Thursday, July 16, 2009

True Blood: Bite Me! Why We Love Vampires

From Newsweek

Is it the bad economy, or your secret desire for domination? Psychologists weigh in on our obsession with the bloodsuckers.

There are three things that Kendra Porter of Cleveland looks for in a man. She likes them smart, funny, and tall. Warm, conscious, and breathing are givens. That's why Porter, 27, says she's more than a little bewildered about her latest crush: a 1,000-year-old hunk of vampire Viking eye candy named Eric, just one of the incredibly beautiful creatures populating the HBO series True Blood, based on the bestselling "Southern Vampire Mysteries" of Charlaine Harris. "This is so embarrassing," says Porter, an interior designer, who plans her Sunday nights around the show. "I was never into that whole vampire thing. Now I'm like vampire central. I want to say, 'Bite me.' But, you know, in that really good way."

Poor Ms. Porter. She's missed out on years of the undead's appeal. But vampires have never been as hot as they are now—in a steamy, let's-step-in-the-shower-together way. Women are now so sexually attracted to vampires, advertisers are even getting in on the action. (And who wouldn't want a little vampire action on the side, especially if it involved Alexander Skarsgård?) In a new Gillette billboard, a vampire hunk caresses his cleanly shaven face next to the phrase "Dead Sexy." In another ad, for Marc Ecko cologne, a male vampire nibbles at a naked woman's neck with the line "Attract a Human." As if they needed any help.

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True Blood's Christian Conservative Vampire-Hater Speaks Out

From io9

We interviewed True Blood's vigilant vampire hater, played by Michael McMillian, and learned a little more about the Fellowship Of The Sun's televangelist golden boy, who says he's a cross between George Bush and Bruce Wayne.

We got the chance to chat via email with actor Michael McMillain, and learn a lot more vampire-loathing character, Steve Newlin, who's really a complicated enigma, combining fanaticism with a sense of compassion. There's even a bit of a King Arthur sprinkled into the fold of this character's persona.

What do you think this great character Steve Newlin? He appears to have it all put together, but there's got to be something looming underneath it all (as is the way with all things True Blood).

This is why Steve's a fascinating character to me. He is a living ideology. It's like trying to figure out who [George W.] Bush really was, in some ways. Like, did he really think he was a hero? Did he really think he was a great Christian? Steve repeatedly speaks in terms of black and white — this "with us or against us" terminology we were so accustomed to hearing over the past decade. Is it all just bullshit? It's almost archaic in this modern day and age. I talked to Alan Ball and the writers about where Steve is coming from, and we all agreed on the same thing: he is absolutely being true to himself. He believes everything he says. He's driven by what he was raised to believe in and his conviction that his father was murdered by agents of evil. In some way's he's like Bruce Wayne. He's setting out to ensure that what happened to his family won't happen to anyone else. And, I mean, he has a point. Look what happened to Jessica. That scene in the first season, when she was kidnapped and turned, was a nightmare. So I'm not sure how troubled he really is, beyond the fact he's troubled by the growing acceptance and tolerance of Vampires.

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What would you say Eric's house would look like ?

I asked this as a question for one of the contests leading up to Season 2

Here were some of the answers :

Spa tub, Old Norse style living room, bedroom

Very Victorian, lots of space, refrigerator,paintings from many artist and
styles- Picasso, Rembrandt, Da'vinci, old furniture, clean, not alot of windows (duh)

Eric's house would be understated and classy, maybe decorated in Urban Chic. I would think it would be a two story house with an inner room without windows and with a very good locking system, so he can sleep safely during the day. The bed would be king-size. His bathroom would be huge with a large Jacuzzi tub and large walk-in shower. The kitchen of course would be small, but would be modern with granite countertops. He would have a very comfy living room with a large sectional couch facing a large flat screen TV and a super sound system.

Eric’s house is going to be big. I would imagine that during the months leading up to Book 9, Eric was not only busy with the new King’s regime, but also in renovating his home to suit Sookie’s taste and needs, and thus, he was intent on moving her in as his paramour. So, my description of Eric’s house would be large, in the 3500 sf range, but also rural. He doesn’t live in Shreveport. It may not even be accessible by car as he can fly to get there. It’s very rustic, but inside will have all the amenities of a large house. He will have a large master bedroom on the first floor, with a large bathroom, Jacuzzi tub, and two person showers (newly installed to rehash Book 4). There will be a large kitchen, with a side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator. Beyond the grand entranceway will be a mid-size library, suitable for Eric’s collection of books which he has acquired in the past few hundred years. In the basement will be a weapons and training room, because Eric is Eric

