tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33254007268166475392024-03-13T06:48:11.557-07:00LYNNPD EXCLUSIVESInterviews and articles by Lynn Powell DoughertyLynn Powell Dougherty (LYNNPD)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00564728030392132475noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-9046554685800286612018-11-19T19:39:00.002-08:002018-11-19T19:43:56.887-08:00Alan Ball looks back 10 years at True Blood's first episode<div style="text-align: left;">
<strong>Last night I attended a discussion with True Blood's creator, Alan Ball during the Vulture Festival at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.</strong></div>
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<b>Now that so many years have passed since the airing of that very first and amazing episode of the show, it was nice to see Alan Ball come out and talk about his supernatural series 10 years after its debut during a screening of the very first pilot episode, "Strange Love," which aired on September 7, 2008.</b> </div>
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During the screening, Alan shared lots of trivia pertaining to the creation of the series. <b>However, what I want to write about here is my impressions of the evening.</b><br />
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I am a huge fan of Alan Ball and have been a long time before True Blood aired. I loved Six Feet Under and his film, American Beauty, so none of what I say below should be read as a reflection on his talent or creativity. I am probably one of the biggest fans on the planet of True Blood and I think it would be difficult for anyone to find anyone who embraced the show as much as I did. I am a Co-owner of both <a data-blogger-escaped-target="_blank" href="https://trueblood-online.com/">The Vault - TrueBlood-Online.com</a> and here at <a href="https://allstephenmoyer.com/">AllStephenMoyer.com</a>. And the show inspired me so much that I quit a well paying job in academics in Philadelphia to move to Los Angeles.</div>
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First off, let me say that any discussion of True Blood is always interesting to me, but this was not the event I had hoped for. </div>
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Alan Ball did well talking about the show and it's first episode, but I had hoped to learn something new, and there was very little of that for me. <b>However, the most disappointing aspect of the event for me was that I was not permitted to ask any questions or go up to him after and say "Hi!.</b> Usually at the end of a screening like this there always is a Q&A. But last night, when the episode ended, there was a very abrupt goodbye and Alan Ball was whisked out of the room. What a disappointment. </div>
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<b>This is far different than the very first event I attended when I moved to Los Angeles in 2010. That too was an event with Alan Ball. </b>KCRW scheduled a conversation with Mr. Ball at their headquarters in Santa Monica. The audience was small, just like at last night's screening, but it was all about answering questions and discussing True Blood as well as his other projects. And, as a result it was a much more interactive event. Also, after this screening, I was permitted to walk up to Alan and introduce myself. He was very cordial and I was nothing but thrilled about meeting this creator and amazing talent who had created my favorite show. </div>
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<b>The Hollywood Reporter posted an article about last night's screening. There article details well the insights Alan shared with the audience while we watched the episode. Below is a portion of their posting.</b></div>
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<i><b>On Paquin's casting</b>: "Anna wanted this role so bad. Poor thing, she read like five times and I was like oh, do we buy her as Southern? Do we buy her as Sookie Stackhouse?" </i></div>
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<i><b>On the casting that never was</b>: "I read Benedict Cumberbatch. He came and read for Bill. ... Jessica Chastain read for Sookie. Jennifer Lawrence read for, in season 3 there's this werepanther girl, and she was great." (Ball wanted to cast her, but she was only 17 at the time and was supposed to be Jason's girlfriend so the age difference would have been weird.) </i></div>
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<i><b>On the late Nelsan Ellis</b>: "He was so amazingly talented. I'm usually not a fan of actors ad-libbing, because usually it's not particularly better than the dialogue, it's just different. But he mostly ad-libbed [his introduction] scene. ... His character dies in the second book of the series and I was like, 'No we cannot kill this guy, he's too great.'" </i></div>
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<i><b>On Paquin and Stephen Moyer's chemistry (the two have been married for eight years)</b>: "They're falling in love [in their first scene together] because they hooked up on the second episode. The producer called me from the second episode and was like, 'I think you should know that Stephen and Anna are hooking up.' ... It was never an issue, they were total pros, and now they have two kids together. ... They thought they were keeping it secret from everybody. The whole first season everybody knew." </i></div>
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<i><b>On Paquin and Ryan Kwanten's familial resemblance</b>: "They really seem like brother and sister to me. And they look like each other too. The noses and the brown eyes and the blonde hair."</i></div>
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</i></strong> <strong><i>Read the rest of this article by going to <a data-blogger-escaped-target="_blank" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/benedict-cumberbatch-couldve-starred-true-blood-1162345">The Hollywood Reporter</a></i></strong></div>
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<b>So, what was my impressions of this Vulture appearance as a huge True Blood fan and what did I learn at last night's event that I didn't know before? Not Much!</b><br />
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<b>What did I learn that I didn't know before? </b><br />
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<li>I learned that Alan<strong> has many fond memories of the show</strong> still today and how he must have enjoyed making it.</li>
<li><strong>One thing that did surprise me was when he talked about HBO and how they wanted him to shoot more of it in Louisiana.</strong> I thought that the network would have rather shot in LA where it could be filmed cheaper, not so. Even though most of the show was filmed in LA, that says a lot about HBO and their dedication to "get it right."</li>
<li><strong>I also enjoyed learning how much Alan really cared about so many members of the cast</strong> and that he truly recognized their talent. While I knew that Rutina Wesley and Nelsan Ellis had attended Julliard, I didn't know that other cast members had gone there. True Blood has made many of the cast members TRUE stars in their own rights and I think we have to thank Alan for that.</li>
<li>I was also glad to hear Alan express how he was still proud of that episode when he expressed after it ended,</li>
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<b>"It's good! I would watch this show."</b></h3>
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Let me say finally that I miss True Blood every day and wish that world could have continued. I realize that it wasn't the same show at the end, but it's first few seasons, especially the first, were epic for me and I miss it every day.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><b>One last side note that I thought I should mention about the event.</b> <i>I had to go through a "metal detector" to go into the small room where the event took place. Really? I have attended many events </i><i>AND, at The Roosevelt Hotel where this event took place where</i><i> I was able to get up close to stars and NEVER have I had to do this. I realize that our times are very turbulent right now, but honestly, I thought this was way overkill. Just my opinion, of course.</i></span>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-25888535391449937742017-09-22T10:50:00.000-07:002017-09-22T11:30:34.614-07:00Attending Comic-con 2017 and what the Con is like<b>It's been just about two months since the Comic-Con Convention 2017 took place in San Diego and I finally feel like I have returned to the world of the living. I braved it out, but way overdid my time there which led to becoming sick as soon as I got home with Bronchitis. </b><br />
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It took a week to discover that I didn't just have a cold and was much worse. After lots of codeine and antibiotics from the doctor, now I'm finally well and want to share my experience of this past year's Comic-Con representing <a href="http://allstephenmoyer.com/">AllStephenMoyer.com</a>. I was there for one reason only, to see the panel for Fox's new show, <a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/movie-and-projects/movie-tv-projects-the-gifted" target="_blank">The Gifted</a>.<br />
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First, for those of you who don't know what the Con is like, watch this great video below which really shows a lot about it and how vast and amazingly big this convention is. <b>Each year, over 130,000 people attend and it virtually takes over San Diego and it's the largest Con there is!</b><br />
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<b>Let me start off by saying that San Diego is a great city that is very walkable, </b>but when you are walking all day throughout the convention center, which in itself is probably about 4 blocks long, having the ease of taking their very convenient Trolley system from your hotel is just wonderful. My hotel was about 2 stops away from the convention center and taking the trolley saved my poor feet a good deal.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego Trolley adorned with The Gifted promotional wrap.</td></tr>
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I stayed in a "not so great, but OK" hotel in the Little Italy section which was good enough for me meeting my needs quite well since I didn't spend much time there.<br />
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I've been to Comic-Con four times now, always going for True Blood except in 2015 when I went with my sister for fun and to see the outside exhibits for The Bastard Executioner.<br />
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<b>The best year for me was in 2014 when I got a special pass from HBO to see the True Blood panel.</b> I always have had a regular press pass to comic con, but all that gives you is free admission to the Convention. <b>This special pass from HBO meant I didn't have to stand in the daylong line to get into Ballroom 20</b> and then sit there all day just to see True Blood. Unfortunately, this year, I didn't have that access, so I had to wait with everyone else. The Gifted panel was scheduled for Ballroom 20 at 3:45pm Friday.<br />
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I arrived on Thursday, I checked into my hotel and then immediately took the trolley to the convention for the purpose of signing in. They sent us our ID's in the mail this year, but you had to pick up your lanyard and big bag in the Sails Pavillion to officially sign in. I did that and then scoped out where the outside area was for The Gifted. Then, I checked out where to get in line for ballroom 20 the next day. I was scheduled to have dinner with friends at about 5 pm, so until then, I went into the Exhibition hall to see where the autograph session for The Gifted would take place after their panel on Friday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crowds outside the Convention Center</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misty and me after dinner with her and her daughter</td></tr>
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After dinner, I took the trolley back to my hotel as I planned to be in line by 6 am. Rumors were flying around saying that if you wanted to get into Ballroom 20 you had to sleep overnight in line, but I took the chance since I was alone to not do this. It turned out later that I could have shown up at 10 am and still gotten into the Ballroom, but who knew?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lines from previous Comic-Con's to get into the events including Ballroom 20</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting closer, in line outside Ballroom 20</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting closer, in line at the door of Ballroom 20 waiting to be admitted</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ballroom 20</td></tr>
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YEA, I MADE IT into the room!<br />
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<b>Once I got in Ballroom 20, I was in there for the day.</b> The way Comic-Con works is that they don't clear the rooms after each panel because it would take too long. People do leave, but as they do, everyone moves up the room to get closer to the stage as they let new people enter, so all day I slowly moved up to the second tier which was behind the "<i>reserved seating</i>" which is where I sat in 2014 for True Blood and didn't have to stay in line.<br />
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The panels all day were of no interest to me except for The Gifted. I sat through each of them. Finally, I asked someone I had paired with to watch my seat while I went out to take a restroom break and get something to eat. You are permitted to leave the room, but only with a pass and you have to return during the time of the same panel you left.<br />
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Big surprise for the last panel of the day. I'm a big Outlander fan, and so I stayed for their panel after The Gifted was over. Woo Hoo! After the panel discussion, they showed us the first episode of Season 3. As there were many Outlander fans in the room, you can imagine how thrilled the audience was; me included.<br />
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After leaving Ballroom 20, that evening I spent hours with a group of people outside the Convention center trying to find out where to get our special "The Gifted" prize. A ticket had been handed out during the event to use to redeem it but no one seemed to know where to do so. After walking around with a group of people looking, we finally found where the location was and we got our prize. It was an 11" x 17" poster for The Gifted.<br />
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Actually, while I'm glad I have it, the walking all over to find it made it less exciting when I finally learned what the prize was. And, I was sort of expecting something similar to what True Blood used to give out, backpacks full of stuff, see what I got in 2010 after the True Blood panel at Comic Con below:<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngXznNVtbWw/WcVLna7rokI/AAAAAAAAFNI/P7UIl3aqgGoZP9QuJHQRqXqfKIOJl0RLgCLcBGAs/s1600/tb-swag-2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngXznNVtbWw/WcVLna7rokI/AAAAAAAAFNI/P7UIl3aqgGoZP9QuJHQRqXqfKIOJl0RLgCLcBGAs/s640/tb-swag-2010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I auctioned it off at a <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/true-blood-comic-con-swag-bag/" target="_blank">charity event in Venice, CA</a> later that year.<br />
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Once my prize was redeemed, I decided that I was probably halfway to my hotel, so I decided to hike it back there since it was such a lovely night. BAD IDEA! It was much further than I thought and it started getting dark while I was walking. Then, I took a wrong turn and went south instead of north. UGH! By the time I finally found my hotel, I was utterly exhausted; too exhausted to even get dinner. I fell asleep immediately. When I woke up the next morning I realized that I had walked over 25,000 steps that day. When you couple that milestone with getting up at 5am to go stand in line, I was really tired.<br />
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I got up the next morning and walked to the local store to get coffee and some breakfast fruit and muffin. Then, I packed and drove out of San Diego for the three-hour trip back to LA.<br />
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Then, I got the awful bronchitis sickness which left me out of commission for about a month. <b>Was it worth it?</b> Yes because each time you go to Comic-Con you learn more about what not to do and where to be to get the best. I won't kid, it's an exhausting time, but it's also quite fun. Will I go back? Not Sure, we'll have to see how it goes. Still, I have now got 5 times under my belt, maybe that's enough. We'll see if Comic-Con can draw me back, yet again!Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-52541005906736628772015-04-09T12:24:00.000-07:002015-04-13T12:33:17.190-07:00Lynn reviews "In the Company of Legends<i><b>Originally published on <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/" target="_blank">Classicmoviefavorites.com</a></b></i><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0825307422/lynnshomepage" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="inthecompanyoflegendsbook" class="alignleft wp-image-16715 size-medium" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/inthecompanyoflegendsbook-212x300.jpg" height="300" width="212" /></a><strong></strong><br />
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<strong><strong>About a month ago, I was sent a complimentary copy of a book by documentary filmmakers Joan Kramer and David Heeley, titled "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0825307422/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">In The Company of Legends</a>," which will be published this month by Beaufort Books on April 16.</strong></strong></div>
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They have made several outstanding documentaries revolving around major film celebrities. TCM's Robert Osborne has been quoted on TCM's web site as saying about the book that it's, "<em><strong>a king's ransom of fascinating stories about colorful, bigger-than-life people we know but don't know</strong>.</em>"<br />
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<strong>I am proud that our site was chosen to review the book before it hits the book stands. Reading through it, I felt that I too was a part of the making of the films.</strong> The tenacity that the duo have in knowing how to get to those they need to speak with and their trials in doing so, made fascinating reading. The book is a tale about how they got started making documentaries and then chronicles, from their "insider's view," how they established a reputation for doing the impossible while maintaining good relationships with those they interview.<br />
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The book includes a forward by Richard Dreyfuss and sections about Elizabeth Taylor, <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actresses-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/olivia-de-havilland/" target="_blank">Olivia de Havilland</a>, Glenn Close, Danny Glover, Rudolf Nureyev, Ginger Rogers, John Garfield, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Spencer Tracy, Stephen Spielberg, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Peter O'Toole, Jane Fonda, Errol Flynn and Patrice Wymore, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman and many more.<br />
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<strong>My two favorite sections of the book were those about Kate Hepburn and the making of their tribute to Spencer Tracy, but I also loved reading about the making of their documentary on Errol Flynn. </strong>Below are my observations about those two sections from the book:<br />
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<a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IntheCompanyofLegends_Hepburn-1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="IntheCompanyofLegends_Hepburn (1)" class="wp-image-16698 size-medium" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IntheCompanyofLegends_Hepburn-1-211x300.jpg" height="300" width="211" /></a>[caption id="attachment_16698" align="alignright" width="211"] David Heeley and Joan Kramer with Katharine Hepburn - photograph by Len Tavares 1985[/caption]<br />
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<strong><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actresses-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/katharine-hepburn/" target="_blank">Katharine Hepburn</a> and the Spencer Tracy tribute</strong><br />
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I always enjoy reading about my all time favorite actress, <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actresses-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/katharine-hepburn/" target="_blank" title="Katharine Hepburn">Katharine Hepburn</a>, but other than from her biography, reading about her in this book made me feel like I was learning a lot more about her personality than I've been privileged to know before. <strong>The authors, Joan and David, tell us how they managed to contact the Great Kate and help her to realize the tribute to Spencer Tracy she wanted to do</strong>. I know and realize that getting stars to participate and enjoy that participation really requires a lot of patience and skill. Not that Ms. Hepburn was difficult at all, it's just that knowing when to say something or when to draw the line, is a skill I wish I had more of. Both Joan Kramer and David Heeley obviously know how to work "WITH" instead of just "FOR" those they play tribute to. Joan especially seems to know how to find anyone; a skill I would love to have. I learned while reading this book, that being timid is not the way to get anywhere. While it's important to gain respect and be respectful, getting that interview may be as simple as just asking and I was surprised at how helpful and friendly many stars are, and can be, when approached correctly. For example, Joan Kramer, by instinct, knew not to go directly to Katharine Hepburn, and decided that approaching her former director, George Cukor instead, was the way in.<br />
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<strong>Errol Flynn</strong><br />
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The duo were asked by TCM and Warners to do a tribute to Errol Flynn and while Joan revealed she hadn't been a big fan and that they both knew little about him, after doing the documentary, they certainly had changed their opinion. Most of Flynn's family members were interviewed, excluding <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/2015-tcm-film-festival-rory-flynn-on-her-father-errol-flynn/" target="_blank" title="2015 TCM Film Festival: Rory Flynn on her father Errol Flynn">his daughter, Rory, who has since written a biography about her father and was seen at last week's TCM Classic Film Festival</a>. After she saw the documentary, Rory told them that she wished she had been a part of it and was sorry she had declined their invitation. They also interviewed Richard Dreyfuss and Joanne Woodward about the swashbuckler because, as fans themselves, they knew a lot about him and could speak to his acting ability. <strong>But probably, for me, the best interview I enjoyed reading about in this section of the book, had to be <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actresses-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/olivia-de-havilland/" target="_blank">Olivia de Havilland</a>, Flynn's co-star in more films than any other actress. </strong>In the interview, Ms. de Havilland was open and honest about her feelings for Flynn saying that he was "<strong><em>The handsomest, most charming, most magnetic, most virile young man in the entire world." </em></strong>This was a real treat for me to read.<br />
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<strong>Today, April 7, TCM has scheduled the evening to recognize both Joan Kramer and David Heeley as entertainment’s greatest celebrity documentarians by featuring the book and showing five of their specials, read below:</strong><br />
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The evening includes the TCM premiere of:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=1076639|1076323&name=James-Stewart-A-Wonderful-Life" target="_blank"><strong>James Stewart: A Wonderful Life (1987)</strong></a>, an all-star tribute to one the movies' best-loved leading men, hosted by Johnny Carson.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=1076639|502360&name=The-Spencer-Tracy-Legacy" target="_blank"><strong>The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn (1986)</strong></a> views the career of the screen's great natural actor through the eyes of his longtime partner and other famous costars.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=1076639|721141&name=Fonda-on-Fonda" target="_blank"><strong>Fonda on Fonda (1992)</strong></a> features Jane Fonda's personal reflections on her famous father, Henry.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=1076639|64081&name=Katharine-Hepburn-All-About-Me" target="_blank"><strong>Katharine Hepburn: All About Me (1993)</strong> </a>offers a fascinating look at the life and times of this legendary actress from her own perspective. And <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=1076639|33903&name=Bacall-on-Bogart" target="_blank">B<strong>acall on Bogart (1988)</strong></a> has Lauren Bacall reminiscing about her life with her first husband and most noted costar, Humphrey Bogart.</li>
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<strong>I'll will surely be watching tonight and I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about making a documentary and what it's like to feel like you're "In the Company of Legends," too. </strong><br />
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</strong> <strong>Purchase the book in </strong><br />
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<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0825307422/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Hard Cover</a></strong></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00R3KHCQA/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Kindle Edition</a></b></li>
</ul>
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source of image: <a href="http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2015/04/06/spend-an-evening-with-tcm-in-the-company-of-legends/%20often-elusive" target="_blank">channelguidemagblog.com</a>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-28239770014037804272015-04-06T12:30:00.000-07:002015-04-13T12:45:16.730-07:002015 TCM Classic Film Festival: Making Heartbreaking choices<i><b>Originally published on <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/" target="_blank">Classicmoviefavorites.com</a></b></i><br />
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<strong>I've just completed all my postings about last week's 2015's TCM Classic Film Festival and I have to say this year was probably my favorite.</strong> While it cost me alot to do, I opted this year to stay at the festival's host venue, "The Roosevelt Hotel," rather than drive in each day from Santa Monica fighting the insane Los Angeles traffic. <strong>As a result, I got to experience the festival in a much more meaningful and intimate way.</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/category/2015-tcm-classic-film-festival/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><b>CLICK HERE to see CMF's complete coverage of the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival</b></a><br />
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<strong>There was a huge array of films to see and events to go to, while great, this also led to lots of frustration about the fact that you just couldn't see all you wanted to see. </strong>The waiting in line added a least an hour or more to the chunk of time it took to see any one film or event. Still I'm not really complaining about the waiting in line; once I got in, it was always well worth the wait.<br />
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However, probably <strong>the most frustrating thing about the festival was what everyone was talking about, "<em>having to make heartbreaking choices</em>."</strong> For example, I longed to see Spike Lee talk about his masterpiece, "Malcolm X," but with the film itself being almost 4 hours long and with the extra hour for the discussion with Mr. Lee, and the additional time spent waiting in line, it would pretty much have taken up the full day. Instead, in those hours I was able to fit in attendance at three events, so unfortunately, that screening of Malcolm X sadly had to be eliminated from my calendar. Also, sometimes two films or events I wanted to see were scheduled at the exact same time, making it impossible to see both. <strong>Still, how can you complain about having TOO MUCH to choose from, not me, that's for sure.</strong><br />
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<strong>The highlights of the event for me were,</strong> being on the <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/on-the-red-carpet-at-the-2015-tcm-classic-film-festival/" title="On The Red Carpet at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival">red carpet for Thursday nights premiere of "The Sound of Music</a>," seeing Warner's newly restored and pristine print of <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/world-premiere-of-warner-bros-restoration-of-42nd-street/" title="World Premiere of Warner Bros. Restoration of “42nd Street” at TCM Film Festival">Busby Berkeley's 42nd Street</a>, seeing <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/shirley-maclaine-attends-events-at-2015-tcm-film-festival/" title="Shirley MacLaine attends events at 2015 TCM Film Festival">"The Apartment" on the big screen</a> for the first time, and attending the many discussions that took place in Club TCM. I so wish I could have done more, but I could only be in one place at a time, hence those "heartbreaking choices."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/category/2015-tcm-classic-film-festival/" target="_blank"><b>CLICK HERE to see CMF's complete coverage of the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival</b></a></div>
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<strong><br />
