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'True Blood' may bleed green for HBO soon
The vampire drama has become a surprise hit for the pay cable network. By Joe Flint
HBO's sultry vampire drama "True Blood" has become a surprise hit for the pay cable network and has almost single-handedly taken the network back to the top of the cultural zeitgeist.
The show, whose second season premiered Sunday to numbers the network hasn't seen since the last days of its mob drama "The Sopranos," is also on track to become HBO's next cash cow. For Time Warner Inc.'s HBO, it couldn't come at a more opportune time. Over the last few years there has been a perception that the network has been in a creative funk since "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" ended their runs. Although "Entourage" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" have loyal audiences, neither has broken through the way "True Blood" appears poised to do.
At the same time, HBO rival Showtime has seen its fortunes rise over the last few years with risk-taking shows such as "Weeds," "Californication," "Dexter" and, most recently, "Nurse Jackie." Basic cable networks, including FX with "Rescue Me," AMC with "Mad Men" and TNT with "The Closer," have also invaded HBO's turf with stronger programming.
Although HBO has always been a huge financial success -- people close to the channel say it generates roughly $1.4 billion in profit annually -- it also relishes its role as a critical darling. The emergence of "True Blood" as a hit and the strong buzz for the network's upcoming new comedy "Hung," about a teacher who decides to become a male escort, may get HBO its cool crown back. "True Blood," which is in its second season, is already showing signs of being a big moneymaker for HBO. DVD sales for the first season, which only went on sale a few weeks ago, have already generated north of $30 million, according to industry research firm TV by the Numbers. "True Blood" has also become one of the top iTune downloads. Since HBO produces and owns "True Blood," most of that money will flow back to the cable network. At a time when the rerun market is drying up for broadcast shows, HBO has also become successful at selling its shows there, although the racy content of "True Blood" might require severe editing even for basic cable. "True Blood" isn't cheap to make. Although a typical drama on broadcast television may cost north of $2 million an episode, HBO's dramas cost as much as $4 million an episode. When it premiered last year, "True Blood" drew only 1.4 million viewers and looked like it would join "John From Cincinnati" and "Tell Me You Love Me" as another quirky flop for HBO. As the season wore on, however, its popularity grew. Sunday's second-season premiere drew 3.7 million viewers, the highest number for an HBO show since the finale of "The Sopranos." HBO reran the episode later that night, drawing a total viewership of more than 5 million. Those numbers are even more impressive when one considers that "True Blood" did not have a powerful show leading into its telecast and went up against ABC's coverage of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the L.A. Lakers and Orlando Magic in some parts of the nation. Having more hits will help HBO's next big venture, HBO Go, an online site where it will stream more of its vast library. The catch is that you have to pay for HBO to get access to the site. HBO does not stream its shows on its website or on other sites such as Hulu.com. joe.flint@latimes.com 
06/27/2009 ~ http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-hbo17-2009jun17,0,230953.story |
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| NEW ORLEANS TELEVISION Latest TV News, Reviews & Listings for New Orleans
HBO's 'True Blood' star Sam Trammell finds his way home to Louisiana
by Dave Walker, TV columnist, The Times-Picayune Saturday June 27, 2009, 5:00 AM  Chris Pizzello / AP Photo "True Blood" cast member Sam Trammell arrives at the premiere for the second season.
The Crescent City and the fictional setting of HBO's "True Blood" cast similar shadows. They're both places where you can comfortably change your shape, howl at the moon and acquire unexplained bite marks. The trip from suburban Maryland Avenue in Metairie to Bon Temps is a different kind of journey.
Sam Trammell, who plays the Sookie-struck roadhouse owner Sam Merlotte on the saucy vampire drama (Sunday, 8 p.m.), traversed that route via West Virginia, Brown University, the New York stage, prime-time TV and feature films. Born at Ochsner Medical Center in 1971 while his father was in medical school at Tulane University (both his mother and father earlier attended LSU), Trammell bounced around with his family early on but they landed long enough on Maryland Avenue for him to compile glowing childhood memories.
"I remember it being pretty big," he said during a recent telephone interview. "I went back a few years ago and it's just so tiny. I remember playing kick-the-can right before dusk. It was such a great neighborhood to grow up in. I also remember going to Mardi Gras parades and just yelling at the people, 'Give me something, mister!' That was what I was taught to yell. I think that's what all the kids yelled back then. I remember the doubloons and the beads. It was really fun, really exciting." Trammell's family moved to West Virginia when he was midway through elementary school, but he's still got tons of Louisiana kin, a fact he was reminded of during location shooting for the first season of "True Blood."
"We shot in and around Shreveport, and one day we were going to shoot this scene and we were driving and driving into the country and all of a sudden we turned this corner and go over this railroad crossing and I realized we were in Doyline.
"Doyline is a tiny town where my father's side of the family all grew up. I have 13 relatives buried in the cemetery." The scene itself was shot near Lake Bistineau, on land that Trammell's great-grandfather once owned.
"I was tripping out," Trammell said. "I am born in Louisiana. All of my family are from there. I moved to West Virginia, New York, went to school in Rhode Island, California, and here I am shooting a scene for an HBO series on this land I used to go to as a kid. It was so circular.
"Nobody could believe it. I told everyone on the set and everybody was freaking out. We were so out in the middle of nowhere." Just as well. Trammell was running through the countryside naked in the scene, which appeared in an episode about halfway through the first season. This is a series that does not squander liberal premium-cable standards for adult situations.
It's a weird claim given Trammell's character's ability to change into a dog, but Sam Merlotte is one of the most grounded of all the Bon Temps tribe.
"I'm kind of the clear eye in the maelstrom," he said. "The things that he knows that nobody else knows are so massive, it's just hard playing high stakes like that.
"You have this rich material to work with, and the (fantasy) element sort of demands that you play very high stakes -- stakes you probably haven't experienced in your own life. It can get very heavy. It's a challenge to do that justice."
So far, it's working. The second-season "True Blood" premiere drew HBO its largest audience since "The Sopranos" finale. The network has done its part, with a clever marketing campaign that grew from viral to almost inescapable: Four full-page ads in The Los Angeles Times -- one wrapping around the entire front page -- trumpeted the second-season premiere.
But creator and executive producer Alan Ball ("Six Feet Under," "American Beauty"), working with characters from Charlaine Harris' series of Southern vampire novels, has created a hot-blooded hit that lives up to the best opening-credits sequence on TV.
"We're all stunned," Trammell said. "When I first got this project, it was Alan Ball and HBO -- I wanted to do it and I hadn't even read it." Shooting on the first season was completed before the series premiered.
"We were shooting on the smallest lot in Los Angeles," Trammell said. "It felt like we were doing this tiny little backyard production. We didn't have any feedback.
"We sort of knew HBO was happy and that was good, but we had no idea if people were going to like it.
"You never know, even if you think you're doing something good. You don't know if people are going to watch it and you don't know if it works until it comes out."
Trammell's middle name, Foote, reveals that he's a distant relative to historian Shelby Foote, star of Ken Burns' PBS documentary "The Civil War." Trammell said he borrows some of Merlotte's accent from Foote, who died in 2005.
"I feel like the South is in my body and in my brain and in my DNA," Trammell said. "I just love that feeling of being a Southerner. It's just great that I'm from there and get to do this role."
Pre-"True Blood," Trammell's career included starring roles in films ("Beat," "Followers"), lead and guest roles on TV ("Maximum Bob," "Going to California," "House," "Dexter, "Cold Case") and a Tony Award nomination (for a late-1990s revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!").
The road to Bon Temps has taken him back to his roots and to the big time simultaneously.
"Nobody's been too weird or crazy," Trammell said of fans. "One thing that's strange is that people will come up and ask me if I'm Sam Trammell. They'll know not just that I'm a character on a show -- that has happened before -- but they know my actual name, which is pretty wild.
"I was in a Starbucks and one of the baristas sort of was looking at me and came up really timidly and asked if I was Sam Trammell. 'Yeah, it's just me. I live right down the street. I'm nothing special, but I'm really flattered that you're so impressed.'
"Sometimes I'll be somewhere and somebody will come up and say something and I'll realize they were looking at me for the past 10 minutes I was in that room, and I'll go, 'God, I hope I didn't do anything embarrassing.' You start worrying about what kind of habits you have when you know that people are looking at you.
"It's all exciting. At this point, I'm not even going to pretend that it's a hassle. It's awesome. It's great to be in something that people like."
TV columnist Dave Walker can be reached at dwalker@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3429.
06/27/2009 ~ http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2009/06/hbos_true_blood_star_sam_tramm.html |
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Anne Rice on the Vampire Chronicles
 Anne Rice, a name synonymous with one of the oldest legends in the world. What began as “what if” and a short story, ended as one the single greatest collections of immortal lore ever written. The Vampire Chronicles is without a doubt the most highly recognized authority on the subject over the past 100 years. Anne Rice is one the most read and celebrated authors of our time, and from her short story, Interview with a Vampire, which later spawned the novel; we were given one of the greatest vampire stories of all time. The film was incredible, as it only could have been with Mrs. Rice herself writing the script, and it gave birth to the elegance and tragedy that is the vampire legend. Anne Rice was kind enough to answer a few questions for me and I can without reserve that she is the most interesting and intellectual author that I have ever met. Q: What inspired you to write you vampire novels?The vampire novels were inspired by a whim. I wanted to "interview a vampire" about what it was like to be him. I wanted to know. And I wrote a short story which then grew into a novel. Q: What about the Vampire legend appealed to you?What interested me about vampires was the idea that they were powerful outsiders who lived a life of darkness and yet persevered. I wanted to explore the idea of a tragic monster, who was more human than monster, and I saw in that creature a metaphor for the outsider in all of us. And this metaphor seemed rich and exciting. Q: What was your favorite to write?Memnoch the Devil was my favorite of the Chronicles to write, because I felt it really broke new ground in terms of ideas as well as the emotional life of the characters. It was very challenging and it contained a number of parts. I had not had Lestat visited by a ghost before, or by an angel, and this was new and interesting to me.  Q: How did you feel about your books becoming major motion pictures? Especially “Interview with a Vampire” which was and still is a very popular book and film?Seeing Interview with the Vampire made into a film was painful for me because I cared so much about the emotional heart of the work, but it was ultimately satisfying. My script was used and I think the film was a great film. It has enduring value. And new people discover it all the time. Q: Do you have a favorite vampire film?My favorite vampire film will always be Dracula's Daughter with Gloria Holden, which I saw as a child at the neighborhood theatre and which I loved, for its treatment of the vampire as a tragic aristocrat, a person of sensibility and suffering. Q: What do you think about the direction that the vampire legend has taken over the past few years?I am intrigued by the direction the vampire legend has taken. I think the teen vampire romance, Twilight, was a curious film in many respects, one obviously made for 12 year olds, and it presents a very tame picture of the vampire and one that does not entirely make sense. We are to believe that a group of immortals choose to life in a tiny town rather than a metropolis, and that they go to high school over and over again, which certainly sounds horrible. But obviously this appeals to very young kids and the vampire, Edward, is charming, and strong, and is a powerful metaphor for the outsider and also he represents what teenagers dream of: a boyfriend who is really deep and caring and powerful and protective. In a way, it is about a young girl's desire for an older man. True Blood, the HBO series, is infinitely more complex. The show is clever, satirical and yet deeply involving. It is full of humor and yet its characters have tender and emotional scenes. I find it very engaging and fun to watch. Obviously it has too much sex and violence for very young teens. But for an adult audience, it is an amazing development in the vampire mythology, putting the vampires right into the mainstream of the modern world. I like the show. I think the vampire Bill is the usual metaphor for the outsider and the sensitive outcast who suffers. He's excellent.
Again I would like to thank Mrs. Rice for taking the time to do the interview and as usual you are all certianly welcome to leave your comments as Mrs. Rice will be given the link to the article. Tomorrow I'll publish the end of the interview about Songs of the Seraphim and Anne's new books, Angel Time. Clearly my DVD recommendation for the day is Interivew with a Vampire starring Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst. Enjoy.
06/27/2009 ~ http://www.examiner.com/x-11159-Milwaukee-Horror-Movies-Examiner~y2009m6d25-Anne-Rice-on-the-Vampire-Chronicles |
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10 reasons why you should be watching
“True Blood”
Season two of the HBO original series “True Blood” started last week, and you should really be watching it. Not just for the romance between vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), and not just because it’s about vampires. Make no mistake: “True Blood” is not your little sister’s “Twilight.” It’s got action, intrigue, plenty of steamy scenes, Southern charm, creatures of the night, Anna Paquin, a guy that turns into a dog, and enough blood splatter to make a Jackson Pollock painting jealous.
You should be watching it, and this is why:
1. The supernatural. Vampires have come out of the coffin. They walk among us (at night). They drink synthetic blood at our bars. They’re dating the girl next door. And they’re not alone: voodoo witchdoctors, psychic waitresses, and people who turn into animals are all regular cast members.
2. Bon Temps, Louisiana. When’s the last time you heard of a vampire story set in the deep South? New York City or Sunnydale, California, maybe. Transylvania, definitely. But Bon Temps, Louisiana? Shoot son, that’s what I call original! In a small town where everyone knows everyone, when strange things start happening around Merlotte’s Bar, rumors spread quicker than wildfire. Plus, the setting makes for plenty of Southern humor and Cajun accents.
3. The opening credits. Jace Everett’s country single “Bad Things” will have you singing along and getting down with your bad self every week.
4. Love Triangle meets Unrequited Love meets Star-Crossed Lovers. A decent tragic romance is a hard thing to find. So when you get a triumvirate of tragic love archetypes all on the same show, you can’t take your eyes away. In summary: Bill and Sam both like Sookie, who is interested in both Bill and Sam, but then she chooses Bill, leaving Sam loveless and alone, and unfortunately Bill is a vampire and Sookie is a human so theirs is the ULTIMATE FORBIDDEN LOVE, mostly because he wants to EAT HER and she is BLONDE AND PLUCKY. Yeah. “It’s Complicated” on Facebook.
5. Beefcake. There are a lot of attractive men on this show, and a lot of shirtless scenes (it’s hot in Louisiana, ok?).
6. Cheesecake. Poor Anna Paquin. What a homely girl. And that Rutina Wesley… too bad about her face. All kidding aside, both leading ladies are strikingly beautiful. Paquin’s pouty lips and Wesley’s gorgeous gams could keep anyone (girls included) tuning in week after week.
7. Tara Thornton. From the moment she said, “This ain’t rude, this is uppity,” I knew it was love. Possibly the most honest (some would say foul-mouthed), confident (some would say cantankerous) young woman to ever grace the airwaves, Tara (Rutina Wesley) is Sookie’s best friend and confidant.
8. Jason Stackhouse’s clueless face. To look that devoid of intelligence, that often, to that degree of comedic effect, is pure acting genius.
9. Lafayette. Much of the show’s strength lies in its supporting cast, and Lafayette—a cross-dressing, drug-dealing, no-nonsense short order cook at Merlotte’s Bar—is no exception. If you see nothing else of “True Blood,” watch Lafayette’s AIDS burger monologue from the first season. You’ll think twice about stiffing your waitress.
10. Vampire Bill’s string quartet. Always just off-screen, but working hard during both steamy scenes and the scary bits, Bill’s string quartet is one of the best parts of the show. I’ve never seen these musicians, but I know they exist because of the haunting cello line that pops up whenever our leading vamp-man is on screen.
If this doesn’t convince you, try it for yourself.
The next episode of “True Blood” airs this Sunday night on HBO, right after the sun goes down.
06/27/2009 ~ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/2009/06/10-reasons-why-you-should-be-watching-true-blood/ |
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Mild *SPOILERS* from ClevverTV:
06/27/2009 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNyWWJVt9DY&feature=player_embedded |
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The making of Alexander Skarsgard's music video with 'what's her name':
06/26/2009 |
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It's time to vote for the first True Blood vamp we fell in love with:
Who is Your Vampire Soulmate?
Friday, June 26, 2009
 There's no denying that vampires are sexier than ever. With True Blood season 2 going strong, the Twilight sequel New Moon on the horizon, and new shows like the CW's Vampire Diaries, it's a great time to be a vampire, and as all women know, there's nothing more alluring than an undead man.
Every hot vampire leaves normal girls filled with passion, and now you can find out which vampire really gets your motor running with BuddyTV's newest personality quiz,
Who is Your Vampire Soulmate?
We all know vampires don't have souls (unless your name is Angel), but there's an eternal connection between these vampires and the women who would do anything to be with them.
Is Twilight's Edward Cullen your personal heroin? Or would you prefer to be rescued by Moonlight's Mick St. John? True Blood's Bill Compton is a true southern gentleman, while Buffy's Angel is a man trying to be good.
Then there are the bad boys of the vampire world, like bleach-blond Spike and The Vampire Diaries' sadistic older brother, the manipulative Damon Salvatore. Who would you spend eternity with? There's only one way to find out, so take the quiz.
06/26/2009 ~ http://www.buddytv.com/articles/true-blood/who-is-your-vampire-soulmate-29640.aspx |
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Interview by DaemonsTV.com:
RUTINA WESLEY from True Blood Exclusive Interview Recently I got a chance to speak with RUTINA WESLEY who plays Tara on one of the best show on television, HBO's True Blood. Rutina Wesley is one of the Emmy hopefuls this year, and if you have seen True Blood then you know this is definitely an award-worthy show and Rutina Wesley is one of the people that help make it that way.
Rutina Wesley talked about what is coming up this second season for Tara, how she got into acting, and much more. So enjoy her interview below.
Congratulations on getting such good ratings for season two. How does it feel?
Rutina Wesley: It feels really, really good, and I'm telling you, I'm sort of shocked at the ratings. I knew that we had a huge following, but the fact that so many more people are loving the show, it's all great and positive.
Had you originally read all the books, or have you read them since doing the show?
Rutina Wesley: Well, I read the first book. Tara is very different in the books than they've decided to take her in the show. So after the first book I sort of didn't read anymore so that I could then create my own character along with the rest of the creative team since they had taken her in a different direction. But my mother has read all nine [laughs].
Did she like them?
Rutina Wesley: Yes, she loved them.
Do you think you'll eventually read them, maybe at the end of the show? Rutina Wesley: Maybe at the end because if I read them I'm going to know what happens. So I want to sort of wait for it to be over and then go back and read them and see some of the things that they took out and all of that.
What was your process in creating Tara since you didn't have more than the script to go on?
Rutina Wesley: Right. Well, I mean, I would say that the script gave me a lot of life and then my own life experience, friends that I know, also living life and also knowing people like Tara who have this wall up, but if you look closely they're just this little flower inside that needs to be taken care of. I think we can recognize that in a lot of people. A lot of people have defenses that are earned. I do think that Tara's defenses are earned, but as the season goes along, and as you saw in season one, she's just never learned to be a child. She never got to be a child. She never got to be taken care of and so that's why she sort of walks around like a brick wall, so to speak.
We're seeing a lot more of her vulnerable side this season, especially with Maryann. Do you think that'll be a good thing for her or will it smack her in the face?
Rutina Wesley: Right. Well, it is drama. It is 'True Blood'. There has to be some sort of chaos of course. But I do think that Maryann is definitely taking on that motherly role that Adina Porter who plays Lettie Mae didn't necessarily give to Tara. So we're going to see her getting taken under someone's wing. Then of course a little bit of romance hopefully with Eggs. Tara has never really been good at romance. Maybe this time around she'll have some luck. Fingers crossed.
