There's Something About Russell

Jarett, at The Insider, has a piece with Denis O'Hare on Russell today

A January teaser for the fifth season of True Blood confirmed rumors that Russell Edgington would be exhumed from his cement coffin, but according to actor Denis O'Hare, the former vampire king comes out a whole new man.

"In a strange way, Russell is actually a lot funnier this season," Denis told TheInsider.com at NYC's Lucille Lortel Awards. "He's not toothless, but he's a little more of a comic foil ... until he isn't. And then he becomes very, very vicious again. Which I love."
Those wondering how Russell could turn the other cheek after being buried alive by Bill and Eric have a friend in me since I asked Denis why he's not out for instant, bloody revenge. Apparently the who and not the what behind his exhumation is to blame (or thank, depending on your perspective). "How he got disinterred made him grateful to somebody and that gratitude may inform his new [personality]," he told me.
A new attitude isn't the only change coming for Russell in season five -- he will also get a new boyfriend and discover a deeper love for the performing arts. "I get to dance, I get to hold a puppy and I get to sing karaoke -- a great 70s classic," Denis said, before quickly adding, "not all at the same time, mind you."
And if that doesn't have you excited to go back to Bon Temps this summer, perhaps this will. "We're shooting episodes 10 and 11 right now and it's a really interesting season. It's all about vampire politics -- it's like the inside baseball of vampires, which is so fun." 

Who releases Russell? If it isn't a wolfie I have no clue.  What if he is in love with Rev Newlin?

So now we know that's Roman's extra special fancy stake at Bill's throat, the explosion is set to help Bill and Eric escape.

 Then the scene with the 2 of them and Nora, Eric kisses her for saving them, just trying to piece it together, why would Bill have a jacket on tho, he wasnt wearing one here.

Throwing in a little Peter Mensah, oh yeah.
Thanks to Skarsgardfans for the new piccie of Jessica from S5E1. Manic Panic hair!

Good Vamp read by the author of Anno Dracula at io9.com

whoa Drac, easy on the pancake make-up! Downton Abbey and GoT actors too.


From Ausiello-Question: Do you have any True Blood scoop? The wait is seriously killing me! —NishensAusiello: Terry will spend much of the season on the road with his ex-military buddy Patrick (Scott Foley). “Most of the time we are out in the greater 50 states tracking down other members of our platoon trying to get some closure to this event that happened over in Iraq,” reveals Foley of the duo’s hush-hush storyline, which required “a lot of running and fighting and jumping. There’s a lot of physicality.” Speaking of True Blood, have you seen these?!

Wikia has a Vampire Authority page now-The Authority is said to give vampire monarchs their power and is even in a higher position of power than The Magister. It is known that many vampires fear it, though Russell Edgington mocks the idea.

From Playbill.com and Broadwayworld- Mario Cantone hosted the 27th annual Lucille Lortel Awards May 6, whenSons of the Prophet, The Cherry Orchard, An Iliad and the musical Once were honored in production categories. The Off-Broadway awards were presented at the Skirball Center.

Outstanding Solo Show

An Iliad – Produced by New York Theatre Workshop; Written by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson; Performed by Denis O'Hare and Stephen Spinella; Based on Homer's The Iliad translated by Robert Fagles

More photos from the Essential Homme Mag by photog Matthew Lyn-

                         Janina doing a fashion shoot for Extra TV, she tweeted the photo

A Few Words with Brit Morgan (a.k.a. Debbie Pelt)  By Gianna Sobol

A world without Debbie Pelt is perhaps a happier one for Sookie Stackhouse. But a show without Brit Morgan is, well, a little sad for the cast and crew. Fortunately the feeling is mutual.

Gianna: Do you miss us?! We miss you! What do you miss the most about working on True Blood?

Brit: I miss you SO much!!! I really miss everything but what I miss most is the people. Being surrounded by such wonderful, talented people and feeling like a part of the family. And of course, I miss playing Debbie and looking forward to what new, exciting things I was going to get to do each episode!

Gianna: She was such a wild character. What went into creating her?

