I don’t want to say I told you so, but I did predict that Bill wasn’t among the doubly-dead un-dead, who were burnt to nothing but happy memories and a trickle of bubbling blood.

But even I, with my mastery of extremely basic plot-twists, didn’t guess that Bill would turn up starkers crawling out from his own grave. Covered in soil, he clung onto a handy leg, which turned out to be Sookie’s. Then they had rough and ready sex right there amongst the tombs, my golly. Transpired he had heeded her warnings to make for a place of safety, and had literally gone underground. That’s one difference between me and Bill: when looking for a refuge, he chose the cold dark earth, while I would choose the Hilton. 

Jason found his soulmate in Amy, the most boring woman in Bon Temps. She infiltrated herself into Merlotte’s with ease, graciously fending off Sookie’s bitchy suggestion that once Jason tired of her, he’d be off with the next floozy. ‘Oh’, added Sookie flatly, ‘Not that I meant that you were a floozy’. Yes you did, Sookie. Amy floated around, spouting her usual ‘we are at one with Gaia’ baloney, trailed by an awe-struck Jason marvelling at her amazing mind. Suddenly, she went cold turkey on V and became a nail-biting maniac. She and Jason kidnapped, by means of silver tat from Clare’s Accessories, an inoffensive suburban vampire. I fear they mean to drain the poor fellow of every last drop.

Sam told the cops he’d been seen nude in the woods because he was from a family of naturists. It was so lame, even the dim-bulb gumshoe saw through it. But Sam was probably still reeling from Tara calling him a racist. Tara spent the episode in a spectacular pet, taking umbrage at insults and compliments alike. She did have a tough time of it, to be fair. Her mama, who we now see is considerably more annoying sober than drunk, cooked breakfast for the first time ever and threw out all her booze. She and a mad hatter friend encouraged Tara to go to bible studies, but found that Tara sure as hell needed no help with her biblical language.

When Sam gently commented on the way Tara ‘grunted like an athlete’ during lovemaking, she screamed, ‘What, I’m like Serena? Cos we’re both black?’ and leaped out of bed. Sam could only gape, as indeed, could we. Go Tara! When everyone got fed up of being yelled at, she started arguing with herself, and took off to the voodoo woman in the woods, to be exorcised. Don’t do it! We love your grumpy sassy self just the way it is.

Rene proposed to Arlene on the way home from fine dining at a Red Lobster. He behaved so creepily I thought he was about to kill her, but no, it was to offer to become her fiancé. Fourth time lucky, eh, Arlene? Meanwhile, Sookie and Bill baby-sat her charmingly plain kids, who asked to see Bill’s fangs. He obliged, in time-honoured fashion by sticking bits of carrot in his mouth. What a missed opportunity – he could’ve shown them the real thing and scared seven types of crap out of them.

Baby-sitting is exactly the sort of mainstreaming that Eric so disapproves of. Bill found Eric in his bath, complaining that he hadn’t replied to his texts.  I love it that they text each other; I guess as they’re immortal, they get pretty competitive long-term contracts from T-Mobile. Eric insisted that Sookie do her mind-reading party trick at Fangtasia, to discover who was stealing from the bar. Honestly, did they really need to call in a telepathy expert? The creepy goth barman has practically got ‘villain’ tattooed on his forehead. They could have just asked me, or even one of the plodding cops, who would probably have worked it out eventually, but no – Sookie had to interrogate a series of hapless humans before the chief suspect leapt from the bar, fangs akimbo, aiming straight for her slightly-punctured but still very creamy neck.

Posted by Qwerty

Sookie Stackhouse…

…what a terrible name. I’ve recently powered my way through the entire Sookie Stackhouse series (excepting the collected shortstories and most recent instalment(still in hardcover)), and I have to say I enjoyed it immensely. Years ago I had read the first two books, long before there was an HBO series, and I can’t say I was really into it. The books at first had been a little more tongue in cheek, and a little less literature than i was keen on and I put them down as easily as I had picked them up.

Then came True Blood, as an HBO show I assumed it would be good, I loved Sopranos, Rome, and a half dozen other things they had produced, and I wanted a series to watch with my fiancee that I hadn’t seen before, so she couldn’t ask me what was going to happen next…of course I had read the book, so I could guess. Ironically, watching the show made me want to read the books again, and it made me want to not watch the show. What an overly dramatic pile of crap. I re-read the first few installments, and then I read the rest

The adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic barmaid from rural southern america, and her boyfriend Vampire Bill – sound foolish? No doubt. A guilty pleasure? To be sure, but once you get drawn into the funny twisted world of Stackhouse, it’s hard to get out. The drama, the heartbreaks, the unending variety of strange supernatural is way over the top, but harlaine harris treats it like the Olympic High Jump, getting “over the top” is the point, and she’s winning a gold.

