly and Hannah don’t really use scripts, “it’s just all in our heads!”
• Hilly does all the video editing on Final Cut Pro (completely self-taught), and a full-length parody can take up to two months to complete.
• Some of their make-up routines can take hours, but they’ve got their Twilight personas streamlined to 30 minutes.
• In the Twilight parody, Jacob does the “Are you afraid?” voiceover, which sounds eerily identical to Robert Pattinson’s voice in the movie.
• None of the Hillywood cast had read the Twilight series before seeing the film, but now they’re all fans. (Jacob hasn’t finished yet, though!)

So what’s next for The Hillywood Show? Will they rest on their laurels and take a well-deserved break? Doesn’t look that way. Hilly, Hannah, Jacob, and Drew are currently on tour, bringing their Twilight personas to conventions across the United States, including such heavy-hitters as TwiCon and Comic-Con San Diego. They’ve also got a New Moon parody planned for 2010. In spite of this busy schedule, they don’t seem to be getting sick of the Twilight frenzy. “We’re trying to ride the wave as long as we can,” claim the sisters. “It’s really getting us out there, and we’re really, really thankful.”

Twilight fans are thankful, too: The Hillywood Show brings us that much closer to our favorite characters.

The third day of the convention was shorter but still packed with stuff to do! Kellan and Ashley returned for the first session and wowed everyone once again! They really are close friends and they act like brother and sister – it’s adorable! Here are a few of my favorite bits from their talk:

» Kellan’s publicist wanted him to audition for Edward, but Kellan refused!
» Ashley’s advice to aspiring actors: “Work really hard, stay out of clubs!” and “Believe in yourself!”
» Kellan is excited about New Moon and Eclipse: “I really just want to see the wolves, see them transform and kick butt!”
» Kellan admitted his weirdest quirk: “When I drink from a drinking fountain I always count to 10 for some reason.”
» They both expressed a desire to make a difference with their lives. Kellan said, “I want to be a light in the industry,” and Ashley said, “I want to be remembered for something… I don’t know what it is yet, but I’m going to do something great.”
» Ashley’s favorite part of Twilight was “jumping off the balcony… and ripping James’ head off wasn’t bad either!”
» Kellan’s favorite part was his car: “I just love that jeep! Jumping off it and eating my eggs in it!”
» The most akward part of filming? “Watching Rob try to run.”
» Ashley on Rob: “He’s still the same person… He’s funny, unintentionally.”
» Kellan on Rob: “I just like making fun of him.” And when he plays his guitar? “He transforms into this angel.”
» Kellan confessed his dream of filling up his pool with gummy bears!
» When asked what they would do for a Klondike bar, Ashley quipped, “What wouldn’t Kellan do for a Klondike bar?”
» Ashley had to disappear backstage for a few minutes, so Kellan took over for her! He did a great impression of her voice…

After the first session, Alison and I had the wonderful opportunity to interview the Hillywood Show. I’ll be giving them a post all to themselves later on this week because they’re just so fantastic… I was very much dazzled! But right after that, the great Catherine Hardwicke herself took the stage and had every fan enthralled!

» Catherine told the bedroom audition story again – fangirls were swooning with jealousy!
» She said that Rob actually made an audition tape for Twilight but didn’t send it to her because he hated it so much!
» Catherine was “desperate” for an Edward and was so happy when she found Rob!
» She talked extensively about her favorite places to film and her upcoming project, Hamlet!

See over 100 pictures from the day right here!

This week I’ll be going through all my material to bring you even more awesome quotes from your favorite stars! If you’ve been following my convention coverage, here’s what’s coming up next:

» To Con or Not To Con? A Fan’s Perspective!
» The Hillywood Show Exclusive Interview!
» More Great Material From Twi/Tour!

I’m actually taking a graduate course this week, so I probably won’t get everything up right away, but you’re more than welcome to follow my twitter and catch my updates! :)

Originally I wasn’t going to go to the Vampire Ball, because a) it was too expensive, and b) press isn’t allowed into the evening events without tickets, but Alison and I decided to hang around outside the ball and snag pictures of people in costume… and we ended up getting access into the actual event for what we intended to be just a little while, which ended up being for three hours! We went around to the tables and got pictures of the entries for the centerpiece contest and tried our darndest to snag pictures of The Hillywood Show, who were dressed up as the EW cover. Unfortunately my camera battery died about 10 pictures in, so I just followed Alison around and gathered people’s names for her newspaper!

Once Kellan and Ashley arrived and started making their way around to all the tables, we knew we wouldn’t be able to get any pictures and we’d probably get kicked out if we tried. We ended up hiding in the corner, trying not to make eye contact with any of the celebrity handlers, who were fan-blocking and camera-confiscating all over the place… a few girls almost got kicked out for trying to tackle Kellan!

