True Blood Paleyfest Video
June 12, 2009
The Paley Center for Media has released the True Blood Paleyfest video featuring Alan Ball, Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin, Alexander Skarsgard, Ryan Kwanten, Carrie Preston, Sam Trammell, Rutina Welsy, and Nelsan Ellis. The True Blood panel discussion was held on April 13, 2009 where the cast had the opportunity to talk about the hit HBO vampire series and to meet the fans. To watch the video click here.
True Blood Bliss: Fang-demonium at the PaleyFest, An Addiction to Charlaine Harris novels and Craving a True Blood Fix!
May 17, 2009
Greetings…sorry it has taken so long between installments in my seemingly neverending saga… Real life has seriously been trying to take the wheel and I am once again in the drivers seat! Want to come along on the ride?
Oh…and just a quick pause to wax eloquent about my addiction to the writing talents of Charlaine Harris…I just finished her new book, Dead and Gone…and, junkie that I am, I am *already* wondering how on earth I can stand waiting for a whole year for another one. Charlaine, please, Must we wait a whole year?
Now, back to our regularly scheduled trip down memory lane…
Last time around I was talking about my journey to the PaleyFest…and it was chock-full of miracles, serendipity and a nearly averted tragedy…nevertheless, Sarah and I were determined that nothing would keep us from getting to the ArcLight on Monday April 13.
We planned to meet Kasandra (editor at TrueBloodNet.com) at the ArcLight cafe at 3 p.m. … along with my local True Blood posse and a bunch of other fans…and it was such a blast hanging out with people who love the show just as much as we do. Kasandra spoiled us rotten with fabulous Vampire goodie bags (I could tell you what was in them, but then I might have to get out my TSA-approved Vampire Stake…) and a raffle for all kinds of True Blood goodies (with a groovy “Peace, Love, Vampires” T-shirt won by yours truly!). We had a wonderful afternoon and just want to give a shout out and many thanks to Joe at the ArcLight cafe and all the staff for treating us like royalty! A Special Thanks to Kasandra and TrueBloodNet.com: You totally ROCK!
It seemed like the time went flying by and before we knew it, Sarah and I were in our seats in the front row, lefthand side. Everyone was chatting and taking pictures and there was a wonderful buzz humming through the crowd in anticipation of the evening. The Highlight reel from Season One was such a treat and little did we know that we would be getting a sneak peek of Season Two…what on earth (or in any other dimension!) was chasing after poor Sookie? Having to wait another two months to see “the rest of the story” seemed like an eternity to me that night…and it still feels like it is a million years away…Hurry, Hurry… True Blood Season Two premieres on June 14!! (Do you get the feeling that I am impatient for my True Blood fix??)
Having read all of the books (multiple times now) and after watching the first season of True Blood (ditto), I have to give heartfelt “hallelujahs” (a la Lafayette) to Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris. Somehow, they have managed to create something particularly unique and fascinating, which keeps the best of Charlaine’s original vision while allowing Alan to spread his wings creatively. They have given us a veritable banquet of yummy storytelling brought to gorgeous life by a cast of characters who are wonderfully diverse (from England, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Virginia, Las Vegas, etc) and as vividly charismatic as we could possibly have hoped for. As Charlaine and Alan described it at Comic Con, they discussed the creation of True Blood on a “most interesting, artistically surrealistic afternoon”. Charlaine became convinced that he understood her stories and would do them justice and that she could entrust “her babies” to him. I feel her trust in Alan Ball was completely justified.
I know that there are some fans of the books who seem to want the series to mirror each and every facet of each and every page…but I just don’t see how that could even have been possible. As Alan and Charlaine have both said: the books are Sookie’s story, very often narrarated directly from her own thoughts and impressions. In order to take this story and create True Blood, Alan told us at the PaleyFest that, “he did not want to be simply a stenographer, but he wants to deliver some surprises for everyone to look forward to along the way”. As for this diehard fan of both the books and the series, I am happily anticipating the delicious surprises he has in store for us in Season Two.
We have so many wonderful memories of the panel discussion at the PaleyFest. The True Blood panelists seemed very much like one big happy family reuniting to share the joys and triumphs of creating something mysterious and magical together. How lucky were we to be there to listen in? Very!