It’s going to kill me to buy a couple hardcovers to have the rest of the stories, just because I hate to have a series in more than one format (a little OC about this sort of thing) but I doubt I can wait till they hit the softcover. After reading Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, Definately Dead, All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse, how can I wait for Dead and Gone?

- por Guilherme Bakunin

True Blood 1×01 – Strange Love

A nova criação de Alan Ball, o mesmo responsável pela super elogiada Six Feet Under, é True Blood, um universo criativo de vampiros que se abrem ao mundo humano em razão do lançamento de um produto chamado Tru Blood, uma bebida de sangue sintético fabricada por cientistas japoneses. A polêmica gerada através dessa autorevelação dos vampiros aos humanos é um dos maiores focos da série, quase como um X-Men de vampiros. No entanto, o assunto principal é outro: o romance entre uma humana telepática chamada Sookie e um vampiro que é, aparentemente, boa praça, chamado Bill (!).

A série é, acima de tudo criativa. Lidar com os vampiros dessa maneira, a partir de uma exposição diplomática das “criaturas do diabo” ao mundo, é interessante. Ambientar a série no interior dos Estados Unidos, então, é instigar o tema da religião na história. E toda a desconstrução do tema de vampiros também parece ser bem interessante: pra começar, Bill e Sookie se conhecem, de verdade, após ela, uma humana, salvá-lo. A inversão de papéis é clara e exterioriza a situação que essas criaturas renegadas pela vida vivem naquele mundo, tão perigosamente humano.

O piloto, no entanto, é fraco. Muito desconexo, muito direto, muito seco. Com o passar dos episódios, a gente meio que percebe que todas as coisas tinham uma razão de ser. Porém, como o comentário é isolado, talvez Alan Ball, que escreveu o episódio, pudesse ter feito melhor. Mas a série é boa.

2/5

True Blood 1×02 – The First Taste

 The First Taste é mais um dos episódios escrito pelo Alan Ball, e talvez mostre que o cara deveria mesmo é ficar na produção. Aparentemente o episódio não tem nada de bom, apenas alguns lances interessantes que desencadeiam numa quebra de expectativa imensa, como o “drink da Sookie” ou o assassinato da Marlotte pelo Jason. Mas na verdade, esse segundo episódio é uma continuação do primeiro, tendo sido dividido provavelmente por razões práticas. Aqui, Ball continua a criar e a introduzir suas personagens, seus dramas, suas vidas. Ainda não é a série propriamente dita, então. Vai ser a partir do próximo episódio que True Blood vai crescer surpreendemente como uma das grandes séries do momento.

1/5

True Blood 1×03 – Mine 

É a partir do terceiro episódio que True Blood começa a ficar mais interessante. Agora que os personagens já nos foram apresentados, o roteiro se permite desenvolver-se. Em Mina, somos apresentados, ainda que superficialmente, ao mundo dos vampiros da região, onde ainda encontra-se resistência à tru blood (a bebida). As cenas aqui foram pesadas, e já fomos mais expostos ao perigo que cerca a trama, primeiramente com Eric, personagem ainda oculto – que se revelará no próximo episódio – e Carla, a chefe diplomata do vampiros que apareceu em Strange Love – o piloto. True Blood encontra aqui um bom momento, e deve se focar no mistério e nas relações – não apenas românticas de Sookie e Bill, mas em toda a forma como os personagens se relacionam em Bon Temps – para continuar crescendo.

3/5

True Blood 1×04 – Escape from Dragon House

Encontramos aqui a prova praticamente cabal de que há um serial killer em Bon Temps. Com o assassinato de Dawn, o círculo se fecha, e True Blood não parece ter muita pena dos seus personagens. Mais uma vez, o episódio émelhor que todos os seus precedentes. O que importa na série agora é mostrar como a cidade é completamente cheia de pessoas que possuem sentimentos, vontades e vida própria e como eles querem exteriorizar isso. A galeria de personagens da série só aumenta, e a forma como as pessoas se conhecem e se relacionam chega a ser fascinante. Eric, uma espécie de pequeno líder dos vampiros dá às caras e promete, especialmente para a enigmática telepata Sookie, retorno. Mas de longe, o melhor momento do episódio é o final, com Sam se enroscando nos lençóis de Dawn. O personagem é humanizado ali, e não pode receber de nós, como espectadores, nada além de pena. Sam precisa de alguém, e está disposto a fazer de Sookie essa pessoa.

