"Supernatural" Interviews, "Twilight" Reviews, Dragons' Rules

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Michele Hauf, author of Dark Rapture, ponders the hawtness of the undead. "Her protagonists, like [Emma] Holly's, hark back to Stoker-like blokes: dark, brooding, muscled, avoiding sunlight lest they weaken or fizzle." (Star-Tribune)

Read a chapter of Michele Hauf's Kissed by Frost. "Her microphotography setup included a digital camera, microscope objective, aperture, field lens and color filters, all securely mounted in a portable hardshell case she could lug around as a backpack." (Michele Hauf)

SciFi Guy reviews Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland. "Early on we realize this is a good versus evil struggle and the stakes are considerable. The battle for supremacy is fought by supernaturals whose existence and actions are hidden away from humanity."

Deborah Cooke, author of Kiss of Fury, blogs about researching books. "I know other authors who work in monastic conditions, reading and making notes off site, then returning to a pristine desk to write. They need the clarity to focus. I need the chaos to create." (Penguin)

Read an excerpt from Deborah Cooke's next Dragonfire novel, Kiss of Fate. "Erik’s lair was in a warehouse that had been partly converted to lofts. It was large and industrial and in a lousy part of town. Rafferty wondered who would see the high council of dragons on the roof of the building and what they would make of the scene." (Deborah Cooke)

And if you're in the mood for a good dragon novel, Midnight Moon Cafe has a list of 13 books on the theme.

Teresa D'Armario, author of Tigress by the Tail, blogs about shapeshifters on the small and big screens. "Lately a new type of shifter has moved into the spot light. He’s not quite as dangerous, but I don’t think he’s any less sexy. He has this vulnerable look about him, despite what we know. He can change into any shape he’s familiar with, but he likes dogs." (Shapeshifter Romance)

Read a chapter of Kelley Armstrong's Living with the Dead. "To call Portia Kane a waste of space was being charitable. She was negative space—a vacuum that sucked in everything around her. An entire industry had grown up to service this spoiled 'celebutante.'" (Kelley Armstrong)


MOVIES & DVDSBitten By Books is holding a contest with the set of Twilight hardbacks as the big prize. "We thought it would be fun to share in some of the Twilight mania that is sweeping the globe with you."

The New York Times review of "Twilight" finds it to be de-fanged by Stephanie Meyer's repressive story. "It’s love at first look instead of first bite in “Twilight,” a deeply sincere, outright goofy vampire romance for the hot-not-to-trot abstinence set."

Kurt Loder of MTV not bitten by "Twilight." "There's not a whisper of sex in the book, and none in the movie -- which is problematic. [Robert] Pattinson, such an appealing presence in the Harry Potter films, has been directed here to smolder in such an outlandishly sultry manner that you wonder why he never displays any carnal interest in Bella."

"Twilight" a fangless production. "For 15 or 20 minutes, it's fun to see [Kristen] Stewart and [Robert] Pattinson communicate in a kind of facial semaphore, through flutters and glares. Her intelligence lights up features that are equally pretty and skeptical; Pattinson takes being misunderstood to new neurasthenic heights." (Baltimore Sun)

Interview with Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob Black in "Twilight." "That's what I like to do in the audition process. I like to come in as a blank slate, where they tell me about their vision and about what they see my character doing..." (Deseret News)

You gotta be kidding? Robert Pattinson and Cam Gigandet have been voted hottest male vampires. "The rave reviews that people give to his movie "Twilight" earns Robert Pattinson another accolade, which is the predicate of Hottest Male Movie Vampire, in a poll compiled by Moviefone." I(Ace Showbiz) Has no one seen Gerard Butler in "Dracula 2000"? Sure, this terrible movies is impossible to watch for more than ten minutes, but GB sizzles.


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Interview with Genevieve Cortese, who plays Ruby on "Supernatural." "After all, if people don't like her, they don't like her. She is a demon." (WIS10)

Interview with Traci Diinwiddie, who plays psychic Pamela Barnes on "Supernatural." "I have received phenomenal letters from Supernatural fans. It’s been one of the sweetest little surprises from taking on this role." (SF Universe)

Interview with Misha Collins who plays the enigmantic angel Castiel on "Supernatural. " "...he is compassionate. At first brush, reading the first and second scripts, it looked like this guy is just tough, just mean, just bad-a--. But they wanted that (compassionate) aspect as well, the more angelic side, a little of both." (East Valley Tribune)

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, aka Sam and Dean Winchester, attended a salute to "Supernatural" convention. "He admitted that there were better versions of Dean's girlie scream in 'Yellow Fever,' but he was cracking up so much that they couldn't be used in the episode." (Buddy TV)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Oh, "Supernatural" has been so good lately, it deserves the GVD.



