Slipping further into religious fervor, Bill (Stephen Moyer) gives Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) an order she's loath to carry out. Armed with a damning video of Russell (Denis O'Hare) and Steve (Michael McMillian), the military delivers an ultimatum to the Authority. Claude (Giles Matthey) and Maurella (Kristina Anapau) take Sookie (Anna Paquin) to meet the faerie elder, who may know something about an ancient family secret. Alcide (Joe Manganiello) reconnects with his father; Sam (Sam Trammell) and Luna (Janina Gavankar) hitch a ride into the Authority.
True Blood Season 5: Episode 59 Clip - A Very Expensive Meal (VIDEO):
Anna Paquin and Ryan Kwanten in True Blood episode 5.11 (Credit: HBO)
As you'll notice, Jason has already been attacked and bitten, most likely by Russell (Denis O'Hare) given that he drags Jason to the faery secret hideout/burlesque club (below):
(Credit: HBO)
'Bitten' (Credit: HBO)
So now I'm really wondering 'why' Jason would venture out from the faery sanctuary when he knows that Russell is on the loose and gunning for him and Sookie? How does he end up in the dirt, looking whiter than Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) who is lying next to him, apologizing.
Update: Well, I'm on the fence now that I've seen the 2 sneak peeks. Jessica could trick Jason--let's face it, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I think she'd give him a choice; even if Bill orders her to turn someone, it doesn't have to be Jason. I'm going to say no, Jason does not become vampire. That was done already this season with Tara. And Jason fluctuates between not liking, tolerating, and hating vamps. Now that he believes both his parents were killed by one? I'm thinking no way would he consent to being made vampire.
(Credit: HBO)
Joe Manganiello as Alcide with his father (Robert Patrick) in episode 5.11 (Credit: HBO)
Deborah Ann Woll as 'Jessica' and Ryan Kwanten as "Jason" in True Blood Episode #58 (Credit: HBO)
Bill (Stephen Moyer) iStakes Molly (Tina Majorino) while Salome (Valentina Cervi) looks on in True Blood episode #58.
True Blood Season 5: Recap #58 VIDEO:
It's really hard to cobble together a cogent explanation of what I think may happen in the last two episodes of True Blood season 5. It seems pretty likely that whatever the coming war is, it will need to carry over into season 6 as two episodes are nowhere near enough time to finish up the myriad story-lines of this season. In recent episodes, former recurring characters like Sheriff Bud Dearborne and Mike Stephens the coroner, pop up only to get cut down--permanently. In episode #58 'Hoyt' (Jim Parrack) was spared death but was glamoured at his own request to forget Jason and Jessica completely and then set out for an oil-rig job in Alaska,
We've been promised a spectacular ending and most everyone seems to believe it will be a bloodbath--but who's blood will spill most? It seems highly implausible that the human race will succumb to the vampires. It's more likely that the faeries might be at battle with the vamps and the shifters and wolves will be coming down on various sides. Humans will simply be collateral damage until they have to get seriously involved.
It also feels like the war hasn't really even gotten started yet and that perhaps season 6 and 7 can really ramp it up as a unifying feature to the story, something True Blood desperately needs. Despite it's frequent liberal outlooks sprinkled throughout the show, it really needs to have an antagonist or group of enemies that the shifters, faeries, vampires, and weres can rally together (more or less) and take down. That or go back to the story centering on Sookie It's better not to weigh down the show with 8 different plot threads getting going, then being dropped either for awhile or completely. Just go with an overarching theme, bring on the good acting, writing and direction and True Blood can go out the way it came in--as a highly enjoyable, supernatural romp.
True Blood Season 5: Inside the Episode #58 VIDEO:
Go inside the episode with Director, Scott Winant and Writer, Alexander Woo.
After the jump!:Episode #58 Promo PHOTOS, True Blood Season 5: Jessica's Vlog (Episode #58) VIDEO:
Watch a scene from Episode 57 of True Blood Season 5.
True Blood Episode #57 / 5.09 Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Lafayette (Nelan Ellis) discuss dead people. (Credit: HBO)
Very good Sookie-Lafayette True Blood sneak peek which confirms ***SPOILER*** in case you hadn't read ahead-- that Sookie and Jason's Gran is returning from the dead again in the very-same-as-the-original form of Lois Smith! So yay! But "boo!' because according to Lafayette, Gran, as well as other dead folk are unnecessarily 'cryptic!'
True Blood - episode 5.08 - Bill (Stephen Moyer) attempts to shield himself in the immediate aftermath of Russell's staking of Roman (Credit: HBO)
True Blood Season 5: Episode 55 Clip - Sam's Got a Secret (VIDEO):
Kenya to a prone, floor-sniffing Sam: 'Is there something I need to know about you, Mr. Merlotte?'
Sam to Kenya: 'No.'
True Blood Season 5: Episode 55 Clip - Together At Last (VIDEO):
True Blood episode #55 - Salome (Valentina Cervi) begs for Russell's life to be spared.
True Blood Season 5: Episode 55 Clip - Disturbance in the Force (VIDEO):
True Blood episode #55 -Jason listens while a faery explains Sookie's powers to her.
