Soooooooooooo… I was told today that if I scanned the whole bloody Vampire section I would eventually be in trouble. So, I… well Ro… scanned the only TB related info from the magazine. Enjoy!

Bill and Eric were listed 5th out of EW’s 20 Greatest Vampires:

The poll to end all polls:

Congratulations to all you Eric fans. You all made Tamara proud for voting Eric the sexiest Vamp aroumd.

Nighty night my lovelies.

~M.

Canales Daily: Keeping The Faith In The Feeders
by Andrea Canales- goal.com

Hammarby fans and others, unite and celebrate the kinship of sporting loyalty that goes deeper than wins or losses – yes, even many losses.

It might not have been the best idea, given that he was attending a promotional event for FC Barcelona, but Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard didn’t show up wearing the famed purply-blue and red uniform of the Catalan champions.

Skarsgard was wearing green and white, instead – a Hammarby jersey. As he explained this, there was a chorus of boos from the spectators in the Nike Ricardo Montalban theater in Los Angeles. The audience was all about Barcelona, and they had little tolerance for any divided loyalty.

Skarsgard tried to explain. He mentioned that as a Swede, he was excited to be there to support Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish player recently signed by FC Barcelona.

“Soccer in Sweden is like a religion,” Skarsgard said, “Growing up in Sweden, in the south of Stockholm, we supported Hammarby.”

He paused briefly.

“They’re terrible,” Skarsgard continued. “We don’t really have any good players. We don’t have any money. We almost always lose. It’s not a lot of fun.”

The crowd hesitated, unsure what to make of such a withering description of a club by an alleged fan.

“You don’t have to feel threatened by us,” continued Skarsgard, “We won’t ever defeat or take anything from Barcelona. The Swedish league is weak. Our good players leave. The good players go to clubs like Barcelona.”

A few cheers went up at this, but most people were taken aback, or perhaps feeling sympathetic for Skarsgard.

When the host of the celebrity segment mentioned in a commercially pandering segue that Hammarby was sponsored by Nike, and could perhaps improve, seeing how Nike sponsored a winner like Barcelona, Skarsgard shook his head vehemently.

“Nike paid like three dollars to sponsor this,” he said, one hand on his Hammarby jersey. “We’re not even the best team in Stockholm.”

At this point, most in the room decided Skarsgard was joking, and chose to laugh along.

Skarsgard grinned and said he might not even be able to comprehend Barcelona’s skill on the field. “I’m used to watching slow – it’s probably going to be too fast for me.”

One thing Skarsgard never said, however, was that he would give up being a Hammarby fan.

Loving a winner is easy, and Barcelona has had droves of fans following their every move even before they conquered the stunning treble of wins this past season.

The FC Barcelona players don’t need to sign autographs until their feet are sore; they don’t need to take time out of their day to talk to local press after their practices; they don’t need to fly coach or stay at budget lodgings. So they don’t, for the most part, do any of those things.

Really, Barcelona doesn’t have to win Skarsgard over – the club doesn’t really need new fans. They have plenty of them already and collect more with every victory.

The glamor of the sport lies in clubs like Barcelona, who engrave their names on the big events, but the heart and soul of the game lies in clubs like Hammarby and the loyal fans that support these smaller organizations, far from the red carpets and the glittery reflections from multiple trophies.

Soccer would not be played all around the world if people just turned on their televisions to watch the big clubs play. The sport’s growth and longevity has often rested on the tribal aspects of a club representing a community. Those communities also serve as the cradle for developing players.

Before there was Barcelona or even Sevilla in the life of Dani Alves, for example, there was Bahia. Ibrahimovic started off at Malmo. Eidur Gudjohnson began his career with Valur Rekyavik. Yes, it might be that good players leave their local clubs and countries to pursue the biggest giants in the sport, but it’s doubtful they could improve enough to get there without those early opportunities and loval development.

Many have toasted Barcelona’s accomplishments and rightly so, for they are impressive.

However, the local leagues, clubs and players who toil with far less recognition are also worthy of respect.

