Southern California "Twilight" Fans Wait Eagerly for the "Eclipse" on June 29

Irvine, California - A Twilight movie marathon drew fans of the popular film series to the Irvine Spectrum Mall on June 29. While some fans were inside the Edwards 21 Theater watching a Twilight double-feature, other Twihards waited patiently outside for the midnight screenings of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse to begin.

Team Jacob versus Team Edward at Twilight Saga double-feature

Twilight lovers divide themselves into two camps, each one favoring a different romantic lead. Inside Auditorium 14, it was easy to tell where the Team Jacob members and Team Edward enthusiasts were sitting during back-to-back screenings of the first two Twilight movies.

The original film introduces the characters of Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), two people drawn together by blood. The pale, yet handsome, Edward is attracted to Bella, despite the fact that he has been a vampire for 90 years. Forever stuck at age 17, Edward's lust for Bella makes him reveal his innermost secrets to her. Team Edward fans cheered and commented loudly each time that actor Robert Pattinson appeared on screen.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the second movie in the series, puts Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) front and center. The extremely buff Jacob belongs to a tribe where some members have a genetic gift that allows them to morph into werewolves. The vampires and werewolves have a truce, but it is so fragile that one mistake could ignite a war between them.

Team Jacob fans definitely were in attendance for New Moon. When Lautner took his shirt off in one scene, one fan loudly exclaimed "Thank You!" Based on the amount of screaming in the auditorium, Team Jacob was representing much better than Team Edward.

Team Harry Potter?

Outside the Edwards 21 Theater, Irvine resident Thomas Ernst had been waiting since 2:30 p.m. to see The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Ernst, who attends Woodbridge High School in Irvine, said he is Team Jacob all the way. "You can't beat those rock hard abs and that tan body. You just gotta feel it. I have work tomorrow, but I say I'm such a die-hard 'Twilight' fan that I gotta come out here and see Twilight: Eclipse," he said.

Over on the Team Edward side, Casey Crook said her guy, Robert Pattinson, is really hot. "He's sweet and manly and they are so cute together, Edward and Bella. I think he has a sensitive personality and he's really attractive," Crook said.

Bravely standing in the middle of the Twihards, Maryam Naraghi was proudly holding a "Harry Potter" book. Naraghi was also confident in Harry's magical ability to handle Edward and Jacob. "One swish of the wand, he'll use the killing curse and Edward's dead," she said.

Naraghi also said she thinks Twilight is all right, but she's more excited about the next "Harry Potter" movie. "142 days to the next movie comes out. I have to go to the Theme Park (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando) and then I have to go to London to go to King's Cross Stations because they have a platform 9 ¾," she said, making reference to the station where students catch the Hogwarts Express in the novels.

Capacity crowds for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Concession stand lines were long as fans filed into at least a dozen auditoriums to see Eclipse. Throughout the film, Team Jacob and Team Edward fans made their feelings known, especially when one of Bella Swan's love interests locked lips with her. One Twilight enthusiast even brought an air horn into one auditorium, making the atmosphere seem more like a hockey game than a midnight screening.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, violence and some sensuality, currently is playing in theaters.