From the True Blood (HBO) blog:
The True Blood cast has been coming to Comic-Con so long now that their panel has practically become an institution. And like any well-seasoned TV stars, they knew exactly how to deliver the hotness:
The True Blood cast with creator Alan Ball at SDCC 2012 (Credit: HBO)
Alan Ball dished out some faerie stripper action.
You’ve already seen the club – it’s not a strip club per se, as it is more a burlesque club. We will see other faeries and other people in various states of undress … Sort of playing off the strip club in Charlaine’s books, we decided to make it a club where faeries just hung out and had a good time, which sometimes means having their way with humans. We wanted to be more adult, more sensual … more sort of soft-core porno faerie.
Alexander Skarsgard and Stephen Moyer relived their trunk scene.
Skarsgard: That scene was originally probably six minutes long, and it ended up being like a 10-second scene because …
Moyer: We couldn’t do it without laughing. But we did rehearse it all weekend … We both received emails from Alan, the lord and master. So we ended up kind of going in to see the principal and getting our wrists slapped.
More True Blood at Comic-con 2012 Sound Bites and SDCC 2012 PHOTOS after the jump!:
Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin at the San Diego Comic Con 2012 for True Blood (CREDIT: AP)
Published on Jul 14, 2012 by trueblood What secrets were spilled? Preview the second half of True Blood Season 5 in this exclusive trailer revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2012. Tune in to a new episode every Sunday night at 9PM, only on HBO.
True Blood Season 5, part 2 - Kristen Bauer van Straten as Pam
SAN DIEGO (AP) — There's more supernatural wackiness in store for the sex-crazed residents of Bon Temps. The Saturday presentation at Comic-Con for HBO's "True Blood" kicked off with a trailer teasing the remaining episodes of the campy HBO vampire series' fifth season. The fast-moving footage showed Lafayette (played by Nelsan Ellis) channeling spirits, newbie vampire Tara (Rutina Wesley) working as a burlesque dancer (looked like she was pole-dancing at Fangtasia--I think the 'burlesque' dancing is being done in Fairyland), Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) going wild and old-school vampire Bill (Stephen Moyer) seemingly sucking down on Sookie (Anna Paquin).
"True Blood" actors Paquin, Moyer, Wesley, and Woll were joined by their co-stars Alexander Skarsgard, Christopher Meloni, Kristin Bauer, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell and Joe Manganiello, as well as "True Blood" executive producer Alan Ball for the high-energy panel attended by more than 4,000 con-goers. Other than the spoilery footage, the cast kept the biggest secrets about the current season under wraps. Paquin called the final scene in the fifth season finale "very, very crazy," while Ball hinted that the audience will learn more about Sookie's parents, and there would be three new romances. "There's also a lot of people having sex, but those don't really count as romances," Ball added. The panel descended into a howling frenziness at several points during the hour-long presentation, including when "Magic Mike" co-star Manganiello empowered Ball and new cast member Meloni to perform the "body roll" stripper move, and when Kwanten was dared to walk on his hands across the stage inside a mammoth ballroom in the San Diego Convention Center. Saturday's panel ended with a standing ovation for Ball, who is stepping down as the showrunner of "True Blood" next season. SOURCE: AP___ Online: http://www.hbo.com/true-blood
Update #2 (July 24, 2012) AFTER THE JUMP: The Buzz: Comic Con - True Blood Joe Manganiello, Kristin Bauer van Straten on 'True Blood' (VIDEO)
Bill licks Sookie - TRUE BLOOD season 1 episode 2 (Photo credit: HBO)
It seems that it has been eons that we've had the TV-version of 'Sookie and Bill' (Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer) but in truth, they did not go public with their relationship until they'd been in it for well over a year. Initially, they were willing to discuss just how they happened to become a couple (in sum, they met at work). Now, three years later, they've married (August, 2010) and are expecting twins this fall (2012) so I thought it would be fun to take a look back, in video, interviews and photos at the way they were:
TV Guide Magazine: True Blood Cover Shoot with Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer VIDEO:
Join True Blood stars Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten and Rutina Wesley on their cover shoot for TV Guide Magazine! Exclusive interviews about the new season and behind the scenes footage!
TRUE BLOOD Episode 1.08 Sookie & Bill: 'Graveyard love scene'
Stephen Moyer Q &A's
On having an on/off screen relationship with Anna, he says,
“Our relationship obviously started at the beginning of the show. We got together because we loved being together and created the thing in the first place. So I think this might be easier because the crew has grown up with us, watching us as a couple and we feel comfortable with them. So, we are able in some ways to explore an intimacy which maybe some people aren’t able to."
Q: 'Was it love at first sight?'
A: "we both were absolutely single and we were doing this job and HBO puts us in the same hotel. We were the only two out-of-towners as everybody else lived in LA.
.. we just had some time off so we started hanging out together and literally finished the pilot, went home and felt very strange not being together suddenly. And I think we were both really surprised about that. Really nicely surprised by that."
Q: Are you comfortable with all the racy scenes? Happy with your sock?
A: I love the sock! Everyone has got a different size sock, as you can imagine.
Q: What size is yours?
