Tag: True Blood (Page 8 of 10)

True Blood 2.7 – Her Lips Are Warm (While Yours Are Cold)

August 2, 2009 /

There are no two ways around it: last night was a very strange night.

I’ll post more details about it later, but in a nutshell, the Television Critics Association Awards took place on Saturday, Aug. 1st, where “True Blood” was named Outstanding New Program. As with all good awards shows, there was a pre-show party and a post-show party, and although neither Anna Paquin nor Stephen Moyer were available to stand with executive producer Alan Ball as he accepted the award, several of their fellow cast members were in attendance, including Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, Rutina Wesley, and Michelle Forbes. Actually, Alexander Skarsgard and Deborah Ann Woll were there for awhile, too, but Mr. Skarsgard disappeared moments after the ceremony was over, and although Ms. Woll stuck around for a bit longer, she managed to slip out before I ever had the chance to speak with her. I hope you’ll enjoy the photos of the folks I did manage to chat with, though. They’re scattered throughout this week’s entry.

Speaking of that, I should probably offer one small warning: I’m out in L.A. for the TCA press tour, and although I had an advance copy of tonight’s episode to watch, I’ll be the first to admit that my mind was going a dozen other places while I was watching it. So if I missed out on anything or perhaps misinterpreted something, let me go ahead and apologize right now.

And, now, on with the show…

Well, obviously, we knew Sam was going to find a way to escape from his captivity, but they managed to wring the suspense out of it nonetheless; we even saw him manage to transform into something other than a dog – a significant accomplishment, I dare say – and fly away to safety. From there, Sammy got his gun and made it quite clear that he wasn’t afraid to use it, but…am I the only one who thought he was heading off to find Maryann? Not that it didn’t make sense that he’d go after Daphne, given that she’d committed such a personal betrayal, but I was still figuring that he was heading to take down the big dog. Daphne managed to stay pretty cool for somebody who was having a gun waved in her face, but Sam was plenty emotional for the both of them. How could you not feel bad for the guy? He thought he’d found his soulmate. Instead, he got stabbed in the back…which is why there was a certain temptation to cheer a short while later, when Daphne got stabbed in the front. Not that you didn’t know it was coming. I think we can all agree that there has rarely been a scene featuring the line “thank you for your service” which has ever ended well for the person being thanked. As far as Maryann, she’s clearly not God, but…what is she? A maenad? Well, I can’t say as I expected Greek mythology to tie into this storyline, but it’s certainly getting more intriguing all the time, that’s for sure.

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External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TCA Blog 2009, TCA Press Tour, True Blood, TV, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

TCA Update: HBO Executive Session

July 30, 2009 /

The HBO executive session with Michael Lombardo (President, Programming Group and West Coast Operations) and Richard Plelpler (Co-President) just wrapped up, and here were the highlights:

* Before Plepler and Lombardo took the stage, we were treated to the trailer for the network’s new 10-hour miniseries, “The Pacific,” produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman. Let’s just go ahead and give the Emmy now, shall we?

* “True Blood,” “Hung,” and “Entourage” will all be coming back for new seasons next summer.

* Conversations are underway to potentially bring back “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.”

* Neither was willing to offer up any information about how Evan Rachel Wood would look as the vampire queen at the end of the second season of “True Blood,” for fear that they would suffer some horrible fate at the hand of Alan Ball. They did, however, assure us that surprises are in store, and that it totally delivers.

* “Little Britain USA” is not coming back, but they’re talking about bringing creators Matt Lucas and David Walliams back for some specials. It’s still in the development stage, but the intent is to come back with a whole new cast of characters and a whole new approach to their television appearance. In short, they will be back on HBO, though whether it will be at the end of next year or later remains to be seen.

* Season 2 of “Eastbound and Down” will begin shooting it sometime at the end of winter or the beginning of spring, and it will air next year.

* David Simon’s new series, “Treme,” will be on the air next April, fingers crossed. The current intention is for “The Pacific” to premiere mid-March, and, at the end of its run, ‘”Treme” will begin.

* The pilot just wrapped for Martin Scorcese’s “Boardwalk Empire,” and they are anxiously awaiting a cut from Marty so that the series can receive a green light. Provided it’s as good as they’re presuming it will be…and, thus far, “everything we’ve seen is fantastic, big, everything we hoped it could be”…their fingers are crossed that a pick-up is imminent.

* As for Season 3 of “Flight of the Conchords,” the official word is, “When they’re ready, we’re ready.”

* They have begun receiving episodes for Season 2 of “The Life & Times of Tim,” and they describe them as “funnier than the first,” but they haven’t yet figured out where they want schedule the show. They do, however, have an upcoming series that could fit the bill nicely…

* They’ve ordered an animated show from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, based on their long-running series of podcasts. I’m saying it right here: the time is right for Karl Pilkington mania to grip the States!

