Project Runway's Final Four is now three,Top Design gets it's green on and Heroes redefines the nuclear family.

When we last left Project Runway,all four of the remaining designers were sent home to make their collections for Bryant Park,with an additional challenge tossed in to determine which three of them would be competing in the Finale.



The deciding challenge was for each of them to make a wedding dress,which would represent their line of work. Tim Gunn paid his at home visits(interesting that Kenley was the only person who didn't have any family or friends to introduce Tim to. Makes you wonder!)and then when everyone came back to NYC,another challenge was added on,to make a bridesmaid's dress as well.



As much as I can't stand Kenley,I must admit that her dresses were decently made. Her idea of a bridal gown,however,is not my style. It looked very costumey(especially with that hat!)and resembled something that Bjork would have tucked away in her closet.


The blue bridesmaid dress was very nice and helped Kenley get her shot at Fashion Week. She did try to stay on her best behavior but came close to slipping a few times. Her almost worst moment was when Michael Kors mentioned that her wedding gown had an Alexander McQueen look to it and Nina agreed,which nearly had Kenley at the edge of Poutsville until Kors put in a compliment right after that.

Kenley is like that old poem about the girl with the curl on her forehead;when she hears things that are good,she's very,very good. When she hears bad,she's horrible!



The best bride and bridesmaid's dresses clearly belong to Leanne,who used waves as the theme of her collection. The wedding gown was stylish and sculpted,with a feminine grace. Nina Garcia praised it for the feeling of romance along side the technical charm.



The bridemaid's dress featured the waves in the bodice and tied in with the main gown beautifully without upstaging it,which is what a good bridesmaid's outfit should do. Leanne is also in the Final Three and I couldn't be happier for her. Well,maybe if Kenley wasn't going there with her,then I would be elated.



An unhappy camper was Korto,whose bridal gown got a grave assessment from the judges. They felt that it was rather overworked and I have to say they're not wrong.

The ruffled trim on the neckline seemed to be fighting against itself,plus the way that the bottom half of the dress highlighted the rear end of the model was not flattering,to say the least. I really like Korto and was worried about her for a moment.



Fortunately,the judges let her go on to the Finale,even tho they thought the bridesmaid dress was the complete opposite of the bridal gown,in a bad way. I didn't think it was so bad,particularly because I saw it being pared down in the workroom just before the show(Tim Gunn suggested that it needed editing,since it seemed to be competing too much with the bride's gown).

Kors was right about it not appearing to be a bridesmaid's dress at all,just a regular off the rack number. I still feel that it was pretty decent and glad to see Korto be able to compete at Bryant Park.



Jerell had been the first chosen to go to Fashion Week but alas,he was the last one to be eliminated. Based on this mess of a dress,I can't totally blame the judges for that. Even if he didn't make his model wear those goofy flowers on top of her head,she still resembled a Dr, Seuss character on acid.

The top part of the dress was bedazzled to death,with beads and bangles and sparkles,oh,my! Not to mention that the crinoline had a dirty look to it,as Nina pointed out,and the whole thing came off as a outfit that would be considered over the top for the Greenwich Village Halloween parade.



He totally copped out on the bridesmaid dress,saying at one point to Korto in the workroom,"They're supposed to be ugly,anyway." Uh,no,they're KNOWN to be ugly but they DON'T HAVE TO BE,buddy!

The dress was very wrinkled and cheap looking to boot. The only connection it had to the bridal gown was the sash,which might've been more effective if the dress had been shortened in length.

That reminds me,Kenley did whimper off screen about how Leanne and Korto had made their bridesmaid dresses shorter before the show,which made her cranky,'cause Kenley wanted hers to stand out more. Yeah,Kenley,that was their master plan,to make their second dress shorter on purpose just to mess with you,right!(I so need to get over her being in the Final Three,seriously).



Anyhow,congrats to all three of the finalists(even Kenley)and sorry to see you go,Jerell. Next week,we will find out who is the winner of this last PR season on Bravo(don't know when it'll start up again-there's still some courtroom drama afoot).

My choice would be Leanne to take it all. As much as I do like Korto and greatly admire her work,she's not always consistent with her finished product.