Brit: To prepare myself for Debbie, I researched a lot about addiction because it's such a huge part of her life. I attended NA meetings every month and talked to different people about recovery and battling addiction. Through both seasons I kept a journal for her that I would write in to get into character and I made many CD's of music that I thought she would like or that made me feel close to her. I rehearsed for every episode with my acting coach and watched some great documentaries on wolves! 

Gianna: You had some pretty intense moments on the show – including your final one. What was the most trying scene you had to shoot?

Brit: I would say in the 4th season, there's a scene were Alcide and Debbie are having sex and midway through she confronts him about his feelings for Sookie. It was challenging because it was a short scene with so much going on emotionally and at the same time I'd never done a sex scene before, so there were many things to juggle. It ended up going smoothly but I remember being nervous for about two weeks before I shot it. 

Gianna: Who made you laugh the most on set?

Brit: There's a lot of funny people, but I'm gonna go with Anna. 

Gianna: Characters die on True Blood, but that doesn't mean we never see them again. Any chance Debbie might rear her angry head? 

Brit: I hope so!! Debbie might come back with vengeance, and if she does it won't be pretty.

Gianna: And finally, the most important question: Team Eric or Team Bill? 

Brit: Team Bill. 

SciFiNow and HBO kicks off the official hunt for the UK’s top Truebie, win True Blood Seasons One-Four on DVD, True Blood merchandise and a signed mystery prize

Jim Parrack on Twitter-Dog Tags. Me In director mode for a new movie I'm blessed to direct

Full Moon and True Blood Spoilers, Perfect Together

So glad Pam isn't letting heartbreak screw with her fashion sense, look at that leather boned bustier! Here's more of the cast photos (some of which we've seen before) from True Blood's official Facebook page, all photos courtesy of HBO/ John P. Johnson.

Our characters look sad, determined and full of purpose, whatever that might be.

True Blood Italy just posted this from HBO for E5 Boot n Rally Ally-

I expected Peter Cushing to be under a hood in this new peak, notice the pin I saw on the Authority members in the newly released photos is very much visible in this and it looks like it's a more stylized version in that new poster above. We are kicking it old school Hammer movies with this video, Vampyr Communion.

Skarsgardfans already screencapped the hell out this promo, all at  their site.

The Pendant in it's original form, before the pin version for current wear. I bet Roman designed it himself, he's all about pomp and ceremony it seems.

This Beltane Moon info for the lunatics among us.

This is the synopses for the first 3 eps, so BEWARE little Trubie, you might not want to know.

Thanks to Rhoswen7 AGAIN, synopsis of the first 3 episodes. Big SPOILER for Tara coming up-

Here are brief episode summaries for June!: 
-- Episode #49: “Turn! Turn! Turn!”: Sookie and Lafayette clean up the Tara and Debbie Pelt mess; Bill and Eric are visited by the Vampire Authority; Sam and Alcide deal with an angry werewolf pack. (Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Daniel Minahan) (TV-MA) [AC, AL, V, N] ESP Playdates: 10, 13, 14 and 16
-- Episode #50: “Authority Always Wins”: Tara resurfaces in Bon Temps; Pam recalls her human life and first encounter with Eric; Bill and Eric meet Salome at the Vampire Authority headquarters. (Written by Mark Hudis; directed by Michael Lehmann.) (TV-MA) [AC, AL, V, N] ESP Playdates: 17, 20, 21 and 23
-- Episode #51: “Whatever I Am, You Made Me”: Bill and Eric barter for their lives with Roman, the head of the Authority; Jason reunites with his old high school teacher; Sookie searches for Tara. (Written by Raelle Tucker; directed by David Petrarca.) (TV-MA) [AC, AL, V, N] ESP Playdates: 24, 27, 28 and 30

JustJared has the cover photo for Fashion Mag's Summer Issue with Anna, must be from earlier in the year when she wasn't showing her pregnancy.

On her True Blood character, Sookie: “There have always been aspects of her that I connect to, empathize with and understand – that’s the only way I can approach my job. You have to find a common ground with any character. I spend a lot of time with scripts, looking for my truth.”

