True Blood’s Marshall Allman on Last Night’s Episode, the Rules of Skinwalking, and the Tommy-Sookie Hookup That Could Have Been

SPOILER ALERT. If you haven’t seen last night’s episode, spoilers ahead. Since following big brother Sam Merlotte to Bon Temps, Tommy Mickens has stolen from him, lied to him, and shape-shifted into him. But while the first two offenses only got the scarred-up sibling shot and kicked to the curb, the latter — a shifter phenomenon known as skinwalking — got him killed on last night’s episode. We spoke with actor Marshall Allman about his True Blood finale, the Tommy-Sookie hookup that never was, and the rules of skinwalking (who knew too much of it could kill you?).

Big episode last night.
I know, it’s so crazy. So weird.
Did you watch it?
No, I haven’t been able to watch it yet. I think I might get emotional. Maybe I’m avoiding it.

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Sam Trammell on True Blood’s Emmy Shutout, His Pal Peter Dinklage, and Running Into Ozzy Osbourne

Unlike his True Blood character, Sam Trammell can wax philosophical on both astrophysics and the band Rush alike. Not impressed? He can also discuss all of the above in French, enfoiré. But these days, the actor (a.k.a. diner owner/shape-shifter/nice-guy-with-a-past Sam Merlotte) is more preoccupied with genetics: as in his still-gestating twin sons with actress-girlfriend Missy Yager. Vulture interrupted Trammell, who's busy nesting at home in L.A., to talk to him about his True Blood plotline, his castmates' drinking habits, his days partying with Peter Dinklage, and what to do if a serial killer cocoons you in Saran Wrap.

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The Sunday Conversation: Sam Trammell

The HBO vampire drama 'True Blood' is embarking on Season 4, in which the actor's character, Sam Merlotte, meets a fellow shape-shifter of considerable allure."True Blood's" fourth season opens Sunday night with Sam Trammell returning to HBO's racy vampire drama as Sam Merlotte, a cafe owner and shape-shifter who can turn into any animal he likes and back again. Offstage, Trammell, 40, is also preparing for his debut as the father of twins with his longtime girlfriend, actress Missy Yager.

Tell me about Sam Merlotte's adventures in the new season. I understand you have a new love interest.

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Sam is having a litter ;-)

Sam Trammell and Missy Yager March 7True Blood star Sam Trammell is certainly going to have his hands full in a few months. Sam and his longtime girlfriend Missy Yager are expecting twins!

A rep for Sam confirmed the joyous baby news to Access Hollywood.
The couple has been dating for eight years and reportedly met in New York while performing in theaters.

Missy has previously appeared on Mad Men and Boston Public.
Sam will reprise his character Sam Merlotte on Season 4 of the hit HBO series True Blood premiering this summer!

Congratulations to the happy couple!

http://www.okmagazine.com/2011/03/true-blood-star-sam-trammell-missy-yager-expecting-twins/ 

10 Ways True Blood Got Dogfighting Right

I'm a big fan of HBO's True Blood, but I was a little worried last week when it became apparent that the show was going to take on dogfighting. (If you're not caught up on the latest episodes, here's the obligatory Spoiler Alert warning.)
If you don't watch True Blood, here's the background: Sam Merlotte is a shapeshifter who was ditched by his family when he was just a pup. This season, he meets his family for the first time, including a younger brother, Tommy Mickens. In an earlier episode, the brothers go for a run in dog form; Sam picks his favorite breed, a collie, and Tommy shifts into a pit bull. It turns out that Sam's deadbeat dad has been taking both Tommy and their mom into the fighting pit for years. In this past weekend's episode, Sam tracks down the dog fighting ring to save his brother.
In theory, when a popular show decides to address an issue, it can help raise awareness. Or, it can end up diminishing — or even glorifying — the issue, and this is one show that's not exactly known for taking the high road with violence. But here are 10 ways that True Blood got it right this time:

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True Blood: Season 3 - Mythological Creatures: Shape-Shifters

'True Blood's' Sam Trammell talks 'the sock' and dreams of Bill Compton

 


and
 

True Blood: True Blood: Season 3 - Sam Merlotte So Far...

