The L.A. Marathon started yesterday just after 7 a.m. under cold and cloudy skies even though it was expected to be a day of torrential downpours.
Rain was an issue for many runners during last year’s marathon, when 2.36 inches fell. This time the forecasts were wrong and as the sun came out, about 23,000 runners were scheduled to take part in the 26.2-mile race from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica.
PHOTOS: 2012 L.A. Marathon is off and running and somewhere in this crowd is EJ Scott
I had set up a meeting with EJ and Deborah Ann to be at the finish line of the run to catch a short video with them about his run. I had signed up to receive text alerts about EJ and my last text report about his run read: Edward Scott – Finish in 6:13:12 Pace 14:14 At 13:59:04. So, he finished at approximately 2:00pm and it hadn’t rained at all and instead the big weather story of the day was that the winds were very strong.
EJ posted the photo below on his Facebook page saying: “A highlight of my life was randomly meeting Chef Gordon Ramsay before the start of the LA Marathon yesterday. Shortly after this pic was taken I met Sean Astin (no pic) but he was super nice and said nice things to me and wished me luck. It was a great start to an excruciating 6 hours and 13 min. I completely nerded out meeting Gordon. He was really very nice.”
At the finish line we met up after EJ had finished his third of twelve marathons that he plans to run this year. He looked relieved to be done and with him was his girlfriend, True Blood’s baby vamp, Deborah Ann Woll. It was here that they met with me for a short video interview. As you will hear him say in the video below, he dressed preparing for rain and the change in the weather was a surprise that sort of put him, and many others, off a bit.
I was happy to be surprised that the race had another True Blood connection. EJ ran the event with True Blood’s Executive Producer and Writer, Raelle Tucker’s husband as his guide. I was thrilled to get a chance to meet Raelle; I am a huge fan of her writing. For me the day was complete.
After we talked, Deborah was kind enough to sign a photo of Jessica for a friend and she also signed TV Baby’s “Baby Vamp” outfit, see photo below. Doesn’t she look adorable in her shades with her baby vamp “onesie.” By the way TV Baby’s mom, TV Girl was also with us and she helped me get this photo. The “onesie” is available in the The Vault’s Zazzle Store.
Also, EJ did a video about his experience which you can see here:
Ultimately, the day was about helping EJ and his charity.Choroideremia is a rare inherited disorder that causes progressive loss of vision and leads to total blindness. At this time, there is no treatment or cure for this disease.
There is only one thing standing in the way of finding a cure for Choroideremia: money, or better the lack of it, so EJ has set his mind on raising funds for the Choroideremia Research Foundation with an extraordinary athletic endeavor by running 12 marathons in 12 states in 2012. To protect his eyes from the damaging sun he is running the marathons blindfolded with the aid of a guide. He hopes to raise $12,000 per marathon.
The Vault has joined E.J.’s team in support of his goal to run 12 marathons in 12 different states of the USA in 2012. You can make credit card donations securely through our action page, so we can all keep track of how much the readers of The Vault have contributed: http://www.crowdrise.com. All the money raised will count for E.J.’s grand total and your comment will also appear on E.J.’s Crowdrise page. Donations are tax deductible for US residents.
Or by PayPal.
This PayPal button was provided to the Vault by Cory MacDonald, Operations Manager of the Choroideremia Research Foundation.
Lynnpd has an avid interest in the entertainment industry from classic movies to all things True Blood. With a background in art, she enjoys creating in Photoshop, running web sites and finds the internet an exciting place to be. Lynn lives in the LA area and attends as many Hollywood related events as she can. She has covered events for the both websites in the LA area; read all about it at http://lynnpdexclusives.com.
Yesterday, I went down to the beach and saw Alexander Skarsgård. Well, actually it wasn’t quite as easy as that sounds. I went to the beach in Santa Monica where the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards took place and after much effort, managed to get a few photos of the tall vampire. It had been announced that Alexander Skarsgård would attend and I wanted to try and get some photos and/or video of him. His film “Melancholia” was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as best foreign film. Unfortunately, the film didn’t win the category.
The awards took place in a large tent erected in a parking lot next to the Casa Del Mar Hotel, a very exclusive beach front hotel. I arrived late because I had other appointments in the morning. When I got there, it was already well after the red carpet had taken place, and many fans were already lined up in front of the barricades that had been erected to keep them from entering the area. It essentially was fence that ran parallel to the bike path.
Since the red carpet had already ended, all the stars were already in the tent and the show was going on so, if I was going to get any photos, I had to wait about three hours until it was time for them to leave.
Because of my late arrival, I didn’t get a very good spot in which to wait and autographs and photos with the stars was pretty much impossible. I did see quite a few stars though. In addition to seeing Alex, I saw Colin Farrell, Ben Kingsley, Anne Heche, Jonah Hill, Kirstin Dunst and Carson Kressley. My camera was able to grab a few photos of Alexander as he left. He was waiting for his car and all the fans were screaming to him to come over, so he did and signed a few autographs for the fans, but alas he didn’t come close to me.
