Vampire Wire's Ultimate Hawt Vampire List & Maybe a Contest

AUTHORS & BOOKS

UPDATE: The Ultimate Hawt Vampire List Contestish Thing has been extended one more week! Read info below in the "Movies & DVDS" section.

LOTS of prizes in the Rites of Spring Contest, including a signed copy of Helen Scott Taylor's The Magic Knot. (Infinite Worlds of Fantasy) Helen will be a guest at Vampire Wire soon, too, so you'll get to learn more about her wonderful new novel.

Lori Devoti, author of the upcoming Dark Crusade, is having a month long contest with many prizes as part of her Full-Moon of Werewolves contest. "30 days of posts about werewolves by werewolf-loving paranormal romance and urban fantasy authors and Prizes!! "

Review of Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione. "Larissa is one heck of a paranormal romance writer. She has a skill for creating the most twisted demonic characters and for writing a book that is actually very touching because amidst all heaven breaking loose, the whole evil world going at it, there is still enough space for a very human feeling called love. " (Reading Extravaganza)

Kimberly Swan reviews Ghostland by Jory Strong. "Living in the aftermath of war and plague, Aisling McConaughey has been raised to keep her shamaness gifts hidden." (Darque Reviews)

Review of Paramatch.com by MK Mancos. "Jager Cronus is a Titan – the deposed leader of the Titans, in fact – in search of romance, and he’s pretty sure he’s found it at Lucilla Wainwright’s dating service for those with paramaladies." (Literary Nymphs Reviews Only)

Read a summary and an excerpt of Paramatch.com by MK Mancos. "Dating in today’s world is tough enough. Pair it with a paranormalady, and Lucille Wainwright is living the recipe for loneliness. Born a talentless witch in a family of legendary spellcasters, she’s managed to carve a niche for herself with ParaMatch.com, a matchmaking service for paranormal beings. " (Samhain)


MOVIES & DVDS

Newsweek took time from the world economic calamity and various wars and crises to select the ten hawtest vampires. Number One on the list is Max Schreck as Nosfaratu (left).

What kind of crack are these people smoking? That's why vampire coverage should be left to professionals like Vampire Wire, who would have composed an entirely different list with at least three of the top ten vampires being Gerard Butler as Dracula.

In fact, I'm so outraged by the idiocy of Newsweek's list (can we say, cashing-in-on-'Twilight" anyone? I think we can) that I'm putting together Vampire Wire's Ultimate Hawt Vampire List & Maybe a Contest.

NEWS UPDATE: Michele Hauf is contributing one copy of her very sexy The Devil to Pay to the prize list, which I'm still compiling.

NEWS UPDATE II: Hachette Books is contributing FIVE COPIES of Larissa Ione's April release, Passion Unleashed, as prizes!

Please tell me your ideas on the hawtest film or television vamps and I'll compile them using a highly scientific formula based on whether I agree with you or think your judgement dangerous and unreliable. If you think I should give a prize for this, we can talk about it. I have some of my Casa Dracula books around, which are excellent for throwing at your boss, using to balance out a wobbly table leg, and reading in the bathtub with a glass of wine.

I'll try to get a few more prizes if that's necessary for your participation. (Authors, if you want to throw in a prize, talk to me.) I'll post the list next week.

The hate for "Lesbian Vampire Killers" is universal. "Badly directed, poorly acted, witlessly scripted, it's a black hole that not even a Simon Pegg could fill. " (The Guardian)

"Twilight" DVD, with behind-the-scenes info on Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, will please fans. "'Twilight,' the box office sensation based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer, turns out to be better suited to the small screen than the big one. The DVD format is more forgiving of the less-than- seamless special effects, bad wigs and chalk-white makeup, and the filmmakers and actors are so lively and friendly in behind-the-scenes interviews that the mixed-bag film itself seems to improve as a result. " (Sacramento Bee)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Charlie Jane Anders gives Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" a rave review. "Joss Whedon keeps his promises - last night's Dollhouse was a handsome reward to everyone who'd been paying attention to the series' first five weeks, while still introducing the basic premise to the newbies." (i09) What a treat to discover that author Charlie Jane reviews! She's the hilariously funny host of Writers with Drinks series in San Francisco, and a seriously tough act to follow.

I thought the episode was awfully good, too, and interesting twists and plotlines were developed. Everyone who's waiting through the initial episodes, which Fox required to be dumbed down, is relieved that Whedon can now be the awesome dude he truly is.

Here's another good review. "With the Joss Whedon penned “Man on the Street,” DOLLHOUSE fully embraced its inner mythology, shed all of its convoluted storytelling and got back to what Whedon does best – telling interesting, funny and complicated stories with a healthy sci-fi edge." (IF Magazine0

Interview with William Sanderson, who plays Sheriff Bud Dearborn on "True Blood." "I know they were looking for authentic Southern accents -- which has been both a blessing and a curse to me." (TrueBlood.net)

Tragically, the South doesn't produce enough actors for this series. Co-stars are from other locales. Anna Paquin is Canadian, Stephen Moyer is English; Ryan Kwanten is Australian, Rutina Wesley is from Nevada... But Sam Trammell, who plays Sam Merlotte, is from Louisiana.


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Okay, here's a spanking new "Supernatural" tribute. The music is as corny as Kansas in August. I recommend you turn off the music and sing a Bob Seger song while you watch.



Here's a tribute to Sam Winchester and the demon Ruby set to a much better song.