Our favorite memories and highlights of the True Blood Panel Q&A:
Regarding Season Two, Alan talked a bit about Maryann (Who is she really? or… What exactly is she?)…saying that she is Trouble with a capital T. More Trouble than we can even imagine. I have always loved Michelle Forbes since first seeing her in “Kalifornia” in 1993 and I can hardly wait to see what she can do with this character! It seems that Maryann is going to try her hardest to suck everyone into her own particular version of Hell…Look out Bon Temps!
When asked about the creation of Tara (described by a fan at the PaleyFest ~quite accurately I think~ as a fun, memorable, bad-a$$ character), Alan said that he felt that Sookie needed a girlfriend…so it would not just be Sookie and then a parade of hot guys. (to which I found myself thinking, and what in the world would be wrong with That?! *wink*). He saw Tara and Sookie as two little girls who had various reasons to find themselves as outcasts and who bonded together when they were kids. I am looking forward to seeing the relationship between Sookie and Tara and how it plays out in the series … especially since Tara is so completely different as versus the storyline from the books. I especially love it when Tara gets feisty…so I hope that we see alot of Tara kicking some butt this season.
Alan talked alot about his gratitude to the many people who work so hard to bring True Blood to life. He told us “when you work with people who are so gifted and so creative, like this amazing cast… the writers, producers, crew, designers… my job is to sometimes just get out of the way…to recognize what the show IS, what it wants to BE, and to just step back and get out of it’s way.”
Regarding the original audition process, Alan told us that he is very instinctive and looks for those actors who have a particular gift in bringing the material to life.
Speaking about the amazing Lois Smith (Gran), Alan told us that he felt very fortunate and blessed to be able to work with her. He spoke about Michael Raymond-James (as Rene Lenier) “weeping” when he had to re-enact the killing of her character…he was so upset to have to even pretend to do such a thing to Lois Smith.
Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse) told us that it was just heartbreaking to lose Gran, especially because of how wonderful Lois Smith is …even though they only had her for short a time, she brought the viewers a ”massive insight into that family and how they survive … because they had this fantastic, kind, sort-of-crazy matriarch who has loved and nurtured them …” Anna said that Lois is “exactly who she pictured as Gran when she read the script so it was kind of spooky when she was actually playing her Grandmother.” She spoke of working with Lois as something truly extraordinary and such a gift.
Rutina Wesley (Tara) then mentioned that one of her favorite scenes (and one of mine as well!) was the “pie-eating scene” after Gran’s funeral. I remember thinking what an amazing actress Anna truly is … just watching that scene, seeing her pour so much emotion and such heartrending grief into her expression and through her eyes during a scene which was quite lengthy with no dialog, just Sookie sitting at the table, eating the last pie her Gran would ever make. Anna’s Golden Globe win was well-deserved…for this and so many other beautiful, funny and heartbreaking moments throughout the season.
One of Anna’s favorite memories was when Sam (Sam Trammell) wakes up naked in Sookie’s bed and then changes into a dog…and Sam talked about running naked through the grass in jazz shoes…(I am getting a visual of this and it makes me go…woooof!) Alan says that Anna told him that one of her favorite things is getting the sh$t kicked out of her in action scenes … which is actually a very good thing since Sookie spends so much time getting beaten up!
Alexander Skarsgard (Eric Northman) told us that he thinks that “Eric is a little misunderstood”. He said, ”I don’t see him as an evil guy…he knows what he wants and how to get it… he is very confident…and I love him. He’s very loyal and if he likes you, he’s a really, really good friend…He just doesn’t like a lot of people”. Alex said that he often finds himself in situations of defending Eric… saying that, ”People say he is an evil bad guy. He’s a sweetheart”. As for the Eric fans I know, they would really like to find out just how sweet Eric can be! *wink*
When asked about some memorable Eric scenes from the book, Living Dead in Dallas, Alex told us (much to the delight of Eric fans everywhere!)…” …the scene with the pink leggings? If I can find an excuse to wear that…I will definitely enjoy that moment”. We will be looking forward to that as well. Quite a LOT.
Alan spoke quite a bit about how much he has changed his mind about allowing for improvisation from his actors…saying it was Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette who convinced him. Alan said that there were scenes when Nelsan was ”absolutely channeling from some other planet”. As for me, Lafayette is one of my favorite characters both in the books and in the series. I always looked forward to the next sassy and brilliant thing he would say with such panache and joie de vivre. Nelsan always brought Lafayette to life with a mischievous wink and a endearingly tender heart underneath all of that Spice.