Can you talk a bit then how Tara evolves throughout the season?
Rutina Wesley: Like I said, we're going to see Tara getting taken care of. There's going to be some romance and then there's chaos of course, but without giving too much away I do think that just generally it'll be a softer side of Tara that we'll see this season. I mean, her edge is still there, but she's not as edgy as she was last season. She's definitely a lot more vulnerable and I think it's very beautiful to see a Black character on TV that the writers have given so many levels to and so much complexity. She's not just the angry woman. She's got so much more to her and that's why I enjoy and love playing her.
A lot of the storylines are pretty separate. Tara hasn't been as involved in the whole vampire environment like Sookie and Bill. Will she eventually have a storyline with them or does she remain separate?
Rutina Wesley: That's a good question. I want to ask Alan [Ball] that question, too. No. Actually, I think ultimately she is involved because her best friend is dating a vampire. So she is ultimately involved in that. I can foresee her getting more involved in that because they live in the town and also there are so many supernatural creatures and other things that are obviously in the book that will be coming into our world. So I know that something will cross our path in the future, but nothing of course has been said to me. They keep everything top secret.
There might be a new housing arrangement for Tara. Is that going to be a positive thing or will Maryann reel her back towards her? Rutina Wesley: I think it's time for Tara...in the back of her head Tara knows that something just isn't right. She doesn't trust it and yet things are going so well. I think that when Sookie gives her this amazing opportunity, and it's an amazing opportunity because it's like, 'This is my best friend. Oh, my God, yes. We're best friends for life. Yes. We should be living together.' Also, it's a chance for Tara to be on her own again and just sort of regroup. I think, without giving it away, Tara might move in and see how it is to be on her own so that she can try to figure Maryann out because things are just so weird at that house [laughs].
What's your favorite episode this season, towards the beginning or towards the end?
Rutina Wesley: I would say that it's going to be towards the end because the chaos hits. That's all I'll say.
Who's your favorite character, apart from Tara?
Rutina Wesley: Oh, everyone. I'm being totally honest here. It's really hard to have a favorite because especially this season the creative team has given everyone something so meaty and juicy to work on and everyone is playing it so well. I think that all of us have been cast right on and so everyone is playing their part brilliantly and there's no one person that I lean more towards. I mean, I love Nelsan Ellis. We went to school together. I've always loved him, since we were in school. I enjoy working with Anna Paquin and Adina Porter who plays my mother and of course Michelle Forbes who is amazingly...her and Adina are two of the most amazingly grounded women and actresses that I've worked with in my life. They're just there. I've learned so much from working with them. It's been a real treat.
Can you talk about when you knew you wanted to be an actress and how it all happened for you?
Rutina Wesley: Well, I mean, my parents were dancers and so dance was my first love. I wanted to be a dancer and I went to a performing arts high school where I majored in both theater and dance. Then I decided that you can't really focus on both. You have to focus on one and just kind of keep up with the other. I just kind of enjoyed musicals. I love to sing, too. I just thought that with theater you could do it all. I could dance, sing and act. Those were all the passions that I loved. I decided to go to college and just focus on acting. My dad who's a tap dancer was like, 'Well, what about your feet? Don't forget about your feet.' I said, 'I won't, daddy. I'll keep on tapping until the day that I die.' But I love telling stories and I love being a vessel for these wonderful characters that get written and I'm able to play them. For me the biggest reward is when an audience member or a fan comes up to me crying or just so excited, like, 'Oh my God, Tara, you're my best friend –' or 'I get your story and that's my life.' That's a big reward for me, that I'm portraying it in a way that I move someone because that's what I'm here for, to tell the story. Hopefully the audience will get something out of it. It's been that. It's the storytelling. It's the creation of characters. It's the anything goes and that I can use my entire body as an instrument to play these characters. That was a lot.
Do you think we might see you in a musical soon?
Rutina Wesley: I would love to. I keep auditioning and hopefully if a job comes my way and it's meant to be it'll happen. I did do the Broadway workshop of 'The Color Purple' with one of the Idols. That was a treat and also working with Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy in 'Vertical Hour' was...Nighy was one of the most amazing actors that I've ever worked with in my entire life. I've been, I would say, considerably lucky since I've been out of school that I've had the sort of career thus far that I've had. I take each blessing with great appreciation because with where we are right now with the recession there aren't a lot of films and jobs going on out there. So I'm just so thankful that I'm on a hit show and that they gave me the opportunity, and that it's my first show. That I have a first show that just happens to be a hit, I feel like that's so rare and I kind of hit the gold there. So everyday I'm just kind of like, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.' [laughs]
Is there an actor that you would love to work with that you haven't had a chance to yet?
Rutina Wesley: Angela Basset.
If could guest star on any other TV show which one would it be?
Rutina Wesley: It's off the air now but I was dying to get on 'The L Word'. I know that's a Showtime show, but I loved that show. Also, I think if I could, '24'. It's just quick and fast and maybe I could be some villain or something like that. I've always secretly wanted to do like Angelina Jolie action films. Like, give me a cat suit and some boots and lets do some 'Tomb Raider 12'. Lets just rock it out.
You can't really do that in 'True Blood'.
Rutina Wesley: [laughs] No. Wouldn't work.
Any upcoming projects that we can look for you in?
Rutina Wesley: No. No upcoming projects. Just 'True Blood' which is, you know what, enough. The fact that I have that is amazing. Hopefully some other things will come up soon.
06/26/2009 ~ http://www.daemonstv.com/2009/06/26/rutina-wesley-from-true-blood-exclusive-interview/ |
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Alan Ball of True Blood Author: Emma Loggins Date: 2009-06-26 Interview:We had the pleasure of speaking with Alan Ball, the creator and writer for HBO's True Blood. He spoke about the second season, Anna and Stephen's real-life relationship, and the future direction of the series. Here's part two of our two part interview ( Part One): With Sookie and Bill's relationship being the core of the show, how do you keep the complications seem natural and not just contrived? How do you do that as a writer? Alan Ball: Given the source material, there's a lot going on. This year Sookie goes to Dallas to help Eric find this missing vampire, and ultimately we actually broke down the timeline of the entire season. And season 2 takes place in 12 days, and when a lot of that time is spent running for your lives or trying not to get killed or trying to get past this or that obstacle that keeps you from each other, it's not really hard. They don't really have time to run into the same kind of relationship things that us mere mortals do. Like "You know, I really hate it when you do that," and "I wish you would-". You know, that kind of thing. They're basically trying to just get through the day without getting killed. Now that the show's a bona fide hit, are you feeling more pressure or less pressure? Alan Ball:I don't really think about those things. I feel like that is a real trap, because I just really try to do the best work that I can do and stay out of the results. I'm glad people are watching the show; I always thought that it was a show that a lot of people would have fun with. But, I don't feel more pressure, and I really work very hard to stay in a little bubble, in that regard. Because otherwise, you'd just go crazy. It doesn't help. I want to talk about the characters like Tara and Jessica that really weren't a part of the book, per se. You've done such a wonderful job weaving in all of these different stories with this ensemble. What are some of the things you're trying to explore with the characters that you're straying from what the book did? What do you want to explore with those kinds of characters? Alan Ball: The process that we work with in the room, is very organic, so we never set out and say, like, "Ok, we want to explore this," or "Let's create a character in which we can explore that." Certainly Tara does exist in the books, but she's not African American and she doesn't show up until season 2. Thinking about Tara, I did think, "Well, we need another strong woman who is one of our core group of characters." And I think it's Louisiana, let's explore this sort of racial make up of that region, and also this is a small town in Louisiana where they still do things like hang nooses from trees at high schools and that's based on racial tension. I think it would be silly to do a show set in a small town in Louisiana and just have Caucasian characters. I wanted Tara to be-Tara, definitely, in the books, she does have an alcoholic mother. She was Sookie's friend, but I wanted to really explore a really strong friendship of two kind of outcasts. Then Jessica- once we decided to make Bill the guy who stakes Longshadow instead of Eric, which is the way it is in the book, it just felt like it would be really interesting for him to have to do something that he'd never, ever wanted to do; the worst punishment for him would have to be to have turn someone else into a vampire. For him, that was the biggest tragedy of his life. And then once we had a girl who came from a very sheltered home-schooled background and plucked her out of that and put her in this entirely new environment, with entirely new powers, that just opened itself up to all kinds of interesting situations. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Next >>
06/26/2009 ~ http://www.fanbolt.com/tvinterview.php?id=189 |
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Next episode: HBOe, Sun, Jun 28 9:00 PM
Scratches New
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off guard; a shy Hoyt is drawn to Jessica on her first visit to Merlotte's; Sarah and Steve try to boost Jason's confidence in his calling; Sam considers a change of scenery; Tara is...
full episode description
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| HBO2e | Fri, Jun 26
11:00 PM | Keep This Party Going
Sookie goes a bit too far in her effort to help Jessica adjust to her new life; Maryann wields her... more | | HBOSGe | Sat, Jun 27
3:00 PM | Keep This Party Going
Sookie goes a bit too far in her effort to help Jessica adjust to her new life; Maryann wields her... more | | HBO2e | Sun, Jun 28
2:00 PM | Keep This Party Going
Sookie goes a bit too far in her effort to help Jessica adjust to her new life; Maryann wields her... more | | HBO2e | Sun, Jun 28
3:00 PM | A Taste of True Blood: Alan Ball on Season 1
"True Blood" series creator Alan Ball recaps the show's first season. The second season premieres... more | | HBOe | Sun, Jun 28
9:00 PM | Scratches New
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBOe | Sun, Jun 28
11:00 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBOe | Sun, Jun 28
11:30 PM | Keep This Party Going
Sookie goes a bit too far in her effort to help Jessica adjust to her new life; Maryann wields her... more | | HBO2e | Mon, Jun 29
8:00 PM | Scratches New
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBO2e | Mon, Jun 29
9:00 PM | A Taste of True Blood: Alan Ball on Season 1
"True Blood" series creator Alan Ball recaps the show's first season. The second season premieres... more | | HBOe | Tue, Jun 30
11:30 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBOSGe | Wed, Jul 1
8:00 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBOe | Wed, Jul 1
10:00 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBO2e | Thu, Jul 2
10:00 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBO2e | Fri, Jul 3
9:00 PM | Nothing But the Blood
In the second-season premiere, the discovery of a body at Merlotte's has the citizens of Bon Temps... more | | HBO2e | Fri, Jul 3
10:00 PM | Keep This Party Going
Sookie goes a bit too far in her effort to help Jessica adjust to her new life; Maryann wields her... more | | HBO2e | Fri, Jul 3
11:00 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBOSGe | Sat, Jul 4
2:00 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBOe | Sat, Jul 4
9:45 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more | | HBOe | Sun, Jul 5
9:00 PM | Nothing But the Blood
In the second-season premiere, the discovery of a body at Merlotte's has the citizens of Bon Temps... more | | HBOe | Sun, Jul 5
10:00 PM | Keep This Party Going
Sookie goes a bit too far in her effort to help Jessica adjust to her new life; Maryann wields her... more | | HBOe | Sun, Jul 5
11:00 PM | Scratches
A savage attack on Sookie by a strange creature catches Bill, Eric and the other vampires off... more |
view all True Blood episodes
06/26/2009 ~ http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/true-blood/tv-listings/294732 |
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BloodCopy responds to possible vampire nesting areas:
NESTING GROUNDS
June 26, 2009
Recently stumbled on a website where breathers have collected locations they suspect holds vampire inhabitants. Some of them are spot on, suggesting the submitters have friends among the community, while others are almost comically off. To help keep things clear, I’ll be starting a weekly post where I do some research and address whether the claims are correct.
DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS, NV
Not so much of a stretch. Vampires in a city basically designed to be open 24 hours, replete with dark, secretive locations and any number of “back rooms.” However, you’re looking in the wrong part of the city. There’s a common misconception that vampire prefer seedy areas, but remember- many of us also have plenty of years of accumulated wealth. So without exposing the addresses of vampires who don’t want curious individuals banging down their doors, I’ll just say you’ll have better luck looking at high roller suites at certain reputable casinos. If you can get past security, that is.
NYIRBATOR, HUNGARY
Yes yes, we’ve all heard stories of a certain historical countess who used to bathe in servants’ blood. Even before the Great Revelation, she and Vlad the Impaler were always near the top of the list for humans seeking to prove our existence. But in this case you’re barking up the wrong tree. This was just a countess with really, really odd habits, not the grandmother to a whole lineage of bloodsuckers.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Again, a tad bit vague, aren’t we? I mean, why not just say somewhere in the West Coast? Yes, there are vampires in San Francisco. It’s a big city. And the Haight-Ashbury district alone proves there are enough human spectacles to assure that vampires could blend in fairly easily anywhere from the Castro to Marin Valley.
A NIGHTCLUB CLUB IN SALT LAKE CITY, UT
Close, but no cigar. Though vampires definitely like to find entertainment in the evening, actually living in a nightclub just doesn’t sound all that appealing. Though I suppose it would be convenient upon meeting an eager fangbanger- cheap cab fare just to lead them down into the basement.
06/26/2009 ~ http://bloodcopy.com/ |
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 FROM MTV.COM:
Since the premiere of the second season of “True Blood” earlier this month, the cast of the show has been asked to take sides in an epic battle with the vampires of “Twilight.”
For the most part the stars of the HBO show have been reluctant to say outright whether they favor their vamps over the Cullens. But leave it to Stephen Moyer, who plays vampire Bill Compton, to turn a little healthy rivalry into a downright feud by saying some pretty nasty stuff about Edward Cullen to Marie Claire magazine in this month’s issue. “He’s a pu—!” he said. “He’s the Slim-Fast, Diet Coke of vampires.”
Of course, Moyer’s probably a little biased, so MTV News decided to get “True Blood” and “Twilight” fans to weigh in on the ever escalating vamp-off. And it seems that a lot of viewers are siding with the undead based on Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels over the ones adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s books.
Continue reading more about the “True Blood” and “Twilight” fan battle at MTV.com.
06/26/2009 ~ http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2009/06/26/true-blood-vs-twilight-stephen-moyer-adds-fire-to-the-vamp-off/ |
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MUSIC Lafayette swamp rocker’s career gets new ‘blood’
WHEN: Thursday, July 2 (7:30 p.m.) WHERE: Manship Theatre ADMISSION: $25 - By JOHN WIRT
- Music critic
- Published: Jun 26, 2009
 After making swamp-rock and -pop for years with his band, the Lafayette Marquis, as well as Acadiana super-group Lil’ Band O’ Gold, C.C. Adcock is getting the greatest mainstream exposure of his career through a song featured on the recently released True Blood soundtrack CD. Adcock’s “Bleed 2 Feed,” the first single from the soundtrack, is infiltrating rock radio. The soundtrack album, too, has sold an impressive 50,000 copies and the newly launched second season of True Blood, that racy HBO series about vampires in rural Louisiana, is drawing big ratings. Adcock and the Lafayette Marquis appeared in episode 10 of True Blood’s first season. Playing themselves, they performed five songs at Merlottes, the bar where main character Sookie Stackhouse works. There’s also a “Bleed 2 Feed” music video. “I’ve always been in the cracks, between the lines, so to have something played at rock radio is kind of funny for me,” Adcock said from Lafayette this week. “But it’s on the strength of the show, and maybe the strength of the song.” Adcock, knowing that True Blood creator and executive producer Alan Ball was already interested in his music, wrote “Bleed 2 Feed” specifically for the show. “I went to Los Angeles and Alan showed me the pilot,” he said. “I went home that night and wrote the song. It didn’t make the theme, but it ended up on the soundtrack CD.” Chances are very good that “Bleed 2 Feed” will be among the songs Adcock performs Thursday during the Louisiana songwriters night at the Manship Theatre. Adcock joins Baton Rouge blues artist Larry Garner; Joe Stark, a singer-songwriter from Houma who’s one-third of pop-rock band Sons of Williams; and Kristin Diable, a singer-songwriter from Baton Rouge who spent five years in New York and now lives in New Orleans. “We’ll all get out there and sort of pass the song around, tell stories about how the song came to be,” Adcock said. The four singer-songwriters have much in common even though they work in different genres. “People always identify Louisiana music as Cajun, zydeco, funk and brass-band music,” Adcock said. “A lot of times people identify it by the instrumentation. And certainly people identify Louisiana music by that second-line beat or that zydeco beat or that Cajun beat or blues beat. “But I think the great legacy of Louisiana music is the storytelling. Down here, we’re naturally good storytellers. And the way we can play with words and syllables and dialects really is conducive to telling a good story. In south Louisiana, you can make any two words rhyme.” Adcock has performed solo acoustic before and toured as opening act for one of the great songwriters from Louisiana, Lucinda Williams, in a duo format with the fiddle- and accordion-playing Cedric Watson. Even so, performing on his own is still a novelty for the normally electrified Adcock. “I didn’t grow up playing folk tunes in a coffeehouse,” he said. “It’s nice to scratch that itch, but I promise you I won’t strap on a harmonica or read poetry.”
06/26/2009 ~ http://www.2theadvocate.com/entertainment/music/49110692.html |
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The Daily Texan > Top Stories
Ghastly ghoul and familiar fiend People find vampires and fantasy comforting during periods of turmoil Ben Wermund Daily Texan Staff Published:Friday, June 26, 2009 Updated:Friday, June 26, 2009  Photo Illustration by Peyton McGee/The Daily Texan According to UT Professor, Tom Garza, the global recession has been a driving force in the popularity of the idea of the vampire. When hard times have the world by the throat, one UT distinguished teaching associate professor says people turn to an unlikely hero — the vampire.
Tom Garza, chair of the Slavic studies department — who has served as a vampire expert for projects ranging from a History Channel special to the 2007 horror film “30 Days of Night,” — points to the global recession as the driving force behind the rise of the “undead” in pop culture.
“Anytime we get into a period of strife — that can be economic recession, war, culture wars or any combination of those — we, as a human organism, tend to want to retreat into a safe world of fantasy or extreme fiction,” Garza said. “The vampire story comes out, the zombie story comes out — any kind of revenant story. The idea of coming back from the dead is a positive idea, the notion that we will survive this, we will get through this.”
He sited a rash of vampire stories over the last five years, from the “Twilight” and “True Blood” series to foreign films like 2008’s “Let The Right One In,” as a coping mechanism for the general public. The second season premiere of “True Blood,” which aired earlier this month, was the most-watched HBO original program since “The Sopranos” finale in 2007. When the “Twilight” movie hit theaters last November, it enjoyed the biggest opening weekend ever for a vampire film.
“Between two hot wars, the economy tanking, we still do have — whether we like it or not — a culture war going on. For the last eight years we have been a culture truly split — ethically, morally, politically — we’re a divided nation, so we are looking for the other side of things,” Garza said. “We want to look right in the face of the most extreme variant of that.”
Paul Benson, a manager at BookPeople, said while the Twilight series is one of the store’s biggest sellers, vampires are not the only undead to rise again. He said the apocalyptic nature of zombie books like “World War Z” seem to attract customers.
“There’s kind of like an angst right now about the end of our empire,” Benson said. “There’s kind of a cultural shock about how we’re going to go through our day-to-day lives. Angst and dread seem to come out in vampires and zombies. There’s a sense of a real end.” Garza said the trend to turn to vampires are as old as the myth itself.
