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A SAG walkout would severely test broadcast nets
By Nellie Andreeva
Already engaged in deep soul searching following a dismal fall TV season and flatlining ad market, broadcast networks are facing another blow: a potential SAG strike early next year.
SAG's decision during the weekend to seek a strike authorization from its membership following the breakdown of its negotiations with AMPTP has shifted the once-remote possibility of a SAG walkout much closer to reality.
While its effect would not be as far reaching as this year's strike by the WGA -- a SAG walkout would only affect scripted primetime fare -- it would derail the broadcast season for a second straight year, this time in the midst of a severe economic crisis.
"Everyone is praying that it won't happen, but the reality starts to sink in that there may be a strike," one TV studio exec said.
On Monday, TV executives who normally would be embarking on a Thanksgiving vacation were working on contingencies. For now, there are no plans to cancel or shorten the primetime series' holiday hiatuses, scheduled for the last two weeks of December, in order to get more episodes in the can.
The bulk of primetime scripted series will have 60%-75% of their episodes completed before they stop for a holiday break and as many as five unaired episodes in various stages of postproduction.
Things look better for such returning midseason series as WGA strike casualty "24" and comedies "Rules of Engagement" and "According to Jim," which will have completed their orders by the end of the year.
read on here
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Can TV take strike two? ( and how might this effect True Blood season 2 ?)
Generation Kill will repeat on HBO starting tonight !
TONIGHT !!
***I wanted to remind everyone that HBO is repeating Generation Kill on HBO 2 Tuesday (11/25) and Wednesday (11/26) nights, starting at 8:00 PM EST both nights. The first four episodes will air Tuesday followed by the final three Wednesday.
The DVD set of Generation Kill will be released December 16.
http://www.hbo.com/generationkill/
Monday, November 24, 2008
Music from True Blood Episode 1 - Strange Love
Artist: C.C. Adcock
Album: Lafayette Marquis
Scene: Intro scene where couple in truck see Tru Blood sign
Song: Goodbye Good Lookin'
Artist: Robbie Fulks
Album: Revenge!
Scene: Inside Merlotte’s, we meet Sookie
Song: Soulful Garage
Artist: Southern Culture On the Skids
Album: Mojo Box
Scene: Sookie talks to Sam while leaning on the bar
Song: The Dreaming Dead
Artist: Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter
Album: Oh, My Girl
Scene: Sookie turns around, as Vampire Bill sits down at a table
Song: Until I Wake Up
Artist: Dishwalla
Album: And You Think You Know What Life’s About
Scene: plays when Sookie sees Bill for the first time (In pre-air screeners only, not in broadcast episode)
Song: Strange Love
Artist: Slim Harpo
Album: The Best of Slim Harpo
Scene: Sookie talks to Tara as she drinks her margarita
Song: Lake Charles
Artist: Lucinda Williams
Album: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Scene: After fighting off the Ratray’s, Sookie and Bill get acquainted
Song: Still Beating
Artist: Josh Ritter
Album: The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Scene: Jason comes into Merlotte’s looking for Sookie, wants to go home with Dawn
Song: Dang Good Stuff
Artist: Kim Lenz & Her Jaguars
Album: Kim Lenz & Her Jaguars
Scene: Jason interrupts Sookie’s sun-bathing
Song: Bar Exam
Artist: The Derailers
Album: Here Comes The Derailers
Scene: played in Merlotte’s during the scene just prior to Sookie seeing Bill again (Pre-air screeners only)
Song: Stumble And Pain
Artist: Joseph Arthur
Album: Our Shadows Will Remain
Scene: plays when Sookie and Bill meet for a second time
Song: Bones
Artist: Little Big Town
Album: The Road To Here
Scene: plays as credits roll
Loving True Blood in Dallas Blogtalk Radio: True Blood Season One Cliffhangers (Episode 1)
Ok-- I think I’m as ready as I’m going to be for the show tonight. I have a few cliffhanger clips as that's the topic of tonight’s show but I ain't doing the talking you guys are the call in # is (646) 929- 0825 (
It's a toll call so use your evening cell phone minutes.I will try to get to as many callers as I can
There is a free chat room if you don’t want to or can't call in and I’ll try to read what you guys are posting. When you call or chat tell people your TBwiki name so folks will recognize you.
