True Blood

[screech]

Carrie Preston (Arlene) was on Good Day New York today and Denis O'Hare (Russell) will be on tomorrow. Here's Carrie's clip.
- no show spoilers, but does say Anna and Stephen are getting married very soon.

There's a full 24 minutes of Alex speaking sexily in Swedish for his press junket for Puss in Sweden (the site has the translation.) He talks about making Puss, flying 23 hours to get to set to film for 3 days while also filming Straw Dogs, then flying another 23 hours to get back to Straw Dogs, the success of True Blood, and whether his career was helped because he's a Skarsgard. There's also a video of his brother Gustav talking about the movie, and it shows the two smiling with their arms around each other in his clip (his is only a couple of minutes though.) Damn those Skarsgards and their insane sexy genes!

There's a trailer for the new Gucci fragrance commercial which will air in its entirety at the VMAs on September 12. It features Evan Rachel Wood, looking gorgeous (alongside Chris Evans). And how confusing must filming have been... "Evan..." ERW and CE look up, "No, not Evans, Evan! Girl Evan."
Am I the only one kind of hoping that Alex breaks up with Kate and gets back together with Evan now that she and Marilyn Manson have split again?

Someone did a side by side comparison of the June 18 EW True Blood issue next to the Rolling Stone cover - basically the same pose (except for the clothes). Was it intentional?

Deborah Ann Woll started filming a movie in NYC yesterday with Ellen Burstyn and Lucy Liu. I like the darker hair on her (though not as much as her usual light red).

Ryan Kwanten is filming a black comedy horror movie with Steve Zahn, Summer Glau and Peter Dinklage called "Knights of Badassdom". He describes it as Shaun of the Dead meets Role Models. It actually sounds kind of fun: "The film focuses on medieval live action role playing. Live-action role players conjure up a demon from hell by mistake and must deal with the consequences."

After being dumped by his sexy girlfriend Beth, Joe (Kwanten) reluctantly decides to join Eric (Zahn) and his LARPing (Live Action Role Players) friends in the woods rather than stay behind and feel sorry for his newly single status.
There he meets Gwen (Glau), and finds himself plunged into a surreal adventure wilder than he ever imagined when a make-believe wizard casts an all-too-real spell from an ancient book.

[flutzilla1]

Speaking of Alex, he attended the Stockholm premiere of his Swedish movie 'Puss' today. No word if the Stage 5 Clinger was with him

best description of Kate Bosworth I have ever heard.

[screech]

best description of Kate Bosworth I have ever heard.

I can't take credit for that - Lainey from the website laineygossip has been using that to describe her and I've just started doing so as well. It fits, right?

Most of the TB gossip I come across is about ASkars, so here's a bit more...

There's a clip of his new movie Puss available. His character (also named Alex) is questioned about being unfaithful and his reaction is kind of funny. The word 'cheesecake' is used a lot. The translation is on the site. There's also a small bit of him on the red carpet (and the clinger isn't seen).

There's an exhibit in LA of TV costumes. This article mentions that the exhibit includes...

the sleek suit worn by vampire Eric Northman (played by Alexander Skarsgard) frames the gypsy-biker ensemble favored by Lafayette Reynolds

And for fun, at eonline they have a poll going as to which TB star is most likely to do full frontal first. Not surprisingly, ASkars is in the lead with about 63% of the vote. Anna is a distant 2nd with 11%, followed by Joe and Ryan, both with almost 8%.

Just 3 days until the next episode!!!! So sad to realize there's only 3 until the season is done.

[Desperado]

And for fun, at eonline they have a poll going as to which TB star is most likely to do full frontal first. Not surprisingly, ASkars is in the lead with about 63% of the vote. Anna is a distant 2nd with 11%, followed by Joe and Ryan, both with almost 8%.

Just 3 days until the next episode!!!! So sad to realize there's only 3 until the season is done.

Fun, but I thought Anna already did full frontal last year in a sex scene with Moyer where they're on the bed and he takes off her skirt and panties in one quick swoop. I keep telling everybody that they've done female full frontal but never male. Although the shot of the brother and the last episodes came pretty close. Too much hair and/or bad lighting to really see though.

