Jackson Rathbone announced via his twitter account today that he’ll be leaving his band, 100 Monkeys. Jackson states that he is no longer with the band, but he plans to continue playing music and hopes to have something new for his fans soon. Check it all out below:

100 Monkeys has more:

Hey folks, 100 Monkeys has some news. Due to demands on their personal lives and professional careers, our good friends
Jackson Rathbone and Jerad Anderson will be leaving the band as active members. We have much love for both and wish them well, and they will always be welcome if they should ever decide to drop in on any future shows, or make appearances on recordings. The last four years of albums, tours and other projects have truly been fantastic, and the legacy they leave behind in their work will be remembered in all of our future endeavors. We wish them the best in their future projects and anticipate great new things to come.

Read the full story at 100 Monkeys here.

Thanks Noor!

What do you think of Jackson leaving 100 Monkeys?

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Billy Burke is not only featured in the November issue of New Orleans Living, but he’s also the cover photo as well. In the magazine, there’s a great photo shoot with Billy, and an interview with Billy where he discusses filming down in the New Orleans area, getting the part of Charlie Swan, the crazy Twilight phenomena, his twitter fans and his music. Check it all out below:

Did you get to spend any quality time in New Orleans while working in Louisiana?

Yes, I had my wife and my 3-year-old daughter with me, and a friend of mine was working on another movie down in New Orleans, and we stayed with him and had one of the best weeks we’ve had in recent memory. It was a beautiful time of the year and we were in a nice house in a great part of town, and I got to see a side of New Orleans I never really got to see before. I’ve been to New Orleans several times, but mostly just in the Quarter, and never really saw all the other stuff that the city has. It’s really one of my favorite cities. My wife is from England and she says that a lot of New Orleans doesn’t even feel like you are in America. It feels like a much more rich, European-type city.

Even cities in close proximity to New Orleans, like Baton Rouge, have a completely different vibe than the one New Orleans gives off.
Oh, wildly different! Like I mentioned, we shot “Drive Angry” in Shreveport, which is worlds away from New Orleans.

When did you realize “Twilight” would be a world-wide phenomenon?

During the first movie. I had never worked on a film where people would actually come from miles around to actually try to get a peek at what was going on. There were fans around the set constantly, which was a little unusual, so I began to realize that no matter what, this thing would probably have some legs, because it’s got a built in audience. Some of my fellow actors say they had no idea, but I kind of had a feeling that it would do something. I mean, you can’t ever imagine the kind of success this thing had. After the first movie came out, for the next movies, the set security was like nothing I had ever seen before; it was just insane. You never have to put up huge blockades of felt all around the perimeter of the set to prevent photographers and people from looking in. You go set to set and the actors are shrouded in umbrellas. It’s just nuts. But all the fans that I have ever encountered, in my personal experience, just have embraced it so warmly. They just want a picture and a hug, and I’m happy to give it to them, you know? I can’t speak for some of the other actors, but for me it’s just been nothing but love.

I see that you have a load of Twitter fans…

Yeah, that helped a lot with the sales of my record, actually. I was a bit reluctant to go on Twitter at first but someone convinced me it might be a good marketing tool, and so I did and a couple of weeks later I had all these followers. I had no idea where they came from. So I figured, “Well, now that I have all of these followers, what am I going to do with them? Oh, maybe I’ll put a record out,” you know. (Laughs).

See more at New Orleans Living here and see the digital issue here.

(Via Twilightish)

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By now you’ve probably listened to the soundtrack for the Breaking Dawn - Part 1 soundtrack at least a couple dozen times… or more. Recently Imperial Mammoth performed a live, acoustic version of their soundtrack song, ‘Requiem on Water’, at the MySpace offices. Enjoy the video from Imperial Mammoth below:

A couple of days ago Laura Jane Scott and Leonard Jackson, AKA Imperial Mammoth, stopped by our offices to perform a (dare we say gorgeous) acoustic set for the staff, including their song ‘Requiem on Water’ which is featured in a key scene in ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1.’ The newlyweds (as of like 2 weeks ago, congrats you two!) have a really interesting story about how they became a couple, and then a band, and then how their music got on to one of the most highly anticipated soundtracks in recent memory.

You can also see more on their MySpace page.

(Thanks Noor!)

What did you think of this live acoustic version of ‘Requiem on Water’? Do you like this song?

