The Hush-Hush News Report 6.22.09: The Column With Bite!

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 06.23.2009

This week's Hush-Hush News Report takes a journey into the world of television and examines the first couple of episodes of True Blood's second season to see if it's holding to the quality of the first season! Plus news on Michael Bay's tiff with Paramount, David Goyer talking about the next X-Men film(s), Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland pictures, early Star Trek script talk and more!

Welcome folks to another edition of the Hush-Hush News Report! I'm your host Jeremy Thomas, and I'm pleased to say that I've survived the first week of iPhone 3GS and 3.0 software madness. I had a very interesting conversation with my best friend Sunday about Apple customers and how obsessive they are over their brand. It's a good thing certainly, especially for Apple and just goes to show that they make good stuff; honestly you don't hear about Yugo fanatics or Windows Vista nuts. There's probably a reason for that. Anyway, let's get to the news, shall we?

Before you start reading, have you bookmarked 411Mania.com yet? It's the easiest thing in the world to do, and it'll get you your daily dose of entertainment news that much quicker! Typing the URL out in the address bar is such a pain, don'tcha think? Hell, make it your home page and it'll be that much easier for you!

Bay vs. Paramount—A Bigger Battle then Optimus vs. Megatron?



Powerhouse Hollywood director Michael Bay, who returns to theatres worldwide on Wednesday with a 'Transformers' sequel, has blasted the marketing efforts of the film's studio, Paramount Pictures.

In a memo sent last month to top brass at the Viacom Inc unit, and published on Sunday by celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.com, Bay complained there was no buzz surrounding 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'. 'Right now we are not an event. We are just a sequel, which is very different. There is no anticipation. Remember back to 'Spider-Man 2' - it was everywhere,' he wrote.

Bay added that advance word on the $200 million robot extravaganza in publications like Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times had been an 'abject failure,' and he described as 'lame' a plan for him to preview a small clip at the MTV Movie Awards this month.

'I cannot figure if this is a cash issue with your company? Is there some clever idea why we are not spending? I'm not sure,' he said. 'I'm sure though the movie will do fine, but not to your internal expectations because right now we are fooling ourselves by being cocky.'

But in a second e-mail, sent June 6, Bay compared Paramount to a family and thanked the executives for 'busting your butts and bringing your 'A game' for the release of Transformers'.

A Paramount spokesman declined to comment other than to point out that the latter e-mail 'clearly speaks to a differing stance than the former'. Two of the top production executives on Bay's e-mail list were coincidentally ousted on Friday amid a failure to speed up production of in-house movies.

'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' is the follow-up to 'Transformers', which earned US$708 million worldwide in 2007.

Bay, 44, recently told Forbes magazine that he earned US$80 million from that film.

Early reviews of the latest film have been unfavorable. In Britain, where the film debuted at No. 1 this weekend, The Guardian newspaper said the 150-minute movie was 'like watching paint dry while getting hit over the head with a frying pan.'

There's a lot to talk about with this one. First off, it must be noted that the first email was in fact dated from the beginning of May and a lot has happened since; certainly the second email from earlier this month seems to belie any tensions that may exist between Bay and the studio. That being said, it must be remembered that Bay has recently said he doesn't know if he wants to come back for a third Transformers. Is this due to weariness with the franchise as a whole, or because he doesn't like the way Paramount was promoting this sequel? I'm usually the first to rag on Bay when he does stuff that seems to be his usual kind of smarmy, rude attitude, but he does kind of have a point here. There's a great quote in the first email about how Jerry Bruckheimer—who of course is the master of the big-budget event movie—has a mantra: "A studio that does not make it into an event, will it into an event, thinks the audience will just show up, will always be bitten in the ass." That is a very true statement and I think this probably was Paramount's thinking in today's cost-cutting economic mindset; assume that people will show up because it's Transformers. Obviously that has changed and we've seen a huge change in the advertising of the movie over the past month and a half or so. I would be seriously surprised it the movie fails on any financial level although the reviews, as this article says, haven't been kind. I don't expect the film to be very good although I will of course see it; hey, I sat through Dragonball and it can't be any worse than that.


