Denis O'Hare
|
BirthDate BirthPlace |
N/A
|
-
Denis O'Hare to adopt foster son
September 24, 2012 5:00am ESTThe actor married Hugo Redwood last summer (11), and the couple has been acting as parents to a 17-month-old boy since the tot was two weeks old. Now, O'Hare and his partner are close to adopting the infant. The star tells E! News they are working to gain full legal guardianship of their foster son. O'Hare's baby news comes just weeks after his co-stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer became parents to twins.
-
2012 Emmy Awards: See the Full List of Winners Here!
September 23, 2012 3:30pm ESTIt's the biggest night in television. But will it be the most surprising one? Turns out, not quite. Though there were a few shockers during Sunday's 64th annual Emmy Awards — for instance, Homeland's Damian Lewis wins over Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston — ABC's Modern Family was, per usual, the belle of the ball with four Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy series. Other big winners of the evening? Showtime's Homeland — which also picked up four wins, including Outstanding Drama — HBO's Game Change — which won four awards, including Best Miniseries or Movie — and Louis C.K., who won Outstanding Writing for his FX darling Louie and Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special for Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theater. Who else walked home with a gold statue? See the complete winners list below and be sure to check out our Emmys hub for all breaking news, interviews, and features surrounding the 2012 Emmys! Outstanding Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Breaking Bad Downton Abbey Winner: Homeland Mad Men Game of Thrones Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Ed O'Neill, Modern Family Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family Ty Burrell, Modern Family Winner: Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live Max Greenfield, New Girl Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Winner: Louis C.K., Louie Lena Dunham, Girls Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation Michael Schur, Parks and Recreation Chris McKenna, Community Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Winner: Steve Levitan, Modern Family Robert B. Weide, Curb Your Enthusiasm Lena Dunham, Girls Louis C.K., Duckling Jason Winer, Modern Family Jake Kasdan, New Girl Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie Winner: Julie Bowen, Modern Family Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live Sofia Vergara, Modern Family Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives Outstanding Comedy Series The Big Bang Theory Curb Your Enthusiasm Girls Winner: Modern Family 30 Rock Veep Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Zooey Deschanel, New Girl Lena Dunham, Girls Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie Tina Fey, 30 Rock Winner: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock Don Cheadle, House of Lies Louis C.K., Louie Winner: Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory Outstanding Made for TV Movie/Miniseries American Horror Story Winner: Game Change Hatfields & McCoys Hemingway and Gellhorn Luther Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Leading Actor in a Made for TV Movie/Miniseries Woody Harrelson, Game Change Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Idris Elba, Luther Winner: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys Bill Paxton, Hatfields & McCoys Lead Actress in a Made for TV Movie/Miniseries Winner: Julianne Moore, Game Change Connie Britton, American Horror Story Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn Emma Thompson, The Song of Lunch Ashley Judd, Missing Outstanding Reality-Competition Program Winner: The Amazing Race Dancing With the Stars Project Runway So You Think You Can Dance Top Chef The Voice Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program Winner: Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race Ryan Seacrest, American Idol Betty White, Betty White's Off Their Rockers Outstanding Reality Program Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution MythBusters Antiques Roadshow Shark Tank Winner: Undercover Boss Who Do You Think You Are? Outstanding Nonfiction Series American Masters Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Inside The Actors Studio The Weight Of The Nation Winner: Frozen Planet Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series The Colbert Report Winner: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Jimmy Kimmel Live! Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Real Time with Bill Maher Saturday Night Live Outstanding Variety Special Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute To America's Golden Girl Kathy Griffin: Tired Hooker Winner: The Kennedy Center Honors Mel Brooks And Dick Cavett Together Again Tony Bennett: Duets II (Great Performances) Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Winner: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad Brendan Coyle, Downton Abbey Jim Carter, Downton Abbey Jared Harris, Mad Men Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad Winner: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey Joanna Froggatt, Downton Abbey Christina Hendricks, Mad Men Christine Baranski, The Good Wife Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Sarah Paulson, Game Change Frances Conroy, American Horror Story Winner: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story Judy Davis, Page Eight Mare Winningham, Hatfields & McCoys Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Ed Harris, Game Change Denis O'Hare, American Horror Story David Strathairn, Hemingway & Gellhorn Martin Freeman, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Winner: Tom Berenger, Hatfields & McCoys Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Dot-Marie Jones, Glee Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock Margaret Cho, 30 Rock Winner: Kathy Bates, Two and a Half Men Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Michael J. Fox, Curb Your Enthusiasm Greg Kinnear, Modern Family Bobby Cannavale, Nurse Jackie Winner: Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live Will Arnett, 30 Rock Jon Hamm, 30 Rock Guest Actress in a Drama Series Winner: Martha Plimpton, The Good Wife Loretta Devine, Grey's Anatomy Jean Smart, Harry's Law Julia Ormond, Mad Men Joan Cusack, Shameless Uma Thurman, Smash Guest Actor in a Drama Series Mark Margolis, Breaking Bad Dylan Baker, The Good Wife Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife Winner: Jeremy Davies, Justified Ben Feldman, Mad Men Jason Ritter, Parenthood Outstanding Animated Program American Dad Bob's Burgers Futurama Winner: The Penguins Of Madagascar: The Return Of The Revenge Of Dr. Blowhole The Simpsons Outstanding Children's Program Degrassi Good Luck Charlie iCarly Victorious Winner: Wizards Of Waverly Place Writing for a Drama Series Winner: Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff, Homeland Directing for a Drama Series Winner: Tim Van Patten, Boardwalk Empire Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad Brian Percival, Downton Abbey Phil Abraham, Mad Men Michael Cuesta, Homeland Lead Actor in a Drama Series Winner: Damian Lewis, Homeland Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire Michael C. Hall, Dexter Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey Jon Hamm, Mad Men Lead Actress in a Drama Series Winner: Claire Danes, Homeland Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife Kathy Bates, Harry's Law Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey Glenn Close, Damages Writing for a Variety Special Winner: Louis C.K., Louis C.K. Live At The Beacon Theatre Dave Boone, Written by; Paul Greenberg, 65th Annual Tony Awards George Stevens, Jr., Written by; Michael M. Stevens, Written by; Sara Lukinson, Written by; Lewis Friedman, The Kennedy Center Honors Jon Macks, Written by; Dave Boone, Written by; Carol Leifer, Written by; Tim Carvell, Special Material Written by; Jeff Cesario, Special Material Written by; Billy Crystal, Special Material Written by; Ed Driscoll, Special Material Written by; Billy Martin, Special Material Written by; Ben Schwartz, Special Material Written by; Marc Shaiman, Special Material Written by; Eric Stangel, Special Material Written by; Justin Stangel, Special Material Written by; David Steinberg, Special Material Written by; Mason Steinberg, Special Material Written by; Colleen Werthmann, 84th Annual Academy Awards Jon Macks, Written by; Steve Ridgeway, Written by; Mason Steinberg, Written by; Brad Lachman, Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute To America's Golden Girl Directing for a Variety Special Don Mischer, 84th Annual Academy Awards Louis J. Horvitz, The 54th Annual Grammy Awards Louis C.K, Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre Alan Skog, New York City Ballet George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (Live From Lincoln Center) Winner: Glenn Weiss, 65th Annual Tony Awards Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Dramatic Special Winner: Danny Strong, Game Change Ted Mann, Ronald Parker & Bill Abi Morgan, The Hour Neil Cross, Luther Steven Moffat, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Dramatic Special Winner: Jay Roach, Game Change Philip Kaufman, Hemmingway & Gellhorn Paul McGuigan, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Kevin Reynolds, Hatfields & McCoys Sam Miller, Luther [Photo Credit: ABC] More: Emmys Idle Threats: Give Steve Buscemi an Emmy or I'll Waste Away with Whiskey Emmy Idle Threats: Give 'Game of Thrones' Emmy Gold or I'll Give (?) a Crown of Gold Emmys Idle Threats: Give Lena Dunham an Emmy or Chris O'Dowd Will Yell at You
