True Blood designer t- shirts: "Alabama Chanin for HBO" Collection - NYC Store

April 13th - 26th, Take 30% off these one of a kind t-shirts at the NYC Store at 42nd & 6th.

The HBO Shop celebrated the launch of the new "Alabama Chanin for HBO" limited-edition t-shirt collection, designed by Natalie Chanin, founder and designer of clothing label Alabama Channin (www.AlabamaChanin.com). The HBO Shop commissioned Natalie to design a special collection of "Alabama Chanin for HBO" limited-edition, embellished t-shirts. Each design is one-of-a-kind, hand-made and recycled from previous HBO collections featuring logos and key themes from hit programs like Entourage(sm), True Blood(sm), Flight of the Conchords(sm), Sex & the City® and The Sopranos®. The collection includes men's and women's t-shirts with Natalie's signature hand-stitching, embroidery and applique details. The "Alabama Chanin for HBO" collection is now available at the HBO Shop in New York (1100 6th Ave. at 42nd St.). The t-shirts retails between $65 and $85, with a select few retailing for $150.

http://insidehboshop.hbo.com/inside/nyc_store/index.html

Zombie Austen author moves on to Abraham Lincoln, vampire hunter

Looks like Seth Grahame-Smith is sitting pretty these days! With his (surprising) bestselling book Pride and Predjudice and Zombies, flying off of bookshelves everywhere, Grahame-Smith is already preparing for his next mashup–Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. According to reports, the now A-list author was offered a sizeable, six-figure advance to write a book mixing historical/iconic figures with the supernatural. No word yet on when this book will be released but Grahame-Smith’s popularity is increasing rapidly. His editor Ben Greenberg said “Zombies” is popular because “it appeals to Austen fans as well as people who can’t stand her writing and would enjoy seeing Mr Darcy have his brain eaten”.

Article Guardian UK

Charlaine reads and recommends "PPZTCRRNWUZM" on her blog today !

And now to my surprise read. PPZTCRRNWUZM! as I shall call it, is really, really a lot of fun. I am a diehard fan of the original novel, so for weeks I tried to ignore the presence of PPZTCRRNWUZM! on various bestseller lists. But finally curiosity got the better of me, and I clicked on it on Amazon. I’ve got to say, in all honesty . . . I loved it. And it’s basically just what the title says; a retelling of our favorite story, but with zombies. The addition of zombies works amazingly well. I really can’t describe it any further. I laughed out loud.

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

Touch of Dead: New Sookie Stackhouse short story collection cover released !

Check this out another brilliant piece of artwork from Lisa Desimini !

Release date October 2009 !

this book will contain all the Sookie Stackhouse short stories more info here

Team Dallas True Blood Paleyfest Travelogue: Part one by ObjectDesire

Los Angeles Paleyfest Travelogue: Part one by ObjectDesire

A story in which we meet many friends from around the country and discover that Dallas has fairy blood.

Travelers in our party include LovingTrueBloodinDallas (Dallas), ObjectDesire (OD), and Nocturnalinnc (Noct)

Day 1 Agenda: Pink's, Griffith Observatory, Galanga Thai Restaurant, and NoHo Theatre for Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (TB Dallas Fan Meet-up #1)

We all arrive at separate times but arrange to meet at airport

Dallas surprises us by wheeling in to scoop us up in a bright, shiny blue convertible.

Pink's: We put the top down and head straight to Pink's hot dogs on LaBrea Blvd for a world famous hotdog. We are fortunate to find a parking spot just one block away. We discover we have only 4 quarters between us, but to our shock this gives us only 1 hour. Dallas searches her purse and finds a handful of dimes which gives us...1 hour 56 minutes. Off we march to stand on line for our hotdogs. The line snakes around the building but we enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow patrons and people watching. One man shows up to stand near the line with a large gray parrot. After about an hour we reach the front of the line. Dallas orders a spicy Chicago Dog, Noct orders a chili cheese dog, and OD orders a bacon chili cheese dog. We all have an Orange Crush with our meal. It is a beautiful day and we score a table on the patio. Beside us, in the parking lot, a man plays his trumpet as entertainment. Noct and OD begin to fret about the time and our belongings left in the car. Dallas says wait and leaves us guarding her food. She returns with the car and pulls into a space that magically appears in the parking lot (those of you who have visited Pink's know how miraculous this really is). First the empty patio table, then a parking spot! Noct and OD begin to get suspicious that Dallas knows magic spells.

