Walking down the street a couple weeks ago I passed a poster promoting something called the “Vampire Rights Amendment.” Maybe you did, too. It didn’t register at first -- living in New York, one grows accustomed to all sorts of civic grievance. The next time I encountered one of these posters, though, I went home and looked up the VRA online, and was, first of all, surprised to find it online, and then to discover that it was part of an elaborate, under-the-radar ad campaign for an upcoming cable series called “True Blood.” Okay, I was roped in.
I’ve since acquired the first two episodes of the show, and a considerable amount of obscure information related thereto. “True Blood” is drawn from the eight “Southern Vampire Mysteries” written by Mississippi novelist Charlaine Harris, who among other things, I gather, is a former weightlifter. I mean no disrespect. These books are apparently very popular; naturally I haven’t heard of them before this. They chronicle the unusual adventures of a telepathic Louisiana barmaid (already it’s getting good) named Sookie Stackhouse, whose backwoodsy hometown of Bon Temps is apparently infested with werewolves, witches, shape-shifters and, of course, vampires. In fact, the sheriff is a vampire. In fact, Sookie dates a vampire. Sex abuse and serial killing also crop up, but let’s stick with the supernaturals. Read More...
Tags alan ball, anna paquin, hbo, kurt loder, true blood