Monday, February 8, 2010

'True Blood' Casting Update: Daddy For Alexander Skarsgard Still Needed + Brit Morgan Is Debbie Pelt


Big things are in store for "True Blood" baddie Eric Northman, the sinister vampire with a hidden soft side played by Alexander Skarsgård. Not only is the Fangtasia owner getting a new love interest in the upcoming third season, he's also getting a visit from dear old dad.

According to E! Online, "True Blood" producers are looking to cast the role of Ulfrick, a Swedish Viking king and father to Eric Northman. The desired actor must be able to speak fluent Swedish and should be in his 40s to 50s. Additionally, the character will appear in flashbacks to Eric's days as a Viking warrior, but there is tension between the two — Ulfrick doesn't think that Eric's behavior is befitting of royalty.

While Alexander's real life father Stellan Skarsgård (who you'll best remember as one of Meryl Streep's past lovers in the film version of "Mamma Mia!") fits all of the above requirements for Ulfrick, representatives for the actor told E! News that he "will not" be joining the "True Blood" cast. As of now, the role remains open.

read on from MTV

Vampires among us

Met any vampires lately? They are unavoidable in popular culture, from Stephanie Meyer's books Twilight and New Moon (both made into films) to television fare such as True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. And though Buffy the Vampire Slayer may have gone off the air years ago, she lives (and slays) on in DVDs and comic books.

Vampire and other monster stories have long held an appeal for adolescents, an appeal the Twilight Saga movies exploit with hot young stars. Adolescence is a period of strange, new, powerful feelings. As sexual maturation and awakening occurs, menstruation begins for girls. Boys, like werewolves, grow more hair and experience their own hormonal turbulence. Amid these disturbing changes, teens often feel alienated and freakish, alone in the world.

Monster stories allow them to approach their sense of monstrosity sidewise. In many tales the monsters are vanquished, suggesting that the disconcerting bodies and disturbing urges of adolescents can be mastered. In more recent narratives, the monsters are domesticated—a sign that the adolescent can mature and tame his or her sexuality. The vampires in Twilight and True Blood aren't all evil. Some have learned to subsist on animal or synthetic blood rather than human blood.

read on from Christian Century

Sucking the Quileute Dry


Interesting article about the real-life situation of the Quileute Nation of fictional vampire book fame.
ALL the world, it seems, has been bitten by “Twilight.” Conservative estimates place revenue generated from Stephenie Meyer’s vampire chronicles — the books, movies and merchandise — in the billion-dollar range. Scarcely mentioned, however, is the effect that “Twilight” has had on the tiny Quileute Nation, situated on a postage stamp of a reservation, just one square mile, in remote La Push, Wash.

Read on NY Times

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Love Song Requiem by Trading Yesterday.

Love Song Requiem by Trading Yesterday.