One of Nelsan’s favorite moments was when Vampire Bill tells Sookie, “I can smell the sunlight on your skin”… calling it a brilliant line. To which Alan replied that it was taken directly from the book. (Charlaine, an absolute genius with dialog!)
When asked if he could be any other character on the show (to which Carrie Preston yelled out, Arlene!), Stephen Moyer’s first response was to emphasize how much he loves playing Vampire Bill. He then told us that he might like to “channel a little of his own inner Lafayette”… imagining that Bill Compton might have a twin brother we might see in flashback, “wearing that pink lycra suit”. (Please take note True Blood writers!)
Stephen also talked, at length, about the infamous graveyard love scene. Actually, Anna began the conversation by remarking how incredible it was to her that there was so much speculation about ”where the dirt ends up”…to which she remarked: ”your boyfriend comes up naked out of the dirt and he’s not dead and you have crazy sex…why would you be thinking about where the dirt is going”? As I was picturing that scene in my mind, I am imagining many other things would be on my mind besides the dirt…(is it hot in here, or is it just me?) Then Stephen told us that he was smeared from head to toe with “organic peat moss”… (there are lots of people who would like to apply for that job…) He said he had to ”wait underground, in this little shed they built for him, with a black “bin liner” stretched across it (called something a little more…descriptive.. by Anna) with the dirt piled across it and he then sort of gave birth, alien-like…” He then said, “you don’t get a chance to do That very often!”
It is certainly enlightening to realize the intricate and complicated process the actors undertake to bring the story to life. I just have to say that Stephen Moyer was absolutely breathtaking in his portrayal of Vampire Bill. I cannot even imagine anyone else in that role…
Carrie spoke fondly about working with Michael Raymond-James (as the recently departed Rene Lenier) and when asked if the cast had read the books, Carrie told us that she had to read all the books to find out if her character dies (to which Rutina Wesley pantomimed anxiously paging through the books…)
Everyone seemed to agree that the books provide an invaluable blueprint for each character, keeping in mind that there is plenty of opportunity to allow the characters to evolve and grow. Alan has often said that he intends to stay very true to Charlaine’s original vision and the spirit of the stories she has created… and if Season One is any indication of the brilliance of combining the books and the series into a *magical concoction*, I think we are about to be transported into another dimension entirely in Season Two.
When asked what she likes most about her character, Carrie said that Arlene,”speaks her mind, if she thinkin’ it, she’s gonna say it” (and as she’s talking, she is taking on more and more of Arlene’s distinctive southern accent…) In her best Arlene-voice, she said that “We should be a little worried that there are Vampires hanging out with our kids”…(pronounced keeee-ids).
Rutina told us that she loves ” Tara’s big ole heart…even though she has a big ole mouth!” Rutina thinks ”that is just Tara’s defense since she has never learned to take care of herself and has always taken care of other people.” Another thing she loves is Tara’s ”loyalty to and concern for Sookie.”
Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse) spoke about the way he has changed his style of acting since joining True Blood, saying that he has “had to throw out the textbook and everything he ever knew about acting and literally fly by the seat of his pants since that is the way Jason so often goes”… and the whole cast laughed when Ryan described how often he would go into his dressing room and find that his wardrobe consisted of only one item, fondly described as “the Sock”. Or, the “Sack of Destiny”. We can only imagine…!
And, on that same subject, Alex said, “I’m from Sweden… so I’m disappointed that I don’t get to be naked all the time. I want that in my contract..” to which Alan replied, “we’ll be calling your people in the morning”. Lets just take a minute and think about that, hmmm?
The crowd at the PaleyFest was certainly a well-traveled bunch…with people having flown in from Texas, Seattle, New York, Colorado, North Carolina, Florida and many other states… and it seems that the demographic of the show is every bit as diverse…and then some…
Nelsan says that the fans are amazing but there are times when it gets “a little quirky…Some people seem to think you actually ARE your character…and so they take some…liberties. They say they want to hang out and I say…uhhh…that’s Lafayette..”.
Anna says she loves it and finds it massively flattering how much everyone loves the show… even when folks yell out to her, “what am I thinking, Stackhouse?”
Stephen told a story of going to the gym and he said this guy came up to him, ”about 70 years old and says, I love the show, Bill (which Stephen says with a pronounced southern drawl) and then says, hang on…and comes back with another guy about 45 years old, who is his son…and this guy says, Duuude (which Stephen gives a definite surfer-dude accent)..and he says, stay there…and comes back with this 20 year old guy, who is his son…” and Stephen says that the three of them told him that they work out together and watch the show together with their wives and family and kids. I can attest to this kind of demographic myself…since I watch the show with my hubby and my mom and sister and our friends of a wide variety of ages and backgrounds.