4/5

True Blood 1×05 – Sparks Fly Out

Finalmente Bill vai à reunião dos Mortos Gloriosos falar dos seus tempos da grande guerra de recessão, fazendo assim a sua primeira grande aparição pública. Toda a cidade está presente, e muitos dos mitos vampirescos são ali desmitificados. Enquanto Bill diz que não é uma criatura do diabo, e chora ao ver a foto de sua antiga família, os cidadãos de Bon Temps se convencem de que os vampiros podem ter mais humanidade do que eles esperavam. E no final, True Blood parece ter reservado um argumento pra essa tese especialmente para nós: flashbacks de Bill mostram não apenas como ele tinha uma família, mas também que ele tinha muito amor por ela; e nos mostra também como ele, Bill, se tornou um vampiro. Mais uma vez o espectador de True Blood é confrontado com a piedade diante de seus personagens, e antes que pudesse digerir esse sentimento, uma das mais significativas personagens da série aparece indignamente morta ao chão, um choque que demoraríamos uma semana pra digerir.

4/5

True Blood 1×06 – Cold Ground

Começando a partir do cliffhanger magnífico do episódio anterior, esse é um dos mais belos de True Blood até aqui. Agora que Adele está morta, Sookie enfrenta de forma definitiva a opinião das pessoas em relação ao seu relacionamento com Bill; e Bill continua como um grande suspeito das atrocidades das últimas semanas, pelo menos de acordo com o xerife.

Os melhores momentos do episódio são a redenção da mãe da Tara, com aquele papo sinistro de “tenho um demônio dentro de mim”; Sookie comendo a torta da avó, e finalmente se deixando levar pela tristeza profunda – ela finalmente sente algo, além do choque; Jason se revoltando com a irmã e com Andy; e Tara e Sam juntos mais uma vez. Resta a mim esperar pra onde a série vai nos levar até aqui, já que o cliffhanger desse episódio pode mudar absolutamente tudo em True Blood.

5/5

Bisognosa di qualcosa da leggere, e incuriosita dall’omonima serie tv ora in onda negli Usa, ieri mi sono comprata i primi due volumi de “I diari del vampiro“.

Qualche pagina e subito mi rendo conto che l’unica similitudine con il telefilm sono i nomi, ne passa qualche altra e un pensiero mi si affaccia alla mente: “Certo che è la copia sputata di Twilight!”.

Stefan arriva tutto ben vestito, occhiali da sole, s0litario, in porsche. Edward: stessa cosa, cambia solo la marca della macchina, una Volvo.

Segreteria, lui ammalia la segretaria, lei lo vede. Scena identica.

Lei lo vuole, lui la fissa ma la ignora. Si scopre poi che è perdutamente innamorato di lei e proprio per questo non le si può avvicinare. Tutto un po’ troppo.. simile, per essere gentili. E per ora sono solo a metà libro.

Accendo internet e mi informo sulla diatriba: fan di “Twilight” che si accaniscono contro la serie della CW, cose da caccia alle streghe. Approfondisco un po’ la mia ricerca e cosa ne salta fuori? Ebbene, il primo volume de “Il diario del vampiro“, di  Lisa Jane Smith è uscito nel lontano 1991. “Twilight“? Nel 2005.

Sinceramente mi risulta difficile credere che la Meyer, come ha affermato più e più volte, non abbia mai letto nemmeno una pagina di questa serie.. le similarità sono troppo evidenti per essere frutto di una coincidenza.

Se poi ci mettiamo in mezzo anche le piccole “coincidenze” che ci sono anche con “True Blood” (datato 2001)… diciamo che la sua credibilità tende a vacillare non poco..

VIEW VIDEO…

Yeasayer always seems to trump every band, especially when it comes to innovative music videos. From the Corn-starched covered trinity to the Adam and Eve-esque locals to an all seeing metalic god. The strange list of imagery goes on and on. The only way you’ll understand…or not ever understand is to watch the “Ambling Alp” video.

The Odd Blood album comes out in 2010.

Via Pitchfork.tv

L’Homme éprouve, par nature, un certain plaisir à entretenir la peur, SA peur. Bien que nul n’éprouve le désir d’être confronté à une situation perturbante, tragique ou horrifique, plusieurs apprécient la culture du mystère et de l’épouvante. C’est ainsi que, généralement à la nuit tombée, les craquements anodins deviennent sinistres et prennent la forme de voleurs téméraires, d’animaux sauvages ou de monstres sanguinaires. Les histoires, contes et légendes abondent et l’esprit humain, aussi malléable que l’argile, donne vie à l’impossible en entretenant l’improbable et l’impossible en toute connaissance de cause. Créatures des marais, esprits frappeurs, extra-terrestres et loups-garous sont donc les vedettes de fantastiques tragédies et sont ensuite amenées au petit écran par les adeptes de l’horreur et de la science-fiction. Certaines bêtes sont toutefois, bien que rarement et pour des raisons obscures (et/ou commerciales), dédiabolisées.  C’est le cas du vampire qui, comme vous avez probablement pu le constater, a récemment développé des caractéristiques elfiques.

