Bill And Eric On The List For The Battle Of The Hottest Vampires

In a list that is sure to start some heated arguments, GuidetoBeautySchools.com ranks the hottest male vampires of film and television. Read on to find out where your favorites from True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, and The Vampire Diaries stand, and then feel free to defend or rearrange them in the comments!

20. Stuart Townsend- Lestat, Queen of the Damned

19. Paul Wesley- Stefan, The Vampire Diaries

18. Ethan Hawke- Edward, Daybreakers

17. Aidan Turner- Mitchell, Being Human

16. Kellan Lutz- Emmett Cullen, Twilight

15. Jason Patric- Michael, The Lost Boys

14. Alex O’Loughlin- Mick St. John, Moonlight

13. Tom Cruise- Lestat de Lioncourt, Interview with the Vampire

12. Ian Somerhalder- Damon Salvatore, The Vampire Diaries

11. Gerard Butler- Dracula, Dracula 2000

10. Stephen Moyer- Bill Compton, True Blood

9. Wesley Snipes- Blade, Blade

8. Jason Dohring- Josef Kostan, Moonlight

7. Brad Pitt- Louis de Pointe du Lac, Interview with the Vampire

6. Kiefer Sutherland- David, The Lost Boys

5. David Boreanaz- Angel, Buffy the Vampre Slayer/Angel

4. Antonio Banderas- Armand, Interview with the Vampire

3. Alexander Skarsgard- Eric Northman, True Blood

2. Robert Pattinson- Edward Cullen, Twilight

1. James Marsters- Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

Their reasoning behind Bill being relatively low on the list is that, good looks and old-fashioned manners aside, he is not very interesting. And he doesn’t dress well. There are not enough words in the English language to disagree with that as strongly as I would like to. First of all, Bill can never go wrong with a henley and some tight pants. Or with no clothes at all. Also, how is it not interesting to have a vampire who is tortured by what he is?! He was turned against his will simply because he was a good man that Lorena found worthy to be her companion. He almost staked himself to stop from being a monster like his maker wanted him to be. He fell in love with Sookie and has found his way back to his humanity. He’s still a vampire and flawed. So sometimes he slips up and does something wrong, but he has someone who loves him and forgives him because she knows that he would sacrifice himself to protect her. If that’s not layered, I don’t know what is!

Eric earned a higher spot on the list because he is more of a bad boy, but why that automatically makes him hotter is beyond me.

On the one hand we have a whiney, questionable dresser, who plays Wii. On the other hand, we have a powerful, leather-wearing, club owning badass who can tell the other hand what to do.

This is clearly a matter of opinion, and the debate between Bill and Eric among True Blood fans will never be resolved. We’ve all got to agree to disagree on that one. But what we can all agree on is how crazy we are about this show. It has two great guys to fantasize over, both of whom should be higher on a list of hottest vampires than #10 and #3. And this is coming from someone who also watches Buffy and loves Spike and Angel, but seriously- True Blood is by nature sexier. Thoughts?

SOURCE: guidetobeautyschools.com

(Photo credits: HBO Inc.)

Ten Reasons Why We Love Vampires!

Vampires have always been a popular genre, from the days of Nosferatu,  Dracula, Anne Rice’s vampires, and right up to the modern day: from the zeitgeist kick started by Charlaine Harris and Stephanie Meyer, right up to cinema’s latest offering, “The Vampire’s Assistant.”  But what is it that people find so compelling about the subject?  Lets have a look at some of the key programs and characters that have appeared lately…

True Blood has to be top of the list, especially for fans of our website!  Taken by Alan Ball from the hit series of books penned by Charlaine Harris with fans eagerly awaiting the tenth book in the series, this show is now heading into its third season on HBO, which already shows it has massive ratings and critical success in a time where shows have been canceled after two or three episodes.  This is due in large part to the sheer skill and force behind the series – fantastic actors, incredible writing, and extraordinary production values, which all contribute to making this show the massive draw that it is today.