We did get to meet The Hillywood Show’s manager – Hilly and Hannah’s mom – who was so sweet and lovely! She got us our own photo op with the group and arranged for us to meet with them this morning for a short interview and photoshoot! I’ll be writing a full report later!

On today’s agenda: Kellan and Ashley together on stage, and then Catherine Hardwicke in the afternoon! I’ll be driving home directly after she’s done, so I might not get my report and pictures up until tomorrow, but keep following me on twitter for the latest updates!

Another fantastic day at the con!

Although there was a lot of sitting around today, I had fun hanging out with Alison from Awesome Twilight Musings and GiGi from Twilighters Anonymous! We also went out to Starbucks with Laura, Lori, and Shelley from the Lexicon – they’re so lovely! Laura and I swapped stories about how much we hate the paparazzi and gossip sites, and how they make our jobs so much harder…

Anyway, the day’s highlights were quite obviously Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene! Kellan is the master of the double entendre – he had the girls in fangirl spasms! – and Ashley is so unbelievably gorgeous. A recap of Kellan’s session:

» Kellan would love to play Captain America in a film!
» He originally went to university for chemical engineering before getting into acting!
» “Who Emmett is is what made me be drawn to Twilight.”
» Emmett is his favorite character of all that he’s done… He wants to be someone who “is charismatic, smiles, and eats bears.”
» Emmett is “me in real life.”
» He loves to “mess with” the paparazzi just for fun!
» He has “arm wrestling parties” with his roommates!
» What does he want for Emmett in the next few films? “More dialogue” and “bigger wheels on the jeep”!
» The last book he bought? “The dictionary… I’m reading that slowly.”
» He loves to play games and is “obsessed with dice”!
» When asked about the bag of eggs Emmett carries around, he replied, “You don’t carry sixteen boiled eggs with you?”
» Did it hurt when he and Rob crashed into each other during the baseball scene? “It hurt Rob!” followed by “he’s fragile!”
» He confirmed that this picture of him isn’t real! “I wish it was me, cuz that guy’s ripped!”
» What did he call Rob on set to make Rob flip him off? “I called him another name for a cat.”
» He loves hanging out with Rob and pulling pranks on him!
» He completely faked out the entire crowd: “I’m not doing Eclipse.” We all gasped!
» When they read out my question (!!!) and said it was from Pattinson Online, he quipped, “Is she online right now?”
» He made so many innuendos that I can’t repeat (because I know my mom is reading this!), and the fans just ate it up!
» He actually did some very impressive push-ups on the stage – I’m now deaf from all the screaming!

Ashley seemed like Kellan’s polar opposite – instead of wandering around the stage, winking at fangirls and doing impressive physical feats, Ashley was calm and poised and so incredibly lovely.

» Ashley would love to play Audrey Hepburn in a film and is “obsessed with Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
» Does she feel any added pressure to be a role model for girls? “I’ve embraced it!”
» She is very excited about the upcoming fight scene in Eclipse and has talked extensively to the director about it. “It’s going to be really really cool!”
» Did she get to drive Alice’s yellow Porsche? “Yes, I did!”
» What superpowers would she wish for? “I think I’d want to fly… and make my car fly!” Also, “being invisible would be rad!”
» She called Rob a “phenomenal actor” and said he even gave her acting tips!
» She said that director Chris Weitz gave the cast a 20-page packet about his vision for New Moon, which really helped her prepare for the role!
» What was it like kissing Kellan in Warrior? “Kind of weird kissing your friend!”

I have TONS of pictures from the day, so check them out here!

I’m headed off to meet Alison for dinner, and then we’re going to the Vampire Ball to get pictures of everyone’s awesome costumes!

If you want to catch my on-site updates, add me on twitter! :)

Confession #1: I didn’t stay for the whole concert because it was past midnight and I was exhausted.

Confession #2: I AM IN LOVE WITH PETER FACINELLI.

Just so we’re clear. ;)

Last night’s concert opened with The Twilighters, who, as the name suggests, play Twilight-themed music. To be 100% honest, I’m not really a fan of TwiRock (or whatever the kids are calling it these days), but their song “Cake” had me laughing hysterically. And Fred really does look like Edward…

Will Champlin was next, and he is MEGA talented. His band totally rocked out – I only wish for their sakes that the crowd had been bigger (and more awake!). Will also played a Twilight-inspired song called “Killing Me With Twilight” which had the fangirls all aflutter!

I almost left right after Will was done, but I’m so glad I stayed because Billy Burke and Peter Facinelli came out and “hosted” (read: stalled for time) while the bands switched out… it was hilarious! Peter showed off his guitar skills by playing “La Bamba” while Billy plunked a few notes on the keyboard, then Billy disappeared backstage, leaving Peter to entertain the audience (who weren’t complaining at all, of course!). Peter led the crowd in some acting games (I thought the chosen volunteers were going to faint with pure fangirl ecstasy) and then took questions, most of which were of the “can I hug you?” variety… Peter graciously answered questions, gave hugs, and took pictures for about 20 minutes while the next band set up.