-
2012 Emmy Awards: Who Will Win and Who Should Win at the Emmys
September 11, 2012 1:09pm ESTOh, the Emmys. These awards can be so crazy and unpredictable! Haha. Just kidding. That was a joke. The Emmys is sort of like a high school prom — the theme changes slightly every year and there is a different king and queen, but it's always the same party with the same streamers in the same gymnasium. That said, who would ever miss their prom?! Certainly not me, but it does make discerning who is going to be Prom King and Queen — oh, sorry, Best Actor and Actress — kind of easy. And, just like in high school, the person holding the scepter isn't always the one who is most deserving. So, in anticipation of the Awards on Sunday, Sept. 23, here are my picks for who will win... and who should win. I didn't pick a Miss Congeniality, because we all know it would go to Heather Locklear anyway. Best Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Breaking Bad Downton Abbey Game of Thrones Homeland Mad Men Will Win: Breaking Bad: The long reign of Mad Men will probably be coming to an end after four consecutive wins and the Academy will most likely reward this other critic's darling, which has a lot more punch and pizazz that voters usually like. That's what being on meth will do to ya! That is, unless these two AMC shows cannibalize each other's votes and we get another winner. Should Win: Homeland: What this race really needed was some new blood... and there was no show bloodier than the first season of this Showtime hit. Not only was it twisty and unpredictable, it also had amazing performances and told a story that comments on the world we live in now, even a decade after 9/11. Best Comedy Series The Big Bang Theory Curb Your Enthusiasm Girls Modern Family 30 Rock Veep Will Win: Modern Family: There is no doubt, this is everyone's favorite comedy. Even Ann Romney likes it! Even as it ages, there is no beating this crowd-pleaser. Should Win: Girls: I was very skeptical of this HBO comedy when it started and I still can't stand most of the characters that populate Lena Dunham's Brooklyn, but that doesn't mean this show shouldn't be recognized. The season ended up being smart, funny, touching, insightful, and speaking to an audience that is otherwise ignored. This is one of those shows that, looking back, will be hailed as a watershed, and not just because it had a girl running through the streets on crack. Though that does help. Best Leading Actor in a Drama Series Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Michael C. Hall, Dexter Jon Hamm, Mad Men Damian Lewis, Homeland Will Win: Bryan Cranston: He's won every year he's been eligible and with good reason. Walter White is an absolute monster and it takes someone with the skill of Cranston to turn in a nuanced performance without turning him into another hammy version of Scarface. It leaves us all asking, "Malcolm in the where now?" Should Win: Damian Lewis: Speaking of nuanced monsters, did you catch the range of emotions Lewis had to go through as a POW who may also be a secret terrorist? And he's not even an American. Does he get extra credit for the great Mid-Atlantic accent (and the shirtless scenes)? Best Leading Actor in a Comedy Series Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock Don Cheadle, House of Lies Louis C.K., Louie Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory Who Will Win: Louis CK: Wow, most of these nominees are staler than the bag of Bugles that fat Betty Draper left under the couch. Mr. CK ('cause he's nasty) is the only one doing anything exciting or original these days. This will be the ultimate consolation prize for his show not winning any other awards. Who Should Win: None of these other jokers. Best Leading Actress in a Drama Series Kathy Bates, Harry's Law Glenn Close, Damages Claire Danes, Homeland Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men Who Will Win: Claire Danes: Can you say no to Angela Chase, especially with that head of preternaturally shiny hair? (It's so shiny!) But Danes did earn every vote as a trouble plagued CIA analyst who will do anything to stop a man she thinks is a terrorist. Including cussing more than a sailor who stubbed his toe. Who Should Win: Elisabeth Moss: Another season and another great turn for Peggy Olson, especially with her arc allowing her to come into her own and leave Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce. What does this girl gotta do to win an award? Best Leading Actress in a Comedy Series Zooey Deschanel, New Girl Lena Dunham, Girls Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie Tina Fey, 30 Rock Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation Who Will and Should Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus: The Academy loves to reward a veteran and, as the only Seinfeld survivor to go on to a successful TV career, Louis-Dreyfus is definitely a vet. But it was her turn as this simultaneously harried and charismatic Vice President that makes her actually deserve this award. Her reading a PSA script from a teleprompter was done as a bit to run with the closing credits, but it was one of the funniest minutes of comedy on the air last year. Best Miniseries or Movie American Horror Story Game Change Hatfields & McCoys Hemingway & Gellhorn Luther Sherlock Who Will Win: American Horror Story: Ryan Murphy scared the bejesus out of all of us. No, it wasn't because of the frights in this horror story, but because the show did everything a TV show shouldn't do: It had a storyline that only lasted one season, it kill off the leads, and it honed a talented acting troupe for seasons to come. His risk should pay off for the ultimate reward. No, I don't mean he'll be visited by a guy in a gimp suit (though he might like that). Who Should Win: Hatfields & McCoys: I'm still not entirely convinced that AHS is a miniseries or movie or if it should be competing in the Best Drama category. If it's not a miniseries, then the statue should go to this crowd-pleaser, which not only brought back the genre as we used to know it, but proved it could be a gigantic hit. Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Woody Harrelson, Game Change Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece) Idris Elba, Luther Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys Bill Paxton, Hatfields & McCoys Who Will Win: Kevin Costner: The miniseries or movie categories were basically invented so that the Emmys could get movie stars to attend. And it does this with the promise of gold. It probably won't be any different this year than last year when Kate Winslet won. Who Should Win: Idris Elba: Call it the Revenge of Stringer Bell. Best Leading Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Julianne Moore, Game Change Connie Britton, American Horror Story Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn Emma Thompson, The Song of Lunch (Masterpiece) Ashley Judd, Missing Who Will and Should Win: Julianne Moore: With four movie stars in this category, poor Connie Britton (who is quite deserving in her own right) doesn't stand a chance. While Kidman may be the bigger star, it's Moore's stunning transformation into Sarah Palin that should rivet voters. We can almost see her winning from our house. Best Reality Competition The Amazing Race Dancing With The Stars Project Runway So You Think You Can Dance Top Chef The Voice Who Will Win: Amazing Race: Ugh, again! When will it end? Who Should Win: Anyone else: Amazing Race has been a snooze since the Bush Administration, but Academy voters don't know any other shows and think an around the world vacation with their significant other sure looks fun. That's why they keep voting for this. Enough! There are plenty of reality shows on TV — choose someone else! I would go with The Voice, for being the only show to shake up the singing competition formula with any real results. Best Reality Host Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race Ryan Seacrest, American Idol Betty White, Betty White's Off Their Rockers Who Will Win: Betty White: The Academy thinks she needs one more trophy before her retirement (or something worse). Also, they have absolutely no respect for the reality categories. For shame! Who Should Win: Cat Deeley: If you do not think this leggy Brit who is as quick with a punchline as she is with a compassionate shoulder for contestants to cry on doesn't deserve to win, then you are an idiot with no eyes. There, I said it. Speaking of no eyes, she also chooses all her own outfits and they are often – how should I put this? – unique. We need her to show up on stage wearing one. Best Variety Program The Colbert Report The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Jimmy Kimmel Live! Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Real Time with Bill Maher Saturday Night Live Who Will Win: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: I just got off the phone with 2018 and it's still going to win then too. Just accept it. Who Should Win: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: You have to appreciate the daffy way he creates viral videos with everything from Barack Obama to the Real Housewives franchise. This is a man who knows that the future of the genre is as much on YouTube as it is on the boob tube. Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad Brendan Coyle, Downton Abbey Jim Carter, Downton Abbey Jared Harris, Mad Men Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones Who Will and Should Win: Giancarlo Esposito: One of the most terrifying villains on television didn't yell and scream and shoot up the place. He took over with quiet determination and a calm exterior that belied a deadly inner life. Esposito's Gus Fring was a study in self-restraint and his end will go down in TV history. Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey Christina Hendricks, Mad Men Christine Baranski, The Good Wife Who Will and Should Win: Christina Hendricks: She's long been known for the curves of her body, but this season, it was the curveballs her character threw when she decided to kick out her husband, take her destiny in her own hands, and finally get herself on equal footing with the men (of course, only by making a horrible sacrifice). She's made her portrayal of one of the most complicated women on TV look absolutely easy, so it's about time she had a busty gold lady of her own. Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Ed O'Neill, Modern Family Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family Ty Burrell, Modern Family Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live Max Greenfield, New Girl Who Will Win: Someone from Modern Family: Just pick one. Does it matter. Maybe Ed O'Neill. Is it his turn yet? Fine, then Ty Burrell. Whatever. Who Should Win: Max Greenfield: It's a hard job stealing a show called The New Girl while having a Y chromosome, but Greenfield's fully-realized Schmidt was the character who audiences really wanted to see, even as they knew he should be stuffing $10s into the douche jar. Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie Julie Bowen, Modern Family Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live Sofia Vergara, Modern Family Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives Who Will Win: Mayim Bialik: Since the boys will be shut out in the acting category, it looks like good old Blossom's work as one of this show's girl geeks is going to get some deserved attention. But look for a possible Kristen Wiig upset for her final season on SNL. Who Should Win: Merritt Wever: She's long been the funniest thing on Nurse Jackie and she should finally get some recognition for a character that is just on the right side of wacky and vulnerable when she needs to be. If she doesn't get nominated more often, the Academy is on more drugs than Jackie. Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Sarah Paulson, Game Change Frances Conroy, American Horror Story Jessica Lange, American Horror Story Judy Davis, Page Eight (Masterpiece) Mare Winningham, Hatfields & McCoys Who Will and Should Win: Jessica Lange: There is no one we'd rather watch chew the scenery and destroy lives with a syrupy southern accent than Ms. Jessica Lange. Also, remember the rule about giving these trophies to movie stars? Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Ed Harris, Game Change Denis O'Hare, American Horror Story David Strathairn, Hemingway & Gellhorn Martin Freeman, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece) Tom Berenger, Hatfields & McCoys Who Will Win: Ed Harris: I honestly have no idea on this one, but the fact that Ed Harris has been nominated for an Oscar and is competing in a category for movie stars makes him the best bet. Who Should Win: Denis O'Hare: Between Larry Harvey and his Russell Edgington on True Blood, this hard-working character actor finally deserves to scare up a trophy. Scare up. Get it? Follow Brian Moylan on Twitter @BrianJMoylan [Photo Credit: Wenn] More: 2012 Emmy Awards: See the Full List of Nominees! Emmys 2012: 10 Burning Questions! Emmys 2012: Snubs, Shockers and Surprises!
-
'True Blood' Recap: Bon Temps is Going to Hell in a Handbasket
August 12, 2012 11:12pm ESTClearly, True Blood had a plan all along. We should have trusted that the series would wrap up a few of its extraneous storylines eventually, it just took a hell of a long time to get there. And sure, some of those storylines - ahem, Terry and the Ifrit - came out of absolutely nowhere just so Scott Foley could have a guest star role, we’re not going to dwell on the series past mistakes. The point is, that at least for the final three episodes of the season, True Blood is actually poised to do this thing right. After sewing up Lafayette’s Brujo storyline and Terry’s smoke monster mess, the series is finally ready to give Hoyt the ol’ boot to Alaska. (Sweet baby Jesus, don’t let the cameras follow him there.) He even conveniently had Jess glamor him so he wouldn’t remember her or Jason. Of course, this opens up a world of hurt for both Jess and Jason, but it’s clear they’ve got plenty going on in their own lives to keep them nice and busy. Jason is helping Sookie, who’s now permanently buddied up with her brother after the coroner fed on her and met an untimely death with a chopstick in funniest and best opening scene of the whole season. Watching Sookie get frustrated (and occasionally drunk) this season has been one of the best character changes in the show. We can’t watch her be Miss Bon Temps for years on end. Angry Sookie is good Sookie. And angry Sookie is on the trail of her parents’ vampire killer, Warlow. After coming up empty in Bud Dearborn’s files, Jason does for Sookie what every mystery TV show or movie should have taught her: take her dead Gran’s advice very literally. Jason discovers an ancient scroll under the floorboards of Gran’s bed, because obviously “look under the bed” did not refer to the piles of old report cars in shoeboxes, Sookie. The problem is, the scroll is written in some hieroglyphic language, and the scholar Sookie and Jason consult says it doesn’t look like any human language he’s ever seen. Of course, they take it to Claude, who reads it, but says it doesn’t make any sense. They need an older fairy to try and make sense of it, so they call in a very pregnant Mirella (the fairy who had sex with Andy in the woods, and judging from the Holly-Andy starry-eyed lovers scene, that’s going to be a problem soon). She uses fairy light to read the scroll and determine that Sookie’s ancestors promised the first Stackhouse fairy - which just happens to be Sookie - to Warlow. What’s worse, Sookie now has to worry about the entire vampire population being intoxicated by her blood too. And Russell has finally severed ties with the Authority because he’s desperate to find her, breed her, and uncover the secret of her blood. Basically, this is a really horrible moment for Bill and Eric to be high on Lilith. Next: Eric goes Dark Side and Pam brings back her mad/happy face.Unfortunately, Bill really does seem to be buying into this whole vampire Bible nonsense (sorry, holdouts, it’s not looking so good). He brings Jessica to the Authority headquarters and instructs her to study the vampire Bible - which is exactly what she was escaping after leaving her mortal life behind. What’s worse, is that he’s trying to bring Eric to this dark side. He and Nora force Eric to drink Lilith’s blood while Nora takes a few drops like a hungry little puppy. Together, they see a vision of Godric, who tells them they have to fight the fight right before Lilith appears and kills Godric. It seems that Nora has come to Eric’s side, and perhaps she has. Our only indication is Eric’s hokey “acceptance” of the Lilith way and his induction back into Bill and Salome’s little council. And while Eric’s true allegiance is at the forefront of our minds, we do have to deal with Russell. He’s kind of a giant, undefeatable ancient vampire. No biggie. He is frustrated by the focus on scripture in this fun new ripper cult he’s joined. He wants to spend his time hunting down fairies so vampires don’t have to be governed by the sun. Luckily, Sookie happens to be implicated in this whole discussion, so while we’re not sure of the political workings inside Eric’s brain, we do know that he (and Bill for that matter) still hold their regard for Sookie above all of this political and theological nonsense. Which is giant relief and simultaneous pain, because if they care so much why are they just sitting there? Oh, because if they up and leave to save a human, Salome might have them turned into red goo like they did to Molly at the beginning of the episode? I guess that’s a pretty good reason. Steve Newlin, on the other hand, is well-deserving of a stake through the heart at this point. As cute (and completely disturbing) as it was to see Russell and Newlin dance to Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” … in a pile of dead bodies, Newlin is more grating than he was when he was leading the Fellowship of the Sun. And his smile was enough to make me squirm at that point in the series. Newlin not only squeals with joy when he witnesses the True Death (Molly’s) for the first time, he also treats Emma, the werewolf, like she’s an actual dog. It’s demoralizing and not even close to being funny. He’s just an awful little boy - but we knew that when he tried to buy Jason from Jessica at the beginning of the season. Luckily for little Emma, Sam and Luna manage to sneak into the Authority by chasing Newlin to his media appearance in New Orleans with Sam’s magically appearing airline miles. (Isn’t this supposed to be fantasy? Shouldn’t these two shifters have turned into bald eagles and flown themselves to Nola?) When they reach Newlin’s dressing room, they turn into mice and sneak into his bag so they can find Emma wherever Newlin is living these days. Unfortunately for them, Newlin is living at the Authority headquarters these days, so even though their clever plan will lead them to Emma, their ability to escape without being killed is pretty lacking. And speaking of lacking, Pam’s business has practically come to a halt with the vampire attack rate going through the roof and the lack of Tru Blood supply. Humans are hiding, and vamps certainly aren’t saddling up to buy martinis. Still, Elijah - the new sheriff who looks suspiciously like the dreadlock-laden kid from Glee if he were a bigger fan of ‘80s glam rock - demands payment, saying that the “rates” have gone up. After he hands them each and insulting 20 bucks, he also demands that their Area creates 30 new vampires by the end of the month on pain of Pam losing everything, including her progeny. Finally, Tara decides to take matters into her own hands - it just might also cost her and Pam a whole lot more than the vampy Fangtasia property. She lures the Judas Priest worshipper - I mean, really, why else would he dress like that? - into the bar so she can behead him. Pam, using her mad/happy face again, is intrigued by Tara’s gumption. Pam had decided they’d just give up Fangtasia and live “in the wind” which honestly, in the political, bloodlusty environment they’re facing sounds a lot less like a Bob Dylan song and a lot more like trouble. Luckily, Tara’s stunt determines that the pair is going to stand their ground against the Authority - it just might not be as simple as tricking a sheriff into his True Death when the big guns get there. Next: Cleaner plot be damned, we still have a million questions for True Blood...See? Aren’t things already simpler? Wasn’t this week’s plot so much easier to understand? Aren’t you happy that we actually had the time to witness Jessica and Jason get truly emotional over losing their best friend to the glamoring he demanded? These questions are easy to answer: Yes, all around. There are a few other questions this episode left us with that aren’t so easy to answer. Like: Why the hell are Bill and Eric just standing there while Russell basically declares he’s going after Sookie? Why don’t they sense her fear and pain any more? They were never able to turn off their feelings so easily? Seriously, how stupid are Sam and Luna? Did they really think they could get into the Authority and get out successfully? Where is Alcide? And more importantly, is his shirt there too? Is Mirella going to have a baby Andy? And why, oh why, would we want more confused policemen on this show? Did Bill really say that the Authority’s main chamber dates back to the Byzantine era? Why? How? Would the ancient vampires really have migrated over to whatever North America was then so they could build an underground chamber in Louisiana?* Why would anything have been built there? Wouldn’t it have been built somewhere, oh I don’t know, the empire the time period was named after actually existed? Or is this, perhaps, one of those Japanese garden situations, in which some member of the Vampire Authority paid someone a lot of money to dismantle a chamber in Italy and have it perfectly reassembled Stateside? *Sub-question: Why is the center of all vampire culture located outside of New Orleans? And why do all the huge debates about vampires take place on New Orleans television? Isn’t this supposed to be an international issue? Alright. So True Blood hasn’t managed to solve all of its problems. But at least it’s got the most cumbersome ones out of the way. And, the series is managing to offer up a serious shake-up in a dynamic that even up until last season was all about who Sookie was going to agree to have sex with that week. It’s fun getting beyond the over-played love triangle - but at the same time, it’s nice to see the glimmers of recognition and concern on Bill and Eric’s faces so we know it’s still somewhat there. Did this week’s episode get you excited for the final two? Are you happy that True Blood got rid of the extra side plots? Do you think they’ll just come up with more ridiculousness to convolute the plot again? Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler. [Image: HBO] More: True Blood Villain Denis O'Hare Teases Russell's New Romance True Blood Recap: Russell Edgington Forever True Blood Recap: Black Magic Women
-
'True Blood' Clips: Sookie's Got A Gun — VIDEO
August 09, 2012 6:27pm ESTThings are about to get a lot more complicated, you guys. Or is it?! Crazy things are afoot in Bon Temps, and the new clips for next Sunday's episode prove that by giving us more questions than there are answers. But, you know, that seems to be the way with True Blood these days (or every day). And like the thrall with bloodlust, we still cling so desperately on. So we have these clips, and from that we have questions. Some we know the answer to, some we don't, and other we choose just not to believe. Like, why is Mike at Sookie's house? Would Sookie really sport that sort of gun? What does Jason want with Jessica? Is that Hoyt in the background? What do they all want? And why does Mike want Sookie's body?! Will he take it? Will anyone ever actually harm Sookie and her magical fairyness? Wait, Jessica's guards! What's happening?! Also, can we request that every single clip/scene/minute features Lafayette, because really? Check out the clips below. and sound off on them in the comments! The new episode of True Blood will air this airs on Sunday at 9pm on HBO. Follow Alicia on Twitter @alicialutes More: 'True Blood' Villain Denis O'Hare Teases Russell Edgington's New Romance and More 'True Blood' Recap: They've Got the World on a String 'True Blood' Recap: It's the End of the World As We Know It
-
'True Blood' Recap: It's the End of the World As We Know It
July 29, 2012 10:55pm ESTReligious zealots and ancient Mayans have predicted the end of the world for centuries. But thanks to a handful of public “whoopsies” and that pesky leap year situation screwing with the Mayan calendar, we’re looking good so far. True Blood, however, is in full on End of Days mode. Of course, that’s not to say the show is over, because its plot cup continues to runneth over. The steam behind this teetering conglomeration of vampire manifestos, battles of werewolf bravado, self-love, fire monsters, fairies, and goopy, liquid visions of mystery vampires continues to pump. But the Bon Temps we knew two years ago is all but gone. The only thing that’s remained the same is Fangtasia, but that’s not even within the city limits. The first character to burst our bubble is Bill. So much for Jessica’s assertion that he and Sookie “is different from Sookie and anyone else.” Those days are gone and Eric continues to be the only ruling vampire with a decent head on his shoulders. (Which is good news for Eric-Sookie shippers. Sorry, those of you who’ve thought Bill was a shoe-in. After all, if we could predict which supernatural being Sookie truly belonged with, half the fun of this show would be gone.) While the entire New Orleans crew celebrates the night’s killings like a group of horny coeds recounting their various shroom-sponsored visions as they all stroke each other and their overblown egos, Eric is sickened. And just in case we weren’t sure who’s side we’re supposed to be on, Salome orders Newland to fetch humans for dinner, with a side of baby for the creepy pervert with the melted face. Yep. Totally evil. When Bill doesn’t leave the room after such a request, it’s clear that he and Eric no longer play on the same team. Bill has officially gone Sanguinista. We see this in action when Salome feeds Bill a young mother. As the girl screams, he drifts back to the last moment he had with his dying daughter as he refused to turn her into a vampire. Somehow, the anger of having left his daughter to die when vampire blood could have saved her acts as enough of a measure of guilt to convince him to rip the poor victim tied to Salome’s bed to pieces. In contrast, Eric’s on a mission to convince Nora she’s being duped. While she’s babbling about seeing Lilith, Eric brings up his Godric sighting, sharing their maker’s disgust with the display in New Orleans. But it’s all for nought: Nora simply says that Godric died a blasphemer and that Lilith will eventually