True Blood Spoilers – Brokeback Coffin?

hahaha
The anticipation for True Blood season 3 is reaching the boiling point, and actor Sam Trammell, who plays Sam on the show, is stoking the fire. Trammell spoke with Rebecca Murray at the 2010 spirit awards, and the conversation quickly shifted to the rumored sex scene between ‘vampire’ Bill Compton and shape-shifter Sam. “I can’t say anything more than that… because people want to be surprised, but there is something that people will be talking about.” Trammell said.

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True Blood Tidbits: What's Ahead For the People of Bon Temps?

From TV Guide

True Blood's Season 3 won't return until next summer, but we can still bring you the scoop on what's happening when the HBO series returns. "It's a crazy season," executive producer Alan Ball tells TVGuide.com. "It picks up right where we left off and things get weird really fast."

True Blood executive producer: Someone will die

As Ball already spilled, someone is going to die and we'll be pretty happy about it. Find out what else he teases, including the juicy relationship between Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) and Sookie (Anna Paquin), and the addition of some new characters. Also, get a few extra tidbits from your favorite shaggy dog, star Sam Trammell.

Theme of Season 3: "It seems to be that it's about really embracing one's identity," Ball tells us. "Season 2 was more about how religions can make people do things that maybe they wouldn't do otherwise; it gives them the freedom to do things. This season is a lot about what it means to be who you are, or what you are."

Sookie's background: "Sookie still doesn't know exactly what she is. She will get closer to figuring out why she has these random powers that show up when they do," says Ball. (Spoiler alert: In the books, Sookie discovers she has fairy blood running in her.) "She is definitely part of a different race," adds Ball. "In terms of fairies, like perky fairies with wings, like Tinkerbell, no, they're not like that. If it is fairies, they're fierce. They're not pretty, soft, glamorous, gossamery things. They're really, really, really powerful and primal creatures."

Mega Buzz: When will we find out who took Bill on True Blood?

Sookie and Eric: Sookie's been seeing visions of her and Eric getting — ahem — friendly. Will their romance actually progress, not just in her head? "I can definitely tell you [we'll see that] in the show. I don't know if it will necessarily be in Season 3. Of course they're going to come together, it's fated. It's not something that's going to happen right off the bat."

Sam's real family: "There's some new shape-shifters who may be Sam's biological family," teases Ball. Adds Trammell, "As I understand it, I'm going to be trying to find my biological family, who put me up for adoption or abandoned me. I have a feeling they're going to be very creepy, sketchy, weird, shape-shiftery weirdos. They're going to be bad news."

Sam's love life: "Can he ever trust a woman again? I don't know if he can, so he may have to just turn into an animal, stay an animal and seek love that way," jokes Trammell. "I hope he does, in all seriousness, but it could take a season or two for him to build up that confidence again."

Watch full episodes of True Blood

Who's coming back? "The Queen is coming back," Ball reveals. "Godric is coming back for an appearance, a flashback. There's some new vampires in town, there are some werewolves. We do have a lot of werewolves coming in, male and female, but we haven't started casting for the show yet."

http://www.tvguide.com/News/True-Blood-Tidbits-1010929.aspx

Go Ask Dallas: What does the note say that Sam's adopted father gave him?

Here it is:

Melinda and Joe Lee Mickens last know in Magnolia, Ark.

I'm sorry

Any other questions about last night episode?

This location is a nod to Charlaine as according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas :

Jean Charlaine Harris Schulz is a horror and mystery writer whose novels have a distinctive Southern setting and are often full of dark humor. Several of her “Southern Vampire” books have served as the basis for the HBO television series True Blood, which debuted in 2008. Her twenty-sixth novel, Dead and Gone, made its debut at the number one position of the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list on May 21, 2009....She currently lives in Magnolia (Columbia County).

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=3281

MaryAnn and Sam

I think this is really hauntingly beautiful scene

Appearance on HBO's ‘True Blood' sparks run on Mullet Festival T-shirts

All it takes is one celebrity wearing a piece of clothing to make it cool.