Eric’s house is a two-story suburban Louisiana house, something that doesn't stand out too much from the outside to keep people from finding him easily. Inside it is all dark wood panels and a wide staircase. Downstairs is living and kitchen (basic kitchen - as he doesn't need one). Leather furniture, a big animal skin on the floor by the fireplace, lots of articles from different eras as decoration on the walls and over the mantle. His sword is hanging on the wall over the mantle with a shield with a Viking emblem.
Upstairs are the bedrooms and bathrooms. The main bathroom is as big as the living room with a big tub, shower, etc.
Downstairs there is a wooden patio with a huge hot tub.
His daytime rest is in the basement and it is guarded with alarms and bullet proof panels on the walls and door. The entire basement is built in such a way that if the house burns down, it will not burn the basement up

Blood-sucking show gets addictive


From the Vancouver sun

True Blood is about to get under the skin again.

In its first season, Alan Ball's slow-burning Gothic thriller about modern-day vampires eking out a blood-soaked, sex-fuelled existence in the backcountry bayous of Louisiana touched a nerve in viewers -- and not just fans of Gothic author Charlaine Harris's brisk-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels.

True Blood was like nothing else on TV -- and that was just the way Ball intended it.

Now that the curtain has risen last weekend on True Blood's sophomore season, Ball warns viewers to expect more of the same -- which is to say, nothing is the same, and events unfold suddenly and without warning.

At its heart, True Blood remains an allegory about relationships -- human and not-so-human.

"A theme that seems to crop up in a lot of my work is the peril of intimacy," Ball explained earlier this year.

In an earlier life, Ball created the Emmy Award-winning Six Feet Under and won a best screenplay Oscar for writing American Beauty.

True Blood, though, is different.

Winnipeg-born Anna Paquin returns for a second season as Sookie Stackhouse, the hard-luck diner waitress who can hear other people's thoughts

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True Blood' Emmy Snub: Five Reasons The Series Deserved A Nomination

From MTV and they are pissed

It's as predictable as a vampire's thirst for human blood. Each year a more-than-deserving series is left out in the cold come Emmy nominations time. The glaring omission that had me seeing red this year is HBO's much-talked-about vampire series, "True Blood." Sure, they picked up a few Creative Arts (or "Schmemmys" as Kathy Griffin calls them) nominations in art direction, title design and casting, but no "Big Show" nods to speak of. Oh, the bloody horror! We at Hollywood Crush are obviously fans of the show and in protest of the series' snub we've compiled a list of the five reasons the show deserved to be nominated (the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences — we hope you're paying attention!).

1. It's the highest rated show on HBO
The second season premiere of "True Blood" garnered 3.7 million viewers, the network's highest rating since the "Sopranos" finale two years ago. The show even bested itself this week soaring to 3.9 million blood-thirsty watchers. Yet, its HBO brother "Entourage," a show which rambles through the same predictable plot arc each season, gets a nomination for "Outstanding Comedy Series."

2. It has a deeper message
Sure, it's a show about vampires. Sexy ones at that. But when you dig a little deeper in the dirt you find an allegory that examines gay rights, racism, and religion.

3. It has a superb cast
No weak links here. Virtually the entire cast of "True Blood" is Emmy worthy (Anna Paquin's even got an Oscar to her name), but we give special props to Ryan Kwanten for his portrayal of earnest yet dim-witted Jason Stackhouse and Alexander Skarsgård who plays vampire Eric with a chilling likability.

4. It's an adaptation with legs
Instead of copying Charlaine Harris' The Southern Vampire Mysteries series scene for scene, creator and director Alan Ball used the author's world as a reference point for his own vision of Bon Temps, LA. He's noticeably deviated from the books (SPOILER ALERT! Lafayette should be dead by now), but many of Charlaine's fans don't seem to mind, which speaks to the likability of Ball's series.

5. It's just darn good television
'Nuff said.

http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2009/07/16/true-blood-emmy-snub-five-reasons-the-series-deserved-a-nomination/

Emmy nominations: cable trumps the big networks


From The Guardian UK ( read below one of the last paragraph)

This year's Emmy nominations were all about the battle between cable TV and the big networks – and, although the current climate has created a growing reluctance to take risks on the television, cable turned out to be the surprise winner.

With only two network shows – Lost and House – making it on to the Outstanding Drama shortlist (alongside Damages, Mad Men, Big Love, Breaking Bad and Dexter) and a nomination for the excellent Flight of the Conchords in the Outstanding Comedy Series category, you might be forgiven for thinking that the Emmys have decided to take more risks than previous years.

