First Word

In an unevenly paced and poorly written season, one of my favorite series came to an end -- True Blood created by Alan Ball. I was completely disappointed in the finale. It dragged, lacked any action, and the closure was disappointing. We got a sappy happy ending for one of the campiest, funniest shows around that produced such great lines as "Sookie's precious fairy vagina." The show established Bill as Sookie's true love (huh? She had way more chemistry and emotional resonance with Eric), and then showed how he really "loved" her to want to set her free and give her a vampire-free life. They had "kind of" tied up the feelings with Eric in the previous show, but instead of letting the two characters truly wrap it up when Eric saves her one more time they just skipped it. What happened to the love triangle and Sookie loving them both? Those loves scenes from Season 4 all went for not. In the books, Eric and Sookie had the passionate love affair....

Where are we going with this? Is the idea to kill off every character before the final episode? I'm beginning to think so. (Spoiler Alert) The demise of Alcide was anti-climatic and downright boring. Alcide, our beloved burly werewolf, finally met his end with a few quick gunshots and then bam! Dead! Well, except for one brief moment of Sookie having learned her lesson about sanctioning the creation of new vampires. The very first episode saw the demise of long-time character Tara who went through so much only to end up dead after all. Other long-time characters are biting it, too. What did we learn in this episode? Alcide loved Sookie more -- and that made her feel bad. Okay ... Sam had a gay vampire escort who got immediately shot down (we didn't have any investment anyway) so all right. Eric has Hep V and was ready (a la Godric) to just go on his 1,000-year-old way. Note: How many times do we have to see the retread scene of Pam begging Eric not to die? She loves him! Blah...

Welcome back my campy True Blood characters as June 22nd marks the beginning of the end of this truly unique vampire show that even from a non-vampire lover such as I managed to be absorbed  season after season. I have read that the sexy Viking vamp Eric Northman as played by the red-hot Alexander Skarsgard (my future daughter-in-law and I had quite a conversation about sexy men, and we had a mutual meeting of the minds that Skarsgard AKA Skarscandy wins! Well, she did have an admiration for Tatum Channing, which I can feel her on). I did ask Kirk for a hall pass should I run into Skarsgard and his eyes narrowed and he scoffed, "No! You're too pretty! He would probably go for it." LMAO ... maybe ... ;). Last season sadly went down the tubes as creator and executive producer (and master storyteller) Alan Ball stepped down and his directing team and head writers stepped up. The story line took on this discriminatory hate theme that ended with our favorite vamps locked aw...

Spoiler alert : some people hate spoilers so don't read this if you haven't seen the True Blood Season 6 Finale. Now I don't usually write spoilers, but hey! They made my favorite character Eric Northman catch fire in Sweden while he sunbathed. Many of you maybe wondering if he really died or not since we didn't actually see his demise into a pile of goo. I'm thinking our show's writers kept that window of possibility open that they did not kill off this immensely popular character played by the sexy Alexander Skarsgård. As for the rest of the finale ... sorry fan boys and girls! Ugh, it was absolutely terrible. The six-month later shift felt wrong. It was more like what? What? And what? Sookie and Alcide? Really ? When did that happen again? And I thought Eric had glamoured Alcide (season 5) into zero romantic interest in Sookie. Now Sam is mayor and Arlene owns Merlotts? What? Huh? And the most important question, why? Oh, and now we have a rapidly spreadi...

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 ...

Wow! Last night's True Blood Season Finale just kicked bad-ass. My two favorite enders: Andy Bellfleur become a new father four times over and Bill's final transformation into evil-doer for Season 6. It was absolutely intense to watch Bill's slow descent into villain, and the show delivered when he drank Lilith's blood, turned into a puddle of blood, and rose from the blood into the next evil-doer on the level of Russell Edgington, who by the way received his just ending. Yes, Russell just got a major ray zap of Faery power volts and that ended him nicely. Well done Alan Ball and crew -- you really did a masterful job to wrap up the season with a little pop, sludge and cry! Then we had poor Luna who had skin-walked her way right in front of the TV cameras only to face the mic, throw up blood, and keel over in what appears to be her untimely demise. And of course, Sam who flew into the mouth of the vile female chancellor only to take over her body and explode out -- yeah...

