Tuesday, July 27, 2010

TV Guide- True Blood Exclusive: Who Will Sookie Choose?

She can read minds, sling beers and toss back shots with werewolves. Not to mention work a pair of short-shorts across two states. No wonder True Blood's Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is the dream girl for three guys who put the super in supernatural.

So far she's been loyal to her first love, Civil War-era vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), but a heartrending breach of trust will soon tear the two apart, leaving an opening for calculating Viking bloodsucker Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) and sensitive werewolf bodyguard Alcide Herveaux (Joe Manganiello).

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"It will shake the very core of their relationship," says executive producer Alan Ball of the shocking incident that wounds the couple in Season 3. "Bill and Sookie's love for each other is authentic and they want to make it work. But it might get harder and harder."

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“True Blood” Sucker Punch: Season 3, Ep. 6

Mark Blankenship gives us his "'Sucker Punch"  for this week's True Blood episode!

What a difference a year makes, you guys. Around this time last season, True Blood and I were in a fight. The turgid Maryann business was driving me crazy, the subplot in Dallas felt disconnected from everything else… it was rough. Now, however, the show and I have more than made up. We’re thinking about moving in together. Because seriously… the series is having its best run of episodes ever.

Case in point: “I Got a Right to Sing the Blues.” An exceptional hour of television—written by Alan Ball and directed by John Dahl—it hurls scene after scene at my gut, my heart, and my brain. In fact, so many moments strike me so deeply that I’m hard-pressed to anoint just one Sucker Punch. But since they don’t pay me the big blogger bucks to be wishy-washy, I’ll make a choice.

Before I do, however, let me ask you this: Have you noticed that most of the action is unfolding at Russell’s Mississippi estate? Every room  has its own drama, from Franklin and Tara: Totes in Love in the upstairs bedroom to Stealing Daddy’s Crown in the basement. Meanwhile, the slave quarters have become Lorena and Bill’s own Grand Guignol theater, and the manicured grounds are being prowled by werewolves

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Photo Flashback! The Stage Roots of True Blood's Truly Talented Cast

What a fun article from Broadway.com

It’s always fun to spot a favorite stage actor in the movies or on TV. And in the case of HBO’s hit vampire series True Blood, stage vets are everywhere! Given the fact that show creator Alan Ball began his career as a playwright, it’s not really surprising that so many theatrically trained performers have taken up residence in the Bon Temps bayou—and in this new feature, we’ve gathered production shots of 10 vamps and shape-shifters (and the people who love them) as we enjoy seeing them: live and on stage!


Anna Paquin
You know that True Blood’s fearless heroine Sookie Stackhouse was one of the youngest Oscar winners ever in real life (for 1993’s The Piano). But Anna Paquin is also a skilled stage actress, as she proved in a Drama Desk Award-nominated off-Broadway debut as a baby-faced serial killer in 2001’s The Glory of Living (pictured above, with Jeffrey Donovan). She went on to co-star in Neil LaBute’s The Distance from Here and was terrific opposite former flame Kieran Culkin in After Ashley.


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Recap: True Blood, season 3, episode 6 – ‘I Got A Right To Sing The Blues’

Becca's amazing recap is up on Toronto's National Post!

Warning: All recaps may contain spoilers from episodes-to-date.
Promise: Recaps will never contain spoilers from upcoming episodes.

The writers are really working overtime this season to show us what vampires are capable of, and to what degree Bill differs from them in deed and action. Was this a direction in which they always planned to head? Or are they cashing in all their cable chips — this episode is particularly gory — to ensure that no one ever again compares their vampires to Twilight or The Vampire Diaries? Whatever the reason, this season bares little resemblance to the previous two. Better, faster, stronger, I say.

• The contrast between Lorena’s fixation with Bill and Sookie’s genuine affection for him is, for me, one of the strongest episode arcs of the series to date. Lorena is charged with the task of killing Bill on Russell’s orders. She produces an arsenal of weapons that would make Dexter envious, and makes us wonder, if we ever did, just how vile she really is. There were at least three opportunities to flash back to Lorena’s past. Hopefully, we’ll get to see her before and at the time she was made. Bill remains the voice of reason even as she carves him to shreds. She accuses him of never embracing their nature, and we can’t help but think that she doesn’t mean all the nature of all vampires, but theirs as a couple. Bill says he wishes to be dead so he can truly be free of his disease. When Debbie and Coot come in and feed off a weakened Bill, Lorena looks on in partial horror, perhaps glimpsing the hell she used to visit upon her victims when Bill was a more agreeable progeny. In his death, she will be alone.

