Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Really enjoyed True Blood. Lots of social commentary and snark. Great start and with a cliff hanger ending - shades of long ago serials.
No, I don’t want my own Twilight Edward. The whole cold fish routine would not be someone I want to cuddle up with. How would he warm cold feet? Now the J.R. Ward vampires who are a separate species and warmblooded, that’s another story entirely!

I was with an “Edward.”

Trust me. Over rated. Seriously.

Even when he has tons of money, that doesn’t balance out the weird friends and family that come with him. Talk about bloodsuckers.

Stick with werewolves. They’re unflaggingly loyal and the fur keeps you warmer at night.

Okay, I’m poor, I’m broke, I’m unemployed and how sick is it that I subscribed to HBO just to get to see TrueBlood?*

Anyway, I thought it was pretty darn brilliant. I loved the casting choices, the writing was good, it was *very* close to the book. It helps that it’s been long enough ago since I read Book one that I’ve sort of forgotten who the bad guy is and how things go down. Jason really will stick his dick anywhere. They did a great job of showing how disconcerting and distracting it must be for Sookie to always be hearing all of those voices and thoughts, and how calm she can be when she’s with Bill.

It’s obvious that HBO intends this to be their next truly top-notch series and so far they’re really hitting it, at least for me. I can’t wait for next week.

*(truthfully they were having a bitchin’ special on HBO and Starz and I’m not paying any more than I was).

I loved True Blood last night, really enjoyed it. I think the book it’s based on, Dead Until Dark, is better of course, but for a vampire television show it’s not bad at all.
Well, that fang action at the very beginning in the gas station/quick mart ws pretty bad and the opening credits blew chunks.  I’m really looking forward to next week’s show though.

One pro about the TV version - it’s obviously not in first point of view and we’re getting the thoughts and reactions of others from them, not just from Sookie. A plus, hopefully, for those that have been turned off by the books being first person.

And are they really putting it online to view? How? The link says “watch”, but it’s just the trailer. Hello, what am I doing wrong. IT is Monday after all, lol. Things going wrong go hand in hand with it.

Best of luck with you and Photoshop. Like most other things, you just have to pony up and become its bitch. Or be a bitch to it. It likes that sometimes.

I really enjoyed it. I love the books. I can’t wait until we meet Eric, I don’t know him as an actor, but they couldn’t have picked anyone that I think looks more like what he looks like in my head. I was afraid that I wasn’t going to like it. Somehow books just don’t translate well on screen for me. But I was very pleasantly surprised.

I’ll watch next week. The characters were all pretty true to the book but I don’t remember Sam lusting quite so “loudly” after Sookie until later in the books. Stephen Moyer as Vampire Bill is….*shiver* yummy. I could have done without the gratuitous sex but this is HBO and the producer did “Six Feet Under” so I expected such. Still didn’t do much for me. I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination but those two scenes could have been left out and not affected the plot. There were more subtle ways to get the point across.

This looks very interesting.  I’m definitely going to be watching this one. 

I was disappointed when Blood Ties was dropped although I was glad that I could get the last couple of shows on iTunes.  I wasn’t at all surprised when Moonlight was dropped—that was some bad clunky writing. 

Who is left?  LKH?  *Shudder*

Huh. You know, I didn’t think the sex was gratuitous. Spoiler ahead

And okay, it was pretty graphic. But heck, we read romances (and Charlaine Harris) and what is written in those books is far, far more graphic than what was shown on screen. For me it’s a really nice change to see something more true to life rather than glossed over. Go Alan Ball! Go HBO! Go Jason!

I’m sorry! The spoiler text didn’t work! Sorry, sorry…

*small voice*

um . . . if my inner grammarian could rear her bespectacled head for a second . . .

SB Sarah, please please please spell it “y’all.” It’s a contraction of “you + all.”

“Ya’ll” is a contraction of nothing. I know tons of people spell it that way and it drives me to desk-gnawing every time I see it (AaaaAARGHpantpant*spluttergargle*): What is “ya’ll” a contraction of?!?!?! (Or, since my inner grammarian is out and about: Of what is “ya’ll” a contraction?!?!?!?!)

*deep breath*

Carry on.

Sarah…...Blockbuster was renting the first episode of TRUE BLOOD for free, that might help you decide for yourself. I’m going to have to upgrade my cable to watch LOL
FWIW I really liked the fact it’s kinda edgy and I loved the humor, but HBO and FX tend to put out some of my fave shows. (and I haven’t read the books).

The first episode of True Blood made me want to pick up the Sookie Stackhouse books (I’ve abstained so far because the covers/cover copy look so… goofy).

I think my favorite character in the show, at the very least, may be Lafayette. Sookie, Sam, and Bill are all fine and dandy, but soft spots for fun minor characters.

The sex was a little off-putting though. If it keeps up, I’ll have to schedule time to watch True Blood without kiddies around, instead of popping it up on the Tivo whenever I feel like it.

As for TwiMoms… really? Popsicle Sparklepeen rocks their world? Really?!

Sarah, which board are you talking about in the 2nd part of your post?  I didn’t see a link for one, and its sounds interesting.  I want to read more about ‘popsicle wangs’.  :)

P.S.  My security word is side45.  Like I’m just this side of 45 years old????????  Not yet!

