‘I am one lucky lady’ Magnolia author discusses her Southern Vampire books, HBO series ‘True Blood’

No vampires appeared Thursday evening, but aficionados of the popular Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris of Magnolia did show up for the South Arkansas Community College Lecture Series to hear the author speak.

“I am one lucky lady. I get to do what I like to do,” that’s how author Charlaine Harris described herself. During her hour-long lecture and question/answer time, Harris entertained as well as informed the comfortably-filled SouthArk Gym with glimpses of her day of writing, her characters and the HBO hit series “True Blood.”

http://www.eldoradonews.com/news/localnews/2009/09/18/-i-am-one-lucky-lady-38.php

Awww we'd love to see a Gran in a flashback !

Question: Where was the Lois Smith flashback Alan Ball said we were going to get on True Blood? —Kelly
Ausiello: There was no room at the inn. Per Ball, the episode she was supposed to appear in had reached capacity story-wise. “It was the show that could not be contained,” he explains. “Unfortunately, Lois was a causality of that. But there’s always next season. I’m pretty sure she would love to come back and do something on the show.”

from ask ausiello

Charlaine Harris to be interviewed this morning on Mystery Matters

Mystery Matters: Where Murder is an Open Book, Friday, September 18 at 7am (Pacific) to discuss her 9th installment of the Sookie Stackhouse novels - Dead and Gone.

Listen here :

http://www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vshow.aspx?sid=1450

You can download from itunes later in the day.

True Blood goes to the movies : The Lawnmower Man starring Dale"Maxine Fortenberry" Raoul

A scientist performs experiments involving intelligence enhancing drugs and virtual reality on a simple-minded gardener. He puts the gardener on an extensive schedule of learning, and quickly he becomes brilliant. But at this point the gardener has a few ideas of his own on how the research should continue, and the scientist begins losing control of his experiments.

Cast

Jeff Fahey ... Jobe Smith
Pierce Brosnan ... Dr. Lawrence Angelo
Jenny Wright ... Marnie Burke
Mark Bringleson ... Sebastian Timms
Geoffrey Lewis ... Terry McKeen
Dale Raoul.....Dolly


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104692/

Bloody Cool: Vampire-Inspired Interiors

Shelter Pop looks at Bill's house decorating skills

I'm officially hooked. After a friend tipped me off to the Swedish vampire film, Let The Right One In, I realized I've been watching a lot of vampires, both on the small and big screens. Specifically, I'm one of the many that tune into HBO's True Blood, based on the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.

And I couldn't help but notice vampire Bill Compton's good taste. As a decorator, he's actually pretty good. He seems to have gotten the Southern Gothic look just right (John Derian would sure be proud), mixing antiques in a not-too precious way. He also seems to be really good at lighting (not too bright!), and has a great collection of ancestral portraits and velvet-upholstered sofas -- very George Smith. And is that a Moroccan Berber rug I spotted in Episode Two?

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True Blood visits Jerry Springer ?

Next on Jerry Springer

Bad Blood ignites Vampire feud!



HERE

Warning - the following satire contains adult language.

True Blood paperdolls: Eric is here ! Thanks Andy

TB-Eric

http://andyswist.com/TrueBlood-dolls.html

Last chance to enter “True Blood” Cubicle Puppet show Theatre contest and win a prize!! Click here for more.

Maybe it's time to drop Andy a note and say thanks for these wonderful dolls:
askandy@andyswist.com

True Blood Music Video of the Day:Within you by Ray Lamontagne

Within You" by Ray LaMontage
Tru3Silva2

DO VAMPIRES DREAM OF FANGED SHEEP?

It’s a lesser known fact that when a vampire lets a human drink their blood, the impact isn’t only physical. Humans will often report frequent dreams about the vampire, sometimes quite visceral and vivid in nature. But does the opposite occur? Will a vampire who feeds on a breather dream about them as well?

Come to think of it, do vampires dream at all?

Normally you’d think I was quite capable of answering the question for myself. But even in my human days I could never recall my dreams. Sometimes I doubted I even had them. This hasn’t changed since I became undead, though it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the case for all vampires.

I considered conducting an informal poll, but thought better of it. The very notion of dreaming is somewhat personal, and since no vampire has ever found fit to share their dreams (if they occur, that is), I can’t help but feel it would be somewhat poor form to ask. That and frankly, I don’t want to look like a complete idiot if it’s somehow common knowledge and my mere asking proves just how young a vampire I am.

But let’s suppose vampires can dream. In some cases I can imagine them being quite similar to the ones humans have. Showing up to your nest without clothes; nightmares of sunlit rays poring around you; the horrific feeling that your fangs are falling out as a symbol of powerlessness.

Where things get a bit trickier is in the realm of good dreams. Humans can fantasize increased power or sexual prowess. Their nightly rest can produce positive outcomes with work, great achievements and eternal glory. But what use are these to a vampire? Of course, we can find satisfaction in positive occurrences, but frankly, they are often well within our reach. Even great tasks aren’t insurmountable; we can well afford to take our time.

The obvious counter is a dream of watching a sunset. A secret wish for the ability to exist during the day. But this isn’t nearly as big a deal as some humans might believe. After all, if we really missed the sun so much, why would we allow ourselves to be turned in the first place?

