In an interview with Australia’s Sunday Herald Sun, Twilight Saga actor Robert Pattinson discussed his feelings about the attraction women have for vampires. “I don’t know why,” he admits, “but if you’re a human girl with a vampire, you’re either going to die or they have to force themselves not to kill you, which gives you the ultimate power over them, which is, I guess, the relationship women all want to have with men – where they have absolute power over someone with absolute power.” In the same interview, he express concern over girls who are seeking the kind of relationship that Edward Cullen and Bella Swan have. “If you want to believe in the mysticism of a relationship, or something transcendent, then she has to be with Edward. But a lot of people look for that in a relationship and get disillusioned with it very quickly.”
December 20, 2009
FROM DRACULA TO JIMI HENDRIX
Writer R.H. Greene has gone from the success of his first-person “memoir” Incarnadine: The True Memoirs of Count Dracula (as told by the count himself) to getting the chance to direct his original screenplay Slide, about a rumored 1969 kidnapping of the late Jimi Hendrix. The film will be produced by Transformers’ Don Murphy and The Cat’s Meow’s Carol Lewis. “This is the classic case of ‘it never rains, but it pours,’ Greene told Entertainment Business Newsweekly. “Both these projects were years in the making, and where Slide is based on something Jim Hendrix himself told close friends was a true incident, Incarnadine: The True Memoirs of Count Dracula is entirely a work of fiction. What they share, though, is a ground in heavy research, and that each hopefully takes an unexpected approach to a story we think we know…. If I did my job, you’ve never met a Dracula like the one in the novel, and the film will also show Jimi Hendrix in a way that’s both truthful and unique.” For more info on Incarnadine, go to the official website HERE.
December 15, 2009
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD TALKS "ECLIPSE"
In an interview with WENN, actress Bryce Dallas Howard was asked about replacing Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. "The jury is still out, because Racelle created an incredible character and is exquisite," she said. "I feel like the uproar that occurred was really appropriate, because part of the joy of seeing a franchise, it’s almost like a television series. You’ve seen the actors grow with the franchise. And [Lefevre’s] unavailability [to do Eclipse] was really, really, really unfortunate. [You have to] do your best and be über-respectful. She won that role for a reason. I hope to honor everything that she created."
"DAMN NATION" IN DEVELOPMENT
The writers behind Kenneth Branagh's version of Thor (Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz), will be moving from Asgard to the undead with their adaptation of the Dark Horse comic, Damn Nation. The comic, written by Andrew Cosby with art by Jason Alexander, will see its film version produced by Dark Horse's Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg. Describes The Hollywood Reporter, "Set in a U.S. evacuated after an attack from 'inhuman nocturnal predators,' the comic tells the tale of the survivors after the government has been forced to relocate to London while scientists search for a solution." Writers Miller and Stentz are also writer-producers on the Fox TV series Fringe.
November 12, 2009
VAMPIRE DIARIES NEWS BITES
E! Online has an interview with Vampire Diaries' Kevin Williamson, who says that he's trying to get country singer Taylor Swift to appear on the series as a member of the undead. "I'm desperate to have her play a vampire," he says. "Wouldn't she make an amazing Kirsten Dunst circa Interview With the Vampire type? Oh my God, I cannot tell you how hard I'm trying to get her -- I would kill to have her on the show."
*****
TVGuide.com has an interview with actor Matthew Davis, who plays an arriving teacher named Alaric Saltzman, who also happens to be a vampire slayer. "I hopped on that plane not knowing what I was getting myself into," the actor noted. "Alaric definitely has a past and he's there to add a heightened sense of tension to the story line. He has a dark side, and I think he's not always going to do the right thing. How that compels him remains to be seen.
EDWARD CULLEN - PERFECT VOLVO DRIVER
Apparently the Edward Cullen of New Moon is the perfect Volvo driver. The character will, of course, be driving the Savile Grey XC6OR in the film. Linda Gangeri, manager of national advertising for Volvo Cars of North America, notes, "The brand DNA matched to his character couldn't be ore right. His character is a nurturer and he has to be understated, because he's living in a human world and is in love with a human. At the same time, he wants something that is good-looking and fast."
November 01, 2009
VAMPIRE DIARIES: Vicki's Original Killer
According to an interview with Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, Vampire Diaries' Vicki (Kayla Ewell) was supposed to be staked by Elena's brother, Jeremy, rather than Stefan. "In the original script," she detailed, "Jeremy kills Vicki. And that's what we shot. Jeremy is forced to choose between saving the love of his life or his sister, and he chooses his sister. We shot the whole thing and I [moved back to] L.A. Then about a week and a half later, I got an email from Kevin and [co-executive producer] Julie Plec asking me to come back to Atlanta to reshoot my death scene -- only this time Stefan kills me."
