HBO has finally released the new True Blood photo for the cast of Season 3 that we are all eagerly anticipating with bated breath, set to premiere on June 13, 2010 at 9pm. The entire gang is looking hot – Eric front and center, Pam, Bill and Sookie, Jason, Lafayette, Jessica, Tara, and Sam. Plus the cute little wolf smack-bang in the middle. Werewolf anyone? June 13 can’t come quickly enough!
Check out the latest “minisode” below as part of the Waiting Sucks HBO campaign. Get your teeth wet, you know you want to.
I am in love with Sam Worthington. And no, I am not biased because of Avatar. Well, not entirely. Still, he was not bad in Clash of the Titans as Perseus, a demi-god and son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) and executed some great action scenes reminiscent of Gerard Butler in 300 (ok, maybe just one move). Despite the low Rotten Tomatoes rating of a mere 30%, I did enjoy Clash of the Titans. Was I blown away? Not so much. Did I enjoy the film. Sure. If you’re looking for some supertastic remake of the original, you’re going to have to look elsewhere. This Clash isn’t it. And I saw it in regular-D, heard the 3D version was underwhelming.
Overall the film was good with some cool special effects and decent acting. Good cast also including Ralph Fiennes as Hades, Mads Mikkelsen as Draco (Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale) and Alexa Davalos as Andromeda (Defiance and Chronicles of Riddick) as well as the all-grown-up boy from About a Boy that I forced myself to recognize because his face was stuck in my brain, Nicholas Hoult as Eusebios.
The story was pretty much the same as the 1981 version on the film. The gods of Olympus have released the Kraken to wreak havoc on Argos because they are displeased with man’s overt defiance of them and their self-indulgence. When the Queen of Argos declares Andromeda to be more beautiful than a god, the gods are vengeful and release the Kraken upon Argos. Perseus, son of Zeus, is born to face Medusa the Gorgon and kill the Kraken before the princess of Argos, Andromeda, is sacrificed to it. With some decent special effects and a lot more CGI than the 1981 version, Perseus succeeds in his task.
All in all, not exactly blockbuster material but definitely good fun. I’d rate Clash of the Titans 3 out of 5 stars. And I’m still in love with Sam Worthington. So there.
Named after a medieval torture device with a two-pronged fork that was attached to a victim’s neck so they couldn’t sleep without intense pain, this episode Heretics Fork, was not bad.
Things are heating up with Val and Ryan and their half-human, half-V baby. The Vs are onto them and want to find them to dissect them. Apparently it hasn’t been possible to combine DNA so this baby is a threat to the V’s very existence. Ryan has decided to take Val somewhere safe, and Anna has decided to advance the live-aboard program as well as her plans for Tyler and Lisa. So far the best part is the deployment of the “soldier” – one of the mature eggs that Anna has created (yep, I wrote about the very gross egg pool in my last post, which surprise, surprise, she’s standing in again. It seriously grosses me out every time).
I do have to say that I definitely got a little of what I asked for – more alien/lizard special effects. Loved the V soldier eyes when it was tracking Ryan and Val. Imagine that Anna has laid thousands of those things!
I am starting to like Lisa a little. At first I thought she was playing Ty’s mom but maybe she does have real feelings for Tyler. Maybe that empathy that Joshua saw is starting to develop into something else!
Overall not a bad episode this week. Not too sure about Chad, whether he’s Anna’s little stooge or not. That remains to be seen. If he’s a half-way decent reporter, he should try to figure out both sides. We shall see.
So I had to do it. How could I not? I write a blog and I love Spartacus. I held out as long as I could to the very last episode of Season 1, when all I wanted to do was postsplode (post+explode=postsplode) the entire time. In the end, I had to give the shoutout to Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Season 1. Plus on IMDB, one of the listed genres is Fantasy. So there.
It’s graphic. It’s bloody. It’s violent. It’s sexy. It’ll make you cringe and check to see if anyone’s looking in your window at your television. But once you get past that, you’ll be hooked. If you liked 300 and Gladiator, you will love this series. Put it this way, if you could merge those two movies, the end product would be Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Outside of the non-stop action, it’s not short on plot and intrigue, the two things that make this series addictive. I haven’t even gotten to the display of muscular bodies, a flesh-fest not just for girls but for boys too. It’s a complete visual (and sometimes full-frontal) overload so prepare yourself accordingly. Spartacus: Blood and Sand is not for the faint-hearted nor the easily-flustered.