Williamson's Twitter Scream-ing Blues



Reports emerged on Friday that "Scream" star Neve Campbell turned down a role in the planned upcoming sequel/relaunch after scribe Kevin Williamson left a tweet saying "trying to figure out a Sid-less scenario, this sucks" on his Twitter account.

This led to much conjecture, including talk that Campbell's Sidney Prescott character would either be the killer this time or get killed in the opening sequence.

PopWrap got in touch with Williamson to explain his tweet, here's how he responded: "I've had numerous conversations with Neve. She's a friend. Nicest girl on the planet. It just ain't workin' out and it sucks for me. It was no cameo. I'd never play Sid out that way :) And I ain't got no Sid-less scenario. So, I don't know yet what to do. Hate all the wrong info circulating. My fault. There's a learning curve with Twitter."

This was a terrible move by Williamson and shows the kinds of perils that Twitter and social networking sites can have; it exposes people for being stupid from time to time. I enjoy Twitter because it seems like a way to get occasional candid thoughts from celebrities—outside of the random daily life crap at least—but when people post things like this that aren't fully thought out they should expect it to come back and bite them in the ass.

The unfortunate news here though, ultimately, is that a fourth Scream seems destined to take place without Sidney Prescott, who was the core character from the first three films. A Scream film without Neve Campbell simply doesn't feel right and while I enjoyed the first three films for being a campy sort of self-aware fun, I don't know how well the franchise will go on without her. We will have to see how it goes but I imagine this isn't the last we've heard of Sidney, it probably just comes down to the price—or, if worst comes to worst, waiting to see if this one is a success so she can maybe show up in the fifth one if it happens.


No Columbia Money for Soderbergh and Pitt's Ball



Just days away from the start of shooting, Columbia has taken Steven Soderbergh's baseball drama "Moneyball" starring Brad Pitt off the field.

Pulling the plug this close to production is extremely rare for studios but sources said Columbia's co-chairman Amy Pascal wasn't comfortable with the script, which had changed considerably since the movie was greenlit.

The decision, which was made Friday, mystified many since the pic was crewed up and scheduled to start shooting this week, with some wondering how issues with the script could give a studio cold feet so late in the game.

Soderbergh wrote the screenplay -- the most recent version, drawing from Steven Zaillian's previous drafts, is barely a week old -- adapting Michael Lewis' nonfiction book about the Oakland Athletics and their GM Billy Beane, who assembled a contending ballclub despite a payroll much lower than most other teams.

Pitt and comedian Demetri Martin were the major actors cast, with other roles to be played by actual baseball players. Soderbergh also shot interviews with real baseball figures, which were going to be interspersed between the narrative.

Pascal had not seen the interviews and some insiders suggest there was a disconnect about the kind of baseball drama the exec and the filmmaker wanted to make. Pascal was leery, the sources said, fearing the film lacked emotion.

Pascal is a big fan of the book and allowed Soderbergh to shop the project over the weekend to Warner Bros., which once housed Soderbergh's shingle Section Eight, and Paramount, home to Pitt's Plan B. The companies would have to act fast as the production and its staff can only sit idle so long. If no one snags the package, Columbia could take another crack at it, and try to sync up Soderbergh's and the studio's vision.

Interesting news coming out here. The irony here is that Pitt dropped out Columbia's of State of Play in a similar fashion due to script changes that he wasn't comfortable with; he was going to play Russell Crowe's part. One has to wonder if that made it just a little bit easier for Pascal to make her decision here. As it says, it is very unusual for a studio to pull the plug on a movie this close to starting production, especially when you have bankable commodities involved like Soderbergh and Pitt, but the film does seem like an odd sort of concept film with the amount of real baseball players being cast so perhaps the studio simply wasn't willing to take the risk on it—which, in this financial climate, is very possible. Certainly this movie will be made and probably at a different studio with the same cast, but I can imagine Pitt and Soderbergh are none too pleased at the moment; I would be.