“The earliest vampire stories were to explain plague, infant death, anything we don’t understand,” he said. “The story comes in to say, ‘Well the vampire got our baby; that’s why it died at 2 months.’ ‘Why are all the people dying off with boils, spitting up blood? Vampires.’ The vampire has always been an easy scapegoat figure historically.”
The vampire craze is not exclusive to the U.S., Garza said. The 2004 Russian film adaptation of the book “Nightwatch,” made more than $8 million in 11 days — a rare feat for a country in which movies don’t usually break the $3 million mark — and spawned two sequels.
“The ‘Watch’ series is huge and it plays very much on the vampire story as a political figure,” he said. “Their vampires are light and dark, playing on the race issue in Russia between the Europeanized, White Russians and the dark Russians of the Southern Republics. It’s just a story whose time is right again.”
UT undeclared freshman and “Twilight” fan Michael Stark said the story provides an escape.
“I think especially the generation that’s just now starting college is starting to have to be responsible for their actions,” Stark said. “Every generation has had their distractions and everybody’s going to use anything to escape. Those books just happened to hit at the right time.”
She said the take on the vampire tale as a love story is what drew her in.
“I think it’s so popular because it’s a love story geared toward a younger generation of women instead of a gruesome story,” Stark said. “It’s kind of a new thing.”
Garza agreed “Twilight” is more of a romance, but said “True Blood” is a prime example of a vampire story becoming commentary. “It’s a good postmodern vampire story,” he said. “The vampire has always been a kind of social other. In the case of ‘True Blood,’ you have racial stereotypes being played with and sexual stereotypes being played with. There’s some great gay, black, white tension being played out through the vampire. That’s a good vampire story, when you’ve got some kind of commentary on what we don’t understand.”
Jennifer Hutson, a UT alumna and “True Blood” and “Twilight” fan, said romance would attract viewers regardless of a recession. “I’m pretty sure men — and women, although fewer of them would admit it — are into watching hot sex whether there is a recession on or not,” Hutson said.
Whether the stories involving the vampires act as social commentary or simply provide an escape, Garza said even the darkest ideas of the “undead” shine a light of hope.
“It’s the idea that no matter how bad it gets, something will survive after us,” he said.
06/26/2009 ~ http://www.dailytexanonline.com/top-stories/ghastly-ghoul-and-familiar-fiend-1.1769969 |
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Stephen Moyer on Conan O'Brien 06/25/2009:
06/26/2009 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mI0aesOOYo |
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Can 'True Blood' overcome Emmy
curse against vampires? The Golden Globe-nominated drama series " True Blood" earned a slew of good reviews and socko ratings for its second season premiere last Sunday. And last month it picked up a nod from the TV critics association for best new program. However, to earn an Emmy nod, " True Blood" will have to overcome the TV academy's bias against shows about the supernatural. Remember how that critical darling "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" had a stake driven through her heart for seven successive seasons.  " True Blood" could benefit from the canny scheduling strategy that has reaped Emmy rewards for HBO in the past. While voters considered the merits of previous seasons of HBO series such as "Sex and the City" and "Entourage," new episodes were running on the paycaster. That could well help "True Blood" register in the popular vote of academy members. "True Blood" stars Oscar winner Anna Paquin ("The Piano") as a telepathic waitress who falls for a vampire ( Stephen Moyer). Oscar-winning scripter Alan Ball ("American Beauty") adapted a bestselling series of books by Charlaine Harris to create the show. The last time Ball handled a series for HBO, the result was " Six Feet Under," which ran for five seasons and was a three-time Emmy nominee for best drama series. While that show was universally admired from the outset, this one divided opinions at first. At Meta Critic, the aggregate score from 27 reviews of the first season was only 62. However, that result was skewed downward by several very harsh notices. Many prominent critics loved the first season, which is the one under Emmy consideration. Matt Roush of TV Guide thought the show "graphically sexy and scary, and often wildly funny," and judged it to be "a broadly entertaining, deliciously twisted slice of modern Southern Gothic." Misha Davenport of the Chicago Sun-Times found it to be "bloody, sexy and violent," and said, "The show is also both occasionally funny and frightening." And Robert Bianco of USA Today saw it as "part mystery, part fantasy, part comedy, and all wildly imaginative exaggeration," and thought it "proves that there's still vibrant life or death left in the 'star-crossed lovers' paradigm." By comparison, the second season of "True Blood" earned a solid 74 at Meta Critic based on 15 reviews of the premiere. Among those who found the show to their liking was Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly. He admitted, "I was slow to catch on to 'Blood's' allure: My review of the debut season, based on seeing its first few episodes, was chilly-to-negative. But I'm glad I watched the whole first season before settling down to these new episodes. 'Blood' is telling terrific Southern gothic tales with a potent mixture of freaky scariness and great country music."
06/25/2009 ~ http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/06/hold-can-true-blood-overcome-emmy-curse-of-the-vampires.html |
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"True Blood"'s Ashley Jones to be a guest on 99.5 The Wolf
 Ashley Jones as Daphne in HBO's hit series "True Blood"
While Jones' character, Daphne, may seem like nothing more than an absentminded waitress, there is more to her than one might think. Jones even had to sign confidentiality agreements so as to not reveal her character's secret.
According to Jones, "there are so many things I want to say. The twists and turns are fascinating, and they were hard to follow and keep up with, because they're so drastic and riveting. I learned about the character slowly, because I'm not sure I would have been able to grasp all of it at one time. She's very complex.
Just who is Daphne? Jones said in a recent interview: "I don’t want to spoil too much for the fans, but she is just a simple sweet, country girl who finds a job waitressing with the other girls, Sookie and Tara. She takes a liking to Sam and Sam really responds to her carefree attitude and ends up liking her as well. She’s adorable without meaning to be or trying to be at all. She’s not a very good waitress and it takes a lot of patience to deal with her."
Fan sites have long commented that Daphne has a secret, stating that some sort of clue as to what that secret is can be found on her skin. Supposedly the fans will be able to learn more about Daphne's secret with each episode as more is revealed. Jones' character may seem like a secondary character at this point, but Jones recently commented that Daphne "ends up being a really huge part this year, especially with Sam Trammell’s storyline."
Perhaps Jones will tell us a little more tomorrow on 99.5 The Wolf. Be sure to listen at 7:00am and see if she gives us any further clues!
06/25/2009 ~ http://www.examiner.com/x-5130-Portland-Vampire-Examiner~y2009m6d25-True-Bloods-Ashley-Jones-to-be-on-Portlands-995-The-Wolf |
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Wood Joins True Blood Cast
June 25, 4:55 PM  Evan Rachel Wood at an event on June 10th. True Blood fans are in for a royal treat this season. Actress Evan Rachel Wood will be joining the cast as Louisiana’s Vampire Queen, Sophie-Anne Leclerq. Wood has already filmed a few episodes so far and producers are planning on making hers a recurring role. In an interview, Wood had the following to say about joining the cast: “Oh! I love being able to talk about that now. I’ve had to be so secretive about it. She’s 400 years old. Her name’s Sophie-Anne, and she’s the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. There’s a queen for every state, and that’s hers. And she’s kind of a cross between Patrick Bateman and Paris Hilton. She’s crazy. She’s just crazy. And she’s a lesbian.” You can catch Wood tonight on Jimmy Fallon Live, on NBC at 11:35 pm. True Blood airs Sunday nights at 9pm on HBO. 06/25/2009 ~ http://www.examiner.com/x-14513-Chicago-Celebrity-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m6d25-Wood-Joins-True-Blood-Cast |
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Producer Alan Ball hopes viewers bite into humor of ‘True Blood’
By Amy Amatangelo
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Executive producer Alan Ball doesn’t want viewers to take his HBO series “True Blood” too seriously.
“There’s a big part of the show that’s very much like one of those old-fashioned Saturday matinee serials with the cliffhangers and everything,” Ball said during a recent conference call with reporters.
“No matter how interesting and complicated and real, the dynamics of human behavior that the show explores are ultimately its thrill ride.”
When the drama about vampires in Louisiana premiered last year, many speculated that the show was a metaphor for society’s treatment of homosexuals.
“I would say to look at the vampires on the show as a metaphor for gays and lesbians is so simple and so easy, it’s kind of lazy,” Ball said. “Ultimately, I do have to say, ‘Come on, they’re vampires.’ They’re not real. None of it is supposed to be real or supposed to represent anything specific, and I just hope people can remember that. It can’t be taken that seriously. It is supposed to be fun.”
The new season, which begins tonight at 9, follows Sookie’s (Anna Paquin) journey of self-discovery, Ball said. “She’s learning a lot of new things about herself. She is a lot stronger than anyone thinks. Even than she herself knows.”
The series also considers the power of cults as Sookie’s brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten) joins the vampire-hating Fellowship of the Sun. Episode five will jump back in time.
Evan Rachel Wood (“The Wrestler”) appears later this season as the vampire queen of Louisiana. Wood’s manager called Ball last year to talk about how much his client loved the show and wanted to be a part of it.
“I was thrilled because I think she’s an amazing actress,” Ball said. “I don’t really create roles for actors. I come from the theater; the characters come first. But when we decided we would meet the queen this season, I just thought, ‘Wow, Evan would be great for that. Let’s see if we could make that work.’ ”
The series is based on novels by Charlaine Harris. The author will make a cameo this season, most likely in the season finale. Ball said he doesn’t talk to Harris about the series.
“I think there is a certain boundary that has to exist,” he said. “But I do know that she said she’s 90 percent happy with the show, and I think that’s pretty good.”
While he’s still engrossed in this season, Ball believes “True Blood” could run for a long time.
“It could last to the point where we have to hope that people ignore that the vampires are looking older,” he said and then laughed.
06/25/2009 ~ http://news.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/general/view/2009_06_14_Producer_Alan_Ball_hopes_viewers_bite_into_humor_of_%E2%80%98True_Blood_/srvc=home |
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'True Blood' is back: Check out NYC's best vampire haunts
BY Gina Salamone
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
 HBO Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer in "True Blood," which returns to HBO Sunday, June 14. Vampire fans are in for a treat tonight when "True Blood" returns to HBO for its second season.
For those who need even more to satisfy their cravings, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the undead here in New York. The show's bloodsucking stud Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) sleeps in a coffin and sinks his fangs into victims - but here are some more appealing options.
Have a Bloody Mary Drinking real blood is gross, but a Bloody Mary has a kick that could wake even the undead.
The spicy vodka cocktail gets its color from tomato juice, and usually contains Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, beef bouillon, horseradish, celery, an olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and lemon juice.
The River Cafe in Brooklyn, deemed to have the best Bloody Mary in New York by Citysearch users last year, prides itself on presentation.
"We put slices of red and green pepper, a little bit of fresh cucumber," says bartender Larry Trap. "We wrap a little lemon wheel around the celery, so when they get the drink, it looks pretty nice." Customers can order the $13 cocktail spicy or mild.
River Cafe, 1 Water St., Brooklyn; (718) 522-5200.
Dress Like the Undead One visit to Vampire Freaks can get you everything you need to look like a creature of the night. The shop, open since October, sells everything from gothic clothing and accessories to CDs, toys and artwork.
Vinyl trench coats range from $89 to $120, while velvet tops with side lacing start at $64 and velvet dresses cost up to $99. Summer corsets and dresses with straps instead of sleeves just arrived.
The form-fitting garb is mostly black, and many of it come with buckles and in pinstripes. Arm warmers - long vinyl gloves and lace-up corset gloves - start at around $18. Spiked collars in leather and vinyl are also for sale. Deejays spin live music most Saturdays. Vampire Freaks, 189 Avenue A (between 11th and 12th Sts.); (212) 505-VAMP.
Go Bat Watching Seeing the fanged flying mammals is about as close as most of us will get to an encounter with a vampire. Horror lore says vampires (like Dracula) can change into the creepy winged creatures.
But vampire bats are real - and are being phased out at the Staten Island Zoo, so hurry to catch the last two, which live off a diet of cow's blood. Eight fruit bats are also in-house. The zoo is at 614 Broadway; (718) 442-3100. Admission is $7 for ages 15 and up, $4 for kids 3-14, and free for kids under 3.
Prospect Park offers Thursday Night Twilight Tours on select dates. For $30 per person, guests enjoy wine and cheese before a sail on the park's lake and a bat tour led by a naturalist. Make reservations at (718) 287-3400 ext. 102, or visit prospectpark.org.
The American Museum of Natural History also offers evening bat walks in Central Park in July for $25. The tours include bat detecting tools that amplify their high-frequency chirps. Registration is required one week in advance. (212) 769-5200.
Visit a Goth Club DJ Cyn and DJ Patrick spin at "Salvation," the biweekly goth night at downtown club Don Hill's. "They play stuff like Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Sisters of Mercy, the Cult and German industrial kind of music, gothic music," says owner Don Hill. "And everybody wears black. There's a lot of tight bodices, long black dresses, vampire-y looking outfits." Goth night goes from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. every second and fourth Saturday of the month. "The people are the scene," adds Hill.
"They show old horror movies like Vincent Price films, and videos of gothic rock bands - and films that represent the music play on screens and TVs all over the place." Admission is $5, and to get your vampire on, the next "Salvation" night is scheduled for June 27.
Don Hill's, 511 Greenwich St., at Spring St.; (212) 219-2850. Ages 21 and up.
Taste of Transylvania Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula" centers on a centuries-old Transylvanian vampire. Since then, that region in Romania has been associated with the fanged creatures.
And you can experience the area right here in Queens at the Sunnyside restaurant Transylvania. The menu includes everything from cold herring and Romanian meatballs to breaded veal brains.
Friday through Sunday nights, the restaurant turns into a club complete with live music and a dance floor. To top things off, a portrait of Count Dracula hangs on the wall.
Transylvania, 43-46 42nd St., Queens; (718) 786-9401.
Vampires on THE Big Screen If you can't take the wait between "Twilight" and "New Moon," catch an indie undead film this summer. "Blood: The Last Vampire," about a girl born to a human father and vampire mother, opens July 10 at select theaters.
Saya, who looks 16 but is really 400 years old, sets out to slay the evil patriarch of all vampires using her superhuman strength and sword.
Will show at the Empire 25 (234 W. 42nd St.) and the Village 7 (66 Third Ave.).
06/25/2009 ~ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/06/14/2009-06-14_true_blood_is_back_check_out_nycs_best_vampire_haunts.html |
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A psychological theory (*yawn*):
Bring Out Your Undead! TED BERG: Does our current fascination with vampires say anything about our societal fears?
The season premiere of True Blood a couple of weeks ago was HBO’s highest-rated show since the finale of The Sopranos, and Twilight’s pale hunk Robert Pattinson has become alarmingly ubiquitous. Our culture is currently vampire crazy.
Societal fascination with undead flesh-eaters is nothing new, but I wonder if the reanimated being du jour could have more to do with the big-picture collective consciousness than we might first assume.
Check it out: In the early part of this decade, we were all about zombies. There were a couple Resident Evil movies, two 28 Days flicks, and someone even revived — pardon the term — George Romero to make Dawn of the Dead and Land of the Dead.
Now? Vampires everywhere. You can’t turn a corner without some beautiful vampire seducing you or threatening you or, in the case of True Blood, simply charming your pants off.
So what accounts for the transition from flesheater to bloodsucker?
Continue reading: Bring out your undead (cont.)
06/25/2009 ~ http://perpetualpost.com/?p=2070 |
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Comic-Con buzz update for June 24, 2009 - Bradbury, Fringe, True Blood, 24, Glee news
Cynthia Adkins
San Diego City Guide Examiner
Author and journalistSam Weller has confirmed that he and the legendary Ray Bradbury will participate in a panel on July 25th about working together on The Bradbury Chronicles.
Fringe Examiner Stephanie Showalter has confirmed that a Fringe panel will return tothe 2009 San DiegoComic-Con.Scheduled to appear in person are cast members Anna Torv (Olivia Dunham), Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop), and John Noble (Walter Bishop). Also participating in the panel will beJeff Pinker (writer/executive producer), J.H. Wyman (writer/executive producer), Alex Kurtzman (co-creator/executive producer), and Roberto Orci (co-creator/executive producer), Missing from the panel are J.J. Abrams who appeared last year as well as Bryan Burk.
Sookie Stackhouse author Charlaine Harris is confirmed to appear with the cast of True Blood on 7/25, as well asparticipate in a booksigning.
20th Century Fox TV has announced that nine shows are scheduled to have significant panel presence at Comic-Con next month, including 24, Glee, Bones, and Dollhouse and The Simpsons. See the full list here(thanks to the Convention News blog.) Confirmed celebrity appearances include Kiefer Sutherland, Freddie Prince, Jr., Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Matt Groening, Seth Green, Seth MacFarlane and the stars of Glee.
06/24/2009 ~ http://www.examiner.com/x-12500-San-Diego-City-Guide-Examiner~y2009m6d24-ComicCon-buzz-update-for-June-24-2009 |
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A great True Blood blog:
Blood Work "True Blood" vlog (Ep 2.2):
The makeover episode!
by
 Taking our cue from the makeovers in this week's gloriously unhinged episode of True Blood, Andy and I run ourselves through the magical style machine ... to less-than-desirable results. What was our Whatever, Sookie! moment of the week, and with whom do we Want to Do Bad Things? Plus: What's up with Eggs's killer bod, and — perhaps most importantly — will Terry ever hand Arlene them damn toonnngggggs? Find out below!
06/24/2009 ~ http://www.afterelton.com/blog/brianjuergens/blood-work-vlog-202-makeover |
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Creative Review reviews True Blood advertising:
CR Blog If vampires were real.... Advertising Posted by Eliza Williams, 17 June 2009, 17:36
This was the premise that Digital Kitchen based its clever new campaign for HBO's latest season of True Blood on....
The agency has created a selection of virals (shown together in the film above) of news reports that feature 'real' amateur footage of vampires or, in one instance, a 911 phone recording of vampire attack.  The virals follow a series of print and posters ads for the TV series which contain an even more interesting twist: a HBO tie-in with different brands to create ads that advertise products supposedly aimed specificially at vampires.  "The idea we had was based on the conceit that if vampires are living among us, why can't they be marketed to just like any other demographic?" explains Digital Kitchen on its website. "HBO loved this thought and loved our original layouts which showed a host of well-known brands, all hawking their vampire wares. HBO was crystal clear ... 'great idea, but can it actually be pulled off?' Sure we could have gone with faux brands and advertisers but what fun would that be? So we put a shortlist of brands together, mocked up some ads and started cold calling."  Among the brands that took part in the eventual campaign are Gillette, Monster, Mini, Harley-Davidson and Ecko Unlimited. Digital Kitchen then worked with the marketing people at each of the associate brands to make sure that their new 'vampire' ads were as authentic as possible.  The resulting ads are striking enough to make you look twice, and, while it's unusual to see two brands appearing together in the same ad, everyone involved ends up with the kudos of having been involved in something cool. 
06/24/2009 ~ http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2009/june/if-vampires-were-real |
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NY Daily News Gossip lists True Blood:
Hollywood High: Coolest Clique
Published: 06/24/2009 09:20:35
The cast of "True Blood"
With vampires currently all the rage, the cast of "True Blood" has heightened the public's appeal for the undead. The HBO show has enough danger, mystery and and romance to make any "Twilight" fan blush. The second season premiere of 'True Blood' was up a staggering 157 percent in rating over the season 1 premiere.
06/24/2009 ~ http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/toplists/hollywood_high_2009/hollywood_high_2009.html |
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Tater Tops 2009: What Was the Best Fight?
