Entertainment

Man, this Kristen Stewart/Rupert Sanders cheating scandal just keeps getting more scandalous, doesn't it? Now that Sanders' own brother-in-law has weighed in on the affair, claiming it had actually gone on for months ("It was from the last half of filming and all through post-production, clear into last week"), it's going to be harder than ever for the involved parties to believe the whole thing was, as Stewart described it, a "momentary indiscretion."

All the incriminating Us Weekly images have now hit the web (inspiring an amusingly sordid photo analysis from Gawker), Pattinson has reportedly instructed Stewart to pack up her crap and move out, and the burning question that remains on everyone's mind is this: SWEET MERCIFUL JESUS WILL ROBSTEN EVER RECOVER THEIR LOVE?

Ha, just kidding. The real question is how the hell are they going to handle the upcoming Twilight promotion blitz?

The first big event Stewart and Pattinson are scheduled to do together is the MTV's Video Music Awards on September 6, where they're supposed to be co-presenters -- and the publicity juggernaut just picks up from there. With Breaking Dawn 2's release date in November, the Twilight duo is going to be expected to travel around the world beforehand, glad-handing and gushing over a film in which they're supposed to be lovers.

I mean, awkward, right?

This scenario would be heinous for any onscreen/offscreen couple, but the timing seems especially bad for Pattinson, given his recent comment to Vanity Fair:

There is one thing I've never understood: Why people cheat. My parents met when my mom was 17 and my father 25, they are still together, and seem very happy. I grew up believing that you can be together all of your life.

Yeah, I'm thinking he's not going to be getting over this "momentary indiscretion" any time soon. Now, I have no vested interest in whether or not Pattinson and Stewart kiss and make up behind closed doors, but I can't help but wonder how this will play out in public over the next weeks. According to one anonymous source, Pattinson's currently refusing to do ANY promo appearances with his onetime love:

... there’s serious concern about the promotional tour, which is set to kick off in October. Robert won’t see Kristen and is refusing to do any joint personal appearances with her. This is a potential nightmare for all involved. Fans look forward to seeing them together during interviews. It’s great publicity for the film.

Whether or not this is true -- or if Kristen Stewart's lightning-fast apology really was meant to mitigate some of the Twilight fallout -- it's surely going to be interesting to see how the two of them handle their upcoming publicity rounds. Since Stewart and Pattinson have never before discussed their offscreen relationship during Twilight premieres, things for them could business as usual (assuming they can manage to be in the same room together), but interpretations and fan reactions will obviously be VASTLY different. For many reasons, I can only assume they're both dreading this movie release with every bone in their body.

Ah, the nasty downside of fame.

How do you think Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson will handle the upcoming Breaking Dawn 2 promotional tour? Do you think they'll just make their appearances and ignore the questions, or do you think one of them will actually bow out?

Image via Summit