Here’s to the fans who celebrate an improved season or drown their sorrows over a poor one, but never waver in their allegience. Here’s to the coach who takes the time to nurture a player who will quickly become too good for his team. Here’s to the players who wear their colors proudly, even if they can’t always pronounce the name of the club they play for correctly. Here’s to the vast, vast network of teams known by a only a small percentage of the world, that still do their part to keep the passion for the game something vibrant and living in local stadiums, not some image on the TV or computer screen.

Not every club can be Barcelona, but even mighty Barcelona would not exist without all those other clubs. If every car was a Rolls-Royce, they wouldn’t be special. Here’s to the reliability of Corollas that get people to the game, here’s to true blood, and here’s to Hammarby.

Skal!

Here’s a sneak peek of the next episode.

Kelly

This interview was conducted by our friend Diana McCabe who runs the Paranormal Romance website.

Charlaine Harris is pretty much everywhere these days. The author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, which HBO is basing its TRUE BLOOD shows on, is working on her 10th Sookie book (due out May 2010), keeping an eye on the TV show as well as appearing at big fan shows such as Comic-Con.  We caught up with her right before Comic Con to ask her a few things about the latest book out, DEAD AND GONE, and a little bit about the show! (Thanks to fellow Sookie book/True Blood fans at www.sookiestackhouse.com for their book questions!)

Q. Do you think Eric has grown because of his relationship with Sookie?
A. I think parts of Eric have surfaced that he thought were buried for good.

Q. What will it take for Sookie to understand the blood bond? (It seems as if she is losing her ability to distinguish between her own feelings, Eric’s feelings and those generated by the blood bond.)
A. This is an issue in the next book.

Q. How would you compare the strengths between the bonds of vampire and sire, a vampire and his/her king or queen, and a vampire and his/her sheriff?
A. The vampire/sire relationship is the strongest.

Q. In one podcast interview, you said you didn’t see Sookie turning into a vampire or even winding up with one — in the sense that she would lead a normal life and be with a human. Do you still think she will be able to do that — settle with one person? Not a vampire?
A. I said that Sookie will never become a vampire. And a vampire can’t give her what she’s always thought she wanted; a regular marriage with children. But that doesn’t mean Sookie will end up with exactly what she wants. I see no reason why she couldn’t settle with one person.

Q. What did you want readers to take away from DEAD AND GONE?
A. I don’t know that I had a specific goal; I had several themes, though. The ruthlessness and inhumanity of the fae, the outrages we commit in the name of love, and the loneliness of those who simply can’t fit in and are doomed by their own nature . . . those were all elements of the book.

Q. Do you have a good idea of how the series will eventually end? If so — have you ever changed your mind about the ending?
A. I do know how the series will end. And I have never changed my mind.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your cameo at the end of season 2!!!!
A. I’m sitting in Merlotte’s at the bar talking to Sam. I’m wearing a striped shirt. I have a line. I almost hope they cut it. I’m not an actor.

Q. Alan Ball has certainly developed the HBO show differently from the books. Does his vision of the show make you think about how you’re writing your current book? Have you ever gotten an idea from the show to build on in the book series?
A. I keep them separate in my mind. The book characters have been living with me for a long, long time.

Q. Do you and Alan Ball talk before, during, after the season?
A. We email back and forth from time to time, more frequently before each season. We are both very busy people. If I’m in Los Angeles, we usually have lunch together or something. And we have some good conversations when we’re doing publicity for the show.

Q. To you — what’s been the most interesting/surprising or creative storyline(s) that HBO has developed in the series?
A. Jessica, without a doubt.

Q. Which parts of the TV series most visually match what you envisioned when you wrote your book series?
A. Sookie’s house is perfect, though it doesn’t have the same layout. But the rooms are just right. In Sam’s office, the desk is turned in a different direction, but other than that it’s wonderful.

Q. Do you know ahead of time what is on each episode? Do you watch each Sunday?
A. I do know ahead of time. And I do watch each Sunday.

Q. OK — gotta ask because it’s everywhere! Bill Compton vs. Edward Cullen?
A. There is no contest.

What’s next for Charlaine this year? Three releases.

* A Sookie short story compilation A TOUCH OF DEAD (October)

* GRAVE SECRET, the next Harper Connelly novel (November)

* MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS, which contains a Britlingen novella (September)

________________________________________

~M.

True Blood will be back for a third season.

Surprised?

Not us.

~M.