Today 7:36 PM PDT by Team WWK
What was the best battle of the TV season past?
Was it when Lost alpha males Jack and Sawyer slugged it out? Or how about when Grey's Anatomy boys McDreamy and McSteamy went one-on-one? Or Sookie's fight for her life against fake Cajun Rene on True Blood? Or Ballard and Echo's stylishly choreographed martial arts fight on Dollhouse? And certainly not least, what about Andy and Dwight's hilarious duel on The Office?
Go here to cast you vote! What Was the Best Fight?
06/23/2009 ~ http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b130807_tater_tops_2009_what_was_best_fight.html |
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 If there’s one thing that “Twilight” and “True Blood” fans can both agree upon, it’s that vampires don’t suck — well, they do literally suck, but… ah, you get the point. No matter which one you’re a fan of, both bloodthirsty franchises have strong support from their viewers. In a lot of cases, those viewers are active in the social media circuits like Twitter and Facebook. And while neither “Twilight” nor “True Blood” tends to edge the other out too badly in terms of online mentions, something very odd occurred to the contrary just last week. OneRiot has compiled an interesting chart that details the amount of mentions that “Twilight” and “True Blood” each receive in the social media circuit — and while they’re usually neck and neck, “True Blood” soared past “Twilight” on June 15, 2009, dwarfing the likes of Edward and Bella by eight times the normal amount of mentions. Like a vampire rising from the dead for the first time, the numbers for “True Blood” spiked on the evening of June 14, the same night that the Southern vampire drama premiered its second season on HBO. The premiere, which yielded almost four million viewers, remained a hot topic throughout the remainder of the next day. What does this mean? For starters, it means that Edward and Bella fell victim to Bill and Sookie — for one night, at least. But my real hunch? Check those numbers out again when “New Moon” comes out later this year. I got a sneaking suspicion that even the sleaziest of Bon Tempe’s residents won’t be on vampire fandom’s mind when the cameras focus on the Cullen family again. Which dynasty are you a bigger fan of? 06/23/2009 ~ http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2009/06/23/true-blood-vs-twilight-the-battle-continues/ |
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StereoSubversion Discusses Bloodlust and Sexual Lust in Music:
Album Reviews • Tuesday June 23rd, 2009 • 10:47 am  The titles say it all. In 2005, Mark Everett—or E, as he prefers being called—released an album under his Eels banner called Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, and it was exactly what its grandiose title suggested: An album that was both epic and revelatory, a sprawling double-discer in which our grizzled hero confronted head-on the death of his parents, by means of childhood reflection and sober-minded acceptance of life’s fragility. Four years later, he’s back with a set called Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire, and if the title is just as long, it’s also stranger and funnier and a bit less sweeping. The album itself is much the same way: It’s shorter—just one disc this time—and more concerned with matters primal and carnal. Blinking Lights was epic pop, but Hombre, with its werewolf-referencing title, is a dirty, raucous garage sound, pitching its tent closer to gothic blues than to Thriller-styled kitsch but maintaining a winking sense of humor nevertheless.
The title can’t help but recall a previous Eels song—“Dog-Faced Boy,” the lead track from Souljacker—and the album is surely meant to be an extended meditation on the feelings of that beastly character, whose affliction makes him genuinely special while guaranteeing that he will forever be an outcast, even as it fills him with the primal longing for companionship and acceptance. In a way, though, I’m also reminded of the HBO show True Blood; yes, werewolves bring with them a slightly different mythology than vampires do, but, as on that program, bloodlust is here used as a metaphor for sexual lust, while elements of the supernatural are used to focus our minds on what’s universally human. |
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June 22, 2009
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Jace Everett Releases New Album
"Red Revelations"
A tip came into True Blood Wiki from member Walksagain about a new album "Red Revelations" by Jace Everett , singer of True Blood's theme song, "Bad Things". Jace's web site mentions:
Monday June 22nd
Live at 12th & Porter in Nashville, TN.
Performing the entire new album “Red Revelations”, including “Bad Things (Theme Song from TRUE BLOOD), with my very rocking band!
The show will be recorded in HD video with 4 really expensive cameras. It will be beamed live right to you fine folks of the InterWebNets.
I don’t understand how it all works. Frankly, I don’t even care. I’m just glad to finally make it onto your desktop.
The show will be at 9 p.m. CST and we’ll put the URL up here at JE.COM so you can tune in.
See you there…you might wanna clean your room…we’ll be watching.
JE
06/22/2009 ~ Boadicea ~ True Blood Wiki |
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Alexander Skarsgard Was So Close To Playing Thor, He Even Tried On The Costume Published by Larry Carroll on Friday, June 12, 2009 at 12:49 pm.  Recently, he came this close to landing one of the most highly-sought-after star-making roles in Hollywood. But don’t feel too bad for stocky Swede Alexander Skarsgard, because he returns next week for the second season of the hit series “True Blood” — which takes a bit of the sting out of the fact that he won’t be Thor. “Yeah, I met with [Marvel Studios chief] Kevin [Feige] a few times and the director [ Kenneth Branagh],” the affable Skarsgard admitted when asked about rumors that he was one of the last people cut before Chris Hemsworth was chosen to play the Norse god of thunder. “There was definitely some truth in that, yeah.” When I told him I thought he had the perfect look to bring the comic book hero to life, Skarsgard had a simple — and honest — response: “So did I.” The casting process got so far along, in fact, that Skarsgard — who plays Eric Northman, a secretive vampire Sheriff on “True Blood” — even filmed an audition in the complete Thor costume, hammer and all. “Yeah,” he remembered of slipping into the hero’s threads. “That was pretty fun.” But, even though he ultimately lost the role to Hemsworth, Skarsgard told me that he’ll keep an open mind and remain hopeful to someday land another comic-book-based role. And, since Feige has made recent statements saying that the people he met during the “Thor” auditions could be brought back for other Marvel roles, we might still see him in Spandex and a cowl someday. “It depends on the circumstances,” Skarsgard said of possible roles in “ Captain America” or beyond. “It’s pretty hard to say [whether I’d take another comic role]. It depends on the circumstances - who the director is, and what the character is. But of course [I’d be interested in looking into it]. I think it’s every little boy’s dream; it would be a person’s dream to play an action hero.” What do you think? Would Skarsgard have made a better Thor than Hemsworth, or did Marvel choose the right man to protect Midgard?
06/22/2009 ~ http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/06/12/alexander-skarsgard-was-so-close-to-playing-thor-he-even-tried-on-the-costume/ |
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Interview with a vampire
 Viewers have been thirsty for the second season of HBO's True Blood: The premiere attracted 3.7 million viewers, making it the cable channel's most-watched program since TheSopranos' series finale. Stephen Moyer, the British actor who plays handsome vamp Bill Compton, chatted with USA TODAY Pop Candy blogger Whitney Matheson.
Q: Now that True Blood has returned, what sort of reactions have you been hearing?
A: People seem genuinely excited by it. I think that our first two episodes are very much about setting up new ideas for the season, and Episode 3 is when it really starts to show something completely new. I've only seen up until Episode 3, but I was blown away by it. I think it's really interesting television, and it breaks new ground.
Q: One thing we're seeing is that Eric has a larger presence this season. What is that relationship between Bill and Eric going to be like?
A: Well, it starts off as one that is respectful, because he is Bill's elder and because he's a sheriff. Bill has to kowtow to him in many ways, which he doesn't like. What'sreally interesting, I think, is that Alan (Ball, the executive producer) and the writers have set up a modern-day feudal system, like a hierarchical kind of system where you're not allowed to speak down to your elders or the person above you. It's very old-fashioned, and I really like that. So even when Bill is incredibly (ticked) off with Eric's behavior, he has to be very careful with how he voices that.
Q: Several readers sent questions for you. Annie M. asks: "I was wondering if Stephen's life has gotten any crazier since becoming a vampire, like how Robert Pattinson's life has gotten insane."
A: It's changed an awful lot. I don't think it's quite up to Pattinsonian standards, but it is lovely. (Laughs.) One thing about living in L.A. whilst I film this is that I think Los Angelenos have a very comfortable way, because they're so used to being around people from the business. They're very comfortable just coming up and saying, "Hey, man. I love your work." And then they leave you alone. It's really quite refreshing. You get the odd one who comes up and says "Bite me!" and I've literally met three people who've named their dog Sookie, and they'd like me to call after Sookie as Bill. But on the whole, it's pretty much the same.
Q: Ksulycos asks, "What is really in the Tru Blood bottles?"
A: Last season, our set dresser and prop maker came up with a really fantastic blend. It took a while to get there, because obviously it had to be the deepest red. But what it ended up being is kind of like a raspberry puree. It's like V8, but they put like 1,000 raspberries in a sieve, and they crush them and blend them. So it tastes pretty darn good, and it leaves a really great stain on your lips.
Q: Have you read the books, and, if so, how do you feel about the way the show is vastly different from the books? — Ashleigh P.
A: I have read the books, and I think Charlaine (Harris, the author) has done an amazing job of creating this world. Obviously, the books are told very much from Sookie's point of view, but I think Alan has made a brilliant choice to extend Jason's character, and to create the Tara character. Also, I think the relationship between Bill and Sookie is more loving than it is in the books, which I think is going to make it much more interesting when events occur that change that.
Q: Celia P. asks, "Do you feel your real-life relationship with Anna (Paquin) helps or hinders your performance on the set?"
A: We have now been together for nearly two years. Our relationship has grown with everybody watching us and knowing us, so we're incredibly comfortable in front of (the crew). I actually think that it helps, because we are able to try things in the sex scenes — I think we're able to do things that perhaps a couple that weren't together would never dare try. It certainly makes those moments much easier on the crew knowing that we feel comfortable. I'm so used to having them on set when Anna and I are having a love scene that when we get home and we're in bed by ourselves, I kind of miss them.
Q: Bill B. asks, "I've read a lot of criticism of how Southern culture and people are portrayed on the show. How did you prepare to portray a Southern character? What, if any, is your response to such criticism?"
A: I haven't had any criticism at all of my stuff — I've been very lucky, I think. I love the South, I love Bill. I love the way he sounds, I love doing the accent. I prepared for it quite meticulously, and I work hard on making it correct, and we did try to make him very different-sounding from all the other characters, in that he's 173 years old.
06/22/2009 ~ http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-06-22-moyer-interview_N.htm |
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06/22/2009 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XmQd6vc818 |
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Note from Boadicea: Funniest review on the web. Shouldn't put the racy pictures and comments here, but I'll tell you where to find them! Click on the headline below:
June 22, 2009 at 8:00 am by Rabid Nick Refer
06/22/2009 ~ http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2009/06/22/true-blood-sex-review-season-2-episode-1nudity-nsfw/ |
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Wetpaint TV Fandex First to Measure 'Engagement' Rather Than Just Viewership of Popular TV Programming
Initial Fandex Rankings Show Most Engaged Viewers Spend up to 5 Hours a Week Discussing a Single Episode; Weeds, House, True Blood, Command Some of the Highest and Most Sustained Online Engagement
SEATTLE, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Wetpaint released today the Wetpaint TV Fandex, the first-ever measurement tool that gauges "online engagement" with popular TV programs rather than just measuring size of viewing audience.
Measured from sources including Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Wetpaint fansites, the rankings are generated through an algorithm that tracks consumption and creation of content and fan buzz. The TV Fandex is calibrated to measure both the online footprint of popular shows with a large established fan base, as well as the velocity of emerging TV shows as they generate early online buzz.
"It's clear there is a fundamental decentralization underway in how consumers experience TV programming, but the measurement tools have remained substantially the same," said Ben Elowitz, CEO, Wetpaint. "Fans now have the tools to connect and evangelize and they are using them with gusto. The TV Fandex provides networks and producers with the first gauge of the winners and losers in creating and retaining an online audience."
Wetpaint provides an easy way for fans and brands to create fansites where consumers can share their knowledge, connect with others, and create an authentic community. The Wetpaint network of more than 1.5 million websites is dominated by TV and entertainment. A recent survey indicated that more than 30 percent of fans on Wetpaint fansites spend more than five hours a week connecting with other fans on subjects related to their favorite show.
Amid the shift towards an audience that consumes content when and where it wants, TV programmers are proactively pursuing their top fans and recognizing that the online audience has the power to drive conversations about their brand. Fans have proven to be the most durable asset entertainment companies have, and those same fans are essential when it comes to evangelizing and spreading awareness for the brands they're passionate about.
Highlights From the Wetpaint Fandex 100 Include: - Mystery, suspense, surprise result in longer tails. Programs with big reveals, surprise twists, or dramatic finales see enormous spikes in online fan activity, often with a prolonged echo effect.
- Sci-Fi and supernatural genre shows can quickly gain ground even before they premiere. New sci-fi shows like Dollhouse and Fringe ramp up quickly to rival established hits like Lost and Supernatural in online momentum and, in many cases, before the program even premieres.
- Premium series can inspire year-round fan activity. Fans of shows like True Blood and The Tudors remain engaged online long after the show's season finale and throughout the course of the off-season.
- Reality shows are hot mid-season but then online engagement drops sharply after finales. American Idol and Dancing with the Stars see a slew of online fan activity during the show's broadcast as the audience is highly engaged while watching. Online buzz for these shows has a tendency to surge with the arc of the season and drop off abruptly after the finale.
The TV Fandex 100 rankings will be updated weekly to reflect the real-time changes in audience interest and attention. Updates can be found at the Fandex website, www.fandex.com, as well as on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tvfandex.
Wetpaint Fandex 100 Top 10 (Week of June 22nd) - True Blood
- NCIS
- House
- Weeds
- Supernatural
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
- Bones
- The Mentalist
- The Tudors
- Gossip Girl
Methodology The TV Fandex 100 leverages data aggregated from multiple sources that have proven to be the most relevant, real-time, and reflective of fans' alternating passions online. A mix of search, social media, and fansite activity measures round out the most comprehensive algorithm to supplement Nielsen rankings in determining the most popular and engaging shows on TV.
About Wetpaint: Wetpaint provides the leading platform for fans to easily create and participate in online communities dedicated to the topics they care about most. With the world's largest network of 1.5 million fan-powered websites and partnerships with major brands, Wetpaint offers businesses a turnkey solution for creating and fostering passionate communities that drive traffic and increase customer loyalty. Consumers flock to http://www.wetpaint.com to create sites around topics they love; last month consumers created more than 40,000 Wetpaint fansites. For more company information, visit http://press.wetpaint.com/
Website: http://www.wetpaint.com
06/22/2009 ~ http://sev.prnewswire.com/television/20090622/SF3574722062009-1.html |
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'True Blood' recap: More complexity,
less clothing (thank you)
After the heaving sigh of relief that was last week's season premiere of True Blood (Lafayette lives! Thanks Alan Ball!), the second episode of the HBO drama's sophomore season brought a little more complication, a little less clothing, and a lot more guts 'n' blood than I ever really wanted to see. With Sookie and Bill helping Jessica acclimate to her new vampire life, Jason integrating himself into the Fellowship of the Sun, Tara continuing to delude herself into thinking the mysterious Maryann is helping her out of the goodness of her heart, and Lafayette begging for his life, the season's off to a much faster start than last year's slow-building mystery.
 Last week, Sookie forgave Bill for turning Jessica into a vampire. This week, Sookie struggled with her feelings of guilt about the whole situation (Jessica's creation being a punishment for Bill defending Sookie's honor, after all), and tried to get Bill to treat the new vampire with a little more sensitivity. Sookie asked Bill, ''Parts of your former self are still in there, right? I wouldn't be with you if they weren't.'' Bill's response was brusque and blunt: ''When a vampire is as new as Jessica is, she has no humanity.'' Still, Sookie was suckered into taking Jessica to visit her family, which culminated in a fang-bearing standoff at Jessica's parents' house (more on that next week).
Meanwhile, the dim-but-lovable Jason happily settled into his born-again life, joining in bus ride sing-alongs and capture the flag games (wait, is this a church leadership seminar or summer camp?), and unknowingly striking up a rivalry with his bunkmate, the Lukeinator. I can't decide which part of Jason's storyline mesmerizes me the most: Ryan Kwanten's magnificent shirtless torso, or the Pantene commercial-volume and bounciness of the female Fellowship campers leaders.
Maryann is still creepy, we still don't know where she came from, and we still don't know what the crap is up with her. We do know that she's back to screw with Sam for some reason, and that she uses sex to her advantage (seducing a young Sam in a flashback we saw last week, hypnotizing the customers at Merlotte's into all but boning each other on the dance floor). And poor Tara is still under the impression that Maryann is helping her out just for funsies.
I don't understand why Tara's been so implicitly trusting of Maryann from the get-go. Her character has always been so cynical about everything that it seems completely out of character for her to just accept Maryann's help. So when she told Sookie, ''Something inside me says 'This is weird Tara, don't trust it,''' I was glad we finally heard her voice of reason. Here's hoping she listens to her instincts.
As a final note, I hereby move to instate the Shirtless Law upon Mehcad Brooks, who plays Hot Dude Macking on Tara (his name is Eggs, but that is a silly name). This law has clearly already been enacted on the aforementioned Kwanten, who appears bare-chested as frequently as possible. Shirtless Law section 2A would mandate both Brooks and Kwanten to remain free of the constricting garments known as "shirts" for at least 75 percent of future True Blood episodes.
I would move to include the brilliant Nelsan Ellis in the Shirtless Law amendment, but his scenes were so incredibly gory and disturbing this week that I'd rather not envision Lafayette digging through the entrails of his less fortunate vampire prisoner (i.e. this week's vom-inducing moments) in my fantasies, thanks. Maybe next week.
Speaking of next week: OMG Lafayette as a vampire?!?!?! His impassioned plea for Eric to spare his life (sort of, because turning into a vampire would technically make him dead) was 100 percent true -- Lafayette's powerful, convincing, and damn sexy, all characteristics Eric prides himself on. Lafayette's survival has already strayed far from the books, and turning him into a vampire would add a fascinating layer to the story.
What did you think of last night's True Blood? Ken Tucker thought the second episode was a solid addition to the strong foundation laid in last week's premiere, to which I say: hells yes. Also: sorry to focus on all the shirtlessness, but half of my notes are "Ryan Kwanten shirtless THANK YOU" and "PLEASE MAKE TARA'S BOYFRIEND SHIRTLESS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE K THANKS" so I'm just going with the moments that stood out for me. I'm sure you understand. And by "sorry" I mean YOU KNOW YOU LIKED IT TOO.
06/22/2009 ~ http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/06/true-blood-recap.html |
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Interview with 'True Blood' vampire Stephen Moyer
Viewers have been thirsty for the second season of HBO's True Blood: The premiere attracted 3.7 million viewers, making it the cable channel's most-watched program since The Sopranos' series finale. Stephen Moyer, the British actor who plays handsome vamp Bill Compton, chatted with USA TODAY Pop Candy blogger Whitney Matheson.
 Q: Now that True Blood has returned, what sort of reactions have you been hearing? A: People seem genuinely excited by it. I think that our first two episodes are very much about setting up new ideas for the season, and Episode 3 is when it really starts to show something completely new. I've only seen up until Episode 3, but I was blown away by it. I think it's really interesting television, and it breaks new ground.