[topaz]

My thoughts on 8/15 Episode.. Good by the last 3 minutes BRILLIANT.

I completely agree with everything Orable said in her post. I really do. I have more to add.

I really believe that Alan Ball doesn't "get" Sookie Stackhouse and what the true essence of the books are about. I have always seen these books as a coming of age for Sookie.

1. She starts out and lives in a xenophobe community in which she is an outsider to the community. She experiences first love with someone different, like her and falls for Bill's antebellum, sentimental nature. He's her first love and first relationship at the age of 25(I think).

2. First loves/relationship aren't suppose to last in my opinion. They are suppose to be "growing" experiences. Sookie's first relationship was intense, painful(physically and emotionally) and opened up her world to more experiences.

3. Meeting Eric changed the game. Bookies know Sookie is afraid of Eric at their first meeting but still enchanted. He immediately makes his intentions known and they are not "honorable". He is blunt and I think Sookie appreciated that. Over books 1 and 3, they develop a friendship and I believe they "get" each other. Eric understands her differently that Bill does. Bill's antebellum background is a double edged sword in their relationship; He's sentimental and gentlemanly but his need to protect at all costs leads him into not being open and honest about information.

Anyway, Sookie grows and learns about herself from each debacle in the book. Each relationship leads Sookie to be a stronger person. Her "shine" is a little tarnished by book 10 but Sookie grows of the courses of these books and discovers who she really is.

[screech]

Fun, but I thought Anna already did full frontal last year in a sex scene with Moyer where they're on the bed and he takes off her skirt and panties in one quick swoop. I keep telling everybody that they've done female full frontal but never male. Although the shot of the brother and the last episodes came pretty close. Too much hair and/or bad lighting to really see though.

AFAIR we only saw side view and a smidge of butt crack in that scene - and even if we did happen to see some usually unseen skin, Anna wears the 'patch' so she would have been covered.

Technically they have done both - in the background of one of the orgy scenes in season 2, naked men are walking around and we see penis, and same as when Andy is investigating Sam as a 'naturist' in season 1. I think E! means main cast nudity.

There is still a lot of controversy over the RS cover with E! doing a report on its show tonight about whether TB has gone too far (mentioning all the sex this season, though Kristin mistakenly says there's a werewolf gang rape scene where what I recall is Sookie being led away by the were wanting to sleep with her and no actual were sex at all in any episodes).
In the video, one of the guys at RS mentions how the nude shot came about - they had done some gorgeous portraits then the photographer asks if they want to do something different and suggested the naked shot, the actors were all down with it so they stripped off, splattered with blood and went for it.

It's such a news item right now that if you google news the show or any of those 3 actors, you are bombarded with articles about it and whether RS and/or TB have gone too far.

Back to the gorgeous portraits, additional shots from the photoshoot have been released and they are gorgeous! My favourite is the one that looks like it would have been taken in QSA's house where Anna and Stephen are sitting and Alex looks dapper from the rear (and in the mirror).

In other news, Glamour Magazine listed Alex as number 46 of their 50 sexiest men of 2010. For some reason Robert Pattinson was number one, and creepily, the definitely not a man Justin Bieber was also in the top 20. Somehow ASkars was even beaten by Kings of Leon, Penn Badgley and Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl), CHRIS BROWN (why the heck was he 13th?), and there are 4 Twilight guys in the top 10. But in any case, yay for Alex!

[topaz]

Another note, the 8/15 episode mentioned the Authority is only a few hundred years old. I don't think any ancient vamps would be on the Authority.

I say this cuz I think Nan is young. Her remark about Eric needing help to take down Russell seemed naive to me. She would have to know how much of a mission impossible taking down a 3k vampire would be. HE's gonna need wooden bullets, garlic grenades. They are gonna have to kidnap or trap him in a silver filled room in a place that has like 18 hours of daytime to weaken him enough to maybe having a chance.

Also, I want more info on the older vamps. The older vamps are so much more interesting than the young vamps, unless they are Pam

I love Russell. I tend to lean towards like vamps that embrace their predatory natures.