The Vampire Diaries – True Blood for teens, but don’t let that put you off!  Taken from another set of books by L.J Smith, this is the story of a young girl torn between two brother vampires, one good and one evil… but who will win Elena’s heart?

Kristen Stewart – The female breakout star of Twilight; we get to watch her portray the struggle of a human in love with a vampire, with all the Sturm und Drang of their relationship continuing on in the next release of the installment, New Moon, which is released on 20th November…

Lesbian Vampire Killers – Vampirism’s answer to the Zombie hit Shawn of the Dead; it hasn’t reached the same heights of success, but has proven to be an cult comedy hit, helping to ‘feed’ the interest in the vampire genre…

Dead and Lonely – a new web series that has just premiered at ifc.com on the 26th October, revolves around two lonely singles from Los Angeles who meet through DateOrDie.net, a popular dating website.  The twist in this tale is that one of the singletons not only has a lonely heart, they also have an unbeating one!

Stephanie Meyer – the author of the Twilight saga, and arguably one of the main forces for bringing vampires into the forefront of today’s popularity boom, penned her saga after she dreamt the whole story… A magical start to a magical story!

Alexander Skarsgard – This handsome Swede plays Eric, the Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana, the bad boy who also attracts – and is attracted to – Sookie and Bill’s competitor.  Mr. Skarsgard’s prescence has helped raise the already steamy temperature in Bon Temps. Many fans of the show look forward to seeing the viking vampire and the possible intrigue he will bring on screen.

Robert Pattinson – The male breakout star of Twilight, the reluctant British sex symbol has become the one to watch, pulling in massive crowds eager to see him play Edward Cullen, Bella’s vampire lover.  Not too shabby for the boy who first became known through a supporting part in the Harry Potter films; its from one set of blockbusters to another for Mr. Pattinson…

Anna Paquin – The embodiment of Sookie Stackhouse, Anna is the heart of True Blood, relatable and a touchstone of reality in the fantastic world of Bon Temps.  Although not without skills and talents of her own (most significantly, telepathy), she brings courage, humanity, and light to a show, which otherwise may become immeasurably dark and foreboding.  When watching a show like True Blood, its nice to have a character who is experiencing the same wonder and discovery as ourselves, the viewers.

Steven Moyer – Like Tom Cruise managed to do in the 90s, this decade Stephen Moyer, the male lead on True Blood, has infused elegance and gentlemanly regal into his role as Bill.  A vampire who has returned to his birthplace of Bon Temps to live a peaceful life with his human lover Sookie. However, Bon Temps seems to be a place of turbulence and Bill’s desire for peace has been disrupted once again, this time with dangerous consequences for himself as he has been kidnapped by unknown forces. Like Sookie, we all are asking “Bill?”

No matter what type of vampire you enjoy watching or reading, there is plenty of new interpretations and adaptations to satisfy any vampire fan!

Source:  huffingtonpost.com

(Photo credit:  HBO Inc.)

Stephen Moyer on Vampires and Love Scenes

Stephen Moyer, True Blood’s darkly handsome Bill Compton, shows off his lighter, humorous personality in real life. In Now Magazine’s “Cheeky Questions” feature, he answered several questions about getting naked for work.

In general, Stephen sees nudity as a regular part of acting because it’s a regular part of life:

“When you’re a young actor starting out, usually the young character is the love interest. I’ve done that for 15 years and it’s always like: how long before I get my kit off? It’s a novelty when I get to keep my clothes on! But we all make love, we all kiss, we all have sexual relationships with people and it’s funny to me that people are surprised that those things feature in dramas because it would be strange to me if they didn’t.”

The specific scene that had fans talking was the graveyard scene in Season one’s “The Fourth Man in the Fire.” Stephen laughs about the reality behind that scene, which had him emerging from the ground covered in dirt:

“That was me in the earth–it wasn’t a butt double! I hadn’t really thought about it, to be honest–I was too busy lifting weights in the gym! But you get earth in bits you wouldn’t want it to get into!”

