"She's Not There" – True Blood Season Four Premiere

Saucy and sassy Sookie Stackhouse is back. Last night’s premiere brought an entirely new spin on HBO’s hit series “True Blood”. Episode One, titled “She’s Not There”, will have viewers screaming “What the F*ck?!”

The first eight minutes of the show was release over the past few weeks… so no need to delve into that debacle.

So jumping into the black chasm is Alan Ball’s equivalent to Alice falling into the rabbit hole.

After rediscovering her long last grandfather, he goes “poof” into a pile of dust, in the cemetery.  Actually, this scene reminded me of many nights of watching Buffy Summer stake Vampires in Sunnydale’s Cemetery. Random, I know.

After stumbling back to her home, Sookie is surprised to find her home is now no longer reminiscent of the reign of MaryAnn. After workers call the Bon Temps Police Department, Sookie is further surprised that her brother has finally gotten his act together and become a local cop.

What was merely an hour long visit to fairyland for Sookie, was twelve and a half months back on the Human Realm. Relieved to find her alive, Jason and Sookie catch up, briefly. No sooner has she dealt him the news of their grandfather, than she realizes the sun has set. Stepping onto her porch, Sookie is forced to face both Bill and Eric. Both of which, realized the moment she returned into the Human Realm.

Still disoriented by the loss of time, Sookie is not as ecstatic to see either as they are to see her.  According to Eric, everyone but him, believed she was dead. This news isn’t taken lightly, as demonstrated by the look on Sookie’s face as he speaks. But this is not the end of the line for surprises. Eric is easily dismissed by Bill and Sookie is left to wonder what else has changed. When Bill so easily offers to leave her, the hurt is written on her face as she realizes, he has moved on since the last time they had spoken.

The world continues to turn upside down, with the revelation of Andy’s new founded V-addiction, Arlene’s and Terry’s -coughs “Rene’s”- baby ripping the heads off of dolls, and Sam’s new “anger” issues.  Tommy is living with Maxine, and our favorite True Blood couples, Jessica and Hoyt as well as Lafayette and Jesus are clearly on the rocks.

In order to prevent from spoiling episode two, “You Smell Like Dinner”, for everyone, I’m going to bite my tongue. All I’ll say is, Sookie continues to fall further down the rabbit hole. Like with all things “True Blood”, things are not as they seem.

Someone is faking. Someone is cheating. Someone is woeing. Someone is lying.

There will be more blood, sex, fangs and fur flying around this season. Add in the introduction of the witches into Area Five and this Season is already proving to be explosive! Leaving all in its wake, suffering from True Blood Withdrawal and craving more. Fans are salivating for more.

How will you handle your TBWithdrawal before next week’s episode?

*Episodes 1 and 2 are available on HBO on Demand as well as HBOGO*

A Love Disaster in the Making

It’s been reported that Jessica Hamby and Godric have been spending an awful lot of time alone, lately. Is there a romance developing here?

Godric, who is over two-thousand years Jessica’s senior, has taken in the baby Vamp after she and her Maker, Bill Compton, parted ways. This acceptance came as a shock to many in the Vampire community. But now things seem to be a little clearer as to why Godric was so welcoming.

They were spotted walking in to see “Scream 4″ at a Dallas theater and a source said a young woman was spotted clutching his arm during a certain scary scene. This of course is mere speculation. But then again, the next evening, the couple were seen shopping together.

How cute is it when a woman begins to shape her man into what she wants?

What kind of things are happening in Silent Shores during those late hours behind closed doors?

One can only guess… and if we are correct, then Jessica seems to be one lucky Baby Vamp!

True Blood Cast Members Dish on Favorite Gross Moments (via Fancast)

Some of the cast members of True Blood dished to Fancast about their favorite “gross” moments from the show!

Chris Bauer (Andy Bellefleur): I love the gross moments the most. I like the blood vomiting. Early on when vampires have been killed, they puked up all this green power vomit stuff on people. I love that. I’m so sick, I loved when they showed Adele, the grandmother [dead]. She was the sweetest character and she was just gutted from top to bottom. How funny was that, though? The cat couldn’t go in the same room with her.

Read the rest of favorite moments here.

What scares them in the UK

If you want to give a Brit nightmares, show him, or her, an Alien. Or maybe a great white animatronic shark. Ridley Scott’s Alien and the shark from Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws took top honors as the scariest movie monsters of all time according to a poll of 4,000 film fanatics in the UK (United Kingdom) recently conducted by Jameson Cult Film Club.

The Alien, scariest movie monster of all time

Most people we polled agreed that CGI was making monsters much more realistic and scary compared to the Special effects of the early first half of the 20th Century,” a spokesperson for Jameson said. “I guess with technology developing the way it does we will have a lot more monster to give us nightmares in the future.”