The spoilers we will talk about are: FotS, Jessica, Bill and Sookie, Hoyt looking for a girlfriend, Sam and Tara - the clips will introduce the topic and then I’ll take calls and read chats try to talk about that subject don’t go off on an off -subject tangent. The show will be available tomorrow to listen to or podcast on iTunes. If you IM you can IM me at truebloodindallas@gtalk
I have never done this before (blogtalkradio- I have done a little real radio) so we will all be learning and remember I have a huge dashboard to manage with call lines , chat rooms, IMs and audio clips -so be patient as I learn to do this -- I'm sure it will get better every time we do it!
Please post this to other threads that you hang around on tonight ! We will decide how often and what nights we'd like to do this after Thanksgiving - I want to hear if you guys want to keep doing this and what topics we'd like to discuss for future shows.
Thanks- “Dallas “ truebloodindallas@gmail.com
Bad Things by Jace Everett
When you came in the air went out.
And every shadow filled up with doubt.
I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you.
I'm the kind to sit up in his room.
Heart sick an' eyes filled up with blue.
I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.
When you came in the air went out.
And all those shadows there are filled up with doubt.
I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you.
I wanna do real bad things with you.
Ow, ooh.
I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.
I wanna do real bad things with you.
Buy from Amazon
True Blood: Who's In for Season 2?
True Blood season 2 is a few months away, with only the vague promise of “summer” as an air date. However, after the spectacular season 1 finale, True Blood fans are starting to get a good look at what season 2 might look like.After resolving the serial killer storyline, True Blood offered a bit of a prequel to season 2. We already know who some of the major players will be, as the show announced several actors in minor roles who will be promoted to the main cast, and based on the final scene and the True Blood book series, we might also have an idea about who's out.
WARNING: Spoilers Below!
Though the well-groomed foot that fell out of Andy Bellefleur's car resembled that of a woman, fans are quite sure that the dead body actually belonged to Lafayette. After being attacked by someone (or something) while taking out the trash, Lafayette vanished. Aside from the painted toenails (something Lafayette has been seen doing all season), the biggest clue could be the fact that True Blood is a book series, and while creator Alan Ball has taken some liberties with the story, it's worth noting that Lafayette sadly gets killed off at the start of the second book.
Does this mean Nelsan Ellis is gone from the cast of True Blood for season 2? Possibly, though since this is a show about vampires, he could very easily be brought back. While that's not how happens in the books, Alan Ball has created enough goodwill among fans and non-fans alike during this first season that the hardcore book series devotees might be willing to overlook a serious change like that.
Just as interesting as the fate of Lafayette in season 2 is the four new series regulars. Last month HBO announced that Todd Lowe, Michelle Forbes, Deborah Ann Woll and Mehcad Brooks would be joining the cast of True Blood as series regulars.
Lowe plays Terry, the very odd PTSD son of Andy Bellefleur. If the season finale was any indication, we'll be starting up a relationship with Arlene, but there has to be more to the character. He was fairly ominous in the season finale, talking about how everyone should listen to him because he knows things.
The other odd duck is Maryann, the mysterious “social worker” who has taken Tara in and has eerie communications with pigs. According to the books, she is a maenad, a character in Greek mythology who worships the god of wine and acts like a wild, insane woman. This certainly bodes poorly for Tara.
Another future series regular is Mehcad Brooks, who was introduced in the finale as “Eggs” Benedict, another ward of Maryann. It looks like Tara had Jason and Sam out of her system and is ready to move on to another man, but if he's connected or in cahoots with Maryann, it could become a problem.
The final series regular, and possibly my favorite, plays Jessica, Bill's whiny, annoying vampire. In the penultimate episode, her joy regarding the freedom to curse and kill people as a vampire was possibly the funniest moment of the season, and while her prattling might get annoying, I'm more than willing to give it a chance.