Fans were also curious about what made him fall in love with Anna, and as always Stephen responded with great praise for his fiancee:

“She’s sharp, she’s funny, she’s brilliant, she’s incredibly talented and she’s an ultimate professional. She’s probably the most straight-talking woman I’ve ever met and she’s caring, generous, and kind. And I think she’s beautiful.”

For their intimate scenes together, they are obviously very comfortable with each other. This gives them the freedom to add some variety to how they film those moments between Sookie and Bill. Above all, they want it to be natural:

“I would love to think that, as a professional, if I have to have a love scene with somebody else it would be just as good! There’s a scene in Season two in which Sookie and Bill consume each other in bed. We’d done naked blood sex and romantic sex so we thought: ‘How could we make this look different?’ “

It is certainly no surprise that Stephen would be thrilled about his job! He gushed over how working on True Blood is a dream. The characters are deeply layered, even the vampires. It’s not just a one-dimensional supernatural show. They are able to balance many tones. Comedy, romance, drama, violence, social meaning–True Blood has everything.

Stephen joked that if he could bite someone’s neck, it would be musician Tom Waits:

“If I could get a little bit of his blood it could do something crazy to me…he’s my all-time hero.”

This interview is just another example of what a fun guy Stephen is, and how much he enjoys being part of True Blood and talking about it with the fans who sometimes send him strange items in the mail.

“I get everything from knickers to plasters for covering neck bites.  I was recently send a photo of a naked German lady lying down next to her white horse?”

SOURCE: nowmagazine.co.uk via confuzzledreel.blogspot.com

(Photo Credit: Chris Hatcher / PR Photos via exposay.com)

Stephen Moyer Talks True Blood with The Mirror

Stephen Moyer recently talked to The Mirror about True Blood. The Mirror traveled to New Orleans to meet the hunky vampire and get a first hand taste of the southern culture which the show revolves around. The Mirror asked Stephen what he felt were the themes of True Blood. Stephen answered saying:

“I think the show represents many different things. You could watch it and think it’s a camp, frothy, sexy thriller. But equally it could be a satirical comment on society. Bill’s a vampire, an outsider that arrives in town and is ostracised, but he’s trying to be a decent man.”

Stephen was then asked if he felt it was easier filming love scenes since him and his co-star, Anna Paquin, are a real-life couple.

“I would like to think that, as a professional, if I have to have a love scene with somebody else it would be just as good!”

This led to Stephen being asked what it exactly was that made him fall for Anna. Stephen explained:

“She’s sharp, funny, brilliant, incredibly talented and an ultimate professional. She’s probably the most straight-talking woman I’ve ever met and she’s caring, generous and kind – I can’t say enough! And I think she’s beautiful.”

The Mirror concluded the interview by asking Stephen if he felt pressure as an actor to stay looking fit. Stephen answered by saying:

“I think the thing is that when you’re working against someone like Ryan (Kwanten), who is an insane body fascist, I’ve got no choice but to look as good as I can. I’m never going to look like him but, equally, when I’m 60 I don’t want to look at the DVDs and see my flabby belly.”

Well Stephen I don’t think you will have to worry about that!! We look forward to seeing more of that fit body in season 3 of True Blood!

SOURCE:  The Mirror

Photo Credit: HBO Inc.

VIDEO: Stephen Moyer Interview From A Coffin

Stephen Moyer who plays the handsome vampire Bill Compton on Alan Ball’s hit HBO TV vampire series True Blood recently conducted an interview with Steve Jones from UK Channel 4 from the comforts of a coffin.  That’s right you heard me correctly, a coffin!  As Steve Jones states Transylvania was too far and the local graveyard was just not right so the next best place to interview a vampire would be in a coffin.  This is a fun interview with Stephen as he discusses his character, the blood that he drinks on the show and his response to the comment about the racy scenes to which Stepehn says,

“that there is a little a bit of saucy actions every now and then and sometimes backstage as well.”

You have to love Stephen’s interviews, they are always so much fun to listen to. Enjoy the video and many thanks to UK Channel 4 for informing us about this video.

