1. The war brewing between humans and vampires hits a breaking point.

Many of the show’s stars talked about how this season was really about the battle between humans and vampires, which had been slowly brewing throughout the series. It hits a breaking point this season, now that the humans are better equipped to deal with their super-powered enemies.

“It’s going to be mostly about the war that’s going on between the humans and the vampires. I mean, ’cause there’s a True Blood shortage and the governor [of Louisiana] declares war,” Rutina Wesley, who plays Tara on the show, told Novack. “We’re hungry and we have no humans to really eat because they’re carrying guns and wooden bullets.”

“It’s like the tables have turned,” she later added. “It gets pretty bloody.”

Skarsgard, who plays Eric, said, “The humans — they’ve tried to fight back in the past, but they’ve just been food. They’re blood bags to a guy like Eric, who’s been around for a thousand years. They actually pose a real threat now.”

“So he has to fight really hard to not only save himself, but also the vampires that he really cares about, he loves, like Nora and absolutely Pam,” he added.

2. “Billith” is trying to figure himself out.

“He doesn’t know what he is,” Moyer, who plays Bill, said about his character. “It’s storytelling where the audience finds out at the same time as he does and so, you know, as he is working out everything this season, you’re finding out at the same time. I like it when the story unfolds that way.”

Will Billith try to reunite with Sookie? Moyer said, “He has got so much that he believes that he has to do, that he doesn’t have time for anyone else … to his detriment.”

3. Being pack master of Alcide’s wolf pack is ‘terrible.’

Alcide became the pack master of his wolf pack last season when he killed the previous leader. It seems like he finds out this season that the job is not all it’s cracked up to be.

“You think it was this awesome job. It’s not. It’s terrible,” Manganiello said. “I mean the first episode, there — you’ll see there’s some perks to being pack master, but past that, it’s just terrible. All these wolves getting out of line, trying to test the alpha and you have to beat them back in line. Show them who’s boss.”

4. The werewolves are hesitant to ‘out’ themselves.

Last season, Sam’s girlfriend Luna accidently outed herself as a shapeshifter on television. She was posing as one of the authority’s vampires during a live broadcast but couldn’t keep the act going and unintentionally shifted back to her natural state. According to Manganiello, the event also has consequences for the werewolves.

“Well there’s a shifter that’s potentially has exposed themselves to the world. So there’s a big question as what to do with the werewolves,” he said. “Do we come out? Do we not? Do we hold up and protect ourselves?”

“We definitely get into that this season and you’ll get answers to that,” he said.

5. Rutger Hauer’s character helps Sookie?

(Correction: The original version of this article suggested Rutger Hauer had been cast as Warlow. His role has not been confirmed.)

During season 5, Sookie discovered that her parents weren’t killed in a flash flood, but by a vampire named Warlow. Warlow was attracted to the scent of Sookie’s blood on a band-aid in the back seat of her parents car and killed them.

He was looking for Sookie and tried to collect on a contract signed by one of Sookie’s ancestors. It promised the first fae-bearing female in the Stackhouse bloodline to Warlow. That female just happens to be Sookie.

After she learned the truth, Sookie began to see apparitions of Warlow saying he was coming for her. The audience never formally met the potential villain, but “Blade Runner” actor Rutger Hauer has been cast this season in a mysterious role. He can be seen in character here.

Hauer implied during his interview that his character might not be evil.

“From what I get is that the fairies are kind of desperate because there’s like two and a half of them left,” Hauer said. “We don’t want to let that happen and Sookie is the one who — she gives — she can, you know, she can have some kids and have a few more fairies, but it’s not happening.”

“She’s in big trouble,” he added. “There’s a lot of, you know, she has to go through a lot of things so — but I’m helping her a little bit.”

More notes from the premiere:

- Hauer also said he was a little nervous about joining the show:

“I wasn’t sure if I could actually fit. You know? It’s a different craft in a way. You work completely different … I was nervous now and then, yeah.”

- Kristin Bauer van Straten, who plays Pam, said she got the “worst stomachache” last season before her kiss with Wesley. The actors weren’t sure when the big scene was going to happen, so the actress kept eating mints all day, which left her with a bad stomachache.

- Anna Paquin knows Sookie will never have a normal life:

“I think normal and Sookie are a long way away from happening. I think that boat sailed quite a few seasons ago. You know, she is making a solid effort, usually at the beginning of each season to try to have a normal life, which usually doesn’t end up going very well because trouble kind of finds her.”

- Jurnee Smollett-Bell plays an activist this season and she shed a little light on her character:

“With my character’s storyline, there’s a lot of physicality and so having to pay attention to that stuff while you’re still going through the emotions and being present with the other actor can be challenging and I haven’t had to do a lot of that.”