On her personal style: “I’m not a ballgown kind of girl. I don’t think the red carpet is my prom. I prefer edgier cuts and darker designs because they suit me. I’ve learned how to dress for my shape, and I have to be able to sit, stand, walk properly and shake hands in an outfit without feeling confined. I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out what looks good for my body for fittings, and I’ve taken notes. I’m 5’4″ and change! I know I will never be like Gisele [Bundchen], and I also know I will never be a hipless, assless supermodel.”
On marriage with husband and co-star Stephen Moyer: “Work does come up pretty frequently, because that is how we spend most of our year. Aside from trying to spend no more than two or three weeks apart, I’ve never been one for rules in a relationship. I don’t have any guidelines on how much shop talk we have at home.”
Anyone else wondering what happened to Linda Purl as Debbie's mother? There hasn't been any word on her appearance in the upcoming season.

Anna Paquin shows off her tiny baby bump at the Huggies Hawaiian and Baby2Baby Luau event on Saturday (May 5) in Beverly Hills, Calif. Justjared

Scott Foley is getting more press now that he is on TB, read the complete interview at Alive Magazine-
HBO's vampire series "True Blood" lives up to its title—if not quite life-sustaining, then certainly addictive over the long haul. Rampant speculation about the impossible-to-predict plot twists for Season Five centers on Scott Foley, a St. Louis-bred TV star who made his "True Blood" debut in the Season Four finale.
In the fast-paced TV world, Foley has stayed a step ahead since 1998, appearing in hit shows like "Dawson's Creek," "Scrubs," "The Unit" and—perhaps most famously—"Felicity," where he starred for four seasons as love interest Noel Crane. When his "Grey's Anatomy" character was killed off last season, the 39-year-old actor didn't miss a beat. Although he's been asked to direct an episode of "Grey's Anatomy," among other projects, he's focusing most of his attention on "True Blood" and a sitcom pilot for FOX called "The Goodwin Games," with co-star Becki Newton from "Ugly Betty."
ALIVE: You're working on two very different projects right now with the start of "True Blood's" fifth season and your new sitcom pilot, "The Goodwin Games."
Scott Foley: They could not be more opposite! I mean, "True Blood," even though it can be a little campy at times, is so far from a comedy. [Laughs.] Especially my story line—I'm an Iraq war veteran (Patrick Devins) with post-traumatic stress syndrome. "The Goodwin Games" is a laugh-line comedy. I play a young doctor—well, not as young as I once was!
ALIVE: Why did you decide to do "True Blood?"
SF: The way they film the show is really unique to me. I had only done network television before, and I always wanted to do a cable show. It's such a huge cast, and it's like shooting a big movie. [Foley's big screen credits include "Scream 3."] Most television shows are shot in seven or eight days, but "True Blood" has the luxury and the budget to shoot each episode in about 20 days. They take their time and really focus on the characters and story, and that was important to me. Plus, I have a Southern accent in this role, which I've never done on-screen before, so it was a great chance for me to stretch my wings that way. It was the right part at the right time.
ALIVE: Do you think you'll get more fan attention because of "True Blood's" devoted following?
SF: When I booked the part, there was some news on it, and the girls at my local Starbucks—who hadn't cared less that I was in every day before—freaked out. That hadn't happened to me since "Felicity"—we're talking 12 or 13 years now.

Another Battleship interview, that Askars is a trooper-

From Swedishmeatballs Tumblr- The Traveling Man

You can watch Chris Bauer on "The Office" Here, it's from this week.
I'm hoping we get another promo this Sunday night before GoT but no word yet on what cast members will be in it. I am thinking it might finally be the one Carolyn Hennesy said she had done onset. The release of the new cast photos also makes me inclined to think this would make sense to intro them first. UPDATE I wonder if the peek from yesterday is the promo we will get, I don't know how they can top that. 

Only 36 Days Left of Hiatus Support Therapy!

I bet you can't wait till I never say the words Hiatus, Therapy, Support and  Group friggin' ever again. It's a shtick that helped me get though this and it's almost

OVAH! 