SOURCE: UK Channel 4

VIDEOS: True Blood at the 2009 SCREAM Awards

If you missed watching last night’s Spike TV’s 2009 SCREAM Awards then you missed watching the cast of True Blood walking up the stage and accepting their awards.  Well you almost missed it.  Here are a few clips from last night’s award show as the whole cast was thrilled at winning the awards.  As always they were gracious and showed how much of a close “family” they have all become.  A funny point in one of the videos was when during Alan’s speech a group of women scream “We love you Stephen!” and everybody’s enthusiastic response particularly Anna’s.  It was great to watch the whole cast having so much fun with each other that those few moments helped feed the True Blood withdrawal many are feeling.  Enjoy the videos!  The videos are slow loading so please be patient.

SOURCE: Spike TV

Inside Brentwood Theatre’s Production of The TWITS

Last week, we learned that our fundraiser for Stephen Moyer’s birthday to support his hometown theatre in Brentwood, England, raised $2,400. Because of the generosity of many of you, lots young students will be able to take a field trip to see Brentwood’s holiday play, The TWITS. Preparations are now underway at the theatre with the arrival of the actors and rehearsals beginning soon. They will be doing 16 performances for the public and kids from local schools to enjoy. The people at Brentwood have shared with us some pictures from behind the scenes with the cast and crew. The characters have names like Mr. and Mrs. Mugglewump and the Roly Poly Bird. Based on all the colorful costumes, it looks sure to be a fun show!

Here The Roly Poly Bird, Jenanne Redman, met eight year old Tara who has designed her beautiful costume. Tara and her family will be coming along to the Opening Night and will meet The Deputy Mayor of Brentwood and see a very special performance by Ringmistress Natalie Verheagen. So far the tail feathers have been made.


Mrs Twit needs to be ugly and grotesque so beautiful Kate Ankers will have her work cut out, but with the help of Joy Dunn, our costumier, the job will be easier.


And here is Jessica Rose in one of her three mad, colourful costumes (wait until you see the one with birds all over it). (This is the only pic of Jessica – she had another job to go to, face painting).


Director Vernon Keeble Watson keeps an eye on the proceedings


Here we have Leigh Stevenson (Mr Mugglewump), Jennifer Skapeti (Mrs Mugglewump), Christopher Jefferies (Mr Twit) and Naomi Shields (Baby Mugglewump)


And this is Kate Ankers (Mrs Twit), Jenanne Redman (the Roly Poly Bird) and Stephen Gunshon (last year, Fantastic Mr Fox and this year our Ringmaster)

(Photo Credits: Mark Reed / Brentwood Theatre)

Sneak Peek Videos Of True Blood On Tonight’s 2009 SCREAM Awards

Tonight is the night to watch the telecast of Spike TV’s 2009 SCREAM Awards. You do not want to miss watching Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton), Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse) Alexander Skarsgard (Eric Northman), Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte), Alan Ball and the entire cast of True Blood onstage accepting their awards and hearing them thanking the fans!  So tune in to Spike TV at 10:00pm EDT/ 9:00pm CDT to watch True Blood get the recognition that it deserves!  As a little treat here are two sneak peek videos of tonight’s show with a clip of Stephen Moyer accepting his award for Best Horror Actor, and the entire cast on stage and Alan Ball’s uncensored acceptance speech. Enjoy the clips and don’t miss the show tonight! The videos are slow loading so please be patient.

SOURCE Spike TV 2009 SCREAM Awards

Stephen Moyer Will Be Heating Up South African TV Screens

Alan Ball’s hit HBO TV vampire series True Blood returns for season two on  South Africa’s M-Net on Tuesday, October 27, 2009.  Based on Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries, True Blood is picking momentum with viewers in the UK as Season One continues to air on the UK’s Channel 4. In the US, Season 2 premiered on June 14 2009 and was the most watched HBO show since The Sopranos series finale in June 2007. According to HBO, True Blood averaged 12.4 million viewers per episode, when measured across various viewing platforms, up 39% from last season. The popularity of the Louisiana vampires is undeniable; they have truly captivated the hearts and imagination of millions viewers in North America, South America, UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

At the heart of this award winning HBO series is the undeniable romantic tension between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).  The 40-year-old Stephen Moyer, who plays the 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton in True Blood, recently sat down with reporter Theresa Smith to discuss his character and the themes presented and developed in the show.