Goyer Talks X-Men Franchise Succession



Superherohype.com recently got the chance to speak with David Goyer, who will be writing and directing the Magneto film. Discussion came up about which film in the franchise will be coming next, as there has been a lot of talk about Wolverine 2, Deadpool, Magneto and X-Men: First Class. Here is what he had to say…

"There have been some preliminary discussions. I think, at Fox, they're trying to decide if making a young X-Men film makes the most sense next, does making a 'Magneto' make the most sense next. They're just trying to decide internally who's next up."

I've been concerned about a Magneto prequel for some time. The story as it should be presented is one that would seem to be more of a character piece and drama than a comic book action/adventure film like Wolverine was and what the studio is probably aiming for; my faith in Goyer is also shaken by the horrendous result that was The Unborn. The X-Men: First Class movie may well be the way to go, with the Wolverine and Deadpool films following soon after. I am glad that Fox isn't trying to do all of the movies at once because it would result in audiences getting burned out on the franchise if there were too many out in too soon a time. The studio's made some bonehead moves before, but if this is their strategy then I approve.


Burton's Alice Look Revealed



USA Today has posted some character one-shots and artwork from Tim Burton's upcoming 3D take on "Alice in Wonderland"

The photos include the first looks at Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.

The story also confirms the talk that the film is a sequel to the Lewis Carroll classic rather than a straight up adaptation.

Linda Woolverton's script has a 17-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska)attending a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. She runs off, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited a decade before yet doesn't remember.

Other tidbits gleaned from the article include:

* The egg-shaped Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas) are created using motion capture technology

* Depp employs an accent that producer Richard Zanuck can only describe as indescribable

* Bonham Carter has a digitally enhanced swelled head and her castle has a moat filled with bobbing severed heads

* Hathaway's White Queen "is beautiful but over the top. She doesn't walk. She floats. She's very eccentric" says Zanuck

You can see the images directly from ComingSoon.net here. Tim Burton has a lot of fans and a lot of haters, and I am sure that this movie won't bring them any closer together. I find myself on the fan side most of the time and I will admit that what I'm seeing here has me impressed. Alice in Wonderland has always been a major head trip of a story and interpreted through Burton's mind, I can see exactly why he's got this look for the film. It will be a visual treat I am sure one way or the other, and I am very intrigued to see what will be a visionary film; whether you like that vision or not will be up to you. The plot details are also intriguing, and the idea of making it as a sequel of sorts is brilliant in my mind as it allows Burton to go on his own direction. The man is not a filmmaker who does as well under someone else's story constraints compared to working off his own ideas, and the story as listed above is something I at least an interested in seeing.


Wirkola Talks Snow Sequel, Hansel and Gretel



"Dead Snow" director Tommy Wirkola talked with STYD recently about his first US feature film - "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" for Paramount Pictures.

Story wise it's "an action-adventure horror movie that finds Hansel and Gretel fifteen years [after their first witch incident] and they've grown up to become merciless witch hunters" says the Norwegian helmer.

He also isn't shying away from an R rating - "Blood and gore and action, all the stuff that I love. I'm working on the first draft now so it's a little ways off, but it's going to be a lot of fun. It's definitely an R-rated movie, the first draft has a lot of blood and guts. First and foremost, it's an action movie, I think, with horror elements. And of course some dark humor as well."

He's also looking into a sequel to 'Snow' with the unfrozen undead Nazis "not going back to the mountain but deciding to start invading the north of Norway."