HBO has more versions of the new poster

Paranormal superstar Charlaine Harris continues to dazzles readers with her Sookie Stackhouse mysteries, including this month's Deadlocked, the second to last in the series. During the 2012 RT Booklovers Convention in April, RT's Morgan got a chance to sit down with the author to find out what's next after Sookie's story ends, Harris' thoughts on the HBO adaptation of the series, True Blood, and what readers can expect from the author's new project. Plus, Harris sheds some light on the newly-announced upcoming TV adaptation of her Harper Connelly series that has just been optioned by Syfy
RIP Adam Yauch.
From True Blood's Facebook, issue #3 of the ongoing comics, available for pre-order at the HBOstore, ships July 25-

Carrie is happy to be going to DragonCon-
Looking forward to #DragonCon Aug 31-Sept. 2nd in Atlanta, GA. My home state, y'all.
She's joining Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, this year. 
Whose Lunch Is It?   By Gianna Sobol

Someone’s trying to stay healthy with a plate of veggies and a small portion of protein.

Who do you think this belongs to?
A) Writer and Co-Executive Producer Alexander Woo 
B) Janina Gavankar
C) Chris Meloni,
We are in the home stretch now, HBO released some new cast photos today on their TB Facebook page-for more character info go here and it's continuation. All photos by John P Johnson/HBO

Valentina Cervi as Salome

Jacob Hopkins as Alexander

Christopher Heyerdahl (w/HAIR!) as Dieter Braun (no relation to Eva)

Carolyn Hennesy as Roslyn Harris

Peter Mensah as Authority Chancellor Kibwe

Lucy Griffiths as Nora, a progeny of Godric and thereby Eric's "sister".

 Chris Meloni as Roman, he already has a stake in his hand! 

B just said the stake is from the first promo and has a cap, that's the same pinky ring Roman has on!

I noticed Kibwe, Roman and Rosalyn have some kind of insignia pin on their left side. The photos with the table in sight shows bottles of True Blood.

True Blood Hiatus Support Group Tears Up

Don't jump the gun, it isn't back yet so be strong Trubies and soldier on with our support group. This poster is ok, but some fan posters are better, just saying. 
Denis OHare talks about AHS, no TB bites but still it's the KING!

Scott Foley dished to Ausiello! 5/3-
Scott Foley completely naked and having mad passionate sex — those are two things you won’t be witnessing during True Blood‘s upcoming fifth season.
“It’s so disappointing because I went on a diet, I got into great shape, I lost weight… and nothing,” the Felicity/Unit/Grey’s vet mock-rages about his role of Patrick, Terry’s (Todd Lowe) former commander officer in Iraq who turned up without warning in the Season 4 finale. “Todd and I are the only ones who don’t ‘nude up’ on the show!”
Part of the reason for that, Foley points out, is because Patrick is one of the few True Blood characters that is 100 percent (gulp) human. “People ask me, ‘Oh my God, you’re on True Blood — what are you?!” And I have to keep saying, “Umm… nothing! I’m just a guy!’” he recounts with a laugh. “I’m not a vampire, I’m not a werewolf, I’m not a werepanther, I’m not a fairy, I’m not a shapeshifter. I’m just a guy coming into town trying to finish something he started back in Iraq.”
Speaking of which, what exactly is the nature of his unfinished business with Terry? “Something happened between the two of them in Iraq that needs to be dealt with,” Foley teases. “I can’t say what it is. It has nothing to do with vampires or werelwolves. But there is a mission that they need to complete.”

All my previous specs on Patrick and shifters in Iraq are off the board after this interview.

More pics from Colombia at the Battleship premiere. Starmedia

More Battleship interviews-


True Blood News, the Nest, grabbed some caps from a HBO promo of Bill and Eric-

Ryan interviewed at the WHCD-

Joe is on the cover of Essential Home Mag, a wee bit photoshopped. Source

Guest DJ'ing at KCRW with Liza Richardson (She used to be Henry Rollins GF).

UPDATE for Casting E9 5/2- From Rhoswen7 our fave fairy-
TRUE BLOOD, Episode #509, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (Role Of Faerie)
Director: Dan Attias
Writer: Raelle Tucker
Location: L.A.
Start Date: Approx. 5/10/2012
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL ROLE:
[FAERIE] Female Caucasian, early to late 20s. She is radiantly beautiful and British. POSSIBLE RECURRING
Meredith of io9 has a rundown of each promo so far and some articles discussed (you trubies have read them here). Her writing just gets better and better, here's the beginning and I think she might like Chris Meloni, not sure.-
To awaken your inner fangbanger, HBO has been slowly releasing a collection of extended clips from the fifth season of True Blood. We've rounded them up, along with a healthy dose of images and leaked items, to create a massive spoilery guide to the new season. One thing stands out right away, there are a crap-load of big bads this year — let's hope they all have sex with each other!

