Sex, Blood and Vampires

Vampires seem to be, to borrow a phrase from the fashionistas, the new black right now. Unsurprising, really. They are hot, they don’t age, don’t need botox, and, judging from the raunchy HBO True Blood’s Bill Compton, Eric Northman and Pam, they look good in anything that’s black and leather.

The word vampire has almost become synonymous with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one of the best-selling books of all time. Stoker’s Dracula is said to owe something to Vlad III of Wallachia who lived in the 15^th century and had a habit of impaling his victims on stakes. But Stoker’s conception of the vampire has shape-shifted and fragmented throughout the world in ways he would barely comprehend, and probably not even recognize.

Indeed, the vampire may seem to be a creature living on the margins of society, but we’ve always had a contradictory relationship with the vampire. Central to the stories humans tell each other, these creatures exist in folklore that stretch back through to ancient times. Almost every culture appears to have some sort of legend about vampires or hungry ghosts who feed on the energy of the living, in one way or another. Yet, very few of them bear any resemblance to Bela Lugosi descending the staircase, holding a flickering candle that improbably lights the cavernous great hall of his castle for the legendary cinematographer Karl Freund. And while some of these other folklores around the world are similar to the traditional Central European myths that have been incorporated into Gothic literature and cinematic lore, there are quite a few which depart from the traditional vampire lore.

The earliest account of these creatures of the night derives from Mesopotamia. Lamatsu was a serpent demon who reportedly stole children from their homes and devoured them. Another incarnation of Lamatsu appears later, in the guise of Lilith. In early Hebraic writings, Lilith took the form of a winged demon with the body of a woman with owl-like talons for feet. She was reported to be the first wife of Adam (before Eve was created). Lilith was formed of the same earth from which Adam was created, therefore, she considered herself his equal. That being the case, Lilith refused to be submissive. She was subsequently banished to the demon realm. Lilith’s offspring were damned to become demons with Lilith taking the title of “Mother of Demons.”

In China, a vampire is created when a recently deceased corpse is possessed by a demon, usually after suicide or a violent death without a proper burial. Unlike the vampires in the West, the Chiang Shih (also known as Jiang Shi) is said to be covered with white or green hair over its entire body. It is also said to have long claws, teeth and glowing red eyes. I think it’s safe to say that it is hardly an attractive specimen when compared to the highly decorative vampires of True Blood. Breathing the Chiang Shih’s breath can be lethal but apparently, it can be repelled by garlic, salt and barriers of rice, thunder or a bullet.

In the Philippines, we have the Aswang. Apparently, the Aswang appears as a beautiful woman but at night, it is compelled to seek victims. It attacks by using a long tubular tongue to drink their blood. After feeding, it appears pregnant. One of the most fearsome creatures of Malay folklore is the Pontianak, a vampire like entity, she (the Pontianak is always female) is characterized by ear-piercing shrieks, long flowing hair and a penchant for the blood of children.

In Japan, we have the Gaki. Similar to the vampires in the West, it drinks the blood of corpses and appears pale-skinned, cold with hollow features. The can also shape-shift, transforming into animals or impersonating living people. Some of the oldest can stalk their prey invisibly. In Scotland, we have the BaoBahan Sith that usually disguises itself as a beautiful maiden who preys on young men, lured the victims to their deaths through song and dance. In folklore, it is said that this vampire always dresses in green to hide their cloven feet.

The Dearg-Due is a dreaded creature of Ireland whose name means blood sucker. An ancient vampire who dates back to Celtic times, it is still feared. The only way to curb its vampiric activities is to pile stones on the grave of any who might be suspected of housing such a beast. On the other hand, the Upier, a Polish vampire, is said to sleep in blood, rise at Midday and go to sleep at Midnight. It is also said to have a barbed tongue with which it consumes large amounts of blood. The Asanbosam, West African vampires, are unlike their European cousins, preferring to live in trees rather than coffins.  They take human form but instead of feet, they have iron teeth and hooks.

Let’s face it: unfortunately, the vampires of folklore pale in comparison when compared to True Blood’s Vampire Bill, with his Southern charm or even the Viking vampire, Eric Northman, who is really interesting. In Eric Northman, we have a powerful, dangerous, yet captivating 1000-year-old, leather-wearing, club owning vampire. Compare to these other loathsome creatures of folklore, what’s not to like about these particular vampire?