show Eric the way. Like the empty-eyed drone she is, she kisses Eric and expresses her faith in the vampire god, leaving Eric totally alone in his questioning of the new initiative. Finally, Salome moves to take out a significant portion of the mainstream movement. It’s obvious Russell isn’t the villain she hoped he’d be, he’s too busy flirting with Steve Newland to help. Instead, it’s Bill who gets to be the man with “Muah-ha-ha” worthy plan: bomb all the Tru Blood factories so that vampires are forced to feed on humans only. When Eric gives Bill the look that speaks every possible version of “what the f**k” Bill simply says he’s “evolving.” And just like that, our entire True Blood world is turned upside down. Think about it. When Bill was “with” Russell in Season 3, we knew he wasn’t. The series gave us clues. When he was revealed to have tracked Sookie like an animal, we were given reason to believe that it wasn’t as bad as it looked. But now, Bill is simply following the bloodiest faction, the one that is about to tear a rift in the world of vampires and of all supernaturals, and the only sign we get is Eric’s confounded mug staring at him as he drinks down a glass of blood. Bill has joined the dark side. Next: Is Sookie Really Ch-Ch-Changin'? And while Bill is on the dark side, Sookie is turning to the light. Jason intercepts her while she’s trying to use the rest of her light and convinces her that her very many logical reasons for wanting to be normal (she blames herself for her parents’ death, she’s a “freak,” she can hear strange men think lewd things about her at the bank) don’t outweigh the fact that her light is a connection to their parents and a possible way to help find out who killed them. It’s an endearing moment between siblings, so nice that I actually echoed Sookie’s “Pshhh” regarding Jason’s comment that her love for Bill was real. The sibling bond looks good on her. The conversation does the trick and Sookie and Jason pay a visit to Claude and his sisters at the Fairy Burlesque. They reluctantly agree to help while looking over their shoulders awaiting elder punishment - we’d better meet these terrifying elders soon, because the threat of potentially pissing them off is an excuse that’s growing rather thin. The fairies meet on the bridge where the Stackhouses died because by some sort of fairy law, Sookie has the ability to join with her mother’s memory at the site of the crash. Of course, she very easily sees the night of the crash, complete with a conveniently placed hat to keep us from seeing the guilty vampire’s face. But wait, there’s a completely nonsensical twist! Despite the fact that making a connection with a vampire is supposedly impossible (and doing so would also anger those pesky elders, which Claude knows for a fact even though the whole thing is supposed to be impossible - fishy much?), Sookie somehow switches to seeing from the vamp’s vantage point and witnesses Claudine using her light to shoo the vamp away. Claudine calls the vampire "Warlow" when she zaps him and while they don’t know who Warlow is, Claudine clearly does. However, we’ll have to wait until next week to learn more about this Spaghetti Western vampire in a rain-soaked trench coat. All we get is Sookie’s fanged vapor Voldemort appearing out of thin air in her bathroom to say she’s his and he’ll find her. We’re going to go ahead and give the series the benefit of the doubt: the vapor monster was likely a mental communication as a result of Sookie’s unprecedented connection with a vampire. But did it need to show up in her bathroom looking like the second coming of O-Town’s “Liquid Dreams”? Let me answer that for you: No. And while it still doesn’t get top billing, we have the Pam and Tara storyline, which continually proves to be one of the better elements of Season 5. This week, we learn how Mama Pam deals with Tara being bullied at school while bartending. Some bratty barbie from Tara's high school days shows up at Fangtasia wearing Elle Woods’ rejects collection and spews racist commentary out of her mouth like she’s being paid to do it. When Tara snaps at the blatant racist (and obtuse projection of that person from high school that most of us love to hate), Pam apologizes to the girl and chastises Tara while the girl brags about her four-bedroom house (woo, girl: dream big) and matching BMW. And while in the real world, most mothers would teach their daughters that karma or some other force would take down the mean ol’ rich brat, Pam does this lesson as only Pam would. She drags Tara to the basement under the guise of punishing her, but since her mad face and her happy face are identical, it’s no wonder we were all confused. Pam’s got the wretch tied up in the basement and glamors the girl so that she thinks she is Tara’s slave. It seems that Tara will shy away from her true nature, but then she does it: she actually steals cartoon Dracula’s line, “I want to suck your blood.” Which, is probably supposed to be the signal that she’s finally okay with who she is now. What timing. Tara comes around just as vampire politics are hitting the fan thanks to everyone’s favorite former good guy, Bill Compton. Pam bends the rules every once in a while, but she still generally lives by a code of moderation. What will happen to her and progeny when and if the Sanguinista’s movement gains real traction in Shreveport and Bon Temps? Let’s hope Eric manages to bring his happy little family to the right side of the battle. Next: Sam's Battle Gains Another Ally. But alas, there’s not only one battle on this show. There aren’t even just two, but we’ll start with the second one. Don’t want you getting winded just yet. (I’m already panting like one of the many dogs Sam has shifted into.) The big battle a-brewing very separately from the Sanguinstas is clearly destined to eventually clash with the vamps, but unfortunately for fans of plots that are easy to follow, we’re not quite there yet. The hate group hunting supernaturals is still largely Sam’s problem, but this week, he gets an ally. Jessica is easily tricked into coming home with a supposed fang banger at Fangtasia, but she should have known from the moment he told her “he tasted like a milkshake” that the guy was scheming. (Word to the wise: even non-vamps should stay away from men who use that line.) He actually brings Jess to the Hater headquarters where they offer her up to Hoyt as an initiation present. They lock them in a room together until Hoyt kills her, but he can’t do it. Luckily, we’re spared any false declarations of love in the name of freedom. Hoyt just lets Jess out because he’s not totally heartless... yet. He doesn’t actually get Jess the help he promised her - she’s fully rescued because of Sam’s shifty interrogation techniques. And, like your mother said it would, Karma comes back to bite Hoyt for his deception: it doesn’t take the other Haters long to find out what Hoyt did and he soon finds himself staring down the barrel of one hateful firearm. And while Sam's now got Jessica on his side, he has another issue on his hands: Luna is going nuts. After Sam convinces his lady that they can’t run off and systematically hunt the Haters, she gets so angry she shifts and becomes Sam. Only, she can’t shift back. Rut-roh, Scooby. We’re forced to pay witness to Sam Trammell’s best impression of a sassy, angry lady for the rest of the episode. Finally, the nightmare ends when Sam is taking care of Sam-Luna and they share a creepy, weekday afternoon episode of Goosebumps moment when they realize they’re “a lot alike” and apologize to one another. Right when Sam’s about to kiss himself, Sam-Luna turns back to Luna and immediately begins throwing up (hey, it was her or us) like Tommy did when he was in the habit of shifting into people.Obviously, the two of them are going to be in danger because a war is brewing, but can we knock it off with the Luna-death fake-outs, True Blood? Is it not enough that these two are being hunted? Now they have to put up with involuntary shifting and their insides fighting their way out? One major peril at a time, please. It’s not like we have 20 other people to worry about... oh wait. And speaking of 20 other characters, Alcide is still very much an important character. We can tell because the episode gave him almost an entire minute of viscious, steamy werewolf sex with his new girlfriend/trainer, Rikki, for ab-solutely no reason. (Get it? Because, dayum.) And the writers are lucky I remembered anything after that scene, which may be the closest thing to actual porn we’ve ever witnessed on this show, because all that happened afterward was a mess of a packmaster challenge. Alcide refused to hunt the teenage boy J.D. insisted upon using for the challenge, then he chased J.D. when the drugged up wolf threatened to kill the boy anyway. It’s not clear whether Alcide jumping back in to defend the boy after he forfeited his challenge made him a viable candidate again, but it doesn’t really matter because Martha and Rikki have to save him from J.D.’s ability to drop a heavy rock on his gorgeous head. We all know Alcide is just about the strongest werewolf we know (which I guess isn’t saying much), but his defeat is a clear sign of J.D.’s being on