True Blood Vampire Fan Art: Bloody Fun

TrueBloodNet.com graphics designer Andrea has added a few more banners and some fun graphic pieces that are sure to bring a smile on some True Blood Fans' faces. This time she created two banners featuring Sookie and our favorite shifter, Sam and two other pieces dealing with the vampire theme.  One particular piece will bring a smile to book readers and once you see it you will know what we mean. Click images to enlarge.

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Anna Paquin and The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler Movie Trailers

To coincide with the world television premiere of Anna Paquin's Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler on the CBS network on Sunday, April 19, 2009 9PM ET/8PM CT here are some of the movie clips. This is a "must see" movie that tells the story of one woman's courage, determination and self -sacrifice to ensure the safety of 2500 Jewish children from extermination by the hands of the Nazis during World War II. Please tune in to watch this extraordinary movie and these unforgettable moments in history. SOURCE: Hallmark Hall of Fame

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True Blood PaleyFest’09: TrueBloodNet.com Meetup

Here are my thoughts on the TBN.com meetup and the Paley event............. As I drove up the 110 freeway and crossed over to the 101, I thought to myself, "What am I doing?  Is this going to be a waste of time?" I had been invited by Kasandra Rose, editor of TrueBloodNet.com, to attend a "meet and greet" function at the Arclight, and then head over to the Cinerama Dome to see the director and actors from my favorite TV show, HBO's True Blood.  Once I had found the table where everyone was sitting at, I quickly introduced myself to Kasandra and found a seat in the middle of the crowd. I surveyed my fellow bloggers and "superfans", interested that it appeared that they were all, well, women.   I found it surprising that the audience at the Cinerama Dome was decidedly female as well.    Yes, the male actors on the show are very good looking, but who knew women could be so superficial?  It's refreshing to know that women, like men, enjoy eye candy when they see it.   And since the actors on the show were so personable and funny during their interview at the Paley event, it's clear that they won their jobs for reasons other than their aesthetic appeal. I should confess right now, I haven't read any of the books that "True Blood" is based off of, and I am not sure I plan to.  To me, I found the show and began enjoying it without the foundation of the books as a catalyst, so why would I want to go and read them now, or ever?  I am  sure they are great, but in reading the books, I will be ruining the surprises that await this season, and next.  No thanks.  When the show has run its course, 5-6 years from now, I might find those books and check them out. I made the mistake of mentioning how perfectly cast I feel Sookie (Anna Paquin) is in her role, and that certainly drew the ire of some of my fellow fans.   "She isn't the right person for the role at all", one girl sniffed, upset that I found Sookie not only to be the best actor/actress on the show, but attractive as well. Over at the Paley event, I found director Alan Ball to be very engaging, opinionated, and at times, even funny.  The cast was loose and seemed to have fun poking fun at each other.  The entire event ended up taking just under two hours, and the crowd was left energized and excited about the season to come. It's going to be a great season, and I can't wait to share my opinions on the show with you. Kevin Carlin Huntington Beach, CA

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Anna Paquin portrays Irena Sendler in The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

