True Blood

True Blood: Anna Paquin Says Sookie is "Her Own Little Action Star"
Thursday, May 21, 2009

Actress Anna Paquin might have endeared herself to many for her breakthrough performance in The Piano, but these days she's known as the telepathic Sookie Stackhouse on HBO's acclaimed vampire drama True Blood. The 26-year-old star has been making headlines lately for her work on the series, especially since she snagged a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a TV Drama. What's more, she's also found romance on and off-screen with actor Stephen Moyer.

Paquin was recently interviewed by Hamptons Magazine and appeared on the cover of their current Memorial Day issue. She discussed her experiences on filming True Blood, how she felt about the Golden Globe honor, and of course her boyfriend.

"Steve and I had a certain instant connection," she told the publication. "It doesn't hurt when the relationship on screen that you're trying to create is one of attraction and fascination."

Of course, the chemistry has been apparent ever since she got pegged for the role of Sookie Stackhouse in Alan Ball's hit vampire show. According to Anna Paquin, the character is "her own little action star."

"I get blooded and vomited on and beat up -- everything that the girl doesn't usually get to do in a show or film because they're usually the girlfriend," she revealed.

It seems as though every bit of blood they put on her paid off. "The Golden Globe feels pretty damn good because I'm an adult, and it's the first major recognition I've had for my work as a non-child," Paquin admitted. "Even though I'm only 26, I've been working since I was nine, so it feels like I worked for it."

Thanks to all that hard work, Anna Paquin has quite a career ahead of her. Despite all her talents, she credits good fortune and determination to her success. "I came up through the ranks before the tabloid media became what it is currently," she said. " It wasn't as much as a feeding frenzy. I guess that's more good luck than good management. There was very little time to be affected, and my family didn't value that. I was usually at work or at school or at home doing my homework."

Don't forget to catch more of Anna Paquin's performance as True Blood returns for its second season this June on HBO.

-Maria Gonzalez, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Popeater.com

Michael Papajohn will appear on True Blood’s sophomore season

In several very recent interviews Michael Papajohn reveals that he will be on True Blood next season. On his website he states that filming will start in the week of April 27 and according to my info that would mean that he will play a part in Episode 2.09 - I Will Rise Up. But what Michael doesn’t reveal is the name of the character he will portray.

He plays one of the locals in the show’s fictional town of Bon Temps, La., and the good news is, he gets to live to perhaps see another episode. “I say that jokingly because I’ve died in so many movies that when I actually live, it’s kind of cool,” Papajohn says.

Michael Papajohn just concluded shooting Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and was most recently seen in Land of the Lost and Terminator Salvation.

On About.com Papajohn talks about True Blood:

And, being a huge True Blood fan, I have to ask you about getting a part in that HBO series. Are you playing a vampire?
Michael Papajohn: “I do not die.”

Okay…
Michael Papajohn: “What I can say is my wife treats me totally different now, she loves the show so much. A real quick story, my wife, she locks the door – ‘Watch the baby, True Blood’s on.’ You know, I love the show, I watch it [on Tivo] but my wife watches it when it comes on that night. So when I got the audition, she was giving me notes while I was running lines with her. She’s not an actress, which is really refreshing for me, but I run lines with her all the time. But this time she’s like, ‘No, no, no, Michael. You’re playing it all wrong. You’re playing it way too fast. You’ve got to watch the show; they play things slower.’ I said, ‘Paula, I’m just running lines with you,’ and she goes, ‘But your accent’s not even there.’”

“It was hilarious. And then right before I went out to go on my audition, she goes, ‘You have to get this. Now how can I go to the set with you?’ Now she’s figuring out how she could go to the set.”

“But no, it was cool. We went in the audition room to read for Alan Ball and you know the projects that he’s been involved with. Working on it, in my experience you walk on a set - even if it’s television - you kind of get a vibe of how the crew is and the actors with the crew. You can see why that show is so successful, because the collaboration with everyone and the energy on the set was amazing.”

Alexander Skarsgård and Carrie Preston couldn’t say enough good things about the production in our interviews.
Michael Papajohn: “Well I actually got to work with him. Everyone was awesome. And I can tell you I don’t die.”

How many episodes will you be in?
Michael Papajohn: “I don’t know. Who knows? They may have me back. That show can turn any moment. I can see watching it how anything can happen and anything can become anything.”

And characters you don’t know are going to become big can become big all of a sudden. It’s an interesting show.
Michael Papajohn: “My wife has been telling me for a year, ‘Michael, you have to get on that show,’ for a whole year. But I didn’t know it was about her wanting to meet all those good-looking vampires. [Laughing] She loves those vampires. I thought it was more about me and my career… She has an ulterior motive. I found that out later.”

Was the set as interesting to be on as it looks? It looks like they’re actually filming in Louisiana.
Michael Papajohn: “Well they do go to Louisiana to film but the majority of True Blood is filmed in LA and the set that they picked was, when I was working, was a cemetery. It was a really cool church that they picked, a great location for the scenes we did. [It was] a really cool cemetery outside of LA. I mean I drove up and the sun was going down and I was like, ‘Well the vampires are coming out tonight.’ What a set. I’m parking my car in the middle of the cemetery and it kind of felt too real. I was like, ‘No acting required,’ you know? I’m looking over my shoulder with my bag, waiting, just hoping for the van to come pick me up.”

True Blood: Burning questions from the season one finale

SPOILER ALERT!

If you haven't watched the entire season one of True Blood, you might not want to read any further.

The True Blood season one finale left a whole bunch of burning questions. Let's take a look at some, shall we?