Q: One thing we're seeing is that Eric has a larger presence this season. What is that relationship between Bill and Eric going to be like? A: Well, it starts off as one that is respectful, because he is Bill's elder and because he's a sheriff. Bill has to kowtow to him in many ways, which he doesn't like. What'sreally interesting, I think, is that Alan (Ball, the executive producer) and the writers have set up a modern-day feudal system, like a hierarchical kind of system where you're not allowed to speak down to your elders or the person above you. It's very old-fashioned, and I really like that. So even when Bill is incredibly (ticked) off with Eric's behavior, he has to be very careful with how he voices that.
Q: Several readers sent questions for you. Annie M. asks: "I was wondering if Stephen's life has gotten any crazier since becoming a vampire, like how Robert Pattinson's life has gotten insane." A: It's changed an awful lot. I don't think it's quite up to Pattinsonian standards, but it is lovely. (Laughs.) One thing about living in L.A. whilst I film this is that I think Los Angelenos have a very comfortable way, because they're so used to being around people from the business. They're very comfortable just coming up and saying, "Hey, man. I love your work." And then they leave you alone. It's really quite refreshing. You get the odd one who comes up and says "Bite me!" and I've literally met three people who've named their dog Sookie, and they'd like me to call after Sookie as Bill. But on the whole, it's pretty much the same.
Q: Ksulycos asks, "What is really in the Tru Blood bottles?" A: Last season, our set dresser and prop maker came up with a really fantastic blend. It took a while to get there, because obviously it had to be the deepest red. But what it ended up being is kind of like a raspberry puree. It's like V8, but they put like 1,000 raspberries in a sieve, and they crush them and blend them. So it tastes pretty darn good, and it leaves a really great stain on your lips.
Q: Have you read the books, and, if so, how do you feel about the way the show is vastly different from the books? — Ashleigh P. A: I have read the books, and I think Charlaine (Harris, the author) has done an amazing job of creating this world. Obviously, the books are told very much from Sookie's point of view, but I think Alan has made a brilliant choice to extend Jason's character, and to create the Tara character. Also, I think the relationship between Bill and Sookie is more loving than it is in the books, which I think is going to make it much more interesting when events occur that change that.
Q: Celia P. asks, "Do you feel your real-life relationship with Anna (Paquin) helps or hinders your performance on the set?" A: We have now been together for nearly two years. Our relationship has grown with everybody watching us and knowing us, so we're incredibly comfortable in front of (the crew). I actually think that it helps, because we are able to try things in the sex scenes — I think we're able to do things that perhaps a couple that weren't together would never dare try. It certainly makes those moments much easier on the crew knowing that we feel comfortable. I'm so used to having them on set when Anna and I are having a love scene that when we get home and we're in bed by ourselves, I kind of miss them.
Q: Bill B. asks, "I've read a lot of criticism of how Southern culture and people are portrayed on the show. How did you prepare to portray a Southern character? What, if any, is your response to such criticism?" A: I haven't had any criticism at all of my stuff — I've been very lucky, I think. I love the South, I love Bill. I love the way he sounds, I love doing the accent. I prepared for it quite meticulously, and I work hard on making it correct, and we did try to make him very different-sounding from all the other characters, in that he's 173 years old.
06/21/2009 ~ http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-06-21-stephen-moyer-true-blood_N.htm |
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'True Blood' rings of honesty Jun 21, 2009, 10:37 PM | by Ken Tucker Categories: Television  The second episode of True Blood was even better than the second-season premiere last week. The series has found a wonderful tone of humor mixed with suspense, with a dollop of eroticism (that is, when it isn't ladling on big spoonfuls of eroticism). I'm thinking of short but potent scenes last night such as Bill and Eric in the department store, and the way the saleswoman is turned on by Bill -- vampires are irresistible. And the bigger, more important scene later on, when Maryann casts a spell over everyone in the restaurant and they all start wiggling sensuously. The subplot I'm most enjoying is Jason's time at the Light of Day leadership conference, where he's charming both leaders, Steve and Sarah (Jason + Sarah = it's just a matter of time, isn't it?). That silver "honesty ring" is going to come into play in a pretty dramatic way, I'm guessing. True Blood is avoiding cheap shots about evangelical Christianity in favor of a more nuanced exploration of the way people want to find and follow leaders, whether they're charismatic spiritual instructors or powerful otherworldly creatures like Bill or Eric. Last season, Lafayette swanned in and out of scenes with a devil-may-care attitude; now, he's in league with the devil... or whatever it is Eric represents in his infinite cruelty. As for voluntary cruelty, you can't beat Jessica trying to get back at her parents for by baring her fangs, can you? So: what do you think? Oh, and what do you make of new-waitress Daphne? 06/21/2009 ~ http://watching-tv.ew.com/2009/06/true-blood-hbo.html |
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| Michelle Forbes Wants TRUE BLOOD | |
Monday, 22 June 2009
On Season 2 of the hit HBO television series True Blood, the mysterious and somewhat sinister Maryann Forrester is stirring things up in a major way, while her true identity and her real reason for showing up in Bon Temps remain to be seen.
As the wealthy local with unknown intentions, actress Michelle Forbes is having a lot of fun working on the acclaimed show. Best known for her work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Homicide: Life on the Street, 24, Battlestar Galactica, In Treatment and Prison Break, the former ballerina promises that Maryann’s motives will be revealed, as the season progresses.
In this exclusive interview, Michelle Forbes talked about working with the talented cast of True Blood, and the devotion and dedication of sci-fi genre fans.
IESB: When and how did you know that you wanted to be an actor?
Michelle: As the story goes, I started off as a ballet dancer. I knew, pretty early on, that I needed another form of expression, and it just seemed that acting, and this idea of playing pretend and telling stories, was really fascinating to me. It was a natural progression, out of the dance world and into the world of theater and cinema.
IESB: How did you originally become a part of True Blood? Was it just through a regular audition?
Michelle: I came in towards the end of the first season, and it was a meeting like any other, to be honest. The show hadn’t aired yet, so I wasn’t aware of it. I hadn’t read the books. It was just that new vampire show on HBO with Alan Ball. That’s what I knew. There’s no great story about that initial meeting, I have to say.
IESB: Have you read any of the books since then?
Michelle: After everything was signed and sealed, I do remember running out and buying all of the books. I read the first one, pretty darn quickly, and then I decided to stop reading them because I wanted to tell the story that we were telling and that Alan was telling. And, I’m glad that I did because, although he uses a basic geography of the book, the story is actually his own, as well as Charlaine Harris’. An adaptation is an adaptation, it can’t just be a translation because you have different time constraints, etc.
IESB: For those who might not be familiar with the show yet, who is Maryann and how does she fit into the story?
Michelle: What I’ve been saying about Maryann is that she’s very mysterious and she likes her mischief. She has got quite an agenda, in this town, and she is going to have one hell of a time when it comes to light. She’s a wacky one. It’s been total fun to play.
IESB: What can viewers expect from Season 2, for your character?
Michelle: It’s so difficult to talk about this show without giving anything away. But, what I can say is that Maryann likes to have a lot of parties. She likes for there to be a lot of food around. She has a very strange entourage with her, at all times. She lures Tara into her world, but she’s just fascinated by everyone in Bon Temps and she wants to leave her footprints all over that town.
IESB: Will audiences learn more about what her agenda is?
Michelle: Oh, sure, but the story runs over the entire season. There are different storylines going on at once. Out of that main storyline, in the middle of the town last year, it spun off into these different stories. Bill and Sookie are in Dallas, there’s the Fellowship of the Sun storyline and there’s the Maryann storyline in Bon Temps, and these stories spin autonomously. As the season progresses, you understand all of these stories a bit more.
IESB: Who does Maryann interact with the most, throughout the season?
Michelle: Tara, Sam, Arlene, the whole crown at Merlotte’s and Detective Bellefleur, played by the extremely talented and hilarious Chris Bauer. Bill and Sookie are off in Dallas with Eric, so it’s the Merlotte’s crowd.
IESB: Since you came to this world later on, were you nervous at all about working into a show with a cast that had already established relationships with each other?
Michelle: No, that’s kind of what we do, as actors. I always consider myself as somebody who’s constantly changing schools. I’m just always starting over in school. No, it’s great, actually. I prefer coming into shows in the second season because you have a true understanding of what the show is, everyone is at home, they’ve dug their heels in, and you get to come in and just fly on that energy that’s already been established. This show hadn’t aired yet, when I signed on, but we all suspected that it was going to do extremely well.
IESB: How much were you told about this character from the beginning, and how much has been developing as you go along?
Michelle: I was told a lot, yet interestingly very little. That sounds like a riddle, but playing Maryann has been a bit of a riddle. There were more conceptual discussions, initially. I didn’t quite understand how it was fitting into the stories that I was getting every week. Now that time has gone on, I see how fascinating it is, and how this character has also evolved in the writers’ room, in the costume fittings, on set with all of us and in the editing room. It really is such a collaborative show, and Maryann was definitely a group effort.
IESB: What was it about Maryann that you found so appealing? How can you relate to her?
Michelle: I don’t know that I can relate to Maryann, but I’m sure other people will. What I found so fascinating about her is that she’s completely liberated from everything. She has no sorrow, no guilt and no remorse. She doesn’t live with the same rules that we live with. Oddly, that was intimidating, at first. We always say that we want to be happy, free and content, and live with no rules, but when we’re given that, it’s terrifying because we tend to operate better with structure and guidelines. So, initially she was a bit frightening, but I didn’t realize what a gift she was until about half-way through the season. I had just finished doing this series in Canada, called Durham County, that was all about sorrow, remorse, guilt, regret, dead children and all sorts of light, fun things. You think you’re fine, but you don’t realize that you’re not fine until you’re back in the world, and I think if I had to go into another tortured role, I probably would have killed myself. So, playing Maryann, and experiencing her sense of fun, mischief and play, has been a lot of well-needed fun.
IESB: Since Maryann’s motives are so mysterious, how do you think audiences will react to her?
Michelle: I’m not sure. It will be interesting to find out. We all hope that the mystery keeps people intrigued and not frustrated. But, there’s so much going on, with all these different storylines and all these fantastic things that we get to play, that I think it will fit in nicely. This season really just clips along at a wonderful pace.
IESB: What’s it been like to work with Alan Ball and this cast? 
Michelle: It’s a very tight bunch, who are a very dedicated, passionate, committed group of people. You can’t ask for anything better than that. It’s almost like there’s a thread of gratitude on that set that you don’t always see. I’ve had the great luxury of working with so many wonderful companies, but there’s a real energy and enthusiasm on this show. And, of course, Alan is the best. He’s having a ball on this show, and it totally shows. He wanted to have fun, after Six Feet Under, and that’s really evident.
The writers are having a blast and we’re having a blast, and that kind of joy can’t help but really pad the fun and the beauty of what we’re doing. Everybody’s just so game. People aren’t sitting around complaining and saying they don’t want to do something. Everybody’s just ready to go.
Everybody wants their next challenge. From every department to every actor to every writer, everybody is pushing each other to go further and further, and that is such a great environment to work in, as opposed to being on one of the major networks, where everybody is living in fear of what the studio, the network and the audience is going to say. Alan just gets to tell the story, the way he wants to tell it and, if you want to come and sit down at our dinner table, great, and if you don’t, that’s cool too.
IESB: Were you at all surprised by the huge acclaim the show has received and the devoted fan following that it’s gotten?
Michelle: Not really. I’m not surprised by it. Wow, that genre audience is massive, isn’t it? It’s dedicated and committed, so I’m not surprised. It’s always fascinating to me, how these things happen, all at the same time. Vampires are so big right now, not that the show is just about vampires. It’s not even slightly just about vampires. But, Twilight is so in the forefront of everyone’s conscience right now. We’re just in the Vampire Age. We’ll all look back and say, “Oh, I remember the Vampire Age of 2009.” All of us, inevitably, get asked the question, “Are you a vampire fan?,” and so few of us were. I certainly wasn’t. But, what I love about this show is that they break all those vampire stereotypes. If you die at different times, you’re not going to have one cookie-cutter idea of a vampire, so in that sense, he’s made these non-humans more human by bringing them into our modern culture and placing them smack-dab in the middle of this small Southern town.
IESB: Now that you’ve been doing the show for awhile, do you feel like you have more of an understanding for why people are so intrigued by this genre?
Michelle: My theory is that we’re in a big national depression, with the economy and people being out of work. We have the hope of a new administration, but we don’t know what’s going to happen yet and we’re exhausted from worrying, and I think that it’s just a good bit of fun. It’s escapist, and it’s fun for smart people. Alan still asks questions about family and love, the pack mentality thinking, and how susceptible we are to judgement and having our minds changed about things we don’t understand. And, he’s able to explore these themes, but it never gets too heavy. There’s always a pratfall right behind it, or a really gross sex scene, or something that will shift the tone. There’s something to appeal to everyone, with this show. A lot of men watch this show, and they wouldn’t normally. Alan and Charlaine have really just hit on something that is appropriate for this moment, right here and now, that is exciting and fun for everyone. People are tuning into these reality shows that I find completely mindless, but this show is escape that isn’t mindless.
That’s why people are responding to it. And, we’re just having so much fun, how could you not want to come to the party? So many of the vampire excursions are so brooding and depressing, and everyone is just so tortured, all the time, and Alan brings so much humor to this, but it’s adult humor. This is a real and funny, adult look at modern vampires. What’s great about the show is that it’s also in the deep South, which adds another texture to it. It’s rooted in that part of America, where it’s very racially divided, so race is a big issue. And, it’s not just about vampires. It’s about shape-shifters, telepathic waitresses, maenads and the town drunk. It just has all of these wonderful elements, and this season is crazy. It gets insane this season. There were times, at the table reads, where I couldn’t believe what we were about to shoot. It’s quite interesting and it opens up quite a bit.
IESB: What’s been the most enjoyable thing about working on this show, and what’s been the most challenging thing about it?
Michelle: The most enjoyable thing, for me, is just never knowing what’s ahead. It’s a little like Christmas, opening up those scripts. There’s a certain amount of trepidation because you don’t know what’s going to be asked of you. And, what’s been most challenging is playing someone who’s absolutely free of any of the things that we’re usually restrained by. That was probably the most challenging. I felt like I didn’t know where to move, at first. Then, you’re just given all this really rich, wonderful material, and this fun stuff to do, and that became the fun part of it. What was challenging initially became the fun of it.
IESB: Since you’ve also been involved with other shows that have had devoted followings, like Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek: The Next Generation, have you gotten used to that kind of fan reaction, or is it still surprising, every time it happens?
Michelle: It’s still pretty surprising. I am always surprised. I shouldn’t be, at this stage of the game, but I am. All of these shows that have this kind of cult following, it’s because it is tapping into something in the unconscious that is delighting people, be it for good or bad. For the last 10 years, we’ve had this obsession with horror films where they are the genre film of the moment. Why is that? They had disappeared from the landscape, for awhile there. They were here and there, every once in awhile, but not in the way that it has been, this past 10 years. Now, it’s just come back, full force. It’s always interesting to me that you can chart what people are looking for through the stories that we’re telling.
What Alan has done, without being heavy-handed in the slightest, is use a genre piece and use it as this beautiful political allegory, like what Battlestar Galactica did as well. Something very deep and beautiful was born on that show, and it was allowed to be born because it grew under the banner of a genre show. That’s true with True Blood as well. It seems fun and sexy on the top, but we’re actually looking at some series stuff too, like human relationships, and our sense of injustice and judgement of others, and people and things we don’t understand. The inner conflict happens for each of these different characters in different ways because they’re different beings. And, it makes us question ideas of compassion and judgement, of ourselves and others, how we restrict ourselves and our own thinking, and how we are terrified of our own thinking, so we’ll latch onto group thinking. It explores all these different things, but in the meantime, you get to watch a lot of pretty people, running around in hardly any clothes.
IESB: Can you talk about juggling True Blood, Durham County and In Treatment? How do those schedules all work out?
Michelle: I love to work. There’s an adventure that comes with every job, and you can never have too much adventure in your life. I have been busy this last year. I did the last couple of episodes on the first season of True Blood, and then I was on a plane to Montreal to do the Canadian series Durham County, which was very beautiful and I’m so pleased that I got to be a part of it. There was a possibility that I wasn’t going to be able to do it because of HBO. I was in Montreal for three months, and then I was in New York for a fitting for In Treatment, two days after I finished Durham County, and was just running on adrenalin from that job. I did a couple episodes of In Treatment, was in bed sick for the holidays, and then started on True Blood in January.
It’s wonderful. I’ll never complain about having too much work, but all three characters were so different and I’ve been living my own little repertory theater for over a year, jumping in and out of these different characters. It’s been a joy because they’ve all been such wonderful writers. Laurie Finstad-Knizknik, who wrote Durham County, is just such a brilliant woman. To jump from her pad and pencil over to Alan’s pad and pencil has just been a real joy.
IESB: Did it help that the characters were all so different?
Michelle: It really helped that they’re so different because they all helped me to shed the last one. This woman that I played on Durham County, Pen Verrity, held a lot of sadness and sorrow, and I didn’t realize how much I was carrying around with me. Maryann helped me to shed Pen, the more I became immersed in her. I think Pen would have stayed with me a lot longer, had I not been able to jump into Maryann right after.
IESB: Are there types of roles or specific genres that you’re still looking to do, that you haven’t gotten the chance to do yet?
Michelle: I want to do a period piece because I’ve never done one. I’ve always said that I just wanted to do one of everything. I got the Western out of the way. But, I have wanted to do one of every genre. I did the American cop drama, I did the British cop drama, and now, I’ve done the Canadian cop drama. I just always want new and different. I never know what I want, but I usually know what I don’t want, and what I don’t want is what I’ve already done before. I’m always just waiting to see what else is out there, to see what new adventure is going to be had.
TRUE BLOOD airs every Sunday on HBO. Photo Credit HBO / Jaimie Trueblood
06/22/2009 ~ http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_ezine&task=read&page=1&category=2&article=7062 |
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| Alexander Skarsgard is out for TRUE BLOOD | |
Monday, 22 June 2009
As Eric Northman, the 1,000-year-old Viking vampire who is also the owner of the local vampire bar, Fangtasia, on the acclaimed HBO television series True Blood, Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard has quickly become a fan favorite.
Even though he called himself a “glorified extra” in Season 1, the actor/director is much more involved in Season 2, partaking in the action going on in Dallas with Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her vampire boyfriend, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).
In this exclusive interview, Alexander Skarsgard talked about how fans will be getting to see much more of him this season.
IESB: What can viewers expect from Season 2 of True Blood?
Alex: They can expect a lot. A lot is going on. In Season 1, we had to create the world, invite the audience into that world, establish all the characters and tell the audience a little bit about that. Now, in Season 2, we can hit the ground running because the audience is already on board and is already a part of this world.It’s going to get pretty crazy, from the get-go. A bunch of us go to Dallas to find an old, missing friend of Eric’s. At the same time, crazy stuff is going on in Bon Temps. Major mayhem is going on there. It’s going to be a wild season. From Eric’s point of view, it’s much more personal than Season 1. In Season 1, Eric was the entrepreneur, doing his thing, and walking around and being the bad-ass vampire. In Season 2, you’ll hopefully understand him a little bit better and see more than just the evil vampire that people sometimes think he is.
IESB: Do you think he enjoys the mayhem and craziness?
Alex: He enjoys it. He enjoys the attention and he enjoys being in the midst of it because he’s very confident and he knows how skillful and strong he is. He likes adventure, for sure, but he’s not thrilled about what he has to do in Dallas. It is very personal and it’s something that means very much to him. So, it’s not a vacation, where he’s just going out to play. It’s definitely a matter of life and death for him.
