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Friday, December 3, 2010

WATCH THE VAMPIRE DIARIES WITH V-D.NET & PHILO THIS THURSDAY, DEC. 9TH AT 8PM ET/PT


Yes, we know – a hiatus is coming after By the Light of the Moon, next week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries. But instead of getting sad, get glad about chatting with your fellow fans and winning some sweet prizes! Vampire-Diaries.net has teamed up with PHILO for a Vampire Diaries Viewing Party on December 9th!
Here’s how you can participate: Sign up for a PHILO account(you can use your Twitter, your Facebook, or register an on-site account, and download an app for your phone!). The party starts on Thursday, December 9th at 8pm EST and again at 8pm PT. Once you’re there, “check in” to The Vampire Diaries and comment and you’ll be entered to win Vampire Diaries prizes (The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season andThe Vampire Diaries: Original Television Soundtrack), not to mention you can live-chat with other viewers as the TVD craziness goes down on your TV. (Red and Vee will be there, and Crissy Calhoun will be in the house for the West coast airing.)
Also, PHILO will be designing a special TVD award for when you check in to the event.
More details to come! But we hope to see you there. Invite your friends, invite your mom and dad. It’s going to be EPIC.

STEPHEN AMELL JOINS THE CAST OF THE VAMPIRE DIARIES


Mason Lockwood may be gone, but he seems to have plenty of friends concerned for his well-being and willing to come looking for him. According to E! OnlineStephen Amell (Heartland, CSI: Miama, NCIS: Los Angeles) is joining the cast for a couple of episodes as Mason’s friend Brady, who comes to Mystic Falls for reasons connected to his missing pal. What connection he has to Mason’s other friend, Jules, and whether he’s a werewolf or not remains to be seen.

‘TIS THE SEASON! BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON (EP211) EXTENDED PROMO

Category: TV Series
Oh, boy. The CW has posted the extended promo for By the Light of the Moon (EP211). Savor it, Vampire Diaries fans, because after this, no new episodes until 2011. In the meantime – can you help us get out of this dress?

RATINGS AND EPISODE DOWNLOADS FOR THE SACRIFICE, UK SOUNDTRACK WINNERS, AND VOTE VAMPIRE DIARIES IN THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

Category: TV Series
Preliminary ratings for The Sacrifice suggest the episode brought in 3.7 million viewers last night, though those figures are expected to be adjusted down once the ratings for the NFL Network’s Eagles/Texans game are factored in. Who needs sport when you have this show to get your adrenaline pumping, right?
Download links for Amazon and iTunes UK aren’t available yet, but we’ll update when they are.
Episode Downloads:Buy on iTunes US
Canadian fans: watch the episode the CTV website or MuchMusic.
Congratulations to the winners of our UK Vampire Diaries soundtrack winners,Tiffany BickmoreMichelle Kingdom and Karen Sanderson! Crazy UK weather permitting, the prizes should be sent out on Monday.
Finally, there are only a few days left to vote for the Vampire Diaries in thePeople’s Choice Awards, so get those mouse fingers clicking!
 
You can also vote on Twitter by tweeting the following:
I just voted for Vampire Diaries #scififantasyshow #PeoplesChoice. Retweet to vote! http://t.co/QvM3hAj via @peopleschoice
I just voted for The Vampire Diaries #tvdrama #PeoplesChoice. Retweet to vote! http://t.co/xGkIS5L via @peopleschoice
I just voted for Ian Somerhalder #tvdramaactor #PeoplesChoice. Retweet to vote! http://t.co/59vCrWU via @peopleschoice

V-D.NET/SMART POP BOOKS: A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO MYSTIC FALLS TWITTER GIVEAWAY!

