Saturday, February 28, 2009

When I'm With You - True Blood: Bill and Sookie Fan Video

This fan video was made by strawberrybisque on YouTube done to the song "When I'm With You" sung by Sheriff. This is an older song but it is emotionally powerful and really shows the strong attraction that Bill and Sookie feel for each other. The words in the song seem to perfectly describe how they feel when they are together. A beautiful love story. Enjoy!

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Friday, February 27, 2009

Stephen Moyer of True Blood Kicking Up His Heels to Help Australian Bush Fire Relief

hufc-ozbushfirepsd_01Stephen Moyer of True Blood will be kicking up his heels at the Australian Bush Fire Relief Event with fellow celebrities and pro soccer players in response to the natural disaster in Australia. The worst brush fires in history have struck in Victoria, Australia recently and Anthony LaPaglia is organizing a charity soccer game with Hollywood United Football Club, in conjunction with the event sponsor Aussie airline V Australia to garner donations to help defray the estimated 500 million dollar loss. He's inviting everyone to an afternoon of "Footy and Meat pies" where Australian born actors will join American celebrities and current and former pro soccer player to play a 7 person per side soccer tournament.
"Participants will include Alexi Lalas, Anna Paquin, Danny Cannon, Billy Duffy, Nuno Bettencourt, Jesse Spencer, Gia Carides, Skeet Ulrich, Christian Olde Wolbers, Ben Lawson, Gilles Marini, Frank LeBoeuf, Richard Gough, Vinnie Jones, Donal Logue, Cameron Daddo, Dominic Purcell, Anthony LaPaglia, Michael Johns, David Lyons, Damon Herriman, Stephen Moyer, Poppy Montgomery, Simon Baker, Chris Harrison, Colin Hay, Gracie Otto, Kym Johnson, Jacqueline McKenzie, Paul Ashton, Suzy DeMarchi, Eric Braeden, Ioan Gruffudd and many more.."
The Free event will begin at 11:00am (PT), Saturday, February 28th at the Palisades Charter High School, 15777 Bowdoin Street, Pacific Palisades. Snack, soft drinks and meat pies will be available to purchase from Foodink Catering. There will be donations boxes to accept relief help as well as raffle tickets will be sold for various signed items including signed jerseys being offered as prizes. All donations will go directly to the relief fund. If you can't attend you can still donate! To contribute by check please mail to 11630 Chayote Street, #4. Los Angeles, CA, 90049 and make payable to Australian Red Cross. Ref. HUFC Donation. You can also make donations online (Minimum $5.00 AUS = ~$8 USD) at www.redcross.org.au and click 'Make a Donation'. SOURCE: www.hollywoodutd.com (Photo Credit: www.hollywoodutd.com)

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Carrie Preston of True Blood Proves That Sometimes You Can Go Home Again