IESB: Are you enjoying the fact that Eric has a much bigger role this season? Will viewers get to learn more about what his motivations are?
Alex: Absolutely! After Season 1, people came up to me and were like, “Oh, you’re the evil vampire leader on True Blood.” I understand why people would think that, but I would always have to defend Eric because I think there’s so much more to the character than that. There is actually a more sensitive, vulnerable and loyal side to him as well.
IESB: This season has more gore and is more gruesome than Season 1 was. Do you enjoy doing those scenes?
Alex: Yeah, I love it. Eric didn’t do anything in Season 1. You can sense that he is violent, strong and powerful, but he didn’t have to show it, at all, in Season 1. I think the audience wants to see a little example of that, and we give it to them.
IESB: Can you talk about the relationship between Eric and Bill, and how that will be developing this season? And, what has it been like to work with Stephen Moyer?
Alex: I love Stephen. He’s a fantastic guy and we’re having a lot of fun on set, which is good because we spend a lot of time on set, just hanging out. Eric sees Bill as pathetic. He’s a kid. He’s not even 200 years old, and he’s naive. Eric is much more jaded and he’s seen so much more than Bill has. Bill is old school and he believes in humanity, in a way that Eric doesn’t anymore.
IESB: Were you at all surprised by the huge acclaim that the show has received, and the devoted fan following that it has? Could you have ever expected your character to get such a huge following, even though he wasn’t featured much, in the first season?
 Alex: Yeah, I was shocked. I’m pretty much a glorified extra in Season 1. I didn’t do much. I didn’t expect anything, and I was overwhelmed when it started airing and I got all the reactions. It was very flattering, of course.
IESB: Because Eric can be so brutal, do you worry about also making him likeable? Or, does he even need to be a likeable character?
Alex: No, I want people to like him and understand him, but at the same time, know that he’s super-aggressive, ruthless and a killer. I think it’s that duality, with both sides of him, that makes him very interesting, as a character.
IESB: Why do you think Eric is so interested in Sookie?
Alex: Eric doesn’t really know what it is that intrigues him. He’s been around for a thousand years and he’s quite jaded. He doesn’t think much of humanity anymore. And then, she comes along and there’s something there, but he can’t really put his finger on what it is. He can’t really read her, and that definitely intrigues him.
IESB: How has it been to work with Anna Paquin?
Alex: It sounds so cheesy and people always say it, but I have a blast on set with Anna and Stephen. I really, really love the cast. It is a pleasure going to work, every morning. Hopefully, people will see that we actually really do enjoy being on set and working together, in the dynamics of the relationships between us.
IESB: What’s been the most enjoyable thing about working on the show, and what’s been the most challenging thing about it for you?
Alex: I enjoy everything. Every single part of it is great -- just going to work, every day, and working on this show. It’s HBO and it’s Alan Ball. Just look at the cast, and the writing is phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for a better job. I’m so happy to have the job. And, it was challenging, definitely in the beginning, when I was trying to find the character. I was reading the books and trying to figure out who this guy was, and also trying to find that balance of making him likeable, but menacing. I wanted people to be intimidated by him, but intrigued, at the same time.
IESB: Did you find it difficult to get used to talking with the fangs, or did that come naturally for you?
Alex: In the beginning, it was definitely tricky. It was really hard. They come out when you’re aroused or aggressive, and it doesn’t really fit, if you can’t talk with them.It definitely took some practice.
IESB: Now that you’ve been on the show for a little while, do you feel that you have more of an understanding for why people are so intrigued by vampires and the whole genre?
Alex: Yeah. First of all, sex and violence are always something that attracts an audience, and vampire stories usually have a lot of both. And, vampires symbolize consistency and something that’s permanent, in a world where everything is constantly changing -- humans, animals, nature and even mountains will change over time. To have something that will just stand the test of time is attractive. Eric has been around for a thousand years, and he hasn’t changed one bit. That intrigues people. What makes good drama is that people are intrigued by that and drawn towards it, but at the same time, that comfort they feel in something that is consistent, is also lethal and can kill them in a second. That creates a good platform for drama.
IESB: Are there any characteristics of Eric’s that you wish that you had or could apply to your own life?
Alex: Yeah, all of them. As an actor, I believe the character has to be born within you, and come from within you. It has to be that organic. Obviously, you have to dig deeper to find some things than others. Some things just come naturally, and some things you really have to dig within you to find. But, as human beings, we have all those characteristics within us. I don’t believe in good people and evil people. I think we’re all a combination of both.
IESB: How did you get involved with doing the Lady Gaga music video for “Paparazzi”? What was that experience like?
Alex: The director, Jonas Akerlund, is a very good friend of mine. He called me and told me about the project and said, “Does that sound like a fun thing?” And, it did. I liked the story and his pitch of it. I just thought it was a fun thing to do.
IESB: Are you hoping to continue working in both Sweden and America, or is your career focused solely in America now?
Alex: I live in the States and my career is based here, but I’m going back in August, for a week or two, to complete a movie that I started last year. Even though I don’t live there, Stockholm will always be my home. My friends and my family are there, and I grew up there. I hope to be able to go back regularly and work on Swedish projects as well.
IESB: Are there types of roles or specific genres that you’re hoping to do, that you haven’t gotten the chance to do yet?
Alex: I’d like to jump from one character to another, that are different, and from one genre to another, that are quite different. What keeps me motivation and going and on my toes is to find new challenges and find projects that are different from what I’ve just done. Going from Generation Kill, two years ago, to True Blood was a completely different project and a completely different character. That triggers my creativity. Hopefully, after Season 2, I’ll do a movie or two, where I can find characters that are different from Eric.
TRUE BLOOD airs every Sunday on HBO. Photo Credit HBO / Jaimie Trueblood
06/22/2009 ~ http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_ezine&task=read&page=1&category=2&article=7063 |
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Beauties and Their Beasts in the Horror Genre
Throughout history, there have been tales, legends, what-have-you about beautiful women and their effect on creatures considered unworthy or dangerous or abominations. The “love of a good woman” scenario carried to an extreme as these women do indeed usually fall in love with their hideous “captors”. Many of these stories go way back in oral history: fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast, several Greek myths - Persephone and the God of the Underworld. But it is in horror films that we see this phenomena the most. All the way back to Lon Chaney and his Phantom of the Opera – although it could easily be argued that Christine was none too pleased when she de-masked her captor. But there are other horror (horrible?) couples that have endured in the genre:
1. King Kong and his Ann Darrow (Fay Wray in 1933, Naomi Watts in 2005) – King Kong is the film that gave us the famous line, “It was beauty killed the beast.” And it did…
2. Jean Cocteau’s brilliant 1946 La Belle et La Bête where again, beauty (Belle) wins the heart of the horrific beast (La Bête). But this time there is a happy ending. Sort of…
3. The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) and his “love”, Kay Lawrence (Julia Adams). But again, ‘twas beauty (and science) which led to the demise of the beast. And Kay’s inability to hold her breath very long was a deal-breaker too. By the way, this is the 55th anniversary of the release of The Creature and in its honor, The Creature from the Black Lagoon: The Musical will soon be opening at Universal Studios. Show the Scaly One some love and check it out!! 
4. In 1958, The Fly (David Hedison) gave his love, Helene Delambre (Patricia Owens), MORE than enough reasons to begin divorce proceedings but instead, she decides the best course is to put her husband out of his misery (that takes a LOT of love!). And in 1986’s version, poor Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) and his lovely lady, Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis), again decide that a mercy killing would be the best way out of a REALLY bad situation.
5. The gentle, tender love of Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) for Kim (Winona Ryder) in Tim Burton’s 1990 fairy tale. Just thinking about that film and the unrequited love Kim and Edward had for each other makes me cry.
6. Francis Ford Coppola claimed his 1992 film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was the most faithful re-telling of the 1897 novel and it was, to a point. But having Mina Murray (Winona Ryder) fall in love with the young Dracula (Gary Oldman) was stretching it a bit although who could blame the girl. Oldman was HOT!
7. Beasts are abundant in HBO’s hit “True Blood” but the hottest couple is Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her immortal love, William Compton (Stephen Moyer). Cayenne pepper hot!
8. Also on television , back in the late 80s, were Vincent (Ron Perlman) and Catherine (Linda Hamilton), making female viewers swoon with their update on the “Beauty and the Beast” tale. 
9. Going even further back was Dan Curtis’ “Dark Shadows”, where vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) was working his eternal-loving way through most of the females in the Collins family, present-day and past. And viewers LOVED it!
10. And who could forget James Whale’s 1935 masterpeice, The Bride of Frankenstein, although it is debatable who was more the beast: Frankenstein’s Monster (Boris Karloff) or his hissing, don’t-want-NONE-of-that bride (Elsa Lancester). As for beauty, well, in this film, that would be in the eye of the beholder.
11. In 1932, Karl Freund’s The Mummy gave us the seriously eternal love of Im-Ho-Tep (Boris Karloff) for his princess, Anck-es-en-Amon (Zita Johann). Unfortunately, reincarnation can have its drawbacks, memory-wise, and Helen Grosvenor, the modern-day incarnation of the princess, was less than thrilled with her suitor.
12. A rather twisted “romance” but I think there was a little sumthin’-sumthin’ going on with Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) as far as his feelings towards Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) were concerned in Jonathan Demme’s 1991 The Silence of the Lambs. And Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine)…well, he loved himself. Perhaps a tad too much.
I am sure I have forgotten quite a few memorable horror "romances" as well as some which are debatable as being romances
(Leatherface and “Stretch” in TCM 2 – that was more of a “crush”) so feel free to add your picks in the Dread Central forum. And remember, true love never dies ...
- Elaine Lamkin
06/22/2009 ~ http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/32216/beauties-and-their-beasts-horror-genre |
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Personal experiences feed vampire mysteries
Monday, June 22, 2009 3:07 AM Associated Press  Danny Johnston|Associated Press Author Charlaine Harris MAGNOLIA, Ark. -- Vampires typically roam the foggy streets of London or the humid nights of New Orleans -- opulent worlds filled with beautiful monsters and formal balls. Trailer parks and honky-tonks didn't fit -- until author Charlaine Harris took a chance with a telepathic barmaid named Sookie Stackhouse. Now, Harris' "Southern Vampire Mysteries" series has hit the New York Times best-seller list, gained fans far beyond her southern Arkansas town and inspired a TV series on HBO (True Blood). Fueled by sex, violence and hints of humor, Harris' novels hold a mirror up to a South where race and societal change permeate her prose. At first, though, she said, her only concern was finding something that would sell. "I'm no crusader," said Harris, 57 and a mother of three. "I just like to make a point. If people get it, good. If they don't, OK." Stackhouse's fictional hometown of Bon Temps, La., resembles the South in which Harris grew up -- filled with waitresses who wear Keds sneakers and shop at Walmart. Trailer homes dot the rural pastures of the northern Louisiana town, and pickup trucks fill the parking lot of the bar where Harris' heroine works. That sense of place allows the fantastic to seem commonplace, especially as wereanimals, fairies and witches crowd into the story around Stackhouse and her vampire associates. Even the vampires, though satiated with artificial blood produced in Japan, struggle with scheduling nocturnal home repairs. "I just drew on my knowledge of what it's like to live in a small town from the viewpoint of a person who has very little disposable income, . . . a person who's really having to count their pennies, plan ahead to pay their property tax," she said. The picture pretty much describes Magnolia, a city of 11,000 about 20 miles from Louisiana. There, the small county courthouse sits in a square near a gazebo. Murals of magnolia flowers and oil derricks, once the town's lifeblood, cover building walls. A diner across the street hosts a workday crowd. Even those who've never read her books stop the author in the grocery store. She volunteers at her church, where members don't raise eyebrows at her violent, racy tales. The county library, a converted church, stocks a shelf of Harris novels, including her early mysteries. "Everything Charlaine writes goes over like a helium balloon in Magnolia," said Dana Thornton, assistant library director. Harris' Stackhouse novels read quickly, ramping up at chapters' ends in the pattern of her many trade paperback mysteries. The novels also provide a glimpse of social criticism. Vampires, once in self-imposed exile, "come out of the coffin," an intended parallel to the acceptance of gays in the world. "It just seemed like a very similar situation to me," Harris said. "It's just admitting publicly the existence of something that we've always known existed privately." The vampires attract Stackhouse, a mind reader, because she can't hear their thoughts. They brood like other vampires in books and films, but Harris endows them with a dark power that harks back to Bram Stoker, said Kevin Durand, a professor at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. "They're still not the cuddly little teddy bears with teeth kind of deal; they're still a threat," he said. "The only reason that they don't wipe out everything is because they restrain themselves." Race also plays a part in the novels. Few black characters exist on the pages, a fact Harris acknowledges. The author grew up in Tunica, Miss. The town's high school integrated in 1969 when Harris was a senior. In her books, folks angry with societal change make their way into Stackhouse's town after supernatural creatures reveal themselves. Her travails -- romantic and otherwise -- will continue for at least four more books, the author said. The next adventure is due in October, with Harris exploring some loose ends. But that sense of small town and the details of Harris' life will continue to fill the pages of her novels. "You've got to use everything you have." 06/22/2009 ~ http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/06/22/1A_VAMPIRE_SERIES.ART_ART_06-22-09_D1_5VE7KRB.html?sid=101 |
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New service tracks online interest in TV
Will measure engagement on
Facebook, Twitter, Google By James Hibberd June 21, 2009, 08:34 PM ET Web site creation service Wetpaint has launched a measurement system that tracks fan interest in popular TV shows. Billed as the first measurement tool of its kind, TV Fandex tracks the level of "fan engagement" of popular programs on Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Webpaint's own network of 1.5 million user-created fan sites. "It's clear there is a fundamental decentralization under way in how consumers experience TV programming, but the measurement tools have remained substantially the same," Wetpaint CEO Ben Elowitz said. "Fans now have the tools to connect and evangelize, and they are using them with gusto. The TV Fandex provides networks and producers with the first gauge of the winners and losers in creating and retaining an online audience." The first week of public Fandex rankings show HBO's "True Blood" receiving the heaviest online engagement, followed by CBS' "NCIS," Fox's "House," Showtime's "Weeds" and Fox's canceled fan favorite "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Fandex.com plans to release weekly Top 100 rankings. There are existing ways to measure a brand's online popularity, including BuzzMetrics from Nielsen, the parent company of The Hollywood Reporter. Fandex is billed as the first system built specifically around providing an apples-to-apples comparison of TV series interest among social media networks. "We need to solve the problem of which shows have fan enthusiasm, not just across the TV dimension," Elowitz said. Broadcasters recently have seemed more willing to extend the lives of struggling shows that have heavy online fan interest. NBC's "Chuck" and Fox's "Dollhouse" received renewals after demonstrations of intense fan appreciation, though Fox's "Terminator" was unable to garner a pickup. According to Wetpaint, the most engaged viewers spend up to five hours a week discussing a single episode of a program. Although networks have largely been unable to monetize online popularity, a show having strong Web buzz generally results in more traffic for a network's site, higher DVD sales for the program's studio and a deeper level of brand engagement that can attract advertisers seeking integration opportunities. 06/21/2009 ~ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i34e2ede5adb7e1e8b586dc093041da69 |
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True Blood Sucker Punch: Episode 2
document.write('Your request is being processed...'); Your request is being processed... Pop Culture Critic Posted: June 21, 2009 09:33 PM
NOTE: This post contains of spoilers. Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week's episode of True Blood. Before I get to the latest installment, "Keep This Party Going," let me say that after posting last week's journey through the season opener, I went on vacation. Last night, when I surfed back here to see if anyone had commented on my post, I expected to find five or six responses. Instead, I found forty-nine. You guys, that's awesome. I look forward to spending the rest of the season with you! And now back to the important question: When does "Keep This Party Going" go the furthest over the top? Last week's Sucker Puncher, Maryann Forrester, can almost claim a repeat victory. It's delicious to watch her turn Merlotte's into a writhing almost-orgy, complete with patrons whose eyes turn black as they dance under her spell. You've also got to love a gal who will transform a restaurant owner into a dog. The customer is always right, y'all, and if she says it's time for you to shapeshift, then it's time. I can't quite give her the prize, though, due to some script holes. For instance, why doesn't Maryann arouse more suspicion when she orders everything off the menu? After what's gone down in Bon Temps, shouldn't the townsfolk be more conscious of strange behavior? And why-God-why doesn't Sookie do anything after she learns that Maryann's thoughts are both delivered in a male voice and are spoken in some crazy ancient language? This is the time to pull Tara aside and say, "Girl, get out. Mercedes McCambridge is doing a voiceover for your hostess at the luxury palace." But does she do that? No! Instead, Sookie announces in front of the witch lady that she wants Tara to move in. I almost spit out my Fresca when that happened. Doesn't Sookie realize that could put Tara in danger? Is she so wrapped up in her Bill-Jessica-Gran's memory drama that she's lost all sense? Sigh. That kind of inconsistency keeps Maryann and all of her subplots from being Sucker Punchable. Thankfully, this episode also lets Sookie be stupid in an interesting way. Anna Paquin effectively communicates the guilt and sympathy that convince her to drive Jessica to her old house. Sure, it's obviously a terrible idea, but it's not hard to understand why Sookie wants to be a big sister/confidante to this teenager in distress. And boy, do things get gauche when those two get together! First, how awesome is it that Sookie tells Jessica to change clothes before going to see her family? Jessica's miniskirt is actually a bit longer than Sookie's booty shorts, and Jessica's top reveals much less cleavage. Later, the show reaches one of its all-time peaks when Jessica threatens to destroy her abusive family. The scene is brilliantly written because it deepens Jessica's character not through dialogue, but through action. When she's holding her father by the throat, we instantly learn about the type of undead girl she has become and the type of soul-dead girl she used to be. Another nice touch comes when Tara is sussing out Eggs Benedict. It's not particularly gaudy, but when he confesses that he was in prison for drugs, she asks, "Selling or dealing?" That tells you a lot about Tara's life. Rather than being aghast at the thought of drugs, she implies she's created an internal standard for drug-related offenses. And speaking of drugs... I am once again beholden to my favorite hooker-dealer, Lafayette. For several reasons, he almost, almost gets Sucker Punch honors this week. When he gets shot while trying to escape Fangtasia and still manages a sassy comeback for his assailant? Awesome. When he talks smack to Vampire Pam about being a survivor first and a hooker last? Awesomer. When he suggests that he could be Eric's bad-ass vampire, if only Eric would turn him? Awesomest. (Bonus points go to that scene, by the way, because it lets us enjoy Eric's new haircut and track suit.) Yet despite Lafayette's strong showing, the Sucker Punch of the week comes from Amanda, the slutty-yet-virginal Christian pop singer who coos the instant classic "Jesus Asked Me Out Today" at the Fellowship of the Sun Retreat. I mean, how can you get trashier than that? The song and the singer are both designed to inspire dirty thoughts and then instantly make you feel guilty for having them. That defines the tone of the anti-vamp cult that Jason has fallen into. Could it be more obvious, for instance, that Sarah "Wife of the Boss" Newlin wants to help Jason sharpen his stake, or that Jason's retreat roommate Luke is about to melt with jealousy over Jason's success? I can't wait to see where it all goes. And whatever happens, I hope we get another single from Amanda. I'm anxious to download "Second Date With Jesus (And This Time We Had Beer.)" Follow Mark Blankenship on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CritCondition
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Best comment of the week:
"... declare it a day and retire to our caves with the first season of True Blood and a case of Mike's Hard Lemonade."