</strong> <strong>Another fun thing I did at the festival was to walk up and down Hollywood Boulevard and take photos</strong>. TCM took over most of the boulevard and the signage was everywhere. See some of the photos I took below:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/TCMDSCF1071.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="My festival bag and press pass." class="wp-image-16629 size-large" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/TCMDSCF1071-533x400.jpg" height="400" width="533" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">My festival bag and press pass.</span></td></tr>
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See more Hollywood Boulevard photos in the <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/thumbnails.php?album=346" target="_blank">Photo Gallery</a>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-55240356651528624922015-03-16T12:16:00.000-07:002015-04-13T12:33:46.542-07:00Interview with Peter Ford Son of Eleanor Powell<i><b>Originally published on <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/" target="_blank">Classicmoviefavorites.com</a></b></i><br />
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<i>Originally published on "<a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/" target="_blank">Classic Movie Favorites</a>."</i></div>
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<strong>I have known Peter Ford, son of Glenn Ford and Eleanor Powell, for over ten years now </strong>as I have designed and now manage his web site “<strong><a href="http://glennfordbio.com/" target="_blank">GlennFordBio.com</a></strong>,” which was created to accompany the biography he wrote about his father “<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/029928154X/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Glenn Ford: A Life</a></strong>” that was published in 2011. I also update <a href="http://peterford.com/" target="_blank">his personal site</a> and he has sanctioned my efforts here in the <strong><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actresses-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/eleanor-powell/" target="_blank" title="Eleanor Powell">section devoted to his mother</a></strong>.<br />
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<strong>Peter Ford and his wife Lynda recently sold his father’s home in Beverly Hills</strong>, that they had lived in when Peter took care of his dad at the end of his life. The couple now travels between Burbank, CA and Montana where they are very happy living in retirement. Recently, Peter spoke with me on the phone and was kind enough to share some memories about his mother, the queen of tap dancing, Eleanor Powell.<br />
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<em><strong>I'd like to thank Peter for the time he took to speak with me and for sharing some of the family photos included in this interview.</strong></em><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/fordfamilyphotoA.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="fordfamilyphotoA" class="wp-image-15624 size-full" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/fordfamilyphotoA.jpg" height="242" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">Peter Ford with his wife, Lynda</span></td></tr>
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<strong>READ THE FIVE PART INTERVIEW WITH PETER FORD, BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/?p=15854" target="_blank">PART 1 - EARLY CHILDHOOD AND DANCING FOR HER SUPPER</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/?p=15856" target="_blank">PART 2 - ACHIEVING STARDOM AND FILM CAREER</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/?p=15860" target="_blank">PART 3 - MARRIAGE TO GLENN FORD</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/?p=15862" target="_blank">PART 4 - ON DANCING, THE DEMISE OF HER CAREER AND MAKING A COMEBACK</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/?p=15865" target="_blank">PART 5 - MORE ABOUT ELEANOR</a></strong></li>
</ul>
[icon style="icon-link" size="small" borders="no"] <strong>Need even more <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actresses-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/eleanor-powell/" target="_blank" title="Eleanor Powell">Eleanor Powell</a>? Why not visit our section devoted to her here by clicking on the banner below:</strong><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actresses-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/eleanor-powell/" target="_blank">http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actresses-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/eleanor-powell</a></td></tr>
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Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-54768119743031032062014-12-31T12:10:00.000-08:002015-04-13T12:34:54.149-07:00John O'Dowd talks with Lynnpd re: Second Printing of The Barbara Payton Bio<i><b>Originally published on <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/" target="_blank">Classicmoviefavorites.com</a></b></i><br />
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<a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Odowdbookcover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Odowdbookcover" class="alignleft wp-image-13741 size-large" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Odowdbookcover-265x400.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a><strong>I have been privileged to know John O'Dowd, the author of a definitive biography of the tragic life of actress, Barbara Payton for many years.</strong> We first became associated when John asked me to help him build a website for the book he was in the process of writing: "<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00GY44AO8/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, The Barbara Payton Story</a>."</strong><br />
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The purpose of having a <a href="http://hollywoodstarletbarbarapayton.com/" target="_blank"><strong>web site about Barbara</strong></a> was to publicize the book and, after several months of collaboration, prior to the books printing, the site was launched in 2004. During that time John and I became good friends and even though he lived half a state away from me, he even travelled to my house to deliver his collection of Barbara Payton photographs that he wanted me to scan for the website. He told me that he just didn't feel safe sending them in the mail and it was also a good opportunity for us to meet.<br />
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When the book was close to being published, John asked me to design the book cover, which I was honored to do and the book was finally released in 2007. Then, recently in 2013, I designed another website for John to feature all of his writings which can be seen at <a href="http://john-odowd.com/" target="_blank">John-odowd.com.</a><br />
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<strong>John's book has received very favorable press and is very aptly described on Amazon.com: </strong><br />
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<span style="color: #333399;"><em>The heartbreaking saga of the wild and free-spirited actress, who hit Hollywood in the late 1940s. Equipped with little more than a suitcase full of dreams, a ravenous hunger for fame, and a devastating beauty, all her dreams were destroyed by a disastrous private life that led her straight through the gates of Hell. Gutsy, vulnerable, and doomed Barbara Payton blazed across the motion picture stratosphere in record-time, only to collapse in a catastrophic free-fall from which she would never recover.</em></span><br />
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<strong>A second volume on Barbara's life and career, BARBARA PAYTON: A LIFE IN PICTURES, is now in progress</strong>. It will contain over 250 rare and previously unpublished photos of Barbara, along with commentary by John O'Dowd, Barbara's son, John Lee Payton and family member Jan Redfield.<br />
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<strong>Recently, I wrote to John asking him if he would be interested in answering a few questions about his book for Classic Movie Favorites, now that the book will soon have it's second printing.</strong> Below are his answers to some of my questions where he talks about the writing and reprinting of the book and the sad ending of this beautiful star.<br />
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<strong>When did you first learn about the actress, Barbara Payton?</strong><br />
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I first became aware of Barbara when I saw her in a Saturday afternoon TV showing of her film "Bride of the Gorilla" when I was about eight years old. At first glance, I was absolutely awestruck by her beauty. Truthfully, she never totally left my consciousness after that. When I was in my late teens, I started learning about what happened to Barbara during her life, and I remember being very mesmerized by her story. I guess you can say that it both shocked and captivated me. When I decided in my 30's to pursue a career in writing, Barbara's life story was the one I wanted to tell first.</blockquote>
<i><b>Originally published on <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/" target="_blank">Classicmoviefavorites.com</a></b></i><br />
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<strong>Can you tell our viewers what made you write about Barbara Payton in the first place?</strong><br />
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As I said, it was Barbara's immense beauty that first drew me to her, but in time, it was definitely the unfulfilled promise she showed as an actress that really hooked me. She had so much talent and potential, and yet she threw away every opportunity that was ever handed to her. I found that to be unbelievably sad, and I wanted to try to find out why she was so steadfastly self-destructive.</blockquote>
<strong>Was it difficult to get the book published and how long did it take?</strong><br />
<blockquote>
Yes, it was extremely difficult to find a publisher for Barbara's book. For several years, I contacted dozens of publishers, and they all said the same thing: that Barbara was "a total unknown", and that people wouldn't be interested in her story. For some reason, I kept all the rejection letters I got, and I still have them. Some of them are quite funny. One very condescending book editor who did write back to me (many didn't), said something along the lines of, "<em>If Barbara Payton is known today at all, it's because of her various exploits in the beds, bars and streets of Hollywood, and not for her so-called acting career. I am sorry, but I cannot stand behind what she did with her life, and I have no interest in representing your project.</em>" I was angry when I first read that letter, but now I find it an absolute hoot. I must admit that the self righteous, tight-asses of the world have always amused me. Obviously, I don't think the way they do!</blockquote>
<strong>Now that there is to be a second printing, what’s new that you might be including. When will it be published and will it be the same publisher?</strong><br />
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Yes, the book is once again being published and distributed by BearManor Media. There will be no new information in the book. Some cosmetic changes have been made, and a few of the photos have been cropped, or resized. I could not make any changes to the book's original content as that would require that a new ISBN number be issued to the book, and my publisher would rather not do that. There were some misplaced commas in the book's first printing that I fixed, and a few other things. I'm not certain if the original book was proofread or edited by anyone other than me, and as all writers will tell you, we ALL need our work reviewed and edited by a pair of eyes that are separate from ours.</blockquote>
<strong>Will you be participating in any book signings or talks about the second printing?</strong><br />
<blockquote>
I doubt it, as I am totally unfamiliar with how to set these things in motion. I am always open to doing phone and print interviews, though.</blockquote>
<strong>Many maligned Barbara during her life and after her death, can you describe what you think about that? Was it all deserved?</strong><br />
<blockquote>
No, I don't believe that all the criticism Barbara received during her life was deserved. Many times, she was simply doing what many other people in Hollywood were doing in that era: carrying on with whomever they wanted, and living very carelessly at times. Barbara, though, was her own worst enemy, by far. While other Hollywood stars knew where to draw the line in their personal lives (in terms of the excesses they indulged in), Barbara was woefully unaware or unconcerned about that. She lived her life fearlessly, recklessly and outrageously. I personally think she had a lot of guts. Too much courage, perhaps, and absolutely no internal restraints or foresight.</blockquote>
<strong>What about Barbara’s son first not wanting participate and then, changing his mind. How did that happen?</strong><br />
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Barbara's son, John Lee Payton, is now 67 years old, and over the course of his life, he has read many hurtful things about his mother that has both saddened and angered him. At first, John thought that I was just another person who wanted to denigrate Barbara in print, and it took a long time (at least several months) for him to get to know me and my true intent in wanting to document Barbara's story. His aunt, Jan Redfield (Barbara's sister-in-law; Jan was married to Barbara's younger brother, Frank) was very instrumental in getting John Lee to change his mind about participating in the project. I met Jan first, and from the start, she seemed to know what I wanted to try to accomplish with the book. Jan always believed me when I told her that I wanted my work to reveal Barbara's humanity and many positive traits, and to restore some of her dignity, too, if I could. She finally convinced John that I was committed to doing that, and once he saw what my vision was for the project, he got behind it 100%. Everything good about Barbara that was revealed in the book, is due to Jan Redfield and John Lee Payton.</blockquote>
<strong>What was your favorite Barbara Payton film?</strong><br />
<blockquote>
Since "Bride of the Gorilla" was the first film I saw of hers, I have to admit that it holds a special place in my heart. That said, however, her crime film with James Cagney, "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", probably shows Barbara at her absolute best. She was excellent in that picture. She really held her own in her scenes with Cagney, and she was sexy and gorgeous. I wish she could have made many more films of that very same caliber.</blockquote>
<strong>Talk a bit about Barbara's relationship with <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actors-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/franchot-tone/" title="Franchot Tone">Franchot Tone</a> and the ill-fated fight with Tom Neal.</strong><br />
<blockquote>
Barbara met <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actors-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/franchot-tone/" title="Franchot Tone">Franchot Tone</a> first, at a Hollywood nightclub. He was said to be immediately captivated by both her beauty and her rather rowdy nature, while she was impressed, I think, by his lofty professional stature and immense wealth. Tom Neal, a B-movie actor in Hollywood, was a somewhat rough character who hadn't experienced the career success that Tone had, but he was extremely macho and a rebel, and Barbara was always attracted to that type of guy. Both men appealed to two different sides of Barbara's persona, and after a while, I'm sure she didn't even know WHO was right for her. Her indecision and her highly fickle nature eventually caused their so-called "<em>lover's triangle</em>" to explode, leaving Franchot Tone near death, and Barbara's and Tom Neal's careers irreparably ruined.</blockquote>
<strong>Now that the book has been out for a few years, are you still glad you wrote it? What has been the reaction about it? Good?</strong><br />
<blockquote>
I am both grateful and proud that I wrote the book. I know I did the best damned job I could on it (I worked on it for close to ten years), and I'm at peace with both my efforts, and the way it turned out. I feel very fortunate that a lot of people have gotten what I tried to do for Barbara; i.e., to bring some understanding to her life and to who she was. When I hear that someone truly has gotten that, I just feel very grateful. It's what I have always wanted for the book.</blockquote>
<strong>Feel free to add any more information that needs to be mentioned.</strong><br />
<blockquote>
I believe that Barbara's life story would make a powerful and riveting film, and I am hoping that more progress in this area will be made in the new year. Her story, if depicted accurately and responsibly, has the ability to both shake people up, and to be healing, too, I think. I am hoping it will happen one day, soon.</blockquote>
<strong>Purchase John's book in it's original paperback edition and the Kindle version along with some of Barbara Payton's films by clicking on the links below:</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong> <strong></strong><br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593930631/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">John's Book in paperback </a></b><br />
<b><br />
</b> <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00GY44AO81/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">John's Book Kindle Edition</a> </b><br />
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See the section on my Classic Movie Favorites site about <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actors-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/franchot-tone/" target="_blank">Franchot Tone</a> by clicking on the banner below:<br />
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<a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/actors-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/franchot-tone/" target="_blank"><img alt="toneindex" class="aligncenter wp-image-2376 size-full" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/toneindex.jpg" title="http://classicmoviefavorites.com//actors-featured-at-classic-movie-favorites/franchot-tone/"" /></a><br />
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[ts_fab]Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-48646858845800616652014-11-09T13:37:00.001-08:002014-11-09T13:37:55.184-08:00 True Blood Panel at Comikaze 2014<strong><br /></strong>
<i>First published on <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/true-blood-comikaze-2014" target="_blank">The Vault - TrueBlood-Online.com</a></i><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>On November 1, 2014 in Los Angeles was the second day of Stan Lee's Comikaze 2014 convention. </strong><br />
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We arrived early in the morning to get acclimated and immediately sought out Kristin and Tara who were in the Artist Alley signing autographs for the fans. We spent a time with Tara and Kristen and Kristin gave us each special guest passes to the afternoon event. We then, walked over to the mainstage area to see what that was like and to our surprise, there were no chairs for the attendees to sit on. While Comickaze is very like Comic Con as it relates to the exhibition hall, it is not like it in its panels.<br />
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The True Blood panel was to start at 2pm and right before that was the Game of Thrones panel at 1pm. Since we had time, we decided to go over to the WEEV booth to check in there. We stayed there for a while and learned more about the app and then went back to the autograph area. When we arrived, EJ Scott was there visiting with Kristin and Tara and we all hung out a bit longer.<br />
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At 1pm we went over to the Hot Topic main stage to see the Game of Thrones panel and try to get as close to the stage as we could before the 2pm True Blood panel. Attending the Game of Thrones panel was Alfie Allen, (Theon Greyjoy), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) and Esmé Bianco (Ros).<br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/got002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="got002" class="aligncenter wp-image-136172" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/got002.jpg" height="450" width="600" /></a></div>
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The True Blood panel was sponsored by Stephen Moyer's app, WEEV and the questions asked of the panel didn't come from the audience, as it did in other panels, but from those who had asked on Weev.<br />
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<strong>The panelists were Stephen Moyer, Kristin Bauer van Straten and Tara Buck.</strong> Before the WEEV questions started, the moderator asked what each were are doing now that True Blood has ended. Stephen discussed his recent trip to Morocco to film "Killing Jesus," Kristin discussed her upcoming work and her return to "Once Upon A Time" as Maleficent and Tara revealed she has been filming in Vancouver. The questions then came from via WEEV and the first question asked how they feel now that True Blood has ended. Once again, a WEEVer asked if there would be a True Blood musical or movie and the final question was "what was your favorite season of True Blood?"<br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/comikazepanel001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="comikazepanel001" class="aligncenter wp-image-136157" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/comikazepanel001.jpg" height="450" width="600" /></a></div>
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<strong>Check out the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">100's of photos</span> we have in <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=522&page=1" target="_blank">The Vault's Comikaze 2014 Photo Gallery</a>.</strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">PLEASE NOTE: I filmed the panel, but the conditions for doing so were less than optimum.</span></strong><span style="color: blue;"> We got pretty close to the stage, but the audience had to stand, so keeping the video camera steady while holding up my arm over the heads in front of me while also standing, was pretty tough. Also, the panel took place in a section of the Exhibition hall (not in a separate room), so the sound quality was also not so great. However, even with the shaky camera and poor sound quality, we figured you'd want to see the panel, so it's presented below:</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="347" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xLMrk_ghnEA" width="620"></iframe></div>
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<strong>After the panel ended, Stephen, Kristin, Tara and the panel moderator posed for a selfie with the crowd in the background</strong>:<br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Comikazepanel080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Comikazepanel080" class="aligncenter wp-image-136163" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Comikazepanel080.jpg" height="450" width="600" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/comikaze2014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="comikaze2014" class="aligncenter wp-image-136167" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/comikaze2014.jpg" height="529" width="600" /></a></div>
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Photo credit: Stephen Moyer</div>
Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-75146241206129545422014-09-22T12:10:00.004-07:002014-09-22T12:19:50.845-07:00Attending WEEV Launch at Comic Con 2014This article was first published on <a href="http://trueblood-online.com/" target="_blank">The Vault Trueblood-Online.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/weev.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="weev" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-132255" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/weev.jpg" height="224" width="276" /></a><strong>Last July, I went to the launch of Stephen Moyer's new APP, "WEEV" at the Wired Cafe during Comic Con 2014.</strong><br />
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It was an invitation only event held at the Wired Cafe at the Omni Hotel in San Diego, CA. I was happy to be permitted to attend with my friend Lydia.<br />
<blockquote>
WEEV is Stephen's new app which is descrubed as social video that talks back. </blockquote>
Ask a question, make a statement, or start an idea. People can respond in short videos that are stitched together to build the conversation. Stephen came up with the idea because he needed a fun way to ask his son questions online since he lives in England and Steve is here in LA most of the time. That was when the concept was born and now it's a full fledged application and great fun to use with your friends and family.<br />
<strong>THE LAUNCH EVENT</strong><br />
<br />
I arrived at the hotel at about 3pm even though Steve was not expected to arrive until about 4pm, because I had heard that it might be crowded. My friend, Lydia and I waited talking to friends and I noticed <strong>Kristin Bauer van Straten</strong> sitting out on the patio talking (see photo below). When she was about to leave she was kind enough to come up to me and say hello. We talked about the upcoming end of the season and she said she was sad about it. She had gotten to the event much earlier than I did, so she was on her way out and we said "goodbye."<br />
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Other celebrities were there and participated by recording a WEEV. I saw <strong>Ben Kingsley</strong> and from <strong>Game of Thrones Isaac Hempstead Wright</strong> who plays "Brandon Stark."<br />
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Finally, after waiting for about an hour and a half, Stephen arrived. As soon as he walked in, he was immediately consumed with photo obligations and interviews. I was glad to be there to take lots of photos while he was being photographed, (see below).<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p4QXrwfAots/VCBv9-yi5pI/AAAAAAAAEjg/mUacIJ6pcSs/s1600/IMG_3424web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p4QXrwfAots/VCBv9-yi5pI/AAAAAAAAEjg/mUacIJ6pcSs/s1600/IMG_3424web.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=511" target="_blank">See all the photos from this event in the Photogallery</a></h3>
Once he had shot his photos, he came over to say hello and we took this pic. It was a very hot and humid day in San Diego to wait in order to see and learn about the APP, but it was so worth it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/meandsteve1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="meandsteve" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-41115" src="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/meandsteve1-400x262.jpg" height="262" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>SHORT VIDEO INTERVIEW OF STEVE AT THE WIRED CAFE</strong><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="347" src="//www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x22ewzn" width="620"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x22ewzn_true-blood-s-stephen-moyer-shows-off-his-new-app-weev_people" target="_blank">True Blood's Stephen Moyer Shows Off His New App WEEV</a> <i><br />
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</i></div>
<strong>MORE ABOUT THE APP</strong><br />
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I had downloaded the APP last summer when it was still in BETA. Stephen had told me about it then when I visited the True Blood set. WEEV a mind-blowingly simple video app that lets people ask questions to the world and have them answered in short videos seamlessly stitched together.<br />
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Lots have downloaded and posted on the app, and below are just a few screen shots of the True Blood cast members who have already posted a WEEV:<br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/weev.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="weev" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-132255" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/weev-150x150.jpg" height="65" width="65" /></a><br />
You can learn more about the app by going to their website or the Facebook page.<br />
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">
<strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Stephen%20Moyer%20is%20involved%20in%20the%20launch%20of%20this%20new%20Iphone%20App%20called," target="_blank">weev.net</a></div>
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<strong>Facebook:</strong> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/weev.net?ref=profile" target="_blank" title="WEEVE on Facebook">WEEVE onfacebook.com</a></div>
<strong>Or, instead why not download it at Itunes below:</strong><br />
<div style="padding-left: 30px;">
<strong>Download the app by going to Itunes:</strong> <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/weev/id669729170?mt=8" target="_blank" title="WEEV on Itunes">itunes.apple.com</a></div>
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It's currently only available for APPLE devices, but I hear that an Android version should be out very soon, so be on the look out.Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-10987680666544342362014-09-22T11:46:00.000-07:002014-09-22T11:47:24.744-07:00Hangin' out with Michael McMillian at Comic Con book signing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aYPPnIl52gE/U_OhtJFor-I/AAAAAAAAEg4/bMGtAAPRKGM/s1600/michael%2Bmcmillian%2Bcomic%2Bcon%2B2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aYPPnIl52gE/U_OhtJFor-I/AAAAAAAAEg4/bMGtAAPRKGM/s1600/michael%2Bmcmillian%2Bcomic%2Bcon%2B2014.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>On Saturday, July 26, while the rest of the cast were signing autographs in the Warner Brothers booth in the Exhibition Hall at Comic Con 2014, Michael McMillian was seen at Chronicle Books (Booth #1506) signing his book, "Steve Newlin's Field Guide to Vampires."</b><br />
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Michael was very friendly and gracious to the fans who stopped by to say hello and to purchase the book. He signed each book with a personal note and was also willing to pose for a photo with anyone who asked.<br />
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I stopped by to see just what was going on in his area and to say "Hi!" and shot this short video below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VFlQbWV3w1w" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<br />
