What About Eric?! -- Still Sexy in a Dress.

Well, as always with True Blood we start off with the other end of the cliffhanger from last week. "Frenzy" started pretty much how I suspected, with Sophie Anne feeding from a human.

Sophie Anne was interesting. She's a lot more colorful than she was in the books. There, she was sort of demure and dressed too old for the age she looked. Although she did enjoy the company of women, there was no real mention of the virtual harem she had at her compound.

I found it interesting that she used the phrase, "That's random," one which even my parents don't use. I guess Sophie Anne's a "hip" vampire?

But what I found most curious was the absence of Andre. I actually said it in my head like this, "What happened to Andre? Where's Andre?" *Tim Gunn Voice*

But seriously folks, no. I really hope that they keep Andre in the show. There are some of the best scenes later in the novels that directly or indirectly relate to him. The main thing is, he's never supposed to leave the Queen's side. The same goes for the Berts, but they're not quite as important until later.

What we find out from Sophie Anne is that Maryann was human and can be killed in a certain way. In the novels, they don't kill Maryann, she leaves voluntarily. The only reason I can see for killing her off is they want any possible return of the Maenad to be crushed. Why is that? Boring? Who said that? Oh, yes. Me. And a million other fans of the show.

Meanwhile back in Bon Temps, Tara wants to rescue Eggs, like an idiot. But the main problem I have with this situation is what Tara says to Sookie. She says, "How many times have you put yourself in danger for the man you love?" Well, realistically, some, but not the big one. Not the one that she'll feel the worst about when the truth comes out. Not yet. I'm beginning to think that they have no intention of following one of the biggest plot points of the books. Every chance they get to paint Bill in a positive light, as a victim, they take it. And I can only say, "It didn't happen like that."

Sam reveals he's a shifter to Jason and Andy, an increasingly strange and entertaining pair, btw. I have to say, I really love the stupid Jason lines. The best one this episode: "This is Armageddon. This is a book. This is The Oral History of the Zombie War." That's a fictitious book about zombies. A parody. That was priceless. Also, "That's in The Bible or The Constitution." I really love dumb Jason.

And Lafayette's having sex dreams about Eric as well. Although he doesn't enjoy them nearly as much as Sookie. "Somebody needs to slap that bitch." "I already have." was nice. I like how Sookie shares blood bonding stories with Lafayette like she's sharing complaints about frequent runs in each other's stockings.

Can I just say something about Lafayette's flashback things? I know they are not supposed to be funny, but I can not stop laughing until I cry when I see one. Andy Bellefleur was super weird, but it was hilarious. I'll tell you why. Alexander Skarsgard is a crazy good actor, so it's not just him in a dress, it's him acting like Lettie Mae. And I kind of love it. And I won't feel bad for laughing when Laffy is cowering in the corner.

And I also completely thought Alex was joking when he said he wanted to wear a dress on the show at Comic-Con (clip here). The saddest part about that scene? He was still sexy. I still say that that man is unfair to the entire male population -- and, strange and sudden revelation -- to the man who tries on Sookie's Fangtasia dress. I'd expect not being able to pull that one off is especially heartbreaking. Alexander Skarsgard: He's too dreamy.

Jason using the term "lady dog" amused me. He would think about that. Oh, Jason. You perv. The idea of Sam laying eggs and eating them was kind of strange as well. I found myself yelling at the screen, "He's not a lady chicken, Jason!" Not that he heard me.

When Sookie tells Lafayette she's going to do something, I fully expected some more weird telepathic glowey magic stuff. No, it was just a statue.

I'm a fan of whenever someone suggests that they go see Eric. There are actual cheers over here. Sam takes advice from Coby and Lisa, obviously not thinking too clearly lately. Missed that one himself. At Fangtasia, we have the very awesome Closed sign, "Sorry We're Dead."

Tara breaks away, thanks to bitchy Lettie Mae, and gets black-eyed again. Shocker. And she also summoned Maryann with her fake demon. Lovely. Best thing about this scene? Maryann's angry gerbil noise!

Sookie and Lafayette are storming the castle, so to speak, and all I can think is, "Sookie, what is in your purse?" You didn't drive, you're not going to tip the maenad for the lovely meat tree or the house sitting, why? At least use a messenger bag when you're battling to the death. Hands free is the way to go in this girl's opinion.

