True Blood Season 3 Mini-episodes

Yes, yes it is time (almost) once again for another awesome summer filled with True Blood. It's the smut/funny/over-the-top/ridiculous fun I crave and it's my summer obsession.

Here is a little mini-ep featuring Eric (Hallaloojah's) and Pam auditioning dancers for their club, Fangtasia. They all suck badly, but the last one is special. Can't wait to see where this goes. Oh and Skarsgård breaks out the sexy Swedish.

Is it June 13th yet?

'True Blood' Season 3: Back in Production

Welp...it's back in production! My favorite thing to do in the summer (True Blood recaps) is just months away! I can't wait!

'Bored to Death'

A show to watch after True Blood ends in early September? And Jason Schwartzman is cute as a button and hilarious to boot, so that helps as well. Throw in a little Galifianakis and what can I say...sign.me.up.

Jason Schwartzman plays a writer who can't write so he decides to become a P.I.

Simple, awesome, funny? I hope so, because when I don't have any more True Blood to watch and have nothing new to watch...Hulk gets mad!

True Blood "I Will Rise Up" *SPOILERS*

And for the third week in a row True Blood topped itself. There were no orgies but there was nudity, so that was nice. True Blood is my little happy treat that I get to eat once a week during the summer. Then for the rest of the week, I starve myself so I can gobble up that delicious dessert with wreckless abandon. I just love it!

This week opens right where last week ended, at Godric's mansion and the arrival of Luke (The Lukinator) with his handy bomb-vest. Bill is still outside telling Lorena to buzz off, she still isn't real happy. See?

Inside Bill finds Sookie covered with Eric; he saved her. While Bill heads out to stop the rest of the FOtS people, Eric tells Sookie that he can't heal himself on account of the silver. She has to suck the silver out of his chest. I don't find anything wrong with this, but Sookie hates Eric...she does it anyway. He has her now. Bill walks in and catches Sookie sucking the silver out of Eric and he knows the game Eric is playing. Sookie lays out one of the best lines of the episode, "You big lying A-hole!" Now he will always know what she's thinking and feeling, this is NOT good for Bill. Bill later informs Sookie that as a consequence of the blood, she may feel sexual feelings for him at some point; Eric was determined to form this bond with her.

Hoyt and Jessica are still talking about the fact that she will forever be a virgin. Hoyt says he won't leave her and that she should meet his mother. Ol' Maxine Fortenberry sure is a surly one, this can't go well for the two of them.

Tara and Eggs (he can die whenever he wants to, please) are all beat-to-shit, which is the result of the nasty Hunter's Souffle Maryann served them. They don't have a clue what is going on and Maryann starts yapping about mystic's acting ecstatic for their Gods.

This woman is one wacky-ass freak and I feel an orgy coming up in the next week or two. But she does have a bottle of vodka at the ready, so maybe she isn't all bad?

Sam is still stuck in the jail with all the other orgy nutters. Of course he's in his own cell, so there's that.

Sookie can't sleep and she goes to talk to Jason in his room. Jason apologizes for going along with the FOtS and Sookie brings up their Grandmother and says they have to do good for their family name. They both apologize to each other for everything they've ever done to each other and Sookie tells him he isn't stupid he just needs to use his brain instead of letting it take up space, he's just lazy. Then she turns on the TV and Steve and Sarah Newlin are on talking with Nan Flanagan about the bombing. Sarah provides the next best line of the evening, "I hate your hair." I really enjoy Michael McMillian as Steve.

Poor Arlene is all alone at Merlotte's and she and Terry talk. Turns out neither of them remember what happened during their blackouts. In walks Tara and Eggs and Lafayette immediately recognizes that someone has been beating down on Tara. He assumes, correctly, that it was Eggs and confronts him. He's been noticing for the past couple weeks that something ain't quite right with Eggs. They get into it and Tara and Eggs leave, while Lafayette calls everyone else 'necks...I love you Lafayette! I am SO glad they didn't kill him off like in the books.

Finally Hoyt gets a pair and stands up to his mother. He says she hates everyone and he doesn't understand why she has so much hate in her. He tells her that if she doesn't come meet Jessica he'll leave and she'll never see him again!
Honestly I was ready for Hoyt to be the killer last season, he was just such a momma's boy and I am glad he's finally coming into his own.