Week in Review: Pattinson Bumped! Speidi Bounced? Brangelina Gives Back! Jon & Kate Giving Up?
Natalie Finn Natalie Finn – SunJun21, 10:56amET Los Angeles (E! Online) – So it's the weekend already! Although, really, it couldn't have come fast enough for us. Robert Pattinson can only have so many brushes with death, David Letterman can apologize only so many times and Brangelina can donate only so much money before we declare it a day and retire to our caves with the first season of True Blood and a case of Mike's Hard Lemonade.
To read the rest of the article: True Blood & Mike's Hard Lemonade
06/21/2009 ~ http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b130271_week_in_review_pattinson_bumped_speidi.html |
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Charlaine Harris is having a bloody good time Published: Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, June 19, 2009 at 6:42 p.m.  If you're looking for summer reading with some bite to it, Charlaine Harris has just the thing - her Southern vampire mysteries. The books feature Sookie Stackhouse, a barmaid with telepathic powers who can recognize the vampires living among the human residents of Bon Temps, a fictional town in northern Louisiana. The first book in the series was the basis of the HBO hit series "True Blood." Charlaine Harris Schulz, 58, was born and raised in the Mississippi delta. She says she's wanted to be a writer "since about fourth grade," and began writing mysteries under the name Charlaine Harris shortly after attending Rhodes College in Memphis.After two series that established her place among mystery writers, Harris wanted to try something different. Something she could sink her teeth into, you might say. The result was her Southern vampire series. Harris caught the recent wave of popularity of vampire literature with the publication of her first Stackhouse book, "Dead Until Dark," in 2001. She has been riding it ever since. The eighth book in the series, "From Dead to Worse," came out in paperback this spring. The ninth, "Dead and Gone," was released in hardback. Harris is now at work on the tenth. "I'm not really writing about vampires. I am writing about a young woman who dates a vampire and the trials and tribulations that come with that," she says. Her target reader is an adult, unlike the teen fans of Stephanie Meyer's vampire fantasy series. Preferably an adult with a sense of humor. Alan Ball, creator of the HBO series "Six Feet Under," is one reader who was captivated by Sookie Stackhouse and her adventures.Ball was early for a dental appointment one day and browsing through Barnes and Noble when he came across "Dead Until Dark."Enjoying it, he continued reading the series and halfway through the third entry, "Club Dead," became interested in bringing Harris' vision to television. He contacted Harris about adapting the material and both thought that television was the ideal medium for the series. The result was "True Blood," which has been critically acclaimed and won several awards, including one Golden Globe, for its first season. The HBO series will launch its second season June 14, this time picking up Sookie's story from Harris' second book in the series, "Living Dead in Dallas." "I had an option on the books before, for a movie," Harris says, "but I felt that Alan understood the books, got their mixture of horror and humor, and that he would do justice to them." Harris said she has no input into the TV series, but trusts Ball's judgment. She laughs, long and loud, when asked if the TV series has improved sales of her books. "Yes, my sales have probably increased by a multiple of five." The Stackhouse series has been published in 25 countries. "I don't know what the common appeal is....if I did, I would have done it a lot earlier in my career," Harris says. "I was trying to write a book that amused me, and I guess it works for other people as well." Harris and her husband live in southern Arkansas. They have two sons, ages 25 and 21, and an 18-year-old daughter who is just finishing high school and is a champion softball player. "I have three dogs, a ferret, and a duck...lots of friends, a church, and all the usual stuff," the author says. "Many people are surprised when they meet me to discover I'm a really normal person," Harris admits in a telephone interview. "To which my answer would have to be, 'No, I'm really not. But I enjoy just being myself.' " She describes herself as "a middle-class person at heart, but with that other streak that has powered me through so many years as a writer." It's that "other streak," no doubt, that led her to order her own set of custom-made fangs from a guy called the Count of Montrose. "They're really comfortable," she says. Once she'd heard that fellow mystery writer Elaine Viets had a set, "I couldn't rest until I had my own." If Harris has any regrets about her increasing recognition as a writer, it is that requests to travel, speak and advise others on the craft all steal from the time she sets aside for writing. "The more well known you become, the less time you have to actually write," she concedes. She'll make her first trip to North Central Florida at the end of July, as the featured speaker for the Anhinga Writers' Studio Summer Workshops (formerly the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Writing the Region workshop). Her favorite tip for other aspiring writers is simple: "Read as much as you can. Then put your butt in a chair and write." 06/21/2009 ~ http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090621/articles/906211003&tc=yahoo |
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News June 21: Swanni's 10 Hottest Shows In HDTV! By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (June 21, 2009) -- High-Definition TVs are now in more than 30 million U.S. homes and there are scores of high-def programming choices.
But which shows should you watch? And why?
Every day here at TVPredictions.com, I scan the HD programming aisles and serve up 10 programs so good -- so hot! -- that you can't miss them. Sports, movies, primetime comedies and drama -- they're all there and in beautiful high-def.
We call this list, "The Hottest Shows in HDTV!" And here they are for Sunday, June 21, 2009: (All times Eastern -- and don't forget the link below to today's 'HD Hottie -- in fact, today there are 6 of them!
1. He's Just Not That Into You
Any movie that stars Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Anniston and Ginnifer Goodwin -- and is called He's Just Not That Into You -- has to be populated with a male cast that would be eligible for multiple Tony Awards, if you get my meaning. Oh, well, chicks liked it. Wonder why. Think it's because it gives them perverse pleasure to see obligatory hot women getting dumped? Nah.
See our 'HD Hottie' profile of Scarlett Johansson.
See our 'HD Hottie' profile of Drew Barrymore.
Cable and satellite HD VOD
2. MLB Baseball
Braves at Red Sox.
TBS, 1:30 p.m.
3. Indy Car Racing
The Iowa Corn 250 from Newton, Iowa.
See our 'HD Hottie' profile of Danica Patrick.
ABC, 1 p.m.
4. Golf
The final round of the U.S. Open.
NBC, 1:30 p.m.
5. Soccer
FIFA Confederations Cup. Brazil vs. Italy.
ESPN 2, 4:30 p.m.
6. Merlin (new)
Series debut. NBC unveils a summer miniseries produced by the BBC about the famous magician of mythical times. Of course, this is primetime TV so Merlin's character is young and dashing. The Boston Globe calls it a show that "plays too much like The O.C. with swords, crowns, and a cheesy CGI dragon (voiced by John Hurt)." Well, if Mischa Barton shows up, it can't be all bad.
NBC, 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
7. MLB Baseball
Dodgers at Angels.
ESPN, 8 p.m.
8. True Blood (new)
Season debut. Anna Paquin is back as Sookie, a psychic waitress who falls under the spell of a 173-year-old vampire; the chick digs older guys, I guess. And I do mean, 'digs.' The vampire series is from Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball. Tonight, Sookie and Bill must contend with the new teenage vampress. (Evan Rachel Wood joins the cast this year as a 500-year-old vampire queen; 500-year-old vampire queen? Big deal; you could find one of those in the Village.)
See our 'HD Hottie' profile of Anna Paquin.
See our 'HD Hottie' profile of Evan Rachel Wood.
HBO, 9 p.m.
9. Impact (new)
Miniseries debut. Natasha Henstridge stars as a scientist who has 39 days to stop the Moon from colliding with the Earth. Bet I get hit with one of those damn golf balls. Part two will air next Sunday.
See our 'HD Hottie' profile of Natasha Henstridge.
ABC, 9 p.m.
10. Entourage
HBO airs back-to-back repeats of the comedy based loosely on the early days of Mark Wahlberg in Hollywood. (When no ingenue was safe to walk the streets.) The new season starts July 12.
HBO, 10 p.m.
Click to see Monday's program picks.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
06/21/2009 ~ http://www.tvpredictions.com/sunday062109.htm |
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Is True Blood the New Twilight?
Today 6:30 AM PDT by Ted Casablanca
 Todd Williamson/Getty Images, Dave M. Benett/Getty Images
Don't get us wrong, Twilight is our one true love when it comes to those deliciously fanged types. But when we want to get our more scandalous Nikki Reed side going, we turn to vampire porn True Blood. The gothic HBO show has a bunch of things Summit wouldn't dare let its presh kids partake in (onscreen anyway!): kinky sex (complete with actual nudity), blood-drenched violence and a public relationship between the main stars!
We sure wouldn't kick Stephen Moyer away if he tried to bite us, but S.M. and his real-life lover, Anna Paquin, are certainly no Robsten—they don't even have a fun couple nickname! (PaqMo? So not sexy!) The costar sweeties realized the chemistry was there from their very first audition together—how familiar!—but waited two years to announce they were an item. Is that how long we'll have to wait for Robsten to follow suit?
Quite possibly. Until the entire Twilight franchise is pumped out, we're told Rob and Kristen will still be babysat big time. As we've explained over and over for those who keep asking why Robsten is a bad thing to studio execs, the likelihood that two young, delectable stars are going to be together forevah and keep their pants zipped up for everyone else is slim to none. And no one can have two actors love each other on screen and hate each other off. Buh-bye million-dollar movie franchise. Luckily for HBO, naughty is more than encouraged!
Check out the next ep of Blood's season two tonight, and don't think you're cheating on your beloved Edward and Bella. T.B.'s ab-tastic Ryan Kwanten told us there are no harsh feelings between casts of the two shows, so it's perfectly all right to enjoy both sorts of vamp entertainment!
—Additional reporting by Becky Bain and Taryn Ryder
06/21/2009 ~ http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/the_awful_truth/b130286_true_blood_new_twilight.html |
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Q&A: 'True Blood' cast
Very interesting answers & questions - possible SPOILERS !! Go to the following link or click on each picture for the individual Q&A:Atlanta Metromix
06/21/2009 ~ http://atlanta.metromix.com/tv/essay_photo_gallery/q-and-a-true/1243796/photo/all
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Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter coming to the small screen June 21, 8:37 AM Vampires and the paranormal are big in book news lately. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels will be making it's way to a television near you. More adult than Meyer's Twilight and more violent than Harris' Southern Vampire series, which became the HBO series True Blood, the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels have a diverse following that has been loyal through 16 books. Skin Trade, Hamilton's newest title, becomes the 17th book to feature Anita Blake in her complicated life as vampire hunter, necromancer, and US Marshal.
The Independent Film Channel (IFC) will be starting production on "Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter" this summer with plans to air the film in the summer of 2010. Produced by Lionsgate and After Dark Films, the fictional feature film will be based on Hamilton's best selling series. Bringing elements of fantasy, mystery and action the film will follow the main character Anita Blake through her work as a police consultant and necromancer as well as her private life with it's complicated relationships that involve a master vampire and alpha werewolf. Anita Blake is a hardened vampire hunter who works to solve paranormal mysteries with her unique insight and very special skill set.
Anyone looking for a new vampire series should pick up Guilty Pleasures, the first book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. It is easy to fall in love with this character and once you start you won't be able to stop. The series has also been adapted into graphic novels by Marvel Comics. All of Laurell K. Hamilton's fans have an exciting new aspect of her work to look forward to with the release of "Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter" next summer.
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Evan Rachel Wood Talks True Blood On 06.21.09, In TV, by Paul Larn
Evan Rachel Wood finally spoke about her casting in Season Two of True Blood last week, revealing some tantalizing details about her character, and the story of just how she came to be cast in the series for a guest spot.
Details about Evan Rachel Wood’s scheduled appearance in Season Two of HBO’s “True Blood” alongside Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer have been pretty sketchy even since the news was first leaked. All we knew was that she would be portraying the “Vampire Queen of Louisiana” and that we wouldn’t get to see her until the end of the season.
The good news is that Evan sat down with Newsweek just the other day and shared some information on how she came to be cast in the series (it turns out she is a big fan) and what her character will be up to when we finally get to see her.
“I actually put in a phone call to [series creator] Alan Ball and said, ‘I love the show, I’m obsessed with it, seen every episode; if there’s ever a part, keep me in mind.’ It looks like I’m going to be in the last two episodes as the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. I’ve been watching The Lost Boys and my favorite vampire movies. It’s a lot harder than I imagined. I’m working pretty hard on the script. But I don’t think I’ll really be able to find the character until I’m in wardrobe and I’m in fangs.”
I guess that when a legitimate Hollywood A-List actress calls you to ask if you can find a part for her… you find one pretty quick. Are there are any actors or actresses out there who wouldn’t want to work with Alan Ball? Probably not many. I’m actually a big fan of Evan, so this is a pretty dreamy casting call.
So, okay. She got the part. What exactly will she be up to?
“And of course she’ll be in a steamy sex scene….But it’s with a girl. That’s all I’m going to say. I don’t think vampires are really gay or straight. I think she just prefers women.” Good answer. It seems pretty obvious by now that Ball’s Vampires are more sexually awakened than what we’ve seen in the mainstream before “True Blood”.
New episodes of “True Blood” air each Sunday on HBO at 9pm. For further information see hbo.com/trueblood
06/21/2009 ~ http://www.thecinemapost.com/2009/06/21/evan-rachel-wood-talks-true-blood/ |
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Author! Author!
About two dozen authors assembled in the Municipal Auditorium of Shreveport last Saturday to celebrate the written word, pass on advice to aspiring writers and autograph books.
Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series set in the fictional town of Bon Temps, La., spoke to a large crowd, informing them of her upcoming titles and giving an inside peak into both her books and the HBO TV series "True Blood," which is based on her novels.
Harris said the first book in the Stackhouse series, "Dead Until Dark," took two years to sell.
"It got turned down more than any other book I've ever written," she said. "It's now in its 16th printing.
"It really has surprised me that Sookie Stackhouse has been so successful," she added. "And if I knew what the secret was, I would have done it 20 years ago."
Other authors visiting the annual festival were James Nolan, author of the award-winning "Perpetual Care;" Louis Maistros, author of "The Sounds of Building Coffins;" Kathy Patrick, author of "The Pulpwood Queen's Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life;" North Louisiana romance authors Connie Cox, Winnie Griggs and Lenora Worth; and Sheila Goss, author of the young adult series "The Lip Gloss Chronicles," among many others.
06/21/2009 ~ http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20090621/LIFESTYLE/906210318 |
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(Ahhh ... Boadicea's home.)
Husted: Colorado girls dream big, dazzle stage and screen Posted:06/21/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Sunday Bloody Sunday. Denver kid Molly Burnett, 21, moves from her role as Melanie Layton on "Days of Our Lives" to a vampire-fighting lead singer in the Christian band Amanda Jane and the God Rockets in tonight's episode of HBO's "True Blood." Burnett, who is building up some Hollywood cred during these days of her life, grew up in Littleton, where her mom and brother still live. It was in Littleton High and community theaters that she caught the bug, appearing in "Noises Off," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Seussical," and in the title role in "Annie." But she was taken aback when she saw a scene from "True Blood." "I hadn't seen the show so I watched a random episode," she told me. "And it was the one where a vampire is sleeping with this girl who is all tied up and I'm going, 'Oh, my gosh!' But my best friend told me it wasn't all like that and that the show was great and it would be really cool to be on it."
Molly Burnett will appear in "True Blood."
06/21/2009 ~ http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_12656666 |
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Preview: ‘True Blood’s’ ‘Jesus Asked Me Out Today’ Performance
“Days Of Our Lives” star Molly Burnett guests on HBO’s “True Blood” in a provocative performance as part of the fictional band ‘Amanda Jane and the God Rockets’ singing “Jesus Asked Me Out Today.” Check out the episode Sunday, June 21 at 9 PM.
06/19/2009 ~ http://www.accesshollywood.com/preview-true-bloods-jesus-asked-me-out-today-performance_video_1127975 |
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Inside Entertainment Weekly’s ‘True Blood’ Cast Photo Shoot
Watch as the cast of HBO’s “True Blood” poses for the upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly. Plus, the cast describes their must haves for movies, TV and books. And, they answer the question of who they would bite if they were really a vampire.
06/19/2009 ~ http://www.accesshollywood.com/inside-entertainment-weeklys-true-blood-cast-photo-shoot_video_1127109 |
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True Blood: Nelsan Ellis Teases Lafayette's Crazy Season
Jun 19, 2009 08:15 PM ET by Mickey O'Connor
 Nelsan Ellis Sunday's True Blood premiere answered at least one burning question: Is Lafayette alive? Answer: Yes! Nobody is more surprised by this turn of events than Nelsan Ellis, the actor who plays Lafayette.
As a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse novel series, on which Alan Ball based the vampire drama for HBO, Ellis knew that Lafayette, Merlotte's wisecracking cook — and part-time pornographer/drug dealer — is totally dunzo after Book 1. When he arrived on set for the finale episode's table read, he prepared himself for the end. "I thought, this was fun, time to look for the next gig," he says.
But then... what's this? That painted toenail in the car didn't belong to Lafayette after all! "'You know we're not going to kill you, right?'" Ellis remembers Ball telling him. "And I was like, 'Noooo...'" Ball told the actor that he decided to keep Lafayette in the cast after shooting a scene between Ellis and Rutina Wesley, who plays Lafayette's cousin, Tara, in the pilot episode. Ellis and Wesley have combustive chemistry for sure, which Ellis attributes to their long friendship. (They attended Juilliard together in the early '00s.) So now that Lafayette has been spared, what's next for the flamboyant entrepreneur?
When we last saw him, he was chained up in a dungeon watching a fellow prisoner get disemboweled by a very cranky Eric, his vampire captor. Ellis reveals that, this season, Lafayette's fate will be inextricably tied with that of the vampires, but that their relationship won't always be quite as adversarial. "[Lafayette] stays with the vampires basically throughout the season," he says. "I guess how deep down the rabbit hole he goes with Eric is the biggest teaser I can give."
"Eric makes people beholden to him," says Ellis. "He did it to Sookie, and now he does force Lafayette to work for him to repay him for something he's done for him." Oh jeez, Lafayette isn't going to become a vampire, is he? Not any time soon, says Ellis. "I have a sneaking suspicion that, in the future, the vampires are going to learn to respect him and not mess with him," he says. "He's going to find a way to elevate his position with them. Lafayette is a survivor, so he's not going to stay in this scared state too long." Excellent!
http://www.tvguide.com/news/true-blood-nelsan-1007122.aspx?rss=breakingnews ~ 06/19/2008 |
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Vampire-themed campaigns push 'Blood' Faux ads feature major brands
TV shows typically don't have the backing of major advertisers the way Hollywood tentpoles do upon their release.But for the second-season launch of "True Blood," HBO enlisted eight major marketers to create vampire-themed campaigns in major newspapers and magazines, on billboards and across the Web. It's a push any marketing maven would die for.
The Mini car brand touts a blood-red convertible with the tagline "Feel the wind in your fangs" while Geico claims it can save vampires 15% on auto insurance. Monster.com offers "thousands of night shifts," and a new fragrance from Marc Ecko promises to "attract a human," accompanied by a titillating shot of a vamp about to snack on a model.
Comcast, DirecTV and Harley-Davidson were also involved in the effort scared up by Digital Kitchen, which produced 30 ads for the brands, and designed the main titles for the show.
HBO was looking for a campaign that stressed how vampires live among us, with vampire-specific product concepts from the companies. The faux ads look like stuff the brands might actually conjure up themselves.
