No Cable in Memphis ? True Blood for free and drink specials !

Times are tough, and maybe you've had to cancel your cable subscription. Now what will you ever do without your weekly dose of True Blood or Entourage?

On July 30th, HBO announced the hit vampire show True Blood will be renewed for a third season next summer, and the Hollywood-based comedy Entourage will see a seventh season next year.

Until you can afford to renew your subscription, catch the current seasons of both shows on the large HD television screen at Mary's Memphis (405 N. Cleveland) during Stimulus Sundays every week.

While you're there, take advantage of crazy awesome drink specials like 75 cent drafts and $1.25 longnecks until midnight.

Who knew bloodsucking would be so marketable?

From the Globe and Mail -Canada

Talk about vamping it up – the stylish and sexy undead are hogging the culture spotlight

The undead sure are lively. Everywhere you look in entertainment these days you see vampires.

First there were the books, three different series of neck-biter novels, bestsellers all. The Vampire Diaries , the young-adult series by L.J. Smith (five have been published, with two more on the way), centre on a teenage girl named Elena who falls for a hot bloodsucker named Stefan.

The Sookie Stackhouse series (also known as the Southern Vampire series), written by Charlaine Harris, features Sookie, a cocktail waitress in steamy Bon Temps, La., and Bill Compton, the courtly, 173-year-old vampire who alternately protects and ravishes her. (On the July 10 New York Times paperback mass-market fiction list, Harris's books held seven of the top 25 spots.)

And Stephenie Meyer's monstrously successful Twilight series details the chaste but super-deep love between the mortal Bella and the vampire Edward, high-schoolers in drizzly Forks, Wash. Two graphic novels based on Twilight are due soon from Yen Press, drawn by Korean artist Young Kim and closely vetted by Meyer. And yet another trilogy of vampire novels, this one from the film director Guillermo del Toro, begins with The Strain , about Manhattan vampires run amok.

Then there are the TV shows. Starting Sept. 10, The Vampire Diaries will become a CW series, produced by Kevin Williamson ( Dawson's Creek ) and starring Nina Dobrev as Elena and Paul Wesley as Stefan. Over on HBO, True Blood , the kudzu-shrouded, plasma-soaked, 18A-rated series adapted from Harris's novels by Alan Ball (who also created Six Feet Under and wrote American Beauty ), is currently number one. With Oscar winner Anna Paquin as Sookie and her real-life fella Stephen Moyer as Bill, the show, now in its second season, lures 3.7-million viewers every Sunday night at 9; with repeat airings and downloads, the viewership jumps to more than 10 million. The ratings have risen 85 per cent since the series premiered last September, and more than a million season-one DVDs have been sold since their May release (Amazon is already taking pre-orders for season two).

read on

New True Blood Ep 7 video spoiler !

ET interviews Alexander Skardsgard at Comic Con

Entertainment Weekly: Vampire Edition Available Today

This week’s Entertainment Weekly is all about vampires.

The Vampire issue of EW is on newsstands as of today, July 31st.

This week’s Entertainment Weekly delivers the ultimate guide to vampires. You’ll find interviews with the authors behind Twilight and True Blood, our list of the 20 greatest bloodsuckers ever, and Anne Rice’s pick for the best new vampire — as well as a talk with her about how she revolutionized the vampire legend decades ago with Interview with a Vampire.

With Twilight a phenomenon, True Blood attracting converts by the millions, and hordes of new vampire projects looming in the shadows, bloodsuckers are haunting every corner of our lives: bookstores, television, movies, and more. Why has pop culture thrown open its door and invited them in? “The traditional vampire story, with monsters and victims, chases and chills, is more plain fun,” says True Blood’s executive producer Alan Ball. “But they can often reveal the general state of the cultural psyche.”

Vampires are such versatile symbols now that they can express both conservative and liberal views. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight novels are steeped in her Mormon values. But True Blood speaks in part for gays and, as Ball puts it, “eight years of institutionalized demonization of pretty much any group that wasn’t on the bus with Mr. Bush.”

It may come as a surprise to learn that Meyer – reigning queen of pop culture’s vampire coven – has an uneasy relationship with them. Back in 2003, when she was writing the first draft of Twilight, she refused to show it to her husband. “I was embarrassed,” she said. “It was about vampires.” In fact, last year, she told EW that her great wish was to reclaim some time to write something new. “Look, I’m not just a vampire girl,” she said emphatically. “I can do other worlds.”

True Blood: Best Eric Northman animated gifs

~~


send me your favorites

Charlaine speaking at writing conference in Gainsville FL

Charlaine is teaching ( speaking at ) a writing convention in Gainsville FL

Dinner with Charlaine

Rhys very late on Wendesday evening--I've been traveling all day to the Anhinga Writer's Conference in Gainesville, FL and just come back from dinner with the rest of the faculty, including my old friend and fabulous lady Charlaine Harris. Charlaine, for those of you who have lived under a stone for the past couple of years, is the creator of the Sookie Stackhouse vampire mystery series that is now the hit HBO TV series True Blood.

Carola Dunn writes :

Charlaine is our beacon of hope for all in the mystery world. She was a midlist mystery writer for years, writing two well-appreciated but not earth-shattering series, then she took a huge risk and wrote something that defied categorizing--a funny, sexy, Southern vampire mystery series. Most publishers didn't want to touch it. After all the mantra these days is "where does it go on the shelf?" but one publisher took the risk and the series came out to little fanfare. Then the fans found out about it and gradually by word of mouth it built up a reputation. Then HBO came to her and the rest, as they say, is history. At one time earlier this year she had six books in the top ten on the NYT list.

And the interesting thing is that the whole mystery community is delighted for her. We are always a supportive bunch, not seeing each other as rivals but as fellow pilgrims, and seeing all these good things happen for Charlaine remind us that they can happen to any of us one day.

read on

conference website here : http://www.anhingawriters.org/

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Happy Friday Eric spoof mix !

Thanks, Tru3Silva

Bad economy isn't hurting Time Warner's HBO

LA Times

The economy may be pounding entertainment companies left and right, but Time Warner Inc.'s pay cable channel HBO so far has been immune to the turmoil, its top executives said Thursday.

Speaking at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena, HBO Co-President Richard Plepler said the company's strong DVD sales, along with little evidence of subscribers' dropping the service to save a few bucks, had the network feeling "cautiously optimistic" that it could weather the storm.
HBO has about 30 million subscribers, up slightly from a year ago. It is also expanding its online presence with HBO Go, its re-branded broadband offering. The service, which is being tested in 5,000 Comcast homes, will offer 650 hours of HBO content. Plepler said HBO was talking with other distributors about carrying the broadband service. To access programming online, consumers will have to prove that they already are HBO subscribers.

Although the dollars are still coming in, HBO's other co-president, Michael Lombardo, said the channel was not looking to increase its programming budgets in the near future. He noted that the new comedy "Hung" would be back for a second season next summer, along with the series "True Blood" and "Entourage."

read on

Charlaine Harris on her Sookie books, ‘True Blood,’ Bill vs. Edward

Paranormal Romance asks some good questions of Charlaine

Q. Do you think Eric has grown because of his relationship with Sookie?
A. I think parts of Eric have surfaced that he thought were buried for good.

Q. What will it take for Sookie to understand the blood bond? (It seems as if she is losing her ability to distinguish between her own feelings, Eric’s feelings and those generated by the blood bond.)
A. This is an issue in the next book.

Q. How would you compare the strengths between the bonds of vampire and sire, a vampire and his/her king or queen, and a vampire and his/her sheriff?
A. The vampire/sire relationship is the strongest.

Q. In one podcast interview, you said you didn’t see Sookie turning into a vampire or even winding up with one — in the sense that she would lead a normal life and be with a human. Do you still think she will be able to do that — settle with one person? Not a vampire?
A. I said that Sookie will never become a vampire. And a vampire can’t give her what she’s always thought she wanted; a regular marriage with children. But that doesn’t mean Sookie will end up with exactly what she wants. I see no reason why she couldn’t settle with one person.

Q. What did you want readers to take away from DEAD AND GONE?
A. I don’t know that I had a specific goal; I had several themes, though. The ruthlessness and inhumanity of the fae, the outrages we commit in the name of love, and the loneliness of those who simply can’t fit in and are doomed by their own nature . . . those were all elements of the book.

Q. Do you have a good idea of how the series will eventually end? If so — have you ever changed your mind about the ending?
A. I do know how the series will end. And I have never changed my mind.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your cameo at the end of season 2!!!!
A. I’m sitting in Merlotte’s at the bar talking to Sam. I’m wearing a striped shirt. I have a line. I almost hope they cut it. I’m not an actor.

Q. Alan Ball has certainly developed the HBO show differently from the books. Does his vision of the show make you think about how you’re writing your current book? Have you ever gotten an idea from the show to build on in the book series?
A. I keep them separate in my mind. The book characters have been living with me for a long, long time.

Q. Do you and Alan Ball talk before, during, after the season?
A. We email back and forth from time to time, more frequently before each season. We are both very busy people. If I’m in Los Angeles, we usually have lunch together or something. And we have some good conversations when we’re doing publicity for the show.

Q. To you — what’s been the most interesting/surprising or creative storyline(s) that HBO has developed in the series?
A. Jessica, without a doubt.

Q. Which parts of the TV series most visually match what you envisioned when you wrote your book series?
A. Sookie’s house is perfect, though it doesn’t have the same layout. But the rooms are just right. In Sam’s office, the desk is turned in a different direction, but other than that it’s wonderful.

Q. Do you know ahead of time what is on each episode? Do you watch each Sunday?
A. I do know ahead of time. And I do watch each Sunday.

Q. OK — gotta ask because it’s everywhere! Bill Compton vs. Edward Cullen?
A. There is no contest.

read on

'True Blood' Star Deborah Ann Woll On Becoming A Vamp: 'I Watched A Lot Of Animal Attack Footage'

Bon Temps has seen a lot of changes during the second season of "True Blood." Jason left town to bunk at Jesus camp. Sam has a potential love interest in fellow shapeshifter Daphne. And orgies are all the rage thanks to mysterious Maryann. But one of the best additions to the small Louisiana town has got to be newborn vampire Jessica, played by Deborah Ann Woll.

The 24-year-old Brooklyn native spoke with H Magazine(see her full cover after the jump) about preparing to play Jessica, on-set antics and her favorite horror flicks.

For Deborah, portraying a sheltered-teenager-turned-mischevious-bloodsucker took both mental and physical preparation. "Research is a great tool," she said. "The more I know about my surroundings and the situations I am in the more creative I can be. So there is the culture of Louisiana, the primal vampire animalistic qualities, the awkward home schooled teenager syndrome. Even sometimes looking up precisely what a word means can be very eye opening."

read on MTV

HBO renews 'Hung,' 'True Blood,' 'Entourage'

HBO announced the renewal of its entire summer original programming lineup, ordering another round of freshman comedy "Hung," veteran comedy "Entourage" and hit vampire drama "True Blood."

Network executives addressing the critics at the Television Critics Association's semi-annual press tour said "Hung" will get a second season, "True Blood" a third and "Entourage" a seventh. The new seasons will debut sometime next year, with "Blood" firmly planned for summer.