<b>Purchase Michael's Book "Steve Newlin's Field Guide to Vampires" - </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FP31YBQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00FP31YBQ&linkCode=as2&tag=lynnshomepage&linkId=HRP5OET3LJMA2GEY">True Blood: A Field Guide to Vampires: (And Other Creatures of Satan)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lynnshomepage&l=as2&o=1&a=B00FP31YBQ" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-20234873231156953672014-09-22T11:45:00.003-07:002016-06-10T10:51:34.875-07:00Walking the Red Carpet at True Blood’s Season 7 PremiereFirst published on <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/walking-red-carpet-true-bloods-season-7-premiere/" target="_blank">The Vault - TrueBlood-online.com</a> on June 21, 2014.<br />
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<b>On June 17, 2014 my assistant and I had the privilege of attending the True Blood Season 7 premiere as representatives for The Vault on the red carpet. It was beyond exciting to know that we would be amongst all my favorite True Blood people.</b><br />
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<b>Working on <a href="http://trueblood-online.com/" target="_blank">The Vault</a> website since 2009 (<i>Co-Owner, Shadaliza opened the site in 2008</i>) and <a href="http://allstephenmoyer.com/" target="_blank">AllStephenMoyer.com </a>when it opened in 2010 has certainly been a wild if not, amazing ride</b>. While it's been a lot of work, it's also provided many wonderful experiences by giving me with the opportunity to meet the most interesting people.<br />
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I've interviewed many of the cast and crew, have visited the set, attended Comic Con several times and just been all around LA learning more and more about the show and what makes it so special. It's been a wild ride, and I don't think I'll soon forget my experiences. However, being given access to the red carpet this week will certainly remain a highlight of all my True Blood experiences.<br />
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I've been on red carpets before such as the 2010 Scream Awards and 2011 Scream Awards, attended previous True Blood premieres and have attended many charity events close to the hearts of the True Blood cast, so I knew pretty much what to expect, but I have to say this True Blood event was a particularly wild red carpet.<br />
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The space for the red carpet is usually a vertical line that the stars walk down, but with it's zigzag format, this was a crush of photographers, TV and print journalists all vying for the best positions in order to get the attention of the stars. First on the zigzag carpet were the photographers, then the stars made a U-turn for the TV journalists and then turned again to finally get to the print journalists. We, of course were with the print people at the end of the line, just before the theater entrance. I was proud to see that The Vault was the only True Blood fan website in attendance.<br />
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<b>The overwhelming theme of the night for me was that when the True Blood cast talk about being a "family," they really mean it.</b><br />
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I asked each cast member about what they will miss the most when True Blood ends, and almost all of them answered the question with one answer, <i>"<b>the sense of family and the people!</b></i>" Since the show has been on the air for 6 seasons, and the cast have been together for even longer, that's not too surprising, but I do know that True Blood has been an amazing experience for all concerned. The cast and crew have all become extremely close and bonded as if they were in a family. Also, many of the cast were unknowns before they got recognized on True Blood and it's provided them with wonderful opportunities. So, while they will miss their fellow comrades on True Blood, I'm sure they're all looking forward to the new experiences available to them now that they have True Blood listed on their resume.<br />
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The one drawback to our position on the red carpet was that we were last in the line. While we could see everyone easily from our vantage point and and they could see us, it was difficult, with the time constraints, for everyone to be able to stop by and chat. However, happily, most chose to recognize us by stopping by.<br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_0245.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0245" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-129378" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_0245-574x400.jpg" height="400" width="574" /></a><i> </i></div>
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<i>Red Carpet zigzag set up</i></div>
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I spoke to the following people during the night: Nathan Barr, music composer, Chris Bauer, (Andy Bellefleur) Tanya Wright, (Kenya Jones) Kristin Bauer van Straten, (Pam Swynford DeBeaufort) Amelia Rose Blaire, (Willa Burrell) Lauren Bowles, (Holly Cleary) Nelsan Ellis, (Lafayette Reynolds) Adina Porter, (Lettie Mae Thornton) Carrie Preston, (Arlene Fowler) Jurnee Smollet-Bell, (Niole Wright) Deborah Ann Woll, (Jessica Hamby) Karolina Wydra, (Violet) Tara Buck, (Ginger) Gregg Fienberg, (Executive Producer) Patricia Bethune, (Jane Bodehouse) Todd Lowe, (Terry Bellefleur) Michael McMillian, (Rev. Steve Newlin) Dale Raoul, (Maxine Fortenberry) Greg Daniel (Rev. Daniel) Riley Smith, (Kieth) Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton) and Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte). Also, I spoke with EJ Scott, Abri van Straten, Patrick Fischler and Chris Pierce.<br />
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<b>What did I learn? Well, not many spoilers, for sure, as you would expect, but I did learn the following:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Nathan Barr, (True Blood's Original Music Composer)</b> told us about his new project for a True Blood Musical that may be heading to Broadway. He mentioned that Stephen Moyer had helped him with some of the songs, but I later learned from Stephen that he will not play Bill Compton.</li>
<li><b>Michael McMillian, (Rev. Steve Newlin)</b> mentioned that he might have an announcement at Comic Con in July about what he'll be doing.</li>
<li><b>Nelsan Ellis, (Lafayette)</b> said that Lafayette will have a new love in Season 7, but also some sadness. And he discussed his new film, "<a href="https://pro-labs.imdb.com/title/tt2473602/" target="_blank">Get on Up.</a>" Nelsan plays Bobby Byrd in the film and said that Chadwick Boseman was amazing.</li>
<li><b>Adina Porter (Lettie Mae Thornton)</b> said that Lettie Mae and the Reverend were still together in Season 7 and I learned later that Lettie Mae might have a new obsession this season, but I won't speak about that further as it will give away too much.</li>
<li>When asked about her favorite scene in Season 7, <b>Deborah Ann Woll</b> <b>(Jessica Hamby)</b> said that her favorite scene was in a car with someone she couldn't tell me about; hmmm, could that be an old flame perhaps?</li>
<li><b>Ashley Hinshaw (Bridgette)</b> is new to True Blood this year and she couldn't talk too much about her character, Bridgette except to say that she's from out of town.</li>
<li><b>Amelia Rose Blaire (Willa Burrell)</b> says her character Willa will get more control over her life and that she has grown up with Willa. Having interviewed Amelia last summer, I could see what she meant; Amelia definitely has more confidence speaking to the press, that's for sure.</li>
<li><b>Karolina Wydra</b> <b>(Violet)</b> says that Jason and Violet are together in Season 7, but she says that a lot of things will be going down.</li>
<li><b>Chris Bauer</b> <b>(Andy Bellefleur)</b> said that Season 7 is "<i>sort of a 'callback' season which is about us trying to figure out how to be happy</i>."</li>
<li><b>Dale Raoul (Maxine Fortenberry)</b> said that "<i>a lot of people are going to die this year.</i>"</li>
<li><b>Bailey Noble. (Adillyn)</b> says that her character, Adillyn will grow up a bit this year.</li>
<li><b>Jurnee Smollett Bell</b> <b>(Nicole)</b> says her character gets kidnapped in the first episode.</li>
<li><b>Kristin Bauer van Straten(Pam)</b> says the first episode that Stephen directed is great and that its an amazing season. She also talked about how sad she is with the show's end.</li>
</ul>
For those who didn't make it our way, we <b>have photos of them and all the cast who attended in the photo gallery (more than 200)</b> to share with you. Many of these photos are more candid in nature than the ones you see on the image sites and quite honestly, I like that better. Being at the end of the press line, most of our photos were taken as the cast had finished their interviews and were gathering outside the theater preparing to go inside.<br />
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<b>Many more photos can be seen by going to the <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=503" target="_blank">Vault Photo Gallery.</a></b></h5>
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<b><a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/photogallery.png"><img alt="photogallery" class="aligncenter wp-image-129028" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/photogallery.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></b><b> </b></h5>
Once everyone went into the theater, they started to tear down the red carpet and we began to pack up. Two ladies from HBO came over and were so nice to extend an invitation to us to attend the True Blood After Party being held at the Roosevelt Hotel across the streeet. We were thrilled, of course and met up with more people at the party. The cast were very relaxed and enjoyed themselves.<br />
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I got to speak to <b>Tanya Wright</b> at that time and we took a photo together which she promised to send to me. We took funny photos and hung out with all the stars. Out of respect for the party atmosphere and the cast privacy I didn't get any photos at the party other than the ones we took earlier in the afternoon.<br />
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On a closing note, <b>I want to thank both Mara and Kelley and all their staff at HBO for extending such a wonderful invitation providing us a wonderful night to remember.</b> I also want to give a special thanks to some people who stopped by to speak with me, but who's video interviews were lost when, for some reason my camera stopped saving the videos I recorded.<br />
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First, <b>Nelsan Ellis</b> whom I've been dying to interview forever who I got to speak with about his new film about James Brown and about the lovely Lafayette.<br />
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To <b>Adina Porter</b> who I have interviewed and who has always been gracious who will also be saying goodbye to her other show "The Newsroom" this season.<br />
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<b>Tara Buck</b> spoke to me for a long time on video and said that she was really excited for her character and for the fans to see the new season. I hear that she has her own "arc" this year, so I'm looking forward to seeing that because Tara has always been a super nice person to me and I wish her the best.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><b>And, finally to Stephen Moyer who defied all his handlers when he was being urged to go into the Theater because the show was already 45 minutes late, but said, "NO, I have to talk to this lady</b>." </span> We spoke briefly about his participation in Soccer Aid a couple of weeks ago and he told me how much he enjoyed his week training and getting ready for the game in which he only played for about 5 minutes.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/video.jpeg"><img alt="video" class="alignleft wp-image-129437" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/video.jpeg" height="50" width="50" /></a> To see the videos I did get, <a href="http://trueblood-online.com/videos-true-blood-seoson-7-premiere" target="_blank">go to this post where I have all the videos in one place</a>.</b></h5>
<b>You will find there videos with:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Nathan Barr</li>
<li>Amelia Rose Blaire and Karolina Wydra</li>
<li>Bailey Noble, Jurnee Smollett Bell, Kristin Bauer van Straten and briefly, Carrie Preston</li>
<li>Deborah Ann Woll, Janina, Lauren Bowles, Ashley Hinshaw</li>
<li>Dale Raoul and Patricia Bethune</li>
<li>Michael McMillian</li>
<li>Chris Bauer</li>
<li>Gregg Fienberg</li>
</ul>
Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-21116393616920996192014-09-22T11:42:00.004-07:002021-06-29T13:45:17.887-07:00Interview with Gregg Daniels, True Blood's ReverendThis interview was first published on <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/?p=131535" target="_blank">The Vault TrueBlood-Online.com</a> on July 17, 2014.<br />
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<b>Last summer, I had the opportunity to ask a few questions of the man who plays True Blood's Reverend, the actor Gregg Daniel. </b><br />
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I met Gregg at <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/walking-red-carpet-true-bloods-season-7-premiere/" title="Walking the Red Carpet at True Blood’s Season 7 Premiere">True Blood's Season 7 Premiere's Red Carpet</a> and I found him to be very personable and easy to talk to, just like you'd expect from a Reverend and a true professional. Gregg has lots of acting experience, comes from a religious background and, before he got his role on True Blood, had already worked with his co-star and wife on the series, Adina Porter, (Lettie Mae).<br />
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<b>THE INTERVIEW</b><br />
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In the interview below we learn about Gregg's acting history, his audition for True Blood, working with the cast and Adina Porter and, finally what's next for him now that filming has ended.<br />
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<b>Tell us a bit about your acting background and history?</b><br />
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I was born & raised in New York City (Brooklyn to be specific) which is where I received my initial training. I attended NYU’s School of the Arts and loved every challenging, sometimes frustrating minute of it (after all, I was young & wanted to be a great actor quick). At the time, the School of the Arts was located in the East Village, a pretty wild, exciting and amazingly creative place to be. We were only a walk away from some significant theatre companies. The New York Shakespeare Festival with legendary Producer, Joe Papp was only a few blocks away as well as a number of “cutting edge” theatre companies including La Mama, The Wooster Group, the Ontological-Hysterical, Mabou Mines, etc. The area was a tremendous breeding ground for young talented actors, directors, writers, etc. You could not ask for a better place to be as a young artist.</blockquote>
<b>What made you decide to be an actor?</b><br />
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I think it was love of language which initially led me to acting. We had a volume of Shakespeare’s plays around our house. At a very young age, I was curious about the book’s contents which led me to pick it up and begin to look through the pages. I certainly couldn’t understand everything on the page but there was a kind of magic that happened when I spoke the words. Later on, when I heard a trained speaker perform classical text, I was enthralled. There was beauty, grace and power behind those lines. So it was the words of Shakespeare who led me in to performing, not a bad start if you ask me.</blockquote>
<b>What was your audition for True Blood like? What do you think you did that got you the part of the Reverend?</b><br />
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I was on the East Coast performing in a play when my agents contacted me about auditioning for the role. I was sent several scenes & asked to put myself on tape and send it into the Producers. I was familiar with the show, as an actress I had worked with in theatre many years before was working on True Blood. The actress was Adina Porter whom I felt was doing exceptional work as the character Lettie Mae. Little did I know I was auditioning to be her character’s “romantic interest” and would later marry her on the show. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t get the role as Producers seeing an actor on tape is just not the same as being in a room with him or her. About a week later, my agents called to say they were offering me the role.<br />
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I wanted to play the Reverend as very real and grounded. I was determined to avoid the stereotypical fire & brimstone Southern Black minister which is often what actors fall into when approaching the role of a Minister. <b>I wanted a character that not only appealed to the emotions of his congregants but to their hearts and minds as well</b>. So I kept the character grounded and simple. <b>Reverend Daniels is an ordinary man having to minister to individuals under extraordinary circumstances</b>.</blockquote>
<b>Did you base your character on anybody you know and are you yourself religious?</b><br />
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I did grow up in a religious house, in fact my father was the caretaker of our church. I literally spent all day Sunday and part of the week in the Church watching him maintain it, prepare for services and of course attending Sunday School and Church Services. I was often picked to read a passage from the Bible at the pulpit at Sunday Services. So, I was very comfortable being in front of a group of churchgoers “delivering the word.”<br />
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<b>Who have you worked with in True Blood that you have learned from the most?</b><br />
Honestly, I’ve learned something from every single person on our set. From the various departments (Sound, Set, Lighting, Photography, Directing, etc) to working with each actor, I’ve taken some lessons away. <b>Everyone on our set takes a tremendous amount of pride in what they do. It’s humbling to see so many dedicated individuals bringing their “A” game to every script we shoot and to making you look good.</b></blockquote>
<b>What has it been like working with Adina Porter?</b><br />
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<b>As I mentioned earlier, I had a pre existing relationship with Adina from our days of doing theatre in NYC together</b>. So there was a familiarity there already. However, the level of trust we’ve developed in working with one another has made my job unpredictable.<br />
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<b>I know I can be absolutely spontaneous working in a scene with Adina</b> and not only will she take in what I’m doing but she’ll come back with something which makes my initial impulse even better. She “listens” like no other actor I’ve ever worked with before and is totally fearless in putting it out there for the camera.</blockquote>
<b>What is there about you that you would like the fans to know?</b><br />
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<b>I’d like our fans to know as a result of their enthusiasm and fierce loyalty to the show, it pushes me to work even harder on any scene I’m in. They deserve the best as they’ve made the show so popular</b>.</blockquote>
<b>What’s next once True Blood ends for you?</b><br />
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It’s a coincidence when I began this interview talking about Shakespeare as a source of inspiration for me. Just before we wrapped True Blood for the season, I began rehearsing a production of Shakespeare’s ROMEO & JULIET which I’m currently performing in as Lord Montague. We’re working outside in the beautiful Japanese Gardens on the grounds of the Veterans Administration building in Brentwood, CA. It’s a blast to be performing nightly under the stars to an entirely new audience. Right after that production closes, I’ll be directing a production of a controversial 60’s play for the celebrated Anteaus Theatre Company in North Hollywood. The play involves a 10 year loving relationship between a “Negro” woman and a Caucasian man in 1918 when such liasions were illegal. Of course by then, I hope to be cast in a television show which will be as much fun to work on as True Blood.</blockquote>
<br />Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-85698545395808310872014-09-22T11:41:00.001-07:002014-09-22T11:41:32.672-07:00 Q&A Nathan Barr and FX ComposersFirst published on <a href="http://trueblood-online.com/">The Vault: TrueBlood-Online.com</a><br />
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<b>Last June, a friend and I attended “<i>An Evening with FX Composer</i>s” </b>sponsored by <a href="http://www.thescl.com/home">The Society of Composers and Lyricists</a> at The Linwood Dunn Theater in Los Angeles where <b>True Blood's Nathan Barr was one of three composers featured</b> at the event.<br />
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<b>The three featured composers were:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Nathan Barr – THE AMERICANS (<a href="http://www.nathanbarr.com/">www.nathanbarr.com</a>)</b></li>
<li>James Levine – AMERICAN HORROR STORY</li>
<li>Jeff Russo – FARGO (<a href="http://www.jeffrusso.com/">www.jeffrusso.com</a>)</li>
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The event was set up to first, provide individual sessions with each composer where the host asked them questions and then clips from their shows were shown. After the individual session, all three were questioned together by the host.<br />
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<b>As many True Blood fans know,</b> after establishing himself as an in-demand composer for horror films, Nathan segued into episodic dramatic television. The three shows he's worked on bear no stylistic resemblance to one another: “Hemlock Grove” taps his horror thriller roots; “The Americans” is set in the ‘80s; and <b>“True Blood” is as much a collection of love stories as it is about vampires</b>. When Nathan Barr was interviewed during the event, he discussed his collaboration with "The Who's," Pete Townsend for his new show, "The Americans."<br />
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<b>The April 30 episode of “The Americans” featured a collaboration between <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000127Z6O/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Barr and Pete Townshend, "It Must Be Done</a>," the first song the Who guitarist has ever written for television.</b> Barr discussed the track, getting back into film and composing on cello. Working with a music legend can be a daunting task. When that legend is <b>The Who guitarist Pete Townshend</b>, it can be downright intimidating. For composer <b>Nathan Barr</b>, neither was the case.<br />
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“The original demos I did for (“The Americans”) before I got the job were influenced by those great scores from the ‘70s and ‘80s – ‘Taking of Pelham One Two Three’ by David Shire, prepared piano stuff in things like Lalo Schifrin’s score for ‘Dirty Harry’,” Barr says. “That was exciting music for me to explore. The bass and prepared piano stuff in those movies is a real jumping off point for me in ‘The Americans.’”<br />
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“The thing I really admired about him is for someone of his stature one wouldn’t be surprised if there was a big ego there, and there is no ego there,” Barr said. “He is just lovely and humble and so easy to work with.”</blockquote>
Listen to the song below:<br />
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<b>Following the interviews, the questions were opened up to the audience. I asked Nathan what it was like transitioning between the very different TV shows</b> and I was surprised to hear him reply that it's not that different. He said that True Blood and The Americans scores are really very similar using strings, etc., but certainly the melody and tone are completely different.<br />
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<b>Listen to the theme song for "The Americans below:</b><br />
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<b>Listen to music Nathan wrote for "Hemlock Grove:"</b> <b> </b>
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<b>Also, in the audience was Lisabeth Scott, a long time fellow collaborator providing her voice to many of his projects, specifically on True Blood</b>. </div>
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An example is the gorgeous contemporary folk tune, "Take Me Home," which features her haunting vocals, along with Nathan's rich cello and guitar work. </div>
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<b>Then, of course any True Blood fan will recognize Nathan's signature sound in the music he wrote for True Blood:</b> </div>
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I went up to Nathan with my friend Els after the event and spoke to him. I asked him how he felt about the ending of True Blood and he replied that "<i>it is sad, but it is time</i>." I'm so glad Nathan has such a good future ahead of him with these new projects and we wish him well. We really weren't permitted to take any photos at the event, but we were allowed to take photos with the composers after the event. Below is a photo I took of Els with Nathan: </div>
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<b> </b> <b>The other two composers who were featured at this event who's credentials certainly make them worthy mention here:</b> <b> </b><br />
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<b>James Levine</b> has also written for two completely different TV shows<b>, Glee and American Horror Story</b>. He is a pianist who is known for playing gospel piano in churches which he exclaimed was odd for someone of Jewish heritage.<br />
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See a sample from <b>American Horror Story</b> below:</div>
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<b>Jeff Russo</b> started out as a rock guitarist and is a founding member, lead guitarist and co-songwriter of two-time <b>GRAMMY® nominated, multi-platinum selling rock band, TONIC</b>.<br />
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Jeff managed to learn his new composing trade by observation. His sound track for the new TV show "<b>Fargo</b>" is very understated, and as he says, the silences seem to give the music more impact.<br />
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<i>Note: Some quotes above regarding </i><i>Nathan's collaboration with Pete Townsend were taken from an interview Nathan did with <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/04/30/nate-barr-on-writing-music-for-the-americans-with-pete-townshend/" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a>.</i></div>
Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-55718566083092435602014-08-19T12:36:00.000-07:002014-08-19T12:36:44.347-07:00On Seeing The Great Denis O'Hare's "An Iliad"<b>I went to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA on Wednesday night and sat in the front row to see "THE GREAT DENIS O'HARE," in his one man</b> <b>extravaganza, "An Iliad."</b> Yes, that's what I think of him, I think that he is a great actor. Ever since I first saw him in True Blood, I have been a fan, but now I think even more of him after seeing his mesmerizing adaptation of Homer's epic poem, "An Illiad" directed by Lisa Peterson.<br />
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The Broad Stage program says of the show:<br />
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<i>Homer’s epic poem roars back to life in a contemporary new telling. Obie Award-winner, Lisa Peterson directs Tony Award-winner Denis O’Hare in this stunning show that captures the grief and glory of the battle for Troy. An Iliad races through time to become breathtakingly relevant. The New York Times calls it, “Spellbinding... smartly conceived and impressively executed.”</i></blockquote>
<b>Now, I'm not much of an epic poem fan, but when you see Denis O'Hare on stage, giving everything he's got to such a production, you just have to be in awe of his amazing talent. He made the epic poem inspirational and extremely interesting.</b><br />
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<b>Like most of our readers, I was first introduced to this amazing actor when he was cast in Season 3 of True Blood in the role as the King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington. </b>As I watched him throughout the season, I thought he had really "absorbed himself into the part," but also seemed to be having alot of fun acting such a campy role. As I remember it now, I think my very favorite scene of Denis as Russell Edgington has to be the one when he tore out the backbone of the TV newscaster. <b>However, it wasn't that shocking act that made the scene special for me, it was the lecture he gave the public after that made it resonate.</b><br />
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Watch it at this address: http://youtu.be/6rZ6AQXaZpk<br />
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Although this scene from True Blood has a lot of passion, you can tell that it didn't take anywhere near the energy that the 1 hr., 40 min. production of "An Iliad" takes to do. He certainly doesn't need to go to the gym while performing his part of "<i>The Poet</i>" in this show because you can see that it takes a lot of energy to do it.<br />
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Perhaps because of his experience in TV and in “True Blood,” when telling the Illiad story on stage, Denis seemed to relish the battle passages, bringing alive the murderous chaos of battle and the bloodlust it unleashes, similar to his tirade as Russell Edgington in the scene above.<br />
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That's not to say that it's apparent he is using all of his strength, instead it looks just the opposite. He parades all over the stage, climbing on tables and chairs telling the tale and making you follow his every move. He owns it, that's what I mean and that's a very difficult thing to do. And he brings the play into our world, as said in a <a href="http://www.laweekly.com/publicspectacle/2014/01/17/an-iliad-at-the-broad-stage-denis-ohare-performs-a-one-man-epic" target="_blank">NYTimes Review</a>, trying to explain why the exhausted Greeks didn’t abandon the battle, weary after nine years of fruitless fighting, he compares their attitude to the frustration you feel in a supermarket line: “<b>You’ve been there 20 minutes, and the other line is moving faster,” he says. <i>“Do you switch lines now? No, goddamn it, I’ve been here for 20 minutes, I’m gonna wait in this line. Look — I’m not leaving ’cause otherwise I’ve wasted my time</i></b>.”<br />