I have to have my coffee, so I'm posting this before watching it. Hey, it's got a Leonard Skynard song so don't complain.

Susan Hubbard, First "Twilight" Reviews, Faith in Leather

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Susan Hubbard blogs about her books, The Year of Disappearances and The Society of S and has a contest for hardback copies of her novels. "No, I didn't plan to write a vampire novel. But there I was, writing a novel in which some characters were vampires. Maybe I should backtrack here..." (Paranormality)

Review of Eve Silver's Demon's Hunger. "Vivian Cairn's decision to take a sabbatical from teaching Forensic Anthropology at the university is one she makes on her own. She needs to figure out why she's beginning to experience black-outs and loss of time that put her in the strangest of places." (Fresh Fiction)

Review of Colleen Gleason's The Rest Falls Away. "Many reviews have referred to Colleen Gleason’s heroine as 'Buffy meets Jane Austen.' I think she’s closer to one of Amanda Quick’s feisty regency heroines, albeit with a stake hidden in her hair or in her garter." (Love Vampires)

Here's the cover for Colleen Gleason's next novel, As Shadows Fade, to be released in March 2009. "Demons, enemies of both mortals and the undead, have found their way to earth. To defeat them, vampires and slayers must fight side by side." (Colleen Gleason)

Author Catherine Karp is taking final nominations for Best Overall Vampire Site. Of course you can nominate Vampire Wire! (Suburban Vampire)

Congratulations to Carolyn Jean on the one year anniversary of her blog, The Thrillionth Page! "These days: It’s okay to do a rambling and marginally understandable post on my confusion over the word NEXT."

Interview with Laurell K. Hamilton on her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. "..."the new book is called Skin Trade and it begins with Anita getting a severed head on her desk. I can't decide if it comes through the postal service or FedEx. Can you send body parts through FedEx in this country?" (Riverfront Times)

Paige Tyler, author of Animal Attraction, has a link to a book cover contest. Vote for Paige's book or another.


MOVIES & DVDS

The first reviews of "Twilight" are in, so don't read them if you don't want to know more. "[Kristen] Stewart (seen recently and most impressively in 'Into the Wild') makes Bella earthy, appealing and slightly withdrawn, and British thesp Robert] Pattinson (who registered poignantly as the ill-fated Cedric Diggory in 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire') is every inch the deadly dreamboat." (Variety)

Here's a summary of all the "Twilight" reviews that have run so far. ""[Robert] Pattinson makes brooding a science. And [Kristen] Stewart finds the right blend of strength and vulnerability to play Bella. The supporting cast is strong, especially Nikki Reed as the headstrong Rosalie and Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria." (Los Angeles Times)

Here's another review of "Twilight." "It is faithful to its source material, which will likely please the fan base. It's also better written than [Stephanie] Meyer's book, which tends toward froth and fulmination." (Chicago Tribune)

Review of "Twilight" praises leads. "But for the legion of fans of Stephenie Meyer's book, this entertaining adaptation provides at least three movies worth of teen angst, dreamy good looks and sparkly-skinned vampires (more on that later)." (San Francisco Chronicle)

Hair crimes among the undead in "Twilight." "Apparently, yes. Edward [Robert Pattinson] comes from a long line of ugly-haired Euro-American vampires in cinema, and we've got a rogues gallery of the worst vampire hair imaginable..." (i09)

Interview with Stephanie Meyer about "Twilight" movie franchise. "Initially she wasn’t as lucky with the movie adaptation. Paramount/MTV had optioned film rights and commissioned a script before the book became a bestseller." (Boston Herald)

Here's a cheat sheet for "Twilight." "These vampires, Edward’s perfect family, are quite Osmond-y in their way." (MSNBC)

Interview with "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke, scriptwriter Melissa Rothenberg, etc. "What that means, maybe, is that the world of 'Twilight' is one where incoming calls from the real world can rarely be heard with any clarity in a fantasy universe of perpetual neither-here-nor-thereness. Sort of like adolescence itself, only touched up for maximum (devastating, inhuman) desirability." (San Jose Mercury)

List of top ten vampire flicks. "They really get into the torchered mindset of a vampire with Interview. Louis feeds on rats, and is ashamed of what he has become, Lestat embraces it and kills whenever he pleases him." (The Score Card)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Eliza Dusku, aka Faith in "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," continues to rock the leather pants in "Dollhouse." "Well, this new shot from Joss Whedon's show confirms that the one-time Faith may have left her stake in the past, but she isn't discarding those tight trousers just yet." (New York Post)

Another "Buffy" alumnus, Nicholas Brendan, aka Xander, stars in new horror film, "Blood on the Highway." "Shot in Texas and directed by Barak Epstein and Blair Rowan, the story finds a road-tripping trio who roll into the town of Fate and find it's populated by vampires." (Shock Till You Drop)



GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

While we're waiting for Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse," here's a mash-up from Kaiios with Eliza Dushku as Faith and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester.