Photo credit: HBO
A: I veer medium to extra large. No, it’s very funny, they brought in a selection of socks to try on and I don’t know whether they were doing it very sweetly, the costume department, like they brought in an extra-small one so that you feel really good. But I wasn’t the extra small which was very gratifying for me.
About True Blood's sexy scenes:
I like the fact that sex is shown in our show, I like the fact it is shown to be true. We show lustful sex, we show loving sex, and then my character does the loving and lustful sex. We’re in a society where it’s ok at 7 o’clock in the evening to see 200 terrorists gunned down by Jack Bauer [on 24], but we can’t see one female nipple unless it’s on cable network and I think that’s ridiculous.
People are scared of nipples?
They can be quite scary can’t they? Especially of the very big ones that look like dustbin lids. But I’m very proud of our show, and that our show embraces it. It’s not a problem for me at all.
Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer of TRUE BLOOD
Anna Paquin interview Q & A's
Q: How’s life as a blonde?
A: It’s very high maintenance.
Q: It must be...
A: Yeah it turns out my hair grows really fast and I have really dark hair naturally so, you know, this even the tiniest bit of roots, not okay. But now that we’re wrapped it’s okay because I’m not suppose to look like a natural blonde but not really a fan for sitting still for the hairdresser once every ten days for a couple hours. Makes me feel really vain and nutty.
...people stare at blonde girls. It’s funny. It’s bright and shiny and it catches the light. Like a magpie. - ANNA
Q: How is it working with your fiancé Stephen Moyer?
A: He’s great. He’s really talented, and so is every other member of our cast and crew and writing staff and directors I mean, we have, we have such an amazing group of people and it’s a real treat.
Q: Did you have any worries about doing the raunchy material?
A: I’ve done plenty of not particularly child-friendly work when I was less age-appropriate to do it. So maybe I’ve just never had conservative taste.
Q: We keep hearing about the sock (to cover the male actors nudity)...
A: “I think they started calling it ‘the sock of destiny’ last season, I’m not entirely sure, I think that might have been a Ryan Kwanten coinage cause he was in little else for most of that season and if I’m not very much mistaken, I think he gave socks to all of the boys on the crew as a wrap gift...
But girls don’t have the sock. Girls have the patch.
Q: The patch, is that glued?
A: No! (laughs) It’ s topstick, double-sided toupee tape.. .glue would be messy and awkward. Topstick is also awkward but less messy.
Yeah a "modesty patch," or just "the patch" or "the sock."
I think they started calling it ‘the sock of destiny’ last season...I think that might have been a Ryan Kwanten coinage cause he was in little else for most of that season...
The ill-fated 'Daphne' and Sam, (Sam Trammell) in 'Release Me':
Still being held in the basement at the Church, it becomes obvious to Sookie that Steve knew they were coming, but is not sure why. That tells her there is a spy among them. She tries to get a message to Bill, but he is being held prisoner by his maker, who refuses to let him go after the woman he loves. In flashbacks, Bill's conversion to a less violent lifestyle is revealed. When Steve learns Sookie's true identity, he makes the connection with Jason and assumes he's a spy. As they begin to wreak their vengeance, Sookie is saved by someone she has yet to meet. Back at the hotel Jessica and Hoyt decide to sleep together. In Bon Temps, Sam manages to escape, courtesy of a drunken Andy Bellefleur. Any plans he may have had for getting even with Daphne are overtaken by Maryann who has her own plans for her acolyte.(cont.)
Maryann and Eggs dispatch with Daphne:
The rest of the revelers have no memory of what happened the night before. Written by garykmcd
GODRIC (ALLAN HYDE) to the rescue:
ANNA PAQUIN as SOOKIE STACKHOUSE in True Blood Season 2:
Andy arrives in Maryann's orgy, shoots and saves Sam from the sacrifice. Sookie and Hugo are arrested in the basement of the Church, and Sookie discovers that her companion is the traitor that has informed the Fellowship of the Sun about her arrival. Lorena does not allow Bill to leave the room to save Sookie, and recalls their past together in Los Angeles in 1935. When Steve discovers the true identity of Sookie, he believes that Jason is a traitor and asks Gabe to kill him; however, Jason reacts and escapes. Sarah finds Jason and shoots him on the chest.(cont.)
DEBORAH-ANNE WOLL as Jessica Hamby in True Blood Season 2:
Meanwhile Jessica and Hoyt are in deep love with each other and sleep together in the Hotel Carmilla. Sam meets Daphne and she discloses that she had fun with him; further she tells that Maryann uses her energy to control humans, but shape shifters should go to her on their free will. She says that Maryann is a pagan Goddess, called Kali, Lilith, Isis, Gaia but she is a Maenad, the female follower of Dionysus. Gabe comes to Sookie's cell to rape her, but Godric saves her. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
MARIANA KLAVENO as "Lorena," Bill's maker who as of Season 3 ceasted to exist:
Having saved Sookie, Godric orders Eric to leave the premises with her - and to do so peacefully. Unfortunately, Steve Newlin and his followers are waiting for them in the Church and he isn't too choosy as to which vampire they use for their sunrise ceremony. Godric tries a different approach and hopes to make peace with Steve, who adamantly opposes any such possibility. Safely returned to their lair, Godric's peaceful approach and lack of desire for revenge doesn't sit well with some of his followers. Steve also has a surprise for him. In Bon Temps, Eggs tells Tara that he's blacked out again and they try to piece together where he's been. Maryann prepares a special dish for them. Sam Merlotte finds himself under arrest when Daphne's body is found in the restaurant freezer. Having finally slept together, Jessica and Hoyt discover a disadvantage to Jessica being a vampire. Written by garykmcd
Godric kills Gabe and Eric arrives after; Cedric orders him to take Sookie with him without killing humans. Sarah actually shot Jason with a paintball gun and he returns to the church to rescue his sister. Meanwhile people that are locked-in evacuate the church and the Soldiers of God chase the vampire inside the building. Eric offers himself to be sacrificed in place of Godric, but a group of vampires leaded by Stan arrives in the church ready to eliminate the humans.
