As you have seen, last night’s episode was dedicated to Jesse James Cartwright. Jesse was part of the True Blood transportation crew and lost his life earlier this year, leaving behind his wife and three children. True Blood Staff, Cast and Fans are uniting to raise funds for Jesse’s family.

TrueBlood-News, Sam-Tramell.com, AlexSkarsgard.net & FYeahJoeManganiello are auctioning off the script for season 3 Ep 302, “Beautifully Broken” signed by Alexander Skarsgard! It’s Alexander’s own copy and has Alex’s notes, creases marking his pages and his germs all over it ’cause he cuddled the script against … ok I better stop now.

This auction is to benefit Jesse’s family.

Script 302: “Beautifully Broken”

Russell Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi, concocts a plan to consolidate his power; Eric remembers his past (and hangs with Godric in wartorn Germany); Sam tests the strength of his family bonds; Tara finds an ally in shady vampire Franklin Mott.

CLICK THE SCRIPT TO BID

The Vault is also auctioning a True Blood Season 2 Pack consisting of a dvd signed by some of the cast, signed photos and a couple of signed tees. Head over to their auction and bid, bid, bid!

Find out more about Jesse, then please, if you can, donate to the family directly.

Catch Evan tonight in Mildred Pierce

If you are interested in watching your favorite True Blood actors on TV tonight, you are in luck. Not only will HBO be re-airing episode 302 tonight at 8:00 pm EST, but you can also watch Evan Rachel Wood’s debut as Veda in Mildred Pierce immediately following True Blood at 9:00. The final two parts of the Mildred Pierce miniseries wraps up tonight.

Also of note, Michelle Forbes is in The Killing on AMC also at 9 pm EST. You will remember Michelle as the crazy maenad Maryann from Season 2, although in this series she plays a much more somber role as Mitch Larsen, the mother of a missing girl. Also in The Killing, Jamie Ann Allman plays Terry. She is the wife of Marshall Allman (Tommy Mickens).

Stars Michelle Forbes

Gianna Sobol from the Inside True Blood Blog provides us with some notes on tonight’s epidsode, ’Beautifully Broken.’ According to writer Raelle Tucker, “This was one of the most difficult stories I’d had to figure out in my four years on ‘True Blood.’ I wrote three completely different versions of this script. In one version, Eric tricked Sookie into a surprise date at Fangtasia. He had a metal band serenade her and Ginger had prepared a feast of tube top sandwiches. Another version had Sam’s mother, Melinda Mickens, turn into a goat. I have no idea why anymore. We call figuring out an episode breaking story… and this one had been such a bitch to break, that when I came across this song ‘Beautifully Broken,’ I thought it was the perfect title.”

The song, “Beautifully Broken” is by the band Govt. Mule. You can listen to it here. The song is played when Franklin is talking to Tara at Merlotte’s.

If none of the above tickles your fancy, you can always re-watch episodes 1-6 of True Blood Season 1 on HBO On Demand. FYI, the other 6 episodes of Season 1 will be available On Demand starting tomorrow and the first 6 episodes of Season 2 will be available on Monday, May 2nd.

Scott Winant directs Anna Paquin and Alexander Skarsgård in "Beautifully Broken"

Season 3 DVD/Blu-Ray comes out May 31, 2011 in the US

The list of DVD extras for True Blood Season 3 is out thanks to play.com.

For the DVD:

For Blu-Ray:

Thank you to KaysGetaway for the news!

• Collide, “Slither Thing” available on iTunes
• The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (courtesy of Extreme) “Rondeau from Abdelazar”
• Jonathan Clark, “Ride My Train”
• Steve McComb, “Walk First” available on iTunes
• The Hampton (Rock) String Quartet, “Evil Ways”
• Gov’t Mule, “Beautifully Broken” available on iTunes
• Derrick Procell, “Dixie Rocks”
• Sean Patrick McGraw, “Anyone But You” available on iTunes
• Eduardo Ponsdomenech, “Classically Inclined”
• Shelby Lynn, “I’m Alive” available on iTunes

Source

This week on True Blood, CE learns to spell Mississippi, a bunch of new characters but so far no fairies (thank God), Bill may recycle but he’s not kind to furry animals (unless its Sam, of course), Eric won’t gerroff Sookie’s porch until he gets to prove what a nice guy he is, sorta, the ugliest, skankiest pair of undies EVER, and what’s even better than a 52 inch plasma to the face?