As reported by Naomi Pfefferman in The Jewish Journal the story of Irena Sendler is one of courage, determination and the ability of one person being able to change the lives of so many. Anna Paquin portrays Irena Sendler in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler which makes its world premiere on Sunday, April 19, 2009 on the CBS network 9PM ET /8PM CT. Presented here in its entirety is Ms. Pfefferman report and interview with Anna Paquin and their overview of the movie and the impact that Irena Sendler made for so many. Anna Paquin was 11 when she won an Oscar for her performance in "The Piano" and in her mid-20s when she took the 2009 Golden Globe for her leading role in HBO's vampire series, "True Blood," but as she locked up her bicycle on a funky stretch of Abbot Kinney Boulevard the other day, she looked like just another young woman from the neighborhood. "Thanks for schlepping down to Venice," she said as a greeting. In person, the 26-year-old Paquin is as cheery and down-to-earth — and at the same time as direct and determined — as her "True Blood" character, a telepathic waitress with a penchant for short shorts and the 173-year-old vampire Bill played by Stephen Moyer, who is also Paquin's real-life boyfriend. On this day, the New Zealand native wore bicycle shorts, her blonde hair was in a ponytail and her face had no sign of makeup. She was both accessible and upbeat, despite the fact that she had gotten off work from the second season of "True Blood" at 4 a.m., slept a few hours, then had to bike to the interview, since she does not know how to drive. "No worries," she said of her schedule. "The rest of the world doesn't run on vampire hours just because I do." Paquin came to discuss her upcoming Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," in which she plays the titular Catholic Polish social worker who organized the rescue of some 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. The movie airs April 19 on CBS. For 16 months, starting in 1942, Sendler — who was nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize — organized fellow volunteers in the Polish underground to smuggle children out of the ghetto in sacks and suitcases, in packages and body bags, through sewers and subterranean passages. When the Gestapo arrested and tortured Sendler in 1943, she refused to divulge details of her operation, so they broke her legs and feet, leaving her permanently disabled. The Hallmark film is not a sweeping saga of the Holocaust in the style of "The Pianist" or "Schindler's List," but rather a more intimate drama focused on what must have been Sendler's most excruciating task: convincing terrified parents to relinquish their children to an uncertain fate. Paquin says she was drawn to the project not only for the chance to play an inspiring heroine, but also because the part marks a milestone in her own career. "I feel like this is the first time I have ever really played an adult in a film, not just as far as the age indicated in the character description, but in terms of the world in which Irena was living, her interactions with others and the decisions she makes," the actress said. "I loved not being allowed to act in any way like a child." The movie's writer and director, John Kent Harrison, said Paquin was his first choice to play Sendler. "Irena was matter-of-fact, almost cold-hearted in her approach to asking parents to give up their children, because in those dire times there was no room for sentimentality," he said by telephone. "And Anna has a toughness at her center, having started in the business so young. She's been making movies since she was 9, and, at 26, she's a veteran." The third and youngest child of school teachers, Paquin had no acting experience when, on a lark, she accompanied her older sister, Katya, to an audition for "The Piano." Jane Campion's lyrical screenplay revolved around a mute piano virtuoso, Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter), who arrives in rural New Zealand as a mail-order bride in the 1850s with her daughter, Flora (Paquin), in tow. Initially, Paquin caught Campion's attention because she resembled Hunter, but she won the part over some 5,000 other girls by delivering an intense reading from the script and proved mesmerizing as the precocious, ferocious Flora, who spins fanciful yarns about her dead father, spies on her mother's illicit trysts and ultimately betrays Ada to her husband. At the Oscars two years later, Paquin looked adorable in her blue dress and matching cap — as well as stunned — when Gene Hackman called her name as the winner of the best supporting actress category. The saucer-eyed little girl walked to the podium, which she barely was able to peer over, gulping and gasping for a full half minute before gaining her composure to thank Campion, et al. She literally stole the show from her category's more seasoned competitors, including Winona Ryder ("The Age of Innocence") and Emma Thompson ("In the Name of the Father"). It was during that Oscar season that Paquin says she received her first introduction to the subject of the Holocaust, since 1993 was also the year that "Schindler's List" swept the awards and won for best picture. "We hadn't studied that period in history yet," Paquin said of her elementary school in Wellington, New Zealand. "My parents did not allow me to see the movie, but they did explain what it was about." After Paquin became the second-youngest Academy Award-winner in history, the actress went on to work with Spielberg, playing the young Queen Isabella II in 1997's "Amistad." She has also portrayed troubled sirens in independent films such as "25th Hour" and "The Squid and the Whale" as well as, famously, Rogue in the three "X-Men" films. "True Blood" features similar themes of bias toward the "other," and Paquin campaigned hard to convince series creator Alan Ball ("Six Feet Under") to cast her as the telepathic Sookie Stackhouse. The frothy, sexy series operates in part as an allegory for gay rights, featuring vampires as creatures fighting to obtain the right to marry and to live among humans. Paquin has once again proven herself, playing Sookie's emotions straight, without camping up the Southern or gothic aspects of the story. In the pilot, Paquin's character used a heavy chain as a weapon to save vampire Bill Compton from becoming a hate-crime statistic: "The show is fun and fluffy," the actress said, "but there is also the idea of how we as a society assign a stricter and non-equitable set of rules to particular groups. It is also about how the process of trying to integrate into society as an outside group is messy and ugly, and many people aren't as open-minded as they should be. In our show, these ideas are presented in this very amusing and fantasy level, but they are completely grounded in our world and how people really behave.

