By True Blood News on July 30th, 2010 at 4:50 pm | 9 Comments »
In both Charlaine Harris’s books and in Alan Ball’s True Blood, both the lead vampire characters go through somewhat of a metamorphosis when they come in contact with Sookie Stackhouse. In True Blood, Bill Compton calls Sookie, “his miracle” and struggles to tamp down the dark side of his vampire instincts. This season, Bill is letting a bit of that dark side escape.
Coming in from the opposite direction, Eric Northman, who is not ashamed of his dark side, is beginning to show some signs of compassion, not only as a result of Godric’s demise, but also because of a certain golden-haired waitress.
Below, Tincar (TB-N) and Jenna (alexskarsgard.net) discuss the light and the dark sides of their favorite characters, Eric Northman & Bill Compton.
By jenna on July 30th, 2010 at 2:59 pm | 17 Comments »
Through the years we’ve seen vampires of all shapes, sizes and colors, none of which seem to compare to the likes of Eric Northman … not to many of us at least. With the kind of attitude attributed to the knowledge that all of Valhalla is backing him, their proud son, he is the original Viking Vampire and Sheriff of Area Five in Louisiana.
Yet finally, after a long, almost painful (sometimes frustrating) wait, we’re getting a glimpse into the sensitive side of this thousand year old vampire.
Season one … enter the “King” on his throne in the fiery lair he calls Fangtasia.
His subjects: Vamps, fangbangers and one little waitress/telepath who has captured his attention in a way he hasn’t experienced in many humdrum years. It was that first scene that my attention too became captured. His strong presence, prideful demeanor & egotistical attitude had caught my eye and had me scrambling to find out more about this undead prince named Eric Northman. I read the entire 8 books of the series (now 10) “Southern Vampire Mysteries” by Charlaine Harris, over the next four days. The final outcome was an overwhelming desire to head over to Charlaine’s abode and clean her floors, walk her dogs, whatever needed to be done to alleviate her burdens so she could sit at her computer and quickly finish book nine. That not being a possibility, I continued to watch, my eyes transfixed to the screen, growing more and more hypnotized by the man behind the mane.
Alexander Skarsgård, I would come to find, was born for the role. I knew he was talented in his craft having first seen him in his prior role of Sgt. Brad “Icemen” Colbert on the HBO mini-series Generation Kill. This man was handsome and tall such as the character in the books was described. He was too a “Viking” from the land of Svergie, Stockholm Sweden to be exact, and would throughout the next three years play the dialect coach to the rest of the cast when his native tongue would appear in a scene. So he pulled it off (easily by my account)! He captured the hearts of many, even winning the 2009 Spike TV Scream Award for Best Villain. Yet the fans, a greater majority, argued this entitlement. Eric Northman, the one in Sookieverse (which some like to call it) was far from the bad guy he was being judged as and made to portray on the telly (ie., the shredding of Royce in the first episode of season 2). We “bookies” knew he was much more complex than that!
A glimpse of this first appeared in season two’s “I Will Rise Up” when the TV series introduced Godric, Eric’s maker, decided to meet the sun. Eric’s emotions appeared front and center. The audience was witness to his respect, loyality and love for another being. It was uncomfortable for some yet refreshing and long awaited for others. “About time!” I said to myself that evening the show aired. This coming from, as I said before, a loyal bookie who knew what the Sheriff was capable of.
The death of Long Shadow was the first of many missteps into the Alan Ball conspiracy of making Eric the undead villain he had imagined. There were a few of these instances along the way …
The staking of the thief and traitor belonged to the Sheriff! Many of us bookies saw that move as the first step onto the long road of what would become the love-triangle. The second, the re-graveling of that horribly bumpy driveway that led to Sookie’s front door, and strangely enough her heart. This was also an endeavor stolen away from the Viking vamp in the series. Most painful was the absence of the friendly, yet mostly perverse, banter the two blondies shared.
“Hey, our hair’s the same color,” I said, eyeing us side by side in the mirror. (Sookie)
“Sure is, girlfriend.” Eric grinned at me. “But are you blonde all the way down?”
“Don’t you wish you knew?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Well, you’ll just have to wonder.”
Needless to say the TV Eric has endured a struggle on his journey into Sookie’s heart and unforgettable dream sequences.
He’s played the ruthless business man, the egotistical smart ass, the sheriff in a town that’s not big enough for two, the beast that easily tore a man to shreds and now we watch as he takes baby steps toward the adorable, almost squeezable, sentimental lover we’ve been waiting for.
By Lividity on July 30th, 2010 at 10:21 am | 36 Comments »
As y’all know, the Battle of the Fang has been raging since True Blood season three began. When we first started this competition, I don’t think any of us imagined how successful it would become. We’ve already raised more than $17,000 for charity, with half the season left to go. Hurrah for True Blood fans!
