The Paramount Theater in Los Angeles hosted the second season premiere party for "True Blood" on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009. Members of the cast and crew were in attendence, including Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin, Alan Ball, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten, Carrie Preston, Alexander Skarsgard, Nelsan Ellis, Todd Lowe and several others.

You can view video from the event at:
http://extratv.warnerbros.com/videos/channels/?channel=channels/79356

Forum member Beerwolf is posting numerous photos from the event in our forum:
http://thebluewhalepub.com/viewtopic.php?p=132501#p132501

Tags: Appearances, Cast, Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin, Alan Ball, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten, Carrie Preston, Alexander Skarsgard, Nelsan Ellis, Todd Lowe, True Blood

Thanks to all the super fast YouTube vidders for these clips:

True Blood - Paquin wins GG, plus the after party interview


True Blood on E's Golden Globes preshow


True Blood on TVG's Golden Globes preshow
(Lisa Rinna's portion is cringe-worthy but Joey Fatone seems to be a fan)


30 Rock & True Blood: Join the Celebration!
By Kristin Dos Santos

Ashlan Gorse chatted up everybody's favorite fangbangers from the vampire drama True Blood at the HBO afterparty

Tags: Video, Appearances, Awards, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten, 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

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

Christina Radish has posted an interview with Rutina Wesley, Tara in True Blood. Rutina talks about her career, True Blood, and more!

“MediaBlvd> As an actor, how do you play a character that’s so abrasive, but still make her so endearing, at the same time?

Rutina> Because she’s a human. As human beings, we have an array of emotions and, sometimes, you can see a character played on one note and you lose sympathy for them. I didn’t want Tara to just be this loud-mouthed, mean girl, throughout the entire season. I wanted her to have range, and I wanted her to be more like a human being would be. She feels, and it’s not always anger. I just tried to soften her, when those moments came up in the script, as best I could, and made sure that her vulnerability shines through more than her anger does, so that the audience can sympathize with her. The writing is great. They write these incredible things for her. She says some incredible stuff.”

Full Article:
http://www.mediablvd.com/magazine/the_news/celebrity/rutina_wesley_in_true_blood_200810261384.html

Tags: Articles, Rutina Wesley, True Blood

The Los Angeles Premiere screening of HBO's Series "True Blood" was held at the Cinerama Dome on September 4, 2008 in Hollywood, Cafliornia. This was followed up by an after-party where “Tru Blood” was served...

Photos of people arriving at the premiere:
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/lyINc-n9krE/Los+Angeles+Premiere+HBO+Series+True+Blood/

Photos from the After Party:
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/pqJwTA5HBL8/Los+Angeles+Premiere+HBO+Series+True+Blood/

Tags: Appearances, Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, Charlaine Harris, True Blood

The True Blood “Cast & Crew” section has been updated with new photos and in depth biographies for Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell and Nelsan Ellis. Other cast and crew data has been ammended, as well.

Additionally, a new page has been added, titled “About True Blood”, that provides a general overview of the TV Series.

Tags: Site Update, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, True Blood

Extensive footage of the HBO True Blood Panel at San Diego Comic-Con has been posted online in 8 parts. These were recorded by an audience member and seem to be mosty of the view screen. You can view them below:

















(Source: Gonturan74 )

Tags: Video, Convention, Appearances, Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, Rutina Wesley, Charlaine Harris

Six photos, taken during the HBO True Blood Panel at Comic-Con 2008, have been added to the “Appearances” section of the Photo Gallery. If you’d like to contribute some photos of your own, please let me know!

Thanks to aceattorney for the current photos.

Tags: Pictures, Appearances, Convention, Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, True Blood

Courtesy of KPBS, we have around 8 minutes of video from the HBO True Blood Panel at Comic-Con:


Alan Ball, Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, also, appeared on G4TV’s “Attack Of The Show” as part of thei Comic-Con coverage:

Tags: Video, Appearances, Convention, Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Charlaine Harris, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten, Nelsan Ellis, True Blood

The San Diego Comic-Con panel for HBO's "True Blood" took place Thursday afternoon between 4:30 and 5:30 Pacific time and reports are now coming in. Here is a quick summary of the event.

In Attendance were Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris.

The moderator for the panel was Entertainment Weekly’s Lynette Rice.

Panel Description: “Based on the popular Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is created by Alan Ball, creator of HBO’s Emmy-winning series Six Feet Under. The series takes place in the not-too-distant future, when, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires no longer need humans for their fix and can walk freely, if not yet comfortably, among their living counterparts. With their integration into a small Louisiana town causing a stir, a love story ensues between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, the X-Men films; Academy Award winner for The Piano), an innocent waitress with the unusual ability to read minds, and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer, The Starter Wife). The series also features Ryan Kwanten (Summerland), Rutina Wesley (How She Move), Sam Trammell (Judging Amy), and Nelsan Ellis (The Inside). True Blood debuts September 7 exclusively on HBO. Room 6CDEF ”

*A trailer was prepared and played specifically for Comic-Con.
*They have only three more days of shooting for this season.
*The first season follows the first book with only slight transgressions beyond.
*Alan Ball says that the biggest challenge has been expanding the show’s universe beyond the book serie,s given they are told from Sookie’s point of view.
*The relationship between Sookie and Bill will be the centerpeice of the series.
*Alan Ball promises to avoid the vampire cliches of “blue light, contact lenses and opera music”.
*Alan Ball was tight lipped when asked if the book character “Bubba” would be in the series.
*Alan Ball says it’s a show about relationships, not just vampires.
*When asked if there was going to be a real Tru Blood beverage, Alan Ball answered “V8, Valium, Vicodin and Viagra”
*Alan Ball doesn’t have time to go online and worry about fan reaction. He’s respectful but won’t cater to them.
*We don’t learn why Sookie is telepathic this season.
*Sookie has remained a virgin because of her “disability”.
*Aside from working at Merlotte’s, Lafayette runs an adult website.
*When vampire blood is used as a drug in the series, the effects are different with each person.
*The vampire Eric will be introduced later in the season as part of the setup for season 2.
*Stephen Moyer tries to be ‘very still’ when playing Bill. Since there’s no heartbeat, there’s no extraneous or unintended movements.
*Ryan Kwanten lost all of his inhibitions after playing Jason Stackhouse.
*Sam Trammellwas drawn to the role because his family’s from LA.
*Nelsan Ellis loves playing a character without boundaries.
*Alan Ball doesn’t feel there’s need for competition with different vampire projects like Twilight, though Charlaine says they could take ‘em.
*Alan doesn’t have a rule on whether the cast should read ahead in the Southern Vampire novels. Anna has read the first three, for a better understanding of her character.
*Alan Ball ends the discussion by revealing that “ I wanted to do something fun and so far I’ve had more fun working on this series than anything else in my career.”

Did you attend Comic-Con? I’d love to hear of your experience and post your photos. Let me know.

Meanwhile, don’t forget about our Tru Blood Beverage Give-Away!

Tags: Appearances, Convention, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten, Alan Ball, Charlaine Harris