…DO NOT click on the image to see the video.

Have a great night my lovelies.

~M.

By:  Kelly Hart

Panthers will be showing up on the scene in Bon Temps in August.

Recently TV Guide’s William Keck, quoted Ryan Kwanten as stating, “I’ve been working with the panthers and they’re a lot cooler than the wolves.”

So, will creator, Alan Ball be following the werepanther storyline from the books and will Jason become one? 

All he’d say was, “We have shot some scenes with actual panthers in the same way we have shot with actual wolves. But I won’t say there are or aren’t werepanthers on the show.”

I guess we’ll just have to wait until August to find out for sure what direction Alan Ball will take with the werepanther storyline. 

Be sure to leave us your comments and tell us where you think he should take this story?

JJ: Alexander Skarsgard and co-star Stephen Moyer rehearse a scene for their hit vampire series, True Blood, on Friday in Los Angeles.

Show creator Alan Ball was on the scene, directing both Alex and Stephen.

SPOILERS: The scene goes on around a cement truck. Cement is poured over a shallow grave. Eric looks to be wearing handcuffs. And at one point, Bill shoves Eric out of the way. Can’t wait to see the actual scene!!!

What do you think? Who is buried under all that cement?

~M

(by Sara Bibel-Fancast) ‘True Blood’ fans would give up their own blood to be a fly on the wall of the show’s writers’ room.  Season three’s plot twists are a closely guarded secret.  Many have wondered what mysterious alchemy transforms Charlaine Harris’s best selling Sookie Stackhouse books into the brilliant insanity of ‘True Blood.’  Series creator and showrunner Alan Ball shined enough light to incinerate a vampire on the writing process in time for Sunday’s premiere (HBO, 9/8c).

Step 1: It All Begins With the Books:
“We always start with the books.  We have been sort of focusing on one of Charlaine’s books per season so we started with the third book, which is called Club Dead.  As always, our big challenge in translating books to the series is to open up the world outside of Sookie’s experience because Sookie [Anna Paquin] is the narrator of the books so the books are basically her story.  So we look at what the books have and figure out a way to give all of other major characters stories that will somehow fold into the main story, the Sookie/Bill story.  That’s what we did, just like we did the first two seasons.”

Deciding when to deviate from the Books:
“It’s a totally organic process.  A lot of times there are a lot of people pitching ideas.  A lot of times we’ll find if we totally stick to the books here, how is that going to affect later on because we’re breaking the story three of four episodes down the line.  It’s like well what if he wasn’t this but he was this instead? There’s not a formula. It’s pretty much gut instinct.”

Step 2: Bring on the Dry Erase Boards
“We have two big dry erase boards and they are divided into twelve columns, one for each episode.  We have assigned each one of the characters a different color dry erase marker ink and we just write little one-liners as to what the story is like,’Sookie looks for Bill,’ that kind of thing. And we fill up all of those columns for at least the first seven or eight [episodes].  We try to have some sort of sense of how it’s all going to end in the last episode and then when we’re happy that we have a general shape for the season for pretty much everyone, then we sit down and start breaking individual stories.”

The dry erase markers as window into the characters souls:
“There’s only so much you can do.  We did give Lafayette [Nelsan Ellis] purple.  We did give Bill [Stephen Moyer] red.  Jessica’s (Deborah Ann Woll) is orange because it matches her hair.  Some of the other ones are just totally random.”

Step 4: Keeping HBO In the Loop
“We do not get micromanaged.  I don’t have to pitch outlines.  At the beginning of the season we have a big meeting where all the L.A. people are at the table and at the end of the table is a big TV screen with all the New York people and what I do is talk through the whole season. But that’s less about pitching the season and more about getting everybody excited about what’s going to happen in the season.  I’ve never gotten any notes from those meetings.   When I worked at some other networks I would have to get approval for just the story ideas and then we’d have to write an outline and get their input on that. HBO basically gets the script right before it gets into prep.  They of course get dailies and then they get a cut a producer’s cut of the episode and then they weigh in on that’ but it’s a total joy to work for HBO because they don’t micromanage.  It’s not like there’s 20 people who have to give notes just to justify why they exist at the company.  And the notes that we get are smart.  They make sense.  There’s also a sort of unspoken thing of like, ‘Here’s our notes.  You don’t have to take them,’ which is pretty rare for TV.  Anything that makes the show better, I’m happy.”

