Vampire Paradise

VAMPIRE DIARIES NEWS BITES

E! Online has an interview with Vampire Diaries' Kevin Williamson, who says that he's trying to get country singer Taylor Swift to appear on the series as a member of the undead. "I'm desperate to have her play a vampire," he says. "Wouldn't she make an amazing Kirsten Dunst circa Interview With the Vampire type? Oh my God, I cannot tell you how hard I'm trying to get her -- I would kill to have her on the show."

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TVGuide.com has an interview with actor Matthew Davis, who plays an arriving teacher named Alaric Saltzman, who also happens to be a vampire slayer. "I hopped on that plane not knowing what I was getting myself into," the actor noted. "Alaric definitely has a past and he's there to add a heightened sense of tension to the story line. He has a dark side, and I think he's not always going to do the right thing. How that compels him remains to be seen.

EDWARD CULLEN - PERFECT VOLVO DRIVER

Apparently the Edward Cullen of New Moon is the perfect Volvo driver. The character will, of course, be driving the Savile Grey XC6OR in the film. Linda Gangeri, manager of national advertising for Volvo Cars of North America, notes, "The brand DNA matched to his character couldn't be ore right. His character is a nurturer and he has to be understated, because he's living in a human world and is in love with a human. At the same time, he wants something that is good-looking and fast."

VAMPIRE DIARIES: Vicki's Original Killer

According to an interview with Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, Vampire Diaries' Vicki (Kayla Ewell) was supposed to be staked by Elena's brother, Jeremy, rather than Stefan. "In the original script," she detailed, "Jeremy kills Vicki. And that's what we shot. Jeremy is forced to choose between saving the love of his life or his sister, and he chooses his sister. We shot the whole thing and I [moved back to] L.A. Then about a week and a half later, I got an email from Kevin and [co-executive producer] Julie Plec asking me to come back to Atlanta to reshoot my death scene -- only this time Stefan kills me."

"I KISSED A VAMPIRE" DEBUTS

SOURCE: Entertainment Business Newsweekly DATE: November 1, 2009 Episode 1 of the new musical web series I Kissed A Vampire is now available for download exclusively on the iTunes store (www.iTunes.com). The series stars multi-talented actors/singers Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical, Milk), and Drew Seeley (Another Cinderella Story, The Little Mermaid on Broadway) and introduces musical talent Adrian Slade. I Kissed A Vampire is a musical take on what it's like falling in love when you're in the middle of becoming a vampire! Dylan (Grabeel) is terrified when a nasty bat bite transforms him into one of the living dead. His world is turned upside down, and he has to figure out how to balance his budding romance with Sara (Slade), the girl next door, and the bloodthirsty desires his magnetic vampire mentor Trey (Seeley) is constantly urging him to give in to. The first episode of the three part series is available today, October 13th, exclusively on iTunes, with the second and third episodes available October 20th and October 27th, respectively. iTunes customers can purchase and download the episodes at www.itunes.com/ikissedavampire. Episodes will be available for $1.99 each. Also available for download is a free, behind-the-scenes featurette about the making of the series. The series was co-written and directed by Emmy-winning director Chris Sean Nolan, co-written and produced by Laurie Nolan, and executive produced by Mike Slade. The series features five original pop/rock songs from musician Frankie Blue, including "Outta My Head," "Love's In Vein" and "A Little Peck." In addition to the episodes, all the original songs are available for download exclusively on iTunes. "I Kissed A Vampire gave us the perfect opportunity to bring our collective passion for music and storytelling together in one place," says producer Laurie Nolan. "We couldn't be more pleased than to have Lucas, Drew and Adrian bring the musical to life. We're also thrilled to make I Kissed A Vampire available for download exclusively on iTunes." I Kissed A Vampire will have a New York premiere screening of all three episodes tonight, Tuesday, October 13th with a public, first-come first-serve event at the Landmark Sunshine Theater in New York City (143 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002). Lucas, Drew and Adrian will be in attendance for an audience Q&A immediately following the screening, moderated by celebrity blogger Jared Eng from www.JustJared.com and www.JustJaredJr.com. Fans can watch the trailer at the official I Kissed A Vampire website, www.ikissedavampire.com, or become a fan on facebook at www.facebook.com/ikissedavampire.