Fish and festivals aren’t the reason people are clamoring to purchase replica Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival T-shirts online. A faded, vintage T-shirt that appeared on HBO’s "True Blood" series has sparked a new trend.

In the third episode of the hit show’s second season, shape-shifter and bar owner Sam Merlotte sported a faded "Third Annual Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival" shirt.

While many CafePress and other design-your-own clothing sites sell the shirts for more than $20, locals have been able to buy the now-hot commodity for 33 years this October.

"I look back now at all those shirts I had and wish I had kept every one of them," said Niceville City Manager Lanny Corbin.

Corbin said he got phone calls and e-mails from friends as soon as they saw the shirt on HBO. A Mullet Festival T-shirt also has appeared on the CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother."

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Chat with Sam Trammell

From Bulls-eye.com

If you’re going to play Sam Merlotte, the resident shapeshifter of Bon Temps, Louisiana, then you’ve quickly got to get over any issues of modesty that you may have. Fortunately, when it comes to getting naked, Sam Trammell is a professional: before getting his gig on “True Blood,” Trammell’s work as a stage actor had already found him undressing in front of an audience. Whether or not he’ll be back in his birthday suit for the second-season finale of “True Blood” remains to be seen, however, as Trammell was understandably hesitant to divulge any spoilers, but we did discuss quite a few other things about his time on the HBO series, as well as several other items on his resume, including “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Alien vs. Predator: Requiem,” and his surprising connection to alligators in his various projects. First, though, we had to chat about the last time we saw each other…and what the topic of conversation had been.

Bullz-Eye: Hey, man, how are you doing?

Sam Trammell: I’m good! How are you doing?

BE: I’m good. So, did you just want to talk about the Psychedelic Furs for half an hour or so? Because when we were talking after the TCA Awards, I think we spent more time talking about the Furs than we did “True Blood.”

ST: (Laughs) Yeah, absolutely! I’m always ready to talk about the Furs! So how have you been, man?

BE: I’ve been good.

ST: Good! Yeah, that was a fun night, a pretty cool time.

BE: It absolutely was. My wife says to say, “Hi,” and that we’re both psyched for the season finale come Sunday night.

ST: Good! It’s gonna be…well, you know, it’s gonna be intense, as you can imagine. Very, very intense.

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Sam Trammell: 'A main character is in big, big trouble'

It's been a crazy year both on screen and off for Sam Trammell and the cast of "True Blood." They've seen their show, which once seemed destined for cult-status, soar to unprecedented heights as every week more and more viewers discovered the most addictive show on television.

And with Sunday's finale promising death, destruction and devils, PopWrap caught up with the actor (who is nominated for Breakout Performance at the 2009 Scream Awards) to chat about what fans can expect to see go down in Bon Temps as Maryann's plan comes to fruition.

PopWrap: This season has really exceeded fans expectations -- how about yours?

Sam Trammell: When the writers told me the stories for this year -- having the whole town go crazy -- I thought people would either be totally onboard or we'd have some big problems. Thankfully fans took to it. This season felt like a show's last year -- we blew it out! I don't know how much crazier it can get, but I know the writers aren't playing it safe at all.

PW: I'd imagine with all those new viewers, more and more people are coming up to you asking what happens next.

Sam: It's funny, people will always ask and I pretend that I'm going to tell them and right before I say anything they go, "no, no, don't tell me." But it's a totally different vibe this year with people coming up and talking to me about how much they love the show, which is why we do it. It never ceases to amaze me how many different kinds of people watch the show -- young, old, black, white, it's a wide variety.

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Sam Trammell Shares Secrets From The ‘True Blood’ Set & Season Finale

from Access Hollywood

It’s been a rough couple of months for “True Blood’s” shape-shifting bar owner Sam Merlotte, played by actor Sam Trammell.

His past has come back to haunt him in the form of Maryann, a maenad, who has almost all of Bon Temps in a hedonistic, black-eyed daze chasing after the flannel-shirted bar owner in between their own heady carnal indulgences and rampant town vandalism.

But while just a few weeks ago it seemed like Sam was a goner with Maryann’s faithful having trapped him in a jail, and later, a restaurant cooler, the Stackhouse family returned to their little Louisiana town and Jason, fresh from breaking his anti-vampire cult haze, banded together with Detective Andy Bellefleur to save their floppy-haired buddy from ultimate destruction.