A brief synopsis. Spartacus has been separated from his wife and forced into slavery as a gladiator by betraying a Roman Commanding Soldier, just because he wanted to protect his own people. As a gladiator in the House of Batiatus, Spartacus claims victory in the arena and becomes known as the Champion of Capua, the Slayer of Theocoles, and the Bringer of Rain. Batiatus sends for Spartacus’ wife as a reward but she is killed on the way by bandits. Spartacus is broken but vows to forget his past and move on. He is revered among slaves and brings the House of Batiatus to notice in Capua. Lucretia (Xena, warrior princess!), the wife of Batiatus, is having an affair with Crixus, the former Champion of Capua who is Spartacus’ sworn enemy. For a while, Spartacus is content with his lot but then he discovers that Batiatus is responsible for killing his wife. From that moment on, he is consumed with a need for vengeance against Batiatus, which he gets in the very last episode, “Kill Them All,” when the gladiators re-take their freedom and do indeed kill them all.
And that’s just the bare bones of it. The lives and games of many are layered and intertwined so deeply that it becomes an unstoppable force in itself – Spartacus and Crixus, Crixus and Lucretia, Lucretia and Illythia, Illythia and Spartacus, Spartacus and Glaber, Glaber and Batiatus, Batiatus and Solonius, Solonius and Asher, Asher and Doctore, Doctore and Spartacus, Spartacus and Varo, Varo and Aurelia, Aurelia and Spartacus, Spartacus and Batiatus, Batiatus and Lucretia…it goes on and on and on.
What makes Spartacus: Blood and Sand so good, notwithstanding all the gratuitous nudity, profanity, and blood, without a single doubt is the plot. It actually has substance and is so full of unexpected twists and turns that you just don’t see coming. It is one thing if unpredictable. The acting was quite refreshing and the constant changing of affections and as I called it, intrigue, just kept me coming back for more.
Can’t wait to get Season 1 on DVD, and I’m waiting with fingers-crossed and bated-breath for Season 2.
OMG. Best episode so far! The Vampire Diaries are back! I absolutely loved this episode. First of all, Bonnie is back! I have to say that it just hasn’t been the same without her. Love her new look, she looks older and more confident. Everything was on fire tonight – Stefan, Damon, Jeremy, Anna, Pearl, and even the new guy, John.
It was scary awesome to see Stefan giving in to the demands of human blood as if it were a real addictive drug with the lying and the edginess and the desperation. I didn’t expect him to bite that girl, Amber, in the parking lot but then he did, and it was terrifying and crazy, exactly as I would have envisioned that scene. I loved it when he asks her, why aren’t you afraid of me? And she responds, because you told me not to be. He almost didn’t understand his own power, like he was a schizophrenic. He looked so guilty and devastated when Damon, Elena and Bonnie found him all covered in blood. And then when Bonnie did her mind-control thing with Stefan – that was pretty cool. Makes me wonder what else she learned while she was away.
Another thing I loved about the episode tonight was Damon being so sweet with Elena. I absolutely LOVED the dance scene with them when he escorts her out for the Miss Mystic Falls non-touch dance. It was electrifying, I could almost feel Elena’s heartbeat racing, because mine was. That was incredible – they had a great moment together. You could tell that she really felt something for him too.
Interesting twist with the invention that Uncle John is looking for, especially when Pearl gives it to Damon. My guess is despite what she says, maybe she does know what it does or wants Damon to find out for her. Pearl is way too old and way too calculating to just turn tail so easily, and tell Damon that there’s no catch, that she doesn’t want anything in return. I don’t buy it. There has to be more.
Love that Jeremy is back even though he read Elena’s journal which I didn’t think was fair in my last review, but I guess there was no real way for the writers to have him get caught up on everything including his lost memories. So I guess it worked out. He’s sassy and interesting again, especially with Anna. I like when he’s cool, confident, cute Jeremy. I’m curious as to whether he still wants to be a vampire now that he’s read Elena’s journal.
LOVED this episode. Can’t wait to see where it goes from here. The Vampire Diaries airs on Thursdays on the CW at 8pm EST.