The freshly formed Sunday-night lineup has given HBO two consecutive hours of hit programming for the first time in years. "True Blood" in particular has managed to increase its audience with nearly every episode, giving the network its most-watched show since "The Sopranos."

"True Blood" has averaged 3.8 million viewers (11.2 when you add repeats, DVR and On Demand viewing), "Hung" has averaged 3.1 million (10.2 million cume) and "Entourage" brings in about 3.0 million (7.4 million cume).

Programming head Michael Lombardo and co-president Richard Plepler also dropped hints about the fates and air dates of other HBO programming during the network's executive session. (Full HBO executive session live blog here...)

Next year HBO intends to air "Big Love" in January and roll out its highly anticipated WWII miniseries "The Pacific" in March. The war epic will eventually serve as lead-in for "Treme," the New Orleans drama from "The Wire" creator David Simon.

Emmy-nominated "Flight of the Conchords" will also likely return, with executives making a third season sound very probable.

"When they're ready, we're ready," Plepler said of the show's musical comedy duo Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. "They have the added challenge of writing an album ... we're waiting for them to tell us they're ready."

Though HBO's full development pipeline is expected to give the network some tough choices in the coming months, one project looking almost certain to make the air is Martin Scorsese's "Boardwalk Empire."

"By everything we've seen, it's fantastic," Lombardo said. "It's big; it's everything we hoped it would be."

Executives were less certain about critical favorite "In Treatment" and "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency," the latter program having lost executive producer Anthony Minghella during a cancer operation, but didn't rule out either show returning.

"We're trying to put it together," Lombardo said of "Treatment." "It's adapted from a series which there were only two seasons ... we're trying to see if it's possible."

The session opened with communications executive Quentin Schaffer setting the tone for the Q&A: "Two years ago we were feeling beat up, now we're feeling upbeat."

Plepler described the network's current business model as "resilient," noting, "We feel cautiously very optimistic ... All of our viewership is up across all categories ... We don't have more money to spend, but we have an enviable amount of money to do the projects we want to do."

When asked about the recent success of premium cable competitor Showtime, Plepler said he doesn't think of the playing field as "a zero sum game."

"Other people can do good work; it doesn't negate our good work," he said.

Here's the ratings for each of the renewed shows:

True Blood
SD+1 (six episodes) -- 3.8 million viewers
Live+7 (four episodes) -- 4.5 million viewers
Gross Audience, including On Demand, repeats, DVR (four episodes) -- 11.2 million viewers

Hung
SD+1 (four episodes) -- 3.1 million viewers
Live+7 (two episodes) -- 3.7 million viewers
Gross Audience (two episodes) -- 10.2 million viewers

Entourage
SD+1 (three episodes) -- 3.0 million viewers
Live+7 (one episode) -- 4.1 million viewers
Gross Audience (one episode) -- 7.4 million viewers

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/07/hbo-renews-hung-true-blood-entourage.html

True Blood EW interview with Alan Ball

Everyone said I HAD to also post the Alan Ball interview

Tru: Blood Are You Ready for a Bloody Good Drink?

Fashion weekly said "

For those of you obsessed over True Blood on HBO (check it out, if you criminally still haven’t!), here comes perhaps the best treat any TV fan can get. The once-fictional Tru Blood beverage from the show is now being turned into a real Blood Orange carbonated drink that will arrive in shops this September. But the show’s creator, Alan Ball, had other ideas of what his dream ingredients for the drink should be. “Cabernet, the blood of European hemophiliac royalty, vodka, Viagra, and ecstasym” he recently joked. “Unfortunately, it’s highly illegal.”

Thanks to SarahFW for the drink recipes:

The Fangbanger - Tru Blood, Vodka

Death on the Beach - Tru Blood, Peach Schnapps, Pineapple Juice, Vodka

Plasmapolitan - Tru Blood, Citron, Cointreau, Fresh Lime Juice

* I've already had a Fangbanger ;-)

True Blood: new Sims charcters -thanks, Andy

Our Camp Blood, friend Andy sent me this list of cool True Blood Sims character graphics.


Thanks, Andy!











Bill and Sookie
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=327749

Eric Northman
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=358281

Sam
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=345970

Sookie’s House from True Blood
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=342120

Bill Compton’s house from True Blood
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=342203

Fangtasia nightshirt
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=355996

True Blood: 10 reasons we’re obsessed

Froma Grazia UK ( remember S1 just started there )

First it was The Wire, now it's True Blood. You know what I mean, the TV show you're vaguely aware is supposed to be fantastic but (whisper it) have never actually seen. So pay attention - no talking at the back - because even if you're not watching True Blood you should damn well be talking about it. Here's your print-off-and-casually-drop-in-to-pub-conversation guide to the show.

1. Practicalities first: True Blood is on FX at the moment (Friday nights at 10pm). But panic ye not, terrestrial traditionalists: It's coming to Channel 4 in October. And you can download it from iTunes. Our new secret obsession.

2. Now for the clever TV knowledge bit: The show comes from Alan Ball. As in the genius behind the spooky and powerful Six Feet Under. And the gorgeous and disturbing American Beauty? Your attention's piqued now, huh?

3. Clever TV knowledge bit (part two): Like The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Flight of the Conchords, The Sopranos, Sex and The City and almost every other amazing American TV show, True Blood was made by HBO - the premium American TV channel known for making clever shows for clever people.

4. Let's cut to the chase: This is a show about vampires. But don't be put off, even if you don't get the vamp thing. Even though it centres on a young woman's relationship with a brooding, 170-year old vamp, True Blood isn't just another Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's very different - not least because of the sex. There's an awful lot of it. Some of it's dirty and weird and with vampires - which is a good thing, obviously.

5. There's also an awful lot of violence - it's often weird and supernatural but heart-breakingly real at the same time.

read on

Vampires Suck Actually, they don't. And that's the problem.