CHRIS MELONI! CHRIS MELONI! DEAR GOD, IT'S CHRIS MELONI!
Vampire named Roman and a member of"The Authority". And thank goodness for that, we are sick and tired of everyone simply name checking "The Authority" on this show, it's high time they got their asses out from behind the cameras and onto the screen. And there's no better actor on the face of the planet than Meloni to represent the oldest of all vampires everywhere. Do you think he'll have an accent? Oh my God the possibilities.
Read it all at io9.com
Another video from WIGS (lol) of Stephen in Jan, here I thought the other one from earlier in the week was a big scoop-

“I’m sure for some people saying they’re bisexual feels less scary than making a statement that they’re gay. For me, it’s not really an issue because I’m someone who believes being bisexual is actually a thing. It’s not made up. It’s not a lack of decision. It’s not being greedy or numerous other ignorant things I’ve heard at this point. For a bisexual, it’s not about gender. That’s not the deciding factor for who they’re attracted to.” – True Blood star and Zooey magazine’s May cover girl Anna Paquin on the actuality of bisexuality, especially hers.

Deadlocked Is Here

I wish I could photoshop Pam into this painting, she'd fit right in with the ladies.

Now that people are have gotten their hands on Deadlocked they are writing up their opinions and reviews. You can read part of Deadlocked at Charlaine Harris's site
This is from Skarsgardfans, of course only posting snippets here, so read it all at the links.
Vampire Pam sends a message to Sookie in the beginning of the book “Tell Sookie that this is the hard time that will show what she is made of.” This message is not just for Sookie but also for fans of this series. This book is filled with angst and yes many obstacles for Sookie and the vampire she truly loves. Many times in the book they both say the I love you’s. Still some fans will question that love. Real love is not simple, easy or wrapped in a bow. This is not a fairy tale (even though there are fairies in the book).

Sookieverse (a good read at the link)-

Like Dead Reckoning before it, the focus of Deadlocked from Sookie’s perspective seems less about the specific machinations of those around her, and more about her losing the idealistic blinders that have dictated so many of her actions and responses in the past. The world doesn’t always work the way you think it should, and you have to respond to it – not the other way around. “I-filed-that-away-to-think-about-later” Sookie is well and truly gone now, having evolved into someone who is far more assertive and aggressive about finding out what she needs to know ahead of time, if at all possible. Her confidence about asserting her needs continues to grow, and this is particularly evident in her dealings with her fairy family, and with Eric. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is her new motto, and I’ll take that over the Ostrich Method any day of the week.
The preview chapters revealed that Sookie has increased responsibilities at Merlotte’s, and by the end of the book the exact nature of her new role is clarified. I’ve always envisaged Sookie as having a comfortable foot in each of the human and vampire worlds by series end, so some necessary permanence in her role at Merlotte’s and recognition for her hard work and loyalty are welcome as her story draws to a close. Besides, her promotion is not without perks – at least the locals aren’t calling her Crazy Sookie anymore.

EricandSookieLovers review-

The Sookie of yesterdays has been slowly evolving over time into a much more mature Sookie, and this has never been more evident than in Deadlocked. She knows what she wants and what has to be done to obtain everything she desires. The only problem with this is that Sookie, along with her Vampire husband Eric, is stubborn and too prideful for her own good. In my opinion, this is the major obstacle in the progression of their relationship but ‘she loves him’ and that’s why ‘she goes with him’. Sookie makes this very clear and says it several times in fact. All of this is what leads to the angst you feel, both from Sookie and Eric. They have a lot of issues that they have to deal with and the major thing to take away from this is that they need to work together, instead of testing each other and trying to do it all on their own. There are a couple of particular passages where Sookie is reflecting on things from the past that spoke volumes to me on where she is headed in the final book.

