Sunday's True Blood premiere answered at least one burning question: Is Lafayette alive? Answer: Yes! Nobody is more surprised by this turn of events than Nelsan Ellis, the actor who plays Lafayette.
As a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse novel series, on which Alan Ball based the vampire drama for HBO, Ellis knew that Lafayette, Merlotte's wisecracking cook — and part-time pornographer/drug dealer — is totally dunzo after Book 1. When he arrived on set for the finale episode's table read, he prepared himself for the end. "I thought, this was fun, time to look for the next gig," he says.
But then... what's this? That painted toenail in the car didn't belong to Lafayette after all! "'You know we're not going to kill you, right?'" Ellis remembers Ball telling him. "And I was like, 'Noooo...'" Ball told the actor that he decided to keep Lafayette in the cast after shooting a scene between Ellis and Rutina Wesley, who plays Lafayette's cousin, Tara, in the pilot episode. Ellis and Wesley have combustive chemistry for sure, which Ellis attributes to their long friendship. (They attended Juilliard together in the early '00s.)
So now that Lafayette has been spared, what's next for the flamboyant entrepreneur?
I had a great time yesterday in Shreveport at the Author! Author! Event, held at the Municipal Memorial Auditorium. Let me tell you about the auditorium. When Paula and I pulled up, I wondered if it was an old jail. Then I realized I’d never seen a building quite like it. I’m not sure how old the auditorium is, but it’s pretty darn old. Let me tell you whose dressing room I had: Elvis Presley’s. The auditorium used to be host to the Louisiana Hayride, and many of the great country music stars performed on that scarred wooden stage. Also, it’s haunted. What more could you ask?
But there IS more. As Paula will agree, we were treated like royalty, which is always pleasant. Not only were we escorted into the building, but we got a gift bag, flowers, and cookies by Pat’s Chunky Chunk Gourmet Cookies, the last word in delicious. I’ll try to find the name of the business and post it. Author! Author! features regional writers, and the event could not have been more smoothly (or more graciously) run.
And security was great! Two police officers (whose names I won’t mention because I might embarrass them) were there, and not only were they fun to talk to and very careful about making sure we had peace of mind, thank God they didn’t have any problems to solve! All my readers were the great crowd they always have been. To add to the cumulative happiness of the day, I saw some sorority sisters from the one year I belonged to a sorority, a friend from my home town (John Pritchard, a noted writer), and some writers I hadn’t met before but I hope to meet again.
This was the first signing I’d had in months; and I’ve got to say, it was one of the best signings I’ve ever had. It would be great if more writers became interested in attending this event. It was well worth doing.
TV shows typically don't have the backing of major advertisers the way Hollywood tentpoles do upon their release.
But for the second-season launch of "True Blood," HBO enlisted eight major marketers to create vampire-themed campaigns in major newspapers and magazines, on billboards and across the Web. It's a push any marketing maven would die for.
The Mini car brand touts a blood-red convertible with the tagline "Feel the wind in your fangs" while Geico claims it can save vampires 15% on auto insurance. Monster.com offers "thousands of night shifts," and a new fragrance from Marc Ecko promises to "attract a human," accompanied by a titillating shot of a vamp about to snack on a model.
Comcast, DirecTV and Harley-Davidson were also involved in the effort scared up by Digital Kitchen, which produced 30 ads for the brands, and designed the main titles for the show.
HBO was looking for a campaign that stressed how vampires live among us, with vampire-specific product concepts from the companies. The faux ads look like stuff the brands might actually conjure up themselves.
Thanks to everyone for playing and being so creative ! I will be posting some of the answers later and I have tons more prizes to give away!