"I'm generally not drawn to projects that work only on a surface level," she added. "And a topic that unfortunately always seems timely is prejudice. As a species we haven't overcome it, obviously. It keeps on needing to be addressed, in different ways — in everything from light fantasy to serious drama."

When her agent sent her Harrison's screenplay of "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," she was on vacation with Moyer in London last October: "I read it in about an hour on his iPhone, just staring at the screen with my mouth open," she recalled. "I couldn't quite believe she was actually a real person. I was just absolutely fascinated and in awe at how someone so young could be so strong in such a terrifying period of time. And I said, 'OK, where do I sign up?" Harrison sent Paquin a rough translation of Anna Mieszkowska's "Mother of the Children of the Holocaust: The Story of Irena Sendler," a biography that had been published only in Polish, German and Hebrew, but has not yet come out in English. She "rapidly tore through" it and spent the following two weeks watching movies and reading books on the period: "What I found most powerful and helpful was a book titled 'Words to Outlive Us: Eyewitness Accounts From the Warsaw Ghetto,' which is composed of journal and diary entries," Paquin recalled. "I read about how guards would torture prisoners in front of others to scare them — really horrendous things like tying people up and letting dogs half-eat them; or the sort of ease with which people would be randomly shot. Those eyewitness accounts were as close as I could get to Irena's world — and what came through strongly was just how absolutely terrified and out of control people felt." Sendler's sympathy for the Jewish plight began when she was growing up in and around Warsaw. Her father was the only physician in their town of Otwock willing to treat Jewish patients during a typhoid epidemic; he himself caught the disease and died in 1917, when Irena was 7. Sendler followed his heroic example after Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto were sealed off from the rest of the city by 10-foot-high walls. In 1942, she gathered a network of fellow social workers and volunteers — all sympathetic Polish Catholics — and began her operation to save children under the auspices of Zegota, a code name for the Council for Aid to Jews, a program of the Polish government in exile. The social workers were mostly female, which proved helpful because a woman could more easily walk past officials holding the hand of a Jewish child as if he or she were her own, often through corridors of a courthouse leading out of the ghetto to the Aryan side of the city. After the children were ensconced in temporary housing, they were drilled in Catholic songs and prayers, their black hair was bleached blond and some boys were dressed as girls to trick the Gestapo out of checking to see whether they had been circumcised. The lucky ones received Catholic papers and were placed in a convent, an orphanage or with other rescuers for the duration of the war. One mother tearfully handed over her infant, Elzbieta Ficowska, who was drugged, placed in a box with a silver spoon and hidden in a truck hauling bricks out of the ghetto; the scene is recreated in the film. Because Sendler hoped to eventually reunite the children with their parents, she scribbled each one's name and location on scraps of paper and placed the notes in jars which she buried under an apple tree in an associate's yard in Warsaw. In 1943, the owner of a laundry that served as a safe house betrayed Sendler under torture. On Oct. 20 of that year, Gestapo agents arrested Sendler, tortured her for three months in the infamous Pawiak Prison and then sentenced her to death. Just before her execution, however, an officer bribed by Zegota arranged for her name to appear on a list of prisoners who had already been executed. Sendler escaped, and until the end of the war she continued to help children while living in hiding. Twenty years later, she became one of the first "Righteous Gentiles" to be honored by Yad Vashem. She saved twice the number of Jews as Oskar Schindler, the inspiration for "Schindler's List." In Poland, however, the anti-Semitic communist regime was unimpressed by Sendler's wartime deeds. She remained in obscurity until 1999, when a group of Kansas high school students came across a short article on her in a 1994 issue of U.S. News & World Report and decided to turn her story into a history project. Because they assumed Sendler had died, the students contacted the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous to locate her grave. Instead they learned she was still living in Warsaw, though ailing and in a wheelchair. The students promptly wrote her a letter, and thus began a friendship that would lead to an interactive play "Life in a Jar," which the students performed all over the world, making international headlines. They also eventually visited the elderly rescuer. Harrison wasn't so lucky; while writing his script in Warsaw last year, he had set up an interview with the 98-year-old social worker, but their meeting was canceled when Sendler was hospitalized with pneumonia; she died on May 12, 2008. Harrison attended the funeral at the Powazki cemetery and watched as Jewish community leaders, survivors, Polish ministers and the Israeli ambassador to Poland turned out to pay their last respects. A rabbi recited the Kaddish, Catholics chanted Christian prayers and Chopin's "Funeral March" was played during the burial. Back at the Venice café, Paquin put down her cup of coffee and looked shocked when asked whether actors seek roles in Holocaust-themed films in order to win awards, as charged by The New York Times last year. "That's not what I find interesting about this kind of work. What is interesting is the chance to portray a strong, powerful woman, because there is such a dearth of such roles. Actresses often end up playing 'the girlfriend' or the sex object; I love getting to be a part of a story that has nothing to do with that," she said. Even so, when Paquin set off for the three-week shoot in Riga, Latvia, last winter, she did so with trepidation. "I spent the first week terrified that I wasn't doing a good enough job, because how could you possibly feel [the pain and fear] enough," she said. "But after a while you have to forgive yourself for not knowing what it's like to be tortured, and just do the best you can." To play Sendler, Paquin at times accessed some of her own feelings about her sister's recent surgery; the 30-year-old Katya has had three operations so far for a brain tumor.