Step 5: A Detour into Minisodes
‘It was HBO’s idea.  They called and talked to me about them and what they were thinking of.  I sort of weighed in on what I thought, ‘Maybe instead of that, do this.’  And then I said, ‘Why don’t I just write them, rather than you guys write them and I give a bunch of notes.  We’re not that busy and it’s not going to be that hard for me to write a two or three page script for all these major characters.’ But I had a lot of fun doing it.  Shooting them was just like shooting the show.  The only difference is that they were not edited by our editors.  They were edited in New York by HBO’s people.  But I thought they did a phenomenal job.  And of course we got to give notes on them.  In a way, it was like the shoe was on the other foot.’

Step 6:  The Joys of Writing
“Writing is not the painful process for me that it is for a lot of other writers.  It’s hard work but I don’t agonize over it.  I enjoy it.  Sometimes I waffle between,’This is really good, the best thing I’ve ever written,’ to, ‘Wow, I suck. I really suck and it’s all smoke and mirrors.  I don’t really deserve to be doing this.’  That’s just my own ego beating itself up or inflating itself.  I try to ignore that as much as I can.”

FANCAST - After Sunday night’s hot season premiere of ‘True Blood,’ many fans are probably hoping the series will live forever, just like the vampires it chronicles. However, most HBO series are decidedly mortal. ‘The Sopranos‘ and ‘Sex and The City‘ lasted six seasons, ‘Six Feet Under‘ and ‘The Wire‘ lasted five. ‘Deadwood‘ only lasted three. ‘True Blood’s’ creator Alan Ball thinks that the series has the potential to beak HBO’s longevity record and run almost as many seasons as ‘Law and Order.’

Ball explained, “I think ‘True Blood’ could run longer than ‘Six Feet Under’ [also created by Ball] because of the supernatural element.  There’s just so many areas to create stories that we didn’t have on ‘Six Feet Under’.  Literally by the fourth season we started to hit the wall.  It was like what about –oh no we did that in season two.  But because of the supernatural element in ‘True Blood’ I feel like it could continue much longer.”

Images from True Blood Fans, Getty and Wire Image

At the event Alan Ball stated, “My job is so much fun it doesn’t feel like work.”

We’re jealous.

~M.

By: Kathy Huddleston – With the True Blood premiere quickly approaching it’s time for some more Alan Ball. Below are exclusive interview extas from my recent interview with the show’s creator about True Blood’s upcoming third season, the challenges he faces, and what his long term hopes for Sookie are.

If you’re looking for some serious spoilers, check out my article in Sci Fi Wire, “9 sizzling True Blood spoilers from creator Alan Ball.” However, until you read that, perhaps this less spoilery and more behind the scenes interview will whet your True Blood thirst.

KATHIE: What’s been your biggest challenge this season?

ALAN: I think the biggest challenge is keeping each episode exciting and still remaining true and organic to the characters’ emotions, ’cause that’s where everything’s got to come from. We’re not a movie. We don’t have a week to shoot one special effect or one stunt, and I think that’s what keeps people coming back is even with all the craziness on the show I think you actually end up caring about these characters and being invested in them. I think it’s walking that line between keeping things exciting and keeping things grounded. Because these episodes are like little movies and so getting everything that we have to get in terms of footage, special effects, prosthetic effects, visuals effects… getting it all done in the amount of time we have allotted for each episode, that is definitely the biggest challenge.

I’m used to Six Feet Under, to shooting seven pages a day. But on Six Feet Under, yeah, we had some stunts and some effects every now and then.In this show we have like, oh, okay, now we’re flying, now some heads are exploding, now people are transforming into this animal and that animal, now these animals are running out in front of a train. It is insane. But I have to say it is just a testament to the amazing professionals who work on the show.

