In Which I Continue to Gripe About What Alan Ball is doing to Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Stories

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Want to win copies of my books? The Book Girl and Darque Reviews are both having contests.

Charidee is asking for questions for her upcoming interview with me and uses the topic as a reason to post my book trailer with some hawt personages. (Novel Reads)

Here's a new review of my upcoming novel, The Bride of Casa Dracula. "THE BRIDE OF CASA DRACULA has it all, from stunning disclosures to incidents packed with mirth, making this an imaginatively innovative story from start to finish. FIVE STARS" (Single Titles)

Story about the upcoming novel, Untamed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. "Together the mother-daughter team are creating a strong brew with the House of Night books, a series that has been hitting bestseller lists hard pretty much since the publication of the first book, Marked, back in 2007." (January Magazine)

Interview with John Ajvide Lindqvist, author of the internationally acclaimed vamp story, Let the Right One In. "In a way, that is my best book -- it has a kind of fever that drives it forward all the time. " (Reuters)


MOVIES & DVDS

"Let the Right One In" has sold British rights to Momentum Pictures. "Based on Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist’s best-selling novel, the movie tells the story of a lonely 12-year-old boy and his friendship with a young girl who appears to be a vampire." (Variety)

"Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke discusses snogging scenes. "Everybody needs tongue action, believe me. And we put no restrictions on the actors; I did not have a camera inside their mouth, but I would believe there was a little tongue action from the passionate way they’ve kissed." (Blogamole)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Oh, please, these fangs suck and not in the interesting way. He looks like he's going to start drooling because he can't close his mouth.

Review of "True Blood," the new series from HBO. "Creator Alan Ball insists, not entirely convincingly, that 'True Blood' isn't just another 'Vampirism as homosexuality' metaphor." (Variety)

But here an interview on the new "True Blood" series. "British actor Stephen Moyer, who plays Bill, says he’s still getting used to the nocturnal hours involved in filming TRUE BLOOD. 'I got back [from the previous night’s shoot] this morning and I couldn’t sleep.'" (Fangoria)

Another review of "True Blood," starring Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. "Paquin is likable as Sookie, even though she plays her like a 14-year-old with a crush on a boy band member. Moyer looks appropriately pale and wannish." (Boston Herald)

Why the need to cast British actors to play Americans? "Moonlight," "New Amsterdam," and the upcoming "Eleventh Hour," for example. Sophia Myles in "Moonlight" was always struggling to stay in dialect and Rufus Sewell sounds strangely flat in the "Eleventh Hour" trailer. Sookie's brother is being played by Ryan Kwanten, an Aussie, and you can see why Alan Ball was so eager to create lots of graphic sex scenes for the character that weren't part of the novels. I was hoping to hear some authentic Southern accents.

Story about HBO's "True Blood." "Set in a small Louisiana town (actually the Santa Monica Mountains northwest of Los Angeles), the edgy series chronicles a time when synthetic blood supplies enable Bill and other vampires to live openly among humans, without necessarily feeding on them." (MSNBC) Because creator Alan Ball doesn't think anyone will notice the difference in location. Sure, just throw some Spanish moss on the trees, hire a gator handler, and consider it good enough.

Review of "True Blood" premiere episode. "With quirky humor and impulsive behavior in a small-town hothouse environment, 'True Blood' evokes 'Twin Peaks,' only with considerable nudity and athletic sex scenes." (Creative Loafing)

Review of "True Blood." "We’re fortunate to have Ball’s not-very-imaginative script, bobbing with cliché’d Cajunisms, to take the edge off our arousal." (The Boston Phoenix)

Info about Alex O'Loughlin's deal with CBS. "'Moonlight' Alex O'Loughlin has signed a talent-holding deal with the network that also includes studios CBS Paramount TV and ABC Studios." (News OK)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's a GVD for "Moonlight" fans.



Here's a much more vampirey-action "Moonlight" video, but please don't play this if you're going to be offended by Limp Bizkit's string-of-curses song.