"It's that feeling of powerlessness, but at the same time having to buck up and be strong for somebody, because if you're scared, it doesn't even compare to how scared they are," the actress said. To play Irena you don't get to cry, you don't get to show that you're frightened. You have to be strong for the children and their parents, and I found that very empowering," she said. For Irena, being frightened of her own death was not the worst thing in the world. Far worse was the dilemma of the parents trying to decide whether to stay with their children or let them go — an almost impossible choice."

"The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" airs Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 9PM ET/ 8PM CT on CBS. SOURCE: The JewishJournal.com:  A Righteous Role (Photo credits:  Hallmark Hall of Fame, HBO Inc., and The JewishJournal.com)

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Anna Paquin: The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler Fort Scott Premiere

Anna Paquin's performance in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, The Courageous Heat of Irena Sendler premiered in Fort Scott, Kansas on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at the Liberty Theatre. The Fort Scott Tribune was there for the special event and is presented here in entirety as reported by Michael Pommier. Local VIPs assembled at Liberty Theatre for the world premiere of "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler." More than 400 people were in attendance to view the Hallmark Hall of Fame film. Attendees included Writer-Director John Kent Harrison, Executive Producers Brent Shields and Jeff Most, Hallmark CEO Don Hall with his wife, Adele, and other Hallmark representatives. Also attending were current and past members of the "Life in a Jar" project. The Hallmark-produced film is based on the life of Irena Sendler, a social worker in the 1940s, who led an effort to smuggle more than 2,500 of Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. The children were given new identities and placed with Polish families and in convents. Sendler kept a hidden record of their birth names and where they were placed buried in jars with the hope that they would someday be reunited with their own families.

"This was a film that had to be made," Harrison said. Special attendee, Renata Zajdman was one of the 2,500 Jewish children rescued by Sendler. After the film she spoke of her experience with Sender. "Her goodness during a time of evil, effects how I view the world today," Zajdman said. "She worked in a time when murder was legal and rescue was a crime."