I mean I just went to a production meeting this morning, and I consider job number one for me is just to keep the scripts coming and to keep the scripts polished and in the best shape they can be in before they go in front of the cameras. But the other stuff everybody else figures out. The cinematographer, director, department heads sit down and figure out how they are going to shoot something and then I walk in to these production meetings. I walked into a production meeting today for an episode that starts shooting tomorrow and there’s a 40-page story board treatment of this big sequence at the end and I was just sort of like, ‘Wow!’ These people are really, really good at what they do. The way it is mapped out and shot, it’s very efficient in terms of time and number of setups. But at the same time it’s very visually exciting and very clear what’s going on in terms of this big battle between humans and vampires and other creatures. We’ll have to shoot it probably all in two nights, because half of it takes place outside and that’s just what we do.

KATHIE: How many days do you take to shoot an episode?

ALAN: Our starting point is 11 days, maybe 10 days with a split day with another episode. But there are episodes that certainly have taken longer. I got to say HBO has been very supportive. They know we are trying as hard as we can to get everything into the shortest amount of time. But they’re very happy with the show and they’re very happy to give us the extra resources when we need them… well, maybe not very happy, but at least they do it [laughs]. And they are happy in retrospect when they see the episodes.

KATHIE: Is this the show you envisioned when you first started seeing it in your head?

ALAN: Well, no. I don’t think anything is ever what you envision, because certainly when I was reading the books and it was around book four, I thought this is too much for a movie. This should be a TV series because there are so many great characters, so many places you can go. I love this world Charlaine’s created. I sat down and wrote the pilot once the rights were hammered out… But I would say the show definitely has a life of its own and it definitely has evolved over the seasons, and part of my job is to recognize what the show wants to be.

KATHIE: Does it seem impossible to put together such a big show sometimes?

ALAN: No, it’s not impossible. I mean sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s not impossible. You don’t have to spend 200 million dollars for everything. You really don’t.

KATHIE: Are you doing a lot of writing on this show?

ALAN: Well, I write two scripts a year. Each writer gets two scripts a year. We have six writers, five writers and one team of writers, and everybody does two episodes. But we all work together outlining and breaking stories. Like I say, for me that his job number one is to make sure that those stories make sense, they surprise us, are true to the characters, and they keep the momentum going.

KATHIE: What’s been your biggest surprise as you’ve developed this series?

ALAN: I never expected to walk on a stage in a room full of 7,000 people [at Comic-Con] and for them to be screaming. That was kind of crazy. That has been, I think, the biggest surprise to me. I mean certainly I feel like the show has been really, really marketed aggressively and well by HBO, and that’s no surprise to me. I don’t think anybody knows how to launch and market a show like HBO. I guess one thing also that surprised me is the fact that so many different demographic groups seem to really enjoy the show. When HBO tested the pilot they came back to me and they said the women love the relationships and the men love the sex and violence, so everybody loved it, which was kind of great. There’s a little something for everybody [laughs].

KATHIE: What do you love most about the series?

ALAN: I love the cast. I think they are really, really amazingly talented, and really the fact they really approach the show straight. Nobody is winking at the camera. Nobody is going, “Hey, look at us. We’re campy. We know it’s funny.” I think everybody plays it straight and is really invested in what’s going on for their characters and that’s always a joy to watch. I spend a lot of time in editing and it’s really fun because you just see these really great actors just giving you all this stuff to work with. I love casting. I love actors. So anytime we have a role to cast, that’s a lot of fun for me.

KATHIE: You have a huge cast.

ALAN: I know, it’s huge. We sat down for a table read and this huge conference room is filled. It is a huge show.

KATHIE: In the hands of someone else it would have been quite a different show.

ALAN: Yeah, but I am not the only person who works on the show. I work with five really, really smart, gifted writers, some really smart producers, some smart executives over at HBO. So while I certainly appreciate that, and it is very flattering, I’ve done stuff that wasn’t any good. I did a movie that everybody hated, so it is certainly not all me.

