The True Blood Music / Sound Score section of the site has been updated to include songs used in episode 12 “You'll Be The Death of Me”.

The listing is currently incomplete, however. Know of one I missed? Let me know!

Tags: Sound Score, S01E12, True Blood

The True Blood season finale is here! Will Sookie choose Bill or Sam? Will the killer be revealed? Will Tara get her sh*t together?

Join us in the forum tonight (November 23rd, 2008) for lively discussion and, starting at 10:00PM ET, a Live Chat (choose the True Blood room).

Tags: Discussion, True Blood

Several new True Blood promotional photos, from episode 12 "You'll Be The Death Of Me", have been added to the True Blood Season 1 Photo Gallery.

Enjoy!

The True Blood Season 1 DVD is now available for Pre-Order from Amazon.com! Full details forthcoming.

Tags: DVD, Tru Blood

The True Blood Music / Sound Score section of the site has been updated to include songs used in episode 11 “To Love Is To Bury”.

Know of one I missed? Let me know!

Tags: Sound Score, S01E11, True Blood

Fans of Stephen Moyer — star of HBO’s True Blood are supporting their favorite Vampire to ‘re-Vamp’ Brentwood Theatre!

The initial success of “Stephen’s Fund” – created to support Brentwood Theatre’s building renovations campaign – has brought hundreds of responses and more than £1500 in the first few days since launching!

More than 15 unofficial ‘True Blood’ related fan websites have posted the appeal – reaching fans in the USA, Canada, Italy, France, and Germany.

Author CHARLAINE HARRIS whose Southern Vampire-Sookie Stackhouse books inspired the hit HBO series, has also joined the effort!

This is a limited opportunity supporting the final phase of construction at Brentwood Theatre – Essex, UK’s vital, professional community theatre serving dozens of local non-professional performance groups – where Stephen is Patron. A great holiday gift for your fan!

Each £25 (appx $40) minimum donation gets a certificate personally SIGNED by STEPHEN MOYER as commemorative thank you! Each £50 (appx USD $80) donor will be able to name a Brick for the theatre’s donor wall and receive the certificate. One or two lines (16 total spaces/letters per line)
http://www.brentwood-theatre.org/donations.htm
(Note: If you have trouble with Internet Explorer as your browser; download Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome at no cost to make your donation easily.)

Other naming opportunities are available, as well as corporate sponsorships. Please contact Mark at mark@brentwood-theatre.org or Jean at LaProv@optonline.net for more information.

Tags: Stephen Moyer, True Blood

Ryan Kwanten's Blood Runs Cold
By Kat Angus
DOSE.CA

"The real-life Kwanten is a stark contrast to Jason Stackhouse, his character on True Blood, the HBO vampire drama from Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball. The actor agrees, admitting that he has very little in common with the "modern-day, redneck Casanova" he plays on the show.

"He has no willpower; he has an addiction complex; he has an insecurity complex," Kwanten says. "But I think everyone knows someone like Jason - well, maybe not to the full extreme of the trouble that he gets himself into."

Full Article:
http://www.dose.ca/tv/story.html?id=55b13e99-3ce0-4687-9f4e-2a3ae41958eb


"True Blood" Star (Rutine Wesley): "Things Are About To Get Real Krunk!"
by Jarett Wieselman
NY Post PopWrap

"PW: Will we see that start to happen in the last two episodes?
Rutina: You're going to see Tara come to the end of this journey with her anger demon. The car crash represents a fork in the road and now we need to watch and see if she goes left or right, because, let's face it - she's hit rock bottom. I mean, that dress and side ponytail alone is rock bottom! [laughs] Oh, I loved it, loved it!"

Full Article:
http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2008/11/true_blood_spoi.html


Ryan Kwanten: 'Jason's World Is Completely Shattered!"
by Jarett Wieselman
NY Post PopWrap

"PW: Rutina told me that not only has she avoided reading the books, but she actively tells fans of the show not to as well. What's your take?

Ryan: My take is quite similar to Rutina's in that I don't want to spend an abundance of time worrying what the fans of the book are thinking in terms of who or what Jason should be. I think Charlaine [Harris, the novel's author] has created such a great character but it's important to make it TV savvy. I'm responsible for making him real."