Source: Skyscanner

Photo credits: HBO Inc

Charlaine Harris Discusses Her Books with ABC News

For whatever reason, people can’t get enough of vampires these days. Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, has fans anxiously awaiting the next installment in her story, Dead in the Family, due out in May 2010. In the meantime, she will only offer teasers about what’s to come. That’s what she did in her recent interview with Cassie White from ABC News, where she also talked about the success of Twilight and her feelings about True Blood.

Charlaine suspects that people are drawn to vampires because of the intriguing notion of immortality. That eternal youth is an attractive thing. She accepts that her series is often compared to Twilight because of the human-vampire love story, but the originality of her ideas is clear given that Dead Until Dark was released before Twilight. She doesn’t think there needs to be a competition between the two series, and is in fact happy for Stephenie Meyer’s success:

“I see our series as complementing each other. I attract an older readership generally, though I think we do share quite a few readers and I’m glad of that. But I don’t think people are just going to buy one book, or go see just one vampire movie or TV show a year. I think they’re going to want to experience different shadings of offerings in those fields.”

She seems to be very gracious on this subject, holding the view that there’s plenty of vampire fandom to share!

Charlaine loves True Blood, the television adaptation of her work. She appreciates being surprised when events are different than in her books, but she is also excited when something she wrote makes it to the screen:

“Every now and then they use a line I wrote and it just tickles me pink when I hear it. And I love to see my credit at the beginning of every show.”

She has a great relationship of trust with the show’s creator, Alan Ball, and knows what it means to have your work adapted–they can change whatever they want. She put Sookie into Alan’s care because he understood the essence of the story:

“I had to hand all control over to Alan Ball. But having said that, I was pretty careful about who I handed it over to. So I really can’t complain about what he’s done and in fact I’m very happy.”

Alan did, however, get Charlaine into a bit of trouble with fans of her Southern gentleman vampire, Bill Compton, when he mentioned at the Paley Center panel with the True Blood writers that she almost killed Bill at the end of book 9, Dead and Gone:

“I did not kill Bill. Alan sort of said something at PaleyFest in an interview. He said, ‘Charlaine thought about killing Bill in the last book but she was talked out of it.’ That was something of a mis-statement and I certainly wish he hadn’t made it! In casual conversation I mentioned that had been one of the possible endings for Dead and Gone and that I’d thought about it and discarded it. But the truth is, and I think almost every writer does this, I’ve considered killing every character at one time or another, and some of them I follow through with. but some I decide I need to be alive.”

So what does that mean for Bill’s future is still pretty unclear. Charlaine did reveal that Sookie would not be having any steamy, intimate moments with her first love in book 10, but she would not explain further what are Bill’s chances for being the one for Sookie.

One question that was sent in to Charlaine by a reader for the interview was regarding a statement that Charlaine once made that she didn’t understand why so many fans love Eric so much? The reader wanted clarification to this statement since in her eyes she felt that Charlaine had written the Eric character as always being there for Sookie, fulfilling her needs, being truthful and being emotionally connected to Sookie.

“I’m not denying that’s one side of Eric, but he’s also a ruthless killer and I think some of my readers tend to forget that in their enthusiasm for his sexier habits.”

Charlaine doesn’t plays favorites when it comes to which suitor for Sookie she enjoys writing the most. She enjoys writing about all of them and that each of them have qualities that she admires otherwise she would have never created them and made them likely candidates for Sookie’s attention and affection.

SOURCES:

abc.net.au

blogs.abc.net.au

(Photo credit: Albert L. Ortego / PR Photos)

Ryan Kwanten Featured in Celebrity Portrait Book

Ryan Kwanten who plays the sexy Jason Stackhouse on True Blood will be featured along with 100 other celebrities, in the new book, “About Face”. This is a limited edition (1500 copies) book of portraits done by top celebrity photographer, John Russo. The book is scheduled to be released February 2010 by Pixie Press Worldwide. The book consists of 160 pages of black and white photos shot with Type 55 polaroid film. Jordana Woodland Goguen who is the publisher with Pixie Press Worldwide said she was immediately intrigued when she found out Russo was shooting the portraits. “When Russo showed us the first prints, we were struck by their bold simplistic beauty and our About Face collaboration began,” explained Goguen. The mission for Russo was to capture and record the raw beauty, intrigue, and power of the male face. Type 55 film is now extinct, but it will live on through the beautiful images in Russo’s book.

