choosing sides

Far into the future, in the days when I long to recall what trivial pleasures possessed my mind during my (relative) youth, I feel confident that I will have great pleasure (and a laugh, no doubt) when I look back here on my scrapbook-of-sorts and see my ridiculous obsession with Twilight and its star-crossed leads.  While I won't delve into the absurd lengths my interest led me (hint: I drove thirty miles once to see a poorly-acted indie starring Robert Pattinson), I feel that I simply can't let the latest personal scandal go by without weighing in.  Unless you've been living under a rock for many years, you must know about the crazy fandom surrounding Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and their real-life relationship.  And unless you've been living under a veritable pile of boulders, you probably know about the cheating scandal.  I won't go into further detail there-suffice to say, K-Stew became involved with her married director, was caught flagrantly canoodling with him in public, made an uncharacteristically revealing statement professing her love for Rob post-affair, and he took her back, up until about a month ago.  Just so you know I have a sense of humor and am not a psychotic fan, here is a little recap provided by Will Ferrell that brings me great joy.  

Anyway, after giving it a bit of thought and watching how it's played out so far, I have determined that it's time to choose sides.  

source

That's right.  Team K-Stew.  Now, before you protest with perfectly reasonable questions about why I could defend a cheating, notoriously awkward and camera shy individual with occasionally questionable hygiene habits, allow me to explain.  

1)First-she is 23 years old.  A young twenty-three at that.  More like 18 or 19 considering she is a child star that has never attended public school for an extended period, lived her entire life in a strange Hollywood bubble, and undoubtedly has suffered a little socially because of those factors.  This isn't Lindsay Lohan, or Britney Spears, and definitely not Amanda Bynes.  She is undoubtedly naive, probably slightly immature, and made an egregious error in judgment that many with more stability in their lives have made before her, all in the midst of strife at her otherwise solid home. Her now ex-boyfriend is 27.  

2)Family problems.  Stewart's parents (both in the biz) had been married for over thirty years, and divorced shortly after the cheating scandal.  You should know that for the four years-plus of their relationship, KS and RP went to great lengths to avoid being photographed together in any kind of intimate fashion.  Fans salivated over the tiniest touch of a hand on an arm.  My Lainey affectionately referred to them as "dumpster-divers", literally willing to jump into a dumpster to avoid being photographed together. And yet, Stewart was caught with her director in broad daylight, near a city park, and not even far from her own home.  It's not hard to believe that she wasn't in the best frame of mind given her family drama, and might have been taken advantage of while she was vulnerable by her older, more experienced director. 

3)Talent.  Ok, so this is a superficial point to grant K-Stew, but let's face it.  She is vastly superior to R-Pattz when it comes to acting ability.  Nay-sayers, I point you to Into the Wild and The Cake Eaters.  She's solid, even though she has some tics that definitely need to go.  I wouldn't say that Rob is a terrible actor, but so far he hasn't shown us anything miraculous.  I think he's getting by with a pretty face, British charm, and general affability.  

4)Post-split behavior.  This is what really made up my mind.  Obviously, no one knows the real details surrounding the break-up, but the pair truly are in the public eye, whether they like it or not, and neither opted to stay at home after the split.  They've each been seen a few times, out with friends.  RP kept company with Katy Perry, a mark against him not so much because of the previously-established friendship but because of the obvious attention it draws towards him.  Also, Katy is still dealing with John Mayer.  So by association I'm already grossed out.  But, sadly, this isn't the worst part.  Rob decided to move out of the home he shared with Kristen in the middle of the day, driving a truck the opposite of nondescript and loading the back with luggage and belongings stuffed in trash bags.  It's very difficult to think this was anything but a calculated move.  He could have hired any number of professionals to do the moving for him, and even if he did want to do it himself, certainly knew that he's a primary target for the paparazzi that are undoubtedly stalking the neighborhood.  No, he telegraphed that move out for the "world" to see.  Stone cold.  

So there you have it.  My thoughts regarding the Twilight saga's true life saga.  Yes, I wrote an entire post about it.  I should be ashamed.  

Tomorrow I'll post about something useful, like a delicious dish for dinner or list of practical items for entertaining a rambunctious toddler.