A vampire is in town (And he wants your blood)

Lock up your daughters!

A vampire is coming to town.

Peter Facinelli took a break Tuesday from filming in Vancouver for "Eclipse," the third movie in the "Twilight" (teenagers-in-vampire-love) series, to discuss his upcoming flight to Hampton Roads. He vows to use standard airline transportation. No bat stuff.

Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen, a prominent member of the notorious Cullen vampire family, will appear Saturday in broad daylight (noon, no less) at Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach. He's doing it to aid the American Red Cross blood drive, an irony that doesn't escape him.

"I got the idea some months ago when I read an article about a boy in Florida who was badly in need of a certain type blood. It dawned on me that with the phenomenal popularity of the films, we could do something to attract attention to the need for blood donors. I wanted to do it."

For a fee, he'll talk to fans, sign autographs and get photos taken during his time at Pembroke.

Based on the best-selling novels by Stephenie Meyer, the "Twilight" movies are causing a sensation in theaters that matches the uproar in bookstores, where the series has sold 70 million copies and remains on the New York Times best-seller list in the children's series category.

"New Moon," the second film, will open Nov. 20. "Eclipse" is set to open in summer 2010. For Facinelli, known for roles in "Six Feet Under," "The Scorpion King" and the current Showtime series "Nurse Jackie," among others, it has meant a career bonanza.

"I've been working in the business for some 15 years, so I get recognized for varied roles, but this is the first time I get screams. Yes, it is different, but I'm 35 years old and can handle it, but still, you never get used to the excitement of these fans."

Facinelli figures it must be even more intense for Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen.

"It must still be shell shock. It's hard for a guy 23 years old to adjust to something like this. He's mobbed by fans. You don't get used to that. Believe me, it's not something anyone would want. Think about it. What's the benefit?"

Facinelli will work on "Eclipse" through October and hopes there will be a fourth "Twilight" movie, "although it isn't set, definitely, yet." (Wanna bet?) He'll return to the hit TV series "Nurse Jackie," co-starring Edie Falco, which has been renewed for a second season.

It's a nice run for the guy from Queens, N.Y., who says he always wanted to be an actor but was too shy to do anything about it until college. He studied acting at NYU, went to California and has been working ever since.

"I never liked theater. I always wanted to do film," he said.

He's married to actress Jennie Garth, a veteran of the 1990s TV series "Beverly Hills 90210."

"Who would have thought that after 10 years on that show, she'd get another go at it?" he said. The new version, "90210," now airs on The CW network, and Garth plays a high school guidance counselor. They have three children.

He ran into author Meyer at Disneyland the other day, where both had taken their children.

"It's a small world," he said, laughing. "She's on the set occasionally, too."

He's taking the red-eye from Vancouver on Friday night and arriving in Norfolk on Saturday morning in time to be at Pembroke Mall at noon.

"I won't be bushed," he said. "When I meet the fans, they're like a cup of coffee. They're so exciting. This is like no job I've had before."

Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com