V. That damned drug and Jason’s penchant for dumb, adorable commentary might be the only two things that have stuck around since Season 1. But Season 1 has clearly abandoned Lafayette and the bundle of other secondary characters that waltz into his story this week (but hey, at least we’ve got more plots converging and making our lives easier). After having a peaceful vision of Jesus sitting with him on his way back from Mexico, Lafayette plans to leave all the magical nonsense behind (and I really, really wish he could). But, Arlene and Holly need him to hold a fake séance so Terry will stop yammering on about the smoke monster that’s chasing him. Lafayette demands $300 dollars and it seems Arlene is willing to pay up because we soon find her, Holly, Patrick, and Terry at a table with Lafayette. After Lafayette tries to bulls**t his way through the procedure, the Iraqi woman actually does come back and she offers to stop Terry’s (and the True Blood audience’s) suffering if he kills Patrick. We already know Patrick is a despicable human being, so it’s no wonder the coward bolts for the door halfway through Lafayette’s explanation. And as much as I love Scott Foley in real (TVFelicity-based) life, I hope for nothing more than for Terry to waste that obnoxious character and rid us all of this plot plague. Can you believe it? The plots are actually syncing up, which means we may not spend the rest of the season mumbling like crazy people trying to remember what happened on the previous week’s episode. If this continues, we might actually get to feel normal again. Or as normal as one can feel while watching Stephen Moyer suck blood-red corn syrup off an actress’ neck, anyway. Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler. [Image: HBO] More: True Blood Villain Denis O'Hare Teases Russell's New Romance True Blood Recap: Russell Edgington Forever True Blood Recap: Black Magic Women
-
TV Tidbits: 'Glee' Casts a Romantic Rival; Animation Attracts Zooey Deschanel, Sofia Vergara
July 23, 2012 10:57am ESTCollege. A time to find yourself, grow, branch out, and... endure yet another love triangle. Glee's heroine Rachel Berry has been the object of many a rivalry: Finn vs. Puck, Finn vs. Jesse, Finn vs. Jacob Ben Israel. But a new basis for conflict is on the horizon: with Rachel and Finn still in love, but many miles apart, it leaves their relationship on uneven ground. Fox has announced two new cast members for the upcoming season of Glee, and one will present a bit of a conflict in the realm of the Rachel/Finn department: Dean Geyer (Terra Nova) will play NYADA student Brody Weston, who develops an interest in freshman Rachel. Also joining the Glee cast is Jacob Artist, who will play Puck's trouble-making half-brother. Both actors will appear in the series' season premiere on Thursday, Sept. 13. More info straight from Fox: Animation Domination is lining up several impressive stars to lend their voices to The Simpsons, the Seth MacFarlane lot, and Bob's Burgers for each program during the upcoming television season:The Simpsons: Zooey Deschanel returns to Springfield as Mary, Bart's estranged wife and daughter of Cletus the Slackjawed Yokel.The Cleveland Show: Kanye West and Bryan Cranston return to the series, with newcomers Nicki Minaj, Bruno Mars, Sofia Vergara and Nick Offerman.Family Guy: Johnny Depp brings his Edward Scissordhands character to Family Guy; Jon Hamm, Kellan Lutz, Elizabeth Banks, Ryan Reynolds, J.J. Abrams, Christina Milian, and Dick Wolf will also make appearances.American Dad: Patrick Stewart returns to the show as Stan's boss Avery Bullock, with Sarah Michelle Geller, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Nathan Fillion, Danny Glover, and Hogwarts grad Rupert Grint also appearing.Bob's Burgers: Zach Galifianakis will play a department store owner in love with a mannequin; Nick Offerman joins this show as well, along with real life wife (and Parks and Rec ex-wife) Megan Mullally, and Parks costar Aziz Ansari. Jeffrey Tambor, Bill Hader, Sarah Silverman, and Kevin Kline also appear.A piece of unconfirmed news surrounding the HBO series Game of Thrones: Screen Crush mentions Misfits star Iwan Rheon as a possible new cast member. Rheon, who played Simon Bellamy on the outstanding United Kingdom sci-fi series, has been mentioned in attachment to the character Ramsay Snow, a.k.a. Ramsay Bolton, the bastard son of Roose Bolton. Speaking of superhero veterans: TVLine reports that Jack Coleman, star of NBC's Heroes (as well as a recurring player on The Vampire Diaries), will be taking a role on Castle as a problematic U.S. Senator... kind of like he does on The Office. Finally, TVLine reports that Hart of Dixie is adding Golden Brooks (Girlfriends) to its cast for the upcoming second season. She will play a recurring character who returns to Bluebell and befriends the main character. [Photo Credit: Fox] More: TCA 2012: 'The Mindy Project' Channels Nora Ephron, 'Game of Thrones' and Michael Scott True Blood' Villain Denis O'Hare Teases Russell Edgington's New Romance and More 'Love in the Wild' Finale: Let's All Laugh at Ben and Michelle — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO Casting Roundup
-
'True Blood' Recap: Black Magic Women
July 23, 2012 8:21am ESTWell, friends, it’s time to settle in and accept the fact that True Blood has grown out of control like ivy crushing a frail, wooden trellis. It’s happened and there’s nothing we can do about it. All we can expect now that we’ve reached the halfway point of the season is for the remaining episodes to try to unravel the mess that’s been made. And we’re somewhat prepared for this since Russell Edgington is involved, but he’s not the one we should really be worried about. He’s since joined Salome and Nora in their praise of Lilith – so soon after renouncing their movement – and now, he’s simply a “fun”-loving vamp in the midst of a movement he only supports as long as it’s fun for him. Russell is relatively innocent and our fears are centered on another axis of evil: her name is Lilith. And while men have provided a great deal of the conflict for the series – Sookie is a magnet for them – this season is greatly about the wiles and woes of women. Nora kidnapped Eric and Bill and brought them to the Authority; Salome played Roman and freed Russell for the love of Lilith; Sookie is struggling with the notion of her fairy essence and whether or not she should keep it; Arlene is destroyed in the wake of Terry’s Ifrit insanity; Pam is learning independence from Eric and the concept of motherhood; and Tara is learning that even though Pam is a bit cruel, she’s a better mother than Lettie Mae ever was. But first, let us deal with this mess called Lilith. At the Authority’s chambers, we find Russell’s face splattered with blood, so we can be sure that last week’s staking really was the end of Roman. The Authority troopers sweep in to take Russell, as Salome pleads with them to keep him alive. We see one final flicker of the Bill and Eric buddy system when Bill sweetly panics because he can’t find Eric: He’s strung up on a column and his sense of humor has clearly not been dampened: “The view from up here is spectacular.” When they find themselves locked up once more, Bill and Eric reveal that they’re more stupid than we thought. Boys, we figured out Salome was the one who released Russell weeks ago. Try to catch up. They don’t catch on until they’re summoned to her chambers, where Nora and Russell are freely frolicking while Salome clears the “mystery” up for them and admits the plan was hers all along. She couldn’t carry the burden of having gone against scripture to kill the Guardian, Roman, so she needed Russell to do it for her. Somehow it’s okay if Russell does it, but I’m calling BS. I say she just didn’t have the strength or bravery to do it herself. Meanwhile, Russell is only halfway committed to this whole Sanguinista movement. He’s just happy someone is allowing him to roam freely without having to escape the Authority’s rules at every turn. He offers Bill and Eric an olive branch, clearly brought on by the high of complete and utter freedom. Bill and Eric are distrusting of everyone and deny Salome’s offer to join them until the following day, when they attend the Lilith ritual and assume they can participate and simply pretend to play along. But, it’s never that easy. Boys, when did you become so damned naïve? Did you really think it would all be so easy? Still, Bill shows himself to be the weaker of the two, as he has all season, whenever he’s bent to Roman’s mumbo jumbo “for survival,” Eric has stuck to his guns and look: they’re both still alive and well. He says he still believes mainstreaming is the only way to keep the world from imploding, yet when the Lilith praising starts (and Russell beheads the first dissenter) Bill and Eric drink the blood of Lilith along with everyone else, assuming it couldn’t hurt. Next: Lilith's blood isn't so sweet...Well, if drinking vampire blood is like a drug to non vampires, then drinking an ancient vial of the original vampire’s blood is like heroin for vampires. The entire gang, including a very cozy Russell and his new plaything Steve Newland (who are actually kind of cute despite Russell’s