The dress code for the day was California casual, which I think, means pretty much, “anything goes.” I saw stars with evening gowns and those dressed in just jeans and t-shirts. However, Alex dressed it up a bit and he looked mighty fine, I’d say.
Below are the photos I was able to catch from my less than perfect viewpoint, three of Alex and some of the other stars I was able to get:
Yesterday, February 11, 2011, I attended an event supported by True Blood’s Joe Manganiello “A Day At The Beach” with Claire’s Place Foundation, Inc. in lovely Santa Monica, California.
Joe is friends with Claire, a 13 year old girl who has been living with cystic fibrosis her entire life. Joe was asked by Claire to support her fundraising event and he quickly said, “Yes.” Here’s more from the Foundation’s Facebook page about Claire:
She is inspired, passionate, and very excited about making a difference for other children and teens by sharing her experience, strength and hope with them. Claire has recently suffered many setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and believes this is the key to living a fulfilling life – despite being burdened with such a deadly disease.
In honor of Claire’s experience and enthusiasm for life, The Claire’s Place Foundation, Inc. was created, a charity committed to providing heartfelt help to families affected by Cystic Fibrosis. Our mission is to heighten public awareness about Cystic Fibrosis, and improve the quality of life for the families it affects by providing education, life skills, inspiration, and positive support.
Their mission is to heighten public awareness about Cystic Fibrosis, and improve the quality of life for the families it affects by providing education, life skills, inspiration, and positive support.
I arrived early to the event and immediately went to the registration table and received my free t-shirt and pink bracelet to wear in support of the charity. Joe Manganiello, actor Chad Lowe and Franchot Tone’s band were scheduled to appear. Also included were fitness experts, Lionheart Fitness Kids, and Jeff Blair Fitness who held exercise sessions with both the children and adults. There was also a silent auction of many items and food sponsored by Whole Foods to help support the charity.
The poster below details much of what the day was about.
Joe Manganiello arrived right on time and stayed for most of the two hour event, which began with Claire introducing actor, Chad Lowe, who also attended, Joe and the Franchot Tone band. Joe chimed in thanking Claire for all her hard work and then Claire mentioned how much her mother had done to see that the event went well.
You too, can help this worthy charity by donating; just go to their donation page by clicking here.
Obviously, my main purpose for being there, in addition to wanting to raise awareness for the charity, was to see True Blood’s hunky werewolf, Joe Manganiello. Below is a video with Joe and others, including Claire herself. In the video we see Joe living up to the reputation fostered by all the other True Blood cast members I’ve met before him by being genuinely friendly and kind as he talks to the fans, and plays with the children. There are some particularly sweet moments in the video when we see Joe with Claire and also as he plays being a werewolf with the children. When I spoke to Joe I tried to get some True Blood secrets out of him, but he was pretty tight lipped, although he did mention some the word “transform,” which I don’t really know what to make of. Oh, and yes, Joe is unbelievably tall!
Joe posed for a photo with me, and below is a gallery of more photos I took at the event.
Photos of me with Joe were taken by Barbara Henderson
After breaking the love triangle, Sookie finds herself single. Will she ever find love again?
In season four Sookie ended her relationship with Eric and made it clear to Bill that they wouldn’t be getting back together. Whether you’re team Eric, which I am or team Bill it’s safe to say we all were disappointed by her decision.
Can you blame Sookie for ending it with Bill? She not only found out he betrayed her but that their entire relationship was built on a lie. As we found out in season three, Bill had a really big secret and he’d do anything to keep Sookie from finding out what it was. When Sookie met Bill it wasn’t fate that brought them together. It was the queen of Louisiana. She sent Bill to acquire Sookie. Even worse Bill let Sookie get beat up so he could feed her his blood. His reason for doing this was so he could get close to her. He would also always be able to know where she was. He knew Sookie was searching for security and he used that to win her over. Bill really did love Sookie but he struggled with his feeling for her and his obligation to queen Sophie-Anne.
Sookie’s relationship with Eric was different. She was initially attracted to the sense of danger and pure sex that oozes out of him but she never trusted him. I think that began to change when he revealed Bill’s secret and admitted he never gave up hope she’d come back even when everyone else did. Sookie started to see him in a different light. When Eric lost his memory she fell in love with his vulnerability and innocence.
When Sookie’s world quickly began spiraling out of control she knew she had a tough decision to make. She used her fairy powers to save Bill from a Marnie controlled Eric. In the process Eric regained his memory. Being faced with the thought of loosing Bill, Sookie realized she still loved him. With Eric back to his old self Sookie began to doubt the future of their relationship. Being older, stronger and wiser Sookie knew she could never get back what she had with Bill or Eric so she had to let them go.