There just seems to be something about this show which can appeal to anyone who is looking for something with real heart and soul …something deeply elemental which calls out to the need inside of all of us to find our own tribe…to fit in…and to live with a fearless passion and a joyous abandon. I love the way so many conversations are sparked by the struggles and challenges the characters are faced with in the show.
Alan talked quite a bit about how the show seems to mirror many things that are going on in our own culture…and about the “culture wars”… He said the show is ”becoming something that he never imagined it would become…and is really loving watching what it is becoming.” He told us that his “instinct is that the show could last for a very long time. Charlaine publishes a book a year, Season One was based on Book One (Dead Until Dark). Season Two is based on Book Two (Living Dead in Dallas)” … then Alan said to the cast, “I hope you guys are prepared to get older…but that could be a problem for those of you who are playing Vampires”. (which got a big ole laugh!) He says that the show is just such a “big bowl of weird possibilities which is so much fun and so many places for it to go that I don’t even think about where it’s going to end…”
Alan responded to fan questions about how to “encourage” HBO to continue renewing True Blood for many seasons to come by giving what he called a “shameless plug … Everyone Buy the DVD” Which, by the way, is available on May 19. As for me, I am going to tell a bunch of friends and hope they tell 10 friends … and so on and so on and so on!!! I am more than happy to do my part to keep True Blood on the air for many more years to come.
After the panel was over, the crowd very enthusiastically did their utmost to “meet and greet” the entire cast. It was Fang-demonium gone wild! Nevertheless, I have to say that everyone in the cast who stayed to meet the fans were exceedingly gracious and kind…doing their utmost to say hello and take pictures with and sign autographs for as many fans as they could, especially given the short amount of time they had before they had to clear out of the theater. I had an opportunity to speak to Alan very briefly…but I was overwhelmingly happy to have the chance to say Thank You to him for bringing so much joy into my life. Ditto to Alex, most especially for his efforts to take a picture with my friend Debby and I. Alex also took the time to take a picture with Sarah (who drove 1200 miles and got into a car accident along the way) and I was so happy she got to meet him after all she went through to get there! Sam was also very sweet to my friend Sarah, especially when her camera decided it did not want to cooperate. Thank you Sam…three times was the charm!
The best part of it all was being able to share the evening with some very special people who I love very much…my SiStars: Tamara (my real sister, actually!), Debby, Cheryl, Susan and Sarah, our newfound friend! A special thank you from my heart to these amazing women for being such a Light in my life and for sharing their favorite memories of the PaleyFest with me…Their memories and mine have enabled us to share our journey with you…and I Thank You so much for walking down memory lane with me in my True Blood Bliss! xoxo
True Blood Bliss: Six Degrees of Alan Ball, Synchronicity and the Gifts that keep on Giving
April 28, 2009
Now that my hubby is minus one appendix, I am back with part two of my story of True Blood Bliss! I am taking those ratfink lemons life keeps hurling my way and making some delicious lemonade…
Hmmm, now where was I?
It all started with Alan Ball. Where he leads, I inevitably follow. I guess I should call it “Six Degrees of Alan Ball” since I originally discovered his work in American Beauty, which led me to Six Feet Under, which then led to Michael C. Hall, then to Dexter, which led me to Comic Con, and inevitably to discovering True Blood…what a fantastically strange and illuminating trip it has been!
I have discovered that Alan Ball is a genius at telling a tale…someone who is absolutely fearless in confronting the deeper questions of living. He invites and encourages us to feel deeply, to laugh with our whole heart and to let ourselves cry to the depths of our souls…and most of all, to think about many things we might not think about otherwise. To put it simply, he always leaves me wanting to hear the rest of the story… and Charlaine’s stories were just begging to be brought to life by someone who really “gets it”. But, I am getting ahead of myself here.
When we went to Comic Con in 2008, we were very excited to see the panel on Dexter. Little did we know that we would discover True Blood as a result, opening up our world to include the addictive adventures of a telepathic waitress and her wild and wonderful world. It just blows my mind when I remember that we almost didn’t make it to Comic Con at all … due to the unfortunate combination of a fan flying out of my bedroom window and colliding painfully with my ankle…which in turn led me to limp into the Dexter panel an hour or so early…which then, fortuitously, led me to be there to see the panel on True Blood. Such synchronicity in life, when we are open to discovering it.