Category: BooksTV Series
A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls: Your Favorite Authors on The Vampire DiariesSmart Pop Books and Vampire-Diaries.net are teaming up for a cool, one of a kind giveaway! You may remember some trivia tidbits we dropped way back in April about putting together the cover for A Visitor’s Guide to Mystic Falls: Your Favorite Authors on The Vampire Diaries. Well, the items you’re seeing in the cover? We’re giving them away! More specifically, V-D.net is giving away the journal and the necklace you see there – yep, the very same ones used during the cover photo shoot. Cool, right? (And it gets cooler – stay tuned to the Smart Pop blog and @smartpopbooksfor more details on the second contest.) And, just to sweeten the pot, we’ll throw in a copy of A Visitor’s Guide to Mystic Falls, too, which features YA authors like Claudia Gray, Sarah Rees Brennan, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and lots more, discussing a range of topics about The Vampire Diaries TV series.
UPDATE: Smart Pop has posted the other contest! They’re giving away the Civil War-era stationery (from Monahan Papers) from the book cover. Two contests, two winners, enter both! (Also, check it out – our introduction for the book is this week’s free essay on Smart Pop!)
So if you’d like a little piece of fandom history (we’re jealous!), plus a great read, enter our contest!
Here’s what to do:
  • Contest is open to EVERYONE. (Yes, that means you too, international fans!)
  • Follow @tvdnews and @smartpopbooks on Twitter. (You have to be followingboth to win!)
  • Copy, paste & tweet the following (everything in bold!): I want to win A Visitor’s Guide to Mystic Falls goodies from @tvdnews & @smartpopbooks! http://bit.ly/hYtnSt #VampireDiaries #TVD
  • You can enter as many times as you’d like.
  • Contest ends Thursday, Dec. 9th at midnight EST.
 
GOOD LUCK! And thanks so much for all of the support.

IAN SOMERHALDER ON THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (VIDEO)

In case you missed Ian Somerhalder’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night, feast thine eyes on some YouTube goodness. Ian chats about Louisiana, the start of his career (there’s a peek at a modeling shot from a Kids ‘R’ Us ad, courtesy of Ian’s mom), Lousiana vs. New York girls, being in People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue, and Lost. Oh, and check out the backstage shot Jay Leno tweeted.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

REACTION POST & POLL: VAMPIRE DIARIES – THE SACRIFICE (EP210)


The Vampire Diaries TV SeriesThis post is a sticky. Keep scrolling for more news and articles.
We’ve got the Salvatores making dubious-sounding plans to save Elena, the Gilberts each putting their own harebrained strategies into action, and Caroline and Tyler are off exploring sinister dungeons in the woods …what could possibly go wrong?

BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON (EP211) SHORT PROMO & WEBCLIP

Presenting the (very spoilery!) short promo for next week’s episode of theVampire DiariesBy the Light of the Moon, along with a webclip that was featured on the Bloodlines Revealed game. Enjoy!
Thanks to MiI2aCIe for the videos!

PAUL WESLEY’S INTERVIEW ON THE RACHAEL RAY SHOW (VIDEO)

We’ve been waiting all day for Paul Wesley’s interview on The Rachael Ray Show to turn up online, and at last it has! With thanks to I Heart Vampire Diaries for the heads up and Erin for the video.
It’s not the best quality video, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for a better version.

E!’S WATCH WITH KRISTIN VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL TREVINO & E!’S WATCH WITH KRISTIN VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH CANDICE ACCOLA

E!’s Watch with Kristin chats with Michael Trevino about auditioning for Tyler, knowing the character’s background before going in, and he previews what lies in store for Tyler during tonight’s (and next week’s!) episode of The Vampire Diaries – THE transformation.
Following up the Michael interview we just posted, E!‘s Kristin Dos Santos talks with Candice Accola about Caroline’s change from insecure teenage queen to ass-kicking vampire, whether Candice is a Damon or Stefan girl, the Caroline and Tyler bond, the ever-growing friendship with Stefan, working opposite Nina as Elena and Katherine, and the uncertainty of any character’s longevity on The Vampire Diaries.

CLIP & BACKSTAGE VIDEO OF PAUL WESLEY ON THE RACHAEL RAY SHOW (VIDEO)

Full video hasn’t surfaced of Paul’s appearance on The Rachael Ray Show yet (and hey, it’s not even 9am on the West coast), but looks like you can check outa minute and a half clip of Paul talking about fangs on the Rachael Ray website. And, thanks to Only Paul Wesleya YT version of Paul’s “Backstage Pass” video, where he reveals three facts about himself:

VANITY FAIR SPOTLIGHTS STEVEN R. MCQUEEN

Looks like the January 2011 issue of Vanity Fair (Johnny Depp on the cover)features Vampire Diaries’ Steven R. McQueen in its Spotlight column. Thanks to@_salvatorebros for the heads up! (And check out a screenshot of Steven featured on the Vanity Fair homepage!)
After a stint on the WB drama Everwood and the recent movie Piranha 3D, he found himself up for two shows, Melrose Place and The Vampire Diaries. He chose the latter, he says, because his character, Jeremy, “was as messed up as possible in the head.” As for going through life with the same name and calling as his iconic grandfather, he says, “Luckily, I’ve got a generation gap between me and him. But more than anything it’s a little fuel in the fire.”
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT VANITY FAIR and check out the accompanying photo below.
XX

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

NINA TEASES BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON (EP211) IN TV GUIDE + A “STEAMY” POLL

Category: TV Series
We haven’t even gotten the excitement of The Sacrifice out of the way (tomorrow night, 8pm, tune in), and Nina Dobrev is busy teasing us about By The Light Of The Moon in a TV Guide article! You can view a readable version in our gallery. Many thanks to Denise for the scan!
We’ve also got a spoilery poll below the images based on a tidbit from Nina in the article. If you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t go scrolling past the image.
Vampire Diaries in TV Guide, December 9th 2010

REMINDER: PAUL ON THE RACHEL RAY SHOW & IAN ON JAY LENO THIS THURSDAY, DEC 2ND

Category: TV Series
Thanks to the Rachel Ray Show for sending a reminder that Mr. Paul Wesley will be on tomorrow’s show. Check out a few photos of Paul’s apearance below and check out a brief video preview over on their websiteCheck your local listings to find out when the show airs in your neck of the woods.
Paul Wesley on The Rachel Ray Show, Dec. 2nd Paul Wesley on The Rachel Ray Show
And don’t forget to also set your DVR for Mr. Ian Somerhalder’s guest spot on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Ian is the second guest; show starts at 11:35 EST/PST and 10:35 Central.

CANDICE ON IGN’S CHANNEL SURFING PODCAST, TELEVIXEN PODCAST ROUND-UP + MORE KLAUS CASTING SPECULATION

Category: TV Series
The Vampire Diaries TV SeriesThanks to Candice Accola Web for the heads up about Candice Accola’s guest spot on IGN’s Channel Surfing podcast! Candice drops in to discuss Vampire Diaries, Caroline, filming in Atlanta, and even talks about Dexter and The Walking DeadYou can download the podcast over at IGN.
Speaking of podcasts, the intrepid Melissa of The Televixen’sVampire Diaries podcast has been busy playing catch-up on all of the episodes we’ve been recording this season. In case you don’t know by now, myself, Lucia of Heroine TV, Connie of Blast Magazine, Lee of From My Side of the Moon, and The Televixen herself have been podcasting Vampire Diaries since Season 1, and Season 2 is giving us a plethora of entertaining chat fodder. (Warning: The podcast is marked “explicit” for language and themes!) You can download from TheTelevixen.com or subscribe on iTunes! Here’s a list of direct links for all Season 2 podcasts posted so far (with the Rose/Katerina podcast coming this weekend!):
 
Following on the heels of Zap2It‘s ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Klaus casting: 9 guys we think could bring down Mystic FallsBuddyTV has posted their 15 casting suggestions: Who Should Play Klaus on ‘The Vampire Diaries’? We don’t know about you guys, but while a few suggestions definitely pique our interest (um, Hal Ozsan? Yes, please – we don’t care who he plays), not a single suggestion has made us sit back and go, “Whoa. YEAH.” Granted, we’re not eager to attach too many expectations on the character’s appearance or presence because who knows what the writers have in mind? It’s wait and see at this point, though the speculation is certainly fun.