And then there was the scene seen around the world! Sookie dreams of Eric, or Eric makes her dream of him. I'm not quite sure. Either way it was quite a scene that lets Sookie see that Eric has emotion, at least in her dreams. She also sees Lorena in the dream and I don't know if she was really there or just something Eric was putting there to allow get her away from Bill. Either way, as he states to her, "This is the beginning." I have to say that it must have been a real difficult day of filming. Seeing Alexander Skarsgård do anything makes my day, but throwing him in naked and I'm even happier. He is a fine looking man clothed or nude.

Maryann shows up at the jail looking for Sam. But Sam has turned himself into a fly and Maryann is NOT happy, but she does release everyone.

Jessica, Hoyt and Maxine are at Merlotte's and soon enough Jessica starts annoying Maxine. She's told that Maxine won't be letting her ruin her son's future and she insults Jessica with a comment about not being able to offer her son children. Hoyt gets up and storms out with Jessica and says he won't be coming home ever. Maxine grabs the beer bottle and starts a'swiggin'.

Ut-oh, Lafayette and LettieMae show up at Sookies where Tara, Eggs and Maryann are playing cards and drinking. They want to take her away but Eggs gets all up in their faces and the black eyes come out to play. A fight breaks out and ends with Lafayette kicking Eggs' ass (thank you, Lafayette) and they steal Tara. Maryann tells Eggs to let them go because she'll come back and bring them with her.

Back at the hotel, Nan is scolding Godric about the PR mess he's created and all she has to clean up. And a little aside, what is going on behind her...
Acid-wash pants? And they're spandex? They do NOT look good. Every time they showed Nan my gaze floated over to those damn pants! And Sookie keeps looking over at Eric and Bill catches her. Godric also confesses that he went willingly to the FOtS because they would have taken one of them eventually. Really it's because he has a death wish. Nan fires him and Sookie tries to stick up for him before he apologizes for everything that he has caused. Nan tells him to just chill out, it's just a couple of signatures.

Back at Merlotte's Maxine and her friends are drinking and talking when in walks Maryann, bringing in the wind. She demands to know where Sam is and everyone's eyes turn black and they say he hasn't been there all day. She says she wants him, the God demands his sacrifice. He's over at Andy Bellefleurs hotel room, naked.

Eric confronts Godric before he goes up to the roof and on his way out Bill stops him and says they have a score to settle. Eric tells Bill now isn't the time and Bill punches him straight in the face and asks if he's made his point? Eric tells him to get out of the way.


Sookie tells Bill that she is going up to the roof to talk to Godric, she feels she owes him. Bill doesn't understand why she feels she needs to help. And then comes the most heartbreaking and beautiful scene I've seen on this show to this day. And Skarsgård broke out the beloved Swedish.





Eric pleads with Godric NOT to meet the sun and shows how incredibly wonderful an actor Alexander is. This entire episode showcased him brilliantly and allowed him to show all the miniscule facets he brings to the character of Eric. It's no secret that I adore him, but he is amazing in this role (if it's a secret I adore him, you haven't been paying attention).

Anyway, Sookie says she will stay with Godric as long as it takes for him to meet the sun. He tells her it won't take long at his age. He asks her about God and if he will be forgiven for his sins, though he doesn't think he deserves it. She says God doesn't punish and he will be forgiven. And then he meets the sun.

True Blood Comic Con 'The Buzz'

via [HBO YouTube]

Awesome Super-Trailer of 'Generation Kill' and 'Band of Brothers'

Undoubtedly two of the best mini-series ever on television, 'Generation Kill' and 'Band of Brothers' have been mashed together in this clip.

If you are unfamiliar with either mini-series, check them out. I haven't seen all of 'Band of Brothers' but 'Generation Kill' is both intense and funny in parts and really gives you an idea of what went on in Iraq during those initial days. I've posted on the awesome-ness that is 'Generation Kill' before, so go check that out if you need validation.

This clip contains scenes from both series, plus music by Massive Attack, Craig Armstrong and Sigur Rós.

