Charlaine Harris blog entry for June 5th

this from Charlaine's blog

June 5, 2009

BLOG

After the debut of DEAD AND GONE, the board was swamped with comments, conjectures, and criticisms by my readers. We (my moderators and I) expected this, though I don’t think any of us anticipated the volume of the response the book received, or the odd tone of some of the postings.

Let me tell you two true things, right up front.

1. I know my books are not perfect. I know there are many valid criticisms that can be made about my writing. I will never stop trying to write a better book.
2. I appreciate my readers, and I know that without them I wouldn’t have gotten to the wonderful place I’m enjoying.

Now that you know that, I want to let you know my thoughts on some more true things. The odd tone we noticed in some of the DAG discussion was due to this: a feeling of entitlement on the part of a few readers. It’s as if this handful of readers felt they should have had a vote in the plot developments of my book. They were angry with me that the book hadn’t followed their own desired blueprint. I had to quit reading the discussions on my own website, because I found that attitude incomprehensible and very distressing.

Novels are not written by committee. All the books I’ve read, barring those by the occasional writing duo, have been written by one person sitting in a room alone, working hour after hour in an effort to craft a book which will entertain and engage the reader. My novels are no exception to this rule. I create the characters. I know who they are, and I know who they are not. I understand them better than anyone. I reveal what’s happening to them in the way I’ve determined will tell the story I want to tell. As a result of the way I see the world, none of these characters are perfect, and there’s always the chance bad, even terrible, things will happen to them . . . because that’s the way life happens.

If you know perfect people who never make mistakes in their actions or their relationship decisions, my hat is off to you. If you know people to whom no evil befalls, I can only envy those people. If you know people who have no character weaknesses, well, I wish I could meet such paragons. Until I meet them, the people who inhabit my books will be flawed people who make errors in judgment, and sometimes bad things will happen to those people.

If this “policy” is offensive to you – well, I’m sorry. You may want to follow another writer. But I’m having a great time recording this long journey of Sookie Stackhouse, and I hope you continue with me to its end.

Charlaine Harris

http://www.charlaineharris.com/bb/bb_current.html

Power, money and blood: Vampires rise again on HBO's True Blood

Fron the Houston Chronicle

Undead bloodsuckers have never been more appealing.

Or more human.

Sure, vampires still troll the night, feed on blood and keep secrets from all but the most remarkable of human beings.

But when the vampires of HBO rise again Sunday for a second helping of the horror romance True Blood, they will also find themselves mired in the more mundane realities of mortality.

They will fight with — and make up with — their girlfriends, highlight their hair and worry about ruining their favorite pumps.

It’s the price of revealing themselves to the world, or at least the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, where the action is centered.

“I think the vampires are like humans in many ways,” True Blood executive producer Alan Ball said in a conference-call press conference last week. “There are a lot of law-abiding peaceful vampires … and then there are those who just want everything.”

And by everything, Ball means power, money and blood.

The new season of True Blood starts where the last one finished, with painted toenails on a dead body. From there the story traipses down the country road of sex, love and debauchery, all dished out HBO-style, which is to say rather explicitly.

Those familiar with the last season — or anyone who has read the source of the show, Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels — knows that these vampires are hunky and human. They are friends, lovers and bosses.

Read on

TV Guide and True Blood : Bloody Valentines : HBO raises the stakes in the second season of the sexy vamp saga "True Blood". Take that, "Twilight!"

Unless you’ve been locked in a coffin lately, you know the hit HBO vampire drama True Blood helped ignite a true romance between stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. As telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse and Civil War–era bloodsucker Bill Compton, their sizzle is undeniable. “Our characters have had f---ing lust, romantic sex, emotional sex...” Moyer says. But as the show returns for Season 2, “it’s more like a normal relationship. They argue. But there’s a yang to that yin. There’s makeup sex.” Phew. Who wants to see these hot supernaturals paying bills and shopping at Wal-Mart?