Sendler's story also led to the creation of "Life in a Jar" in 1999 by a group of Uniontown High School students which has since become globally known. The project is a stage play designed by the students telling Sendler's story. The play has been performed in the United States and around the world.

"It's unbelievable ... we love knowing that Irena's story is being shared with the world," Jessica Ripper, co-founder of "Life in a Jar", said. "That was our whole goal from the very beginning."

[caption id="attachment_4871" align="alignleft" width="199" caption="Renata Zajdman, left, and daughter Sharon make their way into Liberty Theatre on the red carpet for the world premiere of the Hallmark Hall of Fame film, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler." Zajdman was one of the more than 2,500 Jewish children saved by Sendler during the Holocaust."][/caption] Norm Conard, Lowell Milken Center Director and co-founder of "Life in a Jar", received a standing ovation as he was introduced following the film. Conard was the teacher of the students who created "Life in a Jar" as an extracurricular project that did not even receive a grade.

"All teachers aspire to make a difference in the lives of their students and see their students make a difference in the lives of others, but this is unusual, let's face it," Conard said. "Its to the credit of the great story of Irena Sendler, its to the credit of these young people."

Ripper said Hallmark rarely premiers their films where the idea happened. She added the event is the first premier event in which the Halls personally attended. "To know that (Hallmark) wanted to honor us by having this in Fort Scott is very touching for us," Ripper said. The network television premiere of the movie, staring Goran Visnijic, Marcia Gay Harden, and Anna Paquin as Sendler, is scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday, April 19, on CBS (KOAM, Ch. 7, locally). For more information on Sendler, visit www.irenasendler.org or contact the Lowel Milken Center at (620) 223-9991. SOURCE: The Fort Scott Tribune: Fort Scott hosts 'Sendler' premiere (Photo credit: Hallmark Hall of Fame and Michael Pommier/Tribune photo)

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True Blood Season 2: Additional Photos

Here are three more True Blood Season 2 promotional photos with Jessica and Eric.  As we can see in the photos we can get an idea of what is happening in the scenes based on season 2 spoiler reports and information that we heard from the True Blood panel discussion at the PaleyFest'09.  These photos just add to the increasing anticipation growing among fans for the premiere of season two of True Blood on Sunday, June 14, 2009 on HBO. Click photos to enlarge.

(Photo credit:  HBO Inc.)

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New True Blood DVD and Blu-ray Sneak Peek

HBO is giving us a sneak peek into what we can expect to see on the new True Blood DVD Blu-ray edition when it comes out on May 19, 2009. In the Blu-ray edition there will be an interactive map of Bon Temps that allows you to explore various scenes and have an idea where everything is located to each other. The Blu-ray will also provide detailed information about the history of each vampire and Lafayette's commentary about the locals of Bon Temps. Also included in both DVD and Blu-ray editions six audio commentaries from the cast and crew of True Blood including Alan Ball, and bonus footage including dating service and vampire hotel ads, Tru Blood ads, vampire rights amendment announcements and more. Starting May 4 HBO On Demand will be broadcasting sneak peeks of the True Blood DVD Blu-ray, but for now we can take a quick look. Don't forget to buy the DVD or Blu-ray when it comes out on May 19, 2009 so as Alan Ball mentioned, to send a message to HBO that the fans want True Blood to return for Season 3. You can purchase The True Blood Season 1 DVD and Blu-ray  and the True Blood CD from the right side panel ad box. Click to enlarge images.

SOURCE:  HBO.com/trueblood

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New HBO True Blood Website Design

A new HBO True Blood website design has been implemented to coincide with the second season of True Blood to premiere on Sunday, June 14, 2009. The website uses the new promotional poster which at first looks like a splatter of blood but is really a optical illusion dealing with the sexy theme of True Blood. One of the interesting aspects of the new site design is the availability of videos to view on their website.  So lets take a look at one of Lafayette's videos that will be available on the True Blood DVD Blu-ray edition and a look back at the  season 1 episode 12 cliffhanger to get everyone more excited for season 2.

