Archive for November, 2008

Stephen Moyer: There will be Blood

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 30 - 2008

True Blood is HBO’s fang-tastic new vampire drama, based on Charlaine Harris’s popular series of books, The Southern Vampire Mysteries. Abbie Bernstein caught up with one of its stars, Stephen Moyer, to talk about vamping it up…

True Blood isn’t Stephen Moyer’s first time as a vampire. However, this is the first time he’s had to wear fangs, he explains with a laugh. “I did play a vampire in 1998, in a [BBC] series called Ultraviolet, and I have these canines that you can see.” He displays his teeth in a cheerful smile, displaying surprisingly large real canines. “So we decided [in Ultraviolet] not to give me fake teeth. But in this one, we have different teeth. It’s quite funny. As a kid, I had to wear a retainer to push the teeth straight. And [wearing the True Blood fangs is] like having a retainer. You kind of have to [puts on lispy voice] talk like this and you have to learn to talk with them in!

“It’s quite difficult, but we’ve all got much, much better at talking with them in,” he continues. “There was more looping [re-recording of dialogue] at the beginning, but people have got better, and we’ve kind of reduced the size of the teeth a little bit, so actually, there’s very little looping now.”

Coming out of the coffin

Essex-born Moyer has worked all over the world – he’d recently wrapped up the USA miniseries The Starter Wife – and had just returned to England when he was approached about auditioning for True Blood. At the time, he was unfamiliar with Charlaine Harris’s books, The Southern Vampire Mysteries, about what happens when vampires “come out of the coffin” in a small Louisiana town and try to integrate, with varying degrees of success, with human society. The focal point of the books and the HBO series, adapted by Six Feet Under writer Alan Ball, is a telepathic human waitress, Sookie, played by Anna Paquin, who scandalizes her small town by befriending Bill (Moyer) the vampire.

Read the rest of this entry »

True Blood Behind the scenes

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 30 - 2008

Short Behind the scenes and promo video.

Interview with Raelle Tucker, writer on True Blood

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 30 - 2008

Raelle Tucker is the writer of Episode 6 Cold Ground and the Season Finale.

Genre TV fans may recognise Raelle Tucker’s name from Supernatural’s early seasons, but she’s in a whole new world these days as one of the writers for HBO True Blood: the story of Sookie Stackhouse, a young psychic waitress in a world where vampires have come out into the public eye.

Sequential Tart: The attitudes writers take in adapting a story from one medium to another vary quite widely. How does the True Blood team approach the task?

Raelle Tucker: We’re extremely lucky — Charlaine Harris has created such a cool, cinematic world, with so many unique characters … and managed to keep them fresh and entertaining for eight novels, that it’s really an embarrassment of riches.

Obviously there are certain challenges in translating something so beloved to the screen. It was hugely important to honor Charlaine and the fans of the books, but it was equally important to allow the show to take on its own life. In season 1 we tried to preserve as much of the Dead Until Dark plot as we could — both the Bill/Sookie arc and the murder mystery storyline follow that novel pretty closely. Our biggest departures mostly had to do with the secondary characters. Of course Sookie Stackhouse is the heart of the series, but building a television show around one character’s point of view is something extremely difficult to sustain. Again, lucky for us, Charlaine had already surrounded Sookie with a cast of fascinating characters … we just had to flesh them out and give them their own stories to run with.

And then there’s that thing that naturally happens when you put Alan Ball and five other writers in a room for months — a little of each of us spills out onto the page. We bring our own flavors and experiences to the table. I know that’s not going to please everybody — I imagine it’ll be difficult for some fans of the books to understand all the choices we’ve made. But I believe the best writing usually comes from a personal place … and I think the Sookie-world is big enough, and strangely universal enough, for each of us to make it our own, without compromising the essence of the fantastic work Charlaine has done.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stephen Moyer’s Brentwood Theatre Update

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 30 - 2008

Stephen Moyer and the staff at the Brentwood Theatre have been astonished at the numerous donations coming in from his fans for the re-building of the theatre . During December Stephen will be visiting the theatre to see the production of Fantastic Mr. Fox at which time he will be signing the donation certificates to be mailed out and hopefully received by his fans before the end of the year.