True Blood season 2 will air this summer on HBO.
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/true-blood/true-blood-whos-in-for-season-24784.aspx
** there is a mistake in this article, Terry is not Andy Bellefluer's son he is of course his cousin ( 2nd)
Did "True Blood's" Finale Leave You Hungry For More?
Posted by Jarett Wieselman at 11:55 AM on November 24, 2008
The season finale is a funny thing. On the one hand, it's great getting closure to a story you've been following for 13 weeks while also being plied with tantalizing new treats, sprinkled throughout. On the other hand, if waiting one week for new installments was tough, hanging on for months until you can get another taste will be murder.
Luckily there was a lot of murder last night to quench our thirst for "Blood." Spoilers and speculation after the jump!
Let's start by getting closure: Rene was the killer. Sookie's telepathy outed the fake-Cajun when he couldn't stop himself from thinking about murdering grandma Stackhouse. The ensuing chase led them to a cemetery -- natch -- where Sookie decapitated Rene, but not before Bill sensed she was in danger and darted out in the daytime to be her hero. He failed and slowly cooked in the sunlight, leaving Sam to save Sookie and then to save Bill by burying him six feet under so he could heal.
Then we jumped two weeks ahead where Sookie and Bill were once again in love, which resurrected resentful Sam. We also got to see a much more at ease Tara, since she has fallen under the spell of Maryann -- what with her clean sheets and endless fruit buffets. Then, in the first teasings of what's to come next year, Sam and Maryann came face to face and revealed a mysterious history with one another.
Sam: What are you doing here?
Maryann: What, did you think I wouldn't find you?
Me thinks he did. I have been wary of Maryann since, well, she was spotted nekkid in the road two episodes back. Also, there was that telling line reading when Tara asked if she was a Jesus person. "No," she replied with a mile-wide grin, implying she might support a more Satanic stance. Then last night she did a weird reverberation thing in the garden, which I think meant she was manifesting that boy Tara was talking to out of thin air.
There is also the two-week disappearance of Lafayette at hand. Something attacked him outside Merlotte's -- the show wants us to think it was Bill reconstituting his body after being burned almost to re-death. "I fed," he told Sookie, but HBO's choice to reshow the scene where Lafayette threatened the god-fearing senator from a few weeks back in this episode's "previously on" portion makes me think that closet-case is behind his disappearance.
Then there's the small matter of the dead body found in Andy's, er, I mean Officer Bellefleur's, car. All we saw were the feet of a caucasian woman -- based on the toenail polish. And based on Sookie and Tara's reaction, they either know the victim or the death was so horrifyingly disfiguring that they couldn't think of any other option but to scream from the depths of their souls.
Thoughts? Reactions? Support group info since it's easily going to be six months until our next fresh episode of "True Blood?"
'True Blood' finale: Things got kinda awesome
Trueblood_l
After a sloooooooooow start, True Blood finally became interesting. I started watching out of curiosity (sweet ad campaign, HBO), kept watching out of loyalty (Six Feet Under is just so great), and finished watching because it got kind of awesome. Most of my friends stopped after the first couple of episodes, but that's when it finally got good. I was bummed when the first season ended last night, and not just 'cause I won't get to see a shirtless Ryan Kwanten until next summer (well, there's always On Demand). Some finale musings (with spoilers):
* It was pretty clear that Sookie would finally figure out who was terrorizing Bon Temps, but did anyone else think the reveal of Rene as the killer was a little abrupt? I guess I'd have to re-watch, but I didn't notice any clues about his true identity until the beginning of last night's episode when it became glaringly obvious. (I didn't recognize him in the photo sent to the sheriff's department last week.) Seeing as the writers hit us over the head with the Sam/shape-shifter thing from episode 1, it just felt rushed.
More musings, after the jump...
* I don't know how Bill thought he would help by slowly lurching toward Sookie and Sam in broad daylight, seeing has he gets explode-y in the sunlight. It's the thought that counts, I guess?