Michael Ausiello from ausiellofiles.ew.com had the opportunity to interview Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell and Rutina Wesley as well as Alan Ball at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego during Comic-con.  Here are the interviews.

Kelly

On July 23rd Alexander Skarsgard was on The Johnny Dare Morning Show.    To listen to the interview click here.

Kelly

Here is a review I found at fandomania.com, for the last episode of True Blood- Hard-Hearted Hannah.  I usually try not to post too many reviews of the same episode, but this one pretty much hits on everything that happened in the episode and it had some really great screen caps from the episode as well.

Kelly

____________________________________________________________

Review: True Blood 2.06 – “Hard-Hearted Hannah”
Original Air Date: 26 July 2009
Rating: NR/AO (Not Rated/Adults Only)

Screencaps were done by phoenixothon @ capaholic.

Holy crap. This episode blew the doors off that last episode, in a massively huge way. With half the season over, it feels like all Hell’s broken loose and it couldn’t possibly get any crazier (the preview for the rest of the season pretty much confirmed that it will get more intense). Surprise of all surprises, though: Bill was hot for a few moments in this episode! Imagine that.

In the bar of Hotel Carmilla, Eric is enjoying a tasty beverage. Or attempting to. I guess calling a 1,000-year-old dead guy “baby” isn’t the best pet name you could come up with. Hell, I’m only 29 and it irritates me! There’s just not much of a thrill in it when they’re giving it up so easily, is there, Eric? She tries to pretend she doesn’t want it (good customer service is key in her line of work), but is unsuccessful. I love how he still pays her and tells her she was “magnificent” in that deadpan manner, even though everyone within earshot knows how bad the “blood hooker” was (hint: she ain’t getting an Oscar nom any time soon). Bill’s maker, Lorena, shows up and it turns out Eric’s got something devious planned for Bill and Sookie down the road (I.Love.Him.). Yadda yadda theme music yadda.

Speaking of the most boring couple on the planet, we cut to them laying in bed. Again. Thankfully, Muy Caliente Vamp comes a-knocking on their door. Seeing how uneasy Bill was with the idea of sending Sookie into the lion’s den alone, and out of duty (Godric is her sheriff, after all), Isabel decides to send in her human lover (Hugo) with Sookie.

Knowing there’s still some connection between Lorena and Bill, Eric is hoping to use her to separate Bill and Sookie. He sure has it bad for Sookie all of a sudden. I’ll admit, she has her moments, but the character is so Mary Sue thus far I don’t understand his fascination with her. Is it that he’s so powerful and intimidating without trying (it just flows off him *drools*), that when she stood up to him his interest was piqued? So far, her character has been the weakest in the series, maybe with him she’ll grow up some.

This leads to a Lorena/Bill flashback to 1920’s Chicago. Those two were quite the pair of predators back in the day. They pick two victims out at the party and start to work their charms on them, pretending to be French to throw a little Sexy European flair on the otherwise repressed Americans.

It’s a good thing Sam owns Merlotte’s. He and Daphne are still swamping up the pool table, talking about about the life of a shapeshifter. She claims not to remember what scarred her back, but that it left her sick for days. We’re left screaming at the TV for Sam to start using those animal instincts to sense evil, but Daphne’s figured out how to butter him up and wrap him around her finger already.

Day comes early for once in Bon Temps, and it looks like with the new day the old Maryann is back (guess Gran’s clothes didn’t fit so well after all). She’s pitching a fit and falling in it because the water heater broke and she can’t take a hot shower. That’s nice. You’re squatting in someone else’s house and you’re going to rag about how it’s not high class enough for you? Unfortunately, I’ve had Maryann’s character spoiled for me (Internets, I hate you sometimes), so there isn’t a whole lot of surprise going on with her for me. Eventually, she allows Tara and Eggs to drive the 2+ hours to get the replacement part for the heater. Leaving Karl to finish the foot message and make me gag. Feet are so gross.