The best part for me? Peter stood RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. Granted, my press pass has been used to its full power as I’ve been sitting right up front to get pictures, but this time Peter actually came down off the stage and stopped right in front of me. In fact, at one point he was so close that he actually stepped on me (I didn’t complain)! The shameless fangirl inside of me wanted to jump up and tackle him, or at least grab his leg, but I restrained myself for the sake of my press pass and just “accidentally” touched his shoe. Pathetic, I know, and probably not exciting to anyone but me, but I TOUCHED PETER FREAKING FACINELLI. And this picture? Not zoomed in at all!

Like I confessed before, I didn’t stay for the whole concert… after Peter and Billy disappeared (and my heart broke into a million pieces… kidding!), I skipped out on the Mitch Hansen Band and went straight back to my hotel to sleep (and boy, is that bed comfortable!). But today is Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene day, so I’m raring to go! A full report and lots more pictures will be coming your way tonight!

See the rest of my pictures from the concert here!

I just have to get this out of the way: Billy Burke and Peter Facinelli are freaking FANTASTIC.

Okay, back to work. After three hours of traffic on I-20 and getting lost in Atlanta (who thought it would be a good idea to name every street some variation of Peachtree?), I finally made it to the convention just in time to grab my press pass (which is quite possibly the best thing ever) and get to the first event! I met some awesome people right off the bat, including Alison from Awesome Twilight Musings who has become my press buddy for the weekend!

The con started off with the hilarious cast of the Hillywood Show who are hosting the weekend… then came [fangirl moment] BILLY BURKE!!!!!! [/fangirl moment] Completely cool, shades on, tattoos showing, Billy charmed the pants off of every fan there. (He even apologized for swearing, haha!) If we weren’t in love with him before today, we are now! Billy took pre-written questions from the fans, and here are some of the highlights:

» If he could play another role in Twilight, he’d choose Edward… but he doesn’t envy Rob all the chaos it’s brought him!
» Some of his favorite scenes were cut from New Moon, but he wouldn’t tell us which ones!
» He did the famous “Charlie halo” at the fans’ request and confessed that it was his idea, not Catherine’s!
» He admitted to having an “intense stomach situation” which marked his least favorite day of filming!
» He called his Twilight co-stars “really talented” and “good, genuine people”.
» Joked about having Rob on his speed dial… “We have our own secret thing going… I think he might be pregnant.” Fans went wild!
» Would he want his daughter to date Edward or Jacob? “I wouldn’t wish what goes through [teenage boys'] minds on my daughters for anything… I would choose neither, I’d choose for her to be a nun!”
» He admitted that his first objective in life was to be a rock star!
» My favorite quote of the session: “My idea of camping is a bad motel.”

After Billy left the stage (to much fangirl screaming, I might add!), the Lexicon girls took the stage and did an awesome presentation on Twilight in the media and how to debunk fandom rumours – nothing surprising to those of us who have been dealing with rumours for years! ;)

After a game of Twilight trivia (I didn’t do so well!), Hillywood came back and did a Q&A about their movie parodies – they are so cute it’s not even funny. Apparently “Edward” hasn’t finished all the books, and “Jasper” started to talk about Breaking Dawn…

Before I fangirl straight into the last (and best) part, I have to confess that when he first walked on stage, I thought, “That’s not Peter Facinelli! He looks totally different!” BUT IT WAS. AND HE IS FABULOUS. I’m so used to seeing him with super dark hair or all costumed up as Carlisle that I seriously didn’t recognize him – I’m so ashamed! But once he got started, I forgot all that… I almost forgot to take pictures, I was so enthralled! Some of Peter’s highlights:

» He turned every woman to mush when he talked about his daughters. (Awwww!)
» He jokingly whined that Rob never answers his text messages!
» His wife (Jennie Garth) called him right in the middle of the session and he put her on speakerphone… “Why is there so much screaming?”
» He answered my question (!!!!!) about the effect of the media on the filming of Twilight and on his personal life… told a hilarious story about fans not even recognizing him!

Over 200 pictures from the day’s events! See them all here!

Tonight there’s a concert with The Twilighters and Will Champlin, hosted by Billy and Peter (!!!!!!!!!!!!!), so I’ll be writing on that tomorrow morning (I have a feeling I’ll just be falling into bed tonight!). Tomorrow’s agenda includes Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene (can’t wait!) and another panel with the Lexicon girls!

If you’ve got questions you think I should ask Kellan and Ashley tomorrow, send them to me via twitter or email!

ETA: I totally forgot to mention the chick who smelled Peter. It was horrifyingly awkward and hilarious… and I totally got a picture of it.