From Slate magazine

Last week at Comic-Con, the big story wasn't comic books—it was vampires. Some 2,000 young women set up a tent city outside the San Diego Convention Center on Tuesday, sleeping rough so that they could attend the Thursday panel on New Moon, the upcoming sequel to vampire blockbuster Twilight.

It's just another sign of the massive popularity of vampires. Yet, like many people who acquire mega-celebrity, the vampire has developed an eating disorder. Read the books. Watch the movies. You'll see vampires who manage nightclubs, build computer databases, work as private investigators, go to prep school, lobby Congress, chat with humans, live near humans, have sex with humans, and pine over humans, but the one thing you won't see them do is suck the blood of humans.

Read on

True Blood' scoop: Maryann and Jessica together at last

All of Ausiello's other great interviews with Ball and cast are here

The 2010 Emmy season doesn’t officially kick off for another year, but the buzz starts right now: True Blood’s Michelle Forbes (Maryann) and Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica) better make the supporting actress cut for playing two of television’s most deliciously demarbled divas. My only complaint is that executive producer Alan Ball hasn’t put the two powerhouses in a scene together. Not yet anyway. For more on that, check out the fresh batch of Blood video — featuring interviews with Forbes, Woll, Ball, as well as Nelsan Ellis, Rutina Wesley, and Sam Trammell — after the jump.



More interviews here

Contest: Win a free Sookie book - Describe some aspect of Season 2 in 6 words

CONTEST CLOSED - winner announced soon

Six word stories: describe some aspect of Season 2 in 6 words.

That's right, what you say has to be said in 6 words ...

The best ones will be chosen by a panel of luminaries and the winners will recieve a free Sookie book( you choice of titles) a very, very nifty item from our last Shreveport trip.


Post your "story" in the comments and remember to SIGN IN or sign your post!!!

Dead until Dark makes NPR Audience Picks: 100 Best Beach Books Ever list

Sookie and Charlaine do make the list, Dead Until Dark is #94

If you are looking for a great fiction list -this is a really good one....

People talk a lot about the wisdom of crowds, but the truth is that large packs of people are better at judging some things than others.

Almost 16,000 of you cast some 136,000 votes in our Best Beach Books Ever poll. Whether such a vote can determine literary quality, who can say? But there's one thing a multitude of book-loving NPR types can most definitely do, and that's pick a list of books that will appeal to... book-loving NPR types.

Which means, if you're reading this, you stand an excellent chance of finding the book that will make your summer vacation among the 100 audience favorites below. Happy travels!

1. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
2. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
3. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
4. Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding
5. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
6. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells
7. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
9. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg
10. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver

See all 100 here

True Blood: Blood Work Episode 6 'Hard- Hearted Hannah"

Andy and Brian take on episode 6!
Thanks for the shout out ! WE LOVE having you guys on our Talk Blood blogtalk radio show Sunday nights, now you see how hard it is to react immediately to the episodes !

The guys will be on again with us for Ep 8 and we have big plans in the works for later in the season ..[stay tuned]

Thanks guys ...this might be your best True Blood vlog review yet.
Check out what Brian has to say about the ep here at Camp Blood.org

Blood Work "True Blood" vlog 2.6: "PussyCat Blues"
by campbloodbuzz

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Disturbia

Thanks venusironmaiden

Tru: Blood, the beverage - yummy ! Thanks, HBO !

Looky, looky at what Dallas just got in the mail ..

Yummy, yummy

Thanks, HBO

More than 10 million Sookie books in print

Wow, way to go Sookie and Charlaine !

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace)

• Debuted at #1 on the New York Times hardcover fiction list in May, with more than 540,000 copies shipped to date.
• Sold more than 100,000 copies its first week of sales as booksellers across the country came back with reorders after one day.
• Six different Harris titles were on the New York Times mass market fiction bestseller list simultaneously for one week in January.
• The Ace paperback edition of From Dead to Worse debuted at #1 on the New York Times mass market paperback bestseller list in April.
• More than 10 million copies of the nine books in Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series are in print.
• A Touch of Dead: Sookie Stackhouse: The Complete Stories will be published in hardcover by Ace in October.

You also might be interested :

Penguin Group (USA) iPhone App

• Penguin Group (USA) is the only leading consumer trade publisher to have an iPhone app, available free from the iTunes app store, which optimizes its consumer website for mobile devices.
• Version 1.1 of the app, released in April 2009, features eCommerce (which enables U.S. users to buy print books directly from the iPhone) and expanded excerpt reader functionality, which includes portrait or landscape reading, automatic text reflow, five different font sizes, and page-turning animation.

Tru Blood the beverage -order yours today !

Alan Ball, executive producer and creator of "True Blood," introduces the new bottled beverage at Comic-Con 2009.

The once-fictional Tru Blood beverage from the HBO hit series "True Blood" will be coming to life in bottle form this September.

The blood-orange carbonated drink has a slightly tart and lightly sweet flavor that is sure to taste better than the O negative blood consumed by the show's fictional vampires.

Crafted to replicate the appearance of the synthetic blood beverage preferred by the undead in the series, the real-life drink will also be called Tru Blood.

"From its first season, fans have been enamored with the show and have expressed a keen interest in the Tru Blood beverage," added James Costos, vice president of licensing and retail at HBO. "We're extremely excited to be able to bring this original drink to life."

Allan Ball, creator and executive producer of the series, announced the launch of the bottles at the San Diego Comic-Con convention and joked that the drink was a mixture of "wine, vodka, Vicodin, Viagra and Ecstasy" and that it was "completely illegal."

While they will cost an arm and a leg ($16 for a four-pack), curious fang fans will no doubt be stocking up on the drinks when they hit store shelves this fall.