I just watched it, I dont have hbo subscription but for some reason the on demand still works for the premium channels..I’m not complaining! lol

I dunno why so many fuss about the sex scenes. The books nor the show are YA. I liked the show well enough to watch again. Jason looks like a younger prettier brad pitt if there can be such a thing ! He’s such a horndog , I wish I’d known what a horndog was back when I was young enough to do something about it !

I loved the Grandmother. Tara seems like a young Wanda Sykes.  Sam is a hunk, who wants to go across the bar parking lot and into his trailer? That’s a hot love nest for we southern gals.

The scene with Sookie layin in the sun with her glass of tea beside her is SO southern USA. Although here in the part of the south where I live we call it ” sweet tea” not “iced tea”. Dunno what they call it in Louisianna. And by the way, how many dive bars in rural LA have such pretty skinny waitresses? And how many pay 10 bux an hour PLUS tips? That’s pretty darn good pay for that kind of work in that type of establishment.

It’s easy to be critical based on just one show but I’m not afraid to say I liked it!

Okay, a mixed result for me, and from me.

I didn’t like the books. They seemed shallow and uninteresting, although I have no doubt that if Ms Harris had a bigger word count she could have done it awesomely.

HBO show, same problem.

The mystery was more transparent than MURDER SHE WORTE.  The sex was gratuitous and we thank them.

Anna Paquin ruled that part. She really was Sookie.
Grandma was totally cool.
Vampire dude was vampire dud for me.
The hearing people’s’ thoughts was excellent!
BFF Tara, awesome!
Intro of the dog, terrific! I was “Oh yeah, I remember him.”

Will I watch the next episode. Maybe. Probably.

P.S. Sweet tea in Louisiana is just called “Tea” if you don’t ask for it unsweetened, you won’t get it that way. That is how you know you are REALLY in the South!

I loved the show. Sookie was really likable. The dialog was snappy. I never read the books but the show made me want to pick up the books! I love that it’s on HBO so adult content can be handled instead of cut out. Finally ~ we get a vampire show with real acting and plot that doesn’t make me want to change the channel.

I gave TrueBlood a B+.

It stayed true to the books enough that I could follow along and go “Oh yeah! I remember that.” but it was different enough that it felt fresh.

My main gripes are how they portrayed Tara - she definitely wasn’t that obnoxious in the books. I mean really, stick up her ass much?

I agree with an above poster that the opening scene sucked (no pun intended) and when the vampire flashed his fangs I groaned at how crappy the CGI was. I’m glad they fixed the problem later in the show. Bill’s fangs didn’t look nearly as bad.

And Sookie reading Sam’s thoughts so clearly bothered me. In the books, his thoughts are “a snarled mess” and she could never quite hear what he was thinking.

I do like the actor they got to play Sam. He did an excellent job.

I do have to say that I laughed loud enough for my neighbors to hear me when Sookie walked into the house and her Gran was reading a Charlaine Harris book.

Given the mostly unmitigated crap that’s coming out for movies these days, it seems to me that smart, well-written TV drama (Mad Men, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, etc.) may be the way of the future. Hollywood seems not to be able to make much in the way of movies that’s actually entertaining (yes, there are exceptions but fewer and farther between the past few years). To me it’s exciting to see a well-written well-made series like Trueblood make waves.

OK, hold up - we’ve got an official spelling for yall - or y’all?

Not to offend, but it’s slang, right? Do we really HAVE to spell slang a certain way? I truly thought slang spelling was at the user’s discretion.

Count me amongst folks that didn’t mind the sex. I admit I’ve not been an HBO subscriber, so don’t know much about their gratuitous sex, but I agree with robinjn - it was a good way to show Jason’s character who in the book only comes from Sookie’s perspective. And him going from one woman, trying to get in the pants of another shows what Sookie thinks of him in the books.

Maybe they didn’t have to show quite so many nekkid body parts, but meh, was no bother to me.

I finally put my finger on what bugged me.  The print ads were so slick and artistic but the show is more Dukes of Hazard than artsy urban vampire. Does that make sense? Not a big bug but when I finally figured out what was bugging me I thought..Ahhhh that’s what it is lol.

Who is left?  LKH?  *Shudder*

Nope, P.N. Elrod.

Her vampire PI was here long before Anita, Moonlight, or Forever Knight and Elrod writes rings around LKH.

The vampire’s first case is to solve his own murder. How cool is that?

Ignore the crappy book covers.  www.vampwriter.com

I finally put my finger on what bugged me.  The print ads were so slick and artistic but the show is more Dukes of Hazard than artsy urban vampire. Does that make sense? Not a big bug but when I finally figured out what was bugging me I thought..Ahhhh that’s what it is lol.

Yeah, but I think slick and urban will come in later. After all, we haven’t been to fangtasia yet. And Sookie *does* live in Hicksville.

see29. No, I will not see 29 again. Or 39…

Sarah, if you figure out who to watch the whole episode online, share the wealth. I just cancelled HBO a month ago. bad timing anyone?

Yeah, but I think slick and urban will come in later. After all, we haven’t been to fangtasia yet. And Sookie *does* live in Hicksville.

