The Vault – TrueBlood-Online.com

Were any of you surprised when Chris Meloni was killed off so quickly in Season 5 of True Blood?  I sure was.  It seemed that they had just introduced his character and before we really got to know him, the vampire he played, Roman Zimojic was gone.

Rolling Stone magazine thinks it was an important scene and also shocking since they have voted it the 10th of “10 Most Shocking TV Deaths of 2012.”

Here’s some of what they say about it:

Roman’s storyline came to a screeching halt after just five episodes at the hands of the diabolical Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare) – proving once again that no character, however powerful, is safe on this show. This rule of thumb re-emerged at the season’s end, when we bade a blood-teared adieu to Russell himself (staked by Eric Northman, settling a 1,000-year grudge), and when, after downing a vial of vampire goddess Lilith’s blood, Bill Compton was reborn an indeterminate hybrid the interwebs have unofficially dubbed “Billith.”

Were you surprised by Roman’s death, and then, Russell’s later death at the hands of Eric?  I’m not even going to ask if you were surprised by the transformation of Bill Compton, (because I’m sure you were surprised) but I am curious what you think about last season and how these deaths and transformations will effect Season 6.  Please leave us your comments below.

Glamour U.K.’s “Sexiest Men” list is out, yes another poll!  However, it’s great to see that four of True Blood’s sexiest got a mention. The four True Blood stars that made the list are Alexander Skarsgård, Joe Manganiello, Stephen Moyer and Chris Meloni.

Alexander came in at #14, Joe at #15, Stephen at #35 and Chris Meloni at #97.

Congratulations to the men of True Blood for never disappointing us!

True Blood’s Roman, Chris Meloni is to be in the new film “42.” The first poster and trailer and trailer from the film have just been released.

In addition to Chris, the film stars, Harrison Ford, Chadwick Boseman, Ryan Merriman, Brad Beyer, Toby Huss and T.R. Knight. It’s about the innovative Dodger’s general manager Branch Rickey, (played by Ford), the MLB executive who first signed baseball great Jackie Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show, and Boseman as Robinson, the heroic African American who was the first man to break the color line in the big leagues.

Chris is cast as Leo Derocher who played a noteworthy role in erasing baseball’s color line. In the spring of 1947, he let it be known that he would not tolerate the dissent of those players on the team who opposed Jackie Robinson’s joining the club, saying:

“I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a fuckin’ zebra. I’m the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What’s more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded.”

He greatly admired Robinson for his hustle and aggression, calling him “a Durocher with talent.”

The film is scheduled to be in theaters in April, 2013.

source: comingsoon.net

When True Blood’s Christopher Meloni attended the Savages Permiere in New York City on June 27th and was interviewed in the video below he was asked some pretty strange questions throughout the whole interview and who’s to say if he is kidding or not when he replied. However, he appears genuinely surprised when he was asked what he thinks about Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer expecting twins.

His reaction sounds pretty for real when he responds that he was not aware they were expected “twins.” He did seem genuinely happy to hear about it though.

 
source: youtube.com

During last week’s True Blood, episode 4 we had lots to learn from the Vampire Authority and how important the mainstreaming cause is to them.

In that episode we saw Christopher Meloni, who plays the head of the Authority, Roman, sacrifice a member who had betrayed the mainstreaming cause. In the video below, he and Carolyn Hennesy, who plays Rosalyn Harris, talk about that staking and how fun it was to film.

In the next video, Peter Mensah discusses racial and ethnic difference in the vampire world.

source: HBOgo.com

Salome was the luckiest gal on True Blood last Sunday. She got to do not one, not two, but three hot vampires.

Valentina Cervi who portrays Salome talks about vampire intimacy, while Chris Meloni talks about banging the Secretary of State.
 

The whole Mainstreamers and Sanguinistas issue did raise some questions among the fans and it was not immediately clear for everybody. The below videos might shed some light.

Chris Meloni explains the political structure of the Authority.

Christopher Heyerdahl talks about the Vampire Bible and the 2 camps within vampire religion: the Mainstreamers and the Sanguinistas

source HBO Go

Christopher Meloni, True Blood’s Authority leader, will join Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler in Lionsgate’s romantic comedy spoof, “They Came Together” from director David Wain.

Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler star as a man and woman who dislike each other, with Rudd’s company trying to close down Poehler’s candle store.

The movie is in casting mode as it eyes a July start, with Ed Helms, Cobie Smulders and Jason Mantzoukas among those already set.

Meloni will play Rudd’s boss, the CEO of CorporateCo Corporation and Co., Inc. Wain, director of Role Models and Wanderlust, co-wrote the script with Wet Hot American Summer partner Michael Showalter.

In addition to his part on True Blood, Chris recently wrapped upa a trio of movies: Superman reboot Man of Steel, Legendary’s Jackie Robinson biopic 42, and Small Time, the directorial debut of 24 co-creator Joel Surnow.

source: hollywoodreporter.com

John P. Johnson/HBO

Authority leader Chris Meloni gets inside his character Roman in an interview with TV Guide and THR. There might be a minor spoiler or two here.

Following such a long run on SVU, what was it about True Blood that made you want to join the series?
Chris Meloni: I don’t think you could go farther afield from SVU than joining the world of Bon Temps and the whole True Blood werewolves, werepanthers, faeries and vampires running around. That was what it was. I really was just looking for something absolutely completely different than the world that SVU had.

Was it hard switching gears or were you totally game for it?
Meloni: No. From the moment I decided to move on and try different stuff I was completely open. I’m ready to roll and I was very happy that this was one of the first projects that came my way.