So, Sam asks Eric for help at Fangtasia, and he lounges there like he's in a photo shoot for GQ, smouldering at the youngins. Eric asks Sam if he could give him Sookie, calling it a "tribute," which I found interesting. In the books, Maryann asks Eric for a tribute directly, through her attack on Sookie. I can't recall Maryann calling hers a tribute quite so often as she calls for a "sacrifice." And it's not even for herself (as in the novels), but for another god.

Eric's interaction with the children has been a big hit, particularly the phrase, "teacup humans." I guess you would call this bittersweet if you're an Eric fan, counting the winking, the showing off his vampiric skills and not eating the children, but calling them "delicious" all the same. I'm sure the chatter on the Bill-friendly sites isn't nearly as light and "Aw. Eric! You rascal."

The flying scene was a bit anticlimactic, really It looked just the same as when they use the effect on Heroes. With this (above), I expected something flashier. Not that (below). In the books, I always pictured something more along the lines of hovering than actual Superman-style flying. I was more satisfied with the zoomy moves of last season, even if they were a bit cheesy.

Sookie pretty much walked into one of those cheesy haunted houses that they do for Halloween, only real. That's all I could think of when I saw it. Move from crazy hand chopping woman to intestine man to frisky coroner, all in the dark. And to the tune of screeching violins so you know you're supposed to be creeped out.

Of course, I thought, "Sookie's going to let him spoon her?" I had a yay Sookie moment when she was all, PAN FACE! Sookie's Fangtasia dress was also weird and amusing, but I thought the whole walk through was a little fake-looking.

Really perplexed by the egg. And the nest. Still.

About Lafayette and the last stand, or whatever you want to call it. Just another wtf, Maryann?! With the frickin' Wonder Woman powers.

Bill's visit with the Queen was something about which I was really concerned. I thought revealing that Bill had met Hadley would speed up the plot too much, but really, I don't think it revealed much of anything. At least not what it was supposed to. I'm worried that Bill's big downfall is just going to fizzle into a mix of information we already know and a man that's all tortured and conflicted and a victim of circumstance. That's not really what Bill is. But at this rate, I could see that happening. And I will not let the Bill fans be proved right. Not when I'm sure that they're wrong. I'm wacky that way.

I know the Bill or Eric debate is one for the ages, and a controversial one at its core, but I'm losing my faith in the writers' ability to convey the dickishness that makes Bill Compton the man we all know and compare to Eric.

Right now, I want to like Bill. I like Stephen Moyer and it pains me that we're going to see less of him as the seasons go by. If it weren't for the prospect of more Eric smirks, winks and tasty flesh (Zombie moment? There is a war brewing...), I might be more conflicted. But, what can I say? I take things for what they are. Only right now, what they are is wrong and colored with the positive spin of which I just can't approve. But revealing this big secret now would be ridiculous. That years of dramatic irony that would be a Maryann situation all over again. What is she? She's a maenad. Well, let's talk about it for two seasons. Then we'll tell you. That would be very bad, and boring and lose it's effect.

I guess I just want some book stuff to stay the same. There's things I love about certain books in the series and it just feels wrong without them.

So, lastly, we have the big Eric/Bill exchange, which is always just a big pissing contest. I especially like to watch Bill try to be tall next to Eric. Eric's flying hair is pretty brilliant, including the show of his vanity with the hands running through it, smoothing down.

Of course, Eric threatens Bill about Sookie, and Bill threatens Eric about the "V" dealing. It's strange that Eric is doing something the Queen doesn't know about. I think it's important to note that Bill admits to having given Sookie his blood, and that Eric is curious enough to guess that Bill had done so, presumably based on what he saw after Sookie's attack, or the fact that vampires often exchange blood with their lovers. This was something that many people commented on about the dream sequence. Eric looked very human-like because he had taken Sookie's blood earlier, whereas in real life, Bill had done the same and still looked very pale.

Overall, I feel the same way about this episode that I feel about most True Blood episodes. I'm extremely anxious to see it, obviously, but there's always a hint of apprehension attached. Maybe it's because I love the novels so much that any editing makes me sad. But I just can't feel right about the deletion of my favorite scenes (The Bill-Sookie hotel scene where Eric asks for a nightcap "Warm from the vessel," and mostly the Lycra. I will miss the Lycra.) in favor of the boring, repetitive and confusingly mysterious Maryann stuff. At least if they kill her off, we'll have a little peace from giant eggs and other similar wtf moments.

