The Vault – TrueBlood-Online.com

Michael McMillian as Dr. Slate

Michael McMillian, True Blood’s Rev. Newlin, is in a new short film called Futurist “Beholder”. Michael plays the Dr. Slate in a futuristic world that asks the question, what will become of America in five, 25, or even 50 years from today?

Beholder takes place in the biosphere-protected Red Estates, a gated community with a socially conservative political majority. At a clinic where patients can genetically engineer their children, Sasha, the wife of rising political star Bobby Aryana, is informed that her baby carries the genetic marker for homosexuality. By the laws of Red Estates, this is an aberration that must be dealt with immediately, and Sasha must decide between staying faithful to the love of her life or risking everything. Touching on issues of race, sexual orientation, and conformity, Beholder examines the notion of identity and the costs of belonging.

Michael McMillian as Dr. Slate examining his patient

This series of independent mini-features explores possible future scenarios through the prism of today’s global realities. Immerse yourself in the visions of these independent prognosticators as they inhabit a future of their own imagining.

Nothing is inevitable but the future.

See Michael in the “Making of Beholder” video below where he discusses the story in a very eloquent way.

Click on the image above to see “the making of” the episode video.

And, watch the entire episode “Beholder” by clicking here.

source: Facebook and Futurestates

Last week when I went to the Bagged and Boarded podcast that featured True Blood’s Michael McMillian and Deborah Ann Woll, Michael talked about his upcoming appearances including Hot In Cleveland, and how what it was like working with Betty White and Jane Leeves. He admitted he has a huge “crush” on Jane, who plays his TV mom on the show, but also mentioned said, “My mom is hot!” and having such a crush was sort of weird.

Here’s the announcement of his guest appearance on TV Land’s sitcom Hot In Cleveland.

TV Line reports that the actor will play Owen, the long-lost son of Joy (Jane Leeves) in a future episode.

Joy previously received a message from her son, who was given up for adoption, in the show’s first season finale, but the pair were unable to meet due to an approaching tornado.

McMillian currently plays the recurring role of cult leader Steve Newlin on HBO’s True Blood and has also appeared in episodes of CSI: NY, The Mentalist and Scrubs.

Hot In Cleveland airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c. McMillian’s episode is currently expected to air on June 22.

source: digitalspy.co.uk

True Blood, Reverend Newlin, Michael McMillian is becoming known for his writing as much as he is for being the most evil Reverend on TV. He has been making appearances for both his comic book Lucid and now also does so for the new True Blood Second Series comic that he has co-written with Marc Andreyko.  He will now be a guest at the Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con as noted below.

North America’s largest pop-culture tour continues as Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con returns to the Anaheim Convention Center, April 29 through May 1, with superstar guests Michael McMillian, John Schnieder, Adam West, Burt Ward and Chase Masterson headlining the list of celebrity attendees. The event will bring together thousands of fans of all ages and dozens of celebrities and industry professionals to celebrate the best in pop culture, movies, comics, toys, video gaming, television, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

McMillian, known for roles in the TV series “True Blood” and “What I Like About You,” will be making his first Wizard World Comic Con appearance.

Children and adult attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite villain, superhero or pop culture personality for the chance to win special prizes in costume contests. Event-goers may also try their hand interactive product exhibits and shop for collectible comics, movie and television memorabilia, toys and games at more than 100 dealer booths.

Special events at Anaheim Comic Con include the “Magic: The Gathering” card game tournament, professional photo opportunities (Photo Ops) and others.

Anaheim Comic Con is the fourth stop on Wizard World’s 2011 North American tour, which to date has 13 events scheduled. Hours are Friday, April 29, 5-9 p.m., Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Sunday, May 1, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.. Tickets are available in advance online at www.wizardworld.com/anaheim.html at a savings over tickets purchased at the door. Advance adult single-day tickets are $25 ($30 on site); three-day weekend tickets are $45 ($50 on site), and tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult). VIP packages with special entry and exclusive items are also available.

source: comicbookbin.com

Cover: "Tainted Love" The preview is out today, see link below.