Tell us about the Vampire Authority and what their beliefs are.
Meloni: I found it interesting that they carry on the polarizing aspect of politics today, which I think there’s a lot of set-in-stone fanaticism in politics today and in the world, whether it’s Islamic or Christian or Tea Party whatever. So Roman is a guy who’s absolutely certain about his beliefs, which is coexistence with humans. On the surface it seems reasonable and right, and yet people can get caught up in their own sense of power and rank and maybe they go too far with implementing their beliefs. So the Authority is the governing body of all vampires and they’re trying to dictate how vampires will operate in this world in coexisting with humans.

What is Roman’s role within the Authority?
Meloni: He’s the political and spiritual leader, whether he’s self-appointed or not, we never get to.

How will the Authority be dealing with the impending civil war between those who want mainstreaming and those who don’t?
Meloni: Kill them all. Reasoning can only go so far, then you’ve got to resort to the stake.

Does everybody in the Authority agree with that view? Or is that just Roman’s view?
Meloni: Well that’s where the intrigue occurs. Who is pretending to be with me and who is not? It’s the old adage of keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Roman is trying to figure out who he can trust. I think on the outside if you’re with him, you agree and you want to follow someone like that. If you disagree, then you think he’s a fanatic.

Speaking of who they can trust, what does the Authority want from Bill and Eric and how will they feel about them killing Nan (Jessica Tuck)?
Meloni: Well, they’re going to pay for that, Bill and Eric and they’re going to do my bidding or they’re going to get whacked. So I’m going to have them go out and they’re going to find and kill the vampire who upsets the Authority more than anybody: Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare).

Does the Authority fear Russell?
Meloni: Yeah because he truly does have incredible strength as a vampire because of his age, so I think he’s a natural enemy. On top of it, I think he’s unstable. There’s nothing worse than an old, psychopathic vampire. You know who acts like that? A child. And I thought that was what kind of funny about it. Here you have this very impressive entity, yet underneath it all, he’s a big old baby.

Can the Authority even be trusted?
Meloni: I think that one of the beauties of what they have written and filmed is: “Question authority.” From the outside it seems good, fair, correct, but you have to question power.

How will the Authority deal with Nora’s betrayal in helping Bill and Eric since she’s also an Authority member?
Meloni: Off with her head. Again, you try reasoning with a vampire and what do they do? [Laughs]

So Roman is just all about death, huh?
Meloni: But only to make sure that life continues. Coexistence is a beautiful concept. It’s what human beings have tried to put together throughout history. Roman is on the side of good… in his mind. Any means necessary.

Since you’ve gone in the complete opposite direction of SVU with True Blood, which direction will we see you go next? Any chance for some comedy?
Meloni: I just finished an independent movie and it’s comedic, there’s a little drama in there, called Small Time by Joel Surnow, who was the showrunner and creator of 24. And I’m actually going to be working I believe, we’re still hammering out details, but I’m going to be doing another David Wain movie, which is who did Wet Hot American Summer, in July or August. And they keep sending out little hints that there’s going to be a Wet Hot American Summer Part Deux, so we’ll see. I’m up for anything!

Season 5 is the season of the Authority, finally we learn more about this organization. USA Today reveals a few spoilers about what awaits us.

This season explores political maneuverings in the vampire realm between The Authority, a mainstream group that seeks accommodation with humans, and the Sanguinistas, fundamentalists who believe mortals are simply food for their vampire superiors.

“We wanted to play with the politics/religion angle, since that seems to be something that never stops,” creator Alan Ball says. “Some of the things being said by some people during the Republican primary were so horrifying to me that I thought, ‘What if vampires wanted a theocracy? What would that look like?’ Whenever anybody thinks they know what God wants and wants to apply that to government, whether Americans or the Taliban, it’s kind of a terrifying thing.”

Christopher Meloni plays Roman, the powerful, mesmerizing and corporate-looking Guardian of The Authority. “He’s a vampire wanting to change the system, fighting against what he sees as fanatics. He’s a man interested in co-existence. I think he’s a forward-thinking guy,” says Meloni, “this supreme example of a man of authority, and yet there are certain moments of him that are surprisingly childish.”

Bill and Eric now must join to try to save their lives, offering their assistance in catching the suddenly resurrected vampire Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare), a thorn in The Authority’s side.

“Russell is a pretty powerful vampire. He really represents chaos and anarchy. That is the one thing that my character just disdains, both personally and professionally,” Meloni says.

For Skarsgard and Meloni, the union of Eric and Bill represents a twist in the characters’ relationship. They must work together or die the vampire’s True Death.

“Steve is a really close friend of mine, and I really enjoy the bromance,” Skarsgard says. “Eric hated Bill. He thought Bill was insignificant, a young, naïve vampire. Suddenly, he’s in a position where he cares about this guy. He protects him and saves him. That’s definitely something new for Eric.”

And this time, Moyer says, it’s not just personal. “At different times in the past, things were about stuff going on for them individually. This is on a different level. This is global,” says the actor, who’s married to co-star Anna Paquin. “They’re not just thinking about themselves.”

Sookie “can’t make her mind up and doesn’t want anyone to be hurt, so she’s walking away. It’s horrible and painful and sad,” Anna Paquin says. “But she’s never had a chance to stand on her own as a real grown-up. She’s giving it a go on her own. It doesn’t necessarily go well, because she’s Sookie.”

The trio’s paths will cross again, especially considering the return of Edgington. “Russell would be a common enemy,” Ball says. “He wants Bill and Eric dead since they put him into the ground, and he wants to drink Sookie’s blood so he can walk in the sun again.”

The show, which juggles humor, sex and violence, has a darker tone this year, too, Moyer says. “I don’t think it’s as frothy or quite as camp as it usually is. It feels like it’s very serious this year, but I don’t mean that in a pejorative way,” he says. “It feels like there’s more at stake.”