PREVIOUSLY ON THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: KATERINA (EP209) RECAP ROUND-UP


The Vampire Diaries TV SeriesIt’s been three excruciatingly long weeks since Katerina (EP209) graced our screens, so it is with much delight that we assemble this fond look back at what will be undoubtedly become known as the feel-good flashback episode of the year before tomorrow night’s new episode of The Vampire Diaries –The Sacrifice (EP210). Relive the twists and turns and please give all of these sites a visit by clicking on their author headers.
Think there are some clever recaps we should check out? Hit us up in the comments.
Featured in this installment: MTV Hollywood Crush, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Monsters of Television, Heroine TV, The Televixen, BuzzSugar, iphignia939 on LiveJournal, Zap2It, Daemon’s TV, L.A. Times, IGN, Raked Reviews, Buddy TV, The TV Watchtower, TV Fanatic, Off-Color TV, The Two Cents, Think Hero, and our own Crissy Calhoun.
Don't say we didn't warn you!
We knew something was up with this episode before it even began. During the “Previously on ‘The Vampire Diaries’” opening, producers finally acknowledged that we may have watched the series before! Yup, instead of opening with Stefan’s “For over a century I have lived in secret” speech, the recap merely began with last week’s events. OMG! Thanks for recognizing that we’re devoted “TVD” fans who know by now that Stefan’s a vampire.

We said it before, and we’ll say it again: If you’re going to try and kill an ancient, powerful vampire, please make sure he’s actually dead before walking away from the body. If only Stefan and Damon had followed that advice! Now, unbeknownst to them, evil Elijah is still out and about, breaking windows and conniving to get that darned moonstone. They should have cut his head off when they had the chance.

So much history to cover, so little time to show Damon having sex with Rose. This was definitely the most exposition-heavy episode of the series to date. It was a means to an end — that end being us finally knowing why Katherine came back to Mystic Falls and why Bonnie, Tyler, Caroline, and anyone else Elena loves are screwed. Now that the stories have been intertwined and the stakes have been upped — Originals can compel other vampires?! — things are about to get interesting. Interesting and violent. (Note: I wanted to use an exclamation point there, but I thought it would make me look bad.)

This was another episode where we have more talking than action, but at least we got some good dish and a number of answers. Even better, Elena took matters into her own hands, so this week it was Stefan having to react instead of lead. I appreciate a feisty Elena, and Katherine seems to bring out the best in her. Let’s have these two gals go on a road trip next!

Katerina Petrova is one tough lady, even when she was human. All that speculation about her real motivation, and we finally learned the truth: self-preservation. Yep, Katherine is as selfish as they come, and pretty much everything that she has done has been in service of staying alive. And given that the oldest vampire in the history of time has been out to kill her for the past five centuries, one can’t really blame her for trying to escape her fate. Yes, Katherine is supremely selfish, but if she were not, then she would be long dead. And since I also find her supremely awesome, and would sincerely mourn her departure from my television screen, I applaud her selfishness. Katherine Pierce is pretty much my favorite thing on television right now.

But it wasn’t only haunting, damaged Katherine who had me squinting through blurry eyes to get through this episode. From the igniting of her “Petrova fire” in the tomb scenes with Katherine, to her epic cryfest crosshairs moment of realization on The Porch, Elena had me too. Elena showed such strength and vulnerability and growth as a character in “Katerina” that I give huge applause to both actress Nina Dobrev and the writers for what I do believe is my favourite Elena episode to date.

It’s Nina Dobrev on Nina Dobrev time! Katherine’s next flashbacks are spurred on by Elena, who pays the imprisoned Katherine a visit to find out about Klaus and why he’s after her. Back in Katherine’s past, we see Katherine running from Klaus and taking refuge with Trevor and Rose. Klaus wants to sacrifice her and break the Sun and the Moon Curse, but Katherine finds a way out; she tricks Rose into giving her some of her vampire blood, and then hangs herself, thus turning into a vampire and being useless to Klaus as a non-human doppelganger. Following? It’s convoluted, but there is a hint (foreshadowing, maybe?) of what could be in Elena’s future, as Katherine offers her some blood, implying that Elena could be turned into a vampire to escape the danger of being a human doppelganger. There’s a flicker in Elena’s eyes that shows she considers it for a moment, and though she refuses, you know this won’t be the last time she thinks about turning.

Seriously, how hard is it to make a day ring? You need a witch and some lapis. THAT’S IT. It is literally harder to make shit on Etsy. Yet every vampire we see now freaks out about how the Salvatores have an unfair advantage. (Which is hilarious, because they’re like, “…Bonnie made Caroline one. Are you people stupid? WITCH AND SOME LAPIS. THAT’S LITERALLY IT.”)