Last Wednesday night, I went to the live recording of the “Bagged and Boarded” podscast at the Smodcastle in Los Angeles. Deborah Ann Woll, Michael McMillian and his co-writer on the series 2 of The True Blood Comic, Marc Andreyko were the live guests.

After the event, I went up to the three of them to say hello and since the second series of the comic that they wrote was coming out this week, I asked both Michael and Marc to answer a few questions that I could share with the True Blood fans.

Below are the questions that Michael answered for me. While I asked him about the gift he sent to Alan Ball of a “live panda”, I’m still not sure I understand his answer.  At any rate, it was a touch of genious, in my opinion, to send it.

LYNNPD: Have you and Marc written all of the comics in the series or are you just completed #1?

Michael McMillian: There are actually 6 issues in the “Tainted Love” story arc. Marc and I have plotted out the entire series and are just about finished with scripting issue 5.

LYNNPD: You said that you pitched other ideas to IDW than the one used in this series of comics, can you tell me about one?

Michael McMillian: I’d love to, but shouldn’t because it’s always possible some could be used in the future. I can say I would love to take the TRUE BLOOD comic into new territories, perhaps highlighting single-character stories or exploring both the past and future of the TRUE BLOOD universe. Many of Marc’s and my pitches reflected that, but ultimately it is up to Alan Ball picking the types of stories he wants to tell that will support the TV show. I won’t argue with that guy!

LYNNPD: What does the comic offer extra that the show doesn’t?

Michael McMillian: TAINTED LOVE will give you a little bit deeper look into the Tru Blood corporation. How’s that for a start? Ultimately I think the comic is strongest when it fleshes out the series mythology and gives readers glimpses into realms that may not be covered on the show We’ll meet new characters, visit new locations and get some back story to Jessica’s life before she was turned. Also, we are working with an unlimited budget, so we can really expound on “special effects” and action sequences. Whole scenes can take place with Eric flying through the sky.

LYNNPD: How do the writer and graphic artist work together?

Michael McMillian: Well, it’s really “writers” in this case. Basically Stephen Molnar receives our scripts through our editor Scott Duniber over at IDW (he is a great guy and also edited the first comic series). Stephen begins to break down the layout of the given issue in pencil. Then his art is handed off to Joe Corroney, who fleshes the whole thing out. We get a look at the finished product and suggest any last minute tweaks that we think could help the story, but so far Stephen and Joe have been knocking it out of the park.

LYNNPD: Talk more about the Vampire Liberation Front are these extremists? Are they connected to the Fellowship of the Sun?

Michael McMillian: The VLF are a big part of “Tainted Love’s” mystery, so I don’t want to go into too much detail, but basically they are on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Fellowship of the Sun. They are human-hating vampires that do not want to conform to mainstreaming. They see themselves as superior to humans. They’re vampire fundamentalists, basically. They don’t want to be beholden to synthetic blood- its a plight against their nature. They contaminate bottles of Tru Blood with an secret ingredient that makes vampires go feral. This is their terrorist attack on vampire mainstreaming.

LYNNPD: Rev. Newlins back story, can you share anything about what that might be?

Michael McMillian: I don’t know all of what Alan Ball has in mind, but I always saw Steve as a privileged guy who grew up with a celebrity father and a lot of money. He and his dad didn’t have the greatest relationship. Steve always strived for his father’s approval, who saw Steve as a bit weak. Steve struggled to be perfect in God’s eyes, and to him, his daddy was God. I think Steve’s mother died when he was young and his father didn’t remarry until late in his life and when he did it was to a much younger woman. I think Sarah reminded Steve of his mother and that’s why he fell in love with her. He was looking to replace something which he had lost long ago. That didn’t work out so well!

LYNNPD: You said that Anna Camp was your favorite actor on True Blood. Who is your favorite True Blood character to write for in the comic book?

Michael McMillian: Anna is certainly one of my favorite actors, but I was actually referring to her being one of my favorite human characters on the show. I’m a little biased. We had a great time working together. The entire cast is so amazingly talented- it’s impossible to say who’s my absolute favorite. With the comic, I love writing for Jason and of course, Eric. Those are both roles I would never be cast in as an actor, so it’s great to play with them as a writer. I’m also having fun letting my inner Pam out. All of these characters are so rich and each one has a distinctive voice. They pretty much write themselves.

