No Cable in Memphis ? True Blood for free and drink specials !

Times are tough, and maybe you've had to cancel your cable subscription. Now what will you ever do without your weekly dose of True Blood or Entourage?

On July 30th, HBO announced the hit vampire show True Blood will be renewed for a third season next summer, and the Hollywood-based comedy Entourage will see a seventh season next year.

Until you can afford to renew your subscription, catch the current seasons of both shows on the large HD television screen at Mary's Memphis (405 N. Cleveland) during Stimulus Sundays every week.

While you're there, take advantage of crazy awesome drink specials like 75 cent drafts and $1.25 longnecks until midnight.

Who knew bloodsucking would be so marketable?

From the Globe and Mail -Canada

Talk about vamping it up – the stylish and sexy undead are hogging the culture spotlight

The undead sure are lively. Everywhere you look in entertainment these days you see vampires.

First there were the books, three different series of neck-biter novels, bestsellers all. The Vampire Diaries , the young-adult series by L.J. Smith (five have been published, with two more on the way), centre on a teenage girl named Elena who falls for a hot bloodsucker named Stefan.

The Sookie Stackhouse series (also known as the Southern Vampire series), written by Charlaine Harris, features Sookie, a cocktail waitress in steamy Bon Temps, La., and Bill Compton, the courtly, 173-year-old vampire who alternately protects and ravishes her. (On the July 10 New York Times paperback mass-market fiction list, Harris's books held seven of the top 25 spots.)

And Stephenie Meyer's monstrously successful Twilight series details the chaste but super-deep love between the mortal Bella and the vampire Edward, high-schoolers in drizzly Forks, Wash. Two graphic novels based on Twilight are due soon from Yen Press, drawn by Korean artist Young Kim and closely vetted by Meyer. And yet another trilogy of vampire novels, this one from the film director Guillermo del Toro, begins with The Strain , about Manhattan vampires run amok.

Then there are the TV shows. Starting Sept. 10, The Vampire Diaries will become a CW series, produced by Kevin Williamson ( Dawson's Creek ) and starring Nina Dobrev as Elena and Paul Wesley as Stefan. Over on HBO, True Blood , the kudzu-shrouded, plasma-soaked, 18A-rated series adapted from Harris's novels by Alan Ball (who also created Six Feet Under and wrote American Beauty ), is currently number one. With Oscar winner Anna Paquin as Sookie and her real-life fella Stephen Moyer as Bill, the show, now in its second season, lures 3.7-million viewers every Sunday night at 9; with repeat airings and downloads, the viewership jumps to more than 10 million. The ratings have risen 85 per cent since the series premiered last September, and more than a million season-one DVDs have been sold since their May release (Amazon is already taking pre-orders for season two).

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New True Blood Ep 7 video spoiler !

ET interviews Alexander Skardsgard at Comic Con

Entertainment Weekly: Vampire Edition Available Today

This week’s Entertainment Weekly is all about vampires.

The Vampire issue of EW is on newsstands as of today, July 31st.

This week’s Entertainment Weekly delivers the ultimate guide to vampires. You’ll find interviews with the authors behind Twilight and True Blood, our list of the 20 greatest bloodsuckers ever, and Anne Rice’s pick for the best new vampire — as well as a talk with her about how she revolutionized the vampire legend decades ago with Interview with a Vampire.

With Twilight a phenomenon, True Blood attracting converts by the millions, and hordes of new vampire projects looming in the shadows, bloodsuckers are haunting every corner of our lives: bookstores, television, movies, and more. Why has pop culture thrown open its door and invited them in? “The traditional vampire story, with monsters and victims, chases and chills, is more plain fun,” says True Blood’s executive producer Alan Ball. “But they can often reveal the general state of the cultural psyche.”

Vampires are such versatile symbols now that they can express both conservative and liberal views. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight novels are steeped in her Mormon values. But True Blood speaks in part for gays and, as Ball puts it, “eight years of institutionalized demonization of pretty much any group that wasn’t on the bus with Mr. Bush.”

It may come as a surprise to learn that Meyer – reigning queen of pop culture’s vampire coven – has an uneasy relationship with them. Back in 2003, when she was writing the first draft of Twilight, she refused to show it to her husband. “I was embarrassed,” she said. “It was about vampires.” In fact, last year, she told EW that her great wish was to reclaim some time to write something new. “Look, I’m not just a vampire girl,” she said emphatically. “I can do other worlds.”

