This is an actual thing happening at an actual college. Ohio State University is teaching sparkly tween paranormal romance Twilight as part of an honors literature course. Taken from the actual course’s syllabus, which can be downloaded here:

While we read and discuss some important, influential narratives about the supernatural – Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight as well a few minor works – we will also explore how these texts, like much other fiction, try to create particular reading experiences, as they push us to consider the nature and importance of literary imagination and the way fiction’s seductiveness is tied to other potentially dangerous attractions.

For good measure, here’s how a fairly esteemed college feels about Twilight.

(epicponyz via The Daily What)

After a woman named Cathy Ward lost a huge amount of weight (14 dress sizes), she wanted to reward herself with something symbolizing what inspired her the most … The Biggest Loser. No! Twilight, obviously. She was inspired by Twilight. Ummm … congratulations?

Anne Rice news is making the entertainment blogs this weekend for an interview with Vulture Magazine in which she hypothetically casts a hypothetical modern adaptation of Interview With a Vampire, mentioning, among other people, Robert Downey, Jr. for the role of Lestat.

Now Lestat, there are a lot of people who could play Lestat… Jamie Bamber, he’s terrific, I was just watching him last night in England’s Law & Order. I’d seen him on Battlestar Galactica, but I’d never seen him unleash that beautiful diction. So I think there are many, many actors…

Robert Downey Jr.? That would be wonderful. He is a great actor. He would bring the gravitas and the wit and humor and all of that to the part, and I don’t think he’s too old. I think if he had a blond wig and makeup, he would be a wonderful Lestat. Lestat has to have the gravitas of a 200-year-old man and Robert Downey Jr. can do it.

But we were actually much more interested in her comments on Twilight.

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(image via ToughPigs.)

Twilight: Eclipse: This is a movie that is in movie theaters, and some people are apparently very excited about it. Yesterday, there was quite a stir at Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s Senate confirmation hearing when a senator pseudo-asked her stance on the Twilight feud between Edward (the vampire) and Jacob (the werewolf). Against our [...]

Three days into Elena Kagan‘s confirmation hearings, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar decided to enter into uncharted territory: Twilight. Is nothing sacred?

Klobuchar: ”I keep wanting to ask you about the famous case of Edward vs. Jacob or the vampire vs. the werewolf.”

Kagan: “I wish you wouldn’t.”

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(title image via Kotaku.)

In spite of the fact that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hasn’t even hit movie theaters yet and has only been seen by a handful of celebrities and reporters at last week’s premiere, it’s getting barraged by awful, awful ratings on IMDb. Twilight: Eclipse currently has a 3.3 rating out of 2,818 votes; by contrast, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, which is widely considered to be one of the worst movies of all time and has an abysmal 00% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, beats it with an IMDb rating of 3.4.

You can guess why:

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(image via HuffPo.)

Movie maestro Christopher Nolan, who in my book can never do any wrong, screened a double feature of Insomnia and The Dark Knight at the Hero Complex Film Festival in LA this past weekend. In between the two films, he was gracious enough to participate in a Q&A about his movies past, present, and future.

With all the buzz behind Inception, Batman 3, and the Superman reboot gaining traction–most recently the rumor about fan favorite Joseph Gordon-Levitt being pegged as The Riddler–I’ll take whatever words from the man himself that I can get. After the jump, check out some of the interesting tidbits: