'True Blood' boosts Charlaine Harris' starpower

From USA weekend

Even if you’ve faithfully watched both seasons of HBO’s hit vampire series True Blood, based on Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, you’ve only seen a glimpse into the writer's colorful world. And keen TV watchers finally got to see the author on screen with her creations — she had a cameo in a bar scene during True Blood’s season finale last month. Long before Anna Paquin put on the Merlotte’s waitress uniform as the on-screen Sookie, Harris introduced the spunky Louisiana telepath in the 2001 novel Dead Until Dark. Many vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters and a fairy godmother later, her series is going strong, with a new short-story compilation A Touch of Dead in stores this week and the 11th Sookie novel, Dead in the Family, scheduled for a May release. In addition, the fourth book in her Harper Connelly Mysteries series, Grave Secret, comes out next month (read the first chapter here), and later this month Harris, 58, will be the official queen of New Orleans’ annual Vampire Ball. I caught up with the Arkansas-based author recently for an upcoming cover story about vampires, but read below about how Harris got into writing about the supernatural and what she thinks the next big thing involving the undead will be.

Your books were already popular by themselves, but they’ve seemed to have taken on a whole new life thanks to True Blood.
Yeah, I’ve gained a whole new group of readers, which has been of course wonderful. But the new readers seem to see the books in a different light than the readers I had before. They see the characters on television, and I think sometimes they wonder why the characters in the books aren’t cooperating more with the ones on the screen.

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Vampires are coming to Britain

True Blood is the US vampire series that's making its terrestrial premiere on Channel 4 on Wednesday night. The drama is based in the back-water Louisiana town of Bon Temps, where vampires have come out of the coffin and are demanding equal rights.

The lead actor is Brit, Stephen Moyer who plays an 173-year-old vampire, Bill Compton. The series has been HBO's most successful drama since The Sopranos.

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Would you like to be an extra on True Blood ? Got $8,000.00 ?

Description

Includes: a non-speaking, featured "extra" walk-on role on HBO's hit series, TRUE BLOOD. Valid for one person however, the winner may bring a guest on set. Must be at least 18 years old. Availability is based on production schedule. Show tapes in LA. We can not guarentee that the scene the winner is in will make the final cut and be aired. The winner will be paid for their time (the minimum required to pay an extra or background artist) and therefore he or she should bring the paperwork necessary to complete the I-9 form.

Thanks to a Japanese scientist's invention of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. And while humans have been safely removed from the menu, many remain apprehensive about these creatures "coming out of the coffin." Religious leaders and government officials around the world have chosen their sides, but in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, the jury is still out.

Local waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), however, knows how it feels to be an outcast. "Cursed" with the ability to listen in on people's thoughts, she's also open-minded about the integration of vampires — particularly when it comes to Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old living up the road. But at the service of Bill's less virtuous vampire associates, Sookie is drawn into a series of catastrophes that will put their love to the test.

The latest hit series from 'Six Feet Under' creator Alan Ball, 'True Blood' delves into the meticulously-crafted world of novelist Charlaine Harris. Described by the Emmy®-winning Ball as "popcorn for smart people," the first season of ‘True Blood' caused an overnight sensation — and the new installments only build on his colorful cast of supernatural misfits.

Be a part of this amazing show and bid now on a featured walk-on role!

Donated by: HBO

Terms: Includes: a non-speaking, featured "extra" walk-on role on HBO's hit series, TRUE BLOOD. Valid for one person however, the winner may bring a guest on set. Must be at least 18 years old. Availability is based on production schedule. Show tapes in LA. We can not guarentee that the scene the winner is in will make the final cut and be aired. The winner will be paid for their time (the minimum required to pay an extra or background artist) and therefore he or she should bring the paperwork necessary to complete the I-9 form.
Benefits the GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network,

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Talking Shop: Stephen Moyer and the BIG 4-0

From BBC News

Stephen Moyer is the latest British actor to take US television by storm as vampire good guy Bill Compton in the hit show True Blood, which starts on Channel 4 later.
Stephen Moyer
Moyer has played a vampire once before for a BBC show

With his flawless southern-US drawl and chiselled Hollywood good looks, it is a surprise that the 39-year-old hails from Essex, far from the fictional swampy Louisiana town of Bon Temps.

In the show, vampires have been drawn into the open after the invention of a new synthetic human blood substitute called True Blood.

Moyer's character - an American civil war soldier who turned vamp in 1868 - begins a love affair with telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, played by Anna Paquin.

He is now engaged to his co-star who, in 1994 at the age of 11, became one of the youngest Oscar winners in history for her performance in The Piano.

The show has been a huge hit in the US already. Are your American fans still surprised when they meet you and hear your English accent?

However much press that Hugh Laurie does and however many interviews they see him sounding English, when they meet him in the street, they still can't believe it and that's the reaction I get.

It's lovely for me, you know, I have dark hair in the show and I'm pale and I have the dark sideburns so it's like a whole costume by itself. It's very enjoyable.

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PopSugar tells you 6 Reason Why You Can't Live without Vampires !

Alan Ball on CNN

Ten reasons to guzzle 'True Blood'

From Digital Spy UK

Fresh from its run on FX UK, the superb True Blood finally arrives on Channel 4 and is sure to amass a legion of new fans with its tense yet funny storytelling and winning romantic intrigue. There will be skeptics out there no doubt grumbling 'oh no, not another vampire-themed show'. So here are ten reasons to sink your fangs into this superb slice of compelling drama set deep in Southern America.

1) The pedigree

The background of key figures behind and before the cameras is impressive. True Blood creator Alan Ball was behind the similarly morbid and hugely-lauded series Six Feet Under and scooped an Oscar for his American Beauty screenplay. The lead star Anna Paquin, who plays kooky waitress Sookie Stackhouse, also landed an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the tender age of 11 for her role in 1994 art flick The Piano, and won an army of fans playing Rogue in the X-Men movies. In addition, the source material for the series is The Southern Vampire Mysteries by award-winning novelist Charlaine Harris.

2) The naughtiness

Mainstream US television has some crazy censorship issues, whereby it’s fine to show numerous faceless characters being gunned to pieces in various action dramas, but the end of the world if there's a swear word or Janet Jackson has a wardrobe malfunction. Fortunately, True Blood is an HBO production and there’s an abundance of visual and verbal decadence to devour. The opening episode is quick to set its stall out by deploying the two 'c's very early on - 'c**t' and cunnilingus.

3) Whodunnit?

Evoking the compelling murder-mystery element of Twin Peaks, there’s a killer on the loose in the remote Louisiana town of Bon Temps. Video evidence suggests that Sookie’s decadent (and highly amusing) brother Jason is responsible, but several other suspects soon enter the fray. It’s great fun to do a bit of detective work of your own while watching the show, especially as the bumbling police officers in the show seem incapable of doing it themselves.

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Vampire Diaries flashback

I think that one of the coolest things about vampire shows/movies/books etc are the flashbacks to times earlier in the vampire's existence.

True Blood does lots of these ...don't know how many of you are watching CW's Vampire Diaries but this is cool

more here

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Blue by Angie Hart

Blue by Angie Hart LYRICS

Thanks, saroufim93

True Blood behind the scenes: Big Patty's Pie House

Remember in Season 1 in episode 11 when Sam and Sookie went to Big Patty's ?

Well, it's actually a Chip's Restaurant at 11908 Hawthorne Blvd Hawthorne, CA

Above and left is how it looked last week! Thanks Robi and friends !






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Penguin Classics On Air: Vampires on Paper: The Enduring Appeal of Vampires in Literature.

This month we are showing Vampires on Paper: The Enduring Appeal of Vampires in Literature.

In this episode, Penguin Classics Editor, Elda Rotor interviews Twilight expert Donna Freitas about the appeal of Stephanie Meyer’s vampire series and how it compares to Emily Bronte’s enduring classic Wuthering Heights.

Elda then speaks with Dacre Stoker, a direct descendent of Bram Stoker, and Ian Holt, authors of Dracula: The Un-Dead, who explain why Dracula and other vampires are such popular characters in literature. Alan Walker introducers listeners to The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham on “Reading the Classics from A to Z.” Stephen Morrison offers up the opening to Bram Stoker’s Dracula in his segment, “First Pages.”

“Penguin Classics On Air” is part of Penguin Group (USA)’s recently launched “From the Publisher’s Office” Online Network. It is hosted by Penguin Classics Editorial Director Elda Rotor and features in-depth conversations on new, timely, and rediscovered classics. Other features include, “Reading the Classics from A to Z”, a delightful review by Alan Walker, Senior Director of Academic Marketing, on one of the classics he has recently read , and “First Pages”, a sampling of a featured classic read by Associate Publisher Stephen Morrison

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishersoffice/radioroom/0909/pcoa/vampires.html

Pop Rocks: Zombies Vs. Vampires Is This Generation's Beatles Vs.Stones

Another take on Zombies vs Vampires

Zombieland topped the box office last weekend with $25 million, a respectable haul for a relatively low-budget horror-comedy whose biggest star (Woody Harrelson) hasn't top-lined a movie in over ten years. By comparison, the first installment in the Twilight series opened a year ago to the tune of $69 million.

It would go on to gross almost $200 million domestically, a total Zombieland won't come within brain-eating distance of. I point this out in order to draw attention to the disparity in the current popularity of bloodsuckers and brain/flesh-eaters, and to explain why this is actually a desirable state of undead affairs.

Vampires have a much richer history, it's true. Ancient cultures like Persia and Rome all have some version of bloodsucking spirit, but the vampire in its current incarnation really became popular in Eastern and Central Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/10/zombieland_vampires.php

True Blood: Casting Werewolf Alcide and Psycho Ex-Girlfriend

We've been hearing about a bunch of new characters coming on board for the third season of True Blood but so far, only Tony winner Denis O'Hare has been cast to play Russell Edgington, the King of Mississippi. Now Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reports that casting is underway for Werewolf Alcide, who debuted in the third Sookie novel Club Dead and will be prominently appearing on the new season of the HBO series, and his psycho ex-girlfriend Debbie Pelt.