GODRIC"S Lieutenants Isabel and Stan with Eric:
Rev. Steve Newlin (MICHAEL MCMILLIAN) returns to TRUE BLOOD IN Season 5 --as a vampire (!):
However, Godric arrives and avoids the bloodshed, offering peace to the stubborn and intolerant Steve that does not accept. Eggs tells Tara that he had another blackout. Sam receives a phone call from Merlotte's and finds Daphne's body without her heart in the refrigerating chamber. But it is a setup and he is arrested by Sheriff Bud Dearborne. Maryann cooks the dish Hunter's Soufflé using Daphne's heart and serves the dish to Tara and Eggs. Jessica discovers that she died virgin and her hymen restores after the intercourse. There is a reception for vampires and humans at Godric's house and the uninvited Luke comes wearing a bomb with silver. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A couple things about the screen caps above: Unless Alan Ball is pulling a fast one, Jason is shot by Sarah Newlin with a blob of red paint. It appears that both of them are missing the "meeting the morning" lock-in ceremony. Maybe that is for the best for both of them. Are the two thumbs above of Eric who clearly is healing from having silver chains around his neck and Steve Newlin in sequence? It appears that Steve is pitching or falling forward---has Eric killed him?*** It seems like we are missing a frame or two (maybe more) here. I was wrong about the couple in bed.That is clearly Jessica --her vamp teeth are visible and I guess that's Hoyt's hairline--it just seems odd-looking to me. Thanks to Jen S ,who helped me out on this.
***UPDATE 5.4.12/ As of season 5 TRUE BLOOD Steve Newlin is now in fact dead and a vampire!
First Look: Evan Rachel Wood on True Blood
by Rob Moynihan August 06, 2009 06:00 PM EST
Just when we thought True Blood could not get any sexier, Evan Rachel Wood joins season two of the HBO hit as Sophie-Anne, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. Wood will make her first appearance in the August 30 episode when a desperate Bill (Stephen Moyer) seeks Sophie-Anne's advice. MORE HERE
I'm sort of liking the screencaps of Sophie-Anne that I made some time ago a bit better than the prim-looking official first photo they've used, but to each her own.
UPDATE/ OFFICIAL PHOTO QUEEN SOPHIE-ANNE - TRUE BLOOD SEASON 3 (HBO):
Above: The Queen 'greets' Eric:
Below are my caps. Evan Rachel Wood as Queen Sophie-Anne greets a visitor:
Evan Rachel Wood as Queen Sophie-Anne in True Blood Season 2 (PHOTO):
TRUE BLOOD Season 3 Episode 9 "Everything is Broken" ERIC NORTHMAN (Alexander Skarsgård) is interrogated by the The Vampire Authorty (VIDEO) (HBO):
Russell will eat us after he eats our children... True Blood - 3x09 - 'Everything Is Broken' - Official HBO Recap:
Russell makes headlines in the latest episode. Watch the Recap.
Since we know that TRUE BLOOD Season 5 will have an emphasis that goes heavy on the previously barely-knownVampire Authority(we mostly knew of them through the now-truly dead "Nan Flanagan") and that will include the return of Russell Edgington, I thought it would be fun to revisit the episode that featured them both most heavily: True Blood - 3x09 - 'Everything Is Broken'.
True Blood Moments: Eric's panic (S3E09): The V-Squad is about to bust in...
Eric, Pam and Ginger with the V-Patrol busting down their door:
TRUE BLOOD - EPISODE 3.09 - 'Everything Is Broken' was not the best eppy of True Blood ever. But there were still some truly solid scenes. I've got a lots of screencaps as well as some great VIDEO scenes from the episode. Enjoy!
This episode did feel sort of choppy. It lacked cohesion as well as the thrills and chills of the previous 2 eppys. Yet Nan Flanagan (Jessica Tuck) was a hoot. We got lots of Pam candy not to mention Pam crying. Crying! Over the prospect of her maker, Eric being punished by death when the Vampire Authority rendered it's opinion about his (mis)deeds. So sweet the way he held her head on his chest like the child (of his) she is. We also had Nan revealing her true colours, not mainstreaming.
JESSICA TUCK AS Vampire Authority rep., Nan Flanagan, storms Fangtasia and interrogates Eric & Co.. And she brought friends.