That’s something to look forward to. I only read maybe the first two books a long time ago, I forget what happens. Which I think is why I liked the show so much. I’m not comparing it to the books, just enjoying it for what it is.

I felt like some of the sex was ramped up to make it more “HBO,” rather than absolutely necessary to the plot.  That, I’d say was probably the director’s choice, because he always has a lot of graphic sex in his stuff.  I just hope every episode doesn’t have secondary characters banging.

I also felt like Tara was a bit of a stereotype, the “sassy, black friend” who is only on screen to point out how sassy and black she is.  That was… irritating.  The actress did a good job making her endearing when the writers seemed to want her to come off as shrill.  But I don’t see this Tara like Tara from the books, especially because I can’t imagine this Tara falling in with vampires.

Other than that, it was absolutely magical to see everything I’d imagined in the books coming to life on tv!  Anna Paquin was perfect, and she really captured Sookie’s spaciness and naivety that people around her see, without making her a cartoon and while still being able to show that there is something deeper to her.  I really cannot wait until next week, which is so hilarious… they ended on a cliffhanger right from the book, I know what’s going to happen, but I *still* am freaking out like, “OMG IS SHE GOING TO BE OKAY?”

This Texan’s opinion…

I prefer the spelling ya’ll to ya’ll.

I think it’s more phonetically accurate to how I pronounce it, and I also see it as the contraction of these two words:

Ya   and   all.

ya + all = ya’ll.

But that’s just me. Some dialects pronounce it more as ‘youall’, in which case the y’all would be more accurate.

Who is left?  LKH?  *Shudder*

Nope, P.N. Elrod.

Her vampire PI was here long before Anita, Moonlight, or Forever Knight and Elrod writes rings around LKH.

The vampire’s first case is to solve his own murder. How cool is that?

Ignore the crappy book covers.  http://www.vampwriter.com

Actually, according to LKH’s website and the announcement she made at DragonCon, her series has been optioned again to be made into either a movie or tv series. Not sure how far it will get this time. *shrugs*

My spamword although14. I would just like to say that although 14 angry vamps may threaten me with bodily harm, I will never watch a show made about the Anita Blake books.

Re: the ads for TrueBlood vs the show:
Taking the show’s premise, that vampires are “out of the coffin” and so have become an official demographic for advertisers, I feel like the TrueBlood “ads” at least were true to that—slick, catchy, professional-type print and outdoor ads. They fit in perfectly with LA’s ubiquitous bus stop, billboard, and poster ads—so much so that it took me a second look to realize what they were. The commercial with the hunters also seemed to fit in with modern beer commercials and had a different audience in mind—just like most national campaigns with multiple target demographics.
I really enjoyed the opening credits—very atmospheric and good music, but there was a definite disconnect between the credits and the first episode—maybe when we get deeper into the “vampire scene” like Fangtasia, they will fit better.
Overall, Bill was a little broody (too many burning glances), but Jason was great, Sam, Arlene, and Tara, as well. I like Anna Pacquin, but her Sookie seemed a little more bubbly than book-Sookie who lives more in her head.

Popsicle wang ftw!!! :)

I loved it.  Watched it more than once. ;)

I thought True Blood was pretty good, my only complaint is that one of the roles was recast between the original pilot and the aired pilot, that of the main character’s best friend Tara, and I liked the original actress much more than her replacement.

I thought Tara was more like Jessica in the Undead series. The Tara I read in the book was a little less outspoken and brash.

I enjoyed True Blood - Anna Paquin does Sookie much better than I was expecting.  The video sex scenes were a bit crass (and I have read all the books and expect lots of sex in the series) but I understand in part they were to set up Jason’s character.  Still, eeuw.

I didn’t get how she was reading Sam’s mind, though - that’s not supposed to happen (at least not very well) according to the book.  I wish the premiere had been 2 hours long in order to draw people in more.

(get28?  Where can I find myself a 28 year old?)

I have to mention the vampire sex scene.
I fell on the floor laughing when he is going at it at vampire speed then looks to the camera with the ” look what I can do!” expression on his face. SLOW DOWN! Some things aren’t meant to go at warp speed.
That scene has gotta show up on youtube lol.

Marilyn , I totally agree with you! She does remind me of Jessica now that you mention it.

Loved it and was surprised that I did. It’s hard to adapt a book to TV but Ball did a decent job. I’m preparing to be annoyed about the actor who plays Eric though. I was thinking he should be more Fabio-style beefy and instead they’re giving us David Spade-wimpy.

Oh yeah, and what’s with the vampire growling like a dog during sex??

The vamp sex scene was hilarious, as was most of the show. I thought it was more comedy than drama. I mean, the show started out with hand jobs and Billy Bob Vamp. How cool is that?

To Lizzie: Right on!  I also believe in a y’all spelling!

To Phadem and Anony Miss:
To the best of my recollection it is y’all based of the contraction of you all.  (M-W agrees: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/you-all)  I used to teach an Etymology course, and we’d watch portions of The Story of English (PBS), which said that y’all and ain’t came into use in the South through Scots-Irish immigrants.

I don’t think it matters much on the internet, but it’s a huge peeve of mine when seeing it in print.