Carrie Preston, who plays Arlene Fowler the unlucky-in-love waitress in True Blood, went home last weekend to Macon, Georgia. While there she appeared at both the 4th Macon Film and Video Festival and in Atlanta for a Q &A at the Plaza Theatre for the local premier of her latest film "Ready, OK!" in which she not only appears as the mother but which she also produced through her company Daisy 3 Pictures. Her husband Michael Emerson, best known as Ben Linus in Lost, also appears in the movie as well as her brother John who appears as her characters mother in the film. If you couldn't make it to Georgia to watch the film you can catch it next month when "Ready, OK!" comes out on DVD. Born June 21st, 1967 in Macon, Carrie's mother was an art therapist and artist while her father was a geo-technical engineer. She has one brother and one sister. The organizers of the Macon Festival, or MaGa as it's known on the indie film circuit, felt it was a great success. "This was the best festival to date," she said. "It was definitely the largest. We had two vintage theaters to view the movies in. The filmmakers were very impressed with those two venues. ... We broke all festival records and also broke most of our financial goals. It was a big win on all fronts." And Carrie was one of the biggest draws with the showing of "Ready, OK!" being so close to a sell-out that the organizers were afraid they were going to have to turn people who had bought tickets already away. The bottom section of the Cox Capitol Theatre was filled an hour before the scheduled 8:45 start time. Carrie and the films gay writer/director, James Vasquez, who is also a partner in the production company, answered questions after the showing.
"We always say that we do gay films that you can bring your parents to," Preston says, describing the philosophy of her production company, Daisy 3 Pictures. "With 'Ready? OK!' it's not a story about a boy who's questioning himself. The boy knows who he is, and it's about the other characters' reaction to him."
While in Atlanta Carrie gave an interview to Starpulse Entertainment where they covered several True Blood questions about playing Arlene and Carrie's choice to wear a red wig for the role rather than dye her hair. Evidently, the difference between Carrie's naturally blonde hair and Arlene's red hair manages to confuse the cast and crew of True Blood, "Yesterday I went to the set", Carrie said,
"because we had a read through of the next script, and still to this day even though we are up to the 16th episode we're getting ready to shoot including the first season, and still people don't know who I am. People I work with! It still takes them a few beats, they'll look at me, 'Hello, what's your name?' I'm like, 'It's Carrie, guys,' and 'Oh, I forgot, I forgot you're blonde' it's very funny."
When asked what she'd like to see happen with Arlene this year Carrie replied,
"Well, I'd like to see her find love, of course. " Starpulse clarified, "More functional, not dysfunctional love." with which Carrie agreed, "Exactly, a functional love. I'd like to see Arlene get more involved in the supernatural side of things. I don't know if that's either against the vampires or maybe she joins them or maybe she accepts the vampires. That would be fun to see her mixed up in that. There's going to be a lot more supernatural stuff going on this season from what we've been told. There are more creatures that we're going to get to know."
Billsbabe ABNegative also managed to snag a few minutes of Preston's time at the festival for trueblood-online. One of the most exciting remarks made by Carrie was that
"... without giving away anything, I can say that season 2 really strays far away from the second book, hardly anything like it. It's just so far out there with more characters and going in different directions. Not much like the book at all."
This sounds very promising for the second season with True Blood taking on its own life evolving away from the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Carrie also confirmed that Stephen Moyer is 'wonderful' in person saying," "Yes, yes, he really is. Just such a nice person." Despite having parts in two Oscar nominated films ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Doubt") Ms. Preston did not make it to the ceremonies as she was flying back from Georgia at the time. "I forgot about it," she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Awards shows are kind of tedious." SOURCES: MOVIE MOJO: Many roads lead back to Georgia, actress discovers Macon Film & Video Festival is judged a success Male cheerleaders and firecrackers Carrie Preston Dishes About 'True Blood,' Giving Birth To Her Husband & More Carrie Preston Talks True Blood and the Macon Film Festival

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Light On - True Blood: Bill and Sookie Fan Video

This fan video was made by nall0526 on YouTube done to the song "Light On" sung by David Cook. This song sounds so powerful and follows Bill and Sookie's strong love for each other throughout episodes 1- 12. No matter what the difficulties they may endure they will always be drawn to each other and have each other. Enjoy!

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True Blood: Women's I Heart Bill Tee

Soft and comfy, this True Blood™ women's t-shirt boasts a 100% cotton construction. "I [heart] Bill Compton" as well as the True Blood™ logo adorn the front of the shirt. True Blood: Women's I Heart Bill Tee

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True Blood: Mens I Do Vampire Blood Tee

Soft and comfy, this True Blood™ men's t-shirt boasts a 100% cotton construction. "I Do Vampire Blood" as well as the True Blood™ logo are emblazoned on the front of the shirt. True Blood: Mens I Do Vampire Blood Tee

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True Blood: Women's Bill & Sookie Tee

Soft and comfy, this True Blood™ women's t-shirt boasts a 100% cotton construction. A graphic of Bill and Sookie as well as the True Blood™ logo are emblazoned on the front of the shirt. True Blood: Women's Bill & Sookie Tee

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True Blood: Women's Glamour Me Tee

Soft and comfy, this True Blood™ women's t-shirt boasts a 100% cotton construction. A "Glamour Me" heart graphic as well as the True Blood™ logo are emblazoned on the front of the shirt. True Blood: Women's Glamour Me Tee

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True Blood: Women's Bite Me

Soft and comfy, this True Blood™ women's t-shirt boasts a 100% cotton construction. "I'm a fangbanger," "bite me," two bite mark graphics, and the True Blood™ logo are emblazoned on the front of the shirt. True Blood: Women's Bite Me

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True Blood: "Suck On This" Tru Beverage Poster