1. Is Lafayette dead?

When Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Tara (Rutina Wesley) saw that foot with the painted toenails fall out of Detective Andy's car, they both screamed in horror like they knew the victim. Was it Lafayette? If the show remains true to the books, it was. Let's hope Lafayette is alive, or better yet, he's been turned into a vampire!

The book series kills off Lafayette early on, but Nelson Ellis has brought such vibrant life to the flaboyant, in-your-face gay character, it would be a shame if he disappeared. Some even say he's the most interesting character on the show. Plus, he has some unfinished business with that hypocritcal politician.

One hint that Lafayette may still be around is that he's listed as a character in season two on Buddy TV.

2. Who (or what) is that pig lady Maryann?

Maryann (Michelle Forbes) popped up out of the blue in episode eleven walking naked in the middle of the road with a pig and caused a drunk Tara to have a car accident. When Tara ended up in jail, Maryann swept in to bail her out when Tara's mother wouldn't, telling Tara she was a "social worker". When Tara saw her Mercedes, she asked Maryann, "what kind of social worker are you?".

Maryann took Tara to her well-appointed mansion, where Tara was pampered and met "Eggs". Without Tara's knowledge, the housekeeper took Tara's cellphone as Sam attempted to call her, while Maryanne was out back doing something weird with another pig (was she trying to shape-shift?). When Maryann and Sam saw each other, Maryann told him, "did you think you could hide from me forever, you silly dog?"

If the series follows the books, Maryann is a type of witch called a Maened. In ancient Greek mythology, Maeneds ("the raving ones") are female followers of Dionysus, who lose all self control, begin shouting excitedly, engage in uncontrolled sexual behavior, and ritualistically hunt down and tear animals (and sometimes men and children) to pieces, devouring the raw flesh. During these rites, the Maenads dress in fawn skins and weave ivy-wreaths around their heads. When Tara almost hit Maryann, she had ivy or twigs or something in her hair.

Some fans have theorized that Maryann killed Lafayette - remember the scene where Detective Andy told her the parking spot she was in was for police vehicles only? The theory goes that Lafayette's body was in the trunk, and she put it in Andy's car as petty revenge. In the book, the town coroner is coerced into killing Lafayette by the Maeneds (no, Maryann isn't the only one).

3. Where did Sam get all that cash?

After Sam (Sam Trammell) ran into Maryann, he opened the safe in his office at Merlotte's, which was full of cash, and stuffed it into a garbage bag. Where did it all come from? And is Sam fleeing town to escape Maryann, paying off a debt to her, or moving the money someplace else?

4. Will Sookie and Bill live happily ever after?

Apparently not. For one thing, Bill (Stephen Moyer) has that annoying Jessica following him around. Jessica is the girl he was forced to turn into a vampire by the Magister as his sentence for killing another vampire. In season two, Sookie has many suitors, mainly Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) the vampire sheriff. The battle between Bill and Eric for Sookie will be epic, since Sookie has "something special" that Eric wants.

But Bill and Eric won't be the only men vying for Sookie's love. Rumor has it season two introduces us to some sexy new werewolves, weretigers, panthers, and other shape-shifters who are all after Sookie. And also some fairies.

5. Has Jason become a religious anti-vampire zealot?

In the finale, when Jason (Ryan Kwanten) was released from jail, he was met by the leader of an anti-vampire religious order (or is it a cult?). The goal of the religion is to bring all vampires out into the sunlight, which of course would mean their death. They are especially enraged by the newly passed law allowing vampires to marry (an analogy to the current gay marriage movement). Jason certainly seemed to be on board with them, shouting, "Hallelujah!" during their sermon. But will he see the light of truth and get away from them?

Jason was always against Sookie dating Bill, and he went through hell in season one thinking he was a serial murderer. Let's hope Jason doesn't turn into an anti-vampire wingnut, and also that he remains a sexy (and often naked) horny beast.

MissSwan wrote:4. Will Sookie and Bill live happily ever after?
Apparently not. [...] In season two, Sookie has many suitors, mainly Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) the vampire sheriff. The battle between Bill and Eric for Sookie will be epic, since Sookie has "something special" that Eric wants.

Blood boiling over Gawker's vampire Web site
By DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer
Posted: 05/28/2009 03:26:48 PM PDT
Updated: 05/28/2009 03:42:11 PM PDT

NEW YORK—It's something Gawker's snarky arbiters of culture would normally find irresistible: An advertisement for a TV program in the form of a blog that's embedded within a popular Web site and made to look just like it.

It might, if the fake vampire blog paid for by HBO to promote its series "True Blood" wasn't on Gawker itself.

Gawker Media added a short disclaimer at the bottom of the "Bloodcopy" blog to distinguish itself from editorial copy shortly after it was initially posted on Wednesday, and a Gawker editor objected to the blurring line between editorial and ad copy.

A link to Bloodcopy appears at the bottom of the Gawker site, alongside links to other associated blogs like Deadspin for sports fans and Gizmodo for gadget geeks.

The fake site uses the same format and breezy style of all the blogs—and is purportedly written by a vampire named Andrew. "I'll be the Virgil to your Dante, the Tyra Banks to your Jade, the Jeff Probst to your Gervase," he writes by way of introduction.

The fake blog was preceded late last week by a fake "announcement" on the already existing Bloodcopy site that it would be "officially under the Gawker umbrella."

It's all part of an elaborate campaign for "True Blood," the successful vampire series that begins its second season June 14. "True Blood" is based on the conceit that vampires and other odd creatures casually exist alongside humans in a Louisiana town.