• I really liked Sookie this episode. A lot. For once, I didn’t mind

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True Blood Season 3 Music: Episode 6 "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues"

Jim Prendergast - Honky Tonk Baby
Arlene loses her last nerve over Peach's food prep questions.

MC Solaar - La Belle Et la Bad Boy*
Lafayette and Jesus talk in the car.

Billie Holliday - I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues*
Lorena attempts to torture Bill for love.

Teresa Stratuas - Youkali Tango*
Eric and Russell have a nice discussion along their ride.

Courtesy of Naxos/SourceQ - Brahms: 2 Rhapsodies, Op. 79: Rhapsody No. 2 in G Minor
Tara is tied to the bed until she convinces Franklin to let her go.

Art Lilliards Heavenly Band - Bizness Changes*
Plays at the Queen's mansion while she scratches lottery tickets.

Jonny Savarino - Over the Moon
Russell shows up at the Queen's residence with an offer she cannot refuse.

Courtesy Bosshouse Music - Sixty Days on the Road
Jason pulls up to the Norris Compound.

eBlues Highway - Double Shot of You*
Lafayette snaps at Arlene when she confronts Sam about his family having a mean pitbull. Sam looks for Tommy.

Michael Mazochi - Oh My My*
Sam asks Andy if he knows of any dog fighting going on.

Cary Ann Hearst - Hells Bells*
End Credits.

Kiss of the Vampire: A Close look at a Classic Horror Movie

See why you never break down in the woods! See why you never stay at the creepy inn! See why you never, ever, go up to the castle! See..." Kiss of the Vampire (1963)
Who? Director: Don Sharp.
Producer: Anthony Hinds.
Screenplay: John Elder.
Cast: Clifford Evans, Edward de Souza, Noel Willman, Jennifer Daniel, Barry Warren, Brian Oulton, Noel Howlett, Jacquie Wallis, Peter Madden, Isobel Black, Vera Cook, John Harvey.
How? Hammer's follow-up to Dracula (1958)  and Brides of Dracula (1960) was such a success on both sides of the Atlantic that James Carreras quickly put in motion with Universal plans for a Dracula 3. Anthony Hinds was tasked not only with producing the film, but also with writing a screenplay, which he did so under his usual John Elder pseudonym. The eventual result, however, was far removed from the previous Dracula pictures and Kiss would become a stand-alone vampire film in its own right. Rather than use Terence Fisher (whose last three Gothics had fared poorly at the box-office to direct, Hinds brought in a completely new face - the Australian Don Sharp (who would later go on to direct The Devil Ship Pirates (1964) and Rasputin (1966) for Hammer). Sharp and Hinds cast Clifford Evans from Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Edward de Souza from Phantom of the Opera (1962), Hammer newcomers Noel Willman and Jennifer Daniel (who would both feature only once more for Hammer in The Reptile (1966)), and Barry Warren (later in Devil-Ship Pirates (1964) and Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)) for the film. After the usual struggles with the censors over the sex and violence in the draft screenplay, shooting took place at Bray Studios and on location in Black Park.

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True Blood teaches us how to talk dirty vampire style

The great Meredith of "Talk Blood Radio"  fame gives us the "Pros and Cons"  from Ep 6

Blood poured from the skies in Sunday night's episode of True Blood. And we also got to learn what kind of dirty talk turns vampires on. No surprise here - it's graphic blood whispering. Watch! What did we learn? That Denis O'Hare is a gosh darn delight. His take on the King of Mississippi is award winning. Seriously.
Side note: I'm beat as hell from Comic Con, so if this True Blood recap starts to detour down into the black abyss of insanity that I'm living in right now, apologies. I will be back in better form next week. But enough about me - let's talk about Debbie Pelt's v-juice bloodgasm, self stroking, and rub downs.

Pro: A slo-mo glide into the mansion. TENSION!!!!!

Pro: Talbot's response to the King's big "Bill's a liar," reveal: "Noooo." Nice Mean Girls moment Talbolt. But of course this is immediately eclipsed when he and Sookie shriek exactly the same way, though naturall for different reasons. I imagine that banister was from the Queen-of-such-and-such-a-thing-that-is-expensive-he's-a-gay-vampire-he-likes-antiques-get-it?

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True Blood Music Video of the Day: Oops I Did It Again



Oops I Did It Again : Sookie, Eric & Bill True Blood

Thanks, EricTheSheriff