ABC’s V series definitely got a little more exciting this week, especially with the little tidbit of Lisa (Anna’s daughter) failing the empathy test. I didn’t like her as a character before this revelation so it probably had to do with making her seem more human, funnily enough. I really liked how cool Joshua was when he tells her why he didn’t tell Anna…Some time in the future I’ll need a favor and you will comply. Nice.
LOVED the display of the visitor’s blue energy. That was awesome! Special effects will help to make this series a popular one. Well, that and plot and good acting. But for scifi, cool special effects are a must.
Things are heating up with Ryan and his girlfriend’s half-lizard baby. Now the visitors know because of the scan they recorded, so they will be on the hunt for them. Which is completely ironic since Anna is pushing for Lisa to ensnare Tyler, undoubtedly for the same purpose. Speaking of those two, nice work stealing a shuttle and having some fun and games themselves on board.
Again, Anna’s egg pool is just nasty. Not to mention her crushing one of her embryos in her hands. I knew she was going to do it and prepared myself mentally, and it still made me gag. Gross, gross, gross. I’d prefer to see some more teeth, some more alien appearances.
Looking forward to next week’s episode. V airs on Tuesdays at 10pm on ABC.
I read Wake in a couple hours. Train in to NYC, train back from NYC.
It’s not a very long book, just 210 pages, but it’s definitely an interesting premise. The main protagonist, Janie, is a dream-catcher, i.e., she falls into people’s dreams. Since she was eight, Janie has had an uncanny ability to enter the dreams of people once within a certain distance of them – falling dreams, drowning dreams, sexual dreams, death dreams. Sometimes she gets pulled in so horribly that her entire body becomes paralyzed, so not exactly a trip to Disneyland. In fact, it can be downright terrifying. When she meets Cabel, goth-turned-hottie at school and falls into his own horrible dreams, Janie confides her secret to him. It’s not all roses – he’s drawn to her and afraid at the same time of what she’s seen…what she can do. Plus, Cabel has his own secrets – he’s a secret teen agent (maybe a little corny on the plot) working with the police to bust a drug ring. In the end, with the help of Miss Stubin, another dream-catcher, Jamie controls her ability and helps Cabel and the police to uncover the druglord’s stash.
So yes, it’s a neat premise. Overall, the writing and the pacing were well-executed for YA. I was pulled into the story by the idea, and the writing/dialogue kept me engaged enough to keep turning the pages. The language was fast-paced and different, although in some cases, almost too teenagery (which is touch and go for YA – i.e., trying a tad too hard?) Some may find it very choppy and difficult to follow, but I didn’t have too much of an issue with it overall. I enjoyed the edgy feel to the pace.
Low on lyricism and descriptive imagery, Wake compensates for that with short, sharp sentences and quick section jumps. I quite liked the uniqueness of the author’s style – it read like a dream sequence in parts which is cool when combined with the whole concept of the novel. I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the characters themselves – they felt a little one-dimensional to me but I did like Janie and Caleb, and thought that the dynamic of their relationship was typical of a high-school relationship. It was believable, with a lot of good back and forth, and catchy dialogue.
In the end though, what derailed me was the complete lack of explanation of Janie’s condition. Why does she slip into people’s dreams? Was it hereditary? Where did it come from? We know there are others like her (Miss Stubin), so who are they? Why was Miss Stubin working with the Captain? How come Miss Stubin can visit Janie in her dreams even though she’s dead? I needed far more resolution than what was given so I didn’t get that feeling of plausibility that would have made it richer and so much more satisfying.
Another pet peeve. I am a fan of profanity when used appropriately in written dialogue (not to mention general conversation) but I thought it was a bit overused in this book. We know teenagers swear, so a couple times gets the feel across. However, Janie saying “fuckity-fuck” just gets to be too much. It became grating and contrived. There were also some areas that were pretty graphic about sex, sexual fantasies, and sizes of, er, certain body parts. I’m no prude, but authors need to have some sort of responsibility for the message they put on paper, especial for YA readers.