After discovering that Bill (Stephen Moyer) was working for Queen Sophie-Anne to gain information on her, Sookie is “learning to stand on her own,” Anna Paquin says. “At the end of last season, she was at a point where she was willing to walk away from everyone and everything, particularity those troublesome boys. It’s not that she doesn’t want or need anyone, she just isn’t dependant anymore.” That’s OK for Bill, though. “Bachelorhood kind of turns out all right for Bill,” Moyer says. “He’s decided to enjoy it while he can.” TVGuide.com
I think season five will reveal a stronger, independent more confident Sookie. She’s learned that she can stand on her own. Once she takes time to heal her broken heart Sookie will find love once again. I see her new love interest being someone who is a mix of Bill and Eric. Alcide is a sexy, sensitive werewolf that has a hint of danger about him. He also gives Sookie respect and a sense of security. Although he is the obvious choice for Sookie he isn’t the only choice.
We are going to learn more about the fairies in season five. Sookie finding love with one of her own may be just what she needs to get over her vampire lovers. Not only that, but a relationship with a fairy may help her discover who she really is and reveal her true potential.
“Season 5 will explore more fairies, new fairies, fairies in a way you haven’t really seen fairies. We will all, as well as Sookie, come to understand fairies more than in previous seasons.” [Raelle Tucker, 09.13.11 - EW] www.trueblood-online.com
This season the vampire’s world begins to fall apart. Eric and Bill will have to team up and learn to work together while protecting each other. Could this new found bromance lead to a new kind of Sookie, Eric and Bill love triangle? We know that the thought has crossed Sookie’s mind. Could her fantasy become a reality? Would Bill and Eric share Sookie if it was the only way to have her in their lives? I can’t see that happening. Sookie loves them both but could she love them equally? Eric’s not the sharing type. Now that he has his memory back would Sookie be able to love all of him, the good and the bad? Could she ever find a way to trust Bill again?
Is there still hope for Sookie and Eric on True Blood? Considering that Sookie swore off both Bill and Eric in the season finale, it’ll be a while before we see any movement on that front. “The feelings are still there for both Eric and Bill,” Alexander Skarsgård tells us. “The attraction is still there, but they’re preoccupied, and so is she.” Instead, look for Bill and Eric to team up while the vampire world begins to both expand and collapse in the coming season. “The guys have usually tried to kill each other and now suddenly have to learn to become friends and protect each other and work together.” TVGuide.com
Quinn and Sookie have a relationship in Charlaine Harris’s Definitely Dead. Will True Blood’s writers shake things up by introducing a new character who will compete for Sookie’s heart?
There are plenty of hot men in BonTemps. We’ll just have to wait and see which one Sookie will end up with. Whether she chooses vampire, shape shifter, werewolf, witch, fairy or human, Bill and Eric aren’t going to let her go without a fight.
Will Sookie find love again? Who will she choose?
Kelly Valentine discovered True Blood during S4, but quickly caught up on seasons 1-3 and her favorite sups are the vampires. She works with special needs children in an elementary school in Maryland. Her passions are photography and writing.
The articles of our guest writers represent only the opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the owners of TrueBlood-Online.com. We find it important to give space to the different points of view of the great variety of True Blood fans and the editorials of the guest writers are the perfect tool for that. We safeguard that the articles are in agreement with our policy.
As season five of HBO’s True Blood fast approaches, fans of the Sookie Stackhouse novels are left speculating over who will play the most integral role of John Quinn. Key characters within the books have emerged over the first four seasons of the hit television series however True Blood creators have remained tight lipped about Quinn, leaving fans to question whether it is essential to have him included in the on screen storyline.
Depiction of John Quinn the Weretiger from the Southern Vampire Mysteries
aka the Sookie Stackhouse novels. by Cogdis - cogdis.deviantart.com
John Quinn first meets Sookie in Dead as a Doornail, book five of the series. Quinn co-owns the Extremely Elegant Events Company or EEE that focuses specifically on weddings, rituals, competitions and the likes for the supernatural community. It is during one of these events that Sookie observes a profound ire of respect centering on Quinn which has her intrigued. Quinn’s torturous past enviably catches up with him in Altogether Dead, book 7, and Sookie finds herself again having to make heartbreaking choices that would seal their fate as a couple. Author and creator Charlaine Harris devoted five out of 12 books in the series towards the ebbs and flows of the somewhat condemned relationship. Harris describes Quinn as a large 6ft5, olive skinned, purple eyed, bald headed man with a strong resemblance to a wrestler, sounds dreamy. But is this relationship of value to the writers of True Blood the Show as much as it is for the storyline in the books?
It is widely agreed amongst fans of the books that Sookies relationship with Quinn wasn’t their most memorable. A close friend of mine stated that Quinn is quite “annoying” especially the constant usage of the word “Babe”. The fact that he is a Were does not seem to pacify the ‘anti-Quinn’ crowd because it is more than likely they have already allied themselves with one of Stackhouse’s other suitors, namely Eric, Bill, Sam or Alcide. This kind of fandom allegiance is not easy to embark on when you are the Director of a high ranking show where by on screen relationships will either work for or against ratings.