I did wonder people, whether it was possible to be funny about this episode in my weekly recap because OMG, what a pit of despair and devious trickery our fictional friends have fallen into. They’re so not bothering with the amusing glimpses into the daily life of Bon Temps and Shreveport this year, we’re straight into everyone’s personal hell. Seriously, I think I might have joined Tara and necked a shitload of happy pills if it wasn’t for the gloriously ewwww dinner of blood (I’ve always wondered why vamps didn’t get bored and invent some fun recipes, so that was fricking sweet), and Terry B’s list of reasons why he’d make a good stepdad. And Bill all covered in icky werewolf, laughing at that Cooter guy cos his name is simultaneously tres redneck, and means the pussy. Aside from those flashes of LOL and the fun mind bending plots starting to unfold, it was kind of a ADD misery trip for me, especially with Mommy Dearest showing up at the end like a horsey bondage mistress, buzzkilling yet another party. Le sigh, her again?

I confess...Nazi Eric is hot.

While I loathe Lorena, I do have a respectful girl-crush on the lady who wrote this episode, Raelle Tucker, who is my absolute favourite True Blood scribbler due to her insane ability to walk the line between woe and misery, and wickedly witty shit. She is also very good at making characters you generally dislike show some sympathetic layers of personality to ensure you can’t write them off entirely. Last year the sneaky minx did it for Mommy Dearest, this week its Eric. As everyone knows, I have a low tolerance for the Viking’s annoying physical perfection, constant ‘I’m soooo awesome’ arrogance and duplicitous plotting, but this week…nope, couldn’t swear at him like I always do (and I assume that was the idea). Maybe its because I’m a sucker for Nazi uniforms? Man, I’m a sick bitch. Anyway, damn you Raelle for messing with my head. It won’t last though, because just like ole Sook says, whenever he does something nice, he does something nasty straight afterwards.

The show opens with our normally fastidious gentleman Bill finishing off his third werewolf. It’s super gross and impressive, but really, they were skimping on the special effects showing only a few seconds. Or maybe they were worried the actor wolves would bite Stephen’s very insurable face? Anyway, it’s almost over when a dude turns up on a horse. The lead werewolf is the same guy who masterminded the rather crap kidnapping, and he’s instantly awesome because he’s a Kiwi, from the only decent TV show produced in New Zealand ever (it’s called Outrageous Fortune, fact fans). Anyway, dude on the horse is the very classy King of Mississippi, who far from coming to Bill’s rescue, actually ordered him ‘napped. After shooting another Were to punish Cooter for sucking, he invites a politely pissed off Bill to stay at his fancy pad. Back over them state lines, Lafayette is making Tara puke up all those pills she swallowed, whilst cussing out her negligent momma. Continuing his role this season as the straight up, dependable hero with a deliciously smart mouth, he marches the suicidal, self indulgent madam out to the car, threatening her with a trip to the nuthouse.

Kindly Auntie Pam, fountain of all girl vamp knowledge.

At Fangtasia, where the Queen has chased away all the paying customers, Sookie is telling Eric about the dead man in Bill’s car with the squiggly rune thing on his neck. Sending Jessica and Pam out of the room to go preen in front of the bathroom mirror and have a little girl talk about how not to kill folks by accident, the smexy Sheriff explains werewolves. As Sookie’s world is full of weirdos, she’s not much surprised, and is unbothered about Eric’s warnings of potential bitey danger as she wants to find Bill like yesterday. There is then a misty eyed flashback to Germany where you see the only pair of tits in the entire episode (seriously?) and Vampire Jesus and Eric in those fetching uniforms. It seems that werewolves have been around since at least World War Two, and Eric don’t like them. He still doesn’t want to help Sookie out though, and so she pulls that old girly trick of crying prettily, which doesn’t really work but at least it gives the Iceman a good shot of inconvenient human emotions.