True Blood: Best Eric Northman animated gifs

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send me your favorites

Charlaine speaking at writing conference in Gainsville FL

Charlaine is teaching ( speaking at ) a writing convention in Gainsville FL

Dinner with Charlaine

Rhys very late on Wendesday evening--I've been traveling all day to the Anhinga Writer's Conference in Gainesville, FL and just come back from dinner with the rest of the faculty, including my old friend and fabulous lady Charlaine Harris. Charlaine, for those of you who have lived under a stone for the past couple of years, is the creator of the Sookie Stackhouse vampire mystery series that is now the hit HBO TV series True Blood.

Carola Dunn writes :

Charlaine is our beacon of hope for all in the mystery world. She was a midlist mystery writer for years, writing two well-appreciated but not earth-shattering series, then she took a huge risk and wrote something that defied categorizing--a funny, sexy, Southern vampire mystery series. Most publishers didn't want to touch it. After all the mantra these days is "where does it go on the shelf?" but one publisher took the risk and the series came out to little fanfare. Then the fans found out about it and gradually by word of mouth it built up a reputation. Then HBO came to her and the rest, as they say, is history. At one time earlier this year she had six books in the top ten on the NYT list.

And the interesting thing is that the whole mystery community is delighted for her. We are always a supportive bunch, not seeing each other as rivals but as fellow pilgrims, and seeing all these good things happen for Charlaine remind us that they can happen to any of us one day.

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conference website here : http://www.anhingawriters.org/

True Blood Music Video of the Day: Happy Friday Eric spoof mix !

Thanks, Tru3Silva

Bad economy isn't hurting Time Warner's HBO

LA Times

The economy may be pounding entertainment companies left and right, but Time Warner Inc.'s pay cable channel HBO so far has been immune to the turmoil, its top executives said Thursday.

Speaking at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena, HBO Co-President Richard Plepler said the company's strong DVD sales, along with little evidence of subscribers' dropping the service to save a few bucks, had the network feeling "cautiously optimistic" that it could weather the storm.
HBO has about 30 million subscribers, up slightly from a year ago. It is also expanding its online presence with HBO Go, its re-branded broadband offering. The service, which is being tested in 5,000 Comcast homes, will offer 650 hours of HBO content. Plepler said HBO was talking with other distributors about carrying the broadband service. To access programming online, consumers will have to prove that they already are HBO subscribers.

Although the dollars are still coming in, HBO's other co-president, Michael Lombardo, said the channel was not looking to increase its programming budgets in the near future. He noted that the new comedy "Hung" would be back for a second season next summer, along with the series "True Blood" and "Entourage."

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Charlaine Harris on her Sookie books, ‘True Blood,’ Bill vs. Edward

Paranormal Romance asks some good questions of Charlaine

Q. Do you think Eric has grown because of his relationship with Sookie?
A. I think parts of Eric have surfaced that he thought were buried for good.

Q. What will it take for Sookie to understand the blood bond? (It seems as if she is losing her ability to distinguish between her own feelings, Eric’s feelings and those generated by the blood bond.)
A. This is an issue in the next book.

Q. How would you compare the strengths between the bonds of vampire and sire, a vampire and his/her king or queen, and a vampire and his/her sheriff?
A. The vampire/sire relationship is the strongest.

Q. In one podcast interview, you said you didn’t see Sookie turning into a vampire or even winding up with one — in the sense that she would lead a normal life and be with a human. Do you still think she will be able to do that — settle with one person? Not a vampire?
A. I said that Sookie will never become a vampire. And a vampire can’t give her what she’s always thought she wanted; a regular marriage with children. But that doesn’t mean Sookie will end up with exactly what she wants. I see no reason why she couldn’t settle with one person.

Q. What did you want readers to take away from DEAD AND GONE?
A. I don’t know that I had a specific goal; I had several themes, though. The ruthlessness and inhumanity of the fae, the outrages we commit in the name of love, and the loneliness of those who simply can’t fit in and are doomed by their own nature . . . those were all elements of the book.

Q. Do you have a good idea of how the series will eventually end? If so — have you ever changed your mind about the ending?
A. I do know how the series will end. And I have never changed my mind.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your cameo at the end of season 2!!!!
A. I’m sitting in Merlotte’s at the bar talking to Sam. I’m wearing a striped shirt. I have a line. I almost hope they cut it. I’m not an actor.

Q. Alan Ball has certainly developed the HBO show differently from the books. Does his vision of the show make you think about how you’re writing your current book? Have you ever gotten an idea from the show to build on in the book series?
A. I keep them separate in my mind. The book characters have been living with me for a long, long time.

