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Fix you by coldplay
Thanks, Cladis83
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Viewers seek out Sookie's haunts
For a tiny pocket of a place, Bon Temps is a mighty interesting corner of Louisiana.
It's got a country bar, old farmhouses and at least one sweet telepathic barmaid with Southern manners and a sense of hospitality no matter how strange the company.
And it's got vampires.
At least it does in the mind of author Charlaine Harris and the producers of HBO's "True Blood."
But Bon Temps can't be located on any Louisiana map, despite how familiar the place seems to fans of the show and Harris' Southern Vampire Series and waitress Sookie Stackhouse.
That doesn't keep some folks from seeking it out.
In their quest, many have inquired in Shreveport and Monroe, two cities that have seen their share of action for our heroine and telepathic waitress.
Shreveport, for example, has the distinction of being home to the fictional Fangtasia, a vampire bar that has seen its share of danger in nine books and two television seasons.
"Everybody wants to know about the 'True Blood' bar," said Brandy Evans of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau.
"We don't have a vampire bar, but we do have lots of other bars."
Here are some places in Shreveport and Monroe that might offer a taste of the landscape that inspired Bon Temps. Shreveport
About 15 miles from the Texas border, Shreveport and Bossier City straddle the Red River.
Sookie fans know Shreveport as the home of Fangtasia, a bar run by handsome but not-to-be-trusted vampire Eric Northman. It is also the workplace of Alcide Herveaux, one of Sookie's werewolf friends.
The two cities and surround? ing areas have many attractions for human visitors.
Louisiana Boardwalk: A trolley runs through the collection of shops nestled by the Red River. The area also has multiple restaurants and a movie theater. You can board the Spirit of the Red River Cruise here.
Film Trail: Shreveport has been a stand-in for places as diverse as Paris, New York and Kodiak, Alaska. In addition to "True Blood," "The Guardian" and "Mr. Brooks" have filmed there. Check out www.shreve?port-bossierfilm.com for a guide to Shreveport in the movies.
Casinos: Five riverfront casinos and one casino/racetrack lure the betting kind. But the casinos also offer restaurants, entertainment, spas and pools. www.shreveport-bossier.org/casinos.
R.W. Norton Art Gallery: The museum sits on 47 acres in a residential neighborhood near downtown. The museum's collection includes 19th-century American and European art, antique dolls dressed in the Louisiana fashions of 1720-1920 and antique firearms. The grounds feature more than 20,000 azaleas that bloom in late March or early April. Admission is free. www.rwnaf.org.
Dorcheat Bayou: Mark Norris fell in love with the bayou and its moss-draped cypress and tupelo trees when he took a canoe trip as a child. Now he runs Norris Canoe Outfitters, which offers guided half-day to weeklong tours of the waterway.
Depending on the day, paddlers may see any of up to 50 species of birds, "some native and some not so native," Norris said. And alligators. Plenty of alligators. His office is at 731 Main in Minden, about 30 miles east of Shreveport. (318) 588-0166.
read on
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Kevin Alejandro Teases New True Blood Season
Kevin Alejandro is one of the many actors to jump on board for the upcoming third season of Alan Ball's hit series for HBO True Blood. He'll be playing Jesus, a caretaker for Lafayette's mother (Alfre Woodard), as well as a love interest for Lafayette.
The busy actor who's appeared in everything from Southland to Ugly Betty to Weeds chatted with Entertainment Weekly about what we can expect from him on True Blood. Here's an excerpt from the EW interview:
What can you tell us about your character?
read on Shock till you drop HERE
Alexander Skarsgard talks " One Last Thing " with the Guardian UK
Hi, Alexander! In True Blood, you own Fangtasia, a vampire bar. What would happen if Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Edward from Twilight or Kiefer Sutherland from The Lost Boys dropped in for a snifter?
Well, Fangtasia is open to humans and vampires alike so we're very welcoming (1). I'd buy Edward and Kiefer some Tru Blood (2) and I'd buy Buffy a memorabilia T-shirt. Ha!