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Read an excerpt from <a href="http://www.laweekly.com/publicspectacle/2014/01/17/an-iliad-at-the-broad-stage-denis-ohare-performs-a-one-man-epic" target="_blank">LA Weekly</a> which describes the event perfectly:<br />
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Picking up from Robert Fagles' authoritative translation, this version channels the urgency of the original into a forceful reminder of the power of theater stripped to its essentials. Performing on a barren stage cluttered with backstage detritus (designed by Rachel Hauck) and lit by a single bulb (lighting design by Scott Zielinski), O'Hare assumes the guise of a weary bard, compelled to repeat his narrative as long as humanity has need of it - in other words, forever. After invoking the muses, via music beautifully wrought by accompanying bassist Brian Ellingsen, O'Hare launches into his tale, seasoning it liberally with sly anachronisms. He pauses and breaks and backtracks, his voice rising and falling, his words swooping from nervous jangle to indolent lilt and back again, charting a narrative by turns savage and tender, escalating finally into an explosive, rapid-fire recitation of each major conflict in human history. This is poetry as it was meant to be experienced, primal and raw, thrilling and transcendent.</blockquote>
<b>Oh, and Denis is not totally alone on stage</b>, the subtle, dramatic music of Mark Bennett is primarily played live by the <b>bassist Brian Ellingsen</b>, coaxing an amazing variety of sounds from his instrument and adding a lot to the mood of the play.<br />
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Another nice treat for having gone to the show was meeting up with <b>Kristin Bauer van Straten and her hubby, Abri van Straten and also, Sam Trammell and Missy Yaeger</b>. It was nice to say hello to them and snag a quick photo of each outside as they were on the red carpet.<br />
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The play continued through February 2, 2014 at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.<br />
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Denis O'Hare photo source: <a href="http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Denis+O%27Hare/Iliad+Opening+Night+Santa+Monica/yszS_JOwzVH" target="_blank">zimbio.com</a><br />
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<br />Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0Santa Monica, CA, USA34.0194543 -118.491191233.9668118 -118.5718722 34.0720968 -118.4105102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-55408502033504202092014-06-21T08:53:00.000-07:002018-03-08T08:55:12.189-08:00<strong>On June 17, 2014 my assistant and I had the privilege of attending the True Blood Season 7 premiere as representatives for The Vault on the red carpet. It was beyond exciting to know that we would be amongst all my favorite True Blood people.</strong><br />
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<strong>Working on The Vault website since 2009 (<em>Co-Owner, Shadaliza opened the site in 2008</em>) and AllStephenMoyer.com when it opened in 2010 has certainly been a wild if not, amazing ride</strong>. While it's been a lot of work, it's also provided many wonderful experiences by giving me with the opportunity to meet the most interesting people. I've <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/the-vault-exclusive-interviews/" title="The Vault Exclusive Interviews">interviewed many of the cast and crew</a>, <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/vault-exclusive-alexander-skarsgard-and-stephen-moyer-true-blood-season-5-set/" target="_blank">have visited the set</a>, attended <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/the-vault-exclusive-true-blood-comic-con-autograph-signing-experience/" target="_blank">Comic Con</a> several times and just been all around LA learning more and more about the show and what makes is so special. It's been a wild ride, and I don't think I'll soon forget my experiences. However, being given access to the red carpet this week will certainly remain a highlight of all my True Blood experiences. I've been on red carpets before such as the <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/2010-scream-awards-press-experience/" target="_blank">2010 Scream Awards</a> and <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/the-vaults-exclusive-coverage-2011-scream-awards-red-carpet/" target="_blank">2011 Scream Awards</a>, attended previous <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/vault-exclusive-fan-experience-the-true-blood-premiere/" target="_blank">True Blood premieres</a> and have attended many charity events close to the hearts of the True Blood cast, so I knew pretty much what to expect, but I have to say the True Blood event was a particularly wild red carpet. The space for the red carpet is usually a vertical line that the stars walk down, but with its zigzag format, this was a crush of photographers, TV and print journalists all vying for the best positions in order to get the attention of the stars. First on the zigzag carpet were the photographers, then the stars made a U-turn for the TV journalists and then turned again to finally get to the print journalists. We, of course, were with the print people at the end of the line, just before the theater entrance. I was proud to see that The Vault was the only True Blood fan website in attendance<br />
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<strong>The overwhelming theme of the night was that when the True Blood cast talks about being a "family," they really mean it.</strong> I asked each cast member about what they will miss the most when True Blood ends, and almost all of them answered the question with one answer, <em>"<strong>the sense of family and the people!</strong></em>" Since the show has been on the air for 6 seasons, and the cast has been together for even longer, that's not too surprising, but I do know that True Blood has been an amazing experience for all concerned. The cast and crew have all become extremely close and bonded as if they were in a family. Also, many of the cast were unknowns before they got recognized for True Blood it's provided them with wonderful opportunities. So, while they will miss their fellow comrades on True Blood, I'm sure they're all looking forward to the new experiences available to them now that they have True Blood listed on their resume.<br />
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The one drawback to our position on the red carpet was that we were last in the line. While we could see everyone easily from our vantage point and they could see us, it was difficult, with the time constraints, for everyone to be able to stop by and chat. However, happily, most chose to recognize us by stopping by.<br />
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<em>Red Carpet zigzag set up</em></div>
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I spoke to the following people during the night: Nathan Barr, music composer, Chris Bauer, (Andy Bellefleur) Tanya Wright, (Kenya Jones) Kristin Bauer van Straten, (Pam Swynford DeBeaufort) Amelia Rose Blaire, (Willa Burrell) Lauren Bowles, (Holly Cleary) Nelsan Ellis, (Lafayette Reynolds) Adina Porter, (Lettie Mae Thornton) Carrie Preston, (Arlene Fowler) Jurnee Smollet-Bell, (Niole Wright) Deborah Ann Woll, (Jessica Hamby) Karolina Wydra, (Violet) Tara Buck, (Ginger) Gregg Fienberg, (Executive Producer) Patricia Bethune, (Jane Bodehouse) Todd Lowe, (Terry Bellefleur) Michael McMillian, (Rev. Steve Newlin) Dale Raoul, (Maxine Fortenberry) Greg Daniel (Rev. Daniel) Riley Smith, (Kieth) Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton) and Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte). Also, I spoke with EJ Scott, Abri van Straten, Patrick Fischler and Chris Pierce.<br />
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<strong>What did I learn? Well, not many spoilers, for sure, as you would expect, but I did learn the following:</strong><br />
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<li><strong>Nathan Barr, (True Blood's Original Music Composer)</strong> told us about his new project for a True Blood Musical that may be heading to Broadway. He mentioned that Stephen Moyer had helped him with some of the songs, but I later learned from Stephen that he will not play Bill Compton.</li>
<li><strong>Michael McMillian, (Rev. Steve Newlin)</strong> mentioned that he might have an announcement at Comic-Con in July about what he'll be doing.</li>
<li><strong>Nelsan Ellis, (Lafayette)</strong> said that Lafayette will have a new love in Season 7, but also some sadness. And he discussed his new film, "<a href="https://pro-labs.imdb.com/title/tt2473602/" target="_blank">Get on Up.</a>" Nelsan plays Bobby Byrd in the film and said that Chadwick Boseman was amazing.</li>
<li><strong>Adina Porter (Lettie Mae Thornton)</strong> said that Lettie Mae and the Reverend were still together in Season 7 and I learned later that Lettie Mae might have a new obsession this season, but I won't speak about that further as it will give away too much.</li>
<li>When asked about her favorite scene in Season 7, <strong>Deborah Ann Woll</strong> <strong>(Jessica Hamby)</strong> said that her favorite scene was in a car with someone she couldn't tell me about; hmmm, could that be an old flame perhaps?</li>
<li><strong>Ashley Hinshaw (Bridgette)</strong> is new to True Blood this year and she couldn't talk too much about her character, Bridgette except to say that she's from out of town.</li>
<li><strong>Amelia Rose Blaire (Willa Burrell)</strong> says her character Willa will get more control over her life and that she has grown up with Willa. Having interviewed Amelia last summer, I could see what she meant; Amelia definitely has more confidence speaking to the press, that's for sure.</li>
<li><strong>Karolina Wydra</strong> <strong>(Violet)</strong> says that Jason and Violet are together in Season 7, but she says that a lot of things will be going down.</li>
<li><strong>Chris Bauer</strong> <strong>(Andy Bellefleur)</strong> said that Season 7 is "<em>sort of a 'callback' season which is about us trying to figure out how to be happy</em>."</li>
<li><strong>Dale Raoul (Maxine Fortenberry)</strong> said that "<em>a lot of people are going to die this year.</em>"</li>
<li><strong>Bailey Noble. (Adillyn)</strong> says that her character, Adillyn will grow up a bit this year.</li>
<li><strong>Jurnee Smollett Bell</strong> <strong>(Nicole)</strong> says her character gets kidnapped in the first episode.</li>
<li><strong>Kristin Bauer van Straten(Pam)</strong> says the first episode that Stephen directed is great and that it's an amazing season. She also talked about how sad she is with the show's end.</li>
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For those who didn't make it our way, we <strong>have photos of them and all the cast who attended in the photo gallery (more than 200)</strong> to share with you. Many of these photos are more candid in nature than the ones you see on the image sites and quite honestly, I like that better. Being at the end of the press line, most of our photos were taken as the cast had finished their interviews and were gathering outside the theater preparing to go inside.<br />
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<strong>Below see just a few examples of the hundreds of photos from our Photo Gallery:</strong><br />
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<strong><a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/photogallery.png"><img alt="photogallery" class="aligncenter wp-image-129028" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/photogallery.png" height="50" width="50" /></a></strong><strong>Many more photos can be seen by going to the <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=503" target="_blank">Vault Photo Gallery.</a></strong></h5>
Once everyone went into the theater, they started to tear down the red carpet and we began to pack up. Two ladies from HBO came over and were so nice to extend an invitation to us to attend the True Blood After Party being held at the Roosevelt Hotel across the street. We were thrilled, of course, and met up with more people at the party. The cast was very relaxed and enjoyed themselves.<br />
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I got to speak to <strong>Tanya Wright</strong> at that time and we took a photo together which she promised to send to me. We took funny photos and hung out with all the stars. Out of respect for the party atmosphere and the cast privacy, I didn't get any photos at the party other than the ones we took earlier in the afternoon.<br />
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On a closing note, <strong>I want to thank both Mara and Kelley and all their staff at HBO for extending such a wonderful invitation providing us a wonderful night to remember.</strong> I also want to give a special thanks to some people who stopped by to speak with me, but whose video interviews were lost when, for some reason, my camera stopped saving the videos I recorded.<br />
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First, <strong>Nelsan Ellis</strong> whom I've been dying to interview forever who I got to speak with about his new film about James Brown and about the lovely Lafayette.<br />
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To <strong>Adina Porter</strong> who I have interviewed and who has always been gracious who will also be saying goodbye to her other show "The Newsroom" this season.<br />
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<strong>Tara Buck</strong> spoke to me for a long time on video and said that she was really excited for her character and for the fans to see the new season. I hear that she has her own "arc" this year, so I'm looking forward to seeing that because Tara has always been a super nice person to me and I wish her the best.<br />
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<strong>And, finally to Stephen Moyer who defied all his handlers when he was being urged to go into the Theater because the show was already 45 minutes late, but said NO, I have to talk to this lady</strong>. We spoke briefly about his participation in Soccer Aid a couple of weeks ago and he told me how much he enjoyed his week training and getting ready for the game in which he only played for about 5 minutes.<br />
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<strong><a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/video.jpeg"><img alt="video" class="alignleft wp-image-129437" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/video.jpeg" height="50" width="50" /></a>To see the videos I did get, <a href="http://trueblood-online.com/videos-true-blood-seoson-7-premiere" target="_blank">go to this post where I have all the videos in one place</a>.</strong></h5>
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<strong>You will find their are videos with:</strong><br />
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<li>Nathan Barr</li>
<li>Amelia Rose Blaire and Karolina Wydra</li>
<li>Bailey Noble, Jurnee Smollett Bell, Kristin Bauer van Straten and briefly, Carrie Preston</li>
<li>Deborah Ann Woll, Janina, Lauren Bowles, Ashley Hinshaw</li>
<li>Dale Raoul and Patricia Bethune</li>
<li>Michael McMillian</li>
<li>Chris Bauer</li>
<li>Gregg Fienberg</li>
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<br />Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-64177129282207244782013-11-23T15:55:00.001-08:002013-11-23T15:55:53.807-08:00Book Signing with True Blood cast in West Hollywood<div style="text-align: center;">
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</strong> <strong>Last Monday night I attended a book signing for the book TRUE BLOOD: STEVE NEWLIN’S FIELD GUIDE TO VAMPIRES. The signing was held at a small book store called, <a href="http://www.booksoup.com/" target="_blank">Book Soup</a> in West Hollywood.</strong> It's a friendly, little bookstore right on Sunset Boulevard that is home to over 60,000 titles, specializing in art, film, photography, music, controversial non-fiction, and literary fiction, as well as international magazines at our outdoor newsstand, NewsMews.<br />
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Attending the event were the authors, <strong>Michael McMillian, who plays Steve Newlin on True Blood and Gianna Sobel, Associater Producer.</strong> But that's not all, two additional cast members attended the signing,<strong> Deborah Ann Woll, Jessica Hamby and Anna Camp, Sara Newlin.</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/DSCF1776.jpg"><img alt="Michael McMillian, Giana Sobel, Anna Camp and Deborah Ann Woll" class="aligncenter" height="398" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/DSCF1776.jpg" width="570" /></a></div>
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</strong> <strong>The book signing began at 6pm, but a few of us had been invited to interview Michael and Gianna about the book before the signing.</strong> Below is my short interview with Michael and Giana filmed just before the foursome lined up for the book signing. Michael and Gianna weren't able to provide much information about Season 7, sadly, but it still was a fun conversation. I asked each of them about how the book came to be and what each of them are doing now.<br />
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See more photos from this event by going to the <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=485">Vault Photo Gallery</a>.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_DSCF1772.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Michael McMillian and Gianna Sobel at Book signing of their book." class="alignright" height="240" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_DSCF1772.jpg" width="205" /></a><strong>Here's a little about the book: </strong>The vampires and otherworldly creatures that call Bon Temps, Louisiana home often clash with humans, one of which was their self-appointed nemesis: sweet-talking, bible-thumping Reverend Steve Newlin. A hater of all things supernatural, Newlin developed a demented journal, his Field Guide to Vampires, which chronicles all he knows about these “Creatures of Satan” and how to kill them. The journal fell into the hands of vampires Eric and Pam who defaced it in a most disrespectful and snarky manner. Packed with untold insight into key storylines and several compelling characters, True Blood: Steve Newlin’s Field Guide to Vampires is an endlessly entertaining read that perfectly captures the tongue-in-cheek humor that has made True Blood a hit.<br />
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And, here's an inside look at a page in the book:<br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/True-Blood-book_990x683.jpg"><img alt="True-Blood-book_990x683" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-123439" height="400" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/True-Blood-book_990x683-579x400.jpg" width="579" /></a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/452127425/lynnshomepage">Click here </a>to purchase your copy of this delightful read.</strong></div>
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photo source for inside look: <a href="http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/11/19/true-blood-steve-newlin-field-guide-to-vampires-exclusive/#" target="_blank">shelf-life.ew.com</a>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-36867778648544950962013-11-23T15:48:00.002-08:002013-11-23T15:48:26.039-08:00Amanda Foundation Halloween Event - The Big "Bark" TheoryFirst published on <a href="http://trueblood-online.com/">The Vault: TrueBlood-Online.com</a><br />
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<strong>On Sunday night, October 27, 2013 I attended The Amanda Foundation's annual Bow Wow Beverly Hills Halloween event. </strong>This year the title of the event was <strong>The Big "BARK" Theory</strong> because the event host was <strong>Kaley Cuoco who plays Penny on the show, "The Big Bang Theory."</strong></div>
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It was held at the same prime location as in the past at 2 Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Teri Austin and Tracy Jones put on a great event for all the many animal lovers who attended. Pets, of course, were welcome and some were even dressed up for the annual Halloween costume party. It was a fun time that also included silent auctions, great food, drink and music for all.</div>
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I arrived in time to watch <strong>Kaley Cuoco receive the "Worthy of Love" award from the head of the Amanda Foundation, Teri Austin</strong>. Teri also spoke about a doberman who desperately needed an operation on his leg and she asked for attendees to donate for that operation. I'm happy to report that our furry friend will be having the needed operation as many who were in the audience stepped up to contribute.<br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/terrykaley1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="267" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_terrykaley1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<em>Kaley Cuoco and Teri Austin</em></div>
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<strong>Many celebrities attended to show their support for The Amanda Foundaiton in addition to Kaley Cuoco, such as Melanie Griffith, Jade Tailor, Glenn Hughes, Abri van Straten, who came with his wife, True Blood's Kristin Bauer van Straten.</strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/kristin4~0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" height="280" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_kristin4~0.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Kristin being interviewed by the press.</span></td></tr>
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Kristin arrived later than most as she had just come from another charity event. She told me she had also just flown back from Tulsa, OK earlier that day where she had appeared at a Halloween event on Saturday night. She sure is a busy lady.</div>
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However, that didn't keep her from being very friendly and generous with her time to all. She posed for the photographers and then gave interviews to all those that wanted one. Kristin is such a caring and genuinely giving person, I wasn't surprised a bit.</div>
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Lucky me, got to "hang out" with Kristin and Abri for a bit and I asked her if she knew anything about True Blood Season 7 and when it would be starting production? Just like all the other cast members I've asked, she said she knew nothing and that she hadn't heard a thing from HBO yet about a start date. She did say that she expects production will start up in early January, as has been reported. I chatted with her and Abri for a while and they told me that they are about to leave for a vacation in Tahiti. I'm sure this is well deserved as Kristin has been very busy making lots of public appearances during True Blood's hiatus, so I wished them the best for a wonderful holiday.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/kristinabri5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kristin Bauer van Straten and Abri van Straten At 2013 Amanda Event" class="aligncenter" height="309" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_kristinabri5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kristin and Abri van Straten</span></td></tr>
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Go to <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=483">The Vault Photo Gallery</a> to see more photos:</div>
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<strong>Below are three videos from the event.</strong><br />
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<strong>The first is one I took amidst the crowd of photographers of Kaley Cuoco getting her "Worthy of Love" Award, (sorry about the shaking; it was very crowded).</strong><br />
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<strong>The next two are of the photographers shooting photos of Kaley and Kaley on the red carpet:</strong><br />
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Kaley Cuoco on the red carpet<br />
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Kristin Bauer van Straten on the red carpet<br />
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<strong>Please consider supporting The Amanda Foundation by donating to save the life of a god or cat.</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/about_banner.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-93119 aligncenter" height="149" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/about_banner-600x149.jpg" title="about_banner" width="600" /></a></div>
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<strong>You can make a direct donation to The Amanda Foundation here :</strong><br />
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<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank">
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Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-1757615550795589472013-08-30T10:17:00.000-07:002013-11-23T15:30:20.899-08:00Introduction - Exclusive Interview with biographer Eve Golden on John Gilbert<div style="text-align: center;"><h3><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="evegolden" class="aligncenter wp-image-2454" height="257" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg" width="558" /></a></h3></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Introduction </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></h3><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I have been fascinated by John Gilbert since I first heard about him.</b> And, what I heard wasn’t very flattering. All I knew about him, at the time, was that he failed to transition from silent to sound films for the reason that he had a high voice. I just had to find out for myself if this was true. Turns out that it wasn’t.<br />
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I became so fascinated by his story that I created a section here on <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/gilbert" target="_blank">Classic Movie Favorites</a> about him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Even with having done so much research about him for CMF, until reading <strong>Eve Golden's new biography titled, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813141621/lynnshomepage" target="_blank"><em>John Gilbert - The Last of the Silent Film Stars</em></a></strong>, I never really completely understood why he was considered to be such a liability by MGM or, why the studio hadn't helped him through the transition as they did with Greta Garbo. At the time of his demise, he was still very handsome and highly talented, so why was he abandoned by the studio he had made so much money for? I thought his life tragic, so I wanted to know more.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The only book I had read on Gilbert until recently, was his daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain’s book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312182759/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Dark Star</a>.” Her account of her father’s life was a good one, but I still didn't find convincing answers to my questions about Gilbert’s failure in film. <strong>So, when Eve Golden’s book came out, I bought it right away. I also immediately contacted her and asked if she would be willing to be interviewed, and thankfully she said, "yes."</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When we spoke, I was happy to find out that we have similar roots, both coming from Philadelphia and each of us huge classic movie fans who grew up sneaking into the living room to watch the "Late, Late show" on TV when we were supposed to be in bed. For us both, that love for classic film has never faded.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Until the last few years, I was never really interested in silent film, preferring sound films. But, now I've gained a new appreciation for silent films through meeting the great <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002206/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Kevin Brownlow</a>, watching his documentary <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6302597609/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">"Hollywood</a>," and through films by stars such as the great, <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/garbo" target="_blank">Garbo</a> and of course, <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/gilbert" target="_blank">John Gilbert</a>. My first viewing of a Garbo/Gilbert silent was "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009S4IKG/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Flesh and the Devil</a>," which is now one of my favorite films.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><b>Here's the waltz scene from Flesh and the Devil:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Hr2ehyOz2Ms?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;">My interview with Eve Golden took place last month and it was a joy. Below are just a few quotes from Eve that I wanted to particularly highlight from our discussion.</div></div><b><br />
</b> <b>On watching silent films, Eve Golden says:</b><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"</i><i>You have to really sit still and pay attention, and its best with the lights out and it really takes you into another world, the way the talkies don’t."</i></div></blockquote><strong>On the transition from silent to sound films, Eve Golden says: </strong><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>"It’s funny because one of the things I liked about writing about John Gilbert was that whole change over from silent to sound that culturally never happened before or since where in a period of just three years, an entire art form died and an entire new art form was born, which is why you have films like Sunset Boulevard. When you look at Sunset Boulevard, you realize that Gloria Swanson [and her character, Norma Desmond] is still a young woman; she’s not even 50 and she’s talking about a period that’s only thirty years ago, like us talking about the 1990’s and yet, the silent era is like talking about the age of Louis the 16th."</em></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">For those who don't know much about Gilbert's career, before you read the interview, I suggest you watch this episode of Kevin Brownlow's documentary, "Hollywood." This episode features two of the biggest starts of the silent era who didn't make the transition to sound films, Clara Bow and John Gilbert. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><br />