Here's a video from bxversebabe featuring Faith and Buffy. I miss these chicks.

"Twilight" News, Gossip & a Review Preview

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Read an excerpt of Paige Tyler's just released erotic shapeshifter novel Animal Attraction and watch the trailer. Simply Romance Reviews says"There are quite a few twists and turns in the story, elements of the paranormal intermingle with the erotic and they are all rounded out with a very nice surprise ending to that mysterious werewolf plaguing the town throughout the entire book." (Paige Tyler)

Midnight Moon Cafe has excerpts from Brenda Joyce's Dark Embrace. "She had been taken off all sedation and the anti-anxiety medication, so once again she could think clearly."

Review of Blood Sins by Kay Hooper. "Bodies have been turning up in the vicinity of the Church of the Everlasting Sin, and Tessa Gray has been recruited to infiltrate the cult to discover exactly what is going on. " (Fresh Fiction)

Watch the book trailer for Kay Hooper's Blood Sins and enter a contest to win the novel and an advanced reading copy of her next book. "Young, vulnerable, attractive, Tessa Gray made the perfect victim. Which was why Noah Bishop of the FBI’s Special Crimes Unit recruited her to play the role of grieving widow." (Kay Hooper)

Contest for a copy of Mario Acevedo's comic vampire detective novel, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats. "Subscribe by email to Patricia's Vampire Notes and be entered to win a copy..." (Patricia's Vampire Notes) FYI, I subscribe and think Patricia's newsletter is a terrific source of information.

Review of Cynthia Eden's Midnight Sins. "In a city where the dark side is alive and thriving, a human and demon lean towards each other in an age old dance of love." (Scooper Speaks)



MOVIES & DVDS

Interview with Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan) and Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) about "Twilight." "“There’s definitely something there, I don’t know if you’d call it chemistry. I felt something with Kristen, which rarely happens.” (She Knows)

Preview to a review about "Twilight" with clues about the movie. "Bella Swan is far less the Victorian teen simp than she is in Stephenie Meyer’s novel." (Chicago Tribune) Well that's a relief.

Interview and video with the actors who play members of the Cullen Family in "Twilight," including Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, and Ashley Greene. "I had to fly on the cables while I was running, and it wasn't until I was up in the air that I realized that my arms and legs aren't coordinated. Like, I don't know which arm goes with which leg when I'm in the air." (MTV)

"Twilight" stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson attend premiere of vampire film. "Pretty much every one of these girls feels like they are Bella; that's how you experience the story." (USA Today)

How to get Kristen Stewart's red-carpet look. ""I wanted to give the eyes a more rock 'n' roll feel so I used Dior Waterproof Crayon Eyeliner in Trinidad Black to draw a line on both the top and bottom lash line and smudged the pencil..." (Los Angeles Times)

Review of the soundtrack for "Twilight." "It's the sort of dark gothic tale that would seem to require dark gothic music. Fortunately, the soundtrack eschews most of the obvious angst-rock bands and hews closer to the musical tastes of Isabella (which, of course, reflect the musical tastes of her grown-up creator, author Stephenie Meyer)." (Hartford Courant)

Here's some gossip about Robert Pattinson because I'm totally catering to "Twilight" fans:

-Is Robert Pattinson, star of "Twilight," dating Camilla Belle? ""I left my brain at the door. It's completely insane. You never expect it. ... I'm completely deaf!" (Los Angeles Times)

-However, Robert Pattinson claims no one wants to date him. ""People like screaming at me. Actually, they like screaming at me in relationships as well. No one wants to commit." (Ace Showbiz)

-Robert Pattinson also alleges that he's a bad kisser. "I hadn't kissed anyone for a while before the movie, so I'd kind of forgotten how." (This is Glouscestershire)

-Robert Pattinson's bedroom audition. "Robert auditioned with Kristen by reading through some scenes on my bed." (ShowbizSpy

List of the 15 best vampire movies of all time. No. 11 is "The Lost Boys." "It’s campy. It’s got the two Coreys when they were still considered teen hunks and at their peak of semi-coolness. Plus Keifer, Jason Patrick and a kick ass soundtrack." (Pop Crunch) This post has great poster graphics, so check it out fer sure.

