Re-Vamped
My name is Kim Ropars and I’m a proud Philadelphian. Currently stuck in the nation’s capital, I miss cheese steaks, Flyers games and soft pretzels sold from sweaty men on city street corners. I’m a journalist by trade and love love love to write the crap out of any and everything. Sookie Stackhouse is my ultimate novel heroine, followed by Becky Bloomwood and Hermione Granger. I am super excited about the chance to write for SookieStackhouse.com since it incorporates everything I love. Sookie, Eric, hot guys, great gossip and the chance to share my ever changing opinion in the Bill/Eric debate.
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7.14.10 – Sookie Books vs. True Blood
What’s the deal with all the supernatural love lately?
Books are my passion. I’d much rather read the literary version of something before tuning in to the flick. And for me, 90% of the time I enjoy the book more. I’ve been a fan of Sookie Stackhouse for years. I read Twilight when it first came out and have been a fan of Harry Potter from day one. But for some people, the love of all things creepy and bitey is a recent obsession. My question to you: Did True Blood and the Twilight film franchise elevate the love for vamps and creepies?
Three years ago, if I said Sookie Stackhouse in a room full of crowded people, there might be a few who knew what I was talking about. After describing the concept of the books, the people who never heard of Ms. Stackhouse and her interesting gift would kind of chuckle, then brush me off with disinterest. Occassionally, I’d find a friend who liked the novels and then I’d talk their ear off to the point of annoyance. It was rare for me to find a pal who shared my interest.
Now, I can’t throw a rock in a room without hitting a True Blood lover or a Twi-hard. At work, I hear constant debates over who is better, Eric or Bill. And on Monday, after the sexy Alcide made his tv debut, the water cooler was crowded with female co-workers who wanted to gush about his rugged good looks. I had three different friends ask me if I’d go to the midnight showing of Eclipse with them.
So has True Blood inspired more to go out and read the series? Stefanie Gostautas, a librarian in the New Jersey library system, noticed a huge spike in Sookie readership.
“We saw requests for the Sookie books skyrocket once the series came out.” Gostautas said. “It was mildly popular before True Blood, but certainly not well known. As soon as the HBO series became popular, we got so many customers who wanted to read the “True Blood” books.”
Twilight, a series that started out with a large following, saw a change in its demographic. Previously read by young teenage girls, Edward Cullen is now loved by grannys, moms and a totally new group of women. The huge following only increased with the release of the movies.
“I would say that the Sookie books saw a bigger upswing from the series than Twilight did from the movies.” said Gostautas. “At one point every single one of our Sookie books were checked out, so we took the opportunity to introduce people to other authors within the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre.”
Now in its third season, True Blood continues to thrive. According to Headlineplanet.com, 4.455 million people tuned in to see the gruesome Bill-Lorena scene. Twilight continues to beat movie records, earning more than $30 million in Wednesday night viewings alone. As the television and movie franchises continue to grow, so does the popularity of the novels that set them in motion. I haven’t been able to get my hands on a Sookie Stackhouse book for months in my local library without having to wait for it. And while I hate the waiting, I’m pumped to see my favorite series get the credit it deserves.
6.29.10 – Will Twilight Saga: Eclipse Topple Toy Story 3
This article paints an interesting picture of Eclipse, predicting its record breaking rise to the top of the movie charts. My question is, will Eclipse beat Toy Story 3?
I understand that the Twilight fans out there are fanatical. They love their movies and will sometimes see the movies more than once. But I’ve got to give the advantage to Toy Story 3. I know, I know. Toy Story? Really? The Toy Story franchise is pretty huge in itself and does have its own fan base. The place where I think Toy Story has the one up on Twilight? The movies are made for basically everyone. I’m a grown woman and I could not wait for Toy Story 3. Children, adults, grannies, boys, girls. Everyone lined up to see the much anticipated third film in the series.
Eclipse is opening at theaters less than a year after its predecessor, New Moon. Everyone is still dying to see it, but if they’d have waited to release the third film, they might have a better chance for more ratings, more money and more opening title wins.
What do you think? Will Eclipse knock Toy Story 3 out of its first place spot?
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b188016_can_eclipse_be_biggest_thing_ever.html
6.29.10 – For the love of books
In the Sookie Stackhouse Southern mystery series, Maryann doesn’t have a name. She has a small but important bit part and never feeds anyone nasty heart pot pies. Daphne doesn’t exist and she certainly doesn’t have a hot and steamy love affair with Sam, followed by some serious betrayal. Speaking of Sam, he doesn’t date Tara. They don’t sleep together. And our favorite spunky gal doesn’t date a guy named Eggs, doesn’t sleep with the bartender and doesn’t work at Merlotte’s. That’s just delving into the secondary characters. If you want to get serious and discuss the serious main characters, grab a chair. This could take all night.
I remember when I saw the first commercial for TrueBlood, an HBO series based on my favorite Southern heroin and her hot vampy friends. It was actually an advertisement for the Fellowship of the Sun. I laughed and then headed straight for the computer, googling everything I could until I found what I was looking for. Proof that True Blood would indeed be on HBO and would indeed be awesome. Although it was a gigantic challenge for me, I waited until half way through the season to start watching the show. I wanted to enjoy it marathon-style, in all of its glory, with popcorn and soda and probably a milkshake. And that is exactly what I did.