I've been interested in seeing Dead Snow since I first heard about it; for those not familiar, it's a foreign horror film in which a group of Norwegian med students head off to the a snow-packed area that unbeknownst to them is the resting place of a squad of Nazis; they end up waking up as zombies due to the students triggering the curse. Seriously, what's the only thing more evil then Nazis? That's right…zombie Nazis. The movie is getting some good buzz and that gives my hopes for Hansel and Gretel a boost. It sounds like a Brothers Grimm kind of story and that was a movie that grew on me, so this could well be good especially if Wirkola's dedication to the R-rating stays strong. I don't think this will be a huge money-maker but it should be quite enjoyable if the stars align right and I'll be keeping an eye out for it.


Original Uncle Ben Killer Back for Spidey 4?



During a Q&A with Ted Raimi and Michael Papajohn at Wizard World Philadelphia today, Papajohn (aka the carjacker/original killer of Uncle Ben from the Spider-Man films) said that he would be reprising his role for Spider-Man 4. He then proceeded to say if he told us what his role entailed, he'd have to kill us.

The reaction to this news has been rather guarded, and I can certainly understand that considering that the third entry in the franchise made Sandman the killer. Well, that and Papajohn's character was supposedly killed in the first movie. My guess is—assuming this news is legit—this is likely to be some sort of flashback piece that will deal with Peter's guilt over letting someone die. As long as it doesn't turn him back into emo-Spidey I can deal with that. It is interesting that even this small tidbit of news about the franchise has been getting this much speculation and discussion despite many people saying they have no interest in the movie after the third film's drop in quality; we'll have to see if this is an indication of the public interest in the film or just the result of a slow news week.


Orci and Kurtzmann Give Early Trek Script Talk



With the welcome success of the recent Star Trek reboot, talk of the sequel is inevitable. Screen Rant reported on screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci's thoughts on a sequel a few days ago, and today we have some more, via a video interview with Collider.

In the interview with Collider, Kurtzman and Orci talk mainly about Star Trek but also their upcoming Cowboys and Aliens movie. The interview is in video form, but if you don't want to watch the almost 10 minute video, here is the gist of the details they put out there:

* They don't know if J.J. Abrams is coming back to direct the sequel - it seems it's not absolutely definite at this point.
* They would like to have the sequel's script finished by this Christmas.
* The studio (Paramount) wants to make the film as soon as possible.
* They've been paying attention to what the fans are saying online.
* They're currently debating between have a traditional villain or having it be nature and the unknown which is the adversary.
* They want the movie to be self-contained but also have threads which could be picked up later on down the road.

It's obviously very early for speculation to start here, but we knew it had to start somewhere. Orci and Kurtzmann may not have the greatest handle on Transformers but they did well with the Trek reboot and what little information we've gotten here is encouraging. As for Abrams's involvement, don't start doom-saying quite yet. It's still VERY early and I would say with a pretty reasonable certainty that he'll be back for this one. He's a very talented director and I'm sure he's being inundated with offers right now, so it's only a matter of time until he signs on—it just depends on how many dollar signs the studio is willing to commit to.

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Check below for some of the excellent work here on-site you should be reading if you haven't already:

Ask 411 Movies: It's the 300th column of your favorite Q&A answer column, hosted (as always) by Leonard Hayhurst!
The Gratuitous B-Movie Column: Bryan Krsitopowitz reviews Zombie Strippers!
Alternate Takes: Sean Lealos gives love to a much underrated film in Brick!
Around the World in 24 Frames: Len Archibald brings more foreign film love with India's 1958 film The Music Room!
The Hollywood 5 & 1:That Movie Zone workhorse Steve Gustafson talks about High Hefner's girlfriend problems, celebrity Twitter fun and drama, Leighton Messler's sex-tape scandal and more!
The 411 Movies Top 5: Trevor Snyder hosts another great Top 5, this one looking at historical comedies!
411 Movie Zone Fact or Fiction: Ben Piper hosts as always while DC Perry and Arnold Furious talk The Proposal, Shutter Island, Year One and more!