Review of "Vampyr" from 1932. "There are undeniable moments of power and brilliance in the film as shadows literally come to life and events unfold in as if in a trance." (The Morbid Imagination)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Shapeshifter Romance reports rumors that "Moonlight" will be re-broadcast. " I came across a post on IMDB that said Moonlight was coming to Sci-Fi Channel on January 23 and they would air all sixteen episodes."

Review of "True Blood" from Alan Ball, based on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire novels. "Taboos, though, whether they be about sex or death or death sex lose their power to bewitch and shock once they’ve been broken. After that it’s just soap opera." (San Antonio Current)



GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

And now for something for fans of smart, sexy, savvy Martha Jones, from "Dr. Who" and "Torchwood," thanks to Magedzik.



And here's a "Torchwood" - Gwen/Capt. Jack Harkness tribute from Tenxxrose.

"Twilight" Mania, New Interviews with Cast & Writers

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Carrie Vaughn blogs about her upcoming novels, Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand and Kitty Raises Hell, and a contest for her first novel. "Vampires, lycanthropes, psychics, mages, necromancers – no one will argue that these are the stars of paranormal fiction. But I have a confession: I’m always looking for something new and different.

Interview and contest with Jeri Smith-Ready, author of Wicked Game. "She’s your typical con artist in many ways—clever, confident, and morally flexible—but she’s not completely nihilistic. Ciara’s on an unusual redemption quest: saving a vampire radio station from corporate takeover, a mission that becomes a matter of life and un-death." (Bitten By Books)

Review of Circus of the Darned by Katie Maxwell, aka Katie MacAlister. "Then, she accidentally manages to raise an entire battlefield of warring, Viking ghosts... who refuse to move on to the afterlife!" (CheriePie Books)

Contest for two copies of Kelley Armstrong's Living with the Dead. "Just leave a comment with your email address and state which Kelley Armstrong book is your favorite. If you've never read this author before, then state why you want to read this book." (A Book Blogger's Diary)

Review of On the Prowl by Karen MacInerney. "Her home is broken into and ransacked by unknown assailants, and three young made-werewolves, the grrls, turn up on her doorstep, wanting her to be their alpha after the wolf that made them suddenly disappears. " (Fresh Fiction)

Read an excerpt from Karen MacInerney's On the Prowl. "It's always those days when you think to yourself, 'Life is just perfect' that life decides to bite you in the ass." (Karen MacInerney)


MOVIES & DVDS

Interview with Melissa Rosenberg, who adapted Stephanie Meyer's Twilight for film. "Twilight gets compared a lot to Harry Potter, but those are $150 million movies. This cost about $40 million, so that's one expectation we're trying to manage. They're also very different in that Harry Potter has wall-to-wall special effects and lots of magical elements. Twilight is very reality-based. " (Wired)

Entertainment Tonight has new "Twilight" video interviews, new photo galleries, and Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart attend premiere of "Twilight." "My body is here, but my brain -- I don't know where it is. This feels like a kind of dream."

Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) visits the mall and talks about "Twilight." "It is bizarre...People come from three states away and walk up to you trembling. I feel that I am at a disadvantage here because I can’t provide this mystical thing that they came for in the two seconds we have." (New York Times)

Interview with Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) about "Twilight." "I went into it thinking it’s a small thing because it essentially is. It’s a small story, it’s an intimate story, and I think it comes across as being very human rather than being a big epic thing, which I think no one would have really appreciated." (Blast)

Another interview with Robert Pattinson about "Twilight" "Yeah, I'm completely malcoordinated. I'm terrible at all sports and I don't see the point in them. I had a baseball coach.. " (Reelz Channel)

Major studios misses the chance to produce "Twilight." "As is often the case when a studio lets a hit slip through its hands, no one wants to take the blame. [David] Gale would not say who at Paramount refused to renew the option. But I spoke to three ex-Paramount executives who all pointed the finger at Brad Weston, now the studio's production chief." (Los Angeles Times)

Interview with Stephanie Meyer about the film adaptation of her novel, Twilight. "On the set, the person who really exceeded expectations was Rob [Robert Pattinson]. I didn’t think anyone could get that close to Edward. I mean, I knew he was going to do a good job, and he has this great look, but I’d seen him as Rob himself and I couldn‘t picture it. The thing is he looks different when he does characters." (Los Angeles Times)

Interview with Peter Facinelli, who plays Carlisle Cullen in "Twilight." ""I can actually say I'm one of the few guys who have necked with Rob Pattinson. A lot of people are envious of me." (E! Online)

The wrongness of "Twilight" obsessed audiences. "See, there's no shame in being a dork obsessed with a corporate-created fantasy. But at least Rocky Horror fans put their freakshow out on display for the world to see. " (Jossip)


TELEVISION

Vampire trend timely for HBO's "True Blood." "Catching the wave of a public fascination with vampires, HBO's 'True Blood' has steadily increased in stature to become the cable network's most popular series since 'The Sopranos' and 'Sex and the City.'" (International Herald Tribune)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

I know everything's "Twilight" this week, but I'm all about the "Torchwood" and not just because it has sex and violence and aliens and aliens having sex and being violent and cussing. This video by LittleWater Song rocks bad Euro disco, so deliciously bad.