Q. Do you and Alan Ball talk before, during, after the season?
A. We email back and forth from time to time, more frequently before each season. We are both very busy people. If I’m in Los Angeles, we usually have lunch together or something. And we have some good conversations when we’re doing publicity for the show.

Q. To you — what’s been the most interesting/surprising or creative storyline(s) that HBO has developed in the series?
A. Jessica, without a doubt.

Q. Which parts of the TV series most visually match what you envisioned when you wrote your book series?
A. Sookie’s house is perfect, though it doesn’t have the same layout. But the rooms are just right. In Sam’s office, the desk is turned in a different direction, but other than that it’s wonderful.

Q. Do you know ahead of time what is on each episode? Do you watch each Sunday?
A. I do know ahead of time. And I do watch each Sunday.

Q. OK — gotta ask because it’s everywhere! Bill Compton vs. Edward Cullen?
A. There is no contest.

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'True Blood' Star Deborah Ann Woll On Becoming A Vamp: 'I Watched A Lot Of Animal Attack Footage'

Bon Temps has seen a lot of changes during the second season of "True Blood." Jason left town to bunk at Jesus camp. Sam has a potential love interest in fellow shapeshifter Daphne. And orgies are all the rage thanks to mysterious Maryann. But one of the best additions to the small Louisiana town has got to be newborn vampire Jessica, played by Deborah Ann Woll.

The 24-year-old Brooklyn native spoke with H Magazine(see her full cover after the jump) about preparing to play Jessica, on-set antics and her favorite horror flicks.

For Deborah, portraying a sheltered-teenager-turned-mischevious-bloodsucker took both mental and physical preparation. "Research is a great tool," she said. "The more I know about my surroundings and the situations I am in the more creative I can be. So there is the culture of Louisiana, the primal vampire animalistic qualities, the awkward home schooled teenager syndrome. Even sometimes looking up precisely what a word means can be very eye opening."

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HBO renews 'Hung,' 'True Blood,' 'Entourage'

HBO announced the renewal of its entire summer original programming lineup, ordering another round of freshman comedy "Hung," veteran comedy "Entourage" and hit vampire drama "True Blood."

Network executives addressing the critics at the Television Critics Association's semi-annual press tour said "Hung" will get a second season, "True Blood" a third and "Entourage" a seventh. The new seasons will debut sometime next year, with "Blood" firmly planned for summer.

The freshly formed Sunday-night lineup has given HBO two consecutive hours of hit programming for the first time in years. "True Blood" in particular has managed to increase its audience with nearly every episode, giving the network its most-watched show since "The Sopranos."

"True Blood" has averaged 3.8 million viewers (11.2 when you add repeats, DVR and On Demand viewing), "Hung" has averaged 3.1 million (10.2 million cume) and "Entourage" brings in about 3.0 million (7.4 million cume).

Programming head Michael Lombardo and co-president Richard Plepler also dropped hints about the fates and air dates of other HBO programming during the network's executive session. (Full HBO executive session live blog here...)

Next year HBO intends to air "Big Love" in January and roll out its highly anticipated WWII miniseries "The Pacific" in March. The war epic will eventually serve as lead-in for "Treme," the New Orleans drama from "The Wire" creator David Simon.

Emmy-nominated "Flight of the Conchords" will also likely return, with executives making a third season sound very probable.

"When they're ready, we're ready," Plepler said of the show's musical comedy duo Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. "They have the added challenge of writing an album ... we're waiting for them to tell us they're ready."

Though HBO's full development pipeline is expected to give the network some tough choices in the coming months, one project looking almost certain to make the air is Martin Scorsese's "Boardwalk Empire."

"By everything we've seen, it's fantastic," Lombardo said. "It's big; it's everything we hoped it would be."

Executives were less certain about critical favorite "In Treatment" and "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency," the latter program having lost executive producer Anthony Minghella during a cancer operation, but didn't rule out either show returning.

"We're trying to put it together," Lombardo said of "Treatment." "It's adapted from a series which there were only two seasons ... we're trying to see if it's possible."

The session opened with communications executive Quentin Schaffer setting the tone for the Q&A: "Two years ago we were feeling beat up, now we're feeling upbeat."

Plepler described the network's current business model as "resilient," noting, "We feel cautiously very optimistic ... All of our viewership is up across all categories ... We don't have more money to spend, but we have an enviable amount of money to do the projects we want to do."