I had never heard of Charlaine Harris prior to the Comic Con True Blood panel…but my sister and I were hooked on Sookie Stackhouse and her adventures right away. I got such a kick out of Charlaine … she has a joie de vivre that is infectious and describes her characters so vividly that you cannot wait to dive into her world and get to know them yourself.
After having read the books and watching every episode of the premiere season of True Blood, it became evident to me that she and Alan have created a particular kind of alchemy through the combination of her original stories and his ability to bring them to Life. At Comic Con, Charlaine spoke about “entrusting her babies” to Alan and he spoke at length about his commitment to remain very true to Charlaine’s vision and the spirit of her stories. I believe that they have more than achieved a balance between the particular gifts and strengths they each bring to the project and I feel so grateful to look back upon this first glimpse of True Blood and to have seen their hopes and dreams blossom into storytelling at it’s finest.
It was such fun to hear Alan and Anna and Stephen talking at the Comic Con panel with such excitement about bringing Sookie and Vampire Bill and True Blood to glorious Life. When I think back to the fact that we could have met them, including Charlaine!, it makes me a little crazy (crazier?!) but we had absolutely no idea how much True Blood and Charlaine Harris would come to mean to us just a couple of months later. We marked our calendar for September 7 and could hardly wait for True Blood to begin!
As soon as we got home from Comic Con, my sister and I started reading, ”Dead Until Dark“… and, in the next months, we devoured the other 7 books and couldn’t wait for more. As Alan Ball has rightfully stated, the books are absolutely “…addictive, like crack!” We then shared the books with our friends and family and have created a veritable army of Charlaine Harris enthusiasts! Charlaine has woven a world so textured and layered and delicious that it often feels as though you have wandered through a doorway into another dimension…but one which feels familiar and cozy enough to suspend all disbelief entirely.
As we all waited for the first season to begin, the excitement began to build and we watched all of the promos for True Blood on HBO… everything from a look at Vampires through history (cinematic and mythological) as well as perspectives on making the show by Alan Ball and comments from cast members as well. When the show premiered on September 7, we were glued to the television set and never missed an episode throughout the entire season. I have to tell you, True Blood was everything promised and so much more. We even got together with our kindred True Blood addicts and watched the marathon on New Years Eve…what could be more frightfully yummy than ringing in the New Year with your favorite Vampires?? It put a grin on my face which I have yet to erase!
Flash forward just a bit to the announcement being made about the True Blood panel at the PaleyFest. I very nearly had an emotional cramp from feeling so happy upon first hearing about it to then feeling so heartbroken that I would not be able to attend. To say that things are “challenging” in my life is the understatement of the millennia (but never fear, I am still keeping my Wonder Woman bracelets at the ready…)
Then I saw the announcement on TrueBloodNet.com about an extra ticket to the PaleyFest being available. I almost didn’t follow through to inquire. But then I thought, why not? The very next morning I was given an email contact for Sarah so that we could discuss particulars. After numerous emails back and forth, we decided to chat by phone. By the end of the day, we were making plans to attend the Fest together! I was beside myself with giddy happiness at the possibility of suddenly having a chance to go…and I don’t know that I can really put into adequate words what I was feeling at that moment. When the world seems impossibly dismal all around you, sometimes what you need the most is a dose of kindness mixed in with all the joy your heart can hold. This is what I found when I met Sarah.
I am pretty much convinced that Sarah and her husband are angels in disguise! To put things in perspective a bit, Sarah is a mother of 4 at the tender age of 24. Her amazing hubby gave her the tickets to the PaleyFest True Blood panel and a trip to California…which she intended to take with her sister. What makes the gift particularly bittersweet is that her hubby is being deployed in June. For a year. She has been in the military herself, having been to Iraq when she was only 18… so she is well aware of what her husband will face when he goes. Sarah volunteers at the USO and everyone was very excited when she mentioned that she would be seeing Alexander Skarsgard at the PaleyFest… especially since they loved and respected his amazing performance in “Generation Kill” (also on HBO.)
When Sarah discovered that her sister would not be able to attend with her due to a family emergency, she contacted TrueBloodNet.com and asked them to help her find someone who could go with her…and she literally took a leap of faith that she could find a person she would be comfortable with and who would enjoy going to the PaleyFest as much as she would.