Full Article:
http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2008/11/true_blood_ryan.html


True Blood's Rutina Wesley Tells Io9 She's Not The Huxtables
By Meredith Woerner
io9

"io9:So tell me why do you like Tara? She's such a troubled character?

RW: It's just her character. It's nice to see an African American character that has so much depth, and is so smart, self educated, she didn't go to college or anything. She's not the Huxtables. She just has a good imagination, 'cause she had to learn it all herself. And just the fact that she uses language as her defense but underneath that is the little flower that you get to see on all of her, that's unveiled all along, and you kinda see her unveil all of that weight that she carries around with her."

Full Article:
http://io9.com/5095199/true-bloods-rutina-wesley-tells-io9-shes-not-the-huxtables


Graham Shiels Gets "True" With SOS
By Jennifer Snyder
Soap Opera Source

"True Blood pushed the envelope with the nudity and the language. Every episode there was somebody having sex. Liam’s sex scenes showed full backside nakedness. Was that something that was difficult for you to do? I mean some actors are not open to showing a lot of skin and True Blood is a series that shows a lot of skin every episode.

GS: I was very nervous when we shot that. As, I'm sure, my co-star was, too. Had it not been Alan Ball, Oscar award-winning writer, and HBO, I never would have done it. And it was just my butt. It wasn't full frontal. I'd never (never say never, Graham) do full frontal. I've done it onstage, though, in a Shakespeare play. But I knew in this case it served the story and that it would be handled with great taste seeing as it's Alan Ball. Blood taste.

There was even an episode that you were in bed with Sookie’s brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) during one his love scenes with a girl who had had sex with Liam. Was it uncomfortable for the two of you doing that scene together?

GS: Working with Ryan was not uncomfortable at all b/c we both knew this was a fun "bit," so to speak. It was very fun to shoot. Ryan had this great idea he should be holding my foot and that's how he notices it's me and not the girl--and in retrospect, I think we should have gone the whole way and he could have been sucking my toes, too!"

Full Article:
http://soapoperasource.com/features/interviews/interview-with-graham-shiels.html


Exclusive Interview: Sam Trammell of 'True Blood'
By Don WIlliams
BuddyTV

"How did the role on True Blood come about, and what was that audition process like for you?

Sam: Well, I had been hearing about it for a while from my agent, this script by Alan Ball that HBO was going to be doing. I got it and read it -- I was already interested even before I read it, but I read it and thought it was amazing. I basically went in and auditioned with one of the casting directors on tape. I think Alan was in New York, he was out of town, so they showed him the tape and then Alan decided he wanted to test me. I don't know if you know that word, but it's when you do your final audition in front of HBO. He decided he wanted to do that so that was great, and he wanted to meet with me beforehand. I went to his office and met with him, and kind of read the scenes with him and he gave me some notes. I think he showed me the first two scripts as well. Then I went and did the audition for HBO and I found out that I got it the same day. I was like screaming in the car, I was thrilled."

Full Article:
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/true-blood/exclusive-interview-sam-tramme-24734.aspx

Tags: Articles, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Graham Shiels, True Blood

Now that the penultimate episode of True Blood Season 1 has been broadcast, it's time to speculate on the big finale, airing next Sunday (November 23rd, 2008).

Join our forum and discuss the show with other True Blood addicts!

Tags: S01E12, True Blood

Several new True Blood promotional photos, from episode 11 "To Love Is To Bury, have been added to the True Blood Season 1 Photo Gallery.

Enjoy!

Tags: Pictures, S01E11, True Blood

For all Fans of True Blood, Southern Vampires, & Charlaine Harris! An opportunity to help complete backstage facilities at Brentwood Theatre and receive a certificate signed by your favorite vampire, Stephen Moyer!

HBO/True Blood’s own Stephen Moyer, born in Brentwood, Essex, UK, is Brentwood Theatre's first Patron. His initial effort as Patron is supporting their "Reaching Out, Building On" campaign to help fund the 2008 completion of the backstage facilities renovations. http://www.brentwood-theatre.org/

Inspired by the first gift from the USA in his honor, as heard in an interview with Stephen on the Opening night performance of “Fame” Nov 4th (click here)
http://www.phoenixfm.com/upload/Phoenix%20FM%20Interview%20with%20Stephen%20Moyer%20041108%20(Steve%20Mead).MP3
the idea to appeal to ALL FANS of Stephen or “True Blood” became a reality!