.......The unluckiest actor of all, however, is Alexander Skarsgård. Equally brilliant as the icy moral centre of Generation Kill and the devious, devilish Eric in True Blood, he found himself without any nominations at all. When Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen can still find themselves nominated for the execrable Two and Half Men the omission of Skarsgård feels like the biggest oversight of all.

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Welcome to Dallas and the vampire traveling coffins



Welcome to Dallas the most vampire friendly destination in the great state of Texas !

mojorumtum on Youtube recognizes the coffins as Thule Atlantis 1800's, rooftop car carriers for your skis.

http://www.rei.com/product/735503
Too bad poor Jessica can't get out of hers...




Autographed True Blood poster: Only 1 day left to bid !





This autographed TRUE BLOOD POSTER poster, and the DVD of TRUE BLOOD - The Complete First Season were contributed to the Woodstock Film Festival by HBO in support of our 10th Anniversary...

The poster is signed as follows Top Left: Todd Lowe (Terry Bellefleur) Sam Tramwell (Sam Merlotte) Top Right Michael McMillen (Reverend Steve Newlin) Bottom Left Michele Forbes (Maryanne) Chris Bauer (Andy Bellefleur) Carrie Preston (Arlene Fowler) Mead Brooks (Eggs) Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette) Bottom Right Stephen Moyer (Bill) Anna Paquin (Sookie) Rutina Wesley (Tora) Deborah Ann Wolf (Jessica) Anna Camp (Sarah Nawlin) Happy Bidding

Bid here

True Blood is a show with real bite

From Metro UK, I love the Venn diagram !

Vampires aren't for everyone. Undead bloodsuckers might be running riot across popular culture right now but there will always be plenty of people who just can't get to grips with eternal life and spontaneous combustion.

True Blood, the new show from Alan 'Six Feet Under' Ball, is looking to change all that.

Set in a world where most vampires are trying to live in harmony with humans – a situation made possible through a mass-market form of synthetic blood – it stars British actor Stephen Moyer as a well-spoken vamp longing for Anna Paquin's telepathic waitress in a small Louisiana town.

But great pains have been made to keep True Blood accessible for anyone who doesn't obsess over genre television.

'Lots of people ask me who it's aimed at,' admits Moyer, 'and the way I explain it is: imagine you've got a Venn diagram where one circle is vampire lovers, another is Alan Ball fans and then you have one circle which is just people who like really good drama. They all cross over in the middle and that's where it becomes something other than just a fantasy show.

People who don't like the vampire genre see something different in True Blood because it's well-written, funny and quite odd

'You wouldn't think that a vampire show could cross over but people who don't like the vampire genre – and, believe me, it's not my go-to genre either – really see something different in True Blood because it's well-written, it's funny and it's also quite odd.

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Alex to star in 'Straw Dogs' remake

Alexander Skarsgard is going from vampires to vicious locals.

The "True Blood" star has signed to "Straw Dogs," Screen Gems' remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 thriller.

Rod Lurie is directing the updated pic, in which a Hollywood screenwriter encounters bloody threats and conflict from locals in a small Southern town after he and his wife move there.

James Marsden is the lead. Skarsgard will play Charlie, described as a grizzled, athletic type.

Skarsgard, repped by CAA, has had roles in features like "Zoolander" and the HBO miniseries "Generation Kill." He is best known for playing Eric Northman in "Blood," also set in the South.

True Blood Music Video of the Day:Avalanche by David Cook



Avalanche by David Cook LYRICS

Thanks, iokastimath

True Blood : 61 st Emmy awards announced (Full pdf)

Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
True Blood . HBO . Your Face Goes Here
Entertainment in association with HBO
Entertainment
Junie Lowry Johnson, CSA, Casting Director Libby Goldstein, Casting Director

Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series
True Blood . Burning House Of Love . Cold Ground . Sparks Fly Out . HBO . Your Face Goes Here Entertainment in association with HBO Entertainment Suzuki Ingerslev, Production Designer Cat Smith, Art Director Rusty Lipscomb, SDSA, Set Decorator

Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
True Blood . HBO . Your Face Goes Here
Entertainment in association with HBO
Entertainment
Junie Lowry Johnson, CSA, Casting Director Libby Goldstein, Casting Director

Outstanding Main Title Design
True Blood . HBO . Your Face Goes Here
Entertainment in association with HBO
Entertainment
Rama Allen, Designer
Shawn Fedorchuk, Editor
Matthew Mulder, Creative Director
Morgan Henry, Main Title Producer
Camm Rowland, Designer
Ryan Gagnier, Designer

61stemmys_noms