Griffith Observatory: The drive up the mountain is spectacular. Beautiful views of Los Angeles are afforded at every curve. Unfortunately, the Observatory itself is closed for a special event (we never learn which event specifically).

By now, we are getting a bit short on time, and head to check into our hotel. Hotel Le Petit, (more here )turns out to be small, lovely European style boutique hotel. OD still wonders what candles were burning in the lobby--they smelled wonderfully exotic. Our suite has a sunken living room with a fireplace and a small "eat-in" kitchen, in addition to the bedroom area. We have 2 flat screen televisions (which we never turn on!). The towels are soft, thick bath sheets (I can just see Dallas rolling her eyes now--she doesn't care about the towels). But Dallas's hotel picking magic holds and this one is a winner.

We freshen up, change clothes, and are joined by the lovely Robiart, a local girl, who was so instrumental in helping Dallas find restaurants and meet-up spots for this trip.

Galanga Thai Restaurant: We learned of this delightful restaurant after TrueBlood actor, Patrick Gallagher ("Chow"), chooses this spot for an interview ( See his interview here). OD's daughter, Molly, and niece, Sara, meet us at the restaurant for dinner. Delicious food is consumed: Thai lettuce wraps, curry dishes, garlic shrimp (ordered by OD, of course). This restaurant should be added to everyone's "Must Visit" list.

NoHo Theatre: Traffic is surprisingly light (Dallas? Magic?). Our trip takes only 28 minutes and we have time to walk next door to Starbucks for coffee. At the theatre, we are joined by another local fan of Dallas' blog, the sweet and lovely IYOUWANT2. The play, Bram Stoker's Dracula, is excellent with creative staging (and we get to see Dracula's naked behind--a bit gratuitous, but gorgeous nonetheless :-)

Back at our hotel, we end the evening with Ms. Robiart, laughing and dissecting TrueBlood and Sookie Stackhouse books (Eric? Bill? Vampwich? What will happen in Book 9?). Make plans to meet Ms. Robiart on Saturday evening, then fall into bed and sleep soundly.( OD goes right to sleep Dallas and Noct stay up much later :))

True Blood goes to the movies: Anna Paquin stars in 'Trick R Treat'

Screenwriter Michael Dougherty’s feature directorial debut Trick R Treat has been sitting on the shelf for almost two years. The film earned great reviews and buzz from a handful of screenings, but Warner Bros has been reluctant to release the film in theaters.

A new trailer has surfaced on About.com , which ends with the words “Coming to Blu-ray & DVD This October”. It is unclear if the film will be released theatrically before then, but it is very likely that Warner Bros is sending the film direct-to-home video. It’s a shame because I know a lot of people who were interested in seeing this film on the big screen. Anna Paquin has gained a larger fan following thanks to the HBO show True Blood, and it seems like this film would be an easy sell to the audience.

Plot Synopsis: It is said that Halloween is the night when the dead rise to walk among us and other unspeakable things roam free. The rituals of All Hallows Eve were devised to protect us from their evil mischief, and one small town is about to be taught a terrifying lesson that some traditions are best not forgotten. Nothing is what it seems when a suburban couple learns the dangers of blowing out a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight; four women cross paths with a costumed stalker at a local festival; a group of pranksters goes too far and discovers the horrifying truth buried in a local legend; and a cantankerous old hermit is visited by a strange trick-or-treater with a few bones to pick. Costumes and candy, ghouls and goblins, monsters and mayhem…the tricks and treats of Halloween turn deadly as strange creatures of every variety—human and otherwise—try to survive the scariest night of the year.

The movie stars Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, and Leslie Bibb.

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/04/20/trick-r-treat-finally-gets-a-release-in-october/

Sookieverse would be a great subject for Xtranormal movie making

I bet creative folks could make some interesting and entertaining Sookieverse stories using this cool new technology! It's free in beta.

http://www.xtranormal.com/


Let me kn0w if you make something ...

Clip of 'True Blood' Season 2

Screened at Paley Festival earlier this month, a clip taken from the second season of 'True Blood' shows an unknown creature attacking Sookie.