My last bit on yall, or y’all or yawl - however anyone wants to spell it. I do completely understand that it’s a word formed from you and all. I suppose I just don’t see what the big deal is - but to each their own, peeves sometimes only make sense to those they bother. However anyone prefers to write it is just fine with me.

That vamp growling during the taped sex made me howl with laughter too. If it wasn’t for that, maybe I’d have been more disturbed. I think I yelled at Jason to get his hands off his partner’s neck.

My gosh though, how much fun it must be to make this show. They really ought to make more of them, say five a week for the entire season. What’s up with this draconian once a week shit? :D

according to LKH’s websit e(snip) DragonCon, her series has been optioned again to be made into either a movie or tv series.

Options don’t mean anything unless someone picks them up. All it is, is someone paid a few bucks to reserve it so they get a cut of the cash in case a production company picks it up.

I’m glad Harris got the brass ring over LKH. Like Elrod, she’s a better writer, too.  Don’t anyone confuse the script writer’s work for Harris’s, ‘k? They’re tailoring the show for the widest possible audience. Harris is for more discerning types who can read multi-syllable words. ;)

I know one of Elrod’s book series was optioned for a whole dollar some years back. She was snickering about it. She’s said she’s had several options over the years and takes them in stride.

Elrod writes better nookie scenes, IMO. There’s real emotion in them, none of that tab-A, Slot-B, rinse-repeat every 3 pages, work in the plot as an afterthought. Her vampire falls hard and fast for his girl and stays with her through thick and thin. Great sense of humor, too.

I also really enjoyed TRUE BLOOD,

I agree with Robin on the Jason sex scenes.  They hint a lot about him, and the whole strangling plot thing. 

As for Sookie being more bubbly on the show than in the books, I think it’s more that we’re “seeing” her instead of reading her.  IN the books she often says people think she’s retarded because she walks around with a big plastic smile on her face, but it’s the best thing she can do to cover up her own emotions at hearing their thoughts. So in the show we’re seeing her paste that smile on instead of being in her head and reading her say “So I pasted a big silly grin on my face and pretended not to hear…”

I also love that we’re getting the other characters POC’s that we don’t get in the books.  I’m excited abotu this show.

My bad.

This is the official statement from LKH: “I’m thrilled to announce that we have joined forces with a first class Writer, Producer, and film studio. The rumors are true - a movie and a possible TV show based on the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter 16-book series is in the works. Stay tuned to the website for updates and details.”

A friend in the know has informed me that there has been nothing in any of the trade magazines or websites about this so… *shrug* either their keeping it very hush hush or LKH is jumping the gun.

do have to say that I laughed loud enough for my neighbors to hear me when Sookie walked into the house and her Gran was reading a Charlaine Harris book.

I died laughing then too. i wonder how many people actually caught that?

I really enjoyed the show. So did Daughter, who hasn’t read the books yet (although I have all of them). My biggest complaint? That they started the story AFTER Hurrican Katrina, which is wrong. Especially since the current story line is so linked to the disaster itself. I don’t know how they will handle that.

For those who haven’t read the books- keep an eye on the cute dog. He is adorable.

Nope, P.N. Elrod.

I would love to see these on TV.

I was thinking he should be more Fabio-style beefy and instead they’re giving us David Spade-wimpy.

So far, he hasn’t impressed me- he reminds me of one of the bad guys in the original Die Hard movies.

The current TV guide showed up today and I was reading the readers letters in the beginning. Some MORON who obviously has never read, much less heard of the Sookie books, tried to say it was a rip off of the Twighlight Series.

Can someone find this idiot and bite her for me? Please??

Don’t you know—Meyer invented vampires.  Of course Sookie’s vampires don’t sparkle, but I think we could fix that with some body glitter.  *snort*

Who is left?  LKH?  *Shudder*

Nope, P.N. Elrod.

Her vampire PI was here long before Anita, Moonlight, or Forever Knight and Elrod writes rings around LKH.

The vampire’s first case is to solve his own murder. How cool is that?

Ignore the crappy book covers.  http://www.vampwriter.com

Oh, I would LOVE to see a decent TV adaptation of Elrod’s Vampire Files, period detail, cool cars and ‘30’s outfits and music intact.  And failing that, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters (though finding an actor who could pull off Ash would be pretty tough.)

I don’t have cable and so didn’t get to see True Blood, but am intrigued by all the comments.  I liked the first couple of books but was disappointed at how quickly badass Sookie devolved into a whiny, TSTL twit —and please don’t flame me for that minority opinion!  Maybe if I hear enough good things it’ll prompt me to pick up the DVD set when it comes out.

I guess I’m in the minority here. True Blood didn’t work for me. Maybe I just visualized them far differently in my head, but I didn’t feel like the show captured the spirit of the books.  I’m not going to give up just yet, but I’m hoping the next couple episodes pick up.

When I saw that Trueblood was finally coming on (I’d been hearing about a couple of years, I think), I told the husband that I wanted us to get HBO again.  We started it again this past Thursday just so I can watch the show.

Things that bugged me about the show:
1.  Like ev said, they started after Hurricane Katrina and that is going to change how they handle a lot of things from Sookie’s earlier dealings with the Queen of Louisiana to the vampire politics, in general.