Let everyone know you're a True Blood™ fan with this Tru:Blood beverage poster. The poster measures 34-in x 22-in and is boldly emblazoned with a bottle of Tru:Blood and "Suck On This." True Blood: "Suck On This" Tru Beverage Poster

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True Blood: Season 1 Poster

Let everyone know you're a True Blood™ fan with this season 1 poster. The poster measures 34-in x 22-in and is boldly emblazoned with the True Blood™ logo and "Thou shall not crave thy neighbor." True Blood: Season 1 Poster

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True Blood: "Real Blood is for Suckers" Tru Beverage Poster

Let everyone know you're a True Blood™ fan with this Tru:Blood beverage poster. The poster measures 34-in x 22-in and is boldly emblazoned with a bottle of Tru:Blood and "Real Blood Is For Suckers."

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True Blood: Men's Peace Love Vampire Tee

Celebrate the holidays with peace and love with this Peace Love True Blood™ t-shirt. The 100% combed ringspun cotton t-shirt is adorned with "Peace Love Vampires" in red pinstripe foil on the front. The Peace Love initiative was conceived with the spirit of the holiday season in mind and as a means to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the peace sign.

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Anna Paquin in The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler Exclusive Movie Stills

Anna Paquin from "True Blood" recently completed filming in December 2008 the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production of The Irena Sendler Story in Latvia. The CBS Television presentation entitled "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" will premiere on Sunday, April 19 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" is based up the true story of Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic social worker in the early 1940s who is credited with saving the lives of 2,500 Jewish children during World War II. We here at TrueBloodNet were fortunate to get in touch with Ellen Nesselrode Jasa at Hallmark Hall of Fame and obtain permission to publish these photo stills from the film.  Ms. Jasa was gracious to provide for us two photo stills exclusively to us. The other actors involved in this film are: Academy Award winner and nominee Marcia Gay Harden ("Pollock," "Mystic River," "Damages"), Nathaniel Parker ("The Inspector Lynley Mysteries") and Goran Visnjic ("ER"). We know that all of our True Blood readers will enjoy these photos from Anna's work on this remarkable film and we look forward to tuning in to its premiere on April 19, 2009. Once again many thanks to Ellen Nesselrode Jasa from Hallmark Hall of Fame. Please do not repost these photos elsewhere as the photos are the exclusive rights of CBS and Hallmark Hall of Fame.

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Anna Paquin and Goran Visnjic

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Anna Paquin

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Anna Paquin and Marcia Gay Harden

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Marcia Gay Harden and Anna Paquin

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Anna Paquin

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Anna Paquin

(Photo credits:  Hallmark Hall of Fame)



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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin: True Blood Stars Dating in Real-Life

oscarsmap6Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin from True Blood are dating in real-life according to an exclusive interview with Kate Hahn from TV Guide Magazine. Recently Ms. Hahn was on the set of True Blood and had the opportunity to speak with Stephen Moyer. After an intense quarrel scene that involved Stephen Moyer's character (a 173- year-old vampire named Bill Compton) and Anna Paquin's (a telepathic waitress named Sookie Stackhouse) Stephen finally confirmed that he and Anna are dating in real life. He states that " we are together" and that the first time they felt an attraction for each other was during the True Blood audition. They both intentional kept it out of the public eye for quite some time because as Stephen states:
"It was very important to me that the cast and crew we were working with didn't feel it was fickle, and didn't feel it could possibly potentially encroach on their lives, you know, just like, 'Oh the two stars are having a thing.' We didn't want to take anything away from the show. The show is the star, not the two people having a relationship."
Currently Stephen and Anna are living together in Los Angeles where they are filming season 2 of True Blood. Stephen divides his time between Los Angeles and London to visit his two children from a previous relationship and spend time with them in London. When Stephen is asked to describe his relationship with Anna he says:
"It's just exciting and that was there from day one," Moyer says. "We always take the piss out of each other and are silly with each other and it is great. We're very, very happy. She's the best."
SOURCE: TVGuideMagazine.com (Photo credit: AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