LYNNPD: Whats next for Lucid? Whats next for Michael McMillian?

Michael McMillian: LUCID #4 comes out in March, which concludes the “Magical History Tour” story arc. April will see the arrival of the LUCID hardcover collection in bookstores everywhere. It brings together the entire 4-issue miniseries. Its packed full of great bonus materials, my favorite being a reference guide to all of the magical sigils I created for the series. I had a lot of requests for that one and wanted to do it as a thank you to all the fans who gave us a shot. Alan Ball wrote the forward, which was very kind of him, and should be cool for True Blood fans to check out. Also included will be some additional art, sketches, a breakdown of the LUCID covers and their hidden symbolism and a few “remastered” sequences where I went back and tweaked certain lines of dialogue that I felt could better support the story. Nothing has changed, per se, it’s the exact same story. There just were a couple weak spots that I felt could be improved upon for the collection. Fans can look at this as the “definitive director’s cut” of LUCID #1. I think we’ve included enough that if they are essentially picking up the book for a second time, they will feel like they are getting something really special. If it does well, I’ll get greenlit for a second series, which obviously is the goal. I have many more LUCID stories to tell. Vol. 1 is just the tip of the iceberg.

LYNNPD: I know you must love both writing and acting. If you had to choose one profession only, which one would, you choose?

Michael McMillian: Honestly? There’s no way to choose. Acting and writing are just two different ways of storytelling and I enjoy both of them for different reasons. I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing either one.

LYNNPD: What was it like working for Alan Ball as an actor? And how does that differ when you are in your role as a writer?

Michael McMillian: At first, very nerve-wracking. Before we shot Season 2 I had anxiety dreams about not being able to remember any of my lines or just destroying scenes with bad acting. In reality, he is a wonderfully accommodating creator to work for. He listens to everyone’s ideas, good or bad. Working as a writer for him is equally terrorizing, if not more so, because I’m encroaching on his territory. I’m responsible not just for Steve Newlin, but almost every main character in the series! Fortunately, I have a great writing partner in Marc and we share the load. But again, Alan has been nothing but supportive of what we want to accomplish. And all of his notes are dead on. Alan is a great storyteller. He has a very clear vision for True Blood and knows exactly how every element should be handled. It’s a privilege to work for him in any capacity.

LYNNPD: In the recent Inside True Blood Blog you were interviewed and you mentioned that you sent Alan Ball a live panda. Really? How did you ever find a live panda and did you really send him one and what significance does it have?

Michael McMillian:Live Pandas were marked down on Amazon.com last fall. Alan Ball loves animals so I thought I’d just go for it! Anything to get ahead in this world, right?

LINKS TO THE COMIC BOOKS

LUCID: Michael’s comic book LUCID is a four-issue miniseries written by Michael and illustrated by Anna Wieszczyk. You can download the comic at www.lucidismagic.com.

TRUE BLOOD COMIC, TAINTED LOVE:

• The first edition of Series 2, of the True Blood comic book “Tainted Love” is available at the HBO Shop. The price of the comic book is $4.99 and it ships starting February 23, 2011. Pre-order your copy now!
• The preview for “Tainted Love” is out today, see more here.

The latest post over the the “Inside HBO Blog” by Gianna Sobel is an interview with Michael McMillian, better known as Rev. Newlin about the newest edition of the True Blood comic book series that he is writing along with Marc Andreyko.

Gianna: Good morning, Michael!
Michael: Good morning, Gianna!

Gianna: Can you talk about your involvement in the newest True Blood comic book?
Michael: You can ask, but I have to warn you that as the co-writer of an official True Blood story, I may have to keep some secrets.

Gianna: Well what goods are you authorized to share? We’ll take what we can get!
Michael: I was just kidding. Get ready to be “spoilerized.” I’m giving up the goods!

Gianna: Do it.
Michael: I love my fans. Fire away.

