‘THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON’ PREMIERE IN KNOXVILLE

The Twilight Saga: New Moon went down yesterday in Los Angeles, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart hopped on a plane shortly after to make their way to the premiere in Knoxville this evening. The event was put on to benefit charity and will raise close to $430,000. Read more about the event below, watch a video of Taylor and Kristen arriving, and check out some great pictures of the two.

Stewart and Lautner made their first – if brief and somewhat delayed — trip to Tennessee Tuesday. The two actors walked the red carpet before a Tuesday screening of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” They did not stay for the movie itself.

Stewart plays lead character Bella Swan and Lautner werewolf Jacob Black in the second film based on Stephenie Meyer’s four-book series. In the film, Bella and vampire Edward Cullen, portrayed by actor Robert Pattinson, are in love. But Edward leaves Bella to keep her safe, and Jacob steps in to play an important part in her life.

The stars’ Tuesday arrival in shiny black Cadillac Escalades onto the Regal red carpet was delayed by more than an hour. When they arrived around 7:45 p.m., Stewart and Lautner posed for photos outside the cinema. Fans screamed, jumped and flashed cameras as Knox County Sheriff’s Department deputies kept them behind metal barricades.

But fans got an unexpected treat. Seconds after she entered the theater, Stewart turned on her black stiletto heels and walked back outside to the barricade. Surrounded by security, she signed posters, books, scraps of paper and photos as she worked her way down some 20 feet of screaming, smiling fans. One young woman reached over the bars and hugged the actress’ slender shoulders. A few minutes later, Lautner came out of the theater and signed autographs for other fans. Shouts of “Taylor, Taylor” and “Kristen, Kristen” replaced the screams.

The sold-out event was the only official screening of “New Moon” outside of Los Angeles. The film opens nationwide Friday.

The screening raised more than $442,000 for the charity Variety of Eastern Tennessee, Regal Entertainment Group CEO Amy Miles announced. Ninety percent of that money will help several area charities and organizations, said Variety of Eastern Tennessee Executive Director Dena Pinsker. The other 10 percent will pay for the cost of the benefit.

Read the full article and check out a video of the pair arriving here.

You can also view several more gorgeous pictures of Kristen and Taylor at the event here.