True Blood "Release Me" Round-up *SPOILERS*

Hallaloojah's Hallaloojah's! Lafayette is back (at least he appears to be)! After being scared shit-less last week by Andy and then by a visit from Pam requesting him to get back to selling 'V' (it was a request from Eric), my fair Lafayette is back to being that saucy makeup-wearing, head-scarf tying, sassy bitch I've come to love! And he wears a shirt that states he is 'Bitchy' as he curls his lashes in the bathroom mirror.

This was probably the best episode so far this season. It was filled to the top with awesome; I even managed to overlook Valerie Cruz' horrible acting because I was distracted by Skarsgård...what can I say, he does that to me! So what the hell happened, you ask?

-Bill/Lorena: Lorena still won't let Bill leave the damn hotel room! What a bitch! She keeps saying she's his maker and he belongs to her. Blah, Blah, Blah! Meanwhile, he knows Sookie is in danger and begs Lorena to at least let him call Eric and have him go check on her. Lorena informs Bill that Eric is the reason she's here and that he wants his human. We also float on back to memory lane, the '30's, and see when Bill was still with Lorena. She brings him a luscious little chorus girl to suck on but he doesn't want that and he sends her away. They start arguing like 5 year olds and he begs her to release him. She eventually does as a blood-tear slides down her face.
Hey Bill? Why haven't you even worried about Jessica since at least two episodes ago? Remember she was pissed at you?

-Jessica/Hoyt: Well, fine, I'll worry about Jessica then! Hoyt showed up last week (last night in show time) and he was all sweet and shit. They start talking and end up confessing they are both virgins and Jessica says she'll be his first, just not tonight. They cuddle and the next night when she awakens he has thrown petals all over the room and lit candles (blood scented, they smell like soup to him [yuck]). So sweet! But, something bad has to happen and eventually the selfish people in the other room will remember she is there.

Eric/Texas Vamps: Eric talks with Isabel outside the Fellowship's headquarters about Godric and their humans. Eric insists he isn't interested in Sookie nor what Bill thinks of his interests. He's lying his ass off, though! Valerie Cruz has also returned with the horrid accent, so that sucks. I recommend blocking it out after the first time you watch the scene...it's easier that way, just focus on the Swede. Later on, while walking back to his hotel room with Stan and Isabel, they all start arguing about who is the inside man and Stan says something disparaging about Eric to which Eric flies off the handle and pins him to the wall. He turns away and says that if Godric dies, he'll have lost everything (and he cries [Eric cries?] some blood-tears). He also overhears Barry telling Bill/Lorena about Sookie's message and takes off like a bolt of lightning.

Sookie/Hugo: Hugo is a dumb shit! I read the books, so I knew this was coming, but seriously! What a damn dumbass! Sookie and Hugo are locked in a cage thingy in the basement and Hugo is all freaking out about being claustrophobic (you aren't in a room, it's a fenced-in area dude!) and how he has to get out. Sookie calls out to Godric and telepathically calls out to Barry to tell Bill where she is, neither man/vamp answers. Steve and Gabe come down to find out what they want to know and Hugo starts yapping about who she is and what her name is. When Steve hears 'Stackhouse' he takes off to go find Jason. He thinks he's a traitor. Hugo then starts banging and calling out and when Sookie touches him she reads that he is the traitor and she confronts him (not the smartest thing to do seeing as you are locked in a cage with this man, but she's also kind of stupid). He says that his life was ruined because of the relationship with Isabel and he basically needed salvation. Sookie says that he's dumb to think they'd just let him go. To them he is a 'Fangbanging traitor', nothing more. He should have listened to her because soon Gabe comes in and beats the shit out of him. He also starts in on Sookie and tries to rape her...but Godric comes to the rescue! This was the end of the episode but we haven't covered all the storylines, so I continue.