At camp, Lukenator and Jason get called out of training to build a platform with a cross on it out in an open area near the church. Jason’s got a lot of guilt about the Fun Time Bath he had the night before, so he asks if they’re getting punished for something. Nope, he and Luke are “the best of the best,” and that means they get to help set up for a “Meet the Sun” ceremony. This ceremony consists of chaining a vamp up on a cross before dawn, having the church members gather around on bleachers, and then everyone watches as the sun comes up and burns the vamp to death. Okay, 1. Remind me why people go to this church in the guise of being “loving” people? It’s pretty obvious if you’re a member of The Fellowship of the Sun you’re a gigantic hatemonger who hides his ugliness with a smile, not because you’re full of God’s love. 2. I could have sworn sunlight didn’t kill vamps in this series? I’m wrong a lot, so maybe I am about that.

Back at the hotel, Sookie and Hugo are getting to know each other better and come up with some kind of plan of action. They start talking about their relationships with their respective vamps. Hugo reveals that lately, he and Isabel have been fighting about her turning him (he wants it, she seemingly doesn’t). Sookie is surprised that he would ever ask Isabel to turn him. She get the Dumbest Character Ever Burger King Crown for this. Hugo has to explain to her that they will grow old and die (if they make it out of the Fellowship), while Bill and Isabel will continue to live and look exactly the same. Somebody’s never watched Highlander if they hadn’t thought about what it’s going to be like getting old with someone who never will.

While driving to pick up the water heater part, Eggs starts to act … off. He knows things about the area they’re driving through, but claims never to have been there before. He heads off into the woods about he gets Tara to pull over, and she follows behind him.

Merlotte’s is hopping with the lunch crowd. Arlene threatens War Vet Terry with a surprise after work (dude does not like surprises), and Daphne is still the worst server ever. Ex-Policeman Officer Andy storms in and starts grilling Lafayette about how he went missing for almost 3 weeks. He also points out that now that he’s back, Lafayette’s lost some of his “pizzazz.” Andy is actually pretty observant when he takes the beer goggles off because when Lafayette claims he was on a “gay” cruise, Andy calls BS and states if Lafayette had been on a gay cruise “[he'd] have come back with more pizzazz, not less!” Unfortunately, that moment of being a good detective is short-lived. Andy threatens to lock Lafayette in a cell to rot until he confesses to killing Fake Voodoo Priestess. Immediately, Lafayette freaks out, crumpling into a corner as Andy changes into Eric during the bad cop tirade.

Good thing Terry was there. He reminds his cousin that this isn’t the kind of cop he wanted to be when they were kids, and also that Andy’s not even a cop anymore. Terry kneels down next to Lafayette and helps him calm down, recognizing the symptoms of PTSD that he himself knows too well.

Meanwhile, Hoyt confronts his mother about his phone being canceled. Mama is none too pleased her baby boy has a girl calling him at all hours of the night. He tells her she better reactivate the phone or the next move is all his. Then, he drops the “my g/f is a vampire!” bomb on her. Classic!

After last week’s training, it looks like the Lukenator and Jason are BFFs. While building the platform, Luke explains to Jason the levels of sexual sin. Sex outside of marriage is a sin. If it’s between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman, it’s still a sin but a lesser one. If it’s sex between two men and one of them’s a vamp, well, get ready to have Satan as a roommate because you’re going straight to the ninth ring of Hell. Some sins you can repent from because God’s an open-minded guy. Riiiiiight. So long as you’re not a gay male vampire, God’s pulling for you!

Hugo and Sookie finally make it to the Fellowship. The same place her brother is at. Right on the other side of that church with all the windows. Yeah. I know. She doesn’t once pick up on him. She’s a horrible telepath (also because she hasn’t tried putting thoughts into people’s heads). Immediately, they get to meet The Rev and Mrs. Newlin (who greeted them out in the parking lot), and Sookie is actually convincing as a vampire hater.

Flashback! So, Bill was pretty vicious when he was with Lorena. And much hotter and interesting! I get the feeling he’s supposed to be like Angel/Angelus from the Buffyverse, but the neutered version of Bill we’ve been seeing is not at all as interesting to watch as he is here in this scene. He’s untamed here, very much what we want/expect to see in a vampire, which makes his present self seem like a pack mule that’s been rode hard and put up wet.

Eggs and Tara end up at a clearing where something not good obviously too place. He can’t remember when he was there, how he knows he’d been there before, or what happened (there’s blood covering a large rock), but he’s positive he’s been there. I’d start getting suspicious of the Maryann lifestyle right now if I were him.