When asked about the recent success of premium cable competitor Showtime, Plepler said he doesn't think of the playing field as "a zero sum game."

"Other people can do good work; it doesn't negate our good work," he said.

Here's the ratings for each of the renewed shows:

True Blood
SD+1 (six episodes) -- 3.8 million viewers
Live+7 (four episodes) -- 4.5 million viewers
Gross Audience, including On Demand, repeats, DVR (four episodes) -- 11.2 million viewers

Hung
SD+1 (four episodes) -- 3.1 million viewers
Live+7 (two episodes) -- 3.7 million viewers
Gross Audience (two episodes) -- 10.2 million viewers

Entourage
SD+1 (three episodes) -- 3.0 million viewers
Live+7 (one episode) -- 4.1 million viewers
Gross Audience (one episode) -- 7.4 million viewers

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/07/hbo-renews-hung-true-blood-entourage.html

True Blood EW interview with Alan Ball

Everyone said I HAD to also post the Alan Ball interview

Tru: Blood Are You Ready for a Bloody Good Drink?

Fashion weekly said "

For those of you obsessed over True Blood on HBO (check it out, if you criminally still haven’t!), here comes perhaps the best treat any TV fan can get. The once-fictional Tru Blood beverage from the show is now being turned into a real Blood Orange carbonated drink that will arrive in shops this September. But the show’s creator, Alan Ball, had other ideas of what his dream ingredients for the drink should be. “Cabernet, the blood of European hemophiliac royalty, vodka, Viagra, and ecstasym” he recently joked. “Unfortunately, it’s highly illegal.”

Thanks to SarahFW for the drink recipes:

The Fangbanger - Tru Blood, Vodka

Death on the Beach - Tru Blood, Peach Schnapps, Pineapple Juice, Vodka

Plasmapolitan - Tru Blood, Citron, Cointreau, Fresh Lime Juice

* I've already had a Fangbanger ;-)

True Blood: new Sims charcters -thanks, Andy

Our Camp Blood, friend Andy sent me this list of cool True Blood Sims character graphics.


Thanks, Andy!











Bill and Sookie
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=327749

Eric Northman
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=358281

Sam
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=345970

Sookie’s House from True Blood
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=342120

Bill Compton’s house from True Blood
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=342203

Fangtasia nightshirt
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=355996

True Blood: 10 reasons we’re obsessed

Froma Grazia UK ( remember S1 just started there )

First it was The Wire, now it's True Blood. You know what I mean, the TV show you're vaguely aware is supposed to be fantastic but (whisper it) have never actually seen. So pay attention - no talking at the back - because even if you're not watching True Blood you should damn well be talking about it. Here's your print-off-and-casually-drop-in-to-pub-conversation guide to the show.

1. Practicalities first: True Blood is on FX at the moment (Friday nights at 10pm). But panic ye not, terrestrial traditionalists: It's coming to Channel 4 in October. And you can download it from iTunes. Our new secret obsession.

2. Now for the clever TV knowledge bit: The show comes from Alan Ball. As in the genius behind the spooky and powerful Six Feet Under. And the gorgeous and disturbing American Beauty? Your attention's piqued now, huh?

3. Clever TV knowledge bit (part two): Like The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Flight of the Conchords, The Sopranos, Sex and The City and almost every other amazing American TV show, True Blood was made by HBO - the premium American TV channel known for making clever shows for clever people.

4. Let's cut to the chase: This is a show about vampires. But don't be put off, even if you don't get the vamp thing. Even though it centres on a young woman's relationship with a brooding, 170-year old vamp, True Blood isn't just another Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's very different - not least because of the sex. There's an awful lot of it. Some of it's dirty and weird and with vampires - which is a good thing, obviously.

5. There's also an awful lot of violence - it's often weird and supernatural but heart-breakingly real at the same time.

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Vampires Suck Actually, they don't. And that's the problem.

From Slate magazine

Last week at Comic-Con, the big story wasn't comic books—it was vampires. Some 2,000 young women set up a tent city outside the San Diego Convention Center on Tuesday, sleeping rough so that they could attend the Thursday panel on New Moon, the upcoming sequel to vampire blockbuster Twilight.

It's just another sign of the massive popularity of vampires. Yet, like many people who acquire mega-celebrity, the vampire has developed an eating disorder. Read the books. Watch the movies. You'll see vampires who manage nightclubs, build computer databases, work as private investigators, go to prep school, lobby Congress, chat with humans, live near humans, have sex with humans, and pine over humans, but the one thing you won't see them do is suck the blood of humans.

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