Perhaps after I see her full collection,I'll change my mind about Korto. Kenley's collection won't surprise me,that's for sure. Leanne has made her missteps but manages to bounce back well from each one and has a lovely sense of elegance in her style. Good luck,Leanne!




Top Design gave Kelly Wearstler a break this week(to give the viewers some time to recover from her bizarre beehive look)and had a guest judge,Danny Seo,for an environmental challenge. The decorators were each assigned to make over offices for an environmental consulting firm,using what was available in the room and eco-friendly materials that were purchased at select locations.


Once the shopping was done,India Hicks had everyone line up and switch their rooms with the person on the right,making things a little more interesting. Some folks did very well with this one while others floundered,big time.



One of the stand outs belonged to Preston,who wound up with the conference room. He really pulled the room together with a cohesive look that didn't make such a business like area feel imposing. He really deserved to win but I think the judges were disappointed by the two little trash bins sent up for recycling in the room.



Eddie took the win here but it wasn't a clean victory. He was given Nathan's room and basically went with all of Nathan's ideas,including taking pieces of the carpet and creating fabric note posting sections on the walls. At the Judge's panel,Eddie pretty much took all of the credit for that right in front of Nathan.



Nathan did a good job with the room he wound up with and got praised for that,but you could tell that he wasn't thrilled with Eddie. Nathan rubs me the wrong way yet I have to give him major points for not going off on Eddie after that. Eddie's become a real jerk as time goes on,with his constant sniping about how "disgusting" or not up to Martha Stewart standards things are. Hey,bozo,you don't work for Ms. Martha anymore,get over it!



Wisit was dismissed,due to the drab office space that he created for a young lady who wanted bright colors. Natalie had been the original decorator but Wisit refused to use any of her lively elements and just dulled the room down. Also,the color scheme that he chose for a man's office(taken over by Ondine)came off rather feminine. So long,Wisit-this is the first time I've ever seen someone sing their own swan song before.



Heroes did some more time traveling,where Peter saw his other self get killed by Future Claire in a four years later reality and met up with a reformed Sylar,who reluctantly passed on his ability to understand how things work. That power comes along with a driving urge to kill,which Gabriel was keeping in check in order to be a good father to his little boy(named Noah,if you can believe it!).

That restraint was pushed to the limits as a showdown between Future Claire(it's very sci fi cliche of Future Claire to have black hair,btw)and Present Day Peter lead to a sad fate for Sylar's son. I know that some folks are still not thrilled with the show but come on,guys! The man went off like an atom bomb,literally! What more do you people want,jeez?:




RANDOM NOTES:



TRUE BLOOD: It's been great seeing supporting characters from the books get some major expansion on the series and Lafayette(played by Nelsan Ellis)is fast becoming a big favorite of mine to watch. Next to Sookie and Tara,scenes with him make me sit up and take extra notice.

On the most recent episode,Lafayette had to take a hands on approach to customer service when an unreasonable complaint about a hamburger platter came up at work. I've watched this bit about several times now and it hasn't gotten old yet.

A couple of lessons for good restaurant manners can be learned here;one,be specific about your food order and two,remember to tip your waitress(some very rough language in this clip,you have been warned):

A cat,a library and the small town who embraced them both

I was a big library goer in my younger days and while I went to several over the years,the one thing I never found there was a library cat. After reading about Dewey Readmore Books from Spencer,Iowa, it makes me think that perhaps cats should be a mandatory element for libraries everywhere.

Dewey was rescued from a book deposit bin in the Spencer library one cold morning back in 1988 by Vicki Myron,the new head librarian. The frightened kitten was only eight weeks old,with so much dirt on him that gray appeared to be his natural fur color,plus his paws were so frostbitten that he hobbled around. That didn't stop the kitten from going over to every staff member to show his appreciation for his new home.



Dewey became an essential part of the library,making the place much more inviting to the citizens of Spencer,some of whom were mainly using the library to help them find work during the hard economic times in the area due to the farming crisis in the late eighties/early nineties.




Having a cat live in a library may not seem like a major thing but his presence and playfulness helped to cheer up people of all ages who stopped by,some just to see him. Dewey touched many lives,from elderly folks looking for a bit of comfort to children who kept on their best behavior just to make sure Dewey could stay with them for Story Hour.