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Young Hollywood has a fabulous new interview with one cast member I don’t think we ever hear enough from. Here Twilight Saga comic relief, Billy Burke, talks about what he was looking forward to in Breaking Dawn - Part 1, his days playing Charlie Swan, his music, and what he’s up to in the future. Check out the interview below:

Getting Comfortable with ‘Twilight’ Papa Billy Burke

Fresh from walking Bella Swan down the aisle, Billy Burke stops by the Studio to reminisce on his great gig playing (human) patriarch Charlie Swan in the ‘Twilight’ films. Also a musician, Billy talks about the success of his album ‘Removed’, his influences, and what we can expect from him in the near future. Hosted by Oliver Trevena.

See more at Young Hollywood here.

I adore Billy’s Charlie Swan, he makes him so lovable!

What is your favorite Charlie Swan moment so far in The Twilight Saga movies?

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On the Red Carpet has a nice three-part interview with Breaking Dawn director, Bill Condon, from back during the press junket for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1. Beware spoilers as Bill hints at a clue to watch for in the credits of Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and what we need to know about the end of the movie. Check out the full interview after the jump:

Let’s begin at the end. When the credits roll in this movie, what must every moviegoer know, Bill?
“That Bella is a vampire, I think. That’s the big news.”

There’s something else that happens in the credits.
“Stick around, I guess, is the point. Because of the little tease for the second film. You get to see the Volturi again.”

You have fallen in love with music, I think, in this movie more than any other and I want you to tell me why.
“It’s so true. It was set up by the first ‘Twilight’ movie because so much of the story is told through songs. this one continues that tradition but really, really makes it more prominent. For example, there’s a moment where Bella finds out that she’s pregnant and falls in love with her baby. And its just a series of shots of Kristen looking at herself pregnant in the mirror. But it’s a beautiful song that we play for 90 seconds that really, really gets you inside her head.”

The one person I felt you wanted to make sure had his moment is the character of Sam.
“Yes, that’s true. He’s very important in this film. Both in human form and in his magical wolf form. But Chaske Spencer - he’s the foil for Jacob. Jacob’s not part of this triangle anymore. But it’s more about him breaking away from his pack and becoming his own man.”

So you know people are already going to be asking you about part 2..
“The thing about ‘Part 2′ - it’s different. It’s like an epic movie. This is vampires from around the world, it’s global. You’ve been watching vampires for four movies now. Now, Bella’s a vampire and you get to experience what that’s like. What it’s like to hunt. What it’s like never to sleep. What it’s like to have vampire sex. You get that too.

What did you think of this interview with Bill?

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It’s finally here! The long-awaited video for the Breaking Dawn - Part 1 soundtrack song ‘It Will Rain’ by Bruno Mars, has just had it’s world premiere on MTV. Check it out below and then tell us what you think!

After the opening sequence with Bella and Edward getting married in front of their friends and family, the video cuts to a love story between Mars, who recorded the track especially for the Bill Condon-directed flick, and his lovely leading lady.

Bruno and his onscreen love experience the many joys, trials and tribulations of being in a relationship. And as is often the case in real life, things starts out cute; every little moment and snuggle is more romantic than the one before. Bruno goes out of his way to court his female friend, even holding a private screening of “Breaking Dawn” to woo her. They share kisses as footage of Bella and Edward’s honeymoon flashes on the wall. But at some point, the pair begin to fight, though Bruno isn’t going to let her go that easily: He uses his songwriting skills to persuade her to stay with him.

The heartbreak expressed on the track is mirrored in solo shots of Bruno standing around looking sullen. As the video closes out, we see that the song Bruno wrote while his lady was asleep turned out to be romantic enough to win her back.

In the final shot, Bruno stands alone while rain hits the window behind him and sings, “Cause there’ll be no sunlight if I lose you, baby/ There’ll be no clear skies if I lose you, baby/ Just like the clouds, my eyes will do the same if you walk away/ Every day, it will rain, rain, rain.”

Read more at MTV here.

What do you think of the video for ‘It Will Rain’? Have you picked up your copy of the soundtrack yet?

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Have you bought a copy of soundtrack for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 yet? The soundtrack for the movie went on sale yesterday and debuted at #2 on iTunes. Today the soundtrack is going strong and holding on to that #2 spot! Check out more below, and go pick up a copy of the soundtrack:

The Breaking Dawn Soundtrack is out now! Featuring brand new songs from Bruno Mars, Christina Perri, The Joy Formidable, The Belle Brigade and many more!

Go get the soundtrack for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 on iTunes here.

In addition you can check out the soundtrack on Spotify:

Get the Breaking Dawn Soundtrack experience on Spotify, where you can stream the soundtrack and listen to track by track commentary by Soundtrack Music Supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, plus a Bruno Mars contest, playlists from Christina Perri and The Joy Formidable, AND a bonus track by The Belle Brigade!

Check out the soundtrack on Spotify here.

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