True Blood's Michelle Forbes Ponders "The Riddle of Maryann"

from SeattlePI and TV Guide

Michelle Forbes likes that her True Blood character, Maryann Forrester, is such an enigma. It reminds her of how she got the acting gig. "I was told a lot, yet very little, and that is the riddle of Maryann," she says, quixotically. "I was so lost initially." Join the club. You may have heard that Maryann is a maenad, and that's technically accurate — but it's certainly not the whole story. Forbes was gracious enough to help us understand Maryann's maybe-not-so-evil-after-all ways in this two-part interview. (After you watch Sunday's episode, come back Monday morning for the juicy bits of Part 2.)

TVGuide.com: When I heard Alan Ball was going to be doing a vampire show, I thought: Oh, no! I'm not generally a fan of goth or genre-type stuff.
Michelle Forbes: That's what's so fascinating about [True Blood]. For someone who seems to be known for her sci-fi career, I had not thought of vampires for more than five minutes in my entire life. But this show is not about vampires. It's looking at all these different beings — a telepathic waitress, a shape-shifter bar owner, or, you know, Stephen Root's lonely accountant vampire — and it gives such a real face to this world of the supernatural that I always found rather goofy.

TVGuide.com: And the end result is both fun and sophisticated.
Forbes: You have this landscape for social commentary, for questioning injustice, compassion and our pack-mentality thinking allegorically.

TVGuide.com: Were you a fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels?
Forbes: I'd never even heard of them. I bought them, read the first one and then put them down because we are telling our own story. For the "book-ies" out there, everyone has to remember that it's an adaptation, not a translation.

TVGuide.com: There is a character who's similar to Maryann in the books though, isn't there?
Forbes: Yes, Callisto — she shows up in the second book. I was like, why didn't we use that name? It's so much prettier than Maryann.

TVGuide.com: What did they tell you in advance about Maryann?
Forbes: There were discussions about Greek mythology, and yet you open a script and you're dancing to the B-52's. It was a little hard trying to understand how the two mesh together, but with these writers and [series creator Alan Ball], the trust factor is massive. Everything became evident the more I sat still.

TVGuide.com: What exactly did you talk about?
Forbes: We talked about Bacchus and Dionysus; what a maenad is, how they're led by appetite, how they thrive off other peoples' appetites, chaos and destruction. But, you know, that was the diving board, but it wasn't the pool.

Read on

Contest: Help Sookie pack for her big trip to Dallas !

You know Sookie doesn't get to travel much and the trip to Dallas is a big thing....

She needs your help packing ...

1.) Name 3 things that YOU know from the books that she packed and brought to Dallas ..

2.) Name 1 thing that she forgot to bring ...

3. ) Name 1 thing she should have brought ...

The winner will receive a free Sookie paperback (title of your choice )

We will pick a number at random from the entries and announce the winner tomorrow night on 'Talk Blood' radio show ...the Twitter Jessica will pick it for us !

Post your answers in the comments and SIGN IN or sign your posts

Thanks "D"

True Blood: Welcome to Dallas Sookie Stackhouse and True Blood ! Pt 1

Sookie Stackhouse ( Living Dead in Dallas )

...I'd forgotten the sprawl of Dallas, in the seven years since I'd graduated from high school. The lights of the city were amazing, and the busyness. I stared out of the windows at everything we passed, and Bill smiled at me with an irritating indulgence.

The lovely Objectdesire and I using the Charlaine Harris book 'Living Dead in Dallas' last year came up with some actual Dallas locations that fit the places described in the book.
None of the places mentioned in the books are actual places in Dallas except DFW Airport and Dealey Plaza. ( which has to be mentioned in any thing set in Dallas)

These are also NOT filming locations, from what we understand all the "Dallas " True Blood scenes are being shot in California. But we might see a stock photo of the Dallas Skyline or Dealey plaza shot to authentically set the locations as being here ...but it's Hollywood magic.