- Alcide still carries a torch for Sookie, according to Manganiello:

“Alcide’s never lost his flame for Sookie. Werewolf women are terrible. The worst. So the dating pool is really small when you’re a super-powered creature. I mean, he hates vampires. They’re terrible, that’s not compatible and then you’ve got this beautiful, sweet, nice fairy who has this really great heart and she’s super-powered but different enough but cute enough.”

Source

He was interviewed by Kelly and Michael and all he could say about the upcoming True Blood season was that for the first time in a millennium, humans are considered a threat to vampires. Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuunnnn…

In NYC @ SVU Screening of Disconnect on 04.08.2013

In attendance: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are all going to appear along with exec producers Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner.

Chris Hardwick is moderating and has arrived on stage wearing a TARDIS shirt.

Everyone’s on stage now, and the screams as they take their seats are deafening! “I feel like Jon Bon Jovi,” Arthur jokes.

A fan shouts that they want to have children with Matt! “We’re here for an hour – I’m sure we can squeeze something in,” he replies.

The moderator Chris Hardwick asks how Steven keeps the show fresh and keeps the details straight. “I try not to have a life, which as a Doctor Who fan is easy,” he jokes.

Matt says his time on Doctor Who has transformed his life. “Working with these guys, who have become my firm, firm friends…” he says, before praising Caroline, too, who’s joined the show. “I think if the world was a bit more like Comic-Con it would be a better place,” he adds, raising a huge cheer! “Who fans shout the loudest,” he says. That’s just an invitation…

Matt’s still waxing lyrical about Comic-Con. “It’s just 100mph the whole time,” he says, revealing he got to meet Peter Jackson. “You get to meet your heroes.” And he admits to nerding out when he met Bryan Cranston!

Karen says she came down the hotel elevator with a Dalek girl today. Awesome!

Karen’s pleased a lot of people have worn ginger wigs when they’ve dressed up as her. “Power to the gingers!” she grins.

Arthur reveals that he’s spent the whole time at Comic-Con hearing people screaming and jokes that he likes sharing the lift with, say, Batman. “It’s been very cool.”

The audience cheers when the moderator talks about the brilliance of the Doctor-Amy-Rory trio. “We’ve loved the way the dynamic between the three of us has developed,” Arthur agrees.

Chris Hardwick says “I’ve become a Doctor Who therapist” for all the fans sad about the departing Ponds.

Karen adds: “I couldn’t stop crying for two weeks” after filming the final scenes, even tender-stem broccoli set her off! “I didn’t hold it together” she says. Arthur agrees that it’s been a “huge part” of his life but it was exciting to film the final moments. “And film them with the Weeping Angels as well,” Matt says. “It’s a climactic, fitting and I think brilliant end to what I think are my two favorite companions.” But he jokes he’s glad to see the back of them really!

Moderator Chris reveals that in the elevator, Matt turned to Karen and Arthur and joked: “Didn’t you guys use to be in Doctor Who?”

Heartbreaking scene of old Amy Pond saying goodbye (from “The Girl Who Waited”) playing now.

Chris Hardwick says Karen is “still really hot as an old lady.

What’s the season been like for Caroline? “Incredible!” She speaks about Daleks, Weeping Angels, shooting in New York and Spain… but adds: “Saying goodbye to these guys was the big one.”

Steven on on writing Amy/Rory’s final episode: “It was genuinely, properly sad.”

Steven unsurprisingly refuses to reveal any details about how Amy and Rory will exit? The moderator suggests there’s no way to write out Amy and Rory completely in the world of Doctor Who. “You reckon?” Steven says. “Enjoy the episode…”

Chris Hardwick: “We say goodbye to people that we love, but we form new relationships with people too.”

What kind of story lines does Caroline like? “I love them all!” she says, though she likes the historical ones because there’s something “magical” about traveling. As for this season, all the episodes are “so different”. “They’re huge, these episodes, and I love them all for different reasons.”

Matt Smith on Doctor Who ‬: “The show is the star, and will continue without the current cast and crew.” “It is about regeneration and it is about welcoming in Jenna and a new era and a new time and that’s what’s exciting,” he says. He reveals that he likes how Doctor Who can be anything – it’s not “bound by genre”.

Karen says she likes episodes which teach us about something we’re familiar with, like with Idris.

Karen: “I’m gonna miss running down corridors from imaginary monsters.”

She continues: “I’ve made my best friends on this show.” ‪

Arthur says it’s great playing characters you know well, and still getting scripts that surprise you. Matt praises the quality of the writing – “It makes our job infinitely easier.”