"Évolution"

Bien que le célèbre film Entretien avec un vampire, basé sur l’œuvre de la désaxée notoire Anne Rice, fut un précurseur de la sexualisation vampirique (blâmons Brad Pitt), ce n’est qu’aujourd’hui que nous « profitons » pleinement du phénomène tandis que la jeune femme contemporaine jette son dévolu sur les froids seigneurs de la nuit. Le sombre prédateur aux crocs acérés et à la mine acerbe se voit ainsi affublé du rôle de mâle dominant, bourreau des cœurs et réchauffeur du lit de ces dames. Crions ensemble à la nécrophilie! Mais que s’est-il donc passé entre le Dracula de Christopher Lee et le Edward Cullen de celui qui n’a point fait de vagues dans le rôle de Cedric Diggory?

Véhicule récapitulatif

Utilisant le cinéma comme véhicule récapitulatif, ce médium étant le principal responsable de l’évolution (ou de la dégradation, selon le cas) des classiques de l’horreur, je remonterai donc jusqu’en 1922 avec le film culte Nosferatu. Que l’on ait écouté ou non cet antique long-métrage, l’image du Comte Graf Orlock est devenue légendaire en dépeignant le mort-vivant comme étant répugnant, très théâtral dans sa démarche en agitant ses longs doigts crochus tandis que son visage blême et hideux était encadré d’oreilles pointues et surmonté d’un crâne lisse. Une telle image ne laisse certes aucun doute quant à la nature diabolique de cet être d’outre-tombe et n’a probablement suscité que peu de gémissements de plaisir en dehors des asiles. Ce n’est qu’un peu plus tard, en 1931, que fut popularisée l’image stéréotypée du vampire populaire aux vêtements classiques et à la cape noire doublée de rouge vif à travers le film Dracula, ce personnage prenant le visage de l’acteur Bela Lugosi, figure emblématique de l’horreur, puis de Christopher Lee en 1958. Bon nombre d’acteurs ont certes partagé le costume traditionnel du vampire dont le Comte Dracula est l’émissaire le plus connu mais ces acteurs furent, à mon humble avis, particulièrement marquants.

Mordicus

Encore aujourd’hui subsiste la tradition et, bien que l’emballage puisse changer, le produit demeure le même puisque que le Dracula contemporain est un monstre ignoble sous le couvert d’un gentilhomme. Démarche artistique oblige, d’autres auteurs ont bien sûr amené des visions différemment cauchemardesques des buveurs d’hémoglobine et plusieurs ont tenté de donner un nouveau souffle au monstre qui demeura presque inchangé pendant des décennies. Que ce soit dans les films, les romans, les bandes dessinées ou les jeux de rôle, la définition du terme « vampire » muta et, à l’instar de la courbe évolutive de l’être humain, s’élargit et se sépara en un nombre impressionnant d’interprétations, de variable et de possibilités. Des entités entièrement monstrueuses aux jeunes rebelles violents en passant par les pseudo-zombies et la strige en tentant de ne pas penser à Buffy, le vampire laissa derrière lui les autres rejetons de l’horreur pour se dévoiler au grand jour et devenir un sex-symbol.

En y repensant bien, il y a plusieurs années que le vice s’installe mais rien n’aurait pu me préparer à une caricature de cette ampleur. Tel que mentionné précédemment, Entretien avec un vampire a abordé le sujet d’un point de vue plus « humain » et nous a offert une belle brochette d’acteurs à en faire saliver les jeunes dames. Le statut des dits acteurs transcendait toutefois l’image globale de l’homme aux canines proéminentes mais le concept général du cannibale immortel était tout de même attendri. On vit ensuite apparaître bon nombre de chasseurs de vampires, puis des vampires qui marchent le jour, des vampires qui ne s’enfoncent pas dans la neige et des vampires de l’espace mais le summum de l’originalité revient sans doute au vampire qui brille le jour.

Vampire découragé

On opte donc, aujourd’hui, pour des vampires sentimentaux victimes d’une tristesse infinie n’ayant d’égale que la lassitude que leur procure l’immortalité dont ils sont affublés tandis qu’ils tentent affectueusement de faire fi de leur sombre nature afin de réchauffer leur défunte carcasse grâce à l’amour et la tendresse des vivants sans songer aux conséquences émotivement éprouvantes et dignes d’un toupet en plein visage du flétrissement inévitable de l’élu(e) de leur cœur qui, par souci de la subsistance d’une humanité qui leur est chère mais dont les autres porteurs n’en sont que moins excitants, refuseront invariablement de s’abandonner au péché mortel de l’éternel tourment et se contenteront de nourrir les flammes affamées d’une relation torride mais houleuse à travers laquelle surviendront mille dangers que nul(le) ne saurait tolérer au nom de l’amour. Que l’on m’enfonce un pieu aiguisé dans le cœur et que l’on m’expose à la lumière du soleil!