This week's episode finds the citizens of Bontemps all merging together in their story lines toward the Vampire Authority and the imminent Lilith Apocalypse. We have Sam and Luna as two white mice scurrying around the Authority to find Emma. We have Jessica being hauled off to turn Jason (as there is an edict to make as many vampires as possible). We Sookie's realization she's "betrothed" to some vampire spirit. Then we have Russell and Steve Newlin wreaking havoc all over the place and on a mission to find a faery. The convergence of the story lines was rather unexpected but a nice twist on the season that in some ways appeared to have each story locked in bubbles. The entire Authority story seemed to me to drag on much too long, with my favorite vamps all stuck in this government-like, sacred complex. Sticking Eric Northman in one place for too many episodes seemed much too boring to me. I wanted to see him do more this season. He is now finally on the loose wit...

It's the shocker of the decade ... I actually missed last Sunday's episode of True Blood and didn't see it until last night. A day before the next episode. I was traveling without access to HBO! Oh man! Total withdrawal ;). All right so let's get down to business here. What did I think of episode 7? Well, I am loving the vampire storyline for sure. The "V" trip on Lilith's blood was excellent. The vampire feeding frenzy in the New Orleans club where the betrothed sang "You Light Up My Life" absolutely priceless. Just hearing that awful song -- perfect -- and then Russell Edgington jumping on stage just rocked it. The rest of the episode I have to sadly say whatever. Sookie realizing she can deplete her magic to be human ... whatever. Sam chasing criminals ... whatever. Werewolf wars ... whatever. I did like Tara's humanity showing with her relationship with her mother, and Pam's coaxing that in 100 years she wouldn't even remember th...

How is it I missed the chance to comment on my favorite show's last episode? First, I have a lot on my mind. Second, I just forgot LOL. OK, back to Bon Tempe and the myriad story lines going forward in a season that got off to a fantastic start and veered a little and then for some reason kind of started losing me a bit. Now as a publisher and writer, I try to review the show from the writing and storytelling angles. I have enjoyed the Bill and Eric storyline and the romp with the Authority. I especially appreciated that finally they showed Eric still wants Sookie when he glamoured our resident werewolf Alcide into not having romantic feelings for her. Go Eric! And I must say, the "heat" between Sookie and Alcide ... not there! Sorry! The other favorite storyline is Tara's rising into her vampiric skin. She's going to come round just you wait and see. We've had hints of her settling in, so to speak. Then we have poor Hoyt's personal self-desctruction. What...

Ah, it's Monday which means Sunday night has come and gone with a healthy dose of True Blood . I usually watch the episode twice in one night to get a really good recap for you. Last night, I was tired and only watched one. So, this might not be as "enthusiastic" as it could be if I paid closer attention. OK, I thought that at least Sookie got some better time, but the whole drunken make-out session with Alcide with her two great loves Bill and Eric watching, and their decided lack of interest in it ... not ringing true. It was less than a week ago in show time that Sookie and Eric declared their undying love. What happened here? Both have forgotten their strong feelings? This whole season love story wise with Sookie and Eric is a total numb void of non-reactions and non-reflection. I can tell you from experience (especially since I have my own love life in action and this is a not-so-subtle message to my guy), love doesn't die like that ... not real, true, connected,...

Wow! I must be totally devoted, tireless or just nuts ... I am not up to posting this blog at all ;). But here I go anyway. Last night, my favorite show True Blood episode three aired. I've loved this season very much, but now I have to say the part of the story that just was sort of the "ew" factor: the chancellor bedded three men in one night. Who exactly was the whore in that episode? Pam who slept with Eric and actually displayed genuine affection or the chancellor who bedded Bill, Eric and the supreme one whatever his name is? Mind you, the chancellor is drop-dead gorgeous (obviously) and quite seductive (obviously), but here is the slang for that: really ? And the "sloppy seconds" comment from Bill, hilarious, poor taste and true. What about that just didn't work for me? Story lines working just fine: Jason comes to his sexual reckoning that maybe he did have a big "hole" that he was unsuccessfully trying to fill with sex. His ability to ove...