Dewey brought some desperately needed attention to the Spencer library,with folks not only more willing to give it the funds needed to make necessary improvements but making it a home away from home. A contest was held to chose his name and Dewey even received birthday cards and Christmas presents from the many happy patrons of Spencer.




This book,Dewey:the small town library cat who touched the world,is not only the story of a cat. It's also about Vicki Myron,who went through a number of challenges in her life such as a bad marriage that ended in divorce,raising her daughter on her own,trying to earn a master's degree while keeping the library afloat and health problems to boot.

Dewey's appearance in her world gave Vicki encouragement and comfort during some of those times and also helped her to reconnect with her daughter during the turbulent teen years. Her drive and determination to make the library and the town of Spencer bond closer together(along with her own personal struggles) during such a rough patch of time makes Vicki a charming role model for these hard times we're facing right now.



Dewey passed away in 2006,after 19 years of residing as the beloved spokescat for the Spencer Public Library. He had admirers from all across the country and even international fans due to his star turn in a Japanese documentary.

Dewey's legacy will live on,not just in this delightfully written and heart warming book,but in the memories of those who were privileged to know him. They say every dog has his day but cats also deserve the star treatment once in awhile and Dewey was certainly celebrity material,in the best sense of the word.

The book is available at bookstores and libraries near you and it's a welcome addition to the shelves of both cat and book lovers everywhere. There are video clips of Dewey online here and more out on the internet of other library cats who are following in his furry footsteps,like Browser at the Pine River Library in Minnesota. Nice to see a new generation take up where their elders left off:

BROWSER ON DOOR DUTY



SHELF INSPECTION

Should there be a sequel to Unbreakable?

As the latest M. Night Shyamalan flick(The Happening,which I hope and pray Netflix sends me soon) hits the home video market,there is talk that he might be planning a follow-up to Unbreakable,his ode to superhero myths.

Unbreakable came out in 2000,and it was his sophomore film right after The Sixth Sense,the movie that made M. Night a big player in the Hollywood pond nearly overnight.

While I liked The Sixth Sense a lot,Unbreakable amazed me much more. Let me put it to you this way-my DVD library has a few M. Night movies in it and the only special edition I have is of Unbreakable. I don't own a copy of Sixth Sense and don't feel the least cinematically deprived for it.



For those of you unfamiliar with this film,Bruce Willis stars as David,a security guard who longs to reunite with his wife Audrey(Robin Wright Penn),who is seriously considering a divorce,and their son. On his way to a job interview,David becomes the sole survivor of a train crash which is made than more miraculous by the fact that he is completely uninjured. That freaks everyone involved out,including David himself:





David starts to ask some very disturbing questions and one man believes that he knows some of the answers. Elijah Price(played by Samuel L. Jackson,one of my favorite performances of his)is a prominent comic book and art dealer who has suffered from a lifelong affliction that makes his bones extremely brittle and quick to break. Known as "Mr. Glass",Elijah is convinced that superhero stories are more than just stories,that they reveal the truth about people with extraordinary abilities and their role in society.



David is highly skeptical at first,particularly when Elijah wants to mentor him. After facing a few truths about his past and exploring some of Elijah's suggestions about other powers he may have,David decides to see if he's really hero material out in the real world:





The film did do decently at the box office but was not as adored by the public as The Sixth Sense was(some found it to be disappointing,an all too regular response to many of M. Night's works). I saw Unbreakable when it first hit the theaters and was drawn in by David's plight as well as fascinated by the flashbacks of Elijah's childhood that seemed to form him into the man he ultimately became.




What really hooked me was the way the film was shot;the framing and use of color and shadow in each scene were done in classic comic book style. It's subtle,to be sure,but a clear choice nonetheless.

Also,the combination of a realistic approach to superhero mythology with homage and respect being held to the classic archetypes that the genre is revered for paved the way for other films and TV series who wanted to do more than just have a comic book costume party.

Some of it's influence can be seen in the early seasons of Smallville,where Clark Kent was slowly starting to deal with his status as a young man of steel(the creators of the show insisted upon "no flights,no tights" for a long while,with only the no tights part still intact)and of course,with the current phenom,Heroes.