[topaz]

In other news, Glamour Magazine listed Alex as number 46 of their 50 sexiest men of 2010. For some reason Robert Pattinson was number one, and creepily, the definitely not a man Justin Bieber was also in the top 20. Somehow ASkars was even beaten by Kings of Leon, Penn Badgley and Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl), CHRIS BROWN (why the heck was he 13th?), and there are 4 Twilight guys in the top 10. But in any case, yay for Alex!

I do not find Robert P attractive at all. He looks dirty to me. I think Alex is much better looking. But the best looking vampire on TV is Ian Somerhalder from VAmpire Diaries. He reminds me of young Rob Lowe so much. What can I say, I like the pretty boys.

[BigB08822]

I just began reading Definitely Dead. The first chapter mentions Hadley's murder and how she was apparently a vampire and the Queen of Louisiana brought her murderer to Sookie for judgement? Ummm, was I sleeping through part of Dead As a Doornail because I am not recalling ANY of this. Was this just thrown in there to further whatever plot this book has? If so, very weak writing...

I actually thought I must have grabbed the wrong book and skipped one but I checked the order online and I am going in order...

[screech]

I just began reading Definitely Dead. The first chapter mentions Hadley's murder and how she was apparently a vampire and the Queen of Louisiana brought her murderer to Sookie for judgement? Ummm, was I sleeping through part of Dead As a Doornail because I am not recalling ANY of this. Was this just thrown in there to further whatever plot this book has? If so, very weak writing...

I actually thought I must have grabbed the wrong book and skipped one but I checked the order online and I am going in order...

The story of Hadley and her death is in a short story Charlaine wrote called 'One Word Answer'. There have been 5 short stories that were published together last year in a compilation called 'A Touch of Dead'. One is about the fairies (Claudine, Claude and their investigation into the death of their deceased triplet Claudette), Another is the awesome 'Dracula Night' which is basically a fanboy Eric story, One Word Answer is about Hadley, There's one where Sookie and Amelia investigate some bad luck.
The final one, I just realized upon rereading book 10 is kind of mentioned in it, Sookie remembers a bit of a 'memory that wasn't a memory' about an injured Were in the woods. In the short story she comes across an injured 'Were' on Christmas whose company she... enjoys (with a little magical help).

In another book that has short stories by a few authors, to be released this year (if it hasn't already) there's apparently a short story about Pam and Sookie going to a strip club. Hee hee.

[topaz]

I just began reading Definitely Dead. The first chapter mentions Hadley's murder and how she was apparently a vampire and the Queen of Louisiana brought her murderer to Sookie for judgement? Ummm, was I sleeping through part of Dead As a Doornail because I am not recalling ANY of this. Was this just thrown in there to further whatever plot this book has? If so, very weak writing...

I actually thought I must have grabbed the wrong book and skipped one but I checked the order online and I am going in order...

I dont' recall that. Sookie is summoned to New Orleans by the queen via her lawyer but its mostly to get Hadley's things in order. Sookie finds out Hadley was turned and other tidbits about her cousin in this book.

Read the end of the book 5, last chapter, it will come back to you. Hold on to your hat, in this book "all things that are done in the dark, come to life". The differences between Bill and Eric personality and how they behave is like night and day in this book.

[Orable]

Just 3 days until the next episode!!!! So sad to realize there's only 3 until the season is done.

Do you know what day the season finale is?

I just began reading Definitely Dead. The first chapter mentions Hadley's murder ...I actually thought I must have grabbed the wrong book and skipped one but I checked the order online and I am going in order...

The exact same thing happened to me. I think that was one of the worst editorial decisions ever in the series. I actually stopped reading the book and went through the couple before it again to see if I'd missed it. It was SO stupid that she refers to events that happen in a short story, as though the reader already has intimate knowledge of them. So lazy

[rfisher]

Do you know what day the season finale is?