HBO hit paydirt last fall with a campaign advertising a faux drink that was a favorite of vampires and has expanded it this spring to work with existing companies like Geico and Harley Davidson for "ads" about other fake products designed for vampires. It has even produced a fake newscast, available on HBO on Demand and on HBO.com, geared to vampires.

HBO approached Gawker through the Campfire ad agency to work together on the Web site, said Zach Enterlin, HBO vice president of advertising and promotion. Neither HBO nor Gawker would say how much HBO paid for the blog, written by ad copywriters hired by Gawker.

The advertorial resembles an Internet version of the controversy created last month when the Los Angeles Times ran a front-page ad for the NBC program "Southland" that resembled a news story.

In a posting titled "About That Vampire Blog Thing," Gawker Managing Editor Gabriel Snyder objected to it. Gawker should have done a better job distinguishing the fake blog from the regular editorial copy, he said. "Gawker Media has been taken to the media criticism woodshed over this one," he wrote.

Chris Batty, Gawker's vice president of sales and marketing, said he respected the differing opinions. But he noted that Gawker has been working with companies to create messages that resonate more with blog readers than fixed-placed ads. In Gawker's formative years, it worked with companies like Nike and New Line to produce blogs that promoted their products. "A lot of time has passed and a lot of people who write for us don't remember how we used to pay the bills here," he said.

Batty said he was surprised that more people than expected "took this at face value."

The disclaimer, in tiny print at the bottom of the "Bloodcopy" blog, tells readers that "Bloodcopy is a sponsored partnership between HBO, Campfire and Gawker Media."

HBO's Enterlin said the intention was to have fun, not deceive. He left to Gawker any questions about editorial propriety. From HBO's perspective, it has been a successful ad campaign, he said.

"Considering that it's clearly stated that a vampire is writing this blog, the faux aspect of it really isn't hidden," Enterlin said.

True Blood: Is Lafayette A Goner?
Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Two weeks, or thirteen days, to be exact, before True Blood, season 2. There are new people coming in, and the cynical (or clueless) will say it's to replace the people who were killed in the first season last year. Then again, if you've been reading the books--I'll admit, I haven't--then you'll know these things are written out, so for the most part, they're inevitable.

Which leads us to Lafayette, that homosexual cook at Merlotte's. Stephen Moyer recently talked to E! Online about the character, and actually revealed... nothing. Or maybe everything's been said in what he didn't say. Possible spoilers ahead, so click if you have to!

"Lafayette, I can't talk about," he said, when asked about the future of Nelsan Ellis' character. "Nelsan is an amazing dude, and, uh, I hope he does come back ... but I, you know ... who knows."

Is there a huge question mark on his future? Ellis is not in any of the show's promotional photos, nor in the press releases. Lafayette isn't in the later books in the Sookie Stackhouse series, even. So if he's really going to be gone, well, it's something we should expect, pending a reason why he'll be gone.

I'll put a marker on what Moyer just said. "I hope he does come back," he said, and my speculative radar comes up. Did something happen between Ellis and the producers? Far shot, I know, since there's been no noise of that sort around True Blood lately (as far as I know), but you can't eliminate that. Either that, or the writers are trying to circumvent around the books and get him back for some part of the upcoming season, and perhaps beyond.

But I don't know. There's also the thing of girl-to-girl action in future episodes, but...

6 New True Blood Season 2 Character TV Spots!

HBO is in full-force with promoting the second season of True Blood, airing June 14th, with a slew of new character TV spots
from the show. Take a look at Sookie, Bill, Tara, Jason, Maryann and Eric below.

True Blood creator Alan Ball reveals what's coming in season two

If you didn't see the first season of HBO's True Blood, you'd better pay attention if you want be able to follow the show's second season, said creator and executive producer Alan Ball in an exclusive interview with SCI FI Wire.

"Everything gets deeper," Ball said. "Everything gets more intense. It's a lot scarier. It's sexier. It's just really, really fun. I feel like each season is a novel, and the episodes are just chapters. Especially the way our show is. The episodes are not self-contained. You know, you gotta be involved in the story, and you gotta know what's going on."

True Blood's second season begins June 14 in its Sunday 9 p.m. ET/PT timeslot. The season is based loosely on the second book in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse Series, Living Dead in Dallas, Ball said.

"Sookie [Anna Paquin] and Bill [Stephen Moyer] will go to Dallas to help find a missing vampire who is the sheriff of the Dallas area," Ball said. "And Jason [Ryan Kwanten] is going to become involved in the Fellowship of the Sun Church in a way that is really surprising. ... There's a very interesting relationship in the show between Rev. Steve Newland of the Fellowship of the Sun Church and his wife, Sarah [Anna Camp], and Jason, that just took on its own life as we were shooting, and it's hilarious. I can't get enough of the Newlands and Jason together."

And Sookie's hometown of Bon Temps will have some drama as well when Maryann Forrester, played by Michelle Forbes, "begins stirring up all kinds of trouble," Ball said. Last season Maryann appeared to offer Tara (Rutina Wesley) some goodwill and a place to stay. But "she's got an agenda, and it's not a good one," Ball said.

According to Ball, the vampire series will continue to explore the "terrors of intimacy, in that when you really, really open up and let another person into your life and your psyche, it can be terrifying—especially when that person is a vampire. ... And then there's just the whole exploration of the dark side of human nature," he said.