* Although the histrionics of Jerry Rice probably didn’t help things any, the big reason that the Bengals are the focus of this season of “Hard Knocks” rather than the Cowboys is that the network wanted to open up a new team to the audience and show a different organization and the habits and attitude of that team.

* Season 4 of “Big Love” is scheduled to kick off in January.

* Season 3 of “In Treatment” is something they’re trying to put together, but given that the show was adapted from an Israeli series that only ran for two seasons, they’d have to create all-new scripts for a third season. Still, it’s a good sign that Gabriel Byrne is “very interested” in returning.

* And, lastly, they are forever trying to figure out a way to extend the length of Bill Maher’s seasons, in order to give him more time on the air. Whether that’s a good thing or not, you be the judge.

Entourage, External Entertainment, External TV, News, Pilots, TCA Blog 2009, TCA Press Tour, TV, TV Cartoons, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

True Blood 2.6 – Tease ’em, Thrill ’em, Torture and Kill ’em

July 26, 2009 /

All right, kids, I’m back to blogging, though given the amount of responses Jamey got from his stint as my substitute, maybe he should be the one doing this on a regular basis. Or not. (I’d be quite glad to let him do it, but I know that – like myself – there are never enough hours in the day for him to accomplish the tasks he already has on his plate, so adding one more would just be cruel.) Fortunately, I’ve had time to play catch-up, so I know what I missed last week…which, as it turned out, was quite a lot.

We didn’t see much of Eric this week, but his scene with Lorena at the beginning of the episode was certainly a crucial one, setting up a lengthy flashback to Chicago in 1926, where Bill…oh, sorry, make that Guillaume…is tickling the ivories as Lorena tries to pick up a beautiful blonde who’s hanging on the arm of a complete boor. Fast-forward a bit, and things have gone horribly wrong for the two non-vampires in the equation. Isn’t that always the way? God damn, Bill was a nasty son of a bitch back in the ’20s. I have to say, though, that I’m still not a fan of those blood-laden sex scenes, so I just focused on the importance of the necklace. It’s clear that there’s still a bond between Lorena and Bill, and despite her actions toward him later in the episode, I still think that her feelings for him are going to come back into play and hose up Eric’s plans.

Jason seemed scared to death that maybe his relationship with Sarah might have been discerned by Rev. Steve, but when the Rev copped a ‘tude toward his wife, you could sense that Jason suddenly wasn’t nearly as upset about the previous night’s actions as he might’ve been…and when Steve started talking about the whole “Meet the Sun” procedure, Jason’s disgust at the concept was evident. So there you go: a perfect excuse for him to hook up with Sarah in the church. Not that she didn’t need some sympathy, after what she’d just witnessed…

The dynamic between Sookie and Hugo was pretty funny, and his discussion about his experiences as a human dating a vampire certainly provided Sookie with a few new things to think about. I laughed when she said that, in person, Sarah looks like vanilla pudding, but there was a lot of tension in the scenes with Sookie and Hugo in Steve’s office, with the constant sensation that Jason could bust in at any time and ruin things for them. He didn’t, of course, but then the tension only got ratcheted up further when it became evident that Sookie and Hugo were on a collision course with oblivion, particularly when talk of the lock-in started. I really didn’t think they’d end up being taken down to the basement. That’s what I get for thinking, I guess.

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External Entertainment, External TV, True Blood, TV, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

True Blood 2.5: Never Let Me Go

July 19, 2009 /

“Dallas vamps are serious and scary as shit.” So says Barry the telepathic bellboy when Sookie presses him about his “gift” tonight. As far as I can tell, all vampires are serious and scary as shit, but if the Dallas vamp branch is indeed more serious and scarier than the southern variety, I feel for whomever has abducted Godric. Apparently holding true to their reputation, the two Dallas vampires (I didn’t catch their names) who are working with Eric and Bill to try and locate Godric aren’t very interested in a peaceful resolution – the male is ready for war with the Fellowship of the Sun – but you just knew Sookie was going to get tangled up in whatever plan they adopted. Sure enough, she volunteered to infiltrate the Fellowship, which I’m sure will go swimmingly considering Bill won’t be able to help her should she run into any daytime trouble. (On a side note, am I the only one who chuckles anytime Sookie talks tough to a group of vampires? Since when does being a telepath qualify you as a badass in a room full of thirsty vampires?)

I had assumed (as I’m sure others had as well) that Eric’s intense interest in finding Godric was because the latter was the former’s maker, and sure enough, we were treated to a cool flashback of the day Eric got his fangs. He seemed to be a medieval warrior of some kind (was that Swedish they were speaking?) who knew his way around a battlefield, so much so that Godric just had to have him. I’m even more intrigued by the Godric storyline after seeing how young he looks and knowing that he’s actually 2,000 years old. Dude’s been around for a while, huh? I’m guessing Bill’s maker can’t quite match Godric’s lifespan, but judging by the final scene tonight, I’m also guessing we’ll be learning a lot about Lorena in the coming weeks….