* Please take a minute with me to appreciate the badassness that is Rutina Wesley. (Did you see her in the pool scene? Damn, she is ripped.) Let's hope the writers will be able to even out her character's ridiculous mood swings next season.
* A final thought: Lafayette, noooo! The chef/drug dealer could always be counted on for humor, sage advice, or vampire blood. The most obvious tie to the vampire-gay allegory, Lafayette helped keep the other characters from getting too annoying (everyone else is too dumb, whiny, or both).
It was a pretty satisfying ending for a first season. The big storylines all wrapped up nicely, in case the show doesn't get picked up for round two, but the unsolved loose ends have me curious enough to start watching once it comes back next summer. Did anyone else watch the finale last night? What do you think about the plot developments? Will you watch season 2?
'True Blood:' Season finale has real bite
"YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME" (Episode 1.12): In the first season's finale, Sookie announces the link to the murders in front of the wrong person. Tara dives into her fresh start with a little help from Maryann. Jason finds a new calling. Vampire Bill gets hot under the collar during an attempt to save Sookie. An old friend visits Sam. Lafayette goes missing.
THE BON TEMPS EXAMINER: The cat and mouse game between the killer and Sookie is indeed edge-of-your-seat, nerve-wracking excitement. Sam's bravery kicks into hyperdrive when he sniffs the work vest left behind at the bar and recognizes the scent from Dawn's bed. (So that's what he was doing there, rolling around in the sheets of a dead girl! Color me slow, but it didn't dawn on me that Sam Dog was trying to pick up the killer's scent at the crime scene. Duh.) Sam Dog tackling the killer, as he stands poised to murder Sookie, is great. Vampire Bill's bravery is equally thrilling. Romantic tangent: It might be an odd public display of affection, but a vampire walking into the sunlight to save a human is the ultimate sacrifice and illustrates how much Bill truly loves Sookie. Here's hoping they get their happily ever after.
Does Rene (or Drew) have issues or what? Sookie's peek into his mind allows a series of memories to play out like flashbacks that provide a lot of answers. Gran was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and Drew's sister, his first victim, got a little too cozy with a vamp. The shovel to his head is a triumphant moment for Sookie; the shovel through his neck is a triumphant moment for all. Goodbye, Rene/Drew. Say hello to the devil for us.
Other developments:
>> Vampire Eric returns Jessica to Bill because she's a pain in the neck. My guess is Sookie won't be happy with the new living arrangements.
>> The other young Stackhouse finds Jesus, sort of. Good for you, Jason, just don't drink the Kool-Aid.
>> Tara enjoys her new digs and chomps at the bit to start her life over. But that Maryann plays with wild pigs in the yard ... oh and has wicked tremors ... oh and knows Sam's secret. This can only mean trouble in season two.
>> Andy enjoys his moment in the sun after he believes he has the killer locked behind bars, but can't handle being wrong when the true killer is revealed. Final conclusion on the Bon Temps authorities: They make Mayberry look like Scotland Yard. Case closed.
(By the way, Andy makes a drunken reference to his family once owning the town. Jump back to one of the first few episodes when he's introduced to Vampire Bill. Bill pauses, repeats Andy's last name, Bellefleur, and clearly has history with the family.)
THIS WEEK'S CLIFFHANGER: OK, there were lots of little cliffhanger moments in the finale's last 20 minutes. But the big one: Lafayette's dead. At least that's where the evidence is pointing (the vamp-like attack behind Merlotte's; his disappearance; the perfectly pedicured man foot hanging from Andy's car). Hopefully, Lafayette's just passed out in the backseat and will be back next season because Nelsan Ellis is one of the brightest points of the ensemble cast.
After the episode, HBO assures its "True Blood" audience that it's already hard at work on season two, which will premiere in Summer 2009. It can't get here fast enough. The break does, however, give folks time to catch up on the books.
"True Blood" airs on HBO. You can catch up on episodes on your HBO OnDemand service or rent the DVDs when they hit the shelf (sign up be notified when the DVD release date is announced). You won't be sorry.
Read last week's "True Blood" recap here.