We did a contest a day for the 10 days leading up to True Blood Season 2 premier last Sunday night and the winners are.... 1, Kristin 2. LisaD 3. Keri 4. Shayna 5. Sabrina 6. Kathy 7. Ruth 8. Elizabeth 9. Ryan 10.Lena
Prizes will go out on Monday, shoot me an email when you receive yours in the mail ! thanks "D"
NAMES/AGES Anna Paquin (Sookie), 26; Stephen Moyer (Bill), 39; Sam Trammell (Sam), 38; Ryan Kwanten (Jason), 32; Rutina Wesley (Tara), 29; Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette), 31 WHY THEM HBO's vampire drama has the sexiest, sauciest ensemble on TV — one that was willing to suck blood to work with show creator Alan Ball. ''I started stalking him,'' says Paquin of her pursuit of Ball for the role of prim but feisty Southern belle Sookie. PLAYING AGAINST TYPE As Sookie's love interest, Moyer's vampire Bill provides a gentle take on the undead. ''The sex and drug addicts on our show are all human,'' contends Moyer. ''They're the seedy side.'' And none more so than androgynous gay fry cook/drug dealer Lafayette. ''I've never really heard a character description of a dude wearing lipstick and makeup who's masculine sometimes,'' says Ellis of what drew him to the part. Recognition came more quickly for Wesley, who plays bitter Tara. ''Immediately I got Tara. I saw through her anger straight to her heart.'' That's why Ball's show isn't your typical vamp camp. As Kwanten puts it, ''With the depth of characters and substance of our stories, it's so much more than just a vampire show.'' True that. NEXT Season 2 will feature wilder story lines and crazier creatures. ''I don't think it'll feel like a different show, but it's definitely going to feel like a bigger show,'' says Trammell. ON THEIR MUST LISTS Paquin's fired up over FX's Rescue Me, while Moyer just finished Willy Vlautin's The Motel Life. For exclusive bonus video with the cast of True Blood, go to ew.com/mustlistvideo
Loving True Blood in Dallas blog named one of the best True Blood twitters to follow - what an honor !-thanks http://www.phillyburbs.com
Half the fun of watching TV shows is following along with other fans and friends on Twitter (yes, that thing is still around).
Here our Blood Type’s suggestions on who to follow to stay up on all the True Blood goodness.
@truebloodnet- A fan media site and your online source for the latest news, interviews, photos and info. on the HBO TV Series True Blood. Not affiliated with HBO
@trueblooddallas- Best True Blood and Sookie blog around. According to their bio. Well let’s just see about that.
@anna_paquin or @paquinanna- Are either really the True Blood star? Probably not. But it’s fun to pretend.
@phillyburbs- Well obviously, I mean where else would you go for True Blood news, gossip and everything else you could ever need in life?
Haha thanks so much Illuminati. Yes, I do sometimes call myself “the best” or sometimes I call it ” your favorite ” True Blood / Sookie blog and that’s meant tongue in cheek and kind of as an inside joke. There is sooo much competition in the True Blood / Sookie fandom on the internet you just have to stay true to yourself.
I am first and foremost am a bookie (Sookie Stackhouse book lover) but I LOVE True Blood. I want my blog to have the quirkiness and the flavor of the south ( I only live 2 hours from Bon Temps ) and I do silly things that my readers like, recipes, fan art, True Blood /Sookie music video of the Day ( yes, a different one !) everyday ( I’ve posted 200 of them as of today!)
We do tons of really fun creative contests, have frequent fan trips and meetups and the fans of my blog regularly help me co-host my weekly radio shows. I LOVE TB / Sookie fans more than anything ….
Yep, take a look at the blog, listen to some of my radio show podcasts and let me know what you think.
I hope it will become one of your “favorites” too!
Title change ! This is exciting ! We now (might) know the titles of the first 11 episodes of True Blood for Season 2.
Now the one thing we know about True Blood is that the episode names come from the a song used in in the soundtrack of that episode and that it is somehow significant to that episode.
All we know about Season 2 spoilers, casting calls etc. can be found here All Season 2 videos ( including my great slide shows) here
We know that Alan Ball and the amazing Gary Calamar put great effort into musically curating True Blood ! I think this will be the flashback to Bill and Lorena's life in the 20's .