Back at the Fellowship, Sookie and Hugo are getting a tour of the church when Rev asks them if they’ve ever been to a “lock in.” Sookie hears the Rev think “Of course she hasn’t; she’s no Christian.” Someone sold them out. Confirmed when Mrs. Newlin starts thinking really loud, too. They both know Hugo and Sookie are working with the vamps and that Sookie’s a telepath. That’s when the phoney baloney Drill Sargent shows up. Sookie’s trying to get them to leave, but Hugo’s not picking up what she’s desperately throwing down for him. They really needed a better plan going into this. One of three possibles: Rhinestone Cowboy Vamp, Eric, or Bellhop Barry.

Funniest scene ever — Andy finally sees the pig again and goes drunkenly running after it yelling “Pig!! Hey, Pig!!” Died laughing. However, the pig is with the dog Sam usually turns into. Daphne’s “go to” shift is the pig! Sam’s curious why Andy seemed to know Daphne as the pig and she changes the subject by giving him a mouth hug. Men. So easily swayed.

Pam surprises Lafayette in Merlotte’s freezer. I’m not certain if it’s his PTSD or the fact that her hair was frightening that freaked him out. Could have gone either way on that one. Eric wants Lafayette to start selling V again. This is curious.

Sookie and Hugo are still at the church. It’s night now. It was still light out the last time we caught up with them. They are really the worst spies since Dan Akroyd and Chevy Chase in Spies Like Us. Of course, they get captured, but Mrs. Newlin doesn’t seem in line with the plan. Doesn’t mean she tries to help them, but she doesn’t like what’s happening.

Since Sookie’s in danger, Bill can sense it; however, Lorena’s there to keep him from going to her. You can’t physically overpower your maker. We leave them making out. Or, it looks like they are, since he can’t get her off him.

Seeing some makeshift campsite from a B-rated 80s horror movie requires the smoking of a joint, so Eggs and Tara are baked by the time they get back to Sookie’s. Maryann’s started the party without them, and the entire place is trashed. Oddly enough, no one’s in the house or yard. They follow the path of destruction out into the woods where some freaky tribal drums are being played. This is where I’d turn around and walk the other way. Drums + Woods = Bad News. Maryann’s got everyone in the grossest orgy ever out in a similar set up to the one Eggs and Tara found earlier. Come to think of it, when is an orgy NOT kind of vomit inducing? Everyone’s got blacked out eyes, they’re all having sex, Karl’s walking around in some kind of Grecian robe, Maryann’s doing that vibrations thing, and Eggs and Tara are dumbstruck. Also, this is the surprise Arlene had in store for Terry. This town is full of all kinds of bad luck.

Jessica wakes up to still no text message from Hoyt. She’s upset, but not for long as he drove all the way from Bon Temps to Dallas to see her. Those two are the cutest ever. Before he shows up, though, she empties two bottles of Tru Blood in the sink. I wonder what that was all about?

Mrs. Newlin’s super upset about what’s going on in her life. She confides in Jason that the Rev is not a great man anymore (she needs to have a great man to stand behind, her life’s dream). He’s training everyone out there to start a war, not protect people from vampires. She convinces him to have sex with her by saying God wants them to, and they make it right there in the Lord’s house.

Daphne leads Sam right into Maryann’s Circle of Grotesque — free penicillin shots for first timers! — and everyone’s still going at it, even Eggs and Tara. They all look like no one’s driving them, you know? There’s no emotion, just blank faces and black eyes. Daphne puts a bull mask onto Maryann’s head, Karl shows up with a knife, while two blanks hold onto Sam. The show ends with him doing his best Hugh Jackman as Wolverine impression by screaming “NOOOOOOOOO!” at the sky before the fade away. Which I had a cap for but couldn’t use due to NSFW happenings on the edge that I missed before I deleted all the unused caps. So you all get “havin’ a party in his pants” Sam.

~M.

The Fan Artwork section has been updated… you can see the calendar pages and other fun drawings submitted by those who visit this site and listen to Last Bite Podcast.

Please continue to submit your Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood related artwork.

There will be other updates as the summer winds down.

Also, check out the news section on the right-hand side for info on non-Sookie related topics like the Twilight Movies, other paranormal romances, etc…