So, what we had to do is use the distances and locations as described in the books and come up with real Dallas locations that kind of fit the descriptions of the locations.

There are 4 locations, I will post the first 3 today and the last 4 tomorrow.

1) DFW Airport
Where Sookie and Bill land ..

Bk 2: It was as hot as the six shades of hell in Dallas, especially on the pavement at the airport.

Our brief few days of fall had relapsed back into summer. Torch-hot gusts of air bearing all the sounds and smells of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport—the workings of small vehicles and airplanes, their fuel and their cargo—seemed to accumulate around the foot of the ramp from the cargo bay of the plane I'd been waiting for.

I'd flown a regular commercial flight, but Bill had had to be shipped specially.

2) Silent Shores Hotel, Downtown Dallas ( it's called the Carmilla Hotel in True Blood)
our pick:
The Adolphus Hotel Dallas
1321 Commerce St
Dallas, TX 75202

Bk 2: The Silent Shore was the only hotel in the Dallas area that had undergone the extensive renovation necessary to accommodate vampire patrons. It was one of the grand old downtown hotels, the brochure had said, not that I'd ever seen downtown Dallas or any of its grand old hotels before.

..."Thank you," I said politely when we pulled under the porte cochere of the hotel. ...

The front of the hotel, with its heavy blank doors, was brilliantly lit in the dark night, and Eric looked remarkably pale.

They actually did film on the roof on the Adolphus in July
[info here ] and for the interior of the hotel they used the Sofitel in Los Angeles [info here ]



3) Dealey Plaza/ Texas School Depository Building : the site of the John Kennedy assassination.
Dealey Plaza : Wiki entry here
The Sixth Floor Museum HERE

We began a curve to the left. I could see some sort of grassy area, and a vague shape that would be some kind of historical marker, maybe. Isabel pointed to her right with a long bony finger.

"The Texas School Book Depository," she said, and I understood she felt obliged to inform me. That meant she had been ordered to do so, which was very interesting. I followed her finger eagerly, taking in as much of the brick building as I could see. I was surprised it didn't look more notable. "That's the grassy knoll?" I breathed, excited and impressed.

It was like I'd happened upon the Hindenburg or some other fabled artifact. Isabel nodded, a barely perceptible movement that I only caught because her braid jerked. "There is a museum in the old depository," she said.

Now, that was something I'd like to see in the daytime. If we were here long enough, I'd walk or maybe find out how to catch a cab while Bill was in his coffin.

True Blood Fan Art

true blood fan art by ~justjen57 on deviantART

True Blood Returns Contest- a- Day #5a - Best of the responses

In the the 10 days leading up to the return of True Blood ( season 2 ) I did a contest- a-day and gave out 10 fabulous prizes to lucky winners .

Many of the contests questions had complicated answers and folks have always wanted to read some of the contestant answers.

So lets look back at Question # 5a

Q: What 3 things might we find on Eric's desk at Fangtasia ? What one thing do we actually see?

There were many duplicates but these are some of the best !
Thanks to everyone !
Post your favorites in the comments !

Three things that could be found on Eric’s desk at Fangtasia.

A phone, because we know that Eric speaks on a landline at Fangtasia when Sookie calls
A word-of-the-day calendar, because Eric and Sookie have a lot in common
His blackberry, because it doesn’t fit into those tight jeans he wears
Fangtasia business papers
Employment list
Viking carvings,
Photo of Sookie Phone
Swedish to English translation book
CD of old Nordic music

One actual thing we see

Set of jade vases
Bottle of Tabasco.
Phone
Calendar
Notepad

Jace Everett wants to do bad things with you, in a nice way

Don’t let him fool you. He might say he wants to do bad things with you in his powerful single “Bad Things” (from HBO’s “True Blood”), but the truth is Jace Everett is a real gentleman. It’s hard to imagine him doing bad things with anyone, unless those bad things involve his unique brand of Nashville country rock. In fact, he’s more likely to lend a friend a helping hand, or charm this reporter starry-eyed.