Steamy couplings are the heartbeat of the show this season, says creator Alan Ball, so fans can expect exponential amounts of romance along with the gore, dark humor and jugular-jolting twists that are the show’s staples. Ball developed the show—set in the sweltering dirty south of Bon Temps, Louisiana, in a near future when vampires have gone mainstream—from the Southern Vampire series of books by Charlaine Harris. The drama’s become HBO’s hottest property, sucking in 7.8 million weekly viewers and scoring the network’s highest audience since The Sopranos signed off. It also helped Paquin land a Golden Globe. Needless to say, expectations for its sophomore season are high. No worries, says Ball. “There are surprises, serious heat, fun new characters and adventure.”

Bill and Sookie’s first adventure: “They become sort of parents to this teenage nightmare,” Moyer says. That’s Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), the 17-year-old Bill sired as penance for killing a vampire who threatened Sookie. The tension is obvious in a scene being shot on a dimly lit soundstage where the trio is crammed into a car, bloody tears streaming down Jessica’s face. “Jessica convinces Sookie to take her back to her parents’ house just to look through the window,” explains Paquin. “But she doesn’t just look through the window, and things go horribly, horribly wrong.”

So wrong that Bill rages at Sookie like he never has before. Paquin and Moyer go at the quarrel intensely, but there’s no kiss-and-makeup for this real-life couple when the scene wraps. She makes some calls on her cell. He chats with the crew. “They keep to themselves,” says Ryan Kwanten, who plays Sookie’s brother, Jason. “They are superprofessional. It’s not like they’re having sex in front of you!”

But Moyer admits he uses his personal experiences with love to get at the core of Bill’s fury. “In a relationship, you only get really angry when you really care,” says Moyer. “There’s that moment in those arguments when you think, ‘I’m never coming back.’ Then you go, ‘I love this person, so I’m going to sort this out.’”

Unfortunately for Sookie, she ends this particular clash on a much less mature note: “I’d rather walk!” she screams after slamming the car door and stomping off.

If you’ve seen the HBO promos, you know she’s about to encounter a horned, taloned creature in the woods. And from the looks of what’s lurking in a dark corner of the soundstage—a gash-covered prosthetic torso wearing the same plaid Daisy Dukes as Paquin—it’s going to get bloody. “I’m constantly getting bashed about and running away from things or after things,” says Paquin, whose neck is made up with fang marks (this show’s version of a hickey).

She got an emotional sock in the gut in last season’s finale with the discovery of a dead body strongly implied to be her Merlotte’s coworker, short-order cook Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis). Quizzing Ball on the fate of Lafayette makes a set visitor wish for Sookie’s mind-reading skills. He’s not telling, but he does offer a clue about the backwoods monster. “People who’ve read the books know who that is.”

Source:TVGuidemagazine

Dallas celebrates the return of True Blood with a Contest #7 True Blood -Vampire media ?

Vampire media - tell me a little about vampires and television,

We knew right off in the first few seconds of True Blood when we saw on the TV set in Grabbit Kwik, Nan Flanagan being interviewed by Bill Maher that media and television was going to be VERY important to vampires.



Tell me the name of one vampire TV show we see on True Blood?

Tell me the name of a vampire TV show we read about in the Sookie Stackhouse books?

If you were asked by Ball or Harris to think up a vampire television program( this is a show for vamps to watch not for humans to watch about vamps)

What would be your idea for a vamp sitcom?

What would be you idea for a vamp reality show ?

Talk show ?

Game show ?

How about a special that PBS or Discovery could do for vamp audiences ?

Answer 5 of 7

Good Luck

Email: "Dallas " at Loving True Blood in Dallas

Here is list of available prizes ! HERE

SOME of these prizes WILL be offered everyday - NOT all the prizes.(we randomly draw 4 available prizes each day so all the "good prizes" won't disappear the first few days )

Each day (June 3rd - June 14th) there will be a chance for you to win a prize.
The entrants will be randomly numbered and the winner will be chosen by the Twitter character @TaraThornton each evening.

That days contest ends 4 pm cst the following day.

You foreign folks are welcome to play but if you win you will have to pay postage I can't offer to mail stuff internationally, sorry.

