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Tonight I was one of those people. The kind that buys tickets weeks in advance. The kind that plans to stand in line for hours. The kind that gets really defensive about who gets in line in front of them – especially since people saved spots. I was even the kind that threatened to elbow and cat fight.

No, this wasn’t some VIP event for Coldplay – this was the good ‘ole AMC Movie theater in Highland Village. That’s right folks – I was planning on bringing some ghetto to the burb!

The night started out predictably – a long line welcomed me when I got to the theater. Good thing I had threatened asked my friend Britt to get there early since I couldn’t be there until 8pm. By the time I got there – there were already about 30 prepubescent girls in front of us. And yes, I think I was the ONLY person in line NOT wearing black or red. Shame on me. Anyhow – I settled in on the floor in line and started what would be about a 4 hour wait until the movie started at 12:01am.

Shortly after I arrived the buzz started through the crowd: they were going to open the theaters at 9pm to allow us to begin seating! Everyone was excited and we all stood up. I reminded my 2 friends that our goal was to sit in the first row of the back section so we could prop our feet up on the railing since no chairs are in front of it. Plan set.

On your mark…get set…go!!!!!!!!!!

I have to admit – I was not prepared for what came next. The closest thing I can compare it to would be a cattle heard on fast forward. My life flashed before me. I saw flashes of color. I heard screams and cries. Before I knew what was happening, I was being swiftly carried into the theater, as if the tide had come in and literally swept me away. I recall seeing a manager angel in a yellow shirt as the sea ushered me by and I quickly yelled, “Are we going to have other options?” I saw his head nod and relief swam over me. But my relief had come too soon.

Sweet faces like these:

Were now menacing. The caffeine kicked in and the claws came out. Then it happened. I got pushed. That’s right. Some 12 year old girl shoved me out of the way in an attempt to make a run for a seat. After I recovered from the shock of being pushed by a kid 15 years younger than me – I looked up and was in awe. There in front of my 2 friends and I was the largest gathering of underage girls I’ve ever seen. They were all decked out in their Twilight shirts and squealing with delight. I had to admit – I was intimidated.

Remembering the yellow shirted angel’s promise, I grabbed my 2 friends by the arm and said, let’s go. We made it past the second wave and found the manager. I looked at him pleadingly, “Uh. That. Is. Crazy.” I said.

“Yeah.”

“So, you said something about having ‘other options?’ right?”

He nodded. “Yes, go sit on that bench over there and if no one shows up for Madagascar 2 then I’ll open that theater for adults only.”

(Heavenly choir sings in praise)

The three of us did as we were told and about 15 minutes later he comes up to us. “Go ahead and go in to theater 4,” he said.

The three of us grabbed our stuff and walked in. Silence. Golden, beautiful silence. We were the only ones in there.

It was like a private VIP showing…we got a little excited!

After a while (2 hours) more people joined us, including this lovely bunch of local burb-moms:

All in all we kept tight security on the door and followed a strict “adults only” policy – though at times we were all acting like children! My thoughts on the movie?

• If you have NOT read the book – you may not understand what all the hype was about.
• The sparking effect was pretty awesome. Better that I imagined they would do.
• The chemistry between Bella and Edward was obvious. So were the awkward moments they shared.
• The only violence shown was in a fight scene near the end. (This may be too much for younger children.)
• There is one kissing scene which is quite tame by today’s PG13 standards, but Bella is wearing short shorts in it and many people thought it looked like she was in underwear.
• Of course the book was better…
• But nothing beats a 20 foot screen shot of Rob Pattinson. Delish!

So, overall the movie was good, but the experience – well…it was to die for.