Everett’s brand new album, Red Revelations came out on June 23 from Weston Boys Entertainment, and I’ve been listening to it ever since. An impressive vocal range and driving bass lines make the album immediately ear-catching, from the sultry opening track “Posession” to the hip-swaying “Lean Into the Wind” to the final track “Bad Things.” It’s an album full of stories, both playful and dark. Some songs will get you tapping your feet to the rhythm and getting down with your bad self, while others will make you want to pour yourself a tall glass of whiskey and take a trip down memory lane.

While listening to lyrics like, “I talk like a junkie but I pray like a saint down here on my knees,” I got to wondering just what the man behind the music was like. Fortunately for my curiosity, I got a chance to talk to the carrot-topped Nashville musician about his new album and live performances, and he had plenty to say

read on

True Blood Returns This Sunday, and We've Got Your Scoop Right Here!

Eonline and Deborah ( Jessica ) Woll interview

Los Angeles (E! Online) – After a break (argh!) for the July Fouth holiday, HBO's cult-hit drama True Blood returns this Sunday with a brand-new ep, and to celebrate, we've got a veritable bloodbath of dish.

Read on to see two sneak peeks of Sunday's ep, and check out three exclusive new True Blood interviews, including a chat with breakout star Deborah Ann Woll and a talk with hilarious series creator Alan Ball, who shares some awesome wisdom with us, including, "If you're a vampire, you're not going to want an all-white house."

Q&A with Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica Hamby)

Jessica didn't want to become a vampire, and now she's a part of this vampire family. I take it she'll have some adjustment problems.

Absolutely. It's a whole new world. She has to deal with everything you have to deal with as a 17-year-old girl, and on top of that, she can kill people, which is maybe not such a good thing to add with a teenage temper.

Does her dramatic relationship will Bill settle down eventually, or does it remain more of a strained situation?

It settles down as much as a father-daughter relationship ever does. Is that mysterious enough for you?

Does she get involved in the Dallas mystery this season?

Yes and no. I get to go. Definitely a field trip. I'm certainly a complication in many ways.

What's it like working with Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin?

True Blood comes to Louisiana

Clinton, La. — Cast members of the hit HBO show True Blood spent some time near Baton Rouge today, shooting scenes for the steamy vampire drama.

Set in the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, the series follows waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her relationship with the dashing Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) — a 174-year-old vampire.

Paquin and other cast members — including Ryan Kwanten, who plays Sookie’s wild brother Jason, and Nelsan Ellis, who plays the eccentric short order cook and drug dealer Lafayette Reynolds — were in Clinton today filming scenes for the tenth episode of the show’s second season, which premiered June 14.

“It’s beautiful down here,” Paquin said. “Nothing really looks like the South except the South ... It’s really important to come down here and capture it.”

The cast and crew spent some time filming in Shreveport for True Blood’s first season and are hopeful to return to filming in Clinton if the show is picked up for a third season.

True Blood was created by Alan Ball, the man behind HBO’s popular series Six Feet Under and the Academy Award-winning film “American Beauty,” and is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.

More here

HBO's "True Blood" Behind the Scenes in Clinton, Louisiana

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Half of you by Cat Power

This was also a recent "Go Ask Dallas " questions ( please ask me questions !)

Hey Dallas

What the name of that song from Season one when Bill and Sookie " get together " for the first time ?

Thanks, "B"

____

Dear B

The song is called 'Half of you' by Cat Power.

You can hear the song in the video above and LYRICS can be found here

Cat Power is the stage name of American singer/songwriter Charlyn "Chan" Marshal and more can be read about her on her wiki page here

You can listen to and buy her music on her MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/catpower

Thanks, "D"

HBO show "True Blood" comes to Baton Rouge area

CLINTON, LA (WAFB) - Parts of Louisiana are looking more like Hollywood lately. A new tax credit law to bring more motion pictures to the Bayou State is enticing many productions.