SOURCE: HBO.com/trueblood (Photo credit:  HBO Inc.)

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Anna Paquin Interviewed on the Billy Bush Radio Show

Anna Paquin was interviewed on the Billy Bush Radio Show on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 and discussed with him her role in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler which will broadcasts on Sunday, April 19, 2009 on CBS 9PM ET/8PM CT.  Also you will hear Anna mention her feeling regarding her win of a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Drama for her role of Sookie Stackhouse in True Blood and little tidbits about season two.  Many thanks to NBC Universal and to the Billy Bush Radio show for giving us permission to post the audio recording of  Anna Paquin's interview on TrueBloodNet.com.  To play the audio recording click the button and the audio will start up at around the 10 second mark. 04150920anna20paquin (Photo credit:  Hallmark Hall of Fame)

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True Blood Bliss: From Comic Con to the PaleyFest, and Beyond...

[caption id="attachment_4819" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Cheri and Friends in the Front Row"][/caption] Finding myself sitting in the first row (albeit a bit to the far left) at the PaleyFest True Blood event on Monday night, I had to stop and check myself to see if I was dreaming. When the moderator took the stage to our immediate left, Sarah and I almost could not contain our excitement...and then, the lights dimmed and the highlight reel began... all on a really, really BIG screen (which was received with giddy enthusiasm by the packed house)...and then, the "teaser" scene from Season Two...this could not really be happening, could it? When the moderator then announced the introduction to the cast, both Sarah and I were looking to the left and all of a sudden, there was Alexander Skarsgard, coming from the aisle to our immediate right, walking right in front of us...and we looked in awe, up and up and up (that man is Tall!) and discovered, to our delight, that each of the cast would walk right past us and onto the stage, giving us the opportunity to be as "up close and personal" as we could have even imagined possible. How in the world (or in any other dimension for that matter) had any of this happened? Rewind back to the summer of 2008, when we first learned of True Blood at Comic Con while waiting for a panel on "Dexter" ( starring a guy who is very familiar with the work of Alan Ball!) ...if I ever have the opportunity to speak to Michael C. Hall, I will profusely thank him for the never-to-be-forgotten opportunity to discover True Blood!! As a result of attending that panel, we were given a True Blood "goodie bag" with a T-shirt (Real Blood is for Suckers); the first book, Dead until Dark, in the Charlaine Harris series on which True Blood is based and a True Blood comic book. But more on that later. When I first heard about the True Blood panel being featured at the PaleyFest, I had seriously mixed emotions. I was very, very happy that True Blood was getting the recognition that I feel it so deserves, I was giddy at the thought of fans being able to attend a screening of some sort (not knowing exactly what that would consist of at the time) along with a panel and Q&A... and I was completely miserable because I just knew that I would never in a million years be able to attend. Just shows you how wrong you can sometimes be and to never underestimate the power of dreaming and believing in those dreams coming true. Quite a few of us in our little group of die-hard True Blood addicts thought we would not be able to attend the PaleyFest and had to console ourselves with the happy thoughts of the release of the upcoming book in Charlaine's series, Dead and Gone (to be released on May 5, 2009), the Season One DVD becoming available on May 19 and the premiere of Season Two on Sunday June 14. So much True Blood Bliss, indeed! Even so, I was finding myself avoiding a lot of talk about the PaleyFest because I wanted to go so badly from the moment it was announced and I will confess, it was hard to even think too much about not being able to go. We were even considering going to the ArcLight and standing outside to watch the arrivals and support our favorite show in the only way we could. So, when TrueBloodNet.com announced that there was an extra ticket for the PaleyFest available, I stared at the email notice for the longest time, thinking to myself that it was probably someone selling a ticket. Even though I didn't think it could possibly come to anything, I clicked on the link to inquire. Imagine my shock, delight and astonishment at the end of the next day (April 7) when I found myself being offered the extra ticket and began making arrangements with Sarah to attend the Fest. Did I mention that Sarah is from Colorado, a 24 year old mother of 4, who would be driving 13 hours the Sunday before the Fest? By herself? And, that she had never been to California before in her life? Did I mention the fact that she got into a car accident, 25 miles from her destination on Sunday night? Did I mention that Sarah's husband will be deployed in June? No? Since it will take a bit of time to tell our tale, I am breaking it up into several parts. I hope you will "stay tuned" for the rest of the story. The hair-raising, sometimes comical, sometimes almost bordering-on-tragic adventure of attending the PaleyFest is something I will never forget, ever. I will be sharing some favorite memories along with pictures of the event itself in the days to come. I wanted to get at least this much written down while the memories are still so fresh in my mind. Several others in our group of True Blood fans were also able to attend the Fest, through almost equally amazing circumstances... and we will all be sharing our thoughts, impressions, memories and pictures with you over the next few days or so. Hope you will enjoy and/or be amazed at our story and come away from reading it with the same feeling that I have: that miracles can come to us all via the smallest of blessings, sent in delicious Vampire Packaging (I guess those would have to be the Large Blessings!) and to never, ever stop dreaming...because dreams really do come true.