Paley posts 5 mimute video from True Blood Paleyfest

Watch here

http://www.paleycenter.org/collection-screening-room/?browse=program&video=379

True Blood Season 2 : Bill and Eric go shopping for Sookie at Forever 21

In one of the newest True Blood clips we see Eric and Bill shopping and thanks to one of my readers they are shopping in a "Forever 21" store http://www.forever21.com

Haha- this is great to have these two wandering through Forever 21 - must be at the mall in Shreveport, Bon Temps sure doesn't have one ...

There has been much discussion of the sweater we see Sookie wearing when she get's off the Anubis Air flight and she is also seen sitting with Bill in this shot..

@SookieBonTemps ( the twitter sookie) even called in to radio show last night you can listen here










Thanks to knowing the store I was able to get to the bottom of this sweater.
Here is the sweater.. you can still buy it online ( in purple only ) Here for $24

Rose Garden Cropped Cardigan

$24.80: A lovely scoop neck cropped sweater cardigan featuring a 7-button closure, 3/4 sleeves, and pretty floral print all over.
- 18'' approx length from shoulder to hem
- 78% acrylic, 22% nylon; Hand wash cold
- Imported ProductCode: 2054982132





















Thanks to my reader Onlybritishpeoplecanfly for the help ...

Bite into Four News Clips from ‘True Blood’ Season Two

From Ropes of Silicon

Only days away from the season premiere...

Over this past weekend I finally finished watching the first season of HBO’s “True Blood” and I must say it is a show that gets better and better with each episode. On top of that, just yesterday I received the first four episodes of the second season, which premieres this Sunday, June 14 and in preparation I am going to put together a season one flashback piece followed by a review of the season premiere. However, we have other things to talk about right now…

HBO just sent over four clips from the upcoming season and who would I be to not pass them on to you? I hope you enjoy.

FEATURES: Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes), Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), Lettie Mae Thornton (Adina Porter) SET UP: Maryann meets Tara's mother for the first time and stands up for Tara telling her she is a mother devoid of human compassion.



FEATURES: Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), and Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll) SET UP: Bill explains to Sookie the process of transforming Jessica into a vampire. Jessica learns that it was because of Bill saving Sookie that she had to be turned into a vampire as reparation for the one he had destroyed.



FEATURES: Rev Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian) and Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp), Orry Dawson (Michael Bofshever), Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) SET UP: Jason is introduced by Orry to the famous Fellowship of the Sun leaders, the Newlins. He explains to them how he has been saved and feels God has a purpose for him. He tells them that their teachings having brought him from the darkness to the light.



FEATURES: Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and Eric Northman (Alexander
Skarsgard)
SET UP: Eric tells Bill that his maker, Godric, is missing in Dallas. He needs Bill and Sookie to accompany him on a trip. He needs Sookie for this, and tells Bill that he will be taking her with or without Bill's consent.



Thanks to http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/bite-into-four-news-clips-from-true-blood-season-two

Vampire- Con LA August 14-16th

Vampire-Con 2009, the world’s first convention devoted to Vam-Pop culture swoops into Hollywood, CA for a weekend-long event, August 14 – 16. In association with Harris Publications, Vampire-Con will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the sexy comic-book icon Vampirella ®.

The weekend kicks off with a Vampire Film Festival at The New Beverly Cinema on Friday, August 14th and Saturday, August 15th. The fest will feature celebrity guests, contests and a program of your favorite vampire flicks both classic and new.

On Sunday, August 16th, Vampire-Con takes wing to the famed Music Box Theatre @ Fonda in Hollywood. Find your inner vampire at the day-long event on two floors of vendors, SFX make-up demonstrations and celebrity panel discussions. Topics will include Inked in Blood: 40 Years of Vampirella ®, Why We Love Vampires: A Brief History of the Undead and Hot Blooded: Vampires & Sexuality.

On Sunday evening, The Music Box @ Fonda transforms into VAMPIRELLA’S ® BALL, a heart-pounding 21 & over danse macabre. Vampires and humans alike will experience the dark side of Los Angeles’ acclaimed underground vaudeville cirque “Lucent Dossier” and revel the night away to the bloodchurning beats provided by DJ Gary Calamar, music supervisor of HBO’s TRUE BLOOD and host of KCRW’s The Open Road.