Playlists -- I'm Not The Grasshopper.

I come to you in a sort of moving back to school depressed limbo. It's almost the end of the summer, and I will soon be forced to stick to normal human hours. That's instead of the Vampire Bill circa beginning of Club Dead full-on computer junkie vampire hours. So it's a sad and weird time which requires some last hurrah summer music. And so I bring you, "I'm Not The Grasshopper." And if you don't understand that reference, then you're probably starving to death this winter too. Welcome, my fellow Ants. It sure was worth it.

The Lineup:

1. "Grasshoppers in Honey" by The Meligrove Band (last.fm -- Remember the grasshopper from Aesop's Fables? Yeah, I'm the other guy. Life lesson I didn't follow here.)

2. "The Carnival" by The Spinto Band (Live in a Lighthouse)

3. "Swimming Pool" by The Submarines (Live at Paste)

4. "The Ocean (Is Bleeding Salt)" by Margot & the Nuclear So and So's (Live)

5. "She's Only Happy in the Sun" by Ben Harper (Live)

Video. "Black Sand" by Jenny Lewis (Live - partial)

Episode 11 -- It's Eric! He's snappy.

In next week's True Blood, called "Frenzy," there's a war a-brewin'! And among other things, we get to see Sam take a trip to Fangtasia and see Eric on his throne in a snappy suit (Lucky dog! Har de har.) and Pam in a sparkly red catsuit. I'd love to hear the story behind that one. Eric tells Sam that he "May know someone who might be able to offer something useful." Who? Who knows. Maybe the Queen, but we all know that Bill's tighter with her than Mr. Northman. Maryann's pissed (Shocker.) and still demanding her sacrifice. Well, everyone who isn't a zombie is going to ban together to save Bon Temps! And get rid of this season's most boring plot line. Get rid of Maryann? Yes, please.

What About Eric?! -- He's Dreamy. Bite me.

Well, I'm not as jazzed as I usually am right about now. I know, GASP at that for a moment, but it has a lot to do with the fact that this week's True Blood, "New World In My View," ended 15 minutes early this week! So there I was, sitting on the couch, all ready for a little more Eric screen time and cut to credits. Frowny face. How about 15 minutes of gratuitous Eric flesh? I don't think anyone would have complained about that, HBO.

Can I just have an aside for a moment? What are they thinking over at the show? First, they cut many of the memorable scenes from the novel while adding in hours of really boring Maryann stuff (basically an excuse for orgies.), then they give us a little more Eric. And we thank you. But the thing is, for most people, Sookie's sudden fondness for him comes completely out of left field. You can't blame it all on the blood exchange, either.

I can understand the idea of putting Eric in more scenes and having more of a romantic interaction between he and Sookie, but why would you cut all of the smaller instances of flirtation in Book/Season 1 and heap it all on us in the last few episodes?

I love the idea of Sookie dreaming of him, but the fact that Sookie comes downstairs and finds Eric crying and HE'S SHIRTLESS, the "This is a Dream" flags go straight up. At least leave a little mystery in there. The best thing about the Eric-Sookie dialogue in the book is the flirting, the joking, Eric's leers. I can't understand why there's nothing and then everything.

UPDATE: (8/24/09 9:26 p.m.) After watching this clip again, I want to point out a few more things. How cute is it the way his nose twitches when his fangs come out? And I'm going to amend what I said before and say that we do see a little more of Book Eric here, in that Sookie goes to pull away from a kiss and he grabs her hand, pulling her back. Sookie always needs that extra push over the edge if she's doing something she's not sure is a good idea, and Eric knows just when to help her along and when to passively flirt.

I'm glad they're finally putting more Eric into the episodes and creating this love triangle, but you can't just throw us Team Eric people a dream sequence every once and a while and expect us to be happy. There's this Big Scary Eric and there's the Sensitive Eric, with no happy medium. There's no impish flirt that we've come to love. I'm still waiting, HBO. Still waiting. End Eric rant.

So here we are, with Sookie, Jason and a becoffined Bill heading back to Bon Temps. They run over a couple of the locals (who are Sam's captors from an earlier episode, if you recall.). But basically the whole town's all gone to hell. And Maryann's a kid in Candyland. She's all "MORE MEAT!" for her, well, what Andy from Blood Work called a "Giant Meat Tree" on BlogTalk tonight. She's still a diva. And can anyone else appreciate those Dr. Seuss flowers (Beginning 1:55) she stuffed in there? It was like the frickin' Lorax (There he goes with his moustache.).