Matt Smith: “The heartbeat of the show is in the quality of the writing.” ‪

Chris Hardwick says he wrote a fan fiction about Matt Smith/Billie Piper’s scene in Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

What’s next for Karen and Arthur? Arthur puts on a Scottish accent to imitate Karen and talk about her new projects, Not Another Happy Ending and Oculus. Karen’s got the giggles: “That was weird!” Karen worries she can’t do an impression of Arthur, before doing an adorable: “I’m bumbling, that’s just me.” She reveals Arthur’s going to do a play and a new series called Broadchurch with David Tennant and Olivia Colman, written by Chris Chibnall. Huge cheers!

Steven states: “Maybe British actors are better at being American.’

Fan Q&A:

First up? An adorable young girl wants to know what Matt’s favorite gadget, button or screen in the TARDIS is. “In the TARDIS, each area has a particular job so when you get there, no word of a lie, you get a handbook of what it all does,” he says. “My favorite bit is the gear and the lever that flies it because of the rhythm of it.”

A dalek has come to ask a question! Will there be a multiple Doctor episode? “I’m not going to tell you, not even for the Daleks,” Steven says, as the crowd sighs as one.

Steven says the question of who the Doctor is is “tremendously important”, adding: “And only I know why!” Steven says he’s found out the truth about the Doctor’s name but he can’t pass it on. Matt says this is their life – Steven knowing things, withholding it and smiling at them. “He won’t tell me!” Matt complains.

Arthur says he loves working with so many “great people” in the show, while Matt says Diana Rigg is “totally wonderful” in her upcoming scenes.

Are there going to be any more alliances between the evil guys, like in The Pandorica Opens? Steven says he thinks putting that alliance together must have taken so long… and then they accidentally blew up the universe. So, maybe not?

What are the characters’ favourite costumes… and Matt’s favourite bow tie? Arthur says his favourite is the Roman Centurion (getting so many cheers), and Karen admits her favourite is the Kissogram. Karen asks Matt if his favourite is the tweed and bow tie. “Maybe tweed, bow tie and fez,” Matt replies. He jokes that he asked Steven for a hat… and ended up with a fez!

What have been the cast’s craziest fan encounters? Matt says they were shooting in Wales once, and when they got in the car there was a lady there who told him he was “an exact replica of her pet hedgehog”. Then she kissed him! Karen reveals the same woman grabbed her and asked if she was Matt’s girlfriend! Arthur says the woman has pictures of Matt and hedgehogs on her wall. “Like that’s going to flatter me!” Matt jokes. “A hedgehog!”

Have there been any scenes Caroline and Steven haven’t been able to do? Steven says they mostly get the “really amazing” ones on screen. “If it’s really extraordinary we’ll find a way to do it,” he says. He jokes that the writers – unlike him – know the limits and how to keep it restrained.

The next fan asks what plots the cast would love to have in the show. Matt says it isn’t affordable, but he’s “really intrigued” by Atlantis. Steven says there have been at least three versions of Atlantis already… “But we could do it again. To hell with continuity!”

Have the cast and crew got any weird or interesting habits? Matt reveals that when Karen’s nervous she picks her lips. “It’s my thinking face!” Karen protests. But Matt’s not getting off easy – he brrs his lips like a horse. Matt didn’t even know he did that!

“More Daleks than you’ve ever seen in one place,” Steven promises for the new season. “It’s ‘wow’. It’s lots and lots and lots of Daleks. It’s what we all see when we close our eyes in our TARDIS-wallpapered bedrooms.” He says there’s “absolutely everything” and stuff he’s just not going to reveal. “I don’t think we’ve had a bigger variety of episodes than the ones we’re about to show you,” he says. “It’s truly exciting.”

Matt has a piece of advice – if you ever see him in an airport, don’t say: “You didn’t bring your TARDIS, then.” He adds: “No I didn’t. Because if I did, why the hell would I be queuing up?”

via hiyoritic

In attendance: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristin Bauer, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Joe Manganiello, Nelsan Ellis, Deborah Ann Woll and Alan Ball.

Who knew so many woman would get so flustered at the sight of Alexander Skarsgard. uhm, I did. The vapors I tell you.

Alan Ball was asked if there was any beef between The Vampire Diaries and True Blood: “We don’t talk about them.” LoL!

Alexander speaks of the “bromance” between Eric and Bill: “We’ve been struggling with it the whole season,” Alexander admitted. “We’ve had a little too much fun together – it’s been four years of us fighting over Sookie and now it’s the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid moment.”