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Anna Paquin: Talks with Travis Smiley about The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

Anna Paquin is interviewed on the Travis Smiley Late Night Show where she sat down to discuss her portrayal of the Catholic social worker, Irena Sendler and her plight to save over 2500 Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghettos from extermination. The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler is a recount of one woman's determination to fight back against the atrocities that she saw and make an impact on people's lives. The Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation and CBS world premiere of The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler will broadcast on Sunday, April 19, 2009 9PM ET/ 8PM CT.

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True Blood PaleyFest’09: Exclusive Front Row Photos

I took the red-eye back to Detroit after my sojourn to LA for a True Blood adventure.  I'm still working on photos but I will present them in chronological order. [caption id="attachment_4774" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The Stage Is Set"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4776" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The Audience with My Empty Seat"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4777" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The Empty Seats the True Blood Cast and Crew Were Soon to Fill."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4778" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Alex Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4779" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Carrie Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4780" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Nelsan Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4781" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Rutina Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4782" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Sam Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4783" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Ryan Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4786" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Stephen Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4788" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Anna Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4789" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Alan Walking Onstage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4790" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Alan Greeting the Moderator Variety's Stuart Levine"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4791" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The Cast and Alan"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4792" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The Cast Seated"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4793" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Another Cast Shot"][/caption] OK that's the first set of shots.  There are many more to come so check back soon!

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Anna Paquin Interviewed about the Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

Anna Paquin is interviewed by WDEF News to discuss her new Hallmark Hall of Fame movie "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" that looks at the life of the Polish Catholic social worker and her courageous endeavors to save 2500 Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghettos during World War II. The CBS world premiere of the movie will be broadcast on Sunday, April 19, 2009 9PM ET/8PM CT.

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True Blood PaleyFest’09: Video Encounter with the Cast of True Blood

True Blood fans had the opportunity to get autographs signed and pictures taken with the cast of True Blood outside the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama Dome on Monday, April 13, 2009 at the PaleyFest'09. The following is a video clip from Hollywood.tv showing Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Sam Trammell and Rutina Wesley interacting with the fans and taking time to take photos with them and chat.

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True Blood PaleyFest’09: Paley Photos

We here at TrueBloodNet.com would to extend out deep appreciation to Terry Lynn Ebright at The Paley Center for Media for providing for us Press Passes to the True Blood PaleyFest'09 where our editor had one of the best seats in the house (first row dead center).  In the next few days we will be publishing the great photos that she had the opportunity to take being so close to the cast of True Blood.  Here we would like to present to you the official photos from The Paley Center for Media given to us.  Click on photos to enlarge.