2.  Sookie does NOT have telekinises, so how did she make the chain tighten by looking at it?

3.  Tara is all wrong.  I don’t mind sassy, but shrilly obnoxious just gets old.

4.  Sookie CAN’T read Sam’s thoughts particularly well and rarely gets more than a fleeting glimpse of them.

5.  The vampire/Maudette sex scene was just silly, not scary.

Things that I liked a lot:
1.  I’m fairly certain that Chris Isaak sings the opening song.

2.  I’m very happy with Anna Paquin’s portrayal of Sookie.  I still think she looks odd as a blond, but her expressions and the little nuances to her acting makes up for that.

3.  They did a great job of showing us how she experiences the world.

4.  The chemistry between Anna and the guy playing her brother works really well.  In the kitchen scene, when he stills the rest of her pork chop with a barely cursory “You done with that?” and eating it while she complains, “Hey!” just struck me as so natural and the way that adult siblings tease each other.  (At least, I can see my oldest two acting that way—if my son didn’t mind ducking his sister fork coming at his hand, that is…)

5.  The banter at the bar was great.  I’ve worked in bars and, yep, it can get very raunchy.  Especially if one of the employees standing there will blush.  Oh, lord, what will be said around people that will blush.

As for Jason’s sex scene with Maudette, it didn’t bother me.  Also, it wasn’t gratuitous.  In the first book, Jason does have rough sex with Maudette and she did tape it and that was why he was considered a suspect for most.  Well, that and the fact that Andy Belfleur considers the Stackhouses to be trash and Jason to be particularly so.  Therefore, in his mind, Jason could do just about anything and it wouldn’t surprise him.

In the kitchen scene, when he stills the rest of her pork chop

Okay, I cannot believe that I typed that, particularly since homophone abuse is one of my biggest pet peeves.  That should be “steals”, of course.

What about ya know?  To write y’know seems very wrong, ya know?

The way I see it, “ya” is slang for “you,” like “dammit” and “sonuvabitch.”

Therefore you can contract ya all into ya’ll :-)

I love these books, and I am not the type to get my panties in a bunch over TV/movie versions of books. But i was NOT impressed. The close-talking drove me fucking insane. *shudder* Seriously, aren’t there better ways to convey chemistry without talking into someone’s nostrils? And Bill looked like he’d been sleeping in a dumpster for a week. WTF? And why is Sam a big puss?

Sookie was fine, and I loved that they played a Lucinda Williams song. Otherwise… *shrug*

I’m honestly usually so easy. But this was a big ol’ disappointment to me. But I WILL keep watching. I’m too much of a Sookie fan not to.

(I blogged about it. Click below to come party.)

Or click above, actually.

I think in any series or movie that is based on a well known book or set of books with a good fanbase, there are going to be those who are disappointed because, OMG, it’s not exactly like the book! How awful of them! I’ve heard those types of comments on the Potter and LOTR movies as well. And when you love a written piece it can be difficult to transition from book to screen.

But all that said, I still think Trueblood was really, really well done and followed the book remarkably well. Peter Jackson talks on some of the LOTR DVDs about the basic differences between book and film and why some things MUST change from print to screen. In this case, they chose to make Tara’s character a bit more acerbic. They chose to make it after Katrina, because this is a series that’s supposed to take place in the near future. How on earth can you ignore that Katrina has happened then have it happen in the middle of the series? That would cause huge problems.

The casting and writing of this series is top notch and I’ll be happy to let the differences ride as long as the writing stays strong. I try to determine for myself if, for ME, the spirit of the book is kept. And yes, for me it definitely is.

Go Sookie!

1.  I’m fairly certain that Chris Isaak sings the opening song.

Jace Everett, actually.

I think in any series or movie that is based on a well known book or set of books with a good fanbase, there are going to be those who are disappointed because, OMG, it’s not exactly like the book! How awful of them!

This was absolutely NOT a problem for me. The problem was that instead of looking preternaturally cool and composed, Bill looked like he’d been on a good drunk for about, oh, three years. If that’s the new characterization (thirsty, slightly insane, and wearing REALLY ugly clothes) that’s fine, but I don’t understand the sexual tension then. (No matter how close they sit to each other for no reason.) Close-talking is not sexual tension.

Forgot to say though that I loved the ambience. Merlotte’s was PERFECTION.

I was f*ing pumped to see this show.  So far it’s pretty good.  I agree about the opening titles they are quite meh, but that’s a small complaint; I like the theme song though.  I think they did the opening sequence so people who have never read the books will sorta know what’s going on.

The guy who plays Eric (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002907/) = Major hottie AND he is actually Scandinavian.  We will see if he’s any good.

I wonder what are people who like the show, but have never read the books, going to do when it gets all super super natural?  Faeries, and goblins, and werewolves ohmai!

They chose to make it after Katrina, because this is a series that’s supposed to take place in the near future. How on earth can you ignore that Katrina has happened then have it happen in the middle of the series? That would cause huge problems.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Since the most recent book deals with the fallout of Katrina and how it affected the vampire community in NO, how others are trying to come in and take over, and what happened to the current Queen, I don’t see how this would cause a great problem of any kind in the show. It hasn’t bothered anyone who reads the books- it’s not a real future or here and now anyway. It’s fantasy.