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True Blood Season 2: Spoilers and Cast News

tbdrinkingTrue Blood season 2 spoiler and cast news reporting out from SpoilerTV today and as mentioned yesterday take the information with a grain of salt.  The first spoiler report states that Sookie finds another young Texan named Barry who can read minds just like her and they both get freaked out when they find out each other's powers.  Now since you are already reading a spoiler you are warned regarding what I am about to say next:  Barry is in the book and yes he has telepathic abilities.  So there is a high probability that this spoiler is true but I will not say 100% because Alan Ball has the creative rights to the show and he can throw whatever twists and turns he wants into the show. Another spoiler report is based upon the casting calls for two young Vikings who are from the 10 century AD.  The spoiler states that Eric fans may see in season 2 how he was first turned into a vampire.  This is not in the book, however it is not highly unlike because in season 1 we did see Bill Compton's back story of how he became a vampire. Another casting call has come out with some revision to two previous character casting calls.  There is an additional casting call for a character by the name of Gabe who is in his 30s to 40s.  He is described to be fit, military, big and built, and a member of  the Light Of Day Institute.  His role in the show is that of a drill instructor at a Boot Camp for vampire hunters. The individual who takes this part must have leather lungs and a Marine's ferocious, remorseless demeanour.  This will be a recurring role. There are two revisions to the characters Stan and Isabel.  Previously it was stated that they would have one line each however that has been changed to state that both will be recurring roles in season 2. SOURCE:  SpoilerTV (Photo credit:  HBO Inc.)

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True Blood at Paley Fest'09 Update

Update information on the True Blood panel list at the Paley Fest'09 has been posted on the Paley Center for Media website.   The True Blood cast members that will be appearing at the Paley Fest'09 on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm PT at the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight Hollywood will include:carrysookie
  • Alan Ball
  • Stephen Moyer
  • Anna Paquin
  • Ryan Kwanten
  • Sam Trammell
  • Rutina Wesley
  • Alexander Skarsgard
  • Carrie Preston
  • Nelsan Ellis
There are several different ticket packages available for the festival. The Festival Pass Guarantees one premium seat to all twelve evenings and three after-parties, plus many other benefits! To learn more about what is included in the Festaival pass and to purchase the ticket click the link here. Premium Festival Packages Are On Sale Now! Packages include two premium seats to four events and two invites to one after-party. Package A: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 90210, The Big Bang Theory, The Hills Package B: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica/Caprica, Fringe Package C: True Blood, The Mentalist, Desperate Housewives, Big Love—plus bonus evening, Swingtown! To learn more about the Packages A, B, and C and to buy tickets click the link here. Individual tickets sales to Paley Center Members begins February 26 and tickets to the general public will be mad available March 1. Tickets often sell out to Members! To become a member click the link here. If you will be attending this event we are looking for guest writers or photographers to have their work featured on this site in a Special Editorial on True Blood at the PaleyFest09. If you are interested, please contact us at admin@truebloodnet.com for further information. SOURCE: The Paley Center for Media (Photo credit: HBO Inc.)

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Ryan Kwanten From True Blood Video Interview

ryanvidaboutRyan Kwanten From True Blood was interviewed by Rebecca Murray from About.com at the 2009 Film Independent's Spirit Awards held on Saturday, February 21, 2009.  In this video interview Ryan discusses his role of Jason Stackhouse in Alan Ball's hit HBO TV series True Blood.  One of the first questions that Rebecca Murray asks Ryan is how he feels about all the nudity that his character has to do.   He says he trusts Alan Ball and the reasons why certain scenes need to be played out the way they are in order to tell the story.  He knew before going into the show what may be involved with his character and he is quite comfortable with his body he states. Later on in the video he discusses the differences between the books and the show and his other projects.  To watch the video interview with Ryan Kwanten click the image below to be taken to the link. SOURCE:  About.com ryanvidabout2

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Alexander Skarsgard From True Blood Video Interview - Part 2

alexvid2Alexander Skarsgard From True Blood was interviewed by Rebecca Murray from About.com at the 2009 Film Independent's Spirit Awards held on Saturday, February 21, 2009. In this Part 2 video Alex discusses with her his role as the 1000 year old viking vampire, Eric Northman in the show and his work on Generation Kill.  To watch Part 2 of the video interview with Alexander Skarsgard click the image below to be taken to the link. alexvid3