<b><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com//wp-content/uploads/2013/08/johngilbertlastofsilentfilmstars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"></a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Clara Bow is featured first, and John Gilbert's portion starts at 18:24 minutes in. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gOQN5vNVYvo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
</div><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></strong></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">This interview with Eve is a long one that I have divided into four parts.</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Click on the links below to read each section:</span></strong></div><ul><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813141621/lynnshomepage" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/johngilbertlastofsilentfilmstars.jpg" title="John Gilbert by Eve Golden" width="213" /></span></a>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-1-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 1 - About Gilbert - <em>From lowly beginnings to superstar</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-2-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 2 - Gilbert's film career - <em>Silent to Sound</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-3-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 3 - Gilbert’s demise - <em>The perfect storm of awfulness</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-4-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 4 - About the author - <em>Eve Golden</em></a></span><em></em></li>
</ul>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-81647129995332767442013-08-30T10:16:00.002-07:002013-11-23T15:32:26.159-08:00Part 1 - Exclusive Interview with biographer Eve Golden on John Gilbert<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="evegolden" class=" wp-image-2454 aligncenter" height="257" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg" width="558" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Part 1 - About John Gilbert<br />
</strong><strong>From lowly beginnings to superstar</strong></h3><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">LYNN DOUGHERTY:</span> <b>About his childhood, which is still kind of murky for me, do you think that his horrific childhood might have anything to do with his later troubles, i.e., drinking, etc?</b></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><b>EVE GOLDEN:</b> It’s hard to tell because you can have two people with similar childhoods and they turn out differently. He did have a tough childhood, but tough as it was, it’s hard to tell because he just romanticized and made things sound a lot worse than they were. He demonized his mother and I really wanted to give her an even break so I went back and found out that his mother actually had quite a good career and was a talented actress.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">You have to look at things from her side and say that this is a single mother dragging a kid with her all over the country working as an actress; and that’s a tough life. I really tried to give her an even break. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">He was probably a difficult kid as he was a difficult adult, but he was very lucky and he got into films at THE perfect time, with lots of connections and got work right away. He really had a charmed career.He was very thin skinned, took everything to heart, not only a perfectionist, but was very easily insulted and it’s hard to play armchair psychologist, but I’m guessing bipolar. I have a couple of bipolar friends who read the book and said, “Oh my God, that’s me.” </blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><b>LD: I was going to ask you about his being bipolar because in the book on page 148, it’s mentioned and I was wondering how you felt about it. </b></div></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><b>EG:</b> I think so, but I said in the book that I was only guessing and these are the reasons that I think he might have been and, since the book came out I've heard from some people who are bipolar who said he was, “absolute textbook,” even the drinking, because a lot of bipolar self medicate with alcohol. </blockquote><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">LD: You said in the book, “he came from nothing and he was glad to be part of it and didn’t look down on it like theater people did and he was happy to be where he was. It’s such an example of what could have been and wasn’t.” </div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EG: </span>He really had a good time when he could, even right up to the end. Thank goodness he was smart and kept his money, I mean could you imagine if he’d gone through all that and had been broke. </blockquote><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">LD: How early do you think he got into this drinking heavily? </div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EG: </span>It didn't really become a problem until his career started going downhill. He drank a lot; certainly from the early 20’s he was on all the bootlegger’s lists, but it didn't become a problem until about 1926. And it wasn't a health and career problem until after the talkies. </blockquote><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">LD: And, so was alcohol a key player in his death? </div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EG: </span>It’s probably what killed him. I spoke to a Forensic Pathologist, who said it might not actually have been a heart attack that killed him, but it might have instead been an aneurysm, or an ulcer from the drinking, but there was no autopsy done, so we’ll never know for sure. </blockquote><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">LD: How long was he ill before he died? </div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EG: </span>Really, he was ill for three or four years, but he was critically ill for about four months. His health had been going downhill for years from the drinking and malnutrition because he was always underweight and you can see in some of the photos from the early 30’s that he was dangerously underweight. Virginia Bruce said he had the bleeding ulcers and he was vomiting blood and so he was in poor health for about four years, but it was about four months of really serious illness before he died. </blockquote><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">THE ATTRACTION OF JOHN GILBERT </div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">LD: His women - which of his women was Gilbert’s ultimate love, Garbo or one of his wives? </div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EG: </span>Oh, he would say all of them. The last woman he saw was the love of his life. I’m sure that nurse that was taking care of him at the end of his life was the love of his life. That’s what he was like. But, the Garbo thing, that only really lasted a couple of months and he was still in love with her. And, one thing I find really interesting is that out of all the women he was with, Garbo was the only one who ever badmouthed him. All of his ex-wives had nothing but lovely things to say about him. And, Garbo was the only one that was kind of embarrassed by the whole thing and bad mouthed him.</blockquote><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">LD: Until recently most of his silent films were not really available to see. I had never seen Flesh and the Devil before, for example, and when I saw it, I immediately became interested in him because, I thought “<i>Wow, that man has electricity plus</i>” in this film and he was as gorgeous as Garbo was. </div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EG: </span>Oh, he was amazing and, so good looking. </blockquote><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">LD: Gilbert and Garbo - so many myths have been written about these two, but after reading your book it seems that the affair wasn’t as much as the press made of it. Is that a fair assessment? Was Garbo his true love?</div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EG:</span> I think he just swept her off her feet. I don’t think she was ever in love with him. I think she was bowled over by him; swept along for a couple of months and then basically backed off like Hell. Gilbert fell in love at the drop of a hat; he would fall in love with the waitress who brought him his coffee in the morning and every woman he met was the love of his life. I really find the Dietrich/Gilbert relationship much more interesting than the Garbo/Gilbert relationship because they were both grownups and I think that was a much more adult relationship and she tried to help him as he tried to help her. </blockquote><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">This interview with Eve is a long and a rewarding one that I have divided into four parts.</span></div><br />
<div style="font-weight: bold;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Click on the links below to read each section:</span></strong></div><ul><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813141621/lynnshomepage" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/johngilbertlastofsilentfilmstars.jpg" title="John Gilbert by Eve Golden" width="213" /></span></a>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-1-exclusive-interview-with.html" target="">Part 1 - About Gilbert - <em>From lowly beginnings to superstar</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-2-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 2 - Gilbert's film career - <em>Silent to Sound</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-3-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 3 - Gilbert’s demise - <em>The perfect storm of awfulness</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-4-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 4 - About the author - <em>Eve Golden</em></a></span><em></em></li>
</ul><br />
Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-51117956437737345982013-08-30T10:16:00.001-07:002013-11-23T15:33:41.299-08:00Part 2 - Exclusive Interview with biographer Eve Golden on John Gilbert<div style="text-align: center;"><h3><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="evegolden" class="aligncenter wp-image-2454" height="257" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg" width="558" /></a></h3></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Part 2 – Gilbert’s film career</span></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Silent to Sound </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></h3><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/gilbertposter5.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt="Poster of John Gilbert in " class="alignright" height="280" hspace="5" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/gilbertposter5.jpg" vspace="5" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poster from "The Big Parade"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>LYNN DOUGHERTY: What do you consider to be Gilbert’s best silent film? And, if there is one, what would be his best talkie?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><div align="justify"><strong>EVE GOLDEN:</strong> Of the silent films, his favorite was certainly, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00D9BNOKK/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Big Parade</a> and I have to agree. I’m not crazy about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0199322/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Karl Dane</a> in that; too much broad comedy from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0199322/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Karl Dane</a>, but that is probably his best silent along with “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002EAYE4M/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Love</a>,” which I think is the best Garbo/Gilbert film, except of course, for the horrible ending they tacked on.</div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div align="justify"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_gilbert156.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt="John Gilbert in Downstairs" class="alignleft" height="225" hspace="5" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_gilbert156.jpg" vspace="5" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gilbert in "Downstairs"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The best talkie is definitely <strong>“<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022834/" target="_blank">Downstairs</a>,</strong>” but I also like “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005DL6PDC/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Captain Hates the Sea;</a>” which I think it’s as good as “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009CVELHG/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Grand Hotel</a>.” It’s low budget and it’s no “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0006Z2KXO/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Dinner at Eight</a>,” but for an ensemble piece, with comedy and tragedy, and all these little ins and outs, it’s good. And he gives a wonderful performance’ in it. That scene when he is alone in his little cabin listening to the record that his fiancé made, I think it’s just brilliant.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Speaking of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009CVELHG/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Grand Hotel</a>, one of the questions I was going to ask you is while they gave that part of the baron to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000858/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">John Barrymore</a>, I would have much rather seen Gilbert in the part. Do you agree?</strong><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><strong>EG:</strong> Oh, he would have been terrific and Buster Keaton in the Lionel Barrymore part would have been great.</blockquote></div><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Was he still with MGM at that time? So they could have cast him?</strong> </div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> It was 32, so he was still at Metro. Yes, they could have cast him. Even <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/shearer" target="_blank" title="Norma Shearer">Norma Shearer</a> admitted that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0856921/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Irving Thalberg</a> really didn't help him as much as he could have. They were also going to give him <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/harlow/reddust.html" target="_blank" title="Jean Harlow – Films: Red Dust">Red Dust</a> and I really can’t blame them for casting <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/gable" target="_blank" title="Clark Gable">Gable</a> instead since he was so good with Harlow, they were such a great team, so OK, I can forgive them for that, but he would have been better than <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000858/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">John Barrymore</a> in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009CVELHG/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Grand Hotel</a> because <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000858/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">John Barrymore</a> was too old for the part.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: I thought Barrymore was too much of a “stage” actor for that part.</strong></div><div align="justify"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><strong>EG:</strong> I love Barrymore, but he seemed like Garbo’s father in this part. Plus in the book, it’s a young, hot thief romancing a middle aged ballerina, so they kind of reversed it.</blockquote></div><b>LD: Also I think Gilbert would have been better because whether he and Garbo were still together or not, the charisma between the two of them was undeniable.</b><br />
<div><div align="justify"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><strong>EG:</strong> And they worked together beautifully and because of the charisma, as you say, I think he would have been much better than Barrymore. Have you ever seen Desire, the film he was making when he died? It’s a great film, very funny screwball comedy and when you see it and you see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0356568/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">John Halliday</a> and the role Gilbert would have played it just really hurst to know how great John Gilbert would have been in that role. It wasn't the male lead; he played the second male lead, <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/dietrich" target="_blank" title="Marlene Dietrich">Marlene Dietrich</a>’s slightly older criminal partner.</blockquote></div><div align="justify"><strong>LD: What was his greatest acting performance? I’m sure he would say <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00D9BNOKK/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Big Parade</a>.</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG: </strong>There is no film where he gives a bad performance, but in some of them there is not much of a performance you can give because the script and the role aren’t up to much, so you just kind of roust your way through it and do the best you can.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/gilbert06.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="Gilbert in " class="alignleft" height="153" hspace="5" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/gilbert06.jpg" vspace="5" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gilbert in "The Show"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Some of the romantic and swashbuckling roles, like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018795/" target="_blank">the Cossacks</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002BVN3BO/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Bardelys the Magnificent </a>really didn't require any acting, they instead required looking good and laughing and romancing and it wasn't acting. So there were a few films that, he gave his best, but there was nothing he could do with them. </div><div align="justify">“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00A33J8PM/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Show</a>” was also a really fun film directed by Todd Browning, but it was very weird. Its very sexy for one thing and is basically the story that became “Carousel” so Gilbert works in a circus and wears the tightest pants in the entire world and this striped sweater and they let his hair go all curly and, <em>Oh My God, he is so hot in that film.</em> </div><div align="justify"><strong><br />
</strong> <strong>LD: The last film he worked on, was “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027515/" target="_blank">Desire</a>.” Are there outtakes of Gilbert in Desire?<br />
</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Thank goodness for Kevin Brownlow. He showed the colored tests that Gilbert did for that role. That’s on YouTube actually; in three parts and in the last part they show the color outtakes of Gilbert. You will just faint when you see these, because the only other color footage of him is from “Hollywood Review.”</div></blockquote><b>LD: Was that the film where Gilbert was replaced when he had the mild heart attacks?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">EG: Yes, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0356568/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">John Halliday</a> was about 20 years older than Gilbert and he replaced him and when you see that, it’s just so frustrating.</blockquote></div><div align="justify"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_gilbert141.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt="Garbo and Gilbert in Queen Christina" class="alignleft" height="167" hspace="5" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_gilbert141.jpg" vspace="5" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garbo & Gilbert in "Queen Christina"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong></strong><strong>LD: When Gilbert was in “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009S4IJC/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Queen Christina</a>” with Garbo, he was quite good even though they completely shrunk his part.</strong> <strong><br />
</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> That was a nothing role. I mean, it was sweet of Garbo [to get him the part], but all he did in it was stare at her adoringly. </div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Yes, but that was the first time that I actually got to hear him in a film because most of his sound films, like “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022834/" target="_blank">Downstairs</a>” and “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005DL6PDC/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Captain Hates the Sea</a>” weren’t available until recently. I have now seen "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005DL6PDC/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Captain Hates The Sea</a>," however.</strong> <strong><br />
</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Yes, it’s a lot easier to write biographies now because of DVD’s and YouTube, and things like that.<br />
<br />
<strong> <br />
</strong></div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>This interview with Eve is a long and a rewarding one that I have divided into four parts.</strong></div><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Click on the links below to read each section:</span></strong><br />
<ul><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813141621/lynnshomepage" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/johngilbertlastofsilentfilmstars.jpg" title="John Gilbert by Eve Golden" width="213" /></span></a>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-1-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 1 - About Gilbert - <em>From lowly beginnings to superstar</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-2-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 2 - Gilbert's film career - <em>Silent to Sound</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-3-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 3 - Gilbert’s demise - <em>The perfect storm of awfulness</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-4-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 4 - About the author - <em>Eve Golden</em></a></span><em></em></li>
</ul>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-76372463264816364562013-08-30T10:16:00.000-07:002013-11-23T15:35:06.129-08:00Part 3 - Exclusive Interview with biographer Eve Golden on John Gilbert<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg"><img alt="evegolden" class=" wp-image-2454 aligncenter" height="257" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg" width="558" /><br />
<br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Part 3 – Gilbert’s Demise<br />
The perfect storm of awfulness</span></strong></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><strong>Lynn Dougherty: Personally I never used to look at silent films; I was always in the sound world, but <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6302597609/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Kevin Brownlow’s documentary “Hollywood</a>” changed that for me. Did you also have a hard time originally getting into the world of silent film?<br />
<br />
</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>Eve Golden:</strong> It’s a whole different world. You have to really sit still and pay attention, and its best with the lights out and it really takes you into another world, the way the talkies don’t. It’s funny because one of the things I liked about writing in the book was that whole change over from silent to sound that culturally never happened before or since.<strong> In a period of just three years, an entire art form died and an entirely new art form was born,</strong> which is why you have films like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00AEBBA9U/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Sunset Boulevard</a>. When you watch <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00AEBBA9U/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Sunset Boulevard</a>, you realize that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0841797/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Gloria Swanson</a>’s Norma Desmond is still a young woman; she’s not even 50 and she’s talking about a period that’s only 30 years ago, it’s like us talking about the 1990’s. As if, the silent era was like talking about the age of Louis the sixteenth.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Besides the lack of a studio system, what would you say is the biggest difference between today’s Hollywood and yesteryear, specifically the silent era?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Right there, you said it, <strong>the lack of a studio system</strong>. I think that is such a huge thing because, the stars today are just as talented and just as attractive as they ever were, but they don’t have that backing; they don’t have the publicists backing them up; they don’t have people telling them what to do, they don’t have people forcing them to take small roles and build them up in a stock company like they used to.<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001273/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Lillian Gish</a> and <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/davis" target="_blank" title="Bette Davis">Bette Davis</a> both said that if they had come around 50 years later, they never would have become stars. I also think television and video have really changed the star system. It’s a whole different world; it’s a lot more difficult for young people coming up nowadays than it used to be.</div><div align="justify">The unions also have made it a closed company. It’s almost impossible to become an actor now because you have to be a member of SAG or Actors Equity and it’s the old story of you can’t get a job if you don’t have a union card and you can’t get a union card unless you’ve got a job. And everybody is their own Louis B. Mayer now. You see people like Johnny Depp making horrible, horrible career choices. He doesn’t have the studio telling him no, don’t do that crap, you need to do this.</div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/gilbert2.jpg" rel="shadowbox[sbpost-2486];player=img;" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt="Gilbert holding a sound disk." height="250" hspace="5" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/gilbert2.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gilbert with sound disk</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="justify"><strong>LD: There seemed to be a different type of star rising up at the time of the transition from silent to sound films. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0896542/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">King Vidor</a> said that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0884388/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Valentino</a> would have probably suffered the same fate as Gilbert because his “type” didn’t transition to sound. Do you agree?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><br />
<br />