"I KISSED A VAMPIRE" DEBUTS
SOURCE: Entertainment Business Newsweekly DATE: November 1, 2009 Episode 1 of the new musical web series I Kissed A Vampire is now available for download exclusively on the iTunes store (www.iTunes.com). The series stars multi-talented actors/singers Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical, Milk), and Drew Seeley (Another Cinderella Story, The Little Mermaid on Broadway) and introduces musical talent Adrian Slade. I Kissed A Vampire is a musical take on what it's like falling in love when you're in the middle of becoming a vampire! Dylan (Grabeel) is terrified when a nasty bat bite transforms him into one of the living dead. His world is turned upside down, and he has to figure out how to balance his budding romance with Sara (Slade), the girl next door, and the bloodthirsty desires his magnetic vampire mentor Trey (Seeley) is constantly urging him to give in to. The first episode of the three part series is available today, October 13th, exclusively on iTunes, with the second and third episodes available October 20th and October 27th, respectively. iTunes customers can purchase and download the episodes at www.itunes.com/ikissedavampire. Episodes will be available for $1.99 each. Also available for download is a free, behind-the-scenes featurette about the making of the series. The series was co-written and directed by Emmy-winning director Chris Sean Nolan, co-written and produced by Laurie Nolan, and executive produced by Mike Slade. The series features five original pop/rock songs from musician Frankie Blue, including "Outta My Head," "Love's In Vein" and "A Little Peck." In addition to the episodes, all the original songs are available for download exclusively on iTunes. "I Kissed A Vampire gave us the perfect opportunity to bring our collective passion for music and storytelling together in one place," says producer Laurie Nolan. "We couldn't be more pleased than to have Lucas, Drew and Adrian bring the musical to life. We're also thrilled to make I Kissed A Vampire available for download exclusively on iTunes." I Kissed A Vampire will have a New York premiere screening of all three episodes tonight, Tuesday, October 13th with a public, first-come first-serve event at the Landmark Sunshine Theater in New York City (143 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002). Lucas, Drew and Adrian will be in attendance for an audience Q&A immediately following the screening, moderated by celebrity blogger Jared Eng from www.JustJared.com and www.JustJaredJr.com. Fans can watch the trailer at the official I Kissed A Vampire website, www.ikissedavampire.com, or become a fan on facebook at www.facebook.com/ikissedavampire.
JONATHAN FRID INTERVIEW
ARTICLE TITLE: Interview with the vampire;
AUTHOR: THANE BURNETT
SOURCE: Edmonton Sun (Alberta)
Before Twilight.
Or the taste of HBO's True Blood.
A generation removed from today's top grossing blood-suckers, there was Barnabas Collins -- a vampire you could believe in. Or at least, I did.
Centuries ago, the fears of children were born from village lore. In the 1800s, it came from dark prose in eerie novels.
But as a child of the 1960s and '70s, all my monsters lived large inside our small television.
If I even recall the 1969 pilot of TV's Night Gallery -- in which a painting owned by a murdered old man changes shape -- what little hair remains on the back of my neck stands up. And screams.
Thanks to the Exorcist, I still bite my nails.
And because of Barnabas Collins, the dark bat-man of the gothic TV soap opera, Dark Shadows, I suspect almost everyone of being a closet vampire.
The series ran on ABC from 1966 to '71, and was dying before Canadian actor, Jonathan Frid, flew in as a 175-year-old anti-hero.
The character was only supposed to stick around for 13 weeks. Instead, the hypnotic magnetism of Barnabas made Dark Shadows one of the most popular shows on daytime television.
Playing in the afternoons, and filled with parallel universes, witches, zombies and werewolves, Dark Shadows was a must-see for kids.
For me, all other vampires paled when compared to Barnabas.
Critics dismissed Dark Shadows as campy. But fans -- who gather still for Dark Shadows conventions -- recognized Barnabas as a figure with heart. However unbeating.
So, when news came that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are collaborating on a movie version of Dark Shadows, I knew I had to resurrect Barnabas -- or at least his human side.
I find Frid in a secret lair, somewhere outside Hamilton, Ont. The mystery is for his protection. Fans still stalk one of the greatest vampires of the 20th century.
The actor is 85 years old and retired. Over the decades, he's played countless one-man shows and Shakespearian plays. And from the start, he never thought fangs fit.
We sit in the basement of his bungalow, surrounded by memories stacked in folders and bound in albums.
When he first took the roll of Barnabas, he was relieved it didn't immediately air around his home turf of Hamilton. That meant his friends wouldn't have to see it.
"But suddenly, it took off," he recalls. "And I was getting 5,000 pieces of (fan mail) every week."
His followers waited daily outside the studio in New York. Frid would run up to the glass doors, and scare them so badly, he feared stampedes would flatten someone.
But after Dark Shadows ended, Frid gladly moved on.
Over the years, he embodied living characters, and never wanted to dig up old bones.
"I thought I was ... dreadful. Awful," he adds of his work on the series.
"I tried to fight the vampire for years."
June 04, 2009
BEING HUMAN: LENORA CRICHLOW (ANNIE)
June 01, 2009
VAMPIRE NEWS BITES: JUNE 1, 2009
Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (from Quirk Books), has announced that this next effort will be Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. As he told The New Zealand Herald, "It's kind of a gimmicky horror history, but this time it's wholly original; a reimagined biography. It's one of those things where I had it all written out and thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if I got to write that one day.' And now the success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has generated interest in it. It will have that same comic spin and it's a very different thing to write a biography and have it read funny — that's my goal, to have it a mix of fiction, humor and factual accuracy." The book is expected in 2010.