Episode 2.06 title has changed from Friend is a Four Letter Word to "Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah)" which was a popular song from Tin Pan Alley. The music was written by Milton Ager, the lyrics by Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow, and Charles Bates. The song was published in 1924 by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc. Hard Hearted Hannah tells in humorous fashion the story of a "vamp" or femme fatale from Savannah, Georgia "the meanest gal in town." Hannah is "a gal who loves to see men suffer." It had early recordings by vocalists Lucille Hegamin and Dolly Kay , and by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra . A quarter century later Peggy Lee revived "Hannah" very successfully for Capitol Records, and the Ray Charles Singers made a hit version for Decca. The song has been recorded numerous times by such performers as Patti Austin, The Bronson Singers, Jim Croce, Bobby Darin, Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards, Ella Fitzgerald, Joyce Moody, Turk Murphy, Nancy Sinatra, Kay Starr, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Toni Tennille, Sophie Tucker, and Margaret Whiting. [6] Memorable television performances of the song include those by Carol Burnett, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, and Beatrice Arthur. Read on here
I think this might be the Belle Baker recorded 8/28/1924.
But goodness it's Ella (Is that Joe Friday from Dragnet, what's he doing in that movie ? ;))
The amazing Boadicea thinks that we may see Bill Compton /Stephen Moyer play this on the piano in the flashback
Science of the Movies Crafting an Action Figure TV-G, CC
Nar gets made into an action figure at Gentle Giant Studios (Iron Man); Zoic Studios demonstrates how it creates the vampire effects for HBO's True Blood; Nar and a karate sensei use science to scrutinize Peter Parker's power punch in Spider-Man.
Repeats schedule here http://science.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=48.15713.126049.36653.x
1. Dracula Predictable? Maybe. But Dracula can turn into a wolf, thereby ending the vampires vs. werewolves debate for good. (Dracula wins.)
2. Carmilla Not only is J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla cooler than Edward - she's cooler than Dracula. First, because she predates the count by 25 years, and she's a lesbian.
3. Kurt Barlow (from "Salem's Lot") Say what you will about Stephen King, but there's no use denying the man creates a pretty terrifying (sparkle-free) vampire.
4. Lestat (from "Interview With the Vampire") Remember when Tom Cruise was scary because he was a vampire, and not because he was Tom Cruise?
5. David (from "The Lost Boys") Before Kiefer Sutherland was saving various presidents on "24," he was terrorizing Santa Cruz (oops, make that "Santa Carla") as the coolest '80s vampire. Sorry, Bowie. Read on
Thanks SamM( closing comments so there is no fighting over Cullen-it's a JOKE)
When I think of HBO's "True Blood," fashion isn't the first thing that comes to mind. North Louisiana vampires aren't exactly into cutting-edge couture.
The show's wardrobing department does a brilliant job of capturing small-town style in all its skimpy, skanky glory.
Main character Sookie is a veritable Daisy Duke for the undead. Her scoop necks and short shorts provide easy access to crucial arteries.
Brooding vampire Bill is a fan of henleys. Shapeshifter Sam keeps it real in tight wranglers and snap-front plaid.
And then there's Eric. The Viking vampire sheriff, we learned on Sunday, highlights his hair. In a sneak-preview clip, he also sports what appears to be a velour warm-up suit while shopping in Wal-Mart.
And yet, Eric, played by Alexander Skarsgard, apparently does have an eye for edgy jewelry. In a future episode he sports an eagle-talon necklace by New York designer Pamela Love.
Here are some of the times tattoos appear in the Sookie books .