Legends, rumor, centuries-old secrets, and lies — in Katerina, the characters try to distinguish fact from fiction. Damon isn’t sure if Rose is trustworthy; Elena turns to a known liar for the truth; Caroline attempts to dupe Stefan into staying away from Elena, who doesn’t want him to know she’s turned to Katherine for help; there’s more to the Martin Family of Warlocks’ relocation to Mystic Falls than Bonnie or the rest of us know; and Slater is involuntarily made a liar by Elijah’s compulsion. And it’s in this atmosphere of duplicity that loyalty is the most highly valued quality, among both humans and vampires.

There’s a distinct weakness in Rose, which is largely the result of Trevor’s death, I’m sure, but it’s not sitting right with me. Lauren Cohan was fantastic when she went toe-to-toe with Jensen Ackles on “Supernatural” – Dean was completely unsettled by her. In contrast, Damon just seems to sort of pity her and let her hang around because he’s got no reason to make her leave.

I also loved the Stefan and Caroline interaction. There’s a strange little chemistry between those two, one that could easily seem romantic, if not for Stefan automatically assuming a paternal role. He seems to treat Caroline as his child, whether he intends to or not, wanting to both guide and protect her. It’s adorable to see and a great touch in a series that lacks much real healthy family time. His comparing her to Lexi showed that he doesn’t do this out of a sense of duty either, but rather because he genuinely likes and cares about her. I never like Stefan more than when he’s around Caroline.

Oh, yes, and Damon had sex with Rose. It was too short to really make an impression, although I do think the characters play off each other well. When Rose told Damon, “You can trust me,” I scoffed. The boy has some pretty big trust issues thanks to a certain dark-haired vampire. I scoffed even more so when Rose told him he needs to turn off his emotions to stay safe and then jumped him. Desire and lust are some of the most powerful emotions.

Not quite as successful in the romance department, Jeremy has his date with Bonnie stolen by another new addition to the cast, Luka (Bryton James). Luka and his father are new in town and it is obvious from the beginning that there is more to them than meets the eye. Vampire Diaries is not always the most subtle about characters hiding something shady. With this in mind, it is not entirely surprising when Luka’s father shows up with Elijah in the end.

As for the new guy in town, we obviously know that we shouldn’t trust the father, after seeing the final scene. It’s funny. When the son told Bonnie that he was a warlock, not a witch, I got up in arms. Having read both The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle, another book series by L.J. Smith that involves witches, I knew that Smith felt that men witches were still called witches. In fact, there’s a line in The Secret Circle that says a warlock is a deceiver, a traitor. You can’t interchange the names!

Slater seems to help out by calling Rose to tell her the curse can be broken, but they’ll need a witch. However, his help isn’t genuine as he’s being compelled by Elijah. Yes, Originals can compel other vampires, which would be cool, but then Elijah compels Slater to stake himself. Damn you, Vampire Diaries! Slater kicked so much butt and I wanted him to stick around a lot longer than just one episode.

What game is Katherine actually playing? Is she thinking that she needs to collect all the right ingredients once gain to make the perfect curse-breaking cocktail: the moonstone, a doppelganger, a werewolf, a witch and a vampire? But why does Katherine care if the curse is broken or not? Is she really going to offer up Elena, Caroline, Tyler (Michael Trevino), and Bonnie just to get Klaus off her back?

It will start to feel annoying and manipulative if Katherine’s story changes from week-to-week. I have to believe we’re getting accurate information this time, especially because it doesn’t paint Katherine in a flattering light. Why make up that she wants to help Klaus sacrifice all these people?

Elijah is a weird character but every time he does something evil and super badass, I’m impressed. He’s a good villain, but I haven’t even had time to care about him or his villainy before I’m supposed to be prepping for Klaus. And all I can say about that is, Klaus better be one BAMF, if you know what I mean.

What an episode! I loved all the reveals, but I still have so many questions. First of all – why was the first Petrova doppelganger created? What’s so important about the Petrovas? What happened to Katerina’s baby? Who shot JR? I need answers! For an episode that had Nina Dobrev talking to herself for most of it, this was a great hour. I loved the spiteful final exchange with Stefan. It’s interesting to think that, when Katherine was in danger of being the Petrova sacrifice, she chose to become a vampire. I wonder if Elena would consider making the same choice…