You could argue that Unbreakable might have a small part to play in films like Sin City,V For Vendetta and Batman:The Dark Knight being widely accepted by critics and moviegoers alike. Many people discovered the movie via home video/DVD,plus TV/cable showings and grew to appreciate it for it's own merits.

The reviews that Unbreakable received upon it's initial release were mixed but tipped over to the positive rather than the negative. It helped to set the tone for future films that went along similar lines of thought.

Unbreakable's ending did make a sequel possible and if M. Night is willing to tackle it,I'm not the only one who would be curious to see the results. My only qualm about the idea would be the concern about the movie being a truly artistic storyteller's decision to make or a knee jerk response to his current film flops by jumping on board the current comic book blockbuster band wagon.

The man's only human,after all,and while I really don't think he can just go thru the motions,a halfhearted second film would be sad to see. Unbreakable deserves better than and so does it's fans. M. Night and company,please do it right or don't do it at all:

A medley of memoirs to add to your fall reading list

Since it's now officially autumn,which is considered a time to buckle down and get a little more serious about things,many folks are going thru their TBR piles and some are debating with their reading groups about what books would be good for a lively and thoughtful discussion.

With that in mind,I felt it would be good to look at a few of the memoirs currently out and about at the moment. Memoirs have had quite a heyday over the last few years and despite some of the over hyping of the genre,there's still some interesting life stories out there that are really worth checking out. Some of these selections may not suit every taste but perhaps one or two of them could become great suggestions to family and friends looking for a fresh fall read.




A FATHER AND SON'S SORROWFUL RECLAIMING OF THE PAST

Mark Kurzem thought he knew everything he needed to know about his father,Alex,but when his dad showed up one day at his doorstep in Oxford,he found that all he did know was nothing at all. When Alex was five years old,his village in Latvia was raided by a Nazi death squad. The young boy escaped and hid in the woods during the harsh winter until a Latvian police brigade rescued him. The brigade eventually turned into a SS unit and Alex was made into their "mascot".

He was dressed up as a little soldier and taken around to various massacres,which reinforced his fear of being discovered to be Jewish by his new companions. Alex did his best to stay on their good side and was even featured in a Nazi propaganda film. When the war was over,he was placed with a foster family of Latvian refugees in Australia and keep his past a secret from his loved ones for decades.

Eventually,Alex wanted to make peace with his past and asked Mark to help him find out more about it. The results of that lead to Mark writing The Mascot,which is now available in paperback,and to a documentary made in 2002. The book is scheduled to be a feature on 60 Minutes this fall,which should generate quite a bit of interest in this riveting father and son story.

WOMEN ON THE MOVE



In Judith Matloff's Homegirl:Building A Dream House on A Lawless Block,the foreign correspondent tells the tale of how she and her husband decided to settle down roots by buying what they thought was a "fixer-upper" in West Harlem,NYC.

Turns out their brownstone was a former crack house in need of a major overhaul and the neighborhood they moved into could be just as rough as some of the international hot spots that Judith had reported from.


Nonetheless,Judith and John set about making their new home livable and making friends in the community which helped them to make their new house a home. This book is a perfect example of what life in many New York neighborhoods is all about,bringing a blend of different perspectives together to create a more harmonious environment for folks to make their shared living space a bit more special:





Another journalist making a perilous move to start a new home for her family is Judith O'Reilly,who went from life in London to roughing it out in Northcumberland,a British version of Green Acres,so to speak.

Then again,Eva Gabor wasn't pregnant with a third child and trying to reassure her two young sons that bears would not eat them,plus a husband who still has to travel back to London for business,leaving her on her own in very unfamiliar waters.

Judith dealt with this new set of challenges by writing a blog about her experiences and keeping a good sense of humor about things,which makes this book such a charming read:





To round off this section of ladies on the go,let's take a look back at one of my picks from the summer,What Rhymes With Bastard by Linda Robertson. Robertson recounts her move from London to San Francisco to further along a relationship with a man who ultimately cheats on her and leaves,which was probably the best thing that could've happened to her.


Linda formed a cabaret band that lead her to be named Miss Accordion San Francisco of 2004 and developed her dark sense of humor which she channels thru many of her songs(Sarah Silverman would love her!). If you're still not sure,take a listen to Linda as she not only reads a chapter but plays a song called "All Made Up." Quite the eye opener.