Bk 1 Liam
One had a buzz cut and tattoos on every visible inch of his skin. ( Liam)
Bk 2 Chow
"Tattoos," Pam said, sounding almost human for a moment. "He's tall for an Asian, and he has a wonderful set of . . . tattoos."Chow would bring in customers. He was the first Asian vampire I'd seen, and he was extremely handsome. He was also covered—at least the parts I could see—with that intricate tattooing that I'd heard members of the Yakuza favored. Whether Chow had been a gangster when he was human or not, he was certainly sinister now. Also in in bk 3 and 4 Godric I saw in her mind the image of the blond tattooed vampire, the very young-looking one...ancient blue tattooing on his arms and torso...The tattoos were from the time of the Romans, I think. They were crude but interesting..He'd gotten the tattoos while he was alive, and they were very strange, symbols whose meaning had been lost centuries ago, Bk 3 Werewolf that attacks Sookie This particular dead man had been in his forties, and every year of that had been hard. He had tattoos all over his arms, mostly of the poor quality you get in jail, and he was missing some crucial teeth. He was dressed in what I thought of as biker clothes: greasy blue jeans and a leather vest, with an obscene T-shirt underneath.
Bk 6 bartender at Hair of the Dog The bartender, a biker type with beard and hair of considerable length and tattoos thatcovered his bare arms, reached down below the bar. I knew he was pulling out a shotgun.
Bk 7 Carla
"Her breasts had been enhanced, and her ears were pierced, and her belly button, too. She had a tattoo on her lower back, some black vines in a vee pattern with a couple of roses with green leaves in the middle. I could see all this because Carla was naked, and she didn’t seem to have the slightest idea that her nudity was a little on the “too much information” side to suit me."
Bk 8 FotS guys in bar
"He was thin, had a beard fringe along his jaw, was decorated with a few tattoos that looked like home jobs to me—jail tats—and he was carrying a knife strapped to his ankle, a thing that hadn’t been too hard for me to spot once I’d heard in his mind that he was armed.
Book 9 Octavia's friend Louis "He was one of the blackest men I’d ever seen, and his face was tattooed with circles around the eyes. Despite his fearsome decorations, he looked calm and agreeable. He rose to his feet when I came in" Twice having something tattooed on your forehead is mentioned : Bk 8 when the FotS guys are kicked out of Merlotte's “You haven’t seen the last of us” tattooed on their foreheads.
Bk 4 when sookie arrives at Merlotte's with Claudine "Doesn't every gal want to walk into a room side by side with a gorgeous woman who practically has "I want to fuck" tattooed on her forehead?
I do know that Anna has a tattoo of an "A" on the inside of her right ankle see photo right.
Anna Paquin is showing a lot of skin these days.First, the actress best known for winning an Oscar at age 11, went topless in her hit HBO series "True Blood."
Now she has posed for a fun bikini beach photo shoot for the July issue of Self .
“After I was cast [in "True Blood"] and realized my body would be exposed all the time, I went out and bought some shorts—I owned none!—to help me get used to it,” she told the magazine.
And used to it she has become. Her role as Sookie, which involves the aforementioned nudity, as well as lots of stunt work in miniskirts, has helped her shed any inhibitions she may have had.
“You stop thinking, 'do I look weird at this angle?'” she says. “I’ve learned to feel very comfortable wearing very little. It’s liberating!”
The Sookieverse story 'Bacon' will be in this anthology.
P. N. Elrod (ed.) Strange Brew (Anthology) St Martin’s Griffin (US: 7th July 2009)
In Charlaine Harris’ “Bacon”, a beautiful vampire joins forces with a witch from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband. In “Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs, a blind witch helps sexy werewolf Tom Franklin find his missing brother – and helps him in more ways than either of them ever suspected. And in Jim Butcher’s “Last Call”, wizard Harry Dresden takes on the darkest of dark powers – the ones who dare to mess with his favorite beer.
Talk Blood Radio has ended for
Season 4. Thanks to all my great co- hosts and sponsors. All 12 episode podcasts are available for FREE from Blogtalk and itunes.
To bring back Blogtalk for Season 5 we will need episode sponsors, if you'd like to sponsor an episode for Season 5, please contact me !
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