Part of the reason for the success of the show is, as Stephen explained, the casting of such an international group with Stephen splitting his time between England and the US, Anna from New Zealand/Canada, Alexander Skarsgard from Sweden and other cast members from across the US and Australia. As Stephen highlights:

“Alan (Ball) is brilliant at casting. One of the things he did was create a central core consisting of people who have almost all worked in the theatre. So we’re all much open to playing, creating and throwing things into the mix.”

Stephen provides an in-depth look at the qualities of his character, Bill Compton and the struggle that he sees his character is trying to deal with not only on the outside but also within himself.

“You’ve got this romantic, old-fashioned gentleman who also happens to be a vampire. And the audience has to wonder about that conflict within him and wonder what he is capable of [...] Actually, one of the reasons I love this job so much is because we are playing with so many ideas. Like his costumes–the costume designer will come to me and say, ‘How about we try this?’ And it will be a little thing like having his collars turned up on a certain jacket that gives a hint of the Confederate soldier, just a little echo of part of his past.”

Stephen wasn’t initially familiar with the Southern Vampire Series and read them only after he got the part of Bill Compton. Stephen describes vampire Bill as a conflicted individual; a vampire who’s desperately attempting to mainstream and be a decent character but who is at the core also a killer:

“When I began playing the role Alan wrote, he (Bill) warms up throughout the season in a way the character in the books doesn’t. Sookie in the books also flits from one romance to another and if you did that with a lead female character, she would not be as virtuous as they wanted her to be. So Alan made the decision to let her have the attachment to Bill [...] But he’s (Bill) still a vampire who kills.”

Fans of True Blood often forget that Stephen is a British actor with a decidedly British accent who can deliver a convincing and hilarious Cockney accent. A thorough bred actor, Stephen was helped by a voice coach in his delivery of vampire Bill’s Southern drawl.

One question that many of his fans have wondered for quite some time is why he changed his name.  Stephen, whose original name was Stephen Emery, revealed in the interview that he changed his name because he didn’t want to be known as the actor playing a horse’s ass. Stephen received his Equity card for his role in the pantomine Oliver in the same week as another actor of the same name. This other Stephen, according to our Stephen, was

“playing the back end of a horse, I swear to God, it’s true”

When asked what it is about British actors that they portray vampires so convincingly, Stephen explains that the classical training British actors receive in drama schools helps actors immerse themselves in a specific role to deliver convincing characterizations, and in the case of True Blood, the training Stephen received in drama school has helped him convey the age and experience of vampire Bill.

Stephen also indicates his appreciation of how True Blood uses the vampire genre as a platform to discuss meaningful socio-political issues, albeit in a light-hearted manner:

“Alan (Ball) takes this idea of the outsider coming into the world and how everybody reacts to that outsider. The metaphor is about someone who is a pariah in society trying to prove he is not what people think he is and this can be a metaphor for homosexuality, the black and white civil rights movement, or any minority that you want to bring to the table.”

Stephen adds that one of his favorite thing about True Blood is how each episode ends on a cliffhanger, adding:

“I think Alan is a very clever film-maker because he put in undercurrents of information in the show. It can also be a rollicking funny thriller, great fast television.”

Season 2 of True Blood has now completed its run on HBO in the North America with Season 3 due out in June 2010. Of Season 3, Alan Ball hints:

“After last season you would think things would sort of return to normal – but no, that’s not going to happen!” No, there’s just as much weird stuff out there, and we’re going to meet some werewolves for the first time; we’re going to find out some roles vampires played in history, which is interesting and shocking and funny. It’s more of the same.”

While the relationship between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) will continue to be the heart of True Blood’s narrative arc, Alan Ball explains that some of the supporting cast will be receiving more screen time in Season 3.  As Alan Ball explains:

“Definitely Eric has broken out and is a big important character now. Jessica and Hoyt are still trying to deal with everything that happened to them, and Arlene and Terry are going to have a little bit more of a life and more of a presence on the show.”

