Ecards for the Vampire Occasion

With New Moon hysteria sweeping the country more freverently than the swine flu, the ecard business is jumping on the bandwagon. Generally, bandwagoning irritates me, but being a typical hypocrite, I make exceptions for things I like :)

Someecards, my favorite of all the ecard sites, has released several new ecards in honor of New Moon. Oh, the joy of snarkery.

And one from the original Twilight:

~Lily

"I will make you not thankful for this Thanksgiving!"

No holiday is complete without some tongue-in-cheek vamping.  Here is a slightly humorous take on a Bella-Edward thanksgiving complete with an evil "Vampire Diaries"-esque brother...and here which includes cameo performances by Buffy and a reference to True Blood.:)

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
~Helena

Oh and be sure to read the comments on the first post before reading the second link (it adds to the funny).

Just for you Lily!

~Helena (and Taylor Lautner Daily)

Ahem...

I saw New Moon today. That's right, I braved the onslaught of fangirls, tweens, and unapologetic twimoms (sadly, that's a real Web site) to see what all the hype was about. Right now, I have only this to say.

THIS.

This alone is well worth the price of admission.

And popcorn.

And that $5.99 bucket of cola that they have listed as a small, but that we all know could quench the thirst of the French Foreign Legion for a week or more.

What? He's not yet legal? But...but he has abs you could wash clothing on.

And look, he's all wet...
All right, fine. Someone notify me when this fine piece of, er, young man becomes, you know, legally a man.

I'll try to put the daydreams on hold til then.

~Lily

Blood and Chocolate - Movie Review

I recently finished the book Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause. Strangely, I didn't realize Blood and Chocolate was a book until after I saw the movie. Even more strangely, I think I enjoyed the movie more. This is an odd occurrence for me, and one I have to contemplate a bit more before presenting a final verdict. Liking a movie more than the book that inspired it? Hmmm...

Before I review the book, which I have very mixed feelings about, here is my review of the film. This is an old review, written back in my film critic days, right after the film was released. I'm reposting it here because, well, because I can. And with New Moon opening in just a few days (and visions of a shirtless Taylor Lautner frolicking through my head), I think a werewolf film review is appropriate.

Here's the review, originally printed under the title Werewolves Need Love Too.

How would I describe Blood and Chocolate in 10 words or less? It’s a little like Romeo and Juliet, with werewolves. It is easy to poke fun at the recent slew of over-the-top, special effects-laden horror films that are just, well, bad. But Blood and Chocolate isn’t a bad movie; it just isn’t a great movie.

Set in Bucharest, Romania, Blood and Chocolate tells the story of Vivian (Agnes Bruckner), an angry young woman with a dangerous secret. Her secret is that she is a werewolf, more specifically a member of loup garoux, the group of creatures at the heart of the werewolf myth. The loup garoux are a society of shape-shifters, able to transform into either human or wolf form at will. In a departure from traditional werewolf tales, loup garoux are not affected by the full moon and a person cannot become a loup garoux even if bitten by one, it is a group into which all members are born. Headed by a man named Gabriel, the loup garoux run Bucharest from the shadows and will go to any lengths to protect their secrets.

Into this clandestine world of pack rule stumbles Aiden (Hugh Dancy), a clueless young artist with a fascination for loup garoux who falls almost instantly in love with Vivian, not realizing who and what she is. Unfortunately, Vivian is being prepared for Gabriel. Violence and danger ensue as Vivian must decide whether to remain loyal to the rules and traditions of her lineage or follow her heart.

Blood and Chocolate has an equal number of negative and positive points. Broad allusions are made to an ancient prophecy, as there always are in this kind of film, and indications that Vivian will be the one to fulfill this prophecy, but this is never fleshed out. Although the notion of loup garoux plays with traditional werewolf storylines, the film itself is steeped in clichés, attempting to create an artsy, faux-intellectual air that falls flat. The producers of Blood and Chocolate were also responsible for Underworld, and it shows. One of the best things about this film, however, is the special effects. Instead of being flamboyant and fake, the special effects are subtle and well crafted. The werewolves are not CGI monsters, but actual wolves. The loup garoux are shown morphing into wolf form in a burst of light and the effect is actually quite beautiful.
Blood and Chocolate is not so much a horror film as it is a love story that just happens to include werewolves. While the plot is predictable and at times slow moving, Blood and Chocolate is an effective and even enjoyable way to kill an hour and half as long as your expectations are moderate.

~Lily

15 Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, a wonderful oil blend lab that specializes in many products both fantastical and good smelling, is now offering Vampire Tarot Cards.

The fifteen card deck, designed by Madame Talbot, is inspired by the Neil Gaiman short story, 15 Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot.

The cards will be introduced, one at a time, over the next 15 months. Each card can be purchased individually at the BPAL Web site and will be accompanied by a 5ml bottle of perfume.

Proceeds from sales will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, an organization that fights censorship and works to defend and uphold the first amendment rights of comic book creators in the USA.