True-Blood.net has their review in a audio podcast at the link.
Well lookie here, Mr. Moyer and Lois Smith in this video, 

Thanks to The Nesters for this Anna Paquin article from Zooey Magazine-

An enigmatic actress? I didn’t know they still existed. We had Marlene Dietrich in the 1930’s, the ultra private Jodie Foster in the 80’s/ 90’s and all those other elusive starlets in between. But now? In an era where reality TV, Twitter, and TMZ have excessively fed our addiction for knowing all there is to know about stars? Any mystery has seemingly faded. At least I thought it had until I sat down for a sunny March afternoon lunch at Santa Monica’s M Kitchen with Anna Paquin and the orange peach smoothie she ordered. Successfully concealing a baby bump under layers of charcoal wool along with those Raisinette eyes hiding behind turquoise shades, I realized that she just might be our contemporary mysterious starlet. Read the rest at the link, she really doesnt seem to open up at all.

Continuing the around the world Battleship promotion with Askars in Colombia (no hookers were involved). The pics are on a few sites but our friends at Skarsgardfans has put them all in one place for our playsure. Check out the link for more.

more pics from SA sources

Another Battleship promo, this has Skarsgard looking pretty banged up

Skarsgardfans has the screencaps up from this promo.

Hollywoodcrush has this to say about the last promo with Eric and Pam-
The latest clip features Eric and Pam, and no sign whatsoever of the gentle, hoodie-wearing amnesiac who stole Sookie's heart last season. Instead, we find ourselves in the empty bar at Fangtasia, where Eric has Pam on a table...and not in a fun, sexy way, either.
"You're f---ing lying!" he growls, looming over his weeping progeny as she sobs and protests her innocence.
"I'm not lying!" Pam cries. "I swear I don't know where Russell is!"
Whoa, whoa, whooooooa. Hey now! Eric Northman on an angry power trip, Pam in tears,and a hint of the longed-for comeback of one Russell Edgington? It's official: This clip is the creme de la creme, the prize lightfruit in our faerie garden, the Alcide to our wolfpack... and that goes double when Pam indignantly demands to know what could compel her maker to accuse her of such an outrageous crime, and Eric unhinges his fanged uppers and informs her that he trusts no one (and neither should she).
Hooray for the apparent return of Mean Angry Eric! Hooray for the possible return of Russell Edgington! And hooray for the inevitable return of "True Blood" this summer, because seriously, we're dying over here.

Jim Parrack tweeted this earlier- oh my my. Today is gonna be a thriller.... #atwork#yallaintgonnabelievethis

New Carolyn Hennesy interview, read it all at the link. TVequals-
You must be really excited to be in ‘True Blood.’ Congratulations.
Carolyn Hennesy: Yes. Thank you. I have to weight myself down to keep from floating away I’m so excited. I have to tell you, it’s really fun, really fun.
How did you get involved with the series?
Carolyn Hennesy: I just auditioned for it. I was just called for an audition. They had one particular audition. There wasn’t even a callback and I guess that Alan Ball said, ‘We’ll go with her.’ He must’ve seen something that he thought would fit in well.
Your character is Rosalyn Harris. What can you say about her?
Carolyn Hennesy: Rosalyn Harris has been a member of The Authority for centuries. She now hails from Texas, but she’s incredibly old as vampires go. So, where she came from before that remains to be seen, but Rosalyn is Texas through and through. She’s one of those women who just hopes to settle the old west and expand the country. She believes in everything Texas including big hair and a shot of whiskey and good cigar.
How do you like playing a vampire?
Carolyn Hennesy: It’s wonderful, are you kidding? My first fang fitting and I thought, ‘Well, I’ve arrived. I’ve simply arrived.’
Was it uncomfortable wearing the fangs?
Carolyn Hennesy: Well, clearly my mouth is rather large which nobody knew because my features are terribly delicate, you see, but apparently inside my mouth is just like the Carlsbad Caverns. So, they had to do it several times.
Did they?
Carolyn Hennesy: They did. My fang fitting, it was grueling, but still you’re having a fang fitting for ‘True Blood.’ Truly, how bad can it be?

Reminder, Kristin is going to be on Once Upon A Time's Finale on Sunday May 13th.