(Photo credit: Kevin Parry/The Paley Center for Media)

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True Blood Music Soundtrack To Be Released May 19

True Blood season 2 will premiere on HBO on Sunday, June 14, 2009, however before then the True Blood soundtrack entitled "True Blood: Music From the HBO Original Series" is set to be released May 19.  The songs on the CD are performed by a wide-range of Louisiana natives, reflecting the series' steamy backwoods setting. The artists span the Bayou State's distinctive musical heritage, from Lucinda Williams, Slim Harpo, and Lee Dorsey to Allen Toussaint and the legendary Dr. John.. The soundtrack also includes "Bleed 2 Feed," an exclusive new song written expressly for the series by Lafayette-based swamp rocker CC Adcock and a new song from John Doe and Kathleen Edwards, "The Golden State," that will be included on the show's next season. Here are the songs included on the CD: 1. "Bad Things," Jace Everett. 2. "Bleed 2 Feed," CC Adcock. 3. "Lake Charles," Lucinda Williams. 4. "Give It Up," Lee Dorsey. 5. "Swampblood," Th' Legendary Shack Shakers. 6. "Play With Fire," Cobra Verde. 7. "Just Like Heaven," The Watson Twins. 8. "Christine's Tune (A.K.A. Devil in Disguise)," The Flying Burrito Brothers. 9. "Two," Ryan Adams. 10. "Strange Love," Slim Harpo. 11. "From a Whisper to a Wind," Allen Toussaint. 12. "I Don't Wanna Know," Dr. John. 13. "The Golden State," Joe Doe featuring Kathleen Edwards. 14. "Bones," Little Big Town. The True Blood Music Soundtrack is available for Pre-Order now.

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True Blood PaleyFest’09: Farflung Fandom

A special thank to Andrew Krukowski from TVWeek.com for allowing us here at TrueBloodNet.com permission to reprint his article in its entirety regarding his experience at the True Blood PaleyFest'09 panel discussion held at the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama Dome on Monday, April 13, 2009. With some fans flying in from as far away as the Midwest, a sold-out crowd voiced their support for HBO's "True Blood" during Monday's PaleyFest presentation. Cast members Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis, Carrie Preston, Alexander Skarsgard and creator/executive producer Alan Ball fielded questions from enthusiastic fans regarding nudity in the show, "Blood's" connection to the Sookie Stackhouse book series and the threat of cancellation. Multiple fans expressed concern about losing the show, including one guy who didn't even ask a question, but just simply said he didn't want to see "Blood" fall by the wayside after its second season, like HBO's "Carnivale" or "Deadwood." ("Deadwood" actually lasted three seasons). The show appears to have a very large Internet presence, with several audience questions referring to fan sites for the show or what the online community can do to ensure multiple seasons of "Blood."  "You want to know how to make this show last forever?" Mr. Ball said. "Buy the DVDs."  When asked who flew out for the panel, several hands in the audience went up, with attendees shouting out the states they came from, including Texas and Iowa. A sneak preview of "Blood's" second season was screened before the panel. The scene consisted of Ms. Paquin's character, Sookie, getting into an argument with Mr. Moyer's character, Bill, while driving. Sookie leaves the car and is attacked by a large creature with claws and horns. Mr. Ball was tight-lipped about the second season so as not to spoil anything. He did say some book fans will be disappointed that certain scenes didn't make the jump to the screen, but that the show has new material in order to maintain some surprises.  "Lost" fans were given a thrill at the event, too, as Ms. Preston's husband, Michael Emerson, aka Ben Linus, was also in attendance. Mr. Emerson posed for pictures with several fans after the "True Blood" panel. SOURCE:  TVWeek.com: 'True Blood's' Farflung Fandom (Photo credit: TVWeek.com)

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True Blood Season 2: True Blood Posters

Watch with Kristin from E!Online has just posted on her site three new promotional posters released by HBO to promote the Season 2 of Alan Ball's hit HBO TV series True Blood on Sunday, June 14, 2009. Now when you look at the posters at first they look like a splattering of blood, however upon closer inspection you see that it is a optical illusion in which you see a "second" picture with in the first one.  Can you see it? Relax and let your mind go and you will see the sexy and enticing image. Click on the images to enlarge.

SOURCE:  Watch with Kristin on E!Online.com (Photo credit:  HBO Inc.)

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