Loin de moi l’idée de dénigrer la déchéance actuelle de la culture vampirique ni même de blâmer les jeunes dames de ce monde qui, alors qu’elles dénigraient les vibrateurs en métal hier, voudrait s’accoupler avec un vampire demain mais je crois que l’aura d’effroi qui entourait le fétichiste du cou est désormais souillée par la marque indélébile de la romance adolescente et la superficialité. Bien que la célèbre série télévisée américaine True Blood démontre une approche plus mature du sujet (quelle excellente série), c’est la saga Twilight qui engendre le suicide imminent des gothiques de ce monde. Qui plus est, bien que le statut de Frankenstein ne soit pas en jeu, le loup-garou suit de près le Jesse James de la banque de sang et, si la tendance se maintient, je soupçonne que nous aurons bientôt droit à des scènes homo-érotiques de sexe interracial entre ces deux icônes maudites et c’est ce jour là que le calendrier maya a prédit.

Last night I got to 44,094 words in the NaNoWriMo novel, Vampire City. I am on target to make the total of 50,000 words by Saturday. After I had finished I watched the latest episode of True Blood and the fourth episode of The Singing Detective on DVD. I haven’t had much to write about on here recently because pretty much all I’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks is write, watch TV and go to work.

It was another very quiet and fairly uneventful day at work. I am looking forward to the weekend.

I do find it a lot easier to write about what I really think and feel about things when I’m writing fiction, because I tend to censor myself a lot on here, often without even realising I’m doing it. I do think it would be good to be a more open and stuff on-line, so people could get to know me a little better should they want to, but it’s not really something that comes naturally to me.

En realidad este post corresponde a la autoría de mi amiga Opheliainmortal ( quien también es parte del equipo de TVC) ….y a pedido de algunas de nuestras amigas del blog disfruten la vista

I took Thing 1, Thing 2, and the Monkey King (which must always be capitalized because, well, he is the king!) to see New Moon.  We went to the 1o am showing so the theater was relatively empty (which I love).

So, $50 later, we’re sitting in this mostly empty theater waiting for the movie to start and I’m pulling the bag of Halloween candy dregs from my purse (you know, the gummy bears, Starbursts, Laffy Taffy and such that only is eaten, if at all, once all the good candy, i.e. chocolate,  is gone).  Hey, I bought everyone a drink, 3 slushies and a diet cola were $20.50.  I have to work for my money.  I can’t afford to buy snacks too.

Bella is just an awful person.   Really.  She gets dumped, devastatingly.  Jacob rescues her repeatedly and the second she believes that Edward might be around again, she dumps Jacob without hesitation.  Leading the poor boy on just because she’s lonely.

And Robert Pattinson is an awful actor.  I thought so when I saw him in that one Harry Potter (and the Goblet of Fire) but he was much younger so I assumed it was youth.  He has not improved.  I realize that vampires are technically dead, but there is a difference between vampire and corpse.  Pattinson’s performance leans too heavily towards corpse.  And he is not aging well.  You know how there are some people who are really attractive as kids or teens and then once they hit adulthood they hit the wall?  You know, Leonardo DiCaprio syndrome.

Thing 1 was drooling over Taylor Lautner.  My husband asks “is that the one who constantly looks like he was asked a difficult question?”  I don’t think he looks confused just by hard questions, I suspect he looks that way regardless of the question’s difficulty.

I wonder what the underlying message of all these vampire movies is.  Vampire men are older and wiser and deep and in touch with their emotions.  In fact, they are so wise that they decide that their soul mates are teenaged girls?  Look, I was once a teenaged girl not too long ago but I can’t stand to be around them that long.  Too much whining, too many hormones, it’s exhausting.  I mean, I get it, after however many years (depending on the story the vampire may be dozens or hundreds of years old) on earth a seemingly normal girl is so arresting that the vampire finds nothing else more important than her.  He never felt that way about anyone else.  That is so romantic.  For anyone to tell you that you are the most important or special thing is amazing, but for someone that has lived more than one human lifetime to do so is just so much more.  But then, what kind of men are these really that in all that time they have only matured to the level of teenaged girl? That’s actually icky when you consider it; really, really icky.   Like, felony charges icky. As though pedophilia is ok as long as the adult looks young.

Anyway, crap acting and selfish leading lady aside, the movie was light and relatively easy to watch.  The Monkey King really liked seeing the guys turn into werewolves.  I liked that too.  And seriously, I don’t understand picking Edward over Jacob.  It’s no contest.  The guy that picks up all your messy pieces and puts you back together is always their for you or the flake that blows you off and leaves you. It’s not difficult.  Here, I’ll just say it, “pick the guy who sticks with you”!!!!!!