And now back to the missing almost- fiance, who is being fulsomely welcomed into a stately home by King Russell and his gorgeously camp and motherly house husband Talbot. Like Sophie Anne, Talbot loves decorating, and can’t wait to show a surly Bill his blingtastic guest suite with the silver plated doors, which duh, our man can’t open from the inside. I’m hoping Lorena gets thrown against those doors at some stage, y’all. Still getting no answers whatsoever, Bill retires to his four poster bed in a sulk. Without calling Jessica on vamp phone, presumably because he knows damn well he’s in deep shit and doesn’t want any of his crazy wimmens anywhere near him. In Bon Temps, said wimmens are arriving back at his empty house. Hoyt steps out of the shadows acting all sweet and looking hot with his badass new haircut, and Sookie departs for home, where she will bash Jason in the balls for spooking her in the dark/eating her fried chicken. Poor wee Jess still has the dead body problem to deal with and some new vamp food for thought from Auntie Pam, so she pushes Hoyt away yet again. Sniffle.

I'm gonna wash that skank right outta my house...

After some sibling bonding, Jason and Sooooookeh greet the daytime by setting to work on cleaning up the Maryanne nastiness. Jason is all adorable and excited about the existence of werewolves and possibly Santa, and suggests to Sook that his new best friend Andy could help with the missing potential brother in law. Awww, he’s so sweet when he’s being ‘Good Jason’ I want to pinch his cheeks. Somewhere in Arkansas, we finally catch up with Sam, who hasn’t been doing much except sleeping in his truck outside a shack, undisturbed by homoerotic dreams, curses! The guy he spoke to at the tyre shop last week is in fact, his brother, who marches him inside at gunpoint to meet his uber trashy parents. Where did they find a pair of underpants that toxic? Sam and his rather cute brother didn’t get their rugged good looks from their Daddy, but Momma must have been pretty once. She gave Sam up for adoption while Dad was in jail, and she’s a shifter, as is the brother. I’m sure there is a point to this storyline aside from giving Sam something to do, but I’m not feeling it yet.

Sticking with the theme of horrible families, Laffy has driven Tara to a nuthouse, but not to commit her, but to show her a fine example of another batshit crazy woman in the Thornton family. Lafayette’s Momma is amusingly insulting, twitchy and unappreciative of her smouldering orderly Jesus, or the son who is working his fine ass off to keep her in a decent home. Suitably chastened by this vision of the future, Tara promises to try and back her shit down and start dealing with life as it comes, instead of checking out. Even though she’s a racist homophobe and nuts, I still like Laffy’s mother better than fricking Lettie Mae, and Lafayette definitely needs some love, so why not with the orderly guy? He’s pretty and sweet, but knowing True Blood he probably has a dodgy secret or nasty personal habits or something, as even the good guys have big ass flaws in this world.

'Some manly male bonding over cars will take my mind off that dream...'

While Jason is getting all jealous over Andy hogging the adulation for the killing of Eggs (which is mourned by the viewers about as much as the townsfolk), Sookie has dutifully gone to work. In the carpark, she gets a flash of a large, hairy, creepy stalker’s mind, who promptly takes off when she goes running into the woods after his ass. Terry B helps her follow the tracks, and they find a pile of biker clothes and a paw print. Hmm, more people are starting to learn about these werewolves, so unless there’s a zany mass memory wipe like last season, the furry bastards won’t be having the exciting coming out party the vamps got two years back. During the lunch shift, Terry B loans Sookie a gun, and continues his very endearing pursuit of Arlene, even as she’s puking up in the toilets. Can we see his pet armadillo? Those things are so freaky. While his employees are acting random and not attending to their bar duties all that awesomely, Sam is doing more bonding with his brother, ending the reunion with some manly car repair action and some shifting into a cute collie/ugly pit bull duo.