From Dracula to Twilight, Vampires have provided an ageless mythology that taps into our cultural pulse. As new generations become fans, Vampire-Con celebrates these scary and sexy creatures that capture our collective imagination.

Tickets are $15 for the Sunday day-walkers and $30 for Vampirella’s ® Ball. Film festival admission is $7 per night. Stay tuned for updates about celebrity guests, prizes, contests and more!

For more info, visit: www.vampire-con.com

Loving True Blood in Dallas Blogtalk Radio: Season 2 Spoilers shows

Loving True Blood in Dallas Blogtalk Radio: Season 2 Spoilers

Ok, we talked on the radio show about looking back at all the Blogtalk radio shows that we've don.

There are 5 True Blood Season 2 spoiler shows that I recommend that if you have time this week go back and listen to

Click here to check out those podcast shows : here

Shoot to Kill; Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard's army stint did little to help his 'tour of duty' in Iraq

From The Straits Times (Singapore)

Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard was a sergeant in the Swedish marines. But that did not prepare him for the filming of HBO's latest series, Generation Kill.The seven-part miniseries, which premiered on Max (StarHub Channel 59) last night, chronicles the first 40 days of the 2003 Iraq war from the perspective of a group of elite American marines.

Produced by the creators of the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire, the new series takes a similarly hard-hitting look at the gritty realities of war.

'When they wrote it, there was a conscious effort to make it as real as possible and not to explain everything to the audience,' says 32-year-old Skarsgard over the telephone from Sweden where he is holidaying with his family.

He admits having trouble understanding the technical lingo between the soldiers in the script initially.'That was a big challenge because when I first read the script I didn't understand half the words.'

Based closely on the award-winning non-fiction book of the same name by journalist Evan Wright who was embedded with the 1st Reconaissance Battalion during the war, the series is touted to depict the true nature of combat. The names of the characters are those of real marines who were in the First Recon Battalion as well.'It is very technical and the way they speak to each other is not everyday English,' explains Skarsgard. 'But that was something that I really liked because you really feel like you do take part in the journey.'

To ensure the authenticity of the show, two real-life marines were on set to conduct a crash course for the cast and crew as well as to serve as consultants through the filming process.'

They were tremendously supportive, helping us out with everything from small details such as stepping out of a humvee, a military vehicle, to holding a weapon,' says the actor of the team's dedication to specifics.

The Swedish hunk who plays sergeant Brad 'Iceman' Colbert in the show is no stranger to television.He is the son of critically acclaimed actor Stellan Skarsgard whose movies include Angels & Demons (2009) and Mamma Mia! (2008), and has been working in film and theatre since the tender age of seven.The oldest of six siblings, Skarsgard started out as a child actor but took a eight-year hiatus from the industry when he turned 13.'I didn't like the focus and the attention that I got. I just wanted to go to school, play football with my friends and be a regular kid.' says Skarsgard, who then went on to complete his military service in the Swedish marines and study language at Leeds Metropolitan University in England.But the acting bug bit again and he enrolled in at Marymount Theatre School in New York City in 1997.

Since then, the good-looker, who has been named Sweden's Sexiest Man five times by the media there, has been carving a name for himself in the industry.He has worked in various Swedish productions including the successful Swedish movie Hundtricket (2002), where he was nominated for a Guldbagge Award, given by the Swedish Film Institute, for his supporting role.He is currently filming the second season of the hit HBO series, True Blood, where he plays Eric Northman, a powerful vampire.When asked what viewers can look forward to in that show, he cheekily replies: 'We're still shooting so I can't reveal too much, but yes, I am naked in Season 2.' fionalow@sph.com.sg Generation Kill is on every Sunday at 9pm on MAX (StarHub Channel 59).

True Blood new 'Welcome to Bon Temps' web page

New 'Welcome to Bon Temps' Website

We think it's probably HBO UK because of the use of the photo of Grans house, De Soto pharmacy etc .

Sure is great - makes me want to visit. Oh wait, I'll be there on Saturday :-)

http://www.welcometobontemps.com/

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Follow The Demons by Felix Marc

Follow The Demons by Felix Marc
Thanks, AnatDawn