I have to say, I never saw Twilight, and I haven’t read any of the books.  I love to read and had intended to read the series, but now I’m thinking that I wouldn’t enjoy them very much.  I like the Vampire Diaries show, but I’m pretty sure I couldn’t read those books either. Another series with a whiny, fickle lead.

Actually, the best thing about Vampire Diaries is the hilarious low budget and the way High Def is really working against the actors who are supposed to be teens! Ian Sommerholder as a 19 year old is just so laughable.  That must’ve been a rough 19 years! 6 years ago, it might’ve worked but high def shows every line.  Ian, ask them to use vaseline on the lens.  And the way that they only had one teacher (until Ian ate him) for every situation.  Now they have a different single teacher who acts as teacher, counselor, principal, janitor (not really janitor).  My husband falls asleep during that show almost every time.

Speaking of vampire books series/tv shows or movies, I love True Blood.  I normally am not into soft core porn.  But the story is interesting enough for me to get part it.  Tara’s an annoying character. I think my husband likes it because he gets to see Anna Paquin’s boobs.

You know, my biggest problem with all these shows is the lack of truly attract vampires.  Out of Vampire Diaries, Twilight, and True Blood, there’s not a single hot vampire. Totally disappointing.  Brad Pitt (in Interview with a Vampire) was/is a hot guy but looked ridiculous as a vampire.  And Tom Cruise in that movie was truly ucky. Can someone hire Johnny Depp to be a vampire?  That would work.

Vía ROBs, esta publicación alemana que hace un repaso por los vampiros más famosos de la actualidad…

Se juntan dos “vampiros” en San Juan y se exponen al sol caribeño para rodar la cinta de suspenso The Caller.

Rachelle Lefevre, la diabólica vampireza “Victoria” de la saga de Twilight , es la protagonista de esta producción de Hollywood junto con el vampiro de la serie True Blood de HBO, Stephen Moyer.

La estadía de Lefevre coincide con la fiebre que ha desatado la segunda parte de Twilight, New Moon, donde también actúa.

Según supo Primera Hora, Lefevre sustituyó a la actriz Brittany Murphy, quien, al no llegar a un acuerdo con la producción de la película, rechazó el papel. El pasado jueves el elenco de la película y el equipo técnico se reunió en un hotel de la capital para afinar el inicio de la filmación. Ese día también se dio la primera lectura del guión de la cinta, dirigida por Matthew Parkhill. Al día siguiente, comenzó oficiThe Caller abona al movimiento cinematográfico que se ha dado últimamente en la Isla. Se espera que la filmación se extienda por aproximadamente un mes. El guión del filme corresponde a Sergio Casci.

En The Caller, Rachelle Lefevre es “Mary Kee”, una joven que comienza a recibir llamadas misteriosas en un viejo teléfono que encuentra en su recién decorado apartamento.

Ésta no tarda en sentir que donde vive está embrujado y no esperaba que esas llamadas la conectasen con alguien del pasado, a quien tendría que eliminar si quiere seguir viviviendo. Lo interesante es que la historia se desarrolla en San Juan.

Esta producción cinematográfica le da paso a talento del patio como Cordelia González (en un rol de una jueza), “Sunshine” Logroño, Lydia Echevarría y Gladys Rodríguez, quien encarna a “Concheta”, la madre de “John Guidi”, interpretado por Moyer.almente la filmación de la película en San Juan.

Fuente: Primera Hora ( Puerto Rico)

By Karen

I was sort of railroaded into seeing New Moon last week (don’t ask). I know I’m spitting in the face of the film’s rampaging success, but as a vampire aficionado, I hated almost every minute of it.

At least Mathew DeKinder of the St. Louis Suburban Journals is in my corner.

First, I don’t understand why author Stephanie Meyer gave nocturnal titles to any of her 4 Twilight saga books. She could have called the series High Noon. By ignoring or failing to research vampire legend, her vampires are basically ordinary folk with pale skin and red eyes — more albino than bloodsucker. They don’t drink human blood. In daylight, they sparkle like jewels. Sunlight doesn’t even sting.

Nighttime, coffins, native earth, crosses, mirrors, stakes, running water. Forget ‘em. These pathetic excuses for vamps probably order extra garlic on their Domino’s pizza.

I know, I know. I need to read the books to see why vampire Edward Cullen is so mesmerizing. But I never read the books because I suspected no good could come from a Mormon writer playing with the undead, and New Moon proves me right. She’s steered a whole generation wrong on vampires.

The audience consisted mostly of teen girls. God help them if they identify with boring Bella Swan. Bella loves the vacant Edward, while a werewolf named Jacob loves her, and we waste the better part of 2 hours watching the 3 of them stare deeply into each other’s shallow eyes.