<strong>EG:</strong> Yes, death was a very good career move for Valentino. He was starting to gain a little weight, and he was losing his hair and he had that accent. He probably would have gone like a lot of the Latin lovers and just become a character actor, he would have been playing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007220/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Ricardo Cortez</a> roles.</div><div align="justify">John Gilbert had a very modern personality and I’m so glad that I was able to find those unpublished interview notes by <strong>Gladys Hall</strong>because you really got his voice in there which is so important to get his personality. He had a great sense of humor, he did not take himself seriously and he really did not cut himself any breaks; he was on to himself. He knew he was his own worst enemy and he knew all the mistakes he made and he admitted them and I really loved that about him.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Did they have agents, managers and publicists in the silent era like they do today?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> They did, but they didn’t all have good ones. John Gilbert was lucky to have a very good business manager who invested in real estate. He lost some in the stock market crash but not much. He spent a lot of money on cars and houses and jewels, but because he had a good business manager, he could have survived financially for years and never had to work, but he would have been bored stiff. He said he couldn’t just sit there in his backyard and look out on Los Angeles for the rest of his life, he wanted to do something.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_gilbert037.jpg" rel="shadowbox[sbpost-2486];player=img;" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="right" alt="John Gilbert relaxing at him home in the Hollywood hills." height="174" hspace="5" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/classicmoviefavWP/photogallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_gilbert037.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gilbert at home</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="justify">So, at least when he died it was in a beautiful house with lots of money and a gorgeous blonde nurse. I’m glad they gave him a gorgeous blonde nurse, too.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: What I enjoyed most about your book was it helped me to finally understand Gilbert’s downfall. It was the result of a combination of things, right?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> It was a perfect storm of awfulness. Right down to his health. If he hadn’t drunk himself into a heart attack or an ulcer, he could have had another twenty years as a character actor. And, he was aging very well, you see that in his last couple of films, he is an attractive middle aged man and you could see that he was going to continue to be very good looking as he aged. And, with <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/dietrich" target="_blank" title="Marlene Dietrich">Marlene Dietrich</a>’s help at Paramount he could have gone on like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0579663/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Adolphe Menjou</a> for another twenty years.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: One of Gilbert’s contemporaries, <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/colman" target="_blank" title="Ronald Colman">Ronald Colman</a> wasn’t as successful in silent films, but he transitioned very successfully when Gilbert didn’t. Besides Colman’s fabulous voice, which of course was a big advantage for him, why do you think Colman was more successful in sound films?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Well, he was more of a team player, he didn’t complain about everything. He had a couple of terrible talkies, too. If you look at the early talkies, you will see that many of the biggest stars had just as many stinkers as they had hits. Even <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/shearer" target="_blank" title="Norma Shearer">Norma Shearer</a>, <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/crawford" target="_blank" title="Joan Crawford">Joan Crawford</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0203836/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Marion Davies</a>, they all had some really terrible early talkies, but Colman’s looks and his voice and his talent carried him through and he aged well.</div><div align="justify">And, that voice. I’m sure if John Gilbert could have arranged a voice transplant, he would have. John Gilbert had a good voice, not a great voice, but it was passable. His voice did sound a bit strained but he had a lower voice than <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/gable" target="_blank" title="Clark Gable">Clark Gable</a> or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001196/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Douglas Fairbanks</a>. A lot of them didn’t have great voices; it was really what you did with it. Not everybody could sound like Ronald Colman.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: I know I keep coming back to the same question, but Gilbert didn’t have that many flops, and had MGM groomed him a little or fostered him a bit I think he could have been good, so why didn’t they help him?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> They didn’t want him by that time; they wanted him out. They had all these new up and coming stars, and they had <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/gable" target="_blank" title="Clark Gable">Clark Gable</a>. Gilbert was taking so much money from MGM through his salary that they didn’t put into his films and promote him to make his films a hit; they just wanted him to work off his contract and get the hell out at that point.</div><div align="justify">He had to force them to take him in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022834/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Downstairs</a>, which is his best sound film and they didn’t promote it.<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022834/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Downstairs</a> could have been a hit had it been really promoted, but it wasn’t. It was as good a film as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000I2JDF8/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Red Headed Woman </a>and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000I2JDF8/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Baby Face</a> and all those other scandalous pre-code films. It’s like a male version of<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000I2JDF8/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Red Headed Woman</a>. It’s a great film, and he gives a great performance.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>Here’s a clip from Gilbert’s sound film, “Downstairs”</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<div align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TNzIAkX2Y40?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></div><strong><br />
</strong> <strong>LD: MGM did everything in their power for <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/garbo" target="_blank" title="Greta Garbo">Garbo</a> when she transitioned to sound to insure her success and they did nothing for Gilbert. It was probably because she was making them oodles of money at that point and he wasn’t, would you agree?<br />
<br />
</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Oh yes, and he had $250,000 per film contract, so it always boiled down to the money. They didn’t like <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/garbo" target="_blank">Garbo</a> much either, she was troublesome and a perfectionist also, but she was making them big money.</div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/gilbert035.jpg" rel="shadowbox[sbpost-2486];player=img;" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt="gilbert035" height="216" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/gilbert035.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Vidor and Eleanor Boardman wedding</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Do you believe the story about Louis B. Mayer and Gilbert on the night of Vidor’s wedding? Or, do you think it was made up? I’ve also heard that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0820700/" target="_blank">Adela Rogers St. Johns </a>blew that out of proportion, is that true?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> I don’t know if you can use the phrase, “lying sack of “sh*t, or not?,” but <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0820700/" target="_blank">Adela Rogers St. John</a>s was one of these people who was very entertaining and would never tell the truth if a lie was more interesting. My grandmother was like that so, I really appreciate this. She just told such stories. If she loved you, you were the greatest person in the world and if she hated you she would say anything about you she could and she just said things which were demonstrably not true. So every time I quote her, I have to say, OK, this is what she said, this may or may not have happened or, this definitely did not happen.</div><div align="justify">The fist fight stories, one from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090187/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Eleanor Boardman</a>, and one from Sam Marks, two separate stories, again I don’t say they didn’t happen, I say why they are debatable because when you look at them and take them apart, logically they kind of fall apart.</div><div align="justify">What was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090187/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Eleanor Boardman</a> doing in the men’s room? Somebody must have told her the story. And several things in her story didn’t make sense. Several people who were also there said it “flat out did not happen.” And, if John Gilbert had hit <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0562454/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Mayer</a> so hard that he fell and hit his head on the tile floor and was bleeding, I think he would have needed medical attention.That’s a hell of an injury.</div><div align="justify">Also, Louis B. Mayer could have fired him for that and would have loved to have had an excuse to fire him, and didn’t. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0562454/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Louis B. Mayer</a> supposedly said, “<em>Your career is over; I’ll end your career, you’re through Gilbert.”</em> This is in September of 1926 and <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/gilbert" target="_blank" title="John Gilbert">John Gilbert</a>’s career was not through. He had lots and lots of years ahead of him and lots and lots of huge films. He was considered of and spoken by Mayer, in the press after this, as one of their greatest stars and with the great films they were giving him, if Mayer was intending to ruin his career, he was really bad at it.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: So, in your opinion <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0562454/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Louis B. Mayer</a> was not out to destroy Gilbert?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> They hated each other, but I’m saying that the fist fight didn’t happen. As long as Gilbert was bringing in money Mayer was willing to put up with him, but when he started losing more money than he was taking in, he was not going to put his hand out to help him and nobody else was either. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0856921/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Thalberg</a> was a businessman and he wasn’t going to help if it wasn’t making the studio money.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: So, do you think <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0856921/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Thalberg</a> was Gilbert’s friend?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Thalberg was MGM’s friend. Thalberg would have cut off his own wife [<a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/shearer" target="_blank" title="Norma Shearer">Norma Shearer</a>] if she wasn’t making the studio money. He was a businessman; a very good businessman, so business came first.</div><div align="justify">Mayer really knew what he was doing and was a very good head of the studio. He wasn’t an easy person to get along with, but, for example, I spoke to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0587900/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Ann Miller</a> and she really loved him, so it depends on who you talk to.</div><div align="justify">Mayer and Gilbert hated each other and John Gilbert loved poking him with a stick and annoying him.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Then, couldn’t you argue that part of the reason Gilbert failed was because he refused to give up his contract with MGM? Had he gone to another studio, he might have survived, right?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> He was his own worst enemy; he really was. [In the book,] I liked when I pointed out the difference between him and <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/crawford" target="_blank">Joan Crawford</a> because <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/crawford" target="_blank">Joan Crawford</a> was a smart cookie and a team player and she knew that you have to take two or three crap films to get a good one and you had to play the game. He was not good at playing the game, he was a perfectionist and every film had to be another, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00D9BNOKK/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Big Parade</a>,” and anything less than “The Big Parade” and he would pitch a fit, and you just can’t do that.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Could he have gone into Directing?”</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> He was really scared of that, plus you had to be there every day and have to be on top of your game every day. He had that one really bad experience in the early 1920’s with directing and I think that scared him off and the same with writing. He always said, “I want to write, I want to write,” but he never wrote. He might have been a good assistant director because he worked well with actors on a one to one basis, but a director also has to work with producers and cameramen and lighting people and prop people, and I don’t know if he could do that. He would have been a good acting coach but being a director is more than just working with actors. I don’t know if he had the kind of personality that would have dealt well with that. You have to be really professional and deal well with people, and he was not good at that.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: He was a generous actor, don’t you think?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Oh yea, but he wanted to be a director, so he was very good to work with because he was a director’s actor. And, the director of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002EAYE4M/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Love</a>” said that he basically directed all of Garbo’s scenes.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: If his health had been better and he had been given the support, do you think he would have made it in sound films?</strong><br />
<br />
</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Oh definitely. If he had gotten that contract with Paramount that <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/dietrich" target="_blank" title="Marlene Dietrich">Marlene Dietrich</a> was arranging, he could have had another 25 or 30 years as a character actor, and he would have loved that. By that time, he was more interested in doing fun interesting roles. He loved playing the villain, he just adored that, so he would have been great as the evil middle aged roué and the awful uncle and that sort of role, even monster roles, the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000472/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Boris Karloff </a>type, evil mad scientist roles. He would have had a great time and would have loved that. And, he aged beautifully. You can see in some of his later films, he’s looking distinctly middle aged and you could see he was aging really well.</div></blockquote><strong>This interview with Eve is a long and a rewarding one that I have divided into four parts.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong> <strong><span style="font-size: large;">Click on the links below to read each section:</span></strong><br />
<ul><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813141621/lynnshomepage" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/johngilbertlastofsilentfilmstars.jpg" title="John Gilbert by Eve Golden" width="213" /></span></a>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-1-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 1 - About Gilbert - <em>From lowly beginnings to superstar</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-2-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 2 - Gilbert's film career - <em>Silent to Sound</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-3-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 3 - Gilbert’s demise - <em>The perfect storm of awfulness</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-4-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 4 - About the author - <em>Eve Golden</em></a></span><em></em></li>
</ul>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-64362796341783564542013-08-30T10:15:00.004-07:002013-11-23T15:36:24.143-08:00Part 4 - Exclusive Interview with biographer Eve Golden on John Gilbert<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg"><br />
<img alt="evegolden" class=" wp-image-2454 aligncenter" height="257" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/evegolden.jpg" width="558" /><br />
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</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Part 4 – About the Author<br />
</strong> <strong>Eve Golden</strong></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Eve-Golden-Head-shot.jpg" rel="shadowbox[sbpost-2494];player=img;" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt="photo credit: Amy Sussman" height="300" hspace="10" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Eve-Golden-Head-shot-208x300.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eve Golden photo credit: Amy Sussman</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><strong>LYNN DOUGHERTY: You are from Philadelphia; me too, which part are you from?</strong><strong><br />
</strong></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>EVE GOLDEN:</b> I’m from the Main Line, right outside of Philadelphia.</blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: I see that you are a photo archivist, can you tell me about that?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Yes, I work at the <a href="http://everettcollection.com/" target="_blank">Everett Collection</a> and go through our filing cabinets to see what we need in our online database. I also kill celebrities. When celebrities die, I put together their obituraries and send them out to the media (newspapers, magazines, television stations, etc.), anyone who is our client or who we hope to get as a client. I have been there for 7 years.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: So this means that you’re not a full time biography writer?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Oh, no one could make a living at that. I’m lucky if I make much of a profit because biographies are so expensive to research. Photo rights alone cost about $3000 for the <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/gilbert" target="_blank" title="John Gilbert">John Gilbert</a> book and I had to travel to Washington, DC to the Library of Congress to see some of the films and get a hotel there. I also had to buy certain books and DVD’s and videos that were not available anywhere else, so, I’d say the book cost me about $5000 to write.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: So, hopefully you’ll break even or make a profit?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> I usually make a profit, but not a big profit. I have to sell 2500 books, just to break even. So, I’m hoping that this will do well enough, I’ve been promoting it and I’ve been very lucky with reviews and <a href="http://tcm.com/" target="_blank">TCM</a>, so I’m hoping this one will make a tiny bit of a profit but really biography writing is a hobby; not a living.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: What is your educational background and what made you start writing?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> I was Theater and English major, so I graduated prepared to do absolutely nothing. If you’ve ever watched <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000YABIQ6/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Mad Men</a>, I was “Peggy,” basically. I was an actress for a few years and a very bad one, so that didn’t go over well. then I got into a secretarial pool of an advertising agency so I was a little typewriter girl and I clawed my way up to become a copywriter, just like Peggy, and that’s how I became a writer.</div></blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify">And, I wrote my first book because of course, I was already an old movie fan and I was thinking, “<em>Gee, I’d love to read a good biography of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558592148/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Jean Harlow</a>, it’s a shame nobody’s ever written a book about her. And, I thought for goodness sakes, I’m a writer, why don’t I write one myself?</em>” I did not realize what I was getting into or how difficult it was and so I just dived in and did it. At the time, the only book on her was that one by<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0747409889/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Irving Shulman</a>, which I read for the first time at 13 and even at 13 I knew it was crap.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: You’re obviously a classic film fan; can you talk a bit about that? Why do you like classic films (silent and sound) and do you think they are relevant today? Where does it come from?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> From the time I was a kid, I used to watch silent films on <a href="http://pbs.org/" target="_blank">PBS</a> and there were revival houses in Philadelphia that showed old movies that I went to with my grandmother. From the time I was eight years old, I’ve been clipping obituaries from the newspaper. I know because of the years of the first one’s I saved. I’ve always been a biography and obituary fan and not only old movies, but theater as well. I wrote about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813121531/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Anna Held</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/081312459X/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Vernon and Irene Castle</a>, but it’s harder to write about theater people of course because you can’t really see their performances.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: What are you writing now that you’ve finished Gilbert?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> Not a darn thing. There are about 5 or 6 people I would like to write about but either other writers have dibbs on them or the family won’t cooperate or, there’s just not enough documentary material to get a book out of. So, I’m kind of stuck right now.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: What made you decide to write about Gilbert?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> I was casting about for a new subject and desperate, as usual to find somebody that was doable and I just started flipping through books and I saw <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/gilbert" target="_blank">John Gilbert</a> and I thought, Ah! Why had I never thought of him before? Also, I’d never written a full biography about an actor; I’ve always written about actresses, except for Vernon and Castle, which was a dual biography and I thought it would be interesting to write for a man for a change. I love <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/gilbert" target="_blank">John Gilbert</a>, he was brilliantly talented and I couldn’t write about somebody I didn’t at least, respect and it just kind of hit me like a lightning bolt, <a href="http://classicmoviefavorites.com/gilbert" target="_blank">John Gilbert</a>, perfect!</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: The only other book I knew about him was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312182759/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Leatrice Gilbert Fountain’s, “Dark Star</a>.”</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> That’s a really, really good book and I recommend that everybody read it, but it’s a daughter’s book, which is an entirely different thing.</div><div align="justify">A few weeks ago, I went up to Connecticut and met with Leatrice and her sons, all of whom are handsome and delightful, by the way.</div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Fountains1web.jpg" rel="shadowbox[sbpost-2494];player=img;" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Fountains1web" height="222" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Fountains1web.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>With Eve, in photo above, from left, they are</em><em>Gideon, Christopher and Anthony Fountain (grandson’s of John Gilbert)</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Is Leatrice Gilbert Fountain a fan of your book?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> She loves it. She is in frail health right now, but she clutched the book, and has been very supportive from the beginning, and said that anything that brings more attention to her father she is happy about.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Did you use the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001677/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Ginger Rogers</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000001/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Fred Astaire</a> film at all when writing about the Castles?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> I watched it of course, but there was very little truth in that movie. One thing Irene didn’t want known was that she and Vernon were about to get divorced when he died. It’s much more romantic if she is a grieving war widow than a soon to be divorcee, so she brushed that under the carpet.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: I also liked when you wrote about 1939 vs. 1932. 1939 is much known as the best year of all time for film, but you disagree, can you talk about that?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> I love 1932 so much. I don’t know what the big deal is about 1939, I think 1932 is so much more interesting and it had as many good films. By 1932, talkies were on their feet, it was no longer an experiment anymore, so they really knew what they were doing, but at the same time there was still a freshness about them and most importantly, the production code hadn’t kicked in yet. So, you’ve got the really naughty films in 1932, which you didn’t have in 1939, plus you had a lot of new people coming in. There were the stage people and the former extras who were just starting to become huge stars of the 1930’s, and you still had a lot of the silent people who were still working. I just think 1932 is so exciting and when you look at the list of films from that year, it’s just breathtaking. 1939, definitely doesn’t suck, but I just find 1932, more exciting.</div><div align="justify">I find the early 30’s to be fresh and interesting and still a little experimental and, as I say, before the production code, a lot naughtier.</div></blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>LD: Of all time, what is your favorite film?</strong></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><strong>EG:</strong> No, not one, I have a whole list of favorite films. There are films I can watch over and over, like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0006Z2KXO/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Dinner at Eight</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007PALUM/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Best of Everything</a>, I love. I adore that film. When I started out as a secretary in New York, it was still like that. I have a friend who was an office temp with me and we still call each other Hope and Suzy. And it was one of <a href="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/crawford" target="_blank" title="Joan Crawford">Joan Crawford</a>’s best performances. Speaking of Joan, I love “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00011D1MC/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Rain</a>.” I adore<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000JWKXW4/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Footlight Parade</a>. Oddly enough, I like modern films like “Airplane” which I think is one of the funniest films ever. Of course, only I would think of 1980 as a modern film. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00027JYNK/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">The Bad Seed</a> is one of my favorite big acting films. When the<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00027JYNK/lynnshomepage" target="_blank"> Bad Seed</a> is on, I just turn it on, have to watch. I also love <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000056N7W/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">IT with Clara Bow</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00BB0FRUG/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Million Dollar Legs</a> with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0730739/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Lyda Roberti</a>, a parody of Mata Hari.</div></blockquote><strong>This interview with Eve is a long and a rewarding one that I have divided into four parts.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong> <strong><span style="font-size: large;">Click on the links below to read each section:</span></strong><br />
<ul><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813141621/lynnshomepage" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/johngilbertlastofsilentfilmstars.jpg" title="John Gilbert by Eve Golden" width="213" /></span></a>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-1-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 1 - About Gilbert - <em>From lowly beginnings to superstar</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-2-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 2 - Gilbert's film career - <em>Silent to Sound</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-3-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 3 - Gilbert’s demise - <em>The perfect storm of awfulness</em></a><em></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lynnpdexclusives.com/2013/08/part-4-exclusive-interview-with.html">Part 4 - About the author - <em>Eve Golden</em></a></span><em></em></li>
</ul>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-85380607582244617642013-08-08T13:18:00.000-07:002013-08-08T13:18:35.693-07:00Exclusive Interview with "Evidence" writer, John Swetnam<div style="text-align: left;">
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<b>First published on <a href="http://allstephenmoyer.com/">AllStephenMoyer.com</a></b></h2>
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<a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/johnswetnam3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="johnswetnam3" class="size-full wp-image-35886 aligncenter" height="285" src="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/johnswetnam3.jpg" width="620" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>Recently I had the opportunity to meet and talk with John Swetnam, the writer of Stephen Moyer’s latest film, “Evidence” which hit theaters on July 19 and will soon be available on Blu-Ray and DVD. I wanted to know what the process was like from beginning to end from the writer’s perspective and John was kind enough to provide me a glimpse into the experience.</b></span><br />
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<blockquote>
<i>John: Stephen [Moyer] came in with smart questions, sort of attacking it and trying to do it right. As soon as the director said “action” they did it; never a wasted take.</i></blockquote>
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<strong>How did your childhood as an “air force kid” influence you?</strong><br />
I moved around every two or three years and lived all around the world. I was born in South Carolina and lived in Japan, England, Korea and all over the states, Northern Maine, Southern Maine, Tennessee, Florida and Southern California. I think moving every two or three year is why I like movies so much.<br />
<br />
<strong>Is horror your favorite genre and if not, what is? What’s your favorite movie?</strong><br />
No, not at all, probably action or action thriller would be my favorite. I like popcorn stuff. My favorite films are <i>Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Gladiator,</i> big popcorn, fun movies, but I like everything.<br />
<br />
<strong>Would you consider yourself a horror/thriller writer? If so, why? If not, what other types of films do you want to write?</strong><br />
No. I have multiple projects going now and they are all over the place.<br />
<br />
<strong>Can you tell me how how you got your scripts sold? Was it luck?</strong><br />