Fans who purchased a brick will be invited to the unveiling which should occur sometime in the new year. Unfortunately Stephen most likely will not be able to attend the event as he will be shooting Season 2 of True Blood at that time in Los Angeles and Louisiana. Photos of the new wall will be posted on the Brentwood Theatre website where fans will be able to see their engravings.

Stephen Moyer and the staff as the Brentwood Theatre are sincerely grateful to everyone who has made a donation to the theatre. With True Blood premiering in the U.K. in April on the FX Channel the exposure will surely generate more fans willing to help out with Stephen’s fundraising efforts.

Brentwood Theatre website

source: Truebloodnet.com

Behind the scenes video

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 30 - 2008

Short behind the scenes video about the makeup.

Season 1 DVD to be shipped in may

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 30 - 2008

On the HBO store the True Blood Season 1 DVD has a shipping date of 12 may 2009, the price is $59,99.

True Blood to air in Spain

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 29 - 2008

After Sweden, Spain is the second European country (as far as I know) to air True Blood. December 4th is the big date for the first episode.

In Spain True Blood is called Sangre Fresca, which means Fresh Blood and on the website you can hear what Sookie and Bill sound like when they speak spanish.

sangrefresca.es

Interview with Michelle Forbes (Maryann)

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 28 - 2008

We recently spoke with Michelle Forbes, the actress who plays Maryann on HBO’s True Blood! The lovely vet of such shows as Star Trek: The Next Generation (what sci-fi fan can forget Ensign Ro?), 24 and Homicide – and such films as Kalifornia and Escape from LA – shared her thoughts on vamps, and the possibility of her re-appearing as Admiral Helena Cain on Battlestar Galactica. Read on for our interview!

Your character on True Blood isn’t necessarily a huge fan of vampires, are you?

I haven’t been, [but]… It’s interesting as I’m exploring this world. The big question is why are vampires so big? It really is this wonderful mythology that keeps creeping through everybody’s consciousness and people are just so attracted to vampires and the world of vampires. Now I am. I’m a big fan of vampires. I’m beginning to understand what the appeal is.

How do you think True Blood’s approach to vampires differs from the many other TV shows and films on the subject?

For me, being new to the realm of vampires, it’s a very unique voice. It’s very, very funny. It’s very dark, it’s very sweet, it’s sexy, it’s Southern, it’s a mystery. It’s got a little bit of everything. It’s a very unique voice and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

Had you read the books?

Yeah, I started reading them. They really are fun, they’re definitely page turners.

source: Fearnet

FAQ – Where did Bill bite Sookie in the graveyard?

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 28 - 2008

No True Blood scene has been discussed as much as the sex scene with Bill and Sookie in the graveyard (episode 8), many pages have been filled on the forums about whether is was hot or creepy and many viewers seemed preoccupied with where the dirt Bill was covered in would end up. Personally ya’ll gave me a good laugh!

Bill, while making love, also wanted a little bite of Sookie and when she says “not the neck” he finds another spot to take a nibble. I thought it was her left breast, but I was wrong, episode 11 gave us the answer. He bit her arm.

2 fangbangers like this post.

Pop Wrap’s Top 10 Stars of the Year

Posted by Shadaliza On November - 28 - 2008

And the winner is… Alan Ball

Alan Ball & “True Blood”
“True Blood” is hands down my favorite new series since “Lost” debuted in 2004 and Alan Ball is the main reason for that. As the creator and guiding hand he deftly ushers the show as it tackles topical issues – racism, sexism, homophobia, vampaphobia – in a totally un-preachy way.

Funny, dramatic, terrifying, sexy and thought-provoking, “True Blood” is exactly the kind of show cable was created for. It pushes boundaries and rewrites vampyric lore, posing a fascinating question: Does love truly know no race, creed, color or pulse?

source: PopWrap