While Ball plans on incorporating many elements from the book, he admits he's taken liberties. He's expanded several of the characters' stories and added more of an African-American presence. And one thing you won't see in True Blood is Elvis, a character who ends up helping Sookie out in many of her adventures in the books. In the novel series, the real Elvis gets turned into a vampire; however, the process leaves him different. Elvis becomes Bubba, a slightly touched vampire whom the vampire community takes care of.

"We are not going to meet him," Ball said. "I just couldn't figure out a way to do it that would not be cheesy. I mean, not that it is in the books. It's great, because you can imagine that it's him. ... But the only way to do it [on screen] is to have some Elvis impersonator, and it just wouldn't [be] the same."

Ball added: "The challenges for me are to remain very true to the spirit of Charlaine's books and the world and the characters. To not just go, like, 'Oh, it's supernatural, so we can do this. Wouldn't it be fun?' without keeping it rooted in the characters' emotional lives. You know, I'm a big fan. I've read a lot of speculative fiction, and the ones that really work for me are the ones in which, no matter how outlandish or otherworldly the story is, the characters, I really care about them. I'm really invested, and I understand why they behave the way they do. I'm rooting for them, and so that's the challenge for this show as well. And in that sense it's not that different from Six Feet Under [Ball's first HBO series]. People did a lot of outlandish things on that show, but you had to remain invested in them. And this is pretty much the same thing. I do have to say that I've never worked in any genre-type format where you can really just open so many doors. There's a lot of ways to tell stories that are really fresh and exciting for me as a storyteller."

IESB.NET interviews Ryan Kwanten

(IESB.NET - 6/3/09) - This season, Jason gets involved with anti-vampire sect Fellowship of the Sun, which he later discovers has a really dark side. In this exclusive interview, Ryan Kwanten spoke about his character’s new storyline, along with his role as an animated character in Zack Snyder’s(Watchmen) upcoming film, Guardians of Ga’Hoole.

IESB: Without giving anything away, what can viewers expect from Season 2 of True Blood?

Ryan: The tone will still be True Blood, in its essence, but the series has expanded enormously. If we opened the door in the first season, we’ve kicked it down this year. There are more characters and more worlds. This show has moved into Dallas, so it’s cutting back and forth between Dallas and Bon Temps. And, the madness will and does ensue.

IESB: Is Season 2 a more emotional, vulnerable, soul-searching season for Jason Stackhouse?

Ryan: Absolutely! You couldn’t have put it better, actually. He’s looking for a real sense of who he is, of belonging and his purpose in the world. In Season 2, he thinks he’s found it, until cracks start appearing. But, he’s definitely trying to mend his wayward ways. Anything that he does is always out of a sense of innocence. When he hit Sookie in the first season, and a bunch of other things that he did that would not be considered right or good, just because of his innocence and his childlike nature, he can be forgiven. There’s redeeming qualities in there.

IESB: Are there as many twists and turns in Season 2, as there were in Season 1? Will there be things thrown in that deviate from the books?

Ryan: We definitely continue to do that because we have to keep it entertaining for a TV savvy audience, as opposed to a book-reading audience. And, it’s leaving it in the hands of Alan Ball. The guy is just a genius. He never wants to put Charlaine Harris’ work into disrepute, but he also has to be aware that it’s a TV show and not a book.

IESB: Were you at all surprised by the huge acclaim that the show has received, and the devoted fan following that it has now?

Ryan: I definitely knew that the quality of the script was there, and I loved the ensemble cast that they put together. We knew we were part of something special, but you never quite know how the public is going to react to a show, no matter how good you feel about it. We really wanted people to like it ‘cause I love playing this character so much. But, no, we weren’t prepared for just how much it would be. And then, week after week, the ratings and the viewership grew exponentially. It was a really nice thing to see people jumping on the True Blood train.

IESB: You make Jason very likeable, even though he does things that are unlikeable. Were you ever surprised at how much viewers like him and forgive him for what he does?

Ryan: That’s really nice to hear. There’s definitely things that I try to put into the performance that layer who he is and, hopefully, give him a subtext, so he’s not just this redneck horndog, going around town doing silly things. He’s a man trying to find himself.

IESB: Was it difficult to find that balance, so that you could make him accessible to viewers?

Ryan: Yes, it was. From the get-go, Alan always said, “More than anything, I want you to remember that it’s fun to be Jason.” So, even in the ridiculous, and sometimes life-and-death, situations that he found himself in, I still had to play it with a sense of childlike big eyes.

IESB: Did you have a moment where you knew you were on the right track with that?

Ryan: That’s really hard. I don’t know. People say really nice things, but I’m always striving to do better. I look at scenes and episodes, and I think, “Oh, I could have done that. I should have done that. Maybe I’ll try this next time.” That’s the struggle that artists go through, anyway. We’re not really the best at judging our own work, but it’s always nice to hear people saying nice things about it.

IESB: Since Jason is more off on his own this season, with the Fellowship of the Sun storyline, was it weird not to be acting with the regular cast that you had grown accustomed to in Season 1, or does that help keep things fresh, when you’re playing a character for a longer period of time?

Ryan: There was definitely a sense of leaving these people that I had become so familiar with, but at the same time, it was a really nice storyline to have for me. The writers trusted Jason and me enough to think that he was worthy of his own little piece in this crazy world. Sookie’s got her own thing going on, as does Tara (Rutina Wesley). We all come together, towards the finale episode, but we spend the majority of the season away from each other. But, I think it really works. The episodes get strong and stronger. For me, I think the third episode of the second season is the best episode ever of True Blood.

IESB: Who are you working with most often in Season 2?