ROBERT PATTINSON SAYS HE CAN'T FIND A DATE

Asian News International (ANI) November 1, 2009 Sunday Vampire Robert Pattinson says he can't find a date BYLINE: ANI LENGTH: 218 words Sydney, Nov 1 (ANI): Twilight made Robert Pattinson famous overnight, but his star status is not coming handy in finding him a date. While talking about the global hysteria surrounding his name, he said: "I just don't take any of it seriously. It's just a job and while it's a job I love, girls scream out for Edward, not Robert. I still can't get a date." He also mentioned that he doesn't know how to react to the sudden fan following, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. "To be honest, I still don't really understand what's going on. Like yesterday, I was having lunch down the road. We were in this place for a couple of hours and suddenly there was like 400 people outside on the street. It was just so nuts and it's like that all the time now. "When the second one comes out, then I'll see how I am. Mostly I can ignore things to quite a big extent and kind of pretend they're not really happening," he said. Pattinson, who is also a good singer, added that he regrets performing two songs in Twilight. "When the first film came out I felt like a complete tosser," he says. He added: "It looked like I was trying to be cool or something, like Eminem. You know, be in a movie and then do a song for the soundtrack. But I didn't look cool, I just looked ridiculous." (ANI)

JONATHAN FRID INTERVIEW

ARTICLE TITLE: Interview with the vampire;
AUTHOR: THANE BURNETT
SOURCE: Edmonton Sun (Alberta)

Before Twilight.
Or the taste of HBO's True Blood.
A generation removed from today's top grossing blood-suckers, there was Barnabas Collins -- a vampire you could believe in. Or at least, I did.
Centuries ago, the fears of children were born from village lore. In the 1800s, it came from dark prose in eerie novels.
But as a child of the 1960s and '70s, all my monsters lived large inside our small television.
If I even recall the 1969 pilot of TV's Night Gallery -- in which a painting owned by a murdered old man changes shape -- what little hair remains on the back of my neck stands up. And screams.
Thanks to the Exorcist, I still bite my nails.
And because of Barnabas Collins, the dark bat-man of the gothic TV soap opera, Dark Shadows, I suspect almost everyone of being a closet vampire.
The series ran on ABC from 1966 to '71, and was dying before Canadian actor, Jonathan Frid, flew in as a 175-year-old anti-hero.
The character was only supposed to stick around for 13 weeks. Instead, the hypnotic magnetism of Barnabas made Dark Shadows one of the most popular shows on daytime television.
Playing in the afternoons, and filled with parallel universes, witches, zombies and werewolves, Dark Shadows was a must-see for kids.
For me, all other vampires paled when compared to Barnabas.
Critics dismissed Dark Shadows as campy. But fans -- who gather still for Dark Shadows conventions -- recognized Barnabas as a figure with heart. However unbeating.
So, when news came that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are collaborating on a movie version of Dark Shadows, I knew I had to resurrect Barnabas -- or at least his human side.
I find Frid in a secret lair, somewhere outside Hamilton, Ont. The mystery is for his protection. Fans still stalk one of the greatest vampires of the 20th century.
The actor is 85 years old and retired. Over the decades, he's played countless one-man shows and Shakespearian plays. And from the start, he never thought fangs fit.
We sit in the basement of his bungalow, surrounded by memories stacked in folders and bound in albums.
When he first took the roll of Barnabas, he was relieved it didn't immediately air around his home turf of Hamilton. That meant his friends wouldn't have to see it.
"But suddenly, it took off," he recalls. "And I was getting 5,000 pieces of (fan mail) every week."
His followers waited daily outside the studio in New York. Frid would run up to the glass doors, and scare them so badly, he feared stampedes would flatten someone.
But after Dark Shadows ended, Frid gladly moved on.
Over the years, he embodied living characters, and never wanted to dig up old bones.
"I thought I was ... dreadful. Awful," he adds of his work on the series.
"I tried to fight the vampire for years."