So maybe the better question isn’t if vampires dream. It’s whether we ever stop dreaming.

Man, I love being a vampire.

http://bloodcopy.com/

Vampire Stan is that you ?

True Blood Make-Up tips

From Bella Sugar

Sophie-Anne may be the vampire queen of True Blood, but Brigitte A. Myre is the queen of vampire makeup. Myre's talent in makeup artistry earned her an Emmy for her work on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, and these days she's leading the makeup team for True Blood. Before Sunday's season finale airs, read on for behind-the-scenes beauty secrets of the show.

How Sookie's signature style is changing:
"In the first season, Sookie was a virgin, so we gave her a simple, innocent look," Myre says. She uses Cover FX foundation to perfect Anna Paquin's complexion, but doesn't do much beyond mascara and light lipstick for Sookie's day-to-day look. In the second season, though, Sookie needed a sultrier style. "When she goes to Dallas, it's her first time on a plane, and she's in the big city," Myre explains. "Her makeup is more dramatic, more done-up."

read on

Busy, Busy Charlaine Harris writes about "Happy Problems"

From Charlaine's BLOG

Now that the second season of “True Blood” has come to a close, it’s possible my life will get back to normal, whatever normal is these days. With the fame the increasing book sales have brought, there’s been a certain amount of downside. Of course, this is what every writer wants, the problems brought by fame and fortune!

Here’s the catch. With all the interviews, long trips, extra correspondence, and the highly increased demands for things that use up time, it’s hard to find the peace to do the writing that created the fame and fortune in the first place. I know now why some writers go on vacation to work; so no one can find them.

I’ve remarked on this conundrum before. I keep expecting some magic trick to turn up that will make it all easy, or for some public satiation with my ideas. Surely sooner or later, no one will want a quote from me about why vampires are popular now, or how I like the casting of “True Blood,” or what vampires symbolize in the world of my books.

I know, you’re thinking, “Oh, whine, whine, whine, all the way to the bank.” And there’s a certain amount of truth in that thought. But the fact remains that I became a writer because I love the act of writing, though for over twenty years, that writing paid me diddly-squat. (And THAT having been said, I do realize that most aspiring writers would give their eyeteeth to have been in THAT position, earning money or not. Being constantly published is hard enough to achieve.)

So here I am in the Greta Garbo role, making fun of myself but seeing the kernel of truth in the picture of me moaning, “I vant to be left alone.”

I’ll work this out somehow, and I’ll get all the projects written that need to be written. And I truly am thankful for my good fortune. Believe me, every day I pinch myself. Happy problems, happy problems . . .

Charlaine Harris

http://www.charlaineharris.com/bb/bb_current.html

10 things True Blood Owes to Buffy

From AfterElton

There's been a lot of discussion around here of whether or not True Blood has been de-gayed this year. I don't have a strong opinion on that one way or the other, but one thing I have noticed: As the show moves beyond the source material from the Charlaine Harris novels on which it is based, Alan Ball's HBO series seems to be morphing into a racier version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

If you're familiar with both shows, you've probably noticed some similarities between the world of True Blood and that of Joss Whedon's Buffyverse. And not simply the obvious things (i.e. vampires), or similarities that were already present in the Sookie Stackhouse book series. I'm talking about characters, plot elements, and general themes that weren't ported over from the Charlaine Harris books and instead seem borrowed from Buffy. And in particular, Buffy season 5.

Don't believe any Buffy/True Blood similarities are intentional? Here are 10. You decide whether or not these parallels are simply coincidence.

1. The Big Bad

read on

True Blood Paper Dolls : Extra goodies from Andy!

TB-extras

Thanks Andy- we await the Eric doll!

True Blood stuff to buy: Season 2 poster 1/2 priced!

Half priced True Blood Poster and free shipping!

Now $5.95 I think this is the free shipping code - SDX

go here

True Blood S2 Episode 12 Subtitles "Beyond here lies nothin'" subtitles

True Blood Season 2 Ep 12 Subtitles

True Blood Recipe: Terry's Jailhouse Chili (don't forget the corn chips)

Whenever Terry's can't figure out what the lunch special should be, he goes for his Jailhouse Chili. In S2 episode 4 we see this exchange between Sookie and Terry.

SS:Are there any lunch specials?
TB:I think I got everything I need to make Jailhouse Chili.
SS:Are you sure? Because last time, you forgot the corn chips.
TB: Shit!
SS: Right.

Servings: 16
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups finely chopped onions
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon salt
2 28 oz. cans red beans, drained and rinsed
2 28 oz. cans tomato puree
2 4 oz. cans chopped green chilies
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Stir-ins:
corn chips
grated cheddar jack cheese
crushed red hot pepper
chopped green onion
chopped yellow onion
Tabasco pepper sauce

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet; add the chopped onion and ground beef. Sauté over medium heat, stirring to break up the bits, until the meat is cooked. Drain off any fat and transfer to a slow cooker.Add the remaining ingredients, except stir-ins. Cook on low 4-8 hours or high 2-4 hours.

Serve with the crushed corn chips, grated cheese, crushed red pepper, chopped green and yellow onion, and Tabasco. source