Read Mary Colurso's featured story on the music of "True Blood" here.
http://blog.al.com/scene/2008/11/true_blood_season_finale_has_r.html
Finale wrap-up: "True Blood" The first season of HBO's "True Blood" ends with fried vampires, Bible thumpers, and -- of course! -- even more unsolved
The first season of HBO's "True Blood" ends with fried vampires, Bible thumpers, and -- of course! -- even more unsolved mysteries.
By Heather Havrilesky- Salon Magazine
Nov. 22, 2008 |
Now at least we know what happens to a vampire when he ventures out into broad daylight: He starts to fry like bacon! His head turns red and black and oozes and smokes! But could Bill (Stephen Moyer) end up disfigured forever, thanks to his efforts to save Sookie (Anna Paquin) from that vampire-hater Rene (Michael Raymond James)? Would Sookie merely pity poor charred Bill, then set her sights on Sam (Sam Trammell) -- who actually saved her life, after all, instead of falling to the ground, a smoking, crispy shadow of his former self?
Personally, if I had to choose between a nice guy who owns a bar and can turn himself into a really cute dog, and a guy who sucks my blood, talks in a creepy accent, has no sense of humor whatsoever, and looks pale and sickly most of the time, I think I'd stick to the dog-man.
But then, if we learned one thing by Sunday night's finale of HBO's vampire series "True Blood," it's that no one knows Sookie Stackhouse's mind except for Sookie Stackhouse herself. So when Bill returned from the grave yet again looking just like his usual ghoulish self, it was no surprise that Sookie embraced him and left poor Sam to lick his wounds -- literally and figuratively.
Put yourself in her shoes, though. If you could read the minds of mortals, like Sookie can, an immortal with a taste for human blood and no annoying thoughts in his head might just look like your dream man, fangs or no fangs.
And while we're at it, if you were a bitter, homeless, drunk woman who's alienated her mom, her best friend, and her lover like Tara has, you'd happily take shelter in a rich lady's house, snack on her fresh fruits, wear her pretty outfits and suspend your disbelief over her strange "I just like to help people" story.
The question is, what is newcomer Maryann's (Michelle Forbes) real story? Where did she come from, and why does Sam seem to know her already? Is she some other variety of magical being, a new species that's neither vampire nor shapeshifter?
And what does Sam plan to do with all that cash from his safe? Who attacked Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and are those his painted toenails in Andy Bellefleur's (Chris Bauer) car?
Yes, Sunday night's finale ended with just as many cliffhangers as there were resolutions to season-long mysteries. But what else would you expect from a series that's based on Charlaine Harris's “Southern Vampire” series of page turners? If the answers to the big questions felt a little predictable by the show's final episode, that was quickly solved by introducing a whole new set of questions.
Alan Ball's perverse, off-kilter series has leaned heavily on this formula from the start. Just when one plot point seemed exhausted, a new wrinkle arises, whether it's seemingly nice Sam sniffing a dead girl's sheets or Sookie's grandmother showing up dead on her kitchen floor. Sure, there's something a little dissatisfying about the mystery-around-every-corner format, but whatever "True Blood" lacks in substance, it makes up for in flair. From Jason Stackhouse's nefarious hippie girlfriend to Lafayette's colorful assortment of clients to Bill's good Christian girl turned impatient, blood-thirsty vampire-slut, "True Blood" has paved its own, sometimes rocky path as one part vampire mystery, two parts campy, foolish fun.
The only upcoming twist that looks a little less than promising is Jason Stackhouse's apparent transformation into a born-again Christian intent on snuffing out the evils of vampires from the face of the earth. Enduring the terrible Southern accents on this show is bad enough, without a cliché herd of Bible-thumping fundamentalists to drag us through every worn-out stereotype in the book. The nice thing about Sookie and Sam and Tara and Bill, after all, is that they're new to us. We're not sure what drives them or what they're capable of just yet. In contrast, those old familiar saccharine smiles and cries of "Praise Jesus!" are just a few clicks away on TBN at all times. To most of us in this country, evangelical Christian shenanigans are old news. When it comes to the second season of this sultry, suspenseful vampire tale, let's hope Alan Ball sticks to some fresh blood.