This limited opportunity supporting the final phase of construction gets each £25 minimum donation a signed certificate as commemorative thank you!

Campaign Purpose: In September 2005, Brentwood Theatre launched an appeal to raise £350,000 to replace existing temporary facilities with proper, accessible dressing rooms and backstage facilities. The works commenced in June 2008, and the Theatre re-opened at the end of October, but £75,000 is still needed to finish and open the Theatre office and the new ‘multi purpose room’ in 2009 for community use.

About the theatre: Brentwood Theatre aims to provide the people of Brentwood and the surrounding areas with a vibrant, artistically challenging, community theatre, which offers a wide-ranging program in the performing arts. Visitors to the theatre number over 15,000, who come to attend a wide variety of productions. More than forty non-professional drama and music companies consider BT their “home” – bringing their finished productions (rehearsed, costumed, and set elsewhere) to this professional venue for public presentation.

Several gift options are available, and no gift is too small!

It’s EASY to make your contribution by credit card, PayPal account, or eCheck with your PayPal account. Select the amount you wish to contribute and in the MEMO box, type in any comments or instructions. If you are buying a brick, type in the one or two lines (16 total spaces/letters per line) you want printed.
http://www.brentwood-theatre.org/direct.php?p=custom.php?n=Donations%20-%20Buy%20a%20Brick

If link doesn’t work, please copy and paste link into your browser.

GIVING OPTIONS INCLUDE:

*Buy-A-Brick Scheme: £50 (appx USD $80) or more – Donors at this level will be able to name a Brick for the theatre’s donor wall and receive a certificate signed by patron Stephen Moyer. One or two lines (16 total spaces/letters per line)

*Certificates: Donors at the £25 to £49 (appx $40 to $78) level will receive a certificate signed by patron Stephen Moyer.

*Friends: Donors with a minimum of £20 (or $32) and up will receive an honorary membership card in the Friends of Brentwood Theatre good for one year.

Tags: Stephen Moyer, True Blood

The True Blood Music / Sound Score section of the site has been updated to include songs used in episode 10 “I Dont Wanna Know”.

Know of one I missed? Let me know!

Tags: Sound Score, S01E10, True Blood

Cross-Media Case Study: Once Bitten
by Christine Champagne, November 2008 issue
OMMA

"A campaign to sink your teeth into

HBO consults with all of its show creators when it formulates marketing campaigns for its series, but Alan Ball stands out. When it came to marketing Ball's True Blood, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of American Beauty and mastermind of HBO's Six Feet Under challenged the network to go beyond simple show promotion and truly set the stage for the vampire series in advance of its premiere, "to allow people to come to the pilot episode a little bit more engaged," says Zach Enterlin, the cable network's vice president of advertising and promotions."

Full Article:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=93575


HBO’s 'True Blood' Sucking Up More Viewers
Most Recent Installment, Continuing Trend, Garners Top Audience
Multichannel News, 11/4/2008 2:36:00 PM

"The series, based on the Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse book series and starring Anna Pacquin and Stephen Moyer, staked a season-high Sunday night, drawing 2.35 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research live + same-day data.

The show’s ninth installment continued the upward trend of the past few weeks that saw the seventh episode draw 2 million viewers, gauged on the aforementioned metric and the eighth installment count 2.1 million watchers.

The series premiere on Sept. 7 pulled in 1.4 million watchers, meaning the Nov. 2 installment posted a 63% rise from the debut."

Full Article:
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6611515.html


True Blood: What Supernatural Beings Will Pop Up Next?
Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
BuddyTV

"One of the most fascinating things about HBO's True Blood is the way it's slowly unveiled a world full of intriguing supernatural elements. Readers of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels likely know what strange and unusual things lurk in the town of Bon Temps, but for those of us with no knowledge of the books, the show has provided one surprise after another. The series began with only vampires and a mind reader, but since then both evil demons and a weredog have been introduced. With the True Blood universe getting stranger by the episode, what supernatural creatures will Sookie (Anna Paquin) run into next? Check out our spoiler-free speculation below."