BEING HUMAN: AIDAN TURNER (MITCHELL)
Aidan Turner, who plays effortlessly cool vampire Mitchell on Being Human (which begins airing July 25th on BBC America), says he was hooked on the first reading of the script for the show. "From the first episode it really works," he says. "It's a great premise, it's all in the title really -- it's very realistic situations and deals with tons of real issues. It's dark and witty -- Toby [Whithouse] is a fantastic writer."
What also appealed to Aidan was the sense of reality which shone through the characters and the story. "When tackling a supernatural subject, I sometimes find it difficult to invest in the characters because they dont' really exist -- but there's so much heart to this story, so much reality to it, it's easy to relate to the characters. Certainly George, Annie and Mitchell, because they are three normal guys, which is evident from the first episode. They're not flying around putting spells on people -- they work in the hospital, live in an apartment together, watch TV and go to clubs. I hope that people watching think, 'I'd like them to be my friend.' I think that's important."
For Aidan, the fact that Mitchell is a vampire was a big attraction to the role. "Everyone wants to play a vampire -- it's something I've always wanted to play. It's just one of those parts. Also, when you research into vampires there are all these cults around the world that are influenced by them one way or another, so that was a really interesting aspect to discover."
The fact that Mitchell is a vampire, and has therefore been around a long time, makes him a complicated character to play. As Aidan explains, "Mitchell is 118 years old and to play someone like that is brilliant. With his maturity he has a certain kind of responsibility and a worldly experience that not all people have. He's not bothered by a lot of things -- that side of him I aspire to be like."
Finally, Aidan believes that audiences will relate to Mitchell and his struggle. "Everyone has a dark side that they don't expose too often -- but when they do, you know about it."
May 31, 2009
NEW MOON EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: SCREENWRITER MELISSA ROSENBERG, PART 1
While Stephenie Meyer is the creator of The Twilight Saga, the task of adapting it tothe big screen has fallen to screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who, if all goes according to plan, will be the sole writer of all four adaptations. In the first part of this exclusive interview with editor Edward Gross, Melissa discusses the challenge of writing New Moon with the project under such public scrutiny, as well as what she feels director Chris Weitz will be bringing to the saga that will differ from Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke. Look for part two of this interview on Wednesday.
May 30, 2009
BBC AMERICA ANNOUNCES "BEING HUMAN"
A vampire, a werewolf and a ghost share a house....
Sounds like the start of a bad joke, but in reality it's the premise of Being Human, one of the most innovative and effective genre shows coming from England that will make its American debut on BBC America on July 25th at 9:00 PM ET/PT.
Mixing the mythic with the commonplace, the farcical with the horrific and the domestic with the epic, Being Human is a witty and extraordinary look into the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives -- as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. Russell Tovey (Doctor Who, the History of Boys), Lenora Crichlow (Sugar Rush, Doctor Who) and Aidan Turner (The Clinic) star as housemates trying to live normal live,s despite their strange and dark secrets.
George (Tovey) and Mitchell (Turner) work in anonymous drudgery as hospital porters. They lead lives of quiet desperation under the burden of a terrible secret -- Mitchell's a vampire and George is a werewolf. Deciding to start life afresh and leave behind the dark side, they move into a house, only to find that Annie, the ghost of a woman killed in mysterious circumstnaces, haunts it. As the monster threesome deals with the challenges of their new life together, they're united in their desire to blend in with their human neighbors.
By all appearances, George is a mild-mannered geeky guy, except for one night a month when he's a flesh-hungry, predatory werewolf. Mitchell is good-looking, laid-back and, unlike George, has an easy confidence with the ladies. But he's also suffering withdrawal from the blood he craves. Annie (Crichlow) is chatty, insecure and desperate for company and now that death has separated them, she longs for her fiance, who owns the house she haunts.
But with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld and constant threats of exposure -- on top of the day-to-day issues faced by young people -- the only thing they may be able to rely on in their heightened world is each other.
"We had to re-imagine how these supernatural creatures would be if they really did exist," offers producer Matthew Bouch. "We have very real and human characters with adult dilemmas, placed in a fantasy context. Being Human has elements of comedy, horror, soap and supernatural. But what makes it a rich mix also makes it potentially quite tricky as you don't want to allow any one of those elements to dominate too much. I think with a combination of Toby's script and the brilliant cast, we've pulled it off."
Adds series creator Toby Whithouse of his storyline, "I like the idea of suggesting that there is some kind of underworld, another life, another story that is going on in the world that we're unaware of; that's hidden. I wrote an episode of Doctor Who a couple of years ago that was set in a school. The Monday after it transmitted I heard reports that teachers were walking out to the front of their class and saying, 'Physics, physics, physics,' which is what the Doctor said. It made the kids wonder if their teachers were really aliens."
Look for much more on Being Human coming soon.