Click to order



HBO is launching a new TruBlood Beverage this weekend, starting at 6pm (PST) on Saturday, 7/25. It’s a Blood Orange flavored carbonated beverage, “All Flavor. No Bite.” Available exclusively at the HBO Shop, there will also be a special promotion starting Monday, 7/28, for 15% off True Blood merchandise when you pre-order the new TruBlood Beverage.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/07/28/2009-07-28_reallife_tru_blood_bottled_beverages_from_hbo_series_true_blood_to_be_sold_in_st.html#ixzz0MaUGJMPO

True Blood: The Show May Be Big, But The Books Won't Budge A Bit

From Buddy TV

In case you're watching True Blood with an extraordinary sense of ignorance--and by that, I mean not having an idea how it arrived and what it's done since--and you haven't paid attention to the pretty good opening titles for the show, well, you probably don't know that the whole thing came from Charlaine Harris' book series. But you probably know that, because two seasons in, you've probably paid a bit more attention.

Which means you probably know that series creator Alan Ball isn't sticking to the books. If you've read the books--or, even if you haven't, like me--you know that at this moment Lafayette is supposed to be dead; instead we see that woman who conned Tara and her mother. Or, say, the entry of Sophie Leclerq into the whole picture, which isn't supposed to happen this early, at least according to the books. Now that True Blood is more successful, arguably, than the books themselves, the question is, will be books adapt?

Pretty good question, I must concur. And when the folks at E! Online asked Harris that question, the answer's pretty simple. "I don't think I'm that affected by the show because those are past books that the current plot is kind of hooked to, and I'm way beyond that now," she said. And no, that isn't supposed to sound snobbish.

read on

True Blood Music Video of the Day:

L.O.V.E by Ashlee SimpsonLYRICS

Thanks Pitufa005

Alexander Skarsgard radio interview with Johnny Dare

Interview: Alexander Skarsgard – 7.23.09
Alexander Skarsgard has appeared in numerous Swedish films and television series, but was introduced to American audiences in Zoolander and the HBO mini-series, Generation Kill. These days, you can see him on the HBO Original Series, True Blood.

Listen here

'The Britlingens Go to Hell' : New Sookieverse short story pre-order ! "Must Love Hellhounds"

Pre-order this TODAY!

This the long awaited Charlaine Harris short story, featuring The Britlingens from All Together Dead.
This will be a science fiction novella featuring Clovache and Batanya.
Monster and Crtics.com says

In “The Britlingens Go to Hell”, a pair of warriors take on the task of safeguarding a thief, not realizing they’d be going to Hell in pursuit of Lucifer’s favorite toy and along the way, encounter some very interesting travelers.

This title will be released on September 1, 2009.

True Blood S2 Episode 4 Subtitles "Shake and Fingerpop"

True Blood Season 2 Ep4 Subtitles

True Blood and HBO receive "good" rating in GLAAD's third annual Network Responsibility Index

From GLAAD blog

GLAAD Releases Third Annual Network Responsibility Index

Today, GLAAD released its third annual Network Responsibility Index, a report that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBT people on television. HBO ranked highest among all networks, while ABC led broadcast networks for the third year in a row.

GLAAD reviewed all primetime programming — 4,901 hours — for inclusion of LGBT characters or issues on the five major networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC) from June 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009. GLAAD also examined all original primetime programming — 1,212.5 hours — on 10 highly-rated cable networks (A&E, FX, HBO, Lifetime, MTV, Showtime, Sci Fi, TBS, TNT, and USA). Each hour was reviewed for on-screen LGBT representations. Based on the quantity, overall quality and diversity of these representations, a grade was assigned by GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Program to each network: Excellent, Good, Adequate, or Failing.

The full, detailed report can be downloaded here: http://www.glaad.org/nri2009

HBO received a Good rating and scored the highest rating of the 15 networks evaluated with LGBT characters on shows including True Blood, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and Entourage that reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of the LGBT community. Of HBO’s 14 original series, 10 included LGBT content and 42 percent of the network’s total programming hours included LGBT representation. However, representation of the lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities was minimal.

http://glaadblog.org/2009/07/27/glaad-releases-third-annual-network-responsibility-index/

LOVING TRUE BLOOD IN DALLAS, BABY !!!

Opening shot from Sunday night's episode ... this IS Dallas, Baby!!!

True Blood Episode 5 Barry the BellBoy

'Listen, I don't know what little fried corn-on-the-cob town you're from, or what candy-ass vampires you're with, but this is Dallas, baby...Dallas vamps are serious and scary as shit.'

Finally some folks are realizing that I really do blog from Dallas - and if you are a bookie you ALWAYS got the play on words with my blog title and the the title of Sookie book 2.

Living Dead in Dallas = Loving True Blood in Dallas

You can look at all the Dallas posts here

True Blood Recipe: Sookie's favorite pancakes from the Silent Shore Hotel ( Hotel Carmilla)

Silent Shore ( now known as Hotel Carmilla) Pancakes

From Living Dead in Dallas " I added a tip to the room ticket I signed—I ate everything he'd brought: sausage and pancakes and a bowl of melon balls. Oh gosh, it tasted good. The syrup was real maple syrup, and the fruit was just ripe enough. The sausage was wonderful. I was glad Bill wasn't around to watch and make me feel uncomfortable"

Ingredients:

. 2 cups flour
. 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
. 1/2 teaspoon salt
. 1 teaspoon baking powder
. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
. 1 cup buttermilk
. 3/4 cup milk
. 2 large eggs, separated
. 1/4 cup melted butter
. vegetable oil

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and soda.
In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk and milk, egg yolks, and melted butter. Blend into the dry ingredients just until all ingredients are moistened.
Beat egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter until well incorporated.
Heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When skillet is hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle, scoop pancake batter onto the skillet in about 1/4-cup portions, spreading slightly. When edges are rather dry and bubbles are popping and bottoms are nicely browned, about 2 to 3 minutes, turn over and cook the other side until browned, about 2 minutes longer.
Serve hot with butter and syrup.