~Lily

Right, Cause Kids Aren't Frightening Enough

This. This is the definition of taking the whole vampire fad too far.



~Lily

Eau d'vampire

From the fragrance team over at The Soap Box Company, comes a perfume named Vampire's Garden:

"For vampires and other dark souls addicted to topsoil, the sweetly herbaceous scent of freshly turned earth, blood oranges, and staked tomato vines under a midnight sky"

I love the description, maybe even more than the idea of an actual perfume.  Find out for yourselves, a sample vial can find its way to you for only $2.  Sadly, it is currently out of stock, but keep checking back if you are interested!


~Helena

True Blood...Pottery?

I love Etsy, I really do. And now, there's even more to love. Creator and Seller MaidOfClay has created a series of True Blood mugs. Check these out:


I now want an entire set. Seriously, how cool are these mugs? If you're interested, stop by Etsy and show MaidOfClay a little love by purchasing one (or more) of these mugs for yourself.

~Lily

While We're Using Diagrams to Beat Up On Religion...

Hmmm, another venn diagram contrasting vampires, zombies, and the paranormal with Christianity...


I think this may be a trend.

And now I think I need to head off to that small confessional booth previously referenced.

~Lily

Jesus is not a zombie!

To quote a character from one of my favorite shows, "Jesus is not a zombie!"

This venn diagram, however, seems to disagree.



Actually, it seems to propose the idea that He's a paranormal amalgamation of all things undead.

If you'll excuse me now, I think I need to go to church.


~Lily

More Vampy Felines

~Helena

"Vampire's" Choice Awards

Nominees for the People's Choice Awards were announced on Tuesday.  Among the vamp shows/cinema featured were: True Blood, Vampire Diaries, and Twilight.




True Blood, shown on HBO, is up for two categories: TV Obsession and TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy.  Main actress Anna Paquin, Sookie, was nominated for TV Drama Actress.






Vampire Diaries, from the CW, is in the running for two: TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy and New TV Drama.







Twilight, the seemingly new teen culture phenomenon, holds a place in the following three categories: Favorite Movie, Movie Franchise, and Onscreen Team (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner).  Kristen Stewart, Bella, was nominated for Favorite Movie Actress and Robert Pattinson, Edward, has a spot in the Favorite Movie Actor slot.  Taylor Lautner, Jacob, is in the Breakout Movie Actor category.





Tune in to CBS for a live presentation on January 6th, looks like it may prove to be a good year for the vamps!

~Helena

Celebrating 40 Years

This week, Sesame Street celebrates 40 years of education and entertainment. Who better to represent that milestone than Count von Count. In celebration, Google incorporated The Count and his favorite hobby into the Google logo.



There's only one count. One, ah ah ah.

~Lily

First Nightlight, Now...Firelight

You just have to love those SNL Digital Shorts. Taylor Swift hosted last week, and took part in a wonderful spoof of Twilight called Firelight.

Enjoy, courtesy of SNL.

(This video is not ours, and no copyright infringement is intended. Property of NBC Universal)

~Lily

Bubba is IN the Building

The creator of all those True Blood paper dolls, illustrator Andy Swist, has officially gain a few more points on the awesome scale. Andy, you see, decided to dress up as BUBBA for Halloween.

For fans of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse book series (and I stress books, because Bubba is painfully absent from True Blood), this is truly awesome. Who doesn't love the undead, cat-eating, reincarnation of Elvis?

Check out the full post of Andy's Halloween Adventures at his blog, here.

(Cat is the best thing since fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Thank ya, thank ya very much.)

~Lily (totally in awe)

Vamps and Dolls

A few months ago, I made a post about a series of True Blood themed paper dolls available for free on the Internet. Since that time, illustrator Andy Swist has been a busy, busy boy. He's officially made and posted True Blood paper dolls for nearly all the main characters. You can find the full array here. Below are a few of my favorites:

I don't know what's better: Eric, with detachable head, or Sam, with detachable species.

Meh, I think Sam's ass wins, all on its own.

~Lily

It's Here, and It's HOT!!

JR, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thine hard bodied, dark and brooding men.

I love thine long and intricately constructed stories.

I love thine plots, with their twists and turns.

Mostly, I love thy covers, especially when they look like this.


That's right, it's the cover for the upcoming Lover Mine.

Thank you JR, Santa, and Jesus. This is a wonderful early Christmas present! Now if only we didn't have to wait for April for the actual book to come out.

~Lily

Volunterism's Blatant Theft of Pop Culture

What do you do when you see blood donor numbers dropping? You make a shameless vampire plug to draw in the Twilight and Vampire Diaries crowd, of course.



That's ok, Doc, take an extra pint. The pale look is in now.

~Lily

I Kissed a Vampire - Web Musical?

I have not had much time to research this new finding (I am in the middle of some hardcore test procrastination ;p). Figured I would share this video with you all though. Looks completely cheesy and probably lame but might be worth some laughs.




~Helena