'These guys are colourful and all, and the booze is nice, but I want to go HOME'

As night falls, Jessica is making enquiries about a chainsaw to get rid of the stinking trucker, while far away, Daddy is sitting down to dejeuner le sange with his new friends. Russell is cool and businesslike, Talbot is excitable and hospitable. Bill is in a borrowed tux and flinty eyed with suspicion. Allegedly Russell wants to marry Sophie Anne and is courting Bill’s allegiance, offering him a job as sheriff in exchange. As this could have been handled by a polite invitation and not an abduction, and Bill dislikes authority figures almost as much as I do, he is soooo not interested.

Russell flatters, probes, and then later on, moves to threats, because of course he sent the hairy biker guy to Bon Temps to snatch Sook for leverage. He also sent someone else, as while this is going on, a strange man moseys into the Compton residence and starts digging around in Bill’s office. We’re shown a quick shot of a creepy hidden dossier on Sookie…the fuck? At this point, it looks like the writers are bent on pissing Team Bill off completely by combining Books 3 and 6 of the Harris so- called masterpieces. Whatever, but please explain this and SOON, why is Bill so goddamn important to other, more powerful vampires when he actively dislikes them, and doesn’t do anything that makes money (like his geeky database from the books) or scares folks into submission? Me no understand.

One of those super awkward dinner parties.

Over in Arkansas, Sam’s brother is trying to get him splattered on the road, and over at the Stackhouse residence, Eric is lurking on the porch, scaring a nervous Sook. She’s not interested in inviting him in for protection or primal sex, and flashes her nice ring at him for emphasis. So they hang out on the porch for awhile and he has another flashback to Germany. Naked Were chick is still pinned against the wall by a bayonet, and Eric is really quite angry at her. After giving her some blood, she tells him it’s another vampire that leads her pack, before jumping him. Godric rescues his ass, gently scolding him for not being in control of his emotions. This leads into Eric telling Sook about the meanest class of Nazi werewolves, and how its a good idea to stay far away from them. However, handsome blondie doesn’t tell her what he probably knows, that Russell is their bossman.

Across the cemetery, Jessica’s got her chainsaw ready to cut up the body, but its mysteriously gone. Over at Merlottes, Andy babysits a drunk Jason when the strange man who broke into Bill’s house ambles in, making a beeline for Tara, who’s slumped behind the bar looking all moody and self destructive. He’s a scruffy but devilishly charming looking vamp, evidently working for Russell and getting all up in Bill’s business. Andy gets called out to bust up a meth lab in Hotshot, a town more low rent and trashy than Bon Temps on an orgy day, and Jason gets to ride up front in the cop car and feel all important. He even gets to act heroic by tackling a guy with a bagful of drugs, and gets distracted by a pretty girlie with an air of mystery. He’s had a fun day, bless him.

Respect, William...Talbot's gonna be pissed about his rug though.

Traditionally, the last few minutes of a True Blood episode are the most exciting to build up to the frustrating cliffhanger. Bill flashes his fangs at Russell when he threatens Sookie. Tara is beating on some rednecks in the parking lot who disrespect Eggs. New vamp zooms to her assistance, getting a huge vampire hard on at her fabulous aggression. Note to writers, please keep Tara angry, sweary Tara? Back to the super awkward dinner, Russell notes that Bill is a complete sap over everyone’s favourite telepath. Lorena wanders in swishing her riding crop and agrees that it’s totally lame. Bill immediately snaps and chucks a lamp at her head, setting the bitch on fire and ruining her grand entrance and Domme fantasy outfit. And finally at Sookie’s house, Eric is also sneering at her pending nuptials with sappy Bill when his Spidey senses tell him the Werewolf has finally arrived. He demands to be invited in, and ole Sook backs down. He goes in fangs out to meet wolfie, and stupid Sook shoots him by accident, probably. Chortle.

A long winded Dr. CE says see you next week kids, play nice in the meantime and most of all, have fun speculating!

Salon.com has a wonderful take on “Beautifully Broken”‘s theme of what happens when “parents” abandon their “children”:

“The children grow up bitter and vulnerable, never having learned how to change quickly from a dog into an owl should they find themselves about to be hit by a Mack truck (Sam). Or they walk away from true love (Jessica) and when they have to dismember the trucker they accidentally killed and hid in the basement, they have no idea how expensive chainsaws are! Or they end up suicidally depressed, grieving the accidental death of their zombie serial killer boyfriend (Tara)… “Life is suffering,” Lafayette reminds Tara, on the way to visit the nasty, cold, grinch-hearted woman in the hospital who is apparently his mother. True. But it’s nice to know you can still rent chainsaws.”