Eonline says ...
Lena in Boca Raton, Fla.: What else can you tell us about True Blood?
The general consensus of our Living Dead in Dallas-reading commenters who got a look at the True Blood sneak peek shown at Paley is that the giant Minotaur-lookin' creature show is Michelle Forbes' maenad in another guise. To which we say, "Wuh?" and "Wow." (And we're working on getting a legit version of that clip, so hang in there...)

Support Stacie Fanfic Auction Fanfic twitter performance Thursday

Mark your calenders! As promised, we're going to be acting out fanfic writer Terri Botta's story "When Life Imitates Television."

Just to give you some background, Terri was one of three writers participating in the Support Stacie Fanfic Auction . A bunch of us have gotten to know Terri (Izzy or @isilwath on Twitter), and we wanted to do something to support Stacie in our own special way.

So we agreed that we would act out the winning fanfic. And thankfully, one of our Twitter friends, @EricsTXGal won!

Here are the details for the show:

When: Thursday, April 23, 8:00 - 10:00pm CDT

Where: Twitter

Live feed here from Twitterfic : http://twitterfic.com/trueblood/

To watch the show, you'll need to follow the folks listed below:

1. @EricNorthman
2. @EricNorthman2
3. @SookieBonTemps
4. @SookieBonTemps2
5. @VampireBill
6. @JessicaHamby
7. @SheiroQ
8. @VictorMadden

Bill, Jessica, Kristina, and Victor are going to be playing the supporting characters. They'll be wearing different "faces" to help the storyline along.

As a courtesy, we're going to ask our friends not to tweet during the performance so that we can truly bring Izzy's wonderful story to life as promised.

Tune in Thursday night!

True Blood Music Video of the Day:Best I ever had by State of Shock

Best I ever had by State of Shock LYRICS

Thanks, selene14luv

Loving True Blood Dallas Blogtalk:: Paleyfest revisited ( Episode 18)

Get first hand impressions and thoughts from the fans that were there ...these are folks that traveled thousands of miles to be there LIVE at the event !

They will regale us with stories, thoughts, memories and impressions !

Should be a great show -I can't wait to talk to everyone again.




Chat room opens 8:45 pm HERE


Show starts 9:00 pm CST

If you were also there I will try to take some calls at the end of the show (646) 929- 0825

Great Paleyfest True Blood interviews from Fear.net

TV's sexiest, goriest, Cajun-flavored vampire show celebrated its upcoming second season at the annual Paley Festival in Hollywood. Spider went hunting for spoilers from Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and the rest of the True Blood cast.

True Blood Recipes: Sookie's Southern Biscuits

I've had fun looking at Southern biscuits recipes. I poked around and I was fascinated how many recipes there were . This recipe for Southern biscuits or Pinch biscuits was a very common recipe and can also be found in Southern Living cookbook. The video also shows this recipe being prepared.
* don't fret if you'd like to make these for dinner and you don't have buttermilk you can take 1 cup whole milk and add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice, let stand 5 minutes.

Sookie makes biscuits and brings them to Calvin in Dead as a Doornail.

Equipment

large mixing bowl
greased baking sheet

Ingredients

6 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour
3/4 cup shortening
16 ounces buttermilk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 500° F.

2. Add flour to mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the buttermilk and shortening.

3. Work the shortening with your fingers, breaking it up into very small pieces.

4. Start working the flour into the liquid, pulling it in a little at a time. Work in just enough flour to make a soft dough, neither sticky or dry. There should still be some flour around the edges of the bowl. You should NOT use all the flour.

5. Dust some flour on your hands. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a small orange or tangerine, about 1/3 cup. Work the dough in one hand, using your fingers to move it in a circular motion. Don’t press hard, you just want to shape them.

6. Lay each biscuit on the greased baking sheet right next to each other, with no space in between. Once you have all the biscuits on the sheet, press three knuckles lightly in the top of each.

7. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from pan immediately, place in a basket, and cover with a tea towel.

http://www.andreasrecipes.com/2006/04/18/southern-pinch-biscuits-aka-squeeze-biscuits/

post your favorite in comments !

Bill Compton's middle name ..