The influenced Eggs was sort of creepy in a overly positive kid's show actor way when he says, "So it's extra fresh?" after Maryann calls for organs and murder. Alright kids, what color is the spurty blood coming from Sam Merlotte's heart? Red! Gold stars!

I loved Andy and Sam together in this episode. Andy's she's a "She's a MAY- WHUT?" was pretty classic. And Sam's "I think she wants to cut out my heart while a bunch of naked people watch," was up there too. For a "sometimes nudist," Sam sure doesn't show the free hippie zombie devil people much love.

The regular cast was looking really good this episode. I don't know whether that was because everyone else looked so horribly mussed and haphazardly clothed (if at all), but I did have a problem with Bill's Johnny Cash outfit earlier in the episode. But all I could think as Maxine Fortenberry was standing there in her fuchsia Hawaiian shirt playing Wii was that Sookie looked like she stepped out of an Ann Taylor ad.

I guess I should mention the fact that Jessica's had enough of ole Maxine and takes a bite out of her. I thought that Hoyt was going to throw himself in front of her or something, but we'll see how that plays out. I'm really glad that they went with having Maxine go after Jason, because I was cringing those scenes with the Jocasta set-ups there. I don't think I could have taken it.

There was a lot of instances when you weren't sure who was going to be affected and who was not. It was like a zombie movie. But, c'mon Sam! You knew that was a trap. How could it not be? And he and Andy go into the freezer. I especially love when Andy stops to grab the liquor bottle. Another great Sam-Andy line? Sam: "These are our friends and neighbors." Andy: (mutters) "And customers." Oh snap! Andy tells it like it is.

SPOILER for non-novel readers: We knew that Jason would be immune in the same way that Sookie was because of their lineage. But how that genetic quirk translates into full-on pulsing life force glowing thing... I don't know. I think that's an addition that lays on the, "WHAT?!" or so I like to yell at the T.V.

Are we just meant to assume that someone told Sookie that her house was now Maryann's house? Because she seems surprised when Maryann shows up and when Lafayette tells her to leave. But there she shows up at her house looking for Maryann after Hoyt says, "Party at Maryann's," etc. etc. That's a little fuzzy. And how are they going to bring Sookie's house back to normal for next season? I wonder if they're going to cop out and explain everything mystically. Like poof! Back to normal. There's a few "in the kitchen" scenes next season. I can't picture homey Southern life around all the vines and scum.

UPDATE: I think I expected a bigger reaction when Sookie found out about her house being orgy party central. About the time Bill, Sookie and Jason arrive, Hoyt mentions that Sookie's house is Maryann's house. All Sookie says is, "What?" As if Hoyt had just told her he ate the last Oreo. Actually, I would expect a bigger response for that. She reacted as if Hoyt told her he used the wrong setting on the lawnmower. This one line of dialogue slipped by me amid the saucer-eyed Maxine Fortenberry Wii fest. Apologies.

Another question about immunity to Maryann's influence: Why is Lettie Mae immune? At first I thought the reason Maryann allowed some people to be controlled and others not was so that it would keep up the charade. She left out the outsiders, so to speak. Think, there's: Lettie Mae (Drunk), Lafayette (Gay), Andy (Drunk), Sookie (Telepath = Weird/Crazy Sookie). -- That would be before we knew about her immunity. It would make sense for her to selectively influence people, but I'm not quite sure where they're going with this whole thing. I just hope it ends somewhere close to Eric in pink Lycra... (If you want a Lycra spoiler, it's the last paragraph of the plot summary here.)

Sadly, probably not, but a girl can hope.

Maybe I'm watching too closely and too frequently, but I feel like they're hitting you over the head with a lot of the maenad clues this season. Bill's reading that book in the flashback about Greek Myths after we already heard Maryann talking about Greek maids and gods. Then, OH! HELLO AUDIENCE! THIS IS IMPORTANT! There's something wrong in there. It's getting a little too obvious with the foreshadowing.

Since I talked about the Sookie's Moon Tiara Magic! (har de har... Maybe I wasn't that far off last week...) in the spoiler part, let me just say that the first thing I wrote in my notes after that scene was BULLSHIT! Seriously? How does Sookie's telepathy translate into blue glowey psychic force field magic?!