Enter yours truly! What is truly extraordinary about the whole thing is that Sarah was not looking to sell her ticket but, as she described it, “she was given a gift, and she was just giving a gift in return”. That is the kind of person Sarah is. Not only did she give me the gift of attending the Fest, but she gave me the gift of a true friend at the same time. True Blood and True Friends. Who could ask for more? It is the Gift that keeps on Giving.
Can you even imagine the fortitude it would take to leave her hubby and young children to drive by herself to the Fest, from Colorado, for 1200 long, long miles … and then to get into a car accident 25 miles from her destination? Talk about a Welcome to California! Not exactly the one she had been dreaming of…and I don’t even want to relive those phone conversations right after the accident. I have never prayed so hard in my life. Thank heavens it was not a serious accident but we were both concerned about how she would be feeling the following day. Ever the valiant trooper, Sarah was fully intent upon enjoying herself to the fullest!
Up next: Sarah, Cheri & her local True Blood posse take on Hollywood, meet up with TrueBloodNet.com editor Kasandra and lots of kindred True Blood addicts at the ArcLight cafe, complete with raffle and hilarious Vamp-tastic goodie bags. And, drumroll please…True Blood takes on the PaleyFest! Highlight reel, sneak peek into Season Two, the cast crack themselves up! Nearly everyone auditions for the part of Vampire Bill! Stephen shares a tale of emerging into a graveyard, covered in peat moss and we discover what Alex really thinks about pink leggings! True Blood “fan-demonium” takes the ArcLight by storm!
Sarah and Cheri
(photo graciously given to post with permission from Barbara)
Just as a little sneak peek of my own: As you can see by this picture, Sarah and I had the time of our lives. Extra ginormous thanks to Alan, Alex and Sam for making her day (year? lifetime?) with attempts at pictures and a gracious willingness to “meet and greet” as many of us as they possibly could. I don’t think the ArcLight nor the folks at the PaleyFest had any idea how, shall we say, enthusiastic the crowd was really going to be about meeting the cast. They were treated like True Blood rockstars… and it definitely had the feeling of a mosh pit at times. (please don’t think I am complaining one bit since I was more than willing to wade into the crowd just for a chance to say a heartfelt Thank You…)
Part 3 on the way very soon…and apologies for taking so long between “instalments” but my hubby just got out of the hospital as I was finishing this part (and is very thankfully on the mend!)
*Fangs* so very much for sharing in my experience with me (couldn’t resist a little Vampire pun…Vampire Bill would be so proud!) I’ll be back in a flash with the rest of the story…
True Blood PaleyFest’09: Exclusive Front Row Photos Part 2
April 21, 2009
Here is the second in a series of chronological PaleyFest photos! Enjoy!
Stephen
Alan and Moderator
Carrie
Rutina
Sam
Alex
Nelsan
Alex
Alex
Carrie
Carrie
Nelsan
Rutina
Rutina
Sam
Sam
Ryan
Anna
Alan
True Blood PaleyFest’09: TrueBloodNet.com Meetup
April 18, 2009
Here are my thoughts on the TBN.com meetup and the Paley event………….
As I drove up the 110 freeway and crossed over to the 101, I thought to myself, “What am I doing? Is this going to be a waste of time?”
I had been invited by Kasandra Rose, editor of TrueBloodNet.com, to attend a “meet and greet” function at the Arclight, and then head over to the Cinerama Dome to see the director and actors from my favorite TV show, HBO’s True Blood. Once I had found the table where everyone was sitting at, I quickly introduced myself to Kasandra and found a seat in the middle of the crowd.
I surveyed my fellow bloggers and “superfans”, interested that it appeared that they were all, well, women. I found it surprising that the audience at the Cinerama Dome was decidedly female as well. Yes, the male actors on the show are very good looking, but who knew women could be so superficial? It’s refreshing to know that women, like men, enjoy eye candy when they see it. And since the actors on the show were so personable and funny during their interview at the Paley event, it’s clear that they won their jobs for reasons other than their aesthetic appeal.
I should confess right now, I haven’t read any of the books that “True Blood” is based off of, and I am not sure I plan to. To me, I found the show and began enjoying it without the foundation of the books as a catalyst, so why would I want to go and read them now, or ever? I am sure they are great, but in reading the books, I will be ruining the surprises that await this season, and next. No thanks. When the show has run its course, 5-6 years from now, I might find those books and check them out.