Which brings me to my next point. I am confused as to where Wake fits in. The novel reads like it is almost intended for preteens, especially if you take out the gratuitous f-bombs and random lesbian/sexual fantasies, but it does feel confusing because of its simplistic language with overly adult themes. Those pieces didn’t quite come together. I’ll also mention my growing pet peeve of absentee parents in YA novels. Teens can be messed up with paranormal abilities with perfectly acceptable and visible parents. But I digress on an unnecessary tangent.
Overall, I read Wake quickly and was intrigued by the cool premise. It did need some more depth and character development, but the writing was neat and I didn’t stop reading so that has to count for something. Not sure it’s a series where I’d be running out to buy the sequels, but it wasn’t terrible.
Had a lot of potential, just could have been executed way better.
Well in the Vampire Diaries, things definitely aren’t under control in the least. Stefan goes blood-loving rogue, some weird uncle shows up with a ring like Alaric’s who can’t die, Tyler gets his full-moon rage on, and Jeremy loses his brief coolness going back to mopey-lame-Jeremy-obsessed-with-Vicky. What is going on, folks?
Overall it was a good episode but I wanted more. I’m not sure exactly what I wanted, but it was more of something. Confusing, I know. I was very disappointed that Jeremy went back to being Jeremy, and not sure I liked him reading Elena’s journal. That’s just sneaky and way too easy. It would have been far cooler for him to see Stefan doing the vampire eye thing or something.
Damon of course was awesome in this episode. Nice seeing him for once as the one in control. Love the one liners.
Damon to Elena: Have I entered an alternate universe where Stefan is fun?
Not sure I liked seeing Stefan all drunk and gross. That was not cool, and the finger-sucking thing….ewww. It looked way creepy. Damon was much more likeable in this episode – can you imagine him sucking his fingers? Now that would be vampilicious. I do like the new addition of David Anders as Elena’s uncle and the tie-in to Isobel. Why is he back? What does he want? Where is Isobel? Where is Katherine? Why are their so many stupid RINGS (and where can I get one)!!!!! Arrgggh!!
So surprise, surprise – John May is dead and was killed by none other than our V-turned-ally buddy, Ryan. Another weak V episode even with a couple neat action sequences like the torture scene with Georgie, and plot twists like Ryan’s girlfriend finding his secret room with the ultrasounds of her part-lizard baby.
I didn’t really like the back-flash scenes with Ryan and John May, they were useless and definitely not executed as effectively as they could have been. Should have been a major moment, and it just didn’t get there. The torture-bug they used on Georgie was cool, but it would have been way cooler if they’d put more than one in there. But maybe I’m just a sadist. I like the fact that he didn’t give in, and that Joshua helped to euthanize him. I really do not like the criminal guy they are using to help build an army, he’s irritating. He’s supposed to be the second coming, and yet when they’re followed by the V spy-bot, Erica is the one who blows it out in one shot. He needs to man-up.
Another pet peeve – can Tyler get any more annoying and whiny? Seriously, it’s grating! Oh, boo-hoo, your dad is not really your dad, why don’t you just run away and live on the V ship? Oh wait…that’s exactly what he’s going to do. It would be nice to see him have a little microscopic bit of backbone, and not bail on his mother who looked after him for years just because some test (that could be wrong) said his DNA didn’t match his father’s. Grow a pair! Alas, I think Tyler’s in for the opposite as his meat-eating girlfriend and future mother-in-law have big plans for him and his gonads.
The scene with Anna and the giant egg/embryo pool at the end was just nasty. It wasn’t even interesting, it was gross. I did think that when she felt ill at the beginning of the episode and her face goes all dark, that that was cool. They should have done more with something like that.
Still waiting for something BIG to happen. The photo insert here is the sole thing that keeps me coming back for more…the eventual lizard unveiling. ABC has got to have some tricks up its sleeve, otherwise ratings will continue to dive and they’ll lose viewers.
Maybe my high expectations are the cause of these episodes feeling so flat to me. V needs more ooomph. Probably a 5 out of 10 for the episode.
And blue is the new black! Reserve your copy now and get it to your living room – Avatar comes to Blu-ray and DVD on April 22, 2010. Forget the Oscars or the Golden Globes, on this site, Avatar was best picture for 2009 (and maybe a tiny part of 2010), and the highest grossing movie of all time. Prepare to be blown away. If you’re wondering how Avatar is going to come across on the big screen, I was lucky enough to view an advance copy that I played on my iPod. Hello, tiny screen…and it was still freaking awesome!