Great Twilight/True Blood Vampire Wars.

Sam Trammell is looking to bring an end to the Great Twilight/True Blood Vampire Wars.

Though there's been some seeming bad blood between the cast members of the two vampire vehicles, Trammell—who plays Sam Merlotte on HBO's bloodsucker series—wants to bridge the gap. By recruiting Kristen Stewart into the True Blood fold.

While Trammell admits that he's yet to see the Twilight movie, he told E! Online at this weekend's Comic-Con convention that he'd love to have Bella Swan—or at least the actress who plays her—on his show.

"I really loved her in Adventureland," Trammell enthused. "I'd love her to come on. She could be a little vampire or a victim."

http://www.celebuzz.com/will-kristen-stewart-appear-true-s122311/

Penguin Love for True Blood Couple

True Blood costars and real-life couple Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer have more than enough love to go around. So much that they shared it with a chick at SeaWorld San Diego's Penguin Encounter program on Sunday.

Moyer, who plays vampire Bill Compton, and Paquin, who plays Bill's psychic girlfriend Sookie Stackhouse, were in town for Comic-Con, and probably wanted to take a break from their usual daily grind of bloodsuckers and werewolves. And what could be farther from that than splashing around in a pool with friendly dolphins and hugging cute baby penguins?

Of course, there's always a chance the pair were researching the latest plot developments in store for the supernaturally gifted town Bon Temps, La. Vampire dolphins and were-penguins, anyone?
– Michael Y. Park

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20294268,00.html

True Blood behind the scenes: Fellowship of the Sun filming

'So much love comes flowing out ...' Steve Newlin

The amazing SkyRose Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park near Los Angeles ( Whittier) served as the stand-in for the FotS church in Dallas.

The chapel is one of the famous buildings designed by Arkansas native architect Fay Jones and it's gorgeous.

This was a "Go ask Dallas" question- I'll tell ya Sunday who asked

It is described on its website as:

This is The 10.6 acre chapel site has been transformed into a picturesque landscape of gardens, groves and colorful terraces with the planting of approximately 90 trees that include oak, jacaranda, sycamore and pepper.

The chapel's surrounding churchyard features a reception garden and exclusive burial property which will include the use of the upright monuments. A variety of memorialization options is available throughout the area; some sections will be reserved for exclusive family interment sites. SkyRose is the largest chapel Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings have designed to date.

The chapel is constructed of fir, Oregon redwood , bouquet canyon stone and glass and combines the beauty of Jones' unique inverse Gothic architecture with spectacular scenic views to create a site for funerals and other of life's celebrations that are remembered and shared.

Three levels make up the chapel - the mausoleum (11,200 square feet) is on the lower level, with approximately 942 crypts and 556 niches, the sanctuary (11,500 square feet) is on the ground floor with 332 fixed seats and the availability to add seats as needed and the triforium on the upper level (3,790 square feet). The roof's steep approximately 45-degree pitch and the building's height, 90 feet at its peak, made construction difficult and dangerous. Another difficult challenge was installing the chapel's skylight along the roof's ridge, which measures 24 feet wide by 105 feet long. One of the finishing touches to the chapel was the integration of a Quimby pipe organ which was custom built for SkyRose. The organ consists of 3,937 pipes ranging in height from four inches to thirty-two feet.

Fay Jones, who has had more that 200 projects to his credit designed only six chapels prior to SkyRose. His first chapel Thorncrown, was built in 1980 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and was selected in 1991 from among all the buildings built in the country since 1980 as the best by the American Institute of Architects.

http://www.rosehills.com/ MAP

You can see tombstone behind the director.

** William Hopper, among many other notable folks like Richard Nixon's parents are buried there. He was Paul Drake from Perry Mason show and is son of actress and gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper.

True Blood Crossword: Season 1 Episode 6 'Cold Ground'

Thanks to the very wonderful Kristie we have some new crossword puzzles to help you pass the time till next Sunday

True Blood S1 Crossword Cold Ground

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Heads Will Roll by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Heads Will Roll by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs LYRICS

Thanks punkocarp

Jace Everett: Good things come to those who wait

A few years ago Jace Everett's career left him in a familiar artist’s quandary: that of a struggling musician. His debut was a mainstream country album, a sound that didn't completely reflect his style.

Flash forward a year and Everett was on the brink of his big break even if he didn't yet realize that was the case.

"I love country music with all of my heart, but I thought 'My career's over, so I might as well do what I want," Everett said.

"Bad Things," a rockabilly track off of his 2005 self-titled album caught the attention of Oscar-winning screenwriter Alan Ball who, in 2006, was scouring iTunes in search of a track to accompany his treatment of the now hit HBO series “True Blood.”

In an age when much of television programming has discarded the use opening credits, “True Blood’s” main title montage has captivated its viewers as well as critics.

“The opening sequence was recently nominated for an Emmy,” Everett said. “I can't take in credit for that, but it's cool.”

read on

Dead and Gone sales numbers ... wow!