Gianna: How did it come about that you would be writing for the comic series?
Michael: Pluck and constant pestering, really. I heard they were making a True Blood comic last spring through Alexander Woo, one of True Blood’s talented writers. I immediately started to plot how I would go about scoring myself a story-arc on the book. I was in the middle of writing LUCID, my series with Archaia and Zachary Quinto’s Before the Door Pictures, so I was eager to keep the ball rolling with other comic projects. Ultimately, I teamed up with my friend Marc Andreyko, a seasoned comics pro, and we pitched ideas to IDW. I also sent Alan Ball a live panda. It seems the bribe worked and now Marc and I are writing the comic.

Gianna: Ah, yes, I remember the panda. So what’s the book about? Did you and Marc come up with the idea together?
Michael: Our story is called “Tainted Love” and runs for six issues. Bottles of Tru Blood are contaminated with a mysterious ingredient that causes vampires to lose all moral center and go “feral,” attacking humans without restraint. The whole fiasco is a terrorist plot by a new villainous group, called the “Vampire Liberation Front,” who has grown tired of Vampires having to play by society’s rules. These are fundamentalist Vampires who want to destroy the civil ties between humans and vampires, so they target the Tru Blood Corporation. Jessica drinks a bottle of bad ‘Blood, and Sookie, Bill and the rest of the Bon Temps crew scramble to save her before she kills somebody. Marc came up with the idea of the tampered Tru Blood and we just ran with the idea.

Gianna: Are there references to story lines that happen on the show, particularly concerning season 4? Or are the comics independent of what Alan is doing?
Michael: The comics aren’t entirely independent of the show, but obviously the show is the main True Blood storyline. We’re the supporting act. The comic is a great way to expand the mythology and explore certain corridors of the True Blood world that the show may perhaps leave untouched. Issue 1, for example, kicks off with a tour of a Tru Blood bottling plant. We’ve seen bottling plants in teasers for upcoming seasons, but so far the Tru Blood company itself hasn’t really been showcased in any narrative on the show. I think fans will appreciate getting a little glimpse behind the curtain there. There are certainly references to things that have happened in previous seasons, and our story reflects the increasing human/vampire tensions established in season 3. We’ll also flesh out a very important backstory to a fan-favorite character.

Read the rest at inside-true-blood-blog.com.

Michael’s comic book LUCID is a four-issue miniseries written by Michael and illustrated by Anna Wieszczyk. You can download the comic at www.lucidismagic.com.

Wednesday night, I went to Hollywood to the Smodcastle to see the taping of Matt Cohen and Brendan Creecy’s podcast “Bagged and Boarded“. Appearing on the podcast was True Blood’s Michael McMillian and Deborah Ann Woll. And, half way through the taping, joining the others on stage was also veteran comics writer Marc Andreyko who has teamed up with Michael to script the next arc of IDW Publishing’s “True Blood” comic book series which is due out next week.

Brendan Creecy, Matt Cohen, Michael McMillian, Marc Andreyko, Deborah Ann Woll

Listen to the Podcast by clicking here.

Both Michael and Deb spoke about their audition for True Blood and their other projects in the works. They also told us about where they had gone to school. Deb answered the question, why come to LA to study acting if you and are from New York.  Deb went to USC to get her BFA in Acting and said that in New York most of the acting schools focus on “method” and she wasn’t interested in pursuing that.  She enjoyed her work at USC and expressed that she was happy to have gone there. Michael went to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and was a classmate of Joe Manganiello from his home state of Kansas.

Michael talked about his comic book series, Lucid and with Marc discussed the collaboration on the next True Blood comic book.

As we previously reported, McMillian and Andreyko’s “True Blood” arc will explore what happens when new vampire Jessica Hamby is turned feral by a contaminated bottle of synthetic blood substitute Tru Blood. Along with series regulars Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton, the arc will also feature the comic book debut of fan-favorite “True Blood” characters such as Hoyt Fortenberry, Terry Bellefleur, Arlene Fowler, and McMillian’s own character, anti-vampire crusader Steve Newlin.

The price of the comic book is $4.99 and it ships February 23, 2011. Pre-order your copy now!

It was quite a joy to listen to Deb, Michael and Marc joke together with the podcast hosts. I was impressed with how witty Michael and Marc were together and how great those on stage seemed completely at ease with each other making us all laugh and enjoy our time.  Below are some photos from the event.