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Alexander Skarsgard From True Blood Video Interview - Part 1

alexnameAlexander Skarsgard From True Blood was interviewed by Rebecca Murray from About.com at the 2009 Film Independent's Spirit Awards held on Saturday, February 21, 2009. Alex discusses with her his role as the 1000 year old viking vampire, Eric Northman in the show and what we may expect for season 2. He states that the story will follow book 2 loosely and they will be going to Dallas. He says that he is enjoying playing the role of Eric and that it is great working with everyone on the set of True Blood and Alan Ball has a very laidback style which is great. He goes on to mention the additional sets to be added to True Blood are "really cool". One of the questions that most of Alex's fans want to hear is how does he feel about the huge fan base that has developed for him. Alex being quite humble states that he was not aware of the huge fan base and did not expect it coming into True Blood. Does he ever check online to see what people are saying about him? No, he says because if nine comments are positive and one is negative, it is that one that is going to stick with him. On a personal note, that is why True Blood fans should praise all the actors on the show for the superb work they do in providing fans such a tantalizing experience watching True Blood. To watch Part 1 of the video interview with Alexander Skarsgard click the image below to be taken to the link. alexvid1 SOURCE:  About.com

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Charlaine Harris And Her Sookie Stackhouse Novels - Part 6

chpt6vidCharlaine Harris talks about her Sookie Stackhouse novels and others with Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen Press and Bookstore in Arizona in the sixth and last part of the six part series. Charlaine talks to Ms. Peters about her writing, her various novels and books in general. Hopefully you enjoyed listening to the series and hearing Charlaine Harris talk about her novels.

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Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer at the Vanity Fair’s 2009 Oscar Party

oscarsmap1Anne Paquin and Stephen Moyer from True Blood attended the Vanity Fair's 2009 Oscar Party on Sunday, February 22, 2009 held at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, California last night. Below are a series of pictures with Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. Also as an added treat there is a video from Vanity Fair that lets you take a look inside the exclusive Vanity Fair Oscar Party. oscarsmap4

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SOURCE: news.yahoo.com Vanityfair.com NYPost.com (Photo credits: AP Photo/Evan Agostini and REUTERS/Danny Moloshok, UNITED STATES)