Maryann/Eggs/Tara/Sam/Orgy/Daphne: Last week ended with Daphne getting Sam into the woods where he was kidnapped and brought to the never-ending orgy (sing to the tune 'Neverending Story'). Andy stumbles into the clearing, he's still after that damn pig, and sees all that's going on. A shot rings out and Maryann gets distracted, which gives Sam a chance to get away. He runs off with Maryann close behind and shifts into an owl (good thing he didn't see a turle right then!). Oh and everyone in the clearing started screaming when he got away. Andy approaches Terry, who breaks Andy's arm. Can you imagine the extras call? 'We need 50 people to be stark naked'. Honestly, I'd do it if I would be guarenteed there would be a Skarsgård near by...maybe.
The next morning Tara and Eggs wake up on the couch and have no idea what happened to them. Maryann comes home covered in dirt and blood, with a dead rabbit in her hands. Ick!
Sam, meanwhile, has retrieved a gun and goes off to locate Daphne. She tells him that Maryann saved her life and gives her everything. She jumps in the lake and proceeds to tell that Maryann is a Maenad and that she is a consort of Dionysus (apparently the Devil in this world) and that she is immortal and there is no point fighting her. Later, Maryann shows up and Daphne says she has been waiting for her. Maryann thanks her for her service and out steps a black-eyed Eggs to stab her. Was this because she told Sam what she was?

Arlene/Tara/Lafayette/Bar: Tara is at work and Arlene comes in to tell her that she has to talk to her. They go into the bathroom where they encounter Lafayette applying his makeup. Tara and Lafayette have a classic coversation before Arlene tells her that she has no idea what happened the night before. She was trying to ply Terry with booze to loosen him up and then she blacked out. She thinks she took advantage of him. Later Andy comes into the bar looking for Terry. When he sees he isn't there he starts going off about how he saw all of them acting like lunatics in the woods and he'll find out what's going on. They all think he's drunk, which he is, except Sam who knows what is going on.

Jason/Sarah: It took six episodes for Jason to bang Sarah (bathtub handjob doesn't count, does it?), really Jason! This episode finds them still in the church and she says that he's shown her what love is. I love the look on his face! She wants to tell Steve, but Jason doesn't want her to since "Steve has guns" and during the lock-in they'll be locked in with Steve and all his guns! They agree to wait until after the events of the next morning. Later Jason encounters Steve and Gabe and he thinks they are after him for sleeping with Sarah, but it's really because Steve thinks he's a vampire loving infiltrator. Steve tells Gabe to take care of him and when Gabe calls Sookie a whore, Jason loses it. He takes off running and Sarah finds him sometime later, where she shoots him (it's a paintball, I saw the trailer afterwards).

What will occur next week? It's getting good!

EDIT: Here is a compilation of Eric scenes!

True Blood: Peek at the rest of Season Two!

OMGWTFBBQWii! This looks great!
What goes down?

• A voice yells "The war has begun!" as Sookie, Hugo and others (??) walk toward a blazing light in the forest.
  
• "We are prepared for Armageddon" says Steve.
• Sookie asks Bill, "What are you?"while Lorena throws Bill down on the bed.
• Eric says the bond between a vampire and his maker is stronger than Sookie can imagine. He suggests one day she might find out. Bill does not look happy!
• Maryanne comes to the jail (why is Sam in jail?) to "help" Sam out.
• Sara tells Jason that God wants them to frak.
• Steve threatens Jason about choosing "them", while Jason is so stupid he thinks he's talking about Sara.
• The Dallas vamps fly into a church (?) while someone attacks a bunch of people .
• That minotaur thing chases Sam who is asking why she is doing this to him and Daphne says it's because Maryanne can't control him.
  
• Sookie tells Lorena to, "Go find someone else, you bitch, you've lost this one" and Tara slaps Eggs.
• More black eyes among Tara and Eggs. I hate those black eyes!
• Lafayette (yay!) asks Tara if she's even in there! And Tara looks up all creepy and shit with those black eyes...again!
• Sara tells Jason that he came to prey on her and her vow to her husband.
  
• Nan says it's a, "National vampire disaster"
• Eric whispers to Sookie to trust him (...done!).
• Maryanne looks like she's in Merlottes and is asking for Sam Merlotte!
• Steve says that there, "Will be a holy bonfire at dawn!"
• Eep! Eric is chained to the pulpit with silver and Tara is being torn from a house with those black eyes and she's...hissing?
• Eggs is shrieking (with the black eyes) in the forest while Maryanne takes off the minotaur face (WTF?)
• Who is that in bed with Sookie? They have blond hair...Is it Eric? Oh let it be Eric!
• Flashback to Bill, Lorena all old timey!
• Bunch of scenes, Bill punches Eric and Steve's standing on the pulpit.
• Some old timey lady asks, "Want to join me?" Yes, yes I do, lady!
  