Full Article:
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/true-blood/true-blood-what-supernatural-b-24242.aspx


True Blood star Kwanten has bite
By BILL HARRIS -- Sun Media
Jam Television

" Ryan Kwanten must be used to wearing a modesty patch by now. And just to be clear, a modesty patch is not designed to cover an eye.

"It was different going into my trailer and not seeing a full wardrobe," said Kwanten, who plays Jason Stackhouse in True Blood. "All I had was a modesty patch." It's a good thing Kwanten, a 31-year-old native of Australia, is devoted to staying in shape. That comes in handy when he's playing the regularly shirtless-at-the-very-least horn-dog known as Jason."

Full Article:
http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/T/True_Blood/2008/11/08/7350196-sun.html

Tags: Articles, True Blood

The True Blood Music / Sound Score section of the site has been updated to include songs used in episode 9 “Plaisir d'Amour”.

Know of one I missed? Let me know!

Tags: Sound Score, S01E09, True Blood

Media Blvd has posted the transcript of a teleconference with Alan Ball that took place in September. I had the luck to take part in this event and it includes some of my own questions, including:


"When you came back from the strike, did you look at anything differently?

Alan> I don’t remember there being a fresh look. We immediately jumped back into breaking stories because of how far we would have been, had their not been a strike. I’m a person who feels that I really need to be organized, and I really need to make sure that the director and the actors and all the department heads get a script, 10 days before we start shooting. I just think it’s really disrespectful not to do that. Also, I can’t deal with the stress of everything being at the last moment. I remember that we had to hit the ground running and jump right back into it, and we had to do some re-shoots because the production had gone on and continued to shoot episodes for which scripts had existed, while the writers who serve as the on-set producers were not on the set to make sure that everything was going the way it should be. It’s been such a crazy year. There may have been a moment where we were like, “Hey, during the strike, I thought of this. Maybe we should do that.” But, I don’t really remember.

Do you have a favorite character that you personally enjoy writing for?

Alan> I really enjoy writing for all of them, but I definitely enjoy Jason and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis). I think they’re really funny, and I just find them so entertaining, for completely different reasons. Jason is such a little boy, trapped in a man’s body, and he does the stupidest things. And, Lafayette has created this reality for himself that is 100% his own. He’s part performance artist, part shaman. Words fail me with him. And, that has a lot to do with Nelsan and the way he approaches the role. Having said that, I really enjoy writing for all the characters."

Full Article:
http://www.mediablvd.com/magazine/the_news/celebrity/alan_ball_on_making_true_blood_200811021391.html

Tags: Articles, Alan Ball, True Blood

(source: Dauphinmm/YouTube)

Tags: Video, S01E10, Tru Blood

Site Links: Gallery, Sound Score, Videos

Debut: SUNDAY, NOV. 2 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Nov. 2 (midnight), 4 (11:30 p.m.), 5 (10:00 p.m.), 6 (10:00 p.m., 3:30 a.m.), 7 (midnight) and 8 (10:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Nov. 3 (8:00 p.m.) and 9 (6:00 p.m.)

Bill (Stephen Moyer) breaks a vampire taboo in protecting Sookie (Anna Paquin) – and must pay a steep price as a result. Jason (Ryan Kwanten) and Amy (Lizzy Kaplan) break their own taboo by kidnapping a vampire named Eddie (Stephen Root) in order to harvest his blood. With Lettie Mae (Adina Porter) apparently cured, a skeptical Tara (Rutina Wesley) consults with Miss Jeanette (Aisha Hinds) about exorcising her own inner demon. Sookie returns home to yet another horrific tragedy, prompting Bill to enlist an unlikely bodyguard – Sam (Sam Trammell) – to protect her while he’s away.

Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Anthony Hemingway.

After the episode, join us in the forum or Live Chat to discuss the show!

Also, time is running out on our costume contest!

Tags: Schedule, S01E09, True Blood

Sookie dressed in her finest gothic romance night gown was quite the treat for Bill, now it's your chance to dress up and get a treat of your own!