In Twilight world, the ultimate sin a vampire can commit is to go shirtless and let people see him sparkle.

Werewolves don’t fare much better. A full moon doesn’t trigger their transformation. Just annoy them and they turn furry. As humans, they wear nothing but shorts year-round in the Northwest. Shorts that seem to miraculously disappear and reappear. I wondered if they represented the ubiquitous underwear Mitt Romney refuses to talk about.

The film never explains why Bella loves Edward, but much of her screen time is spent is moping around after he disappears “forever” to protect her — from what? Another vampire sparkling at her?

Except for a few moments of spectacular werewolf special effects, New Moon is sheer tedium, the brief appearance of Michael Sheen (Tony Blair in The Queen, David Frost in Frost/Nixon) as ancient vampire Aro notwithstanding. Why, Michael, why?

Dracula, Nosferatu, Lestat, and Eric from True Blood must be curling in their coffins to think the torch has been passed to a droopy drip like Edward Cullen.

I’m counting on Johnny Depp to restore vampires to their former gory glory in 2010 when he plays Barnabas Collins in the remake of Dark Shadows.

‘Crepúsculo’ lidera indicações ao People’s Choice Awards

Robert Pattinson e Kristen Stewart disputam troféus de melhor ator e atriz.
Cerimônia de entrega do prêmio está marcada para dia 6 de janeiro.

10/11/09 – 20h25 – Atualizado em 10/11/09 – 20h25

Os protagonistas da série “Crepúsculo” foram indicados ao prêmio (Foto: AP)

O filme “Crepúsculo” brilhou entre os indicados ao People’s Choice Awards, anunciados nesta terça-feira (10). Os três protagonistas da produção, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart e Taylor Lautner concorrem a troféus da premiação, que homenageia os astros favoritos do cinema, da TV e da música.

A série de filmes “Crepúsculo”, que lança este mês seu segundo longa, “Lua nova”, também foi indicada na categoria melhor franquia, entre suas sete indicações.

O prêmio, que resulta do voto do público, será entregue no dia 6 de janeiro, no início da temporada de premiações de Hollywood.

Pattinson, que interpretar o vampiro Edward Cullen na série “Crepúsculo”, foi indicado a melhor ator de cinema, enquanto Stewart vai disputar a estatueta de melhor atriz de cinema. Lautner, que tem 17 anos, concorre na categoria melhor ator revelação.

No último ano, o People’s Choice Awards divulgou a lista de indicados 11 dias antes do lançamento de “Crepúsculo”. O filme acabou conquistando uma bilheteria de US$ 384 milhões no mundo inteiro, tornando-se um dos maiores fenômenos de 2008.

Desta vez, “Crepúsculo” vai disputar o prêmio de melhor franquia com “Harry Potter”, “Star Trek”, “Transformers” e “X-Men”.

Música

Nas categorias musicais, a cantora Britney Spears recebeu indicações a melhor artista pop e melhor cantora, competindo com Taylor Swift, recordista de vendas de 2008.

Sandra Bullock, que estrelou a comédia romântica “A proposta” depois de dois anos fora das telas, foi indicada ao prêmio de melhor atriz de cinema.

Programas de TV sobre vampiros, como “True blood” e “The vampire diaries”, também se deram bem entre os indicados, concorrendo com atrações veteranas, como “CSI” e “House”, e adolescentes, como “The hills” e “Gossip Girl”.

Os vencedores do People’s Choice Award serão escolhidos pelo público por meio do voto na internet. A votação termina dia 8 de dezembro.

http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Cinema/0,,MUL1374007-7086,00-CREPUSCULO+LIDERA+INDICACOES+AO+PEOPLES+CHOICE+AWARDS.html

“More than our heroes or pundits, our Draculas tell us who we were.” Nina Auerbach, Our Vampires, Ourselves, p. 112

If our vampires indeed tell us a great deal about who we are, and I think they do, what is the current vampire craze telling us about ourselves and our culture? From Twilight to True Blood to Vampire Diaries, as well as to the forthcoming films Daybreakers and Transylmania, vampires (and the people who love them) are everywhere.

Some of our fascinations are obvious. Many date back to before Count Dracula: the vampire as symbol of immortality, otherness, power, horror, sexuality, and the forbidden.

The vampire is ultimately more like us than other monsters – more human and thus more enmeshed with our own fantasies and fears about the human condition.

Contemporary vampires reveal our enduring fascination with romance, sexuality, and desire. Yet, our feelings about these arenas have changed with certain cracks in the fissures of monogamous heteronormativity. Even Twilight, the most chaste of the works mentioned above, toys with the idea that we can (and should) love more than one person (and love sex). This suggestion seems rather radical for one written by a Mormon and even more so when we acknowledge that it is the female character who is the central desiring subject – it is her wants that shape the narrative. In a flip of real world polygamy practiced by some branches of Mormonism, Bella, the female protagonist, desires multiple partners. The imprinting strand of the narrative (as well as the chaste Edward) reverses this subversive idea though – safely re-assuring the ‘normal’ one woman/one man paradigm.