Ryan: I’m working with the two actors who run the Fellowship of the Sun. The characters are Reverend Newlin and his wife, Sarah Newlin, and they’re played by Michael McMillian and Anna Camp. I worked with them for at least a good half to 2/3 of the season. And then, towards the end, Sookie’s world and my world start colliding, so I start coming in contact with the vampires and they start infiltrating the Fellowship of the Sun. There’s some good stuff that comes out there, and I get into the action.

IESB: For those who might not be familiar with the show or the books, can you explain what the Fellowship of the Sun is and how Jason gets involved with them?

Ryan: He originally gets involved at the end of the first season, when he’s approached by a guy called Orry Dawson (Michael Bofshever), who is somewhat of a poacher. He’s someone who tries to get people into a church. And so, the Fellowship is a church-like organization that believes in rights for humans, which then falls in line that they’re against the vampires and everything that they stand for. The head of that organization is now Reverend Steve Newlin, who claims that his father was killed by vampires, so now he’s leading the surge and trying to rid the world of what he calls an evil influence, breaking down the very foundations of what makes us human.

IESB: When you return to playing a character that you’ve already gotten to play for a season, does it feel like you’re returning to a familiar friend, instead of having to discover who he is?

Ryan: Yeah, I definitely know who Jason is, and there isn’t a single moment, when I’m on set, where I don’t know what he’s going to do. That’s what I really love playing about him. I’m usually far too cerebral with some of my characters, in terms of what they would and wouldn’t do. But, the great thing about playing Jason is that I just really fly by the seat of my pants, at every moment, so I keep it very loose and very fresh, and it gives a sense of unpredictability to him.

IESB: You’re very different from your character. Is that something that’s been very intentional, or is that just who you are?

Ryan: I’m Australian. I have no reason to be anybody else, but myself. I’m not putting on a public face, or anything like that. But, I love the fact that he is different from me. In between takes, and as soon as we wrap for the day, I can go back to my life and who I am. There’s a distinct difference between who he is and who I am, and the life that we both live. That’s the beauty of acting.

IESB: Are there any of Jason’s characteristics that you wish you could apply to your own life?

Ryan: Yeah. Not to the extent that Jason does, but the fact that he doesn’t over think things. In fact, he almost does the opposite. I almost burden myself sometimes, with just these random thoughts of nothingness, so it would be nice to be able to filter that out.

IESB: With the different storyline that you have this season, are you doing less nudity on the show? And, is the nudity something that you become more comfortable with, or is it always just part of the job that you have to deal with?

Ryan: Yeah, it’s part of being an actor. You quite often have to deal with accents, body image, mannerisms, gestures, and this and that. That’s just part of acting. But, this season, he’s all buttoned up with nowhere to go. I have very little, if any, sex scenes. All the other actors are taking their fair share of that. Anything I had last season, they’ve all got this season. I’m all wrapped up.

IESB: Now that you’ve been doing the show for a little while, do you have any more of an understanding for why people are so intrigued by vampires and the supernatural?

Ryan: Albert Einstein said that they most beautiful thing that we can experience is the mysterious, and I really believe that. A lot of people think that vampires are the absolute epitome of mystery, and I think there’s a real sense of intrigue to vampires. And, the great thing about this show is that it’s more than just vampires. It explores Southern life and American life, and the characters within that, and then these other worlds that are thrown into the world that we live in. It’s a really unique show that’s impossible to pigeonhole.

IESB: What is the most enjoyable thing about working on True Blood, and what has been the most challenging thing about it?

Ryan: I have to say that both would be my character. The character that I play is both the hardest and most enjoyable thing to play, as far as how he interacts with people. And then, we also have such an amazing crew that just give us, the actors, a real sense of it being okay to fuck up and take risks ‘cause they’ve got our back and will let us know if it’s working or if it’s not, and it’s the same with the actors. And, HBO is so behind the show and Alan is such a genius with these storylines they keep giving everyone. They’re so beautiful and so layered.

IESB: After working for so many years to make a name for yourself in Hollywood, does it make it that much more rewarding to have a network that is so behind the show and that you have all this fan support?

Ryan: Oh, 100%, yeah. We all talk about it on set that we’d be happy if this show kept going, season after season. We really would. There’s no one who is bitching or moaning on set, believe me. We’re all very, very happy campers.

IESB: Have you done anything else recently that’s going to be coming out soon?

Ryan: Yeah. I’m 3/4 of the way through Zack Snyder’s new film, Guardians of Ga’Hoole. He’s the guy who did 300 and Watchmen. It’s an animated feature with Hugh Jackman and a couple other people. I’m lending my voice to the role of Kludd. And then, we’re just organizing a couple films now for the hiatus, which comes up in a month or so.

IESB: What’s it like to do a voice for an animated character?

Ryan: It’s really quite interesting. They’re definitely got a structure for the animation, and they’ve got a story, but in terms of the intimacies and the details of that character, they leave a lot of that until after you do your reading, and then they also film that so they can see your actions and the way your mouth moves when it says a line. Then they incorporate that into various parts of the animation for your character. And then, Zack, in himself, is very much an actor’s director. He’s always willing to give you a shot to do it your way, which is nice.

True Blood: Alan Ball Floats Charlaine Harris Cameo, And Then Some
Friday, June 05, 2009

Somehow we all had to see this coming. The original writer of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Charlaine Harris, is set to make a cameo appearance in the season finale of True Blood--which, as we all know, was adapted from those very books.

Series creator Alan Ball revealed that he has been keeping touch with Harris, although they haven't been discussing the direction the show, which returns for its second season on June 14, should take. "She actually is going to come out and do a cameo probably in the last episode of the season," he said. "But I do think it's best to just respect that boundary. Maybe I'm just being chicken because I don't want to hear that she hates this or she hates that."