MEN AT WORK



Pete Jordan spent about 12 years being a dishwasher in diners and cafes all across the USA,with the goal of working in all of the fifty states. While he didn't reach his ultimate objection,his experiences gave him plenty to write about,first in a small zine and then this book,Dishwasher,now in paperback.

A good example of Pete's playful style is when he was first invited to appear on the David Letterman show back in 1996(due to the strong following his zine was getting). Pete had no interest in being on TV,so he let his friend Jesse go on the show as him instead. Letterman's people were not amused but they wound up having Pete on to promote the book. Not easy to get one over on Dave,which is yet another reason to check this guy out:





There's renewed interest in Toby Young's How to Lose Friends and Alienate People which came out in 2003 about Young's time at Vanity Fair magazine,due to the film version that just came out this past weekend.

The film does slightly fictionalize a few of the book's elements(such as the name of the lead character played by Simon Pegg)and received some mixed reviews but it did open up big in the UK and get a good write up from Roger Ebert here in the US,so there's hope for it yet.

It does give those of us who didn't read the book when it first came out a good excuse to do so now. I wouldn't mind seeing the movie either,since Simon Pegg is flat out brilliant:



Well,I hope that this selection of memoirs can enrich your reading this season and provide some riveting slices of life that leave you with a lot of points to ponder about your own. A life story doesn't need to be notorious to be interesting,altho those are sometimes the ones who hog all of the media attention:

The horrors of Halloween are reborn in AMC's Fear Fest 2008

One of the many traditions that make Halloween the frightfully fun time of year that it is comes from American Movie Classic's annual Monster Fest,a marathon of horror films past and present which runs a few days before and ends on the 31st. Monster Fest has under gone a few changes for 2008,both on and off line.

Now dubbed Fear Fest,the official website offers up four films to watch on your computer(Pumkinhead and a version of The Island of Dr. Moreau are amongst the choices)along with a "Movies in a Minute" feature that gives you a Cliff Notes' take on Jason Goes To Hell and the recent Willard remake.



You can also take a variety of horror fan quizzes and compete in a Scream Queen Tournament ,to pick your favorite damsel in distress. Rob Zombie will be hosting Fear Fest on TV as well as judging the Greatest Fear contest,which gives the winner four thousand dollars and the opportunity to have their one minute film be played on AMC sometime in 2009.



What makes me look forward to AMC's horror movie marathon is the interesting mix of films chosen. Granted,they do show too many of those Halloween sequels(except for Halloween III: Season of the Witch this time around,don't ask me why)but they do showcase a goodly number of classic creature features like The Mummy,The Horror of Dracula and The Bride of Frankenstein.

Those films are placed right along side various cult films like Motel Hell and Hush,Hush,Sweet Charlotte and modern day classics like The Omen,An American Werewolf in London and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Yes,there are some turkeys in the bunch but even those movies are just as entertaining in their own special way.

To whet your appetite for what's to come,here are a few sinister samplers to look out for on the AMC Fear Fest schedule:

YOU WON'T FORGET IDA OR VINCENT IN A HURRY,THAT'S FOR SURE!



A REAL LADY KILLER



TALK ABOUT YOUR TERRIFYING LOVE STORIES!



HOW SWEET IS CHARLOTTE,REALLY?



ONE OF STEPHEN KING'S BEST BAD GIRLS

Project Runway's Final Four flower show,Top Design's triathlon and will 13 be a lucky number for The Amazing Race?

For their last challenge,the Final Four designers on Project Runway took a literal field trip to the Botanical Gardens. They were each given cameras and asked to take numerous pictures,one of which would be used as the inspiration for a evening gown that would decide who gets to go to Bryant Park.



Everyone had a major bad case of nerves this round,which did affect the gowns they made. Korto chose a lovely orange blossom as her basis but unfortunately,the design looked too much like a basic pattern. Michael Kors called it a "pagent" dress but did say that it was well made. I felt so bad for her,she was wiping away tears of tension during the judging(with more dignity than a certain someone else did,who I'll get to soon enough).