I made the mistake of mentioning how perfectly cast I feel Sookie (Anna Paquin) is in her role, and that certainly drew the ire of some of my fellow fans. “She isn’t the right person for the role at all”, one girl sniffed, upset that I found Sookie not only to be the best actor/actress on the show, but attractive as well.
Over at the Paley event, I found director Alan Ball to be very engaging, opinionated, and at times, even funny. The cast was loose and seemed to have fun poking fun at each other. The entire event ended up taking just under two hours, and the crowd was left energized and excited about the season to come.
It’s going to be a great season, and I can’t wait to share my opinions on the show with you.
Kevin Carlin
Huntington Beach, CA
True Blood Bliss: From Comic Con to the PaleyFest, and Beyond…
April 17, 2009
Cheri and Friends in the Front Row
Finding myself sitting in the first row (albeit a bit to the far left) at the PaleyFest True Blood event on Monday night, I had to stop and check myself to see if I was dreaming. When the moderator took the stage to our immediate left, Sarah and I almost could not contain our excitement…and then, the lights dimmed and the highlight reel began… all on a really, really BIG screen (which was received with giddy enthusiasm by the packed house)…and then, the “teaser” scene from Season Two…this could not really be happening, could it? When the moderator then announced the introduction to the cast, both Sarah and I were looking to the left and all of a sudden, there was Alexander Skarsgard, coming from the aisle to our immediate right, walking right in front of us…and we looked in awe, up and up and up (that man is Tall!) and discovered, to our delight, that each of the cast would walk right past us and onto the stage, giving us the opportunity to be as “up close and personal” as we could have even imagined possible.
How in the world (or in any other dimension for that matter) had any of this happened? Rewind back to the summer of 2008, when we first learned of True Blood at Comic Con while waiting for a panel on “Dexter” ( starring a guy who is very familiar with the work of Alan Ball!) …if I ever have the opportunity to speak to Michael C. Hall, I will profusely thank him for the never-to-be-forgotten opportunity to discover True Blood!! As a result of attending that panel, we were given a True Blood “goodie bag” with a T-shirt (Real Blood is for Suckers); the first book, Dead until Dark, in the Charlaine Harris series on which True Blood is based and a True Blood comic book. But more on that later. When I first heard about the True Blood panel being featured at the PaleyFest, I had seriously mixed emotions. I was very, very happy that True Blood was getting the recognition that I feel it so deserves, I was giddy at the thought of fans being able to attend a screening of some sort (not knowing exactly what that would consist of at the time) along with a panel and Q&A… and I was completely miserable because I just knew that I would never in a million years be able to attend. Just shows you how wrong you can sometimes be and to never underestimate the power of dreaming and believing in those dreams coming true. Quite a few of us in our little group of die-hard True Blood addicts thought we would not be able to attend the PaleyFest and had to console ourselves with the happy thoughts of the release of the upcoming book in Charlaine’s series, Dead and Gone (to be released on May 5, 2009), the Season One DVD becoming available on May 19 and the premiere of Season Two on Sunday June 14.
So much True Blood Bliss, indeed! Even so, I was finding myself avoiding a lot of talk about the PaleyFest because I wanted to go so badly from the moment it was announced and I will confess, it was hard to even think too much about not being able to go. We were even considering going to the ArcLight and standing outside to watch the arrivals and support our favorite show in the only way we could. So, when TrueBloodNet.com announced that there was an extra ticket for the PaleyFest available, I stared at the email notice for the longest time, thinking to myself that it was probably someone selling a ticket. Even though I didn’t think it could possibly come to anything, I clicked on the link to inquire. Imagine my shock, delight and astonishment at the end of the next day (April 7) when I found myself being offered the extra ticket and began making arrangements with Sarah to attend the Fest. Did I mention that Sarah is from Colorado, a 24 year old mother of 4, who would be driving 13 hours the Sunday before the Fest? By herself? And, that she had never been to California before in her life? Did I mention the fact that she got into a car accident, 25 miles from her destination on Sunday night? Did I mention that Sarah’s husband will be deployed in June? No? Since it will take a bit of time to tell our tale, I am breaking it up into several parts. I hope you will “stay tuned” for the rest of the story. The hair-raising, sometimes comical, sometimes almost bordering-on-tragic adventure of attending the PaleyFest is something I will never forget, ever. I will be sharing some favorite memories along with pictures of the event itself in the days to come. I wanted to get at least this much written down while the memories are still so fresh in my mind.