I am a *huge* Charlaine Harris fan, esp of the Sookie books and the Harper books.  I watched True Blood last night and was really happy with how it went—I mean, taking into account some obvious changes that would have to be made in order for the book-story to work as a tv-story, I thought they did a great job and really have loved the casting so far.  I’m wondering how far the series and the books will diverge from one another as the show continues, though.  Like Dexter and how the series and the books go down some different paths.

2.  Sookie does NOT have telekinises, so how did she make the chain tighten by looking at it?

to me it looked more like she was surprised that it happened, not that she was doing it.

Now Halo- no spoiling it for the non- readers!! LOLOL

I have to watch Dexter yet. I have season 1 on DVD and am saving it for crappy weather time. Along with House.

spamword- his69. no comment.

I don’t have a TV, but I found both the first and second episodes posted online through this site:
http://www12.alluc.org/alluc/tv-shows.html?action=getviewcategory&category_uid=50529&from=newLinks

I liked it—but I admit I’m biased towards Anna Paquin (when the husband asked what that noise was, I said “it’s Rogue beating the shit out of some dude with a chain!”), and I finally read all the books late last year.  I think I’m going to go and invest in copies for myself soon.  I am going back and forth about Tara—while I love me some snappy dialogue, I feel like she’ll have to evolve to become a great character.  I think I’m going to have to fish around in my pool of friends to find someone with HBO so I can watch it when it airs—yet another “appointment” show for me.

I started reading the books by Harris, but never got far into the first one because I found Sookie really dumb and annoying.  Jessica, you said you are biased towards Anna Paquin. I was biased against her; I absolutely hated her portrayal of Rogue.

I was therefore surprised to find myself looking forward to seeing the HBO adaptation and I was not disappointed.  The cast is really terrific.  Anna Paquin really makes Sookie come to life as a naive but likeable girl rather than the dingbat I couldn’t bear to read about.

I am compelled - I swear, compelled, so it’s not my fault - to add one more picky grammar thing about y’all.  Since, as we all know, y’all is a contraction of “you all” - y’all is NEVER used to address one person!  Drives me nuts…you don’t see it so much nowadays but it used to be that if a movie or TV show had a character from the Deep South - especially a chick - they went around flinging y’all at every individual they met.  Sets my teeth on edge.  Y’all is for more than one person. (And “all y’all” is for a whole bunch of people.)

I want someone to put JR Ward’s vampires on the televishun.  I know, I know - but I love those damned stupid books.  Just don’t know where they’d find enough big hulking guys to play the Bros.

I DVR’d Sookie last night and will watch tonight instead of writing, as I should be doing.

I was about to say that the late Australian actor, Kevin Smith, would have made a fine assed Vishous, but then I realized that (a) it’s probably been ten or more years since he died, so he’d be too old (time it goes so fast!  are you having fun?) and (b) ya’ll would know that I watched Zena and Hercules.  Having already confessed to reading the BDB books, I couldn’t bear the embarrassment. 

Lucy Lawless has aged terrifically well.  Kevin Sorbo not so much.

True Blood was good.  I subscribed to HBO simply to watch it.  While not exactly like the book I didn’t spend the episode picking out differences.  I enjoyed it and they ended at a great point.  Guess I am keeping HBO after the free 3 introductory months.

I liked the show a lot. I have read all of the Sookie books but I don’t remember Tara being black. ( not that this is wrong- I am black as well) She was a little much to deal with. Kinda Shrewish, although I did like the scene in the hardware store. I agree that Bill looks like he just got off a long bender. I forgot what a horndog Jason was though. I look forward to next week. What really annoyed me was the spring loaded teeth but it got better later on.

Wait, you can watch it online?  Everywhere I’ve been today Trueblood has already been removed for copyright violations.  The “watch” on HBO is for the trailer.  Booo HBO put it on itunes you punks.  Otherwise you loose out on my money, as I can not and will not buy premium cable.  Around here, getting HBO costs over 100 dollars a month, y’all.

The ’ in contractions replaces letters in a word.  ya’ll replaces letters in two words. 

I’m = I am
you’ve = you have
y’all = you all

I suppose you could use ya’ll for ya all, if you were like speaking valley girl or something. But the a would have the wrong pronunciation for y’all. I come from a part of Texas where this was actually taught in school.  Because the only thing worse than using dialect in formal writing is spelling or contracting it wrong, I suppose.  I suspect that ya’ll feels better to a lot of folks because it is symmetrical.

I freaking LOVED it.  I was lucky enough to get a free HBO preview this weekend, otherwise I would have had to watch it online.  But it was completely awesome - I have only one small complaint.  I thought that the Tara character was over the top.  The scene with her and Lafayette and the big dude at the bar was hilarious, but I hope that they plan to develop her character a little more to explain her crazy anger.  Being a bitch is all good and everything, but you got to reign it in sometimes, you know what I’m saying?  Other than that the Bill and Sookie business is damn HOT, thank goodness!

Oh, and I totally thought the same thing about the Edward wang.  Frozen rabbit, anyone?