Movie You Should See: Generation Kill

This is all I should have to show you to get you to watch:
The final scene:


But, if you need more convincing.

The 7-part mini-series is stark, quiet, loud, funny, sad, moving, and paints a picture of the first phase of the the war in Iraq in 2003. Based on the book of the same name by Evan Wright, a reporter for The Rolling Stone, the mini-series follows U.S. Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion as they carry out the mission's as they are told to, no matter what their personal feelings are toward those missions.

As one who is not a big fan of "war" movies, I mostly rented this because Alexander Skarsgard was in it, he plays Sgt. Brad "Iceman" Colbert. But I am glad that I did because it's not the typical "war" movie. It is not all explosions and blood and guts and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. It's more somber, more quiet and more reserved. There is no music save the songs the Marine's sing, until the very last episode 'Bomb in the Garden' when the company sits down to watch a video one of them made and a Johnny Cash song, 'When the Man Comes Around', starts to play. I liked it this way, it made the show more personal and made it feel like you were there with them, instead of watching a mini-series full of actors who were in Africa.

Here are a few clips:
If you are squeamish about language, skip through most of this, though I hope you watch because it shows some of the great humor used to break up what they were going through.

One of the many stupid speeches given to the Marines:




And a best of the action parts:

The Return of Summer Television

Tonight marks the beginning (at least for me) of the summer television season with the return of Burn Notice on USA. In accordance I am going to point out some shows you should watch this summer. I'll add some more later as their dates come closer.

Burn Notice Thursday 9pm USA
Michael Westen is a spy...or he was a spy before he got burned. What does being burned mean? Well, you lose your job, your assets, your identification...everything. According to your former employers, you no longer exist. This is the situation Michael Westen finds himself in at the beginning of season 1 when he wakes up in Miami with his ex, Fiona, telling him he is back in Miami. He meets up with his good friend Sam and together with Fiona they go around helping others in Miami with situations that the police won't or can't help with.

Jeffrey Donovan is great as Michael and brings a certain manliness, charm and humor to the character (plus, he's cute as a button...damn Irish blood). Bruce Campbell plays Sam Axe and he's, well, Bruce Campbell-great! Sharon Gless is hilarious as Michael's chain-smoking mother, Madeline.



BONUS: Royal Pains Thursday 10pm USA
I am including this because it is a new series premiering tonight after Burn Notice. I don't know much about it, but it appears to be about an ER doctor who moves to the Hamptons after he is blamed for the death of a patient. He then becomes a doctor for the rich &/or famous before being asked by a local doctor to help the less fortunate.

I'm not big on doctor shows but I do like Mark Feuerstein, who plays the main character, Hank Lawson and Paolo Costanzo.



True Blood June 14th (Sunday) HBO
Ahhh...True Blood. There is nothing quite like this show on TV right now. It combines a delicious blend of sex, violence, cheese, sex, story, sex, vampires and...sex. This is like the adult, grown-up version of Twilight (meaning that even in it's cheesiest moments, it's awesome). I couldn't quite get into Charlaine Harris' novels, even though I wanted to, I just don't like her writing.

True Blood is about Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) who moves back to her home town of Bon Temps, Louisiana and works at a bar, Merlott's, as a waitress. Her boss has a mean crush on her (and a shady/weird past/secret)and he doesn't make it a secret. In this universe vampires have come "out of the coffin", so to speak, and there is a product called True Blood which is a synthetic blood. She meets a man, Bill Compton, in the bar and he turns out to be a vampire. And he appears to have fallen for her.

The main focus for the first season revolves around Sookie's life and some strange and brutal murders around town. Seriously, a great and fun show. And Sam Trammell is mmmm-mmmm good.

Sorry about the mono-sound. Don't know why, but they uploaded it that way.


Hope you watch and enjoy these three shows and stay tuned for more in the coming weeks!