That may be true but the movie monsters giving us nightmares now are largely “classics” though not in the way one might expect. At 32, Alien still reigns supreme as the scariest monster in British imaginations followed by “Bruce” the shark from Jaws. Another alien, this time the invisible, laser-wielding one from the 1987′s Predator fills the Number Three slot.  The sewer-dwelling Creeper from Jeepers Creepers and the half-Jeff Goldblum, half-fly from The Fly round out the top five.

“Four of the films that made the top five were made more than 24 years old,” the Jameson spokesperson explained. “They are classic movie monsters by anyone’s definition but what’s really surprising about these results is that the traditional and iconic monsters of the last hundred years like vampires, werewolves, Godzilla and King Kong were more likely to leave fans snoring than screaming.”

Well, yes and no. Vampire and shape-shifters fans are certainly screaming over movies like the Twilight Saga and television series like True Blood but not out of terror. And both vampires and were-wolves do make appearances in the top 10 of the Jameson list. The bloodthirsty were-wolves from British horror flick Dog Soldiers attack the Number eight position while the vampire Count Orlok from the classic German film Nosferatu hangs on at Number 10.

"Bruce" the Shark from Jaws...still scary?

“Years ago people would be scared of the unknown — fantastic creatures with fangs and a thirst for blood. These days we have become accustomed to the classic monsters — vampires and werewolves play out romantic teen dramas, the ghosts are friendly and even the recent remake of King Kong made him out to be a softie.”

Brits and horror buffs are still being frightened however. Nearly half of those polled admitted they suffered from nightmares after watching a monster movies. A third (including one in four men) admitted that they often hid behind their hands while watching a scary film. One in ten report leaving the room altogether during a horror flick.

So, what are the top 20 scariest movie monsters to horror film fans in the UK? According to Jameson they are:

1. Alien (Alien)
2. Jaws (Jaws)
3. Predator (Predator)
4. The Creeper (Jeepers Creepers)
5. The Fly (The Fly)
6. Crawlers (The Descent)
7. The Thing (The Thing)
8. Werewolves (Dog Soldiers)
9. T Rex (Jurassic Park)
10. Count Orlok (Nosferatu)
11. T2000 (Terminator)
12. Gremlins (Gremlins)
13. King Kong (King Kong)
14. The Creature (Cloverfield)
15. Triffid (Day of the Triffids)
16. Godzilla (Godzilla)
17. Frankenstein (Frankenstein)
18. Bugs (Starship Troopers)
19. Creature (Monster)
20. Worms (Dune)

Those using horror films as a means of getting closer to their date will want to keep in mind there are some gender differences to what scares us. The ladies are more likely to report having nightmares after watching Jaws. And if you want to scare a gentleman in the UK? Watch Alien.

Primordials podcast releaunched

A truly wonderful and original podcast series relaunched today with some amazing new artwork. If you haven’t heard of The Primordials and you love the rich tapestry that is the preternatural community in and around New Orleans, you will want to check out this radio drama immediately.

 

Oya Goddess of Wind & Earthquakes

 

The Primordials is an online radio drama created by Reginald Nelson and Neil Lewis (who also voices Shango).  A team of 13 wonderful voice actors and actresses bring the characters to life. The compelling and evocative voices such as Lewis, Julia Pace Mitchell (Oya), Antonio D. Charity (Ogun) and more are reminiscent of the great radio dramas of the past while introducing a whole new audience to this amazingly versatile format.

The new artwork springs off the screen directly into the imagination. One almost wonders if the artist pulled the portraits directly from some collective subconscious of  the actors, creators and audience they seem to match the characters so well.

For those who don’t know, the Primordials are the pantheon of gods and goddesses of the Yoruba culture of West Africa. The drama begins in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as Shango and Ogun seeking to end 4 centuries of banishment and return to their celestial kingdom in Book 1. Vampires are introduced in Book 2. The battle between religious beliefs pits the Primordials against both Voodoo and the Norse god Thor in Book 3, while the Egyptian god Thoth launches a terrorist agenda in Book 4.

You won’t want to miss an episode of this thrilling tale!

Vampire/Shifter short story contest

The Preternatural Post Editorial Page has launched a flash fiction writing contest to combat the terrible news that vampires and shape shifters are falling out of fashion among writers.

The rules are simple. Tell us a tale, in 500 words or less, involving vampires and/or shape shifters. Submit your story before 11:59 p.m. on February 28 by adding a comment/link to the Editorial Page (LiveJournal), commenting on this story, tweeting the link to @MenaGrazie, sending it to me on Facebook or even emailing it to me.  You don’t have to be a shape shifter or vampire to enter.

Winners will be announced and featured here on Friday, March 4.

That’s all there is to it so…get writing!

New calendar for summer

Would you like to start this year over?  By summer, the shine has worn off under pressure from missed opportunities, unfulfilled resolutions and the wear-and-tear of everyday life. Fortunately for those wanting a fresh start, a local bar may be  launching their calendar halfway through it.

The new calendar is the second in the line produced by Fang!. Unlike the initial effort which included images of a variety of individuals, the latest effort will focus on just one.