Now it’s time to start thinking about T-shirt designs. Here’s how this works, so pay attention:
If Team Viking wins, they get to pick the designs for the two sexy participants. If Team Bill wins (that’s us, folks) we get to design the shirts both boys will be wearing.
So what we need are ideas for both the shirts in the event that Team Bill wins this thing. We will pick the best slogan for Stephen’s winning shirt and we’ll have him choose from the 10 best slogans for Alex’s loser shirt. This might be our chance to get Alex into something tight and pink!
So tell us in the comments: What would you like written on the winner’s & loser’s shirt in the event of a Team Bill victory in Battle of the Fang?
To leave your t-shirt ideas in the off chance that the Viking actually pulls this thing off, go here.
By NotHoney on July 26th, 2010 at 3:48 pm | 7 Comments »
I dunno ... maybe a lemonade stand?
Hey, fight fan(g)s! Team Bill has a slight lead in this round but Team Eric is threatening to steal our lead. Don’t let our vampire down! Donate now to Team Bill/Stephen Moyer and GulfAid! Without your help, Stephen could be stuck in a French maid’s costume or worse!
TEAM BILL: $8,783 — TEAM ERIC: $7,847
Support Team Bill and Stephen Moyer’s charity, GulfAid, by donating via Paypal. You’ll make a vampire very happy.
Thanks again to everyone on both teams for donating so generously to GulfAid and the SOS Children’s Village. You’re teh awesome!
Things in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Gulf coast haven’t changed much since the majority of the oil gushing from the Deepwater Horizon well was capped. Despite various reports of seepage along the well, BP plans to plug the well at the cap using mud and concrete.
National Incident Commander Thad Allen told reporters that “… the Macondo well, which stopped leaking oil July 15 when a new tighter-fitting cap closed it off, continues to post rising pressure levels — now at 6,904 psi (pounds per square inch) — that indicates it remains physically intact. The well began spewing oil April 20 because of an explosion that killed 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.’
The retired Coast Guard admiral said he expects BP will start pouring mud next week into the top of the well — a process known as “static kill” — and then pour in both mud and concrete via a connecting line to its relief well, which is called the “bottom kill.”
The question still remains about how much oil actually spilled into the Gulf? ABC News reports that an undated, internal BP document estimates a much higher amount of oil than U.S. government estimates:
“The estimate of 100,000 barrels (4.2 million gallons/15.9 million liters) of oil per day is far higher than the current U.S. government estimate of up to 60,000 barrels (2.5 million gallons/9.5 million liters) per day gushing from the ruptured offshore well into the sea.”
That’s more oil than several Exxon Valdez tanker spills. It’s going to take a couple of lifetimes, or more, to clean up. Everyone needs our help, from the people living along the Gulf Coast to the wildlife who make their homes in the Gulf and along its shores. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is coordinating an effort to move sea turtles eggs from Gulf beaches to Atlantic beaches in an effort to save them from extinction. Sea turtles will return to their natal beaches to lay eggs and USFWS is moving them to completely change their migration and hatching patterns.
By Lividity on July 19th, 2010 at 6:10 pm | 19 Comments »
"Never underestimate the power of a good bake sale."
Just a quick update to let y’all know that Vampire Bill has leapfrogged over the towering Viking to take the lead in the Battle of the Fang! But don’t get too comfortable Team Bill, we all know that Eric is over 1000 years old and probably knows quite a bit about fundraising.
Remember, totals are updated here in the marquee to the right, and on alexskarsgard.net simultaneously. The balances do not update in real time – so if you’ve given to either cause, please look for the next update to see your donation recognized in the total.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to either cause. You True Blood fan(g)s truly are the greatest (crazy as all hell, but still the greatest). A “thank you” also goes out to Stephen Moyer & Alexander Skarsgård for graciously agreeing to participate in our charitable event. You guys rock!
By latbfan on July 19th, 2010 at 4:32 pm | 27 Comments »
My That Color Brings Out Your Eyes... And Your Pectorals...
Entertainment Weekly is asking if anyone has ever seen Eric looking more hot (metaphorically, of course, as I’m sure he was as tepid as ever, even if television screens were combusting) than he did in last night’s episode. The blue sweater is lovely on him…
Click here if you want to vote, or if you can think of an instance when he looked more edible.
By NotHoney on July 19th, 2010 at 8:48 am | 9 Comments »
Oh yeah, it’s time to roll out the post-ep goodies from HBO! Let’s start with BabyVamp Jessica’s blog where she’s dolled up a photo of Hoyt’s dinner date (be sure to leave Jess a comment about how much you love her artistic stylings):
Next up is the Postmortem archeological expedition into Eric’s human past. Enjoy!
By NotHoney on July 17th, 2010 at 11:38 am | 21 Comments »
It’s been an exciting week here at Battle of the Fang HQ what with the capping of the Deepwater Horizon oil gusher and Team Bill’s continuing forward momentum! Thank you all for your continuing donations to Stephen Moyer’s charity, GulfAid, and to Alex Skarsgard’s Children’s Village. Just look how much we’ve raised together for two worthwhile charities!