Never mind that the series has been deviating a bit from the books as of late, but hey, it's creative license, right?

Anyway, inevitably Ball would end up discussing that other vampire-related thing, Twilight, and only because there's been a fascination for vampires as of late--with those films, this series, and the upcoming Vampire Diaries on the CW. He says he isn't worried that there are many vamp-related properties nowadays.

"I can't really talk that much about Twilight because I haven't read any of the books or seen the movie, but I personally don't really understand why you would have vampires in something that's basically about abstinence," he said. "I guess it makes it safe for young girls to fantasize about vampires in a way that isn't really threatening ... But as long as people love vampires and it helps bring them to our show, I'm happy."

Oh, and a couple of details about the upcoming season, too. This season of True Blood, he says, will revolve around "the power of cults." "Whether that's a neo-Greco pagan cult or a church of organized religion," he elaborated.

He also revealed that Evan Rachel Wood will be appearing as a guest star on the series, as powerful 500-year-old vampire Sophie-Anne Leclerq--although her character isn't supposed to show up this early, at least according to the books, the show's writers decided to do an early introduction, and she immediately came to Ball's mind.

"I got a call from Evan's manager during the first season saying that she loved the show and would love to be a part of it," he said. "I was thrilled because I think she's an amazing actress ... but I don't really create roles for actors. But when we decided to meet [the character] this season, I thought, 'Wow, she would be really great for that--let's see if we can make it work.' And fortunately, it did."

Nine days to go, then.

-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: New York Daily News

True Blood
(Series; HBO, Sun. June 14, 9 p.m.)
By BRIAN LOWRY

Filmed in Louisiana by Your Face Goes Here Entertainment. Executive producers, Alan Ball, Gregg Fienberg; co-executive producers, Brian Buckner, Nancy Oliver; supervising producer, Alexandra Woo; producers, Mark McNair, Raelle Tucker; director, Daniel Minahan; writer, Woo;

Sookie Stackhouse - Anna Paquin
Bill Compton - Stephen Moyer
Jason Stackhouse - Ryan Kwanten
Tara Thornton - Rutina Wesley
Sam Merlotte - Sam Trammell
Arlene Fowler - Carrie Preston
Bud Dearborne - William Sanderson
Andy Bellefleur - Chris Bauer
Terry Bellefleur - Todd Lowe
Maryann Forrester - Michelle Forbes
Eric - Alexander Skarsgard
Jessica - Deborah Ann Woll
Eggs "Benedict" Talley - Mehcad Brooks
Rev. Steve Newlin - Michael McMillian

The second season of "True Blood" goes down smooth, representing a perfect summer concoction -- long on soapy romance, macabre intrigue, and graphic bursts of sex and violence. HBO's stab at playing to a cult audience has turned out to be perfectly timed for the pay channel, offering a lighter counterweight to the emotionally darker dramas airing elsewhere. And while the vampires-as-downtrodden-minority gay metaphor continues to resonate throughout these early episodes, exec producer Alan Ball and company have firmly established their alternate universe as its own engrossing (and occasionally gross) little world.

Cast additions that came onboard as season one progressed have also shot adrenaline through "Blood's" veins, though the central story remains the same: The different-worlds romance between Sookie (Anna Paquin), who has the psychic ability to hear people's thoughts; and Bill (Stephen Moyer), the vampire born during the Civil War era for whom she has madly fallen, and vice versa.

Their relationship is complicated, however -- and that qualifies as an enormous understatement -- by sundry outside forces, including the regional vampire leader Eric (Alexander Skarsgard), who covets Sookie's powers; and the teenage Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), who Bill was compelled to transform into a vampire. The latter yields darkly comic results, inasmuch as petulant youth and a thirst for blood are a potentially combustible mix.

Meanwhile (and there are a lot of meanwhiles), Sookie's friend Tara (Rutina Wesley) continues to fall under the spell of the mysterious Maryann (Michelle Forbes), adding a spooky "Rosemary's Baby"-type undercurrent to the proceedings; and Sookie's dimwitted brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten) experiences a religious awakening, enlisting in the vampire-hating Light of Day Institute.

In short, there's a helluva lot going on, and the assorted subplots feel more compelling this season, including the constant sense of menace surrounding both Eric and Maryann. Moreover, the religious overtones of the Jason storyline should irritate the religious right (just to drive home the parallel, a sign in the credits says "God Hates Fangs"), whose intolerance toward gays has been superimposed onto the undead. "They live forever, but we were here first!" the group's acolytes cheerfully sing on the bus to their religious retreat.

Without spoiling anything, there is also a scene in the second hour (four were made available) that might be as grotesque as anything ever produced for television. In fact, I'm feeling a little nauseous now just thinking about it, which I realize, for some, will in and of itself provide a strong inducement to watch.

Fortunately, "True Blood" boasts several less-grisly enticements, as well as the whole women/teenagers-love-vampires fantasy that, frankly, strikes me as vaguely pathetic. Then again, there's something to be said for a series that connects with audiences on various levels --with characters both above ground and below.

camera, Matthew Jensen; production designer, Suzuki Ingerslev; editor, Michael Ruscio; music, Nathan Barr; casting, Junie Lowry Johnson, Libby Goldstein. 60 MIN.