9 News spent the day on the set of "True Blood." It's a new HBO show about vampires living in Louisiana.

It takes place in a fictional town in North Louisiana, but HBO decided to shoot a lot of its second season near Baton Rouge.

"The whole atmosphere is suited for what we do and a sound stage isn't," said actor Nelsan Ellis who plays Lafayette Reynolds on the show.

The show's creators spent weeks scouting locations for the fictional town of Bon Temps. They tell 9 News they found what they were looking for in Clinton, the town in East Feliciana Parish. The production will also film in Baton Rouge at several locations.

"It's really important for them (the actors) to get a chance to be in Louisiana and feel the heat and see the town," said executive producer Gregg Fienberg.

Governor Bobby Jindal on Thursday enacted a law that would give projects like "True Blood" a 30 percent tax credit on whatever is spent in the state.

"We see a strong message going out to the rest of the world that Louisiana is building a stable industry that's providing Louisianans with work," said Christopher Stelly, the director of film and television for the state.

"Nothing really looks like the South except the South, so our show is set in Louisiana and that's a big part of what works and what it is and it's important to come down here and capture it," said actress Anna Paquin, who plays the show's lead character, Sookie Stackhouse.

The state has several upcoming projects, including a few in Baton Rouge. Those behind the projects are keeping their lips sealed.

"True Blood" will finish its second season of filming in the area over the weekend.

©2009 WAFB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

True Blood Ep 4 spoiler vid : You know I love you

Pretty soon you won't even have to watch SUNDAY night

True Blood at IGN.com

'True Blood' Throws One Hell of A Party

Prior to the start of "True Blood's" second season, HBO sent the first four episodes out to writers. Sunday (finally) brings the fourth installment, which means a few things. Namely, I will once again be able to enjoy new episodes the following week. But more importantly, it marks what I consider to be the most disturbing, revealing and shocking episode of "True Blood" ever.

Events are set in motion for Sookie, Bill, Jason, Lafayette, Tara, Jessica, Sam and Maryann that will cause our characters to do, say and try things they never thought themselves capable of. This is when season two truly gets killer, friends.

Beneath the cut lies a sneak preview of a Maryann-thrown birthday party for Tara. In true Maryann style, it's a rager. But what you won't see until Sunday is just how wild it gets. Trust!

http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2009/07/true_blood_thro.html

True Blood Blood Copy : Best in show

Recently stumbled upon the newest shapeshifter video making it’s way around the “interwebs”- in this case a segment of “World’s Greatest Pet Bloopers” where an adorable Yorkie hoping to place at a dog show morphs into a decidedly less adorable stark naked man. Though I’m no authority, it was always my understanding shapeshifters controlled their transformations. Given this recent spat of canines cum primates caught on film, one has to wonder if the ability to take animal form carries with it a proclivity for exhibitionism.

On a side note, while the judges were shocked and horrified, they did give the human high marks for obedience.

http://bloodcopy.com/

New Vampire movie opens in 3 weeks: Thirst

Sang-hyun is a priest who cherishes life; so much so, that he selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project meant to eradicate a deadly virus. But the virus takes the priest, and a blood transfusion is urgently ordered up for him. The blood he receives is infected, so Sang-hyun lives - but now exists as a vampire. Struggling with his newfound carnal desire for blood, Sang-hyun's faith...
Check for theatres in your area and opening dates HERE

Thanks Emily!

Bill and Eric talk about Godric in the Silent Shore Hotel ( oops, I mean Carmilla Hotel )

Strange Brew :: Giveaway

From Suzanne McLeod blog

So now onto this week's giveaway for a copy of Strange Brew, an anthology with stories from some of my favourite authors: Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs and more.

Here's what and how you can win: leave a comment telling me your favourite cocktail** and the commentator drawn by Random.org will win a copy of Strange Brew, plus a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death; and The Sweet Scent of Blood if they haven't read it.

Contest open to all, and ends end of day [anywhere] Wednesday 15th July 2009.
Suzanne McLeod - http://suzannemcleod.blogspot.com/