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Movie Review: The Proposal
The 411 Movie Zone Podcast: We talk about the impending death of Blockbuster Video, Kate Winslet's special wig, James Bond casting rumors and a Bride of Frankenstein remake!
411's PPV Roundtable Preview: TNA Slammiversary 2009: Sadly, my prediction power did not make AJ Styles Champion. Ah, well.
Wrestling's 4R's Tuesday Edition: Jericho vs. Punk and Hardy vs. Edge highlight one of the best SmackDowns in a long, LONG time.
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From Rant Casey:
You're forgetting another little film that started the whole indie boom back in the mid 90s.

Clerks.

I didn't mention Clerks specifically, but I did make reference to Kevin Smith and meant his first film by the reference. Obviously the movie was another one of those hugely influential indie films that factored into the boom that followed; excellent point!


From The Great Capt. Smooth:
As a fan of Full House, I can say that it doesn't belong on the big screen. I must admit that there is a small part of me that is jazzed to see one of my favorites being considered worthy of a movie. On that note, where the fuck is a Home Improvement movie? It could be a slaptsick classic.

Generally I don't like the idea of sitcoms going to the big screen period, because Hollywood is never able to do much with them outside of making an hour and a half long episode. I could see some sitcoms working on the big screen--and certainly, some have before--but as much as I enjoyed it, Home Improvement is not one of those films. No matter how much Tim Allen's career could use it.


From The 8th Samurai:
I think independent film is just fine. Here's the thing about those pesky guerilla filmmakers: they're addicts. If there's a story to be told, and all they have is $1,000, a bunch of friends and a handheld canon camcorder – doesn't matter if its DV, Hi-8, VHS, S-VHS or Beta, a movie will be made.

What I think needs to happen is a breakthrough in regards to distribution, much like how the music industry has (finally? Suddenly?) caught onto. You've mentioned torrent sites – But I think there is in fact a market for independent filmmakers to distribute their own stories. All it takes are other independent filmmakers.

There are millions – millions of those who just don't have the budget to just hop on a plane and travel to NY or LA to find an agent, or pay fees to get into certain festivals with their work. There are online classes – which are almost commonplace now; I'm actually surprised no one has capitalized on...Wait...Maybe this is something I should email you because now that I've thought about it – the idea is so bloody BRILLIANT, I just may do it myself!

Anyways, to get back on track, the independent film industry is fine – perhaps, even flourishing – I think the problem is two-fold right now: Perception and Perserverence; Perception from the filmmakers that the only way to "break" in is to either a) make a big-budget $100 feature or b) get noticed by submitting work to a *name* film festival. Perseverence from the audience to actually SEEK OUT films that aren't the whole cookie-cutter action/comedy/horror/drama/whatever cliche genre mold.

What is needed in this regard, is a filmmaker, or a troupe of filmmakers who are – by and large, anarchists. Not so much in the films that are made, but in regards to how they distribute them. See it like an up and coming hip hop emcee or DJ selling mixtapes out of the trunk of his car. The thing is, the internet is perhaps the BIGGEST TRUNK IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE~!!! but by and large it hasn't as yet been utilized for mass distribution of independent film. Sure there is YouTube, but it really isn't devoted to streamlining only serious independent film...And then there's the problem that it's YouTube, so the key audience is those looking for things like "Evil Squirrel", "Tourettes Guy" and reactions of people watching "2 Girls and a Cup".

Anyways, that's my film snob rant for the day – I'll make sure I hit you up with an email soon enough! Great column and thanks for the many cheap plugs, sir!

Excellent analysis there Len, and you do make some very good points regarding the state of the indie film. The secret really is distribution, and I agree that YouTube isn't the greatest way to get films out there; as I said, iTunes and BitTorrent generally seem to be better ways to go. I think the bigger problem with these methods is that the marketing just isn't available yet and until that nut is cracked independent filmmakers are going to need to be as creative as possible to build hype for their projects. It's not impossible--look at the guy who got his $70 zombie film into Cannes for example--but that's the exception rather than the rule. There is an opportunity here considering the state of the economy for those who can make good low-budget cinema to break out, someone just needs to take advantage. Great thoughts here Len, and to you guys who haven't checked out Len's stuff here on-site you absolutely should!