This is based on the Charlaine Harris books right?  Yeah, I read the first one, finished it, but decided against reading anything else in the series because well, not that LKH is any master or anything, but I was predicting plot points in Harris’ book based upon what happened in the Anita Blake series.  Correctly predicting plot points.  Ok, so it’s an original setting, I’ll give it that, and at least the character didn’t start off as a detective if I remember correctly, so it’s got that going for it.  But still, I shouldn’t be able to predict which character is what species based upon what happened in a different author’s book!!  And for some reason Harris’ character just seemed, well, stupid, or shallow.  Maybe it takes time for the character to develop over a few books worth? 

I must say however that the series looks like it will be interesting to watch, judging by the previews, and HBO has decently written programming for the most part.

Saved True Blood on DVR , watched it tonight and LOVED it! 

I’m in.

A couple months ago, we decided to drop HBO.  Nothing on it we ever watched.

Now I’m thunking my head against the desk and hoping it gets picked up by iTunes.

If you have high-speed internet but not HBO, go to You-Tube and search for True Blood. Someone already uploaded it. Due to time limits, uploaded TV shows are broken into about 10 minute parts but you don’t have to subscribe to pay channels.

I didn’t want to get my hopes up.  If the truth be told, I’m still not OMG I LURVE IT!  I do like True Blood and think many of the aspects of the environment/setting/multiple storylines will be intriguing. 

Jason Stackhouse is a total horndog, so while I expected sex to introduce him to the audience, I didn’t expect it 10 minutes into the show!!  I was very glad my m-i-l decided not to watch the series with me!!

Tara’s character change is interesting.  She always seemed on the fringe of Sookie’s supes involvement. in the books Now, in this incarnation, she’ll be in the thick of things.  I was surprised about her crush. 

I’d always pictured Sam as older than Sookie.  I thought they had a real connection—albeit a bit forced on Sam’s part—but I’m excited to see more of them on screen. 

And is it just me or does Anna Paquin seem extremely thin?  So not like her X-Men appearances.  Is she just in tighter clothing?

I’ll keep watching though.

Y’all can try and spell it wrong if you wanna, but we copyeditors WILL STOP YOU.  Bwahahahahahahaha. Ha ha.  ;-)

I got Chicago, WIT, and Webster’s on my side, baby.

I can’t really decide whether I liked it or not.
Seriously, I think my desire to love it completely cancelled out all the things that would have driven me crazy otherwise.  I haven’t read the books but it seemed as though all the important information/relationship building was chopped to make room for more salacious scenes - not that I’m opposed to a good romp.
It may take a few episodes to make me a fan.

Note: I’m all for the “popsicle-sparkly-peen.” Leave my deliciously tortured Edward alone…

I thought it was kind of awesome in some places and cheesey and overacted in others.  “I. Am. A. Vampire. And. You…(longer pause while he undresses her, bites her, and drains her dry with his supahsexy vampire eyes)...Are. Mortal.”

My surprise favorite character was Sam, although I loved Lafayette as well.  I really hated the Tara character.  WAAAAY over the top, and for this show that’s saying something.  That character never made much of an impression on me in the books, so I totally understand why they kicked her up a few notches in the show, but I thought she was just obnoxious and not at all likeable. It is also interesting to me that Jason is coming across as much more complex at this point in the show than he was at this point in the book.

Pretty good with a lot of potential. Not big on the guy that plays bill and the drama, but Anna is awesome as Sookie. :)

I have read all of the Sookie books but I don’t remember Tara being black.

Ok, so it just wasn’t me that was thinking that either. I thought I had missed something (and maybe I did???)

I’d always pictured Sam as older than Sookie.

Me too. But in ways I am glad he’s not. He’s cute.

It is also interesting to me that Jason is coming across as much more complex at this point in the show than he was at this point in the book.

It isn’t for a couple of books that he starts thinking with something besides his dick. And then it still has a lot to say anyway.

spamword- sun81. Not til next year I am afraid. it’s raining and heading to the 40’s tonite. sigh.

A friend had it on DVR so I got to watch it.  I liked it.  Some of it was OTT but it was still fun. 

I’m surprised that HBO is not posting the first show to build an audience.  I would definitely bought it from iTunes instead of hitting up someone else for it. 

Media companies for the most part are so dim about that.

Tina and Ev RE:

2.  Sookie does NOT have telekinises, so how did she make the chain tighten by looking at it?

I saw an online version before the one HBO showed, it was the one with a different actress for Tara, and in that version, when Sookie goes out to the parking lot, just before she throws the chain again SPOILER AHEAD: and I don’t know how to change the color… they show a glimpse of someone in the woods watching, a female someone dresses in filmy clothes like maybe a fairy, who *I* think was the one who looked at it and tightened the chin.  This wasn’t in the HBO version, but for thse of you familiar with the books, you’ll know who it probably is, even though she odesn;t actually show up in the books until I think, it DEAD TO THE WORLD.

I’m assuming they took it out of the premier showing because they want the secrets to be revealed as the books did.. Not sure, but that solve some confusion for you.

I have read all of the Sookie books but I don’t remember Tara being black.

I don’t remember that as being in the books, either. Maybe I missed it, but they’ve made it such a big part of her personality in the show.

I’d always pictured Sam as older than Sookie.

