First Word

A few days without a cable hook-up and I was forced to dig into my DVD collection for entertainment. I decided to go back to season 1 of True Blood and re-watch. Since I really only like the Eric Northman/Sookie Stackhouse romance, it meant having to endure the original Bill/Sookie romance. I have to say the initial heat between the couple was there, but then you know Bill turned into such a controlling ass and got all paternal and "protective" to the point where you really started to dislike his treatment of Sookie as if she were a child. It's also pretty interesting reflecting on the show through the lens of the proceeding seasons that revealed Bill's true intentions from day one, which were not so honorable in that Queen Sophie Anne sent Bill to procure her. Then you have Eric Northman's interest in her and the difference in how he treats her. He lets her speak for herself and make her own decisions. He doesn't try to control her and he respects her. For t...

Ah, HBO is whetting our appetites for more True Blood , and yesterday they released a new trailer with ... egad the actors in it ( click here ). Yes, of course, I watched it. And I've read the books, too. So I could sort of tell between the spoilers and books what might be going on this fine season. If you hate spoilers, stop here. All right so we have some digging going on! Let's bet on one of two things. Tara is getting turned OR they are burying Debbie Pelt's body OR both. Remember in the books, they bury Debbie's body on Sookie's property. I would imagine we might have a little of that going on. I do thinking turning Tara is the most obvious choice, so I'm sure the writers are more imaginative than to take the most in-your-face road with that storyline ... or I could be wrong. Sometimes the obvious choice is great when you have plenty of exciting storyline to explore from it. Watching the ultra-angry Tara act on her "nature" might be extremely int...

I love spoilers -- there I said it. I like to have at least some clue where my favorite shows are heading in the new season. Well, they just released the new trailers for True Blood, Season 5 and how lame! Come on now, let's see some better clues than your past catches up with you or doesn't stay buried ... or whatever. Let's see some hints with the actual actors and not the mundane set pieces we've all seen a hundred times over. I want some action here! Some clues! A spoiler or two or three. We already know that Bill and Eric are on the run and sharing some boo-hiss "bromance" time (yuck). Does Tara get turned into a vamp or zombie. I vote zombie, that's way more off-kilter and interesting. Mark my words, Tara isn't gone. Will we get to see any Eric-Sookie loving at all? I hope so. Here is an idea, let's send Bill off to meet the sun while Sookie and Eric make mad passionate love on Eric's Barbados estate (we know he has one from Season 4...

It's Saturday morning -- and most readers know I don't focus on serious subject matter over the weekends (well, sometimes not during the week either ;). Nothing gets my attention more as a writer than a fantastic piece of dialog. A snappy one-liner in particular just gets me to either laugh or remember it forever. In my work, I constantly strive to write that great, memorable one-line. The reason I adore True Blood (among many reasons) are the classic, memorable one-liners. Here is a list of some of the most unforgettable lines throughout the seasons. If you can write dialog this amazing, well, you're probably a literary super star (hmm ... sort of like Alan Ball and his writing team).  Pam : Do not tell me you put our entire species at risk for a gash in a sundress? Arlene : Zombies are the new vampires, didn't you know that? Sookie :  Bill, you were just licking blood out of my head. I don't think it gets much more personal than that." Bill, you were ju...

So, I promised I would give a review of my birthday present True Blood and Philosophy ... well, I have to tell you. If you really want a deconstructed insider "revelation" about the show, go to Love True Blood and forget the book. This book takes on a very conventional deconstruction based on historical philosophy and modern feminism. I always hope for a deeper look at a piece of work that pulls back the veil between me and the storyteller to help engender a greater understanding of the story -- whether it's on TV or a book. The website really accomplishes that goal while the book is just too, well, boring. It didn't give me a deeper meaning to the characters. I wasn't at all enlightened and frankly mostly bored by it. Now the website written by very literate fans of the show is much more intriguing and revealing. Also, there is a mention on the Love True Blood site today about how Charlaine Harris doesn't map out her books and focuses primarily on one bo...