With its underlying ecological themes, it is completely appropriate that the Blu-ray and DVD will be available on Earth Day 2010. This version of Avatar will be released in 2D with no bells and whistles, with a planned release of a multi-disc special edition in November later this year. If you want to get your fix, get this bare-bones copy now. If you can wait for the super-duper edition, hang on until November. Either way, it’s worth it.
Check out my last posts and catch up on your Pandora knowledge.
The new novel went out to its first test reader after weeks of self-editing. As most of you would-be writers already know, this is very arduous task that can go against every emotional bone in your body because you are, after all, editing yourself. It’s as if you were a plastic surgeon staring at yourself in a mirror and making black markings all over your body for “trimming.” Terrifying image? You bet. Well, it’s just about the same. And you have to be as meticulous as you are merciless. If it doesn’t contribute in some way – plot development, scene description, character back-story, iambic pentameter (kidding!) – then it has to go. Brutal. My favorite book to assist in this process is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. It is a key tool in getting rid of some of your most adored (and more-likely crippling) writing habits. You’ll cringe to hit the delete button, but your work will be better for it.
That said and done, I am now awaiting the initial test-reader feedback with bated breath, and of course a “tiny” bit of anxiety.
Next step – jacket-flap/query outline for my agent. Here’s a teaser – it’s all about hell.
And the Vampire Diaries are back in the game! The Vampire Diaries was an AWESOME episode tonight! Full of action and suspense and drama. What was not to love!?
The CW really redeemed themselves this week. The attack on Stefan was expected (having been in the previews), but I can’t say that I don’t utterly love seeing Damon’s protective sensitive side. Love, love, love when the bad-boy goes human. It was awesome when he told Elena that he couldn’t protect her if she came into the house while he was trying to rescue Stefan. And she’s like, ok (even though she’s totally predictable and goes into the house anyway…stupid Elena). She does save Stefan though, so she redeems herself…a little. It was great to see Damon so torn up over Stefan, especially when he pretends not to care half of the time.
Also Loved Alaric in this episode! Found him to be very weak before in terms of his character but liked his kick-ass mentality with the nasty vampires and working together with Damon. Loved that he saved Damon especially considering he hates him. Especially loved it when he punched Damon in the face in the bar in the end, that was a cool moment.
I really liked the twist with Vicky and bringing her back, and then the way that played into Jeremy wanting to turn into a vampire. I think that that really hurt Anna when she said in the end that he only wanted to turn into a vampire to be with her. Felt so sad for her then, I really did. The interchange between them in the beginning of the episode was so real and believable too, with some great lines.
Anna: Suck it up
Jeremy: Turn me and I will.
I enjoyed the development of their relationship and the fact that Anna defended him to her mother, which of course made the end with Jeremy’s ‘betrayal’ a very poignant moment. I like them as a couple a lot so I am waiting to see where the CW takes this.
The best part of the episode though was the bit at the end where Damon walks in on Stefan gorging himself on human blood from blood bags. One taste of Elena’s human blood, and he is ruined. That was totally unexpected, I wasn’t even thinking of that when she gave him her blood, which was also a very cool moment in the episode.
Completely fantastic episode – nothing bad to say whatsoever! Go CW!
The Vampire Diaries airs on Thursdays on the CW. Can’t wait to see next week!
The ABC series V seems to be quickly losing steam in my opinion. Tonight’s was a slightly better episode than last week’s, and definitely had some good moments, like the baby V moving around in Ryan’s girlfriend’s stomach, but overall it just felt flat. I know that they have to build up the whole Fifth Column getting motivated, but it feels like the pacing is too slow to keep viewers interested. There don’t seem to be any exciting plot twists to drive the drama.
The build-up of Ryan going aboard the ship (oooh the danger…the risk!) didn’t seem to be met by the actual action when he did get on the ship, so that wasn’t as awesome as it could have been. The test that Anna made up to find members of the Fifth Column was cool but it still seemed too boring, too predictable. We know they don’t have any empathy. Would have been cool maybe if Ryan had somehow been able to best the test. I also don’t like the new guy that Erica and team have recruited to help build their army on the ground. He annoys me. Lastly, the ending with Georgie being tortured and screaming in the final scene was no surprise. The shock factor was just not there.