In the U.S., Penguin CEO David Shanks said the company did better than expected with Charlaine Harris "making up" for most of the huge sales numbers compiled by Tolle last year. Harris' most recent, Dead and Gone, has shipped 540,000 copies of the hardcover to date

New 'True Blood': Screaming Sookie, Mad Maryann, Hard-Hearted Hannah, and a peek at the rest of Season Two

From EW.com

Well, it took me a while to banish from my mind the image of Bill (’scuse me: “Guillaume”) sitting at a piano in 1926 Chicago crooning this week’s episode title-song, “Hard-Hearted Hannah” — surely the least sexy/appealing poses we’ve ever seen Bill in, and yes, I remember those stiff Civil War flashbacks. What finally replaced that image (Bill looked sort of like early Billy Joel crossed with Marvin Hamlisch — shudder) was True Blood’s two climactic scenes this week. (Do I need to write it?: Spoiler alert if you didn’t watch tonight’s episode yet.)

I’m talking about Sookie and Hugo (Isabel’s human boyfriend) being dragged down screaming into Rev. Steve’s basement of terror, and Maryann’s wildest whipped-up orgy yet, which included Tara and Eggs going at it like rabbits, but rabbits with dead-ghoul eyes. Eek and eek, respectively. Yes, the danger is becoming more harrowing with each week, so that now one of True Blood’s pleasures is its churning suspense, so far kept under an artistic control that’s so confident on the part of Alan Ball and his directors that it hasn’t gone over the top

Read on

True Blood Sucker Punch: Episode 6 from Mark Blankenship

Yipppeee from Mark on Huffington Post- he must have stayed up late !

Warning: This post contains spoilers.

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week's episode of True Blood.

Um... remember last week, when I worried the show was slowing down? Well, "Heard-Hearted Hannah" has settled my hash. There are so many sucker-punchy scenes in this installment that I could get carpal tunnel syndrome writing about them all.

But before we begin... have you noticed that on the bottom right side of the screen, there's an automatically generated ad leading you to the books I supposedly wrote? Well, I am not that Mark Blankenship. He's a celebrated composer of Christian hymns, not the dude watching vampires have sex and then writing about it. Or at least, he's not writing about it on The Huffington Post. However, if he writes a hymn called "Lord, Thy Sun Shalt Kill Bill Compton," we'll know why.

Speaking of church... let's start with the Fellowship of the Sun. Sarah giving Jason a beejer in the choir loft is crazy, if unsurprising. After she anointed his bishop last week, her advances were bound to get more intense, and doing it in the church certainly ups the trash factor. Also trashy? Convincing poor, witless Jason that his trampy behavior is mandated by God.

Ryan Kwanten's performance makes me believe Jason is gullible enough to fall for Sarah's "God told me to get freaky" routine. If he actually believes what he's doing is consecrated, then he could feel wounded later, which gives this storyline more electricity. (And if Sarah believes her own nonsense, which I think she does, then the inevitable fallout will be even worse.)

I also enjoy how the Fellowship scenes in this episode swing so easily between blatant stereotyping and creepy scheming. On one hand, we've got Luke spouting kneejerk rhetoric about how gay sex is the worst sin of all, and on the other, we've got Reverend Steve getting googly-eyed about building a giant platform so that his followers can watch a vampire get burned alive by the sun. Meanwhile, everything is tinged with ludicrous sincerity, so that when Sarah explains her horror over Steve's behavior, she's as outraged by his desire to provoke a vamp-human war as she is by the fact that he says "the C word."

Read on

True Blood Ep 7 'Release me' promo video

Hard Hearted Hanna -Ep 6 review

From Zap2it

"True Blood" begins to pick up the pace this week, with storylines that have long been on slow burn finally taking some dramatic turns.

We start out with a killer teaser this week featuring my favorite bad-boy vamp Eric feeding on one of the hotel's working girls. He stops when Lorena enters the room and he greets her with the revelation that he was the one who summoned her to Dallas. Naughty, naughty, Eric! I Methinks he wanted a little distraction for Bill, no? He confirms that he wants something from Sookie and needs Lorena to keep Bill busy while he gets it. I can't wait to see how this shakes out!

This week also features another lovely flashback! This time we get to see Lorena and Bill in Prohibition-era Chicago. It seems the Bill of 80 years ago wasn't so human friendly, as the flashback involves Lorena and Bill seducing, torturing and killing a rich couple for fun. Aw, they're just like old school Angelus and Darla! Them having sex on the bloody bed while their female victim lay there dying was deliciously disturbing. It's nice to be reminded that vamps aren't all kittens and TruBlood and rainbows.

Bill and Isabel decide to send a fellow human, Hugo, with Sookie to infiltrate the Fellowship, with them posing as an engaged couple. They exchange notes about dating vampires, which hee! It turns out Hugo wants to be turned so he can be with Isabel forever, which Sookie admits she has never even thought about before. I think it might come up at some point. Just a hunch. Sookie and Hugo go on their mission, which starts out great until Sookie reads Reverend and Sarah Newlin's minds and realizes they know EXACTLY who she is. Ruh roh! The Reverend tries to lure them into the basement, but when they try to flee he and his henchman drag them down there against their will. Bill senses Sookie's danger but is stopped by Lorena making her appearance. Will Jason be the one to discover his sister in danger? Here's hoping.

Jason gets tapped to participate in the infamous and prestigious "Meet the Sun" ceremony, which is basically a vampire torture/murder ritual. What an honor! While building the torture device, Jason and Luke get in a conversation about infidelity and abstinence. Jason considers becoming abstinent for at least 30 seconds, but I doubt it will stick. Especially when Sarah later cries on his shoulder, reveals to him that they are being trained to start a war with the vampires, and puts it out there that she is supposed to be with him, not the Reverend. God told her so and everything! Jason confirms that Sarah got the go-ahead from God for them to have an affair, and he dives right in there in the church. Now that's the Jason we know and love!

read on

USA Today -'True' love heats up

'True' love heats up

As HBO's True Blood enters the second half of Season 2, expect the romantic triangle between mind reader Sookie (Anna Paquin) and vampires Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) to heat up.