The Dalai Lama's proclamation that "the world will be saved by the Western woman" only highlighted the reality that women are emerging as the leaders of the global change movement. This year's theme for me is all about the self-empowerment of women. I also started the California Girl Chronicles last year out of a desire to create a strong female character. I was inspired not by True Blood Sookie Stackhouse but by Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse. I want to be clear, I am not a huge fan of the Harris' series per se. I think she has created a wonderful character in Sookie, and I adore the Sookie and Eric Northman romance. The rest of the stories only resonate part of the time; however Sookie spoke to me. When I was little I started writing because Laura, the little girl from the Little House books who inspired me. I have apparently always been intrigued with strong girls. I don't like the way Alan Ball's team has diminished Sookie's self-empow...

If you are a fan of the HBO series True Blood (Season 5 is slated to begin June 24) then you should check out this site titled Love True Blood . From what I've been told by the site leaders and from what I've read, it's absolutely the best fan site written by fantastic writers who display their literary backgrounds with great ease and reveal all sorts of layers to this show one would never imagine. You think True Blood is all about "vampire porn" (as one friend called) then you are not really watching it from a storytelling point of view with all its metaphors, foreshadowing and juxtapositions. Read this fan site and you will have all the confidence that Alan Ball is NOT going to put Sookie and Bill back together. Not if you peel back the layers of the onion the way these literate fans have done. I've emphatically said that Eric and Sookie are soul lovers, and if you read this site and all the great information under the season redux you will notice how they...

If page views and reading interest are votes then it's safe to say that my First Word readers do not liking this whole "bromance" notion on the forthcoming Season 5 of True Blood . While Eric Northman's portrayer Alexander Skarsgard has been promoting his new movie Battleship , he's been perpetuating the "bromance" notion. I think he's probably messing with us a little and the storyline will likely center around the two southern vampires on the run from the Authority and forced to endure each other's company. I will say that if Alan Ball and company are paying any attention to the fans then they can't be completely oblivious to the fact that nobody wants to see an entire season without Eric and Sookie interaction. I also know the enthusiasm sorely lacks over the idea of putting Sookie together with Alcide, who some of the "bookies" think will blend the Quinn/Alcide characters. Now here is my spin as your writer in residence. Most ...

The incomparable Alexander Skarsgard in the famous sweater. See that "turquoise" sweater Eric Northman wears throughout at least three episodes on True Blood ? A single reference to that sweater caused a firestorm of hits on this blog. A sweater shot my friends! A reference to the steamy list of butt shots also caused a slight flurry, but it was that sweater that tipped it. I had no idea that Mr. Sweater was so popular. An argument event erupted over whether or not it was blue or turquois. Truth is, on the commentary on Season 3, Alexander called it "blue" and then changes it to "turquoise". I will bow to the idea that the man who actually physically saw and wore it knows what color it really was. By the end of the sweater's guest starring role, it was ruined and covered in fake blood. I'm thinking whoever actually owns the sweater now could sell the thing on eBay or an auction house for a pretty good sum of money. Fans love that sweater, and o...

Eric Northman and Sookie in Season 3. This blog gives a really great rundown of all of the scenes in which our Viking vampire exposes his derriere. I read the well-documented times Eric Northman gives a visual feast on his rear-end and started laughing. I don't think the writer meant it to be funny, but come on. You're documenting butt shots. Alexander Skarsgard seems to have absolutely zero qualms about giving us a feast of butt shots to choose from. I didn't post him from behind, because I have taken a vow not show naked shots on my blog LOL. But I have no problem giving you a nice look at that sublime body (Yum). Oh yeah, and my favorite female character Sookie is here, too. Go read the other blog, though, if you're a Skarsgard naked fan! It's very entertaining, I promise. I do have to say in some respects I admire a guy who can disrobe on cue and have absolutely nothing on it. Of course, this coming from the mouth of a woman who writes sexy scenes in her boo...

In my insomniac hours, I like to surf around and use my Apple TV to find random and fun things to watch. I have discovered numerous fan videos of my two favorite characters Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood . Here are those two video links. Out of literally dozens, there are just fun and sexy. Eric and Sookie -- Let's Go Straight to No. #1 We all like no. #1 ;). Eric and Sookie -- Devotion Well, this one is romantic and very hot and sexy. I have to be honest, I really like the song! Of course, I like the scenes, too. I (squee) like the romance, too. What can I say. I am a romantic at heart.