Good ole Jason proved that wooden bullets actually work! Almost made up for the Crystal storyline which has really been dragging. Vampire Bill going to the land of the Fae was pretty cool. Surprised the heck out of Claudine. She handled it well while he bungled it completely.The fact is, Bill will steal Sookie's light if she stays with him--any dead guy will.
Nan Flanagan goes to Fangtasia for answers about the Magister's whereabouts. Bill gets to the bottom of Sookie's real identity. Jason finds an unlikely ally in his feud with Felton and Calvin. Arlene has a pessimistic view of her husband. ' (AUGUST 15TH 2010)
Claudine not at all trusting or believing Bill's proclamation that he loves Sookie and 'would never harm her.'
True Blood Season 3 Episode 9 - Eric: 'Everything ends, even the immortals.' VIDEO (HD)
'If I can't go on, its your time to be a maker.' Eric to Pam:
JASON KILLS FRANKLIN/SAVES TARA HD (VIDEO):
TRUE BLOOD Season 3 Episode 9 : Jason Has A Wooden Bullet And A Great Aim!
In a scene that has since become a fan fave involving Jason and Tara and Franklin and the wooden bullet which Jason procured some months back during his Fellowship of the Sun detour.
Russell Has Spine (VIDEO):
Denis O'hare as deranged King Russell providing us with our weekly dose of crazy camptasticness in TRUE BLOOD - EPISODE 3.09 - 'Everything Is Broken':
Sookie and Bill: 'I'm a faery!?!' True Blood 3.09 Screencaps (HBO):
Some news I'd missed from TvGuide Magazine after the jump: A tie breaking opportunity for the two vamps will come soon, when Sookie learns a secret about herself. It’s the answer to “What are you?,” the question Bill asked Sookie the first day they met.
“It complicates issues,” says showrunner Alan Ball, adding that the discovery will have a major impact on all her romantic relationships. “It makes Sookie question a lot. She has moments where she’s like, ‘I’ve had it with vampires.’” Does that mean Alcide has a chance? Yep! “When you’re fighting for your life, and everything you’ve taken for granted is revealed as something else than what you thought, and there’s an insanely hot person next to you, there is definitely going to be energy,” says Ball, of the growing affection between the two. Adds Paquin, “They find comfort in each other. Plus, he’s big and he’s strong and he’s warm.” As season 3 winds down, expect more twists than a backcountry dirt road. The biggest may come from Sookie when she discovers just how dark passion can be. “Sookie started off the show as a virgin,” Ball says. “But we’ll see a whole new side of her. Had she seen that side back then, she, herself, would have been shocked.” And that’s not the only thing that will shake Sookie up. “Toward the end of the season, she’s not really concerned about “Who am I going to pick?’ She’s more concerned about evading forces that want her for reasons I can’t disclose,” says Ball.
Hey fellow Truebies! I just now had time to rewatch (most of) True Blood Episode 3, 'If You Love Me, Why Am I Dyin'? on HBOGo, and I was wondering if y'all were left pondering like me:
Why kill off Sookie's faery Godmother NOW?
If you are not a 'bookie' (a reader of the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse novels upon which HBO's True Blood is based) then it may have only been a surprise not a shock when Claudine (played by Lara Pulver) was murdered by Amnesia!Eric right before Sookie's and our eyes.
Claudine had returned to 'our side' to implore, then demand that Sookie return to 'Faery' with her. When Sookie declined her faery godmother's invitation, then stated firmly that she wished Claudine to take a flying leap...she couldn't have known that Eric was listening and would, with his hypervamp-speed snatch Claudine up and proceed to feed on her--fatally. (Scroll down for more HBO copyright screenshots that I clipped---plus the official promo photo stills from this episode.)
In the book series, which I'll gingerly tred around as best I can (some people may interpret this as SPOILERS so be forewarned), Claudine is one of a trio of faery triplets---2 girls and a guy. We've met Claude in the True Blood Faery as a rebel fae who helped save Sookie from Queen Mab. In the books there existeda 2nd female triplet who is dead when Sookie's world and the Fae's 'collide.'
However (and I hope this is making sense) in Alan Ball's True Blood, so far we know of only twin faeries who are related to Sookie, which would leave one with the impression that Claudine is indeed gone forever dead.
But, the HBO True Blood 'Fae' storyline has not yet been fully written (if it ever is to be) with Ball switching up and adapting the story, as he explained to EW.com (scroll down for link to full story).
Just off the top of my head, he and/or the True Blood writers could very well bring back 'Claudine,' if they so chose by simply switching her up with Claudette, her 'dead' faery-sister.
It would be fun to bring faeries back as they were very well-integrated with the Sookie storyline in the novels. OTOH, it costs nothing to imagine the land of the Fae when reading a Harris novel and True Blood as we all know, is 'only' television. Given that season 4 True Blood is featuring witches , werepanthers, werewolfs, (shape)shifters and vampires, there just may be no more room in the FX budget this season for faeries.
Still, I thought that episode 4 was very entertaining. Of course, anything with the memory-wiped Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) is incredibly fun to take in but his competition for Sookie's attention, the new King of Louisiana, William Compton (Stephen Moyer) is pretty darn awesome, too.