SOURCE:  Yahoo Finance

Photo Credits:  John Russo

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.)

Nelsan Ellis Talks True Blood At The London MCM Expo

In True Blood, the character of Lafayette has taken on new life beyond his book existence, and Nelsan Ellis couldn’t be more pleased. The Julliard-trained actor is very different from the sassy, cross-dressing Merlotte’s fry cook, but that just makes the job all the more fun. At the MCM Expo in London, Nelsan answered audience questions and received lots of cheers from fans excited about the possibility of some Lafayette-Eric dream scenes.

In the beginning, Nelsan thought Lafayette would meet the same fate as his character had in Book 1 of Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Series. He read the books before auditioning, and when he got the part, he signed a one-year contract with the understanding that he would die after 12 episodes. Nelsan says he was “cool with that,” but he was thrilled when he found out that he was surviving:

“[I was] elated! Because I still had a job! Alan Ball told me after we had the table read of the twelfth episode. So, up until that point, I thought I was dead. He went, ‘You know you’re not dying, right?’, and I said, ‘I didn’t, but thanks for telling me!’ “

That turn of events is just a testament to what a fantastic actor Nelsan is and the way that he channels Lafayette. Alan didn’t want to lose him from the show and viewers were overjoyed when they discovered that he was alive in the season two premiere. Nelsan is very flattered when people appreciate his work. I think we can all agree that he deserved to keep his job because he’s so good at it! He really enjoys getting to be bold and crazy as Lafayette:

“Every chance I get to where I could be something that’s not me, I jump at it. Because I’m guarded and I have these rules on how I should behave, but whenever I get to jump out of those rules and go f-ing crazy, I do! Lafayette is a dream role for me.”

His favorite scene to play was the AIDS-burger scene, which he thought was really well written and allowed him to show off his toughness. To create the character, he gathered inspiration from a variety of places:

“It was a collaboration. We all threw in some ideas. The scarf thing is ’cause my momma used to wear a lot of scarves. I think there’s some Prince influence in there. We did research, went to a whole lot of gay clubs, we’d go down on the strip, so we just came up with it. We also threw in some ideas into this stew of his wardrobe.”

The most difficult stuff to portray has been the post-traumatic stress disorder of the second season. That was tough for Nelsan because he was used to Lafayette being fun and then had to shift to being broken down by the disorder. Working on True Blood has allowed Nelsan to bond with his cast and crew and to learn a lot, as well. He has a close relationship with Rutina Wesley who plays Tara, especially because they went to school together, and he has also become good friends with Alexander Skarsgard. Nelsan is making use of all the opportunities he can to learn from Alan Ball:

“He’s a god among men. He really is a genius at what he does. I get to rub elbows with him on a daily basis. He writes some of the episodes, and he directs some of the episodes, so I end up being a sponge, soaking up all his genius. When he directs you – and I’m like, this dude has won Oscars – he knows what he’s doing.”

Nelsan adds so much flavor to True Blood with his portrayal of Lafayette! It will be amazing to see what else happens to him season three and beyond, especially since it will be a surprise even to fans who have read the books.

SOURCE: denofgeek.com

(Photo credit: backstage.com)

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)

True Blood Season 3 Spoilers: Alan Ball and the Writers Reveal

Alan Ball, writers Raelle Tucker and Alexander Woo spoke with SciFiWire recently and revealed 12 major spoilers points for season 3 of True Blood.  So get ready True Blood fans for some major spoilers news. Remeber if you do not want to know DO NOT read any further.

Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer): Alan confirmed that the storyline of Bill’s kidnapping will last for”about six episodes.” However we don’t know if that means that it will be back-to-back from episodes 1-6 or will be spread out throughout the season.  This is one fans are definitely going to be talking about.

Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell): As stated before, in season 3 Sam will be busy trying to find his family which Raelle Tucker will get to write their characters a lot in episode 2. She states that:

“I’m getting to write Sam’s family, which is a lot of fun, and, really, I feel really satisfying as a character arc,” she said. “I really am glad that he’s taking this journey and he’s learning about himself. I find that interesting. They aren’t the brightest people, maybe. At least they appear that way. They’re fairly dysfunctional, but like anybody else, they have their good things about them and not so good things. They’re still getting to know each other. Sam’s still getting to know them and so are we.”

Werewolves:  Alan states that the werewolves in season 3 are going to be just wolves.  They will be people who can transforms into wolves who will be bigger and stronger with their eyes glowing orange a little bit.