Exclusive Interview with 'True Blood' Star William Sanderson
Friday, June 05, 2009

Even if you don't know the name, you know the face of William Sanderson. He's one of those iconic character actors who can show up anywhere. On television he's been on Newhart, Deadwood, Lost and his current gig as Sheriff Bud Dearborn on HBO's vampire drama True Blood, which returns for season 2 June 14. In films, he's been in everything from Blade Runner to The Rocketeer to the Civil War drama Gods and Generals.

BuddyTV spoke to William Sanderson about his career and the new season of True Blood. Sanderson talked about vampires, his guest appearance on this season of Lost, and an upcoming Starz documentary about character actors he'll be appearing in.

Season 2 is just around the corner so what's new for this new season of True Blood?

Well, I've been warned not talk too much about specifics but certainly more sex and violence. And we're maybe a little more than half way through and I'm told it's going to get really crazy here shortly. I hope that doesn't mean they're going to kill the sheriff.

What is going on with Sheriff Dearborn? He was a little bit on the periphery during the first season.

Oh, and he'll probably be there this season. But he's still trying to solve a crime and, you know, I keep thinking if he doesn't solve something he might lose his job. In acting if you don't come up with something you can lose your job. I've had a director in New York many years ago say, "If you don't get more inventive I'm gonna fire you." Believe me: I came up with something.

But at least in True Blood there's always a new murder. There's always new deaths, so there's at least always a job for a sheriff.

Well, sheriff's come and go don't they. I don't mean to dwell on that. There wasn't a lot on him in the books so it wasn't like I didn't have some inkling. Charlene Harris did an interview the other day and said she'd like to see more of my character and she said she's always loved William Sanderson. I'm not to send it to the writers. We're sort of at the mercy of the producers and writers, but we've got great ones, and I'm proud to support Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer and Ryan Kwanten, and just a slew of young actors. I'm a graybeard so I might be like a disease to them.

You talk about how Sheriff Dearborn isn't that prominent in the books. Is that freeing for an actor where you get to make it up?

Well, a good question. You can cheat a little more. If you're playing a real life character you have a duty to be as honest and as correct as you can be in a portrayal. So I guess it does free you a little bit. But it all comes from the writers. I sound like the greatest suck up. But when I was younger I took the writing for granted and now I don't. We have a great one in Alan Ball who won an Academy Award for American Beauty, as most people know. Created Six Feet Under. I just love working with him. He's my favorite director. He gives you tips that some of the directors don't know. You don't know what's in the creator's mind.

Yeah, you've definitely had experience with the great writers - now Alan Ball for True Blood, you had David Milch for Deadwood. I'd imagine at least the dialogue is a little easier to learn and memorize on True Blood.

Well, yes, it's not as inverted. Shakespeare would invert two times, David Milch might invert the sentences three. But one of the virtues of this show is that you get the scripts ahead of time. David - the only way he could work - Milch - was to turn it out at the last minute. Everybody works different but this one helps you sleep better.

If you get one of these new scripts do you pour through it right away and say, "Uh oh. Am I gonna die in this episode?"

Absolutely. I hate to admit it. Some of these wonderful actors admitted they wanted to see how long their characters' survived. But one stays ready for the inevitable and in spite of having nightmares of inadequacy I'll be alright. I worked with Tommy Lee Jones a lot - six jobs I survived . He said "We'll be alright if we die tomorrow." He also said I had a lot to be humble about.

Well at least if you died on this show, theoretically you could come back as a vampire. Would you want to play a vampire on the show?

I'll do anything to be on TV, John. My wife should get a residual either way. I just love working for HBO. I think they hire good people - especially the writers and creators - and stay out of their way. They've certainly been good to me.

When you go down to Louisiana is that a different atmosphere? Do you get a different sense of the characters?

Yeah, you've got to slow down a little bit. They don't move quite as fast. But I love the atmosphere - the antebellum homes, the moss, the people are very kind.

Being on Deadwood, it was such a critically acclaimed show, a lot of people loved it, it won a lot of awards. Has that really helped your career where suddenly all of these doors open?

I can't tell but I think the fact that I showed up and I wasn't drunk and my wife didn't have to prop me up on Deadwood may have led indirectly to getting this job. If I'm not too long winded here, Alan Ball said when I met him and read the piece - he said "I didn't see Deadwood." So to this day I think that may not be why I got the job. It wasn't everybody's cup of tea. I worked with Kris Kristofferson and he wasn't fond of the language, and this is one of America's greatest poets. Named his son Blake after the great English poet. I said, "Did you think the language was gratuitous?" And he said, "That's it, Billy."

You recently guest starred on an episode of Lost.

Oh! Thank you for remembering that.

Of course. Lost fans remember every little detail. Was that just sort of a one episode thing or...?

Well, they never said anything differently. A few years ago they had talked to my agent and were giving me dates and promised - or implied - that I would be doing a recurring role. Well, that didn't happen, so the fact that it came around again for me to do a different role, I was very grateful. I said, "Well, they don't hate me." But they did not say anything about doing another role and I hate that because when they do it, sometimes they promise you, "This might recur" and it just messes your head up. Just a one time thing as far as I know.

I also understand you're in an upcoming documentary about famous character actors.

It's a documentary I did called The Face is Familiar. It airs on Starz June 9 and has Samuel L. Jackson and a lot of wonderful character actors. I saw it. It was terrific and I was happy they didn't cut me out. And I hope somebody will go to my website. I love for people to read about me.