No. I graduated college and came out to California in 2002. I always knew I wanted to make movies, but hadn't committed to it before then. So I packed the truck, I drove out here and applied to a graduate school in Orange County. While in graduate school I started as a directing major, but ended up getting a master’s degree in screenwriting. I then moved to LA, eight years ago.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, a master’s degree in screenwriting, it literally qualifies you for nothing, except waiting tables. I thought, “<em>I have a master’s degree, people are going to pay me to make movies,</em>” but no job, nobody cares. Having a master’s degree I was just good enough to be shredding Parmesan cheese on people’s salads. At the same time, I was writing. I wasn't good at it, but I kept doing it, so I wrote about 19 scripts in my basement. I think Evidence was number 17 or 18. And that’s 19 scripts just writing them, hoping that one day, somebody would buy them.<br />
<br />
<strong>I see you were a director and executive producer of a short called “Evidence" in 2011. Is there any relation to your full length film of Evidence?</strong><br />
Yes, what happened was that I was writing for about eight years while waiting tables. I couldn't sell anything. I’d written 17 scripts and at that point and didn't understand or know what to do, so I decided to part ways with my manager and start fresh making my own film in order to have something to show to people. And, as it happens, as I was actually making it, the feature script started getting out there and it just went off on its own, so we didn't even finish the short.<br />
<br />
<strong>What inspired you to write Evidence?</strong><br />
I’d been writing for about ten years and I was writing a lot of things and I was trying to figure out what I could write that would provide the quickest way to get it on the movie screen. It was the kind of idea that you could sell quickly, that people can make quickly because it’s not going to cost $150 million dollars.<br />
<br />
<strong>Was that because it was a “found footage” film?</strong><br />
Yea, when I wrote it, all the films like, <i>Paranormal Activities</i> had come out and I thought, I knew it was going to be found footage, I knew it was going to be horror, but how do I make this something unique? I’d written the script, we sent it out to a bunch of buyers and it sold in January. It was bought by a company called <a href="http://www.boldfilms.com/" target="_blank">Bold Films</a>. Bold Films paid for the script, and then they attached <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1069989/" target="_blank">Olatunde Osunsanmi</a>, as the director. We got the money to make the movie and by August, we were in production, which never happens; that’s a very short window to sell a script and shoot it. Then, once the movie was made, we went to festivals to get people to distribute it and that’s when Image came in and they’re the ones who got it in theaters and video, etc. It’s a fun process.<br />
<br />
<strong>The film is in theaters now, did you go see it?</strong><br />
I went down on Sunday and saw it and one of the actors, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3237531/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Albert Kuo</a> who plays Steve, the magician was there. It was really cool to bump into him. I had seen a rough cut of it a long time ago, but I wanted to wait to see it on the screen with all the special effects and music, etc. It was cool.<br />
<br />
<strong>How different is Evidence now from what you conceived it to be when you wrote the script?</strong><br />
It’s a really interesting process. When I’m at home writing the script, nobody cares, nobody’s paying me for it, I’m allowed to just sit there and do whatever I want. So, the very first draft of it was just what was in my head, what I wanted, what I saw. Then, what happens is we sold it, so I don’t own it anymore. Once I sign the contract, it’s somebody else’s; it’s like selling your car. Once you sell your car, if they want to paint it pink, it’s not your car anymore, but that’s my choice. Selling it to a company like Bold was great because they had “Legion” and they were working on the movie “Drive” with Ryan Gosling, which I knew was going to be really good and the producer, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0686887/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2" target="_blank">Marc Platt</a> is just amazing. Because it was them, I thought, “<em>this is a dream come true, please buy it.</em>”<br />
<br />
Then, what happens is that you bring in a lot of people, it’s a big process. The director has a vision, the producer has a vision and then when you bring in 100 people to work on it, it always changes, but everybody’s trying to make a really good movie, but every movie is just not going to be an Oscar winner; it's just impossible. It’s an evolution.<br />
<br />
<b>It’s an evolutionary process for sure, but are you pleased with the outcome?<br />
</b>Sure, I think of movie making as very gaseous; it’s just gas everywhere and you don’t know what you have until at the very, very end. As you’re making it’s just craziness.<br />
<br />
<strong>When you started writing it, did you already know the end?</strong><br />
Yes, I knew I was going to do a horror movie and I knew I was going to do found footage. I used to live up on Hollywood and Highland, the tourists district, and I remember seeing this bus of all these Japanese tourists, about 50 of them, and everyone one of them had a camera and cell phone them just filming everything. That’s when I started thinking, “<em>I like tha</em>t” so I thought of the bus accident and everybody’s filmed something so you start piecing it together. Then I thought, what’s the twist ending? I’m a huge fan of, and I have no problem saying it, of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114814/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank"><em>The</em> <i>Usual Suspects</i></a> and in homage to that film I thought it would be fun to do something similar. When you watch the news and YouTube , etc., you always believe what you are seeing and I thought the idea of that was really interesting, and so I built toward that ending.<br />
<br />
When I first wrote the script I wanted it to all build up to that moment in the film. There’s a line in the movie, one of my favorite lines, where he says, <strong>“<i>you can’t fix this with editing</i>” and she replies, “<i>I can fix anything with editing</i>.</strong>” I always had that line in my head because you watch these reality TV shows and its all editing, everything, but you just believe it and get in with it..<br />
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<strong>How involved were you in the production?</strong>. I was working a lot and was very involved with the rewrite process so, up until probably the day of production I was working with the director and the producers because we were rewriting it constantly trying to make it work within the budget. I was on set for a couple of days because I wanted to see Stephen (Stephen Moyer) do the monologue in the interrogation scene <strong>I had watched him on True Blood, I was a huge fan</strong> and to see him give 100% and to see him just dig into it was so cool.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10004/EVIDENCE_Leann_Reese.jpg"><img alt="Stpehen Moyer in Evidence" class="aligncenter" height="372" src="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10004/EVIDENCE_Leann_Reese.jpg" width="547" /></a></div>
<strong>Stephen Moyer wasn’t on set for that long was he? It was a very short filming period for him?</strong><br />
To even get something with that small a budget into a theater and to get a guy like him to do it; yes, it was very short, he was there for maybe a week. Most of his scenes are just in the police station, but he came in and just went to work. It was fun, it was great to watch.<br />
<br />
<strong>Did you have Stephen Moyer in mind for the role?</strong><br />
When I sold the script I put together sort of a “<em>look book</em>”, my vision of the movie. I didn't have Stephen listed, but I had a list of maybe 6 actor’s types such as, Dennis Quad, John Cusack, very much that type of guy, like leading man kind of the guy you just “like,” sort of. So, Stephen fit it almost exactly.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0593664/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Radha Mitchell</a> was completely off. That part was for a 50 year old Spanish man. It’s a funny story because the name of the character is Detective Burquez, which is a super Spanish name. So I always thought of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005246/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Esai Morales</a> or somebody like that. I named him Burquez because that was my girlfriend’s name, and when broke up, I thought, I’m going to use her name in this movie and when the director told me that they were going to cast Rahda Mitchell as Detective Burquez the studio said, you can’t name a blonde Australian “Burquez.” So, I told the director, that’s my girlfriend’s name, we broke up, I need that name in the movie so, in the first scene of the movie, everyone is calling out “Detective, Burquez, Detective Burquez, and no one ever said anything that it was the weirdest, most Spanish name ever. Its little things like that are the funniest part about being a writer where you can put little things in for yourself that only I’ll know about.<br />
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<a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10004/normal_evidence1.jpg"><img alt="Stephen Moyer and Rahda Mitchell in Evidence" class="aligncenter" height="399" src="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10004/normal_evidence1.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
<strong>Did the original script develop the characters more?</strong><br />
That was, I think the biggest thing in the development process, figuring out how much it would be cop and how much horror/found footage. I think what happened was when you get into that kind of budget, it’s cheaper to do the horror stuff and at a certain point I think that’s what we thought people would want to see when they saw the movie. But, yes in the beginning there was more. I must have written a hundred pages of copy about Stephen’s character, trying to figure out exactly who he was, what happened to his daughter, what his specialty was, why he left, and about his relationship with Detective Berquez. The director was great because we would literally for weeks on end go back and forth and wrote so much stuff about those cops, but in the end it seemed it was more about the horror.<br />
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<strong>I guess the most developed character was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0225460/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Dale Dickey</a>’s character, at least we learned what she was there for?</strong><br />
Dale was great. Her little monologue, where she was talking about how God reaches down and touches someone for no reason and they become famous, but then, her husband, who was dying of cancer and for him, she says, “<em>God’s got his stomping boots on</em>.” She said it so cool and those little moments for me are just priceless.<br />
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<a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/daledickey2.jpg"><img alt="daledickey2" class="size-large wp-image-36053 aligncenter" height="252" src="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/daledickey2-600x252.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
The <strong>bus people</strong> all stayed the same. The two girls were based on people I know, aspiring musicians, aspiring actresses, so there was so much back story, but it’s hard to put that into a 90 minute movie.<br />
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<strong>And Stephen’s character</strong>, his daughter was killed by a serial killer; he used to be a big detective who worked on serial killer cases so that was his expertise. In one version he was a famous detective who brought down serial killers; a master of it. In another version we had done, the girls actually picked him, they picked him because of his past, they decided to target him because he was the master and they wanted to beat him, so it was really a game that they set up from the beginning to take down this big detective. And, when he goes into the serial killer monologue; that’s why he knows all that because he spent his whole life chasing serial killers, and he touched on murder being an art, and that part of his monologue I loved.<strong> "<em>Murder is an art, but to them (the girls) it’s a sport</em>."</strong><br />
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<strong>Talk about your film, "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2106361/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank"><em>Into the Storm</em>" (formerly known as Black Sky</a>) and where did you get that idea from? And, what made you decide to write about the weather?</strong><br />
Because of Evidence, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307776/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Todd Garner</a>, a big time producer who has produced 100’s of movies, emailed my agent saying he had read and liked some of the found footage I had done. It was a three word email and it said, “<em><strong>Inspirational, tornado and POV.</strong></em>” I had lived in Nashville and my friends lost everything in a tornado and as soon as I saw those three words, I knew exactly how to tell this story in a very different way.<br />
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That one’s already done, we've just screened it last weekend and it will be probably be coming out next year. It’s a studio picture from <a href="http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/divisions/motion-pictures/new-line-cinema.html" target="_blank">New Line Cinema/Warner Brothers</a>. It will be my first, big, big, big movie. Have you seen Twister? It’s like Twister, but with a fresh twist. When I saw it with the audience, it was unbelievable and so big and the special effects are absolutely amazing. The director used to work for James Cameron for 20 years and he's this genius of framing and effects and I was just blown away. That will be the big one and then, "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2626350/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank"><em><strong>Step Up 5</strong></em></a>" is filming in September, and that is a fun dance movie.<br />
<br />
<strong>If someone asked you to write something completely opposite, like a situation comedy, do you think you could do it?</strong><br />
I don’t know if I could do it, but I would absolutely try it. I’m up for any challenge.<br />
<br />
<strong>What makes a good screenplay? </strong><br />
Here’s the thing, there are literally tens of thousands of people who write screenplays. I think last year 40,000 screenplays were registered, so there must be double that written. What I've realized is that there is no formula to a good script, there’s no short answer. You just know it when you read it. Some people are born with it, I wasn't; I just had to keep trying, and trying and trying.<br />
<br />
<strong>Are you strictly interested in writing screenplays?</strong><br />
I don’t think I could write a novel. I have ADD and I don’t think I could sit through it. I’m much more into movies and television. And, the thing is, I never wanted to be a writer; I still don’t even consider myself a writer, but writing is in me now.<br />
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In school I started as a director and wanted to be a producer. So since I wanted to be a producer, I looked around for screenplays and couldn't find any so I decided to just write my own. I figured it was going to be easy. How hard could it be? Nine years and 19 scripts later, my focus is now to move more into producing. I have a production company, <a href="http://madhorsefilms.com/" target="_blank">Mad Horse Films</a>. I still write, but I’m mostly into producing now.<br />
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I want to have 20 movies going at the same time. I can’t just spend two years on one movie; that’s just hard for me.<br />
<br />
The thing with directing is that even though I never wanted to be a director, I do want to direct, because I've gotten to work with some really great directors and I learned so much from Olatunde and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0702797/?ref_=tt_ov_dr" target="_blank">Stephen Quale</a> from Into the Storm (fka Black Sky) and the director I’m working with now <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1228976/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Scott Speer</a>, is a huge inspiration for me. So, I see myself doing it, there’s a possibility I might actually be doing it this year, but it depends. I will direct something soon, but mainly it’s producing.<br />
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<strong>I’m the kind of guy who likes to “think big.”</strong> Some people would just say, “<em>Oh I just want to be eking out a living; I just want to be able to write.</em>” My goal is to be the most successful, powerful, writer, producer director in the history of the universe; bigger than all of them combined, an empire, right? Am I going to get there? Probably not, but if you get halfway there that’s still a huge accomplishment. So, that’s the way I work, I want to be as big as I can get.<br />
<br />
<strong>Evidence lies very heavily on technology, so how were you involved in all of that?</strong><br />
Going to film school certainly helped a lot because you edit your own films, etc. and all that kind of stuff helps. Stephen’s character in Evidence is really a director; he’s basically directing what he wants to see and how he wants to see it so the technology in the film was from experience and a lot of it is just made up. If you talk fast enough like, flow the DPI, put the shading in, nobody cares. It’s sounds good and it’s sort of like doing medical shows; you write a bunch of lingo and the people just buy it because it doesn't matter; it’s just the idea of it that matters. But I love technology, I still love the idea of Evidence; the idea of what the movie is at its most basic, this detective comes in there and the only tools he has to solve the cast are these videos.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10004/normal_evidence3.jpg"><img alt="Stephen Moyer in Evidence" class="aligncenter" height="399" src="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/10004/normal_evidence3.jpg" width="600" /></a><a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/technology.jpg"><img alt="technology" class="aligncenter" height="255" src="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/technology-600x255.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
<strong>Tell me about your cameo in the film?</strong><br />
I’m in the very beginning, I’m sure you didn't see me. It was right when Rahda meets Stephen. I was literally there for eight hours just standing next to them. If you look behind Rahda, I’m handcuffed. I was supposed to be a cop but I came on set and I had my hair kind of shaved and had my tattoos the casting said, “<em>You can’t be a cop, you look more like a criminal.</em>” <strong>That experience made me realize I never want to be an actor because it was an eight hour day and I’m in the movie for one second.</strong> I had to keep walking over and over and over again. That waiting is hard work because you are there for 15 hours, and you’re waiting but you have to be absolutely ready with this kind of preparedness.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/cameo1.jpg"><img alt="John Swetnam's cameo in his film "Evidence"" class="size-large wp-image-36031 aligncenter" height="321" src="http://www.allstephenmoyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/cameo1-600x321.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Screen capture of John Swetnam's very brief cameo in "Evidence."</em></div>
With Stephen and Rahda, I think the thing I learned from both of them was what it is to be a professional. Stephen came in with smart questions, sort of attacking it and trying to do it right. As soon as the director said “action” they did it; never a wasted take. That was what I took from it as a writer and a producer and director that kind of mentality I want to take into my other projects. Yea, they have fun, but everyone is a professional. Even though it’s a cheap movie, its millions of dollars and that’s a lot of money, so every second counts. We’re all trying to make something. Everybody on that set and every set of every movie I've ever worked on is trying to make something great and if everybody comes in with that attitude, you have a better chance of making something great. It was fun watching him, just go to work. That’s the kind of people I hope to work with in the future and I hope to work again with Stephen absolutely and Rahda, I’m a huge fan of hers.<br />
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Stephen was super nice when I met him and he was kind of shocked that I was the writer, which I always love. Probably because I was dressed as a convict and in handcuffs, he was like, <em>"<strong>Wait, this guy’s the writer?"</strong></em><br />
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<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>I want to thank John for spending the time with me and giving me a lot of details about the process he experienced with making Evidence. I wish him the best in his next projects and know he will succeed.</em></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>The DVD and Blu-Ray will be released on August 20, 2013 and they are available now for pre-order:</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00CX7EKM2/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Buy the Blu-Ray on Amazon</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00CX7EMM0/lynnshomepage" target="_blank">Buy the DVD on Amazon</a><br />
<br />Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-47804362159792627682013-08-01T20:08:00.003-07:002013-08-01T20:08:31.302-07:00Exclusive interview with True Blood's Amelia Rose Blaire<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ameliaroseblaire.jpg"><img alt="Exclusive interview with Amelia Rose Blaire" class="size-full wp-image-120434 aligncenter" height="285" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ameliaroseblaire.jpg" width="620" /></a></div>
<br />
As originally published on <a href="http://trueblood-online.com/" target="_blank">The Vault - Trueblood-online.com</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Last week, I met in Los Angeles with the woman who plays, Willa Burrell, Amelia Rose Blaire. </strong>I wanted to interview her to not only find out more about her but what it must have been like to play the character she plays on True Blood, the governor's daughter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>We sat down at The Grove on the terrace of Barnes & Noble for our chat.</strong><br />
<h2>
<strong>BACKGROUND</strong></h2>
<blockquote>
<strong>First, here's a little bit about Amelia:<br />
</strong>Amelia's young, but energetic and seems to be navigating her way in the difficult world of being an actor in Hollywood. I predict that if her character doesn't last out the season, she will find work elsewhere because coming onto to True Blood in it's sixth season and to havoing to play most of your scenes immediately opposite Alexander Skarsgård must have been daunting for anyone, and in my opinion, she passed the test with flying colors.<br />
<br />
Amelia has not worked on a series before. Prior to her role of Willa she has only guest starred in episodes of various TV shows. She does have a good solid acting education though. She graduated from the Sanford Meisner Center Two Year Program in NoHo CA, has Studied with Oscar-nominated actress Lindsay Crouse and has graduated from The Atlantic Acting School Program in NYC & LA, founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy, where she studied with Felicity Huffman, Clark Gregg & Camryn Manheim.</blockquote>
<b>Why did you decide to become an actor and what are your goals?<br />
</b>When I was younger, I was a ballet dancer. I was a hard core bun head and wanted to be a prima ballerina, but there was something about Ballet that I was always self-conscious about and my parents would tell me that whenever they would see me on stage dancing I looked insecure and looked at the people next to me. I had a Parisian dance teacher who was very strict and I felt like I was motivated by fear. And, then when I was in middle school I did a production of Bye, Bye Birdie. I got this tiny little part, I was this vaudeville dancer. And, I went on stage the first night and I never felt that free before ever and I just lost myself on stage and after that, no more dance, I want to focus on acting.<br />
<br />
<b>Are you from this area?<br />
</b>Yes, I was born in New York, but grew up here in the LA area.<br />
<br />
<b>Why did you decide to study the Meisner technique and how has that helped you?<br />
</b>That was amazing. When I turned 15, I decided I wanted to be a serious actress and the best actress I could be and so my mom started researching all these different schools and found the Meisner Center and they didn’t have a teenage program like all the other schools, but that’s what I decided to do. I didn’t want a teenage program; I wanted to do an adult program. I interviewed with them and they said, we don’t take anyone under the age of 18 and I said, just let me try because I’ve been doing hard core ballet so I have a very thick skin. They let me try it and two years later I graduated. It really formed who I am as an actor.<br />
<br />
<b>You had done some schooling in New York, right:<br />
</b>I went to the Atlantic Theater company Conservatory in New York and I did that for two years and I stayed at David Mamet and William H. Macy School and NYU also has one of their studios there so I was in the conservatory program next to all the NYU kids. I loved Atlantic; we were living a breathing and eating acting day and all night. I didn’t want to come back to NY and when I grew up here (in LA) it’s difficult going to high school because you want to grow up so fast and you’re in Hollywood and everyone is being so cool and doing all this stuff and it’s easy to get swept up in that. So, when I left LA for New York, I was leaving for good. I felt like I was fleeing to NYC and was scared to come back to LA, but I got into the Atlantic program and it was a totally different LA than I left since I was a different person and my social circle was totally different, I was navigating the city differently and it taught me a really good lesson that, the city is what you make of it. Now I love it here.<br />
<br />
<b>You’ve done some guest appearance on TV shows what period of time does that represent.<br />
</b>I started about 2010, so it’s been about three years. What I love about all the roles that I’ve gotten to do is that they are each very different, I don’t feel like I’m playing the same character with a different name. They all have very distinct flavors and that’s what excites me the most about being an actor is playing with different flavors.<br />
<br />
<b>How many auditions did you have to do to get those parts and how do you deal with the rejection?<br />
</b>100’s. My manager said something to me when I was first starting to audition and got really close to a part and then, lost it and got really sad. She said something that really changed the way I look at auditioning, she said, “sometimes they’re going to be looking for burgundy when you’re red, so work on cultivating the truest shade of red” And, that’s how I look at it because I have a lot of friends and we’re all actors and I see them plenty of times at auditions and allot of times, they book the job and I don’t and I could take it really personally or they’re just a slightly different shade of red, they’re more burgundy or more like blood red than I am. I just can’t see it as rejection.<br />
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<b>Were you a fan of True Blood before you got the part? Did you watch the show?<br />
</b>Oh yeah! Yes, I remember when it first came out. I was so into it and I’d watch it with my friends and we’d go over and have True Blood parties and watch it all. So to actually be on the show, I can’t believe it.<br />
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
<strong>GETTING THE PART ON TRUE BLOOD</strong></h2>
<br />
<b>Did you only audition for True Blood once?<br />
</b>No, it was my first time auditioning for True Blood and I auditioned twice. I had auditioned for other parts for the casting director many times for other projects and when they brought me in for True Blood, it was my second audition this year. The first time I went in I auditioned for the director, and allot of the producers, writers and casting director and there were tons and tons of girls there. Then, they called me back the next day and it was just me and one other girl. Everyone in the room was the same as the day before, but it was between me and a blonde actress.<br />
<br />
<b>Did Alexander Skarsgård have any say in who was chosen for the part?<br />
</b>I don’t know.<br />
<br />
<b>You didn’t have to audition with any other cast members right?<br />
</b>No.<br />
<br />
<b>How have things changed since you got the part?<br />
</b>Honestly, my day to day hasn’t changed that much. I got recognized for the first time last week and that was very exciting, I was shocked. I was out at this really cool music venue called Sassafras and I was listening to Tara Buck’s husband play on his birthday and this girl came up to me and she was like, "Are you an actress? I love you on True Blood, can I buy you a drink?" I was just as excited as she was since I’d never had anything like that happen.<br />
<br />
<strong>Is this your </strong><b>“big break?<br />
</b>Yes, this is the biggest show I've ever been on and I've never had an arc this big before.<br />
<br />
<strong>Has it been challenging and scary?<br />
</strong>All of the above; that’s what I've loved about it. My favorite part about acting is going to the places that scare me and reading a scene would be like, uh I don’t know if I could do that; it’s terrifying and end up doing it anyway. And, playing Willa has given me countless opportunities to do that. Every episode I read there was at least one scene where I said “I don’t know if I can do that.” So I feel that as a person, I've definitely grown. I feel more grounded in ways and more confident in myself, but otherwise it’s not really changed outside.<br />
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
<strong>BECOMING WILLA BURRELL</strong></h2>
<b>What was the first day on the set like, and what was your very first scene?<br />
</b>My first day on set was when we were shooting at the Governor’s mansion in Pasadena. It was in episode two where I walk down the hall and ask my father, the Governor, to please let me go out. And, we also shot on that same day, the opening scene of episode 3 so, that was an experience. They made a lot of rewrites for that scene and originally when he (Eric) is glamouring me on the bed and he threatens to bite me he was going to bite my neck and then, in the van on the way over (to location), we got rewrites. And I read it and said, “Oh, OK this is going to happen.” And Alex and I were running lines and I said, did you know that this is happening now and he said, "I did not, but this should be good." So, I take that as my first day because that was probably the most involved scene.<br />
