What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man…
Oh yes, he is!
“He’s not a fake wannabe tryin’ to be a pimp
He dresses like a dapper don, but even in jeans
He’s a God-sent original, the man of my dreams”
Boy, Salt ‘N’ Pepa and En Vogue really were onto something, weren’t they? Then again, this song was penned in the mid-’90s, which is right about the same time I was totally geeking out lusting after men of the U.K. Actors, more specifically.
And I had a major flashback this weekend – via some British/Scottish-specific beefcake viewing – that reminded me that they are, indeed, God-sent originals.
"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. Or bends with the remover to remove. Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken. Willoughby. Willoughby. Willoughby."
Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello interviewed the “True Blood” cast at Comic-Con last week – including the intriguingly delicious threesome of Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and Alexander Skarsgard. (That’s Sookie, Bill and Eric to you and me.)
While obviously they can’t reveal the direction in which their storylines are heading this season, I thought it was interesting that Eric – oops, I mean Alexander – questioned what fun it would be if the show simply followed the Charlaine Harris books verbatim.
And I absolutely was shocked when Bill (aka Stephen) pointed out that the books’ fans will only ever comprise about 5 percent of the “True Blood” viewership. Which made me wonder… why don’t allfans of the show read the books? That’s exactly how I got into the show: I watched the first season and loved it so much I had to know what was going to happen next! And for those of you who haven’t read the books, I strongly encourage you to do so… because you won’t believe what’s going to happen!
You can watch additional interviews with Michelle Forbes (Maryann) and Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica), creator Alan Ball, and Sam Trammell (Sam), Rutina Wesley (Tara) and Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette) right here.
News about the upcoming, highly anticipated second season of “True Blood” is coming fast and furious these days.
The most intriguing of which is that Evan Rachel Wood has been cast to play the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq. Now, although I’ve been reading all of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse books, I haven’t yet reached the one that prominently features Sophie-Anne (that would be “All Together Dead”; I’m midway through “Definitely Dead” at the moment), so I’m not up on my Sophie stats. But here’s what both Entertainment Weekly and Just Jared say about her:
*She’s 500 years old;
*She’s from France;
*She is charming, wily, ruthless and wise;
*She’s extremely diplomatic;
*She’s got friends in high places.
Evan, you may recall, recently played Mickey Rourke’s lesbian daughter in “The Wrestler” (which, it just so happens, was released on DVD this week; I love, love, love this movie! And not just because it was filmed in my home state of New Jersey – though that helps). You may also recall that Evan, who is just 21, had a relationship with goth shock rocker Marilyn Manson. While watching the SAG Awards back in January, I was shocked to realize how much Evan resembles Marilyn’s ex-wife, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese. Take a look and tell me you don’t see it, too:
Is it real or is it Memorex? Dita, on left, and Evan.
Anyway, my point is that Marilyn likes a specific look. Oh, and Just Jared reports that he and Evan are back together again.
So I have to confess something up front: I’m a total “True Blood” fiend.
Michael Emerson and his wife: If you're a "True Blood" fan, you know who she is.
I haven’t missed a single “True Blood” episode and have watched many of them more than once (“Mine” and “Sparks Fly Out” are two of my favorites). I’m plowing my way through Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series of books; I just started the fourth book in the series, “Dead to the World,” and can’t wait to see how the TV series brings it to life (so to speak).
I’m also a loyal “Lost” follower, although I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m literally lost more often than not watching that show. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that there’s a connection between my two favorite shows.
Michael Emerson, who plays “Lost’s” delicious villain Benjamin Linus, is married to Carrie Preston, who plays “True Blood’s” red-headed barmaid Arlene. Except Carrie Preston isn’t a redhead at all – she’s a blonde. And, as you can see from the photo above, she looks completely different than she does on the show. Turns out Carrie was featured in an episode of “Lost” – she played Ben’s mother. Pretty funny… Anyway, there’s an informative interview with Carrie, who dishes on the upcoming second “True Blood” season, right here.
I wonder if any vampires will show up on “Lost’s” island. Why not? There’s a smoke monster!
Ava Gacser is a freelance writer in Central New Jersey. She is a former television columnist and features writer for several Gannett-owned daily newspapers in New Jersey.
Ava is an avid couch potato with a special affinity for reality TV, and she can't believe how many shows feature New Jersey residents!
She was a member of the Television Critics Association from 2005 to 2010.
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