Of course, Bill drinks from Maryann, and gross vomit scenes ensue. Is it weird that I thought that Bill vomited with an accent? Oh, was that just me? And then just as I'm thinking, well, yelling at the T.V. again, "WHY DON'T YOU CALL ERIC?!" Sookie says, "I'm callin' Eric." It's nice when the television is interactive.

I really enjoyed the, what a lot of the chatters have been calling, "Jambo" scenes. Jason with a bandoleer, nail gun and chainsaw. Oh boy. And the set dressing at Merlotte's was pretty priceless too. Notice the bobcat and goose stuffed animals with Mardi Gras beads around their necks? Nice touch. My main thought during the Jason scenes was, "Wtf is he going to do?" The answer: Slice a stereo in half with a chainsaw. I should have known.

Terry Bellefleur's part was amazing, and although I'm a non-smoker, I loved the way his cigarette moved when he talked, with the black eyes and everything. Pretty awesome. He really took charge of the situation. Good for him. If his main objective wasn't to fillet Sam, I'd be cheering right about now.

When Bill and Sookie head over to save Tara and Bill goes all fangy for the V-buyer, I had a "Yay Bill!" moment. Shocker. Bill does scary well. The fangs help. And Lafayette isn't afraid to let it slip that Eric's pushing him to sell the stuff. Which is probably a mistake. Has his basement time taught Lafayette nothing?

Black-eyed Tara is super creepy. Like really creepy. Bravo, Rutina. That laugh gave me chills. And did you notice that the go-to insult for Sookie's enemies is the "C" word? Think about it: Steve Newlin, Zombie Tara and Denise Rattray come to mind. Sookie saying the Latin phrase that all the zombies were repeating in her accent was a nice moment for me. I had a giggle at that. This scene was a chance for Sookie to play a more active role (in her own frickin' show...) but I don't know if I'm 100 percent happy with it. The tag team saving thing was interesting, but again, I have to say that I'm not so sure they explained it well.

For book folks, we know that Sookie has a sort of hypnotic power that is introduced at the beginning of Living Dead In Dallas, when she helps interrogate vampire bar employees in Dallas to help find Farrell, the missing vampire. Godric actually lures the Dallas vampire to be kidnapped and taken to the Fellowship. But that scene was left out in the show, and the magical Tara-saving was explained away with one throw-away line. They're just relying on the fact that people know the story too much. There's confusion when they leave out large chunks of the novel.

In other Jambo news: I effing love Jason. He uses his "I'm scary!" gas mask that he used to scare Amy Burley last season (Look for it at :52). And is shirtless. And exclaims, "It's me! The guy who comes!" and at Terry Bellefleur's "Bullshit. God has horns!" adds a nice pair of tree branch horns. I had to ask myself, "Why flares?" in there, but I guess the actions of Jason Stackhouse cannot be explained.

Sam's "Smite me!" was perfect with the twitching and the flashlight going. That was hilarious. I think that really saved the whole episode for me. I did wonder where Sam got that apron, though. It's not like Andy's never seen him in the buff before. Plus shifters aren't the most modest people.

Although that scene was really funny, in the end, there was just not enough Eric, and a little too much Maryann, and a lot of weird shit happening without any real explanation.

Visiting the Queen's compound was pretty epic (Note: I just typed Eric there. Not even thinking about it. Have Eric typing syndrome.). Bill's in slow motion and as Dallas from Loving True Blood in Dallas said on BlogTalk, The Queen's compound was also "badass." I wrote that exact word in my notes. So it must be true. I like how the queen has secret service people. In the book, I always pictured them as more like guards. Like military style. This was more political. So that's a surprise for me.

Well, we're back to square Season 1 in the Eric department. Let's hope he's not just a glorified extra next episode. At least this one proved what we've been saying all along: Eric's dreamy. Only now, it's literally. Eric dreams? I'll take one please, extra shirtless. And a little bite never hurt anyone. At least not anyone who lived to tell about it.

Oh, and people, after next week's episode, we have to wait until SEPTEMBER 13th for the finale! Suckfest, right? Think happy bitey Eric thoughts until then.

The Strange Phenomenon -- Blood Pop or Cake?

There's something going around. And it's not the carousel in Schenley Plaza. (Or a record...) No, it's True Blood fanvid makers and an obsession with Evanescence.