V seems to be missing a lot of the energy that it started off with. I hope it picks up soon or it’ll find itself past the point of primetime return.
Spent most of the weekend editing the new novel, doing some fat -trimming, some word-thinning, and some plot-tightening. Fun. I’m planning to get it out to the first group of test readers in the next week or so. This is my fourth editing iteration so I’m hoping that it’s starting to look a little more sleek. As my agent says, think shark through water. So that’s what I’m going for. Tiger shark – hoorah!
And the Vampire Diaries has finally redeemed itself! Great start to the episode with Pearl laying a giant beat-down on Damon and gouging out his eyes. Way to start with a bang! Not to mention the old house full of escaped scary pissed-off vampires from 1864 waiting to make good on the Salvatore brothers. Pearl is turning out to be Queen Vampire Nasty. She definitely means business. It’s kinda strange to see Damon, normally the ruthless bad-ass vampire being schooled by someone far worse.
The double date was a little weird but I guess they had to have some filler although it was pretty cool to see the four of them interacting together. Nice to see Stefan trying to make some friends outside of Elena.
Damon cougaring it up with Matt’s mother was another classic Damon moment. I loved Caroline’s comment after they got to Stefan’s house.
Caroline: This is much better than watching Damon visit Cougar-town.
Finally, way to go Jeremy! Slicing his hand open with Anna and letting her drink his blood. Took some guts – I liked seeing that a lot. Jeremy can be so wishy-washy sometimes so it was great to see him take charge. He also has a new look, like the sassy cuteness. I’m just not too sure about him wanting Anna to turn him. It was too predictable. So basically now we have a brother and a sister both fraternizing with vampires, and hiding the fact from each other.
Overall, not a bad episode at all. Enjoyed all the drama and the slowly building tension of Pearl’s endgame. Very interesting. Looking forward to next week’s episode. The Vampire Diaries airs on Thursdays at 8pm on the CW.
In typical DreamWorks style (think Monsters vs. Aliens, Bee Movie, and Shrek), the animation is stunning. The story itself pulls you in from the beginning, narrated by the ‘outcast’ of his Viking village, Hiccup, who coincidentally turns out to be the chief’s son. He is thin and weak, and nothing that his father Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler) wants him to be.
Hiccup’s village is plagued by philandering dragons. And all Hiccup wants to do is kill a dragon to prove to his village, and his father, that he is a true Viking. But when Hiccup manages to take down a Night Fury, the most elusive and dangerous of all dragons, he realizes that he doesn’t want to kill it. The Night Fury has lost half of its tail fin and can’t fly, so Hiccup invents an attachment and with a lot of courage and patience, teaches ‘Toothless’ to trust him and gets him to fly once more.
How to Train your Dragon is a story of friendship and courage, and celebrates finding your own path. In the end, Hiccup helps his father defeat a giant prehistoric dragon (that all the others dragons have been forced to feed) with the help of Toothless and some of his new dragon friends.
The script was well-written and dynamic. The characters were witty and sassy and fun, especially Snotlout, voiced by Jonah Hill, and of course, Astrid, a fierce young Vikingess, voiced by America Ferrara. I didn’t see it in 3D but it was awesome nonetheless. The feeling of flying with the dragon was exhilarating and intense, and I can imagine that in 3D, it would be phenomenal. Since How to Train your Dragon was made for 3D, I would highly recommend seeing it in 3D (make have to make a return trip to the theater myself).
And the 
How to Train your Dragon
nothing that his father Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler) wants him to be.
realizes that he doesn’t want to kill it. The Night Fury has lost half of its tail fin and can’t fly, so Hiccup invents an attachment and with a lot of courage and patience, teaches ‘Toothless’ to trust him and gets him to fly once more.
toric dragon (that all the others dragons have been forced to feed) with the help of Toothless and some of his new dragon friends.
racters were witty and sassy and fun, especially Snotlout, voiced by Jonah Hill, and of course, Astrid, a fierce young Vikingess, voiced by America Ferrara. I didn’t see it in 3D but it was awesome n
onetheless. The feeling of flying with the dragon was exhilarating and intense, and I can imagine that in 3D, it would be phenomenal. Since