And here's some totally unnecessary violence from "Torchwood," courteys of Zenosazie. Crank it up.

"Twilight" Countdown: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Catherine Hardwick, & Stephanie Meyer

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Review of The First Vampire by Alicia Benson. "For nearly three thousand years Samson has wanted revenge on Delilah, the woman he loved and whose actions turned him into a vampire." (Darque Reviews)

Review of Insatiable Desire by Rita Herron. "Half-demon, half-angel, FBI agent Vincent Valtrez knows all too well the lure of dark powers, what his demon father Zion called 'bad blood.'" (Monsters & Critics)

Review of Patrice Michelle's Scions: Revelation. "It is a shapeshifter romance that, as a first time reader of the series, went in a direction I didn’t expect." (Scooper Speaks)

Read an excerpt from Meljean Brook's Demon Bound. "How easy killing a Guardian would be. Even Michael, the most powerful of all the Guardians, would fall if a sword cleaved through his heart or his neck. " (Meljean Brook)

Patricia Altner reviews Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews, and has the new cover of Andrews' next novel. "Someone used bad magic and demons have been unleashed. It's soon apparent that Julie is their target." (Patricia's Vampire Notes)


MOVIES & DVDS

Interview with the cast and makers of "Twilight" and new photos of Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan) and Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen). "'I was convinced before I ever met Stephenie [Meyer] that she was a mad person who completely believed she was Bella, and this was just her fantasy,' said Pattinson." (AP)

Interview with Robert Pattinson about his role as a hawt vampire in "Twilight." ""It's just crazy. A year ago I couldn't get a date and now the whole world's turned over and I can have any 14-year-old girl I want." (The Star)

Interview with Kristen Stewart, the star of "Twilight" about her role as Bella Swan. "She follows her instincts and gut feelings and she's so much stronger than Edward, her amazing vampire ideological counterpart. He's small and weak and scared. She wears the pants in the relationship." (Baltimore Sun)

Another interview with Robert Pattinson, "Twilight" star, about his role as Edward Cullen and his acting career. "I just sort of thought this is stupid going into this casting to play like the best-looking human thing ever created - and that's the whole point of his character...My only idea for the role was to go in pouting, intensely pouting, and that was it. Then I met Kristen [Stewart]..." (Boston Globe)

Robert Pattinson, "Twilight" star, talks about his visit to Brooklyn and his musical influences. “When I was 14, I fronted a rap trio." (New York Times)

Interview with director Catherine Hardwicke on her new movie, "Twilight." "It's something in the human psyche, this desire for immortality. I think there are so many reasons that people are fascinated with this idea of eternal youth. That's every advertising image we see every day. Bella, for example, is obsessed. She wants to stay young, and be as young as Edward is." (Salon)

"Twilight" actor Cam Gigandet to star in "Five Star Day." "The film is a journey of self-discovery about a guy (Gigandet) who loses everything and must come to terms with what's most important in life."

Interview with author Stephanie Meyer about watching "Twilight." "I had my notepad with me because they wanted notes. But from the first scene I was hooked. Kristen [Stewart] became Bella. Robert [Pattinson] was Edward. It was a dream seeing them on screen." (Chicago Sun-Times)

Los Angeles Times issues a collectible edition with "Twilight" posters. "Today, people will again be buying the paper as a keepsake or potential collectible because of the huge black posters advertising the film "Twilight," which is nothing less than a pop-culture sensation and it hasn't even hit theaters yet." (Los Angeles Times)

Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop have been cast in vampire comedy. "Canadian writer-director Rob Stefaniuk cast the musicians in the movie which is entitled Suck, that centres 'around a rock 'n' roll band that will do anything to become famous.'" (Newsroom America)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Lyrics sound much deeper in French. Here's a tribute to Robert Pattinson from Magdaves. I am digging this song. It makes me want to drink Pernod and slap someone.



We shall continue on the "Twilight" theme, with a tribute from WWERocks620 set to "Decode" by Paramore.



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