True Blood more radically toys with the idea of non-monogamous, non-heterosexual desire. Yet, it too places a female as the key desiring subject. Like Twilight, it also chips away at various gendered norms – suggesting that Buffy was not an anomaly but that women too are strong, smart, desiring heroes. Each of these vampire tales also trouble masculine norms – breaking open the macho gender box to reveal that men have feelings, fears, vulnerabilities, and insecurities.

And, while the beauty imperative forced on women’s shoulders is not deconstructed in these contemporary vampire texts, the male gaze is at least partially undercut. The female gaze is acknowledged with male vampires serving as quasi-dream men, their bodies as closely surveyed and as on display as has been the norm for female bodies for centuries. While equal opportunity objectification is not the goal, the recognition and acceptance of female visual/aesthetic pleasure makes a nice change.

Further, visual pleasure is queered to a certain extent in some modern stories of the undead. Though there are no openly gay characters in Twilight, True Blood’s inclusion of non-heteronormative characters as well as its allusions to vampires as a minority that share oppressions with homosexuals revives the queer roots of vampire lore. Carmilla and Count Dracula were not hyper-monogamous heterosexuals like the Cullens – rather, they revealed that desire is not gendered – we only make it so.

Modern vampires also tell us a great deal about our love/hate relationship with wealth, capitalism, imperialism, and religion. They thwart power at the same time as they wield and desire it. Twilight’s vampires live an opulent life complete with mansions, fast cars, and designer clothes. Most of the vampires in True Blood and The Vampire Diaries are not short on wealth either. The fantasy life where money is no object is certainly appealing during these unstable economic times. Yet, these texts ultimate explorations of the haves and have-nots, of us/them, of self/other also suggest that such hierarchical dichotomies mean there will always be an uncomfortable outside. Being working class is no fun in the vampire world, nor is the lack of white privilege. While on the one hand these narratives render privilege very desirable, on the other hand, they reveal that privileged classes (vampires) disempower and oppress other groups – literally sucking the life blood out of those who don’t have such privilege.

Another area of contemporary concern these texts tap into is pandemics and the fear that surrounds the idea of infection. While vampire stories of the 80s and 90s often more obviously referenced AIDS, our current vampire tales tread more lightly through their exploration of illness and dis-ease.  More often they explore addiction, hinting that a culture based on consumption (whether the human consumption of products or the vampire consumption of blood) leads to a life of imprisonment – a life of being beholden to what one is addicted to consuming. Though Twilight romanticizes Edward’s addiction to Bella’s blood, we can also read this addiction as harmful – not only to the characters themselves, but to the fans who become Twilight zombies, lurching towards the next Edward/Jacob fix. In True Blood, the exploration of drug dependency takes on a more complex form, revealing the links between addiction, dehumanization, dependency, and violence. The Vampire Diaries explores addiction as well. Like the other texts though, it shows being addicted to love (while dangerous) is ultimately ok. As such, all of these texts ultimately reinforce the idea that as long as you find your true (vampire) love, all will be well in the end. True Blood most radically troubles this fairy tale meme, but even it suggests that Sookie needs her Bill.

The real life spin off of this focus on the happily ever after of the white, heterosexual, monogamous couple spills into the real world via the ongoing fascination over allegations that Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are really lovers. And, in a fictional spill into reality, Anna Paquin (Sookie) and Stephen Moyer (Bill) are engaged.

Thus, while our current vampire fascination reveals we are more open to non-normative notions of sexuality, desire, gender, visual pleasure and privilege, it also confirms we are still hopelessly devoted to romantic, sexual love. Is this the irreducible difference that scholars have explored so long – that all of us, at our core, really just want ‘the one’? I think not. Rather, the obsessive focus on true love as what brings us ultimate happiness constructs us as beings who are addicted to love – and, to a notion of love that is utterly impossible – one that is eternal, immortal, and sparkly.

Why love, though? Why create a world of people seeking their Edward/Bill/Eric/Jacob/Stefan or Sookie/Bella/Elena? Well, love is rather safe when you think about it – encouraging the masses to desire desire will keep the wheels running as they are – if the masses were instead encouraged to desire social change, wealth equality, racial equality, sexual equality, etc, well, the world would have to change quite a bit. Keep ‘em in love with love and you’ve got a captive audience of consumers who will buy your stories, your products, your fictions so that you can keep on keepin’ on with your global militaristic imperialism. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer at the end of this post, but methinks we need some politicized vampires to balance out all those hot, hard, muscular ones…