While the specifics about Werewolf Alcide have not been disclosed, the casting people behind True Blood have made it known that Debbie Pelt would be played by a 20 to 30 something knockout and is described as "sporty and spiteful, with black hair."

Off the top of my head, I think that Shannyn Sossamon, Alyssa Milano, Sarah Brown or Milla Jovovich would be plausible fillers for the character of Debbie, whom True Blood creator Alan Ball describes as "bad news." To refresh your memory, Sossamon is known for her role as Coraline on Moonlight, Milano appeared as Phoebe Halliwell on Charmed and most recently as Billie on My Name is Earl, Brown currently plays Claudia Zacchara on ABC soap General Hospital and Jovovich is popularly known as Alice in the Resident Evil movies.

Speaking of Sossamon, wouldn't it be great if Alex O'Loughlin was cast as Werewolf Alcide? I highly doubt that he'll be available though since he's currently starring on the CBS medical drama Three Rivers. I guess a little Moonlight reunion is just wishful thinking so I shouldn't even be hoping that Jason Dohring would get the part either.

What are your thoughts on Werewolf Alcide and Debbie Pelt? Do you have any suggestions on which actor to cast?

read on: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/true-blood/true-blood-casting-werewolf-al-31668.aspx

Why Zombies Make Better Horror Movies Than Vampires

The battle of the undead on the big screen has been under way for some time now, and after months of hearing that vampires are taking over pop culture, it seems like we shouldn't quite put our friends the zombies (no, not those ones) down for the count. Over at Newsweek, Sarah Ball put together a few reasons as to why zombies will never beat vampires in a pop-culture zeitgeist-off thanks to our long-standing love-affair with the pale tortured types. But just this weekend, audiences proved that when it comes to the walking dead, the zombies still have what it takes to bring in the crowds.

Everybody has their personal preferences (and man I love those bloodsuckers), so even though I've watched more vampire content than I care to remember (I even sat through the pilot of The Vampire Diaries), and I'll always be a dedicated 'fan of the fang', I think that sometimes those drooling bumbling walking corpses might be better suited (at least these days) to the world of horror. Here's why:

After the jump: my top 3 reasons Zombies (might) make better horror movies.

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The Blood Has Spilled - the 2009 International Vampire Film Festival Line-Up

New Orleans, LA. October 6, 2009 - The Vampire Film Festival (Vampire Fest) is finally coming home! “After two years in Los Angeles we wanted to permanently move the festival to the city most connected to the vampire myth - New Orleans. This glorious city is a place of mystical allure, the city where Anne Rice rethought the myth of the vampire. With its Gothic architecture, above the ground graves, voodoo and colorful history, New Orleans is the perfect location to celebrate the vampire myth and build the foundation for an annual must attend film festival event,” announced Festival Director, Asif Ahmed.

The 4- Day Vampire Festival slated for Oct. 23- 26 will showcase films, a vampire ballet, a New Orleans Jazz Style Funeral and a French Quarter scavenger hunt.
Over 50 films will screen from over 11 countries this month in New Orleans. Vampire Fest has declared 2009 the Year of the International Vampire and will screen films from Japan, Spain, France, Italy, Norway, Austria, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. We will screen films that could be classified in the context of vampire, supernatural, the bizarre, the grotesque, the mysterious or the desolate. The legend of the werewolf is interconnected with that of vampire and Vampire Fest is open to films of the Gothic, zombie, werewolf or ghost genre.

“This will mark Vampire Fest’s first time in NOLA!” Mary Beth Romig, Director of Public Relations and Communications for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, recently declared, “We are excited to welcome the Vampire Film Festival to what we think is the perfect city for showcasing this genre. With our reputation for being one of America's most haunted cities and our rich history, we feel our city will be the perfect backdrop for the festival this year and for many years to come, adding another exciting and unique festival to the line up of great events in New Orleans."

The lineup screening at the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center is as follows (tickets are now on sale at www.vampirefest.com):

True Blood Music Video of the Day :Running up that hill by Placebo

Running up that hill by Placebo LYRICS

Thanks, AandIShow

True blood's Anna Paquin new video : Video Q&A: Los Angeles Trick 'r Treat Panel

On Sunday, October 4, under a full moon, a crowd lined up around the block for ShockTillYouDrop.com and the New Beverly Cinema's screening of Trick 'r Treat. Regardless of the fact that it was arriving on DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday, October 6, guests were eager to see the anthology horror film on the big screen.

Star Anna Paquin (True Blood) was spotted in the audience, as was Seth Green, Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse) and composer Douglas Pipes.

After receiving a thunderous applause post-screening, this writer took to the front of the theatre to join Dougherty, Penikett and Pipes for a Q&A. Audience members who chimed in with a question of their own scored a DVD copy of Trick 'r Treat.

Below, you'll find highlights from our discussion as Dougherty talks about the creation of the film, his iconic character "Sam," and sequel plans!

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