The exact same thing happened to me. I think that was one of the worst editorial decisions ever in the series. I actually stopped reading the book and went through the couple before it again to see if I'd missed it. It was SO stupid that she refers to events that happen in a short story, as though the reader already has intimate knowledge of them. So lazy

This is actually fairly common in some series. Evanovich did it in Plum with her between the numbers novellas, JD Robb has several Eve Dallas short stories and so do a lot of other series authors. I think the publisher assumes the author's fans will read the short stories since they are published between the main novels.

[screech]

Do you know what day the season finale is?

According to IMDB, episode 11 airs next week (during the Emmys, dammit!), followed by a TWO WEEK BREAK! TORTURE! The finale airs on September 12.

As for the short stories, the only one that irritates me is One Word Answer (the Hadley one) because it is such a major plot point. None of the other ones really have anything to do with the actual stories (except for the in passing allusion to The Gift in book 10). Most people I know who read the books were really confused when reading book 6 because it seemed like something was really missing.

There's a paparazzi video of the filming of a scene from the finale. Not much exciting - Stephen and Alex standing around waiting (Alex looks very focused).

Rolling Stone has also published a picture from an upcoming episode. Yikes!

[screech]

Just an update on The Battle of the Fang (Team Bill vs Team Eric). For some reason unbeknownst to me, Bill has been the frontrunner! Since about episode 3, Team Bill has been ahead, but as of today, Eric has just squeaked into the lead.

Team Bill: $12,794
Team Eric: $12,905

I am in awe of the amount of money that has been raised for charity in the past 2 months. The money for Team Bill is going to help with the Gulf Coast, and the money for Team Eric is going to childrens charities. The winning team gets to design a T-Shirt for the loser to have to wear, so if Bill wins, Alexander may have to wear a t-shirt that says something like 'Bill's Bitch' and if Eric Wins, maybe Stephen will wear 'Mrs. Skarsgard'. Pictures will be taken and names (from those who donated money) will be drawn to win the actual T-shirts (signed by the actors).

Stephen is trying to sweeten the deal by donating some items. Included in the items list:
- Season 1 DVD (signed by the cast)
- Season 2 DVD (signed by the cast)
- Stephen's personal copy of the Season 3 Finale script, signed by him and the cast (this one will be auctioned off separately over Ebay)
- aaaand.... A COCK SOCK! (to be auctioned on Ebay... no word on whether its been used)

Alex has also added some items... to be auctioned on ebay: two of his personal scripts, signed by him and including his own personal notes for his scenes. The episodes are 3x03 "It Hurts Me Too" ("I've got your rug all wet" werewolf fight, giving Lafayette the Porsche) and 3x06 "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" (Eric and Russell meet up with QSA after Eric screams at Sookie that she means nothing to him).

The rep at the site of the Alex-focused side of the battle recently spoke to him

I filled him in on some of the t-shirt ideas the other team is scheming to put him in…he scoffed knowing full well which vampire/guy had the better fans…
Eric Northman / Alexander Skarsgard of course!!!

She also added how proud he is of the money raised

The battle runs only until the season finale, where we'll see which team reigns supreme (personally I have no idea how come so many people adore Bill, but that's just me). Go Team Eric!!

Bill-focused BotF site
Eric focused BotF site
Both sites include info on the charities and how to donate

SOS Childrens Villages (Alex's charity) has actually also set up their own page focused on the battle. They also kind of cutely have a link to send Alex a message to wish him a happy 34th birthday on August 25th.

[Amy L]

Anna and Stephen got married today.

[screech]

You beat me!

Congratulations to the couple. Hope they are able to enjoy some privacy on their honeymoon before Anna starts publicity for The Romantics (opening September 10).

And Alan Ball, they're married off the show... so you can keep them apart now on TB!!

[rfisher]

I love you Sooookie; your heart, your mind, your soul.

Jessica rules, but she should bite Tommy the Jerk.

I can't believe what they're doing with Calvin. That's disappointing.

Eric dreams

[rfisher]

Well, didn't they give Sam a tortured past.

[Satellitegirl]

Loved tonight's episode. The scene with Jason and Bill had me dying laughing. Great stuff.

Loved the Eric and Sookie scenes, and I'm glad to see some affection from Eric for Sookie Gives me hope!! For later seasons at least.