I've been so busy working and keeping manuscripts running through 3L Publishing , I swear and not kidding, I've watched maybe 30 minutes of TV the past two weeks. I know some people would tell that is a good thing, but not necessarily when you're trying to work in the business and track what is going on. I realized I even missed the season finale of House , one of my top favorites. No worries though I will just buy the box set and have a marathon weekend. One thing, though, that I will not miss is True Blood Season 5 which starts June 24. Oh, be rest assured I will be eagerly propped on my sofa just in time for that one. The few trailers I've seen make it look like the season is shifting more toward action and explosions. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing for the campy dramaedy. With Alan Ball set to step down for Season 6, we might have quite a few shifts about to come into play. True Blood has in the past emphasized relationships and not the explosions so mu...

It's Friday morning ... I need something new to obsess over with ya-all. Seriously, I haven't been out networking much lately and just hanging with the masses typically gives me plenty of fodder to chew on.  I definitely have an itch to have some serious fun. Maybe it's time to call a girlfriend and go out and paint the town. I mean, I'm living in Marina del Rey after all. I can certainly find something I'm sure to entertain myself with. I hate it, too, when I'm not my cantankerous self. Lately, life has gotten much too serious. I need a big giggle-fest. You can't cage a butterfly for too long! Just saying!! I am also looking into starting a new writer's group down here, but I need to find a consistent venue where they don't charge. The joy of the group is the whole let's just get together and discuss our favorite topics. If you live in Southern California and you have a venue to offer, send me an email at info@3LPublishing.com. I did finish th...

Now I have covered the male characters I loved in 2011, and I thought now I would cover the girls. Girl power is big in Hollywood right now. The Carrie Diaries is being developed by the CW Network and HBO has a new girl-driven series coming this spring titled Girls . Now I am honestly not intrigued with Carrie Bradshaw's teen and young adults years, so I will be passing up that show. Girls looks like it might be somewhat interesting, sardonic and sarcastic. And with all of this current and upcoming girl power, we have some great female characters to cover. So, here we go. Sookie Stackhouse (the book version): I love Sookie. She's fun, sexy, courageous, and human even if she's "fae". The TV version, I have some qualms about her on True Blood . She has vacillated quite a bit and changed and "rearranged" so to speak. She can be bad-ass, but the writers, while I know are trying to reset the story for 2012, had her say and do some things that, while I...

True Blood Season Five spoilers are starting to drop. And so it seems that my favorite Viking Eric Northman will share a hinted at "bromance" time with our "southern comfort" vampire Bill (see article ). Ugh! Who wants to see that? Not me. Bring on the great "shipping" of Eric and Sookie and forget "bromancing the bill". All right Truebies, you all raise your hands if this is what you want to see in Season Five? As my friend Sonya cites as her favorite Michelle phrase, "Hell to the no!" So not interested in this "dynamic duo". I fear we'll be put on hold minimally another 12 episodes before we see our Viking God reunited with his fairy princess. Doesn't the True Blood writing team know that we all can't get enough of Sookie and Eric? Can't we at least get a single season of how they would be as a real couple with our vampire's memory actually functioning? I mean come on, we had to spend two agonizing seaso...

We all have our favorite characters we love to root for whether in fiction or on TV or film. So, I thought I would share my short list of my favorites and see if you agree. P.S., there is no particular order here. I couldn't say if I had a no. #1 or not. And for all of you writers out there, pay attention. Your favorite characters are so, because they are well-developed and given so much "life" that you suspend your disbelief and root for imaginary friends. The "imaginary" part is what makes the story telling process so unbelievably powerful -- that we would cry, laugh, scream and cheer them on (and they're not real people). Sookie Stackhouse (Charlaine Harris' version not Alan Ball's version on True Blood ) -- in the books Sookie is real, fierce, brave, outspoken, funny and independent. While the book Sookie would never give herself over to the idea that one should ask forgiveness after really doing nothing wrong (like Sookie did in the season 4 ...