Supernatural World:  Alexander Woo explains that season 3 is not only about the supernatural world of vampires, werewolves and shapshifters but he is also excited about the expanding world that will occur in the next season.

“The entire world is going to get a lot bigger,” Woo said. “Not only the human world, but in Sookie’s eyes, she’s going to see the whole supernatural world. Luckily, since this show is through Sookie’s eyes, as an audience we’ll get to see a much larger supernatural world.”

Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin):  Raelle states that Sookie’s powers will expand in season 3 to not only include her telepathy but her expanding powers such as her glowing hands.  “I think that Sookie is conscious of her abilities more this season than she’s been, and she’s questioning them more,” Tucker said. “We’re going to be exploring that more this season.”

Vampire King of Mississippi (Denis O’Hare):  Alan states that the Vampire King of Mississippi in season three will be a contrast to Sophie-Anne, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana (Evan Rachel Wood).

“He’s older,” Ball said. “He’s much more mature. He’s much more methodical and grounded. She’s kind of crazy. To me, she’s kind of like Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan, where she has a very short attention span and she’s very, very egomaniacal and very self-obsessed and doesn’t really think about her actions whereas the vampire king is very much an adult. He has an agenda. He has things he wants to achieve. I think he’s much more formidable than she is.”

Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten):  This season Jason seems to get a little break from all the mayhem he endured in season 2.  According to Raelle this season will focus on Jason NOT getting into trouble and staying out of trouble’s way.  This will be interesting to see how it plays out considering Jason was the one who shot Eggs at the end of season 3.

Queen Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood):  Evan will be returning in season 3 in her role as Queen Sophie-Anne who is engaged in selling “V” which may get her in trouble in some way.

“Well, Sophie-Anne, when last we left her, she was sort of behind this selling of “V” as a recreational drug on the streets pretty much,” Ball said. “That’s not something a vampire authority figure should be doing. If higher-up vampire authority figures figure that out, they’re not going to be happy.”

Biker Gang:  In season three we will see the introduction of a biker gang called Coot’s F–k You Crew which Raelle states that the new characters are still evolving and won’t be what they appear to be.  As Raelle explains this biker gang is very mysterious and has been around much longer then alot of people think.  Raelle wouldn’t elaborate any further, simply stating that “I don’t want to say too much about them right now because I think that we are in the early stages of figuring that out.”

Tommy Mickens:  Alexander Woo informed SciFiWire that he is writing the material for this new character which he states “will make a huge impact on our favorite characters.” Without giving too much away Woo states that Tommy Mickens will play a “very prominently in the emotional life of at first one, and then later several other of our characters. He’ll be the first domino to push the rest.”

Headgear:  Now this one I must admit has me wondering what the writers are referring to. Whether they are referring to actual headgear to be wore by the characters or a metaphor for a protective shell that the characters will place around themselves. Raelle explains helmets became a joke in the writer’s room with the writers becoming aware they were relying too much on protective headgear.

“There’ve been several moments that we’ve been pitching things and thought, ‘Oh, well, maybe she could be wearing a helmet and that would protect her. Maybe he could wear a helmet in that scene,’” Tucker recalled. “Suddenly we realized we had a whole bunch of characters wearing helmets for no particular reason. So we thought oh, that’s the theme of the season.”

Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard):  With the Eric fans demanding more screen time for him and a big romantic link between Eric and Sookie, the writers state that does not occur until much later in Charlaine Harris‘ books .   As Raelle states:

“You know what’s funny is that he’s in the first two books, he’s a fairly minor character in Sookie’s universe,” Tucker said. “There’s a lot of fan pressure that they’re supposed to be this big romantic thing, which actually in Charlaine [Harris]’s books doesn’t happen until much, much further down. I think if we did that, we’d probably bore them all to death. I think part of the magic of Eric is some of the mystery of Eric and the inaccessibility of Eric. I think you don’t want to turn them into the nice romantic love interest who’s in every scene. I think his danger is important so not just throwing him up whenever somebody wants to see his bare chest is actually a more disciplined approach.”

So there you have it, the latest spoilers.  So now lets start speculating as we wait for the return of Season 3 of True Blood.