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Sunday, February 22, 2009

True Blood Season 2 Filming Continues as SAG Board Rejects Tainted New Deal

True Blood Season 2 filming continues as the new deal brought to the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) on Saturday was quickly rejected as expected. New talks of strikes by the contentious Members First branch of SAG were just as quickly rejected by the board as such a vote by the full membership is unlikely to pass in such tough economic times. In an attempt to take advantage of the infighting that has been plaguing SAG, the producers added a 'new' condition that the deal must go for three years from the time of settlement instead of from the date of the old deal. This is a clear attempt to permanently separate SAG and AFTRA negotiations thus reducing the leverage of both unions. AFTRA split from SAG this past summer, taking the almost unchanged deal that SAG is now likely to accept if this new hurdle can be overcome. The attempt at leveraging a better deal for The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) puts into question whether the producers are negotiating in good faith as this was not discussed during the meetings with the federal mediators last year. "We simply cannot offer SAG a better deal than the rest of the industry achieved under far better economic conditions than those now confronting our industry," the AMPTP said. This statement is confounding because the sticking point has nothing to do with SAG getting a better deal as the new negotiators, in place after months long legal and political wrangling, have signaled a willingness to accept the current industry standard pay scale for work done strictly for new media such as DVD and internet productions. While the only likely next step would be behind the scenes negotiations or 'back-channel' talks, such discussions are likely to drag on for months more. Currently, SAG has continued to work under the terms of the old contract. It is possible that the studios could attempt to simply put into place the new terms without any signed agreement but this would not seem to be to their advantage as the new offer has some slight improvements in pay and conditions as compared to the currently expired contract SAG members have been working under. Even more unlikely would be that the studios would lock out the actors until a contract is signed. This would hit the studios as hard as SAG and they are still not recovered from last years Writers guild strike. There is hope, now that Doug Allen and Alen Rosenberg have been ousted and replaced by a committee headed by John McGuire, that Robert Iger (Disney CEO) and Peter Chernin (News Corp president) could reengage the discussions in an attempt to iron out a deal. After helping DGA and WGA (the Directors and Writers guilds) achieve a contract last year they attempted to help SAG as well but quit when Allen and Rosenberg made it clear that they were not willing to accept the same deal that the rest of the industry took. The new SAG committee has signaled a willingness to accept that deal but doesn't wish to be split off from other guilds timelines for negotiations for fear of losing negotiating clout. It's not entirely out of the question that SAG will continue to work without a deal going forward and hope to rejoin the other guilds in hammering out a contract two years from now. This would paint Allen and Rosenberg and their supporting Members First contingent as completely tone deaf as to the wishes of the majority of its' members and highlight the foolishness of standing firm against the deal while AFTRA moved to sign. SAG and AMPTP both put out official statements and are refusing to comment further. Here is the text of the two statements: Statement by the AMPTP
The Producers' offer is strong and fair - and has been judged to be strong and fair by all of Hollywood's other major Guilds and Unions. We have kept our offer on the table - and even enhanced it - despite the historically unprecedented economic crisis that has clobbered our nation and our industry. The Producers have always sought a full three-year deal with SAG, just as we negotiated with all the other Unions and Guilds, and have offered SAG a way to achieve an earlier expiration date without contributing to further labor uncertainty. We simply cannot offer SAG a better deal than the rest of the industry achieved under far better economic conditions than those now confronting our industry.
STATEMENT FROM SAG NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS -- SAG NATIONAL BOARD REJECTS AMPTP LAST, BEST AND FINAL OFFER
Los Angeles, (February 21, 2009) - The Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors today voted 73% to 27% to "reject the AMPTPs last, best and final offer dated February 19, 2009." We entered this round of negotiations sending an unmistakably clear message that we were ready to make a deal. In an effort to put the town back to work, our negotiator agreed to modify the Guild's bargaining position to bring the Guild in line with the deals made by our sister unions. The AMPTPs last-minute, surprise demand for a new term of agreement extending to 2012 is regressive and damaging and clearly signals the employers' unwillingness to agree to the deal they established with other entertainment unions. The demand for a new term of agreement was not part of their final offer of June 30, 2008; it was not part of the federally mediated talks of November 2008, and should not have been inserted into the discussions when we returned to negotiations on February 17, 2009. What management presented as a compromise is, in fact, an attempt to separate Screen Actors Guild from other industry unions. By attempting to extend our contract expiration one year beyond the other entertainment unions, the AMPTP intends to deleverage our bargaining position from this point forward. Screen Actors Guild's goal is to successfully complete these negotiations and get the industry back to work as soon as possible. The AMPTP has clearly stated their need and desire for financial certainty and industry peace. This new proposal does the exact opposite, and will only result in constant negotiating cycles and continued labor unrest.
Sources: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/02/sag-1.html http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/22/sag.talks/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-handel/sag-rejects-studio-offer_b_168895.html http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118000436.html?categoryId=13

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True Blood Season 2: Meet Annalise Basso

annaliseTrue Blood season 2 news about another cast member has just been published in IMDb. The latest addition to Alan Ball's hit HBO TV series "True Blood" is Annalise Basso. Annalise has been cast to play the role of Eden Hamby, Jessica's 9 year old younger sister. She will make her appearance in Season 2 Episode 2: "Keep This Party Going" with a recurring role. She has also appeared in two movies "Ghost Image" and Bedtime Stories". She will be appearing in two new upcoming films entitled "Dark House" and "Alabama Moon". The accompany photo was taking on the set of "True Blood" with Annalise Basso in the center, Deborah Ann Woll to the left and Anna Paquin on the right. SOURCE: IMDb.com (Photo credit: IMDb.com)

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Charlaine Harris And Her Sookie Stackhouse Novels - Part 5

chpt5vidCharlaine Harris talks about her Sookie Stackhouse novels and others with Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen Press and Bookstore in Arizona in the fifth part of a six part series. Charlaine talks to Ms. Peters about her writing, her various novels and books in general. Enjoy the fifth part of this series and come back tomorrow for the sixth and final part.

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Saturday, February 21, 2009

Damaged - True Blood: Bill and Sookie Fan Video

This fan video was made by jenniferKemmis on YouTube done to the song "Damaged". The music is very haunting and at the same time very otherworldly and matches the intense passion that Bill and Sookie feel for each other. At the same time the video shows that sometimes even with the deep love that they have for each other their "damaged" hearts sometimes get in their way. This video is emotionally powerful.