You weren't in season one very much. How do we know you're not going to be killed off in the opening seconds of season two?
I only had a couple of scenes in season one, you're right. But we get to know Eric a lot better in season two. We get to see his background and why his motives are personal and not always for business. There's a lot more to Eric than the antagonist bad boy.
read on
New Book : True Blood and Philosophy: We Want to Think Bad Things with You (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)
You can pre-order below
The first look at the philosophical issues behind Charlaine Harris's New York Times bestsellers The Southern Vampire Mysteries and the True Blood television series
Teeming with complex, mythical characters in the shape of vampires, telepaths, shapeshifters, and the like, True Blood, the popular HBO series adapted from Charlaine Harris's bestselling The Southern Vampire Mysteries, has a rich collection of themes to explore, from sex and romance to bigotry and violence to death and immortality. The goings-on in the mythical town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, where vampires satiate their blood lust and openly commingle with ordinary humans, present no shortages of juicy metaphysical morsels to sink your teeth into.
Now True Blood and Philosophy calls on the minds of some of history's great thinkers to perform some philosophical bloodletting on such topics as Sookie and the metaphysics of mindreading; Maryann and sacrificial religion; werewolves, shapeshifters and personal identity; vampire politics, evil, desire, and much more.
- The first book to explore the philosophical issues and themes behind the True Blood novels and television series
- Adds a new dimension to your understanding of True Blood characters and themes
- The perfect companion to the start of the third season on HBO and the release of the second season on DVD
Smart and entertaining, True Blood and Philosophy provides food—or blood—for thought, and a fun, new way to look at the series.
- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Wiley (June 1, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0470597720
- ISBN-13: 978-0470597729
We Love Vampires Because Of Morality, Not Sex
More comments on the recent NPR Adler piece from io9
With the hormone-drenched success of HBO's True Blood and the Twilight saga, it's easy to think our love of vampires is driven by undead lust. But NPR's Margot Adler read 75 vampire novels and discovered a different reason. According to Adler, the vampire fascination has more to do with fantasies (and realities) of having
read on
True Blood : The Timeless Appeal of Vampire Lore
Vampires are beautiful and young for all eternity. They are incredibly strong and have unbelievable speed. They are mysterious and fascinating and there is something undeniable sexy about the creatures. They appeal to that forbidden, rebel side of most everyone's personality. There's that little bit of fear mixed in that just makes the whole thing all the more exciting! What's not to like? It doesn't hurt that in the movies and TV shows the Vampire characters look like this.....
read on from Susan at Warm Chocolate Milk blog here
Vampires everywhere, oh my! What does it mean?
Like a lot of us, Margot Adler over at NPR has been pondering the question: Why are so many vampires popping up in books, movies and on TV these days? And why are they morally conflicted, sometimes even do-gooders? To find out, she read 75 vampire novels, classic and contemporary, and came up with some interesting insights.
The principle observation of Adler’s entertaining essay is that interest in vampire stories surges in times of uncertainty, “used 
again and again to speak to our fears and concerns.”
The vampire or something like it can be found in most cultures and folklore going back to the beginning of time, but it’s a mistake to think they have all the familiar attributes of Count Dracula. The idea –and the term “vampire” — began to appear in literature in the 18th century. Heinrich August Ossenfelder’s 1748 poem “Der Vampir” may be the first. (You can read it here–and trust me, it’s worth a look).
read on Florida Center for the Arts here
Charlaine Harris speaking at book signing event in Evans, GA January 23, 2010
Charlaine Harris speaking to an audience at a book signing event in Evans, GA January 23, 2010
thanks , Shayne42069
True Blood nominated for Saturn Awards
The Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy and Horror Films has announced the nominees for the Annual Saturn Awards. The Saturn Awards, founded in 1972, recognize the best in genre for television, films, and DVD releases. The winners will be announced on June 24.
Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series:
Breaking Bad
Battlestar Galactica
The Closer
Dexter
Leverage
True Blood
Best Actor in Television:
Josh Holloway (Lost)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Matthew Fox (Lost)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Zachary Levi (Chuck)
Stephen Moyer (True Blood)
David Tennant (Doctor Who: The End of Time)
Best Actress on Television:
Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
Jennifer Love Hewitt (The Ghost Whisperer)
Evangeline Lily (Lost)
Anna Paquin (True Blood)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)
Anna Torv (Fringe)
Best Supporting Actor on Television:
Jeremy Davies (Lost)
Michael Emerson (Lost)
Aldis Hodge (Leverage)
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
John Noble (Fringe)
Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood)
Best Guest Starring Role in Television:
Bernard Cribbins (Doctor Who: The End of Time)
Raymond Cruz (Breaking Bad)
Michelle Forbes (True Blood)
John Lithgow (Dexter)
Leonard Nimoy (Fringe)
Mark Pellegrino (Lost)
Queen Sophie Ann and the mystery of the missing bracelet
My friend Keyse emailed to say she has been geeking out a bit ( i think waiting til the next Sookie book and for True Blood to return in May and June) and posted about Sophie Anns bracelet from BK
Read on her excellent blog :
heads rolled for this
sorry, but i am geeking out right now...but doesn't this look like Sophie-Anne Leclerq's diamond bracelet? This is what it looked like in my head - Charlaine Harris fans will understand :)
Anzie Jewelry, White Topaz Heart Bracelet, $475
http://crocodiletears-keyse.blogspot.com/2010/02/heads-rolled-for-this.html
The first thing you must know about the diamond from the bracelet must fit in side a tampon applicator tube....
These are matching bracelet given to SophieAnn by at their wedding. She gave one to Sookies's cousin Hadley and after Hadley is murdered she brings Sookie down to New Orleans under the guise of letting Sookie go through and have her cousin things but really SA wants Sookie to help find out Hadley's murderer and what became of the other bracelet.
Here is the exchange from Definitely Dead
"Did you want something of Hadley's?" I asked her, my train of thought having veered away from
money. "You know, a remembrance?"
Something flashed in her eyes, something that surprised me.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," said the queen, with an adorable hint of a French accent.
Uh-oh. It couldn't be good that she'd switched on the charm.
"I did ask Hadley to hide something for me," she said. My bullshit meter was beeping like an alarm clock. "And if you come across it in your packing, I'd like to have it back."
"What does it look like?"
"It's a jewel," she said. "My husband gave it to me as an engagement gift. I happened to leave it here before I got married."
"You're welcome to look in Hadley's jewelry box," I said immediately. "If it belongs to you, of course you have to have it back."
"That's very kind of you," she said, her face back to its regular glassy smoothness. "It's a diamond, a large diamond, and it's fixed on a platinum bracelet."
I didn't remember anything like that in Hadley's stuff, but I hadn't looked carefully. I'd planned to pack Hadley's jewelry box intact so I could pick through it at my leisure in Bon Temps.
"Please, look now," I suggested. "I know that it would be like a faux pas to lose a present from your husband."
"Oh," she said gently, "you have no idea." Sophie-Anne closed her eyes for just a second, as if she were too anxious for words. "Andre," she said, and with that word he took off for the bedroom—didn't need any directions, I noticed—and while he was gone, the queen looked oddly incomplete.
later "I'll keep an eye open for the bracelet," I said. I suspected that the value of the jewelry did not lie in its appraisal. "Would that bracelet have been left here the last night before the wedding?" I asked cautiously.
I suspected my cousin Hadley had stolen the bracelet from the queen out of sheer pique that the queen was getting married. That seemed like a Hadley thing to do. If I'd known about Hadley's concealment of the bracelet, I would have asked the witches to roll the clock back on the ectoplasmic reconstruction.
We could have watched Hadley hide the thing.