SOURCE: SciFiWire.com

(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)

Ryan Kwanten Starring In New Superhero Movie

Ryan Kwanten, who plays Jason Stackhouse in the hit HBO television series True Blood, has taken a break from vampires to take on other activities. For example, he recently appeared in a photo-shoot for 2Magazine earlier this year. The 32-year-old actor is also portraying a superhero in the new Aussie movie Griff The Invisible which he is now filming in Australia.

The movie has started filming in Sydney and is a debut feature by writer and director Leon Ford. Kwanten, who plays Griff, works in an office by day and is a superhero by night. His world is turned upside down when he meets Melody (played by Maeve Dermody), a scientist who shares his passion for the impossible. Griff The Invisible is produced by Nicole O’Donohue, with executive producers Jan Chapman (The Piano) and Scott Meek (Velvet Goldmine). Griff The Invisible is expected to be released in late 2010. Director Leon Ford said:

“It is a superhero movie and it is a comedy [...] But at its core it’s a simple love story about two very unique individuals finding each other and giving the other strength to be what they want to be.”

Ryan Kwanten added:

“By day, Griff works in an office. By night, he is a superhero – or is he? It was this question that attracted me to the role. Griff is such an original and boundless character to play. Every boy dreams of being a superhero and I’ve accepted my mission to bring this to life.”

Kwanten, an Australian actor, appeared in the Aussie soap, Home and Away, before rising to international fame through his role as Jason Stackhouse on Alan Ball’s hit HBO TV vampire series True Blood.

To see the complete set of photos of Ryan with Mitchell Nguyen McCormack click here.  To see more of Mitchell Nguyen McCormack fantastic photoshoots please visit his official website here.

Source: JustJared

Photo credit: Mitchell Nguyen McCormack from 2-mag.com via JustJared.buzznet.com

Sam Trammell Honored Guest at Halloween Event in Charleston, WV

Since becoming famous from his starring role as Sam Merlotte on True Blood, Sam Trammell has not forgotten where he came from. He returned home to Charleston, WV, for the Halloween weekend to take part in an “Inside the Main Street Studio” event at the Kanawha Players Theatre. He was interviewed by David Wohl, Dean of Arts and Humanities at West Virginia State University.

Sam talked about how he got interested in acting during his senior year at Brown University, after which he moved to New York City to pursue his new passion. He discussed the importance of voice and movement classes to one’s development as an actor, especially in theater. He gave advice to those aspiring to the profession:

“Start acting, no matter where you are. Just do it and don’t stop. It was a long road for me. The business tries to break you down.”

Thankfully, Sam didn’t give up and has found success as the sweet and loyal shapeshifter Sam Merlotte. He had several roles in theater, television, and film before landing his breakthrough part in True Blood. The show has become a life-changing experience for Sam, who vividly recalls what it felt like to get that job:

“I remember exactly where I was, the weather, the gift I bought myself and, literally, screaming. This was the pilot everybody wanted to get.”

The event drew a crowd of True Blood fans from the local area and several states away. Also in attendance were his parents and several of his friends and classmates growing up. At a “meet and greet” before the interview, Sam mingled with all the people who had come to see him, signing autographs and taking pictures. One fan named Kaci recounted the evening with great excitement. She noted how friendly and personal Sam was with everybody. She asked him a question about what happened in the Season two finale of True Blood when Sam drank Bill’s blood to heal and whether he would now start to have some sexual fantasies about Bill like we’ve seen with Sookie and Lafayette:

“You know, that was the first thing I thought of when I got the script! So I went to Alan Ball and asked, and he said, ‘Oh, wow! I hadn’t thought of that yet! We have to explore that in Season three!’ So I don’t think Sam’s going to be attracted to Bill, but he did nearly drain the guy, so Bill will probably always know where Sam is and have some control over him. But that’s up to Alan!”

Jaci also told some of the things Sam revealed in the Q&A session with the audience during the interview part of the evening. He plays the bass guitar and cello and used to be in some bands because music was his first creative interest. Also, Sam still takes acting lessons, currently with a woman who ascribes to Jungian psychology and makes him talk about his dreams. Special thanks to Kaci for sharing her story of the event! It sounds like Sam is an incredibly nice person to meet, and everyone from his hometown really seemed to enjoy having him come back to share his experiences.