Smodcastle Theater
photo courtesy of Matt Cohen


Deborah Ann Woll with host, Matt Cohen
photo courtesy of Matt Cohen
Michael McMillian (center) with hosts Matt Cohen and Brendan Creecy
photo courtesy of Matt Cohen

Rev. Newlin, Michael McMillian from True Blood will attend the Planet Comicon in Kansas City‘s largest pop culture and comic book convention scheduled to be held on the weekend of March 26 & 27, 2011.

As you probably know from our previous post, Michael is also a comic book writer, with credits such as Lucid and the upcoming True Blood comic book, which is scheduled for release about the time of the show. Below is information about the event:

Dates:
Saturday March 26, 2011 from 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday March 27, 2011 from 10 am to 4 pm

Location:
Overland Park International Trade Center
115th & Metcalf — Overland Park, Kansas

Admission and tickets:
$20 for an Adult Weekend Pass
$15 for an Adult One-Day Pass (Saturday or Sunday)
$5 Ages 7 to 14 for a Child Weekend Pass
Under 7 FREE

Advance tickets — Adults $15 for a weekend pass
Advance Tickets are now available at the “tickets” link above.

source: planetcomicon.com

True Blood’s Deborah Ann Woll and Michael McMillian will be on the Bagged & Boarded show LIVE next Wednesday night, February 16 at 8pm at the “Smodcastle” located at 6468 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.

Deborah and Michael join Matt Cohen and Brendan Creecy as they ponder and pontificate the finer points of existence… and generally offend a whole bunch of people.  Michael McMillian has been on their show before and you can listen to the recording from it here.

Purchase tickets here: http://smodcastle.com

source: Twitter

Michael McMillian, Rev. Steve Newlin on True Blood, is not only helping to write the new version of the True Blood Comic book, but he has another installment of his own work, LUCID available shortly.

Michael wrote to us giving us the “heads up” about the issue and says it’s the, “Best issue yet!!”

LUCID #3 will be on sale in comic shops everywhere on Wednesday Jan. 19. For those who don’t have a comic shop nearby, or simply prefer digital, they can download it at our website: lucidismagic.com.

Michael writes: “I’m really excited about Issue 3. Anna [the comic book artist] and I have both kicked it up a notch creatively speaking. Her artwork and colors look simply amazing. Readers will start to see the world of LUCID come together in an exciting way with this chapter. Also, my favorite character, Wren, finally makes her appearance!”

Here’s the summary of this issue he provided:

LUCID barrels toward an explosive climax as Agent Dee is pulled deeper into a dark conspiracy fraught with bold, unbridled evil! After a dangerous Magical Artifact created by Matthew’s infamous ancestor disappears from the archives of The School of Black, Matthew travels to London to team up with England’s Combat Mage, the beautiful and enchanting Wren, to hunt it down before all Hell breaks loose. LUCID is Archaia’s first title published in association with Zachary Quinto (“Heroes,” “Star Trek”) and his company, Before the Door.

True Blood’s Michael McMillian will be teaming up with veteran comics writer Marc Andreyko to script the next arc of IDW Publishing’s “True Blood” comic book series.

The price of the comic book is $4.99 and it ships February 23, 2011. Pre-order your copy now!

McMillian and Andreyko’s “True Blood” arc will explore what happens when new vampire Jessica Hamby is turned feral by a contaminated bottle of synthetic blood substitute Tru Blood. Along with aeries regulars Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton, the arc will also feature the comic book debut of fan-favorite “True Blood” characters such as Hoyt Fortenberry, Terry Bellefleur, Arlene Fowler, and McMillian’s own character, anti-vampire crusader Steve Newlin.

Rick Marshall of MTV News caught up with McMillian recently to get a few more details about his “True Blood” arc, how it will connect with the wildly popular HBO television series, and what could be in store for fan-favorite character Steve Newlin in both the comics and television worlds. We also got an update on his other comics project: the four-issue “Lucid” series that marked his comics debut and will see its third issue hit shelves soon.