The simple truth remains that television writers of True Blood will evidently use what they feel necessary to enhance and empower the lead characters they have presently on screen, regardless of who is or is not in the books. Characters such as Jessica and Jesus are not in the novels however make for interesting viewing on screen. Actor Stephen Moyer who plays Bill Compton in the series explains in a 2009 interview with EW reporter Michael Ausiello, “It’s important that fans of the books will always be taken into consideration but I was told that only 5% of readers are the actual television audience” This statistic is somewhat alarming considering the reason for the show even coming to light was due to the novels popularity on a global scale. Undeniably fans of the books want to see Charlaine’s work displayed in epic proportion and in 2009 Director Alan Ball explained during a panel interview at the Paley Fest how he is “compelled to the spirit of [Charlaine’s] books” and is trying to “balance between the fans of the books and parts of the story that really works and giving some surprises” and let’s face it if we already knew what was ahead would we really be as interested as Ball would hope?
It is easy to condemn a character like Quinn based on eligibility however when adhering to the “spirit” of the novels it cannot be denied that John Quinn is indeed a strong contender in Sookies world of True blood based on his supernatural abilities. It is more natural for Sookie to be in a relationship with a Supe than human because she is unable to hear their thoughts. Another factor is that the mere presence of Quinn commands respect, loyalty amongst his counterparts which has not yet been touched by any other character on the television show. It could be argued that Eric Northman dominated as a cool collector of respect amongst his minions of area five however in the books Quinn was admired for his distinctive courage and talent more so than feared. There is also the reoccurring fact that Sookie has had a bad run of relationships, Bill, Eric, Sam, Alcide which could allow for the respectable Mr Quinn and Sookie to build an on screen chemistry.
Alan Ball has continuously looked for an element of surprise for the fans of both the books and TV show wanting to steer it into the unknown. Quinn is well known amongst fans of the books therefore I believe he will appear at some stage on screen. The element of surprise will be how much attention and affection Ball will show to this particular character, casting, scripting etc. the simple techniques that pull us all in and leave us captivated as the story unravels. The perfect time for Quinn to appear is season five because at the end of season four we saw a heart broken but determined Sookie this is a perfect opening for John Quinn to make a quintessential entrance. I believe Ball is keeping Quinn hidden so that the audience will remain ever hopeful for Eric, Bill or Alcide to be paired with Sookie, and to twist a frenzy amongst fans of the books, then when you least expect it BANG! In True Blood style we are faced with the illustrious purple eyed wrestler.
In the Sookie Stackhouse novels, John Quinn is perfectly placed amongst four other suitors aiming for Sookies heart, how lucky she is! And to say he is nothing more than eye candy for the storyline you are misinformed, he has a place and a purpose it’s whether or not True Blood creators feel it necessary to embark on such a risk. I hope they do, I feel if they choose to omit Quinn then they are doing a huge injustice to five of the 12 books. Sookie needs to progress and develop and Quinn provides her with so much more than topless moments of joy hidden underneath shiny outfits. In times of uncertainty I soak in the words of Charlaine Harris for comfort, guidance, “I chose Alan Ball to bring the Sookie books to the screen because I trust his vision, and I am sure he will be true to the spirit of the books. I am delighted with the talented cast, Alan’s scripts and direction, and the look and feel of the production.”
As season five release date draws near, fingers, fangs and paws are crossed that it is everything we would ever hope for, well, another seven seasons would be excellent, here’s to hope!
What do you think? Should Quinn be a part of True Blood? Post your opinion in the comments.
Lisa Eden is a mother of four from the beautiful country New Zealand. She is a big fan of the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris and her favorite sups are the werewolves. Lisa is currently working on her first paranormal urban romance novel.
The articles of our guest writers represent only the opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the owners of TrueBlood-Online.com. We find it important to give space to the different points of view of the great variety of True Blood fans and the editorials of the guest writers are the perfect tool for that. We safeguard that the articles are in agreement with our policy.
Despite the efforts of Bill and Eric to get rid of Russell Edgington once and for all, the ex-king of Mississippi will be back in season 5 and mostly likely with a vengeance.
Considering the bad physical condition Russell was in and the fact that he was silvered when he was buried in concrete, makes it highly improbably that he managed to escape without any outside help. Even Eric needed Pam’s help to be freed from the fresh concrete because the silver handcuffs had left him completely powerless.
But who released Russell from his grave?
The only person who knew what was buried underneath the construction site was Alcide, but I think we can exclude him as an accomplice unless he hopes that Russell finishes off both Eric and Bill so he can make his move on Sookie.
From the construction worker who discovered the hole in the parking garage we learned that a vampire was involved, because the man was glamoured.
It could be that Russell has another progeny besides his late husband Talbot, Russell is an ancient vampire and it’s very likely that he turned several humans over the years. He could have used vampire telepathy to summon his progeny. The question remains why it took the progeny so long to get there? Russell remained buried for a year, maybe the messages sent that way have a limited radius and the progeny has to be close by to receive the signal.
Russell’s vampire child could be a new character or possibly someone we already know: Reverend Steve Newlin. Steve was missing for quite a while and he did sport a nice pair of vampire teeth when he showed up at Jason’s doorstep.
Or maybe the progeny is a member of the Authority. Nan Flanagan revealed last season that there are fractions within the Authority that don’t agree with the agenda and Russell has no respect at all for the Authority, so there might be a link there. Or the Authority itself freed Russell to use him as a tool to hunt down Bill and Eric in exchange for amnesty.
Bill and Eric seem the least possible candidates for setting Russell free, but they are in deep trouble now that the Authority has issued death sentences for the both of them and Russell could prove to be a powerful ally in the battle against the Authority.
Who do you think released Russell Edgington? Post it in the comments below.
Tonight, my friends M’Lou, Christy and I happened on another filming set of True Blood in Los Angeles. This time we were lucky enough to meet up with Todd Lowe (Terry Bellefleur), Carrie Preston (Arlene Fowler) and Chris Bauer (Andy Bellefleur).
This shoot was taking place at the location that had been used in previous seasons as the Bellefleur Residence in Bon Temps. The first thing we saw was lots of trailers, guards, and equipment.
Home used as Bellefleur Residence
We immediately met up with Rob, the Motorcycle cop who was very entertaining as we waited to try and see some of the True Blood cast. We all knew Rob, but I had met Rob last year when I went to the set at the hotel in downtown LA. At that time, True Blood was filming the now famous scene at the end of episode 4.09, the “Festival of Tolerance.”
Tonight the crew was filming scenes for Season 5, Episode 1 and some of Episode 2. Also, we heard that even some scenes were being shot from later in the season, as well. I guess they need to take advantage of the location while they have it, because location shooting such as this is no small undertaking. Since the home is a private residence, and filming there causes a lot of disruption in the neighborhood, I think they shoot all potential scenes that take place there during the season, at one time, no matter how late in the season they may appear. While the street wasn’t blocked off from traffic, it was full of trucks, vans, trailers and equipment, see below.
Rob, the Rad Motorcycle cop and all the trailers who entertained us during the downtime.
Once again, I don’t have any spoilers to share here and have no interest in knowing or giving away any of the plot, but we did get some tidbits that I know you’ll love.
Thefirst tidbit is that Todd Lowe and Carrie Preston were in their jammies when we met them and we were told that Arlene and Terry and just woken up.
The second, and better tidbit was discovered when we were speaking to the actors. We mentioned to them about having been on the set last week and seeing the two primo vampires (Alexander Skarsgård and Stephen Moyer). We told them that our photos of Alex had started a huge discussion among the fans as to whether Eric would be bearded this yearon the show. When the photos of Alex were taken last week, he had a beard, (photo of Alex with beard). Well fans, I’m pleased to tell you that we were told by two of the cast members that Alex no longer has that beard.
The three actors all seemed genuinely happy to see us and chatted for a few minutes in addition to allowing photos to be taken. Chris Bauer mentioned that it was nice to see fans so early in the filming for Season 5 and he told me that he had seen my photo with Stephen, from last week’s set, (the one with my eyes closed), so we laughed about that. Todd Lowe remembered M’Lou’s name from when we went to see his play last fall and Christy commented on how tiny Carrie was. We each got photos with the three True Blood stars and they are below. First are Christy’s, then M’Lou’s and then, mine.
Thanks to Christy and M’Lou for sharing their photos and for providing me with another wonderful adventure.
Last night, two friends and I drove to the set of the night’s shooting of True Blood and we were lucky enough to see our favorite vampires, Alexander Skarsgård (Eric Northman) and Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton). Both men were so wonderfully nice to us and we are very grateful for the attention. Read our story below.
It was a cold and dark night and we had no idea who might be at the set, but we decided to go because, since it was a night shoot, we thought it might include our favorite vampires, Alexander Skarsgård and Stephen Moyer. For most of the night we were cold and sad because it was an extremely closed set and we feared we wouldn’t get a chance to even know if they were there or, if they were there, whether we would even get an opportunity to see them or not.
We arrived to find an extremely industrial, unfriendly site at about 6pm. We drove around looking for sightings of our vampires or to see what might be happening. We knew early on that we probably wouldn’t see any filming because the security was too tight. We spoke to a guard and were permitted to see part of the shooting, but only from far away. I won’t give away any spoilers here guys, because we really didn’t go there to get any secrets, but I can tell you what we saw included a big “Kaboom“. After that, at about 10:30 or so, we walked back to our car trying to decide what else to do since we weren’t permitted to get close enough to see any of the filming properly.
It was late now, after 11pm and we had been sitting in our car for a while, which was parked by the stars trailers trying to decide what to do next. We sat debating whether to leave or stay and just then, Christy spotted Alexander Skarsgård coming out of his trailer. OMG, we all ran out of her car and went up to the fence calling to him. He immediately saw us and came right over. Christy had a poster from Straw Dogs that she wanted Alex to sign and he was more than willing to do so. However, there was about a 15 foot high fence between them. She asked him if he wouldn’t mind walking down to the catering trailer where she knew there was a gate where she could slide the poster through. We ran down there and met Alex. Christy slid her poster in the slit between the gate and the fence, but luck would have it, the gate was unlocked so we opened it and we therefore, were able to talk to him and get photos. Alex was so nice and happily signed the poster in Swedish writing, Kram Christy! (Hugs Christy!). Then, they asked if he would pose for a photo and he gladly did.
We all noticed that Alex, our vampire Sheriff, had a beard. We all thought that was rather strange because we all know that vampires can’t “grow hair”, or can they? Are we to see a bearded Eric in Season 5?
I managed to film most of this, see photos and my video below.
Then, Alex left to get his dinner and go back to his trailer. We walked back to the car with Christy and M’Lou very jubilant that they had seen Alex, gotten autographs and photos.
One vampire down, but still one to go. If Alex was on set, Stephen must also be there. I decided that drastic measures were necessary as it was now getting pretty late. I decided to break my rule and took a chance and texted Stephen saying that we were on the set and had just seen Alex. I asked if he was on the set, too and, if so, I’d love to say “hi”. If not, we wouldn’t stay. He immediately wrote back and in no time we were back at the gate seeing Stephen Moyer live in a Henley, no less.
Stephen chatted with us, posed for photos and signed a True Blood script for Christy. He and I spoke about Bertie and James who are the two men of Facing the Atlantic, one of our charities. Stephen’s best friend, Bertie Portal and his friend, James Cash took off earlier this week for their two man row across the Atlantic Ocean, but after two days out they had to be towed back to the island to repair their boat’s broken power supply. We discussed that they were back in La Gomera, but that they were hopeful that once the boat was repaired to set off again soon. This morning, we learned from them that indeed they will start again tomorrow morning. Read more about it here. By this time, the makeup people were calling Stephen so he had to leave, or I think he might have stayed and chatted even longer.
Below are photos of Christy and M’lou with Steve.
I joke all the time about not being able to take a good photo and so after Christy realised that my eyes were closed in the first photo she took of me with Steve, we posed for a second one. This time both she and M’Lou were shouting to me, “keep your eyes open” and I sure did. So, now I have one photo with Stephen where my eyes are closed and one where I look all “bug eyed.” However, I like the photos and we all had a good laugh about it.
So, as he left, we floated (and I mean floated) back to our car. By then, it was very late and we decided it was time to go. We were all so excited and thrilled by our adventure and went out to eat a well deserved meal before heading home late in the night.
My only regret is that I didn’t get a photo with Alex, but I know I will sometime!
A huge thank you to Alex and Steve for being so gracious and kind by spending time with us. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the True Blood people are simply awesome and I can’t wait for Season 5!
Thanks to Christy and M’Lou for sharing their photos and allowing me to include them in my story.
Let me start off by saying that I had a blast at last Saturday’s 2011 Scream Awards. It is THE BEST awards show out there; so much fun!
And, I was happy to report here yesterday, that True Blood had won three awards during the show, Best Horror Actor (Alexander Skarsgård), Best Breakout Performance Male, (Joe Manganiello), and Best Ensemble.
Be sure to WATCH THE VIDEO at the end of this article to see how I got the great photo of Joe and Pee Wee Herman in the banner below.
I attended the Scream Awards last year to cover the event on the red carpet for The Vault and I knew that last year’s experience was going to be hard to beat. At that time, most of the True Blood cast attended and I was honored when Stephen Moyer singled me out on the carpet for an interview. We also got to speak to Sam Trammell and Kristin Bauer and had a wonderful time going inside to watch the show once the press period had ended.
Even so, I was hoping for a similar experience this year since True Blood was up for seven awards. Logic dictated that we’d have another year of big wins and lots of the cast participation. In early October, we were thrilled to learn that Joe Manganiello (Alcide) would attend and expected more True Blood stars to be announced at a later date.
Unfortunately, none were added to the list, but still it was wonderful to imagine the chance of meeting and interviewing Joe, so I was content with that. Also, Sean Bean (a personal favorite of mine) and Lena Headey from another great HBO show, Game of Thrones (which beat out True Blood as Best TV show), were to be there as well as Robert Downey, Jr. and Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens), just to name a few. So with high hopes, off I went on Saturday afternoon to drive to Universal Studios in Hollywood with my friend M’Lou who was going to be my videographer for the day.
We arrived right on time at about 3pm and parked our car in the garage, checked in to get our press credentials and took the shuttle to the back lot at Universal where the event was to take place. As we arrived, you could see the amazing outdoor stage that had been set up in a carnival theme (very different from last year), resembling a psychedelic circus. One side of the stage was a life-sized dollhouse populated by costumed characters, the other a staircase topped by a giant keyhole, and in the middle was a lake that lit up with fire (see the photo gallery for more images).
The stage of the 2011 Scream Awards
We found our spot on the red carpet and were happy to see that, although we were in a similar order as last year, we were in a much better position to grab stars as they walked by. Our spot was between “Military Press” and “Annapaquinonline.com.” We have no idea what Military Press was going to be there for, but we were glad to be next to them because they didn’t show up, providing us a bit more room.
Early on the Red Carpet
The Red Carpet in full swing
The Scream Awards attracts lots of horror film, sci fi, etc. types as well as the mainstream press to participate in the Red Carpet activities. Close to us were representatives from a magazine called “Girls and Corpses,” which I found to be a curious title. They were really fun, nice people and I include the photo below of TV Personalities Allen Lee Haff and Clinton Jones as they were being interviewed by them so you could see that the magazine is real.
TV Personalities Allen Lee Haff (L) and Clinton Jones with Girls and Corpses
On the other side of Annapaquinonline was a women from England who represented a British site (that, I’m sorry I don’t remember the name of), but she was very nice and we spoke to her and the two ladies from Annapaquinonline throughout the night. When I saw Matt Smith of Dr. Who start to walk by, I knew the woman from England would be interested in interviewing him and I started screaming “Brit, British press…” while pointing in her direction. He came over and it was great because she interviewed him and he started talking about how he was a big “True Blood” fan and it was his favorite TV show (see the interview with Smith in the video towards the end of this article).
Matt Smith – Dr. Who
Some of the nominees and presenters did not walk the carpet; but only posed for photos. Since our goal was to to get some True Blood coverage that night, we were on a quest to hopefully get a few moments with Joe, and so we sought out the help of the “handlers” on the carpet working for Spike TV. We met and made fast friends with “Claire” who promised to help me get, Joe, as well as Sean Bean and Pee Wee Herman. You may ask what does Pee Wee Herman have to do with True Blood? Well, nothing really (or so I thought), but I like him and my sister does especially. She went to NYC to see his show live and I wanted to see him in particular for her. Pee Wee was being presented the “Visionary Award” during the evening, and was pretty much talking to all the press at the event, so I figured we’d get him. However, as you will find out below, we found out that Pee Wee really does have a True Blood connection.
M’Lou, with the video camera, was running back and forth from our spot on the carpet to the photography area which enabled her to get some video of Sean Bean, Lena Headey, and Paul Wesley from Vampire Daries who didn’t end up coming our way (again, watch the video below).
Sean Bean with his daughters and Lena Headey
Paul Wesley of Vampire Diaries
Joe and Sean Bean arrived very late to the carpet and although Claire told us that she had passed our message on to Joe’s publicist, it didn’t look too promising that, he or Sean Bean would stop by since the carpet was about to close, and many of the stars were being rushed off to the Green Room. But, as often does on the red carpet, fate took over and just as Pee Wee Herman was coming to me next, Joe walked past.
Since we were the only True Blood site on the carpet, Claire had told us earlier to shout out to Joe as he passed to try and get his attention (as did those around us). He waved to us, but was about to walk past without stopping, when he noticed Pee Wee in front of us. He immediately stopped and gave him a hug and a “thumbs up” and they spoke. Just then, all the main stream press photographers urged them to pose for a photo together and that’s when I got the awesome pic below. Unfortunately, right after that, Joe was whisked away, so, we didn’t get to speak with him.
True Blood’s Joe Manganiello screams to Pee Wee Herman
However, I did get to interview PeeWee and ask him about his vampire connection. He told me about his role in the film, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” where he played a vampire who bit David Arquette’s character and turned him. They have remained friends since then.
You can imagine how flustered I was with all that was going on and I, as a result, told Pee Wee that my sister is a big fan, and while I meant to tell him that she had seen his show in NYC, instead I said she was in NY. She wasn’t in NY, she lives outside Philadelphia and was actually in Ohio at the time. Sorry Shirl!
So, even if I didn’t get that hoped for Joe Manganiello interview, there really is a True Blood and vampire connection with Pee Wee and I enjoyed meeting him and am grateful to him for helping me to get the photo.
See the whole Pee Wee Joe encounter and everything else that happened by watching the video from the red carpet below.
But the night didn’t end there. Even stranger things were experienced. We saw a wrestler, named Abyss, on the carpet with a stick that had nails coming out of it (there’s a photo in the gallery) and he was pretty strange, I can tell you. And, Claire somehow mixed up our request to get Sean Bean for an interview and, instead sent over a very nice gentleman, named John Paragon. Mr. Paragon played “Jambi the Genie” on Pee Wee’s Playhouse. He told me that he was presenting Pee Wee with his award during the program. So, while it was nice to talk to him, he wasn’t Sean Bean from Game of Thrones. We both made the best of it, but I had no idea who I was talking to at the time, and I don’t think he knew why I had “asked for him”.
I suppose “Jambi the Genie” can sound like “Sean Bean;” if you say it really fast and are in the bizarre and macabre world of the Scream Awards, LOL!
The six degrees of separation between Pee Wee Herman and True Blood doesn’t seem so big or strange to me anymore.
Pee Wee Herman arriving on Stage at the 2011 Scream Awards
The one and only down side of the event (and it was a big one to us) was that, unlike last year, we, as press, were not permitted to sit in the audience and watch the show, so I’ll have to watch it on TV like everyone else when it airs tomorrow night. However, I still recommend going to see the event live, if you ever get the chance; it’s so much fun! It was a wonderful, fun filled night and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Kristin Wurst is a guess reporter for The Vault and a member our forum. She attended the Ringcon Convention in Germany this past weekend and below is her report of the event.