As the show heads into its Season 2 finale this Sunday, Sam’s life appears to be on the line again, with Maryann hell-bent on sacrificing the town good guy.

So what’s it been like for the real-life Sam to play a character whose fate isn’t so certain?

Access Hollywood caught up with the star on the eve of Sunday’s season finale (which airs at 9 PM on HBO) to find out.

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True Blood’s Sam Trammell Talks Shape-Shifting Nude Scenes

People Magazine

As True Blood’s Sam Merlotte, the shape-shifting owner of Bon Temps’s favorite bar, Sam Trammell has seen some pretty shady characters walk through the door. First, there were the vampires. Now, even his regular customers are out of control. Of course, they’re under the power of angry maenad Maryann, who’s out to sacrifice him. With the finale of season 2 of True Blood airing Sunday on HBO, Trammell spoke to PEOPLE about working with Anna Paquin, his frequent nude scenes and what’s in store for the final episode. “There’s somebody that’s in major, big, big trouble,” he says. –Aaron Parsley

What does Maryann have against your character?
She needs Sam [Merlotte] for her own personal spiritual satisfaction. There’s also a resentment that she has towards him and this idea that she actually had me at one point and I got away from her and I stole some stuff from her. I’m an annoyance to her and I’m something she can’t control.

How has life changed since True Blood took off?
Towards the end of the first season, I definitely started getting recognized a little bit here and there … but this season it’s every single day and it’s really cool. People are just really passionate. They’re like, “I love the show,” or “I love your character.” It feels so good.

Were you familiar with the Sookie Stackhouse books?
I was not familiar with them at all … I’d heard about this vampire show and it was set in Louisiana and I just thought that’d be perfect for me because I’m originally from Louisiana. And certainly know that rural world pretty well having lived also in West Virginia.

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'True Blood' actor ( Sam Trammell) has W.Va. ties

CHARLESTON, W.Va.--Modern gothic literature played out on television and the silver screen often includes a familiar scenario where the heroine is torn between a vampire and a human. Or a werewolf. Or a shape-shifter.

On HBO's True Blood, former Charleston resident Sam Trammell plays Sam Merlotte, a shape-shifting bar owner who often turns into a collie dog. And Trammell is fairly certain who has the upper hand in the romance department.

"Of course the heroine should choose the shape-shifter, for sure," Trammell said in a recent telephone interview.

"I'm not dead," Trammell added with a laugh, "which is an advantage, you know. I'm not cold to the touch. So I'd have to say I think I'm a better match for Sookie."

Sookie, of course, is waitress Sookie Stackhouse, the central character in Charlaine Harris' novels set in Bon Temps, La. Sookie, played by Golden Globe-winner Anna Paquin, is dating vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and also is loved by Sam.

Trammell, who grew up in Charleston, is in Los Angeles while the show shoots its last couple episodes for the second season, which now airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

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HBO's 'True Blood' star Sam Trammell finds his way home to Louisiana

The Times-Picayune

It is not such a long way from New Orleans to Bon Temps, La.

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."

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Go Ask Dallas: In True Blood what actor plays the young Sam ?

Rita writes .....
Dear Dallas , Who is the actor that plays the young Sam?

Rita , the actor who we saw in the Season 2 premiere last night we also saw and met in Season1 Episode 10. His name is is Martin Spanjer and according to his IMDb page

Date of Birth 2 February 1987, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Height 5' 5" (1.65 m)

Trivia Has an older brother, Matt.

Was a finalist for the title role in "Malcolm in the Middle" (2000). Although Frankie Muniz was ultimately cast, he was given the role of Richard in the first episode.

He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

He began acting in 1994, at the age of seven, in a theatre production of Peter Pan.

Won the Gold Award for his drama First Night (2007). First Night is the first movie Spanjers produced and directed himself.

He has won the 'Young Artist' award numerous times and you may recognize him from many other television appearances including Grey's Anatomy, Cold Case and 8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter.

More here

here is in a clip from 8 simple rules