TEAM BILL: $5,723 – TEAM ERIC: $6,257
Team Bill needs you now! You wanna see Alex wearing a “My Heart Belongs to Bill” T-shirt, right? So donate to our charity, GulfAid, and ask all your friends and family and colleagues and postal workers and pet sitters and random people on the street to donate, too.
Last night Stephen Moyer was on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and he talked about the Battle of the Fang!! Stephen don’t give us ideas…;)
Now, just because the oil isn’t gushing into the Gulf of Mexico right now doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods – far from it. The damage caused by BP’s failure to maintain proper blowout prevention equipment will wreak havoc on the ecosystems, wildlife, and people of the Gulf Coast for more decades to come than I wanna think about. The Washington Post reports that the cap isn’t a permanent solution to the gushing BP oil well:
Photo: NASA July 2010 Gulf of Mexico OIl Slick
As part of what BP calls an “integrity test,” a robotic submersible slowly closed a valve on the well’s new sealing cap. That choked the flow until the plume, a fixture of cable TV and many a nightmare, disappeared. … BP could nix the test at any moment and reopen the well. Whether the well remains “shut in,” to use the industry term, depends on the analysis of pressures in the well. Engineers and scientists hope to see high pressure hold steady during the 48-hour period allotted for the test. That would suggest that the well bore is physically intact. Lower pressure would hint of breaches in the casing and leakage into the surrounding rock.
The initial pressure readings are in an ambiguous range, and officials will have to make a difficult judgment call on whether to keep the well shut in or reopen it, according to Tom Hunter, retired director of the Sandia National Laboratories and a member of the federal government’s scientific team overseeing the test.
In addition to the temporary nature of this latest fix, there are scientific reports that the oil is already altering the food web:
In this undated photo provided by University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University Gulf Coast Research Laboratory small oil droplets are visible trapped inside the shell of an immature blue crab collected near Grand Isle, Louisiana. by researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University. Scientists are reporting early signs that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is altering the marine food web by killing or tainting some creatures and spurring the growth of others more suited to a fouled environment. (AP Photo/USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory)
“You change the base of the food web, it’s going to ripple through the entire food web,” said marine scientist Rob Condon, who found oil-loving bacteria off the Alabama coastline, more than 90 miles from BP’s collapsed Deepwater Horizon drill rig. “Ultimately it’s going to impact fishing and introduce a lot of contaminants into the food web.”
The food web is the fundamental fabric of life in the Gulf. Once referred to as the food chain, the updated term reflects the cyclical nature of a process in which even the largest predator becomes a food source as it dies and decomposes. Read the entire story at Physorg.com.
Please donate to GulfAid. Every living creature affected by the oil disaster needs your help.
By NotHoney on July 8th, 2010 at 5:45 pm | 12 Comments »
As yo Makeh Ah command yew!
See for yourself in our update in the cube on the right – Team Bill is gaining ground on Team Eric’s lead! We’ve come this far in the Battle of the Fang because of Bill’s loyal supporters and we need you to take the team to victory! So, c’mon! Tell all your friends and family to donate to support Stephen Moyer’s charity, GulfAid! You know you wanna see Alex Skarsgard in a “Bill’s Other Blond” T-shirt!
A great big fang-lickin’ THANK YOU to everyone who’s donated!
Also, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is in the Gulf to help clean oil-soaked wildlife and other tasks. They took a video of the area around Deepwater Horizon before Hurricane Alex was in the area and there were no BP planes to monitor their activities. BP, as reported by several news sources, are actively seeking to suppress news from the areas damaged by the oil.
There’s also growing concern about the spill’s affect on the U.S. east coast and Europe. In a report posted on Culture Map Houston: “Scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research revealed this week that the reach of the oil gushing into the Gulf from the Deepwater Horizon spill site is likely to reach around Florida and flow up the East coast in a matter of months.” The report goes on to say the spill could reach as far north as North Carolina. “Although an unlikely worst-case scenario (though those seem to be coming to fruition more often these days) European scientists are beginning to investigate the impact the oil could on have their shores if it broke into the Atlantic.”
The computer simulation below shows what will happen if oil from the Deepwater Horizon gusher reaches the Loop Current. Investigators at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, who created the simulation, warn the oil could reach the Loop
Current as early as this summer.
It’s been an exciting week here at 
In this undated photo provided by University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University Gulf Coast Research Laboratory small oil droplets are visible trapped inside the shell of an immature blue crab collected near Grand Isle, Louisiana. by researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University. Scientists are reporting early signs that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is altering the marine food web by killing or tainting some creatures and spurring the growth of others more suited to a fouled environment. (AP Photo/USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory)