“It’s just entirely of me,” owner @EricNorthman_  revealed.

The establishment opened not long after vampires went public with their existence. The bar attracts a mixed clientele of vampires and humans. And yes, the name was a conscious pun on Northman’s part.

Asked when the new calendar could become available, the Preternatural Post was told:

“I believe May will be the month where I bare it all for everyone to see.”

It’s going to be a very hot summer. What will your mid-year resolutions be?

Evidence of fight found at local BT business

Authorities reported a disturbance overnight at the GrabbItQwik in Bon Temps. At sunrise signs that a struggle or a fight took place in the parking lot remained.

Unofficial reports indicate the fight was between Dave Conway, a local businessman and owner of the GrabbItQwik and Roman Lucious, a sometimes bartender at Fangtasia, a popular vampire and tourist bar in Shreveport. Rumors of the fight had been swirling for days around both Bon Temps and Shreveport. Around noon yesterday odds were favoring Lucious. Numerous notable members of the community, living and undead, are said to have wagered and witnessed the event.

Despite having strong support from local residents and even the owner of Fangtasia, Conway won only a single round of the three round fight, ultimately being defeated by Luscious. No deaths or final deaths have been reported.

New Erotic E-series kicks off with A Vampire’s Kiss

“Sara Gadsden is a Wiccan Green Witch addicted to paranormal romance novels and their gorgeous vampire heroes. Like most people, she has no idea vampires actually exist until she meets Dray Manigault at a Samhain party,” explains author Laura Stamps. “Dray is not only one of Columbia’s wealthiest businessmen, but  he’s also been a vampire for the last 145 years. Oh, and he’s totally yummy.”

Sound interesting? Based on the first chapter, which is available for free at www.avampkiss.blogspot.com, it is.

A Vampire’s Kiss is a hot new paranormal e-series from award-winning erotica novelist Laura Stamps. Rather than making readers wait months between books, Stamps and publisher Kittyfeather Press have chosen to publish her latest work as a monthly e-series.

“I love this new serial format,” Stamps said. “I was searching for a way to give my readers addicted to vampire erotica novels a sexy ‘fix’ every month. When Kittyfeather Press offered me the chance to publish these novels as a serial, I jumped on it. Since its release readers have told me this serial format is the perfect solution when they only have ten or fifteen minutes to read during their hectic day.”

Each month, a new issue will be released containing at least three chapters of the first novel in Stamps’ new series “The Manigault Vampires”. A Vampire’s Kiss is the first novel of the series which is a spin-off of Stamps’ popular “Witchery Series”. Many of the witches and pagans readers have already fallen in love with in that trilogy. Each month’s issue costs $1.99 and is available online from www.avampskiss.blogspot.com

Health “bites”: Why vampires have great smiles

Eyes may be a window to a person’s soul, teeth, however, are a window on their health. Vampires don’t have variable health, but a look at their smile can still be revealing.

A variety of fangs.

Today’s concept of the perfect smile (brilliantly white teeth, perfectly aligned) is a very modern invention. Orthodontics didn’t really exist until the mid-nineteenth century (although people have tried to straighten their teeth for a variety of reasons since ancient times). Malocclusion (crookedness) of the teeth were not formally categorized until 1900. The first braces appeared not long after, however, these early models had bands of silver, gold and platinum, making them both expensive and high-maintenance. Braces didn’t become a pre-pubescent rite of passage until the 1970′s when adhesive technology caught up with dentistry.

Straightness isn’t the only clue a smile can give about a person’s history. Here are a few other activities and habits that show up in your smile:

1. Excessive chlorine in swimming pools can erode tooth enamel making teeth more sensitive to temperature extremes.
2. Soda and citrus drinks (like orange juice) can be caustic to tooth enamel if drunk in excessive quantities. The phosphoric acid in the soda and citric acid in both causes enamel corrosion. (BTW did you know Americans drink more than 53 gallons of soft drink annually? That’s more than any other beverage, including milk, coffee, tea and beer.)
3. Bulimia and acid reflux can destroy tooth enamel as well. Enamel erosion is a major sign of bulimic behavior.
4. Infection, nutritional deficiencies, trauma and use of pharmacological drugs (like tetracycline) can cause enamel defects including irregularity and pitting.
5. Diseases from HIV/AIDS to osteoporosis to diabetes may also show preliminary signs in a person’s mouth such as sores, enamel erosion, cavities, tooth sensitivity, gingivitis or bad breath.

Age is another characteristic that can leave clues in a person’s mouth. Eighty percent of Americans over the age of 35 have some form of gum disease. This can range from simple inflammation (gingivitis) to more serious periodontal disease that can injure or damage the jaw bones. Tooth loss is another clue to an individual’s age and sometimes era. Even today more than one-quarter of American adults over the age of 60 have lost all of their teeth.

They say you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. That may be true. But it’s not a bad idea for everything else!