Meanwhile, if it’s war that the Dallas vamps want with the Fellowship, Reverend Steve will be happy to oblige, judging by the impressive arsenal he showed Jason tonight: wooden arrows, wooden bullets, a flamethrower, silver throwing stars (very cool) and a guillotine that’s apparently on order. After wrestling with his feelings about vampires early in his Fellowship experience, Jason appears to be all in now that his Light of Day Institute (L.O.D.I) bootcamp has started. He’s not getting the Golden Boy treatment anymore but he definitely impressed Gabe and Sarah when he helped sorry-sack Luke over the fence. ‘That’s a frickin’ soldier of God,” Gabe proclaimed, and Sarah later showed that she agreed by…um…helping Jason put the finishing touches on his bath. Their exchange was classic: “No.” “You don’t mean it.” “No, but I should.” It’s okay, Jason – we don’t blame you. I mean, the preacher’s wife is smokin’ hot! And now, with Sookie’s plan going into effect next week, it’ll be interesting to see how and when Jason’s new path crosses Sookie’s (and Bill’s, of course).

I’ll admit that the Tara/Maryann storyline runs a little hot and cold for me. I’m definitely interested to find out what exactly Maryann is trying to accomplish by keeping Tara around, but the story didn’t advance all that much tonight. Sure, it’s good to know that Maryann can apparently alter the energy around her however she sees fit, tonight choosing to have everyone in Merlotte’s gang up on Tara after Tara told Maryann that she couldn’t move into Sookie’s house with her, but what the hell is her endgame? And how is Eggs involved? I’m still not a fan of Daphne’s either. Sam sure likes having another shape-shifter around – especially one as cute as Daphne – but where did the gashes on her back come from and, more importantly, how did she survive the attack in the first place? For now, I’m assuming Maryann was the attacker (though that’s just the easy guess at this point) and, since she can force Sam to change into a dog whenever she feels so inclined, I wonder if she can actually turn someone into a shape-shifter. That may seem far-fetched but there’s obviously some kind of story behind those long scars on Daphne’s back. And besides, is anything really far-fetched on this show?

External Entertainment, External TV, True Blood, TV, TV Dramas

True Blood 2.4 – Put On Your Wig, Woman!

July 12, 2009 /

I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumours, but those guys from the Fellowship of the Sun have a sick sense of humor, don’t they? Criminey, talk about playing on poor Jason’s worst nightmares! Of course, he recovered pretty quickly, offering up that militaristic monologue (its effectiveness aided in no small part by the score) behind him. Come the next morning, he’s smirking like nobody’s business, offering up great lines about how maybe Jesus was the first vampire, what with all the blood drinking going on. It’s a pretty heavy debate for breakfast, with the discussion about the first evil – was it Cain, or was it Eve? – but it all comes to an abrupt end when Jason gets called off to see the Rev. It’s nothing ominous, though: he just wants to take Jason on a vampire target-practice run. Afterwards, it’s back to the Rev’s homestead for Ribs a la Sexy Sarah. Whew, was there any better song than Sammy Kershaw’s “Louisiana Hot Sauce” to serve as the soundtrack for that display of culinary excellence? I don’t know what kind of career Anna Camp has in store for her as an actress, but I think we can count on a couple of good Maxim layouts in her immediate future, don’t you? Obviously, the other guys in the Fellowship are jealous that Jason appears to be on the verge of sliding into Sarah’s good graces…and, yes, that is a double entendre…and when she turns up in his bedroom in her nightie, there’s every reason to believe that something is going to happen between them.

Sam and Daphne are still skinny-dipping when we pop back in on them, but Sam’s also laying bare his feelings a bit as well. Everything looks like it’s sittin’ pretty between the two of them until she climbs out of the water and Sam spies those nasty claw marks on her back. Still, it’s been the kind of evening that’s made him rethink his plans to depart…or, at least, it’s served to delay them slightly. Sookie’s ego forces her to presume that it’s because of her that he’s decided to leave, resulting in a angry conversation between them. Unsurprisingly, things at the bar remain a little tense for the rest of the night, though it’s also in no small part because of the total lack of customers (the exception being a highly drunk Detective Andy), and the evening takes a surprising turn when Tara’s apparently-still-sober mama turns up to deliver a birthday present for her absent daughter. When he gets over to Sookie’s place, he has brief words with Maryann before Daphne turns up, and he and Madame Clawback start to smooch. They stop briefly, but before Sam can reveal his secret to Daphne, she claims she already knows what he is. Why do I have this feeling that they might not be on the same wavelength?

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Actors, External Entertainment, External TV, Movies, Reviews, True Blood, TV, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

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