Should we talk about my disappointment in the fact that the show was so different from the books? Or we could discuss how I wasn’t sure I would even finish the rest of season one, much less hang on for another entire season and possibly a third. I moaned and groaned to my fiancé for hours, listing every miniscule difference and pointing out all of the ways I was unsatisfied with the Alan Ball project known as True Blood. My fiancé, Brian, rolled his eyes and tuned me out, but I was determined to gripe to someone about this travesty.
I called my pal Stefanie, who introduced me to Sookie. Before I could even open my mouth, she told me this. Think of the show as an extension of the books. Instead of thinking of the show as following the books, think of it as an alternate ending. Instead of hating the fact that the show is completely different, enjoy the fact that we get to see some new characters, like Jessica. And we get to see more of the fun guys that we loved, like Lafayette. Hmm… This was an interesting approach. I wasn’t sure what to think, but I sat back down the next weekend and rewatched the first half of the season with no expectations. And I watched the second half of the season a few weeks later. And when season 2 started, I tuned in with the rest of the vamp-loving public, perched on the edge of my couch in anticipation to see who was in the back of the car.
Sookie is still my favorite witty barmaid. And I love me some super hot Eric moments. But now I can enjoy Lafayette in all of his funky coolness. I can see more of sweet and sexy Sam Merlotte. I’m desperate for a ton of Alcide moments in the upcoming season and who knows? Maybe Mr. Ball will throw in a few twists to make me scratch me head, cringe or just plain say “Eww!”
6.29.10 – Ryan Kwanten’s Sex Guide: Flop or Fantastic?
When I first read that Ryan Kwanten was going to be writing a sex-ed book for Wall Street guys, a very specific image popped into my head. Patrick Bateman. Ok, Patrick Bateman minus the chainsaw and blood. The Wall Street sex machine was exactly who I pictured writing this book.
Hang on, now. Because when I picture Ryan Kwanten, I only see a meathead. A loveable meathead who gets in his own way. And now, he’s going to be pedaling a sex book for Wall Street business types that live the fast life and wear suits and hang out at the stock market. If anyone knows about sex, it is Jason Stackhouse. But for the savvy businessman? I’m not sure.
Kwanten said in an interview “You’ve got the Wall Street guys that lap up anything that’s a chance to make a quick buck. And then with the women, I guess it’s sort of the more…emotional sort of type stuff that’s gonna make you happy.”
Hmmm… He seems so confident on what makes women happy. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how the book takes off.
http://www.businessinsider.com/true-blood-character-is-working-on-a-wall-street-sex-guide-2010-6
6.26.10 – Re-Vamped
When ladies hear the name Bill Compton, they swoon. If someone says Edward Cullen, girls go weak in the knees. If you want to talk to me about Eric Northman, chances are I’ll go all glassy-eyed and will indulge in an awesome daydream involving the sexy vamp.
Vampires these days have taken on a whole new persona. Gone are the days when the blood-suckers were portrayed as nasty, scary fiends. Now, it is a time for sexy, dark, brooding vamps with a sympathetic and relatable personality. Back in the days of the mean-vamp, they would run around, suck blood, leave a trail of dead in their wake and think nothing of it. Today, vampires are characters for people to relate to. They have love affairs, they have feelings and they are brooding and sexy. They still carry around a danger factor, but for some reason we want to be near them.
While running into Angel may be a dream come true, there are still some vamps you’ll never want to meet in a dark alley. Here they are, in all their scary glory.
5. Max, the Lost Boys – He disguises himself as a giant geek, but deep down he’s actually a frightening, ugly, intelligent vampire. He tricks his way into an invite, becomes immune to all the classic vampire tests and earns a family’s trust. Then, when least expected, he flips a switch. Should you happen to run into this vamp, flee!
4. Mr. Barlow, Salem’s Lot – Parading around town as a businessman, Mr. Barlow is as scary as they come. Add in the fact that your own imagination is the vehicle for fright in this novel and you’re bound to be terrified and have haunting dreams of the businessman vamp.
3. Marlow, 30 Days of Night – Can we all say eww? Not only is this guy ugly and nasty, he has razor sharp teeth, perfect for flesh piercing and blood drinking. Oh, and he’s nice enough to inform his next meal that there is no God, no hope, no escape. What a charmer.
2. Count Orlock, Nosferatu – This guy is creepy with a capital C. That icky bald head and super long fingers are enough to keep anyone running in the opposite direction. The movie may be from 1922, but there isn’t a vamp yet who can match Orlock in his need for a mani-pedi.
1. Dracula, Dracula – This guy needs no intro. He’s the ultimate scary vampire and in the 1992 film, he’s probably the eeriest. Vampire, bat, creature of the night, Dracula is the ultimate creeper, topping every scary guy list out there.
Do you have a vamp that you would not want to cross paths with?
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