bloodthirsty nature and Newland’s former desperation for Jason), storms Bourbon Street in New Orleans and begins intimidating innocent humans and claiming the streets as their own. It’s not long before they descend upon a karaoke bar full of cartoonishly boring, vanilla people, ripe for blood-sucking. The group drains the entire bar, leaving a wasteland of dead bodies, leaving no one behind. Russell is even shown drinking the blood of a young boy – we’ve traveled into truly ruthless territory. The likes of which we’ve yet to see on True Blood. Suddenly, a drop of blood manifests itself in the form of a naked Lilith, rising from the pool of blood that coats the floor. Why is she naked? Well, I think the bigger question is why the original vampire is emerging from a pool of human blood in the middle of a karaoke bar. Luckily, Eric the “Bible-banging c**t” hater isn’t completely taken in by the blood of Lilith. Godric, in spirit form, is able to break through to him and convince him that Nora needs his help to understand that what they’re doing is wrong. In his heart, Eric knows it’s wrong. We know this is true when he looks at Nora and doesn’t see the vision of Lilith that is standing before her. At least we know that True Blood didn’t get as weird as we feared – Lilith’s apparition appears to be little more than a vision brought on by the high provided by drinking her blood. Let’s hope that’s the truth. Meanwhile, Bill does not seem to be slowing down. While Eric stops to contemplate the acts he’s committed that night, Bill is as ravenous as ever. Could he truly be a sponge, absorbing whatever those around him are doing? We saw how hard it was for him to break free from Lorena’s free-wheeling lifestyle. Perhaps Bill is not as strong and upstanding as we’ve always assumed him to be. Could it be that Eric is actually the good one? Perhaps Eric is the good one, but for now, that distinction has no bearing on Sookie’s life. She’s dealing with plenty of her own issues. After she used her light powers at the fairy burlesque, her fairy friends are concerned she’s using up her magic. If she uses it too often, she will lose her powers all together. While the thought clearly terrifies both fairies, Sookie’s eyes light up. She has the chance to be normal, just like she’s always wanted. Plus, she’s riddled with guilt over her parents’ death. It was her special blood that killed them and after she talks to Sam, who says if he could become normal he’d stop putting his loved ones in danger, Sookie sees only one answer: she’s got to get rid of her magic. Jason does his best to convince her that there’s nothing wrong with her and that she’s not to blame, but while he visits Jessica to try and work through his feelings about vampires, Sookie tries to use up all of her light. But before he can get to her, he’s knee deep in a fight with Jessica. She tries to convince him that all vampires aren’t equal – that some are good. It’s something we, the viewers, are beginning to question too, what with Eric and Bill going all blood-sucking zombie in New Orleans. Jessica starts to kiss Jason to show him how tender vampires can be, but he tastes the blood of the fangbanger she’s been feeding on upstairs. She tries to convince him the dude is just her dinner, but that’s not something Jason can wrap his head around – and to be fair, that’s probably because like he says, when a human is feeding on cow’s meat, there’s generally not any sexual interaction with the provider of the sustenance. And if Jason wasn’t already fully against the vampire way, Jessica’s reaction to his hate will surely finish him off. She bites him, something she said she’d never do to him because it was so intimate, yet now, it’s done in violence and anger. He shoots her in the head in an effort to get her off of him, and just like that, his only tie to vampire-centric sympathy is gone. Meanwhile, Sam and Andy are dealing with the aftermath of their self-defense killing at the supernatural weaponry store. Sam’s keen nose ferrets out the box of Obama masks in the store’s back room, confirming what Hoyt’s latest friendship already suggested. Hoyt, who is still the most pointless character on this show, is being initiated into the hate group (he even gets his own Obama mask later), whose angle is to eradicate everything that’s making them lost their sense of superiority in nature. Hoyt, still hurt by Jessica’s rejection, latches onto what he thinks is “love” radiating from his hateful cohorts. After their leader, someone who goes by “The Dragon,” calls to tell them Junior was killed at the gun store, Hoyt gives them Jessica’s full name and they convince him she glamored and “date raped” him. It’s obvious he doesn’t fully believe what he’s saying, but his hate is obtuse and obstructing that he agrees with them and says he fully hates her. He could have just condemned her to death, and now that Jason is no longer on her side, she could be in real danger. The two groups later converge when Sam’s nose leads him on a chase through the hospital. He finds one of the men who shot at he and Luna and tackles him. It’s one of the men who was with Hoyt and while he’s working his regular job, Hoyt and the others are suiting up for another murderous mission. He smells one of the crew who shot him and Luna, follows him and tackles him. It is one of the men – one who was with Hoyt. It’s possible, seeing as the men were so eager to deliver an Obama mask to Hoyt, that they could be heading for Jessica’s house. And just when she’s been left alone by the one person who cares most for her. Next: Alcide isn't pining over Sookie... at all.But Jason isn’t the only one who’s moved on. Alcide is filling his sexual desires with his partner, the sexy werewolf who vouched for him when he challenged the pack master. She does have the jump on Sookie in that she constantly walks around naked while Sookie insists on wearing actual clothing. But she does touch a nerve when she tells Alcide to take V once to level the playing field against J.D. whose completely hopped up on the stuff. Alcide may not stick to his feelings for Sookie, but he never wavers on V: “No. It’s like swallowing death. You take it, and you’re dead inside.” Just then, Martha comes in to defend J.D., who she says was always so loyal to Marcus even though he believed that he had more right to the packmaster title. She eats her words later when she witnesses J.D. convincing the pack to take V, even baby wolf Emma. Martha may have started as an irrational bi**h this season, but she’s quickly showing herself to be nothing more than a fierce mother who refuses to believe the worst in those she loves. But this betrayal is bringing her to reason, as much as she might want to resist. Alcide may have another ally after all. Oh, but there’s more. There’s at least a six-pack of characters we haven’t even touched upon. After Terry left her in order to keep her and the kids safe, Arlene is watching her wedding video and mourning the loss of the life she once knew – and in the process, we are too. We see Jesus and Lafayette when they were happy, Jessica and Hoyt considering marriage, and Jason still happily chasing tail. The world of Bon Temps is changed and marred, even moreso than when the video was taken – a time when the whole town thought they’d lost Sookie forever. But it may not be lost. Holly comes to Arlene with the best advice anyone on Bon Temps has ever given: she tells Arlene not to give up on Terry because clearly, they live in a world where nonsensical incidents and beings are the norm. She convinces Arlene not to give up on her husband, but she can’t do much about Terry giving up on himself. When the Ifrit sneaks up on Patrick and Terry, it won’t kill them. In fact, it laughs and gains enjoyment from torturing the two former soldiers. Terry can’t take it and tries to kill himself because he doesn’t want to be tortured by this manifestation of their guilt for the rest of his life – well guess what buddy, that’s how guilt works. Patrick takes the gun and apologizes for giving him the order that cursed their whole regiment, and his intolerant comment about suicide being for Muslims aside, Patrick is the only who makes sense: Terry can’t throw his life away because he’s got kids waiting back in Bon Temps. Hopefully, Patrick will take his guilt and remorse and sacrifice himself to get this Ifrit out of our lives so we can focus on the important plotlines for once. Speaking of plot points that need be sewed up (you’re going to hate me for that choice of words in a second), Lafayette visits Jesus’ uncle thanks to his mother’s “conversation” with Jesus’ severed head. There’s just one problem: Jesus’ uncle sews Laf’s mouth shut and is planning to kill him so he can reclaim the dark magic Lafayette stole from Jesus when he was possessed by Marnie. (You and I know how nuts this sounds, and we’re okay with the notion of a vampire religion. This story has got to go.) Jesus’ tio is about to kill Laf, but his wife jumps up and murders the magic man before cutting the bloody stiches off of Lafayette’s mouth. I’m always prepared for blood on this show, but the mouth-sewing torture was just a little too far for my tastes – and perhaps it’s a matter of adjusting, just like we did with the notion of watching attractive vampires suck on people’s necks and thighs, but it’s something I don’t care to get used to. Finally, we have the secondary plot that I wish was more central. The compelling development of Tara’s relationship with Pam is not given nearly the billing it deserves, especially now that Tara’s mother has denounced her. Lettie Mae selfishly takes Tara’s new life – the one she did not want for herself – as a personal attack. At least we see where Tara gets her selfish notion that the world is out to get her. With Lettie Mae’s refusal, Pam is not the only mother Tara has – and she’s still more nurturing than her real mother ever was. Case and point: Tara is crying in Pam’s office and she allows Tara to hug her like a frightened child, but only for a moment. As soon Pam starts to feel something, she pushes Tara off. But it’s happening slowly – she’s coming to love her child, especially in the wake of her split with Eric. With rich stories like the vampire religion, Russell’s real plan, Tara’s relationship with Pam, Sookie’s possibility of becoming normal, Bill’s apparent rejection of reason, why are we wasting time with fire monsters and Hoyt? True Blood, you’ve clearly still got the ability to ensnare us, but every step you take towards these half-baked stories is a step away from maintaining your grip. Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler [Photo Credit: HBO] More: Denis O'Hare Teases Russell Edgington's New Romance True Blood Recap: Russell Edgington Forever True Blood Recap: Everybody Hates Sookie
-
'True Blood' Villain Denis O'Hare Teases Russell Edgington's New Romance and More
July 21, 2012 11:59am ESTIt’s been a long time coming - and a few miscellaneous human lives sacrificed — to get Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare) back to his original glory, but he’s back and in full effect. Just last week, we left him with his hand wrapped around a stake piercing Roman’s (Chris Meloni) heart. But his 3,000 years and menacing manner shouldn’t fool you. Russell is still a full-fledged character with goals and feelings — even if some of those feelings involve getting sexually aroused by feeding on humans - just ask O’Hare, who took time out of his rehearsal schedule for Sondheim in the Park’s Into the Woods in which he plays opposite “the salty little thing” Amy Adams, to talk True Blood with Hollywood.com. “He just kind of wants to be left alone,” reasons O’Hare. He says his character isn’t just a blanket villain — there’s depth there. And as we witnessed last week, Russell isn’t about to get involved in this vampire bi-partisan battle. He’s just out for blood and lust - you know, the usual “funtime” activities. “Russell will stick around until he’s not having fun, and then he’ll split,” O’Hare adds. But while he’s having fun, will he find time to mend his broken heart? Back in Season 3, Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) killed Russell’s live-in boyfriend and lovable character Talbot, but it’s been over a year, it’s time for the oldest vampire around to let go and move on. And it truly is. “We shot a flirtation,” says O’Hare. “By episode seven or eight you’ll see. It’s an affair, and we all know the character.” Could it be the former reverend, current vampire PR wiz Steve Newland (Michael McMillian) that manages to tame Russell’s wild heart in the wake of Jason’s (Ryan Kwanten)? O’Hare wouldn’t say, but we’ve got a hunch we could be on the right path. He was a little more forthcoming regarding Russell’s relationship with Eric. “He and Eric have always had an odd relationship,” says O’Hare. And it seems their ideas are more in line than Eric might like to admit. During “Hopeless” Eric tells Roman he’s not on his side or the side of the Sanguinistas, he’s a “pacifist.” Likewise, Russell tells Roman that he thinks both sides of the Mainstream/Sanguista divide are hypocrites - he just drinks blood because he loves it. After the Authority has but Eric through the ringer, and he’s witnessed so much double-crossing between the two sides - including whoever facilitated Russell’s Houdini act - perhaps their mutual hate of the faux-righteous battle will serve as some middle ground. And while the potential thawing of Eric’s icy view towards Russell is an interesting thought, the fate of Roman is a little more pressing. At the end of “Hopeless” Russell’s iStake malfunctions and he overtakes Roman in order to shove a stake in his heart, but Roman doesn’t explode the way every other staked vampire has in the history of this show - he simply turns grey. Could that mean he makes it? Well, that’s not so clear. “Roman was so ancient and so powerful,” explains O’Hare. But we weren’t the only ones confused upon first seeing the scene. “I remember reading it and going ‘So what’s the deal? Is he dead? I stake him? But, really, you’ll just have to wait until Sunday,” he teases. Either way, Roman’s could-be demise is unprecedented on the series. O’Hare left us with that looming question before delving back into New York rehearsals, the tease has already done its worst. Sunday’s answer to the Roman cliffhanger and Russell’s next big move cannot come soon enough. True Blood airs Sunday night at 9 PM ET on HBO and Into The Woods starts July 23 in New York’s Central Park. Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler. [Image: HBO] More: True Blood Recap: Russell Edgington Forever True Blood Recap: Step Right Up For the Surplus of Supernaturals Kristen Bauer van Straten Teases Pam’s Future with Eric and Tara — EXCLUSIVE Russell Edgington Returns
-
Mad Men and American Horror Story lead Emmy nominations
July 19, 2012 5:15am ESTMad Men star Jon Hamm will go up against the likes of Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Michael C. Hall (Dexter) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Hamm's co-star Elisabeth Moss will battle for the lead actress prize against Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Glenn Close (Damages), and Kathy Bates (Harry's Law), as well as Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife). American Horror Story received a number of technical nods, including nominations in the best costume and make-up categories, as well as mentions for lead actress Connie Britton and supporting actor Denis O'Hare. The Outstanding Drama Series category will be a tight race - Mad Men, Homeland, Downton Abbey, Dexter, Breaking Bad, and Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire are all in the running, while Outstanding Comedy Series nods go to 30 Rock, Girls, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, Veep, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Also receiving mentions as an Outstanding Lead Actor or Actress in a Miniseries or Movie were Nicole Kidman (Hemingway & Gellhorn), Julianne Moore (Game Change), Ashley Judd (Missing), and Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys). The nominees were announced live from Hollywood on Thursday morning (19Jul12) by Kerry Washington and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who will host the official 64th annual awards ceremony on 23 September (12). Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman was due to present at the programme, however, heavy storms grounded his flight to Los Angeles, forcing a pajama-wearing Kimmel to step in and fill his place. The main list of nominees is as follows: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Zooey Deschanel - New Girl Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie Tina Fey - 30 Rock Melissa McCarthy - Mike & Molly Amy Poehler - Parks And Recreation Lena Dunham - Girls Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock Louis C.K. - Louie Don Cheadle - House of Lies Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory Jon Cryer - Two and a Half Men Larry David - Curb Your Enthusiasm Outstanding Comedy Series: The Big Bang Theory Modern Family 30 Rock Girls Curb Your Enthusiasm Veep Outstanding Drama: Boardwalk Empire Breaking Bad Mad Men Homeland Game of Thrones Downton Abbey Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama: Claire Danes - Homeland Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men Glenn Close - Damages Kathy Bates - Harry's Law Michelle Dockery - Downton Abbey Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama: Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad Michael C. Hall - Dexter Jon Hamm - Mad Men Hugh Bonneville - Downton Abbey Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire Damian Lewis - Homeland Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie: Julianne Moore - Game Change Connie Britton - American Horror Story Nicole Kidman - Hemingway & Gellhorn Emma Thompson - The Song Of Lunch (Masterpiece) Ashley Judd - Missing Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie: Woody Harrelson - Game Change Clive Owen - Hemingway & Gellhorn Benedict Cumberbatch - Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece) Idris Elba - Luther Kevin Costner - Hatfields & McCoys Bill Paxton - Hatfields & McCoys Outstanding Miniseries or Movie: Game Change American Horror Story Hemingway & Gellhorn Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece) Luther Hatfields & McCoys
