Rob Pattinson's Edward Cullen and 'Twilight' enter mainstream pop culture everywhere

New Moon movie poster

It was bound to happen. As people everywhere are celebrating the arrival on Twilight Saga: New Moon in theaters, there’s a general spawning of the hit books and movies in everyday mainstream pop culture. The famous Twilight movies, starring British Robert Pattinson as the beautiful vampire, Edward Cullen – along with the entire Cullen family – has transitioned from its own pop culture of adoring, screaming fans of the books and movie, to mainstream pop culture that encompasses adults from all walks of life.

Pop culture is an interesting phenomena. According to television studies, American television reflects what the public wants, what the public thinks, and what the public feels. It is purportedly the “pulse” of American life. If this is so, then America is obsessed with Twilight. 

On November 11^th, an episode called “The Liar” of the CBS hit drama, Criminal Minds, featured an entire show about vampires and people’s obsessions with them. Criminal Minds revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again.

Gavin Rossdale as "Dante" in Criminal Minds

Gavin Rossdale, the British musician who's married to Gwen Stefani, starred as the Goth rock star, Dante, complete with fangs and a bloody mouth. In the show, a fan who attended Dante’s concert is found with fang marks on her neck and almost completely drained of blood – the third victim to be murdered in this fashion. Dante is the main suspect.

Kristen Vangsness as Penelope Garcia

During the show, one of the female FBI members, Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook) briefs Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) who is their computer wizard who helps research cases, on their new vampire case. There is a specific mention that this vampire is not like the Cullens. Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), who is a classical genius, but a lovable nerd asks “What’s a Cullen?” The two girls roll their eyes at each other as if “Doesn’t everyone know who the Cullens are?” They explain that it’s a famous family in a vampire movie.

Special Agent JJ (A.J. Cook) and Special Agent Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler)

Before this though, a couple of weeks ago, the hit Showtime drama, Dexter, featured Twilight in a subtle, but obvious way. First aired on Sunday evening, November 8^th, in Episode 7, “Slack Tide,” Dexter, who’s played by Michael C. Hall, invited his sister Debra, (Jennifer Carpenter) to move into his and his wife’s home while she recuperated from gunshot wounds. When they take Debra into their little girl’s bedroom, there is a huge poster of Robert Pattinson in New Moon on the bedroom wall. 

Michael C. Hall as Dexter

There wasn’t just a brief glimpse; it was featured for a good 30 seconds or more. Of course, this was no coincidence. Melissa Rosenberg, who has written all 3 of the scripts for the Twilight movies, Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse (and is expected to write the final script for Breaking Dawn) is also the screenwriter for Dexter. I’m sure it was an inside joke for Melissa to paste Twilight’s poster on the wall.

Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg

One of the best entrees into mainstream pop culture was, of course, the Saturday Night Live Digital Short titled “Firelight,” featuring Taylor Swift. It was a spot-on parody of Twilight and absolutely perfect in every way. And this brings to mind all of the Jimmy Fallon parodies of Robert Pattinson in Twilight. These were hilarious.

No doubt, we’ll be seeing more of Rob Pattinson and the Cullen family in mainstream pop culture – everywhere. Next, perhaps there will be sparkly makeup that one can paint on their bodies to emulate the diamond-sparkly vampires. Or golden colored contact lenses. It’s all in good fun and just goes to show that often, America has good taste when it comes to pop culture.

For more info on Gavin Rossdale’s touring schedule and his appearances in movies and on TV, visit his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/gavinrossdale. For information on the "Criminal Minds" TV show and schedule, see CBS.com, and for "Dexter," see Showtime.com.  And, of course, if you'd like to see "Firelight" feturing Taylor Swift, you can go to YouTube or NBC.com.