In Dead until Dark Bk 1 Sookie dreams that Bill's full name is :

William Erasmus Compton

"Bill," I muttered. I turned to face a stone I hadn't yet touched. When I lay my fingers on it, they traced the letters "William Erasmus Compton." As if I'd been dashed with cold water, my eyes flew open, I drew in a breath to scream, and my throat gave a great throb of pain

In Living Dead in Dallas Bk2 she finds out that his middle name is actually:

William Thomas Compton

I could barely make out the writing.William Thomas Compton,his mother had written, or perhaps his father.Born April 9, 1840. Another hand had written Died November 25, 1868.
"You have a birthday," I said.

Compton family genealogy HERE
Photos -this is the headstone Sookie finds in Bon Temps Cemetery in True Blood.

Nice gravestone image from Lynn, Thanks ! http://lynnpdesign.com/wallpapers

The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler Reviews

Wow, the NYT critic wasn't very flattering and Wall Steet Journal raved -you can check out all the various reviews here:

Here is a little from Wall Street Journal Review :

by DOROTHY RABINOWITZ
It's a given, this column noted a while back, that in "Hallmark Hall of Fame" productions darkness may threaten, but not for long -- not in those gleaming, handsomely mounted dramas with their inevitable satisfactory resolutions. All the more remarkable, then, that this weekend should bring "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" (Sunday, 9-11 p.m. EDT, on CBS), a new production so terrifying in its power and its refusal of false notes. There is in this story of the Polish social worker who -- with a band of like-minded compatriots -- set about saving as many Jews as she could from annihilation at the hands of the German occupiers no glimmer of happy endings or darkness lifting.

This is a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" film unlike any other -- but more important by far, it's unlike any other ever made on this history of rescuers and the rescued. In writer-director John Kent Harrison's picture, the heroes aren't given to speechmaking about the noble cause, and neither do the Germans make declarations on their ultimate aims for the Jews -- which is, in any event, entirely clear. That scrupulous avoidance of underlining and bombast would by itself be a case for the film's distinction, but it's only one of many.

Read on

From Dead to Worse reviewed at Bloody Bookaholic

I just love the enthusiasm of some Sookie books reviewers. I hope everyone has re-read book 8 From Dead to Worse. ( I would recommend re-reading Bk 6 All Together Dead too ) Taschima from Bloody Bookaholic reviews FDTW.

"When the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered."

After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the man-made explosion at the vampire summit, everyone-human and otherwise-is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend Quinn has gona missing.

Its clear that things are changing-whether the weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie-friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire community-is caught up in the changes.

Read on

Michelle Forbes (Maryann )Talk To Me from H

Yep, if you want to read about everything else Michelle Forbe's is doing aside from True Blood this is the article for you ...

Michelle Forbes speaks highly of her recent colleagues for their fascination with the human condition; ultimately for their ability to “get in there and be intimate with people, uncovering their deepest, darkest secrets.” She too has delved into some deep and dark characters over the years in theatre, television, and movies including Swimming with Sharks, Kalifornia,The District, Prison Break, 24, Battlestar Galactica, Homicide: Life On The Street, and Star Trek: The Next Generation and has enjoyed a diverse acting career where she explores the human psyche and spirit through intriguing characters and storylines.

With Forbe’s latest two series (both on HBO), In Treatment and True Blood, she brings us two more compelling characters: She joined True Blood late last season as Maryann, a wealthy “social worker” with an unrevealed secret power adding another layer of mystery to the town of Bon Temps, and Kate Weston from In Treatment. Kate is the repressed wife to psychotherapist Dr. Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne); they bring their 25 year marriage under the therapy microscope with Paul’s therapist, Gina, brilliantly portrayed by Dianne Wiest. The series is gripping, and like therapy itself, you have no idea where it’s going to lead you. Gabriel Byrne’s Paul Weston is fascinating as he uncovers his patients’ struggles with piercing intuition and honest compassion as he himself hovers on the brink of an emotional crisis. Michelle Forbes tackles the role of repressed housewife with depth and grace alongside her own emotional cave-in.

http://www.hmonthly.com/blog/2009/04/20/michelle-forbes-talk/

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Everything by Lighthouse (Sookie / Eric)

Everything by Lighthouse LYRICS
Thanks TruBldFan ( this is beautiful)


http://lovingtruebloodindallas.blogspot.com/