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The Hush-Hush Review: True Blood Season Two (So Far)

Normally here at the Hush-Hush News Report, we focus almost exclusively on movies and leave television reporting to the always-enjoyable Two Tivos To Paradise by Al Norton—or the brand-spanking new (and also excellent) TV Rants and Raves with Bryan Kristopowitz. Since last year however a particular television show has caught our attention at Hush-Hush Headquarters, and that show is HBO's newest television hit True Blood. Starring Academy Award-winner Anna Pacquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell and a varied supporting cast, the show had a critically-acclaimed and widely-watched first season that ended on November 23rd of last year (you can catch an excellent review of the first season on DVD by Michael Weyer right here). Since then anticipation has been high for the second season and yours truly has been no exception. We are now two episodes into the new season and I thought it would be a nice change of topic to take a look at the new season as it has progressed and see if it has been able to carry the high quality that the first season has carried. For those who haven't seen or completed the first season, some spoilers may abound here.



As season one closed, the mystery of the serial killer who had been striking at "fangbangers" (those who sleep with vampires) around Bon Temps had been discovered and dealt with by Sookie (Pacquin), which has freed her brother Jason (Ryan Kwanton) who was a suspect. At the same time, Sookie has resolved her issues with her vampire boyfriend Bill Compton (Moyer) and her best friend Tara (Rutina Wesley) has found a chance to start over in the home of the Maryanne (Michelle Forbes), a wealthy philanthropist who came out of nowhere to help her. All in all, things have settled somewhat into a peaceful state for now…or so it seems. There was still the mystery of Tara's cousin, the gay cook/drug dealer/prostitute Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), who vanished one night after staying late at the local bar Merlotte's to close up, and Maryanne has some mysterious past with the bar's owner that employs most of the cast, the shape-shifting Sam (Trammell). Meanwhile Jason seemed to have been hooked into the Fellowship of the Sun, an anti-vampire church. As the season ended a body was discovered in the car of Detective Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) just outside Merlotte's. Was it Lafayette, or someone else…and with Bon Temp's serial killer dispatched, who was responsible?

Season Two opens right where the first season left off, in a literal fashion as Andy, Sookie and Tara come across the body. It turns out to be the body of Lady Jeanette, the woman that performed an "exorcism"—in reality a con—on Tara and her alcoholic mother Lettie Mae (Adina Porter). This brings tension between Lettie Mae and Tara, pushing the younger woman further into the support system offered by Maryanne and into the potential arms of Benedict "Eggs" Talley (Mehcad Brooks), another one of Maryanne's guests, while Sam and Maryanne's past starts to be revealed and Maryanne proves to be much more than she appears—and, if she chooses to be, certainly a threat to the bar owner. Meanwhile Sookie and Bill's relationship finds a new challenge to overcome in Bill's new vampiric "daughter" Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), who was turned last season as punishment for Bill killing another vampire. Jessica is a teenage girl in temperament underneath a new vampire's out of control desires, and her presence is inadvertently forming a wedge between Bill and Sookie as they both come to terms with the new woman in their lives and what this means to them. Lafayette finds himself very much alive, held prisoner by captors that aren't revealed until the end of the first episode for reasons that quickly start to become clear to him. And Jason finds himself a rising star in the Fellowship of the Sun, catching the eye of its charismatic leader Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian) and his wife Sarah (Anna Camp).

