Recently it has come to the attention of the True Blood fan community that an article has appeared in the New York Post, reporting how Robert Pattinson has dissed Twilight’s rivals:
Other vampires are available.
A human girl in love with a vampire has become one of the most common concepts in pop culture. But Robert Pattinson dismisses vampire TV shows such as “True Blood” and “The Vampire Diaries” as “Twilight” copycats.
“It’s like that Coke versus Pepsi thing, and how Coke just said ‘There’s a reason everyone compares themselves to us,’” he said, according to Web site Hollywood Life. “‘Twilight’ was the original and everybody’s trying to copy it. They’re all just trying to jump aboard the ‘Twilight’ train.”
Now it’s entirely possible that his words were taken out of context, or he was just kidding around, but the media has chosen to see this as a disparaging remark about True Blood. I’ve noticed that you Twilight fans are naturally very defensive of anything that Mr. Pattinson has to say, and I’ve also noticed that many of you do tend to share this attitude that True Blood and The Vampire Diaries are just poor relatives of Twilight. Here is a typical quote I have found from a Twilight fan responding to those who have criticised Robert for sounding ignorant in his remark:
“rob is so right about all these nonsense copycats.they were just trying to play a copy paste game.,,, ,,TWILIGHT’S CASTS are soooooo amazing that they made a blockbuster movie .chill and relax bcoz twilight was the one started these vampires obsessed(THE TRUTH!!!)”
Wow, such an articulate argument! However, there’s something I’d like to clear up – True Blood is based on a series of novels by Charlaine Harris, entitled The Southern Vampire Mysteries (give them a read, if you can cope with all the saucy stuff without your brains exploding). The first of these was published in 2001. Twilight, as I’m sure you’re well aware, was published in 2005. Likewise the first Vampire Diaries novel was published in 1991. True Blood actually first aired in September 2008, several months before the release of Twilight the movie. So just in case you are among the Twihards accusing these shows of bandwagon-jumping, it’s important to note that both pre-dated Twilight.
I’m a big comic book geek, especially when it comes to vampire comics. So when it was announced that IDW, the publishers behind the Spike and Angel series, were going to be releasing a series of True Blood comics, I had a massive nerd-gasm. Fourteen issues in, and this week saw the news that IDW will be making the True Blood comic series an ongoing monthly release from spring 2012. While this comes as welcome news, I can’t help but feel a degree of trepidation.
True Blood Comic issues 1-12
On paper, the True Blood comics sound like they couldn’t possibly fail to live up to awesomeness of the show that inspired them. The first six-issue arc, All Together Now, has a storyline conceived by head honcho Alan Ball and fellow True Blood staff writers Kate Barnow and Elisabeth Finch. The script is co-written by David Tischman, of the excellent Bite Club comics on Vertigo (like True Blood meets The Sopranos!), and illustrated by David Messina, who did a superb job on the Spike and Angel comics. The second arc, Tainted Love, mixed things up a bit by bringing in Michael McMillian, known to fans as the guy who plays vampire-hating preacher Steve Newlin in the show, to co-write the script. He’s no newcomer to the comic world – check out him and Zachary Quinto’s comic Lucid, a crazy mix of Arthurian legend and secret agents! Also new to the team was writer Marc Andreyko, currently helming the Let the Right One In prequel comics, and illustrator Joe Corroney, a celebrated Star Wars artist for LucasArts, who’s also worked on the Spike and Angel comics. Right now we’re mid-way through the third arc, The French Quarter, and the original team are back, with a story that follows on from the cliffhanger in issue six.
Comic Sookie also has numerous three-way fantasies.
The depictions of characters can’t be faulted, the dialogue crackles with lewdness and hilarity that makes it sound like it could have come straight out of the show, and the tone is the perfect blend of sexy and freaky. All Together Now features an ancient swamp monster that traps everyone in Merlotte’s and feeds off of their shame. Tainted Love is about a contaminated batch of TruBlood that sends vampires bat-shit crazy, and The French Quarter is about Sookie, Eric and Bill travelling to New Orleans to investigate a series of vampire slayings. All fun stuff and highly entertaining.
There was an article written in the November 2011 issue of GQ Magazine by a woman that says she has seen too much male nudity on television and in movies lately. The article particulary points out True Blood’sAlexander Skarsgård and the possibility of his “coin purse” being covered in white vampire makeup. Photos also include Stephen Moyer’s arse stepping into the bathtub and Joe Manganiello’s abs. What say you ladies (and gentlemen)? Do you think male nudity is for funny gags or pleasure? Do you want to see more, less or what they have shown is just right?
And how come they didn’t include Ryan Kwanten? He’s had to be naked the most on the show.
You can click on the thumbnails below to view the full article.
So this wasn't the sandwich we were expecting, but it was pretty frigging fantastic
Here is it Wednesday, and I’m still hearing talk about the water scene from Sunday’s night episode of True Blood where Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) frolics in the sun and water while Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Alcide (Joe Manganiello) try to rescue him from the inevitable vampire sunburn. I’ve lost track of how many times I watched this scene – I still cannot get enough of it.
The scene had it all: incredibly hot bodies (Alex, Joe & you too Anna); funny moments (“no, I’ll kill all the sea monsters!”, Eric and Alcide growling at each other), sweet moments (“I am Ægir, god of the sea, and you are Rán, my sea goddess”), sad moments (Eric being dragged out of the water by caretaker Sookie (“I don’t want to go back to the dark…I…I…” as he looks back at the water). This could possibly be my favorite True Blood scene ever, so it got me to thinking, is this the best (or at least one of your favorite scenes) too?