<br />
<b>So, was that scene with Alex as you were sitting on the bed intimidating?<br />
</b>I thought the scene turned out really well and it was actually a lot of fun to shoot because I’d never been in a situation like that and I've always been attracted to like twisted, darker situations in roles and that was so twisted with that dynamic and yea, that was like my first time meeting him (Alex). I had met him very briefly at a table read, but at that time, we just introduced ourselves.<br />
<br />
<b>Why is Willa so interested in helping the vampires? What’s her motivation for it?<br />
</b>I think that the fact that her mother has been with a vampire and her mother has been pushed so far away from her and her father has kept her secret and apart from that. She has been very sheltered and there’s a part of her that she wants to get to know and explore and that’s why I think she stands up for vampires. There’s also a part of her is really fascinated.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you think her father is anti-vampire because of what happened with Willa’s mother?<br />
</b>I think that definitely had a lot to do with it. When I was in the first few episodes, something I was really interested in was what was the relationship between Willa’s parents and how did that come to break and what did that do to her and did she choose sides, did she get on the right side that she wanted to?<br />
<br />
<b>Did she want to stay with her father and how has he changed?<br />
</b>I really believe that she wants everybody to be able to come together and her father has been turning into this darker and darker character and she’s seeing him disappear in front of her eyes. And I think that his hate for vampires makes her want to bring them even closer together. And, then becoming a vampire, I imagine if someone was sheltered for many years and then they got this whole new set of powers and abilities it’s totally liberating. She has all these powers and sensations and she can act on them and she’s like, free.<br />
<br />
<b>Ok, the big one, what was it like being made into a vampire by Alex Skarsgård?<br />
</b>We actually filmed that scene on two separate days. The exteriors were filmed in Griffith Park and everything in the grave we filmed on one of the sound stages. They built this half grave and it was truly surreal. I was very excited to shoot that scene just because, when do you get to be turned into a vampire? Actually shooting the part in the grave, I don’t really remember. We shot it in many different increments so we stopped and had to add tubes and stuff so it was very kind of separate. I remember going into it thinking I was going to be really brave and it’s going to be really romantic and he can like sweep me off my feet and then, when we actually did it, it was kind of terrifying because he went in and the sensation of getting your neck bitten, and then feeling this warm liquid starting to pour down my body and then I looked down and it’s red and then he pulled back and he had all this blood in his mouth. I remember my hands were shaking, I started getting light headed and it was completely unexpected. The next morning I woke up and I went through this huge array of emotions, I was really, really angry and I was really, really sad and really, really happy and like angry again and I was just like going in all these different directions and I was like, “what’s happening to me?” Wait, I died last night. It was very surreal.<br />
<br />
<b>We always ask this, but how did you adjust to the vampire teeth?<br />
</b>I think for me the hardest part was putting them on and taking them off because you shoot the scene and you say the line where you fang out and then stop to you put the teeth in and then, say the line again. So, doing that was really difficult because I wasn't able to get them in and I thought I had to do it really quickly or it would kind of like take me out, so I think that was the hardest part, putting them in and taking them off. But, I didn't have to speak in fangs for a while.<br />
<br />
<b>Some have been <span style="text-decoration: underline;">comparing your scene</span> of being made with the first intimate love scene between Sookie and Bill. Willa is a virgin and she wears a similar gown as Sookie did, do you see any comparison?<br />
</b>That’s very flattering that they are compared. I think that the similarities when Sookie and Bill finally got together is about a loss of innocence, so having the white dress and the blood makes is similar, but I don’t know, Bill and Sookie have this huge love story that was building up to a climax. The whole dynamic with Eric and Willa is very different. So I think that the similarities only come in with the “loss of innocence.”<br />
<br />
<b>Jessica was turned as a virgin when she was turned, will Willa have the same problems since she was also a virgin?<br />
</b>I guess so, I don’t know. She hasn’t done anything yet, so we’ll have to see how that comes out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<strong>THE EXPERIENCE OVER ALL</strong></h2>
<br />
<br />
<b>How was it working with the True Blood cast?<br />
</b>Everyone loves each other and there a no divas and everyone is always joking and it’s just a fun group of people to be around. You’re doing all these really intense scenes but in-between people are cracking jokes with each other and like, making funny noises and trying to distract other actors while they’re doing something and it’s been really special to be a part of that. I have this memory of walking one day after we were shooting in Fangtasia, we had a table read or something but I was walking with Alex, Kristin and Rutina and we were walking to the table read and I thought, this is so cool that I’m walking with the three most bad ass Northmans right here. This is unreal. It’s the most bad-ass family to be a part of, so I’m honored.<br />
<br />
<b>Who have you worked with most on the show?<br />
</b>Probably Alex is the one I've worked most with on the show and he was really wonderful to work with, I learned allot.<br />
<br />
<b>Who helped you the most on the show?<br />
</b>I've always really loved Deborah Ann Woll’s character, Jessica so as soon as I met her, I wanted get to know her because I think that Willa and Jessica have a lot of similarities and watching her work and seeing how she navigated in front of a camera and what she would do in between takes, I learned a lot from her. We’re a similar age group and we have a lot of mutual friends, but everyone I worked with helped me in different ways advising, "<em>don’t take is so seriously, have more fun, or let loose and be kind of crazy with it, etc.</em>," but I definitely admire what Deborah has done.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who haven’t you worked with on True Blood that you would like to work with?<br />
</strong>I really wanted to work with Rob (Kazinsky); he’s so funny, so I really would have loved to work with him. I didn't get to work with Anna very much, we were on set some days but we actually didn't have any scenes together so; I would have loved to be able to work with her since she’s the star of the show. Oh, and all the werewolves.<br />
<br />
<b>What did you think of spending all your time in prison scrubs?<br />
</b>I didn't really mind, but it’s hard to be sexy in those clothes. I really liked that white nightgown. I got very attached to it, so when I had to leave it behind for the blue prison scrubs, hmmm. They are more comfortable, but I was definitely glad to take those off.<br />
<br />
<b>What do you think about the sets on the show?<br />
</b>They’re incredible. They are so detailed. It’s just very easy to give over to them, <em>yes, I’m in a hard core prison camp</em> and it puts you in a state of mind to be able to create.<br />
<br />
<b>Were you affected by the big changes that happened in the running of the show this season with the exit of Alan Ball and then losing the first show runner and now it being Brian Buckner?<br />
</b>I actually wasn't aware until after the fact, because I came in at the end of episode two, when they started shooting episode three, so I think that had already happened. But, the ship kept sailing and Brian is a dream to work with. He is a wonderful boss and he handles his job with such grace, has a wonderful sense of humor and has done such a great job this season and I really like the direction he’s taken it.<br />
<br />
<b>In a recent episode, your father dies, but Willa doesn't know yet. How does Willa feel about her father now that she is a vampire? Could she feel his death? The show has never explored if there would be any feeling between human and vampire, so I wondered if Willa could feel that something had changed drastically for her father.<br />
</b>I think that Willa still loves her father but with everything that happened, like him putting her in the camp, it was like a huge disappointment. He has let her down in every way possible.<br />
<br />
<b>Did she know about the camp before she was taken there?<br />
</b>Yes. I don’t think she knew about the extent of it and I definitely don’t think that when she went back to him that she thought he was going to send her there. That scene when Willa came back to her father made me so sad because she got what she wanted; she got him to see her as his daughter and accept that. It was her own new instincts were her downfall. That scene to me was really tragic, but then when he sent her away and actually put her in this camp and put her in solitary confinement, I think was just a huge disappointment for her.<br />
<br />
<b>Did Willa know he was fooling around with Sarah Newlin?<br />
</b>I don’t think so. I think she still loves him but it’s covered by all this disappointment and sadness.<br />
<br />
<b>Will Willa be in Season 7?<br />
</b>That’s something that we’ll have to find out.<br />
<br />
<b>Well, if she’s not in Season 7, do you feel that this part has given you a broader base so that when you go out to look for more work it will be easier?<br />
</b>Yes, I’m so incredibly grateful to having been given the opportunity to be on the show and to play this character. She is so multi-dimensional and fun and scary. Over the past few months, I've done things that I never thought I could do so, I've stretched myself in many, many ways and I’m really thankful for that. You don’t get opportunities often, as an actor, to really stretch yourself in many different facets and to do that on such a fantastic and fun show on HBO, is unreal.<br />
<br />
Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-39027142378222564032013-05-02T22:32:00.000-07:002013-05-02T22:33:13.488-07:00Red Carpet at 2013 TCM Film Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yp16nVgvU1o/UX7Tw35X-oI/AAAAAAAAD-c/3_BHEJB_IGY/s1600/credentials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yp16nVgvU1o/UX7Tw35X-oI/AAAAAAAAD-c/3_BHEJB_IGY/s400/credentials.jpg" title="Press Credentials" width="295" /></a></div><b>On Thursday, April 25, 2013 I was privileged to attend the Red Carpet Ceremonies for the premiere of the restoration of the film, "Funny Girl" during the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival.</b><br />
<br />
Walking the red carpet that night were many stars of classic film such as,<i> in no particular order of importance</i>:<br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001693/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Eva Marie Saint</a> of "On The Waterfront" and "North By Northwest," </li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420331/" target="_blank">Ann Jeffries</a>, who is remembered for her television work, such as 1950's "Topper" series. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0438322/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Marvin Kaplan</a> of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, </li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001332/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Robert Hays</a>, of "Airplane," </li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001955/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Ann Blyth</a> who played Veda in "Mildred "Pierce," </li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001335/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Tippi Hedren</a> of "The Birds" and "Marnie," </li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000942/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Theodore Bikel</a> of "My Fair Lady,"</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0936730/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Jane Withers</a> of Giant and was a child star in the 1930's celebrated her 87th Birthday.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0540795/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Leonard Maltin</a>, Film Critic</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0638395/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">France Nuyen</a>, "South Pacific"</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0310989/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Mitzi Gaynor</a>, "South Pacific"</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0150718/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Marge Champion</a>, "The Swimmer"</li>
</ul><div>It was great to meet these stars and to see all the fans across from us in the bleachers cheering them on. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The film "Funny Girl" has been fully restored and it was showing that night to VIP ticket holders at the TCL Chinese Theater (formerly "Grauman's Chinese Theater." </div><div><br />
</div><div>I just read today that the Chinese Theater will be going through extensive renovation when the TCMFF ends, so I'm glad I had a chance to see all of this before then.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Here are some photos from the event:</div><div><br />
<br />
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" style="width: 600px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n9tlOTm2O5Q/UX7UTrtPClI/AAAAAAAAD-s/r7hclnCtUDM/s1600/France-nuyen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="France Nuyen" border="0" height="215" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n9tlOTm2O5Q/UX7UTrtPClI/AAAAAAAAD-s/r7hclnCtUDM/s320/France-nuyen.jpg" width="273" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GRnff17uFKg/UX7UWWL9BCI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/KtWaiRXKlLs/s1600/evamariesaint2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IuoX0oS7N0I/UX7UXywMf6I/AAAAAAAAD_0/XOh9IZeJbIA/s1600/margechampion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Marge Champion" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IuoX0oS7N0I/UX7UXywMf6I/AAAAAAAAD_0/XOh9IZeJbIA/s320/margechampion.jpg" width="227" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_NH-tGhveI/UX7UXfVMHMI/AAAAAAAAD_o/SIFrrT-NS7s/s1600/leonardmaltin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Leonard Maltin" border="0" height="301" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_NH-tGhveI/UX7UXfVMHMI/AAAAAAAAD_o/SIFrrT-NS7s/s320/leonardmaltin.jpg" width="249" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9W5WHcEKbs/UX7UTp932aI/AAAAAAAAD-o/8q2NuK-697o/s1600/Illeana-Douglaspv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lOzxJDHNWv4/UX7UXm8l0zI/AAAAAAAAD_s/qsUia-S1NNk/s1600/leonardmaltin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Leonard Maltin" border="0" height="220" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lOzxJDHNWv4/UX7UXm8l0zI/AAAAAAAAD_s/qsUia-S1NNk/s320/leonardmaltin2.jpg" width="268" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z0KJ1TVfrc/UX7UUVPrf7I/AAAAAAAAD-8/jP_uA38XcMI/s1600/annjeffries2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ann Jeffries" border="0" height="205" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z0KJ1TVfrc/UX7UUVPrf7I/AAAAAAAAD-8/jP_uA38XcMI/s320/annjeffries2.jpg" width="260" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lyrb2ALUBwI/UX7UUZ27fUI/AAAAAAAAD-4/25htmRamhgw/s1600/annjeffries3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ann Jeffries" border="0" height="210" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lyrb2ALUBwI/UX7UUZ27fUI/AAAAAAAAD-4/25htmRamhgw/s320/annjeffries3.jpg" width="281" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pc00-F7-NQY/UX7UWEgxO3I/AAAAAAAAD_U/tpVUgyJfDD8/s1600/evamariesaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Eva Marie Saint" border="0" height="219" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pc00-F7-NQY/UX7UWEgxO3I/AAAAAAAAD_U/tpVUgyJfDD8/s320/evamariesaint.jpg" width="266" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GRnff17uFKg/UX7UWWL9BCI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/KtWaiRXKlLs/s1600/evamariesaint2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Eva Marie Saint" border="0" height="217" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GRnff17uFKg/UX7UWWL9BCI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/KtWaiRXKlLs/s320/evamariesaint2.jpg" width="290" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rosABT2yrlE/UX7UXXLXVLI/AAAAAAAAD_w/8gyv3PHXgr8/s1600/illieanadouglas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Illeana Douglas" border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rosABT2yrlE/UX7UXXLXVLI/AAAAAAAAD_w/8gyv3PHXgr8/s320/illieanadouglas.jpg" width="270" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9W5WHcEKbs/UX7UTp932aI/AAAAAAAAD-o/8q2NuK-697o/s1600/Illeana-Douglaspv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Illeana Douglas" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9W5WHcEKbs/UX7UTp932aI/AAAAAAAAD-o/8q2NuK-697o/s320/Illeana-Douglaspv.jpg" width="218" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DJ4b8mJliO0/UX7Uazmk7wI/AAAAAAAAEAs/BovL2Wm3r-g/s1600/roberthays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Robert Hays" border="0" height="218" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DJ4b8mJliO0/UX7Uazmk7wI/AAAAAAAAEAs/BovL2Wm3r-g/s320/roberthays.jpg" width="266" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T7mv8S9aqw4/UX7UcLFnswI/AAAAAAAAEA8/hhbxQ6l4Awc/s1600/theobikel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_top"><img alt="Theodore Bikel" border="0" height="236" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T7mv8S9aqw4/UX7UcLFnswI/AAAAAAAAEA8/hhbxQ6l4Awc/s320/theobikel.jpg" width="285" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--NwBz6qKgv8/UX7UZyWOlPI/AAAAAAAAEAc/iT2dd21fD5o/s1600/marvinkaplan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Marvin Kaplan" border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--NwBz6qKgv8/UX7UZyWOlPI/AAAAAAAAEAc/iT2dd21fD5o/s320/marvinkaplan.jpg" width="264" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Euj-a0jtNfQ/UX7UYU20AvI/AAAAAAAAD_4/KdVDe3YCXMU/s1600/marvinkaplan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Marvin Kaplan" border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Euj-a0jtNfQ/UX7UYU20AvI/AAAAAAAAD_4/KdVDe3YCXMU/s320/marvinkaplan2.jpg" width="259" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WLKK4DyTwUE/UX7UYro_MII/AAAAAAAAEAE/x95vJWxXg50/s1600/max-von-sydow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Max Von Sydow" border="0" height="197" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WLKK4DyTwUE/UX7UYro_MII/AAAAAAAAEAE/x95vJWxXg50/s320/max-von-sydow.jpg" width="259" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcKFuJxThR8/UX7UYsJfRJI/AAAAAAAAEAI/HXasZ_IYwjw/s1600/max-von-sydow3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Max Von Sydow" border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcKFuJxThR8/UX7UYsJfRJI/AAAAAAAAEAI/HXasZ_IYwjw/s320/max-von-sydow3.jpg" width="284" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hYt6wsWWsfw/UX7UZPhqHwI/AAAAAAAAEAY/P2riGhnWlDw/s1600/maxvonsydow2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Max Von Sydow" border="0" height="209" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hYt6wsWWsfw/UX7UZPhqHwI/AAAAAAAAEAY/P2riGhnWlDw/s320/maxvonsydow2.jpg" width="255" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3MxE_3mIYY8/UX7UZdoYWxI/AAAAAAAAEAU/DKVdISM9b7I/s1600/maxvonsydow4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Max Von Sydow" border="0" height="184" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3MxE_3mIYY8/UX7UZdoYWxI/AAAAAAAAEAU/DKVdISM9b7I/s320/maxvonsydow4.jpg" width="282" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gx_bklySnvk/UX7UZ_98sUI/AAAAAAAAEAg/krCpMNRd9Tk/s1600/mitzigaynor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Mitzni Gaynor" border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gx_bklySnvk/UX7UZ_98sUI/AAAAAAAAEAg/krCpMNRd9Tk/s320/mitzigaynor.jpg" width="262" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KRGcwLnuHhE/UX7UaORHMhI/AAAAAAAAEAk/nZr5jS9dEmU/s1600/mitzigaynor2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Mitzi Gaynor" border="0" height="194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KRGcwLnuHhE/UX7UaORHMhI/AAAAAAAAEAk/nZr5jS9dEmU/s320/mitzigaynor2.jpg" width="268" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NRo1SUat0VQ/UX7Uaj9Nw1I/AAAAAAAAEAo/ym4qEKXgiGw/s1600/mitzigaynor3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Mitzi Gaynor" border="0" height="208" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NRo1SUat0VQ/UX7Uaj9Nw1I/AAAAAAAAEAo/ym4qEKXgiGw/s320/mitzigaynor3.jpg" width="246" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s6iWFp1YQF0/UX7Uar_6HAI/AAAAAAAAEAw/RR7N_vdTv28/s1600/mitzigaynor4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Mitzi Gaynor" border="0" height="203" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s6iWFp1YQF0/UX7Uar_6HAI/AAAAAAAAEAw/RR7N_vdTv28/s320/mitzigaynor4.jpg" width="273" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7opEoZzKoU/UX7UccWTb5I/AAAAAAAAEBE/wZzxBHpBKME/s1600/tippihedren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Tippi Hedren" border="0" height="196" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7opEoZzKoU/UX7UccWTb5I/AAAAAAAAEBE/wZzxBHpBKME/s320/tippihedren.jpg" width="262" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LuP52BrSPJs/UX7UcsYZZsI/AAAAAAAAEBM/-pqNcGFUGOQ/s1600/tippihedren2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tippi Hedren" border="0" height="205" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LuP52BrSPJs/UX7UcsYZZsI/AAAAAAAAEBM/-pqNcGFUGOQ/s320/tippihedren2.jpg" width="274" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pMrLlGfDNEw/UX7UcqdsgKI/AAAAAAAAEBY/nMXzvK3IQWw/s1600/tippihedren3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tippi Hedren" border="0" height="198" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pMrLlGfDNEw/UX7UcqdsgKI/AAAAAAAAEBY/nMXzvK3IQWw/s320/tippihedren3.jpg" width="264" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDkHsMA0WSo/UX7Uc5zVqvI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/5wXRHsG0HNY/s1600/tippihedren4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Tippi Hedren" border="0" height="199" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDkHsMA0WSo/UX7Uc5zVqvI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/5wXRHsG0HNY/s320/tippihedren4.jpg" width="267" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G8ATTRbEOoM/UX7UdfYAixI/AAAAAAAAEBU/VXsu4Baa7aM/s1600/tippihedren5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Tippi Hedren" border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G8ATTRbEOoM/UX7UdfYAixI/AAAAAAAAEBU/VXsu4Baa7aM/s320/tippihedren5.jpg" width="206" /></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lA3tkU4HbgY/UX7UTrENuuI/AAAAAAAAD-k/zNi4akzoXUg/s1600/DSCF1635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="great purse" border="0" height="199" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lA3tkU4HbgY/UX7UTrENuuI/AAAAAAAAD-k/zNi4akzoXUg/s320/DSCF1635.jpg" width="278" /></a></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbFnQOKb5eI/UX7UbRnN0zI/AAAAAAAAEA4/9zqYJvvGfmk/s1600/robertosborne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Also, here are some, "behind the scenes" photos of our fellow press at the Red Carpet. It was lots of fun and I hope to get a chance to do it again, but never in high heels, please!</div><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" style="width: 700px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OsF93AL1RDo/UX7UUEDESmI/AAAAAAAAD-0/OXlHiOu62Ik/s1600/Marya-Gatesandcarrie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" Marya and Carrie" border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OsF93AL1RDo/UX7UUEDESmI/AAAAAAAAD-0/OXlHiOu62Ik/s320/Marya-Gatesandcarrie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td> <td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GvJGt1tXd_Q/UX7UVYsdp5I/AAAAAAAAD_E/AkhbQY8dIYA/s1600/carrie-bryce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Carrie and Bryce" border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GvJGt1tXd_Q/UX7UVYsdp5I/AAAAAAAAD_E/AkhbQY8dIYA/s320/carrie-bryce.jpg" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ploceE2qKOU/UX7UV2g5mdI/AAAAAAAAD_M/hJdLx844Vec/s1600/cmfsignage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Pkdo96upvc/UX7UW6NuO9I/AAAAAAAAD_c/6X4dYmuKc4E/s1600/fans2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="fans in the grandstand" border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Pkdo96upvc/UX7UW6NuO9I/AAAAAAAAD_c/6X4dYmuKc4E/s320/fans2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td> <td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8pOkH0bXS4/UX7UWogcTGI/AAAAAAAAD_g/HL0IzL8ze9E/s1600/fans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="fans in the grandstand" border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8pOkH0bXS4/UX7UWogcTGI/AAAAAAAAD_g/HL0IzL8ze9E/s320/fans.jpg" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td colspan="2"><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Pkdo96upvc/UX7UW6NuO9I/AAAAAAAAD_c/6X4dYmuKc4E/s1600/fans2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ploceE2qKOU/UX7UV2g5mdI/AAAAAAAAD_M/hJdLx844Vec/s1600/cmfsignage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="our place on the carpet" border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ploceE2qKOU/UX7UV2g5mdI/AAAAAAAAD_M/hJdLx844Vec/s320/cmfsignage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325400726816647539.post-53471053212585474432012-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:002012-11-24T11:07:15.139-08:00A Night of True Blood Music Benefitting Amanda Foundation<i>As originally seen on <a href="http://trueblood-online.com/">The Vault Trueblood-Online.com</a></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-63g95Q7gxEQ/ULEZjWd52EI/AAAAAAAAD2U/Z6FNl9CdppU/s1600/taralynnkristin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-63g95Q7gxEQ/ULEZjWd52EI/AAAAAAAAD2U/Z6FNl9CdppU/s200/taralynnkristin2.jpg" height="181" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A True Blood Hug from Tara and Kristin</td></tr>
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<strong>On Thursday, November 15, 2012, I attended the Amanda Foundation benefit "Night of True Blood Music."</strong> Hosting the event this year was <strong>True Blood's Pam, Kristin Bauer Van Straten and Ginger, Tara Pierce (Buck)</strong>. The event featured the music of Kristin's husband, Abri Van Straten and Tara's husband, Chris Pierce.</div>
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<strong>Teri and Tracy of the Amanda Foundation were there and also provided a silent auction with many True Blood items.</strong> The Vault donated original autographed items that included an SFX Magazine, photo of Kristin Bauer and Alexander Skarsgård and an illustration of Deborah Ann Woll in an outfit from Season 5. I'm happy to say that the items were sold to benefit the dogs and cats at the no kill shelter.</div>
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While there, out in front of Molly Malones, where the event took place,<strong><span style="color: blue;"> I interviewed Tara and Kristin together.</span></strong> <span style="color: blue;"><strong>We discussed The Amanda Foundation, Kristin's new documentary, "Out For Africa," their latest acting projects and, of course a tiny bit about True Blood. </strong></span></div>
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<strong>Watch it below.</strong><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MBId3NdaUfM" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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Here are some photos of Teri and Kristin when they visited the farm where they saw the elephants and rhinos as Kristin mentioned in the video.</div>
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<a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_231162_10151239713752230_282657611_n.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignnone" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_231162_10151239713752230_282657611_n.jpg" height="300" width="300" /></a><a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_521615_10151239714867230_1468395879_n.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignnone" src="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_521615_10151239714867230_1468395879_n.jpg" height="300" width="300" /></a><br />
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Read more about Tara's new film,<strong> The Pact</strong> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2040560/" target="_blank">here</a> and Kristin's new pilot for <strong>Cinnamon Girl</strong>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194794" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<strong>And, <a href="http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=434" target="_blank">at this link</a> there are a few photos. </strong></div>
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<strong>Please consider making a direct donation to The Amanda Foundation by clicking on the button below:</strong></div>
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<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank">
<input name="cmd" type="hidden" value="_s-xclick" /> <input name="hosted_button_id" type="hidden" value="YZKXUVZEA3KZC" /> <input alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" name="submit" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" type="image" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></form>
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<em>Thanks to Shadaliza for editing the video.</em>Lynn Doughertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12899199779645665544noreply@blogger.com0100 W 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA34.0522342 -118.243684933.6312602 -118.87539890000001 34.4732082 -117.6119709