Anticipating Season 4 Vampire Bill, most of us it seemed, were lamenting the likelihood of watching him mope due to his breakup with Sookie but he's changed so much--outwardly, anyway. Some Truebies thought Bill Compton 'abandoned' his only sire, Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll) despite her choice to move in with boyfriend (toy?) Hoyt, but a nice little scene in this episode showcased their continuing mutual affection and support--while also giving us a glimpse of super-cautious, sort-of-uptight Bill that we've come to know and love from previous True Blood seasons.
There was lots more--notably where my girl-crush, Pam (Kristen Bauer van Straten) got tossed by her maker Eric, across Sookie's living room after verbally threatening Sookie (sense a pattern, here?). When Pam stood up and began to approach Sookie again, Amnesia!Eric cautioned her to 'be nice' to Sookie.
The Death Of Sookie's Faery Godmother [PHOTOS]:
Click to enlarge
Sookie: 'You just killed my faery Godmother!'
Amnesia!Eric: 'Sorry.'
EW EXCLUSIVE: 'True Blood': Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris discuss Sunday's shocking death of [SPOILER] --
Entertainment Weekly’s EW.com has spoken exclusively to True Blood executive producer Alan Ball and author Charlaine Harris about the death of Claudine in this past Sunday’s episode. Many fans of Harris’ original novels were surprised by the death scene, which doesn’t occur until much later in the book series. But there’s more left to see in Sookie’s fairy world: "After everything that was going on with the fairies in the first episode, I think we wanted to sort of put a pin in that, but obviously it’s not over," says Ball. "I felt it would have more impact if it was someone we knew as opposed to just a random fairy."
And Harris is okay with the change. "If [Ball] can be gracious to me, I can certainly be gracious enough to wait and see where he’s going."
On a recent Friday, on a soundstage representing a New Age shop in Shreveport, La., another sign warned “Live panthers on set,” but those terrifying predators were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Sookie Stackhouse, the mind-reading, vampire-attracting waitress portrayed by Anna Paquin, and her friends Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) were cowering in fear of a sinister Wiccan, played by Fiona Shaw, who appeared to be carrying on a conversation with herself — or maybe with someone else inside her.
When Ms. Paquin visited behind the cameras during a shooting break and sprawled herself across a director’s chair, she playfully declined to explain what exactly had transpired in this scene from the next-to-last episode of the coming “True Blood” season.
“Would you want to know what you’re getting for Christmas on Christmas Eve?” she asked. “There’s something about anticipation that makes it more exciting.”
TRUE BLOOD kicks off its 12-episode fourth season SUNDAY, JUNE 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), on HBO, followed by other new episodes on subsequent Sundays at the same time.
E!Online reported on Wednesday that a True Blood 'set spy' (loose lips sinks ships) says there is a statue of Michelle Forbes' evil maenad Maryann in the back room of the Moon Goddesses magic shop that features heavily in this season's witch storyline.
In anticipation of the June 26 HBO Season 4 debut, HBO has released 24 NEW HQ character and cast images!:
If you click through you can enlarge them fully and do with them as you wish. I spy quite a few that would make great wallpapers!
(Pictured above: Left to right - Alexander Skarsgård, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer)
Here are some really cool cast and character True Blood HQ season 4 photos:
I like that most seem not overly Photoshopped. There are imperfections here and there--stray hairs, some bloodshot eyes, a bit of lint showing up on dark fabric. Just like real people--except yes, prettier than many of us! Rutina Wesley (Tara) has such an awesome smile--lights up her whole face.
For the few bloggers that seem out of sorts about Anna, Steve and Kristen wearing their real-life wedding bands/rings, these are a mix of cast and character photos. I mean c'mon, other than the big night at the end of season 2 when Bill rented out an entire fancy restaurant in order to propose to Sookie, have you ever seen Sookie Stackhouse as fancied-up as she is in the photos here? Non.
IDK, if given a redo, if the photographer would have asked the cast to take off their personal effects as well as gotten crazy with a lint brush and eye-drops (poor Kristen Bauer van Straten appears to have injured her right eye in one shot-- it is terribly bloodshot--made me wince in sympathy).
Bottom line? I have no knowledge of the circumstances of this wonderful set of shots of our heroes (and anti-heroes) but I think like much of the barrage of True Blood-related publicity it may have been done on the fly--which is cool with me. I like the way the little imperfections make them seem (ironically, in some cases) more human.
After the jump: Official True Blood Season 4 Press Release!
I love this one. I hope Alcide gets a crack at Sookie even if it is not until next year.
He runs hot. ;)
I can see these three-- a shifter and two witches paired in this poster since they are either blood-related or employment-related or both, as well. Nicely done shot. Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette) is super-smoldering, as always.
Too much Photoshop on this last one. Looks thrown together plus Jason has exactly no reason to be paired up with Pam and Jessica.
Alan Ball directs Anna Paquin as "Sookie Stackhouse" in True Blood Season 1, Episode 12 - Photo Credit: HBO, inc.
Based on 'leaked' set reports, True Blood should be entering the near-halfway point of filming Season 4 about now. Depending on how the season is rolling along this could be the definitive point for the season 4 story arc to catch on--or for it to simply keep going with thrills n'chills but no overarching fantastic mystery-story which, now that I'm well into re-watching Season 1, I've realized has been one of the weakest points--since the end of the superawesome Season 1--about getting the 'Sookie Stackhouse Southern gothic mysteries' transformed into True Blood episodes.
