Have they all gone mad?

I like vampires as much as the next girl -- maybe more -- but after reading about the flocks of women in their mid-twenties camping out to attend the premier of "Eclipse" in L.A., I couldn't help but cringe. Not only do I understand the fascination with vampires, but I also understand fan's loyalty/borderline obsession with films, as one who contemplated dressing up for the last two Lord of the Rings midnight showings (did you notice I only contemplated it?). But still.

These aren't young girls who don't know any better, these are women who have to take off work, and drive hundreds of miles to attend a 2 1/2 hour event. A group of three women even dropped $2,500 to fly in to sunny California from Michigan. Is it just me or couldn't that money have been used in much better ways? A trip to Paris or maybe something as mundane as paying rent?

I won't deny there is an allure to vampires, but I also know they aren't real. So who's going to break it to them?