True Blood Season 2: Spoilers with Alexander Skarsgard, Sookie, Maryann and Ashley Jones
May 28, 2009 by AdoreBill

True Blood Season 2 spoiler news featuring tidbits about Alexander Skarsgard’s character Eric Northman, Sookie Stackhouse, Maryann and Ashley Jones who plays Daphne. These spoiler tidbits come from Michael Ausiello at ausiellofiles.ew.com who answers a readers question about Alan Ball’s hit HBO TV series True Blood which returns for Season 2 on Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 9PM/ET on HBO. Instead of rewriting it let me present it to you it its original content so no changes occurs in the interpretation.

Question: Since you’ve seen the first four True Blood episodes of season 2, is there anything you can share? — Sanna
Ausiello: They’re bloody fangtastic! (Never. Gets. Old.) Seriously, season 2 — premiering June 14 — gets off to a thrilling, gory, scary, sexy, disgusting, funny, suspenseful start. Alan Ball would drive a wooden stake through my heart if I spoiled any of the big twists (i.e. my lips are sealed about the fate of a certain flamboyant vampire blood dealer), but here are a few juicy morsels to whet your appetite:

• There are three orgies, all of them powered by Maryann’s (Michelle Forbes) aphrodisiac fairy dust.
• Alexander Skarsgard’s Nordic vamp has an extremely homoerotic encounter with a character who shall remain nameless. In related news, there are about two dozen gratuitous shirtless shots in the first four episodes, all of them belonging to either Mechad Brooks (Tara’s new BF, Eggs) or Ryan Kwanten (Jason).
• Sookie has a very revealing conversation with a new character in episode 4.
• If you’re wondering what secret Merlotte’s newest waitress (played by Ashley Jones) is harboring, a clue can be found on her skin.

SOURCE: ausiellofiles.ew.com

True Blood Season 2 Spoiler: More Episode Guide Info

June 7, 2009 by AdoreBill

Here is a True Blood Season 2 spoiler: episode descriptions for the first 6 episodes. Many thanks to Buellblaster who found this information. Don’t forget everyone season 2 of Alan Ball’s hit HBO TV vampire series returns on Sunday, June 14, 2099 at 9PM/ET on HBO. Based on these synopsis’s of episodes you do not want to miss any moment of season two!

18.Friend Is a Four Letter Word
Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric; Bill is shocked when a vampire from his past resurfaces in Dallas; Jason must make difficult emotional and physical choices.
07-26-2009

17.Never Let Me Go
While in Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own; Jason is rewarded for his hard work at the Light of Day boot camp; Eric shares a secret about his past with Bill.
07-19-2009

16.Let’s Take a Trip Together
Bill and Sookie travel to Dallas to carry out Eric’s mission; Jason falls victim to a practical joke; Maryann throws a birthday party for Tara.
07-12-2009

15.Scratches
Bill enlists Eric’s help to save Sookie after she is attacked by a mysterious creature; Jessica finds a willing suitor in Hoyt; Tara finds her attraction to Eggs interrupted by a swirling fog.
06-28-2009

14.Keep This Party Going
Sookie and Bill contend with teen vampire Jessica; Jason impresses his Light of Day leaders; Maryann casts her spell at Merlotte’s.
06-21-2009

13.Nothing But the Blood
A shocking murder outside Merlotte’s bar has the people of Bon Temps reeling; Sookie and Bill’s relationship is tested; Sam recalls an encounter he had with Maryann as a 17-year-old.
06-14-2009

SOURCE: msn.com via Buellblaster

'True Blood' Spoiler Alert: They'll Fight, They'll Argue, And They'll (Probably) Mourn
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Four days to Sunday, which means four days to True Blood! Yeah, I should stop looking at my watch this often and letting you know what's up. Well, before the second season gets swinging, how about some spoilers? That is, if you want to. Sure? Okay. I think the article's title sums up what we'll be discussing here quite perfectly, so here comes the prerequisite notice. Spoilers are up ahead, so if you'd rather be kept in the dark, well, don't click!

"Our characters have had f--ing lust, romantic sex, emotional sex... [but now] it's more like a normal relationship. They argue. But there's a yang to that yin. There's make-up sex."

So said Stephen Moyer in an interview with TV Guide Magazine, who probably succeeded in giving us a pretty good idea of what to expect, provided you haven't read the books yet. (Disclaimer: I haven't.) So yes, Sookie and Bill are together now, and then what? The first story involves Jessica, the 17-year-old vampire who Bill sired after killing a vampire who threatened Sookie. The character, who will be played by Deborah Ann Woll, will complicate things for the couple.

"Jessica convinces Sookie to take her back to her parents' house just to look through the window," Anna Paquin explained. "But she doesn't just look through the window, and things go horribly, horribly wrong."

And by horribly, horribly wrong, they meant a very charged quarrel. I don't know how exactly to describe this, but let's just say it was so charged that they didn't talk after the scene wrapped shooting--perhaps to keep the tension real, you know, you get the idea. (No, I'm not saying they really fought. Just to get that out of the way.) Let's also just say Sookie gets sooo fed up with Bill that she leaves him in the car, saying, "I'd rather walk!"

The other new character you might watch out for is Evan Rachel Woods' Sophie, that vampire queen who will, uhm... let's just let her explain things. "[She] is half Patrick Bateman, half Paris Hilton," she told E! Online. "She loves to tell people what to do--like, she could tell Bill to go play Yahtzee or something--but she's not going to sleep with him, because she likes the ladies." While I think it'd be on the side, well, who knows?

Finally, there's the question of how the first season ended--with the dead body found somewhere else. Is it really Lafayette? We said, maybe, we said, maybe not, but book readers (or those who somehow know) might want to take creator Alan Ball's word on it. "People who've read the books know who that is," he said.

That, and it'll be pretty bloody. As if the title of the show doesn't suggest that already.