Since I am a True Blood fan I had dreamt about meeting some of the fabulous actors from my favorite TV show. I live in Germany and all the Cons in US and Great Britain so far away. And, I also heard about many of the Cons are big with thousands of fans making for overcrowded autograph sessions and you don’t really get to meet the stars. Ringcon in Germany is different. When I was told that I thought: ‘Are you kidding’? Why different?
But I should start about the history of Ringcon. Ten years ago Ringcon has started for the fandom of Lords of the Rings only. It changed over the years to a multiple fantasy convention and many other fandoms were added like Harry Potter, Blood Ties, Xena, Twilight, Vampire Diaries and finally True Blood this year.
When I learned that Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, Allen Hyde and Mariana Klaveno would attend, I got my Gold Ticket and, even finally a press card. However, what a bummer it was that Mariana Klaveno’s attendance was later cancelled.
When I arrived Friday morning I had to hurry to get my tickets and attend the press conference. First it seemed Allan would appear for the Press, but suddenly his name plate was taken off without an explanation. Anyway it was a funny and informative press conference with some actors of Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Xena and Lord of the Rings.
Afterwards, I went to my hotel room but I didn’t waste time and quickly returned to the lobby of the hotel. The Maritim Hotel in Bonn is a great place for a convention. Screens informed us about panels, workshops, photo sessions, fan activities, exhibitions and lectures and many more. Sometimes it was hard to decide what to attend. The first important thing I learned was that nothing is certain except change. And there were lots of changes in the schedule. At this time I met a fellow Billsbabe Anne aka “AlwaysBill.” It was her third time at Ringcon and she was a good teacher and guide through my first day.
On Friday afternoon I decided to do my first photo session with a True Blood star – Allan Hyde. We waited about 45 minutes in line. I was very excited and nervous and then we rushed in and the photo was taken and, without a blink, you were out again. I guess I forgot to breathe at this time.
Allan is such a cute and funny guy. I looked forward to seeing him later during his panel and I was not disappointed. Allan entered the stage and performed some lines of the song ‘Bad Things’ for us. What a blast. He answered some questions from the fans and told the story how he got the casting call from Allan Ball. Two months before he finished high school, he left Denmark to begin his role as Godric. Allan Hyde never earned his high school degree, but it doesn’t look like Allan regrets it. He loves living in LA, but he also likes to be back in Europe. He was asked which supernatural he would like to be if he could choose, and he answered ‘a shapeshifter – especially to be the fly on the wall’. Allan Hyde surprised as with song lines of a popular German band ‘Die Prinzen’ – in perfect German! He joked around and 45 Minutes went by quickly.
Because of the variety of fandom many fans attended the Con in costumes of their favorite actors and TV show. We walked around and had a glimpse to the traders of all the little things fans need to be happy.
Late at night the fans was invited to join a Ball. The theme was ‘Fantasy Night’ and I saw a lot of people in wonderful costumes. However, I had to quit because I had gotten up at 5am in the morning, and I was done.
The second day (Saturday) started with a first surprise at breakfast. Two tables next to me Patrick Brennan of Twilight was enjoying his breakfast. This was not the first time I said to myself, “it was a good decision to come to Ringcon.” But, it gets better. When I went to take my camera and other stuff to my room, I had a short peek of my favorite shapeshifter on my hotel floor. Guess who! Sam Trammell was there! Now I was really excited. After 10am Sam’s panel took place. In all of the panels I sat in the sixth row and had a good overview to the stage. Sam entered the stage and the fans cheered, as in all True Blood panels. Sam is a decent and friendly guy. I love him as Sam Merlotte also as Sam Trammell! He talked about filming and how funny it is. Especially about one sex scene with Rutina Wesley in a former season. Six o’clock in the morning on set, having a coffee, talking to Rutina and then suddenly someone said: ‘Ok, take your clothes off. We are filming a sex scene now.’ Sam was really funny and we laughed a lot. He answered another question ‘What changed his life more, True Blood or the birth of his twins? ‘Of course, the twins’ he answered and he was joking about getting up at night and it was nice to see how proud he is of his two boys. After the panel, we had a photo session with Sam and then I was a proud owner of two pics with True Blood actors.
I heard rumor that Nelsan Ellis hadn’t arrived yet and I was afraid he didn’t come. The autograph session took place at 2pm and when Anne and I entered the huge hall we saw Allan and Sam but no Nelsan. At this time, I read on twitter he was picked up at the airport two hours ago. Great!
A little story in the story: A few weeks ago we had a Billsbabe Day on AllStephenMoyer.com. Several Billsbabes raised money for the ‘Facing the Atlantic’ charity. A Swedish Billsbabe Sara aka Parise knitted socks and donated the money to FTA. Anne had the idea Sara should knit socks for Sam’s twins and send them to her in Germany. So they did – we had a nice gift bag with some things in it but most important the cute socks in colors of True Blood! We went to his table and Anne told Sam the story of these baby socks and Sam was very pleased and surprised. I took photos and Sam was really kind and talked with us for about five minutes. Anne got a special ‘Thank you’ autograph for Sara. What a nice guy!