The actor who plays Sam is 11 years older than Anna Paquin, and while I think he looks 37, I do definitely think he looks considerably older than her.

In any case, I liked it for the most part. I did notice all the discrepancies from the books, but it wasn’t enough to make me not watch again.

The vampire’s first case is to solve his own murder. How cool is that?

Those sound like fun! And I’m not much of an audiobook person, but her website says the audios are read by James Marsters!

and while I think he looks 37

Whoops, that was supposed to say, “I DON’T think he looks 37”...

It was ok. Not fantastic, but not bad either.

Tara is definitely a giant annoyance to me. She’s like a parody of a sassy black woman that misses and lands straight on noxious. I dislike the character intensely.

Bill definitely did not do it for me in any way. I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve seen more, but right now it seems like the actor is going for a bit too much intensity on Bill.

Sam is great, but I hate that she can read his thoughts!!! Is this how they’re going to play all shifters or will there be some revisionist history when they come in to the plot line?

Lafayette is awesome!! I loved the foreshadowing on that line about being “surprised about the people you know”. If the series last that long, it’s going to be so sad.

I keep seeing Pam and Eric in the ads and starting credits and I’m not liking them much. Eric should be a big guy, the actor they have looks too delicate to play a viking, and Pam looks too dark. Unless that’s just Pam’s work look, I’m going to be really put out about the lack of pink and preppy wholesomeness. She’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing! It’s going to suck if they cut that out of the character.

Eric should be a big guy, the actor they have looks too delicate to play a viking,

I heard over on the Trueblood forum on Television Without Pity (and verified it on imdb.com) that Alexander Skarsgard is 6’4”, so he’s a pretty big guy.  Oh, and he was voted “Sexiest Man” in Sweden five times.  I have never seen him before and I’ve only seen a glimpse of him in the credits, but talk over there is that he does a great job on another HBO show, Generation Kill, where he plays an American marine.  It looks like all the episodes for that are still available on HBO On Demand, so I’ll probably check it out to get a feel for who he is.

I found a picture of him from that role, but I’m not sure if I can remember how to post an image, so I’ll just give you the link:
Alexander Skarsgard as an American marine

Holy shit, are you kidding me? I LOVE that show and I love HIM on the show. Thanks for the tip! Mmm. Delicious tip.

To me, ‘ll is a contraction of will.

Therefore, ya’ll is you will and I would pronounce it differently to y’all.

Hi everyone,
I am new to this site and I love it. You are all awesome. I just wanted to let you know that I found the first two episodes of True Blood online (for free) at www.graboid.com

Graboid has free membership and requires special software that you have to download. My free membership expired after about a year and I had to upgrade to keep my account open. I use Graboid to watch Dexter and Weeds and various movies. If you use a Mac or Linux, you cannot stream the videos, you have to download them and use some sort of parallel program to watch the vids. If you use Windows you can stream or download the vids. I hope this info is helpful.

Lorraine

“y’all” looks right to me, but CHARLAINE HARRIS spells it “ya’ll”—I just ran across one in Grave Sight.

I love Lafayette. I loved him in the books, and although I’d love to see him done up in red and purple (YUM) I think he is just fine.
Sookie is a bit corny, but doable.
Jason great in his fickle and sex obsessed way. He’s a bit pushy and honestly wound too tight though. It’s kind of like seeing the book Jason on cocaine.
Bill is… nummy.
Gran is wonderful, especially her interaction with Bill.
I really dislike the portrayal of Sam. In the books he’s supportive, but keeps to himself and doesn’t really get close to Sookie until the later books after they’ve been through a lot together. The way he grabbed her arm in the show and dragged her down the hall for talking to a guy he didn’t like was alarming and completely out of line for someone’s boss to do and I can’t believe the show portrayal of Sookie would allow it. In the book she’d have hit him, told him off, and quit.
breiaB, I agree with you about Tara. She’s too much for me. After seeing episode 2 I can honestly say that girl is jumping on my last nerve. Why does anyone in the series like her at all?
I am so looking forward to Erik, but I saw the actor and he looks a bit too scrawny and clean to be a plausable viking. Maybe they have a miracle makeup person.
I hate myself for thinking Renee is hot. And I’m kind of sad they don’t show Dawn and Sookie being friends and the deterioration of their relationship.
Slidereel also has links for people that do not or cannot get HBO.

HBO is doing a Gossip Girl, meaning the episodes will be available for purchase on iTunes. However…I’ve had both versions of the pilot since August, and watched the second episode on a website which shall remain nameless unless you email me for its address. *g*

I however, adore True Blood. It perfectly captures the Southern Gothic feel I’ve always imagined the books to have, and the casting is practically spot on. I did like the original Tara (Brooke Kerr), but really hate how obnoxious she is. Tara in the books had a rough life, but she didn’t have a chip on her shoulder! It’s cheap to make a girl who’s had a rough life be so nasty (particularly when they cast a black actress in the role), when better writing would make her tough, but vulnerable, and wise-cracking. Her horrible personality really makes her attraction to Jason funny instead of poignant. Otherwise. Sam looks like the Sam in my head, Lafayette is hilarious, Jason is suitably hot, Gram is endearing, Bill is alright (his drawn out sentences though…ugh), etc etc. I just love the show.