I was searching some YouTube videos for my last post earlier and I kept seeing the same things pop up on my search. Every other set-to-music clip I clicked on was from Evanescence. In just a few minutes of searching, I found 10 different clips that used an Evanescence song. 10. And it's not over yet. I can't add them to my playlist all day, so here are the search results. That's a lot of that... stuff.

Okay, I dimly recall Evanescence being one of Sookie's songs to sing in the car, but unless all those people read so closely that they all remember that one line from one book (which I doubt), and made the connection, I'd understand. But if that were the case, we'd have The Dixie Chicks and Carrie Underwood over Eric's smirking and Sookie's glares. And I'm sorry to say so, but Book Sookie does not have as rich a music palette as does Show Sookie.

Now, I'll admit it. I am a music snob. You can clap if you want, offer me buttons and party hats and cake, but I'm not going to quit being one. I will forever be a music snob, but something that I'm willing to change? You people, and if I could, Book Sookie Stackhouse. But don't get the wrong idea. I just want to help.

Here's my theory for the Evanescence/True Blood phenomenon:

You're listening to Top 40, MTV before they discover the indie stuff after the album's been out for a year or two and someone decides to use it in a movie... Exhibit A: M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," (Original and Pineapple Express) Exhibit B: Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole." (Original and Twilight - still don't understand this, btw. Listen to the lyrics. Think of Edward and Bella. Oh yeah, that's them. Oh, and just to prove my point about the overexposedness here's a video from the baseball scene with what? EVANESCENCE.)

You need some dark pop to match up to your dark and dirty vampire show. Think about it. What is out there? I'm no popular music connoisseur, but I can't think of one other than Evanescence. Again, another movie soundtrack pick up (Daredevil), but the difference between Evanescence and Muse is that one is good and the other is... not. The first set of videos contain the song probably the one you'll remember from Daredevil, "Bring Me To Life." The second set features "My Immortal" over an actual scene from the film.

But I don't blame you if you like them, or if you use them in a True Blood video. You're already a better pop culture person in my estimation because you care enough about True Blood to post a video (unless it's about Bill... just kidding. I want to like Bill, but Eric keeps winking at me.). Anyway, you don't know anything better.

I'll tell you a secret: Once upon a time, I listened to some pretty embarrassing music. And I will not utter those words here, but let's just say I was a kid in the 90's so you can probably guess my shame. It actually took good television soundtracks for me to make that transition from what I would now call, "I'll never tell and will deny it if it gets out," to "I like that song I heard on T.V." to "I have no idea who they are." You'll be hearing that last one in no time. And you'll be hearing those shame bands... never.

Here we go:

Alison's Lessons in Dark Pop/Rock, What to Apply to True Blood Scenes, and How It's Already Been Done Right

How It's Already Been Done Right:

My choice for the True Blood music video done right is this one by smvgrey74. It's a tribute to Godric set to Band Of Horse's "The Funeral."

I'll you why this is such an amazing video. Check the comments. At least 3 people's first comment was, "What's the song?" The fact that smvgrey chose a more obscure piece means several things:

1. Her work is unique. -- Check the number of True Blood fan videos that use an Evanescence song. Now check the number that use a Band Of Horses song. Well, here are the results, and as far as I can see, besides smvgrey's, there's zero.

2. She's using music to its full advantage. -- The best fanvids match up both music and lyrics to the clips. Anyone can choose a song. It's not that hard. Choosing one that fits means a lot more. It will strengthen the emotion, the humor and the romance. There's nothing like a good song.

3. She's exposing people to new music. -- One of the reasons I love True Blood so much is the amazing soundtrack. Now that's not only the score, but the songs chosen by the professionals. Let's not forget that every episode title is a song. That's True Blood at its core. It's about good music. The same goes for a fan video. Maybe I'm a little biased about her song choice since I know and love the band already. But it makes me smile to see that so many people loved it too.

It's like smvgrey made a big cake and she's sharing the new recipe with everyone. That's how the indie goes mainstream. It's word of mouth at first. Sure, now most of that word of mouth is actually typed and beamed out to millions of people on the internet, but there's still your good old magazines and radio. They know what's what. I'd go on to say that great underground music is just as delicious and elusive as Caroline Holliday Bellefleur's chocolate cake. And if you've read the novels, you know how amazing that is. You only get it when someone dies.