Leanne chose a lavender plant as her inspiration and the bodice of her lovely layered dress was a real highlight of the show. A major misstep,however,was the bolt of blue fabric added to the back of the gown at the last minute. It was hastily put on and did nothing for the rear view whatsoever.



Jerell's dress was deemed the winner and it did deserve props for it's blend of color and shape,even with that top that made the model's cleavage plunge deeper than the Grand Canyon there.

Jerell used a cluster of purple and plum colored roses as his photo muse,which you can sort of see with the sparkly embellishments at the bosom. Concerns were raised about the bottom hems of the dress that you could easily see where not fully completed. Nevertheless,he was tapped to go to Bryant Park but even his place there is not totally secure.



Last and definitely least was Kenley's crappy crocodile number,based on a picture she took of some pebbly textured leaves. She wanted to make her gown scaly and she got her wish,that's for sure!

The entire look of the dress came across as a mad scientist's result of an experiment to crossbreed a mermaid with Barney the Dinosaur(do those scales at the bottom of that thing look more like a fish or a dragon? You make the call!).

Worse than the dress was Kenley's attitude and consistently rude behavior towards the judges. For a minute there,I thought Heidi was going to bitchslap Kenley after she was openly sniped at by Little Miss Can't Be Wrong for how inelegant the bottom half of the gown looked. Kenley was practically throwing such a fit during the judging that even Veruca Salt would find it to be out of line.



Nobody was sent home,due to the judges not being able to choose a loser. They were all sent off to make their Fashion Week collections and another elimination will be made before Bryant Park. While I do agree that the Final Four was not at their best here,Kenley deserved to be dismissed.

The real fireworks went off during the Q & A portion,when each designer was asked why they should go forward and who should go with them. Both Jerell and Leanne critiqued Kenley openly(which lead to more pouting)while Korto made her preference for Jerell and Leanne at the Finale without taking any shots at Kenley.

That apparently did not make an impression on her,since she tossed Korto right under the bus and then whined backstage about how she was "forced to" when Korto called her out for that. I was so sick of Kenley's "Poor me,I was raised to be tough and no one likes me for it" mantra during the whole episode. Give me a bloody break with that happy crappy,honey! Judges,please do not let this immature brat get a shot at Bryant Park,she's a bad egg that needs to be pulled off of the line.



On Top Design,the decorators finally had an individual challenge,three of them to be exact. It was called the First Annual Top Design Triathlon and it begin with a chair redesign. Nathan won that one and immunity as well.



He also won the second challenge(a table setting one)and more immunity,which saved him from being on the chopping block for the last challenge that was pretty much phoned in. The designers had to create a room good enough for a photo shoot in Elle Decor magazine,with items bought at a garden center.



Wisit was one of the few folks who were very creative with this challenge. He whipped up a Parisian apartment in the springtime motif that was chic and stylish. He even treated the judges to more of his opera singing,which is superb. The rest of the contestants need to keep their eye on Wisit,because he's one of those quiet ones,as the old saying goes.



Natalie won the third challenge,for the cozy little lounge area she created and Nathan was dubbed the overall winner of the triathlon. That made sense,seeing as he won two out of three there. Natalie's room will be the one who gets the Elle Decor photo spread,tho,a nice feather for her cap.



It was down to either Teresa or Andrea for the loser,with Teresa going home for the dull brown room that she trimmed with plants. The room's look came across as an afterthought,in my opinion. Andrea didn't do much better but she really needs to step her game up and stop getting distracted by what everyone else is doing. Focus,Andrea,focus! You can't coast on being Mrs. Rick Schroder for long.



Judge Kelly Wearstler always has an odd sense of style every time I see her but her beehive hair and sad little glitter dress for the final judging was bizarre even by the usual "Crazy Hair" standards. I know this isn't a fashion show but could Tim Gunn stop by to give her a makeover,seriously?

Kelly,no doubt you are tops in your field but for a viewer like me,it's hard to take your opinion with the full gravity it deserves when you look like you're on your way to an open audition for Hairspray. Just saying!



The Amazing Race began it's thirteen season by heading for Brazil,where their clue hunting lead them to push around old school barista carts and chose between climbing up a huge flight of stone steps on their hands and knees or climbing down a tall building on a rope ladder. Not a fun choice either way on that one.

