First Word

I am an avid True Blood fan. This year, the show's creator Alan Ball stepped down for season six. I've been so busy I have yet to watch any of the show's trailers. I have no idea how Ball's absence will affect the show and the storytelling. I've always said Ball is a savant storyteller whose attention to details throughout the seasons is unsurpassed. I will find it curious if the storytelling takes a dive or manages to maintain at the level and quality of a Ball series. If any of you do more than just watch TV shows but study them for dialog and storytelling then I'm sure you're aware of Ball's massive gifts. He is also the show creator of Six Feet Under , which is another well-done show that I never missed an episode. Now we are on season six of True Blood , and last year's cliffhanger left us with Bill gone crazy transforming into "Billith" all covered in red blood and goo. Billith made some dinosaur-like shriek and prepared to pursue ...

I can hear some fans cry out in sorrow while I can hear the fans who hate the pairing of Sookie and Bill sigh a great relief under the belief that Alan Ball's influence over that couple will end. I frankly adore anything Alan Ball touches. I admired, loved and esteemed Six Feet Under as a seamless work of TV art, and I believe True Blood wouldn't have half its multiple and colorful layers if it weren't for Ball's savant storytelling genius. So with the announcement of his exit from the show, I hope he leaves behind a legacy of gifted storytellers who learned from the Yoda himself. I might not always like the direction of the show, especially in the last portion of Season 4, but I believe it was and will remain a high-quality show. I don't think the writers will want to try and put their own stamp on a tried-and-true show that is the second highest rated show in HBO history following only after the incomparable Sopranos . I am such a fan of Ball's impeccable w...

One thing I can say about Tumblr and the fan sites is that they are very keen observers of True Blood , the vampire series created by genius storyteller Alan Ball. I fell in love with Alan Ball's work the first time I was introduced to it via the film American Beauty, which I quoted Lester Burnham in my first book Second Bloom . Here is one of the most precious quotes (thank you Alan Ball): "Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life ... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday." He then created another one of my all-time favorites TV series Six Feet Under , which I own all the DVDs and occasionally revisit well-tread epis...