“The vampires also seem a little lost. Bill, because he actually was lost in the woods until he is found by the King and invited to dinner with the King’s authentically French male companion (yes, he really is French, not just another serial killer with a fake accent. I’m from Montreal, I can tell).” (I have to interject here – isn’t Talbot meant to be Greek, not French?)

“But ever since Eric lost Godric, he seems to be using Sookie as some kind of emotional substitute, even while he pretends to be all Viking-ish. “Don’t cry” he says to her. “It makes me feels disturbingly human.” For some reason feeling disturbingly human makes Eric flashback to that time he and Godric were posing as German SS but were really hunting Nazi werewolves. Good times. (Which in case you hadn’t noticed is bon temps in French.) ”Nazi werewolves?” you ask. (Because you don’t care about French. I get it.) Yes, I wondered about that too, until I saw the above faux vintage documentary.

Eric tries explaining this all to Sookie, but it starts getting confusing. Sookie utters the best B-movie mash up line ever: “You mean the werewolves weren’t really Nazis?” No! The whole time the vampires were posing as SS, the werewolves weren’t Nazis either! I’m not sure I totally follow this, but as Eric explains, the werewolves are a highly organized ancient secret society that is actually funded by vampires. If I understand correctly, Eric and Godric thought they were hunting Nazi werewolves but they were really hunting something closer to Rosicrucian werewolves.

Whatever you say Eric. I invite you in. In fact, you’ve been welcome over anytime since you got that great haircut. But I get that you have to focus on getting into Sookie’s house right now, if only because there is a scary man with vintage pointy boots looking through Sookie’s pictures.

Meanwhile, over at the Vampire King’s house, Bill is enjoying a lovely blood bisque, after the citrus flavored “cruelty free” blood drink. In the background a string quartet does a cover of Santana’s “Evil Ways.” The King reveals his plan to marry the Louisiana Vampire Queen, and to make Bill the sheriff of the entire district of Mississippi. Bill does not look as thrilled as the King would like. Perhaps because the rest of his eternal life is flashing before his eyes and he’s seeing himself playing a lot of Yahtzee. Also by now he’s starting to get glimmers of this whole vampire-funded werewolf society. Tempers begin to flare.

At the bar, a stranger enters. Intriguing British accent. Pale. Orders a bottle of True Blood. Tara grudgingly gives him a cold one (the microwave’s broken). Mysterious British Vampire seems to be bonding with Tara. Oh, the wounded children, will they ever develop good people instincts? Obviously not, because the camera pans down and, he has POINTY BOOTS.”

The entire review is quite wonderfully written. Click on the link above to check it out!

“Skin overshadowed scares last week, but Episode 2, titled “Beautifully Broken,” made up for it by pandering to the horror crowd with a chainsaw (wielded by the wonderfully immature young vampire Jessica, who will hopefully take on a larger role), a completely unnecessary reference to Stephen King’s Christine, and a flashback involving werewolf Nazis. This really was the Tarantino episode.”

“The show began and ended with a burst of excitement, but in between, it fizzled, burdened by a strained plot and too many long close-ups of very serious faces. Thus far, the major battle of the third season of True Blood is not between light and dark so much as between light and heavy. Heavy dominated this time.

Tara and Sookie were both in tears over lost loves. To which I say: Get over it, ladies. That was an entire episode ago, a lifetime in soap-opera years. Lafayette hardly brightened the mood with this groaner: “The Buddhists weren’t lying when they said life is suffering.” Did “the Buddhists” write this episode? And look, one plotline about reuniting with lost parents can slow a pulp soap opera down, but two? That’s dramatic quicksand. Moreover, when Sam sat down with his parents (Lafayette also visited his mother), his moody new brother stormed out of the room because … why exactly?