In Season 1 True Blood, there was a great deal 'unknown' to both the audience and most interestingly, the characters. Then of course was the overarching theme/question: Who is killing the fangbanging women of Bon Temps?
By Season 2, True Blood had hired on the fantastic Michelle Forbes as villainess 'Maryann,' the Dionysian disciple with voracious tastes, including for orgies. Barkeep/shifter Sam Merlotte as well as the audience, knew who was responsible so it was it was almost no mystery from the get-go 'who' had the town of Bon Temps at her beck and call--literally under her spell. (What happened to Lafayette at the Dumpster & his subsequent 'thing' with Eric/ in Eric's dungeon? was not meant to--nor did it carry the season.)
Season 3? Let's see: Who kidnapped Bill? I can't remember when we knew--episode 2?--and by eppy four Sookie knew--so the mystery was???
Bill's Civil War maker, 'Lorena' (Mariana Klaveno) had a hand in his kidnapping.
I'm not a True Blood 'bookie':
Not even comic books:
Sidenote: Does anyone know? Are the stories told in the comic books 'True Blood' canon?
I heard that comic book stuff would be things that 'happened offscreen' but the plots so far have sounded nothing like the show. So are the True Blood 'graphic novels' officially considered part of the True Blood story--or not?
In fact, after book four, I struggled to get through Charlaine Harris's best-selling tomes, but I agree with the bookies that show creator Alan Ball needs to do something to make his stories compelling and certainly to re-introduce the mystery element, which with the supernatural element (including Sookie Stackhouse herself) is the very foundation of the book series. A foundation, one would suppose that would at least help build up the True Blood storylines.
I'm not on 'Team' anyone except perhaps Team: Good Television.
Alan Ball has got to make Season 4 True Blood really count, notwithstanding the crushing expectations of the legions of Erik Northman (Alexander Skaragård) fans.
I truly hope though that Ball & Co. are not writing for the fans be they bookie or non-bookie (or graphic novelites for that matter) for that will surely doom the show.
Sookie Stackhouse Home on True Blood Set - Where Reality and Fantasy Meet:
Very interesting little piece over at the HBO True Blood series' production blog which provides a neat glimpse into the place--the Stackhouse home--where reality and fantasty blur. Check it out in the link below as well as this sweet comment from True Blood showrunner/creator Alan Ball:
This (here) is a shot of Alan Ball's mom from the 1930s. "I like having her on set," Alan said, "there is a picture of my mom and dad and brothers on the piano, and my Uncle Bud is over the fireplace in the dining room."
Source Inside True Blood Blog - 'Secrets of the Set: Things You Didn't Know About Gran's House'
I also have an album of detailed photos that were previously released of the Stackhouse home's interior as well as a few shots of both the exterior and Bill's home: Sookie's home - before the Maenad.
True Blood's Season 2 finale - Episode 2.12 Official Synopsis “Beyond Here Lies Nothin':
Bon Temps reaches a fever pitch as Maryann prepares for her ultimate bestial sacrifice, conscripting Sookie to be Maid of Honor at the bloody nuptials. Meanwhile, Sophie-Anne warns Eric to keep the lid on Bill’s inquisitiveness; Jason leads Andy into the heroic abyss; and Hoyt struggles with Maxine’s endless stream of insults. Deliberating on what may be his final move to save Sookie and the town, Sam places his trust, and his life, in a most unlikely ally.HBO
OMG, WTH?!!
Some studio shots from E11 “Frenzy” Airs - August 30, 2009 Promo Photos - ScreencapsSynopsis - With the crisis in Bon Temps careening out of control, Bill seeks out the advice of Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood), the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, but must exercise patience before she gives him critical information. Meanwhile, Sookie and Lafayette find that protecting Tara from herself is more difficult than they anticipated; a desperate Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance; and Jessica tests Hoyt’s allegiance to Maxine.
Casting Call:
[HADLEY HALE] Sookie’s cousin, this fresh-faced 20 something year old country girl is locked in a steamy clinch with the vampire queen (Evan Rachel Wood). The dazed Hadley has been seduced into a whole other world — but she still feels the pull of her human roots…3 speeches & 1 line, 3 scenes (1) May recur next season in a few episodes
[LUDIS] Under 30. This straight, handsome, well-built Latvian man (with or without an accent), clad only in gym shorts, is only too delighted to volunteer for another man’s “feed”…3 lines, 1 scene
[FRENZY MAN IN DRESS] This skinny, tattooed, “frenzy-eyed” man is wearing a badly ripped dress that doesn’t do a thing for him…1 line, 1 scene The more tattoos, the better Source: SpoilerTV ... via and thanks to True-Blood.net.
Some PROMO PHOTOS Season 2 Episode 10 - “New World In My View”:
Jason (Ryan Kwanten) and Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin)
From True Blood Official Photos E 9, "I Will Rise Up," E 10, "New World," E 11, "Frenzy"
From True Blood Official Photos E 9, "I Will Rise Up," E 10, "New World," E 11, "Frenzy"
In an effort to console fans of True Blood's "Godric," played by 20 year-old Danish actor, Allan Hyde, HBO has released a series of downloadable photographs styled to appear as memorial cards, each with quotes from the 2000 year-old vampire adjacent to a True Blood scene in which Godric appeared.