KATHIE: What is your best hope for Sookie and her story?

ALAN: You mean where is she going to end up?

KATHIE: Yes, what is your best hope for her?

ALAN: My hope, and this is probably a little crazy cause I’m speaking about a fictional character as if she’s real… she finds happiness and is able to settle down with a person or non-human person who can really, really value her and that she can have a good life with.

KATHIE: At the very end.

ALAN: Yes at the very end. I mean, in a way, it’s kind of a fairytale… kind of a sadistic, twisted fairytale… but it is a little bit of a romance novel. I would want her and those people that she loves to be in a good place and still alive [laughs].

KATHIE: I like it when writers spend time letting the characters be happy on a series. You’ve done some of that on True Blood.

ALAN: Yes. I think we have that. We definitely had that in season two and we definitely have that in season three. Maybe not for every single character, but I think [most have] moments of happiness.

KATHIE: Anything else about season 3?

ALAN: I just think I am really excited. I’ve seen the first five episodes. I feel like it’s the strongest season yet. I’m really excited and I’m in the process of breaking the last two episodes in terms of breaking story. I feel like the season really, really works as a whole. I’m really excited. I’m counting the days till the premiere just like everybody else.

Ausiello from Entertainment Weekly, answered your questions about your favorite show… True Blood:

Question: I’m on my hands and knees begging for some True Blood news! —Nick
Ausiello: The show is currently shooting episode 6, penned by executive producer Alan Ball. And guess what? It contains what Ball describes as an “intense” Sookie/Eric moment. “Let’s put it this way,” he adds, “I think people will have strong feelings about it.” In possibly related news, Ball told TV Guide that “Sookie is sexually drawn to [Eric] because she’s had his blood. But there is another reason he’s drawn to her, one that will be revealed this season.”

Question: The promo tease for True Blood’s third season shows Eric with noticeably darker hair. Why? —Jody
Ausiello: “Because when vampires keep secrets from humans that they love, their hair follicles turn darker,” deadpans Alan Ball. “And that’s especially true if they’re carrying a torch for a blond waitress.” Very funny. The real reason, please? “Alexander made a movie during his hiatus and his hair was darker when he returned,” explains Ball with a laugh. “It wasn’t a choice [we made].”

What you you think?

~M.

(TV Guide) True Blood creator Alan Ball says he will be casting the part of a female werewolf named Debbie Pelt whom he describes as “a badass bitch you do not want to get on the wrong side of. She is not going to like Sookie.” Look for the character debut in the third episode of the upcoming third season.

It also sounds like they’ll be plenty of sex in the season premiere, with Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) ended up in a backwoods Arkansas motel room with a familiar face. “It should be curious and confusing to viewers,” teases Trammell. But Ryan Kwanten says his character, Jason Stackhouse, ups Sam by one. “My character wakes up in the first episode with two women beside him,” Ryan boasts. The actor’s also looking forward to seeing Jason enjoy a more meaningful romance. “He will find love in the werewolf world, and love is a pretty unknown concept for him.”

Alfre Woodard joins the series as Ruby Jean Reynolds, mother to Lafayette and aunt to Tara. Alfre describes her character as “nuts. She’s not going to be a person that the audience loves. She’s not very accepting of Lafayette, which is fun to play.”

and

From the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly via Lori W.

Yes, I know a lot of you miss Michelle and a lot of you are looking forward to Joe Manganiello’s portrayal of Alcide Herveaux. So, I want to thank Lori for sending these to us. Btw, doesn’t Joe look good with long hair.

From Allison C…. who loves Brits!

My husband said, “WOW,” when I showed him Rutina’s picture from January’s Allure. The pictures were supplied by the Fans of the Rutina Wesley page on FB.

Nighty night my lovelies….

~M.

P.S. Did you read the whole Alan Ball article???? They are signed through season 4. We may actually see Quinn and all the drama that weretiger brings.