Kristin was asked about her wardrobe and what was her favorite item: “It’s the one that I’m wearing at the moment – she keeps topping herself!”

Rutina chimes in about Tara’s inclination for leather: “It’s been fun to dress up this year and have some thangs out!” Rutina laughs.

Regarding Stripping Joe teases the audience with a little striptease dance. Ah! The Screams! Oh no, Alan Ball is dancing…

Sam stays tight-lipped about the future for Sam and Luna: “You know I can’t tell you that!”

Ryan stated that he accidentally rehearsed the Mellencamp version of “Cherry Bomb.”

Regarding the outing for Steven Newlin: “Not a conscious decision. The energy was already there.”

Chris tries to differentiate Law and Order SVU and True Blood: “Sex crimes are different. Trying to figure out what is a sex crime is different on this show.”

Chris Meloni on being covered in blood and staking: “it’s all I’ve wanted to do.”

Just for good measure, Christopher does his own stripper dance move – it gets a warm reaction from the crowd!

Are there any “fairy throw-downs” in Sookie’s future? “She always gets into some kind of action-y trouble!” Anna smiles.

Anna states the following about Sookie’s binge drinking: “Worse things can happen on Peach Schnapps.”

Alan follows with: “Yes, we’re going to learn a little bit more about Michelle and Corbett Stackhouse, what happened to them and the remaining effect on Sookie and particularly Jason.”

Alan further explains: “He didn’t want the show’s fairies to be “Disney fairies” – “We wanted to be more adult, more sensual – more softcore porno fairies!”

Joe also teases that he will “sexually eviscerate” another character in an upcoming episodes.

Stephen talks of his episode 8 directorial debut: “Quite nervous going into it,” but according to Alan “did an amazing job.”

He went on: “It was amazing. I got to see Joe naked.”

Alex chimed in: “Being an actor himself, he really cares about the actors and the relationships.”

What will happen in the episode: Stephen says,”I absolutely adore Sam Trammell – he is an amazing actor,” he gushes. “He had one of the toughest jobs on my episode that you could possibly have!”

Episode 8 also includes a scene that “let’s everyone have fun, and do something we haven’t done before.”

Stephen’s been wanting to direct since the end of season one, it emerges, and observed the work of other directors on the show to hone his craft.

50 Shades and Alex: Will Alexander star in the 50 Shades of Grey movie? “I’ve gotta read that book,” he says. “I haven’t read a script. All I heard was that he’s got a chamber in his basement?” – he seems mystified by the whole saucy phenomenon.

Stephen: “He’s just lived the life.”

Rutina talks of the journey of being Tara: “It’s been awesome!” she admits. “It’s been an incredible journey – if you’d asked me four years ago, I would never have thought my character would be turned. So it’s been terrifying but awesome!”

Do the cast ever get weirded out by some of the gross stuff on the series? Sam Trammell admits that he got disturbed by a burnt Stephen back in season one – Anna also refused to talk to him!

Kristin Bauer van Straten starts crying on the panel talking about the scene where Eric releases Pam. Someone console her.

Kirstin: “The writing of Pam’s made story has been worth the wait.”

Kristin almost refused to be “released” after reading it in the scripts. Frowns and sheds a tear.

New character combos this season, like Tara and Jessica, and the Bill and Eric bromance were a conscious choice by Alan.

Speaking of “the season of the bromance,” has it been fun for Bill and Eric to be allies now?

Alex: “we’ve had a little too much fun together.”

Regarding Quinn the Were-Tiger: Alan states, “As of now, there are no plans for that,” says Alan. “But I am stepping back from running the show and [the new showrunners] may choose otherwise.”

Someone asked about Chris returning to L&O:SVU? Really? What panel are you at?

Fan asks for Alex’s signed name placard, Alex graciously delivers and blows a kiss.

A fan asks if there will be any new romances in the future? “I can think of three that are going to happen, this season!” Alan reveals – sounds like big changes are afoot!

Alan reveals that there is “one… possibly two” more seasons of True Blood coming in the future and that we may see the fairy war in upcoming episodes.

Favorite scenes? Deborah teases episode 10. Ryan mentions 504′s He-man footie pajamas.

The final fan asks the cast to name their most memorable True Blood moments – Ryan picks wearing his He-Man Onesie, while Anna – in more serious mode – chooses the final scene of this year’s finale!

“There is a very, very crazy scene at the end of episode 12 this year” says Anna Paquin

“We work on a show where we get to do the most extraordinary things all the time,” Stephen adds. “Every time you think you’ve done the most incredible thing you’re going to do, you’re given another amazing thing.” He then leads the audience in a standing ovation for Alan Ball.