My original favorite scene is the Eric/Sookie bullet sucking scene from Season 2 (that episode was also written by Nancy Oliver.) If this isn’t your favorite, which True Blood scene is?
Watch the scene again and weigh in:
Also, watch this video to hear what Joe Manganiello says about shooting this scene on Valentine’s Day with Anna and Alex:
Here at TB-N, we feature guest writers from time to time. And hey, the time is now; so kick back and let Mundy Fletcher, our guest blogger from The Meanest Girls On Earth, entertain you with one of my favorite subjects: the awesomeness of Chris Bauer. That’s right folks, we have another rider on the Team Bellefleur bus!
In an effort to not be so negative all the time The Meanest Girls On Earth is going to be more positive and talk about things we like, instead of things we hate. So with that…
Welcome to a new series called DILFS or Dudes I’d Like To Fuck. Not literally, just dudes I think are super cool and sexy and don’t get the credit they deserve.
Let’s start this series with Chris friggin’ Bauer.
Oh sure, he plays stupid old Andy Bellefleur on True Blood. I think he’s the last guy in the cast of that show that you want to fuck. It’s a great show and he’s good at playing Andy Bellefleur, but no girl wants to fuck Andy Bellefleur… I’m sure the show is a blast to work on, pays the rent and buys his wife expensive purses and shoes like every girl dreams of when their actor boyfriend/husband starts making some bank.
(If you haven’t seen The Wire and you plan on watching it don’t read this next paragraph. I’m about to ruin the show for you if you didn’t see it and it’s a great show so go rent it, watch every episode and then come back and read this blog.) Read More »
For those of you that have read the books, the name John Quinn is very important (and anticipated). There has been no mention – yet – of John Quinn appearing on the show. I wouldn’t think he would appear before Season 5 so this is premature – but a fun topic for fans of the Southern Vampire Series books.
In Dead As A Doornail, Charlaine first describes Quinn. “He was very tall…had big shoulders and arms roped with muscle. His head and arms were the brown of a Caucasian with a real tan.” If you haven’t read the books I don’t want to give away what is most special about him.
My friends and I would love to be around when (if?) they do the casting for Quinn. As my friend Nicole says, it is important that not only does he have the look, but that he says “Babe” as sexy as he sounds in her head when reading the books.
We thought it would be fun to come up with some candidates to play Quinn. My first choice is Jason Momoa (Nicole agreed, and she is picky). He does have a lot of hair, but does Quinn really need to be bald? Jason is 6’4″, 31 years old and Hawaiian. I first drooled over Jason when he played Frankie the bartender in the TV show North Shore in 2004. He’s also appeared in the TV shows Stargate: Atlantis and The Game. Jason will soon be starring as Conan in Conan the Barbarian, and you can watch him next Sunday at 9:00 p.m. on HBO in the Game of Thrones which airs right after True Blood. His character’s name is Khal Drogo.
[Disturbance from Liv: latbfan is a longtime friend of the site and contributor. She's gifted us this latest article that she penned right after True Blood season 3 ended. Please understand fandom, that we highlight various writers with passionate opinions here on True Blood News. If you're interested in getting your article featured on TB-N, write info@trueblood-news.com. Now we give you, latbfan's wish list...]
As y’all know (and several of you have been kind enough to point it out), I do not write for True Blood. I’m simply a glamoured fan(g) who has issues with moderation. But if I were to be a fly on the wall in the sacred writers’ room, these are the things I would whisper into Mr. Ball’s ears. My Top Ten List of Things I Want to See Happen in Season 4:
Bring Back Popcorn for Smart People: When Alan Ball first described the show as popcorn for smart people, I nodded my head and eagerly dug into the bucket with both hands. I like popcorn (with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, or if I’m feeling really naughty, with a great deal of butter and salt), and I was drawn to the analogy not only because I’m a self-proclaimed foodie but because it fit perfectly: not sticky-sweet cotton candy or rich peanut butter fudge or overly-indulgent deep-fried Oreos, Season 1 was snacky and fun, but I could consume an awful lot of it before I felt guilty (or sick to my stomach).
Keep the Story Grounded and the Facts Straight: I can handle an Amy Burley- big bag of supernatural crazy if the heart of the story is grounded in an emotional Truth (please note the capitalized “T” – that’s not a typo). If the foundation is built on something real (like the notion of “Terrors of Intimacy”), I’m on board. When that foundation is shaky, the story crumbles. Same with the mythology. I need to know the limitations of this world. What is a blood-bond, exactly? How does V work? Do vampires drink from each other and if not, why? What causes the daytime bleeds? The list goes on. These little things become glaring, distracting questions if they’re not addressed or the rules seem to change.
Less Ensemble: HBO is known for shows with fabulous ensemble casts, and their shows attract big-name actors who are willing be be part of large casts because a smaller part on a good HBO program is better than the main characters on a lot of other shows. True Blood has an incredibly talented cast, and no offense to them, but the show works better when there’s a focus on the main people, by which I mean the Trinity (Bill, Sookie, and Eric). I like the supporting cast and their unique stories, but I want them to stay on the side-lines and support.
More Pam: An exception to Number Three is Pam. We need more Pam. The solution to any problem, as far as I’m concerned, is to add more Pam-spice to the gumbo pot… I love her on her own. I love her with Jessica. I love her with with Eric. I just love Pam. Read More »