What to apply to True Blood scenes:

I'd say that more than music style, it's the lyrics that you should concentrate on. I'm not saying that it's a good idea to set romantic exchanges to yodel music if they're talking about something similar, but it's better to stray musically than lyrically. Think about it this way: You're telling a story, they're telling a story. You just want those stories to mesh well. The music added to a scene isn't telling the story of what you're watching onscreen. It's telling the story of what the characters are feeling. You can tell that Bill's a vampire just by looking. You don't need to chose a song that says, "I'm a vampire," literally. Although that isn't always a bad thing. Choose the feeling behind that. The "I'm tortured," "I want to be loved," or "I'm emo." (That last one was a joke. I'm making friends all over the place today.)

Alison's Lessons in Dark Pop/Rock:

Maybe these won't all help you out with a video, but they'll help your playlists. If you're looking to expand your dark-themed pop/rock and more specifically, your True Blood fan video tracks, I'd start with these:

From a general vampire place: Radiohead -- An oldie but a REALLY goodie. Maybe with Thom Yorke's vocals you can't always understand the lyrics, but they're dark and clever and amazing. I'd point to "We Suck Young Blood." Queens of the Stone Age -- Tend to be heavy on the rock, but I'd suggest "The Blood Is The Love" for Vampires. (For more vampire songs see my old Playlist post: "A Fangy Salut.")

From a character-based POV: The Twilight Sad or Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- "Modern Romance" A good Bill and Sookie one, originally sung by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but covered by The Twilight Sad. (Lyrics here.) Neither band is usually this mellow, but this is a sort of a track by track and not blanket rule deal.

The best Evanescence replacement I can suggest, both in general and from a True Blood fan video standpoint is Bat For Lashes -- That is, if you're looking for something a little closer to Evanescence's brand of pop (If Evanescence and Cat Power had a baby that was smarter than one of them...). For TB I'd chose "I'm On Fire" (Lorena and Bill, anyone? From Sookie's POV. It's also a Springsteen cover altered a bit.) or "What's a Girl to Do" (For some Bill/Eric reflection! Plus the video is weird and I love it.) or "Glass" (From an FotS place, sort of a Sarah Newlin finding her knight, Jason questy feel.) (All lyrics here.)

Reason You Should Not Hate Me:

Listen. I'm sorry if this offends you Evanescence lovers out there. But if you can't giggle at the sheer volume of Evanescence/True Blood fanvids, then there is something wrong with you. I'll tell you right now, it's not because they're the best band ever. It's because they're more exposed. I also really like all the Evanescence fanvideos I chose, excepting the music. If you're uncomfortable with the way I've used your work, contact me and I'll take it down. I hope you understand that I'm not criticizing anyone personally. Except for Evanescence. And I hope you'll think about these alternatives for future videos or search out the more obscure of the genres.

P.S. If @SookieBonTemps does another song contest, I'm screwed. I'll have a lot more competition if anyone actually reads this.

What About Eric?! -- Proof of Bill Wickham!

Now, I'd like to add onto my earlier "What About Eric?!" post and add some visual aids to strengthen my Pride and Prejudice Eric-Darcy/Bill-Wickham argument. I'm not saying too much because I don't know exactly how the story will play out book to show, but I will put up these little snippets for your consideration.

Take a look, my friends. See any similarities? Add in a couple of leers and a pair of fangs and you've got Mr. Northman. Although I don't think Mr. Darcy would be quite so vocal about wanting to get into Elizabeth Bennet's petticoat. Oh, and take a minute to picture Alexander Skarsgard in those pants. What was I saying again?

And Mr. Wickham, where did you get that haircut? At Vampire Bill's House o' Sideburns? I think so. And you don't have to picture Stephen Moyer in those regimentals. His Civil War duds are close enough aesthetically. (P.S. I kind of love the screen caps for these videos side by side. It makes me right. Down to the letter. I am observant.)

UPDATE: Darcy and Elizabeth are also really big on the eye contact, as you can see. And while he has many admirers, seeks to have the best woman or none at all. I'm pretty sure Eric Northman would enjoy a country dance just about as much as Mr. Darcy does initially, but I don't think he'd mind feeding on a few ladies' femoral arteries for his trouble before he scowls and goes to chat with Pam. What would Vampire Darcy do? That remains to be seen. (They already fought the zombies!)