You know the writers are getting lazy transitioning from one heated moment to the next when they rely too much on the stomping-out-of-the-room gambit. When Sookie ran into the bathroom after Bill proposed marriage, you almost wanted him to take back his offer—that is, if you didn’t know enough about the conventions of the show to realize that storming out of a room is just True Blood code for Something Big Is About To Happen.”

Ouch. I have to say, he does make some valid points. There’s much more to this review – Eric’s tender side and some of the many new additions to the cast. Click on the link above for the entire article.

Fans got a sneak peek of Andy Mackenzie in the number three teaser released by HBO. Mackenzie has a long list of credits under his belt from CSI to My Name is Earl and although it may look as if he can only play a Creepy Biker Dude, his acting ability is versatile. Just check out his demo reel and you will see why we quickly became Mackenzie fans.

We caught up with Andy while he was filming Burn Notice in sunny South Florida to ask him about his experience on True Blood and how he got the part of “Creepy Biker Dude.” Andy was nice enough to take a break from shooting guns from a Harley to share his experience on the set of True Blood, his vast knowledge of the industry, his band 33Degree and what’s up next in his career.

Andy Mackenzie: Oh, the “Creepy Biker.”  I actually have three different character names.  Starts with “Creepy Biker,” then “Wolf,” then shifts into “Biker” while I’m fighting with Eric.  You’ve seen some of that scene in one of the behind-the-scenes teasers.

The casting was a lot of fun.  It’s always crazy not knowing how it’s going to go and what the casting assistant is going to do when there’s action involved.  Not to mention, the room could’ve comfortably seated six but walked into eight, plus me. Read the material, did it pretty much how I wanted to do it; Alan simply replied “Fantastic.”  I left proud and pleased.

I did shoot two eps, “Beautifully Broken” (302) and “It Hurts Me Too” (303).  When I booked the role, I knew I would be showing 99 percent of my skin and I had about six weeks to hit the gym extra hard.  So, that was my life for those weeks.  Who knows if it will show?  The first ep was quick for me, not much for me to do.  Second ep was cool.  Alex and I spent some time chit chatting and reminiscing about some mutual Swedes and Finns.  We may get us all together sometime.  Between the chit chats was definitely different for me.  Stunts have been a big part of the job anyway but naked stunts are something else.  No place for pads.  “Closed set?”  Nah. I’m not shy.  Maybe Alex, since he had to … ah, never mind.  You’ll see.  But I was as naked as I was born.  No necklaces, no rings, no earrings, no nipple rings even.  Wow, I felt so blank.  When I wrapped, I couldn’t get my nipple rings in.  So I pierced them again.  That’s the third time.  And hopefully, the last.

I’ve done writing and directing.  I worked a lot on the production side.  I like to know what everybody’s job is and how hard it is.  I think it’s important.  It makes everything smoother.  I was born into the business.  I love it.  I love playing drums.  33DEGREE is a great outlet.  Since it’s more of a hobby, it’s easy to balance.  A daughter, on the other hand, is something else.  That’s my biggest balancing trick.  But my favorite trick.

I have some really cool things going on.  MacGruber just hit the theatres with Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Val Kilmer.  It’s crazy funny.  I play “Hoss Bender,” one of Val Kilmer’s henchmen.  I did an episode of Burn Notice, Season 4 premiere, airing next Thursday 6/3, 9/8c.  Oh, it’s a good one for me.  I’m about to start a film, Sushi Girl, a lead role with Tony Todd, Max Perlich, James Duval, James DeBello.  Very much like Reservoir Dogs.

Andy’s final take on Season 3:

Oh man, Season 3 is gonna be so freakin’ cool.  Werewolves.  Awesome.  The fact that I am one of them.  Awesome again. I have to say, I was a big fan of the show already. Getting onto it is just too cool.

Andy is a very cool guy. He loves what he does and he loves his fans. You can follow Andy on Twitter @Andy_Mackenzie or check out any of his links below.

http://www.andymackenzie.net/

http://www.myspace.com/daddy.mack

http://www.facebook.com/#!/AndyMacke

Check out Andy Mackenzie tonight, in BURN NOTICE 4th Season Premiere, “Friends and Enemies.”

THURSDAY, JUNE 3 9/8c USA Network