Too soon to root for anyone yet,but I do like Team Comic Book so far. The most colorful of this season's bunch was Arthur and Anita,a pair of tie dyed beekeepers,but they were the first team to be eliminated. Too bad,guys but take heart;at least you don't have to put up with Terrance and Sarah's whining during the rest of the race:



RANDOM NOTES:



HEROES: Out of all of the shiny new developments and plot twists the show has given us so far,the one that will really set the season on fire more potently than that flame boarding Claire's birth mother gave her(she's going on that Kill Bill path to find a mentor,whether or not anyone else likes it and it's their own fault for not helping that girl channel her rage in a constructive way) is the partnership between Noah Bennet and Sylar.


While I don't fully buy the whole "Sylar is a secret Petrelli" deal(even he doesn't trust the source of that info),Angela's influence is not to be taken lightly. Noah may think he can string Sylar along until he finds a way to kill him but as we all know,the man is nothing if not readily adaptable to new circumstances and convincing to boot:

True Blood is turning out to be a true blue series worth biting into

Vampire fans have had to deal with the loss of more than one promising TV series(Blood Ties,Moonlight)about their favorite children of the night,so one can understand the reluctance of some to sample HBO's long awaited True Blood. Fortunately,the ratings and the fan reception has been good enough so far that the show already has a commitment from the network for another season.

It does help alot that Alan Ball is the big guns behind this show,since Six Feet Under was a major hallmark series for HBO,both in popularity and in critical acclaim. Another bonus was using Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels as the ground floor upon which to build from,which brought in a number of ready made fans.




As one of those Sookie fans myself,my main concern was in how close the show would be to the books and what changes would be made to the characters.

So far,most of the important elements are intact,mainly the growing relationship between Sookie,the emotionally isolated mind reader and Bill, a Civil War era vampire trying to mainstream himself into a society that now officially acknowledges the existence of his kind.


That acknowledgment comes with it's own set of risks,such as humans seeking to destroy all vampires,even those who agree to only drink the commercially branded artificial blood on sale everywhere and people who like to get high off of vamp blood. Sookie starts her friendship with Bill by using her telepathy to save him from being drained by a pair of sleazy blood dealers and finds out that her mind powers don't work on him,a pleasant surprise in her opinion:





Sookie and Bill's romance has quite a bit of opposition from several parties such as her best friend Tara and Sookie's brother Jason(who has more personal reasons to dislike vampires),along with Sookie's boss,Sam,who has a huge crush on her and a secret of his own to keep hidden from the world.

Bill's old vampire buddies aren't too sure about this,either,since their idea of a friendly human/vampire relationship is more along the lines of master and servant. When Sookie first runs into a few of them who are paying an unexpected and unwelcome visit,she barely manages to stay unbitten despite Bill's declaration of protection being her shield:





The show also allows other characters and their conflicts to be more expanded upon(the Sookie books are told from her p.o.v.). While Jason's raunchy love life is more detailed than I care to see(some of it is necessary to the plot),seeing Tara deal with her violence prone drunken mother,along side her unrequited love for Jason and instant kinship with Sam is just as compelling as Sookie's struggles are to view and connect yourself to:





There's been some talk about the various accents the actors have been using not being that good,but the story telling has been so well done that it doesn't bother me at all. Anna Paquin was a great choice to play Sookie. She makes the natural sweetness of the character come alive without turning her into a cardboard cliche of a damsel in distress.



Rutina Wesley nearly steals the show in her feisty yet vulnerable take on Tara and other stand out performances include Nelsan Ellis as Layfayette,the flamboyant cook and cousin to Tara,Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte and Lois Smith as Sookie's grandmother Adele who wants Bill to speak about his past experiences to her Civil War society group.

Looks like us folk who take kindly to vampire lore have a new nest to roost in out there in TV Town. Whether or not you like the books or just want to check out the scary stuff lingering on the story horizon,True Blood has plenty of variety in it to satisfy the thirst of one and all who stop in for a drink of drama.

Have a few sips with these tasty clips:

TARA SMACKS DOWN SOME SWEET TALK



SHARING A COUSINLY MOMENT



GETTING TO KNOW YOU AND YOUR LIPS