Over the last several years, HBO's original programming has suffered a downturn of sorts. With a nearly two-year hiatus in the critically successful Curb Your Enthusiasm and the end of shows such as The Wire, The Sopranos, Rome and Deadwood, the network seemed to be losing its status as the premium cable network with the best original programming to Showtime and outside of Big Love and Entourage had nothing to rely on in that capacity. True Blood was a blessing for the show as it came at the perfect time as Twilight was about to hit big in the theaters and as much as most True Blood fans hate to have the show associated with the Cullen Vampire franchise, the fact remains that the movie's success didn't hurt the show's chances at all. The difference between the two has been the Alan Ball-created series's edge and dark wit as vampires are strongly equated to minorities and the search for civil rights. There are terms such as "pro-vampire sympathizer" and cut scenes of vampire activists and spokesmen showing up on Bill Maher, or a church billboard in the opening credits that states "God Hates Fangs." Ball's writing staff injects a powerful element of humor into the series most of the time, letting a little light campiness while keeping things strongly grounded in reality. The TV series is based off the Southern Vampire series of novels by Charlaine Harris and seems to follow the same basic guidelines of Showtime's Dexter in taking elements from the books without feeling overly bound to them; this works very well in that it enables the writers, cast and crew to take it on a direction that is comfortable to them and organic to the story they are trying to create.

With the second season, the writing team seems ready to delve deeper into the world that surrounds the cast; we hear hints of journeys elsewhere with vampire networks in Texas and the Fellowship of the Church's activities taking us outside of the immediate Bon Temps area. As the episode shave progressed the audience is learning just what else is out there that haunts the night, including whatever Maryanne may be (for those who have read the books; no spoilers in the comments please). The story here is exactly what a second season should do; it's taking the overview we learned about in the first season and looking deeper to find what creeps and crawls under the surface. At the same time, Ball has maintained a steadfast dedication to the show's R-rated sensibilities. There are risqué moments that abound but they don't feel placed in for pure prurience, but because it is natural to the story. These aren't neutered vampires who always look like they stepped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog; they're inhuman creatures that may be immortal and beautiful, but are dangerous too. Perhaps even more than Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood captures the essence of what it means to be a vampire and the result is intensely enjoyable to watch.

The enjoyment comes from the acting as much as it does the writing or the style of the series. Anna Pacquin is well-deserving of her Golden Globe win as Sookie Stackhouse. In the first season she was the eyes of the audience, allowing us to learn about the vampire world as she did. Pacquin did so as a bright and irrepressible spirit who nonetheless was haunted by her inexplicable ability to read people's minds. With the events that have carried her through to the second season, Pacquin's Sookie is older and wiser, perhaps a little less innocent but still wanting to see the best in people. Pacquin's interactions with Deborah Ann Woll as newbie vampire Jessica have been some of the highlight scenes of the season so far, and the strange triangle between the two and Moyer as Bill is a great development that all three actors have carried out quite well. The rest of the cast performs as ably as they did in the first season, with Trammell doing solid work as Sam's past is slowly uncovered and Jason's indoctrination into the Church is entirely believable and well-handled by Kwanton. Michelle Forbes only got a brief glimmer during the first season, and it is clear this season she will be a force to be reckoned with as Maryanne; the actress has a presence to her that makes her playful but with a definite sense of danger lurking just underneath. Every member of the cast to appear thus far has been quite good, without the usual supernatural drama's tendency to have one actor who is the weak link. In True Blood thus far, it's all good work and that is a sight to behold.

Clearly there is still a lot to go this early in the season, and there is much that could go wrong. For a show that dances the line of camp and seriousness it would be easy to take the dance too far in one direction and throw the entire balance of the show completely off. Based on what has been seen in the first two episodes however, True Blood fans have nothing to worry about…except perhaps the fates of their favorite characters. Anyone else get the feeling that pretty much no one (except maybe Bill & Sookie) is safe? And does anyone else LOVE that fact? Yeah, I thought so.

Well, that's all we have for now. Stay tuned for next week when as always we'll have the newest in news, rumors, links, mailbag and more from the world of Hollywood! This is Jeremy Thomas, off the record, on the QT…



…and definitely, "Hush Hush!"