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True Blood Season 2: Sagging Contract Negotiations Pose Mild Threat

sag_logo_75Hopes for a quick resolution to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) contract conundrum died with a whimper yesterday as negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) hit a brick wall after adding a third day to the renewed talks. The new SAG negotiators, put in place during the recent uprising of the moderate sector of SAG, had hoped that the producers would move a bit more than they have. While SAG has now offered to accept the studios compensation plan for online productions, the major sticking point for the last 8 months, the studios only tweaked their offer slightly with such magnanimous offers as to not rescind scheduled lunch breaks. And you thought indentured servitude was an old fashioned idea... According to Variety: "That proposal wasn't enough to persuade SAG's leaders to accept the "last, best and final" offer, which included half a dozen "concessions" by the AMPTP
  1. Withdrawal of the proposal on "French Hours," which covers meal penalties
  2. Modification the "union security" clause for new media productions
  3. Withdrawal of its proposal to eliminate force majeure protection and present a revised clause for series contract performers impacted by an unforeseen event such as the WGA strike
  4. Increased covered background performers in features from two to five
  5. Recognition that dancing on hard and slippery surfaces may qualify as hazardous activity
  6. Agreement with SAG's proposal to all TV stunt coordinators to participate in revenue-based residual payments"
In addition there was a small increase to pensions and health care contributions included in the new offer. The major sticking point is when the contract will be deemed to start and end. Producers refuse to allow the contract to be retroactive to the date that the previous contract expired because there is a pay increase included that the producers say they cannot afford due to the constricting economy. Additionally SAG wants the contract to end after two years instead of three so that all the various guilds will be negotiating at the same time. The producers don't want this to happen because it would give the united unions more negotiating heft but they have agreed to let the current contract expire only if a newer agreement is in place already by then, basically denying SAG the opportunity to strike for an additional year when it would once again be negotiating on it's own. The SAG negotiating team will present the 'new' offer to it's board on Saturday but the board is fully expected to reject this mainly unchanged new deal. The producers offer is only good for 60 days when it may be revoked or adjusted before being re-offered. If the new deal is turned down on Saturday there will most likely be increased saber rattling by SAG concerning the possibility of a strike but it still requires a 75% approval vote by members who have thus far shown little inclination to stop working so soon after last years financially devastating WGA strike. Below the line workers will be especially reluctant to strike in these economically difficult times when alternate work will be hard to obtain. It's unclear when or if SAG would present the option to strike to it's members but it will take at least a month for the process to complete at earliest in mid to late March. Most shows have accelerated their filming schedules in order to get enough shows in the can to get to the end of the season in case of a SAG strike. Combined with the delay, a ratified strike authorization threat will carry less weight it might have if authorized last fall. And much less impact than last years writers strike. In an odd confluence of events, SAG and AFTRA will be working together to negotiate with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Monday, February 23rd for a new commercials contract. Relations have been strained between SAG and AFTRA since AFTRA abandoned SAG and negotiated their own contract with AMPTP last June. This joint contract will also deal with the problematic new media (ie internet and DVD productions) pay schedules. Sources: http://www.variety.com/VR1118000382.html http://www.shootonline.com/go/news-view.rs-web2-295526-1234973196-2.SAG--AFTRA-To-Come-Together-For-Spot-Negotiations.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sagtalks20-2009feb20,0,4534574.story http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29295718/ (Photo credit: SAG)

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Charlaine Harris And Her Sookie Stackhouse Novels - Part 4

chpt4vidCharlaine Harris talks about her Sookie Stackhouse novels and others with Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen Press and Bookstore in Arizona in this fourth part of a six part series. Charlaine talks to Ms. Peters about her writing, her various novels and books in general. Enjoy the fourth part of this series and come back tomorrow for part five.

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Friday, February 20, 2009

True Blood Season 2: More Roles Casted

cheryl-whiteFor season 2 of  Alan Ball's hit HBO TV series "True Blood" two more actors have been cast for roles in the show.  Missy Doty (left side photo) has been cast to play the role of Vonetta in Season 2, Episode 1: "Nothing But The Blood". Ms. Doty will play a 30ish bar patron who gets thrown out of the bar by Terry Bellefleur due to her excessive gossiping.  Cheryl White (right side photo) has been cast to play the role of Mrs. Hamby, Jessica's mother making her first appearance in Season 2, Episode 2: "Keep This Party Going".  Ms. White will have a recurring role playing the grief-stricken and tearful mother of Jessica desperately trying to find information regarding her daughter.  She is described as a woman in her 40's - 50's who is submissive to her husband's wishes. missydoty SOURCE: SpoilerGeeks IMDb (Photo credit: IMDb)

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