Season 2 of HBO’s True Blood will premiere on M-Net tomorrow, Tuesday, October 27, 2009.

Source: Tonight

Photo credit: HBO Inc.

Stephen Moyer Talks About Bill Compton With The UK Mirror

True Blood is picking up momentum with viewers in the UK as Season one continues to air on Channel 4. The Brits seem to be very proud of the show’s success because of the rise to stardom of their countryman, Stephen Moyer. It is only with his subtle but powerful portrayal of 173-year old vampire Bill Compton that fans across the world have fallen in love with Stephen. It is perhaps an understatement to say that his life has changed as a result of True Blood!

In an interview with the UK Mirror, Stephen discusses how Bill came to life. Going back to his childhood, he remembers being drawn to the art of performing:

“My aunt and uncle were holiday camp entertainers and one of my earliest memories is going to the Isle of Wight every summer and watching them perform. My uncle Tony was my absolute idol and he used to do these fantastic impressions – I can remember him doing Elvis. And they also did magic. I think a little bit of that stayed with me. And then I started doing plays at school and loved it.”

The role on True Blood happened after some disappointment for Stephen in his television work, which made him determined to stay in England. Luckily, he listened to his agent and read Alan Ball’s script for the pilot episode. Taping an audition, meeting with Alan and Anna, and being confirmed by HBO to play Vampire Bill all happened in the span of two days. The chemistry between him and Anna was instant. Professionally, he loved working with her, and that energy between them translated into the sizzling Sookie-Bill relationship onscreen, and romance with Anna off-screen:

“From the first moment I met her, the moment we sat together on the sofa doing a scene for Alan, I knew we’d get along brilliantly. I used to teach kids drama and I used to say, ‘There’s no failure, it doesn’t exist. You can do whatever you want and if it doesn’t work it doesn’t matter because you’ll be able to use something from it.’ And with Anna we both sat there and said, ‘Let’s play with this.’ So on the first day we met each other we were walking around working the scenes together. ‘What if I do this? Or how about this?’ It’s an absolute dream to work with someone like that.”

Stephen is so invested in the character of Bill because of his emotional back story and his complicated moral struggle:

“You’ve got this romantic, old-fashioned gentleman who also happens to be a vampire. And the audience has to wonder about that conflict within him and wonder what he is capable of.”

The existence of all of those qualities within Bill is also reflected in his appearance. Stephen appreciates the attention to detail on the show, like in the meaning behind his wardrobe:

“When you first see him he looks like your classic vampire – he’s dark, he’s moody, and he’s brooding. But in episode 2 (of Season one) we tried to show that he smartened himself up a bit – he changed his hair, the way he dresses – because he’s trying to make Sookie and her family feel more at ease with him. Actually, one of the reasons I love this job so much is because we are playing with so many ideas. Like his costumes–the costume designer will come to me and say, ‘How about we try this?’ And it will be a little thing like having his collars turned up on a certain jacket that gives a hint of the Confederate soldier, just a little echo of part of his past.”

And, of course, given that he is portraying a vampire, fangs are a staple of his job description. Stephen says that he has three sets of fangs. They shoot the scenes twice, once normally and once with the teeth in. The moment that the fangs pop out or retract is a CGI effect. They are, as one would expect, quite sharp, and awkward at first:

“There were times especially early on when we were still getting used to them, when the guys playing vampires would sit around between takes and we’d be talking about football and they’d say, ‘OK, camera’s rolling, everyone put your teeth in…’ “

After being asked the question so many times, Stephen laughs about the appeal of vampires to pop culture:

“You’ve got immortality, you’ve got blood and you’ve got sharp, pointed teeth making a hole and sucking from it–that’s sexy, man.”

Nobody really knows what it is about vampires that fans love so much, but whenever the trend starts to fade, I doubt that True Blood will lose its popularity. The story offers so much more meaningful stuff to care about. But the hot vampires certainly help!

SOURCE: mirror.co.uk

(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)

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