Several others in our group of True Blood fans were also able to attend the Fest, through almost equally amazing circumstances… and we will all be sharing our thoughts, impressions, memories and pictures with you over the next few days or so. Hope you will enjoy and/or be amazed at our story and come away from reading it with the same feeling that I have: that miracles can come to us all via the smallest of blessings, sent in delicious Vampire Packaging (I guess those would have to be the Large Blessings!) and to never, ever stop dreaming…because dreams really do come true.
True Blood PaleyFest’09: Exclusive Front Row Photos Part 1
April 17, 2009
I took the red-eye back to Detroit after my sojourn to LA for a True Blood adventure. I’m still working on photos but I will present them in chronological order. Click on photos to enlarge in a new window.
Fans Waiting for Will Call to Open
The Stage Is Set
The Audience with My Empty Seat
The Empty Seats the True Blood Cast and Crew Were Soon to Fill.
Alex Walking Onstage
Carrie Walking Onstage
Nelsan Walking Onstage
Rutina Walking Onstage
Sam Walking Onstage
Ryan Walking Onstage
Stephen Walking Onstage
Anna Walking Onstage
Alan Walking Onstage
Alan Greeting the Moderator Variety's Stuart Levine
The Cast and Alan
The Cast Seated
Another Cast Shot
OK that’s the first set of shots. There are many more to come so check back soon!
True Blood PaleyFest’09: Video Encounter with the Cast of True Blood
April 16, 2009
True Blood fans had the opportunity to get autographs signed and pictures taken with the cast of True Blood outside the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama Dome on Monday, April 13, 2009 at the PaleyFest’09. The following is a video clip from Hollywood.tv showing Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Sam Trammell and Rutina Wesley interacting with the fans and taking time to take photos with them and chat.
True Blood PaleyFest’09: Paley Photos
April 16, 2009
We here at TrueBloodNet.com would to extend our deep appreciation to Terry Lynn Ebright at The Paley Center for Media for providing us with Press Passes to the True Blood PaleyFest’09 where our editor had one of the best seats in the house (first row dead center). In the next few days we will be publishing the great photos that she had the opportunity to take of the cast of True Blood. Here we would like to present to you the official photos given to us by The Paley Center for Media. Click on photos to enlarge.
(Photo credit: Kevin Parry/The Paley Center for Media)
True Blood PaleyFest’09: Farflung Fandom
April 16, 2009
A special thank to Andrew Krukowski from TVWeek.com for allowing us here at TrueBloodNet.com permission to reprint his article in its entirety regarding his experience at the True Blood PaleyFest’09 panel discussion held at the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama Dome on Monday, April 13, 2009.
With some fans flying in from as far away as the Midwest, a sold-out crowd voiced their support for HBO’s “True Blood” during Monday’s PaleyFest presentation.
Cast members Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis, Carrie Preston, Alexander Skarsgard and creator/executive producer Alan Ball fielded questions from enthusiastic fans regarding nudity in the show, “Blood’s” connection to the Sookie Stackhouse book series and the threat of cancellation.
Multiple fans expressed concern about losing the show, including one guy who didn’t even ask a question, but just simply said he didn’t want to see “Blood” fall by the wayside after its second season, like HBO’s “Carnivale” or “Deadwood.” (“Deadwood” actually lasted three seasons).
The show appears to have a very large Internet presence, with several audience questions referring to fan sites for the show or what the online community can do to ensure multiple seasons of “Blood.” “You want to know how to make this show last forever?” Mr. Ball said. “Buy the DVDs.” When asked who flew out for the panel, several hands in the audience went up, with attendees shouting out the states they came from, including Texas and Iowa.
A sneak preview of “Blood’s” second season was screened before the panel. The scene consisted of Ms. Paquin’s character, Sookie, getting into an argument with Mr. Moyer’s character, Bill, while driving. Sookie leaves the car and is attacked by a large creature with claws and horns.
Mr. Ball was tight-lipped about the second season so as not to spoil anything. He did say some book fans will be disappointed that certain scenes didn’t make the jump to the screen, but that the show has new material in order to maintain some surprises. “Lost” fans were given a thrill at the event, too, as Ms. Preston’s husband, Michael Emerson, aka Ben Linus, was also in attendance. Mr. Emerson posed for pictures with several fans after the “True Blood” panel.
SOURCE: TVWeek.com: ‘True Blood’s’ Farflung Fandom
(Photo credit: TVWeek.com)