Skarsgard says Sookie "comes along, and there's something different about her. For the first time in a really long time, (Eric is) curious." He told the Comic-Con crowd he'd personally like to see the relationship intensify: "Just look at her," he said, referring to Paquin on the panel. But he quickly followed with an apology: "I'm sorry, Stephen." (Moyer and Paquin are an item in real life.)

Series creator Alan Ball said that viewers can expect a third season: "It's not officially announced, but I think it will be pretty soon."

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Hard Hearted Hannah by Bill Compton

Hard Hearted Hannah by Bill Compton

Video : Comic Con True Blood Panel Pt1 and Pt 2

watch 3-5 here
thanks magicinthenumbers

Talk Blood Ep.6 live right after True Blood tonight

Live TONIGHT: Come and 'Talk Blood' after True Blood airs tonight. Let's talk ep.6 "Hard Hearted Hannah "
It's Sunday again! We've got a whole night of fun planned starting with the the premiere of True Blood Season 2, Episode 6 "Hard Hearted Hannah"

We are joined tonight by our friends, Brian and Andy from Camp Blood and EiEi will give us the Buzz Report from the HBO True Blood Forum.

Tincar needs you help to help EJ Scott here: http://billswikidwomen.wetpaint.com/page/EJ+Scott

Lindsay would like you to enter the Eric n' Sooks Summer of 69 fanfic contest here:http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2008972/Eric_n_Sooks_Summer_of_69

And to make sure you keep the party going, be sure to join @TrueBloodDallas of Loving True Blood in Dallas and @SookieBonTemps because we're going to Talk Blood on True Blood live on Blog Talk Radio. Here's how tonight is going to flow:

8:00pm CDT / 9:00pm EDT: Watch True Blood with @SookieBonTemps who'll be tweeting live from Merlotte's

9:oopm CDT / 10:00pm EDT: Tweet @SookieBonTemps and tell her what you thought of the show.

9:15pm CDT / 10:15pm EDT: Talk Blood after True Blood chatroom on Blog Talk Radio opens. Join us here.

9:30pm CDT / 10:30pm EDT: Talk Blood goes live! Join in the fun here or call in at 646.929.0825 and tell us what you thought of tonight's episode!
We hope you'll call in. And if you can't, tweet @SookieBonTemps who'll be reading and reacting to tweets LIVE!
Email 'Dallas' or @SookieBonTemps about the show talkblood@gmail.com

Some spoiler photos from the next couple of episodes






Talk Blood ( True Blood Ep 6) Chatroom transcript

True Blood Ep. 6 Hard Hearted Hannah- what you should know before tonight's show

Everything I have on Episode 6 is HERE ( spoilers, casting calls and photos )

Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Accompanied by Isabel’s human boyfriend Hugo (Christopher Gartin), Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric. Meanwhile, Bill is shocked when a vampire from his distant, more violent past resurfaces in Dallas. In Bon Temps, Daphne presses Sam to get comfortable in his own skin(s); Hoyt (Jim Parrack) continues his unlikely courtship of Jessica; Andy (Chris Bauer) interrogates Lafayette about his disappearance; and Tara and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) take a detour while on a road trip. At the Light of Day camp, Jason faces difficult emotional and physical choices.

Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Michael Lehmann.

You might want to go back and listen to my Ep 6 spoiler show





Lyrics

In old Savannah
I said Savannah
The weather there is nice and warm
The climate's of a Southern brand
But here's what I don't understand

They got a gal there
A pretty gal there
Who's colder than an arctic storm
Got a heart just like a stone
Even ice men leave her alone.

They call her
Hard-hearted Hannah
The Vamp of Savannah
The meanest gal in town
Leather is tough, but Hannah's heart is tougher
She's a gal who loves to see men suffer

To tease them and thrill them
To torture and kill them
Is her delight, they say
I saw her at the seashore with a great big pan
There was Hannah, pouring water on a drowning man
She's hard-hearted Hannah
The Vamp of Savannah, GA

They call her hard-hearted Hannah,
The Vamp of Savannah
The meanest gal in town
Talk of your cold, refrigerating mamas;
Brother, she's the polar bear's pajamas

To tease them and thrill them
To torture and kill them
Is her delight, they say
An evening spent with Hannah sitting on your knees
Is like traveling through Alaska in your BVD's

She's hard-hearted Hannah
The Vamp of Savannah, GA
Can you imagine a woman as cold as Hannah?
She's got the right name, the Vamp of Savannah
Anytime a woman can take a great big pan
Start pouring water on a drowning man
She's hard-hearted Hannah
The Vamp of Savannah, GA

Ooh, she's sweet as sour milk!

Alex, Stephen and Anna talk about the upcoming love triangle

When asked if the love triangle between Bill, Sookie, and Eric will get played out on screen as it does in the books, Stephen said, “I’m not sure that Bill is just going to roll over and let it happen. I think he’s going to fight his hardest and maybe not be quite as polite as he has been.” When asked why Eric is so smitten with Sookie, Alexander joked, “Just look at her. I’m sorry, Stephen.

from JustJared http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/07/26/anna-paquin-stephen-moyer-comic-con/

Work it, Hookah: the 7 Best Lafayette GIFs !

Speaking of Camp Blood- Brian has collected the 7 best animate Lafayette gifs- you have to go here just because the page will make you laugh out loud

The 7 Best Lafayette GIFs!

Work it, Hookah!
I poked around the Internets for the best animated GIFs of our pill-popping, afghan-loving lord and savior, Lafayette Reynolds from True Blood (as played by the glorious Nelsan Ellis).

If you find more goodies, send 'em my way and I'll add to the pot! Feel free to snatch and repost at will.

Lafayette in action

http://campblood.org/Features/VideoLafayette.html