In the spirit of the holiday season, post a photo of yourself in this thread dressed up in some Halloween garb... anything from a simple photo of you wearing some prop fangs to a full-on costume... be it vampire, witch, ghost or other. Be creative, you can even dress up as your favorite character from True Blood!

3 winners from the submissions will be chosen! Each winner will receive a package of surprise True Blood goodies delivered to their door and the first place winner's package will include a Tru Blood T-Shirt.

The contest will run October 13th to the November 2nd, 2008 broadcast of True Blood episode 9. The winners will be announced on November 2nd after the episode ends.

Visit our forum for complete info and to post your photos!

http://thebluewhalepub.com/viewtopic.php?f=219&t=3918

Happy Halloween / Samhain! Here’s a holiday treat...

Several new True Blood promotional photos, from episode 9, have been added to the True Blood Season 1 Photo Gallery.

Enjoy!

Tags: Pictures, S01E09, True Blood

According to Gary Levin of USA Today, episode 8 of True Blood scored a ratings high of 2.1 million for it’s initial broadcast on September 26th, 2008.

Source:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-10-28-nielsens-analysis_N.htm

Tags: Ratings, S01E08, True Blood

“Jenny Hendrix and Graham Sheil from the hit HBO Series ‘True Blood‘ will be hosting an exclusive Gold Carpet Event November 1, 2008 at 24K Lounge located at 7929 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA. (half a block west of Fairfax). Arrive early and dress sexy! Doors open at 10pm. Also appearing MC Chad Carr along with DJ Serafin will rock the house. For VIP bottel info: email TheSaturdayKnight@yahoo.com”

More Info:
http://alisttalent.com/news/?p=18

Tags: Appearances, Graham Shiels, True Blood

Margy Rochlin, of the New York Times, has posted an interesting an inciteful article about Rutina Wesley and her character (Tara Thornton) in True Blood.

““I saw through the darkness, I guess,” said Ms. Wesley, who won her part through an audition in which she navigated that tricky introductory scene. “For me, I have this tough exterior and these Angela Bassett arms, and people think, ‘Oh, my God, Rutina’s tough.’ But I’m just a little Juliet on the inside.”

Created by Alan Ball, “True Blood” is based on Charlaine Harris’s best-selling mystery novels. Of all the elements in the books, Tara is the one that Mr. Ball changed the most. She is still the best friend of a telepathic barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who was raised by an abusive, booze-sodden mother. But Ms. Harris’s Tara is white. (“It’s in Louisiana — it couldn’t be all about the Caucasians,” Mr. Ball explained.) And Ms. Harris’s Tara is not the truth-teller that Mr. Ball’s is.”

Full Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/arts/television/02roch.html

Tags: Articles, Rutina Wesley, True Blood

True Blood Actors Ryan Kwanten and Sam Trammell recently appeared on TV Guide’s Hollywood 411:

Ryan Kwanten:


Sam Trammell:

Tags: Video, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, True Blood

Christina Radish, of Media Blvd, has posted yet another True Blood cast interview. This time out it’s with Sam Trammell, known in the series as Sam Merlotte. They talk about how he got into acting, his role on True Blood, and future possibilities.

“MediaBlvd> What was it about Sam that you thought you could identify with?

Sam> The thing I like about him most is that he has all this stuff that he can’t talk about. He’s in the world with everybody else, but he’s not because he has this other side of himself that he can’t show. It’s so fun to play characters that have big secrets like that. It’s also great to just be a guy who’s taking care of a lot of other people. He’s such a great dude. He takes care of his waitresses, and he’s the protector of a lot of the people in town.

MediaBlvd> Were you aware of his background and what his secret is, when you were cast?

Sam> I was. I’m not talking about it just in case people don’t know, but anyone who reads the books can find out. That’s one of the great, fun things to work on, as an actor. You have to figure out what that means and how much of that you bring into your part. I read a few of the books before we did the show, so I was aware of his secret.”

Full Article:
http://www.mediablvd.com/magazine/the_news/celebrity/sam_trammell_in_true_blood_200810291387.html

Tags: Articles, Sam Trammell, True Blood