The queen gave one short nod. "I must have it back," the queen said. "You understand, it's not the value of the diamond that concerns me? You understand, a wedding between vampire rulers is not a love
match, where much can be forgiven? To lose a gift from your spouse, that's a very grave offense. And our spring ball is scheduled for two nights from now. The king expects to see me wearing his gifts. If I'm not …" Her voice trailed away, and even Andre looked almost worried.
finally ...
"How'd you get it past the search?" the queen asked. "I'm sure the searchers were checking for it."
"I had the bracelet part on under my bandage," I said. "The diamond stood out too far, though, so I had to prize it out. I put it in a tampon holder. The vampire who did the searching didn't think of pulling out
the tampon, and she didn't really know how it was supposed to look, since she hadn't had a period in centuries."
"But it was put together," the queen said.
"Oh, I went into the ladies room after I'd had my purse searched. I had a little tube of superglue in my purse, too."
Trivia : where did Sookie find that Hadley had hidden the bracelet ?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Charlaine Harris and Sookie invade Europe
APPEARANCES
Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series, takes to Europe. Here is her current schedule by date:
ITALY
March 2 – 9:30 pm Shan Go, via San Saba 11, Rome, Italy – Interview with Rosaria Renna and signing
POLAND
March 4 – 5 pm Empik Mega Krakow, Rynek Glowny 5/ Sienna 2, 31-042, Krakow, Poland – signing
March 5 – 6 pm Empik Giga Junior, Ul. Marszalkowska, 116/122 00-017, Warsaw, Poland – talk and signing
UNITED KINGDOM
March 9 – 6:30 pm The Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Place, London England -Talk and signing – Tickets 8 pounds call 020 7494 3654 or www.princecharlescinema.com
March 10 – 12:00 pm Waterstones, 1-5 Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham, England – signing
March 10 – 7:00 pm Waterstones, 91 Deansgate, Manchester, England – signing
PORTUGAL
March 12 – 6 pm Maxime, Praca da Alegria Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal – presentation and signing – Tel: 213467051
March 13 – 9 pm FNAC, Columbo center Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal – presentation and signing – Tel: 711 4200
Harris will be back in the states at the end of the months at these events:
March 24: Lecture at Shippensburg University – Shippensburg PA
March 27: Launch Party – Clarksdale, MS – Ground Zero Blues Club
For Love Of Do-Good Vampires: A Bloody Book List
We've been in
undated with vampires this past decade, and we don't simply mean bloodsuckers like Bernie Madoff.
In the 1980s, it's true, there was a similar surge of interest in vampires, with Whitley Strieber's The Hunger and the wildly popular novels of Anne Rice. But the past few years have seen a new crop of intriguingly different vampires — seemingly conflicted souls, from Bill Compton in HBO's True Blood to Stefan in t
he CW's television series The Vampire Diaries and, of course, Edward Cullen in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books.
Read on and listen at NPR here
also transcript
The list
Margot Adler's Vampire Book List
1-4. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
The four books — Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn — have sold millions around the world. I confess I enjoyed them all. Not everyone likes these "sparkling vampires," but they definitely fit into my reluctant-vampire thesis. The Cullen family is lovely, including the doctor, his wife, the handsome Edward, two other kids and my personal favorite, Edward's sister Alice Cullen. Then there are the werewolves: In this saga, the werewolves and the vampires are kind of like the Capulets and the Montagues. By the way, the vampire baseball scene in the first film may not rival the Quidditch matches in Harry Potter, but it's still fun.
5-13.The Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris
There are nine of these so far, starting with Dead Until Dark and ending with Dead and Gone, and more are coming. They take place in northern Louisiana; much of the action plays out in two bars, Merlotte's and Fangtasia. The books are the basis for the HBO series True Blood. In this alternate world of today, the Japanese have developed a synthetic form of blood, and vampires can "come out of the coffin" and live among humans. Sookie Stackhouse is a mind-reading waitress who falls in love with Bill Compton, a vampire who was turned after the Civil War.
14-15. A Touch Of Dead
so 16-18Full list here
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