Really hard to know if these were planned prior to the huge fan response to Godric but it is probably a moot point as fans just love this kind of stuff. (I outta know!)
You can download them as a zip file, presumably to make it easier to share with fellow Godric-loving Trubies.
Here is the page link on the HBO site for the 7 Godric memorial cards.
I've posted all seven Godric cards here as well. Click to embiggen them.
One question. Why did they Photoshop Eric's bloody tears out? Or were they Photoshopped in for the episode?
AIRED in US AUGUST 16TH 2009
A wounded Eric plays Sookie for a sucker and to Bill’s dismay endings up getting inside her head. Later, Sookie and Jason reminisce about their recent adventures, and end up bonding.
Blaming Eggs for Tara’s bruises and bizarre behavior, Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out a way to pry their kin from Maryann’s clutches.
Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica to Maxine, to no avail.
Jailed by Bud along with a group of Bon Temps revelers, Sam looks for a way to escape and avoid capture by an increasingly obsessed Maryann.
In Dallas, Eric and the vampires defend their recent actions to Nan Flanagan and are shocked when Godric decides to take the fall for their PR disaster.
Bill Walks In On Sookie & Eric (True Blood) (2 x 09 - I Will Rise Up)
Just finished a marathon re-watching of the first 12 episodes of True Blood. They were so compelling, so fun!--a real rollercoaster ride that I did not want to end. I can say without hesitation that season 1 True Blood has been the best of the three seasons that Alan Ball has helmed--so far.
We are about six weeks away from the premiere of season 4 True Blood and though I'm excited I'm also sort of bracing myself for it not to be as good as the first season despite my fervent desire that it be even better.
There are some weak links in the fabric of True Blood which I've talked about a number of times. Right out of the gate though I want to state unequivocally that the problem lies not with the cast--the entire cast is very talented but the characters, specifically 'Sam Merlotte,' 'Tara Thorton' and 'Jason Stackhouse' has had to one degree or another, flat storylines.
I'm looking to season 4 to pull these characters up and give them something great to do.
(November 22, 2008)
Like an ever-increasing number of True Blood fans, I have read the Charlaine Harris book, "Dead Before Dark," that inspired the series True Blood--and I say "inspired" deliberately.
Creator-producer-showrunner genius, Alan Ball has said from the first interviews (that I've read) that he would be changing things up from the book. At that point he had no idea how the series would be received as it hadn't aired yet. Then, as you know, True Blood became the lifeblood for HBO's Sunday nights.
After only the second show HBO took the unprecedented step of renewing the show for a second season so viewers "could feel secure" in getting invested in the story.
Savvy move, methinks. However, as the faithful Sookie Stackhouse readers knew, Mr. Ball has switched things up, added things-taken things out--in other words Alan Ball is making True Blood his own. I read a lot of what True Blood fans have said about the series--and I think we can all agree that it is incredibly entertaining.
Why? Charlaine Harris created some fascinating and entertaining characters as well as a setting in Northern Louisiana which she breathed life into--and then Alan Ball took that and worked his magic on it. There is no reason whatsoever why fans of Ms. Harris and the Sookie Stackhouse series of books have to be upset when Mr. Ball tweaks or changes things. Unless you enjoy being upset. :/
Hers are books, this is television. I know this is stating the obvious but they are two very different genres. So please let Mr. Ball continue to work his magic, continue to bring a spotlight to Charlaine Harris's book series and we, the audience get to have the best of both worlds.
I'm trying to prepare you because in all likelihood Mr. Ball is not going to go line-by-line through Book II in the Sookie Stackhouse series- "Living Dead In Dallas." He said he would pretty much stick with Book I, "Dead Before Dark," upon which True Blood is based--and you see how far he's veered off into Alan Ball-world. Instead, lets look forward to some fantastic original television returning in June 2009 in the form of True Blood: Season Two.
(Above) Tara (Rutina Wesley) Season Finale: Season 1, Episode 12
NEXT on True Blood; "You'll Be the Death of Me"
SEASON FINALE~
AIRS~ 11.23.2008
Episode 1.12 - You’ll Be the Death of Me:
Sookie finds a link to the string of killings in Bon Temps - and ends up in the murderer’s crosshairs. Tara decides to make the most of her second chance with Maryann; Jason finds a new calling after anti-vampire zealot Orry (Michael Bofshever) visits him in jail; Bill tempts fate during his latest attempt to save Sookie; Sam is perturbed by an encounter with an old acquaintance; Lafayette finds himself in the wrong place at the right time.
Screen Caps/ Promo photos for Season Finale (spoilerish)
Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) Season Finale: Season 1, Episode 12
Renè Lenier (Michael Raymond James) Season Finale: Season 1, Episode 12
There is a clue in this conversation (click to enlarge)
The beautiful women of Showtime's SHAMELESS like Emmy Rossum in NSFW VIDEO scenes and screencaps FROM THE SHOW as well as magazine scans from other sources. (Copyright: Showtime)