"Our goal was to ignite curiosity and inspire buzz about the show," says Zach Enterlin, VP of advertising and promotions for HBO. "Authenticity is really important and critical to credibility."
The irony is that HBO doesn't air advertising its own channels, nor does it accept fees for product placement. HBO wound up footing the bill for the paid ads, which run through the rest of the month. The campaign will continue online and at events like Comic-Con throughout the season.
Marketers are ever eager to tie in with hot properties, and the "True Blood" campaign could give TV nets some new ideas of how to take a page from movie marketing and creatively use consumer brands to make their shows stand out with viewers.
The visuals have seemed to help "True Blood's" return: The season-two bow on June 14 attracted 3.7 million viewers, up 51% from season one's finale. An encore gave it a combined 5.1 million.
"It's becoming increasingly difficult to resonate with consumers given how cluttered the advertising marketplace is," Enterlin says. "Any chance we get to reach out to a consumer beyond a traditional print ad and 30-second spot is an opportunity we really need to seize."
06/19/2009 ~ http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118005177.html?categoryId=2526&cs=1 |
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Nathan Barr (composer) Talks About True Blood
And select 'Nathan Talks About True Blood'.
  
 
Posted by Boadicea ~ 06/19/2009 ~ True Blood Wiki |
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Exploring vampires and Irish roots in True Blood and Buffy: the Vampire Slayer June 19, 10:39 AM  It's no secret that vampires have continued to captivate the attention of audiences for centuries. HBO's True Blood was record-breaking--according to Metro Philadelphia, the second season's premiere boasted 3.7 million viewers. Many credit this to Alan Ball's successful treatment of the southern vampire world created by Sookie author Charlaine Harris. However, one might argue that the genre sells itself--for some very specific reasons. Vampires are of course sexy, scary, forbidden, and undead. In True Blood, they also happen to be capable of amazing feats in the bedroom. The most gripping aspect of the show is arguably during the first season, when the community of Bon Temps, Louisiana starts to recognize vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) as an individual. The Descendants of the Glorious Dead (a group in the show which gathers to discuss the civil war and the role their ancestors played in it) takes particular interest in Compton, who was a soldier in the war. It is this aspect of intrinsic heritage--the ability to touch and listen to a being of living history--that encourages many of the residents to interact with Compton rather than fear him. This primary appeal and fascination of vampires is vital to the success of the brand of vampires created by Charlaine Harris and further explored by Alan Ball. The enormous success of this vampire revival is not to be attributed to True Blood alone--the success of Twilight with the too-young-for-HBO crowd is staggering--but not surprising. Naturally, it's an Irishman to blame for all this hype. After all, without Bram Stoker's Dracula, would we even think of vampires today? In Dracula, Stoker managed to take very real cultural standards and fears and prey on them using a vampire--his notoriously extensive research on the subject matter helped him immensely. Most importantly, Stoker managed to utilize his innate and distinct Irish storytelling practices to relate Dracula in epistolary form. These storytelling sensibilities combined with the mythical ambience of vampires inevitably married the style and the content in a way that furthers the cultural appeal of vampires today (no doubt others might postulate the same about Rowling's handling of magic and Britishness in Harry Potter in years to come). The Irish connection in contemporary vampire stories is not limited to style and fancy--it appears in very concrete fashion in vampire tales of various sorts. In Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, Angel (David Boreanaz)'s vampire creation flashback takes viewers to a time in Ireland, highlighting the importance of the Claddagh Ring to the vampire (the ring itself, of course, having always been wildly popular among Irish Americans). Without providing spoilers, it is imperative to mention that heritage--and Irish heritage specifically--does play an important role in the future of the True Blood characters--unless Ball decides to deviate further from the books. Like Stoker, author Charlaine Harris conducted detailed research on her subject matter, which does grow to include legend and lore of mythical and very Irish proportions. Again, this connection to heritage, and Irish heritage in particular, is very important for the audience of any vampire tale. As we humans all have heritage, it provides a clear way to connect with the other, the unknown, and the vampire itself. 06/19/2009 http://www.examiner.com/x-1458-Philadelphia-Irish-American-Community-Examiner~y2009m6d19-Exploring-vampires-and-Irish-roots-in-True-Blood-and-Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer |
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Alexander Skarsgård  Confession time. I have a kink for vampires. The undead don’t generally have to work terribly hard to endear themselves to me. And if that vampire happen to be six feet and four inches of pure Nordic gorgeousness, then their job is even easier. Step up to the plate, Alexander Skarsgård.
It may be his current role as enigmatic Viking vampire Eric Northman in HBO’s True Blood that has raised his international profile, but Skarsgård has long been an established star in his native Sweden. Son of renowned actor Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander made his own screen debut at just seven years of age, and went on to become a popular child star. Unnerved by his growing celebrity, he turned his back on acting at the age of thirteen to pursue other interests. He studied Political Science, served in the Swedish Marines, and was contemplating a return to school to study architecture when the acting bug finally bit him once more. Since then he has accumulated over fifteen international film and television credits, not to mention been voted Sweden’s sexiest man no fewer than five times. Eat your heart out, George Clooney!
He made his Hollywood debut with a small role in the movie Zoolander (2001), but it was in the acclaimed mini-series Generation Kill (2007) that he really made his mark. Shrugging off initial doubts about his casting, he completely dropped his Swedish accent to convincingly portray real life US Marine Sgt Brad ‘Iceman’ Colbert, earning widespread critical praise and no doubt bringing him to the attention of the True Blood casting bods.
With a strong pedigree and obvious talent already in his favor, Alexander’s growing legion of female fans will also be pleased to learn that this is one thespian who isn’t exactly precious when it comes to taking his clothes off. As well as a joking insistence that he should have nude scenes written into all his contracts, he has also claimed that he will pose as a Playgirl centerfold in exchange for “a chicken burrito and a pint of strawberry ice cream.”
So with True Blood returning this month for its second season, shall this sexy Swede be putting his money where his mouth is and giving us Eric Northman in the buff? We can only wait and see. In the meantime, does anybody have a good recipe for a chicken burrito?
( 06/18/2009 http://ones2watch4.com/celebrities/actors/alexander-skarsgard/ ) |
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Possible Spoiler (?)
7 Things About Evan Rachel Wood The Whatever Works star talks about Woody Allen, playing a lesbian vampire and recording her own music. Jun19, 2009 Evan Rachel Wood played a rebellious teen in Thirteen, a Beatles-singing hippie in Across the Universe and Mickey Rourke's daughter in The Wrestler. This week, she tackles a Woody Allen comedy. In Whatever Works, Wood is Melodie St. Ann Celestine, an innocent Southern belle who falls for an old Woody-like crank, played by Larry David. NEWSWEEK asked the 21-year-old actress to tell us seven things we don't know about her. Excerpts: 1. Woody Allen personally offered her the part. "He wrote me a letter, saying he thought I would be good for the role and that he was going to send me the script. He was very funny. He said if I didn't like it, we would find something else to do together, and of course I thought, 'Are you crazy?! Of course I'm going to like it.' It was an honor. It was intimidating at first. Because I didn't audition and I'd never met him, so I didn't want to let him down. He's very sweet, very warm—not as neurotic as some people might think." 2. Next, she'll vamp it up—as a vampire in HBO series True Blood. "I actually put in a phone call to [series creator] Alan Ball and said, 'I love the show, I'm obsessed with it, seen every episode; if there's ever a part, keep me in mind.' It looks like I'm going to be in the last two episodes as the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. I've been watching The Lost Boys and my favorite vampire movies. It's a lot harder than I imagined. I'm working pretty hard on the script. But I don't think I'll really be able to find the character until I'm in wardrobe and I'm in fangs." 3. And of course she'll be in a steamy sex scene. "But it's with a girl," she says. "That's all I'm going to say." Wait!? Evan Rachel Wood playing a lesbian vampire? "I don't think vampires are really gay or straight. I think she just prefers women." 4. In real life, she's been bitten by a former costar. Wood is dating Shane West, who played her brother on the TV drama Once and Again. "We've been friends for a really long time," she says. "We fell out of touch for a few years, and it just kind of happened. It clicked." Is it weird to date someone who used to be related to her on TV? "No," she says. "Acting is acting. It was never an issue, really." 5. Wood writes her own songs, but she probably won't release a CD. "I just started composing my own songs and singing," she says. "I might just make a MySpace or a Web site or just make my music available if people want to hear it. Because I kind of like it being more low-key, and if somebody finds it, that's great. It's a very 'old lounge singer' Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Patti Page kind of vibe. They're my favorites." 6. Those pipes will come in handy next year when she stars in the Julie Taymor Broadway production of Spider-Man. "It's been my dream for as long as I can remember to do Broadway. I sang on Once and Again,and I sang in Across the Universe. I grew up in musical theater. You've never seen a Spider-Man like this. It's going to be like a rock-and-roll circus show, and U2 is going to be doing the music." 7. She won't be getting stage fright this time around; she worked out all her jitters recently in a charity production of Romeo and Juliet at her father's theater in Raleigh, N.C. "I hadn't been on stage for about 13 years," Wood says. "I was extremely nervous that first night. I was shaking. I couldn't even get an earring in my ear." (http://www.newsweek.com/id/202717 06/19/2009) |
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Sink your teeth into a 'True Blood' necklace by Susan Langenhennig, Fashion writer, The Times-Picayune Thursday June 18, 2009, 12:40 PM  AP Photo Was there a sale on track suits in Bon Temps? Eric, center, played by Alexander Skarsgard, wears an eagle-talon necklace by Pamela Love under his warm up jacket in this scene from HBO's 'True Blood'.
Main character Sookie is a veritable Daisy Duke for the undead. Her scoop necks and short shorts provide easy access to crucial arteries.
Brooding vampire Bill is a fan of henleys. Shapeshifter Sam keeps it real in tight wranglers and snap-front plaid.
And then there's Eric. The Viking vampire sheriff, we learned on Sunday, highlights his hair. In a sneak-preview clip, he also sports what appears to be a velour warm-up suit while shopping in Wal-Mart.
And yet, Eric, played by Alexander Skarsgard, apparently does have an eye for edgy jewelry. In a future episode he sports an eagle-talon necklace by New York designer Pamela Love.
Outside of the undead, Love's work is a darling of the fashion press. It's sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey New York, and her claw bracelets appeared in a Fall 2008 Gap ad.
 New York designer Pamela Love made the eagle talon necklace.
The necklace goes on sale Monday for $60 in the HBO store, www.HBO.com/store.
(www.nola.com/fashion/index.ssf/2009/06/true_blood.html 06/18/2009)
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Thursday, June 18, 2009 As mentioned before, I do not watch much network television. The last mainstream show I tuned in was the two-hour farewell to NBC’s “ER” on April 2. Most of the time, sports, movies or programming from pay networks HBO or Showtime are playing in my living room theater. On Sunday, I had the season premiere of HBO’s “True Blood” on my agenda. I’ve written about the show before — new age vampires are trying to fit into the American way of life, and most are assisted by the synthetic plasma drink “TruBlood.” It’s kind of like non-alcoholic beer for the vampire set — OK, but not entirely satisfying. Anyway, a new mystery started just a few seconds into Sunday’s second season opener. A con-woman voodoo queen who showed up a few times last year showed up in a parked car minus a heart — ripped out — and plus a look of frozen horror on her face. Barnabas Collins never had the guts to try this move on Angelique the Witch on the old 1960s-70s soap opera “Dark Shadows.” Remember that one? I remember trying to watch “DS” as an 11-year-old in 1966. An afternoon show with a vampire, and it was on every day. What could be better? But the continuing story that never ended, sappy characters and all that talk, talk, talk had me back outside after about three days. I kept waiting for Barnabas to DO SOMETHING. It seemed all he ever wanted to do was talk, talk, talk someone to death. The poor lady in “True Blood” might not have suffered surgery by vampire. Nobody knows nothing yet, but I’ve got a feeling the mysterious “Maryann,” played by sci-fi fan fave Michelle Forbes, is going to fit into the scheme. Probably by late August. Part of the deal with this show, and really, most of the popular pay-per-view network shows, is you’ve really got to sign on for the whole story. If you miss a show or two, you’re sure to miss some important fact, quote or character that’s going to be important later on. So it’s the old soap opera formula that I tried and dismissed 43 years ago — you keep coming back. For HBO, a story unfolds chapter by chapter about vampires, mobsters, a polygamist, the old West and a travelling carnival. But unlike “Dark Shadows,” where story lines stretched for months, each HBO or Showtime series wraps up after 12 one-hour episodes. And with the on-demand feature I get with my cable service, I can watch any episode at any time. I guess the racy natures of these shows are other reasons I tune in. Language and scenes can be pretty graphic, and I think that’s why these shows have been considered such fresh takes for TV. Like I said before, Barnabas Collins just necked, and talked, talked, talked; the vampires on “True Blood” often treat their victims like plates of chicken wings with extra barbecue sauce. Bones crack, and the “sauce” goes everywhere, often in giant sprays and puddles. I kind of like most of the characters in “True Blood,” like Anna Paquin’s spunky Sookie Stackhouse, Stephen Moyer’s polite Civil War-era vampire Bill Compton, and even Sam Trammel’s poor soul of a bar owner, Sam Merlotte. Not crazy about the little dog Sam occasionally turns into. And I am waiting for the werewolves to show up. I’m in for a pint, in for a pound. “True Blood” is my show for the summer, at least until “Big Love” starts its fourth season. Love conquers all, they say. (www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/wilkin/2009/jun/18/new-blood/) |
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Get your ‘Blood’ flowing You’d be a sucker to miss Stephen Moyer in the new season of ‘True Blood’  Moyer glamouring his fans “We’ve had a couple of TMZ moments, but nothing too scary,” Stephen Moyer says of the side effects of his “True Blood” fame. “You suddenly understand why Sean Penn hits people a lot.”
Luckily, most run-ins have been with enthusiastic fans: “I was at the dog park the other day and somebody had named their dog Sookie, and so they asked, ‘Can you call my dog in the style of Bill?’”
“I couldn’t believe how brilliant and fun and dark and twisted it was.” Moyer
Never mind the fact that the actor stars in the HBO hit “True Blood” as Bill Compton, one of the hottest undead heroes to emerge from the coffin since Dracula. The supernatural just isn’t his thing.
“It isn’t my go-to genre,” the self-described avid reader admits of sci-fi/fantasy. Curious, considering “True Blood” is based on Charlaine Harris’ beloved Sookie Stackhouse novels, a series chronicling the adventures of the vampire-loving, telepathic Southern waitress. “But when I read the script, I was transfixed,” the 38-year-old Brit explains. “I couldn’t believe how brilliant and funny and dark and twisted and odd it was. What [‘True Blood’ exec producer Alan Ball] created is a framework in which people can talk about relationships.”
Even as the interpersonal drama heats up in the second season of “True Blood,” 2009 is the age of “Twilight,” and the show’s otherworldly elements are hard to overlook. Season 2 picks up in the swampy Louisiana town of Bon Temps, where 20-something Sookie (Anna Paquin) and her boyfriend, the 173-year-old Bill, are venturing into a somewhat normal relationship. Luckily for viewers, the happy couple hasn’t settled into weekend brunch and trips to Bed, Bath and Beyond just yet — there are frightening new monsters stalking the town. Just as jaw-dropping: the couple’s uninhibited, uncensored sex life, even more scintillating now that the real-life relationship of Moyer and Paquin has become public.
“We’ve grown up as a couple in front of our crew, so I don’t think [the intimacy] was ever difficult for them,” Moyer candidly offers. “When we have sex in front of them [on set], it’s very ordinary and normal. All right, so we have some weird, crazy mud sex, and there’s some very odd, weird biting and some odd blood sucking and blood swapping, but ultimately it’s a love story. And so when we get home, and it’s just the two of us in bed, we kind of miss the crew a little. Do you think that makes us weird?” he asks, laughing.
By “True Blood”’s smart, sexy, scary, unabashedly fun standards, it’s not any bit out of the ordinary.
(www.metro.us/us/article/2009/06/18/22/4532-82/index.xml 06/18/2009)
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from Loving True Blood in Dallas by truebloodindallas@gmail.com (" Dallas ")  The Sookieverse story 'Bacon' will be in this anthology. P. N. Elrod (ed.) Strange Brew (Anthology) St Martin’s Griffin (US: 7th July 2009) In Charlaine Harris’ “Bacon”, a beautiful vampire joins forces with a witch from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband. In “Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs, a blind witch helps sexy werewolf Tom Franklin find his missing brother – and helps him in more ways than either of them ever suspected. And in Jim Butcher’s “Last Call”, wizard Harry Dresden takes on the darkest of dark powers – the ones who dare to mess with his favorite beer.
(www.LovingTrueBloodinDallas.com 06/18/2009) |
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from Loving True Blood in Dallas by truebloodindallas@gmail.com (" Dallas ")  Anna Paquin is showing a lot of skin these days.First, the actress best known for winning an Oscar at age 11, went topless in her hit HBO series "True Blood."Now she has posed for a fun bikini beach photo shoot for the July issue of Self . PHOTOS: Click for pics from the Self photo shoot, and more photos of Anna through the years. “After I was cast [in "True Blood"] and realized my body would be exposed all the time, I went out and bought some shorts—I owned none!—to help me get used to it,” she told the magazine. And used to it she has become. Her role as Sookie, which involves the aforementioned nudity, as well as lots of stunt work in miniskirts, has helped her shed any inhibitions she may have had. “You stop thinking, 'do I look weird at this angle?'” she says. “I’ve learned to feel very comfortable wearing very little. It’s liberating!” Read on and look ta photos here
(www.LovingTrueBloodinDallas.com 06/18/2009) |
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Help Alex win a Tubey award for his performance as Eric by going here, clicking on the tab that says “13-16,” and scrolling through the “Favorite Actor” box for Alex.
(EricNorthman.net 06/18/2009) |
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from Loving True Blood in Dallas by truebloodindallas@gmail.com (" Dallas ") 
In a time now lost in the mists of memory, the great King Arthur rules in the legendary citadel that is Camelot.
His Knights of the Round Table commit acts of derring-do and spend their spare time jousting, much to the delight of the local citizens and especially to Princess Ilene, a guest at Camelot. Watching her from afar is a young, inexperienced squire called Valiant, and when the young Welsh princess is sent home to marry Prince Arn, Valiant contrives to accompany her masquerading as Sir Gawain. Meanwhile, the evil sorceress Morgan le Fey, sister to King Arthur, has convinced the tyrannical Sligon, ruler of the Viking kingdom of Thule, that he should steal Arthur's sword, the powerful and magical Excalibur, knowing that its loss could bring about Arthur's downfall.
So into the fray comes Sligon's unstable and psychotic brother Thagnar, who manages to steal the sword. Pandemonium reigns. But Valiant is having problems of his own - kidnappers attempt to steal away the Princess, and after various skirmishes, including one with a mysterious character who lives in a cave and purloins treasure, women and other things of value, Valiant manages to return the Princess to her homeland - although he also manages to have a duel with the Princess' jealous fiancé, Prince Arn. All things converge as Valiant is finally informed of his heritage by the stranger from the cave... Boltar of Thule. He informs the lad that he is Prince Valiant, rightful heir to the kingdom of Thule, and with his help, Valiant returns to the land of his birth to rightfully claim what is his.
(www.LovingTrueBloodinDallas.com 06/17/2009)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119947/ |
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