Just got through to an Apple Rep...
I just called Apple and after being on hold for a little while I actually got through to a really nice woman. Pre-orders are completely not working at the moment... she said Apple is working on problems with their communications with AT&T. Basically, she said this is why you can sometimes get to the "Processing Info" screen online. At that point, it starts talking to AT&T, which is where the problem is.
She said that the problem should be resolved in about 1.5 to 2 hours, as of 10:40 EST.
Let's keep our fingers crossed... I've been trying repeatedly on Apple's site, but it seems there isn't any hope until Apple fixes the problem. At least we know it's not Apple's fault... Gotta love AT&T.