MTV NEWS: First off, congratulations on the new gig. It must be a crazy feeling to suddenly find yourself writing scenes for your own character on “True Blood”…

MICHAEL MCMILLIAN: Yeah, it’s interesting that it worked out that way. I’m sort of killing two birds with one stone here, getting to write for “True Blood” and being able to put myself in a comic at the same time. I think Steve makes a cameo as early as page three in issue #1, so I got him in there as quickly as I could. [Laughs]

MTV: So when it comes to the comic book series, how much input are you getting from the television team? Are they involved in the comic book creative process?

MCMILLIAN: Yeah, Alan [Ball] is overseeing the entire process from his bloody throne. [Laughs] He reads all the scripts, and read the outline that Marc and I turned in. Before that, he was the one who ultimately selected which story we would do from the group of pitches. It’s fun because the comic really does feel like an extension of the show, which is terrific. Marc and I have made it our goal to have it feel just like that. We want the audience to pick up the comic and feel like they’re getting a little extra show while they wait for Season Four.

MTV: You mentioned wanting the comic to feel like an extension of the show. Where does this story arc fit in the overall “True Blood” continuity? Does it have a specific spot in the series timeline?

MCMILLIAN: It’s tough because “True Blood” the TV series has such a tight continuity that it was a challenge for Marc and I to figure out where the story would fit in. Ultimately, we have our thoughts as to where this takes place, but you kind of have to go into it both as writers and audience with this sort of loose sense of continuity. I think fans will be able to figure out where it fits in overall, though.

MTV: The first arc of the comic got around that by having everything take place in a single night at Merlotte’s. Are you planning something similar for your arc?

MCMILLIAN: We have to keep it kind of loose, because the show is so unpredictable that we can’t build too strong of a foundation of “Well, this takes place immediately after Episode 3 of Season 2″ and that sort of thing. Most stories in “True Blood” take place over a short amount of time. I think the entire three seasons of the show have only spanned a month and a half of those characters’ lives. So it makes sense that the first volume of “True Blood” and this volume take place in a single night. This story will take place in about a 24-hour period.

MTV: So what about the story itself? Why is this the right story to tell at this point in the series?

MCMILLIAN: I think it’s cool because the story centers on Tru Blood itself, the bottled blood. Marc and I went into it interested in finding out what areas of the mythology we could build upon that the show would not go into — which I think is a great role for the comic book. [The comic can deal with] how to expand the mythology laterally while the show drives all the characters and the story arc forward. The comic can kind of act as another format for the mythology to expand within.

We thought it would be cool to do a story about contaminated bottles of Tru Blood and what would happen if an ingredient got into bottled blood that made vampires go feral, go crazy, I think that really piqued Alan’s interest and IDW’s interest because there hasn’t been anything like that in the show yet. What’s at the heart of the whole mythology is this bottled blood that allows vampires to coexist with humans, so what happens when you take that element and you screw it up? What happens to vampire-human relations at that point?

Those are always my favorite stories of the show, and obviously playing Rev. Newlin I lean that way, but I love the stuff that comes down to the politics of vampires and humans. We wanted to tell a story that would put vampire-human relations at the forefront, and underneath that, all of our human characters are starting to go, “You know, I think life might have been better before all of this stuff started happening to us. I think things might have been better before vampires came into our lives.” There’s this sense of lost innocence that Sookie and Tara and Jason, and even the vampire characters like Jessica, are sort of longing for. And that’s our starting point for Volume 2.

MTV: I’m sure Rev. Steve would say they’re worse off with the vampires, and the same goes for characters like Tara, too… but how about someone like Sookie?

MCMILLIAN: It’s interesting, because arguably, some characters really were worse off before vampires came into their lives. At the beginning of the TV series, Sookie never had a relationship. She was a mind-reader who didn’t know what she was. She couldn’t have a relationship because she couldn’t stand hearing men’s thoughts. In the first issue, she’s sort of examining “Was I better off when I was sort of an outcast and a freak, or has life improved now that I’m constantly in danger?”

to read the rest of this interview, go to: splashpage.mtv.com

The price of the comic book is $4.99 and it ships February 23, 2011. Pre-order your copy now!