SOURCES:

sundaygazettemail.com

guest-age.livejournal.com

(Photo credit: Chip Ellis / Sunday Gazette Mail)

UK Third Installment of True Blood Season 1 – Mine

One of the vamps offered the male human (Jerry) for Bill to feed on, to which Bill agrees. As he is about to bite the human, Sookie hears the human’s malicious thoughts; he has “Hep D”.Sookie shouted “STOP!! he has Hep D” Bill stopped and the human pounce on Sookie and try to strangle her, but Bill broke Jerry’s hand and pushed him away. The other vamps grabbed Jerry and head out but one of the vamps wanted to know how Sookie knew about Jerry, however, Bill communicated with Sookie, letting her know not to say anything and the other vamps swiftly disappear.

Once they have gone, Bill apologized to Sookie for her encounter with the other vampires. Sookie asked Bill what Hep D is and Bill explained it as the only human disease that can affect vampires.  Hep D is harmless to humans but weakens vampires for about a month, it makes them weak, and easier to stake.

Sookie then asked Bill what on earth he meant when he said to the others that she was his. Bill explained that he was communicating with the others to let them know that he was the only one who could feed on her. Sookie was appalled and said that he “most certainly cannot” feed on her. However, had he not said what he had said, Sookie would have been fair game.

Sookie was angry with everything that she had encountered that evening. She explained to Bill that she found some contractors that have agreed to see Bill after dark. When she told Bill that she had to go home, Bill asked Sookie if he may kiss her good night. She refused, explaining that she “couldn’t stand it after them”.

Meanwhile, Tara and Sam as they finished their shift at the bar, they started to have a heart to heart. Tara knew that Sam was in love with Sookie and didn’t hold back when she asked why Sam has not made a move yet. Sam shot back at Tara about her love for Jason. It was like a tennis match between them, with comments being thrown back and forth.

Let’s not forget Jason, who we last saw tied to Dawn’s bed while she went to her shift at Merlotte’s.  She returned home after her shift to find her bed empty. Dawn was then molested, and forced on to the bed by an oddly dressed man. Dawn, at first thinks its Jason, but the man explained in a Scream-esque telephone voice that Jason was his starter and he was coming back for main course with Dawn. While Dawn is in a state of terror about the situation, Jason revealed himself from the mask. When Dawn realized that it was Jason, she lashed out. Jason cheekily told Dawn it was foreplay and he ended up getting his way with her again!

All was not well, part way through their very erotic sex, Jason lost his erection. Jason, being Jason, was understandably very upset. Dawn told him it happens to everyone, but Jason assured her that it had never happened before. Dawn returned from putting some clothes on with a gun, telling Jason to get our of her house.

He thought that she was messing around until she fired a warning shot at the floor. Jason made a run for it, while the neighbors came out to witness the commotion. While fumbling to get into his truck, Jason yelled towards the street that Dawn is a “crazy bitch”.

Back to Tara and Sam, who continued their heart to heart. Tara suggest that they should sleep together. At first, Sam flatly refuses Tara, but after persuading himself, he agreed to have no strings sex with her.

Tara returned home after her raunchy night with Sam, only to be confronted by her drunk mother who hit her with an empty liquor bottle. Tara left with haste and head straight to Lafayette’s.

Although Lafayette was ‘busy’ with a state senate (who pretends to someone he isn’t), he lets Tara in and gave her some TLC and a little extra.

The episode then jumped back to Sookie working hard on her grandma’s garden. Sookie has kept herself busy, trying to figure out her dilemma of what to do over Bill. She was not sure whether to follow her heart or her head.

She headed over to Bill’s and sat outside; it was midday, while Bill was fast asleep (or whatever it is he does when its daylight!)

Sookie thoughts take over her,  and she had a few ‘private moments’ before she was rudely interrupted by Sam calling her on the phone. Sookie was on her day off and she promptly told Sam that she was not coming in. However, all Sam wanted Sookie to do was to go and check on Dawn as she had not turned up for her shift. Sookie unenthusiastically agreed to go to Dawn’s.

Sookie arrived at Dawn’s, knocked more than once before inviting herself in. She walked in to find Dawn’s alarm clock  still ringing. Sookie made her way to Dawn’s bedroom only to find Dawn sprawled across the bed….Dead.

So yet again True Blood leaves you hungry for more.

This episode had a lot going on. I didn’t think it was as fast paced as the previous episodes and I kind of missed seeing Bill! However, we did get to learn a little more about Sam, Jason, Tara, and Lafayette.

More Bill in the next episode please!!!!

True Blood is on Every Wednesday at 22.00GMT on Channel 4.

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