New York Time Best Sellers List- Sookie books soar!
Paperback Mass-Market Fiction
1st# is the Ranking this Week on the NYT and the 2nd is the #Weeks on List.
#3 DEAD UNTIL DARK, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic cocktail waitress in rural Louisiana, falls in love with a bad-boy vampire.
10
#11 LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) A vampire asks Sookie Stackhouse to find one of his missing companions. 10
#13 DEAD TO THE WORLD, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) Sookie Stackhouse’s vampire boyfriend has traveled to Peru, leaving her to deal with his amnesiac boss. 6
#14* CLUB DEAD, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) When Sookie Stackhouse’s boyfriend is kidnapped, she goes to Mississippi to find him with the help of an undead Elvis. 9
#17 DEAD AS A DOORNAIL, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) Sookie Stackhouse is drawn into the world of were-politics when a friend’s father tries to take over his local werewolf pack. 5
#18 DEFINITELY DEAD, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) A New Orleans vampire queen tries to stop Sookie Stackhouse from looking into the past of her consort, who is Sookie’s cousin. 4
All the books and audio books are linked here to Amazon you can preorder the videos !
"Oh glorious freedom" Eric returns Jessica ! episode 12
Our favorite Viking vampire had another Swedish comment for us last night
Å du ljuvliga frihet!" which means "Oh -glorious freedom"
** according to Calilo a Swedish poster he says
Åh, du ljuva frihet -which means Oh, you sweet freedom...
Who's the hunkiest vampire of them all? - Stephen is #2
Chances are, if you ask a teen or tween girl to choose the hunkiest vampire, Robert Pattinson of "Twilight" would get her vote. But hey, there have been other actors whose vampire teeth and sultry eyes have made women's hearts flutter. We picked the Top 8 hunkiest vampires ever to hit the big and small screens, pre-Pattinson.
8. Gerard Butler, "Dracula 2000" (2000): Before he bared his muscles in "300," the 39-year-old Scottish actor played the lead in Wes Craven's "Dracula." Though panned by critics, we saw a thinner, longer-haired Butler float to the ceiling with the ladies he romanced — and take a little blood from them in the process.
7. Kiefer Sutherland, "The Lost Boys"(1987): Sutherland was just 21 when he played the bleach-blond leader of a young vampire punk gang. He was upstaged by the brooding Michael (Jason Patric) but, alas, Michael was never truly a vampire because he didn't have a human kill.
6. Frank Langella, "Dracula" (1979): Langella first made audiences swoon with his version of the Prince of Darkness in the stage production of Dracula, followed by the movie version. Despite his funky, 1970s hairdo, we still give him credit for on-screen sex appeal.
5. David Boreanaz, "Angel"; "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" (The WB, 1997-2004) Beefy Boreanaz was the vampire with a soul in the TV version of "Buffy" and the spin-off series "Angel." Spike (James Marsters) got our attention too, but
4. Wesley Snipes, "Blade" (1998): Snipes' half-vampire, half-human hybrid has a thirst for blood even though he hunts vampires. Snipes made us thirsty for more of him.3. Gary Oldman, "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992): Though an old, ugly monster in much of the film, Oldman's Dracula appears as a young and handsome prince with a taste for blood and spiffy sense of fashion.
2. Steven Moyer, "True Blood" (HBO, 2008-present): Moyer is a breath of fresh, er, blood as the vampire Bill Compton in "True Blood." We were just as pleased as Sookie that Moyer's character arrived in Bon Temps.1. Brad Pitt, "Interview with the Vampire" (1994): Although he co-headlined "Interview" with Tom Cruise, Pitt remains the hunkiest blood-sucker to ever hit the big or small screen. But is Pitt's rank in jeopardy with the arrival of Pattinson's Edward? Stay tuned.
Reach Laura Casey at lcasey@bayareanewsgroup.com.
http://www.mercurynews.com/movies/ci_11045786
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